Wizards of the Coast went all-in on soldier tribal through The Brothers’ War set, with it becoming one of the best Magic: The Gathering Aggro decks on the MTG Arena ladder.
A total of 20 soldier cards in the MTG colors White and Blue were included in The Brothers’ War (BRO) set, which are the core of the Azorius Soldier deck. Several more soldiers were added to the Standard Constructed format through Phyrexia: All Will Be One, along with cards like Skrelv, Defector Mite, and Mondrak, Glory Dominus.
Soldier builds continued to thrive throughout the ONE season but began to fall off as the meta became solved. Then came March of the Machine (MOM), shifting the Standard meta while including a few cards that improved the existing MTG Soldier tribal decks. Cards like Tocassia’s Welcome added an additional card draw engine while Archangel Elspeth filled out the best-of-three format options.
How to play MTG Azorius Soldier deck
The release of Phyrexia: All Will Be One brought Skrelv, Defector Mite into the mix, pushing lethal damage while providing protection. With the launch of March of the Machine, Tocasia’s Welcome became an alternate option to Wedding Announcement, drawing a card almost every turn.
There are a variety of different ways to play soldier tribal in the Standard meta, from hardcore aggressive strategies to Tempo. Most best-of-one Azorius Soldier decks following the release of MOM are strictly aggressive while the Traditional Constructed players are mashing Aggro and Tempo together through the use of the sideboard.
Players will want to mulligan for a solid curve, establishing an early board state. Valiant Veteran pumps the team. Skrelv, Defector Mite is not an early drop unless matched up against another creature-heavy build. Resolute Reinforcements is one of the best two-drops to have in an opening hand, allowing you to hold up two mana (preferably one Blue) as a counterspell bluff if nothing was played on turn one.
One-drops are also strong, especially if followed up with a Valiant Veteran on turn two. The idea is to go wide as quickly as possible while dealing enough damage during the early game that opponents can’t recover.
Azorius Soldier deck Traditional Constructed
Finishing in the top eight at the MTGO Standard Challenge was an Azorius Soldier deck by SMann2.0 that showcased an aggressive main deck and a sideboard that could shift toward a more Tempo pace. The deck also featured two copies of Skrelv, Defector Mite, alongside two copies of Dennick, Pious Apprentice.
Most of the main deck remained the same, relying upon Brutal Cathar for early-game disruption and an aggressive start that most opponents can’t recover from. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben ensures opponents are punished for running cheap removal and non-creature spells while a go-wide board ends games.
The sideboard, however, contained a wide variety of non-creature spells. Enchantments are still everywhere in the Standard meta, which Destroy Evil and Loran of the Third Path can deal with. And with the addition of several powerful planeswalkers in the ONE set, Lantern Flare was apparently able to deal with them.
A similar version of Azorius Soldier was also run by StefanoJRS, showcasing three copies of Skrelv, Defector Mite, and only two Brutal Cathar.
Other variations from StafanoJRS’s build included two Anointed Peacekeepers and two Kayla’s Reconstruction in the sideboard. The remaining Brutal Cathars are also slotted into the sideboard, along with counterspells and Enchantment/Artifact hate.
Azorius Soldier best-of-one deck
Using several Mono-White Aggro cards that were already established in the Standard meta prior to the release of BRO, CovertGoBlue “CBG” created a powerful WU soldier version during the Early Access event that can also propel players into Mythic Rank. He then updated the Azorius Soldier deck prior to the release of ONE, removing anything that wasn’t creature removal.
The CBG version hits hard and fast, going all in on creatures. And it’s the most popular version within the best-of-one Standard meta.
Azorius Soldier best MTG Arena deck
Tocasia’s Welcome was a solid addition to the MTG Soldier tribal decks following the launch of MOM. I always felt the build needed another card draw option for the deck to excel within the best-of-one MTG Arena Standard meta.
Survivor of Korlis was another solid addition, and a budget one too. The Common from MOM has First Strike on a 1/1 body for only one mana. The human soldier can also improve your card advantage with a low-cost activation ability that has it Scry two when in the graveyard.
With a build like this that is low-costed, Zephyr Sentinel is a good addition back into the deck. Similar to Resolute Reinforcements, the solider can have you hold up mana as a counterspell bluff. Flashing the human soldier in on a one-drop improves the board state and triggers Tocasia’s Welcome on both turns.
Update Feb. 14 9am CT: Azorius Soldier meta deck entries were updated following the release of ONE.
Update April 23 6:15pm CT: Following the release of MOM, new Soldier meta decks were added.
