Standard Open Top 8 Profiles

Jonathan Rossum

Age: 18

Hometown:
Spencer, MA

Archetype:
W/U Monument

Why did you play the deck you played this weekend?
Liked the deck a lot in testing with Lotus Box, the deck does some busted things and Cain Rianhard told me to play it.

How would you rate standard on a scale of 1-10 and why?
10, played against a variety of decks and adaptations of decks that made the tournament pretty interesting. Plus 6 of my opponents are in the Top 8!

Michael Hamilton

Age: 22

Hometown:
Brownsburg, IN

Archetype:
Four-Color Control

Why did you play the deck you played this weekend?
I wanted to play control, but my Gearhulks kept getting shattered so I tried Planeswalkers instead.

How would you rate standard on a scale of 1-10 and why?
10, standard is great. It's very diverse and the matches are fun and interesting.

Ben Wienburg

Age: 33

Hometown:
Cincinnati, OH

Archetype:
W/U Monument

Why did you play the deck you played this weekend?
It seemed very good and fit my style more than G/R Ramp. I considered Temur Energy but did not like the W/U Monument matchup.

How would you rate standard on a scale of 1-10 and why?
7. We get to play magic, not just go "oops I win".

Zan Syed

Age: 25

Hometown:
Atlanta, GA

Archetype:
Four-Color Emerge

Why did you play the deck you played this weekend?
Four-Color Zombie Emerge: Lotus Box Edition

How would you rate standard on a scale of 1-10 and why?
8.5. Because you can be creative and not get punished. Shout out to Leon Hill for never giving up on Zombies.

Jonathan Job

Age: 34

Hometown:
Las Vegas, NV

Archetype:
Mono-Red Aggro

Why did you play the deck you played this weekend?
Gene Brumby and Nick Lassen tested it a ton and told me it was great. Big fan of Reality Smasher and Thought-Knot Seer with the new Desert.

How would you rate standard on a scale of 1-10 and why?
7. So many sets allow for a lot of innovation.

Stephen Dykman

Age: 23

Hometown:
Grand Rapids, MI

Archetype:
B/G Energy

Why did you play the deck you played this weekend?
Do I ever play anything else? Winding Constrictor and Glint-Sleeve Siphoner are the truth

How would you rate standard on a scale of 1-10 and why?
10, the diversity and interaction are excellent. We are playing Magic again in this format.

Adam Bowman

Age: 26

Hometown:
Cincinnati, OH

Archetype:
Mono-Black Zombies

Why did you play the deck you played this weekend?
I've been playing Zombies for a year now and I only just found out that the new set had been released.

How would you rate standard on a scale of 1-10 and why?
9. At 5-0 I saw Turbo Fog, Reanimator, Four-Color Double Damage, Dovin Baan Control and Five-Color Superfriends.

Jason Morgan

Age: 38

Hometown:
Middletown, OH

Archetype:
Temur Energy

Why did you play the deck you played this weekend?
Hasty Dragons have historically been good in standard, so I wanted to play Glorybringer. It's also very consistent.

How would you rate standard on a scale of 1-10 and why?
10. The format is great now. Good job WotC for printing good answers again and banning ALL the problem cards.