First Competitive M20 Decklists
The first weekend after release is done and we have the first M20 tournament lists. A lot of diversity and exciting options for most archetypes. We take a deeper look at the tournament lists from this week's Star City games Tournaments. Specifically, the SCG Open Standard Worcester lists.
Aggro decks at the top
Mono-red took 1st place at the SCG Open, followed by a mono-blue deck. Aggro decks tend to do very well at the beginning of each season. One thing to note here is that even if the top two are aggro decks, the rest of the top 16 does not contain any aggro decks at all!
Mono-Red Aggro
Main 60 cards (12 distinct)
Lands - 20
Side 15 cards (5 distinct)
Main 60 cards (12 distinct)
Lands - 20
Side 15 cards (5 distinct)
Main 60 cards (12 distinct)
| Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (16) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.34€0.220.04 | |||
| $0.25€0.630.03 | |||
|
4
Shock
|
$0.20€0.080.03 | ||
| $0.24€0.130.03 | |||
| $0.30€0.130.02 | |||
| Creature (24) | |||
| $0.98€0.400.02 | |||
| $0.89€0.530.02 | |||
| $0.20€0.140.03 | |||
| $0.20€0.130.03 | |||
| $0.20€0.180.03 | |||
| $0.24€0.120.03 | |||
| Land (20) | |||
|
20
Mountain
|
$0.15€0.020.05 | ||
Side 15 cards (5 distinct)
|
3
Fry
|
$0.25€0.210.03 | ||
| $0.30€0.130.02 | |||
| $0.22€0.120.03 | |||
| $0.77€0.510.02 | |||
| $0.25€0.160.03 |
1st place by Aaron Barich. This mono-red uses the new cards Ember Hauler
and Chandra's Spitfire
. It has only one Experimental Frenzy
in the main deck as opposed to earlier iterations, while the rest is in the sideboard. Other than that, the new hose card Fry
can be found in the sideboard together with Chandra, Acolyte of Flame
. A very aggressive deck with only 2.13 total converted mana cost in total in its mainboard. Chandra's Spitfire can do a huge burst of damage as its +3/0 stacks every time you do non-combat damage. Remember that this also counts damage from the Fanatical Firebrand
and Ember Hauler's sacrifice abilities. If you already have a mono-red deck there are 8 new uncommon cards in the main board, 3 rares in the sideboard together with a couple of uncommon cards. Easy upgrade in both MTG Arena and in paper.
Mono-Blue Aggro
Main 60 cards (14 distinct)
Lands - 20
Side 15 cards (7 distinct)
Main 60 cards (14 distinct)
Lands - 20
Side 15 cards (7 distinct)
Main 60 cards (14 distinct)
| Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (22) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
4
Opt
|
$0.25€0.110.03 | ||
| $0.25€0.210.03 | |||
|
1
Unsummon
|
$0.20€0.080.03 | ||
| $0.25€0.170.03 | |||
|
1
Negate
|
$0.25€0.100.04 | ||
| $0.25€0.130.03 | |||
| $0.24€0.220.03 | |||
| $0.70€1.300.03 | |||
| Creature (18) | |||
| $0.40€0.230.02 | |||
| $0.25€0.180.03 | |||
| $0.38€0.380.03 | |||
| $0.25€0.190.03 | |||
| $0.65€1.030.03 | |||
| Land (20) | |||
|
20
Island
|
$0.19€0.040.05 | ||
Side 15 cards (7 distinct)
| $0.25€0.200.03 | |||
| $0.23€0.080.03 | |||
|
3
Negate
|
$0.25€0.100.04 | ||
| $0.21€0.130.03 | |||
| $0.35€0.240.02 | |||
| $0.30€0.280.04 | |||
| $1.77€2.960.03 |
2nd place by Ross Merriam. One of the cheapest decks you can craft/own took 2nd place! Mono blue-aggro/tempo is a very fun deck to play, the key with this deck is your mulligan decisions, perhaps the new London Mulligan was a big boost for this deck? Still, only 4 rare cards in the main deck while the rest are common and uncommon chaff you can find lying around for free at you LGS this is a deck everyone should own. It is a great deck to grow your skills with and a favorite archetype amongst many pros. From M20 we now have a playset of Spectral Sailor
s in the main while the rest are tried and true mono-blue staples. The mainboard also contains some new M20 tech. We touched on this deck in a slightly different form in the M20 First Weekend decks article as having potential going forwards.
