Hello everyone. Last week, I took a look at some decks that were played in best-of-three matches. I had a reader ask for guidance on turning them into best-of-one decks. What I do is take the deck and build it without the sideboard, or I build the sideboard with the Lessons that are in it if I have ways to learn. I figure that a best-of-three deck still wants to win the first game, so the original build should still be good. Now, that doesn't mean that every best-of-three deck that's built is going to be good in best-of-one, but it's a starting point. Control decks, especially, work better in best-of-three, but sometimes you'll get lucky in best-of-one with them. For me, my play style is more aggressive, so most of the decks I offer for you will skew in that direction.

Moving onto this week's decks... This week, I'm back to looking at some more best-of-one decks for you to use on Magic Arena. I've got three pretty interesting builds. One is a typical aggressive tribal deck. One is a deck built around deathtouch. And the final deck is a mill deck. Let's go ahead and get started.

Warrior Tribal Deck

My first deck this week focuses on the Warrior tribe and it includes a few different ways to enhance your Warriors. Let's take a look at it.

Warrior Tribal Deck | MID Standard | MTGArenaOriginalDecks, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (25)
• 1 Legion Angel
• 4 Fireblade Charger
• 4 Goblin Javelineer
• 4 Kargan Warleader
• 4 Kor Blademaster
• 4 Resplendent Marshal
• 4 Usher of the Fallen

• Instants (4)
• 4 Kabira Takedown // Kabira Plateau

• Enchantments (12)
• 4 Paladin Class
• 4 Rally the Ranks
• 4 Showdown of the Skalds

• Lands (20)
• 3 Mountain
• 7 Plains
• 2 Furycalm Snarl
• 4 Den of the Bugbear
• 4 Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway

• Sideboard (3)
• 3 Legion Angel

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Speaking of double strike, Kor Blademaster is a Kor Warrior that had double strike and could provide double strike to any equipped Warriors you have in play. However, you won't be able to take advantage of giving anyone else double strike since there is no equipment in this deck. While that could be seen as an oversight by the deck's creator, I believe it to be intentional. If equipment were added, the volume of Warriors would likely go down some, resulting in fewer threats in play at any given time. Since a creature with double strike can be chump blocked, that could result in less damage being done when attacking, leaving you vulnerable to an attack back. This deck relies on its speed to power up its Warriors quickly, so you can attack with enough creatures to make it difficult for your opponent to block. Equipment would be better suited for a midrange deck, while this deck wants to be very aggressive.

This deck also has more ways of gaining bonuses in the form of +1/+1 counters. Showdown of the Skalds is a great way to have access to additional cards later in the game when you've played the majority of your hand out. While it has two or three lore counters on it, you'll be able to put a +1/+ counter on a creature you control whenever you cast a spell, regardless of whether that spell actually resolves. You can also give each of your creatures in play a +1/+1 counter with the ability of Resplendent Marshal, as long as you have some of your Warriors in your graveyard. What better way of honoring a fallen Warrior is there than allowing that Warrior to boost the rest of your team with +1/+1 counters.

Golgari Deathtouch

Next up, I have a deck that has the potential to make blocking very costly for your opponent. Let's check it out.

Golgari Deathtouch | MID Standard | MtgMalone, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (15)
• 3 Saryth, the Viper's Fang
• 4 Fynn, the Fangbearer
• 4 Scute Swarm
• 4 Shambling Ghast

• Planeswalkers (3)
• 3 Wrenn and Seven

• Instants (4)
• 4 Deadly Dispute

• Sorceries (10)
• 2 Agadeem's Awakening // Agadeem, the Undercrypt
• 2 Duress
• 3 Blizzard Brawl
• 3 Blood on the Snow

• Enchantments (5)
• 2 The Meathook Massacre
• 3 Binding the Old Gods

• Lands (23)
• 9 Snow-Covered Forest
• 9 Snow-Covered Swamp
• 2 Field of Ruin
• 3 Woodland Chasm

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Saryth, the Viper's Fang provides a couple of abilities you'll find helpful. With her on the battlefield, other tapped creatures will have deathtouch. This helps Fynn fulfill his destiny of poisoning your opponent. Since the other creatures in this deck are generally all 1/1 creatures, your opponent might be forced to trade down and block some of them with much larger creatures. Saryth also provides all other untapped creatures you control with hexproof, making them difficult for your opponent to remove from the battlefield with typical targeted removal spells. Saryth also has an activated ability that you can use to help save a creature of yours that is tapped and targeted by an opponent's spell.

Scute Swarm is an all-star in this deck for a couple of reasons. With Saryth in play, attacking with a bunch of tokens created with Scute Swarm will create an army of 1/1 creatures with deathtouch. If you have Fynn in play, your opponent will need to find a way to block the majority of these tokens, or lose the game. Those tokens can also help you win the game when you play The Meathook Massacre. With enough tokens in play, you can force your opponent to lose their remaining life points by killing off your own tokens.

Azorius Lier Mill

The final deck I have for you this week features Lier, Disciple of the Drowned. His ability to give your spells flashback is busted when paired with spells that mill your opponent. Let's take a look at the deck.

Azorius Lier Mill | MID Standard | TOTALmtg, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (8)
• 1 Dennick, Pious Apprentice // Dennick, Pious Apparition
• 3 Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
• 4 Ruin Crab

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 2 Teferi, Who Slows the Sunset

• Instants (10)
• 2 Faithful Mending
• 2 Fateful Absence
• 2 Memory Deluge
• 4 Divide by Zero

• Sorceries (16)
• 3 Doomskar
• 3 Maddening Cacophony
• 3 Sunset Revelry
• 3 Vanquish the Horde
• 4 Tasha's Hideous Laughter

• Lands (24)
• 6 Island
• 8 Plains
• 2 Hall of Storm Giants
• 4 Deserted Beach
• 4 Hengegate Pathway

• Sideboard (7)
• 1 Academic Probation
• 1 Introduction to Annihilation
• 1 Mascot Exhibition
• 2 Environmental Sciences
• 2 Teachings of the Archaics

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Once you're able to, you can then cast Lier, Disciple of the Drowned. With Lier on the battlefield, no spell can be countered. This includes both your spells and your opponent's, which is why there's no true counter magic in this deck. Lier also grants flashback to each instant and sorcery in your graveyard. Use this ability to recast those milling spells such as Maddening Cacophony and Tasha's Hideous Laughter. You can also cast other spells that have flashback on them, including spells like Memory Deluge, often for a reduction in their mana cost. For example, Memory Deluge will only cost you four mana to cast from your graveyard with Lier on the battlefield, instead of seven mana if it were cast using its natural flashback ability.

One card that you might question that's in this deck is Dennick, Pious Apprentice // Dennick, Pious Apparition. With Dennick on the battlefield, cards in graveyards can't be the target of spells or abilities. This includes your spells that are being given flashback by Lier. While this can effectively hinder your deck some, it can also provide you with a small level of protection if your opponent has any spells or abilities they can use that would remove specific cards from your graveyard.

Wrapping Up

Each of these decks this week scratch a specific itch I have when playing Magic. Tribal beatdown decks, decks that make things difficult for your opponent, or decks with alternate means of winning are all things I enjoy, so I'm looking forward to trying out each of these on Magic Arena.

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