The current Magic: the Gathering Standard format is looking to be a healthy metagame in the sense that the balance of the top-tier deck archetypes is moderated fairly. There is no deck build that seems to be overwhelming other decks and the sideboard can basically answer most of them.

Currently, the variance of aggro goes with Boros Tokens/Convoke, Mono-Red Aggro, Gruul Aggro, Dimir, Selesnya, and Mono-White Aggro. The midrange goes with Golgari, Orzhov, Rakdos, and 4-color Legends, and the control archetypes are Azorius, Dimir, Orzhov, Temur, and Esper Control. We have been posting videos of the recent matchups on Ranked Standard grind on MTG Arena and did some observation of the matchups of these decks. We will then base these results on adjusting possible sideboard options and explore further the other strategies.

Here are some of the recent matchups recorded and posted on my YouTube channel Deathmarked TV. 

Yes, the blog article title says so. The main sponsor that made the deck possible again is the recent Magic: the Gathering set released, Outlaws in Thunder Junction. The new set’s Big Score subset got a few reprints of relevant cards such as the Grand Abolisher which is very huge and powerful. I remembered the first time I made a deck with the card in the Selesnya (Green/White) colors and it performed well against the top-tier decks in the Standard format back in the day.

In the current deck build setup, the Mono White aggro shell is still a viable setup for the new cards to fit. Another relevant reprint is the Archangel of Tithes which is also suited for the deck strategy plan that I have thought of. I made the decklist on the Archidekt website and also came up with the deck discussion video to detail each card’s choices. Do take note that this is just the initial version and possible changes can happen.

Check out the video below and also don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel, DeathMarked TV.

Brewing for the upcoming new Magic: the Gathering set has been my usual routine, especially with sets that got my interest or hype going. I felt the same when Outlaws of Thunder Junction was released. Seeing the “crime” mechanic has somewhat got me into a good think tank of what cards would synergize perfectly. The safe route though is to check out the existing decks and see any new cards that will fit into it. Hence, today’s blog post is about that.

The Standard deck that I will highlight today is the Rakdos Anvil build. It has come down to a lower tier recently because of the predominant use of Temporary Lockdowns which made it collateral damage. Anywho, I think the deck will still perform well with the new Outlaws of Thunder Junction – Big Score special card added. That is the Legion Extruder, and the card preview below.

I have come up with the decklist and video discussion below, uploaded to my YouTube Channel Deathmarked TV.