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Main » Articles » The Top 8 Decks That are Awesome and Not Field of the Dead

The Top 8 Decks That are Awesome and Not Field of the Dead

Michael Flores
Posted on October 15, 2019
 Reddit

"This format is the worst! No one can beat Golos / Field of the Dead."

"Golos is secretly bad."

People sure have a lot of opinions [about Standard; though I guess this can apply to almost anything]. And while Golos / Field of the Dead decks both dominated the first big event and just won the MTGO PTQ, I can say with some confidence that despite that, Standard is a diverse and interesting format.

I mean, when was the last time we saw viability from two different x-casting cost card drawing creatures; not to mention the madcap (thematic) awesomeness of the Cat / Cauldron combo? Following are eight strategies that are decidedly not Golos... But are still managing to put up impressive performances.

Strategy #8 Azorius Control, 5-0, Standard League

Azorius Control | Eldraine Standard| WaToO, 5-0 Magic Online Standard League

WaToO's deck is exactly the deck that you always wanted to play but never knew; mayhap could have never previously known. Gadwick, the Wizened is like a Blue... err... non-Green Hydroid Krasis. It draws a bunch of cards; and, despite a much smaller body than its more famous predecessor, does a pretty good job of controlling the battlefield. Against "tall" (rather than "wide") attack strategies, WaToO's deck can force the opponent into committing multiple threats that are bigger than 3/3. If the opponent only plays a single threat, every Opt and Chemister's Insight can lock it down while ostensibly clearing the way for Gadwick beatdown. If the opponent plays more than one threat, WaToO can just cast Time Wipe (possibly at instant speed), clearing the opponent's stuff and re-buying Gadwick for another Braingeyser-body. Crazy synergy, right?

WaToO can probably beat up on Field of the Dead decks, depending on how they play. I don't think this deck has a natural advantage against Field of the Dead on the cardboard, but there is substantial precedence in this format so far for such players to over-commit bodies to the battlefield, allowing the Azorius / Azorius-adjacent Control opponent to mop up slightly more materiel. For example, when you're flush with cardboard and triggers, it might seem like "card advantage" to drop a mid-game Arboreal Grazer, but if the opponent is going to Wrath anyway, all you've done is give up future bodies for a short-term flash in the pan that probably never got to attack or block anyway. That said, WaToO's deck, despite a lot of card drawing and card selection action, might just run out of sweep after that third Time Wipe. Given sufficient time, though, this deck can go super big with Finale of Glory (possibly at instant speed) to take control of the game and win in a short period; similar to how Esper uses Dance of the Manse.

Ultimately, a wonderful little departure that can nevertheless put up five straight wins.

Strategy #7 Simic Bant Rares and Mythic Rares, Top 4, MTGO PTQ

Bant Midrange | Eldraine Standard | im2g00t4ubarn, 3rd Place, MTG PTQ

Im2g00t4ubarn piloted a deck very reminiscent of Matthew Nass's "Simic Rares and Mythic Rares" Top 8 list... But with a slight twist. At the cost of a couple of copies of Once Upon a Time and some land base gymnastics, im2g00t4ubarnfit enough White for this saucy splash:

Deputy of Detention

People love a Deputy of Detention! The card is honestly a little low-power for the current Standard, or at least the deck at hand, but it is a useful catch-all. It can play the role that Prison Realm does in some decks, but more importantly, gets all the 2/2 Zombie tokens out of the way before your big swing. Questing Beast, Hydroid Krasis (especially set up by Nissa, Who Shakes the World), and Nissa herself make for a formidable mid-game offensive line.

Im2g00t4ubarn's deck doesn't even need the powerful cards. Gilded Goose into turn two Oko, Thief of Crowns is about the most demoralizing one-two punch in all the Standard format.

Both Gilded Goose and Oko, Thief of Crowns produce extra artifacts as part of their collective mischief. But if you love an artifact, get a load of...

Strategy #6 Linear Aggro, 5-0, Standard League

Artifacts Aggro | Eldraine Standard | kurukuru, 5-0 Magic Online Standard League

The first thing I saw about this deck were the Owls. Arcanist's Owl can find every card except for a couple of Planeswalkers and the four combat instants. But it grabs every Gingerbrute and stocks up Steel Overseer.

So why only two copies? I think maybe curve considerations? Anyway, this deck has another, arguably more powerful four-mana card advantage engine at the four:

Mystic Forge

Mystic Forge acts like an Experimental Frenzy... With not only fewer drawbacks, but actually more applicability. Gingerbrute and Steel Overseer act similarly to their Modern analogues. This strategy has an enormous amount of synergy-driven power, though many of the individual creatures are not Tier One. I like its ability to keep going after a sweeper best.

