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Main » Articles » The Ten Things You Need to Know About the Ten Best Decks in MOM Standard

The Ten Things You Need to Know About the Ten Best Decks in MOM Standard

Michael Flores
Posted on May 2, 2023
 Reddit

Standard under Phyrexia: All Will Be One was among the most dynamic formats... Well... Ever. The printing of Atraxa, Grand Unifier created a roller coaster of a format with more twists and turns - maybe ups and downs and swerves - than the odd season of 24. Strategies went from dominant to tumbleweeds (and back again)... And even longtime Staples like Invoke Despair shifted in value dramatically over the course of a format where no cards were added or banned.

With many players still trying to get their bearings around whether good old Sheoldred (wait... can we just call her "Sheoldred" now that there is an actual card with the unmodified name "Sheoldred"?) was best; or if we should be copying infinite Aos with Blade of Shared Souls, new set March of the Machine is already breaking and rebuilding the machine of what, joyfully, seems to be becoming once again the Standard format.

Let's look at Ten decks with as many unique points of view and meaningful additions.

1. Some Men Just Want to Watch the World Burn

Mono-Red Aggro | MOM Standard | StormQrow, 5-0 MTGO Standard League

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The first of two Mono-Red Aggro decks we'll look at today, StormQrow's is a meaningful departure from anything we'd seen in the previous format. And with good reason: It's got not only a ton of new cards, but a new card type that debuted in March of the Machine. StormQrow plays a Battle.

Invasion of Regatha // Disciples of the Inferno is like the bloody love child of Char and Searing Blaze.

Char
Searing Blaze

If you know your coverage, you know how important Char was to arguably the most famous top deck in Pro Tour history. Packing four damage into one card used to cost its caster two life! But Invasion of Regatha is like a Char - albeit one that can mostly only go to the opponent's face - but gets a little un-kicked Searing Blaze action tacked on.

Well maybe "only the opponent's face" is a little unfair. Invasion of Regatha can also damage another Battle if you think that might come up. And it might! StormQrow at least played four such Battles in this deck.

StormQrow held firm to many of the core deck-building elements of Mono-Red over the last year or so. They're still starting on Kumano Faces Kakkazan // Etching of Kumano and Monastery Swiftspear. But the Swiftspear is joined on the Prowess front by Khenra Spellspear // Gitaxian Spellstalker. This is kind of a big deal because the Jackal Warrior doesn't have haste! So there had best be some kind of payoff for playing it.

It turns out there are two. One of them is if you flip this card, it is just lousy with keywords. Trample and Prowess? Sorry, double Prowess! Kill on sight, no? Sorry, that's not quite so easy... Not with Ward to boot. The double Prowess on Khenra Spellspear is really gaudy, and works well with what are ultimately this build's signatures.

Invasion of Regatha // Disciples of the Inferno
Stoke the Flames

This deck plays eight cards that can deal four damage to the opponent with a single card. That creates a unique offensive structure that simply lowers the bar on how many cards StormQrow has to draw before shifting into the Red Deck's inevitability mode. Transforming into Disciples of the Inferno gives this build yet another ferocious high-end threat that is synergistic with all the rest of the Prowess... But does a great job of exploiting spells being cast whatsoever.

One note about this deck: I'd expect if StormQrow's take catches on, we'll see the main deck Rending Flame replaced with Nahiri's Warcrafting. The new version isn't as fast as Rending Flame, and lacks some of its upside potential against Sheoldred (on upkeep) or Dennick (on the back side)... But Rending Flame just isn't a synergistic card with the offensive flavor of this main deck. Nahiri's Warcrafting will give you some similar anti-Sheoldred functionality, but keep the deck moving at the same time... For the same cost.

2. One Sword Keeps Another in the Sheath

Some men want to watch the world burn, no?

How do you explain this?

Mono-Red Aggro | MOM Standard | Swiftclaw_, 8th Place MTGO Standard Challenge 4/29/2023

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As a connoisseur of Red Decks, this one from Swiftclaw_ is going to demand a lot of study from Yours Truly. I just don't understand it. I want to make sure you - yes you - know it exists; but I don't really get why we would add Sword of Once and Future to the Red Deck.

