Warning!

The decks you are about to see are mostly untested first drafts! They were played live on stream during the special Early Access event on MTG Arena this Wednesday and are my first stabs at the Kaldheim Standard format. Most are brews jam packed with Kaldheim cards, while there are also a few updates to previously established archetypes, but it's important to note that these are the first steps and not finished products! Use them as stepping stones for your own deck brewing process, but play them card for card at your own risk!

Is it getting a little cold in here? Must be time for Kaldheim! Magic's newest set is here, bringing us into a Norse-mythology inspired world with dwarves, frost giants, and gods. With it comes a whole host of new cards to Standard, from new concepts like Foretell to old classics like sagas, that need to be melded into a fairly well-established format. And these cards have so many words on them!

Today as per usual we're going to go over all ten decks I built and played on my stream Wednesday during the Early Access Streamer event, briefly going over each list and my thoughts on how it was, giving it a letter grade, and talking about what kind of potential it has going forward. I played five games with each deck in best of one so the deck's record will also be included.

Let's go!

Yorion Angel Doom | KHM Standard | Jim Davis

• Companion (1)
• 1 Yorion, Sky Nomad

• Creatures (9)
• 2 Archon of Sun's Grace
• 3 Yorion, Sky Nomad
• 4 Acquisitions Expert

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 2 Calix, Destiny's Hand

• Instants (2)
• 2 Heartless Act

• Sorceries (3)
• 3 Doomskar

• Enchantments (31)
• 2 Elspeth's Nightmare
• 3 Elspeth Conquers Death
• 3 Rampage of the Valkyries
• 3 Treacherous Blessing
• 4 Binding the Old Gods
• 4 Doom Foretold
• 4 Firja's Retribution
• 4 Lithoform Blight
• 4 The Birth of Meletis

• Lands (33)
• 1 Forest
• 2 Swamp
• 4 Plains
• 1 Temple of Malady
• 1 Temple of Plenty
• 4 Branchloft Pathway
• 4 Brightclimb Pathway
• 4 Darkbore Pathway
• 4 Fabled Passage
• 4 Indatha Triome
• 4 Temple of Silence

• Sideboard (1)
• 1 Yorion, Sky Nomad

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Deck's Record: 4-1

Deck's Grade: A

Deck Potential: Very High

Yorion, Sky Nomad has been one of the best cards in Standard since it's printing, even after the companion nerf.

The ability to easily gain a ton of card advantage while also putting a huge flier in play is a valuable one and Yorion doesn't really ask much as it plays well with so many cards that are already good by themselves. Using Yorion as a companion is easy because there are so many good cards available in the format, while also just playing Yorion straight up is quite good too.

Well Standard just got a whole lot better for the sky noodle:

There's a whole host of new sagas in Kaldheim and they are good. Sagas already play very well with Yorion allowing them to reset and be used again, but two new ones in particular curve perfectly with Yorion on turn four and five. Binding the Old Gods is one of the best cards in the set, being everything that Doomsprout always wanted to be, while Firja's Retribution is a little more narrow but still extremely potent, sort of a super Serra Angel/Ravenous Chupacabra variant. Both these cards get to trigger twice before getting flickered by Yorion on turn five, which is quite good.

Throw in the underrated Rampage of the Valkyries and you've got a nice little angel subtheme in your already powerful Yorion deck. Colors may shift, but Yorion is still way up there in the power rankings. This is one to watch.

Tergrid Discard Pox | KHM Standard | Jim Davis

• Creatures (21)
• 2 Demon's Disciple
• 3 Rankle, Master of Pranks
• 4 Acquisitions Expert
• 4 Dream Devourer
• 4 Elderfang Disciple
• 4 Tergrid, God of Fright

• Planeswalkers (4)
• 4 Liliana, Waker of the Dead

• Instants (3)
• 3 Soul Shatter

• Sorceries (8)
• 2 Pelakka Predation
• 3 Blood on the Snow
• 3 Bloodchief's Thirst

• Lands (24)
• 18 Snow-Covered Swamp
• 2 Castle Locthwain
• 4 Faceless Haven

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Deck's Record: 2-3

Deck's Grade: C

Deck Potential: Medium

When I first read Tergrid, God of Fright, I assumed it must have been a mistranslation.

