In the current Magic: the Gathering Standard format metagame, the top decks can be generally categorized into Dimir Rogue mill, Adventures and Ultimatum decks. The variance of the decklist depends on the each tournament events and the top finishers.

In terms of the Temur decks, it is mainly between Adventures and the Ultimatum builds. For today’s Standard deck feature, this midrange version is composed of several core Adventure cards as its shell and added with Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast. Lukka was popular before with the Agents of Treachery and this time, its main partner is Koma, Cosmos Serpent.

Here below is a decklist played by Simon Görtzen in the recent Rivals League @ Strixhaven League Weekend .

Maindeck
27 LANDS
4 Barkchannel Pathway
4 Cragcrown Pathway
4 Fabled Passage
2 Forest
2 Island
4 Ketria Triome
2 Mountain
4 Riverglide Pathway
1 Temple of Epiphany

22 CREATURES
4 Bonecrusher Giant
4 Brazen Borrower
4 Edgewall Innkeeper
2 Koma, Cosmos Serpent
4 Llanowar Visionary
4 Lovestruck Beast

4 INSTANTS and SORC.
1 Miscast
1 Mystical Dispute
2 Negate

7 OTHER SPELLS
1 Esika’s Chariot
4 Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast
2 The Akroan War

SIDEBOARD
1 Blazing Volley
2 Disdainful Stroke
3 Goldspan Dragon
1 Klothys, God of Destiny
3 Mystical Dispute
2 Phoenix of Ash
1 Redcap Melee
2 Scorching Dragonfire

When talking about the Jeskai colors, it is usually tempo and control deck strategy where going aggro is the last option and maybe a desperate one. In today’s Kaldheim Standard deck feature, however, the best way to win is to curve out your creatures starting on Turn 1.

What is more uncommon here are the creature choices which are mostly with Flying, and a counterspell that depends on it.

Check out this Standard Jeskai Flyers decklist below.

Reference list here.

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

Local tournaments at your nearest games store in the neighborhood are at times where unique deck brews are originated from. Some of which are just crude decklist but were refined when used in major tournaments. I remembered one time when I made a Selesnya tokens deck, but I’ve added a splash of Blue for built-in Mana Leak. I did a few rounds of local tourneys before using it in a Game Day event where I finished in the Top 4.

In the era of the pandemic and where a limited number of players are allowed so as to practice social distancing, deck brewing is still a practice. For today, I am sharing a list from a game store event results held on the MTG Arena platform.

The deck is of Naya colors (Green-White-Red) with the core Landfall-Adventures strategy. Quiet similar to the Gruul Aggro build in the meta. The inclusion of the Kaldheim card, Showdown of the Skalds, is what makes this deck powerful in the late game. That is not only relying on the Great Henge which is common in most Green-based aggro lists.

The deck was played by Michael Nolan and it finished in the Top 4 of the 24-player event. Check out the full decklist below.

22 LANDS (29)
4 Branchloft Pathway
4 Cragcrown Pathway
4 Fabled Passage
4 Forest
2 Mountain
3 Needleverge Pathway
1 Plains

27 CREATURES
4 Bonecrusher Giant
4 Brushfire Elemental
4 Edgewall Innkeeper
1 Embereth Shieldbreaker
2 Giant Killer
2 Goldspan Dragon
4 Kazandu Mammoth
4 Lovestruck Beast
2 Scavenging Ooze

3 INSTANTS and SORC.
3 Shatterskull Smashing
8 OTHER SPELLS
2 Embercleave
4 Showdown of the Skalds
2 The Great Henge

SIDEBOARD
1 Embereth Shieldbreaker
3 Fire Prophecy
1 Giant Killer
2 Klothys, God of Destiny
1 Masked Vandal
2 Ox of Agonas
2 Phoenix of Ash
3 The Akroan War

Reference: https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=29241&d=430137&f=ST

The current Standard format is again shaping with the effects of Wizards’ recent announcement regarding the rules on Cascade and the recent batch of banned cards in other formats. We will see how it will fare through in the coming online and local MTG tournaments. As of now, we stick with the Standard deck techs.

Going with the straightforward no-bs answer to threats and providing its own, I would recommend this Grixis Control decklist I’ve found that finished Top 8 in the SCG Tour Online-Satellite #8.

The deck used the best five-drop creature in the current Standard, Goldspan Dragon, and the list got a playset of it. It also utilizes Valki, God of Lies which is the top-end planeswalker double-faced of Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor.

The deck was played by Kenichiro Omori and the full decklist with the sideboard is posted below.

26 LANDS (28)
4 Blightstep Pathway
4 Clearwater Pathway
4 Fabled Passage
4 Island
2 Mountain
4 Riverglide Pathway
1 Swamp
1 Temple of Deceit
2 Temple of Epiphany

15 CREATURES
4 Bonecrusher Giant
4 Brazen Borrower
4 Goldspan Dragon
3 Valki, God of Lies

15 INSTANTS and SORC.
3 Behold the Multiverse
2 Disdainful Stroke
4 Heartless Act
2 Negate
2 Saw It Coming
2 Shatterskull Smashing

4 OTHER SPELLS
4 Shark Typhoon

SIDEBOARD
3 Duress
4 Extinction Event
2 Mystical Dispute
1 Negate
3 Ox of Agonas
2 Redcap Melee

The first thing first: browse decklist and deck techs in Kaldheim Standard. I might be playtesting it on my next MTG Arena Mobile stream but we’ll see if the wildcards can cover to complete the decklist. I started with Red Aggro decks and found this guy in a list at MTGTop8.com.

It goes with either a tricky two-drop so you can curve into your Embercleave or a late-game solo threat that Boasts 5/5 Dragons. Still, it is vulnerable to removal for a 2/2 body and makes me personally consider casting it in the late game.

Either way, what makes me consider that the deck would not only go Mono-Red though it will be more consistent but also to explore possibilities of adding other colors while still making it within the Dragons theme. Or let say it will just be a Ramp midrange deck, having Beanstalk Giants to advance and fix your mana sources.

There would be a turn for the opponent to deal with it so we can also go with effects that will give it haste so as to trigger Boast on the same turn it was played. What comes next is to have mana to do that, given that Boast will also require mana to resolve it. We can scratch it and go back to the Midrange monsters or Dragons build.

Kaldheim has a new Goldspan Dragon to work around with and which is already showing its use in Izzet and Temur decks. Surely we should have a playset of it in our list. For now, I have considered about 30% of the deck build so we will just cut it short for now and I will post the full deck list on another blog post.

Thanks for reading today’s rant and until the next post.