Throne of Eldraine is here! By the time this article is you will be able to watch myself and other content creators on Twitch and YouTube battle with ELD cards in the Throne of Eldraine release event sponsored by Wizards of the Coast. On September 26 an update to MTG Arena will make the new cards available online. After that it is off to the races to see who can break the format!

Throne of Eldraine has five mythical artifacts with high casting costs that can be played for less by meeting the requirements of the card. I shall take up the adventure of building a deck for each artifact, and in doing so thereby complete the five mythical quests of Eldraine.

The White Quest

The Circle of Loyalty is an amazing resource for an aggressive strategy. It boosts all your creatures, including tokens and non-knights, meaning you are not limited to Knight Tribal decks. It rewards you for playing legendary spells of all kinds, including more copies of The Circle of Loyalty. The casting cost reduction quest requires Knights, so a Knight Tribal deck is an obvious home. If we reach four Knights on the board, we can play this for the low cost of, but I would settle for casting this for three or four mana because the effect is still very powerful.

The Circle of Knight Life | Eldraine Standard | CovertGoBlue 9-22-2019

• Creatures (27)
• 1 Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice
• 1 God-Eternal Oketra
• 2 Fervent Champion
• 2 Smitten Swordmaster
• 2 Venerable Knight
• 3 Murderous Rider
• 4 Acclaimed Contender
• 4 Inspiring Veteran
• 4 Knight of the Ebon Legion
• 4 Worthy Knight

• Planeswalkers (3)
• 1 Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord
• 2 Gideon Blackblade

• Artifacts (6)
• 2 Steelclaw Lance
• 4 The Circle of Loyalty

• Lands (24)
• 1 Mountain
• 1 Plains
• 2 Swamp
• 1 Castle Ardenvale
• 3 Fabled Passage
• 4 Blood Crypt
• 4 Godless Shrine
• 4 Sacred Foundry
• 4 Tournament Grounds

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Getting all there is to gain from The Circle of Loyalty is tough. We want early Knights from a three color mana base that just lost the checklands so the anthem can come down early and have a solid effect. We also want some legendary creatures and spells to get those free Knight tokens, and the legendary Knights do not look strong right now.

Our early creature package is exciting if we can cast them on curve. Knight of the Ebon Legion, Worthy Knight, Inspiring Veteran, and Acclaimed Contender will fill the battlefield with power and toughness in a hurry, and The Circle of Loyalty will push it further. If things move into the midgame we have powerful legendary cards to carry the day in Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice, God-Eternal Oketra, and Gideon Blackblade.

Filling out the curve is the package or Steelclaw Lance and Fervent Champion which are all right on their own but great together. Venerable Knight is a decent 1-drop. Murderous Rider is an amazing removal spell that I would make a four-of if the mana didn't scare me a little because you cannot cast the Adventure side of the card using Tournament Grounds.

Speaking of the mana, we should keep in mind that the cavalier cycle from Core Set 2020 has creature-type Knight, and we could try to run Cavalier of Night, Cavalier of Flame, and Cavalier of Dawn. I found the mana tough as it is, and having to run basic lands to take advantage of Fabled Passage pushed me away from the triple-color mythic cycle.

What about Stormfist Crusader? Is this card good or is it junk? Drawing cards is great! A 2/2 menace is all right. Damaging the opponent can be nice and provide reach and a quicker clock. This is a card to watch and something I want to play with before I endorse crafting it.

The Red Quest

Embercleave offers a unique challenge to aggressive decks looking to wield its power. On one hand you want many attacking creatures to reduce the cost. On the other hand, you need a large creature to benefit from the boost and the abilities. You won't impress anyone by making your 1/1 into a 2/2 double strike trampler. How do find the right mix of tall and wide?

