Hello everyone. Last week, I started to look at some new decks created with cards from Innistrad: Crimson Vow. I'm continuing that this week with a few more, so let's get started.

Mono-White Aggro

We begin this week with a Mono-White deck that's not only aggressive, but also has legs to last until the later portion of the game. Let's check it out.

Mono-White Aggro | VOW Standard | HelloGoodGame, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (37)
• 1 Legion Angel
• 2 Brutal Cathar
• 2 Elite Spellbinder
• 2 Reidane, God of the Worthy
• 2 Savior of Ollenbock
• 2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
• 3 Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
• 3 Skyclave Apparition
• 4 Hopeful Initiate
• 4 Intrepid Adversary
• 4 Luminarch Aspirant
• 4 Usher of the Fallen
• 4 Welcoming Vampire

• Lands (23)
• 19 Snow-Covered Plains
• 4 Faceless Haven

• Sideboard (3)
• 3 Legion Angel

Buy This Deck Export text format

This deck also features a pair of creatures that have the triggered ability, training. Both Hopeful Initiate and Savior of Ollenbock have training, which can allow them to grow in size over the course of the game. However, as I mentioned a moment ago, a lot of your creatures have a base power of two or less. In order to continue getting advantage from your creatures with training, you can count on creatures like Luminarch Aspirant to give other creatures of yours +1/+1 counters. Intrepid Adversary can similarly boost your creatures, but it provides a +1/+1 bonus for each valor counter you place on it rather than +1/+1 counters.

This deck also relies on a few different creatures to act as removal for this deck. Elite Spellbound allows you to temporarily delay your opponent from casting a specific nonland card from their hand. While this isn't a true counter, by adding two mana to the cost of a spell, your opponent might decide on a different approach rather than wasting mana. Skyclave Apparition can remove any nonland, nontoken permanent that has a mana value of four or less. It's been a staple in many White decks for multiple months now. Finally, Brutal Cathar // Moonrage Brute will exile any creature your opponent controls when it enters the battlefield or transforms into Brutal Cathar. While this effect only lasts while Brutal Cathar // Moonrage Brute is on the battlefield, losing a key creature can be devastating for them.

Mono-Red(ish) Burn

Next, I have a mostly Red deck that wants to set your opponent's world ablaze. Let's take a look at it.

Mono-Red(ish) Burn | VOW Standard | Sonio, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (7)
• 1 Bloodthirsty Adversary
• 2 Smoldering Egg
• 4 Manaform Hellkite

• Planeswalkers (6)
• 3 Chandra, Dressed to Kill
• 3 Rowan, Scholar of Sparks

• Instants (14)
• 2 Cathartic Pyre
• 2 Cinderclasm
• 2 Flame-Blessed Bolt
• 2 Magma Opus
• 2 Play with Fire
• 2 Rending Flame
• 2 Valakut Awakening

• Sorceries (9)
• 1 Alchemist's Gambit
• 4 Burn Down the House
• 4 Igneous Inspiration

• Lands (24)
• 1 Island
• 10 Mountain
• 2 Den of the Bugbear
• 3 Stormcarved Coast
• 4 Field of Ruin
• 4 Riverglide Pathway // Lavaglide Pathway

• Sideboard (7)
• 1 Environmental Sciences
• 1 Expanded Anatomy
• 1 Introduction to Prophecy
• 1 Mascot Exhibition
• 1 Start from Scratch
• 2 Teachings of the Archaics

Buy This Deck Export text format

Another new card that gets the spotlight in this deck is Manaform Hellkite. This 4/4 flying Dragon allows you to create an X/X Dragon Illusion creature token that has both flying and haste, where X equals the amount of mana spent when casting a noncreature spell. By burning your opponent with Play with Fire, you'll create a 1/1 creature token that you can use to further damage your opponent by attacking with it. Follow that up with an Igneous Inspiration, and deal another three damage while simultaneously creating a 3/3 Dragon Illusion creature token. Make sure to attack with these tokens you create, as they will be exiled at the beginning of the next end step. Also, remember that if you cast your burn spells on your opponent's turn after they have passed priority to you during their end step, the creature tokens you create will stay around until the end of your turn.

While this deck is mostly Red, there is a bit of Blue mana included in it. That Blue mana allows you to cast Magma Opus for its full effect rather than just discarding it to create a Treasure token. You'll also be able to cast Teachings of the Archaics if you choose that spell to put into your hand when you learn. You can play this deck many times without ever needing that Blue mana, but for those times you're able to use it effectively, both of these spells can help you out immensely.

Simic Control

The final deck I have for you is a control deck in the Simic color combination. It features a bit of mana acceleration alongside Standard's most-hated spell. Let's take a look at the deck.

Simic Control | VOW Standard | TopDeckKing, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (10)
• 3 Hullbreaker Horror
• 3 Prosperous Innkeeper
• 4 Neverwinter Dryad

• Instants (17)
• 2 Eureka Moment
• 2 Memory Deluge
• 2 Syncopate
• 3 Jwari Disruption
• 4 Divide by Zero
• 4 Fading Hope

• Sorceries (9)
• 2 Field Trip
• 3 Consuming Tide
• 4 Alrund's Epiphany

• Lands (24)
• 6 Island
• 7 Forest
• 1 Lair of the Hydra
• 2 Hall of Storm Giants
• 4 Dreamroot Cascade
• 4 Vineglimmer Snarl

• Sideboard (7)
• 1 Containment Breach
• 2 Environmental Sciences
• 2 Mascot Exhibition
• 2 Teachings of the Archaics

Buy This Deck Export text format Export Arena format

This deck features a pair of finishers that you can use to smite your opponent. First, you have Hall of Storm Giants. With a measly six mana, you can turn Hall of Storm Giants into a 7/7 Giant creature. This can allow you to end the game after as few as three attacks. You'll also be able to play your other finisher, Hullbreaker Horror. This Kraken Horror creature can't be countered, can be cast on your opponent's turn thanks to having flash, and offers you the means of removing every nonland permanent your opponent controls during the course of the game. Once you've cast enough spells and returned any potential blockers to your opponent's hand, you'll be able to attack without fear of being chump blocked.

In order to make sure your opponent isn't able to build up a resistance force, you can rely on the numerous counter spells this deck has. Jwari Disruption // Jwari Ruins can act as a soft counter, especially when your opponent doesn't have much mana available to them. Syncopate works great when countering spells that have flashback, as it will exile them. Divide by Zero and Fading Hope help clear the way for Hullbreaker Horror to begin its assault. Finally, Consuming Tide can be used for those times that your opponent has gotten numerous nonland permanents into play. By casting Consuming Tide, you might be able to force them to have to discard some of those threats if they aren't able to cast enough of them during their next turn.

Wrapping Up

Innistrad: Crimson Vow has brought with its release numerous cards that are sure to shake up Standard for a time. Whether cards like Welcoming Vampire, Manaform Hellkite, or Hullbreaker Horror are able to dominate is yet to be seen. Regardless, Standard is surely better off with the addition of this latest release.

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