What are the best Standard decks currently being played on MTG Arena?

The metagame in Magic is constantly shifting, and MTG is no exception to its paper counterpart.  The deck you find yourself smashing with one day may be going against all its worst matchups the next.

This Top 10 list will give you the breakdown on all the best decks in Standard right now, their strengths and weaknesses, so that you can pick the one that fits your playstyle best, or find that small piece of tech to make your own brew all the more powerful.

10. Orzhov Control

This iteration of B/W Control can best be described as “Death by a Thousand Cuts”.  It utilizes hand control and creature removal to maintain control of the board, then wins the game through the value generated by its planeswalkers and Meathook Massacre.  

This is a strong deck in an aggro matchup, with a decent game against combo players as well, due to its hand disruption.  Games against blue-based control decks, however, will tend to be a struggle, and will very likely be a game one loss.  Post-sideboard, the matchup gets slightly better with more hand disruption being available, but the incremental values are much harder to gain, and much of your removal will be dead cards.

In a metagame where creatures, especially smaller ones, are prevalent, this is a great choice.  If you’re seeing a ton of white weenie, this is very much the deck for you.

Deck

• 2 Lolth, Spider Queen
• 2 The Wandering Emperor
• 4 Acquisitions Expert
• 4 Extraction Specialist
• 2 Henrika Domnathi
• 1 Legion Angel
• 4 Luminarch Aspirant
• 3 Dread Fugue
• 2 Emeria's Call
• 2 Pelakka Predation
• 2 Hagra Mauling
• 2 Infernal Grasp
• 3 Vanishing Verse
• 2 Reckoner Bankbuster
• 2 The Meathook Massacre
• 4 Wedding Announcement
• 4 Brightclimb Pathway
• 1 Cave of the Frost Dragon
• 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 2 Hive of the Eye Tyrant
• 3 Plains
• 4 Shattered Sanctum
• 3 Swamp
• 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• Sideboard
• 3 Legion Angel
• 2 Archon of Emeria
• 2 Duress
• 2 Go Blank
• 2 Graveyard Trespasser
• 3 Ray of Enfeeblement
• 1 Soul Shatter

9. Mono-White Aggro (White Weenie)

A classic since the early days of M: TG, Mono-White is a deck that does one thing and does it well.  The modern version features hand disruption in the form of Thalia and Elite Spellbinder, and even limited creature removal with Brutal Cathar, Skyclave Apparition, and Portable Hole.

While it may seem ironic to have this deck listed directly above one which has an excellent matchup against it, its overall matchups make it a distinctly superior choice.  This deck is capable of brutally punishing poor mulligans and is capable of beating any deck with a solid draw.

If you are unsure of what the metagame will be in any given tournament, Mono-White is a solid choice to pilot.  It has an excellent game plan, solid matchups against all but the most virulently anti-creature decks, and consistency in play.

Deck

• 3 Sungold Sentinel
• 16 Plains
• 3 Paladin Class
• 4 Luminarch Aspirant
• 3 Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
• 4 Cave of the Frost Dragon
• 2 Portable Hole
• 3 Elite Spellbinder
• 4 Hopeful Initiate
• 1 Legion Angel
• 4 Brutal Cathar
• 2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
• 1 Crawling Barrens
• 3 Intrepid Adversary
• 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 3 Skyclave Apparition
• 4 Usher of the Fallen
•  
• Sideboard
• 3 Legion Angel
• 1 Paladin Class
• 2 Portable Hole
• 2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
• 2 Archon of Emeria
• 1 Maul of the Skyclaves
• 1 The Wandering Emperor
• 3 Guardian of Faith

8. Naya Enchantments

This deck uses Kami of Transience, Jukai Naturalist, and a whole bunch of cheap auras that cantrip to create super-powerful creatures that the opponent simply must deal with immediately or they will die.  Hallowed Haunting gives your creatures flying as well, allowing you to soar over your opponent’s army and smash them into oblivion.

That being said, the relatively small amount of overall creatures in the deck makes it highly vulnerable to non-damage-based removal.  The above Orzhov Control list is one that feasts on a deck like this, getting two for one value with its removal at the expense of the auras that this deck needs to keep its hand size large, since its individual cards are not particularly powerful.

