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When Battle for Zendikar first launched, the ingest mechanic was met with some skepticism. The cards just seemed odd more than anything, and the power level just didn't seem to be there. Ingest never made a constructed splash, and Oath of the Gatewatch features no cards with the keyword. There are some cards in Oath that help fuel processors, but the tools just don't seem powerful enough to make processing a thing in Standard. If such a deck were to exist, Ghostfire Blade always looked to be one of the more exciting elements. While ingest doesn't seem any better, I believe that devoid now shows promise.
Oath is introducing several cards with devoid that are costed efficiently, and even a number of colorless creatures that have significant upside relative to their casting cost. There are a number of possible directions to take a devoid deck, but I believe that these are the most appealing new cards for the archetype:
These cards all provide reasonably costed bodies with high potential upside. The edict and threaten abilities make Bearer of Silence and Eldrazi Obligator scale very well, and Matter Shaper will replace itself pretty often. These are my picks for the most appealing new devoid critters, though the set also offers some other solid bodies, even if they don't come with the same upside.
Put them all together, add the most efficient existing bodies for the deck and the other value creature in Hangarback Walker, and we have what looks like a good starting point for a Standard deck.
Devoid Aggro
This deck definitely isn't as explosive as Atarka Red, and it doesn't offer the same value of other Standard decks, but it does offer explosive starts, some great value creatures, and a reasonable amount of resilience. It's possible that Ruins of Oran-Rief just doesn't offer enough for the deck, and that my choices for the spell slots aren't the best options, but I think there's something here. If I were preparing for a big Standard event I would definitely run this deck through the gauntlet and try to find the best version. The elements featured here are rather unique, and if you get the best list before anybody else you could take a tournament by surprise with this shell.
From a financial perspective, this deck doesn't employ any mythic rares so there aren't any big movers. I like picking up the new rares if you can find cheaper copies, though there aren't any great targets here. Matter Reshaper is already pre-ordering for too much, though Bearer of Silence is probably a good pickup if you can find them for around a buck. It looks like they're pretty easy to find for $2, which isn't a terrible price for a set to play with.
 
Here's a quick rundown of key Tier 1 targets Quarter can mow down:
Raging Ravine put in work all weekend? Or how many times Twitch chat erupted into a chorus of "ATTACK WITH RAVINE"? Manlands win games, and the Charlotte Open was a testament both to their strength and the importance of answering them. These durable clocks were also a major contributor to Jeskai Twin's success at Grand Prix Pittsburgh, where Colonnade dramatically improved the BGx contest. By a similar token, many decks struggle against the Nexus fliers in Affinity and Infect, which lie dormant until the coast is clear before ending the game in a single hit. Or chiseling away with Signal Pest to close a match over a few turns. Either way, Ghost Quarter gives you an out that other decks might not normally have access to.
a Hordeling Outburst if countered or killed. Turn four Ugin, the Spirit Dragon seals the game even cast turn four after a mulligan to five, something we experienced at least twice over the Charlotte weekend. Interacting with those kinds of cards after they hit the battlefield is generally unprofitable. Blowing up their enabling lands, however, is a much more effective attack angle. Just be sure to pair your disruption with pressure! Both Tron and Eldrazi have ample ways to draw or search into more lands: the latter can even cast their spells naturally as early as the mid-game. Add in a clock, however, and Ghost Quarter becomes an effective Strip Mine that should dash an opponent's chances on the spot.
These three lists are great starting points as you figure out more ways to incorporate Quarters into your own decks. And if you can find tricky ways to Quarter, like nuking your own Flagstones of Trokair to get access to black mana for Duress at a critical moment, shoot me an email and I'll give you a shoutout in the next article on this awesome land.
