With the release of Duskmourn: House of Horror imminent, it's understandable to want to build decks with these new cards. But, since it might take a little while for you to be able to obtain playsets of the new cards you'll need for these new brews, you'll want to have a deck built that will still be competitive, but is made up of cards from Bloomburrow and before. I've got you covered, and this week I have four kindred decks that you'll be able to use right away. Let's get started.

Izzet Otters

We'll begin by taking a look at a deck featuring a ton of instant and sorcery spells alongside Otters that have prowess. Let's take a look at the deck.

Izzet Otters | BLB Standard | emblade, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (10)
• 2 Thundertrap Trainer
• 4 Elusive Otter
• 4 Stormcatch Mentor

• Instants (20)
• 4 Lightning Strike
• 4 Monstrous Rage
• 4 Shock
• 4 Slick Sequence
• 4 Witchstalker Frenzy

• Sorceries (4)
• 4 Pearl of Wisdom

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Stormchaser's Talent

• Lands (22)
• 7 Mountain
• 8 Island
• 2 Botanical Sanctum
• 2 Spirebluff Canal
• 3 Shivan Reef

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Lightning Strike, Shock, and Slick Sequence are all instant spells that deal direct damage to any target. That makes these spells the perfect spells to cast during combat. If your opponent has any potential blockers, use these spells to destroy them with some direct damage. If they don't have any blockers, send these spells directly toward your opponent and lower their life total more quickly.

These spells work wonderfully in conjunction with either Elusive Otter or Stormcatch Mentor. Both of these Otters have prowess, so they'll get a boost for every noncreature spell you cast this turn. You'll find plenty of turns where you're able to blast your opponent with your direct damage spells which, in turn, boosts up your Otters to be big enough to destroy any blocker your opponent has during combat.

Dimir Rats

Next, let's take a look at a deck featuring a bunch of Rats that has the capability of winning via a couple of different ways.

Dimir Rats | BLB Standard | LegenVD, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (26)
• 2 Lord Skitter, Sewer King
• 2 Nezumi Linkbreaker
• 2 Vren, the Relentless
• 4 Azure Beastbinder
• 4 Gnawing Vermin
• 4 Karumonix, the Rat King
• 4 Persistent Marshstalker
• 4 Shoreline Looter

• Instants (8)
• 2 Go for the Throat
• 2 Rat Out
• 4 Cut Down

• Artifacts (2)
• 2 Patchwork Banner

• Lands (24)
• 2 Island
• 4 Swamp
• 1 Mudflat Village
• 2 Fabled Passage
• 2 Lilypad Village
• 2 Restless Reef
• 3 Cavern of Souls
• 4 Darkslick Shores
• 4 Underground River

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The other main route to victory with this deck is through poison counters. While you have Karumonix, the Rat King on the battlefield, other Rats you control have toxic 1. As I showed you previously, this deck has multiple ways of creating Rat creature tokens, plus every creature spell in this deck is also a Rat, so by outnumbering your opponent's forces, you'll often be able to push through enough traces of poison damage to win.

Golgari Squirrels

My next deck features one of my favorite rodents in Magic, Squirrels. Let's check it out.

Golgari Squirrels | BLB Standard | ManaMan, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (26)
• 2 Bristlebud Farmer
• 2 Bushy Bodyguard
• 2 Rottenmouth Viper
• 4 Bakersbane Duo
• 4 Honored Dreyleader
• 4 Pawpatch Recruit
• 4 Valley Mightcaller
• 4 Vinereap Mentor

• Instants (8)
• 2 Disfigure
• 2 Go for the Throat
• 4 Assassin's Trophy

• Sorceries (2)
• 2 Duress

• Lands (24)
• 6 Swamp
• 8 Forest
• 2 Restless Cottage
• 4 Blooming Marsh
• 4 Llanowar Wastes

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In addition to Squirrels, this deck includes one of the most punishing cards currently in Standard, Rottenmouth Viper. When this Elemental Snake enters play, it will gain a blight counter. It will also gain a blight counter each time it attacks. After gaining a blight counter, your opponent must either sacrifice a nonland permanent, discard a card from their hand, or lose 4 life. Did I mention that Rottenmouth Viper is a 6/6, which encourages you to attack with it, gaining additional blight counters in the process.

Rakdos Lizards

The final deck I have for you this week features a whole bunch of Lizards, and is capable of quickly defeating your opponent. Let's check it out.

Rakdos Lizards | BLB Standard | powrdragn, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (31)
• 1 Valley Flamecaller
• 3 Laughing Jasper Flint
• 3 Thought-Stalker Warlock
• 4 Deep-Cavern Bat
• 4 Fireglass Mentor
• 4 Flamecache Gecko
• 4 Gev, Scaled Scorch
• 4 Hired Claw
• 4 Iridescent Vinelasher

• Instants (7)
• 3 Go for the Throat
• 4 Lightning Strike

• Lands (22)
• 2 Mountain
• 3 Swamp
• 1 Mudflat Village
• 1 Rockface Village
• 3 Restless Vents
• 4 Blackcleave Cliffs
• 4 Cavern of Souls
• 4 Sulfurous Springs

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Hired Claw helps provide additional direct damage. By attacking with at least one Lizard, Hired Claw will deal 1 damage to your opponent. If you get multiple copies of Hired Claw into play, that extra damage will certainly add up. Plus, that damage you deal will allow you to gain a +1/+1 counter on Hired Claw by using its activated ability, making Hired Claw even more of a threat on future turns.

Wrapping Up

While I don't expect to see typal decks to go anywhere, Duskmourn isn't as focused on creature types as Bloomburrow was. That means we're more likely to see decks featuring the best cards of each color rather than the synergy found in decks featuring the same creature type.

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