Warning!

The decks you are about to see are mostly untested first drafts! They were played Wednesday and Thursday on stream on the release days for March of the Machine on MTG Arena and are my first stabs at the new March of the Machine Standard format. Most are brews jam packed with March of the Machine 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!

Whoa boy does March of the Machine have a lot going on!

Big time legendary character team ups! Crazy new mechanics like incubate! Returning mechanics like convoke! And perhaps most impactful of all is the introduction of a brand new card type in Battles! And this is all on top of the cumulation of perhaps the most epic storyline in Magic's 30-year history, the multiverse-wide invasion of the Phyrexians as they try to take over every plane at once.

That's a lot to take in!

Aside from being the most played format on MTG Arena, Standard has also been experiencing a resurgence in paper due to the recent Regional Championships, current RCQs, and upcoming Pro Tour, and this set promises to shake up an already exciting format.

Today we are going to go over all ten decks I played as part of my Ten New Brews on YouTube and stream, 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 three matches with each deck in best of three so the deck's record will also be included, but do note that these matches were played on the open ladder not during the Early Access event. I was high Diamond at the time of playing these so my opponents are all good players playing mostly meta decks.

Let's go!

There Be Dragons | MOM Standard | Jim Davis

• Creatures (17)
• 2 Rith, Liberated Primeval
• 2 Tyrant of Kher Ridges
• 2 Zurgo and Ojutai
• 3 Atsushi, the Blazing Sky
• 4 Moonveil Regent
• 4 Rivaz of the Claw

• Instants (9)
• 1 Abrade
• 1 Sheoldred's Edict
• 3 Go for the Throat
• 4 Cut Down

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker // Reflection of Kiki-Jiki

• Artifacts (2)
• 2 Reckoner Bankbuster

• Battles (4)
• 4 Invasion of Tarkir // Defiant Thundermaw

• Lands (24)
• 1 Mountain
• 1 Swamp
• 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
• 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• 2 Secluded Courtyard
• 2 Sundown Pass
• 4 Blackcleave Cliffs
• 4 Haunted Ridge
• 4 Plaza of Heroes
• 4 Sulfurous Springs

• Sideboard (15)
• 4 Duress
• 3 The Elder Dragon War
• 1 Abrade
• 2 Graveyard Trespasser // Graveyard Glutton
• 1 Soul Transfer
• 2 Reckoner Bankbuster
• 2 Lithomantic Barrage

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Deck's Record: 1-2*

Deck's Grade: B

Deck Potential: Medium

Standout Card: Zurgo and Ojutai

*As a note, I did massively punt one of these matches on the last turn of a Game 3 I would have won, so the record is a little misleading.

While "Dragon Tribal" is sort of an odd archetype, March of the Machine does provide two cards that directly care about playing a lot of dragons.

Invasion of Tarkir // Defiant Thundermaw is one of the most hyped of the new battle cards, providing a Bonecrusher Giant like effect of being a fine removal spell into a significant threat. However, once you have actual dragons in your deck and you're dealing three or even four or five damage, it starts looking mighty impressive, and it can even go face! Zurgo and Ojutai is another in a long line of 4/4 flying haste dragons for five mana, but is unassailable for the first turn it's in play and can help keep the cards flowing.

Holding it all together is the forgotten Dominaria United rare Rivaz of the Claw, which is what allows for the triple color splash in your Rakdos deck, as well as providing a decent body and some late game recursion - Rivaz is the reason this deck functions. Rith, Liberated Primeval is another big bad dragon to cast with Rivaz, while Plaza of Heroes also helps facilitate the splashes and continues to be one of the best lands in the entire format. Moonveil Regent and Atsushi, the Blazing Sky are no slouches either, making this an exciting take on the midrange deck.

There's a decent amount of power here, but while it looks like you'd go over the top of more traditional midrange decks you may struggle with the really big decks.

Mentor Flash | MOM Standard | Jim Davis

• Creatures (10)
• 2 Overcharged Amalgam
• 2 Raff, Weatherlight Stalwart
• 3 Monastery Mentor
• 3 Skrelv, Defector Mite

• Planeswalkers (3)
• 1 Archangel Elspeth
• 2 The Wandering Emperor

• Instants (17)
• 1 Surge of Salvation
• 2 Spell Pierce
• 3 Fateful Absence
• 3 Protect the Negotiators
• 4 Consider
• 4 Make Disappear

• Enchantments (7)
• 3 Skrelv's Hive
• 4 Wedding Announcement // Wedding Festivity

• Lands (23)
• 4 Island
• 5 Plains
• 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 1 Otawara, Soaring City
• 4 Adarkar Wastes
• 4 Deserted Beach
• 4 Seachrome Coast

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Grafted Identity
• 4 Invasion of Gobakhan
• 2 Disdainful Stroke
• 2 Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
• 2 Destroy Evil
• 1 Skrelv's Hive
• 1 Surge of Salvation

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Deck's Record: 2-1

Deck's Grade: B+

Deck Potential: Surprising?

