The last Scars of Mirrodin Block Constructed tournaments were shrouded with the doubt of a new  format where no one had figured out the main archetypes yet and, just to be safe, not try at all anything new for the risk of making a deck that cannot compete properly.

People seemed hesitant to try out new things in Scars Block for a good month or so. Of course, our local bucharestian community has some notorious deck designers like Adi Teodorescu and Alex Stefanescu who just could not help themselves and tried out their hand at the new format ( Green-White and Mono Black both covered in artefacts of the metalcrafting or the proliferating kind ), or other regulars of the shop that just picked the most obvious choices for a Mono Red or an Infect deck, tinkered a bit with the numbers and the curve and went with it. But take it from me, those showings were a small number.

Fortunately for us design-challenged players, Magic Online has some SoM Block Constructed daily events full of interesting decks, either innovative or established from the get-go of the set's complete spoiling a few days before the prerelease events. Here is a link to the list of dailies : http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Digital/MagicOnline.aspx?x=mtg/digital/magiconline/whatshappening and let me give you a rundown of the decks that placed the best:

UW Glimmerpoint

1.UW Glimmerpoint Control. The deck understands how fast Koth of the Hammer can reach ultimate status, and tries to prevent that by playing Glimmerpoint Stag. The white creature is so useful, it's fascinating: it can reset Tumble Magnets, Trigons, Contagion Clasps ( and even Contagion Engines ), Planeswalkers, can “relocate” Arrests and Volition Reins and trigger Sunblast Angel again. Some lists even run a playset of Glimmerpost, which not only takes you as high as ten extra life, but if you start bouncing the late Glimmerposts with either Venser or Stag, you're in a very good shape against any kind of non-infect aggro. The deck clearly found a home for both planeswalking powerhouses Elspeth and Venser, which need no introduction, and their ability to blink and to protect provide the pilot with a firm grip on the gamestate.

White Red

2.White Red Control. This is basically a Big Red ( /white ) Koth deck, which splashes for – here she is again – Elspeth Tirel and Arrest, which provide excelent board control. The Revoke Existences in the side are for either hard to remove artefacts ( the darksteel kind ) or pesky enchantments ( like Volition Reins ). These pilots understood, as other players including yours truly, that Koth doesn't need a mono-colored build to be used efficiently. Two mountains on the board and you're good, three to four makes things explosive, especially if you're looking to go ultimate. One thing to point out, try to go ultimate as soon as you can, as it's a very potent controling tool ( not just a wining one ).

UW Artifact Aggro

3.UW Artefact Aggro. This is a similar list to UW Glimmerpoint Control, except that it drops the Planeswalkers for more creatures, trying to cheat them into play with Grand Architect. Trinket Mage plays an important role in this deck as not only it fetches Chimeric Mass, a big gun as it can be pumped to over nine-thousand, but it also brings Origin Spellbomb, draw engine and food for Grand Architect ( you can pump the 1/1 Myr by making it blue ). The Stag plays an even splashier role in this deck, as it resets Myr Battlesphere ( !! ) and Trinket Mage, but it also gives Wurmcoil Engine “vigilance”.

UG Control

4.Ug Control. This is the clasic control list. It uses the second best powerful creature in Block after Grand Pappa Architect, namely Argent Sphinx. The flying menace blinks whenever you're able to achieve Metalcraft ( 3 or more artifacts on your side of the field ) for the mere cost of U, making it a nigh-impossible creature to kill. Coupled with a lot of instant-speed answers in Slice in Twain, Disperse, Stoic Rebuttal, Darksteel Sentinel and Halt Order, the deck leans closest to what we're used to see in a control deck.

The list of interesting decklists doesn't stop here, as there were many others that placed well and sporting color combinations from BR to WUBR or Mono Blue. I leave it up to you to do the rest of the research.

It's up to you to decide if you want to play in Scars of Mirrodin Block Constructed tournaments, how varied the metagame will be, and how much you help the shop help you guys in the end.

Pricopoaea Cosmin, GS Team.