One of the biggest questions in Standard is how to improve your matchup against aggro. This deck has proven time and again that it is the most robust and flexible strategy in the format. So how do you gain edges against that kind of strategy? The key seems to be blanking the spot removal like Abrade and Unlicensed Disintegration while still playing deploying creatures that are too big for them to deal with. That sounds like a tall order, but this new strategy may be a great way to solve the problem:
Green-Black Hexproof - Core Set 2019 Standard | Warren138, 5-0 Standard League
- Creatures (19)
- 2 Rhonas the Indomitable
- 2 Verdurous Gearhulk
- 3 Carnage Tyrant
- 4 Jadelight Ranger
- 4 Thorn Lieutenant
- 4 Vine Mare
- Instants (8)
- 4 Fatal Push
- 4 Vraska's Contempt
- Enchantments (7)
- 3 Cartouche of Ambition
- 4 Trial of Ambition
- Lands (26)
- 6 Swamp
- 7 Forest
- 2 Ifnir Deadlands
- 3 Hashep Oasis
- 4 Blooming Marsh
- 4 Woodland Cemetery
- Sideboard (15)
- 1 Cartouche of Ambition
- 2 Doomfall
- 4 Duress
- 4 Glint-Sleeve Siphoner
- 2 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
- 2 Vivien Reid
This is sort of a take on Hexproof in Standard. Your goal is to play as many resilient threats as possible to help blank opposing removal spells. You start with Thorn Lieutenant, curving into Rhonas the Indomitable, Vine Mare, and Carnage Tyrant. These are threats that don't care especially much about removal and can outclass opposing creatures with relative ease.
That said, even if you can blank their removal, the various Red decks in the format can still just race you. Fortunately, that's what Cartouche of Ambition is for. This card will frequently eat a creature like Bomat Courier while giving Vine Mare lifelink and creating an enormous life swing. This gets even more out of hand in conjunction with Verdurous Gearhulk pumping your various hexproof monsters.
When you backup these threats and pump effects with enough efficient removal to contain aggro decks, you end up with a strategy that does really well against any deck that depends primarily on spot removal and creatures to control the game. Doomfall is a card that can give you some trouble, but so long as that card is primarily in sideboards, this seems like a fantastic choice for most fair matchups.