3 Historic Decks to Help Climb the Ranks on MTG: Arena

For the players that love playing competitively, it can be tough to make it to Mythic in a given month. Ranked grinders usually run into some of the weirdest decks on their way to the top of the leaderboards, making their journey take a bit longer than they want. Picking the perfect deck for running through the ladder can be tough, but TGH has three lists that might make the climb a little easier for players looking to escape Gold and Platinum.

[Related: 3 Quick Tips for Drafting Strixhaven on Magic: the Gathering Arena]

These lists are made for best of 1 matches on MTG: Arena. For sideboards or other deck building advice, feel free to reach out to EsportsBrock on twitter!

Abzan Counters

The goal of this list is to create a board-state that moves too fast for the decks that are looking to stabilize on turn 5 and later. Turn 1 Pelt Collector into a turn 2 Winding Constrictor or Conclave Mentor makes an attacking 3/3 on turn 2. Follow that up with a Luminarch Aspirant or Basri Ket, now there’s a Pelt Collector trampling over for a bunch each turn going forward. Collected Company and Lead the Stampede help against decks that do manage to boardwipe in time, and Skyclave Apparition is just an excellent catch-all for unexpected interaction.

It feels like forever since Wild Nacatl was banned in Modern for being too strong in aggressive decks. The one mana 1/1 put in plenty of work once Stomping Ground and Temple Garden were printing back in the original Ravnica set, and it pretty much an auto-include for any low-to-ground aggro deck. Because Nacatl isn’t legal in Historic, players are going to have to get creative to make powerful, cheap green creatures. Luckily for those players, Pelt Collector makes an excellent Wild Nacatl impression.

The best part about this list is that it contains plenty of rares that are very playable in different decks. Collected Company, Luminarch Aspirant, and Collected Company are all highly versatile and playable outside this shell. Crafting the lands is a bit annoying because it’s a three color deck that require black and green or green and white on early turns. For any player looking to eek out fast wins, give Abzan Counters a shot.

RG Land Destruction (Ponza)

While most players were getting excited about Brainstorm and Inquisition of Kozilek being added to Historic, there was a small group a players getting overly amped up about a different card. Those players are out to get your lands, and their tool is Stone Rain. Land destruction has been around for quite some time, but in recent years the archetype as a whole has been watered down to a point of being pretty unplayable. Most land destruction spells are either too costly to be effective or just allow your opponent to find a basic land.

Stone Rain is just built different. A 3 mana land destruction spell with no downside is incredibly powerful in the right deck. Typically opponents can’t come back from losing a land early in the game, granting this deck free wins. Ponza servers as a good check to decks that are looking to cheat on lands or try to be greedy with their land base. Cleansing Wildfire can sometimes be a 2 mana stone rain and card draw against the right decks.

Borrowing from Modern, the Historic Ponza list looks to ramp up fast while keeping your opponent low on resources. The best start for the deck is just a simple turn 2 Stone Rain thanks to Llanowar Elves or Gilded Goose on turn 1. Goblin Ruinblaster and Sawtusk Demolisher are great follow ups to any initial land destruction as they also pose as a reasonable clock to end the game. With plenty of removal to slow down aggro decks, RG Land Destruction is well-rounded for any type of opposing deck.

GW Angels

Selesnya angel decks prove that sometimes life gain does win games. Righteous Valkyrie is an incredibly powerful addition to the previous version of mono-white life gain decks that ran rampant in lower ranks. Instead of going big with one large Ajani’s Pridemate, these angel decks go wide with an abundance of fliers. Resplendent Angel was the only win-condition in older versions of angel decks as players needed it to produce a constant stream of 4/4 fliers. With Righteous Valkyrie out on the board, the combination of the two angels makes for an almost guaranteed win against other creature decks.

Collected Company puts a lot of work in for this list, as it can sometimes find multiple copies of key creatures to close out a game. The deck can also just out aggro some slower decks as well thanks to some fast starts with Soul Warden and Ajani’s Pridemate. Historic players are most likely already familiar with this list, but it bears mentioning because of just how consistent it can be in best of 1 matches. The deck is cheap in terms of wild cards and it offers a quick climb through the ranks when it’s running hot. Player’s can’t go wrong with sleeving up this pile and flying over the opposition.

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Source: https://thegamehaus.com/magic-the-gathering/3-historic-decks-to-help-climb-the-ranks-on-mtg-arena/2021/05/04/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=3-historic-decks-to-help-climb-the-ranks-on-mtg-arena