This is the Standard format as I saw it when I started my testing for GP Charleston and GP San Antonio last week: Creatures (15) Lands (24) Spells (21) Creatures (12) Planeswalkers (6) Lands (25) Spells (17) Creatures (15) 1 Olivia Voldaren 1 Griselbrand 1 Restoration Angel 1 Craterhoof Behemoth 4 Thragtusk 4 Angel of Serenity 3 Centaur Healer Lands (23) Spells (22) Creatures (11) Lands (25) Spells (24) Creatures (12) Lands (23) Spells (25) 2 Dissipate 4 Unsummon 1 Rewind 2 Syncopate 3 Think Twice 2 Essence Scatter 2 Runechanter's Pike 4 Thought Scour 4 Azorius Charm 1 Sphinx's Revelation Sideboard A pretty wide range, isnt it
That is until the control player starts unsleeving their cards and revealing one Cheatyface after another tucked behind the sleeves of paper
He loves card games, card magic, cardistry, and card collecting, and has reviewed several hundred boardgames and hundreds of different decks of playing cards
since then, the list of banned cards has grown significantly
I ended up down to these by the week of the Pro Tour: Allies Burn (two varieties) Grixis Control Lantern Control Soul Sisters Why these decks
Mana Geyser The pinnacle of red ritual spells, a resolved Mana Geyser typically signals the end is near for your enemies