W/B Vampires
Main 60 cards (17 distinct)
Lands - 22
Side 15 cards (5 distinct)
Main 60 cards (17 distinct)
Lands - 22
Side 15 cards (5 distinct)
Main 60 cards (17 distinct)
| Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (7) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.33€0.410.57 | |||
|
1
Mortify
|
$0.25€0.140.03 | ||
| $4.04€3.550.02 | |||
| Planeswalker (8) | |||
| $1.00€0.980.02 | |||
| $4.40€2.400.02 | |||
| $13.89€13.751.85 | |||
| Creature (23) | |||
| $0.51€0.570.02 | |||
| $0.28€0.230.03 | |||
| $0.20€0.140.03 | |||
| $0.46€0.460.03 | |||
| $1.73€1.580.03 | |||
| $0.46€0.310.02 | |||
| $0.25€0.210.03 | |||
| Land (22) | |||
|
6
Swamp
|
$0.20€0.100.03 | ||
|
8
Plains
|
$0.19€0.060.03 | ||
| $1.65€1.420.02 | |||
| $10.49€9.870.07 | |||
Side 15 cards (5 distinct)
| $0.38€0.250.02 | |||
| $0.51€0.570.02 | |||
| $0.25€0.140.03 | |||
|
4
Duress
|
$0.20€0.070.04 | ||
|
2
Despark
|
$0.47€0.270.03 |
3rd-4th place by Zachary Kiihne. Another deck also mentioned in the M20 First Weekend decks article was Huey Jensen's Mythic Vampires. That list was quite similar to this one, featuring Champion of Dusk
on top of the curve and using the new 3-drop Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord
. This deck is very powerful and fun to play especially now when we are not seeing a lot of control decks. This will probably be going to change soon as control is an archetype that gets stronger when the meta settles more. The probability that this archetype stays after the fall rotation is quite low as the vampire tribe will lose a lot of important key cards that go into this deck. So beware of that before you work on acquiring this deck. Goblin Chainwhirler
is a card you have to watch out for with this deck with all the 1 toughness drops.
Temur Elementals
Main 60 cards (19 distinct)
Lands - 24
Side 15 cards (6 distinct)
Main 60 cards (19 distinct)
Lands - 24
Side 15 cards (6 distinct)
Main 60 cards (19 distinct)
| Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (7) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
3
Shock
|
$0.20€0.080.03 | ||
| $0.24€0.130.03 | |||
| Planeswalker (6) | |||
| $14.23€9.091.17 | |||
| $0.77€0.510.02 | |||
| Creature (23) | |||
| $0.50€0.680.03 | |||
| $0.24€0.170.03 | |||
| $7.87€5.050.02 | |||
| $0.29€0.110.02 | |||
| $0.20€0.110.03 | |||
| $0.25€0.110.03 | |||
| $2.15€1.731.04 | |||
| Land (24) | |||
| $16.41€15.350.17 | |||
| $0.37€0.170.02 | |||
| $11.66€10.180.88 | |||
| $12.87€11.940.96 | |||
| $2.92€2.180.03 | |||
|
2
Mountain
|
$0.15€0.020.05 | ||
| $1.22€0.940.02 | |||
|
1
Forest
|
$0.15€0.010.03 | ||
Side 15 cards (6 distinct)
| $0.38€0.200.02 | |||
| $0.24€0.150.03 | |||
| $0.19€0.070.03 | |||
| $0.39€0.270.02 | |||
| $0.30€0.280.04 | |||
|
3
Fry
|
$0.25€0.210.03 |
3rd-4th place by Chris Johnson. A card that has been talked a lot about is Risen Reef
, paying three mana where two are different colors for a 1/1 that pays back a card does not seem to be very interesting. But this weekend has shown us what a beast this card really is. M20 has pushed the elemental synergy really hard. This little guy is an all start, as a 1/1 he does not convey any board presence but his ability really requires the opponent to kill him right away. Coming out he pays for himself, he gives you a card and sometimes he also puts that card into the battlefield for you. Take note that it is a "put" effect on the lands, meaning it does not matter if you have played a land earlier, the land will still be put onto the battlefield. Also, take note that this bastard triggers multiple times if you play multiple elements! See the second ability on Chandra, Acolyte of Flame? Yeah, its nasty... this 1/1 wins the game if he is not dealt with immediately by creating immense value. Be prepared to fork out on many new cards for this one, it almost only consists of M20 cards.
