Since the release of Zendikar and Kaladesh that shook the Standard and Historic meta, respectively, things have settled down towards the end of the year. We can now see which decks are considered top-tier and which decks worsened after the release of these sets. Because of this, we can now look into the top decks that wreck hard coming into the new year!

15. UW Prison

Why this deck is great

• Single-player mode activated
  • Because of its harsh control mechanic, your opponent will end up as a spectator as you establish your winning pieces
• Great against any deck

How to play this deck effectively

• Set up your early turns to ensure that you get land drops for future spells
• Make sure that you deny your opponent’s strategy by choosing which spells to counter
• Only drop Rule of Law if you already have enough mana for counterspells during your opponent’s turn
• Fae of Wishes can help give you card advantage by fetching any card that you may need
• Protect your pieces and your life total as you cast Approach of the Second Sun for the win

Decklist

Yorion, Sky Nomad - companion

• 2 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
• 3 Narset, Parter of Veils
• 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
• 3 Fae of Wishes
• 3 Search for Azcanta
• 3 Omen of the Sea
• 2 Rule of Law
• 2 Ixalan’s Binding
• 3 Elspeth Conquers Death
• 3 The Birth of Meletis
• 3 Absorb
• 2 Neutralize
• 2 Dovin’s Veto
• 3 Disallow
• 3 Revitalize
• 3 Wrath of God
• 2 Cleansing Nova
• 2 Settle the Wreckage
• 1 Tormod’s Crypt
• 1 Grafdigger’s Cage
• 2 Ondu Inversion
• 4 Glacial Fortress
• 4 Hallowed Fountain
• 3 Temple of Enlightenment
• 2 Castle Ardenvale
• 2 Castle Vantress
• 4 Fabled Passage
• 1 Ipnu Rivulet
• 1 Field of Ruin
• 1 Mobilized District
• 5 Island
• 3 Plains

14. Yorion Doom

Why this deck is great

• You can duplicate ETB effects of creatures and enchantments
• 80-card deck reduces the chance of getting milled to death by Rogues 
  • This also provides huge card advantage, allowing you to fit in more threats in the main deck

How to play this deck effectively

• Omens are your friend
  • Omen of the Sea should be utilized in the early game to help you in your draws and land drops, while Omen of the Sun will help pad your stats and produce blockers 
• Just like a good control deck, you must have the right tools against whatever deck you are facing.
  • Removals and board wipes are always great since the meta is still creature-heavy with just an addition of a few control matchups. 

Decklist

Yorion, Sky Nomad - companion

• 2 Yorion, Sky Nomad
• 4 Skyclave Apparition
• 4 Emeria’s Call
• 3 Extinction Event
• 3 Dance of the Manse
• 2 Eliminate
• 2 Heartless Act
• 3 Golden Egg
• 2 Glass Casket
• 1 Banishing Light
• 4 Doom Foretold
• 4 Elspeth Conquers Death
• 4 Omen of the Sea
• 3 Omen of the Sun
• 4 Elspeth’s Nightmare
• 3 Treacherous Blessing
• 4 Clearwater Pathway
• 4 Brightclimb Pathway
• 4 Temple of Enlightenment
• 3 Temple of Deceit
• 1 Temple of Silence
• 4 Fabled Passage
• 3 Plains
• 4 Swamp
• 4 Island

13. Mono-Green Food

Why this deck is great

• Ramp is a very strong concept in the meta
• You get to play multiple spells early on with the amount of mana you have
• This deck can easily overrun any other deck 

How to play this deck effectively

• Get your ramp pieces early
  • This is probably the only key to winning the game since being delayed in casting your spells may be disastrous for you
• Bring in large creatures as soon as you can so you can cast The Great Henge easily
  • The Great Henge will give you mana and card advantage so you want this on the battlefield as early as possible

Decklist

• 4 Gilded Goose
• 3 Questing Beast
• 4 Feasting Troll King
• 4 Lovestruck Beast
• 1 Thrashing Brontodon
• 2 Kazandu Mammoth
• 4 Tangled Florahedron
• 4 Wicked Wolf
• 3 Witch’s Oven
• 2 The Great Henge
• 3 Trail of Crumbs
• 2 Vivien, Monsters’ Advocate
• 2 Crawling Barrens
• 2 Bonders’ Enclave
• 4 Castle Garenbrig
• 16 Forest

12. Temur Energy

Why this deck is great

• Great mechanic allows a variety of interactions
  • You can use your energy to create Servo tokens or to cast a ‘free’ Ultimatum
• The cards in this deck are very synergistic to each other

