The Standard metagame in Magic: The Gathering has changed with the Nov. 18 banned and restricted announcement, opening the door for several top cards that every deck builder should craft in MTG Arena.
To say that Oko, Thief of Crowns stole the metagame in Standard would be an understatement. But now that the detrimental planeswalker has been banned, previously unplayable archetypes and cards are now coming out of the wild.
The best archetypes in Standard at the moment are Sacrifice, Midrange Adventure, and Control. Within these decks, there are 10 of the best cards from the Throne of Eldraine set that every MTG Arena player should strive to unlock with wildcards.
Gilded Goose
Every MTG Arena player who puts Green in a deck should consider crafting four copies of Gilded Goose. The 0/2 bird is ideal for mana ramping. It also works as a Food engine, synergizing with other Food spells and creatures. And even with Oko banned, Food decks are still powerful.
Korvold: Fae-Cursed King
Jund Sacrifice is one of the hottest decks in the Standard meta and Korvold, Fae-Cursed King is its ringleader. Four copies aren’t necessary, but three is ideal. In conjunction with Korvold, it’s also necessary to craft four copies of Witch’s Oven and Cauldron Familiar.
Brazen Borrower
Whether you’re playing a Flash or Adventure archetype, Brazen Borrower is the best Blue card in the ELD set. Control decks thrive off the Blue Faerie Rogue, using the Adventure spell Petty Theft to bounce and the creature side as removal and evasion. Three copies will work most of the time but four is ideal for Control decks.
Fires of Invention
Jeskai Fires was the most popular deck played at the MTG Arena Twitch Rivals tournament following the ban of Oko. The Fires of Invention Enchantment allows a player to cast cards equal to the number of mana in play without tapping the lands for mana. The only downfall, however, is that only two spells can be cast a turn.
Jeskai Fires previously relied on planeswalkers to wreak havoc on opponents, but a newer version using the M20 Cavalier cycle seems a tad more powerful. Four copies of Fires is ideal, but a player can typically get away with running three.
Rankle, Master of Pranks
Often overlooked when constructing a deck, Rankle, Master of Pranks is a solid flyer with several abilities designed to put your opponent at a disadvantage. Most often played in BG Midrange, the prankster also works in Mono-Black. As a legendary creature, only three copies are necessary, but it doesn’t hurt to have a fourth in the sideboard.
Bonecrusher Giant
Bonecrusher Giant is a Red Adventure card that’s extremely versatile and cost-friendly. Its spell, Stomp, is essentially Shock at one additional mana cost. But the creature side is a 4/3 that only costs three mana. Whether you’re playing Aggro or Midrange in Red, Bonecrusher Giant is a must-have card. Four copies are recommended.
Murderous Rider
Much like Bonecrusher Giant, the versatility of Murderous Rider makes it a worthy addition in any deck playing Black. Its spell side, Swift End, removes powerful creatures from the board. But it also has a tax of two life points. The creature side of Murderous Rider makes up for that with lifegain and a power of two.
Edgewall Innkeeper
BG Midrange is one of the best Adventure decks in Standard because of Edgewall Innkeeper. Providing a substantial increase in tempo via card draw, four copies of the innkeeper is a must.
Dance of the Manse
Midrange decks are still ranking best in the Standard metagame. But Control decks are making a comeback by using Dance of the Manse and Doom Foretold. Dance recycles Artifacts and Enchantments back onto the battlefield. And if “X” is six or greater, those returning cards are also 4/4 creatures with their original abilities.
Embercleave
Embercleave is a legendary artifact that takes Aggro and Midrange decks to a whole new level. It can be summoned with Flash, catching an opponent by surprise. And when it’s cast, it immediately attaches itself to a creature. The equipped creature then gets +1/+1, double strike, and trample.
Four copies are recommended, despite its six mana casting cost. For each creature attacking, Embercleave costs one less mana to cast.
