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Main » Articles » Beating Down with Red in Standard

Beating Down with Red in Standard

Mike Likes
Posted on July 16, 2020
 Reddit

Hello everyone. While Red is usually the color of aggression, Red's spells can be used for other effects as well. This week I have for you a few decks that utilize Red in a more controlling manner. Let's get started.

Mono-Red Control

We'll get started this week by taking a look at a Mono-Red control deck to see what Red by itself can do. Let's take a look at the deck.

Mono-Red Control | M21 Standard | dh0ria, deckstats.net user

Runaway Steam-Kin
To begin, you'll want to cast Runaway Steam-Kin. This will allow you to ramp up your mana production simply by casting the spells you want to cast anyway. Next, if possible, getting at least one copy of Electrostatic Field onto the battlefield will be really helpful. Since this deck is chock-full of instant spells that can deal damage to an opponent's creatures, you'll be able to not only keep the battlefield clear of attacking creatures while also dealing incidental damage to your opponent. If your opponent doesn't have any creatures in play, you can also use the majority of your instant spells to deal direct damage to your opponent. Don't become overconfident and cast all of your direct damage spells at your opponent unless you're certain to finish them off this turn, otherwise you might find yourself in a precarious position with no way out.

As I mentioned earlier, Runaway Steam-Kin can help ramp your mana production. In conjunction with Irencrag Feat, you'll be able to power out one of your two finishers in no time. The first finisher is Drakuseth, Maw of Flames. This Dragon is a creature that your opponent will need to deal with immediately. If they can't, you'll be able to attack with Drakuseth, which will allow you to potentially deal lethal damage to three of your opponent's creatures. Some of the damage can even go directly to your opponent's life total, so you should be able to wrap the game up in an attack or two.

The other big finisher for this deck is Sundering Stroke. Since all of your mana is Red mana, you'll be able to deal seven points of damage to three different targets. That damage can be a great way to finish off an opponent that you've already worn down with the incidental damage from Electrostatic Field.

Boros Control

The next deck I have adds White mana to the mix and attempts to deal damage to both its own creatures as well as the opponent's creatures. Let's check it out.

Boros Control | M21 Standard | Skeelnully, deckstats.net user

Brash Taunter
While this deck has some spells that can destroy an opponent's creatures, you'll often want to hold those spells back instead to target your own creatures with. That's because Brash Taunter is an indestructible threat that deals damage to the opponent's life total equal to the amount of damage that is dealt to it. It also has an activated ability that you can use to pick a fight with a much larger creature. Green stompy decks, beware!

This deck also sports Stormwild Capridor, which grows bigger (due to getting +1/+1 counters) whenever noncombat damage is dealt to it. By pairing that ability with Marauding Raptor's ability, which deals two damage to any creature that, enters the battlefield under your control while Marauding Raptor is on the battlefield, and you'll be able to create a huge, flying Bird Goat that can be difficult to remove.

This deck also has a few spells that can be used to control the creatures your opponent has in play. Deafening Clarion will deal three damage to every creature in play, triggering both Brash Taunter and Stormwild Capridor. Storm's Wrath is similar, but it deals a little more damage and will also hit planeswalkers in play. In a pinch, you can use Purphoros's Intervention as a means of creature removal, but its best purpose will be to target your own creatures.

Izzet (Turtle) Control

The final deck I have for you features Yidaro, Wandering Monster as a finisher. Let's take a look at it.

Izzet (Turtle) Control | M21 Standard | j.whiley16, deckstats.net user

Yidaro, Wandering Monster
The addition of Blue mana in this deck means that this deck is most like a traditional control deck. You'll use that Blue mana to cast counterspells such as Mystical Dispute, Essence Scatter, and Ionize, as a means of disrupting your opponent's plans.

If possible, you'll be able to win the game by casting Shark Typhoon, enabling you to create a flock of flying Shark tokens that you can use to win the game via combat. You can also bide your time while you cycle Yidaro, Wandering Monster in an attempt to cycle it four times and put it onto the battlefield from your graveyard. It can also be possible to cast it outright once you get to 7 mana.

Once you have your win condition on the battlefield, you can use Teferi, Master of Time's -10 loyalty ability in order to take two extra turns after this one. With either a flock of flying Sharks in play, or a gigantic Dinosaur Turtle that has trample, you'll be able to attack for the victory.

Wrapping Up

I really enjoy playing Red aggro decks, but there are times I want to expand my horizons. By trying out any of these decks, I'll still be able to get my Red fix while playing a different style of deck.

What do you think of these decks? Do you have any suggestions for improvements? Let me know by leaving a comment below or email me directly at mikelikesmtg@gmail.com. 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

TAGS articles, standard, constructed, analysis, decklist, community, mike likes, m21 standard, 07162020

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