Again, we see Khenra Spellspear // Gitxian Spellshaper. So, there is a lot of incentive to just making a creature bigger if it has all those keywords (most notably Trample).

Maybe Bloodfeather Phoenix can carry a Sword over the battlefield! That is another new card; and one you shouldn't be too surprised to see. It is notoriously difficult to keep down... Only Swiftclaw_'s deck isn't really that set up to exploit the Phoenix's resurrection protocols. In fact, it's barely set up to exploit Sword of Once and Future once that card is online. There aren't that many instants and sorcieries in this build; and one of them is Strangle. Oh, and Nahiri's Warcrafting can't be cast by the Sword at all.

But I just assume I'm ignorant at this point; having never played with the Sword myself. But it must be great, otherside how could...

3. Apparently White Just Plays Swords Now, Too?

Mono-White | MOM Standard | L1XO, 5-0 MTGO Standard League

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I for one am in favor of anything creating some volatility for the White Weenie contingent of the Standard metagame. There are only three copies of Thalia, Guardian of Thraben in L1X0's starting sixty. This might be to help accommodate the Swords... But there are also a handful of other spells (presumably for the Sword to cast).

4. Faerie Mastermind is not a Legend

... But is apparently so good it is the only new creature to crack the tight constraints of the Esper Legends lineup.

Esper Legends | MOM Standard | CREATOR, 1st Place MTGO Standard Challenge 4/30/2023

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What does the new World Champion signature card add to one of the most established decks in the metagame?

It is a mirror-breaker. For one thing, Faerie Mastermind (one in the main, one in the side) flies. The card drawing ability only looks symmetrical before you actually activate it the first time.

Esper Legends is a powerhouse deck, but one of its limitations is that it plays almost entirely at sorcery speed. Well, not when you add Faerie Mastermind! This card gives the deck a little nuance for controlling matchups, where its combination of flash and aggression (and of course card advantage) all build advantages.

But no; Yuta Takahashi's enduring contribution to Magic: The Gathering is the only creature in this archetype that can't be protected by Plaza of Heroes. Heck of a teammate to Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, though.

5. Speaking of Legends, the Best One Appears to be Red

How do I know this? Because numerous big spell or Reanimator decks seem to be biasing their top ends away from last-set It Girl Atraxa, Grand Unifier and toward Etali, Primal Conqueror // Etali, Primal Sickness. To wit:

Rakdos Reanimator | MOM Standard | David1987, 4th Place MTGO Standard Challenge 4/30/2023

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Here we have an update to Rakdos Reanimator with two major updates:

  1. Instead of four copies of Atraxa, we have only one... And three Etali

  2. Sheoldred, the Apocalypse has been relegated completely from main deck to the sideboard!

That second one is a doozy, huh?

In place of Sheoldred, David1987 played four copies of The Elder Dragon War at the four. This seems a little odd, as Chapter III, while potent as a 4/4 flyer, still pales in comparison to Sheoldred in most matchups. That said, Chapter I gives this build some unexpected extra resistance to go-wide strategies... But I think it's Chapter II that earned the Saga its place in this deck.

Fable of the Mirror-Breaker // Reflection of Kiki-Jiki is great, right? What if you just played more?

The Elder Dragon War on turn four can help set up The Cruelty of Gix on turn five by dumping Atraxa (or Etali) into the graveyard... Or for that matter, finding The Cruelty of Gix!

So, let's talk about Etali a second in Reanimator. Clearly this deck - with its eight-pack of discard Saga and dedicated Zombify Sagas - is optimized to grab fatties from the grumper. But why move away from the potential "draw seven" of Atraxa to a mere "draw two" via the Elder Dinosaur? Etali doesn't just draw two... It also plays the cards for you. More than that, it steals from the opponent. The more powerful the opponent's deck, the more powerful Etali is. Look for this card to create impact in far more contexts than just Reanimator.

Like...

