Introduction
As everyone I am very excited to finally play with the new cards from Throne of Eldraine and there is a lot of talk and speculation about what could be the new top decks after rotation. This is the time where everyone lets their creativity flow, coming up with new ideas basically every hour – we are living in a brewers paradise right now. The best about this is that nobody can judge your fancy brews because there is no proof, no statistics, no big tournament results. A lot of decks are floating around and even though most of them might not be winning a lot because they only function every third game and fail to deliver on the other two games, nobody can really tell how good or bad the deck actually is.
Looking at the past, streamlined aggressive strategies like Mono Red tend to dominate Standard in week one after rotation. The reason why is simple, while reactive decks and control strategies work the best with the right configuration and are built with a concrete metagame in mind, there is no metagame in the first week or at least people don’t know how it will look like. As the metagame evolves, so will those decks but a proactive, aggressive gameplan will at least not be terrible at the start as those decks do their thing very consistently. However, a lot of promising strategies with Eldraine are not super aggressive but rather more midrange or green ramp based feat. 《Oko, Thief of Crowns》.
As the Standard format shapes up and already slowly begins to create a metagame, I want to show you the 5 decks which performed the best for me and which I expect to perform in the first weeks.
Simic Flash
- Christian Hauck
- – Simic Flash
- Test Deck
7 《Island》
5 《Forest》
4 《Breeding Pool》
2 《Fabled Passage》
4 《Temple of Mystery》
-Land (22)- 4 《Spectral Sailor》
4 《Brineborn Cutthroat》
2 《Wildborn Preserver》
4 《Brazen Borrower》
4 《Frilled Mystic》
4 《Nightpack Ambusher》
-Creature (22)-
5 《Forest》
4 《Breeding Pool》
2 《Fabled Passage》
4 《Temple of Mystery》
-Land (22)- 4 《Spectral Sailor》
4 《Brineborn Cutthroat》
2 《Wildborn Preserver》
4 《Brazen Borrower》
4 《Frilled Mystic》
4 《Nightpack Ambusher》
-Creature (22)-
1 《Unsummon》
4 《Once Upon a Time》
3 《Quench》
2 《Essence Capture》
2 《Negate》
4 《Sinister Sabotage》
-Spell (16)-
4 《Once Upon a Time》
3 《Quench》
2 《Essence Capture》
2 《Negate》
4 《Sinister Sabotage》
-Spell (16)-
3 《Shifting Ceratops》
3 《Veil of Summer》
2 《Cerulean Drake》
2 《Aether Gust》
2 《Mystical Dispute》
1 《Essence Capture》
1 《Negate》
1 《Return to Nature》
-Sideboard (15)-
3 《Veil of Summer》
2 《Cerulean Drake》
2 《Aether Gust》
2 《Mystical Dispute》
1 《Essence Capture》
1 《Negate》
1 《Return to Nature》
-Sideboard (15)-
Before Eldraine was released people predicted Simic Flash to be the best deck after rotation which makes sense as it was one of the best performing decks in the “Standard 2020” Format on MTG Arena where the rotation already happened but without access to new cards from Throne of Eldraine and now it gets new tools with 《Once Upon a Time》, 《Wildborn Preserver》 and of course 《Brazen Borrower》.
I also like 《Fabled Passage》 in this deck, Simic Flash is very mana hungry for a two color deck as you want UUGG on turn four every game. Alongside 《Breeding Pool》 and 《Temple of Mystery》 it wasn’t unreasonable to run two more tapped lands to fix your mana, now 《Fabled Passage》 gives you an untapped land on turn four for your 《Nightpack Ambusher》 and 《Frilled Mystic》 while providing the fixing needed.
Pros:
– Very powerful deck with a lot of Synergy between the cards.
– A good draw on the play is often unbeatable.
– Effective gameplan while being easy to play and hard to play against.
Cons:
– Way worse when you on the draw, especially against a deck which gets on the board early.
