The MTG Hero has a new answer for a Standard format full of Izzet Elementals. It is a Dimir Doomsday deck, and its plan is simple: make the opponent’s entire library disappear.
The deck uses Doomsday Excruciator to cut the opponent down to six cards. Then a Restless Reef forces them to mill four cards. The game ends quickly.
The MTG Hero still believes Izzet Elementals is the best deck in Standard right now. But he calls Dimir Excruciator the only matchup that is truly bad for Izzet Elementals, the deck he champions.
“I am not saying this deck is suddenly the new best deck in Standard,” he writes. “I don’t think it is.”
The value, he argues, is specific. If you expect a room full of Izzet Elementals, this is one of the few decks he would seriously consider bringing to the table.
Why the Deck Wins
The game plan has not changed, but the tools around it have improved. The primary line is to resolve a Doomsday Excruciator, taking the opponent down to six cards, then attack with a Restless Reef to mill four more.
“Sometimes, that is all it takes,” the MTG Hero writes.
The deck is not a passive combo pile. It runs a full set of disruption, removal, and card choice.
“We are packed with ways to make sure our opponent doesn’t get to execute their game plan uncontested,” he writes.
That is where the deck lines up well against the current field. When Doomsday Excruciator hits the battlefield, the opponent’s library becomes a liability. Every draw step matters. Every milled card matters.
“Even if you don’t immediately finish the game, Excruciator puts your opponent in a position where a single mill effect can end everything,” he writes.
The Spider-Man Copy Line
The deck has a second threat that the MTG Hero says deserves more attention: Superior Spider-Man.
This card can copy a Doomsday Excruciator from the graveyard on turn four. That is a powerful play in a deck built around getting maximum value from one copy of its signature threat.
Superior Spider-Man also works well after an early Deceit. The deck can strip another card, bounce a threat by paying BBUU, and still leave a 4/4 body ready to attack.
The flexibility is the point. The card can also become an Emeritus of Ideation, giving a solid body and another way to make the opponent draw three cards after the Excruciator has resolved.
“You aren’t relying on a single line of play,” the MTG Hero writes. “Depending on the matchup and the board state, Spider-Man can be whatever you need him to be.”
Draw Spells and Lands
The card advantage spells are simple but effective. Winternight Stories draws cards, fixes the hand, and sets up a turn-four Superior Spider-Man copy of Doomsday.
Stock Up remains one of the best draw engines in Standard. It gets two cards for the price of one, looks five cards deep, and puts useless cards on the bottom of the library.
That improves drawing odds for the rest of the game.
The mana base plays almost all of the dual lands available. Basic Islands are mostly out because of Doomsday Excruciator’s demanding mana cost.
Two lands stand out. Cavern ensures the demon or Spider-Man can be cast without worry of counterspells. The deck does not care what happens after they resolve.
“Honestly, I prefer them to remove my Excruciator in most cases so I don’t have to worry about its extra draw trigger,” the MTG Hero writes.
Cavern cannot be played in high numbers. If the deck does not name “demon,” it can become hard to cast Excruciator later in the game.
Restless Reef is the fastest way to end the game after an Excruciator comes down. It forces the opponent to mill four cards.
Players should play Reef early to beat the “enters tapped” drawback. If the opponent destroys the Reef or has removal ready, the deck can still win with Emeritus of Ideation’s prepared spell.
Sideboard Changes
The sideboard is where the deck transforms. It can be tuned to take on almost anything.
In many ways, it plays similarly to a Golgari Midrange deck after sideboarding. The difference is access to counterspells.
Negate is the classic “just say no” card. The MTG Hero loves it against four-color control decks, shutting down cards like Jeskai Revelation and Tablet of Discovery.
Disdainful Stroke works for similar reasons. It can also hit big creatures and expensive spells. That matters because Landfall is far from dead in the current game.
The colors lack a ton of artifact or enchantment hate, so the deck has Annul. Stopping an artifact or enchantment before it impacts the board can be huge.
“We don’t need to outvalue the opponent over ten turns or establish a massive board presence.”
The deck does not try to win the long game. It resolves one card and changes the entire game.
Matchup Notes
The MTG Hero frames the deck as a metagame call, not a new best deck. It is a response to a field full of Izzet Elementals.
| Card | Role in Deck | Key Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Doomsday Excruciator | Primary win condition | Cuts library to six cards |
| Superior Spider-Man | Secondary threat | Copies Excruciator from graveyard |
| Restless Reef | Finisher | Mills four cards per attack |
| Winternight Stories | Draw engine | Sets up turn-four copy line |
| Stock Up | Draw engine | Looks five cards deep |
| Negate | Sideboard counter | Stops control spells |
| Disdainful Stroke | Sideboard counter | Hits big creatures and spells |
| Annul | Sideboard hate | Stops artifacts and enchantments |
The comparison shows a deck built around one devastating effect with multiple ways to reach it. The sideboard turns it into a flexible midrange-style deck with counterspells.
The Izzet Matchup
The MTG Hero does not back down from his earlier claim. Izzet Elementals does almost everything a competitive deck should do.
It has powerful threats, card advantage, interaction, and flexibility. It fights through a wide variety of strategies.
But every great deck has a weakness.
Dimir Excruciator is that weakness. The deck does not care about winning the same way traditional decks do.
It does not need to outvalue the opponent over ten turns. It does not need a massive board presence.
It just needs to resolve a single Doomsday Excruciator.
The full article, titled The Darkside of Standard Might Be the Cure: Dimir Doomsday, lays out the complete list and sideboard plan. For players expecting a heavy Izzet field, the MTG Hero suggests this is one of the few decks worth bringing.
The deck has always had one of the nastiest game plans in Standard. The plan has not changed.
The tools around it have.
Source: mtgazone.com
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