While not exactly super easy to pull off and stapled to a clunky five mana creature, the effect on Tergrid, God of Fright is out of this world. Turning any of your opponent's discarded or sacrificed permanents right around against them for free is incredible and will singlehandedly swing games in your favor. The great news is that cards like your opponent's sagas and Fabled Passage already sacrifice themselves, but we've got our own cards to set up too.

Both Liliana, Waker of the Dead and Rankle, Master of Pranks are solid cards in their own right, but curve perfectly into Tergrid. The underrated Dream Devourer, basically Pentad Prism on a stick, also can help by reducing the cost of Tergrid and allowing you to double spell the turn you cast her. You really want immediate activation off Tergrid if poossible before your opponent can react.

This is all built around a discard/resource denial shell that is a bit underpowered but makes sense. Unfortunately, the results with this one weren't great but I do think there's some serious promise here. The mere fact that Tergrid is so good against sagas warrants a second look.

Giant Bidding | KHM Standard | Jim Davis

• Creatures (17)
• 1 Calamity Bearer
• 1 Frostpyre Arcanist
• 1 Surtland Flinger
• 2 Aegar, the Freezing Flame
• 2 Doomskar Titan
• 2 Thryx, the Sudden Storm
• 4 Bonecrusher Giant
• 4 Quakebringer

• Instants (9)
• 2 Heartless Act
• 3 Thirst for Meaning
• 4 Thrill of Possibility

• Sorceries (9)
• 2 Extinction Event
• 2 Haunting Voyage
• 2 Shatterskull Smashing
• 3 Glimpse the Cosmos

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Battle of Frost and Fire

• Lands (21)
• 1 Island
• 2 Temple of Epiphany
• 3 Temple of Deceit
• 3 Temple of Malice
• 4 Blightstep Pathway
• 4 Clearwater Pathway
• 4 Riverglide Pathway

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Deck's Record: 3-2

Deck's Grade: C-

Deck Potential: Low to Medium

Perhaps the most meme deck of the bunch, casting Haunting Voyage to put Doomskar Titan and a bunch of giants in play just seemed like an awesome thing to be doing.

Of course, if that's all that was going on it wouldn't be that exciting, but there's actually some good graveyard stuff going on with giants anyway. Casting the front half of Glimpse the Cosmos feels awful, but flashing it back for a super Ponder that doesn't cost a card is great. Quakebringer is another card that is pretty awful if you cast it, but getting it in the graveyard feels nice.

Battle of Frost and Fire is another awesome giant payoff card that also helps to fill the graveyard and is probably one if the biggest pulls towards the archetype in general, while Thirst for Meaning and Thrill of Possibility can churn through your deck and put the right cards in your graveyard. And of course, you've got Bonecrusher Giant which is still one of the best spells in the format.

The Haunting Voyage part of this wasn't super exciting, but the giant cards themselves are pretty good and there may be something here.

Frosty Stompy | KHM Standard | Jim Davis

• Creatures (29)
• 2 Scavenging Ooze
• 2 Swarm Shambler
• 3 Questing Beast
• 3 Syr Faren, the Hengehammer
• 3 Yorvo, Lord of Garenbrig
• 4 Lovestruck Beast
• 4 Nessian Hornbeetle
• 4 Old-Growth Troll
• 4 Wildwood Tracker

• Sorceries (8)
• 4 Blessing of Frost
• 4 Blizzard Brawl

• Lands (23)
• 23 Snow-Covered Forest

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Deck's Record: 2-3

Deck's Grade: C

Deck Potential: Surprisingly Low

This was the deck I thought was just a simple and straightforward path to some quick wins in the Early Access stream, but instead it couldn't even muster a winning record.