6. Some People Will Do Anything to Get Etali in Play

Even play Green!

Green Domain| MOM Standard| Oderus Urungus, 3rd Place MTGO Standard Challenge 4/30/2023

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In this deck, Oderus Urungus treats Etali like a post-Ramp hit. The goal is to Ramp up mana with Topiary Stomper and another one of those newfangled Battles - Invasion of Zendikar // Awakened Skyclave - to be able to untap and cast a giant 7/7.

The curve is natural. If you're casting Invasion of Zendikar on turn four, four becomes six; your next land drop can presumably hard-cast either Atraxa or Etali. For its part, Invasion of Zendikar is a pretty serviceable card. Its front-side is basically Explosive Vegetation. Twenty years ago now, Huey Jensen helped to establish his eventual Hall of Fame career on the back of Explosive Vegetation into fatties.

Green-White Vegetation | Onslaught Block Constructed | William Jensen, #3-4 Pro Tour Venice 2003

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Now in 2023 the Battle update doesn't just make giant threats, it provides an opportunity for careful selection. Have Etali in your hand? Grab two mountains. Or is it Atraxa? Oderus Urungus has exactly one Island and one Swamp for Atraxa-hard-casting purposes.

This kind of deck is notorious for falling behind early. If you need to catch up before landing your game-winning 7/7, two of the three Plains might be your proper pick: Sunfall is a heck of a way to square the battlefield... And when you can pay both kickers, Archangel of Wrath is on a completely different level.

7. Other People Will Just, You Know, Cast Etali

Boros Control | MOM Standard | pepeisra, 6th Place MTGO Standard Challenge 4/30/2023

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I was initially a little hesitant to include this deck today, especially with so many different takes on White Control in this Top X list; but Pepeisra actually made Top 8 of consecutive Challenges on consecutive days with essentially the same deck, so I figure this is probably one of the stronger choices you can make.

What's going on here? Pepeisra is just playing... A White Control deck? But with Etali.

No no, that's the whole thing. There is just Etali, Primal Conqueror // Etali, Primal Sickness in this White Control deck. You know, like how some people bent their mana bases to hard-cast a Kaya, Intangible Slayer? This is just the less fancy version of that. Any White Control deck is going to be playing for 7+ turns anyway. We saw from Sam Black's rw a few weeks back how not-difficult it is to make rw mana work (or even get paid by Serra Paragon).

So... Hard cast Etali in your White Control!

Almost by definition this deck is going to have some less exciting late game hits than the bigger spell / fancier Etali-enablement engines, but that doesn't mean that Pepeisra doesn't have a little spice. Guardian of Ghirapur is a perfect addition to a deck that is already chock full of Ambitious Farmhand // Seasoned Cathars, Spirited Companions, and Lorans. I also wonder how long it will take the opponent to concede once they realize you've just cast Etali with The Eternal Wanderer already in play.

8. Your Opponent May or May Not be Going for It

Let me tell you about this card Explosive Singularity.

I have to tell you about it because - despite being legal for a year previously - no one ever played it.

Explosive Singularity

This card costs ten. This card does ten. Both elements are actually going to matter due to two cards from March of the Machine.

The fancier is Hidetsugu and Kairi.

With its Brainstorm-like ability, Hidetsugu and Kairi can put an Explosive Singularity you accidentally already drew back on top of your deck. So that when the Legendary Ogre Demon Dragon dies... Its triggers can use every part of the buffalo. The card's casting cost matters. The opponent will take ten. The text on the card matters! Hidetsugu and Kairi did ten; now it's Explosive Singularity's turn to deal the next 10. 10 + 10 = 20 (or the opponent's starting life total).

But that's not all!

Chandra, Hope's Beacon

We already wrote a whole article just about this card. But at present we'll focus only on the powerful Planeswalker's passive. If you were to cast - actually just cast - Explosive Singularity, Chandra would double it for you. Another case of 10+10. And if you think 10 mana is a lot to cast the old-fashioned way, don't forget that Hope's Beacon can make two mana as one of her Loyalty abilities.