Standout Card: Skrelv's Hive

The simple fact is that counterspells are very good in this format.

There are so many cards like Fable of the Mirror-Breaker or Reckoner Bankbuster that are just a pile of value you can't touch with a single removal spell, and that's to say nothing of the unbeatable top-end of cards like Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Etali, Primal Conqueror // Etali, Primal Sickness, and Farewell. Counterspells are the only card type that answers these cards cleanly, providing a great one for one exchange that trades up heavily on mana and card quality.

However, what decks can play with counterspells and still be effective?

Remember Bitterblossom? This deck plays surprisingly a lot like the old Fairies decks; you stick one of your enchantments early that provides a stream of threats, and then stay untapped and interacting with your opponent while you gain more and more of an advantage. Couple this with great flash threats like The Wandering Emperor and you've got the makings of a pretty awesome tempo deck.

Monastery Mentor and Raff, Weatherlight Stalwart join up here as supplemental threats, with Monastery Mentor playing both offense and defense, and Raff providing some much-needed card draw and value.

While the list would need tuning, there's a lot of good stuff happening here.

Donkey Kong & Bowser | MOM Standard | Jim Davis

• Creatures (18)
• 1 Vorinclex // The Grand Evolution
• 3 Atsushi, the Blazing Sky
• 3 Etali, Primal Conqueror // Etali, Primal Sickness
• 3 Kogla and Yidaro
• 4 Armored Scrapgorger
• 4 Contagious Vorrac

• Instants (2)
• 2 Abrade

• Sorceries (6)
• 2 Nahiri's Warcrafting
• 4 Strangle

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker // Reflection of Kiki-Jiki

• Artifacts (2)
• 2 Reckoner Bankbuster

• Battles (4)
• 4 Invasion of Zendikar // Awakened Skyclave

• Lands (24)
• 5 Forest
• 5 Mountain
• 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
• 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
• 4 Copperline Gorge
• 4 Karplusan Forest
• 4 Rockfall Vale

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Flame-Blessed Bolt
• 2 Reckoner Bankbuster
• 3 Brotherhood's End
• 2 Burn Down the House
• 2 Squee, Dubious Monarch
• 2 Thrun, Breaker of Silence
• 1 Lukka, Bound to Ruin
• 1 Nahiri's Warcrafting

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Deck's Record: 2-1

Deck's Grade: B+

Deck Potential: Medium to High

Standout Card: Etali, Primal Conquerer // Etali, Primal Sickness

Go big! Standard hasn't seen a pure ramp deck in a while, but March of the Machine brings us a number of big bangers.

Etali, Primal Conquerer // Etali, Primal Sickness is right up there with Atraxa, Grand Unifier for the role of "best big creature" in the format. While Atraxa does provide more overall cards as well as a better body, Etali has the advantage of providing the much larger impact to the board. There are definitely times the Atraxa player taps out for Atraxa, but while it draws six cards the opponent is able to kill it with Go for the Throat and attack for lethal. Etali lets you cast two additional spells, providing a much greater board presence to defend yourself with. Kogla and Yidaro is also one of the most underrated cards in the set, giving you a split card of a huge threat as well as a great cantrip removal spell.

As far as ramp goes, the new Invasion of Zendikar // Awakened Skyclave does a great Explosive Vegetation impression, but also has the bonus of only having three defense, which means that one shot from a Contagious Vorrac will gain you access to a pretty potent creature in Awakened Skyclave. Contagious Vorrac helps to play defense as well while keeping the lands flowing, while Armor Scrapgorger provides ramp, graveyard hate, and eventually a threat.

The deck is also full of an array of excellent and proven Standard cards, with new technology Atsushi, the Blazing Sky looking awesome, and the always excellent Fable of the Mirror-Breaker and Reckoner Bankbuster. Throw in some removal spells like Abrade and the new Nahiri's Warcrafting and you've got the complete package.

While it's a little soft to counterspells, this deck is throwing some really heavy hitters around. It would be very easy to splash a color to shore up weaknesses as well, which means there's room to grow here too.

