It looks pretty innocent. The lightning struck trapped in a black pentagon. It's the symbol for energy, a new mechanic we were recently introduced to in the Kaladesh block. Energy has had a huge impact on the Standard format. After last weekend's Pro Tour Ixalan, half of the top 8 decks were energy variants: One the classic Temur build, two four-color energy, and one Sultai energy list. Energy decks come in many shapes and forms, but they are clearly one of the best things you can do in the format. But does this mean that the mechanic is broken? Let's take a closer look.
The Mechanic
The way the energy mechanic works is very simple: You can gain energy from the effects of creatures or spells, which you can then spend. The energy counters are something that a player gets and aren't a permanent in any way, shape, or form; mechanically, they're close to poison counters. Some cards like Rogue Refiner only create energy, while others such as Bristing Hydra can use it. There are very few energy cards - at least that see regular play - that only consume energy without producing some number of it. This can be partially attributed to the power of the mechanic; how much weaker would Whirler Virtuoso be if it didn't come with enough energy to activate it, or to activate Bristling Hydra or Longtusk Cub...the list goes on.
Given the nature of the counters, it's hard to interact with them. After all, without a physical representation on board you need specific cards to deal with them. There has been one card printed that can interact with energy counters: Solemnity.
There are several issues with this. Firstly, Solemnity was printed in
Hour of Devastation, two full sets after the energy mechanic was introduced and in a completely different block. It's very limited in its power, impossible to main deck because it's a dead card against any non-energy deck. Being in white is also a limitation as white isn't seeing a huge amount of play. Finally, it does nothing against energy the opponent already has. Even when playing it on curve the opponent can can easily build up 4+ energy before casting it, allowing them to wreak enough havoc to stabilize their board and deploy planeswalkers or potentially The Scarab God. If it shows up late the opponent could easily break 10 energy. Getting a single, narrow way to interact with the mechanic in a different block was largely ineffective.
The Cards
The power level of some of the cards that utilize energy is insane. Let's look at some of the most powerful cards the deck runs:
This is the best removal spell in Standard. While Unlicensed Disintegration and Fatal Push are both in the format, the efficient power behind Harnessed Lightning is neigh unstoppable. Part of its power lies in the fact to can create energy; use a Harnessed Lightning to take out a creature with one or two toughness, and you've got a few energy to spare. It can also swing the other way, consuming spare energy to exterminate larger creatures like tokens created by The Scarab God, or even delay the God himself.
This is the most efficient threat Energy can unleash. It looks unassuming, but Longtusk Cub can wreak destruction like a furious dragon. One of Longtusk Cub's greatest strengths is that it can repeatedly generate energy by smashing into your opponent's face - exactly what the card wants to do. It also doesn't take much energy to pump it out of the range of commonly played removal like Abrade or Lightning Strike. An unchecked Cub can run away with the game.
If Longtusk Cub is Energy's most efficient threat, Bristling Hydra is its most powerful. The ability of the Hydra to get hexproof and a +1/+1 counter makes it almost impossible to remove without a hard board wipe - after all, it hits the field with the ability to be Sweltering Suns-proof, and can outgrow Hour of Devastation with little extra work. It can quickly outgrow large creatures and is a powerful finisher.
Last but not least, let's take a look at the heart of any energy deck: Attune with Aether and Aether Hub. Attune produces the most energy for the lowest cost of all the spells in the deck; the only other card close is Aether Hub which produces an energy for free. They also help to make the deck incredibly consistent; Attune will ensure that you hit your lands drops and the two work in concert to fix mana, allowing four-color energy to exist without taxing the mana base too much.
None of these cards seem broken on their own, but working in combination with an array of other spells it creates a highly synergistic deck that can eliminate the competition.
Conclusion
Is Energy broken? Yeah. It is. Looking at the cards individually, not all of them seem to be all that powerful but when mixed together, the synergistic deck can make some of these cards broken, making the mechanic as a whole broken. With an incredibly limited way to interact with the counters produced, it is very powerful.
But there is some hope. While energy is everywhere, there are some variants; Temur, 4C, Sultai, even the occasional Gruul Pummeler deck. Additionally, unlike the days off Copycat and Temur Marvel, there are other decks you can play. Tokens, God-Pharoah's Gift, Approach of the Second Sun, and Ramunap Red are all viable decks that can compete in Standard, and these decks have several variants you can run - U/W Gifts versus Esper Gifts, for example. The Standard meta is in a pretty healthy place, even if it has a broken mechanic.
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