How to play this deck effectively

• Ramp and stack energy counters in the early game
  • Getting Aetherworks Marvel early is great but if you do not have enough energy to activate it immediately, you will just give away your advantage
• Use your energy 
  • Most players do the mistake of stockpiling too much energy when they could just make tokens to improve their board state

Decklist

• 4 Servant of the Conduit
• 3 Rogue Refiner
• 4 Whirler Virtuoso
• 3 Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
• 3 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
• 3 Ugin, the 
• 4 Genesis Ultimatum
• 4 Woodweaver’s Puzzleknot
• 4 Aetherworks Marvel
• 4 Attune with Aether
• 1 Valakut Awakening
• 1 Bala Ged Recovery
• 4 Turntimber Symbiosis
• 4 Aether Hub
• 2 Breeding Pool
• 3 Stomping Ground
• 1 Steam Vent
• 3 Fabled Passage
• 1 Forest
• 2 Mountain
• 2 Island

11. Chandra Tribal

Why this deck is great

• It is a great and fun spin on mono-red decks
• Multiple Chandra planeswalkers can combo off to deal massive amounts of damage
• There are plenty of enablers for this type of deck especially Chandra’s Regulator

How to play this deck effectively

• You only need two to three lands on your starting hand
  • This makes Chandra’s Regulator and Chandra, Acolyte of Flame castable
• You can play this deck in a variety of ways:
  • Beatdown with Elemental tokens pumped by Chandra, Novice Pyromancer
  • Creature control with the targetted abilities of your planeswalkers
  • Straight up blasting the face of the opponent

Decklist

• 3 Chandra, Acolyte of Flame
• 4 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
• 2 Chandra, Novice Pyromancer
• 2 Chandra, Heart of Fire
• 2 Chandra, Awakened Inferno
• 3 Bonecrusher Giant
• 3 Heart of Kiran
• 3 Chandra’s Regulator
• 4 Mind Stone
• 4 Chandra’s Triumph
• 3 Sweltering Suns
• 4 Shatterskull Smashing
• 4 Interplanar Beacon
• 2 Karn’s Bastion
• 2 Castle Embereth
• 15 Mountain

10. Lurrus Enchantments

Why this deck is great

• Recurring threats because of the ability of Lurrus
• Very low mana cost average creates an aggressive aspect
• Lifelink can help pad the HP early on to help against aggressive decks

How to play this deck effectively

• Play it like an aggro deck since your creatures are pretty soft when placed in the late game
  • Keep dropping creatures and enchantments since you can easily bring them back with Lurrus later
  • Maximize your damage output by placing your enchantments on one creature, preferably the unblockable Mist-Cloaked Herald
• Maximize your card advantage by using staggering insight to draw either more threats or more ways to protect your threats

Decklist

• 4 Siren Stormtamer
• 4 Mist-Cloaked Herald
• 4 Alseid of Life’s Bounty
• 4 All That Glitters
• 4 Staggering Insight
• 4 Sentinel’s Eyes
• 4 Selfless Savior
• 4 Karametra’s Blessing
• 4 Curious Obsession
• 2 Cartouche of Solidarity
• 2 Cartouche of Knowledge
• 4 Hallowed Fountain
• 4 Glacial Fortress
• 1 Temple of Enlightenment
• 6 Island
• 5 Plains

9. God Pharaoh's Gift

Why this deck is great

• When the engines pop, it is very difficult to stop
• It presents dual threats with its ability to reanimate its creatures
• Gate to the Afterlife can help increase your chance of getting GPG at the right time

How to play this deck effectively

• All creatures you have are expendable
  • Mostly, creatures you cast will have ETB effects. Other than that, they are more useful if they are in the graveyard
• The discard mechanics of your cards are very important in enabling your GPG
  • Chart a Course helps you draw the necessary pieces while filling up your graveyard
  • Minister of Inquiries are crucial as it automatically puts four cards in your graveyard every activation
• Don’t worry if your GPG is placed in the graveyard. As long as these are not exiled, you can always get them back. 

