The current top-tier Magic: the Gathering standard format metagame goes with adjustments on the remaining deck archetypes and uses the best cards from the latest Bloomburrow set that initiated the standard rotation. We at this point need to deck build the deck archetypes that will come out of the themes of the new set. Of course, deck innovations are open and subject to playtesting games. The easy way though is to wait for the tournament results to be posted online in various Magic: the Gathering websites and just copy-paste the decks and do some adjustments for metagaming.

Deck brews for the new Standard with Bloomburrow can be exciting when checking on new card strategies, though the process might take a while as it will go through sorting the best cards out of the possible card components for the build. It also helps to be familiar beforehand with the set’s theme and mechanics.

One of the recent Magic: the Gathering Bloomburrow deck builds I’ve made a deck build video with was the deck that goes with the strategy of the new Squirrel lord, Camellia and Insidious Roots revolving around the graveyard shenanigans.

“Solar Flare” was a control deck in Magic: the Gathering that was prominent during the Innistrad block (2011-2012 Standard format). The deck utilized a combination of powerful control elements, creature removal, and graveyard recursion and revolved around Blue, Black, and White colors.. The deck’s name is derived from the card “Sun Titan,” which could bring back other creatures from the graveyard when it entered the battlefield.

The key components of the Solar Flare deck included the following:

1. Control Elements: Cards like “Mana Leak” and “Forbidden Alchemy” were used to control the opponent’s spells and dig for key cards.
2. Removal Spells: Efficient removal spells like “Doom Blade” or “Go for the Throat” helped deal with opponent creatures, along with some mass removal spells such as Wrath of God and Damnation.
3. Graveyard Interaction: The deck often included cards that benefited from or interacted with the graveyard. “Unburial Rites” was a crucial card, allowing the player to reanimate a powerful creature from the graveyard.
4. Card Advantage: The deck aimed to generate card advantage through cards like “Think Twice” and “Snapcaster Mage,” allowing players to reuse spells.
5. Finishers: The deck typically had powerful finishers, such as “Sun Titan” or “Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite,” which could dominate the battlefield and close out the game.

The Magic: The Gathering deck archetype later on adapted the name Esper Control with the release of the Shards of Alara set. Esper depicts the same three-color combination for this deck build.

Below is an example deck list of the Solar Flare deck:

Standard Solar Flare deck by JonathanRubin • MTG DECKS

At first look, you would not consider right away a Magic: the Gathering deck build to be that of top-tier level. Like forging a sword, it must undergo playtest and games against the existing metagame decks that have been proven already to be effective and efficient.

Several factors can contribute to a deck performing well in Magic: The Gathering tournaments:

1. Consistency: A consistent deck has a clear strategy and can reliably execute it. This means having a good balance of mana sources, creatures, spells, and other cards that support your game plan.
2. Adaptability: A good deck should be able to adapt to different situations and opponents. This means having answers to common threats and being able to pivot to a different strategy if necessary.
3. Resilience: A resilient deck can recover from setbacks and still perform well. This means having ways to protect your key cards and being able to come back from being behind on board.
4. Power level: A deck with powerful cards and synergies can often perform well in tournaments. This means including cards that have a strong impact on the game, such as powerful creatures, spells, or combo pieces.
5. Experience: Finally, experience and skill are important factors in performing well in tournaments. Knowing how to play your deck effectively and how to make the right decisions in each situation can make all the difference.

Ultimately, there is no single formula for building a deck that will perform well in Magic: The Gathering tournaments. The best decks are those that balance all of these factors and are tailored to your play style and the current metagame.

It takes practice and experimentation to find the right deck for you, but by focusing on these key factors, you can improve your chances of success in tournament play.

Bonus video: Here below is the video discussion of the Top 4 Standard decks from the F2F Tour Championship -Vancouver Cycle 2 (Regional Championship) held last March 10-12, 2023.

This deck archetype is still a contender in the Standard BO1 metagame because of its cheap card advantage against other small creature decks. It feasts on Mono-Red and Gruul aggro because of its spot removal package which can be later on recast with Lurrus.

Not much has been added from the Strixhaven School of Mages set where Lesson cards are optional sideboard choices, and Adventures in the Forgotten Realms cards were also not included. The list can experiment with some cards though like adding new enchantments. For example, the card Warlock Class can be an option to fill your graveyard with its Level 2 ability. While its variance may differ in sideboarded games, the core game objective would still prevail. Going back in the Standard Best-of-1 format, deck stability is still prioritized.

Check out this deck build on the Mono-Black Auras BO1 for Magic Arena.

