The variations in the Magic: the Gathering Standard decks are what make the format more interesting, and appealing to play, especially on a platform such as the Magic Arena. This is what I continuously check on the deck techs and what archetypes are improving in every sort-of-a-wave of metagame updates. The addition of the recent set, Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, did a major impact on the deck builds.

As for today’s Magic: the Gathering Standard feature dec, we start to explore decks brews with the recent set, Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, and with the basic Mono-colored decks and tribal, of course.

Presenting, Mono-Red Goblins:

Creatures
4 Fireblade Charger
4 Goblin Javelineer
4 Battle Cry Goblin
3 Conspicuous Snoop
4 Hobgoblin Captain
4 Bonecrusher Giant
4 Hobgoblin Bandit Lord
3 Torbran, Thane of Red Fell

Spells
3 Frost Bite
2 You See a Pair of Goblins

Lands
2 Den of the Bugbear
3 Faceless Haven
20 Snow-Covered Mou

Reference: https://mtgazone.com/deck/bo1-mono-red-goblins-by-thorcks-1054-july-2021-ranked-season/

Today’s Magic: the Gathering Adventures in the Forgotten Realms card preview, we have a creature that is going to prove its ‘loyalty’ as a relevant components of the White-based aggro decks. Check out Loyal Warhound.

Loyal Warhound 1W

Creature – Dog

Vigilance

When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, if an opponent controls more lands that you, fetch a tapped basic plains.

3/1

At first look, it is a lesser version of Knight of the White Orchid in terms of the land fetch wherein the knight can fetch a Plains meaning dual lands are good land options. A basic Plains which enters the battlefield tapped is a huge difference wherein the extra mana source could have let you cast another two-drop creature.

Comparably similar to the Knight of the White Orchid, the p/t difference makes it more of a damage dealer than a smart creature in the battlefield like the knight. What I pertains is the relevance of the First Strike ability over Vigilance. Surely the former can survive more combat than the latter.

In the take of the current White Aggro deck in Standard, this would still be a viable option because card advantage is still card advantage. This on turn two and curving into the turn-three Maul of the Skyclaves is a huge board advantage.

This will also replace relevant creatures in the list once the next Standard rotation happens so expect more appearance in the format in the coming months.

That is a wrap for now, until the next blog post.

The upcoming Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms is a Dungeons & Dragons crossover Magic: The Gathering set, which replaces the core set of the 2021-2022 standard rotation.

We get to enjoy one of the best Role-playing games in history, with a given crossover with our world-renown trading card game.

I have read a few card spoilers from this to-be-released set, and for today, I present the new card from this expansion with a D&D flavor embedded in an old Magic: the Gathering strategy.

Check out: Tasha’s Hideous Laughter

[AFR] Tasha’s Hideous Laughter
1UU

Sorcery

Each opponent exiles cards from the top of their library until that player has exiled cards with a total mana value 20 or more.

In an average deck cmc of 3 or 4 mana cost, the total exiled cards would probably reach the number ten. If you get lucky to mill more lands then it can increase up to fifteen. Against a heavy-spell midrange deck, this would only deal minimum on the exile cards.

Copying this spell would be devastating, given the existing “fork” spells in the current format. My initial build on this would Izzet (Blue-Red) as this is best supported at the moment with the existence of Izzet Dragons, a midrange deck, in the metagame.

Will the mill strategy become more relevant with the printing of this card? we shall see in the coming weeks as more Adventures in the Forgotten Realms are revealed online.

That is a wrap. Thanks for reading and until the next blog post.