Ever since launching Magic Arena in beta, competitive Magic: The Gathering has been more accessible and affordable than ever. The online format, with multiple free to play options, allows any level of player to build a deck and grind their way through the ranking ladders to earn a spot at the brag-worthy Mythic tier. To do that, players are going to need the right deck.
Just like in traditional paper Magic: The Gathering, the main limiting factor in building a competitive standard deck is budget. In order to build many of the most successful standard decks, players need to have access to a lot of Mythic and Rare cards. In Magic Arena, that means winning a lot of drafts, spending a lot of money, or saving up Gold for a long time. Luckily, not every competitive deck relies on 4x rares at nearly every slot.
To help new players get started in Ranked Mode, Game Rant has compiled our two favorite budget decks that can easily be built with just a handful of Mythic and Rare Wildcards. They each have a very different playstyle, so select the one that better suits your brand of Magic and head into some ranked matches. Good luck!
Mono Red Aggro
No surprise here. In just about any format rotation, there will always be a version of Red Deck Wins that players can throw together for competitive play. The focus on best of one matches in Arena make Red even stronger on this platform. Here is an example decklist that only requires a handful of Rares:
Creatures (29)
4 Ghitu Lavarunner
4 Viashino Pyromancer
4 Fanatical Firebrand
4 Runaway Steam-Kin
4 Goblin Chainwhirler
4 Electrostatic Field
2 Rekindling Phoenix
3 Legion Warboss
Spells (32)
4 Shock
4 Light Up the Stage
4 Lightning Strike
4 Wizard's Lightning
4 Skewer the Critics
2 Risk Factor
4 Lava Coil
2 Fight with Fire
1 Banefire
3 Fiery Cannonade
Enchantments (1)
1 Experimental Frenzy
Lands (20)
20 Mountain
Mono Blue Tempo
Creatures (24)
4 Siren Stormtamer
4 Merfolk Trickster
4 Tempest Djinn
4 Pteramander
1 Mist-Cloaked Herald
3 Surge Mare
2 Exclusion Mage
2 Faerie Duelist
Planeswalkers (1)
1 Jace, Cunning Castaway
Spells (28)
4 Dive Down
3 Spell Pierce
4 Wizard's Retort
2 Essence Capture
3 Negate
1 Entrancing Melody
1 Chart a Course
4 Opt
1 Disdainful Stroke
4 Opt
1 Blink of an Eye
Enchantments (6)
4 Curious Obsession
2 Deep Freeze
Lands (19)
19 Island
Both of these decks win tournaments and show up at the highest levels of Arena play consistently. They have each been in the top 10 decks in the Arena metagame for quite a while and are reliable choices. Players who want to become masters of each of these decks should head over to Twitch and find a streamer who specializes in one of them (not a hard task). For now, building the deck and just diving into some casual play is the best way to get a feel for each deck before heading to Ranked Play.
The metagame is due to shift in the near future when Throne of Eldraine arrives this fall, but players have a bit of time left to tackle the current metagame before that release. As the new set approaches, we'll be posting spoilers, limited and constructed analysis, and any other new strategies that emerge.
Over the last year, Mono Blue Tempo has proven to be the real deal. The deck has some insane draws and allows a control minded player to shut players out of the game and win at surprising speeds. This type of deck usually isn't realistic without a lot of expensive cards, but this build is actually pretty feasible for the average Arena player to pull together with a handful of Wildcards:
Be sure to check back in the near future for more Magic: The Gathering and Magic Arena strategy guides, news, and updates. Until then, stay lucky.
Magic Arena is available now in select regions on Android and iOS devices.