Naya Enchantments is a deck best played in a creature-heavy, aggro based format.  It’s ability to quickly produce creatures that have to be dealt with using multiple cards will wear down the agro player’s resources and give you the inevitable win.
Deck

• 4 Generous Visitor
• 4 Kami of Transience
• 4 Jukai Naturalist
• 4 Runeforge Champion
• 4 Rune of Might
• 4 Rune of Speed
• 3 Rune of Sustenance
• 2 Hallowed Haunting
• 4 Showdown of the Skalds
• 1 Forest
• 1 Lair of the Hydra
• 1 Plains
• 4 Needleverge Pathway
• 4 Cragcrown Pathway
• 4 Branchloft Pathway
• 2 Overgrown Farmland
• 2 Sundown Pass
• 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
• 3 Jetmir's Garden
• 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
•  
• Sideboard
• 1 Ranger Class
• 2 Tamiyo's Safekeeping
• 3 Valorous Stance
• 3 Circle of Confinement
• 3 Skyclave Apparition
• 2 Rip Apart
• 1 Borrowed Time

7.  Temur Control

A perfect deck to abuse Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, this Temur list uses it to abuse two incredibly powerful creatures, Goldspan Dragon and Titan of Industry.  Titan’s ability to dodge removal with Shield counters makes the deck incredibly resilient, and the control package features enough countermagic that if either creature hits the board, the opponent is in serious trouble.

Unlike previous entries in this list, Temur Control does not have a pure bad matchup when it comes to going against the other basic archetypes.  It has a balance of control cards to give it game against control, and while it can be weak game one to a strong aggro opening, its sideboard options make the matchup much more palatable game two.

That being said, this is a list that favors a Bo3 format over Bo1.  The current stock lists decidedly favor the control matchup, and if you’re in a Bo1, or facing a meta that’s leaning more towards aggression, switching in some of the red removal cards is highly recommended over, say, Negate.

Deck

• 4 Goldspan Dragon
• 4 Titan of Industry
• 4 Expressive Iteration
• 3 Fading Hope
• 4 Jwari Disruption
• 3 Make Disappear
• 1 Memory Deluge
• 2 Negate
• 3 Prismari Command
• 3 Voltage Surge
• 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
• 4 Barkchannel Pathway
• 4 Cragcrown Pathway
• 2 Dreamroot Cascade
• 1 Hall of Storm Giants
• 1 Island
• 1 Mountain
• 1 Otawara, Soaring City
• 4 Riverglide Pathway
• 4 Rockfall Vale
• 3 Stormcarved Coast
•  
• Sideboard
• 1 Voltage Surge
• 1 Abrade
• 3 Battle of Frost and Fire
• 3 Koma, Cosmos Serpent
• 3 Reckoner Bankbuster
• 3 Torch Breath
• 1 Unlicensed Hearse

6. Rakdos Artifacts

Another example of a “Death by a Thousand Cuts” deck, this iteration of Rakdos is great if you prefer something a little less interactive.  Most of the game will be spent cycling through your artifacts, getting in some incidental chip damage, until suddenly you have an army of 1/1s that your opponent simply cannot deal with.

Since you have a relatively permanent source of small creatures, this deck is much less vulnerable to spot removal.  Mass removal is still quite effective, but you have the tools to reload.  This makes this list much more effective in a Bo1 format, since many decks if they even play artifact removal, will be packing it in their sideboards.

Deck

• 1 Lolth, Spider Queen
• 4 Bloodtithe Harvester
• 3 Voldaren Epicure
• 2 Check for Traps
• 2 Duress
• 1 Shatterskull Smashing
• 4 Deadly Dispute
• 2 Hagra Mauling
• 4 Infernal Grasp
• 4 Voltage Surge
• 3 Experimental Synthesizer
• 4 Oni-Cult Anvil
• 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
• 2 The Meathook Massacre
• 4 Blightstep Pathway
• 2 Den of the Bugbear
• 4 Haunted Ridge
• 2 Hive of the Eye Tyrant
• 3 Mountain
• 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
• 3 Swamp
• 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
•  
• Sideboard
• 2 Check for Traps
• 1 Duress
• 2 Abrade
• 1 Graveyard Trespasser
• 2 Nighthawk Scavenger
• 3 Ray of Enfeeblement
• 2 Reckoner Bankbuster
• 2 Shadows' Verdict

5. Grixis Vampires

While this list may have many cards in common with the Rakdos Artifacts list, it plays out much more like a traditional control deck, with an emphasis on getting as much value out of its cards as it can.  Well suited for both Bo3 and Bo1, this deck is quite balanced, giving it play against both aggro and control decks with or without the need for a sideboard.