R/W Feather
Main 60 cards (16 distinct)
Lands - 22
Side 15 cards (7 distinct)
Main 60 cards (16 distinct)
Lands - 22
Side 15 cards (7 distinct)
Main 60 cards (16 distinct)
| Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (19) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
4
Shock
|
$0.20€0.080.03 | ||
| $0.25€0.160.03 | |||
| $1.12€1.520.03 | |||
| $0.24€0.090.03 | |||
| $0.20€0.040.03 | |||
| $0.17€0.070.03 | |||
| Creature (19) | |||
| $0.25€0.130.03 | |||
| $0.69€0.550.02 | |||
| $0.75€0.400.02 | |||
| $1.18€1.340.24 | |||
| $0.25€0.210.03 | |||
| Land (22) | |||
| $0.35€0.170.02 | |||
| $18.54€14.920.76 | |||
|
7
Plains
|
$0.19€0.060.03 | ||
|
3
Mountain
|
$0.15€0.020.05 | ||
| $1.12€0.740.02 | |||
Side 15 cards (7 distinct)
| $1.20€1.000.02 | |||
|
2
Fry
|
$0.25€0.210.03 | ||
| $0.15€0.030.03 | |||
| $0.20€0.130.03 | |||
| $0.20€0.080.03 | |||
| $0.22€0.120.03 | |||
| $1.00€0.980.02 |
5th-8th by Oliver Tomajko. Feather, the Redeemed
is also in the top and yes it is really funny when it goes off. Gods Willing
helps with keeping it alive, not only from destroy spells but also against exiling effects. The ability to never run out of cards by grabbing them back from the graveyard is the key synergy in this deck. It is quick and aggressive with nineteen 1-drop spells and a total CMC of only 1.68. If you were playing Feather before M20 you get a couple of new tools one is the important Gods Willing and a new Boros dual land Temple of Triumph
.
Bant Ramp
Main 60 cards (17 distinct)
Lands - 25
Side 15 cards (8 distinct)
Main 60 cards (17 distinct)
Lands - 25
Side 15 cards (8 distinct)
Main 60 cards (17 distinct)
| Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (4) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.70€0.480.02 | |||
| $0.35€0.240.02 | |||
| Planeswalker (8) | |||
| $4.15€5.855.39 | |||
| $3.43€2.290.02 | |||
| Creature (23) | |||
| $4.70€2.430.02 | |||
| $2.24€1.690.02 | |||
| $0.25€0.190.03 | |||
| $0.63 | |||
| $2.00€1.310.02 | |||
| $1.10€1.460.06 | |||
| $0.24€0.110.03 | |||
| Land (25) | |||
| $16.41€15.350.17 | |||
| $11.56€9.790.24 | |||
| $1.22€0.940.02 | |||
| $8.91€9.260.17 | |||
| $1.10€1.160.02 | |||
|
5
Forest
|
$0.15€0.010.03 | ||
Side 15 cards (8 distinct)
| $4.70€3.520.02 | |||
| $0.39€0.410.02 | |||
| $0.38€0.200.02 | |||
|
2
Negate
|
$0.25€0.100.04 | ||
| $0.25€0.100.03 | |||
| $0.19€0.070.03 | |||
| $0.20€0.220.03 | |||
| $0.25€0.170.03 |
5th-8th Benjamin Reilly. This is a deck that does not use many new cards, the main deck has a playset of Voracious Hydra
and that's basically it. He is a great threat though if you manage to resolve him, and he survives long enough to smack the opponent in the face. But that's about it, there are other cards that can replace him if you want to play this deck. Shalai, Voice of Plenty
does a great job protecting your planeswalkers while you steal theirs with Mass Manipulation
G/U Flash
Main 60 cards (16 distinct)
Lands - 23
Side 15 cards (7 distinct)
Main 60 cards (16 distinct)
Lands - 23
Side 15 cards (7 distinct)
Main 60 cards (16 distinct)
| Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (15) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
4
Unsummon
|
$0.20€0.080.03 | ||
| $0.34€0.15 | |||
| $0.25€0.170.03 | |||
| $0.20€0.180.03 | |||
| $0.18€0.060.03 | |||
| Creature (22) | |||
| $0.25€0.150.03 | |||
| $0.25€0.180.03 | |||
| $0.55€0.340.02 | |||
| $0.65€1.030.03 | |||
| $0.24€0.110.03 | |||
| $0.23€0.140.03 | |||
| Land (23) | |||
| $0.37€0.170.02 | |||
|
8
Island
|
$0.19€0.040.05 | ||
| $1.22€0.940.02 | |||
|
4
Forest
|
$0.15€0.010.03 | ||
| $16.41€15.350.17 | |||
Side 15 cards (7 distinct)
| $0.38€0.200.02 | |||
| $0.19€0.040.03 | |||
| $0.25€0.170.03 | |||
| $0.19€0.070.03 | |||
| $0.30€0.280.04 | |||
|
2
Unwind
|
$0.55€0.440.03 | ||
| $0.35€0.160.02 |
9th-16th by Joshua Satterfield. 22 creatures and not one of them wants to be played in your main phase. Two variations of this deck made it to the top 16 and they are very similar. Playing against this deck is hard as it is so flexible, you always have the option of either countering or playing a creature. You do not have to play creatures in your main phase and hold up mana for countering as everything is instant! Oh and then there is Frilled Mystic
which does both. Nightpack Ambusher
really shines in this deck because, yeah you already know you will never play anything during your main phase, free wolves!
