I wonder what folks here are brewing in Arena. As people know, the reward system is a bit slow paced, so you really need to focus your resources in one deck. At least the first one. Maybe you can work a second deck along side the first one depending on your pulls.
I started working on UB control as I opened Search for Azcanta and Liliana and I was working on UB before the wipe. I like the archetype, but if you wanna grind, you may wanna skip this one. Games gonna take long. I kinda started to jump to Mono Red, but sadly I wasted most of my WCs on UB already.
Some opinions on each options:
UB Control
Pro: the precon comes with a good base for this deck. The real deck needs a lot of cards for all rarities, but you can get by alright with a lot of 1 to 2 ofs, specially your finishers. You don't need 2~3 Scarab Gods to make it function. Still you probably need at least 2 Vraska's Contempt and 1 extra big threat like a PW or Scarab God to get enough edge in the mirror. Most of the cards you use your WCs on are useful in other archetypes.
Cons: games gonna be glacial paced specially the mirror. Although super fun, grinding will be a chore with this deck.
Mono Red
Pro: I think it's the best for grinding. You can mix with white or green while your card pool develop. You do need a good amount of uncommons. Rares and mythics like Earthshaker, Glorybringer, and Hazoret greatly help, but they aren't needed that much. I think you get more mileage for your commons and uncommons compared to other options.
Cons: some of the cards aren't really usable in other archetypes or be rebanned like Ferocidon and Ruins, so maybe you should avoid prioritizing them. Just having 2ofs may not cut it, you have to go deep. Still Lightning Strike, Abrade, and Glorybringer should be fine.
Approach
Pro: I think there are so many ways you can build this one. You can be UW, mono W, or even a wacky RW. I believe you can get away with just 1 to 2 of lot of key cards initially and still function like a full Approach deck.
Cons: I think you need too many of the rares if you want the full deck. Not having access to Fumigate and have to use suboptiomal options like Hour of spells as your sweeper hurts the deck a bit.
GW
Pro: I'm only highlighting it because the precon actually gives a lot of 2-of rares and they can be pretty powerful. You could go full token/embalm/eternalize. You could morph it to UW version. It's fun as well.
Cons: Probably not that competitive in the long run.
BW Vamp
Pro: I think it has a decent enough matchup vs UB and Mono Red overall depending on how you make it. You can skimp the rares a bit.
Cons: sadly the precon is horrendous. You really need a lot of uncommons to make it to work properly. It lacks even basic commons. Any WC used here will be too focused for Vamp. Maybe the anthem could be reusable in cat deck or some of the weenies in an aura deck.
Merfolk and dinos seem like trap to sink your WCs in. They aren't strong enough in the long run and the precons are a joke. Also the cards don't work that well with other decks. Maybe if you started dino, you can jump to GR monsters, but that deck needs so many rares and mythics to be really a thing.
GB Explore is actually semi decent and don't need too much to be decent. Probably not good in the long run, but you could move some of the pieces to other decks like Sultai.
Pirates, well any version of this tribe is garbage and the precons are even worse. It could be a base for RB aggro. However, the omissions from Kaladesh really hurt this archetype.
GP Gift may also be an interesting option, maybe UB version can be very good and don't lose much from lack of Kaladesh compared to UW or RW versions. It seems a bit narrow.
Aura even without Sram could be a good budget beatdown deck. Fast for grinding. You could just invest all your commons and uncommons into it and save rares and mythic WCs for your real deck. If you decide to invest in Legion's Landing, you could jump to token or vampires later. It seems a promissing option.
Cycling deck around Draken Haven could be a thing as well. You can mix with Approach. The only problem is I think it won't work with just 2ofs or even 3ofs.
Mono Green is surprisingly powerful, but at the same time it's a little heavy on rares and mythics.
I've been playing a Rakdos removal burn deck that has quite a bit of success. I mainly built it because it didn't require any of my rare or mythic while cards, though I'm thinking of adding Glorybringer. With the format relatively depowered thanks to people not having full collections I've found that the weaker limited orientated removal such as Final Reward works instead Vraska's Contempt. With Trespasser's Curse and Ravenous Chupacabra and a few cheap removal you can over come most early games. Then the game is closed out with random burn. I love the current sealed like feel of the format though it should steadily evolve as people build up collections and are able to run more consistent more powerful decks. Which will of course push out decks like my fun experiment. I will admit that playing the control mirror is awful, my last UB opponent lost to decking but used all 11 of their timeouts when they had one card left just to torture me.
