Welcome to another edition of Snop Keep, in which we go through a number of hands and decide whether to keep or mulligan.  Standard is back!  With the current PPTQ format recently changing back to standard and Worlds just last week, standard is back in the forefront of our minds once more and I for one couldn’t be happier. Standard is in a very healthy place right now and to celebrate the fact that we can once again be playing standard weekly, this Snop Keep is going to be focused on what might be the best deck in Standard; Temur Energy. Specifically Huey’s list from Worlds. Make sure to let me know in the comments what your decisions were, whether you thought they were difficult and if you disagreed with me I would love to hear why.

Reid Duke recently wrote a guide for Temur which I thoroughly recommend reading, which has helped to shape some of the thinking in terms of sideboarding and decision making.

https://www.channelfireball.com/articles/standard-temur-energy-deck-guide/

Hand 1: You are on the play against an unknown opponent.

Mulligan.

This hand doesn’t seem particularly exciting, you certainly do not have a quick start and can quickly fall behind against most decks.  Whirler Virtuoso is a good card, especially against something like Mono Red, however it being the only proactive card in your hand is not where you want to be with this deck, not to mention the fact that this hand will get completely crushed by any form of control deck due to lack of early pressure.  I am certain there is a better 6 waiting for us.

Hand 2: You are on the draw against UB control, game 2.  Your opponent has mulliganed to 6.

Keep.

I think this is close.  I would keep this hand on the basis of how powerful your counter-spells can be in this match up.  There are 12 blue lands in your deck and 4 Attunes, so 16 sources, meaning that you have roughly an 80% chance of being able to cast your Rogue Refiner on turn 3.  This does not have the incredible fast start of Longtusk Cub that is the preferred start against the control decks, but often the UB matchup can turn into more of a midrange battle and having these cheap counters can really help turn the corner.

Hand 3: You are on the play against UW Approach, game 2.

Mulligan.

This hand has a lot of mana but not enough action.  The Servants are good of course, but they are at their best when they are ramping into an early threat, rather than more Servants.  Against Approach you want some resilient threats and I think mulliganing can find them.  You need to be aware of cards like Fumigate and Settle the Wreckage, meaning you need a high density of threats or countermagic, recovering from a Fumigate with another 2/2 is not where I want to be.

Hand 4:  You are on the play against Abzan Tokens, game 3.

Keep.

Although this hand does not contain a multitude of threats in order to beat the tokens deck, it does have some good answers in the form of Negates.  This card can be invaluable as the main reason the tokens deck operates is through enchantments, if you are able to counter an important Hidden Stockpile or Anointed Procession, you can begin to take over the game due to them not being able to function as intended.  This hand also provides another interesting choice, whether to play the cub on turn 2 or not.  If the opponent plays a Renegade Map on turn 1 I would be inclined not to cast the cub to try to Negate a Hidden Stockpile.  Let me know in the comments if you would keep and if so, cast the cub on turn 2.

Hand 5: You are on the play in the mirror, game 3.

Keep.

Although light on land, this hand has some powerful threats that are great in the mirror.  Having the Supreme Will and the Torrential Gearhulk lets you be more proactive with the instant than usual.  Rather than countering something you could use it to find lands to make sure that you keep hitting land drops to cast your powerful spells.  The Harnessed Lightning is a crucial part of this hand that provides some insurance so that you don’t fall significantly behind from a particularly fast start from your opponent.

I hope you have enjoyed this edition of Snop Keep, please let me know in the comments whether you agreed with my decisions or if you think I am wrong, I would love to hear your views either way. I would also love any suggestions for decks to include in future editions.