The Best Decks In Guilds Of Ravnica Standard

The full Guilds of Ravnica set has been previewed, so it’s time to
get to work! GRN Standard is going to be tough to crack, but I have some
great leads where to start for Week One.

First, my Top 10 Standard cards from Guilds of Ravnica, as
discussed on The GAM Podcast:

These ten cards are going to form the backbone of the format. Despite
initially being high on Golgari, the other guilds (except for Izzet)
received so many excellent tools that it’s currently in fourth place.
Unsurprisingly, it’s also one of the most difficult guilds to figure out
what you’re supposed to be doing.

It’s worth noting that two of the cards on my top 10, Pelt Collector and
Hunted Witness, are vital for these creature decks to function. When the
format has mana that mostly enters the battlefield untapped, we benefit
from having impactful Turn 1 plays. Other than Fanatical Firebrand, red is
lacking in good one-drops, whereas white is not.

Boros, led by Tajic and Aurelia, is going to be an excellent choice at any
point, and some version would likely be my pick for Week One.

Boros Aggro

Gerry Thompson

Test deck on 09-21-2018

Standard

Creatures (20)

Planeswalkers (3)

3 Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants

Lands (22)

Spells (15)

Sideboard

Solid creatures at every spot on the curve, removal, card advantage, and
solid mana? We have a winner! One of the downfalls of Boros from what I’ve
seen is the lack of truly great sideboard options, but maybe I haven’t dug
deep enough.

Integrity is perfect for this deck. Not only does it allow you to keep
attacking for minimal investment (which is exactly where Tajic wants to
be), but it also wombo-combos with Swiftblade Vindicator and can help you
finish the game with the Intervention half. Having access to a Lightning
Helix is also important in sideboard games where you’ll likely transition
into a bigger deck in order to combat other aggro decks.

Justice Strike is a nice sideboard option that takes out many of green’s
large threats. Past that, it’s slim pickings. There’s a viable go-big
strategy with Settle the Wreckage, Deafening Clarion, and Lyra Dawnbringer,
but our anti-control options are lacking. Vance’s Blasting Cannons is
great, but it might not be enough.

One of my favorite cards to build around has been Path of Mettle, and I
think we finally have enough good creatures to make it work.

Boros Mettle

Gerry Thompson

Test deck on 09-21-2018

Standard

Creatures (19)

Lands (24)

Spells (17)

Sideboard

The Path of Mettle version of Boros will likely have a better matchup
against control due to Path of Mettle and Heroic Reinforcements being
difficult to deal with, but I could see wanting the one-drops instead.
Legion’s Landing is particularly good against them. This version has some
additional staying power, but I worry about its matchup against decks that
are trying to get under it.

Against other aggressive decks, it probably comes down to how important
Path of Mettle’s enters-the-battlefield effect is against them. Otherwise,
with the lack of one-mana interaction, we’re probably going to have to rely
on our sideboard to carry us.

Integrity is great and I won’t repeat myself too much, but it helps
mitigate the drawback of Relentless Raptor.

Mono-Red Aggro

Gerry Thompson

Test deck on 09-21-2018

Standard

Creatures (26)

Lands (22)

22 Mountain

Spells (14)

Sideboard

Mono-Red Aggro is, as always, one of the litmus tests for a new Standard
format.

Aside from the minor Wizard subtheme, this deck is relatively straight
forward. Runaway Steam-Kin can grow to Tarmogoyf proportions and shouldn’t
be underestimated. The mana ability likely won’t come up often in a deck
like this, although we could build with The Flame of Keld in an attempt to
maximize it. One of the most powerful things you can do is use it to kick a
Fight with Fire, which is a card I don’t mind playing anyway due to the
beefy green and white monsters in the format.

The Detection Tower in the sideboard could potentially be a Zhalfirin Void
or even another Mountain.

Maybe we shouldn’t be playing red aggro without Tajic.

Boros Aggro

Gerry Thompson

Test deck on 09-21-2018

Standard

Creatures (24)

Lands (22)

Spells (14)

Sideboard

You could play Goblin Chainwhirler maindeck over Legion Warboss, but Legion
Warboss seems better for what the deck wants to be doing.

Tajic might play better overall in a deck with heavy red because of all the
spot removal, but the creatures are so much better than the red ones that I
can’t help but lean on a white base. This deck doesn’t look bad at all
though. Having cards like Shock and Lightning Strike to clear the way for
Tajic and Legion Warboss sounds great, especially with Integrity to back
them up.

Wizard’s Lightning could be sketchy here, even in small numbers. There’s a
lot of burn, which scales well the more you have. Still, maybe Viashino
Pyromancer isn’t a card you want to be playing when there are potentially
better options.

If Boros isn’t your thing, thankfully we have the Selesnya Conclave.

Selesnya Tokens

Gerry Thompson

Test deck on 09-21-2018

Standard

Creatures (18)

Lands (23)

Spells (19)

Sideboard

Getting the right mix of enablers and payoffs is going to be difficult and
will likely vary week-to-week. It’s truly an embarrassment of riches.

I like Venerated Loxodon over Trostani Discordant. You want some additional
ways to pump your team and having a convoke option seems incredibly strong.
Delaying your attack for a turn is a downside, but I mostly see it as a
card you can use to play two spells in one turn to get extremely far ahead.

