Archetype trends move fast in Standard, and the release of The Hobbit (HOB) was no different. Most of the decks that are hot right now are made up of multiple colors, but today we're looking closely at some cool decks in allied color pairs.

The Hobbit Standard Decks for Allied Colors

Each of these takes a different strategy and runs with it, so they all have something unique to bring to the format. Let's get started.

Azorius Midrange / Combo

Pick Your Poison | HOB Standard | MTG_Barbieri, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (7)
• 1 Aven Interrupter
• 1 Curious Farm Animals
• 1 Kutzil's Flanker
• 4 Aang, Swift Savior

• Instants (18)
• 3 Erode
• 3 Kitsune's Technique
• 4 Consult the Star Charts
• 4 Get Lost
• 4 No More Lies

• Sorceries (7)
• 3 Day of Judgment
• 4 Stock Up

• Artifacts (3)
• 3 Riverchurn Monument

• Lands (25)
• 4 Island
• 4 Plains
• 1 Agna Qel'a
• 1 Starting Town
• 2 Meticulous Archive
• 3 Hallowed Fountain
• 3 Multiversal Passage
• 3 Petrified Hamlet
• 4 Floodfarm Verge

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Most of the Creatures in this Azorius deck have Flash, which lets you cast them any time. This means you can use them as a surprise blocker, if needed. By keeping your mana open during your opponent's turn, you're also able to cast any Instant counterspells you might have, or at least bluff that you have one waiting.

One cool interaction featured here relies on Aang, Swift Savior. His Waterbend ability gives you the option to use Creatures pay the eight mana needed to activate it. Doing this will transform Aang, Swift Savior into Aang and La, Ocean's Fury. If you attack with Aang and La that same turn, you'll be able to put a +1/+1 counter on each tapped Creature you control, including the ones that were tapped to pay for the Waterbending ability.

In addition to being able to win games by attacking with your pumped-up Creatures, you can also defeat your opponent with one of my favorite alternate-win conditions, milling. You'll want to cast Kitsune's Technique to mill half of your opponent's library, rounded up. Follow that up by activating the Exhaust ability of Riverchurn Monument and you'll be able to win on the spot.

Dimir Superfriends

The Ritual | HOB Standard | Sharkman, aetherhub.com user

• Planeswalkers (9)
• 2 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares
• 2 Kaito, Cunning Infiltrator
• 3 Liliana, Dreadhorde General
• 2 Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer

• Instants (11)
• 4 Amazing Acrobatics
• 3 Bitter Triumph
• 4 Brush Off

• Sorceries (5)
• 1 Deadly Cover-Up
• 4 Strategic Betrayal

• Enchantments (11)
• 4 Momentum Breaker
• 4 Nowhere to Run
• 3 The Rise of Sozin

• Lands (24)
• 4 Island
• 4 Swamp
• 2 Demolition Field
• 2 Fountainport
• 4 Gloomlake Verge
• 1 Realm of Koh
• 3 Restless Reef
• 4 Watery Grave

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This Dimir Superfriends deck, or The Ritual, relies on Planeswalkers to take down your opponents.

In the early stages of the game, you'll want to play cards like Momentum Breaker, Nowhere to Run, and Strategic Betrayal. This will help reduce the number of Creatures your opponent has in play. Playing Momentum Breaker specifically will Start Your Engines and get your speed up.

This will become important later in the game, as you can sacrifice Momentum Breaker to gain life equal to your speed, keeping you healthy enough to finish off your opponent.

Mid-game, you'll want to deploy Planeswalkers like Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer to filter through your deck with his +1 loyalty ability. By Surveiling, you can seek out the cards you need and ditch the cards that are less useful into your graveyard. This will also build up Ral's loyalty, enabling you to eventually activate his -7 ability which can cause your opponent to skip multiple turns.

For the end game, you can use Liliana, Dreadhorde General to help clear the battlefield of threats. You'll also want to play The Rise of Sozin. As you gain lore counters on this Saga, you'll eventually be able to transform it into Fire Lord Sozin. You can swing with him and use your mana to return your opponent's Creatures to the battlefield under your control. There's no worse feeling than being defeated by your own team.

Rakdos Combo

Rakdos Eclipse | HOB Standard | JullaNd3r02, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (12)
• 1 Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal
• 4 Bloodletter of Aclazotz
• 4 Deep-Cavern Bat
• 3 Unstoppable Slasher

• Instants (13)
• 3 Abrade
• 2 Bitter Triumph
• 4 Burst Lightning
• 2 Shoot the Sheriff
• 2 Withering Torment

• Sorceries (5)
• 2 Day of Black Sun
• 3 Duress

• Enchantments (6)
• 2 Nowhere to Run
• 4 Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber

• Lands (24)
• 5 Mountain
• 14 Swamp
• 4 Bloodfell Caves
• 1 Temple of Malice

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Next, I have a Rakdos () deck that can win instantly, regardless of how much life your opponent has.

In the early stages of the game, you'll want to play defensively. Use cards like Duress and Shoot the Sheriff to disrupt your opponent's game plan. Keep the battlefield clear of threats with removal spells like Bitter Triumph and Nowhere to Run. Try to keep your life total as high as you can.

