29, Sep, 21

10 Best Standard Cards from Innistrad: Midnight Hunt

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The official release of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt has arrived and it’s time to test out its offering in the Standard format. MTG Arena has helped the format grow as the most accessible for all players before they move onto others like Commander and Historic.

Here’s the 10 best cards for Standard in Innistrad: Midnight Hunt

Read More: 10 Best Historic Cards From Innistrad: Midnight Hunt

10. Infernal Grasp

Infernal Grasp Promo

Infernal Grasp will likely become the base of many mono-black decks in the Midnight Hunt Standard format. Anyone building a black deck will gravitate towards its low mana cost despite the loss of health. It can come into play from turn two and counter everything from nuisance aggro creatures to late-game beasts.

This card can also deal with threats like Goldspan Dragon and Faceless Haven, unlike Power Word Kill. It’s also a great replacement for Heartless Act which itself was limited if a creature had counters on it.

9. Bloodthirsty Adversary

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What a creature for red! Bloodthirsty Adversary can be a huge late-game card for aggro decks when mana is healthy. Even as a mid-game play, as long as you can pay the 2 + one red mana cost, it will cause problems for your opponent. On top of this, it has haste to ensure damage is done immediately if allowed to resolve.

More Adversary cards are coming on this list that pack a little more punch but that shouldn’t take anything away from Bloodthirsty. I can see her cropping up a lot in Midnight Hunt Standard play throughout 2022.

Read More: Should Golos, Tireless Pilgrim Be Banned in MTG Arena Historic Brawl?

8. Fateful Absence

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A card that has received plenty of attention already, Fateful Absence will be a part of many mono-white and Orzhov decks throughout 2022.

While Fateful Absence allows your opponent to create a clue token, this shouldn’t be too much of an issue unless they have pre-built synergy in their deck.

7. Teferi, Who Slows the Sunset

Teferi Who Slows the Sunset

Teferi returns and might not be as over-powered in the Midnight Hunt Standard format, but is certainly a desirable card. Allowing him to resolve will be bad news, even more so if he reaches the -7 trigger. The ability to tap and untap permanents with ease will bring endless frustration. He could be a win condition in Standard 2022 for sure.

It’s nice to see Teferi return in a more balanced manner as his previous outings have felt a bit cheap. We can’t see this iteration being banned or frowned upon in quite the same way.

Read More: This Archetype is Going to Dominate Standard with Innistrad: Midnight Hunt

6. Primal Adversary

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Primal Adversary is another card with a menacing trigger upon entering the battlefield. Not only can it give +1/+1 to itself multiple times, but every time it does this, a land transforms into a 3/3 wolf with haste. It is easily a game-ending card if not dealt with.

Naturally, you’ll need to weigh up the risk of transforming lands and leaving them open to removal as a counter. If you can manufacture a situation where your opponent has no mana or cards, it’s well worth firing a big attack off.

5. Bloodline Culling

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Finally, a counter for all the aggro token building decks that have started to crop up in Standard. Bloodline Culling can not only target tokens for a -2/-2 but instead target one big creature for -5/-5. A multi-layered removal card that will find its way into many black decks throughout 2022.

As token creatures are becoming quite prominent in a bunch of Standard format decks, this would be the perfect soul-crushing counter and could resemble a board-wipe in certain situations.

Read More: Must Buy Upgrades for MTG’s Undead Unleashed Commander Deck

4. Tovolar, Dire Overlord

Nothing backs up a card’s brilliant design more than its viability in multiple formats. Tolovar will be a fantastic addition to Midnight Hunt Standard and Commander. Just imagine the problems you’ll cause opponents if you can pair this with Primal Adversary! It’s also a great showcase for the Night/Day feature of the set.

3. Burn Down the House

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Oh, no big deal, Burn Down the House can just wreck an entire battlefield or fill it with annoying tokens. A 5 mana cost may be something that red decks tend to stay away from but going forward this may help more aggressive decks become viable in drawn-out encounters.

Tokens are the bane of many control and long-game decks. It feels like Burn Down the House is the perfect balance of protection/removal and aggression. No red deck will be complete without it.

2. Intrepid Adversary

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The Adversary cards feature heavily on this list for a reason. Just like Primal and Bloodthirsty, Intrepid’s mana ability will cause problems. This time, you’re paying 2 mana to place counters on Intrepid which then gives all other creatures +1/+1 for each activation. In mono-white aggro, this could be devastating when paired with Clarion Spirit and Usher of the Fallen.

Midnight Hunt is looking like a fairly balanced set overall but there’s no shortage of cards that will benefit aggressive decks. It’s a nice change from a set like Forgotten Realms and Strixhaven which had more drawn-out battles in mind it seems.

Read More: What is Gladiator in MTG Arena?

1. Adeline, Resplendant Cathar

Adeline, for me, is the best card in Midnight Hunt for Standard. It will take an already annoying and hard-to-beat mono-white build and take it to the extreme. It is another card that may even be better suited to Commander but it will find a home in many Standard decks too.

If you resolve Adeline onto a battlefield with multiple spirit tokens, she could be a one-hit kill in late-game situations. This will cause your opponent to have to act quickly to remove her from play thus distracting from other threats you may have. It’s worth looking to have Sejiri Shelter in hand to protect her if possible.

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