The snow cards were actually very good too, as Blessing of Frost and Blizzard Brawl are two of the biggest sleepers in Kaldheim. Unfortunately, the issue was with the supporting cast. Too many Grizzly Bears and weak 1-drops make the early turns difficult, and the deck doesn't use Lovestruck Beast well because it wants to pump up it's 1/1s.

The synergy with Syr Faren, the Henge Hammer is cool, but it feels like the threat base just isn't there for this deck, despite Old-Growth Troll being awesome. However, Blessing of Frost is still extremely good and just needs to find the right home.

Changeling Party | Standard KHM | Jim Davis

• Creatures (24)
• 1 Tazri, Beacon of Unity
• 2 Masked Vandal
• 2 Usher of the Fallen
• 3 Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate
• 4 Archpriest of Iona
• 4 Guardian Gladewalker
• 4 Squad Commander
• 4 Tajuru Paragon

• Instants (4)
• 1 Practiced Tactics
• 3 Concerted Defense

• Enchantments (8)
• 4 Journey to Oblivion
• 4 The Bears of Littjara

• Lands (24)
• 1 Island
• 3 Forest
• 3 Plains
• 2 Temple of Plenty
• 3 Fabled Passage
• 4 Barkchannel Pathway
• 4 Branchloft Pathway
• 4 Hengegate Pathway

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Deck's Record: 3-2

Deck's Grade: C+

Deck Potential: Medium

Ever since Zendikar Rising I've been trying to party. Unfortunately, it hasn't always been easy.

However, changelings have returned and breathe new life into the archetype. As we saw from the excellent Tajuru Paragon, being able to have a wildcard in your party lineup is huge, which is exactly what Changelings bring to the table. This also leads to the real draw and a real sleeper of Kaldheim:

Left uncontested, The Bears of Littjara is a 4/4 Ravenous Chupacabra for three mana. It obviously a little more complicated than that, but that's a nice floor! When you actually have more changelings in your deck things scale nicely, which helps push Guardian Gladewalker and Masked Vandal over the edge of playability.

This also means we can lean in harder on the party synergy cards, as changeling means that assembling a full party is no longer a pipe dream but the primary goal. The full party effects on Squad Commander and Linava are both excellent, leading to some nice synergy. Concerted Defense is still also phenomenal against many decks.

The issue with party has been only having one good 1-drop, and I actually overlooked a very good one for the deck in Jaspera Sentinel. Providing a turn one play, mana fixing, a rogue, and some ramp is all very appealing and will probably help speed the deck up considerably, making it a must add for future versions of the deck.

Angels in the Outfield | KHM Standard | Jim Davis

• Creatures (17)
• 1 Legion Angel
• 2 Baneslayer Angel
• 2 Skyclave Cleric
• 4 Renegade Reaper
• 4 Righteous Valkyrie
• 4 Youthful Valkyrie

• Instants (3)
• 1 Cling to Dust
• 2 Heartless Act

• Sorceries (6)
• 2 Emeria's Call
• 4 Agonizing Remorse

• Enchantments (12)
• 2 Elspeth Conquers Death
• 3 Rampage of the Valkyries
• 3 The Birth of Meletis
• 4 Firja's Retribution

• Lands (22)
• 7 Plains
• 7 Swamp
• 4 Brightclimb Pathway
• 4 Temple of Silence

• Sideboard (3)
• 3 Legion Angel

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Deck's Record: 4-1

Deck's Grade: B+

Deck Potential: Medium to High

We've already seen Firja's Retribution and Rampage of the Valkyries in the Yorion deck, but here we've got a more proper "Angels" deck. How is that possible?

Well, I certainly wouldn't try drafting angels! For some reason there are 20 cards that are in Kaldheim but only available in set boosters, not draft boosters. Among those cards are Youthful Valkyrie, Renegade Reaper, and the very powerful Rampage of the Valkyries - the cards that really allow you to fill out the curve and make a true angels deck.

Add this to the already absurd Firja's Retribution, a few already legal angels like Baneslayer Angel, and a nice enabler in Righteous Valkyrie and you've got a pretty sweet midrange deck.

