Magic: the Gathering fans are no doubt having a productive time figuring out what new decks are ruling the roost, in the newly-shaped Standard format of play especially.

There’s plenty of people rooting for Blue as well as Red. I’ve even read and come across Red-Blue, on top of the classic Blue-White which is regarded as the most stable and competitive of the lot.

Don’t forget the classic Valakut Ramp (Red) as well as good old Ramp that has Green as its main color, and Primeval Titan as the finisher slash engine of choice, enabling games to quickly end once Turn 3 or Turn 4 arrives.

But wait, amidst the clearly “aggro” based field that frequently descends post-rotation, there seems to be a new contender for the Standard format.

It’s more subtle, less flashy, and wins games by outlasting the speed that all the other decks often run and throw at you.

It’s the new Blue-Black. Darwin Kastle explains his build on Mananation.com (http://bit.ly/eTQjya) – the deck has got quite a few singleton card choices, and is classic steady control deck.

I think it’s an awesome deck, especially when it eschews the classic Jace, Mind Sculptor and a slew of the other planeswalkers. Hey don’t get me wrong, but if every deck out there is going to run cards that cost my left kidney, an arm and both my legs, then the fun in Magic would well and truly be gone.

Okay he’s got several mythics in there: but honestly, a single copy of Molten-Tail Masticore sounds doable, compared to the four Jaces that most Blue-White decks need.

All-in-all, the article’s a pretty good read, especially on how he makes his card choices and approaches the current metagame.

So what’s your favourite deck for Magic now, and why?