– Green provides very effective hate against Simic Flash in the form of 《Veil of Summer》 and 《Shifting Ceratops》.
Torbran Red
- Christian Hauck
- – Torbran Red
- Test Deck
16 《Mountain》
4 《Castle Embereth》
-Land (20)- 4 《Fervent Champion》
4 《Footlight Fiend》
4 《Scorch Spitter》
4 《Chandra’s Spitfire》
4 《Torbran, Thane of Red Fell》
-Creature (20)-
4 《Castle Embereth》
-Land (20)- 4 《Fervent Champion》
4 《Footlight Fiend》
4 《Scorch Spitter》
4 《Chandra’s Spitfire》
4 《Torbran, Thane of Red Fell》
-Creature (20)-
4 《Shock》
4 《Light Up the Stage》
4 《Cavalcade of Calamity》
4 《Mask of Immolation》
4 《Chandra, Acolyte of Flame》
-Spell (20)-
4 《Light Up the Stage》
4 《Cavalcade of Calamity》
4 《Mask of Immolation》
4 《Chandra, Acolyte of Flame》
-Spell (20)-
3 《Bonecrusher Giant》
3 《Redcap Melee》
3 《Fry》
3 《Lava Coil》
3 《Experimental Frenzy》
-Sideboard (15)-
3 《Redcap Melee》
3 《Fry》
3 《Lava Coil》
3 《Experimental Frenzy》
-Sideboard (15)-
This is a deck I built up for the streamer event and I was impressed, I didn’t expect much but winning on turn four feels overpowered in Standard and the number of games where I was able to do exactly that was way higher than I thought. I feel like 《Cavalcade of Calamity》 is underplayed right now and people still underestimate the explosiveness of the deck, once it goes off with 《Chandra’s Spitfire》 or 《Torbran, Thane of Red Fell》 it is more often than not lethal for 20+ Damage. You are basically playing a combo deck which is able to even win without their combo pieces which adds some consistency to the deck.
Pros:
– Very consistent, explosive draws with the potential to win on turn four.
– Interaction with creatures shifted a little bit from instant to sorcery speed.
– Your opponent will not realize they are dead before it’s too late.
– Cheap to built, no Mythics in the whole 75.
Cons:
– You are playing a bunch of weak cards on their own.
– If your opponent is able to interact with your gameplan properly you will find yourself in a bad spot with a lot of bad topdecks.
Esper Stax (by Carlos Romao)
- Carlos Romao
- – Esper Stax
- Fandom Caster’s Cup – 29/09/2019
- (Finalist)
2 《Plains》
2 《Swamp》
1 《Island》
4 《Godless Shrine》
4 《Hallowed Fountain》
4 《Watery Grave》
3 《Fabled Passage》
4 《Temple of Silence》
1 《Castle Vantress》
-Land (25)- 3 《Murderous Rider》
-Creature (3)-
2 《Swamp》
1 《Island》
4 《Godless Shrine》
4 《Hallowed Fountain》
4 《Watery Grave》
3 《Fabled Passage》
4 《Temple of Silence》
1 《Castle Vantress》
-Land (25)- 3 《Murderous Rider》
-Creature (3)-
4 《Thought Erasure》
3 《Dance of the Manse》
4 《Kaya’s Wrath》
4 《Oath of Kaya》
3 《Doom Foretold》
4 《Golden Egg》
4 《Guild Globe》
1 《Wishclaw Talisman》
4 《Teferi, Time Raveler》
1 《Liliana, Dreadhorde General》
-Spell (32)-
3 《Dance of the Manse》
4 《Kaya’s Wrath》
4 《Oath of Kaya》
3 《Doom Foretold》
4 《Golden Egg》
4 《Guild Globe》
1 《Wishclaw Talisman》
4 《Teferi, Time Raveler》
1 《Liliana, Dreadhorde General》
-Spell (32)-
3 《Duress》
3 《Noxious Grasp》
2 《Devout Decree》
2 《Disenchant》
2 《Dovin’s Veto》
2 《The Elderspell》
1 《Realm-Cloaked Giant》
-Sideboard (15)-
3 《Noxious Grasp》
2 《Devout Decree》
2 《Disenchant》
2 《Dovin’s Veto》
2 《The Elderspell》
1 《Realm-Cloaked Giant》
-Sideboard (15)-
Another deck that kept impressing me. It is basically a control deck based around Eggs, 《Doom Foretold》 and 《Dance of the Manse》 as your win-condition. The Eggs cycle through your deck to find your key cards and work as fodder for 《Doom Foretold》, then a huge Dance provides you with all the value later – from my experience this is the moment where your opponent realizes what is going on and scoopes up their cards. At first I thought it’s one of those silly brews but after getting beaten by Andrew Cuneo and Marcio Carvalho with this in astonishing fashion I reconsidered my first impression.