I've been playing a semi-janky lifegain and token deck, using cards like Anointer PriestAnointed ProcessionRegal CaracalCrested Sunmare, people let it go off way more than I would have thought. No one ever kills the Priests early enough. I got several of the rares when they reset our collections the other day, my current deck is based off of what I made from that.
I'm having a somewhat success with Crested Sunmare as well. I made a BW token/life gain/semi vampire shell, not many WC spent on it. You just need to save your removal as much as possible while hoping they won't see the Sunmare coming. It even stand toe to toe against a Scarab God (well just one, dunno about two). I have Liliana as back up and get it back if it gets destroyed.
Yeah, dino can be OK as long they don't drop banner or anthem. I finally got a mythic WC. I ended up making a scab god. Loving it.
Game seems lighter as well. Not that slow. With the coming April update, I'm getting more optimist about the game. Not satisfied, but definitively more positive overall.
I just started yesterday and have built up R/G Dinos and U/R Enigma Drake to the point where I can win 70-80% of the games, pending no mana flood or mana screw in the games.
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"May he who is without mana cast the first spell!"
Check out my Youtube channel where I upload MTG content videos twice a week!
Arena has the typical Aggro (RDW) vs. Control (UB, maybe UW Approach) meta. It's very hard to build a deck that has good match ups against one of these without making your match up against the other horrible, specially without a SB. Any good card against aggro is a dead card vs. control and vice-versa.
But if you want to break the meta, for now focus on RDW as it's by far the most popular choice for many reasons:
It has slightly favorable match up against UB.
It preys upon bad mana bases, the norm in MTG Arena (I see lot's of tap lands even in gold ranks...).
It will wreck any 'for-fun' gimmicky rogue deck.
It's favored by lack of SB.
It's favored by best-of-one format because of it's low variance.
Most importantly, it's fast, making it the ideal choice to grind.
My main deck has been Zombies and I have no idea why people are sleeping on it. I have been doing pretty well in gold tier and quick constructed. I also have a Grixis Bolas deck, a Sultai Muldrotha deck, and a Saproling deck which is new enough that I have not settled on its colors. Zombies has a decent budget build, can be mono black, black-white, even blue-black, but I don't see as much love for zombies.
*Small self -promotion* Feel free to check out my Arena Videos.
I have not spent any cash on the game, and most likely wont until after launch and it's at least showing 6+ months of being healthy. Everything I've been putting together has been from either pack pulls or drunken wildcard spending
I was intrigued by playing a creatureless deck, and I liked that Curses was mostly uncommons or cards I already had. Mono Black creatureless curses became my second deck. I also have a BW version of it with Ixalan's Bindings and other white removal, but since Dominaria has added Cabal Stronghold, and Powerstone Shard I've shifted strongly back to mono b.
MBC/Legends Reanimator/Look at all the random rares I have! Using the core of the Curses deck, threw this together to use up some of the random beefy black creatures I had. Probably has one of the poorer win ratios of my decks, maybe even sub 50%, but it's fun and splashy when it wins. I haven't redeemed anything towards this deck, it's just a pile of what I have.
Mono White Angels, somehow my strongest deck. There's few good board wipes in the format to force me to reset, and Angel of Sanctions and my little creatures all have to die twice. Lots of spot removal and life gain makes it a pesky deck to face against. If/when I get a second Shalai, Voice of Plenty I may actually splash green. Even without her token ability, she is still a solid critter for 4 mana.