Deck
4 Dead Weight
4 Hateful Eidolon
3 Mogis’s Favor
2 Skyclave Shade
4 Aphemia, the Cacophony
4 Mire’s Grasp
4 Tymaret Calls the Dead
2 Murderous Rider
2 Rankle, Master of Pranks
4 Lurrus of the Dream-Den
3 Demonic Embrace

18 Snow-Covered Swamp
2 Castle Locthwain
4 Faceless Haven

Sideboard
1 Environmental Sciences
1 Expanded Anatomy
1 Pest Summoning
2 Necrotic Fumes
1 Introduction to Annihilation

Reference: https://aetherhub.com/Metagame/Standard-BO1/Deck/mono-black-575193

Probably the most basic and convenient kind of Magic: the Gathering deck is the Aggro or Creature-based strategy. The idea of just casting and attacking with your dudes is like doing a Magic: the Gathering tutorial with your kid or a neighbor’s nephew. What makes this complicated and up to the next level is how your critters interact, or you put in cards that get you an added advantage as you make the combat step more interactive.

Check out Mardu Sacrifice:

Maindeck
22 LANDS
4 Blightstep Pathway
4 Brightclimb Pathway
2 Mountain
4 Needleverge Pathway
4 Savai Triome
4 Swamp

16 CREATURES
4 Extus, Oriq Overlord
4 Eyetwitch
4 Serrated Scorpion
4 Whisper Squad

14 INSTANTS and SORC.
4 Claim the Firstborn
4 Forbidden Friendship
3 Plumb the Forbidden
3 Village Rites

8 OTHER SPELLS
4 Bastion of Remembrance
4 Showdown of the Skalds

SIDEBOARD
4 Duress
2 Heartless Act
2 Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger
1 Necrotic Fumes
1 Pest Summoning
2 Redcap Melee
1 Start from Scratch
2 The Akroan War

Reference: https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=30792&d=439727&f=ST

The trial and error in playtesting are what makes the deck more efficient in its performance and consistency. What looks to be a solid decklist initially may soon evolve into a more versatile version, and that makes more effective plays against the other decks in the metagame of a format like Standard for example.

In today’s Strixhaven Standard deck tech feature, we have an uncommon build around on the card Transmogrify. The recent Standard version of Polymorph. This lets you cheat on the battlefield Velomachus Lorehold which also grants you a free spell when it attacks.

Check out the Magic: the Gathering Strixhaven Standard deck Jeskai Transmogrify full decklist below.

Maindeck
Planeswalkers (1)
1 Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast

Creatures (3)
3 Velomachus Lorehold

Spells (15)
4 Fire Prophecy
2 Prismari Command
1 Behold the Multiverse
4 Transmogrify
4 Lorehold Command

Enchantments (14)
4 The Birth of Meletis
4 The Raven’s Warning
2 The Akroan War
4 Shark Typhoon

Lands (27)
4 Fabled Passage
4 Hengegate Pathway
2 Island
2 Mountain
4 Needleverge Pathway
3 Plains
4 Raugrin Triome
4 Riverglide Pathway

Sideboard (15)
2 Soul-Guide Lantern
3 Negate
2 Rip Apart
3 Mystical Dispute
2 Elspeth, Sun’s Nemesis
2 Doomskar
1 Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast

Reference: https://mtgazone.com/deck/jeskai-transmogrify-by-crokeyz-strixhaven-standard/

Magic: the Gathering Blue and Green Standard deck strategy counterspells, tempo, surprisingly instant-cast big creatures. It is quite rare to see Flashy Green but that was part of the metagame back in M20 Standard. Anyhow, the decklist I will be sharing today is a deck brew of what we hoped a Simic Tempo and Midrange deck would look like in Strixhaven Standard.

Maindeck
4 Barkchannel Pathway
1 Castle Vantress
1 Forest
4 Island
2 Temple of Mystery
2 Vineglimmer Snarl
4 Zagoth Triome

4 Brazen Borrower
4 Dragonsguard Elite
4 Kazandu Mammoth
4 Wildborn Preserver

3 Decisive Denial
3 Divide by Zero
1 Eureka Moment
4 Jwari Disruption
4 Neutralize
4 Opt
1 Quandrix Command
2 Rewind

4 Shark Typhoon

Sideboard
1 Containment Breach
1 Disdainful Stroke
1 Koma, Cosmos Serpent
1 Mascot Exhibition
4 Mystical Dispute
1 Pest Summoning
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Teachings of the Archaics
2 Test of Talents
2 Toski, Bearer of Secrets

Reference website: https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=30411&d=437534&f=ST

Why the title of today’s blog post is what you are reading as it is? That is is because I am a fan of this deck build. Comparing to the past White Weenie aggro decks, the list continues to evolve as per the metagame change. This, however, does not affect its aggressive one-two-three punch as the creature curve remains low.

For me, this is the best choice of deck, especially for those who just got in touch with the Standard format due to its easy and straightforward gameplay.

Kaldheim somewhat buffed up the deck build, giving a range of card choices and Gods for it to utilize. Check out this decklist below, which got into the Top 4 of the SCG Tour Online – Satellite #6 @ Star City Games.

