Hello everyone. Now that 2021 is here, everyone seems very optimistic and upbeat about our future. Hopefully, in just a few short months, we'll be able to have in-store play events again. In the meantime, we'll continue honing our skills by playing online. I have a few more decks for you this week that you can use in your quest to be the best. Let's get started.

Harmonious Boros

We start this week off by taking a look at the deck that took home Second Place at the Standard Challenge on 01/02/2021. Let's check it out.

Harmonious Boros | ZNR Standard | GONITO, 2nd Place, Standard Challenge #12242676 on 01/02/2021

• Creatures (4)
• 4 Harmonious Archon

• Planeswalkers (4)
• 2 Elspeth, Sun's Nemesis
• 2 Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast

• Instants (4)
• 4 Fire Prophecy

• Sorceries (9)
• 1 Shatterskull Smashing
• 2 Emeria's Call
• 2 Forbidden Friendship
• 4 Transmogrify

• Enchantments (13)
• 1 Outlaws' Merriment
• 2 Elspeth Conquers Death
• 2 The Akroan War
• 4 Omen of the Sun
• 4 The Birth of Meletis

• Artifacts (2)
• 2 Glass Casket

• Lands (24)
• 4 Mountain
• 5 Plains
• 2 Castle Ardenvale
• 2 Castle Embereth
• 3 Raugrin Triome
• 4 Fabled Passage
• 4 Needleverge Pathway

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Elspeth, Sun's Nemesis
• 4 Ox of Agonas
• 3 Heliod's Intervention
• 1 Outlaws' Merriment
• 1 The Akroan War
• 2 Soul-Guide Lantern
• 3 Mazemind Tome

Buy This Deck Export text format Export Arena format

Those of you who have been reading my column for a while will know how much I love the Boros color combination. With that being said, it should come as no surprise that I'm looking forward to trying this deck out on Magic Arena. The goal of the deck is to create some tokens and then stick a Harmonious Archon on the battlefield. This will turn all of your tiny tokens into 3/3 creatures. It also has the added effect of turning all of your opponent's creatures into creatures with a base power and toughness of 3/3. Against some decks, this change will be quite devastating. Once Harmonious Archon is in play, you can begin attacking with everything.

Since Harmonious Archon turns every non-Archon creature in play into a 3/3, your opponent will have the ability to block each of your creatures, potentially destroying both creatures in the process. That's okay, especially if the creature blocking originally had base stats greater than 3/3. You have many ways in this deck of creating additional tokens that will become 3/3's. These ways include Omen of the Sun, Forbidden Friendship, Outlaws' Merriment, and the -2 loyalty ability of Elspeth, Sun's Nemesis.

In order to ensure that you have a copy of Harmonious Archon on the battlefield, there are a few tricks you have at your disposal. You can use Transmogrify on one of your creature tokens as a means of searching your library for a copy of Harmonious Archon to put into play. Transmogrify can also be used to great effect after you've played The Akroan War. You'll be able to gain control of an opponent's best creature, exiling it with Transmogrify, gaining a copy of Harmonious Archon in the process. Another way of getting Harmonious Archon into play is the use of the -2 loyalty ability of Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast, which works very similarly to Transmogrify.

Abzan Yorion

The next deck I have for you comes from Magic Online (MTGO). It features Yorion, Sky Nomad in an Abzan shell. Let's take a look at the deck.

Abzan Yorion | ZNR Standard | FANDENUNU, 5-0 MTGO

• Companion (1)
• 1 Yorion, Sky Nomad

• Creatures (17)
• 1 Acquisitions Expert
• 1 Chevill, Bane of Monsters
• 1 Polukranos, Unchained
• 1 Skull Prophet
• 1 Tangled Florahedron
• 2 Acolyte of Affliction
• 2 Llanowar Visionary
• 2 Lotus Cobra
• 2 Mire Triton
• 2 Yasharn, Implacable Earth
• 2 Yorion, Sky Nomad

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 1 Garruk, Cursed Huntsman
• 1 Liliana, Waker of the Dead

• Instants (8)
• 2 Eliminate
• 2 Heartless Act
• 4 Mythos of Nethroi

• Sorceries (3)
• 1 Bloodchief's Thirst
• 2 Eerie Ultimatum

• Enchantments (16)
• 1 Omen of the Dead
• 1 The Birth of Meletis
• 1 Wolfwillow Haven
• 2 Elspeth's Nightmare
• 3 Elspeth Conquers Death
• 4 Doom Foretold
• 4 Treacherous Blessing

• Lands (34)
• 4 Forest
• 5 Plains
• 7 Swamp
• 1 Temple of Malady
• 1 Temple of Silence
• 4 Branchloft Pathway
• 4 Brightclimb Pathway
• 4 Fabled Passage
• 4 Indatha Triome