Decklist

• 4 Champion of Wits
• 4 Angel of Invention
• 3 Minister of Inquiries
• 2 Dream Trawler
• 4 Chart a Course
• 2 Refurbish
• 4 STrategic PLanning
• 2 Wrath of God
• 2 Cast Out
• 1 Search for Azcanta
• 4 God-Pharaoh’s Gift
• 3 Gate to the Afterlife
• 4 Glacial Fortress
• 4 Hallowed Fountain
• 2 Ipnu Rivulet
• 3 Irrigated Farmland
• 1 Castle Vantress
• 1 Castle Ardenvale
• 5 Island
• 4 Plains

8. Red Deck Wins

Why this deck is great

• Red aggro never goes out of meta
• Opponents can never be too prepared when facing a red deck
• More threats to keep the deck balanced even in late-game situations

How to play this deck effectively

• Attacking is the primary weapon of this deck
• Go out guns blazing in the early phases of the game
• Pressure the opponent immediately to force board wipes 
• The only time board wipes are great is when you force your opponent to cast one even if you haven’t played your big threats yet

Decklist

• 4 Bonecrusher Giant
• 4 Robber of the Rich
• 3 Torbran, Thane of Red Fell
• 2 Akoum Hellhound
• 2 Ox of Agonas
• 3 Rimrock Knight
• 3 Fervent Champion
• 4 Fireblade Charger
• 4 Anax, Hardened in the Forge
• 4 Embercleave
• 2 Spikefield Hazard
• 4 Castle Embereth
• 18 Mountain

7. Colorless Ugin Ramp

Why this deck is great

• Massive board presence in the mid to late game 
• Many different value engines to utilize
• Ugin and Ulamog are among the scariest threats in the meta 

How to play this deck effectively

• Ramp is the name of the game
  • Getting early mana advantage is crucial since your threats are very high in the mana curve
  • Along with mana advantage, it is also important that you get the right draws so card advantage should also be prioritized.
• If you are against creature heavy decks, which you will face a lot in the meta, having an Ugin early on is key to disrupting the opponent’s attack

Decklist

• 3 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
• 2 Ugin, the Ineffable
• 4 Karn, the Great Creator
• 2 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
• 2 Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
• 4 Extinction Event
• 3 Forsaken Monument
• 3 Hedron Archive
• 4 Mazemind Tome
• 4 Guardian Idol
• 4 Mind Stone
• 1 Cascading Cataracts
• 4 Aether Hub
• 1 Crawling Barrens
• 1 Inventor’s Fair
• 1 Mobilized District
• 4 Radiant Fountain
• 1 Scavenger Grounds
• 4 Spire of Industry
• 4 Ifnir Deadlands
• 2 Zhalfrin’s Void
• 1 Mirrodin’s Core
• 1 Buried Ruins

6. Rogues

Why this deck is great

• A highly synergistic deck allows strong interactions between cards
• Attacks not only the opponent’s health but also their deck with its mill ability
• Wide range of threats to use against a variety of decks

How to play this deck effectively

• Set up the early plays by milling your opponent as much as you can
  • You can do this to benefit your cards immediately
• Aim to attack the opponent as soon as possible
  • Your creatures do not do well against blockers since they have low attack and toughness attributes

Decklist

• 4 Thieves’ Guild Enforcer
• 4 Soaring Thought-Thief
• 3 Brazen Borrower
• 3 Zareth San, the Trickster
• 4 Drown in the Loch
• 2 Heartless Act
• 2 Cling to Dust
• 2 Eliminate
• 3 Didn’t Say Please
• 2 Jwari Disruption
• 3 Into the Story
• 2 Bloodchief’s Thirst
• 2 Shark Typhoon
• 4 Zagoth Triome
• 4 Clearwater Pathway
• 4 Temple of Deceit
• 1 Castle Vantress
• 1 Castle Locthwain
• 4 Fabled Passage
• 3 Swamp
• 3 Island

5. Sultai Control

Why this deck is great

• This deck has a lot more firepower with creatures and planeswalkers compared to other variants of control
• It can deal with almost any deck even the aggressive ones
• Board wipes are still very strong in the format

How to play this deck effectively

• Gain control of the early game by using Growth Spiral and Uro to ramp
  • Control is not always just about countering your opponent’s spells. Having the advantage of mana in the start already gives you the control
• As soon as the opponent starts to build up their board full of creatures, use your board wipe
  • After a board wipe, you can now cast a huge Hydroid Krasis to further your advantage in the game

Decklist

• 3 Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath
• 3 Hydroid Krasis
• 4 Nissa, Who Shakes the World
• 2 Shark Typhoon
• 2 Mystical Dispute
• 2 Cry of the Carnarium
• 1 Eliminate
• 1 Aether Gust
• 2 Extinction Event
• 4 Growth Spiral
• 2 Maelstrom Pulse
• 4 Thoughtseize
• 1 Tale’s End
• 4 Breeding Pool
• 2 Fetid Pools
• 4 Overgrown Tomb
• 4 Zagoth Triome
• 3 Drowned Catacomb
• 4 Fabled Passage
• 2 Castle Locthwain
• 2 Forest
• 1 Swamp
• 2 Island

4. Bolas Citadel

Why this deck is great

• Massive card advantage
• A late-game centric deck that capitalizes on the fact that your opponent already has limited threats to your permanents
• You can assemble a one-turn kill if you get lucky with your topdecks

How to play this deck effectively

• Pad up your life total in the early stage. A high life total will significantly benefit your Bolas’s Citadel combo later on.
• Your small creatures are expendable. 
  • Keep on attacking to force blocks, targetted removals, and board wipes
• Drop the Citadel only if you can cast spells immediately
  • The Citadel is a huge threat and your opponent will try to remove it as soon as it steps on the battlefield. Make sure that you can get the engine going before the opponent is able to destroy this crucial piece. 