2011: Best Mafia Performance (Individual) - Best Newcomer
2012: Best (False?) Role Claim - Worst Town Performance (Group) - Best Mafia Performance (Group) - Best SK Performance - Best Overall Player
2013: Best Non-SK Neutral Performance
2014: Best Town Performance (Individual) - Best Town Performance (Group) - Most Interesting Role - Best Game - Best Overall Player
2015: Worst Mafia Performance (Group) - Best Read
2016: Best Town Performance (Group) - Best Town Player - Best Overall Player
I've been trying to make an infinite combo Bezenlock deck work in Arena. Unfortunately it's usually more frustrating than it's worth, but I've pulled it off a few times. Singleton was fun with it half the time, and the 40 life event was fun 10% of the time, but in those events where everyone plays RDW or control decks it's hard to get off. In quick play, because their matchmaking system is idiotic, it matches up with Saproling decks 9 out of 10 times so, i dont know if that's fun for you but this is the deck - it has a lot of combo synergy and the main one is get out Bontu's Monument and Pitiless Plunderer, get Oathsworn Vampire on board and one of your creatures that lets you sacrifice a creature, then start sacrificing Oathsworn and recast him with the treasure Plunderer generates over and over until Bontu's Monument drains your opponents life :
I started working on UB control as I opened Search for Azcanta and Liliana and I was working on UB before the wipe. I like the archetype, but if you wanna grind, you may wanna skip this one. Games gonna take long. I kinda started to jump to Mono Red, but sadly I wasted most of my WCs on UB already.
Some opinions on each options:
UB Control
Pro: the precon comes with a good base for this deck. The real deck needs a lot of cards for all rarities, but you can get by alright with a lot of 1 to 2 ofs, specially your finishers. You don't need 2~3 Scarab Gods to make it function. Still you probably need at least 2 Vraska's Contempt and 1 extra big threat like a PW or Scarab God to get enough edge in the mirror. Most of the cards you use your WCs on are useful in other archetypes.
Cons: games gonna be glacial paced specially the mirror. Although super fun, grinding will be a chore with this deck.
Mono Red
Pro: I think it's the best for grinding. You can mix with white or green while your card pool develop. You do need a good amount of uncommons. Rares and mythics like Earthshaker, Glorybringer, and Hazoret greatly help, but they aren't needed that much. I think you get more mileage for your commons and uncommons compared to other options.
Cons: some of the cards aren't really usable in other archetypes or be rebanned like Ferocidon and Ruins, so maybe you should avoid prioritizing them. Just having 2ofs may not cut it, you have to go deep. Still Lightning Strike, Abrade, and Glorybringer should be fine.
Approach
Pro: I think there are so many ways you can build this one. You can be UW, mono W, or even a wacky RW. I believe you can get away with just 1 to 2 of lot of key cards initially and still function like a full Approach deck.
Cons: I think you need too many of the rares if you want the full deck. Not having access to Fumigate and have to use suboptiomal options like Hour of spells as your sweeper hurts the deck a bit.
GW
Pro: I'm only highlighting it because the precon actually gives a lot of 2-of rares and they can be pretty powerful. You could go full token/embalm/eternalize. You could morph it to UW version. It's fun as well.
Cons: Probably not that competitive in the long run.
BW Vamp
Pro: I think it has a decent enough matchup vs UB and Mono Red overall depending on how you make it. You can skimp the rares a bit.
Cons: sadly the precon is horrendous. You really need a lot of uncommons to make it to work properly. It lacks even basic commons. Any WC used here will be too focused for Vamp. Maybe the anthem could be reusable in cat deck or some of the weenies in an aura deck.
Merfolk and dinos seem like trap to sink your WCs in. They aren't strong enough in the long run and the precons are a joke. Also the cards don't work that well with other decks. Maybe if you started dino, you can jump to GR monsters, but that deck needs so many rares and mythics to be really a thing.
GB Explore is actually semi decent and don't need too much to be decent. Probably not good in the long run, but you could move some of the pieces to other decks like Sultai.
Pirates, well any version of this tribe is garbage and the precons are even worse. It could be a base for RB aggro. However, the omissions from Kaladesh really hurt this archetype.
GP Gift may also be an interesting option, maybe UB version can be very good and don't lose much from lack of Kaladesh compared to UW or RW versions. It seems a bit narrow.
Aura even without Sram could be a good budget beatdown deck. Fast for grinding. You could just invest all your commons and uncommons into it and save rares and mythic WCs for your real deck. If you decide to invest in Legion's Landing, you could jump to token or vampires later. It seems a promissing option.
Cycling deck around Draken Haven could be a thing as well. You can mix with Approach. The only problem is I think it won't work with just 2ofs or even 3ofs.
