Which Oil Counter Deck is the Best in Standard?
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Oil counters are a nifty new type of counter introduced in Phrexia: All Will Be One, that creates a sort of Energy-like feel, without becoming too much busted. They mostly exist in Red and Green cards, but there are also a good number of oil counter cards in other colors as well.
Because of the rather unique intended gameplay designs of oil counter cards, most of them didn’t end up being absorbed into current Standard meta decks. Especially Red oil counter cards, which don’t really fit the current mono-red aggro mold very well, even if the cards themselves are designed to be adequately functional.
RIP white oil counters
Nonetheless, a good majority of oil counter cards are pretty independent on their own. They are featured in other types of builds and brews, where they can simply be considered ordinary cards, albeit limited to their respective oil counter trigger conditions and turn restrictions.
But if you really want a better focus on oil counters, there are still interesting builds out there that showcase a lot of potential. In fact, you might be surprised at the tenacity that some of these decks can do.
Farewell Brotherhood's End and Abrade should easily ruin your day
There are at least two limitations to building dedicated oil counter decks, however. First, you will inevitably splash an Urabrask's Forge one way or another, tilting the deck towards a red identity. Second, The Filigree Sylex also gets consistently added, as it is one of the better oil counter cards that can use oil counters from other sources. As such, the aggro + pay-off component of a dedicated oil counter deck would more or less become its primary identity, affecting the cards that you will ultimately decide to include in your personal build.
Rakdos Forge
The first oil counter deck recommendation on this list is a simple, and straightforward Rakdos build. Meaning, your objective is to chip away at your opponent’s life by any means while preventing any major setups to go through. Oil counter cards are a minority number-wise, but it is considered one of the main win conditions of the deck. Specifically, Urabrask's Forge and its synergies with Proliferate cards, and most especially, with Ob Nixilis, the Adversary
, which always gets a free high-attack creature (and therefore high starting loyalty counters) for its copy token thanks to the artifact.
Featured Cards:
Mythic Rank Rakdos Forge
Main 60 cards (21 distinct)
Lands - 23
Side 4 cards (4 distinct)
Main 60 cards (21 distinct)
Lands - 23
Side 4 cards (4 distinct)
Main 60 cards (21 distinct)
| Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (34) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.19€0.060.03 | |||
| $10.00€14.8112.04 | |||
| $7.401.86 | |||
| $0.85€0.390.03 | |||
| $0.25€0.140.03 | |||
| $0.15€0.070.03 | |||
| $0.270.02 | |||
| $0.330.02 | |||
| $0.15€0.020.03 | |||
| $4.74 | |||
| $4.31 | |||
| Planeswalker (3) | |||
| $9.62 | |||
| Land (23) | |||
|
4
Swamp
|
$1.00€0.490.04 | ||
|
5
Mountain
|
$0.38€0.210.03 | ||
| $6.12 | |||
| $0.300.02 | |||
| $6.85€8.840.72 | |||
| $2.10€3.861.58 | |||
| $3.000.61 | |||
| $1.18 | |||
| $2.990.27 | |||
Side 4 cards (4 distinct)
| $0.15€0.030.03 | |||
|
1
Strangle
|
$0.18€0.110.01 | ||
| $2.990.27 | |||
| $9.62 |
Oil Sylex Instakill
The Filigree Sylex and Solphim, Mayhem Dominus
is a rather quirky combo that has been the focus of a few red-based oil counter decks for the past few weeks. However, efficiency-wise, this build is perhaps the best version that uses this combo as of late. It stays true to the heavy theme of having lots of oil counter cards, while having an overall independent strategy that lets you use a variety of viable win conditions depending on your current game. But most importantly, when the combo goes off, it often goes off early, quickly, and with almost no warning. Except maybe when your opponent instantly realizes that there’s already ten oil counters on your field by turn three.
Oh and, pinging the opponent’s field to oblivion using All Will Be One
is surprisingly not as janky as it should feel using this deck.
