Timeless got a large update with the second Mystical Archive. So, what have Force of Will and Daze (et al) done to MTG Arena's most powerful format? What decks should you be playing on the ladder?

Best Decks in Timeless

These decks have been performing the best on MTG Arena since the release of Secrets of Strixhaven and its Mystical Archive.

• 5. Rakdos Breach
• 4. Izzet Tempo
• 3. Dimir+ Tempo
• 2. Boros or Mardu Energy
• 1. Dimir Reanimator

Breaching up a Storm

Rakdos Breach | Timeless | MTG Arena

• Creatures (20)
• 4 Hexing Squelcher
• 4 Moonshadow
• 4 Orcish Bowmasters
• 4 Shambling Ghast
• 4 Stitcher's Supplier

• Instant (8)
• 4 Culling the Weak
• 4 Vampiric Tutor

• Sorceries (4)
• 1 Demonic Tutor
• 1 Molten Collapse
• 1 Tendrils of Agony
• 1 Thoughtseize

• Enchantment (4)
• 4 Underworld Breach

• Artifacts (4)
• 4 Vexing Bauble

• Lands (20)
• 2 Swamp
• 1 Blazemire Verge
• 1 Phyrexian Tower
• 2 Bloodstained Mire
• 2 Raucous Theater
• 3 Blood Crypt
• 3 Marsh Flats
• 3 Polluted Delta
• 3 Verdant Catacombs

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Lurrus of the Dream-Den
• 3 Surgical Extraction
• 2 Brotherhood's End
• 2 Duress
• 2 Molten Collapse
• 2 Thoughtseize
• 1 Abrade
• 1 Feed the Swarm
• 1 Grapeshot

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Rakdos () Breach is a kind of aggro-combo amalgamation. It wants to win with Through the Breach and Tendrils of Agony, but it can just attack with Orcish Bowmasters and Moonshadow. It comes in and out of the meta all the time and it got a few nice additions recently.

Vampiric Tutor being put into the format was huge for combo decks in general, but especially this one. Culling the Weak is better than Dark Ritual in the current version of Breach, since sacrificing a Creature like Stitcher's Supplier is pure up-side.

Amusingly, the best recent addition to this deck comes from regular Lorwyn Eclipsed, not any kind of bonus sheet. In a world full of shiny new counterspells, Hexing Squelcher is a great way to protect your combo.

This one is a blast to play, but I can't put it higher up the list. This deck is extremely meta-game dependant and relatively easy to hate on. It did well at the tournament Novos tournament (more on that later) because it can ignore what fair decks are doing. Hexing Squelcher also looks great against Force of Will decks. However, if people start expecting Breach decks, they can pack more graveyard hate and shut that angle down relatively easily.

Finally, it's also the hardest deck to play on this list. If your goal is to climb the ladder, there are easier options.

Izzet Ready Yet?

Izzet Tempo | Timeless | MTG Arena

• Creatures (11)
• 3 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
• 4 Dragon's Rage Channeler
• 4 Hydroponics Architect

• Instants (16)
• 4 Brainstorm
• 4 Daze
• 4 Force of Will
• 4 Lightning Bolt

• Sorceries (9)
• 2 Flow State
• 3 Treasure Cruise
• 4 Ponder

• Artifacts (5)
• 3 Cori-Steel Cutter
• 2 Mishra's Bauble

• Lands (19)
• 1 Island
• 1 Thundering Falls
• 3 Flooded Strand
• 3 Polluted Delta
• 3 Scalding Tarn
• 4 Steam Vents
• 4 Strip Mine

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Consign to Memory
• 2 Force of Negation
• 2 Lithomantic Barrage
• 2 Unholy Heat
• 1 Abrade
• 1 Brazen Borrower // Petty Theft
• 1 Magus of the Moon
• 1 Meltdown
• 1 Stern Scolding
• 1 Surgical Extraction

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Delverless Delver was the most talked-about deck during spoiler season. It looked like a great home for Force of Will and, especially, Daze. It's a fan favorite, clearly, and plenty of people are playing it now that it's available.

