With the release of Ravnica Allegiance on Magic Online (MTGO) and Magic Arena (MTGA), deck brewing has begun and there are some spicy new brews out there. This week we'll be taking a look at three new decks that feature cards from Ravnica Allegiance. Let's get started with a deck that brings the heat.

Mono-Red Aggro

The first deck I have for you this week is Mono-Red Aggro. It's no surprise, since I'm an aggro player at heart, that I'm looking forward to sleeving this deck up and giving it a whirl. Let's take a look at it:

Mono-Red Aggro| Allegiance Standard | MAXXATTACK, (5-0) MTGO

• Creatures (16)
• 4 Ghitu Lavarunner
• 4 Goblin Chainwhirler
• 4 Runaway Steam-Kin
• 4 Viashino Pyromancer

• Instants (12)
• 4 Lightning Strike
• 4 Shock
• 4 Wizard's Lightning

• Sorceries (6)
• 2 Skewer the Critics
• 4 Light Up the Stage

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Experimental Frenzy

• Lands (22)
• 22 Mountain

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Banefire
• 3 Fiery Cannonade
• 2 Fight with Fire
• 4 Lava Coil
• 1 Mountain
• 3 Treasure Map

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This deck features a neat little combo in it as well. Usually, you're very limited in the cards you can play once Experimental Frenzy is on the battlefield. Now, thanks to Light Up the Stage, you're able to have a few more options than just the card on top of your deck.

Simic Elves

The next deck I have for you features a tribe beloved to many, Elves. Let's have a look at the deck:

Simic Elves | Allegiance Standard | VTCLA, (5-0) MTGO

• Creatures (31)
• 2 Beast Whisperer
• 2 District Guide
• 3 Marwyn, the Nurturer
• 4 Druid of the Cowl
• 4 Growth-Chamber Guardian
• 4 Hydroid Krasis
• 4 Incubation Druid
• 4 Llanowar Elves
• 4 Steel Leaf Champion

• Instants (4)
• 4 Stony Strength

• Sorceries (3)
• 3 Incubation // Incongruity

• Lands (22)
• 1 Island
• 11 Forest
• 2 Unclaimed Territory
• 4 Breeding Pool
• 4 Hinterland Harbor

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Kraul Harpooner
• 3 Negate
• 4 Nullhide Ferox
• 2 Spell Pierce
• 3 Thrashing Brontodon

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Hydroid Krasis is just the type of card that a deck like this needs. Normally in an Elf deck, you're weak to creatures that have flying. If an opponent plays a flying threat early enough in the game, they can often defeat you before you can get a big enough ground force assembled. With Hydroid Krasis, you now have a way to create a flying threat that scales with the amount of mana you can produce as well as also gaining you life and drawing you additional cards.

Incubation // Incongruity is another great addition to a deck like this one. By casting Incubation, you're able to find a creature that you can use to help you win the game. However, I prefer holding Incubation // Incongruity in order to use the Incongruity side as a means of insurance against targeted removal. If your opponent wants to cast Vraska's Contempt or something similar on your Steel Leaf Champion, for example, you can cast Incongruity in response to exile your own creature and replace it with a 3/3 Frog Lizard creature token instead. While doing this still results in you losing the creature your opponent targeted, you at least get the token as compensation. You could also cast Incongruity on one of your Llanowar Elves later in the game in order to turn your 1/1 into a bigger 3/3 threat.

Esper Control

The final deck I have for you this week takes advantage of the incredible mana we have in Standard now that the remaining shock-lands have arrived. Let's take a look at the deck:

Esper Control | Allegiance Standard | GHETT_SMART, (5-0) MTGO

• Planeswalkers (6)
• 2 Karn, Scion of Urza
• 4 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria

• Instants (14)
• 1 Chemister's Insight
• 1 Warrant // Warden
• 2 Negate
• 3 Cast Down
• 3 Revitalize
• 4 Mortify

• Sorceries (10)
• 2 Cry of the Carnarium
• 2 Thought Erasure
• 3 Kaya's Wrath
• 3 Notion Rain

• Enchantments (1)
• 1 Ixalan's Binding

• Artifacts (3)
• 3 Treasure Map

• Lands (26)
• 2 Plains
• 2 Swamp
• 3 Hallowed Fountain
• 3 Watery Grave
• 4 Drowned Catacomb
• 4 Glacial Fortress
• 4 Godless Shrine
• 4 Isolated Chapel

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Cry of the Carnarium
• 3 Duress
• 1 In Bolas's Clutches
• 3 Lyra Dawnbringer
• 2 Negate
• 1 The Eldest Reborn
• 4 Thief of Sanity

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Winning a game with a control deck usually involves casting a board wipe spell at some point during the game (a spell that destroys all creatures in play). This deck features a couple of new ways to destroy your opponent's creatures. The first is Cry of the Carnarium. Cry of the Carnarium is able to wipe up a battlefield full of small threats, and remove them from the game forever. However, if your opponent has creatures with a toughness greater than 2, you'll need a more powerful spell. That's where Kaya's Wrath comes in. And while it never feels good to destroy your own creatures, at least with Kaya's Wrath you'll be able to gain one point of life for each of your own creatures you destroy with it.

Wrapping Up

With the release of a new set, Standard once again transforms into a paradise where anything seems possible. I look forward to seeing the new creations that will be unveiled in the upcoming weeks.

What do you think of these decks? Do you have any suggestions for improvements? Let me know by leaving a comment below or you can reply to me directly on Twitter (@mikelikesmtg), or email me directly at mikelikesmtg@gmail.com. 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