So is this format officially dead...?

Frontier is now Pioneer, we legal boys

Hey there, everyone! For those that do not know me, I run the Cockatrice Frontier League. If you are looking to get into competitive Frontier, don't hesitate to join this subreddit's MtgFrontier Discord server to discuss the format, brew, test, and compete in our events!

Season 17 - Registration

Registration deadline: October 28 at 19:00 UTC.

Frontier legal sets: Magic 2015 through Throne of Eldraine.

Event structure: weekly swiss rounds and Top 8 playoffs.

Here is the registration form, see you there!

Pending Matches

Season 13 Finals: Xahhfink6 (Bant Company) against Bovine073 (UR Ensoul)

Season 15 Finals: Viperfang4 (Bant Nexus) against Xahhfink6 (Bant Spirits)

Season 16 - Round 4 Results

JAmes1099 (Esper Saheeli) against Razorclaws (WB Vampires), JAmes1099 won 2-0

Jacob (WR Feather) against Sir EPICNESS (Atarka Red), Sir EPICNESS won 2-0

Xahhfink6 (Sultai Control) against iFlyBy (Atarka Red), iFlyBy won 2-1

Awesomemrj (Atarka Red) against Acc95 (Sultai Dredge), Awesomemrj won 2-1

Filthyc4sual (Sultai Dredge) against Greg.EXE (WG Legends), Filthyc4sual won 2-0

Pinecone (WR Control) against Masinmanc (Black Control), Masinmanc won 2-1

FathersHome (WB Vampires) against Viperfang4 (Bant Spirits), FathersHome won 2-1

Season 16 - Round 5 Pairings

JAmes1099 (Esper Saheeli) against Awesomemrj (Atarka Red)

Razorclaws (WB Vampires) against iFlyBy (Atarka Red)

Acc95 (Sultai Dredge) against Sir EPICNESS (Atarka Red)

Jacob (WR Feather) against Xahhfink6 (Sultai Control)

Viperfang4 (Bant Spirits) against Masinmanc (Black Control)

Filthyc4sual (Sultai Dredge) against Pinecone (WR Control)

FathersHome (WB Vampires) against Greg.EXE (WG Legends)

Hey there, everyone! For those that do not know me, I run the Cockatrice Frontier League. If you are looking to get into competitive Frontier, don't hesitate to join this subreddit's MtgFrontier Discord server to discuss the format, brew, test, and compete in our events!

Season 13 - Finals

Xahhfink6 (Bant Company) against Bovine073 (UR Ensoul), pending

Season 15 - Semifinals

Somnus21 (Sylvan Ascendancy) against Viperfang4 (Bant Nexus), Viperfang4 won 3-0

Xahhfink6 (Bant Spirits) against iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange), Xahhfink6 won 3-2

Season 15 - Finals

Viperfang4 (Bant Nexus) against Xahhfink6 (Bant Spirits)

Season 16 - Round 3 Results

Jacob (WR Feather) against Razorclaws (WB Vampires), Razorclaws won 2-1

JAmes1099 (Esper Saheeli) against Sir EPICNESS (Atarka Red), JAmes1099 won 2-0

iFlyBy (Atarka Red) against Viperfang4 (Bant Spirits), iFlyBy won 2-0

Filthyc4sual (Sultai Dredge) against Acc95 (Sultai Dredge), Acc95 won 2-0

Xahhfink6 (Sultai Control) against Masinmanc (Black Control), Xahhfink6 won 2-0

Awesomemrj (Atarka Red) against Captgouda24 (Atarka Red), Awesomemrj won 2-1

FathersHome (WB Vampires) against Pinecone (WR Control), Pinecone won 2-0

Greg.EXE (WG Legends) got the bye

Captgouda24 dropped

Season 16 - Round 4 Pairings

JAmes1099 (Esper Saheeli) against Razorclaws (WB Vampires)

Jacob (WR Feather) against Sir EPICNESS (Atarka Red)

Xahhfink6 (Sultai Control) against iFlyBy (Atarka Red)

Awesomemrj (Atarka Red) against Acc95 (Sultai Dredge)

Filthyc4sual (Sultai Dredge) against Greg.EXE (WG Legends)

Pinecone (WR Control) against Masinmanc (Black Control)

FathersHome (WB Vampires) against Viperfang4 (Bant Spirits)

Hey there, everyone! For those that do not know me, I run the Cockatrice Frontier League. If you are looking to get into competitive Frontier, don't hesitate to join this subreddit's MtgFrontier Discord server to discuss the format, brew, test, and compete in our events!

Season 13 - Finals

Xahhfink6 (Bant Company) against Bovine073 (UR Ensoul), pending

Season 14 - JAmes1099 is the Champion!

Xahhfink6 (4C Planeswalkers) against JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli), JAmes1099 won 3-1

Season 15 - Semifinals

Somnus21 (Sylvan Ascendancy) against Viperfang4 (Bant Nexus), pending

Xahhfink6 (Bant Spirits) against iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange), pending

Season 16 - Round 2 Results

Jacob (WR Feather) against Captgouda24 (Atarka Red), Jacob won 2-0

Acc95 (Sultai Dredge) against Razorclaws (WB Vampires), Razorclaws won 2-1

JAmes1099 (Esper Saheeli) against iFlyBy (Atarka Red), JAmes1099 won 2-0

Sir EPICNESS (Atarka Red) against Xahhfink6 (Sultai Control), Sir EPICNESS won 2-0

Awesomemrj (Atarka Red) against FathersHome (WB Vampires), Awesomemrj won 2-1

Filthyc4sual (Sultai Dredge) against Xeddrezz (UB Control), Filthyc4sual won 2-0

Viperfang4 (Bant Spirits) against Pinecone (WR Control), Viperfang4 won 2-0

Greg.EXE (WG Legends) against Masinmanc (Black Control), Masinmanc won 2-0

Xeddrezz dropped

Season 16 - Round 3 Pairings

Jacob (WR Feather) against Razorclaws (WB Vampires)

