In Memoriam: Temur Rec, the End of My Beginning
Absolute liberation. Complete bliss. Endless possibilities. That’s what Standard feels like right now thanks to the August 3rd, 2020 B&R announcement. The only thing I would have been happier with is if the bannings came sooner, because we’re only about a month away from rotation. Better late than never, I guess.
As the title suggests, these are the words of someone who, until this past Monday, exclusively played Temur Reclamation in Standard for months. Yes. Exclusively. Since Theros Beyond Death was released in mid January.
And even though I and the rest of the Magic world grew tired of turn 2 Growth Spiral into Mystical Dispute, it simply wouldn’t be right of me to not pay my respects to a deck that was absolutely pivotal in my development as a player.
Over the past 25+ weeks of playing this deck, I not only experienced exponential improvement in my gameplay skills, but also a profound shift in my holistic approach to the game. Really, Temur Reclamation gave me a fresh new perspective on my potential.
So, in memory of Temur Reclamation, I’d like to reflect on why I chose this deck in the first place, and why I stuck with it for so long. My hope is that by reading my story you’ll overcome the next hurdle or three that stand between you and your MTG goals.
Let’s Go Back to January, 2020
…when in-person FNMs, MagicFests and SCG Opens were still alive and well. Theros Beyond Death was released on Arena on the 16th, bringing Uro and Elspeth Conquers Death - which are still undoubtedly two of the strongest cards in Standard.
I had spent all of Throne of Eldraine Standard playing Jund and Golgari Adventures. Before that, my Standard decks of choice included Jund Dinosaurs, 4C Dreadhorde, Sultai Midrange and Golgari Midrange, dating back to Fall 2018.
If you notice anything about these decks, you’ll notice that they’re all midrange (with the exception of Jund Dinos - sort of an aggro/midrange hybrid). Until Theros Beyond Death was released, I identified myself as strictly a midrange player. I adamantly did not play control, and I especially didn’t care for seemingly broken strategies or combo decks. During the summer of Simic Nexus, I WAS the anti-nexus. If I could talk to Jeff Sheerin from a year ago, I’d tell him that pride and stubbornness doesn’t get you to Mythic or help you win tournaments. Fortunately, I would have that breakthrough not too long thereafter.
How the Breakthrough Came to Be
I tried an updated version of Golgari Adventures when Theros Beyond Death was released, only to realize that it was simply outclassed, and that I had to move on. I was also coming off of two consecutive months of missing Top 1200 of Mythic. To be totally honest, I was still carrying some of that disappointment, but I was able to leverage it as motivation for piledriving my limits and truly taking the next step in my development.
So what did I do? I said goodbye to traditional midrange and entered my ultimate discomfort zone: Temur Reclamation. I knew the deck was extremely difficult to play, I knew the mirrors would be brutal, and I had always used the concept of “playing to my strengths” as an excuse for not learning more complex archetypes like Temur Rec.
(IMPORTANT MINDSET NOTE: I strongly encourage you to substitute the word “difficult” with “challenging” or “opportunistic,” both inside and outside of the game).
With relatively little options and no major tournament achievements, I decided to stop making excuses, and to stop using fear-based rationale and limiting beliefs to avoid what may be challenging.
Instead, I took advantage of the opportunity to embrace the struggle of player transformation with Temur Rec. Little did I realize that I was giving myself a new beginning in MTG.
January 28-31
Needless to say, the matches definitely did not go well at first. In fact, I kept track of them, as I do with all of my matches (I recommend you do the same).
94% - Simic - Win 1-0
95% - Sultai Reclamation - Loss 0-2
93% - UW Control - Loss 1-2
92% - Mono Red - Win 2-0
93% - Rakdos - Loss 0-2
92% - Simic - Win 2-0
93% - Orzhov Doom- Win 2-0
95% - Izzet Flash - Loss 1-2
93% - Simic - Loss 0-2
92% - Mirror - Win 2-0
93% - Jeskai Fires - Win 2-0
94% - Rakdos Sac - Win 2-0
96% - Phoenix - Loss 0-2
95% - BW Control Win 2-1
96% - Simic - Win 2-1
97% - Esper Doom - Win 2-0
98% - Gruul Adventures - Win 2-0
98% - Mono Red - Win 2-0
99% - Temur Fires - 2-0
1358 - Simic- Loss 0-2
99% - Bant Adventures - Win 2-0
1438- Rakdos Sac- Loss 1-2
98% - Mono Red- Win 2-1
99% - Esper - Loss 1-2
98% - Jeskai Fires- Loss 0-2
97% - Simic - Win 2-0
97% - Rakdos Sacrifice - Win 2-1
99% - UW Control - Win 2-0
99% - Mono Red - Loss 1-2
98% - Mono Red - Win 2-1
99% - Bant Adventures - Win 2-0
1358 - Bant Reclamation - Loss 0-2
99% - Temur Brew - Win 2-0
1384 - Mono Red - Loss 0-2
98% - Simic - Win 2-1
As you can see, after sticking with the deck for a couple days I began to get increasingly comfortable and proficient. While I ended up missing Top 1200 again in January, I was able to look back and realize that I had successfully learned to play Temur Reclamation.