Kurukuru was not the only magician sporting new synergies - new artifacts even - or off-the-beaten-path beatdown ideas. Here are a couple of decks that attack from the Forests instead of the Plains.

Strategy #5 StOmPy, 5-0, Standard League

StOmPy | Eldraine Standard | AlphaFrog, 5-0 Magic Online Standard League

The numbers look a little off on this deck; but that's to be expected given the infancy of the new format. For example, I think Castle Garenbrig might be a misplaced four-of in a deck that can ostensibly only benefit via two Troll Kings. I really like how AlphaFrog is trying many of the new possible tools and toys, and my mouth is honestly watering at the anything-into-The Great Henge-into-Barkhide Troll (with extra +1/+1 counters!) sequence. I'll never get why people play Paradise Druid over Incubation Druid in general, and this deck has a ton of ways to Lotus up on demand. Shrug emoji. Like I said, many cool and different things exploding for a 5-0 list, but the numbers seem off. Of course this deck is stacked to the rafters with non-Human creatures, which gives AlphaFrog a good opportunity to try out Rosethorn Halberd.

I think I liked this somewhat more updated take on Mono-Green Aggro a little more:

Mono-Green Aggro | Eldraine Standard | CarrierHasArrived, 5-0 Magic Online Standard League

The big payoff to CarrierHasArrived's take on this is Syr Farren, the Hengehammer. Syr Farren can basically double the impact of pump spells like Giant Growth or Might of the Masses. For example...

That isn't even that much of an outlier draw. There are a lot of ways to get to 20 in the first four turns, but the fact that there are multiple ways to get there in three puts a particular feather in StOmPy's hat.

This deck can set up very quickly with multiple 1-drop options; and Gingerbrute is a cute addition to help get the best out of Syr Farren, the Hengehammer essentially on-demand. The trade-offs are mostly that while you get this game ending new feature... You kind of don't have space for The Great Henge any longer.

For some decks that - as cool as they might be - are about as different from these aggro decks as can be, look no further than...

Strategy #4 Irencrag Izzet, 5-0, Standard League

Irencrag Izzet | Eldraine Standard | HarlanMTG, 5-0 Magic Online Standard League

I saw a deck with Irencrag Pyromancer beat up on Golos during Dave Williams's secret stream last week, and have been scouring the top performing decks to get a read on how one might be built. HarlanMTG's is the first version I found.

This strategy leans heavily on The Royal Scions. I wasn't sure about that card but it has been gathering a lot of momentum in the hearts and minds of top deck designers, and does outstanding work in this deck, in particular. The "Looting" ability on The Royal Scions is not powerful in the abstract, but in a deck with Improbable Alliance and Irencrag Pyromancer, it is a reliable way to get the triggers you are looking for because you had presumably already drawn a card for the turn. Maybe it's just me but I love the idea of The Royal Scions making a Faerie token one turn (by drawing, or rather looting) and then making that normally 1/1 Faerie big and burly for combat the next.

To that end, HarlanMTG tried Kasmina, Enigmatic Mentor. Kasmina has a Looter-like ability also, but hers is finite. One of the pulls of The Royal Scions is that they ramp loyalty at a really self-preserving rate; and that loyalty is easily converted to damage (in multiple ways) in relatively short order.

World famous streamer and media darling NumotTheNummy put up a 5-0 of his own Irencrag build a little while later, shifting out of some of the fancier stuff for pure power.

Irencrag Izzet | Eldraine Standard | NumotTheNummy, 5-0 Magic Online Standard League

This build eschews Kasmina for the heavier-hitting Crackling Drake at four. This deck really showcases the overlaps between the Irencrag Pyromancer strategy and the regular old tried and true.

Irencrag Pyromancer wants cards like Thrill of Possibility because they can trigger its damage-dealing even during the opponent's turn. Thrill of Possibility, of course, is just a better Tormenting Voice; you know, the card that Izzet decks with Crackling Drake have been happy to run in previous cycles. This card can not only trigger Irencrag Pyromancer on the opponent's turn, it can potentially give Crackling Drake 2 power. Radical Idea can do a lot of the same, and is even better with Niv-Mizzet, Parun due to being spread out over multiple actual spells.

Flame Sweep is a highly format-appropriate defensive spell; it really helps given the percentage of NumotTheNummy's creatures either have 4 toughness or are naturally flying. I'll give you a hint: It's all of them! Even the normally tiny ones or tokens! Sorry, opposing 2/2 Zombies.