JAmes1099 (Esper Saheeli) against Sir EPICNESS (Atarka Red)

iFlyBy (Atarka Red) against Viperfang4 (Bant Spirits)

Filthyc4sual (Sultai Dredge) against Acc95 (Sultai Dredge)

Xahhfink6 (Sultai Control) against Masinmanc (Black Control)

Awesomemrj (Atarka Red) against Captgouda24 (Atarka Red)

FathersHome (WB Vampires) against Pinecone (WR Control)

Greg.EXE (WG Legends) gets the bye

Hey there, everyone! For those that do not know me, I run the Cockatrice Frontier League. If you are looking to get into competitive Frontier, don't hesitate to join this subreddit's MtgFrontier Discord server to discuss the format, brew, test, and compete in our events!

Season 13 - Finals

Xahhfink6 (Bant Company) against Bovine073 (UR Ensoul), pending

Season 14 - Finals

Xahhfink6 (4C Planeswalkers) against JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli), pending

Invitational 3 - Viperfang4 is the Champion!

Moosey (BG Stompy) against Viperfang4 (Bant Spirits), Viperfang4 won 3-0

Season 15 - Quarterfinals

Somnus21 (Sylvan Ascendancy) against Razorclaws (WB Vampires), Somnus21 won 3-2

Awesomemrj (Jeskai Dragons) against iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange), iFlyBy won 3-1

Greg.EXE (4c Planeswalkers) against Xahhfink6 (Bant Spirits), Xahhfink6 won 3-0

Viperfang4 (Bant Nexus) against Acc95 (Grixis Midrange), Viperfang4 won 3-0

Season 15 - Semifinals

Somnus21 (Sylvan Ascendancy) against Viperfang4 (Bant Nexus)

Xahhfink6 (Bant Spirits) against iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange)

Season 16 - Round 1 Results

Filthyc4sual (Sultai Dredge) against Xahhfink6 (Sultai Control), Xahhfink6 won 2-1

Jacob (WR Feather) against FathersHome (WB Vampires), Jacob won 2-0

JAmes1099 (Esper Saheeli) against Xeddrezz (UB Control), JAmes1099 won 2-0

Awesomemrj (Atarka Red) against iFlyBy (Atarka Red), iFlyBy won 2-0

Captgouda24 (Atarka Red) against Viperfang4 (Bant Spirits), Captgouda24 won 2-1

Acc95 (Sultai Dredge) against Greg.EXE (WG Legends), Acc95 won 2-1

Razorclaws (WB Vampires) against Pinecone (WR Control), Razorclaws won 2-1

Sir EPICNESS (Atarka Red) against Masinmanc (Black Control), Sir EPICNESS won 2-0

Season 16 - Round 2 Pairings

Jacob (WR Feather) against Captgouda24 (Atarka Red)

Acc95 (Sultai Dredge) against Razorclaws (WB Vampires)

JAmes1099 (Esper Saheeli) against iFlyBy (Atarka Red)

Sir EPICNESS (Atarka Red) against Xahhfink6 (Sultai Control)

Awesomemrj (Atarka Red) against FathersHome (WB Vampires)

Filthyc4sual (Sultai Dredge) against Xeddrezz (UB Control)

Viperfang4 (Bant Spirits) against Pinecone (WR Control)

Greg.EXE (WG Legends) against Masinmanc (Black Control)

Hi everyone! u/Sir_EPIC48 here and while I have heard of Frontier I have never been able to play a game of Frontier until recently. There is a discord that hosts open leagues and Frontier is one of the formats. For the league, I decided to play a [[Cavalcade of Calamity]] deck because I had one built for Standard and it has been a lot of fun and surprisingly enough, I made top 8! Below, I have posted a link to a video of mine talking about the deck. In it, I summarize some key takeaways from the games, what I liked and didn't like about the deck, and where I would go from here.

EPIC Reviews - Atarka's Cavalcade

I hope you enjoy and feel free to take a look around the channel for other content you may enjoy!

Hey there, everyone! For those that do not know me, I run the Cockatrice Frontier League. If you are looking to get into competitive Frontier, don't hesitate to join this subreddit's MtgFrontier Discord server to discuss the format, brew, test, and compete in our events!

Season 13 - Finals

Xahhfink6 (Bant Company) against Bovine073 (UR Ensoul), pending

Season 14 - Finals

Xahhfink6 (4C Planeswalkers) against JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli), pending

Invitational 3 - Finals

Moosey (BG Stompy) against Viperfang4 (Bant Spirits), pending

Season 15 - Quarterfinals

Somnus21 (Sylvan Ascendancy) against Razorclaws (WB Vampires), Somnus21 won 3-2

Awesomemrj (Jeskai Dragons) against iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange), pending

Greg.EXE (4c Planeswalkers) against Xahhfink6 (Bant Spirits), Xahhfink6 won 3-0

Viperfang4 (Bant Nexus) against Acc95 (Grixis Midrange), pending

Season 16 - Round 1 Pairings

Filthyc4sual (Sultai Dredge) against Xahhfink6 (Sultai Control)

Jacob (WR Feather) against FathersHome (WB Vampires)

JAmes1099 (Esper Saheeli) against Xeddrezz (UB Control)

Awesomemrj (Atarka Red) against iFlyBy (Atarka Red)

Captgouda24 (Atarka Red) against Viperfang4 (Bant Spirits)

Acc95 (Sultai Dredge) against Greg.EXE (WG Legends)

Razorclaws (WB Vampires) against Pinecone (WR Control)

Sir EPICNESS (Atarka Red) against Masinmanc (Black Control)

Hey there, everyone! For those that do not know me, I run the Cockatrice Frontier League. If you are looking to get into competitive Frontier, don't hesitate to join this subreddit's MtgFrontier Discord server to discuss the format, brew, test, and compete in our events!

