Hello everyone. Last week I began a series of articles looking at Standard decks that are focused on a particular color. I started with White decks, and I'll be looking at Blue decks this week. Let's get started.
Mono-Blue Pirates
I always begin by taking a look at a mono-colored deck, and this time I have a deck that features a Pirate theme. Let's take a look at the deck.
Mono-Blue Pirates | FDN Standard | Redd_Cat_MTG, aetherhub.com user
- Creatures (16)
- 1 Eluge, the Shoreless Sea
- 1 Kitesail Larcenist
- 3 Corsair Captain
- 3 Malcolm, Alluring Scoundrel
- 4 Brineborn Cutthroat
- 4 Spectral Sailor
- Planeswalkers (1)
- 1 Kaito, Cunning Infiltrator
- Instants (23)
- 1 Negate
- 2 Into the Flood Maw
- 3 Long River's Pull
- 3 Phantom Interference
- 3 Quick Study
- 3 Three Steps Ahead
- 4 Opt
- 4 Unsummon
- Lands (20)
- 20 Island
With the majority of creatures in this deck being Pirates, having a copy of Corsair Captain on the battlefield will benefit you greatly. Not only does this Human Pirate bring along a Treasure token that you can use to help play other cards, but he also provides a +1/+1 bonus to all of your other Pirates, making them bigger threats.
You can use that Treasure token to make casting Eluge, the Shoreless Sea a little easier. Eluge is the only non-Pirate creature in this deck, but having this Elemental Fish on the battlefield can be quite helpful, as it provides you a discount when casting instant or sorcery spells. Its power and toughness are also based on the number of Islands you have in play, so Eluge is sure to be a creature your opponent will need to destroy right away.
Azorius Leyline Axe
Up next, we add White mana and get a deck that's capable of ending games decisively. Let's take a look at the deck.
Azorius Leyline Axe | FDN Standard | LegenVD, aetherhub.com user
- Creatures (24)
- 4 Mockingbird
- 4 Novice Inspector
- 4 Regal Bunnicorn
- 4 Spyglass Siren
- 4 Steel Seraph
- 4 Warden of the Inner Sky
- Enchantments (8)
- 4 Sheltered by Ghosts
- 4 Zoetic Glyph
- Artifacts (4)
- 4 Leyline Axe
- Lands (24)
- 3 Plains
- 5 Island
- 2 Fountainport
- 2 Restless Anchorage
- 4 Adarkar Wastes
- 4 Floodfarm Verge
- 4 Seachrome Coast
Leyline Axe can be put into play for free if it's in your opening hand. As you're likely aware, getting something for free can end up being pretty busted. When you equip Leyline Axe, the equipped creature gains a +1/+1 bonus, double strike, and trample. With bonuses like that, games can end very quickly.
One great creature to equip with Leyline Axe is Regal Bunnicorn. Since the power and toughness of Regal Bunnicorn is equal to the number of nonland permanents you control, as the game goes on, you're likely to end up with one very big Rabbit Unicorn. Giving it double strike makes it very difficult to block effectively, and giving it trample will often result in some amount of damage going straight to your opponent's life total.
Dimir Mill
Next, I have a deck that features one of my favorite ways to win, by milling out my opponent's deck. Let's take a look at the deck.
Dimir Mill | FDN Standard | DrRuckus, aetherhub.com user
- Creatures (2)
- 2 Doomsday Excruciator
- Planeswalkers (5)
- 1 Liliana of the Veil
- 4 Jace, the Perfected Mind
- Instants (18)
- 1 Rona's Vortex
- 2 Shoot the Sheriff
- 3 Cut Down
- 4 Anoint with Affliction
- 4 Go for the Throat
- 4 Sheoldred's Edict
- Sorceries (4)
- 4 Duress
- Enchantments (4)
- 4 Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber
- Artifacts (1)
- 1 Mazemind Tome
Mill decks have been successful in Standard for a while now. This is in no small part due to Jace, the Perfected Mind. While this version of Jace is on the battlefield, you can usually mill your opponent's deck of 15 cards. By casting multiple copies of Jace and milling your opponent, you can reduce your opponent's deck to zero cards.
