Deck Guides

In-depth guides for every major Premodern archetype. Game plans, key cards, stats, and strategy.

Phyrexian Dreadnought
#1 Stiflenought

Drop a 12/12 trampler on turn two with Phyrexian Dreadnought, then negate its drawback with Stifle or Vision Charm. Counter everything else.

Lightning Bolt
#2 Sligh

Reduce 20 to 0 as fast as possible. Twelve one-drops, twelve burn spells, and Fireblast for the kill.

Goblin Lackey
#3 Goblins

The format-defining tribal aggro deck. Goblin Lackey on turn one cheats Siege-Gang Commander or Goblin Piledriver into play, and Goblin Ringleader keeps the gas flowing.

Hypnotic Specter
#4 Mono Black

Hypnotic Specter on turn one off Dark Ritual. Strip their hand with Duress and Cabal Therapy. Engineered Plague kills tribal decks dead.

Argothian Enchantress
#5 Enchantress

Argothian Enchantress and Enchantress's Presence draw a card per enchantment. Solitary Confinement makes you untouchable. Then assemble the win.

Standstill
#6 Landstill

Counter their threats, drop Standstill, then attack with manlands so they break the symmetry. Decree of Justice closes the game from a clear board.

Replenish
#7 Parallax Replenish

Cycle Parallax Wave and Decree of Silence into the graveyard, cast Replenish, then exile the entire battlefield with Opalescence on the stack.

Terravore
#8 Terrageddon

Wasteland them, Armageddon them, attack with a Terravore that grows a counter for every land in every graveyard.

Oath of Druids
#9 Oath Ponza

Mana-deny them with Wasteland and Sphere of Resistance, then cheat Terravore into play with Oath of Druids — a 10/10 trampler from a wasted board.

Stasis
#10 Stasis

Resolve Stasis. Untap with Forsaken City. Their lands stay tapped forever. Black Vise burns them out from a locked board.

Pernicious Deed
#11 The Rock

Black-green midrange with the format's best catch-all answer — Pernicious Deed cleans up anything, then Ravenous Baloth or Treetop Village closes the game.

Hermit Druid
#12 Full English Breakfast

Hermit Druid mills your library into the graveyard. Volrath's Shapeshifter copies whatever's on top. Combine with creatures that win on entry.

Ill-Gotten Gains
#13 Iggy Pop

Storm combo through Lion's Eye Diamond and Ill-Gotten Gains, killing on turn 1-2 with Brain Freeze. Among the fastest decks in the format.

Gaea's Cradle
#14 Elves

Llanowar Elves into Priest of Titania into Gaea's Cradle into a turn-three lethal swing. Wirewood Symbiote bounces elves to untap your mana dorks for explosive mana.

Quirion Dryad
#15 Gro-A-Tog

Quirion Dryad grows huge off cantrips, Meddling Mage names their key card, and Psychatog closes the game in one swing.

Vindicate
#16 BW Control

Black-white control built around Vindicate, Gerrard's Verdict, and inevitability through Eternal Dragon and Decree of Justice.

Psychatog
#17 Psychatog

A blue-black control deck that turns Psychatog into a one-shot kill — discard your hand, exile your graveyard, swing for 20.

Wild Mongrel
#18 UG Madness

Discard Arrogant Wurm and Basking Rootwalla for free with Wild Mongrel. Counter their answers. Beat them down with cheap fatties.

Aluren
#19 Aluren

Resolve Aluren, then drop Cavern Harpy and Raven Familiar for an infinite loop that mills the opponent or drains them out.

Tireless Tribe
#20 WG Madness

Also called "Mad Dogs" — Savannah Lions, Wild Mongrel, and Glory-fueled madness creatures, with Swords to Plowshares for the mirror and Goblins.