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Eldraine Promo Art Magic Throne of Eldraine
Image via Wizards of the Coast Magic: The Gathering
Category:
MTG

StanCifka ranks 2 in MTG Arena Mythic without playing Oko

Oko isn’t unstoppable.
Image of Danny Forster
Danny Forster
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Published: Nov 2, 2019 08:28 am

This article is over 5 years old and may contain outdated information

The Standard Magic: The Gathering metagame is flooded with Oko, Thief of Crowns, but there are still top players winning without him. 

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Known for his creative deck crafting in Magic, Stanislav “StanCifka” Cifka finished the second MTG Arena Throne of Eldraine season ranked second. And he wasn’t even playing an Oko deck. 

Standard is being flooded with Green cards and decks, with planeswalkers like Oko, Thief of Crowns and Nissa, Who Shakes the World as the shell. But there are some pros who are willing to think outside the box and find other archetypes that can beat the elk-turning planeswalker into submission. 

Javier Dominguez won Mythic Championship V playing a Gruul Aggro deck, and StanCifka just ranked second in the Arena ELD season. Chris Kvartek also ranked in the top sixteen during last weekend’s Magic Arena Qualifiers with a Golgari Adventure deck. 

There are other options to play in Standard, it’s just that Oko-based decks have an extremely high probability of winning. But there are other archetypes advancing quickly in the Arena ladder. 

  • Temur Reclamation with Niv-Mizzet and Expansion/Explosion as the shell.
  • UW Control
  • Jund Sacrifice
  • Mono-Blue and Izzet Phoenix Mill
  • Rakdos Aggro
  • Golgari Adventures
  • Mono-Red Cavalcade
  • Esper Stax

Mythic Championship VI is a week away, beginning on Nov. 8. It’s being played in the Standard format and the meta is projected to be Oko heavy. But if Dominguez could defeat Field of the Dead and Oko at MCV, it’s possible the same can be done again. 

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Author
Image of Danny Forster
Danny Forster
Danny has been writing for Dot Esports for over five years, first as a freelancer and now as a staff writer. He is the lead beat writer for Magic: The Gathering and Teamfight Tactics. Danny is also a solid Monopoly GO player, having beaten every main event without spending a dime. When Danny isn't writing or gaming, he's chilling by the water in Spacecoast Florida with his family and friends. He's always got a tan, because touching grass is important, and loves playing strategic digital and tabletop games. Past outlets Danny has written for include TheGamer and ScreenRant.
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