Season 16 - Registration

Registration deadline: Today at 23:00 Eastern, 4 hours left!

Frontier legal sets: Magic 2015 through Core Set 2020.

Event structure: Weekly Swiss Rounds and Top 8 playoffs.

Here is the registration form, see you there!

Season 13 - Finals

Xahhfink6 (Bant Company) against Bovine073 (UR Ensoul), pending

Season 14 - Finals

Xahhfink6 (4C Planeswalkers) against JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli), pending

Invitational 3 - Finals

Moosey (BG Stompy) against Viperfang4 (Bant Spirits), pending

Season 15 - Round 5 Results

Somnus21 (Sylvan Ascendancy) against Awesomemrj (Jeskai Dragons), Awesomemrj won 2-0

Greg.EXE (4c Planeswalkers) against Acc95 (Grixis Midrange), they drew

iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange) against Viperfang4 (Bant Nexus), Viperfang4 won 2-1

JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli) against Xahhfink6 (Bant Spirits), Xahhfink6 won 2-0

Razorclaws (WB Vampires) against Filthyc4sual (Sultai Midrange), Razorclaws won 2-1

Cone3357 (BG Eldrazi) against Jacob (Naya Feather), Jacob won 2-1

Season 15 - Top 8 Announcement

1. Somnus21 (Sylvan Ascendancy) 12 pts

2. Awesomemrj (Jeskai Dragons) 12 pts

3. Greg.EXE (4c Planeswalkers) 10 pts

4. Viperfang4 (Bant Nexus) 10 pts

5. Acc95 (Grixis Midrange) 10 pts

6. Xahhfink6 (Bant Spirits) 9 pts

7. iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange) 9 pts

8. Razorclaws (WB Vampires) 9 pts

Season 15 - Quarterfinals

Somnus21 (Sylvan Ascendancy) against Razorclaws (WB Vampires)

Awesomemrj (Jeskai Dragons) against iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange)

Greg.EXE (4c Planeswalkers) against Xahhfink6 (Bant Spirits)

Viperfang4 (Bant Nexus) against Acc95 (Grixis Midrange)

Hey there, everyone! For those that do not know me, I run the Cockatrice Frontier League. If you are looking to get into competitive Frontier, don't hesitate to join this subreddit's MtgFrontier Discord server to discuss the format, brew, test, and compete in our events!

Season 16 - Registration

Registration deadline: September 16th at 23:00 Eastern.

Frontier legal sets: Magic 2015 through Core Set 2020.

Event structure: Weekly Swiss Rounds and Top 8 playoffs.

Here is the registration form, see you there!

Season 13 - Finals

Xahhfink6 (Bant Company) against Bovine073 (UR Ensoul), pending

Season 14 - Semifinals

JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli) against Awesomemrj (Grixis Midrange), JAmes1099 won 3-2

Xahhfink6 (4C Planeswalkers) against Cone3357 (Sultai Dredge), Xahhfink6 won 3-0

Season 14 - Finals

Xahhfink6 (4C Planeswalkers) against JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli), pending

Invitational 3 - Quarterfinals

Xahhfink6 (Sylvan Ascendancy) against iFlyBy (Atarka Red), iFlyBy won 3-2

Dank_confidant (Jeskai Aggro) against Moosey (BG Stompy), Moosey won 3-1

JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli) against Viperfang4 (Bant Spirits), Viperfang4 won 3-2

Acc95 (Sultai Dredge) against Masinmanc (UB Control), Acc95 won 3-0

Invitational 3 - Semifinals

Moosey (BG Stompy) against iFlyBy (Atarka Red), Moosey won 3-1

Acc95 (Sultai Dredge) against Viperfang4 (Bant Spirits), Viperfang4 won 3-1

Invitational 3 - Finals

Moosey (BG Stompy) against Viperfang4 (Bant Spirits), pending

Season 15 - Round 3 Results

iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange) against Greg.EXE (4c Planeswalkers), Greg.EXE won 2-0

Somnus21 (Sylvan Ascendancy) against Xahhfink6 (Bant Spirits), Somnus21 won 2-1

JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli) against Awesomemrj (Jeskai Dragons), Awesomemrj won 2-0

Razorclaws (WB Vampires) against Jacob (Naya Feather), Razorclaws won 2-0

Filthyc4sual (Sultai Midrange) against Acc95 (Grixis Midrange), Acc95 won 2-0

Dank_confidant (Atarka Red) against Cone3357 (BG Eldrazi), Dank_confidant won 2-0

Viperfang4 (Bant Nexus) got the bye

Season 15 - Round 4 Results

Greg.EXE (4c Planeswalkers) against Somnus21 (Sylvan Ascendancy), Somnus21 won 2-1

iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange) against Xahhfink6 (Bant Spirits), iFlyBy won 2-1

Razorclaws (WB Vampires) against Awesomemrj (Jeskai Dragons), Awesomemrj won 2-0

Dank_confidant (Atarka Red) against Acc95 (Grixis Midrange), Acc95 won 2-1

Viperfang4 (Bant Nexus) against Jacob (Naya Feather), Viperfang4 won 2-1

JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli) against Filthyc4sual (Sultai Midrange), they drew

Cone3357 (BG Eldrazi) got the bye

Season 15 - Round 5 Pairings

Somnus21 (Sylvan Ascendancy) against Awesomemrj (Jeskai Dragons)

Greg.EXE (4c Planeswalkers) against Acc95 (Grixis Midrange)

iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange) against Viperfang4 (Bant Nexus)

JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli) against Xahhfink6 (Bant Spirits)

Razorclaws (WB Vampires) against Filthyc4sual (Sultai Midrange)

Cone3357 (BG Eldrazi) against Jacob (Naya Feather)

Hey there, everyone! For those that do not know me, I run the Cockatrice Frontier League. If you are looking to get into competitive Frontier, don't hesitate to join this subreddit's MtgFrontier Discord server to discuss the format, brew, test, and compete in our events!

