I guess everybody has a favourite deck that gets chosen when you need to win a game in the most reliable way

Which one of your builds have the higest winrate in Arena?

To my dismay, mine is an old friend, just tweaked with some Core cards...and one that I even don't particularly like, which gets me a bit rustled...but I can't deny the evidence, this one is the most reliable, it has game against basically everything, or at least the kind of builds I face at mid-high Gold, Bo1. It applies early pressure while having late game, it can go wide or tall, handle grounders and fliers, and the big mama Chandras are the last piece of the puzzle



(and it's not even optimized...for example, it lacks the 4th Phoenix etc...and still it performs better than any other I have, weird...looks a bit like junk, with those 1, 2 and 3-offs, but this is what gives me the best results, including better than the version with 4 Nissas, which I have...)

What's yours?

8 Island (RIX) 193
6 Forest (RIX) 196
4 Breeding Pool (RNA) 246
3 Hinterland Harbor (DAR) 240
1 Thornwood Falls (M20) 258
1 Woodland Stream (RIX) 191
4 Frilled Mystic (RNA) 174
4 Brineborn Cutthroat (M20) 50
2 Syncopate (DAR) 67
4 Nightpack Ambusher (M20) 185
4 Essence Scatter (M19) 54
4 Sinister Sabotage (GRN) 54
2 Negate (M20) 69
2 Opt (XLN) 65
3 Unsummon (M20) 78
1 Unwind (DAR) 72
4 Merfolk Trickster (DAR) 56
2 Spell Pierce (XLN) 81
1 Temple of Mystery (M20) 255

Two of the tap lands should be scry lands but I don't have them or the 4th Hinterland Harbour. I switch between 4/2 and 2/4 on Essence Scatter and Negate depending on what catagory I'm playing in or what I've been running into. Wish there were better 2 mana counter spells.

So almost standar Sismic Flash...Unwind surprises me, looks a bit weak, does it work for you? And no Sailors, the only draw engine?

I have a strange love/hate relatioship (oigh!) with that deck...it utterly wrecked my ass so many times that I ended spending all the WCs to build it, and then faced a chain of RDWs, Vamps (read:Ebons) and Monoblue that got under me, it was like a joke...a sad one. Besides, I don't really like the draw-go style...probably I'm just too bad at Magic to really play that kind of deck at good level

Anything aggressive to either win quickly or lose quickly and you don’t have to think too hard what to play. I often end up using Sleep Aggro to get some dailies out of the way viewtopic.php?f=63&t=22322&p=628488

I did that too, or course...until I got sick of playing RDW again and again. Still, a slight different question, the fastest isn't exactly the most reliable

Talking about boring decks, I think I'm gonna make a thread about funniest decks

No sailor is just a byproduct of testing a more counterspell heavy version. But I've been winning without them. Been using that decklist for 2 or 3 days now and I'm happy with it. I do wish I had more Instant speed draw. Maybe that one you can play a second time from your GY.

Unwind is for a couple of situations. I like to use it during my EoT when they are trying to get me to tap out before they untap. It's also good against other control decks.

I'm winning more with this deck than I am Scapeshift. I also prefer interactive decks over combo decks.

Esper Hero.

I think orzhov Vamps for me ATM

You got a link to your version? Can't quite settle on one I like

Dimir Fake News really, if I had to pick just one.

You Esper Hero fans should follow BBD (Brian Braun-Duin), https://www.twitch.tv/mtgbbd . He is the authority in all things Esper Hero, also a fun guy to watch.

Atm, regisaur Red is at 65+% win-rate on the ladder (90% against rdw so far).

What is it? Rdw with 10 BR duals, 4 rotting regisaur for chainwhirlers and 4 butchers for viashinos.
It eats RDW for breakfast.

I think regisaur deserves a spot on the my rakdos pile... Gonna burn 2 WCs on him and see how it goes

Well, it is the most mana efficient creature in standard right now, with 7 power for 3 mana, 6 toughness ensures that decks with red removal will have to 2-for-1 themselves to get rid of it and it's pretty damn hard to race.
All you need to do is play it in a deck that doesn't really want or need cards in hand, so that's why I thought it would be a perfect fit in RDW...
The problem with rakdos is the lure of trying to play interesting cards that look good in theory, like Judith, but end up underperforming all too often and the fact that most of them end up raising your curve and ultimately making what should be an agressive kick-ass deck, slow and clunky.