Once you're able to, you'll want to play Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber, unlocking the Unholy Annex side first. This will allow you to draw an extra card each turn and gain card advantage over your opponent. Once you can get Ritual Chamber unlocked or Bloodletter of Aclazotz in play, you'll begin draining your opponent of two points of life each turn.

Bloodletter of Aclazotz is also important to get into play because it is one-half of the game-ending combo featured in this deck. The other half is Unstoppable Slasher. When Unstoppable Slasher deals combat damage to an opponent, they will lose half their life, rounded up. Bloodletter of Aclazotz doubles the amount of life your opponent would lose during your turn, so it's game over if the Unstoppable Slasher can't be stopped.

Gruul Counters

Gruul Counters | HOB Standard | Wrathchild_mtg, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (28)
• 1 Ashroot Animist
• 2 Bristly Bill, Spine Sower
• 2 Giant Cindermaw
• 1 Halana and Alena, Partners
• 3 Llanowar Elves
• 3 Michelangelo, Weirdness to 11
• 3 Nessian Hornbeetle
• 2 Ouroboroid
• 2 Ruby, Daring Tracker
• 2 Sazh's Chocobo
• 3 Spider Manifestation
• 1 Vizier of the Menagerie
• 3 Warden of the Grove

• Instants (8)
• 3 Abrade
• 3 Shock
• 2 Snakeskin Veil

• Sorceries (2)
• 2 Felling Blow

• Lands (22)
• 9 Forest
• 5 Mountain
• 2 Rugged Highlands
• 1 Stomping Ground
• 1 Thornspire Verge
• 4 Training Compound

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For this deck by Wrathchild, you'll want to play some of the Creatures that accelerate your mana production early. Llanowar Elves, Ruby, Daring Tracker, and Spider Manifestation can all be tapped for extra mana. This will give you an advantage over your opponent, as you'll be able to cast more spells each turn than they can; or, at the very least, bigger spells earlier on.

Once you have some mana acceleration, you'll want to focus on creatures that can give +1/+1 counters (like Bristly Bill, Spine Sower) or that can get them on their own. Sazh's Chocobo, Ouroboroid, Warden of the Grove, and even Nessian Hornbeetle are all solid cards that grow on their own as the game progresses. So, you don't even have to work that hard to become a massive threat.

If you can get Michelangelo, Weirdness to 11 in play, those Creatures become even better, as they will all gain an extra counter any time they get any.

Both Halana and Alena, Partners and Ashroot Animist can help you finish the game with ease.

Halana and Alena, Partners can pump up target Creature equal to Halana and Alena's power, and it'll also get Haste. Ashroot Animist only provides a temporary bonus of +X/+X to another Creature when it attacks, where X = the power of Ashroot Animist. More importantly, though, Ashroot Animist also grants Trample, allowing extra damage to be dealt to your opponent if it is not completely blocked.

Selesnya Lifegain

Lifegain is Insane | HOB Standard | MtgMalone, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (21)
• 3 Ajani's Pridemate
• 4 Essence Channeler
• 3 Haliya, Guided by Light
• 3 Healer's Hawk
• 3 Hinterland Sanctifier
• 1 Night Nurse, Healer of Heroes
• 2 Resplendent Angel
• 2 Tigra, Feline Fury

• Instants (4)
• 4 Restoration Magic

• Sorceries (1)
• 1 Practiced Offense

• Enchantments (14)
• 1 Authority of the Consuls
• 2 Case of the Uneaten Feast
• 3 Heroic Feast
• 4 Leyline of Hope
• 4 Sheltered by Ghosts

• Lands (20)
• 2 Forest
• 6 Plains
• 4 Multiversal Passage
• 4 Starting Town
• 4 Temple Garden

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Are you ready to gain life like crazy? That's what this Selesnya deck is designed to do.

This deck tries to maximize its start by playing Leyline of Hope for free, if possible. While Leyline of Hope is on the battlefield, whenever you gain life, you'll gain one additional point of life. This makes spells like Heroic Feast even more potent, as you'll also get an extra Creature a +1/+1 counter.

Also, if your life total should ever reach 27 or greater, Leyline of Hope will give your creatures a +2/+2 bonus.

The Creatures in this deck generally fall into one of two categories. The first group is focused on gaining life. Night Nurse, Healer of Heroes and Healer's Hawk naturally have Lifelink. Hinterland Sanctifier and Authority of the Consuls provide you with additional life whenever a Creature enters play.

The second group of Creatures brings their value whenever you gain life. Ajani's Pridemate and Essence Channeler are the primary threats, gaining a +1/+1 counter for each point of additional life gained. Tigra, Feline Fury is another great threat, also gaining a +1/+1 counter for each point of life gained. Tigra also has Trample, which can help you push through some damage even if your opponent has blockers.

Resplendent Angel rounds out the heavy hitters, creating a 4/4 Flying Angel token with Vigilance during each turn that you gain five or more life, which is easy in this deck.

Wrapping Up

Allied color decks offer a lot of great synergy. Colors that are next to each other in Magic's color wheel might not always share the same values or beliefs, but they generally don't work in direct opposition with each other. By playing decks like these, you'll be able to shore up the vulnerability one color has with cards from the other or round out a strategy like in the Selesnya deck above.

Each of these decks offers something unique in the post-Hobbit Standard format, and they all look like they'll be a ton of fun to play.