Going into February with more confidence than ever in my ability to adapt to challenging decks, I actually picked up UW Control to really expand my horizons. While this version was more tap-out control rather than the traditional “instant speed” control, it still thrived off of a gameplan that I simply wasn’t used to - playing to survive while simultaneously trying to find windows to secure the win. I actually did really well with the deck at first, posting a 21-5 match record in two days of laddering.
However, my friends and I planned on playing in a local WPNQ that month, and I knew that a huge majority of players would likely be on UW Control, considering how popular the deck was and the overwhelming number of players in my area that generally lean towards control. I also knew that Temur was on relatively equal footing with UW at the time. So I decided to fully commit to Temur and try my hand at mastering it.
WPNQ - February 2020
In case you’re unfamiliar with it, the WPNQ is essentially the new PTQ system. It has two phases: the first is a series of tournaments for a final qualifying event. The winner of the final qualifier earns a spot on the Players Tour. For the sake of brevity, I went 3-3 at the first qualifier, which was enough to put me in 14th place and earn me a spot in the WPNQ Finals. While I wasn’t happy with my performance, I was happy with achieving my goal for that day - punching my ticket to the finals.
Two weeks later was the final qualifier. I had a lot more matches under my belt with Temur Rec, both in-person and digitally. I put the 3-3 behind me and I ran pretty hot that day, going 3-1 in the first four rounds and taking an ID in the last round to get me into Top 8. In the quarterfinals I took down Gruul Aggro 2-0, and in the semis I lost a brutally long match to Sultai, 1-2.
While I didn’t reach my goal of qualifying for the Players Tour, I walked out of my local game store knowing that merely 30 days after shattering my comfort zone, I came to within three game wins of playing with the pros.
But more importantly, I achieved my goal of playing my best that day, and with a 4th place finish I had clear evidence that “my best” was continuing to rise. By the same token, not reaching 1st place reminded me that I still had great potential to fulfill. My performance that day reassured me that one day, I will.
Interestingly enough, all Top 8 players at the event received a promo Cryptic Command. A somewhat suitable gift for a former non-control player.
After the WPNQ
After that tournament I continued pursuing my potential with Temur Rec, reaching Top 1200 of Mythic in March, May, June and July. The more I learned the many ins-and-outs of the deck and experimented with different configurations, the more I improved my critical gameplay skills. I continued experimenting with different archetypes when Ikoria and Core 2021 were released, but ultimately, I always went back to trusty old Temur Rec. I reaped the benefits of mastering an archetype that offers an endless number of intricate play patterns, and I learned to excel in the mirror, which is a feat in and of itself.
IN CLOSING
Though I’ve been playing competitive Magic for a few years, I can’t help but feel like the latest bannings are the end of the beginning for me. Yes, Standard is free from the shackles of Growth Spiral and Wilderness Reclamation, but in a very real way, Temur Reclamation unleashed my potential. By learning this deck, I successfully liberated myself from any doubts I once had about my abilities to learn, adapt and excel in this game. I’m 110% confident in my ability to learn and master any deck.
While I can’t yet speak from experience, I know that you need to be able to play any deck at an exceptionally high level if you want to achieve major tournament success. You simply can’t doubt your ability to master an unfamiliar or difficult archetype, and you need to be comfortable with your ability to shift deck choices as metagames evolve.
And though I’m thrilled to see how the latest bannings have opened up exciting new possibilities in multiple formats, I’m incredibly grateful for the tremendous growth I experienced from learning Temur Reclamation.
Embrace the challenge of constantly raising your potential. Piledrive your limits into oblivion, and believe in your ability to continuously learn, improve and succeed. I’ll continue to do the same.
It’s been real, Temur Reclamation - thanks for the memories and thanks for the growth.
And finally, thanks to you for reading.
