There is a little known format that is growing rather rapidly on MTGO—SOM Block Constructed. This one-set format has been on the rise for a while now with daily tournament events reaching over fifty in attendance. I have always been a fan of block formats due to the lack of options available, but never anything revolving around a single set. However, there are actually a few powerful decks to choose from and be successful with. In the future, I would like to include some tournament reports as well as project what Besieged will do to the format once the cards are made known and available. For now, I will provide an introduction on the main archetypes used in the daily events.

Tier 1 Decks
U/W Control
Big Red
Mono Blue Architect

Of the surprising amount of decks out there, these are the three most prevalent. If you were to join a four-round daily, you are most likely going to face one of these decks in almost every round. Earlier I just played in one and faced two Big Red, one U/W, and one Mono Blue. If you are trying to make a deck, you will have to be able to have game vs all three. Here are the base decklists for each:

U/W Control
3 Glimmerpoint Stag
3 Indomitable Archangel
3 Precursor Golem
3 Sunblast Angel
2 Contagion Clasp
3 Elspeth Tirel
4 Origin Spellbomb
3 Revoke Existence
4 Stoic Rebuttal
3 Tumble Magnet
3 Venser, the Sojourner
11 Island
11 Plains
4 Seachrome Coast

Sideboard
3 Arrest
2 Contagion Clasp
2 Dispense Justice
2 Halt Order
1 Revoke Existence
2 Trinket Mage
1 Venser, the Sojourner
2 Volition Reins

The goal of this deck is to survive any early pressure and then establish control with various value cards coupled with blink effects with Stags and Venser. Typically this involves Tumble Magnets and Stags until Sunblast Angel hits and stabilizes the board. Key cards to worry about are obviously the aforementioned Sunblast Angel and Venser, the Sojourner. Any deck with two planeswalkers in it is usually pretty strong, this one has two from just one set. It will be interesting to see what Besieged brings to the table, rumors of a U/B Tezzeret planeswalker are already swirling. More on that in the future.

Big Red
2 Hoard-Smelter Dragon
4 Iron Myr
4 Kuldotha Phoenix
2 Myr Battlesphere
4 Oxidda Scrapmelter
3 Palladium Myr
2 Precursor Golem
4 Spikeshot Elder
4 Galvanic Blast
4 Koth of the Hammer
1 Strata Scythe
1 Sword of Body and Mind
25 Mountain

Sideboard
3 Arc Trail
3 Liquimetal Coating
4 Shatter
3 Tumble Magnet
2 Wurmcoil Engine

Big Red is a mid-range aggro deck that utilizes early pressure to either win the game outright or place their opponent in an almost irrecoverable position. The deck is known for is ridiculous draws, most notably a turn three Koth on the play. Threatening to ultimate Koth on turn five is usually too much for any deck to handle, not to mention that the red deck is likely beating face with in the process. Koth management is usually the first worry for opposing decks. Other win conditions involve Spikeshot Elder and equipment and simply overwhelming the air with Horde-Smelter and Kuldotha Phoenix.

Mono Blue Architect
4 Argent Sphinx
4 Grand Architect
3 Myr Battlesphere
3 Palladium Myr
4 Precursor Golem
3 Silver Myr
3 Wurmcoil Engine
4 Stoic Rebuttal
3 Twisted Image
3 Volition Reins

22 Island
4 Glimmerpost

Sideboard
4 Contagion Clasp
4 Halt Order
3 Disperse
2 Contagion Engine
1 Volition Reins
1 Wurmcoil Engine

This is likely the most explosive deck in the format right now as it has the ability to consistently pump out Wurmcoil Engines and Myr Battlespheres as early as turn four. The goal of this deck is to get out an early threat or threats and then use Stoic Rebuttals and/or Volition Reins to foil any plans the opponent may have. The difference between this deck and Big Red is its ability to transition into a late game much more easily with control cards and consistent, powerful creatures.

These are the powerhouses of the current format but by no means are these decklists concrete. To see a wider variety of builds, follow the link at the end of the article to see all the 4-0 or 3-1 decklists are recent daily events. They are listed by date in the bottom right of the page as SOM Block Daily. I hope to write another article on the possible Tier 2 decks as well as the aforementioned tournament report and/or Besieged influence soon. Let me know if there is anything else you would like to know or wish for me to elaborate on, thanks for reading.

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Digital/MagicOnline.aspx?x=mtg/digital/magi...