Pros:
– Surprise factor still going strong.
– Strong value engine with 《Doom Foretold》 and 《Dance of the Manse》.
Cons:
– Needs to draw Eggs early.
– Weak to 《Tamiyo, Collector of Tales》 and a timely 《Negate》.
– Interacts mostly on sorcery speed.
Simic Midrange (by Brad Nelson)
- Brad Nelson
- – Simic Midrange
- Fandom Legends MTG Arena Tournament – 26/09/2019
- (Top 4)
10 《Forest》
4 《Island》
4 《Breeding Pool》
4 《Temple of Mystery》
3 《Castle Garenbrig》
-Land (25)- 4 《Gilded Goose》
4 《Hydroid Krasis》
4 《Leafkin Druid》
4 《Paradise Druid》
4 《Voracious Hydra》
3 《Brazen Borrower》
4 《Wicked Wolf》
-Creature (27)-
4 《Island》
4 《Breeding Pool》
4 《Temple of Mystery》
3 《Castle Garenbrig》
-Land (25)- 4 《Gilded Goose》
4 《Hydroid Krasis》
4 《Leafkin Druid》
4 《Paradise Druid》
4 《Voracious Hydra》
3 《Brazen Borrower》
4 《Wicked Wolf》
-Creature (27)-
3 《Lovestruck Beast》
3 《Veil of Summer》
2 《Shifting Ceratops》
2 《Agent of Treachery》
2 《Aether Gust》
2 《Disdainful Stroke》
1 《Brazen Borrower》
-Sideboard (15)-
3 《Veil of Summer》
2 《Shifting Ceratops》
2 《Agent of Treachery》
2 《Aether Gust》
2 《Disdainful Stroke》
1 《Brazen Borrower》
-Sideboard (15)-
Midrange decks are always close to my heart and this one takes advantage of my personal choice for best card in the set: 《Oko, Thief of Crowns》 alongside Nissa, which wins the game.
《Gilded Goose》 and 《Wicked Wolf》 both work perfectly with Oko and there is synergy with 《Voracious Hydra》, 《Hydroid Krasis》 and animated Nissa lands as Oko’s [+1] ability grows creatures with +X/+X counters even more. Keep in mind that the creatures will lose all abilities like Haste, Trample or Flying. The thing which puts Oko over the top for me was when I realized that he can target even creatures controlled by your opponent, which is insane as you can either deal which big creatures if they brickwall your board or shut down any abilities just by upticking. Oko is a 3 mana planeswalker with high loyalty that provides a lot of pressure early on while being able to interact with your opponents creatures – don’t forget that there’s an ultimate as well.
The most challenging part is to find the best shell for Oko, you can run straight Simic but I also saw versions splashing white for 《Teferi, Time Raveler》 or even go 4-color. I personally enjoy splashing black for 《Vraska, Golgari Queen》 and some sideboard cards but I wanted to share the more classic version of the deck as the metagame is still changing day by day and the best version is probably reliant on that.
Pros:
– Deck utilizes Oko/Nissa the best way possible.
– Has aggressive draws but can switch to defense quite well.
