Hello and welcome to another episode of Raise Your Standards. This week we’re going to take a look at some innovative decks from MTGO that have been doing well. The common theme running through each of these decks (other than having a 5-0 record in daily events) is that each deck showcases at least one planeswalker. Let’s start out by looking at the deck featuring Nissa, Voice of Zendikar.
B/G Energy – (by Lumi2)
Planeswalkers
Creatures
- 4 x Glint-Sleeve Siphoner
- 4 x Greenbelt Rampager
- 4 x Longtusk Cub
- 2 x Rhonas the Indomitable
- 3 x Rishkar, Peema Renegade
- 3 x Verdurous Gearhulk
- 4 x Walking Ballista
- 4 x Winding Constrictor
Spells
- 4 x Attune with Aether
- 4 x Fatal Push
- 3 x Grasp of Darkness
Lands
- 4 x Aether Hub
- 4 x Blooming Marsh
- 5 x Forest
- 3 x Hissing Quagmire
- 3 x Swamp
Sideboard
- 1 x Flaying Tendrils
- 1 x Gonti, Lord of Luxury
- 1 x Grasp of Darkness
- 2 x Lifecrafter’s Bestiary
- 4 x Manglehorn
- 2 x Scarab Feast
- 1 x Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
- 3 x Transgress the Mind
This deck is very reminiscent of the B/G Energy decks prior to the release of Aether Revolt. I like the inclusion of Rhonas the Indomitable as it should be very easy to ‘turn him on’ so that he can attack and block. Most of this deck, however, is old tech (don’t fix it if it ain’t broken), but the inclusion of Manglehorn in the sideboard is a nice defense against Aetherworks Marvel or Dynavolt Tower decks, which will likely pop up again now that the cat combo is no more.
The next deck I’d like to take a look at features what I believe is a very underrated planeswalker, Arlinn Kord.
R/G Stompy – (by Scappie)
Planeswalkers
- 2 X Arlinn Kord
Creatures
- 4 x Bristling Hydra
- 4 x Channeler Initiate
- 4 x Glorybringer
- 1 x Hazoret the Fervent
- 3 x Rhonas the Indomitable
- 4 x Servant of the Conduit
- 3 x Tireless Tracker
- 2 x Verdurous Gearhulk
Spells
- 3 x Blossoming Defense
- 4 x Harnessed Lightning
- 1 x Key to the City
- 2 x Magma Spray
Lands
- 4 x Aether Hub
- 2 x Cinder Glade
- 7 x Forest
- 4 x Game Trail
- 5 x Mountain
- 1 x Sheltered Thicket
Sideboard
- 1 x Heroic Intervention
- 2 x Lathnu Hellion
- 2 x Lifecrafter’s Bestiary
- 2 x Manglehorn
- 2 x Natural State
- 1 x Nissa, Vital Force
- 4 x Prowling Serpopard
- 1 x Vizier of the Menagerie
Now this is a deck that makes the most out of the new cards in Amonkhet! Channeler Initiate is a great way to smooth out our mana while also providing access to a big beater. Bristling Hydra, Tireless Tracker, and Verdurous Gearhulk all have was of getting or giving +1/+1 counters to neutralize the -1/-1 counters from Channeler Initiate if you decide not to put them on the Initiate herself.
A lot has already been written about the greatness of Glorybringer, so it should come as no surprise to see it included here. Hazoret the Fervent is not an expected card in a midrange deck like this, but it’s a nice addition to have in the event that the board gets cluttered and you’re not able to deal the final few points of damage to your opponent via combat. Also, if you have Hazoret the Fervent on the battlefield while Rhonas the Indomitable is also in play, Rhonas will be able to attack and block even if you have 2 or more cards in your hand since Hazoret is still a creature.
These two decks are great for showcasing a couple of planeswalkers from previous sets, but what about the planeswalkers from Amonkhet? Fear not, for they get some love too in the next few winning decks. First up, let’s look at the deck featuring Liliana, Death’s Majesty.
B/G Delirium – (by CLYDE THE GLIDE DREXLER)
Planeswalker
Creatures
- 4 x Channeler Initiate
- 4 x Grim Flayer
- 2 x Ishkanah, Grafwidow
- 1 x Manglehorn
- 1 x Noxious Gearhulk
- 2 x Tireless Tracker
Spells
- 2 x Dissenter’s Deliverance
- 3 x Fatal Push
- 3 x Grasp of Darkness
- 2 x Never // Return
- 1 x To the Slaughter
- 4 x Traverse the Ulvenwald
- 4 x Vessel of Nascency
Lands
- 4 x Blooming Marsh
- 4 x Evolving Wilds
- 7 x Forest
- 4 x Hissing Quagmire
- 7 x Swamp
Sideboard
- 1 x Appetite for the Unnatural
- 1 x Dispossess
- 1 x Fatal Push
- 1 x Grasp of Darkness
- 2 x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
- 1 x Lost Legacy
- 1 x Manglehorn
- 1 x To the Slaughter
- 4 x Transgress the Mind
- 2 x Yahenni’s Expertise
So this deck follows the same plan past delirium decks have used. Fill up your graveyard with various card types and then use ways to return those cards to the battlefield. One of the best plays you can have is to get an Ishkanah, Grafwidow into your graveyard via Liliana’s +1 ability (or some other effect) and then on a future turn return Ishkanah to the battlefield with Liliana’s -3 ability (preferrably once you have delirium).