Sprouting Renewal likely won’t get much love, but that’s a tragedy. The
versatility is huge, and while many others are trying to get that from
Knight of Autumn, the instant speed and convoke on the card strike me as
stronger options unless there’s specifically a burn-based deck in the
format.

Flower is another strong card that was previewed late. Being able to fix
your mana early (from either side!) is excellent, especially when it
provides a finisher later in the game. Allowing you to lower your land
count and still curve out is incredible. It, along with District Guide,
will be the unsung heroes of the format.

There are some Goblin Chainwhirler issues here, so we could try using some
bigger creatures in the same Selesnya shell.

Selesnya Knights

Gerry Thompson

Test deck on 09-21-2018

Standard

Creatures (23)

Planeswalkers (2)

2 Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants

Lands (23)

Spells (12)

Sideboard

Pelt Collector and Shanna, Sisay’s Legacy is beautiful. The Knight synergy
is also very strong. Again, this deck has too many good options.

If control is an issue, a black splash could be warranted. These white
sideboards are truly lacking in that department.

What’s a control deck look like anyway?

Azorius Control

Gerry Thompson

Test deck on 09-21-2018

Standard

Planeswalkers (4)

4 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria

Lands (27)

Spells (29)

Sideboard

As much as I wish we could, we shouldn’t forget about Teferi, Hero of
Dominaria. The lack of Hallowed Fountain won’t be enough to stop him.

Truth be told, things don’t seem great for planeswalkers at the moment.
Contrary to the midrange-based format last season, Boros and Selesnya are
both focused on swarming the battlefield, making them able to take down
planeswalkers at will. Teferi into Seal Away or Settle the Wreckage is just
as good as it used to be though. Settle the Wreckage seems incredible at
the moment. If people are guild-based with lots of creatures and very few
ways to interact with spells, it’s going to be a defining card of the
format.

The lack of Hallowed Fountain isn’t the most concerning part of playing
Azorius Control. Without Cast Out, control will probably have to lean on
Blink of an Eye, as playing Conclave Tribunal or Ixalan’s Binding isn’t
exactly an option.

Golgari Midrange

Gerry Thompson

Test deck on 09-21-2018

Standard

Creatures (25)

Planeswalkers (2)

2 Vraska, Golgari Queen

Lands (24)

Spells (9)

Sideboard

I’ll be honest – I have no idea how to build Golgari. Midrange seems the
strongest, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a beatdown version ends up being
the best. Pelt Collector is too good.

This version utilizes self-milling to power up Find and Izoni,
Thousand-Eyed in the lategame. We picked up two great sacrifice outlets for
Stitcher’s Supplier in Plaguecrafter and Vraska, Golgari Queen, so it’s
unlikely you won’t be able to get something out of the 1/1 body.

My removal is widely split because neither seems particularly better suited
for the format at the moment. Each card has their own pros and cons, and
drawing a mix is likely better than drawing too many of one.

Golgari actually gets a real sideboard! Duress, Arguel’s Blood Fast, Ritual
of Soot, and Moment of Craving basically take care of whatever the format
wants to throw at you. For good measure, we have Thrashing Brontodon and
even Deadeye Tracker.

Dimir Surveil

Gerry Thompson

Test deck on 09-21-2018

Standard

Creatures (16)

Lands (24)

Spells (20)

Sideboard

The only thing this deck cares about is eventually sticking a Doom
Whisperer. From there, you’ll want to surveil into as many Narcomoebas and
Creeping Chills as you possibly can. That should lead to a big enough swing
that you’ll be able to take control.

One of the cards that got much better is Moment of Craving. I fully expect
Adanto Vanguard to make an impact, but there’s also Tajic to contend with.
Cast Down unfortunately doesn’t touch either which is unacceptable. The
added lifegain makes Doom Whisperer even more dangerous.

It’s possible that I should be playing some copies of The Eldest Reborn as
another way to stick Doom Whisperer. Lazav is currently filling that role
at the moment. Connive is another reasonable option. Search for Azcanta
doesn’t make the cut in the maindeck, despite transforming relatively
easily, because of the lack of non-creature threats in the deck. With
things like The Eldest Reborn, that could potentially change. After
sideboard, things change quite a bit, as you want protection for Doom
Whisperer and an additional form of card advantage, which Search for
Azcanta provides.

Of all the decks, this is the one I’m least sure about. The ceiling is
high, but there’s virtually no way for me to get this decklist correct
without playing with these cards first. They are so different and the
strategy is unique to Magic, which is both terrifying and exciting.

As for some old-fashioned midrange? There’s always Grixis.

Grixis Control

Gerry Thompson

Test deck on 09-21-2018

Standard

Creatures (8)

Lands (26)

Spells (26)

Sideboard

This deck is mostly the same from last week, but Ritual of Soot cleared up
some of the issues I had with being a little on the slow side. Moment of
Craving also filled in some huge gaps. Now we have a contender!

***

Playing a proactive deck going into the first week of a new format is often
a good choice, so I couldn’t fault anyone for wanting to sleeve up Tajic,
History of Benalia or Pelt Collector and see where the format ends up. It
doesn’t seem too difficult to build a midrange deck to beat up on those
aggressive strategies as long as you have black in your deck though. From
the looks of things, black might be the best color in Standard at the
moment.