If you’re looking to take on the best MTG Arena decks in Wizards of the Coast’s online primo duelling simulator, you need a decent set of your own. That’s where we come in, with our list of the best Magic the Gathering Arena decks currently in play, and how you can set them up to take out your opponents with style and grace. Oh, and a good bit of chaos, a very solid amount of chaos.
For more card game chaos, check out our build guides for Marvel Snap decks, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel meta decks, Clash Royale decks, Gwent decks, and Hearthstone decks. Or, if you’re looking for some in-game freebies to add some extra cards to your collection, check out our updated list of MTG Arena codes.
Best MTG Arena decks
With so many different game modes available in this card game sim, we’ve broken down our MTG Arena decks into different sections for each format, so you can build a set that takes advantage of the different rules and limitations.
MTG Arena standard decks
If you’re looking to play the most popular format in Wizards’ mobile title, we’ve got all the MTG Arena standard decks you need. Fit for the current rotation, we’ve split our picks for standard into three top-tier decks that don’t take budget into account, and then three cheaper options if you just want to get playing. It’s also worth making the point that MTG Arena cards aren’t the cheapest, so instead of putting out long decklists that will take you forever to unlock, we’ve selected a few specific cards for each deck list that will get you on your way.
Black mono aggro
Aggro decks have long been a staple of MTG Arena, and with some of the special effects of black cards in the game, you can easily set up a deck to run riot on your opponent right from the first hand. With big bad cards like Sheoldred, The Apocalypse and Liliana Of The Veil using your opponent’s resources against them, and combined with lower cost cards like Tenacious Underdog and Infernal Grasp who make the most of death and destruction, there are countless unseen combos in this MTG Arena deck to unleash on your enemies.
White mono aggro
If you’re too much of a goody-two-shoes to run a black-magic aggro deck, then look to the light of the white mono aggro set. With staple cards in Ao, The Dawn Sky and The Wandering Emporer offering +1/+1 boosts to lower level cards like Hopeful Initiate, Spirited Companion and Intrepid Adversary. This deck struggles a little against other high-level meta threats, but if you can find the right +1/+1 counter combos, then it’s hard to break down for those that don’t know the method.
Mono blue tempo
Finally, we have the mono blue tempo deck, mixing the characteristics of aggro and control sets. This spell-orientated set uses big bads Tolarian Terror and Haughty Djinn and their incredible synergy with cards like Consider, Fading Hope, and Thirst For Discovery to turn the two monsters into massively powerful attacking threats. Sure, if your opponent can cancel out spells, then you’re in trouble, but if they can’t, the shoe is firmly on the other foot.
MTG Arena explorer decks
The MTGA Arena explorer format might still be manifesting a meta in its early years, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth playing. This set is unique in that the cards currently available won’t go into rotation, or in simple terms, unless they’re straight-up banned, you’ll always be able to use them in your decks. With that out of the way, we’ve got a couple of suggestions for powerful sets to get you starting off right.
Green mono
Unlike the standard format, green is on top in the MTG Arena explorer format. With god card Rhonas the Indomitable powering up your monsters and sticking around thanks to its indestructible effect, you can boost the attacking prowess of cards like Yorvo, Lord of Garenbrig or Werewolf Pack Leader. Unnatural Growth can end the game in one turn if you have enough cards out to feel the effect of the power doubling, and there’s little way to counter it as an end-game play.
Red mono
Just behind the might of the green mono set in our picks for the best MTG Arena explorer decks is red mono, with the power of fire not quite matching up to the earth this time. Still, it’s a set well worth using for its ability to squander enemy resources, with cards like Robber of the Rich forcing a discard, Fireblade Charger taking out enemies after it’s beaten, and Embercleave on–hand to slice through any opponent. Better still, it’s a cheap set to build, with only Embercleave costing you more than the equivalent of $5.
There you have it, our current picks for the best MTG Arena decks. Of course, with new sets arriving in the game, as well as new formats, we’ll be back to regularly update this guide with new decks. For now, why not check out another killer card game with our Marvel Snap review.
