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0Welcome back to another installment of MTGA Zone’s Mythic Decks of the Week, where we review all of the decks we’ve collected and been sent over the last seven days and present the decks that made it to the highest ranks.
This week, we’re going to be shining a spotlight on the brand new Alchemy format. It seems like many Arena players have been taking to the format, and now that we’ve had a full week of everyone testing out their brews on the ranked ladder, we’ve got a great selection of decks to review in the new format.
There has also been a lot of activity in the Historic community, as all of the new cards from the Alchemy: Innistrad set are also legal in the eternal digital format. We’ve got new archetypes, old archetypes that have received a boost, and everything in-between.
We’ll be taking a break from Standard this week with so much of the community exploring the Alchemy format, but we’ll be keeping our eye out and get back to it as soon as we have some more decks from the format coming in.
Now, let’s get into some decks, and see the best of what the community brought to the Mythic ladder this week.
We’re getting started right off the bat this week with something a bit wild – but this four-color aggro deck isn’t as crazy as it might seem. Matthieu Avignon is a Paris-based Arena and member of the ’20-’21 Rivals League who often shares decks that he’s been using in high Mythic. This week, he claimed the highest rank of our decks for the week with this custom-built aggro deck.
In reality, this deck is very similar to Mono White Aggro lists – Avignon himself described the deck as “Mono White splash Temur.” There are only eight non-white cards in the maindeck – Halana and Alena, Partners, Snakeskin Veil, and Glasspool Mimic. Halana and Alena has been a powerful and successful tool for aggro decks in both Standard and Alchemy, and the Pathway lands (such as Branchloft Pathway) make it easy for decks to get away with splashing extra colors. It clearly worked for Avignon, who reportedly used this deck to achieve the impressive rank of #4 Mythic.
Our next Alchemy deck is an example of an archetype that has struggled to gain any traction in recent Standard – Mono Red. Mono Red Aggro decks have been a long-time staple of Standard, but after the most recent rotation, it hasn’t been able to find much success in the new meta.
This deck, submitted by eliott_dragon, isn’t an aggro build of Mono Red, but rather a control/burn deck that uses direct damage to keep the opponent’s board clear while also serving as a wincon to burn the opponent out. The deck also leverages some of the midrange-y mono red planeswalkers like Chandra, Dressed to Kill and the Alchemy: Innistrad card Tibalt, Wicked Tormentor.
It might not be the Mono Red Aggro that many players have become accustomed to, but if you’re a fan of burn, maybe it’s worth a shot. After all, eliott_dragon was able to take the deck all the way up to the #100 Mythic slot.
Azorius Control decks, while not absent from current Standard, have become much more popular in Alchemy thanks to some of the powerful new cards that have been added by Alchemy: Innistrad. Key to the Archive has unlocked the potential of many control archetypes, and Azorius players have been pairing the mana rock with Teferi, Who Slows the Sunset, a planeswalker who can untap the Key so it can be used even on the turn it’s played.
Meanwhile, Discover the Formula has also proven itself as an extremely powerful card in control, so much so that it has taken the place of the now-nerfed Alrund's Epiphany in many decks. The cost reduction provided by Discover and also Geistchanneler has also made other big-mana spells more playable, including Sea Gate Restoration and Emeria's Call, which can both be played as lands when need be.
Key to the Formula gives the deck access to plenty of win conditions, and Azorius Control seems to have a solid place in the format for now. This example of the archetype was tuned by Agentbatz, and played up to #116 on the ladder.
Another of the top archetypes early in the Alchemy format has been Mono Black Control/Mono Black Sacrifice. Mythic grinder Taylor Slow leveraged the aristocrats-style archetype to #255 Mythic, powered by the insane value of Sanguine Brushstroke. Sacrifice decks were already powerful in Standard, and now that they have access to Blood Artist, Sacrifice is establishing itself as a leader in the Alchemy format.
An adaptation of one of the most powerful decks in Standard, Mono Green Stompy is arguably not quite as strong in Alchemy but is still a very capable deck. This deck by Pierfrancesco1987, along with many others like it, looks very similar to the Mono Green decks that you’d typically find in Standard.
Ascendant Packleader has found a home in most Alchemy decks because of its explosive potential in combination with other over-statted cards in the archetype such as Werewolf Pack Leader and Old-Growth Troll. Lupine Harbingers is also being played in small numbers in many Alchemy Mono-G decks including this one, but otherwise the deck is largely unchanged from its Standard counterpart.
Notably absent from Mono Green decks in Alchemy is Esika's Chariot, which remains a staple in Standard but hasn’t seen much play in Alchemy after it was nerfed in the live formats.
And that takes us to the end of our Alchemy feature for the week. You’ll find the full list of decks we’ve recently posted from Alchemy in the list below:
Jeskai Control has been one of the best archetypes in Historic on and off for a long time now, and it certainly hasn’t gotten any worse with recent releases. Divine Purge is a card that has been showing up in Azorius and other white-based control decks in Alchemy thanks to the massive tempo swing it creates. Earlier in the week, French control master Galopin decided to try the card in Jeskai in Historic, and it’s hard to argue with the results – #6 Mythic is no easy feat. Galopin says Divine Purge is likely here to stay in Historic Jeskai Control, and he may well be right.
Bant Blink is another archetype that has been experiencing a revival of interest in live formats thanks to Alchemy: Innistrad. The new cards have brought a number of powerful enters-the-battlefield effects, not the least of which being Inquisitor Captain, a card which some have claimed is as good if not better than Collected Company.
Altheriax is well-known as a player who often sits in the high Mythic ranks, and this week is no exception – this Bant Blink deck took him up to #10 Mythic in Historic. Interestingly, he decided to forego the blinky companion Yorion, Sky Nomad. Presumably, cards like Soulherder and Charming Prince provide enough value that Alth didn’t feel it was worth sacrificing consistency for an 80-card deck and the five-mana companion.
Last up, we have a bit of a twist on another of Historic’s top decks – Selesnya Humans. Piggopotamus’ deck looks much the same as the Historic Humans decks that have been popular in the format since Innistrad brought some extra power to the tribe, but the inclusion of Sigardian Evangel gives the deck some extra explosiveness. Earning the rank of #88 Mythic is no trivial task, and it seems Humans is here to stay in Historic even despite the archetype’s somewhat lackluster performance at the Innistrad Championship.
And that covers our top decks from Historic this week. As usual, the full list of Historic decks can be found below:
This column is our weekly roundup of Standard, Historic, and Alchemy decks players are using to climb the ranked ladder on MTG Arena! Our goal is to curate and post a variety of deck archetypes and interesting card choices at the end of each week to help you keep up to date with the latest trends in the metagame. If you have any decks you want featured, please tweet us at @mtgazone or give us a shout at our Discord.
Dude from Vermont who likes to play Magic and Escape from Tarkov. Musician, writer, and gamer. Submit feedback or corrections to @Paul on the Discord.
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