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Yorion, Sky Nomad
• 1 Garruk, Cursed Huntsman
• 1 Liliana, Waker of the Dead
• 2 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
• 1 Acquisitions Expert
• 1 Chevill, Bane of Monsters
• 1 Polukranos, Unchained
• 1 Heartless Act
• 4 Agonizing Remorse
• 1 Elspeth's Nightmare
• 1 Field of Ruin

Buy This Deck Export text format Export Arena format

As an aggro player, I can attest to how annoying Doom Foretold can be to play against. I've usually played out the majority of my hand just prior to having my opponent cast Doom Foretold. Right before they cast it, though, they'll usually do something to destroy a majority of my creatures. This deck uses a lot of spot removal as a means of keeping the opponent's battlefield clear of major threats. Once Doom Foretold enters the battlefield, it can be very difficult for an aggro deck to recover, because the threats that most aggro decks rely on are quick and speedy. Also, most aggro decks don't have lots of ways of drawing additional cards, so the threat that is played this turn is the permanent sacrificed next turn to Doom Foretold.

This deck also has a fair amount of cards that can help ramp up your mana production. Tangled Florahedron and Llanowar Visionary both tap for a Green mana. Skull Prophet taps for either Black or Green mana. Yasharn, Implacable Earth and The Birth of Meletis allow you to search your library for land cards you can play as your future land drops. Lotus Cobra produces extra mana whenever you achieve landfall. Finally, Acolyte of Affliction can be used to return any of these creature cards from your graveyard to your hand (plus, it can return other permanents).

Once you hit seven mana, you'll be in position to cast Eerie Ultimatum. This sorcery allows you to return any number of permanents from your graveyard to the battlefield as long as they have different names. Because of this effect, feel free to chump block whenever possible, or double-team an opponent's creature in order to destroy it. Don't feel bad if your creatures end up dying in the process because you have an escape from death card in Eerie Ultimatum.

Mardu Knights

The final deck I have for you is one of my favorite current archetypes, Mardu Knights. Recently a Platinum/Mythic ranked player on Magic Arena won six or more matches in a row with this deck. Let's take a look at it.

Mardu Knights | ZNR Standard | Unknown Platinum/Mythic Ranked Player

• Creatures (32)
• 4 Acclaimed Contender
• 4 Blacklance Paragon
• 4 Fervent Champion
• 4 Inspiring Veteran
• 4 Rimrock Knight
• 4 Stormfist Crusader
• 4 Venerable Knight
• 4 Worthy Knight

• Instants (2)
• 2 Dire Tactics

• Artifacts (4)
• 1 Maul of the Skyclaves
• 3 Embercleave

• Lands (22)
• 2 Plains
• 2 Swamp
• 3 Mountain
• 3 Savai Triome
• 4 Brightclimb Pathway
• 4 Needleverge Pathway
• 4 Tournament Grounds

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Giant Killer
• 2 Ox of Agonas
• 1 Dire Tactics
• 1 Fight as One
• 2 Shredded Sails
• 2 Swift Response
• 2 Call of the Death-Dweller
• 3 The Akroan War

Buy This Deck Export text format Export Arena format

This is an aggro deck that scales up as the game progresses. Start out by playing either Fervent Champion or Venerable Knight. Both of these 1-drops are important, as they allow you to begin dealing damage right away. Once you have a second Knight in play, don't be afraid to swing with Venerable Knight. Your opponent with either kill it, allowing you to put a +1/+1 counter on another Knight of yours, or they'll take two points of damage. Alternatively, you can hold Venerable Knight back for defense, getting the +1/+1 counter by chump blocking.

As the game progresses, you'll want to be on the lookout for a couple of other important Knights. The first is the obvious Inspiring Veteran. By providing a +1/+1 bonus to other Knights you control, you'll be boosting the damage output of your team. But beware that Inspiring Veteran will be a lightning rod for any creature removal spells your opponent has. You'll also want to keep an eye peeled for Worthy Knight. By creating a 1/1 Human creature token whenever you cast a Knight spell, you'll build up your forces, allowing you to chump block many opposing attackers. These tokens also allow you to attack with a minimum of four creatures easier, offering you the ability to flash in Embercleave for a mere two Red mana.

Speaking of Embercleave, it is the premier way of finishing off games with this deck. By equipping it to nearly any of your Knights, you'll be able to overwhelm any blocking creature and trample over for some additional damage. The other equipment in this deck, Maul of the Skyclaves, can be similarly deadly. Maul of the Skyclaves provides a +2/+2 bonus, as well as granting first strike and flying to the creature it is equipped to. While it is not as easy to cast or re-equip, it has the ability of finishing games of very easily.

Wrapping Up

We only have a few more weeks left of our current Standard format before the cards from Kaldheim are officially released. Until then, I'll keep searching for interesting and innovative decks that you can use in tournaments or against your friends.

What do you think of these decks? Do you have any suggestions for improvements? Let me know by leaving a comment below. Also, 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