Duel of the Fates | Eldraine Standard | CovertGoBlue 9-22-2019

• Creatures (33)
• 3 Fervent Champion
• 3 Rankle, Master of Pranks
• 3 Stormfist Crusader
• 4 Bonecrusher Giant
• 4 Dreadhorde Butcher
• 4 Knight of the Ebon Legion
• 4 Murderous Rider
• 4 Robber of the Rich
• 4 Rotting Regisaur

• Artifacts (3)
• 3 Embercleave

• Lands (24)
• 6 Mountain
• 6 Swamp
• 4 Blood Crypt
• 2 Castle Embereth
• 2 Castle Locthwain
• 4 Fabled Passage

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Thirty-three creatures, three artifacts, twenty-four land. It shouldn't be hard to cast Embercleave for a low cost, and nothing carries a sword better than a seven-powered dinosaur! Don't overlook the beauty of deathtouch with Embercleave thanks to Knight of the Ebon Legion. When Dreadhorde Butcher has double strike he gets a +1/+1 counter each time he hits the opponent.

The creature count of this deck is one thing I love about it. Even the removal spells are creatures thanks to the new Adventure mechanic. Murderous Rider and Bonecrusher Giant may be two of the best cards in the set, and this deck makes use of both of them. Either of these two would be happy to carry Embercleave.

If you read the massive text box of Robber of the Rich enough times you will realize you may cast the stolen spell any turn you attacked with a Rogue. Good Rogues are hard to find, but Rankle, Master of Pranks is up for the job. Add an Embercleave to Rankle, Master of Pranks and you get double the prank action!

The Blue Quest

Filling the graveyard with instants and sorceries has already been the theme of a successful Standard archetype, so let's lean into it with a new reflective surface as part of the plan.

It's Like Your My Mirror | Eldraine Standard | CovertGoBlue 9-22-2019

• Creatures (11)
• 3 Faerie Vandal
• 4 Arclight Phoenix
• 4 Crackling Drake

• Planeswalkers (3)
• 3 The Royal Scions

• Instants (15)
• 3 Chandra's Triumph
• 4 Opt
• 4 Shock
• 4 Thrill of Possibility

• Sorceries (4)
• 4 Discovery // Dispersal

• Enchantments (2)
• 2 Improbable Alliance

• Artifacts (3)
• 3 The Magic Mirror

• Lands (22)
• 3 Mountain
• 6 Island
• 2 Castle Vantress
• 3 Fabled Passage
• 4 Steam Vents
• 4 Temple of Epiphany

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Arclight Phoenix seemed dead in all formats a few weeks ago, but maybe there is still hope for the big red bird. A steady flow of cards from The Magic Mirror will find the birds and keep them coming back for more.

Thrill of Possibility has big shoes to fill. Chart a Course and Tormenting Voice are gone, and Arclight Phoenix needs a reliable way to reach the graveyard. The instant speed of Thrill of Possibility is only a marginal improvement, but the real new hero might be The Royal Scions. That +1 ability is a great way to drop off our birds, and a Crackling Drake with trample is no joke. How about using the -8 ability with a full grip courtesy of The Magic Mirror? That could be as much damage as you have cards in your deck!

The "draw your second card each turn" clause is something the is leaning into in Throne of Eldraine, and this deck looks like a place to try out the mechanic in Constructed. Maybe Goblin Electromancer should have these slots but I want to see how these cards hold up.

The Black Quest

A graveyard full of creatures is certainly a flavorful quest for Black. The Cauldron of Eternity is a pretty amazing card if you can fill your graveyard with creatures worth reanimating. Don't worry too much about creatures going to the bottom of the deck once The Cauldron of Eternity is in play, if you have plenty of self-mill in the deck you will get to keep filling the graveyard up again.

Witchy Woman | Eldraine Standard | CovertGoBlue 9-22-2019

• Creatures (26)
• 1 Corridor Monitor
• 3 Agent of Treachery
• 3 Cavalier of Night
• 3 Gingerbrute
• 4 Cauldron Familiar
• 4 Emry, Lurker of the Loch
• 4 Vantress Gargoyle
• 4 Wall of Lost Thoughts

• Sorceries (2)
• 2 Blood for Bones

• Artifacts (8)
• 1 Witching Well
• 2 Golden Egg
• 2 Witch's Oven
• 3 The Cauldron of Eternity

• Lands (24)
• 6 Island
• 6 Swamp
• 2 Castle Locthwain
• 2 Castle Vantress
• 4 Fabled Passage
• 4 Watery Grave

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I feel I dove into a rabbit hole and made more of an Emry, Lurker of the Loch deck, but I have no regrets. This card is a pretty impressive pile of value. Milling yourself is a huge part of the plan, and Emry, Lurker of the Loch is a great value engine on her own. Of course she also lets you cast The Cauldron of Eternity from your graveyard as well, increasing the chances you will have your key artifact when you want it.

