Aggro decks go back to the basics of Magic: the Gathering gameplay: attacking with creatures. The deck archetype’s main aim is to bring down opponents’ life total to zero as fast as possible before they come up with big creatures, mass removal or life gain effects. However, it would take more than that. Playing to be efficient with an aggro deck is to also know how your opponent will react to your threats. This blog post today will discuss some tips and sort of your guide in piloting an Aggro deck. Here we go.

Maximize your Curve

Aggro decks are powerful when on the curve, starting from Turn 1. That is why what cards you keep in your starting hand is very important. How the deck is setup so it can provide the right card combinations. Also, do not be afraid to mulligan if the first seven cards are not enough to render you an aggressive start.

A starting like this one on the Mono Red Aggro deck is auto-keep. Can you simulate its curve on the first three turns?

Castle Embereth
Mountain
Mountain
Fervent Champion
Runaway Steam-Kin
Robber of the Rich
Scorch Spitter

The ideal play is to have a turn-1 Scorch Spitter over the Fervent Champion as the latter has Haste which can just attack with your other creatures later on. Spitter deals with additional damage so it is best to get it attacking as soon as possible. The follow up is the Runaway Steam-Kin as it can get bigger with your Red spell cast and can provide mana source to ramp big spells once it has reached three +1/+1 counters. Take note that if possible, retain it as a 4/4 since dealing damage is your main goal in the early turns.

The Robber can be cast on the late game so that you can get value out of its attack trigger with enough of your lands to cast the opponent’s spell. Also on cards like Bonecrusher Giant wherein you cast Stomp first, put into an Adventure, and then play it as a creature later on.

Play Around Board Sweeps

Playing around mass removals is also one characteristic to consider when playing an aggro deck. You should know when the opponent might react to deal with your creatures. Casting at least two is the usual play when you have backup creatures in hand. You have to at least maximize their use like dealing enough damage so as your follow-up creatures after a board sweep will be on the spot to deal lethal. Do not over commit. Also, take note of the turns that they should have played their board sweep. It might that they didn’t have it yet or drawn it from their deck.

Plan a Sideboard for the Late Game

In sideboarding, opponents tend to bring in more mass and spot removals to deal with your early threats. If you have a lot of 1/1s and 2/2s in your build, they would usually have cheap removals like Shock or Disfigure to slow down your assault. As a remedy for this, you plan out your sideboard to have bigger threats or hard to kill creatures against them.

Examples in the recent Standard are: Shifting Ceratops wherein this Dinosaur cannot be countered and has Protection from Blue; Skarrgan Hellkite which is a solid Flyer which you can choose to be a 4/4 Haste or a 5/5 with ability that can ‘shoot’ relevant targets.

You can also have planeswalkers like Nissa, Who Shakes the World as these threats are hard to deal with given that they board in creature removal.

Recent plays however, some cards in the Standard format specifically destroys planeswalkers and creatures of the specific color. Either way, it is how you well you can mix in your in-and-outs in post-sideboard games to be efficient.

I apply this in every games I play with an aggro deck as the sideboarded games are very crucial. You might surprise them in Game 1 by delivering a quick death to their life total, but expect post board that they have the gears to counter your fast aggro plan.

In conclusion, playing an Aggro deck requires knowledge in what the most efficient play in certain scenarios while also predicting how opponents’ deck works against your game plan whether it is another aggro, midrange or control deck.

That is a wrap. Thanks for reading and until next time.