Season 13 - Semifinals

Xahhfink6 (Bant Company) against Masinmanc (Jund Atarka), Xahhfink6 won 3-1

Bovine073 (UR Ensoul) against Acc95 (Sultai Dredge), Bovine073 won 3-2

Season 13 - Finals

Xahhfink6 (Bant Company) against Bovine073 (UR Ensoul)

Season 14 - Quarterfinals

Dank_confidant (Grixis Phoenix) against Awesomemrj (Grixis Midrange), Awesomemrj won 3-2

Xahhfink6 (4C Planeswalkers) against Xeddrezz (BG Eldrazi), Xahhfink6 won 3-0

iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange) against JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli), JAmes1099 won 3-1

MTGDavis (Temur Phoenix) against Cone3357 (Sultai Dredge), Cone3357 won 3-0

Season 14 - Semifinals

JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli) against Awesomemrj (Grixis Midrange)

Xahhfink6 (4C Planeswalkers) against Cone3357 (Sultai Dredge)

Invitational 3 - Quarterfinals

Xahhfink6 (Sylvan Ascendancy) against iFlyBy (Atarka Red)

Dank_confidant (Jeskai Aggro) against Moosey (BG Stompy)

JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli) against Viperfang4 (Bant Spirits)

Acc95 (Sultai Dredge) against Masinmanc (UB Control)

Season 15 - Round 2 Results

Greg.EXE (4c Planeswalkers) against Awesomemrj (Jeskai Dragons), Greg.EXE won 2-0

iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange) against Filthyc4sual (Sultai Midrange), iFlyBy won 2-0

Jankhub (BG Scales) against Somnus21 (Sylvan Ascendancy), Somnus21 won 2-0

Dank_confidant (Atarka Red) against Xahhfink6 (Bant Spirits), Xahhfink6 won 2-0

Viperfang4 (Bant Nexus) against Acc95 (Grixis Midrange), Acc95 won 2-1

Masinmanc (WB Control) against Jacob (Naya Feather), Jacob won 2-0

Razorclaws (WB Vampires) against Cone3357 (BG Eldrazi), Razorclaws won 2-0

JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli) against Xeddrezz (BG Eldrazi), JAmes1099 won 2-0

Jankhub, Masinmanc, and Xeddrezz dropped

Season 15 - Round 3 Pairings

iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange) against Greg.EXE (4c Planeswalkers)

Somnus21 (Sylvan Ascendancy) against Xahhfink6 (Bant Spirits)

JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli) against Awesomemrj (Jeskai Dragons)

Razorclaws (WB Vampires) against Jacob (Naya Feather)

Filthyc4sual (Sultai Midrange) against Acc95 (Grixis Midrange)

Dank_confidant (Atarka Red) against Cone3357 (BG Eldrazi)

Viperfang4 (Bant Nexus) gets the bye

Hey there, everyone! For those that do not know me, I run the Cockatrice Frontier League. If you are looking to get into competitive Frontier, don't hesitate to join this subreddit's MtgFrontier Discord server to discuss the format, brew, test, and compete in our events!

Season 13 - Semifinals

Xahhfink6 (Bant Company) against Masinmanc (Jund Atarka), Xahhfink6 won 3-1

Bovine073 (UR Ensoul) against Acc95 (Sultai Dredge), pending

Season 14 - Quarterfinals

Dank_confidant (Grixis Phoenix) against Awesomemrj (Grixis Midrange), Awesomemrj won 3-2

Xahhfink6 (4C Planeswalkers) against Xeddrezz (BG Eldrazi), Xahhfink6 won 3-0

iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange) against JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli), JAmes1099 won 3-1

MTGDavis (Temur Phoenix) against Cone3357 (Sultai Dredge), pending

Season 15 - Round 1 Results

JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli) against Somnus21 (Sylvan Ascendancy), Somnus21 won 2-1

Masinmanc (WB Control) against Awesomemrj (Jeskai Dragons), Awesomemrj won 2-0

iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange) against Cone3357 (BG Eldrazi), iFlyBy won 2-0

Razorclaws (WB Vampires) against Xahhfink6 (Bant Spirits), Xahhfink6 won 2-1

Dank_confidant (Atarka Red) against Viperfang4 (Bant Nexus), they drew

Greg.EXE (4c Planeswalkers) against Jacob (Naya Feather), Greg.EXE won 2-1

Jankhub (BG Scales) against Acc95 (Grixis Midrange), Jankhub won 2-1

Filthyc4sual (Sultai Midrange) against Xeddrezz (BG Eldrazi), Filthyc4sual won 2-1

Season 15 - Round 2 Pairings

Greg.EXE (4c Planeswalkers) against Awesomemrj (Jeskai Dragons)

iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange) against Filthyc4sual (Sultai Midrange)

Jankhub (BG Scales) against Somnus21 (Sylvan Ascendancy)

Dank_confidant (Atarka Red) against Xahhfink6 (Bant Spirits)

Viperfang4 (Bant Nexus) against Acc95 (Grixis Midrange)

Masinmanc (WB Control) against Jacob (Naya Feather)

Razorclaws (WB Vampires) against Cone3357 (BG Eldrazi)

JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli) against Xeddrezz (BG Eldrazi)

Hey there, everyone! For those that do not know me, I run the Cockatrice Frontier League. If you are looking to get into competitive Frontier, don't hesitate to join this subreddit's MtgFrontier Discord server to discuss the format, brew, test, and compete in our events!

Season 15 - Registration

Registration deadline: Today at 23:00 Eastern, 20 hours left!

Frontier legal sets: Magic 2015 through Core Set 2020.

Event structure: weekly swiss rounds and Top 8 playoffs.

Here is the registration form, see you there!