Many people brought it to the aforementioned Novos tournament, too. None of them were quite the same, though. Some Izzet players ran Hydroponics Architect, some didn't. Some played Flow State, some didn't. What is the optimal number of Cori-Steel Cutters? Few players in this tournament seemed to agree, except that it was at least two but usually more.

The fact that this deck is still a work in progress bore out in the results. Despite being tied for most popular archetype, not one of its eight pilots made the top eight. At the same time, most of them did post more wins than losses. Clearly, there is something worth experimenting with, but it is far from solved.

Decks like this are often tricky to figure out. They are very flexible, but that also means that it can be tough to decide which of the moving parts fit the current meta game. Izzet decks like these can switch between control and aggro, but knowing which game plan to lean into is difficult. People will continue to iterate on these lists, I'm sure.

It's Raining Frogs

Dimir+ Tempo | Timeless | MTG Arena

• Creatures (14)
• 3 Orcish Bowmasters
• 3 Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student
• 4 Hydroponics Architect
• 4 Psychic Frog

• Instants (16)
• 4 Brainstorm
• 4 Daze
• 4 Fatal Push
• 4 Force of Will

• Artifacts (1)
• 1 Mishra's Bauble

• Sorceries (10)
• 3 Ponder
• 3 Treasure Cruise
• 4 Thoughtseize

• Lands (19)
• 1 Island
• 1 Swamp
• 1 Misty Rainforest
• 1 Scalding Tarn
• 1 Undercity Sewers
• 2 Flooded Strand
• 4 Polluted Delta
• 4 Strip Mine
• 4 Watery Grave

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Lurrus of the Dream-Den
• 3 Consign to Memory
• 2 Force of Negation
• 1 Bloodchief's Thirst
• 1 Cut Down
• 1 Ghost Vacuum
• 1 Orcish Bowmasters
• 1 Sheoldred's Edict
• 1 Snuff Out
• 1 Stern Scolding
• 1 Surgical Extraction
• 1 The Filigree Sylex

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Psychic Frog continues to be one of the most important cards in Timeless. Various shades of Dimir decks are showing up lately, from regular Blue-Black to Grixis () and Esper (). There was even a sweet Esper Energy build at the Novos tournament that made top eight.

The core of these decks is Blue card draw and counterspells and Black disruption. If that last part sounds a bit hazy, that's because it varies the most from build-to-build. Straight Dimir decks are reliant upon Fatal Push and Orcish Bowmasters as removal, but Esper builds can play Swords to Plowshares and Grixis gets Lightning Bolt.

What really unifies these disparate lists is their game plan. The idea is to stick a cheap threat, protect it with counters and kill anything that gets in your way.

This is a solid ladder deck, and my personal favourite; but, you should really play best-of-three with decks like this. While you can be proactive with an early Creature, you often need to react to what your opponent is doing. That's much easier when you have access to your sideboard.

Energy is Still Great

Mardu Energy | Timeless | MTG Arena

• Creatures (23)
• 3 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
• 4 Ajani, Nacatl Pariah
• 4 Amped Raptor
• 4 Guide of Souls
• 4 Ocelot Pride
• 4 Orcish Bowmasters

• Instants (4)
• 4 Swords to Plowshares

• Sorceries (4)
• 4 Thoughtseize

• Enchantments (6)
• 2 Goblin Bombardment
• 4 Static Prison

• Lands (23)
• 1 Plains
• 1 Blood Crypt
• 1 Elegant Parlor
• 2 Marsh Flats
• 3 Godless Shrine
• 3 Sacred Foundry
• 4 Arid Mesa
• 4 Bloodstained Mire
• 4 Strip Mine

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Lurrus of the Dream-Den
• 4 Lithomantic Barrage
• 2 Deafening Silence
• 2 Ghost Vacuum
• 2 Orim's Chant
• 2 Prismatic Ending
• 2 Surgical Extraction

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Modern Horizons 3 The Deck is still a top-tier contender. It somehow remains untouched, despite being one of the best decks in the format since the release of MH3. That's despite being one of the best decks in multiple formats since that point, in fact. It's despite having cards banned in other formats, too.