The Early Access stream is best of one only, but once you get a sideboard a Blue splash may be very nice. Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate is a good 3-drop that offers some help against Doomskar and removal, while sideboarded counterspells like Negate, Disdainful Stroke, and Mystical Dispute could be huge in the difficult control matchups.

Casper's Revenge | KHM Standard | Jim Davis

• Creatures (26)
• 2 Eidolon of Obstruction
• 4 Ascendant Spirit
• 4 Clarion Spirit
• 4 Ghostly Pilferer
• 4 Shacklegeist
• 4 Skyclave Apparition
• 4 Usher of the Fallen

• Instants (8)
• 4 Defiant Strike
• 4 Opt

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Rally the Ranks

• Lands (22)
• 9 Snow-Covered Island
• 9 Snow-Covered Plains
• 4 Hengegate Pathway

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Deck's Record: 2-3

Deck's Grade: D+

Deck Potential: Low

While there are now enough spirits to field a reasonable deck, this deck looks like it is straight out of 2004. Unfortunately, this is just isn't how Magic is played any more.

Rally the Ranks is certainly an excellent anthem effect and a worthy payoff for being tribal, but power creep on threats and creatures is so high in this day and age that the rest of your cards need to really matter too. Cards like Ascendant Spirit, Ghostly Pilferer, and Eidolon of Obstruction just aren't doing enough.

Clarion Spirit is very good and a card that is worth exploring, but there just isn't enough power here. If you don't put together all the right pieces and top off on Rally the Ranks or Skyclave Apparition you won't be able to cross the finish line before your opponent's better cards come into play. If there are some good spirits in the next set it is something to keep an eye on though.

Treasure Food | KHM Standard | Jim Davis

• Creatures (29)
• 1 Shimmer Dragon
• 2 Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge
• 3 Bonecrusher Giant
• 3 Wicked Wolf
• 4 Cosima, God of the Voyage
• 4 Goldspan Dragon
• 4 Jaspera Sentinel
• 4 Magda, Brazen Outlaw
• 4 Gilded Goose

• Instants (2)
• 2 Snakeskin Veil

• Sorceries (2)
• 2 Shatterskull Smashing

• Enchantments (2)
• 2 Trail of Crumbs

• Artifacts (3)
• 1 Embercleave
• 2 Witch's Oven

• Lands (22)
• 2 Mountain
• 8 Forest
• 4 Barkchannel Pathway
• 4 Cragcrown Pathway
• 4 Riverglide Pathway

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Deck's Record: 4-1

Deck's Grade: A-

Deck Potential: High

Now this deck is more like a 2021 Magic deck! All it takes is mythic rares, mana acceleration, and small pockets of synergy. The food engine is already well established, but Kaldheim brings us a new treasure engine.

Goldspan Dragon is undoubtably one of the best cards in the set, providing immediate and powerful board presence with mana generation. Protecting it with Snakeskin Veil is also easy and a tempo swing that will likely end the game on the spot. Magda, Brazen Outlaw is also phenomenal, being everything that Wily Goblin ever wanted to be. Magda helps make treasure to ramp in concert with Jaspera Sentinel, The Omenkeel, or just regular old combat, and can also tutor out powerful one-ofs in Shimmer Dragon and Embercleave.

Graft this onto the already proven food engine and Bonecrusher Giant and you've got a deck jam packed with power. It's hard to know exactly what the right tools are in this shell, as you can go Black instead of Blue or you can try playing Kinnen, Bonder Prodigy, but there's no doubt there is a very good deck here.