– Has play at the early, mid and late stages of the game.
Cons:
– Just a “fair” deck.
– Not as aggressive as the aggro decks.
– Loses to decks that go over the top in the lategame (e.g. Golos Field).
Golos Field (by Brian Gottlieb)
- Brian Gottlieb
- – Golos Field
- Fandom Caster’s Cup – 29/09/2019
- (Champion)
2 《Forest》
2 《Island》
1 《Plains》
2 《Breeding Pool》
2 《Hallowed Fountain》
2 《Temple Garden》
2 《Fabled Passage》
1 《Boros Guildgate》
1 《Golgari Guildgate》
1 《Izzet Guildgate》
1 《Selesnya Guildgate》
1 《Simic Guildgate》
1 《Blossoming Sands》
1 《Tranquil Cove》
1 《Temple of Malady》
1 《Temple of Mystery》
1 《Castle Vantress》
4 《Field of the Dead》
1 《Plaza of Harmony》
-Land (28)- 4 《Arboreal Grazer》
4 《Hydroid Krasis》
4 《Golos, Tireless Pilgrim》
4 《Realm-Cloaked Giant》
-Creature (16)-
2 《Island》
1 《Plains》
2 《Breeding Pool》
2 《Hallowed Fountain》
2 《Temple Garden》
2 《Fabled Passage》
1 《Boros Guildgate》
1 《Golgari Guildgate》
1 《Izzet Guildgate》
1 《Selesnya Guildgate》
1 《Simic Guildgate》
1 《Blossoming Sands》
1 《Tranquil Cove》
1 《Temple of Malady》
1 《Temple of Mystery》
1 《Castle Vantress》
4 《Field of the Dead》
1 《Plaza of Harmony》
-Land (28)- 4 《Arboreal Grazer》
4 《Hydroid Krasis》
4 《Golos, Tireless Pilgrim》
4 《Realm-Cloaked Giant》
-Creature (16)-
3 《Knight of Autumn》
2 《Deputy of Detention》
2 《Veil of Summer》
2 《Aether Gust》
2 《Negate》
1 《March of the Multitudes》
1 《Unmoored Ego》
1 《Time Wipe》
1 《Planar Cleansing》
-Sideboard (15)-
2 《Deputy of Detention》
2 《Veil of Summer》
2 《Aether Gust》
2 《Negate》
1 《March of the Multitudes》
1 《Unmoored Ego》
1 《Time Wipe》
1 《Planar Cleansing》
-Sideboard (15)-
Before rotation Golos Field was one of the best performing decks in Standard and as it is right now I don’t see a reason why this should not continue. The deck hasn’t really lost anything other than 《Elvish Rejuvenator》 which is easily replaceable.
Golos Field just goes over the top of other midrange or control decks in the lategame and it even got a nice new reset-button in 《Realm-Cloaked Giant》, I wonder if 《Beanstalk Giant》 could be another great addition.
Pros:
– Powerful lategame.
– Basically no bad topdecks.
Cons:
– Plays a lot of tapped lands, clunky.
– Can get run over on the draw.
Conclusion:
These decks are not the only playable decks out there and new decks are being discovered daily, but they were the ones that impressed me the most in the early stages of Eldraine Standard in no particular order. The new Set has a very high powerlevel which was needed to match with the planeswalkers from War of the Spark, I am glad we are not seeing a metagame completely dominated by 《Teferi, Time Raveler》 and 《Nissa, Who Shakes the World》.
As for now Green seems to be the best performing color with a lot of different strategies available, I didn’t even mention a deck feat. 《Questing Beast》 like Gruul or Mono Green but I am very excited to put these decks to the test. With Mythic Championship V coming closer there is not a lot of time left for me to settle on something but I am sure we havn’t even seen half of the decks which could end up on top of the metagame, I will definitely have an eye on Standard for the next weeks as I expect it to change quite drastically. If one of the mentioned decks fits your playstyle don’t bother giving them a try, I can recommend every single one of them.