The two flavors of energy are both very tasty. The Mardu () decks get to play a better control game with Thoughtseize and Orcish Bowmasters. The straight Boros () versions are better at ending games quickly with Lightning Bolt. Both versions had a deck in the top eight of the recent Novos tournament, so it's hard to say which is better overall. It likely depends on the meta you expect.

There isn't much new to say about this deck which has existed more-or-less unchanged for almost two years. You play hyper-efficient threats, and then burn your opponent out with Ajani, Nacatl Pariah and/or Goblin Bombardment.

It's a great ladder deck for a few reasons. Firstly, games typically don't go very long, so Energy is an efficient way to climb the ladder. Secondly, it's still very good, and shockingly resilient. Even control decks struggle to keep up with the silly amounts of two-for-ones in a typical Energy deck.

The King is Dead; Long Live The King

Dimir Reanimator | Timeless | MTG Arena

• Creatures (10)
• 1 Atraxa, Grand Unifier
• 2 Orcish Bowmasters
• 3 Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student
• 4 Hydroponics Architect

• Instants (20)
• 4 Brainstorm
• 4 Daze
• 4 Entomb
• 4 Fatal Push
• 4 Force of Will

• Sorceries (11)
• 3 Treasure Cruise
• 4 Ponder
• 4 Reanimate

• Lands (19)
• 1 Island
• 1 Swamp
• 1 Undercity Sewers
• 2 Flooded Strand
• 3 Misty Rainforest
• 3 Watery Grave
• 4 Polluted Delta
• 4 Strip Mine

• Sideboard (15)
• 4 Grief
• 3 Library of Alexandria
• 2 Force of Negation
• 2 Harbinger of the Seas
• 2 Orcish Bowmasters
• 2 Requiting Hex

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Mono-Black reanimator was the scourge of Timeless for months after a breakout performance at the Arena Championship back in December. When Necropotence was restricted in February, though, the deck was relegated to 'Also Ran' status. You can still play it, and some people do, but it's nowhere near the dominant force it once was.

The eponymous Reanimate remains a crucial pillar of the format, however. Dimir () Reanimator took down the most recent third-party Timeless tournament and the deck sees significant ladder play. It also made up nearly 11% of the field in that event. That is by no means oppressive, but it shows that this was no one-off, silver-bullet type deck.

What I like about this deck the most is that it's not as all-in on Reanimate as previous lists. If Plan A gets interrupted, the deck can pivot to a control game. This is arguably the best Force of Will deck, because it gets to use it both proactively and defensively. You can protect your Reanimate, or you can stop an opposing threat.

You get to play format all-stars like Hydroponics Architect and Orcish Bowmasters, as well as the typical package of removal and counters. The list looks a lot like the Dimir control/tempo decks you might face on ladder every day, but occasionally gets to press the "I Win" button in a way that those decks lack.

Out of Time(less)

Despite the persistent issue of Energy decks stifling the format, Timeless is in a good place right now. New cards from the Mystical Archive have changed things up in interesting ways without completely taking over. There aren't really any old decks completely forced out, if you'll pardon the pun.

Importantly, the format is far from solved. I talked about Izzet decks needing some work, but all of the best decks in Timeless can be targeted. Even Energy decks have their weaknesses, it's just a matter of how much you want to commit to doing so. Do you want to run Toxic Deluge in your sideboard? Probably, but how many? There a lot of questions in Timeless right now, and definitive answers are almost impossible to come by.