Second Verse | KHM Standard | Jim Davis

• Companion (1)
• 1 Lurrus of the Dream-Den

• Creatures (26)
• 3 Codespell Cleric
• 3 Skyclave Shade
• 4 Bloodsky Berserker
• 4 Clarion Spirit
• 4 Seasoned Hallowblade
• 4 Selfless Savior
• 4 Serrated Scorpion

• Instants (13)
• 1 Cling to Dust
• 2 Heartless Act
• 2 Malakir Rebirth
• 4 Defiant Strike
• 4 Village Rites

• Sorceries (2)
• 2 Agadeem's Awakening

• Lands (19)
• 5 Swamp
• 8 Plains
• 2 Temple of Silence
• 4 Brightclimb Pathway

• Sideboard (1)
• 1 Lurrus of the Dream-Den

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Deck's Record: 4-1

Deck's Grade: B-

Deck Potential: Medium

Another shot at Clarion Spirit!

This deck is trying to take advantage of the "second spell" mechanic from Kaldheim, which gives you a bonus when you play your second spell in a turn. Both Clarion Spirit and Bloodsky Berserker have excellent ceilings, providing you with an army of fliers or a huge evasive attack for only two mana. Codespell Cleric is a little less powerful, but will often at worst be a 2/2 for one mana. You can also spread the counter where it is useful and sacrifice the 1/1.

This is all grafted onto an aggressive shell that can use Village Rites, Skyclave Shade, and Lurrus of the Dream-Den to play later into games. With so many 1 mana spells, many of which draw cards, playing two spells a turn won't be difficult.

It's scrappy, but this deck went an impressive 4-1. The deck definitely excels against removal, with Selfless Savior to protect Spirit and Berserker and Skyclave Shade and Seasoned Hallowblade very hard to deal with. This one was a nice surprise.

Godly Devotion | KHM Standard | Jim Davis

• Creatures (29)
• 2 Alrund, God of the Cosmos
• 2 Brazen Borrower
• 3 Corridor Monitor
• 3 Barrin, Tolarian Archmage
• 3 Thassa, Deep-Dwelling
• 4 Arcanist's Owl
• 4 Cosima, God of the Voyage
• 4 Gadwick, the Wizened
• 4 Thassa's Oracle

• Sorceries (2)
• 2 Sea Gate Restoration

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Bind the Monster

• Artifacts (4)
• 4 Nyx Lotus

• Lands (21)
• 19 Island
• 2 Castle Vantress

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Deck's Record: 5-0

Deck's Grade: A

Deck Potential: Surprisingly High!

Well with Kaldheim here it's time to build around the major mechanic of the set that came out last year, right?

Devotion never really got going in Standard, as there just weren't really enough good tools and payoffs, but Mono-Blue Devotion was a bit fringe and saw some mild success. The combination of Nyx Lotus with Arcanist's Owl, Thassa's Oracle, and Gadwick, the Wizened was capable of producing a ton of mana and cards, but there weren't always enough pieces to make it consistent.

Well, Kaldheim brings some godly help to the fold!

Cosima, God of the Voyage, or more importantly the flip side of The Omenkeel is a huge addition to the deck, giving it a great early creature that can help make land drops and be aggressive. Cosima isn't bad either, giving the deck a card draw engine if the game bogs down. Having both sides at your disposal makes for a very flexible card. Alrund, God of the Cosmos is also very interesting, as the flip side can crew early, block, and also be exile and flipped by Thassa.

The result is a deck that can go off like a combo deck if Nyx Lotus is allowed to resolve, but can also be aggressive if necessary.

One thing this deck definitely does need however is more copies of Castle Vantress and Sea Gate Restoration, as they're basically free in the mana base and there were a number of games we had a ton of mana and nothing to do with it.

This deck was quietly the biggest and most impressive surprise of the entire batch, I'm excited to see where it goes!

A New Realm of Standard

This ended up being a pretty sweet batch of brews and it's nice to see most of the various deck types represented here. There's a lot of words to unpack on these Kaldheim cards, as it feels like one of the wordiest sets in a long time, which means there's going to need to be a good amount of trial and error.

The Eldraine cards certainly do loom a bit over the format, but I'm super excited to keep working on these brews and more. There were at least another ten decks that I wanted to build and just didn't get to and I'm stoked to start trying them all out. Look for those and more in future articles right here on CoolStuffInc.com!