Once again, the power of Fable of the Mirror-Breaker is on display here, taking advantage of several key creatures with enters the battlefield triggers.  With the overall mana costs of creatures in this list being relatively low, there is significant potential to get out one or two early creatures such as Ledger Shredder and win off the back of the incremental power and value they provide.  Don’t be afraid to “go aggro” if the situation calls for it, the deck is certainly capable of it when need and opportunity arise.
Deck

• 4 Bloodtithe Harvester
• 4 Corpse Appraiser
• 2 Evelyn, the Covetous
• 2 Ledger Shredder
• 1 Malevolent Hermit
• 4 Expressive Iteration
• 2 Infernal Grasp
• 2 Make Disappear
• 1 Negate
• 1 Prismari Command
• 1 Spell Pierce
• 4 Voltage Surge
• 2 Reckoner Bankbuster
• 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
• 1 The Meathook Massacre
• 3 Blightstep Pathway
• 3 Clearwater Pathway
• 4 Haunted Ridge
• 1 Hive of the Eye Tyrant
• 1 Island
• 3 Riverglide Pathway
• 2 Shipwreck Marsh
• 3 Stormcarved Coast
• 1 Swamp
• 4 Xander's Lounge
•  
• Sideboard
• 1 Malevolent Hermit
• 1 Prismari Command
• 1 Spell Pierce
• 1 The Meathook Massacre
• 2 Bloodchief's Thirst
• 3 Disdainful Stroke
• 2 Extract the Truth
• 2 Soul Shatter
• 2 Test of Talents

4. Mono-Green Aggro

As with Mono-White, some deck archetypes never die, and Mono-Green Stompy will always have a place in the heart of every Timmy player.  Harkening back to the early days of Magic, Mono-Green has a simple win condition; play out undercosted, large-statted creatures and beat your opponent’s life total into submission.  

The deck does have a small amount of disruption available to it, in the form of Blizzard Brawl and Snakeskin Veil, but they must be used sparingly and wisely.  This is not a deck that can survive poor mulligan choices.  If you do not have a hand that is going to be putting out a 4/4 by at least turn three, send it back.  Mono-Green’s lack of alternative ways to win makes it highly vulnerable to removal, thus getting tempo is essential.
Deck

• 4 Ascendant Packleader
• 2 Jewel Thief
• 4 Old-Growth Troll
• 4 Sculptor of Winter
• 2 Ulvenwald Oddity
• 4 Werewolf Pack Leader
• 4 Blizzard Brawl
• 3 Invoke the Ancients
• 3 Snakeskin Veil
• 4 Esika's Chariot
• 2 Ranger Class
• 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
• 2 Lair of the Hydra
• 21 Snow-Covered Forest
•  
• Sideboard
• 1 Ranger Class
• 1 Snakeskin Veil
• 2 Inscription of Abundance
• 2 Master's Rebuke
• 3 Outland Liberator
• 2 Reckoner Bankbuster
• 3 Tangletrap
• 1 Toski, Bearer of Secrets

3. Esper Midrange

A more creature-oriented version of the classic Esper control deck, it still operates on the same principles.  Control the board, disrupt your opponent’s strategy through hand disruption and countermagic, then win with incremental value and the finishing punch of powerful planeswalkers.  

This particular version of Esper is much weaker to removal than previous versions which focused more on removal and countermagic themselves, but seeks to counteract that weakness with the old magic theory of ‘there are no wrong threats, only wrong answers’.  With just enough disruption to keep the opponent off-balance, this deck’s powerful threats will quickly overwhelm them.
Deck

• 2 Kaito Shizuki
• 3 The Wandering Emperor
• 1 Legion Angel
• 4 Luminarch Aspirant
• 3 Obscura Interceptor
• 4 Raffine, Scheming Seer
• 4 Tenacious Underdog
• 1 Emeria's Call
• 1 Disdainful Stroke
• 1 Infernal Grasp
• 2 Make Disappear
• 2 Vanishing Verse
• 2 The Meathook Massacre
• 4 Wedding Announcement
• 4 Brightclimb Pathway
• 4 Clearwater Pathway
• 2 Deserted Beach
• 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 4 Hengegate Pathway
• 1 Hive of the Eye Tyrant
• 1 Plains
• 4 Raffine's Tower
• 2 Shattered Sanctum
• 2 Shipwreck Marsh
• 1 Swamp
•  
• Sideboard
• 3 Legion Angel
• 1 Disdainful Stroke
• 1 The Meathook Massacre
• 1 Vanishing Verse
• 2 Duress
• 1 Negate
• 2 Portable Hole
• 3 Ray of Enfeeblement
• 1 Shadows' Verdict