Decklist

• 4 Ajani’s Welcome
• 4 Soul Warden
• 4 Malakir Rebirth
• 4 VIllage Rites
• 3 Impassioned Orator
• 2 Kabira Takedown
• 3 Sejiri Shelter
• 4 Skyclave Cleric
• 4 Cleric of Life’s Bound
• 4 Mind Stone
• 4 Kor Celebrant
• 4 Blackbloom Rogue
• 3 Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
• 2 Aetherflux Reservoir
• 4 Bolas’s Citadel
• 2 Zof Consumption
• 2 Emeria’s Call
• 2 Agadeem’s Awakening
• 1 Swamp

3. Sacrifice

Why this deck is great

• Great value engine that can net huge amounts of damage
• Great against targetted removal
• Dual-threat as creatures can attack but can also be sacrificed for more value

How to play this deck effectively

• String together your trigger to maximize damage output
• Make sure you are able to cast your spells on curve
  • This can help guarantee that you get to cast your important spells in time
• Claim the Firstborn is still powerful since it can pick off small, aggressive, and annoying creatures in the early game.

Decklist

• 4 Cauldron Familiar
• 4 Priest of the Forgotten Gods
• 4 Dreadhorde Butcher
• 4 Mayhem Devil
• 4 Woe Strider
• 3 Midnight Reaper
• 2 Bonecrusher Giant
• 2 Korvold, Fae-Cursed King
• 3 Collected Company
• 3 Claim the Firstborn
• 4 Witch’s Oven
• 4 Overgrown Tomb
• 4 Dragonskull Summit
• 4 Blood Crypt
• 2 Rootbound Crag
• 2 Woodland Cemetery
• 1 Phyrexian Tower
• 2 Swamp

2. Gruul Landfall Aggro

Why this deck is great

• Landfall interactions are safe from counterspells
• You can achieve a variety of benefits with landfall
• Picking up an Evolving Wilds or Fabled Passage in any stage of the game is no longer a hassle since you will get double landfall triggers from them

How to play this deck effectively

• You can always prioritize ramp landfall interactions to accelerate your board state
• Once you already established your board presence, set up your winning combo pieces
• Hold out your Fabled Passage or Evolving Wilds for more value in the later stages of the game
  • With the ability to fetch a land, landfall will trigger twice, giving you more triggers

Decklist

• 4 Akoum Hellhound
• 4 Migratory Greathorn
• 4 Brushfire Elemental
• 4 Skyclave Geopede
• 2 Skyclave Pick-Axe
• 1 Embercleave
• 2 Fire Prophecy
• 3 Spikefield Hazard
• 4 Ram Through
• 4 Rolling Regrowth
• 2 Balaged Recovery
• 3 Cleansing Wildfire
• 2 Blazing Volley
• 4 Fabled Passage
• 2 Castle Embereth
• 8 Forest
• 7 Mountain

1. Goblins

Why this deck is great

• Unlike most red decks, Goblins stray away from the hyper-aggressive gameplay
  • This gives them a more balanced gameplay experience by allowing them to fight even during the later stages of the game
• Muxus can bring a huge battalion, ending the game outright

How to play this deck effectively

• The unique aspect of this deck is that it can ramp with Skirk Prospector 
  • Coupled with Krenko, Mob Boss, you can ramp towards more creatures in a single turn
• Conspicuous Coop can give you a good card advantage with its ability
  • Being able to cast creatures from the top of your deck is a massive advantage especially since hand disruption cards are still rampant

Decklist

• 4 Skirk Prospector
• 4 Wily Goblin
• 4 Conspicuous Snoop
• 4 Goblins Chieftain
• 4 Goblin Matron
• 4 Muxus, Goblin Grandee
• 3 Goblin Warchief
• 4 Krenkko, Mob Boss
• 2 Herald’s Horn
• 2 Mind Stone
• 3 Shatterskull Smashing
• 2 Phyrexian Tower
• 4 Castle Embereth
• 16 Mountain

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