If You Aren't Casting Siege Rhino, You're doing it Wrong.

Josh here with WizardDen.com 's Team RogueT3ch. All my decisions are changing. I am going through a mid-rotation crisis (similar to mid-life, except I don't get a Porsche). Sometimes you just need two GameDay playmats to slap you in the face before you realize: if you aren't casting Siege Rhino, you're doing it wrong. Team Roguet3ch member RogueT3ch member Will Lotz terrorized the Boise valley Game Day events bringing home not one but two of those sexy Ugin mats with a third one being missed only by a rough finish in a third event. Abzan continues to show its worth and I don't see it ending anytime soon. 

Personally I have lost hours of sleep trying to find a way to battle past the giant rhino. But this morning I remembered the best phrase I've heard since starting my journey with Magic the Gathering, if you can't beat 'em join 'em. Here's the list Will put up nearly three game day wins with.

4x Sylvan Caryatid
4x Fleecemane Lion
3x Courser of Kruphix
4x Siege Rhino
3x Wingmate Roc
2x Tasigur, the Golden Fang

3x Bile Blight
4x Abzan Charm
3x Hero's Downfall
1x Utter End

1x Garruk, Apex Predator
3x Elspeth, Sun's Champion

2x Forest
2x Plains
4x Windswept Heath
4x Sandsteppe Citadel
4x Temple of Malady
3x Temple of Silence
2x Caves of Koilos
3x Llanowar Wastes 
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

Sideboard:
3x Thoughtsieze
3x Glare of Heresy
2x Drown in Sorrow
2x End Hostilities
2x Duneblast
2x Liliana Vess
1x Ajani, Mentor of Heroes

There are a few spicy additions that I am not accustomed to. Perhaps this is what put the deck over the top. Garruk, Apex Predator seems like a very solid top end. I can't imagine a world where Elspeth in to Garruk doesn't win you the game. More than Siege Rhino Will Lotz put what are quite literally the best cards in the format together and showed what raw power level does: Win Games. I speak not only for myself but for all of RogueT3ch when I say if you want to take down a PPTQ or even an FNM in your area sleeve up Abzan, the rewards will be great as at it's core Abzan is a deck that is made to prey on on the other clans, color combinations, or even mono-colored decks of the format. Abzan may not be ahead by a landslide in all match-ups, there are no truly bad match-ups either. Which means if you take the time to really learn the deck, you will be greatly rewarded (in playmats and 1,000,000 prize packs). That's all for today. be sure to check out the new FKK draft I've released and happy battles to all!!

-Josh