MTGO
ARENA
PAPER
Standard Monored Aggro Post Ban - Deck and side guide
Quick intro
Standard is in full swing following the recent bans, and many players have had to step out of their comfort zone of midrange decks and explore new strategies. Some decks, like Esper Legends, have actually benefited from the bans, as well as the resurgence of Mono-white Midrange and the strengthening of Domain Ramp. However, one deck that had been somewhat overlooked is making a comeback in the meta, even with some matchups not considered to be as favorable: Monored Aggro .
Last week, I managed to achieve two top-four finishes in the Saturday and Sunday challenges, and today I'll be discussing this updated decklist and how to sideboard against its main matchups.
My current version of the deck
$137/77.75 Tix
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [23] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Monastery Swiftspear | $0.69 | |
| 4 Bloodthirsty Adversary | $0.99 | |
| 4 Kumano Faces Kakkazan | $0.59 | |
| 4 Phoenix Chick | $0.69 | |
| 3 Feldon, Ronom Excavator | $0.59 | |
| 4 Furnace Punisher | $0.35 | |
| Instant [8] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Play with Fire | $5.49 | |
| 4 Lightning Strike | $0.35 | |
| Sorcery [2] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nahiri's Warcrafting | $0.49 | |
| Battle [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Invasion of Tarkir | $6.49 | |
| Land [23] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 17 Mountain | $0.01 | |
| 2 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance | $6.49 | |
| 4 Mishra's Foundry | $1.99 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Bloody Betrayal | $0.35 | |
| 2 Chandra, Dressed to Kill | $10.99 | |
| 2 Jaya, Fiery Negotiator | $0.99 | |
| 2 Obliterating Bolt | $0.39 | |
| 4 Lithomantic Barrage | $0.79 | |
| 2 Nahiri's Warcrafting | $0.49 | |
$21.74 Tix @cardhoarder
$0.99 / Week @cardhoarder
$78.02 @tcgplayer
$116.35 @cardkingdom
Visual View
Similar Decks
Proxies
Archetype Analysis
Magic online format
Apprentice and MWS .dec
The Saturday and Sunday decklists feature a minor tweak, which involves swapping out one Squee for a third Feldon, Ronom Excavator. The reasoning behind this change is quite straightforward: the goal is to optimize the deck's curved plays, and Feldon serves as the best card to play on turn 2, following a Kumano. This move helps dodge Cut Down and effectively deals with the majority of opposing creatures, whether by trading one-for-one or simply taking a block and generating card advantage. Additionally, the aim is to operate on a lower curve, with Furnace as the top-end and Nahiri being practically mandatory as a response to Sheoldred, the Apocalypse in the main deck. Aside from this swap, the list remains the same, and some card choices prove to be quite interesting for the current meta.
Card choices
Invasion of Tarkir
On its own, playing Play with Fire for 2 mana may not seem like the best move, but when considering the overall context, it's a key card in the deck's structure. It's a solid strategy to take the offensive early in the game rather than waiting for your opponent, as the only drawback is having a powerful creature with evasion that can hit hard.
Additionally, this deck has plenty of direct damage and resources, with Bloodthirsty Adversary playing a role similar to Snapcaster Mage. Having Defiant Thundermaw on the battlefield is part of this plan, and having multiple copies on the board turns your deck into a true creature-killing machine.
This can lead to many victories if left unanswered. As a reminder, if you have a Kumano with two counters and flip an Invasion, the Dragon will enter as a 5/5 thanks to the creature side cast.
Nahiri’s Warcrafting
As mentioned at the beginning of the article, having a 5-damage removal is practically essential in a metagame featuring Sheoldred, the Apocalypse. This card completely disrupts the attrition game, proving difficult to remove in a red deck and possessing a terrifying ability to gain life.
Nahiri's Warcrafting is one of the best removal options for the praetor, and as a bonus, it can also target planeswalkers or even flip an Invasion of Tarkir. Even when removing smaller creatures, it can generate significant card advantage for the deck, helping find lands or additional resources in the late game.
Jaya, Fiery Negotiator
In my latest article, I mentioned Koth, Fire of Resistance as the primary sideboard slot in the same curve, but now without Invoke Despair in the environment.
Jaya steps up to the plate as a much better option for the grind game plan. Acting as a red Wedding Announcement, Jaya not only floods the board with tokens and generates card advantage but also serves as removal when necessary. To top it all off, her ultimate ability can be incredibly relevant with direct damage or by taking out multiple creatures.
Playing the deck
The deck continues to follow the same premise: curved hands, preferably with Kumano on turn 1 so that the turn 2 creature is bigger and has a chance to escape Cut Down. After sideboarding, we can play a more grindy game, with more removal and/or planeswalkers. In both cases, it's ideal to start with at least 2 lands to ensure the deck's game plan flows smoothly.
Example Hand #1
It's not the best hand in the world, being quite reactive with removal spells and only one 3-drop. However, with Mishra's Factory in hand and even Sokenzan, we can play a longer game if we're on the draw and in game 2, for example. If we're on the play and in game 1, we can do much better with just two mana, so the decision to keep or mulligan heavily depends on these two factors. On the play in game 1, mulligan. On the draw in game 2, keep.
