State of the Best of One Meta M20
What is going on in the world of Best of One (Bo1)? #MTGM20's release has brought us tons of new cards and it's great seeing so many innovative and fun decks running around. So many of the neglected tribes are back in full effect as they get one last push before rotation but some new tribes have risen up to the challenge of the format so in this article I'll be going over the decks and also throwing in a few lists of existing archetypes and how I'd update them!
Up first, we still see the typical Mono-Red Aggro decks
Red deck got some minor upgrades in Chandra, Acolyte of Flame as chandra is absurd as it produces two bodies that can attack immediately and potentially let us cast any burn spells we've got laying around in the graveyard. Remember, you still need to pay the mana for the burn spell as I've seen people using the -2 ability thinking the spell is free. Though minor in change, this deck is still a front runner for decks in a best of one format. With elementals and vampires becoming a thing, Goblin Chainwhirler is going to have to work overtime once again but the deck is still a contender.
Outside of Red Deck, a really popular deck that has returned to the ladder and taking the world by storm?...
Feather, the Redeemed decks have come back and better than ever with the reprint of Gods Willing. There are many variants of Feather but all of them are sweet. Any of the three color variants might have some mana issues but trade that in for more power and cards like Season of Growth which can be your entire card advantage engine.
There's even a new combo deck revolving around Flood of Tears!
It's quite simple! Play ton of mana accelerants and then cast Flood of Tears to bounce everything and then drop Omniscience to draw every card left in your deck and then win with Jace, Wielder of Mysteries. This will be the combo deck to watch as we don't have to worry about the dreaded Nexus of Fate in best of one!
Want to disrupt all the combo decks and whatnot? Well, I'm splitting this part as Mono blue has returned but the new spice is Simic Flash!
This deck is fun as we don't need to cast spells on our turn often. We do everything on our opponent's turn! It got a huge boost in power thanks to cards like Brineborn Cutthroat and Nightpack Ambusher that reward us for doing everything on our opponent's turn and nothing on ours. It's as simple as play your land and pass the turn then watch your opponents mind game themselves out of the match. Just remember, you don't have any crazy card advantage engines so the key part will be learning about your timing of when to cast what spells and what is worth countering.
Tribal Decks
Speaking of some tribal decks, there's been a huge uptick in Vampire decks running around. The numbers of certain cards all vary but the one sure thing is it got a huge power bump.
The deck got Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord which has proven to be absurdly powerful as it can lead to something as powerful as a turn three Sorin into a Champion of Dusk or Sanctum Seeker which is huge. Sorin also gives vampires reach with the +1 to fling vampires and drain for 3. Vampires also got another bomb in Knight of the Ebon Legion. This card scales well into the late game and the activated ability even gives it deathtouch which is bonkers.
Another tribe that got a resurgence?
Dinosaurs came roaring back! Marauding Raptor was the cheap dinosaur the archetype needed as it gives us another solid cost reduction minion that also survives against shock! Not only that, this card grows quickly and makes it a nightmare if it's followed up by a Ripjaw Raptor. Another powerhouse from M20 would be Shifting Ceratops as its ability gives you the option of building the threat or defender you need!
The final tribe is a new tribe! Well, not new to the game but new to being a tier 1 deck.
Elementals is the new deck of M20. Risen Reef is considered to be one of the best cards if not the absolute best card of M20! This card immediately replaces itself at it's worst. The ceiling on this card is ridiculous as you can hit a point of "too much card advantage". Another all-star out of this deck will be Omnath, Locus of the Roil! This card is a value engine in the late game and can be a removal spell or the last few points of damage we needed to close out a game. Best thing about Elementals? I feel like it doesn't get hit as hard by rotation like all the other tribal decks.
Conclusion
#MTGM20 has seriously made a ton of new archetypes for a core set and increased the power level of standard. Standard is going to be a blast until fall as we have a ton of sets that are legal and theres almost a deck for everyone out there right now. Thanks for reading and let me know in the comments what you've been playing and what're some of your favorite cards and decks from M20 so far.
Thanks for reading.
-TheAsianAvenger
Twitter: @TheAsianAvenger || Twitch: twitch.tv/TheAsianAvenger || Email: theasianavenger@mtggoldfish.com