Despite his apparent strength, Lotus Cobra hasn't seen much Modern play; after all, he dies to Lightning Bolt. Granted, the same can be said of many staple two-drops, including Dark Confidant, Young Pyromancer, and Jace, Vryn's Prodigy. But these cards don't require the attention to deckbuilding Lotus Cobra does. In a curve-conscious deck that bets on sticking an early Cobra, losing the Snake to a Bolt can mean some clunky turns. Losing a Confidant? No worries; Jund players live to trade cards with opponents. Pyromancer? That's one less Bolt for my Delver of Secrets. Jace? Well, that card sucked anyway.
Lotus Cobra wants us to spend a lot of mana. We also need to build in such a way that if the Cobra dies, we can still play a reasonable game of Magic. Stocking up on Birds of Paradise effects helps hit this sweet spot. Mana dorks compete with Cobra for an opponent's precious Lightning Bolts, and going turn one dork, turn two Cobra puts us dramatically ahead of anything else in Modern. Early in my testing, I won a game on turn four with the following sequence:
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to do so. The above scenario still breaks new ground for GRx Moon. Pre-Cobra, the deck could never secure a victory that early while simultaneously disrupting opponents and digging for pieces.
I loot Stormbreath Dragon away very aggressively while setting up my mana. But from turn three onwards, we can't draw a better card. Stormbreath Dragon resists Lightning Bolt, Abrupt Decay, and Path to Exile, and can't be chump-blocked by pesky Lingering Souls tokens. If the mana really abounds, we can go monstrous, which generally deals more than the Dragon himself with a Blood Moon on the table to gum up an opponent's hand.
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BDM's analysis resonates with me. It's a blast to blow up lands! I love the dopey exhilaration of 
 
I say all that to say this: I can attribute every single success in my life to this aspect of who I am. Looking back on 2015, my successes were many: winning an invite to, and going 8-8 at, a Pro Tour, growing a successful Twitch stream from nothing into something moderately successful, completion of my first year of my Architecture program, and a growing repertoire of digital design skills. All of that can be attributed to this equal-part blessing and curse. Even my very presence on this site can be attributed to my unwillingness to give up on my ArchitectGaming blog and relentless streaming to an oftentimes empty room (and of course, Modern Nexus’ gracious hospitality).
To the uninitiated, Johnnys' ways seem taboo, bordering on alien. Influenced by misinformation and propaganda, innocent Johnnys interested only in a better world for all are looked down on, mocked, even called Tea Partiers. While Johnnys can often get carried away in their quest for self-expression, the Spikes among us should recognize the value in exploring their creations, and beware the danger of ignoring their machinations. Otherwise known as the Summer Bloom/Zur the Enchanter Spectrum, knowing the perils in the wild can only serve to increase knowledge and preparation, and could even save you the next time some psychopath casts Heartless Summoning.
Using Through the Breach and Primeval Titan as an avenue for victory, rather than Scapeshift or Urza's Tower, results in a natural resistance to widely accepted “land hate” cards like Fulminator Mage and Blood Moon. Summoning Trap as control hate is still excellent, and even the “fail-mode” of hitting only an Obstinate Baloth is not bad. Thirteen creatures is a lot of solid flips, and even if we’re casting this for six mana at instant speed, that’s still fine if we’re following up with another must-answer on our own turn. I count a full sixteen threats that count as “payoff” cards, and excluding Primeval Titan and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn all of our creatures either block early or gain life, helping us stay alive.
Here, Jeskai Ascendancy can be used for value, discarding Fatestitchers to be returned later as normal. With the Gifts package addition, however, we can even discard fatties in hand for Unburial Rites, or Rites itself to flashback later! Alongside Flame Jab and Life From the Loam, we’ve got a strong graveyard package going, but we’re far from one-dimensional. Most Gifts decks fall apart under dedicated graveyard hate, but Fatestitcher sure doesn’t care about that when we’re chaining through cantrips and attacking for significant damage with Ascendancy triggers. Often “dual-angle” decks like Living Twin and the like can be clunky, with combo pieces just getting in each other’s way. Not this deck, which functions more like a symbiote and less like a parasite, with both entities benefiting from each other’s presence.