Example Hand #2
As mentioned earlier, our best hands always involve opening with Kumano on turn 1, followed by another creature on turn 2. In this case, we also have the option to play another Kumano on turn 2 with Play with Fire and still leave the Adversary as a 3/3 alongside Kumano on the battlefield. Whenever we open with Kumano on turn 1, our games are much more aggressive and powerful, making it one of the most important cards in the deck.
Example Hand #3
I can see some scenarios where this hand would be worth keeping because with just one more land, we can curve Kumano, a 3/3 Adversary, remove a blocker with Invasion of Tarkir, and manage to flip it by attacking with both creatures. However, there's also the possibility of not drawing any lands and losing miserably. Magic is a game with many variables, but I believe we need to minimize risk in some ways, and one way to avoid losing due to not drawing lands is to mulligan this hand. It's debatable whether to keep this hand on the draw, as we have an extra draw step to try to find a land before being buried by the opponent.
Matchups & Sideboard guide
Esper Legends
Overall, some creatures in the deck are quite impressive, particularly Dennick with his lifelink and, of course, the fearsome Sheoldred. Kumano plays a significant role in this matchup, allowing 3/3 creatures to dodge Cut Down, an extremely effective removal against this deck. Furnace Punisher remains outstanding, essentially winning games single-handedly if left unanswered. Don't worry about Raffine in Game 1; she alone doesn't do much. Our primary focus here is removing Dennick and Sheoldred, with the latter being the top priority. If possible, save multiple burn spells to deal with her and try not to let Dennick's toughness exceed 4 due to Raffine's connive ability.
In Game 2, we shift to a board control strategy, using multiple removal spells and applying pressure with Kumano and other creatures, with Furnace Punisher as the finisher. Invasion of Tarkir can be quite potent if you can successfully flip it, but the deck also gains more removal options post-sideboard, such as Go for the Throat. Versions with Thalia make it slightly worse, as we don't want to cast a Shock for 3 mana, but if Thalia is absent, keep some in the deck as flipping Invasion can be an interesting plan.
Our removal spells become much more efficient post-sideboard, and with 4 Nahiri's Warcrafting and Bloodthirsty Adversary, Sheoldred may not be as troublesome. Post-sideboard, don't keep Phoenix Chick, as the ping damage per turn is almost irrelevant, and against tables with Raffine, it can neither attack nor block.
Monored Aggro
Play/draw still matters a lot in Magic: The Gathering. Another crucial factor is opening with a turn 1 Kumano, as its 2-drop can survive both Play with Fire and Invasion of Tarkir, further increasing the pressure and allowing for two creatures to attack on turn 3. Furnace Punisher isn't particularly strong in this scenario, even though it can only be removed by Lightning Strike and Warcrafting; it's not exactly what we want to accomplish here. After sideboarding, we may no longer have access to Fable of the Mirror Breaker, but the grind plan remains effective, with more removal spells and planeswalkers at our disposal.
UW Soldiers
It remains one of the best matchups for the deck. Flipping Invasion of Tarkir during this game is highly rewarding, as it transforms into a true killing machine when it becomes a creature. Furnace Punisher is also quite effective here, as the deck typically runs with only one or two basic lands. After sideboarding, Lithomantic Barrage takes an already strong matchup and makes it even better, so there's no need to make significant changes to the deck's configuration.
Domain Ramp
The deck is quite slow and struggles to interact with multiple creatures before turn 4, but certain cards such as Archangel of Wrath and Atraxa, Grand Unifier can be quite challenging for the deck to deal with. Thus, the ideal strategy is to defeat the opponent before they have a chance to stabilize the game with these cards. We need to mulligan for more aggressive hands, with additional creatures. Post-sideboard, we have Blood Betrayal, which is the perfect card to turn the tables by stealing these creatures and potentially closing out the games. We also need more removal for the angel. We're not including planeswalkers because our goal isn't to grind out the game; we want to defeat the opponent as quickly as possible before the deck's curve toppers can drag them out of the danger zone.
Monowhite Midrange
The matchup remains unfavorable for the deck. It has numerous low-cost interactions, such as Lay Down Arms and Ossification, and the moment it starts operating with four open mana, The Wandering Emperor becomes a genuine threat. There isn't much we can do in Game 1; aggressive and curved hands are our best bet, all while hoping not to face The Wandering Emperor on curve. When possible, save Kumano for the finishing blow, even if it means losing a creature in the process. Post-sideboard, we attempt to address some issues, such as better handling creatures and planeswalkers with Lithomantic Barrage and Obliterating Bolt, and introducing stronger threats like Chandra and Jaya.
Final words
The recent ban has significantly shaken up the Standard format, and fortunately, it has breathed new life into the Monored archetype. With an aggressive game plan in Game 1, featuring curve-focused creatures, direct damage, and Furnace Punisher to punish the greedy mana bases in Standard, Monored is well-equipped to claim victories in the format. Transitioning into Game 2, the deck adopts a more grindy approach with removal and planeswalkers, making it one of the most versatile and resourceful decks capable of adapting its game plan as needed. Until next time, happy gaming!