To play Emry, Lurker of the Loch early and create a nice value engine with or without The Cauldron of Eternity we are playing a lot of neat artifacts for our merfolk wizard to find. Gingerbrute can come down on turn one and attack pesky Teferi, Time Ravelers that try to ruin your fun. Vantress Gargoyle can fill both graveyards and become a massive threat that Emry, Lurker of the Loch can recycle.

Here's a combo you should get used to. If your strategy relies on a creature that can be endlessly chump-blocked (such as a giant Ajani's Pridemate) these cards should make you reconsider. Cooking your own cat and feeding the cat itself to bring back the cat sounds far from flavorful, but it will be very popular. In this deck we are dumping a lot of cards into the graveyard, and it may not be hard to get all our cats in the yard at some point. Cauldron Familiar can be sacrificed to Blood for Bones and Cavalier of Night to create more value. Be careful of the text on The Cauldron of Eternity that sends the kitties to the bottom of the deck once the mythic artifact is in play.

All that work to fill the graveyard to play The Cauldron of Eternity has to pay off. My favorite reanimator targets in the format right now are Agent of Treachery and Cavalier of Night. You could talk me into a copy of Massacre Girl and Vilis, Broker of Blood. I omitted them here because I was worried about my artifact count for Emry, Lurker of the Loch. Is the idea to run a Meteor Golem or two absolutely crazy?

The Green Quest

The Great Henge does a lot! It is not every day that you get a ramp spell, a life engine, card draw and creature buffing all in one card. The card doesn't count all of the power you have on your side of the board like Ghalta, Primal Hunger does. Only your largest monster buffs The Great Henge. Seven is a magic number, and if you control a 7 power creature this card is almost free since it makes two mana the turn you cast it. I would also be happy to pay three or four mana for this effect, so six and 5-power monsters should make this card playable.

Eat the Rich | Eldraine Standard | CovertGoBlue 9-22-2019

• Creatures (22)
• 3 Cauldron Familiar
• 3 Savvy Hunter
• 4 Feasting Troll King
• 4 Gilded Goose
• 4 Rotting Regisaur
• 4 Wicked Wolf

• Planeswalkers (4)
• 4 Oko, Thief of Crowns

• Instants (4)
• 4 Once Upon a Time

• Sorceries (4)
• 4 Giant Opportunity

• Artifacts (5)
• 2 Witch's Oven
• 3 The Great Henge

• Lands (21)
• 1 Island
• 1 Swamp
• 3 Forest
• 1 Castle Garenbrig
• 3 Fabled Passage
• 4 Breeding Pool
• 4 Overgrown Tomb
• 4 Watery Grave

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You aren't getting out of this article without a dedicated Food deck. When it comes to casting The Great Henge I want 7 power on the battlefield, and this deck has a few reliable ways to get there.

Rotting Regisaur can cast The Great Henge for two mana, but it can also discard Feasting Troll King. If you get three foods together you can bring the troll noble right out of the graveyard ahead of schedule. You only need two Food tokens to make a 7/7 Giant token with Giant Opportunity, and if you don't have those Food tokens Giant Opportunity will serve you up three Food tokens that could pull a Feasting Troll King out of the graveyard.

It is quite possible that the Food synergies are the main course and The Great Henge is just the desert. Cards like Oko, Thief of Crowns, Gilded Goose, and Wicked Wolf play together just fine without extra help. Savvy Hunter is an underrated card that can convert Food tokens into cards, and that can be what this deck needs if a game goes long. I also love keeping some Cauldron Familiar's around just to give my opponent a cat they don't want with Oko, Thief of Crowns.

There is so much to explore in Throne of Eldraine that these brews have only scratched the surface. Come support my quests and adventures September 24. Wizards of the Coast is sponsoring a number of content creators like myself, Jim Davis, Ali Aintrazi, and more by giving us special accounts stocked with every card from Throne of Eldraine to show off on Twitch. See you there!