Best BRO Draft archetypes | MTG Arena Open Draft tier list

Artifacts and mechanics in The Brothers’ War define the Draft meta heading into the Magic: The Gathering Arena Open. 

Two-color archetypes are the foundation of The Brothers’ War Draft, showcasing common themes like sacrifice and new themes like Recursion and “draw two or more cards.” Uncommon rarity signposts for archetypes can pull a player into a set of MTG colors while the mechanics and Retro Artifacts can also provide direction. 

Unearth is the strongest BRO mechanic in Draft, with Powerstones close behind. Sacrifice builds in the colors Black and Red, along with Recursion builds in White and Blue and/or Black, have risen to the top of The Brothers’ War Draft meta since the set’s release, given the low-mana cost of Artifacts with Unearth in the colors Black, Red, and White. Splashing a third color for a bomb is also advisable, using Evolving Wilds and Pain lands to assist with mana fixing. 

Black and Red BRO Draft decks

Black and Red is by far the strongest archetype within BRO. Leaning into the sacrifice theme, the signpost for the archetype is Junkyard Genius. The artificer creates a Powerstone token upon ETB, helping pay for Junkyard Genius’s activated ability. 

But the archetype’s star has been Gixian Infiltrator, along with Artifacts that have Unearth like Ashnod’s Harvester, Mishra’s Research Desk, Scrapwork Mutt, and Scrapwork Rager. Each of the Artifacts has value upon entering the battlefield a second time and are ideal sacrifice targets to pump up Gixian Infiltrator, while Evolving Wilds will also pump Gixian Infiltrator. Players can even splash Blue for Combat Courier if lacking card draw. 

Mishra, Tamer of Mak Fawa is easily the Rare bomb of the BR archetype, giving all Artifacts in the graveyard Unearth along with Diabolic Intent, which can fetch any card from your library upon sacrificing a creature and paying only 1B as a mana cost. 

Blue and Red BRO Draft decks

Spells really do matter in the BRO Draft meta when the signpost for Blue and Red is Third Path Iconoclast, which is potentially the strongest Uncommon within the BRO set. The UR archetype has a unique design in that it can play aggressively or have a more Tempo-based Control feel. 

Monastery Swiftspear is the star creature within UR, followed by Wing Commando and Dwarven Forge-Chanter. Players shouldn’t sleep on Thopter Mechanic either, since many Blue spells are about drawing cards. 

Splashing Black within a UR build opens up the possibility of more removal spells while having access to reanimation spells should your key creatures get taken off the battlefield. Splashing White provides Recursion for key cards that have been removed while adding non-creature spells like Disenchant, Prison Sentence, Loran’s Escape, Static Net, and Repair and Recharge.

White and Black BRO Draft decks

Similar to Black and Red, the White and Black archetype utilizes sacrifice and graveyard themes to its advantage. The MTG color White has an aggressive design in BRO, allowing it to get paired with Red as the Aggro BRO Draft deck. When paired with Black, players get a Tempo-based build that uses the signpost Hero of the Dunes in conjunction with cards like Airlift Chaplain and Meticulous Excavation.

Unearth Artifacts like Yotian Frontliner and Ashnod’s Harvester are ideal sacrifice targets while pitching Scrapwork Cohort into the graveyard of an Airlift Chaplain can squeeze more value out of the Unearth soldier Artifact. Powerstone Engineer is also great as sacrifice fodder, creating a Powerstone token when it dies. And Recommission is a powerful Sorcery two-drop that can bring back Artifacts or creatures from your graveyard to the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on them. 

White and Black, splash Blue BRO Draft decks

Soldier synergies are in an abundance within the BRO Draft meta and players in the colors WB shouldn’t shy away from them as it adds synergistic value to the build. Recruitment Officer is one of the top performing White Uncommons, able to provide card advantage. Kill-Zone Acrobat gains Flying upon sacrificing a token or low-cost Artifact with Unearth.

Zephyr Sentinel is a top-performing Flying soldier with Flash that can protect your best creature. Ambush Paratrooper is a decent two-drop with Flash and Flying. And Aeronaut Cavalry is a solid top-end creature. 

White and Blue BRO Draft decks

The soldier theme in WU has taken off in Standard but it’s hard to fully pull off within a BRO Draft. Players can take advantage of synergies among the Commons and Uncommons while creating a more Tempo-based Control build. White is packed with solid removal spells as mentioned under the UR archetype when considering splashing White, and it also has Recursion themes that work well with a card like Urza, Powerstone Prodigy. 

Urza, Powerstone Prodigy is often overlooked as an early pick. When paired with White, Artifacts that have Unearth, and possibly a splash of the color Black, getting cards back from the graveyard isn’t an issue. The legendary has Vigilance, which doesn’t really matter much, but it also creates a Powerstone whenever an Artifact (Unearth) is discarded. And those Powerstones can be used to pay for Urza, Powerstone Prodigy’s activation cost along with the mana cost to Unearth artifacts from the graveyard. 

Blue and Black splash White BRO Draft decks

Players can also opt to run more of a Blue and Black theme based around the signpost Evangel of Synthesis and drawing multiple cards per turn with Urza, Powerstone Prodigy as a solid early pick in a BRO Draft.

Both Black and White can pull creatures or Artifacts from the graveyard, while cards like Gixian Skullflayer, Gurgling Anointer, Overwhelming Remorse, and Thopter Mechanic can all benefit from either creatures in the graveyard or drawing more than two cards per turn.

BRO Draft resources and tips

The most important tip within BRO Draft is to stay open and patient during the first pack. Grab Artifacts with Unearth while also paying attention to the Retro Artifacts that are offered. Signposts are solid but not overly strong. Don’t be afraid to splash a third color to get the most synergy out of your build. And prioritize decent removal as most won’t wheel.

• Best multicolor Rare and Mythic Rares in BRO
• Best Prototype and colorless Artifact Rare and Mythic Rares in BRO
• Best mono-color Rare and Mythic Rare in BRO
• Best Common and Uncommon BRO cards in Blue
• Best Common and Uncommon BRO cards in Black
• Best Common and Uncommon BRO cards in White
• Best Common and Uncommon BRO cards in Green
• Best Common and Uncommon BRO cards in Red