The Hidetsugu and Kairi combo is so compelling many players have taken to playing dedicated cards just to sacrifice their Ogre Demon Dragons! And then we have Arianne.

Grixis Singularity | MOM Standard | Arianne, 17th Place MTGO Standard Challenge 4/30/2023

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Gotcha!

Both Hidetsugu and Kairi and Chandra, Hope's Beacon are so good that they can be played in Grixis with no combo payoffs. Though to be fair following up Sheoldred, the Apocalypse with Hidetsugu and Kairi is a combo in and of itself. Like, who is going to beat you when you have two sick Legends in play and you just gained six life while fixing your hand? No combo indeed.

9. There is More Than One Way to Skin a Phyrexian... Or For a Phyrexian to Butcher You

Abzan Toxis | MOM Standard| Juusyoku09, 12th Place MTGO Standard Challenge 4/30/2023

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We all know Selesnya Poison, right? Cute little deck with its Rotpriests and prolifierating Bloateds? Pretty good deck, if a little "Block Constructed" am I right?

Well, Juusyoku09 wasn't satisfied with just playing all poisonous creatures in two colors. Juusyoku09 added a whole third color for this March of the Machine newcomer:

Grafted Butcher

What's fascinating about this addition is that Grafted Butcher doesn't even have toxic. But the ability to make blocking difficult for even one turn does give this attack deck a whole new dimension. I think the +1/+1 half of Grafted Butcher's combat line is less valuable, because it doesn't affect how much poison gets tacked on (but is still great for creature combat purposes).

Just be mindful that Black mana isn't exactly easy to come by in this deck. There are all of four copies of Caves of Koilos in this deck; and The Seedcore can't pay for Grafted Butcher's extremely potent recursion ability. Still; heck of an upgrade to a Skrelv's Hive token, especially if you're in need of a blocker [because you're playing with Skrelv's Hive.

10. I'm Going to Take It S L O W

Mono-White Control | MOM Standard | Tulio_Jaudy, 1st Place MTGO Standard Challenge 4/29/2023

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I bet after all the Etalis and Red deck variants you're surprised to hear this is my favorite deck of the week. It's positively glacial. Tulio_Jaudy played twenty-six physical lands when so many White Control decks have shaved all the way down to twenty-two.

Despite playing four copies of Field of Ruin, there is not a single Serra Paragon to break that card. The deck has artifacts from both Mirrex and The Mightstone and the Weakstone... But no Roadside Reliquary. All of those cards generate too much positional advantage. Tulio_Jaudy wants to take it s l o w.

I think this is the first pure White Control deck I've seen featuring Union of the Third Path. Which is odd to me because it doesn't even have Reckoner Bankbuster.

Instead, Tulio_Jaudy has every kind of sweeper you could ever want. Main deck Farewell AND Sunfall AND White Sun's Twilight! All of them! All in the main deck! If, somehow, eight main deck sweepers costing 5-7+ mana aren't enough, there are two more in the sideboard.

Finally, despite it being featured in a ton of decks prior to this one, I'll finally talk about the most important sideboard card in March of the Machine: Surge of Salvation. This card is like a one-mana Negate in White. It's also probably the death knell for Invoke Despair in some archetypes. Getting your five-mana sorcery - the sorcery you bent your mana base into a pretzel to be able to cast on turn five - countered for one mana is just too devastating. Surge of Salvation is always going to be able to stop a solo Lightning Strike or Go for the Throat; but the impact against specifically Invoke Despair is just too much. Look for decks like Grixis to the Gix's Command route for their big five-mana bomb: That card is unaffected by Surge of Salvation... At least its removal options are.

Standard is a riot right now. What are you most excited to do? Cheat out Etali? Hard cast Etali? Or slow the game down to a snail's crawl? I suppose you can always Sword up a Swiftspear! You know, if you're into that kind of thing.

LOVE

MIKE

TAGS articles, standard, advice, theory, constructed, analysis, decklist, discussion, mike flores, michael flores, mom standard, 05022023, metgame

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