Featured Cards:
☠️☠️ Oil Sylex 20 Damage Instakill Combo
Main 60 cards (20 distinct)
Lands - 25
Main 60 cards (20 distinct)
Lands - 25
Main 60 cards (20 distinct)
| Creature (16) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.25€0.170.03 | |||
| $19.980.06 | |||
| $0.20€0.120.03 | |||
| $0.250.03 | |||
| $0.250.02 | |||
| Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (19) | |||
| $7.401.86 | |||
| $0.330.02 | |||
| $0.15€0.060.03 | |||
| $13.72€9.920.41 | |||
| $10.00€14.8112.04 | |||
| $0.24€0.170.04 | |||
| $0.19€0.060.03 | |||
| Land (25) | |||
| $0.300.02 | |||
|
3
Mountain
|
$0.38€0.210.03 | ||
|
4
Forest
|
$0.56€0.250.04 | ||
| $3.620.12 | |||
| $5.28€4.251.68 | |||
| $3.10 | |||
| $2.10€3.861.58 | |||
| $34.00 | |||
TINMAN
Speaking of oil counter-heavy decks, if you just want to slap the most number of usable oil counter cards, then this early-access Phyrexia: All Will Be One-focused template deck is more than good enough of an option. Bloated Contaminator
and Cankerbloom
become obligatory additions to this deck, simply because of their "modal" effects in pursuit of better managing those counters. Cinderslash Ravager
is a nice addition, but probably not as required, even if it is oil-counter-centric. It does easily rid of the board from pesky mites though, while providing a defensive vigilant body.
Featured Cards:
TINMAN
Main 60 cards (20 distinct)
Lands - 21
Main 60 cards (20 distinct)
Lands - 21
Main 60 cards (20 distinct)
| Creature (26) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.25€0.170.03 | |||
| $2.160.02 | |||
| $0.49€0.220.03 | |||
| $0.15€0.080.03 | |||
| $0.20€0.120.03 | |||
| $0.20€0.120.03 | |||
| $0.250.03 | |||
| Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (13) | |||
| $0.15€0.060.03 | |||
| $7.401.86 | |||
| $0.330.02 | |||
| $0.270.02 | |||
| Land (21) | |||
| $34.00 | |||
| $3.620.12 | |||
|
1
Mountain
|
$0.38€0.210.03 | ||
| $5.28€4.251.68 | |||
|
1
Forest
|
$0.56€0.250.04 | ||
| $3.10 | |||
| $2.10€3.861.58 | |||
| $0.300.02 | |||
| $0.570.02 | |||
BLACK GOLD
This is basically the Grixis version of the previous deck, but splashed with additional planeswalkers in order to increase the viability of Proliferate effects. The most prominent of them is none other than Vraska, Betrayal's Sting
. Due to the more midrange style of this deck, Tablet of Compleation
becomes somewhat even more effective to use, and pumping its stacked oil counters to a lethal Sylex blast also gets slightly more consistent. As a result of the diffused counter priority, Churning Reservoir
is cut to just one copy.
Featured Cards:
BLACK GOLD
Main 60 cards (24 distinct)
Lands - 24
Main 60 cards (24 distinct)
Lands - 24
Main 60 cards (24 distinct)
| Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (30) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.15€0.070.03 | |||
| $7.401.86 | |||
| $0.270.02 | |||
| $0.330.02 | |||
| $0.85€0.390.03 | |||
| $4.74 | |||
| $0.25€0.120.02 | |||
| $1.50€1.660.01 | |||
| $0.69 | |||
| Planeswalker (6) | |||
| $6.930.52 | |||
| $9.62 | |||
| $14.79 | |||
| $7.99 | |||
| $0.50€0.380.03 | |||
| Land (24) | |||
| $2.990.27 | |||
| $4.90€3.650.83 | |||
| $0.300.02 | |||
| $8.65 | |||
| $10.00 | |||
| $7.68 | |||
| $4.93 | |||
| $5.73€4.910.27 | |||
| $6.12 | |||
About ChrisCee:
A witness since the time the benevolent silver planeswalker first left Dominaria, ChrisCee has since went back and forth on a number of plane-shattering incidents to oversee the current state of the Multiverse.
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