23 LANDS
1 Castle Ardenvale
4 Faceless Haven
18 Snow-Covered Plains

33 CREATURES
3 Alseid of Life’s Bounty
2 Giant Killer
2 Halvar, God of Battle
4 Luminarch Aspirant
4 Reidane, God of the Worthy
4 Seasoned Hallowblade
4 Selfless Savior
2 Sigrid, God-Favored
4 Skyclave Apparition
4 Usher of the Fallen

4 OTHER SPELLS
4 Maul of the Skyclaves

SIDEBOARD
2 Baneslayer Angel
3 Drannith Magistrate
2 Giant Killer
3 Glass Casket
2 Glorious Protector
1 Sigrid, God-Favored
2 Soul-Guide Lantern

Reference: https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=29314&d=430558&f=ST

Gruul Aggro has been my go-to deck in the account on MTG Arena which has been performing well and can end games quickly with the right creature-curve and the cleave. The deck has then again been on update with the release of Kaldheim in the Standard format. Today’s list that I will be featuring has a little twist, which is mindful when doing sideboard games. The new batch of pathways provided the deck access to Blue which opens the sideboard to counterspells against Ultimatum decks.

Check out this Gruul aggro deck which finished 2nd in the SCG Tour Online – Satellite #8 tournament.

22 LANDS
4 Barkchannel Pathway
4 Cragcrown Pathway
4 Fabled Passage
4 Forest
2 Mountain
4 Riverglide Pathway

28 CREATURES
4 Bonecrusher Giant
4 Brushfire Elemental
4 Edgewall Innkeeper
4 Goldspan Dragon
4 Kazandu Mammoth
4 Lovestruck Beast
2 Questing Beast
2 Scavenging Ooze

6 OTHER SPELLS
4 Embercleave
2 The Akroan War

SIDEBOARD
2 Disdainful Stroke
2 Fire Prophecy
2 Klothys, God of Destiny
2 Negate
3 Ox of Agonas
2 Soul Sear
2 Wilt

Reference: https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=29217&d=429931&f=ST

Merfolks tribe has been in the Standard support in the Ixalan block both in card components and the set’s storyline and folklore. They were eventually fallen out of flavor in the metagame as the Simic shifted into infinite turns via Nexus of Fate and the recent Simic Ramp deck. Today we look at how this deck archetype can adopt new cards from Core Set 2020. Here below is an example decklist (sourced from MTG Goldfish):

4 Benthic Biomancer
4 Deeproot Elite
4 Kumena’s Speaker
4 Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
4 Merfolk Mistbinder
4 Merfolk Trickster
4 Silvergill Adept

2 Spell Pierce
4 Deeproot Waters
4 Incubation/Incongruity

6 Forest
4 Hinterland Harbor
6 Island
2 Simic Guildgate
4 Unclaimed Territory

The list looks to be stable already but we will try to have a few edits. Here are some M20 cards that are our option for the main deck.

Unsummon – I am wishing for a Vapor Snag comeback but this is okay. The iconic Blue bounce card is very suited for Blue tempo decks and for this tribe, it is quite essential just to bounce off blockers and attack for huge chunks of damage. This is also useful to save your dudes from spot removals and also to utilize another ETB effect.

Dungeon Geists – This card reprint reminded me of the Spirits deck in Innistrad Standard days. Those builds were very powerful because of Hexproof Spirit lords and Phantasmal Image. For the current meta, this can be your sideboard for Green Stompy or Gruul Aggro decks. I’d have one main deck just to spice up my list.

Bride born Cutthroat – This is a good Flashy two drop but it won’t get counters unless you adjust your build to be playing mostly on opponents’ turns, and having more counterspells. That is already the current Mono-Blue tempo route instead of the Merfolk tribal.

Mu Yanling, Sky Dancer – Her plus 1 loyalty ability is more of gaining your board if you curved from the first turn. it is quite situational though, as you might just drop her on the later turns as you’d prefer to have another Merfolk to expand your board position.

I looked on the Green spoiler list for Core set 2020 but most are four your sideboard options which I think don’t need much explanation. These notables are Veil of Summer, Nightpack Ambusher, Shifting Ceratops and Loaming Shaman.

Going back into the main deck posted above, I would change some of the cards specifically Deeproot Waters and the split card Incubation/Incongruity. I am looking to protect more of my early critters so as to deal damage as much as possible. Here is the breakdown of the new spell lineup:

2 Dive Down
2 Icon of Ancestry
4 Unsummon
2 Spell Pierce

I am also cutting a Kumena for Dungeon Geists as the efficiency is lessened with the Deeproot Waters removed. I would also edit the lands to have Breeding Pool instead of 4 basics and Temple of Mystery for the guildgates. The new land list is:

4 Breeding Pool
4 Forest
4 Hinterland Harbor
4 Island
2 Temple of Mystery
4 Unclaimed Territory

Do you have a current build of Merfolks that you would like to share and discuss? Just comment them on the box below.

That is a wrap for this deck tech. Until the next blog post.