Strategy #3 Jeskai Fires, 5-0, Standard League

Jeskai Fires | Eldraine Standard | ht991122, 5-0 Magic Online Standard League

Here is a very different Izzet deck; or Izzet adjacent, anyway.

This strategy obviously wants to lay down Fires of Invention and then start going off by dropping two Cavaliers per turn, but the secret is that you can pretty much cast everything in this deck. It's not one of those fancy Fae of Wishes decks that has 15 uncastables in the sideboard. Remarkably, unlike many u-r Fires of Invention decks, there is no Fae of Wishes at all! Don't get me wrong, there is a good Adventure component... Just somehow the most common dynamic duo is not present.

I think I have a soft spot just for Cavalier of Gales, but that's not even the most powerful available 5/5 flyer who draws cards in this list.

Strategy #2 Temur Reclamation, Finalist, MTGO PTQ

Temur Reclamation | Eldraine Standard | Finespoo, 2nd Place MTGO PTQ

Yeah, yeah, yeah... Our underlying theme is kind of undermined by the deck Finespoo lost to in that PTQ. But the deck is still sweet.

For all the folks who thought Wilderness Reclamation was going to get banned a year ago... It didn't; and in fact, up until this deck list or thereabouts, it wasn't entirely clear the card was still playable. The previous strategy of Wilderness Reclamation into Nexus of Fate is no longer complete in Standard, but Finespoo has laced together some other very powerful cards to make up for that recurring Time Walk.

The chain of 2-4-something is a little inelegant. You can't untap straight into the deck's theme any more. I think the most exciting thing you can do is to play a six-card Expansion // Explosion the turn after you lay down Wilderness Reclamation (which to be fair, is pretty good; though will drop your shields). Supposing you live, a highly defensible Niv-Mizzet can be on schedule the next turn, and you're going to have plenty of ways to keep the Parun's many triggers firing.

Again we see Flame Sweep as a highly appropriate sweeper. It's got a little extra synergy as an instant, meaning you get a bit more exploit potential with Wilderness Reclamation. Of course it does not damage your own flying creatures, so Niv-Mizzet itself will only benefit when you cast it. Every 2/2 Zombie token, though? No volume of Risen Reef-into-Yarok, the Desecrated double-triggers will be able to out-pace the two damage of even a single 'Sweep!

What I like, contextually, about this strategy is that it provides such a difficult fork for the other decks in the metagame. Finespoo was obviously aware of Golos strategies on the march to the PTQ finals, and had both a comparably powerful plan and tools to fight back. But what about fighting Temer's plan?

"Enchantment" is not a trivial permanent type to be able to remove once it's on the battlefield. So Teferi, Time Raveler is as problematic as ever for Wilderness Reclamation, but this deck can not only keep that troublesome Planeswalker off the table with Mystical Dispute, it can Fry it away in a three-game set. Once Wilderness Reclamation is down? There's a Realm [cloaked Giant] of possibilities about what happens next. No single card is going to win the game, and no single sequence is 100% likely to follow in this configuration. Even if under a Teferi-lock, this deck can happily Castle Vantress until it finds something useful to fight back!

Finally, this is yet another showcase for Niv-Mizzet, Parun. That creature is resistant to the color blue on its face. Plus, you have Mystical Dispute and Veil of Summer both at one mana to fight the color whose primary job is to spoil the fun of other decks.

Strategy #1 Red Deck, MTG Arena Mythic weapon of choice

Especially short on Wild Cards myself, I decided to grind with Mono-Red on the strength of @AkaAka89 's reach-out to the Arena Decklists podcast.

While probably worth a longer meditation on its own, let's close this Top 8 list with my pleasant surprise at not only the viability of Mono-Red, but the deeply synergistic and layered play patterns of this deck in particular.

I was very happy to learn that not only is Fervent Champion absolutely bonkers in pairs... But has many nice things to do and say with co-worker Rimrock Knight. There are a surprising number of super cheap plays to ramp up Runaway Steam-Kin in this list... And every Adventure card offers multiple chances to deploy +1/+1 counters, many at instant speed, and often across multiple turns so you have mana (and combat trick) flexibility.

While it can be frustrating to look at a turn two or three Oko, Thief of Crowns with three guys already in play, wondering how you're ever going to win... I like my Golos matchup very much, which is all you can really ask for from a deck that can tap three and deal six in whatever matchups anyway.

Awesome. Not Field of the Dead. Was there ever any doubt?

LOVE

MIKE

TAGS articles, standard, constructed, analysis, top 8, decklist, michael flores, eldraine standard, 10152019

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