2. Boros Aggro

The best of the current crop of aggressive decks in the meta, and it’s not even close.  This Boros aggro list focuses on two types of creatures; those with the best keyword for aggro, Haste, and ones that either support the haste creatures or give others haste.  Though a deck such as Mono-White might have more sustained, consistent damage over the long-term, Boros’ ability to guarantee that its creatures will get to do their damage is of far greater importance and puts the opponent on a much faster clock, which is the most important thing for any aggressive deck.

If you are looking for a deck to steal wins with, this is the best choice in the current meta.  Like most aggressive decks, this one will punish poor and even questionable mulligan choices.  It does require some aggressive mulliganing of its own, however.  Any hand with more than three land cards in it should almost always be sent back for a new one.  Unlike its mono-red counterparts, however, this deck is not one to keep a one-land hand and hope for the best.  You should always be looking for two to three lands in your opener to ensure a smooth, consistent opening.  This deck is fantastic for both Bo1 and Bo3 formats, and is, overall the clear second-best deck in the standard format.

Deck

• 3 Bloodthirsty Adversary
• 4 Brutal Cathar
• 4 Hopeful Initiate
• 4 Luminarch Aspirant
• 4 Reckless Stormseeker
• 4 Thundering Raiju
• 4 Roil Eruption
• 4 Play with Fire
• 1 Valorous Stance
• 4 Kumano Faces Kakkazan
• 1 Cave of the Frost Dragon
• 2 Den of the Bugbear
• 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 5 Mountain
• 4 Needleverge Pathway
• 6 Plains
• 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
• 3 Sundown Pass
• 1 Angelfire Ignition
•  
• Sideboard
• 1 Valorous Stance
• 4 Elite Spellbinder
• 3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
• 4 Kami's Flare
• 2 Showdown of the Skalds
• 1 Angelfire Ignition

1. Jeskai Hinata

It’s not even close.  Jeskai is by far the best deck in standard.  A control deck with a myriad of ways to manipulate the board, Jeskai runs off the backs of two of the best creatures in Standard;  Goldspan Dragon, and Hinata, Dawn-Crowned.  Hinata’s ability to reduce the cost of Magma Opus makes the high mana cost all but irrelevant, and aside from the turns where you’re playing Goldspan or Hinata, the deck is a blue player’s dream that runs almost entirely at instant speed.

Once again, the power of Fable of the Mirror-Breaker is on display to give you more copies of Goldspan Dragon.  The sheer amount of mana it can generate through treasure tokens means you rarely have to worry about tapping out, and the plethora of removal, card draw, and countermagic the deck employs will keep your opponents constantly guessing as to how they should play.  Though it may not seem that way, this deck is quite deceptive about, borrowing another old magic term, when it is ‘The Beatdown’.  Early on, the deck plays out like traditional control, but once you have out a Goldspan Dragon, you should not be afraid to look to end the game relatively quickly if you have the mana and resources to do so.  

Deck

• 4 Goldspan Dragon
• 4 Hinata, Dawn-Crowned
• 4 Expressive Iteration
• 1 Shatterskull Smashing
• 1 Disdainful Stroke
• 2 Dragon's Fire
• 1 Flame-Blessed Bolt
• 4 Jwari Disruption
• 4 Magma Opus
• 2 Make Disappear
• 1 Memory Deluge
• 1 Negate
• 1 Spikefield Hazard
• 1 Valorous Stance
• 2 Voltage Surge
• 1 Reckoner Bankbuster
• 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
• 2 Deserted Beach
• 1 Hall of Storm Giants
• 3 Hengegate Pathway
• 3 Needleverge Pathway
• 1 Otawara, Soaring City
• 4 Riverglide Pathway
• 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
• 4 Stormcarved Coast
• 3 Sundown Pass
•  
• Sideboard
• 1 Disdainful Stroke
• 1 Dragon's Fire
• 2 Flame-Blessed Bolt
• 1 Negate
• 1 Reckoner Bankbuster
• 2 Valorous Stance
• 1 Battle of Frost and Fire
• 1 Cinderclasm
• 1 Hullbreaker Horror
• 1 Lorehold Command
• 1 Prismari Command
• 1 Spell Pierce
• 1 Test of Talents

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