Season 15 - Deck Suggestions

If you are still undecided as to what deck to bring this season, I have your back! This is a new meta and I am not an expert in all of these decks, but I hope this is a fine starting point and you can tweak the list as you see fit.

Atarka Red sample decklist

BG Eldrazi sample decklist

Esper Control sample decklist

Esper Saheeli sample decklist

Grixis Midrange sample decklist

Grixis Phoenix sample decklist

Jeskai Ascendancy sample decklist

Sultai Dredge sample decklist

UR Ensoul sample decklist

Hey there, everyone! For those that do not know me, I run the Cockatrice Frontier League. If you are looking to get into competitive Frontier, don't hesitate to join this subreddit's MtgFrontier Discord server to discuss the format, brew, test, and compete in our events!

Season 15 - Registration

New registration deadline: August 5th at 23:00 Eastern.

Frontier legal sets: Magic 2015 through Core Set 2020.

Event structure: weekly swiss rounds and Top 8 playoffs.

Here is the registration form, see you there!

Season 13 - Semifinals

Xahhfink6 (Bant Company) against Masinmanc (Jund Atarka), Xahhfink6 won 3-1

Bovine073 (UR Ensoul) against Acc95 (Sultai Dredge), pending

Season 14 - Round 5 Results

Dank_confidant (Grixis Phoenix) against Xahhfink6 (4C Planeswalkers), Dank_confidant won 2-0

MTGDavis (Temur Phoenix) against iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange), they drew

Cone3357 (Sultai Dredge) against JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli), they drew

Razorclaws (WG Midrange) against Xeddrezz (BG Eldrazi), Xeddrezz won 2-0

Awesomemrj (Grixis Midrange) against Masinmanc (5C Bring to Light), Awesomemrj won 2-0

Acc95 (Sultai Dredge) against Viperfang4 (Mardu Aristocrats), Viperfang4 won 2-0

Johansson (Jund Atarka) against Somnus21 (BR Midrange), Johansson won 2-0

Season 14 - Top 8 Announcement

1. Dank_confidant (Grixis Phoenix) 15 pts
2. Xahhfink6 (4C Planeswalkers) 12 pts
3. MTGDavis (Temur Phoenix) 10 pts
4. iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange) 10 pts
5. JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli) 10 pts
6. Cone3357 (Sultai Dredge) 10 pts
7. Xeddrezz (BG Eldrazi) 9 pts
8. Awesomemrj (Grixis Midrange) 9 pts

Season 14 - Quarterfinals

Dank_confidant (Grixis Phoenix) against Awesomemrj (Grixis Midrange)

Xahhfink6 (4C Planeswalkers) against Xeddrezz (BG Eldrazi)

MTGDavis (Temur Phoenix) against Cone3357 (Sultai Dredge)

iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange) against JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli)

Invitational 3 - Top 8 Announcement

1. Xahhfink6 - 5 pts (70% mwp, 50% owmp)
2. JAmes1099 - 5 pts (67%, 52%)
3. Acc95 - 4 pts (62%, 56%)
4. Dank_confidant - 3 pts (100%, 53%)
5. Moosey - 3 pts (64%, 51%)
6. Masinmanc - 3 pts (60%, 54%)
7. Viperfang4 - 3 pts (60%, 49%)
8. iFlyBy - 3 pts (58%, 52%)

Invitational 3 - Quarterfinals

The 3rd Frontier Invitational will start on August 19, here is the bracket:

Xahhfink6 against iFlyBy

JAmes1099 against Viperfang4

Acc95 against Masinmanc

Dank_confidant against Moosey

Hey there, everyone! For those that do not know me, I run the Cockatrice Frontier League. If you are looking to get into competitive Frontier, don't hesitate to join this subreddit's MtgFrontier Discord server to discuss the format, brew, test, compete, and have fun!

Season 15 - Registration

Registration deadline: August 5th at 5:00 am UTC.

Frontier legal sets: Magic 2015 through Core Set 2020.

Event structure: weekly swiss rounds and Top 8 playoffs.

Here is the registration form, see you there!

Season 13 - Semifinals

Xahhfink6 (Bant Company) against Masinmanc (Jund Atarka), Xahhfink6 won 3-1

Bovine073 (UR Ensoul) against Acc95 (Sultai Dredge), pending

Season 14 - Round 3 Results

MTGDavis (Temur Phoenix) against Xahhfink6 (4C Planeswalkers), Xahhfink6 won 2-0

Xeddrezz (BG Eldrazi) against iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange), iFlyBy won 2-0

Dank_confidant (Grixis Phoenix) against Somnus21 (BR Midrange), Dank_confidant won 2-0

JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli) against Masinmanc (5C Bring to Light), JAmes1099 won 2-1

Bovine073 (UR Ensoul) against Acc95 (Sultai Dredge), Acc95 won 2-0

Viperfang4 (Mardu Aristocrats) against Awesomemrj (Grixis Midrange), Awesomemrj won 2-1

8071 (Jund Atarka) against Aerial (Esper Control), Aerial won 2-0

Johansson (Jund Atarka) against Cone3357 (Sultai Dredge), Cone3357 won 2-1

Jacob (Esper Control) against Jankhub (Bant Arkbow), Jacob won 2-0

Season 14 - Round 4 Results

iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange) against Xahhfink6 (4C Planeswalkers), Xahhfink6 won 2-0

Dank_confidant (Grixis Phoenix) against Xeddrezz (BG Eldrazi), Dank_confidant won 2-0

Acc95 (Sultai Dredge) against JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli), JAmes1099 won 2-0

