Hello everyone. As 2024 draws to a close, I've been drawn to decks featuring cards not often seen in Standard; decks that have unique win-conditions and interesting card choices. I have a few of those decks to share with you this week, so let's get started.

4-Color Grim Captain

Is The Grim Captain, the flipped side of Throne of the Grim Captain, the best creature in Standard? That's what this deck is trying to find out. Let's take a look at the deck.

4-Color Grim Captain - FDN Standard | LegenVD, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (28)
• 4 Fanatical Firebrand
• 4 Floodpits Drowner
• 4 Ghalta and Mavren
• 4 Kiora, the Rising Tide
• 4 Spyglass Siren
• 4 Taurean Mauler
• 4 Trumpeting Carnosaur

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Bitter Reunion

• Artifacts (4)
• 4 Throne of the Grim Captain // The Grim Captain

• Lands (24)
• 6 Island
• 6 Mountain
• 4 Shivan Reef
• 4 Spirebluff Canal
• 4 Thundering Falls

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Throne of the Grim Captain // The Grim Captain is a fairly innocent looking artifact that allows you to mill your deck of two cards. It becomes interesting when you factor in its craft ability. To use this ability is no small feat, as it requires you to spend 4 mana as well as exiling a Dinosaur, a Merfolk, a Pirate, and a Vampire from your battlefield and/or graveyard.

The payoff for doing this is quite rewarding. You'll get a 7/7 creature that has a collection of powerful keywords. Hexproof protects it from your opponent's spells. Menace makes it difficult to block. Trample makes it difficult to block effectively, allowing you the potential to still deal damage even if blocked. Lifelink makes you tougher to defeat by providing you with a minimum of seven points of life each time it attacks or blocks.

The rest of this deck is all in service of helping you get The Grim Captain on the battlefield. With a variety of Pirates, Dinosaurs, Merfolk, and Vampires in this deck, you'll likely find it fairly easy to find most of them when you're able to craft The Grim Captain. There's also a playset of Taurean Mauler which is capable of serving as any missing creature type you need due to it being a Shapeshifter. Even if you're unable to craft The Grim Captain, your other creatures can often finish off your opponent on their own.

Abzan Thalia Monster Lifelinkers

The next deck I have for you features Thalia and The Gitrog Monster alongside some other powerful creatures. Let's take a look at the deck.

Abzan Thalia Monster Lifelinkers - FDN Standard | SlothMtg, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (24)
• 3 Brightblade Stoat
• 3 Thalia and The Gitrog Monster
• 3 Trostani, Three Whispers
• 3 Wilt-Leaf Liege
• 4 Glissa Sunslayer
• 4 Llanowar Elves
• 4 Seraphic Steed

• Planeswalkers (1)
• 1 Ajani, Sleeper Agent

• Instants (7)
• 3 Royal Treatment
• 4 Go for the Throat

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Anthem of Champions

• Lands (24)
• 1 Forest
• 1 Plains
• 1 Swamp
• 3 Blooming Marsh
• 3 Caves of Koilos
• 3 Concealed Courtyard
• 4 Brushland
• 4 Llanowar Wastes
• 4 Razorverge Thicket

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Thalia and The Gitrog Monster has both first strike and deathtouch, making it an excellent defensive creature. When it attacks, you'll need to sacrifice either a creature you control or a land, but you do get to draw a card in return. While it is on the battlefield, your opponent's creatures and nonbasic lands all come into play tapped and you're able to play an additional land each turn to make up for the sacrifice you have to make when attacking. As a bonus, Thalia and The Gitrog Monster is Abzan in colors, and as you'll see, having Green and White will equate to quite a bonus.

The reason for that bonus is Wilt-Leaf Liege. While this Elf Knight is in play, other Green creatures you control get +1/+1 and other White creatures you control also get +1/+1. Since Thalia and The Gitrog Monster have both Green and White in their mana cost, they benefit from both bonuses that Wilt-Leaf Liege provides. Wilt-Leaf Liege also has an ability that allows you to put it onto the battlefield if your opponent would force you to discard it with one of their spells or abilities, making it crazy good against certain decks.

Seraphic Steed also benefits greatly from having Wilt-Leaf Liege on the battlefield. Seraphic Steed gets the double bonus, making it a 4/4 with first strike and lifelink. When it attacks while saddled, you'll create a 3/3 Angel creature token with flying. This token is also White, so it gains a +1/+1 from Wilt-Leaf Liege. There are numerous creatures in this deck capable of saddling Seraphic Steed, so creating a host of Angels could be a breeze.

Abzan Maze's End

The final deck I have for you features a very fun alternative way to win, Maze's End. Let's check out the deck.

Abzan Maze's End | FDN Standard | MtgMalone, aetherhub.com user

• Instants (13)
• 3 Anoint with Affliction
• 3 Elspeth's Smite
• 3 Go for the Throat
• 4 Get Lost

• Sorceries (13)
• 3 Day of Judgment
• 3 Sunfall
• 3 Titania's Command
• 4 Circuitous Route

• Enchantments (10)
• 3 Omenpath Journey
• 3 Temporary Lockdown
• 4 Spelunking

• Lands (24)
• 2 Azorius Guildgate
• 2 Boros Guildgate
• 2 Dimir Guildgate
• 2 Golgari Guildgate
• 2 Gruul Guildgate
• 2 Izzet Guildgate
• 2 Orzhov Guildgate
• 2 Rakdos Guildgate
• 2 Selesnya Guildgate
• 2 Simic Guildgate
• 4 Maze's End

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Circuitous Route will also help out a lot, allowing you to search your library for up to two Gate cards to put into play tapped. Just keep in mind that you'll need to use Maze's End's ability in order to win the game, just getting the ten Gate cards won't do it. Playing a copy of Spelunking will help you a lot, as your lands will enter play untapped while it is in play.

Since there aren't a variety of creatures in this deck, you'll be relying on a lot of creature removal spells to help you remain alive long enough to pull off your Maze's End shenanigans. While there are numerous targeted removal spells, there are also spells like Day of Judgment and Sunfall that you can use on those turns when your opponent plays multiple threats and you desperately need to clear the battlefield.

Wrapping Up

Right now, our Standard environment is very healthy. There are a wide variety of decks you can use and still remain competitive. Why not try out a deck like one of these that uses cards your opponents aren't used to seeing, and gain a small advantage over them.

What do you think of these decks? Feel free to share this article with your friends anywhere on social media. And be sure to join me here again next week as I continue my search for innovative decks in Standard. I'll see you then!

- Mike Likes