Sparked by the discussion after last week's article, I decided to try and provide a starting point for clear definitions of the different macro archetypes.
http://www.starcitygames.com/article...rchetypes.html
Comments, feedback and discussion much appreciated :)
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Why didn't you include things like Ramp or Prison? Oversight or do you think that they fall under one of the listed archetypes?
I never thought of TarmoTwin as an Aggro-Combo-Control deck because my litmus test is GAT and in my mind it's like "You gotta be this tall to ride this ride." TarmoTwin can have some pretty awkward draws where GAT just really doesn't.
Last edited by Amon Amarth; 09-01-2014 at 07:19 PM.
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I actually think Aggro-Combo-Control merits a whole article of its own. Tons of ink was spilled discussing GAT ten years ago, but I think contextualizing it (and its variants) along with TarmoTwin and maybe UG Infect is a substantial task and doesn't fit neatly within this article. Part of the issue is that decks like this haven't existed in Legacy or Vintage for a long time, and I'm not familiar enough with Modern to really "get" TarmoTwin on an intuitive level.
I do think that framing the classification issue is important right now, because I'm not sure why a lot of things - like combo/control Miracles with the RiP/Helm kill - appeared briefly and then disappeared again. Sure, there was some discussion on the forums here, but that one in particular never seemed to be discussed in as much detail as I'd like. I'm sure there are other examples. But really enjoyed the article.
Lots of reasons: Entreat the Angels is essentially a one-card combo, whereas the Rest in Peace + Helm of Obedience kill requires you to have both pieces. Sensei's Divining Top works better with Entreat than with RIP + Helm, and Top is the defining card in Miracles. Fewer commonly played cards interact with Entreat than with Helm + RIP. Rest in Peace is decent on its own, but Helm is usually a dead draw on its own, making it a liability in some situations. Lastly, the game plan of Miracles isn't suited to trying to be a turn or so faster, so the Helm kill, while still serviceable, is usually just inferior.Originally Posted by btm10
Prison Decks are Control Decks with a strong proactive component while Ramp is no archetype on its own. If you look at PostRamp this is clearly a Control Deck. If you look at Modern Valakut which has a strong Ramp Component it is a Combo Deck. If you take random green casual decks with land searchers and big creatures they more qualify as midrange.
You guys remember when the Hatfields brought out Cephalid Breakfast just after Tarmo was printed? That deck was combo-control, but I remember players landing a turn 2 and turn 3 Tarmo (which were primarily there to buff the Sutured Ghoul) and just riding them aggro style. Good God Tarmo was sick in 2007.
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