I like Jonhny Rotten in my Bones for Blood builds

I’d say for me the most reliable for the percentage win is Boros Mentor. For a good while Mono G Explore was decent for a while but was weak versus control. Another decent enough deck of mine is Azorius small tempo deck, relying on fast small creatures with life gain synergy and tempo plays and flying evasion to go over the top. Given the weakness to board wipes I have a control version that packs cheap counterspells but it’s not been as reliably consistent as it’s main version. Until rotation white has done decent tools against large creature decks and token decks. On the control side I tend to favour Rakdos over Esper in part as mana is better and Top Tier Esper is expensive on the wildcard front. SD

Sephara aleviated that weekness a lot



One thing I love from this deck is that once she comes down, you can just attack with her and let the rest of the team untapped as indestructible blockers. Siren protecting her is also a huge deal. I have won games that looked truly hopeless by surprise blocking with Rally of Wings (the untap part is key) and then slamming the big fat ass angel. Trample is still a problem, but big tramplers are usually costly, and this deck is quite fast...

Here's a great one that I ran into in Bo1 Ranked. I only had to spend 4 WCs to build it so I went for it and boy have I been having fun since.

3 Llanowar Elves (M19) 314
13 Forest (ANA) 60
4 Paradise Druid (WAR) 171
1 Llanowar Elves (DAR) 168
2 Temple of Mystery (M20) 255
3 Hinterland Harbor (DAR) 240
4 Leafkin Druid (M20) 178
4 Nissa, Who Shakes the World (WAR) 169
4 Gargos, Vicious Watcher (M20) 172
3 Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner (WAR) 232
4 Voracious Hydra (M20) 200
4 Hydroid Krasis (RNA) 183
4 Breeding Pool (RNA) 246
3 Island (WAR) 255
4 Leyline of Abundance (M20) 179


I've seen Growth Spiral, Mending of Dominaria, Gift of paradise, Risen Reef in this deck and I think they all slow the damn thing down. By the time you get to T3 you should be dropping a big Hydra or Nissa. Both end up leading to a Win. I've also seen people aggressively mulligan just for a Leyline. Don't be stupid. A playable hand with 7 cards in hand is better than 6 or 5 cards in hand with this deck. You can easily empty your hand too early if you mulligan needlessly. Besides, by T4, a Leyline in hand usually only takes 2 lands to play, maybe only 1 if you have Kiora in play too. Don't discount Kiora, she's your card advantage if you're playing Hydra's that aren't Hydroid Krasis. Plus she can pull 6 mana from 1 forest, with Nissa in play as well.

I was thinking on trying something similar, tho I feel 4 Gargos is too much...I'll try with the couple I have...and what I have somehow is the full set of Lotus Field, awesome with Kiora...maybe 3 is a good number of them? 4 sounds a bit risky

Very tempted to try the Temur version, for the Phoenixes and Reckless Rage, which I know is amazing with Gargos from another shell I made...sadly, I don't have any Ilharg, another good one

What do you call "big" Hydra, and how can you do that t3? With the best possible hand, 5/5 Hydra is the limit, and that with Elves and Leyline and good lands, which I guess happens 1/6 of time, tops (less than 40% of 40% for having both in the original 7)

This is my current favorite Bo1 deck:

Four Color Scapeshift

4 Arboreal Grazer (WAR) 149
4 Elvish Rejuvenator (M19) 180
3 Hydroid Krasis (RNA) 183
4 Teferi, Time Raveler (WAR) 221
1 Forest (XLN) 277
1 Island (XLN) 265
1 Azorius Guildgate (RNA) 243
4 Plaza of Harmony (RNA) 254
1 Golgari Guildgate (GRN) 248
2 Breeding Pool (RNA) 246
4 Field of the Dead (M20) 247
1 Glacial Fortress (XLN) 255
2 Hallowed Fountain (RNA) 251
1 Hinterland Harbor (DAR) 240
1 Dimir Guildgate (GRN) 245
1 Selesnya Guildgate (GRN) 256
1 Simic Guildgate (RNA) 257
1 Sunpetal Grove (XLN) 257
2 Temple Garden (GRN) 258
1 Temple of Mystery (M20) 255
1 Thornwood Falls (M20) 258
1 Orzhov Guildgate (RNA) 253
1 Omniscience (M19) 65
4 Growth Spiral (RNA) 178
4 Circuitous Route (GRN) 125
4 Mastermind's Acquisition (RIX) 77
4 Scapeshift (M19) 201
1 Swamp (XLN) 268

2 Recollect (M19) 197
1 Shifting Ceratops (M20) 194
1 Ixalan's Binding (XLN) 17
1 Scholar of the Ages (M20) 74
1 Dovin's Veto (WAR) 193
1 Thousand-Year Storm (GRN) 207
1 Omniscience (M19) 65
1 Overflowing Insight (XLN) 66
1 Inescapable Blaze (GRN) 107
1 Cry of the Carnarium (RNA) 70
1 The Elderspell (WAR) 89
1 Planar Cleansing (M20) 33
2 Time Wipe (WAR) 223