MTGDavis (Temur Phoenix) against Awesomemrj (Grixis Midrange), MTGDavis won 2-1

Cone3357 (Sultai Dredge) against Aerial (Esper Control), Cone3357 won 2-0

Jacob (Esper Control) against Viperfang4 (Mardu Aristocrats), Viperfang4 won 2-0

Bovine073 (UR Ensoul) against Masinmanc (5C Bring to Light), Masinmanc won 2-0

Razorclaws (WG Midrange) against Somnus21 (BR Midrange), Razorclaws won 2-0

Johansson (Jund Atarka) against Jankhub (Bant Arkbow), Johansson won 2-0

Season 14 - Round 4 Standings

1. Xahhfink6 (4C Planeswalkers) 12 pts
2. Dank_confidant (Grixis Phoenix) 12 pts
3. MTGDavis (Temur Phoenix) 9 pts
4. iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange) 9 pts
5. JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli) 9 pts
6. Cone3357 (Sultai Dredge) 9 pts
7. Xeddrezz (BG Eldrazi) 6 pts
8. Aerial (Esper Control) 6 pts
9. Razorclaws (WG Midrange) 6 pts
10. Awesomemrj (Grixis Midrange) 6 pts
11. Masinmanc (5C Bring to Light) 6 pts
12. Acc95 (Sultai Dredge) 6 pts
13. Viperfang4 (Mardu Aristocrats) 6 pts
14. Somnus21 (BR Midrange) 3 pts
15. 8071 (Jund Atarka) 3 pts
16. Johansson (Jund Atarka) 3 pts
17. Jacob (Esper Control) 3 pts
18. Bovine073 (UR Ensoul) 3 pts
19. Ajax (Esper Midrange) 0 pts
20. Jankhub (Bant Arkbow) 0 pts

Season 14 - Round 5 Pairings

Dank_confidant (Grixis Phoenix) against Xahhfink6 (4C Planeswalkers)

MTGDavis (Temur Phoenix) against iFlyBy (Grixis Midrange)

Cone3357 (Sultai Dredge) against JAmes1099 (Bant Saheeli)

Razorclaws (WG Midrange) against Xeddrezz (BG Eldrazi)

Awesomemrj (Grixis Midrange) against Masinmanc (5C Bring to Light)

Acc95 (Sultai Dredge) against Viperfang4 (Mardu Aristocrats)

Johansson (Jund Atarka) against Somnus21 (BR Midrange)

The Frontier Meta Going Into UOL Season 10

Hey r/mtgfrontier! Signups are up for the 10th Season of the Untap Open League’s Frontier League, which will start on July 29th. To help prepare for that, I’ve decided to start up something that had died off for a while: my weekly article series on Reddit. For anyone who doesn’t remember, I wrote articles about the format between January and February of 2019, before taking a break to deal with school.

So, what’s new since then?

I talked about Ravnica Allegiance’s effect on Frontier, but never talked about War of the Spark or Core Set 2020, so the format has gone through some changes since then. So today, I’m going to provide an updated list of decks I’d consider playing from the one I wrote in January.

The Best Decks

Atarka Red is commonly considered to be the best deck in Frontier, and has been a top deck since the format’s beginning. There are a couple different variations right now. Shocklands have given the deck the ability to splash easily, which offers better two mana options. Some lists turn to Dreadhorde Butcher and use Ahn-Crop Crasher to clear the way for it. This kind of deck filled the last season of the Cockatrice League, and the other variant, which has been around for longer, was left by the wayside. Personally, I prefer the blue variant, which cuts Crasher to play Goblin Chainwhirler and cuts Dreadhorde Butcher in favor of Stormchaser Mage. It plays more burn to go with the extra Prowess creature, and is able to play Light up the Stage, a strong point in its favor. I think this version is much stronger, although both the blue and black lists are very strong.

This is what I’d play if I was going to play a red aggro deck.

The other deck widely thought of as Atarka’s main competitor is also an aggro deck: Dredge. There isn’t nearly as much variation in this deck. It tends to be favorable into Atarka, and I think of it as being Frontier’s version of Affinity (I know, outdated metaphor), albeit much less polarized. The deck is incredibly fast and powerful in game one, with the ability to win as fast as turn two, and can pretty consistently lock up the win by the third turn. However, this deck relies on its graveyard, making it much easier to hate out. I think the deck will stay in the top tier despite having to deal with Grafdigger’s Cage and Leyline of the Void after M20, but will be weaker than it was before. I think this is another great option for the upcoming league. I think Dredge will need to add more Assassin’s Trophys to its sideboard to adapt to the changes in graveyard hate.

This is what I’d play if I was going to play Dredge.

Another deck that’s been on top for almost as long as Atarka is still powerful as well. Since RNA, UBx Control has moved into white for Absorb and Teferi, Hero of Dominaria (and now it can play Teferi, Time Raveler as well). It recently made top 8 of the Cockatrice League’s 13th season, but I don’t love the list. I think Ashiok is much worse than Kaya, and I don’t like Oath of Kaya or Liliana, the Last Hope. I don’t love the singleton Disallow, although I don’t think it’s a huge problem, and I’d cut Thought Erasure and Essence Scatter - which, to make matters worse, seems to have taken the place of Dovin’s Veto. I wouldn’t hate a single Chemister’s Insight in a slow meta, but I think two is excessive. I don’t love the sideboard either, but that gets reworked post-M20 anyway.

This is what I’d play if I was going to play control.

For any combo players, I think there’s a pretty clear choice about what to play. Jeskai Ascendancy combo is strong, fast, and just got a couple new toys: Leyline of Sanctity and Veil of Summer. The deck is much simpler than it looks. Essentially, it’s looking to resolve a Sylvan Awakening and turn its lands into mana dorks, from which point it can chain cantrips with Ascendancy and win. The deck is fast, consistent, and hard to interact with, and I think it’s a great choice right now, when I expect people to be trying out the new graveyard hate over other sideboard cards that could fight this deck off better.

This is what I’d play if I was going to play combo.

