By James Chillcott (@MTGCritic)

Day 2 Set-Up

Pro Tour Origins has thus far been just as compelling as we had hoped, with an array of interesting new decks on display alongside some updated staples and some very, very clever high level play. Here’s our coverage of Day 1 so you can get caught up.

The metagame on Day 1 in Standard has advanced the possibilities for new and renewed strategies including Red/Green Devotion, Red/Blue Thopters, Abzan, Sultai and Blue/Black Control and various flavors of decks built around Rally the Ancestors.  And though the field has been diverse, with no one deck making up more than 15% of the metagame, the deck to beat all weekend has looked like Red Aggro, which has defined the durdle clock across the board and punished many a player getting too fancy.

So far in paper, the card spikes have been relatively mellow, with Hangarback Walker jumping another $2 from $10 to $12 overnight on speculation that it could become the rare rare card that breaks out above the $10 ceiling and heads for $20. Demonic Pact has also gained $1 or so, from $5 to $6, but will likely need some serious camera time today or an eventual Top 8 to get into the $10+ mythic rare club. Abbot of Keral Keep has also show some growth and could hit $5-6 from $3 if one of the decks running it does well on camera today. Thopter Spy Network and Exquisite Firecraft have also shown a bit of movement but are unlikely to pop without a demonstration of dominance heading into our Top 8.

Now after an additional 3 rounds of ORI-ORI-ORI draft, the stage is set for 5 more rounds of Standard to figure out our Top 8 players and decks.

4:28: Randy Beuhler calls out the UR decks as the best deck of the weekend.

4:32: Herald of the Pantheon and Sphinx’s Tutelage called out as Honorable Mentions for card of the weekend.

Round 12 (6th Rnd of Std)

Antonio Del Moral Leon (GB Demonic Pact) vs Raphael Levy (RG Devotion)

4:40pm: Demonic Pact back on camera with the G/B Leon deck.

5:02pm: King of the hill Gottleib has Rally Decks back in the spotlight along with Lilianna, Heretical Healer.

5:17pm: Levy puts See the Unwritten on the map in Standard. Could Battle for Zendikar give it more gas?

5:36pm: GW Constellation on Deck Tech with Kyle Boggemes.

5:50pm: Sam Black runs out Abbot of Keral  Keep facing Green-Red Devotion but Gerry T manages to put it away in 3.

7:34pm: Deck Tech: Blue/Red Tutelage

• 4x Magmatic Insight
• 4x Tormenting Voice
• 4x Jace, Vrynn’s Prodigy
• 1x Alhammarret’s Archive
• 4x Sphinx’s Tutelage
• 2x Dictate of Kruphix
• 1x Dig Through Time
• 4x Treasure Cruise
• 2x Send to Sleep
• 4x Anger of the Gods
• 1x Roast
• 2x Whelming Wave

7:42pm: Some notable increases and decreases on MTGO overnight include:

• Eidolon of the Great Revel +16% to 16.07
• Woodland Bellower +30% to 4.16
• Zurgo Bellstriker +54% to 2.07
• Yavimaya Coast +100% to .92

Eidolon and Zurgo are up on the fact that Red Aggro has been showing up at top tables all weekend and looks well positioned to hold Tier 1 status in this latest phase of Theros/KTK/Origins Standard heading into the fall. A big win this weekend could push the relevant cards even higher, if mostly online.

Woodland Bellower is climbing on the appearance of the G/B Demonic Pact deck.

• Nissa, Vastwood Seer -17% to 14.39
• Hangarback Walker -25% to 9.04
• Thopter Spy Network -35% to 3.49
• Pyromancer’s Goggles -37% to 2.52
• Pia and Kiran Nalaar -50% to 1.10

Nissa hasn’t shown up as an important 4-of anywhere, and her price has fallen as a result. Hangarback Walker/Thopter Spy Network decks haven’t pushed deep into Day 2 for the most part, allowing these cards to slide back a chunk. The Goggles decks that were kicking around also haven’t driven home, and the key card is also sliding as a result.

8:10pm: Round 15 (9th Round of Standard)

Rich Hoaen (Red Aggro) vs. Matt Sperling (Abzan Control)

Sperling takes Game 1 having stabilized at 16 life, and tries to fend off the red advance in Game 2 only to go down to a top decked Stoke the Flames when sitting at 3. Sperling pulls out the third game to make Top 8.

Pat Cox makes Top 8 off-camera. One of the U/R Artifacts players also just made Top 8, which could bode well for Hangarback Walker.

Takehiro Fujimoto is playing Paul Jackson in the feature area, with Fujimoto on a more goblin-centric version of red against the Jackson GR Devotion build. Jackson knocks Goblins out of Top 8 contention.

Local boy Daniel Fournier on the last Deck Tech of the day. Toronto Hype!

Deck Tech: Sultai Pact (Daniel Fournier)

• 4x Jace, Vrynn’s Prodigy
• 3x Languish
• 4x Demonic Pact
• 1x Nissa, Vastwood Seer
• 3x Satyr Wayfinder
• 2x Tasigur, The Golden Fang
• 3x Den Protector
• 1x Dig Through Time
• 1x Ugin, The Spirit Dragon
• 1x Murderous Cut
• 2x Silumgar’s Command
• 3x Thoughtseize
• 2x Sultai Charm
• 3x Hero’s Downfall
• 3x Disperse

Note: Demonic Pact has now jumped over $10 on constant coverage exposure and at least one deck in the Top 16.

Round 16 (Last Round of Standard)

Bryan Gottlieb (Abzan Rally) vs. Mike Sigrist (Blue/Red Thopters)

Game 1: Sigrist leverages early flying attacks over top of Deathmist Raptor and finishes up the game with a Shrapnel Blast.

Game 2:  Gottlieb ties it up after some solid value plays.

Valentin Mackl (Jeskai Tempo) vs. Joel Larsson (Red Aggro)

Game 1: Larsson takes the first game after a flurry of moves and countermoves.

Our Top 8 is confirmed to include the following decks so far:

1. Abzan Control (Kentaro Yamamato)
2. Red w/ Chandra (Steven Neal)
3. Red Aggro (Pat Cox)
4. U/R Thopters (Stephan Barrios)
5. G/R Devotion (Paul Jackson)
6. Abzan Control (Matt Sperling)
7. Red Aggro (Joel Larsson)
8. U/R Thopters (Mike Sigrist)

James Chillcott is the CEO of ShelfLife.net, The Future of Collecting, Senior Partner at Advoca, a designer, adventurer, toy fanatic and an avid Magic player and collector since 1994.