New Robot Overlords | MOM Standard | Jim Davis

• Creatures (30)
• 2 Annex Sentry
• 2 Bloated Processor
• 2 Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim
• 2 Elesh Norn // The Argent Etchings
• 2 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
• 2 Vraan, Executioner Thane
• 3 Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor
• 3 Skrelv, Defector Mite
• 4 Crawling Chorus
• 4 Grafted Butcher
• 4 Phyrexian Censor

• Instants (4)
• 2 Cut Down
• 2 Go for the Throat

• Enchantments (3)
• 3 Skrelv's Hive

• Lands (23)
• 3 Plains
• 3 Swamp
• 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 1 Secluded Courtyard
• 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• 2 Mirrex
• 4 Caves of Koilos
• 4 Shattered Sanctum
• 4 The Seedcore

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Cut Down
• 4 Duress
• 1 Go for the Throat
• 1 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
• 2 Phyrexian Fleshgorger
• 2 Annex Sentry
• 1 Skrelv's Hive
• 2 Sheoldred

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Deck's Record: 1-2

Deck's Grade: C+

Deck Potential: Medium If Reworked

Standout Card: Bloated Processor

There are a lot of Phyrexians in Standard.

Even not counting March of the Machine, you've got Phyrexians pouring in from all the sets in the format. Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor is a great card draw engine if you're aggressive, Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim and Vraan, Executioner Thane provide a bunch of direct damage, and Skrelv, Deflector Mite does a nice Mother of Runes impression as needed.

But of course, all of these cards were already legal, so there needed to be a push from March of the Machine... which there certainly is!

Bloated Processor was the real prize here and absolutely needs to be a four-of, with perhaps the focus of the deck shifting more towards a sacrifice-and-drain strategy with Elas il-Kor and Vraan as more of a centerpiece. Grafted Butcher was also excellent, providing a great lord effect, menace, and even recursion. However, Phyrexian Censor was a total bust. The double spell part was almost never relevant, and there's enough Phyrexians in the format and other opposing decks that it's not even guaranteed to do anything.

Skrelv's Hive was great, and would be even better if the deck leaned into the sacrifice theme with Bloated Processor, while Elesh Norn also plays pretty well in that space. Black of course also has some of the best removal in the format, making this deck look like it could have legs.

There's definitely something interesting here!

Eight Impulse | MOM Standard | Jim Davis

• Creatures (16)
• 2 Feldon, Ronom Excavator
• 2 Phoenix Chick
• 4 Falkenrath Pit Fighter
• 4 Khenra Spellspear // Gitaxian Spellstalker
• 4 Monastery Swiftspear

• Instants (10)
• 2 Stoke the Flames
• 4 Lightning Strike
• 4 Play with Fire

• Sorceries (10)
• 2 Strangle
• 4 Reckless Impulse
• 4 Wrenn's Resolve

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Kumano Faces Kakkazan // Etching of Kumano

• Lands (20)
• 18 Mountain
• 1 Mishra's Foundry
• 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Chandra, Dressed to Kill
• 2 Strangle
• 2 Lithomantic Barrage
• 2 Cemetery Gatekeeper
• 1 Mishra's Foundry
• 2 Furnace Punisher
• 3 Nahiri's Warcrafting

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Deck's Record: 1-2

Deck's Grade: C-

Deck Potential: Low to Medium

Standout Card: Khenra Spellspear // Gitaxian Spellstalker

Red decks have had a real issue in this Standard format, and it mostly goes by the name of Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, but it's also just an issue of the midrange cards just all being so powerful that the Red deck just can't keep up. Well, what about drawing a ton of cards for cheap?

Wrenn's Resolve is a functional reprint of Reckless Impulse, allowing you to play up to eight copies of the effect if you want to, and when you add in the prowess effects of Monastery Swiftspear and the wonderful new Khenra Spellspear // Gitaxian Spellstalker that gives you a ton of velocity as you burn through your deck. To play this many card draw effects, you need to keep your curve super low so you can be sure to play both cards off of Wrenn's Resolve.

There are some very high-quality cards in this deck; Kumano Faces Kakkazan is an excellent Red 1-drop that sees play in Pioneer, Feldon, Ronom Exavator is a solid 2-drop, and while Stoke the Flames is an awesome reprint it's only okay in this deck so it's just at two copies.

That being said, there just doesn't feel like there's enough raw power here to make serious moves.

