As the Standard rotation draws near, we ponder on the possible deck archetypes after Theros becomes legal. One of which in my choices is Gruul Midrange or Big Gruul which Brian Kibler popularized. Here is the list I’ve came up with:

Gruul Midrange by Mark Ian Alloso
Theros Standard

Maindeck
Creatures
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Experiment One
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
4 Kalonian Tusker
4 Witchstalker
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Stormbreath Dragon

Spells
2 Domri Rade
3 Lightning Strike
3 Mizzium Mortars
3 Trollhide

Lands
4 Stomping Ground
4 Temple of Abandon
9 Forest
6 Mountain

You might see some unusual spell choices (like Trollhide) but I think those cards would fit well in this type of deck strategy. The deck won’t appear as efficient as that of Kibler’s, but it surely is in a similar approach.

Your eight one drops are efficient on being aggressive or ramping up mana. Experiment One can curve well into Kalonian Tusker and Witchstalker. The latter is also the reason why I included the Trollhides in the list. It’s not as good as Unflinching Courage but it lets your best creature survive most spot and mass removals with regeneration.

Stormbreath Dragon auto replaces Thundermaw Hellkite and I think its slighty better as it protects itself from Azorius Charm and has the bonus Monstrosity for extra pump and damage. I’ve checked its preorder price at 22usd or 1000php, maybe because of hype but it’s worth the buy.

Only two copies of Domri Rade is included because I won’t rely much on his +1 to gain card advantage. I’ve also considered the new planeswalker Xenagos but his only uses in the deck would probably the +zero ability. I think it don’t need the extra mana as the deck top spell is only at five casting cost.

Temple of Abandon is the recent new type of lands which people call ‘Scry lands’ and rant about. It’s not that of a good replacement for Rootbound Crag but I think we just have to accept it and adopt.

To conclude, this deck is a strong contender in Theros Standard as what it did when it came up at the World Championships and World Magic Cup. It is just a matter on how it should adapt to the new cards and utilize their potential well.

Until next post and thanks for reading.