Mono Green is surprisingly powerful, but at the same time it's a little heavy on rares and mythics.
Game seems lighter as well. Not that slow. With the coming April update, I'm getting more optimist about the game. Not satisfied, but definitively more positive overall.
Check out my Youtube channel where I upload MTG content videos twice a week!
Mtg Lifestyle
Arena has the typical Aggro (RDW) vs. Control (UB, maybe UW Approach) meta. It's very hard to build a deck that has good match ups against one of these without making your match up against the other horrible, specially without a SB. Any good card against aggro is a dead card vs. control and vice-versa.
But if you want to break the meta, for now focus on RDW as it's by far the most popular choice for many reasons:
BGU Control
R Aggro
Standard - For Fun
BG Auras
*Small self -promotion* Feel free to check out my Arena Videos.
Thanx to Bookworm10 for the Sig.
Check out my YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ThyrixSyx
Cockatrice: shadowkill
Rules Adviser
My first deck was BW Tokens, Anointed Procession, Anointer Priest, Angel of Sanctions and Crested Sunmares being the MVPs. Bulk of the deck was commons/uncommons and it only got stronger as rares and mythics where added. Going wide also helped vs RDW and The Scarab God
11 Plains (RIX) 192
4 Adorned Pouncer (HOU) 2
4 Anointer Priest (AKH) 3
2 Angel of Sanctions (AKH) 1
3 Regal Caracal (AKH) 24
4 Anointed Procession (AKH) 2
4 Ixalan's Binding (XLN) 17
2 Crested Sunmare (HOU) 6
4 Moment of Craving (RIX) 79
4 Swamp (RIX) 194
2 Liliana, Death's Majesty (AKH) 97
3 Oketra's Monument (AKH) 233
2 Shefet Dunes (HOU) 183
2 Ifnir Deadlands (HOU) 179
4 Forsaken Sanctuary (AKH) 281
1 Arch of Orazca (RIX) 185
1 Helm of the Host (DAR) 217
1 History of Benalia (DAR) 21
I was intrigued by playing a creatureless deck, and I liked that Curses was mostly uncommons or cards I already had. Mono Black creatureless curses became my second deck. I also have a BW version of it with Ixalan's Bindings and other white removal, but since Dominaria has added Cabal Stronghold, and Powerstone Shard I've shifted strongly back to mono b.
2 Ifnir Deadlands (HOU) 179
4 Trespasser's Curse (AKH) 112
4 Torment of Hailfire (HOU) 77
2 Duress (XLN) 105
4 Bontu's Last Reckoning (HOU) 60
4 Doomfall (HOU) 62
4 Torment of Scarabs (HOU) 78
3 Divest (DAR) 87
4 Powerstone Shard (DAR) 227
22 Swamp (AKH) 252
2 Cabal Stronghold (DAR) 238
2 Karn, Scion of Urza (DAR) 1
MBC/Legends Reanimator/Look at all the random rares I have! Using the core of the Curses deck, threw this together to use up some of the random beefy black creatures I had. Probably has one of the poorer win ratios of my decks, maybe even sub 50%, but it's fun and splashy when it wins. I haven't redeemed anything towards this deck, it's just a pile of what I have.
1 Tetzimoc, Primal Death (RIX) 86
2 Yargle, Glutton of Urborg (DAR) 113
2 Liliana, Death's Majesty (AKH) 97
1 Josu Vess, Lich Knight (DAR) 95
3 Torgaar, Famine Incarnate (DAR) 108
1 Razaketh, the Foulblooded (HOU) 73
2 Karn, Scion of Urza (DAR) 1
1 Helm of the Host (DAR) 217
4 Powerstone Shard (DAR) 227
1 Yawgmoth's Vile Offering (DAR) 114
1 Blackblade Reforged (DAR) 211
1 Phyrexian Scriptures (DAR) 100
2 The Eldest Reborn (DAR) 90
2 Cast Down (DAR) 81
3 Moment of Craving (RIX) 79
2 Bontu's Monument (AKH) 225
3 Dusk Legion Zealot (RIX) 70
2 Cabal Stronghold (DAR) 238
22 Swamp (DAR) 258
3 Seekers' Squire (XLN) 121
Mono White Angels, somehow my strongest deck. There's few good board wipes in the format to force me to reset, and Angel of Sanctions and my little creatures all have to die twice. Lots of spot removal and life gain makes it a pesky deck to face against. If/when I get a second Shalai, Voice of Plenty I may actually splash green. Even without her token ability, she is still a solid critter for 4 mana.