We Are ElfBorg | MOM Standard | Jim Davis

• Creatures (32)
• 4 Citanul Stalwart
• 4 Elvish Vatkeeper
• 4 Gala Greeters
• 4 Glissa, Herald of Predation
• 4 Jinnie Fay, Jetmir's Second
• 4 Leaf-Crowned Visionary
• 4 Llanowar Loamspeaker
• 4 Rustvine Cultivator

• Instants (2)
• 2 Pile On

• Sorceries (3)
• 3 Glistening Dawn

• Lands (23)
• 7 Forest
• 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
• 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• 2 Ziatora's Proving Ground
• 4 Deathcap Glade
• 4 Llanowar Wastes
• 4 Secluded Courtyard

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Cut Down
• 2 Go for the Throat
• 2 Glissa Sunslayer
• 4 Duress
• 2 Tear Asunder
• 2 Nissa, Ascended Animist

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Deck's Record: 2-1

Deck's Grade: B

Deck Potential: Surprising

Standout Card: Glissa, Herald of Predation

This was one of the more out there lists I tried, but showed surprising promise.

Jinnie Fay, Jetmir's Second got a lot of hype when it was first released in Streets of New Capenna, but failed to make a serious impact. Well, she's got some great new friends in incubate tokens! Because the tokens are created with +1/+1 counters on them, those transfer over to the tokens that Jinnie Fay makes. This means that incubate 2 will create either a 4/4 haste cat or a 5/3 vigilance dog. That's real good!

Glissa, Herald of Predation is a great place to go, being an already powerful card by itself that can make two 4/4 haste creatures every turn with Jinnie in play, while Glistening Dawn is the way to go really big, making two 6/6 haste creatures on turn four. That's quite the synergy, but the cards themselves are also just fine if played straight up.

Holding this all together is a surprising elf core, as both Glissa and Jinnie Fay are elves, which makes Secluded Courtyard an excellent mana-fixing land. You really need all of your lands to tap for Green to support Jinnie Fay, but Black to cast Glissa and friends, which Secluded Courtyard gets done. Leaf-Crowned Visionary is an interesting payoff for playing elves, while Gala Greeters also plays very well with Jinnie.

The elf plan may not be worth it, but there's no doubt that the core of Jinnie Fay plus incubator tokens was surprisingly effective!

Count von Count | MOM Standard | Jim Davis

• Creatures (24)
• 2 Kodama of the West Tree
• 3 Bloated Contaminator
• 3 Hopeful Initiate
• 4 Botanical Brawler
• 4 Dusk Legion Duelist
• 4 Quirion Beastcaller
• 4 Siege Veteran

• Planeswalkers (5)
• 1 Elspeth Resplendent
• 2 Ajani, Sleeper Agent
• 2 The Wandering Emperor

• Sorceries (2)
• 2 Homestead Courage

• Enchantments (3)
• 3 Ossification

• Artifacts (3)
• 3 Ozolith, the Shattered Spire

• Lands (23)
• 5 Forest
• 7 Plains
• 3 Overgrown Farmland
• 4 Brushland
• 4 Razorverge Thicket

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Elspeth Resplendent
• 2 Boon-Bringer Valkyrie
• 4 Invasion of Gobakhan
• 2 Anointed Peacekeeper
• 2 Destroy Evil
• 1 Ossification
• 2 Skrelv, Defector Mite
• 1 Archangel Elspeth

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Deck's Record: 0-3

Deck's Grade: B-

Deck Potential: Much Higher Than Record Would Indicate

Standout Card: Dusk Legion Duelist

Sometimes everything goes wrong in your games, but despite the 0-3 record there were some pretty cool things happening here.

The best two were how impressive both Dusk Legion Duelist and Ozolith, the Shattered Spire were. Dusk Legion Zealot was phenomenal, drawing cards, playing offense and defense, and not dying to The Wandering Emperor, and was definitely the major draw to the deck. Also excellent was Ozolith, the Shattered Spire, which provided a big power boost as well as an excellent mana sink; four copies is non-negotiable going forward.

Also very impressive were the planeswalkers that constantly create counters. There's no doubt that The Wandering Emperor is a phenomenal Magic card, but Elspeth Resplendent, a card that is usually lackluster, was also very impressive here. Both these cards provided a ton of value and the sticky threat you really want.

While these parts were great, figuring out the rest of the deck is going to be the trick. There are a lot of possible options for this deck, but the correct mix needs to be figured out.

