Following the release of Bloomburrow and Magic: The Gathering’s Standard rotation, the MTG Arena best-of-one meta has shifted to Aggro and Midrange decks.
Casual MTG Arena players seeking quick matches through decks with over a 55 percent win rate will want to play any or all of the top-performing decks listed in this article. A misconception within the Magic community is all players competing in formats like Standard have aspirations of becoming pros. But this isn’t true. Best-of-three games take a long time to play, especially on a mobile device while in the bathroom.
This tier-list guide is for casual MTG Arena players who want to rank up fast on a limited budget of wildcards or those who enjoy fast-paced games on the go through best-of-one play. Deck stats are from MTGAUntapped and MTGAssistant. My experience and tips are from playing most of these decks on the ladder from Bronze to Platinum since Bloomburrow released. All decks are on the Dot Esports Moxfield account for players seeking to upload a deck into MTG Arena.
Bunny’s go brrrr through Selesnya Rabbits MTG Arena deck
Go-wide Green and White strategies have seen a big revival through Bloomburrow Selesnya Rabbits. One of the best Rare one-drops from the new set is Pawpatch Recruit, showcasing the Offspring mechanic and Trample. Hop to It is often slept on in the build, especially with a variety of anthem-like cards within the Selesnya Rabbits decks like Valley Questcaller, Pollen-Shield Hare, and Case of the Gateway Express.
Lifegain shenanigans with Orzhov Bats MTG Arena deck
I’m a sucker for Lifegain and Aristocrat-style decks, which is why a majority of my MTG Arena best-of-one ranked games feature Aggro Orzhov Bats. This is my version, which took me from Bronze to Platinum in less than a week. Zoraline, Cosmos Caller is the best card in the deck, able to reanimate every creature and Planeswalker in the build. Starscape Cleric scales quickly when left alone, as does Essence Channeler. Pest Control is great against other Aggro decks and Lunar Convocation has bailed me out more than a few times.
Mono-Red Aggro MTG Arena deck
Mono-Red Aggro is always a solid option to run at the start of a shifting meta, especially when Bloomburrow provides cards like Heartfire Hero and Manifold Mouse. Based on the games I’ve played with Mono-Red Aggro, Manifold Mouse is the unsung hero of the build, especially after your opponent removes Heartfire Hero and Slickshot Show-Off. The deck hits hard and fast while spells like Lightning Strike and Shock can apply the final damage for a win.
Tinybones Skeletons Mono-Black Aggro MTG Arena deck
Mono-Black Skeletons has carried over as a rotation-proof Standard deck. Much like the Orzhov Bats Bloomburrow build, the Outlaws of Thunder Junction Skeletons deck wants to reanimate while pumping up the power of your go-wide board. Tinybones, the Pickpocket is the best card in the deck, especially in conjunction with Tinybones Joins Up.
If you’re short on wildcards or are on a budget, I highly recommend playing the Mono-Black Skeletons deck in best-of-one MTG Arena ranked.
Burning Mice Boros Aggro MTG Arena deck
The Boros Aggro deck is a spin-off of Mono-Red. It’s often called the Convoke build, even though the only Convoke card is Aerial Boost. Moving to Boros Red and White allows you to take advantage of Mabel. Heir to Cragflame and Seedglave Mentor. The goal is to target your creatures, powering them up each turn until the opponent either concedes or loses. Much like most Aggro decks, Boros Mice runs out of gas quickly, even with four copies of Emberheart Challenger. Add Lightning Strike over Get Lost for additional lategame damage.