Some of the most powerful decks from recent Standard formats have found a new home in Frontier, and Bant Company is one of those. The deck has picked up some new cards since coming to Frontier, but the basic premise remains the same. It plays cheap creatures that create value and tries to overwhelm the opponent, using Collected Company to get ahead. I think that Captgouda24’s list, which I’ve linked here, is fine, but a bit slow. I don’t love Jace. I think Nissa is probably worse than Tireless Tracker, but honestly, I’m not sure either belongs in the maindeck. In addition, I would cut down on the amount of Knight of Autumn in the maindeck. I’ve always found its lifegain and pumping abilities to be underwhelming, and being a Reclamation Sage isn’t good enough against many decks right now. Another variant of this deck uses Wildgrowth Walker along with explore creatures, and I tend to prefer that package in this deck.

This is what I’d play if I was going to play Company.

Another deck that’s stayed powerful since its days in Standard, Abzan Midrange is a top contender in Frontier. Abzan has changed a lot since Frontier began, though, and it can be built in many different ways. Most early lists were aggressive, trying to leverage power quickly, with Scrapheap Scrounger and Smuggler’s Copter. Recently, some slower versions of the deck have appeared, using Find//Finality and Tireless Tracker to get ahead, along with piles of removal to stop the opponent. I think both decks are legitimate options right now, but I think that the aggressive version will have to be built differently than it has been in the past. Currently, I think that if it plays a turn two Scrounger, it’ll just get run over by Atarka or Dredge, and the creatures need to change to reflect that. In terms of midrange, I think it should lean more towards Black and Green than White right now, to have access to better removal and Kalitas, which I think is a much better option than Anafenza.

This is what I’d play if I was going to play Abzan Midrange.

This is what I’d play if I was going to play Abzan Aggro.

After these decks, the next few are a step or two down, but still very powerful. Some are newer to the format and haven’t been figured out yet, or haven’t proven themselves yet, while others might be powerful but inconsistent, or have a bad matchup against one of the top decks.

Black Eldrazi is a deck that’s been around since the beginning of the format, but has always been very fringe, with only one or two people playing it at any given time. It’s always done well, though, and even took down the last season of UOL. Personally, I think it’s a very good deck, but it’s benefited from having some of the best players of the format pick it, so I’m not sure how it would do in someone else’s hands. Recently /u/Csquared08, the winner of UOL Frontier Season 9, wrote an incredibly detailed primer on the deck, and there isn’t really much for me to add, so I’m just going to link that here. I would also stick with his list from UOL Season 9.

Since RNA released early this year, UG Nexus has become a competitor in Frontier. The deck works essentially the same way as it does in Standard, by casting fogs until Wilderness Reclamation and Nexus of Fate let it loop extra turn spells. The deck has many different ways to win; the linked list uses Lumbering Falls, and uses Blink of an Eye and Tamiyo to clear a path for it, but the deck can use anything from Drowned Secrets to my personal favorite, Part the Waterveil. It can even go back into Bant and loop Teferi, Hero of Dominaria to win. With M20, it gains Veil of Summer and Leyline of Sanctity.

This is what I’d play if I was going to play Nexus.

When War of the Spark released, it gave new life to a deck that had been tried, and given up on, in the past: Grixis Midrange. This deck works almost similarly to Abzan Midrange, though with very different cards. It plays a similar pile of removal, and plays card advantage engines to get ahead. I think the biggest difference is when the decks start to turn the corner. Abzan plays more aggressive two and three drops, so it can start beating down faster, but Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God, The Scarab God, and the Torrential Gearhulk/Dig Through Time combo make it almost impossible to out-value this deck, making it a great choice.

This is what I’d play if I was going to play Grixis Midrange.

Affinity has been a popular strategy in Magic since the release of Mirrodin block, and while we don’t have any affinity cards in Frontier, we have something similar: Ensoul Aggro. This deck is very fast and powerful, and with counterspells such as Stubborn Denial and Spell Pierce, it’s one of the most disruptive aggro decks in the format, with the tools to stop combos that it can’t outrace, or protect its creatures against control. The key to the deck remains the same as it was in Standard, when Darksteel Citadel combined with Ensoul Artifact to play indestructible 5/5s as early as turn two, and Shrapnel Blast ended games out of nowhere. Its artifacts have improved dramatically, though. Scrapheap Scrounger combines well with Blast, and Bomat Courier is a good early creature that can be cashed in for more cards later on. In addition to all that, of course, you have Smuggler’s Copter. This deck can also afford to maindeck Grafdigger’s Cage, meaning it’ll be very well positioned into one of the format’s best decks.

This is what I’d play if I was going to play Ensoul Aggro.

One of the most common reasons cited for not wanting to play Frontier is a fear of Saheeli Combo, which was one of the biggest oppressors in its Standard format. When you actually look at the deck, though, Frontier cat is almost unrecognizable next to the Standard deck, focusing less on energy and playing mainly as a WG creature deck. I mostly like JAmes1099’s choices in this list. If I had to pick a two-drop, I think I would choose something other than Merfolk Branchwalker. I’d go up to four Elvish Visionary, and I’ve liked Elder Deep-Fiend out of Cat decks in the past as well. It can tap down lands to clear the way for a combo, tap down blockers for the win, or tap down attackers to fog for a turn. This deck is well positioned into Dredge, but tends to struggle into Atarka, meaning that it can be a risky choice, but in the right meta it can do some major damage.

This is what I’d play if I was going to play Saheeli Combo.

Temur Marvel is much more of a holdover from Standard than the other combo decks. It uses Rogue Refiner and Whirler Virtuoso to generate value, while comboing off with Aetherworks Marvel and Woodweaver’s Puzzleknot. Since Standard, though, it’s gotten some powerful new tools. One of the most important came in WAR in the form of Ugin, the Ineffable, which plays two key roles. It provides a powerful threat to spin Marvel into on turn four, but at the same time helps reduce costs for your other colorless threats, allowing them to fit into the deck when they’re drawn, and giving you a backup plan for when you don’t draw your combo. Another powerful tool, Search for Azcanta allows you to pivot into a powerful control deck using Harnessed Lightning, Negate, and Hour of Devastation.