Somehow, Hazoret Has Returned | MOM Standard | Jim Davis

• Creatures (34)
• 1 Ertai Resurrected
• 1 Loran of the Third Path
• 2 Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
• 2 Inga and Esika
• 2 Lagrella, the Magpie
• 2 Thalia and The Gitrog Monster
• 3 Djeru and Hazoret
• 3 Hajar, Loyal Bodyguard
• 3 Katilda, Dawnhart Prime
• 3 Melira, the Living Cure
• 4 Gwenna, Eyes of Gaea
• 4 Jodah, the Unifier
• 4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben

• Lands (26)
• 1 Forest
• 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
• 1 Deserted Beach
• 1 Dreamroot Cascade
• 1 Haunted Ridge
• 1 Otawara, Soaring City
• 2 Copperline Gorge
• 2 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 2 Spara's Headquarters
• 3 Jetmir's Garden
• 3 Razorverge Thicket
• 4 Plaza of Heroes
• 4 Secluded Courtyard

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Dennick, Pious Apprentice // Dennick, Pious Apparition
• 2 Halana and Alena, Partners
• 2 Lagrella, the Magpie
• 1 Ertai Resurrected
• 2 Disdainful Stroke
• 2 Unlicensed Hearse
• 2 Destroy Evil
• 2 Loran of the Third Path

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Deck's Record: 1-2

Deck's Grade: B-

Deck Potential: Medium

Standout Card: Gwenna, Eyes of Gaea

I do love me some Jodah, the Unifier, and Djeru and Hazoret give you another excellent 5-drop to work with.

Jodah has already proven itself many times so far, but the new Djeru and Hazoret calls back shades of Winota, Joiner of Forces, a card that's currently banned in Pioneer for being too powerful. Being able to cast cards for free by simply attacking is excellent, and because Djeru and Hazoret can have haste and you can use it immediately, you don't even need to have an attacker already in play when you cast it.

However, you need to both cast your spells as well as empty your hand for Djeru and Hazoret to have haste, which makes Gwenna, Eyes of Gaea the secret weapon in this deck. Gwenna allows for turn four Jodah or Djeru and Hazoret, but will also untap and grow so you can immediately cast a 3-drop. For Jodah this means you can cascade right away, and for Djeru and Hazoret this means you've got a chance to get another card out of your hand.

Add in the already proven legends core, backed up by the awesome mana fixing of Plaza of Heroes and Secluded Courtyard, and you've got an excellent upgrade to an already exciting deck!

Tezzy & The Sharks | MOM Standard | Jim Davis

• Creatures (13)
• 2 Malcator, Purity Overseer
• 3 Surge Engine
• 4 Chrome Host Seedshark
• 4 Norn's Inquisitor

• Planeswalkers (4)
• 4 Tezzeret, Betrayer of Flesh

• Sorceries (4)
• 4 Sunder the Gateway

• Enchantments (5)
• 2 Touch the Spirit Realm
• 3 Ossification

• Artifacts (10)
• 2 The Mightstone and Weakstone
• 4 Moonsnare Prototype
• 4 Reckoner Bankbuster

• Lands (24)
• 6 Island
• 6 Plains
• 4 Adarkar Wastes
• 4 Deserted Beach
• 4 Seachrome Coast

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Lantern of the Lost
• 2 Destroy Evil
• 2 Annex Sentry
• 3 Disdainful Stroke
• 2 Negate
• 1 Karn, Living Legacy
• 1 Cityscape Leveler
• 1 Ossification

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Deck's Record: 0-3

Deck's Grade: D

Deck Potential: Very Low

Standout Card: Sunder the Gateway

The idea was simple.

Tezzeret, Betrayer of Flesh plays amazingly well with incubator tokens, while Chrome Host Seedshark is excellent at making incubator tokens. However, there are just about a dozen problems.

The list could go on and on, but these are not fringe sideboard cards or anything. Because of the prevalence of Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Reckoner Bankbuster, Wedding Announcement, and so on, many of these cards see maindeck play across a variety of decks.

To fight through this much hate your deck needs to be pretty busted, but this deck is certainly not Ravager Affinity circa 2004.

Maybe it's possible to make Chrome Host Seedshark work, because the card is pretty powerful, but overcoming Brotherhood's End is a scary prospect.

And that's it!

"But wait Jim" you say, "that's only nine decks!"

You got me!

Which leads to...

The Mystery 10th Brew

We're going to do a crossover episode!

Tune in on Monday for my usual CoolStuffInc.com video, where I'll be playing the tenth and final brew, "Temur Loam Friends" as well as doing the usual writeup in the accompanying article.

This is a big set for me as there is once again a Pro Tour coming up, so the brewing will continue until morale improves!