Best MTG Standard cards to pull from March of the Machine

Packed with powerful and versatile cards that will impact multiple Magic: The Gathering formats, the March of the Machine set has at least nine cards that will see plenty of gameplay within Standard best-of-one and best-of-three matches. 

The Standard-legal MTG set March of the Machine (MOM) contains a new mechanic through Battle cards, along with legendary mashups and Praetors that can flip into Sagas. Power levels within the set are up, boosting Standard meta archetypes that have been underperforming while buffing decks that are already dominating. 

Best Standard MOM honorable mentions

Heading into the launch of March of the Machine, there are several cards that may have a significant impact on the MTG Standard meta. The double-face Praetor cards that flip into Sagas are an ideal example. Of the five, only Urabrask made the main list, but Elesh Norn, Sheoldred, and Vorinclex aren’t too far behind. 

Players should also keep an eye on cards like Bloodfeather Phoenix and Rona, Herald of Invasion since both have the potential to succeed within the Standard meta. And players shouldn’t sleep on MOM removal cards like Pile On.

Related: Best MTG Commander cards to pull from March of the Machine

9 strongest MOM cards to impact Standard

Prior to the digital release of the March of the Machine set, there are a total of nine cards that are worth crafting with MTG Arena wildcards. From legendary mashups to removal and tribal creatures, here are the best cards to pull from the MOM set. 

Baral and Kari Zev

Spell-heavy decks will return to the top of the MOM Standard meta through Izzet and Jeskai builds. There are multiple strategies players can choose from when crafting a spells matter build, whether they’re going wide with tokens to cheat out Convoke spells or focusing solely on Prowess damage. And both builds will use Baral and Kari Zev.

The human team-up within the MOM set is packed with value, from keywords like First Strike and Menace on a 2/4 body to casting spells from hand for free. And if you can’t cast a spell for free, players still get added board presence through the creation of a 2/1 Ragavan token that has Haste until the end of the turn. Other March of the Machine cards worth including in Standard spells matter decks are Khenra Spellspear//Gitaxian Spellstalker and Monastery Mentor.

Surge of Salvation

Surge of Salvation protects go-wide board states at the cost of only one White mana. The Instant is likely the bomb Uncommon for the MOM set and will get played in a wide variety of MTG formats. Within Standard, Surge of Salvation is a cheap way to protect the board from wipes, while having the added bonus of preventing damage from Black and/or Red sources. 

Stoke the Flames

Stoke the Flames is racing Surge of Salvation for the title of best Uncommon within the MOM set. The Instant Red spell deals four damage to any target and has Convoke. Most times, Stoke the Flames will get cast at a cost of two mana instead of four. In the right deck, though, players can cast the Instant without using mana to pay for the spell. 

Stoke the Flames can also target anything, from hitting an opponent’s life total to taking four Defense counters off a Battle. 

Grafted Butcher

Grafted Butcher is sliding under the radar in the MOM set. The Phyrexian samurai is a Phyrexian lord that costs 1B to cast and has 2/2 stats. Multiple Phyrexian tribal builds will emerge within the Standard meta but at the time of writing, it’s hard to evaluate how these decks will stand up to the top performers. 

What is known, however, is that Grafted Butcher will end up in every Phyrexian tribal deck that is tested. The samurai is a lord (other Phyrexians get +1/+1), grants all Phyrexians Menace until the end of turn when Grafted Butcher enters the battlefield (providing late-game value), and can return from the graveyard through a cost of 3B and a sacrifice. 

Guardian of Ghirapur

Angel Standard MTG decks are getting a boost from Guardian of Ghirapur, a three-drop in White that has Flying and a 3/3 body. The angel will also see play in other builds since it Flickers a creature or Artifact, returning it at the next end step. 

Within Angel builds, Guardian of Ghirapur synergizes nicely with Steel Seraph and Giada, Font of Hope, Inspiring Overseer, and Sanctuary Warden. 

Urabrask

Of the five Phyrexian Praetors within the MOM set, Urabrask will likely see the most gameplay in the Standard format. Slotting into Big Red decks and Mono-Red Burn builds as a four-drop, the Praetor has First Strike with 4/4 stats. He also adds one Red mana each time an Instant or Sorcery spell is played while dealing one damage to a target opponent. 

Urabrask is also the easiest Praetor from MOM to flip, costing only a single Red mana to turn the Phyrexian into The Great Work Saga. The first chapter is similar to Brotherhood’s End, taking out an opponent’s chump blockers and go-wide board states. Chapter two ramps through Treasure tokens and the third chapter lets the controller of The Great Work cast Instant and Sorcery spells from any player’s graveyard. 

Faerie Mastermind

Faerie Mastermind isn’t a card that will win a match outright from its power level but will get played in any Standard deck running the color Blue. Drawing extra cards has become readily available through every Magic color in the last few years and Faerie Mastermind wants to exploit that card advantage by drawing its controller a card every time an opponent draws their second card. 

The Faerie Rogue also has a mana sink ability to force an opponent to draw a second card, which is nice but won’t likely get used that often. Having Flash steps up the value of Faerie Mastermind, though, as does Flying on a two-drop creature. 

Rampaging Raptor

Rampaging Raptor will slot into Gruul stompy decks while competing with Urabrask in Big Red. The four-drop dinosaur has Trample and Haste on a 4/4 body that can scale in power at Instant speed by paying 2R. Rampaging Raptor has an added bonus that has combat damage dealt to an opponent ping their planeswalkers and your Battle cards, too. 

Midrange creature decks like Gruul have been sitting on the fringe of the Standard meta for some time now and Rampaging Raptor has the potential to push the archetype into top-tier status. 

Errant and Giada

The legendaries Errant and Giada will be providing card advantage to Azorius angel decks. The human angel mashup also works with MTG cards that have Flash, allowing players to play a Wandering Emperor off the top of the library, which is a huge advantage within the MOM Standard meta. 

Errant and Giada also give the Angel Azorius deck another powerful low-cost angel that allows its controller to cast angel cards off the top of the library as well, preventing the build from running out of gas while giving it an extra dose of power during the early game stages of a match in the best-of-one MTG Arena ranked format. 

All images via WotC.