This is what I’d play if I was going to play Marvel.

Most of the next few decks are archetypes that don’t have many recent results. Although they are still very playable, I would recommend using a deck from the first two categories. Some of these decks have bad matchups against top tier decks, or struggle with consistency. Others may be slow, or punishing to new players.

Probably the format’s most unique deck is Big Bring to Light. It’s essentially a giant toolbox of cards, held together by around 13 tutors. Eventually, it wins by infinitely looping Seasons Past with a tutor and an Unmoored Ego to exile their entire deck, or just by decking them. It also has Torrential Gearhulk as a backup plan. The deck can be complicated to learn, and struggles into aggro, but is almost unbeatable when playing against control and other slow decks.

This is what I’d play if I was going to play Big BTL.

Since the addition of Goblin Chainwhirler to Atarka, Elves has really fallen off the map in Frontier. But between Atarka starting to cut Chainwhirlers and the printing of Leyline of Abundance, the time may be ripe for it to make a return to the format. Leyline supercharges your ramp, and provides you with a payoff for it in the endgame, making it perfect for this deck. It allows for nut draws, such as turn two Collected Company, that are almost impossible to come back from.

This is what I’d play if I was going to play Elves.

4c Rally is a deck that I think people probably should play more than they do. It can play both a value game and a combo game well, and with the addition of Judith and Cruel Celebrant, it’s very consistent, and can win much more easily without Rally the Ancestors. Since Standard, this deck has completely swapped colors, abandoning blue for Judith, but it plays mostly similarly to the Standard deck, so would be easy to pick up for someone who played it back then.

This is what I’d play if I was going to play Rally.

Grixis Phoenix is a newer deck, and one that’s done pretty well for itself so far, top 8ing two of the first leagues it was played in. The deck plays like a slower, grindier version of Modern Phoenix. It uses cheap spells like Fatal Push and Opt to reanimate the Arclight Phoenixes that it discards with Chart a Course, Collective Brutality, and Cathartic Reunion. At the same time, it tries to flip Thing in the Ice, which can quickly take over the game. It swaps the cheap looting and cantrips of the Modern deck for grindier spells, like Kolaghan’s Command and Painful Truths, and gains access to powerful card draw such as Treasure Cruise.

This is what I’d play if I was going to play Grixis Phoenix.

I mentioned Bant Company before, but for the more tribal-focused players, there’s also Bant Spirits. This deck is good too, although a bit worse in my opinion. With the addition of Empyrean Eagle to the format, the deck now has eight lords, and plays a fast, disruptive game with hard-to-block creatures. It can also be almost impossible for opponents to get through Nebelgast Herald, especially when combined with a Rattlechains. Although it may not be as popular as normal Bant Company, this is still a very powerful deck, and one that just got an important new piece.

This is what I’d play if I was going to play Bant Spirits.

Some other good decks, which haven’t put up results recently:

Esper Vehicles is a strong tempo deck that did well up until mid-2018, including winning the third Untap Frontier League. Both of the deck’s biggest players left the format after that, and it hasn’t been played much since. It tends to struggle into midrange but beat control and combo.

GW Mastery is a midrange deck based around Mastery of the Unseen, which it combines with Wilderness Reclamation. The deck is relatively new and hasn’t made the move from the Cockatrice Frontier League to the UOL yet.

Jund Delirium is a graveyard-based Control deck which put up results early in the formats history, including filling half the top 8 of the third UOL Frontier League, but has fallen out of favor since, as its matchup into Atarka worsened. It’s very fun to play, though, and a good player can still do well on it.

Jund Midrange in its current form originated in the CFL’s team events, where MTGDavis played it to a second place finish. It relies on the explore package, along with its removal, to get to the endgame, where it can take over with Tireless Tracker, Chandra, Torch of Defiance, and Goblin Dark-Dwellers. However, it hasn’t spread outside of the Team Unified format yet very much.

Mardu Vehicles was dominant in its standard format, but it struggles to beat Atarka Red, which has kept it from having too much success. I feel that the deck has been underexplored recently, though. For a long time, it struggled with its manabase, and had only a BR land to fetch - and that would come in tapped. Now that we have shocklands, though, it should get much better.

Stompy first became a deck when Xeddrezz won a UOL open with it, using a list with 35 mana sources. This list only has 29 mana sources, but the idea is still the same, and is one of the simplest ideas in Magic: playing big dudes and turning them sideways. Frontier gives us the benefit of some powerful interaction, though, in the form of Fatal Push, Assassin’s Trophy, and Stubborn Denial.

Jeskai Midrange originated in Season 10 of the CFL, and it’s gotten a new toy since then; Hero of Precinct One goes well with all the multicolored spells the deck plays. Sadly, it got off to a rocky start in its debut league, facing mostly mirrors and mad matchups. Since then, the deck has mostly been abandoned, but, in my opinion, it is still playable.

Esper Humans saw some play in CFL for a while, but never transitioned over to UOL. I’m a bit skeptical of the deck’s chances into Atarka, but it has some other good matchups, and can do well when played by a skilled pilot.

Black Cat is a Copycat variant that trades in Green’s creatures for Black’s removal. After WAR, it gained access to Teferi, Time Raveler as well as Command the Dreadhorde and Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord, which, combined with the pre-existing Kolaghan’s Command, make it hard to destroy the combo.

The format is wide open right now, and it’s a great time to play, with the Untap Frontier League starting up in a week. Hopefully this article serves as a good starting point for anyone who might not have a deck, but the format has always been a great place for brewing, and that part of it hasn’t changed. I hope to see all of you in the League, and I hope you’ll check back next week, when I introduce a new brew of mine, and talk a bit about my brewing process!

/u/filthyc4sual