4 Angel of Sanctions (AKH) 1
3 Lyra Dawnbringer (DAR) 26
4 Oketra's Monument (AKH) 233
4 Shefet Dunes (HOU) 183
1 Arch of Orazca (RIX) 185
21 Plains (DAR) 252
4 Serra Angel (DAR) 33
1 Shalai, Voice of Plenty (DAR) 35
2 Seal Away (DAR) 31
2 Ixalan's Binding (XLN) 17
4 Adorned Pouncer (HOU) 2
4 Anointer Priest (AKH) 3
2 Karn, Scion of Urza (DAR) 1
"Apex Eternal"
"Big Stupid Dumb *****"
"Garbage"
and "Other Garbage"
Apex Eternal is Firebrand Archer + Guttersnipe + Hazoret's Undying Fury + Apex of Power + Wildfire Eternal with some burn spells and draw spells.
Big Stupid Dumb ***** is just mono-G stompy with Llanowar Elves and Druid of the Cowl ramping into Gigantosaurus, Vine Mare, Verdurous Gearhulk, Ghalta, Primal Hunger, and Steel Leaf Champion.
Garbage is a mono-U counterspell build with a couple of chump blockers, a few draw spells, and Torrential Gearhulk built out of leftover cards.
Other Garbage is a mono-B 1 & 2-drop deck that randomly has a bunch of 5-7-drop creatures that somehow have synergy, like Demon of Dark Schemes, Noxious Gearhulk, and Gravewaker.
I hate Standard.
{мы, тьма}
2012: Best (False?) Role Claim - Worst Town Performance (Group) - Best Mafia Performance (Group) - Best SK Performance - Best Overall Player
2013: Best Non-SK Neutral Performance
2014: Best Town Performance (Individual) - Best Town Performance (Group) - Most Interesting Role - Best Game - Best Overall Player
2015: Worst Mafia Performance (Group) - Best Read
2016: Best Town Performance (Group) - Best Town Player - Best Overall Player
20 Swamp (RIX) 194
1 Desert of the Glorified (HOU) 171
1 Cabal Stronghold (DAR) 238
1 Memorial to Folly (DAR) 242
1 Inventors' Fair (KLD) 247
1 Demonlord Belzenlok (DAR) 86
1 Yahenni, Undying Partisan (AER) 74
1 Bontu's Monument (AKH) 225
1 Universal Solvent (AER) 178
1 Pitiless Plunderer (RIX) 81
1 Thallid Omnivore (DAR) 106
1 Aetherflux Reservoir (KLD) 192
1 Jhoira's Familiar (DAR) 220
1 Conqueror's Galleon (XLN) 234
1 The Immortal Sun (RIX) 180
1 Liliana, Death's Majesty (AKH) 97
1 Gilded Lotus (DAR) 215
1 Demon of Dark Schemes (KLD) 73
1 Diabolic Tutor (KLD) 75
1 Mastermind's Acquisition (RIX) 77
1 Razaketh's Rite (HOU) 74
1 Final Parting (DAR) 93
1 Treasure Keeper (AER) 177
1 Twilight Prophet (RIX) 88
1 Vraska's Contempt (XLN) 129
1 Yahenni's Expertise (AER) 75
1 Ravenous Chupacabra (RIX) 82
1 Archfiend of Ifnir (AKH) 78
1 Noxious Gearhulk (KLD) 96
1 Tetzimoc, Primal Death (RIX) 86
1 Paradox Engine (AER) 169
1 Josu Vess, Lich Knight (DAR) 95
1 The Eldest Reborn (DAR) 90
1 Forerunner of the Coalition (RIX) 72
1 Thallid Soothsayer (DAR) 107
1 Fortuitous Find (KLD) 81
1 Open the Graves (M19) 112
1 Rise from the Grave (M19) 117
1 Bontu's Last Reckoning (HOU) 60
1 Defiant Salvager (AER) 56