This Dimir deck adds a way to help mill your opponent more quickly. Casting Doomsday Excruciator forces both players to exile all but the bottom six cards of their libraries. This makes milling out the remaining few cards with Jace a simple thing. Or, just wait a few turns for your opponent to draw their last card and win that way, if you aren't able to find a copy of Jace.
Izzet Dragoncaller Control
The next deck I have for you finishes the game with a flight of Dragons. Let's check it out.
Izzet Dragoncaller Control | FDN Standard | SlothMtg, aetherhub.com user
- Instants (14)
- 1 Flick a Coin
- 1 Volcanic Spite
- 4 Burst Lightning
- 4 Fires of Victory
- 4 Opt
- Sorceries (10)
- 3 Brotherhood's End
- 3 Sleight of Hand
- 4 Ill-Timed Explosion
- Enchantments (7)
- 3 Artist's Talent
- 4 Rite of the Dragoncaller
- Artifacts (4)
- 4 Mazemind Tome
- Lands (25)
- 6 Island
- 6 Mountain
- 2 Restless Spire
- 3 Fountainport
- 4 Shivan Reef
- 4 Thundering Falls
In the beginning stages of the game, you'll want to use your spells to control the battlefield. Burst Lightning, Fires of Victory, and Brotherhood's End can all help you deal with your opponent's most deadly creatures. Draw extra cards with Opt, and try to hit each of your land drops so you can get to the second stage with this deck where you go from being a control deck to being the aggressor.
Once you've got 6 lands in play, you're free to cast Rite of the Dragoncaller. This enchantment will allow you to create a 5/5 Dragon creature token with flying whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell. Even if your opponent manages to counter your instant or sorcery spell, you'll still get the Dragon. You can then use those Dragons to attack your opponent from the air.
Simic Doubling Simulacrum
The final deck I have for you features a pair of powerful mythic spells to gain an advantage over its opponent. Let's take a look at the deck.
Simic Doubling Simulacrum | FDN Standard | kcrylie, aetherhub.com user
- Planeswalkers (6)
- 3 Jace Reawakened
- 3 Oko, the Ringleader
- Instants (8)
- 4 Aetherize
- 4 Three Steps Ahead
- Enchantments (7)
- 3 Doubling Season
- 4 Unable to Scream
- Artifacts (14)
- 1 Conduit of Worlds
- 2 Tamiyo's Logbook
- 3 Braided Net
- 4 Ancient Cornucopia
- 4 Simulacrum Synthesizer
- Lands (25)
- 4 Forest
- 6 Island
- 2 Fountainport
- 3 Botanical Sanctum
- 3 Hedge Maze
- 3 Temple of Mystery
- 4 Fabled Passage
Simulacrum Synthesizer creates a 0/0 Construct artifact creature token that gets +1/+1 for each artifact you control whenever another artifact with mana value 3 or greater enters the battlefield under your control. Other decks in Standard use this alone as a win-condition, but this deck amps things up a notch.
By combining the power of Simulacrum Synthesizer with Doubling Season, you'll be able to create twice as many Construct artifact creature tokens. Even though there are no counters for Doubling Season to double, simply by creating two times the number of Construct tokens, those Constructs should be big enough to help you defeat your opponent.
Wrapping Up
While Blue is typically known as being a color for control decks, these decks prove that Blue isn't one dimensional. Sure, there are aspects of control in a couple of these decks, but there's also aggression as well. I think Blue is a pretty well-rounded color currently in Standard.
What do you think of these decks? Feel free to share this article with your friends anywhere on social media. And be sure to join me here again next week as I continue my search for innovative decks in Standard. I'll see you then!
- Mike Likes