Aetherhub playing Against MTGJeff - The MTG Arena Budget challenge

I had the pleasure of being invited by MTG Jeff to a challenge where we built 3-color decks out of commons and uncommons. We had a lot of fun brewing and playing against each other in this unique format. 

MTG Jeff is an MTG Arena content creator that is focused on "Making Magic Fun Again"! He tries to get people out of the "winning is all that matters" mindset. Then help them remember that Magic: the Gathering is one of the best & most FUN strategy games of all time. Jeff has a YouTube channel he started 1 year ago. It has been growing very quickly by MTG standards. Jeff posts a new deck 7 days a week on his channel. Make sure you go support him by subscribing and liking our video.

Not only was It a lot of fun playing against him, but we also got to have a good long talk after the video about MTG Arena, the community and the challenges as to being content creators/content platform creators. A great guy and a very good MTG Player, I was very humbled by being invited. As a man who never brews, this caught me by surprise but I didn't let that stop me from participating and here is how I built my own deck.

Bant Flash Budget MTG Jeff Challenge

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Main 60 cards (14 distinct)

Lands - 24

Main 60 cards (14 distinct)

Lands - 24

$€Tix

Main 60 cards (14 distinct)

Creature (21)
4 Brineborn Cutthroat			$0.23€0.140.03
4 Frilled Mystic			$0.24€0.110.03
3 Merfolk Trickster			$0.65€1.030.03
4 Spectral Sailor			$0.25€0.180.03
2 Swift Warden			$0.25€0.150.03
4 Snapping Sailback			$0.25€0.140.03
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (15)
4 Sinister Sabotage			$0.20€0.180.03
4 Syncopate			$0.18€0.130.03
4 Opt			$0.25€0.120.03
3 Lawmage's Binding			$0.18€0.070.03
Land (24)
7 Forest			$0.20€0.030.04
9 Island			$0.15€0.040.03
4 Selesnya Guildgate			$0.18€0.040.03
4 Tranquil Cove			$0.20€0.040.03

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As someone who just gets his lists of the Aetherhub meta, I did what I always do. Started to look at the Metagame. I already knew the best budget deck around, Mono-blue tempo but this was a three-color challenge, so what could I do. 

Well, I remembered in the early M20 Meta there was a Simic flash deck I tried out and I had a lot of fun with it. However, it did not go well with the Best of 1 meta in MTG Arena which is what I play for my dailies. So it just sat there and collected dust.

But maybe if I added another color I could make it work in this challenge. So I quickly brought it up and had a look: 

Simic Flash

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Main 60 cards (16 distinct)

Lands - 23

Side 15 cards (7 distinct)

Main 60 cards (16 distinct)

Lands - 23

Side 15 cards (7 distinct)

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Main 60 cards (16 distinct)

Creature (19)
3 Spectral Sailor			$0.25€0.180.03
4 Nightpack Ambusher			$0.55€0.340.02
4 Merfolk Trickster			$0.65€1.030.03
4 Frilled Mystic			$0.24€0.110.03
4 Brineborn Cutthroat			$0.23€0.140.03
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (18)
4 Opt			$0.25€0.120.03
2 Negate			$0.25€0.140.03
3 Unsummon			$0.20€0.080.03
2 Syncopate			$0.18€0.130.03
4 Sinister Sabotage			$0.20€0.180.03
3 Essence Scatter			$0.18€0.060.03
Land (23)
4 Temple of Mystery			$0.37€0.170.02
7 Island			$0.15€0.040.03
4 Hinterland Harbor			$1.22€0.940.02
4 Forest			$0.15€0.020.03
4 Breeding Pool			$16.41€15.350.17

Side 15 cards (7 distinct)

2 Cerulean Drake			$0.25€0.200.03
1 Thrashing Brontodon			$0.24€0.160.03
4 Shifting Ceratops			$0.38€0.200.02
3 Veil of Summer			$6.99€6.675.34
1 Aether Gust			$0.30€0.280.04
1 Negate			$0.25€0.140.03
3 Entrancing Melody			$0.35€0.240.02

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MTG Arena Format MTG Online File download Text List Registration PDF

Ohh there is only one rare creature in the deck! The rest are rare lands! Even the nasty Frilled Mystic is uncommon. Well this is something I definitely wanted to try out.

So whats next?

Well, first I had to find a new wincon which probably had to be a creature. So I started my search by just searching the whole MTG Arena format for flash creatures(Good thing I upgraded that search engine) I quickly found this guy

A "big" flash guy that always got the best of me during the Ixalan drafts. I can use him I thought, he's okay and this is a format with only commons and uncommons and he might play a control deck but not a deck with only flyers (spoiler alert: his whole damn deck was only flyers).

So if this was a two-color challenge I could have just packed up and called it a day, I would not play any tap-lands as this deck really wants to have mana available for counterspells. I needed another color so back to the drawing board and see what I could splash for. I felt it was a bit cheating to only have a mild splash for one card in another color but considering how much it hurts the deck to add tapped lands I gave myself permission to splash for one card:

Not only an excellent removal spell for the deck but it also plays into the flash theme perfectly! Now all that was left was to try and not add too many tap lands to the deck and face Jeff who was playing:

Budget Esper Flyers M20 VS Andre Liverod

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Main 60 cards (24 distinct)

Lands - 23

Main 60 cards (24 distinct)

Lands - 23

$€Tix

Main 60 cards (24 distinct)

Creature (25)
1 Nightveil Predator			$0.20€0.120.03
3 Skymarch Bloodletter			$0.15€0.090.03
1 Faerie Duelist			$0.19€0.040.03
1 Spectral Sailor			$0.25€0.180.03
2 Siren Stormtamer			$0.38€0.380.03
2 Angel of Vitality			$1.08€0.820.03
1 Sadistic Skymarcher			$0.20€0.150.03
2 Regal Bloodlord			$0.25€0.150.03
2 Kitesail Freebooter			$0.25€0.110.06
4 Healer's Hawk			$0.20€0.100.03
4 Empyrean Eagle			$0.33€0.230.03
2 Bloodthirsty Aerialist			$0.25€0.230.03
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (12)
2 Depose // Deploy			$0.20€0.130.03
2 Winged Words			$0.24€0.110.03
1 Spell Pierce			$0.25€0.170.03
1 Dovin's Veto			$3.32€1.820.04
3 Favorable Winds			$0.36€0.220.03
3 Rally of Wings			$0.25€0.170.03
Land (23)
4 Scoured Barrens			$0.24€0.060.03
3 Dismal Backwater			$0.23€0.090.03
4 Tranquil Cove			$0.20€0.040.03
4 Swamp			$0.20€0.100.03
3 Plains			$0.19€0.060.03
5 Island			$0.19€0.040.05

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MTG Arena Format MTG Online File download Text List Registration PDF

A very nice deck with only flying creatures, which was bad news for my wincon, but having the ability to force the opponent to play around counterspells each and every turn gives a really nice edge. So how did the match turn out? Look at the video at the top of the article and see for yourself. GG Jeff, this was a lot of fun! I hope to play you again some day :)