The next deck I’d like to review features the latest incarnation of Nissa.
Aetherworks Marvel – (by _Razor_)
Planeswalkers
Creatures
- 4 x Rogue Refiner
- 4 x Servant of the Conduit
- 1 x Tireless Tracker
- 4 x Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
- 4 x Whirler Virtuoso
Spells
- 4 x Aetherworks Marvel
- 4 x Attune with Aether
- 1 x Baral’s Expertise
- 4 x Harnessed Lightning
- 1 x Nissa’s Renewal
- 1 x Spring // Mind
- 3 x Woodweaver’s Puzzleknot
Lands
- 4 x Aether Hub
- 4 x Botanical Sanctum
- 2 x Evolving Wilds
- 4 x Forest
- 1 x Game Trail
- 2 x Island
- 2 x Lumbering Falls
- 2 x Mountain
- 2 x Spirebluff Canal
Sideboard
- 2 x Bristling Hydra
- 1 x Dispel
- 3 x Glorybringer
- 3 x Negate
- 2 x Sweltering Suns
- 2 x Tireless Tracker
- 2 x World Breaker
Nissa, Steward of Elements works wonders alongside Aetherworks Marvel. Her +2 loyalty ability to scry 2 can set up some amazing targets for Marvel to cast. Also, her 0 loyalty ability can act as a mini-Marvel some of the time as well. Other than Nissa, Spring // Mind is the only other Amonkhet card played in the main deck. It can act as some early land ramping if needed, but I think it works best when played from your graveyard as a way to replenish your hand.
Our final planeswalker-centric deck features a few planeswalkers including Nahiri, but it really highlights Gideon. It’s a deck called Mardu Vehicles.
Mardu Vehicles – (by WraithHunter)
Planeswalkers
Creatures
- 2 x Archangel Avacyn
- 2 x Glorybringer
- 4 x Scrapheap Scrounger
- 4 x Thraben Inspector
- 4 x Toolcraft Exemplar
- 2 x Veteran Motorist
Spells
- 2 x Cultivator’s Caravan
- 1 x Cut // Ribbons
- 4 x Heart of Kiran
- 1 x Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
- 4 x Unlicensed Disintegration
Lands
- 4 x Concealed Courtyard
- 4 x Inspiring Vantage
- 4 x Mountain
- 2 x Needle Spires
- 6 x Plains
- 2 x Smoldering Marsh
- 1 x Spire of Industry
- 1 x Swamp
Sideboard
- 1 x Archangel Avacyn
- 1 x Cast Out
- 2 x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
- 1 x Forsake the Worldly
- 3 x Fumigate
- 1 x Glorybringer
- 2 x Magma Spray
- 1 x Nahiri, the Harbinger
- 1 x Needle Spires
- 1 x Release the Gremlins
- 1 x Sorin, Grim Nemesis
It’s no surprise that Mardu Vehicles is a deck that’s still doing well. As the sole survivor of the top tier Aether Revolt decks, Mardu Vehicles certainly has a target on it’s back. Luckily vehicles tend to move quickly, so even though there are many new answers to things in this deck, it still has the (horse)power to remain competitive. The new Gideon, Gideon of the Trials, is just a 1-of in the deck, but with his older brother (Gideon, Ally of Zendikar) still being legal in Standard, I don’t expect to see too much of Gideon of the Trials until after our next rotation in about 6 months.
One More Sweet Deck
While we’ve looked at 5 different decks that are all viable currently, there’s still one more deck that went 5-0 on MTGO that I wanted to discuss, simply because it features a card that many people want to brew around. That card is Drake Haven.
U/R Haven – (by DoctorPenick)
Creatures
- 3 x Advanced Stitchwing
- 4 x Elder Deep-Fiend
- 4 x Prized Amalgam
- 4 x Stitchwing Skaab
Spells
- 4 x Cathartic Reunion
- 3 x Censor
- 4 x Drake Haven
- 3 x Fiery Temper
- 2 x Kozilek’s Return
- 4 x Lightning Axe
- 2 x Tormenting Voice
Lands
- 1 x Highland Lake
- 6 x Island
- 6 x Mountain
- 2 x Sanctum of Ugin
- 4 x Spirebluff Canal
- 4 x Wandering Fumarole
Sideboard
- 2 x Dispel
- 1 x Fevered Visions
- 1 x Fiery Temper
- 2 x Kozilek’s Return
- 2 x Magma Spray
- 2 x Negate
- 3 x Reduce // Rubble
- 2 x Release the Gremlins
This deck takes the old U/R Emerge shell and adds Drake Haven. Due to the number of discard effects in the deck, it should be fairly easy to create an army of drakes that you can use to decimate your opponent. While there’s no planeswalkers in this deck, it was so innovative that I felt I needed to share it with all of you.
Conclusion
So that wraps up this week’s installment of Raise Your Standards. Which of these decks is your favorite? Do you have another deck you’d like featured in an upcoming article? Let me know by leaving a comment below, or email me at mikelikesmtg@gmail.com. And join me next week (and each and every Friday) when we’ll take a look at Standard for fun and innovative decks. I’ll see you then!
Mike Likes