G/U Nexus
Main 60 cards (18 distinct)
Lands - 25
Side 15 cards (8 distinct)
Main 60 cards (18 distinct)
Lands - 25
Side 15 cards (8 distinct)
Main 60 cards (18 distinct)
| Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (30) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| $1.01€0.690.03 | |||
| $2.67€2.270.02 | |||
| $0.18€0.030.03 | |||
|
4
Opt
|
$0.25€0.110.03 | ||
| $14.24€6.470.29 | |||
| $0.30€0.210.03 | |||
| $0.25€0.150.03 | |||
| $0.19€0.090.03 | |||
| $0.25€0.110.03 | |||
| Planeswalker (5) | |||
| $0.50€0.290.02 | |||
| $3.43€2.290.02 | |||
| Land (25) | |||
| $16.41€15.350.17 | |||
| $0.37€0.170.02 | |||
| $0.20€0.050.03 | |||
|
5
Island
|
$0.19€0.040.05 | ||
| $1.22€0.940.02 | |||
|
5
Forest
|
$0.15€0.010.03 | ||
| $0.49€0.360.10 | |||
Side 15 cards (8 distinct)
| $0.38€0.200.02 | |||
| $0.25€0.200.03 | |||
| $2.93€1.840.02 | |||
| $0.24€0.070.03 | |||
| $0.15€0.080.03 | |||
|
2
Negate
|
$0.25€0.100.04 | ||
| $0.30€0.280.04 | |||
| $6.99€6.675.34 |
9th-16th by Evan Whitehouse. Nexus is back! This time it is not with mister Teferi as we are not even playing white, we are Simic, blue/green. Tamiyo, Collector of Tales
is leading the charge this time, sometimes accompanied by Nissa, Who Shakes the World
and Narset, Parter of Veils
. Ramp is on the menu, a couple of fog spells, and of course the classic Wilderness Reclamation
. Its always close with this deck, stabilizing on just a couple of life points happens very often. But when its finally your turn, your opponent might never see his own again. Yeah winning by milling out the opponent this way is very boring, at least there are some cards in the sideboard you can smack face with. It is still banned in Best of 1 on Arena, so you will only meet this in Best of 3 matches.
Esper Hero
Main 60 cards (22 distinct)
Lands - 26
Side 15 cards (8 distinct)
Main 60 cards (22 distinct)
Lands - 26
Side 15 cards (8 distinct)
Main 60 cards (22 distinct)
| Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (18) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.25€0.230.03 | |||
| $0.38€0.280.02 | |||
| $0.50€0.440.02 | |||
| $0.40€0.160.02 | |||
| $0.20€0.090.03 | |||
|
1
Despark
|
$0.47€0.270.03 | ||
| $0.53€0.340.02 | |||
| $0.33€0.410.57 | |||
| $0.25€0.140.03 | |||
| Planeswalker (6) | |||
| $4.15€5.855.39 | |||
| $69.12€80.1010.06 | |||
| Creature (10) | |||
| $0.25€0.140.03 | |||
| $0.49€0.280.02 | |||
| $0.25€0.160.03 | |||
| Land (26) | |||
| $2.50€1.830.02 | |||
| $13.86€13.390.29 | |||
|
2
Swamp
|
$0.20€0.100.03 | ||
|
1
Plains
|
$0.19€0.060.03 | ||
| $1.65€1.420.02 | |||
| $8.91€9.260.17 | |||
| $10.49€9.870.07 | |||
| $1.10€1.160.02 | |||
Side 15 cards (8 distinct)
| $0.44€0.360.02 | |||
| $0.50€0.440.02 | |||
|
2
Duress
|
$0.20€0.070.04 | ||
| $3.32€1.820.04 | |||
| $0.30€0.280.04 | |||
| $0.25€0.140.03 | |||
| $0.44€0.200.02 | |||
| $0.94€0.670.04 |
9th-16th by Tom Kessler. So you were perhaps hoping 8feri wouldn't show up in this article? Well, it's not 8 but 6 if that is any consolidation. The Hero is still with us and with him he brought a Command the Dreadhorde
, a bunch of multicolored spells and a playset of Hero of Precinct One
to cash in on all the colors. It seems the Hero really didn't need any new cards, there are a few Disfigure
's and a couple of cards in the sideboard. But if you played this deck before you really don't need any new cards.
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