Hello and welcome to another episode of Raise Your Standards. This week, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the new decks popping up from Magic Online (MTGO) that have gone 5-0 in a League. Let’s see what goodies the release of Dominaria brought us.
Mono-Blue Evasion
The first deck I have for you is all about finding ways to get combat damage through. Let’s take a look at Mono-Blue Evasion.
Mono-Blue Evasion – (by TombSimon)
Creatures
- 4 x Aether Swooper
- 4 x Glint-Nest Crane
- 3 x Hope of Ghirapur
- 4 x Mist-Cloaked Herald
- 4 x Siren Stormtamer
- 4 x Slither Blade
- 4 x Walking Ballista
Spells
- 4 x Aethersphere Harvester
- 3 x Curious Obsession
- 2 x Sky Skiff
- 4 x Throne of the God-Pharaoh
Lands
- 2 x Ipnu Rivulet
- 17 x Island
- 1 x Scavenger Grounds
Sideboard
- 2 x Admiral’s Order
- 2 x Jace, Cunning Castaway
- 3 x Sentinel Totem
- 4 x Spell Pierce
- 4 x Unsummon
As soon as I saw Sky Skiff in this decklist, I was hooked. This deck uses a combination of flying creatures alongside some creatures that cannot be blocked to try to push through enough damage to win. Or at least enough so that you can finish off the opponent with your Walking Ballista.
Another fun way to win with this deck is by attacking with all of your creatures while you have Throne of the God-Pharaoh in play. That card is very good in this deck, and when Battlebond releases later this summer I expect it to see a lot of play since it causes each opponent to lose life equal to the number of tapped creatures you have in play. Don’t forget that crewing a vehicle taps a creature, and the vehicle is also a creature until the end of the turn.
G/W Counters
The next deck I have for you utilizes the versatility of creatures with explore alongside a host of flying angels. Let’s take a look at G/W Counters.
G/W Counters – (by RcL_Hallel)
Planeswalkers
- 3 x Ajani Unyielding
Creatures
- 3 x Angel of Sanctions
- 4 x Jadelight Ranger
- 2 x Lyra Dawnbringer
- 4 x Merfolk Branchwalker
- 3 x Rishkar, Peema Renegade
- 3 x Shalai, Voice of Plenty
- 4 x Walking Ballista
- 4 x Wildgrowth Walker
Spells
Lands
- 5 x Forest
- 2 x Memorial to Unity
- 8 x Plains
- 4 x Scattered Groves
- 4 x Sunpetal Grove
- 1 x Tranquil Expanse
Sideboard
- 3 x Baffling End
- 4 x Deathgorge Scavenger
- 3 x Lifecrafter’s Bestiary
- 2 x Naturalize
- 1 x Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
- 2 x Thrashing Brontodon
So the plan is to use your early creatures with explore to either get their +1/+1 counter or find you a land that will enable you to play your larger flying angels on time. If you can stick both a Lyra Dawnbringer and a Shalai, Voice of Plenty onto the battlefield, you should be in good shape to win the game.
While this deck doesn’t have much in the way of removal, it does have a full playset of Ixalan’s Binding which can make it very difficult on your opponent. Especially if they’re also playing Ixalan’s Binding. For that reason alone, you might want to consider swapping a copy or two for Cast Out instead, just so you don’t get locked out of playing your only removal.
Hazo-Red
The final deck I have for you this week is an oldie, but a goodie. It’s a deck that’s been heavily played since Hour of Devastation was released. Let’s take a look at Hazo-Red.
Hazo-Red – (by KnightBoat)
Creatures
- 4 x Bomat Courier
- 4 x Earthshaker Khenra
- 4 x Goblin Chainwhirler
- 4 x Hazoret the Fervent
- 2 x Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
- 4 x Rekindling Phoenix
- 4 x Soul-Scar Mage
Spells
- 2 x Abrade
- 4 x Lightning Strike
- 4 x Shock
Lands
- 23 x Mountain
- 1 x Scavenger Grounds
Sideboard
- 2 x Abrade
- 2 x Aethersphere Harvester
- 2 x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
- 2 x Dire Fleet Daredevil
- 1 x Kari Zev’s Expertise
- 2 x Magma Spray
- 2 x Pia Nalaar
- 2 x Siege-Gang Commander
As you can see, the boogieman of the format is still here, and it got a nice little toy from Dominaria in the form of Goblin Chainwhirler. In the past, one of the best ways to counter this mono-Red aggressive deck was by gaining life, usually in the form of 1/1 Vampire creature tokens with lifelink. Now that Goblin Chainwhirler is around, that plan becomes more difficult since you will also need to find a way to increase the toughness of your creatures to be above 1 or they will die when the Goblin Chainwhirler comes into play.
Also, the sideboard includes a couple of copies of Siege-Gang Commander. This blast from the past brings along a few 1/1 Goblin tokens with him that you can use to destroy a blocker or two, or smash them directly into your opponent’s noggin. That added reach can make the world of difference when the battlefield becomes clogged and attacking is fruitless.
Wrapping Up
Dominaria is chockful of juicy cards that will no doubt invigorate Standard. The decks I’ve shown this week are just the tip of the iceberg. Which one is your favorite? Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment. Or you can reply to me directly on Twitter (@mikelikesmtg), or email me directly at mikelikesmtg@gmail.com. And, don’t forget to like our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/MTGDeckTechs/) to be sure to be notified when a new article is posted.
Also, be sure to check out my articles every Thursday on GatheringMagic.com. If you like the innovative decks I write about here each week, you’ll want to check out my articles there as well.
Be sure to join me back here next week for another installment of Raise Your Standards. I’ll see you then!
Mike Likes
