Affinity (2004) vs. Jund (2009) has been the story of the Best Standard Deck Ever Tournament so far, and the second round match-up has a real claim to being the most interesting one left. Affinity was one of the most notorious Standard decks of all time, and Jund was the rare midrange strategy to survive the first round. One of them is about to be eliminated, and the video explains exactly how it happened.
The tournament has narrowed to 32 decks still in contention for the title of Best Standard Deck Ever. Affinity advanced by beating Golos Field in the first round, and now it faces Jund, which took down Mono-Black Devotion to move on. The video covers the full match-up, the history of both decks, and the results that decided which deck moves on to the top 16. You can find the full bracket and all the decklists on the tournament site.
Affinity’s Broken History
Affinity was one of the most notorious Standard decks of all time, and its dominance came from a combination of artifact synergies, fast mana, and combo finishes. The deck was so strong that Wizards banned Skullclamp, which they admitted was a mistake due to some late design changes, in June of 2004.
That did little to slow the archetype. Affinity simply evolved and continued to dominate. By early 2005, players were refusing to show up to play Standard because the deck was so hated. That pressure led to Wizards dropping the ban hammer a second time, banning Arcbound Ravager, Disciple of the Vault, and all six artifact lands. That finally killed the archetype.
Affinity’s legacy is a simple one: it was so good that the game’s designers had to ban cards from the game to stop it. The first round wasn’t especially kind to midrange decks, but Jund managed to buck the trend by taking down Mono-Black Devotion to move on to the second round.
Jund’s Midrange Evolution
Jund is a pile of the best two-for-ones available back in 2009, and it leans heavily on the new-at-the-time cascade mechanic with Bloodbraid Elf and Bituminous Blast to generate value and card advantage. The deck broke out by taking second place at Worlds 2009, and its peak came in early 2010 at Pro Tour San Diego.
That tournament concluded with a Jund mirror match, where Simon Gortzen defeated Kyle Boggemes to take home the trophy. The video covers the full history of both decks, including the key moments that defined each strategy.
What The Match Decided
The video explains exactly how Affinity and Jund played against each other in this round. The results are explained in detail in the video, along with the full breakdown of how each deck performed. The video is the place to see exactly what happened when the two decks collided.
The Bracket So Far
The tournament has a full bracket that shows every match-up and the decks that have been eliminated so far. The updated bracket is available on the tournament site, along with the full decklists for every deck that made it this far. The tournament has been running for several weeks, and the format has been narrowed down to a manageable number of decks.
Affinity has already proven its worth by beating Golos Field in the first round, and Jund has shown its resilience by taking down Mono-Black Devotion. The second round will decide which of the two moves on to the top 16.
The Next Match-Up
The video does not cover the next match. That comes next week, when Academy (1998) takes on Dragonstorm (2006). The two decks are both combo strategies, and the match-up promises to be a tough one. Both decks are favorites in the bracket, and the winner will move on to the top 16.
The tournament is running at a steady pace, with new match-ups being revealed each week. The full bracket is available on the tournament site, along with all the decklists and the results from each round.
The Key Facts
- Affinity (2004) advanced by beating Golos Field in the first round.
- Jund (2009) took down Mono-Black Devotion to move on.
- Skullclamp was banned in June of 2004 due to late design changes.
- Arcbound Ravager, Disciple of the Vault, and all six artifact lands were banned in early 2005.
- Jund’s peak came at Pro Tour San Diego in early 2010, where Simon Gortzen defeated Kyle Boggemes.
- The full bracket and decklists are available on the tournament site.
The Decks Compared
Affinity and Jund represent two different approaches to the game. Affinity is a fast, aggressive deck that uses artifact synergies and combo finishes to win quickly. Jund is a midrange deck that uses the cascade mechanic to generate value and card advantage over the long game. The two approaches are very different, and that makes the match-up all the more interesting.
Affinity’s history is one of dominance and controversy. The deck was so good that Wizards had to ban Skullclamp, then ban the entire artifact engine, to stop it. Jund’s history is one of resilience. It survived the first round, and it has a real shot at moving on to the top 16.
The Verdict On The Match
The video is the place to see the full match-up and the results. The two decks are both strong, and the match-up was always going to be close. The winner will move on to the top 16, and the loser will be eliminated from the tournament.
The tournament is still ongoing, and the bracket is still full of strong decks. The next match-up, between Academy (1998) and Dragonstorm (2006), will be another tough one. The winner will move on to the top 16, and the loser will be eliminated.
The tournament is a celebration of the best Standard decks ever played, and Affinity (2004) vs. Jund (2009) is one of the most interesting match-ups so far. The video covers the full match, the history of both decks, and the results that decided which deck moves on. Anyone who loves Standard history should watch it.
See the video the story is built around at MTGGoldfish.
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