Mono-red aggro is a typical archetype that is rarely bad in Standard. Being able to present a very fast clock backed up by some burn spells has remained a recipe for success over the years.
That being said, while mono-red is often serviceable, it’s unusual that the strategy is the best thing to be doing. With a somewhat predictable gameplan that lacks resiliency, metagaming against red aggro decks is usually relatively easy if the deck spikes in popularity.
However, mono-red in Duskmourn feels different. It was heavily underrated at the World Championship but proved to be a perfect choice. Quinn Tonole managed to post an undefeated Constructed record in the Swiss rounds, facing five different archetypes.
Following this dominant performance, the Magic Online Standard Qualifier that took place on Sunday featured five mono-red aggro decks in top eight alone, and the finals was a mirror match. Notably, all five decklists were identical to Quinn’s.
Even with mono-red being a well-known quantity, the deck still continued to obliterate everything in its path. Above all, the deck is quite budget-friendly! So, what makes this mono-red variant so powerful?
Incredible Creature Depth
- Mana Value: R
- Rarity: Uncommon
- Stats: 1/2
- MTG Sets: Khans of Tarkir, Iconic Masters, Time Spiral Remastered, Double Masters 2022, The Brother’s War
- Card Text: Haste. Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
At a baseline, one of the most important factors in determining a red aggro deck’s stability is the strength of the creatures. Bloomburrow brought incredible new toys for the archetype, and Duskmourn only made things better.
First of all, this deck gets to utilize three excellent one-drops that are complete all-stars. Monastery Swiftspear and Heartfire Hero are staples of the Gruul Prowess deck, too, but by staying more creature and burn focused, you also get to maximize Hired Claw.
Despite only costing one mana, any one of these cards can present a boatload of damage if left unchecked. That’s part of what makes this deck so scary. Even facing a deck like Dimir Demons that plays a bunch of clean removal spells such as Go for the Throat, the opponent risks taking a decent chunk of damage if they’re on the draw before they can even kill one of your threats.
And the creatures just keep coming. Successfully dealt with the first one-drop? Here comes Emberheart Challenger. Have an answer for that too? Now you have to remove Screaming Nemesis. These follow-ups have Haste, so chances are, the opponent will still take some damage from each of them before killing them.
Speaking of which, Rockface Village goes a long way towards keeping the pressure on. Hasting up Hired Claws you draw later in the game and pumping up your Manifold Mouse can make it tough for the opponent to ever truly stabilize. All it takes is one hit in with a Monstrous Rage and your opponent’s in a world of trouble.
Burn is the Word
- Mana Value: 2R
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 3/3
- MTG Sets: Duskmourn
- Card Text: Haste. Whenever Screaming Nemesis is dealt damage, it deals that much damage to any other target. If a player is dealt damage this way, they can’t gain life for the rest of the game.
By piling on damage with Haste creatures, it allows you to close games with non-combat damage that you may not otherwise be able to win. Shock and Lightning Strike act as efficient ways to clear away opposing blockers while simultaneously letting you burn the opponent out when applicable.
Burn spells aren’t always reliable, especially if the opponent has life gain at the ready. Beza, the Bounding Spring, for instance, can put a wrench in your plans. The good news, though, is that Screaming Nemesis can successfully thwart the opponent’s plans.
Screaming Nemesis is obviously incredibly hard to block profitably, as you’ll get to deal a bunch of damage to a target of your choice in the process. On top of that, though, if you suspect your opponent might be able to gain life, you can always Shock your own Screaming Nemesis, dome the opponent for two as a result, and they can’t gain life anymore for the rest of the game.
Screaming Nemesis is excellent in almost every matchup. It’s a house against red decks with damage-based removal. It’s a big Hasty threat against control and midrange. If the opponent spends too many resources killing your other creatures, Screaming Nemesis can end the game singlehandedly. That’s a lot of upside for a simple red aggro deck.
Perfect Budget Strategy
- Mana Value: R
- Rarity: Rare
- Stats: 1/2
- MTG Sets: Bloomburrow
- Text: Whenever you attack with one or more Lizards, Hired Claw deal 1 damage to target opponent. 1R: Put a +1/+1 counter on Hired Claw. Activate only if an opponent lost life this turn and only once each turn.
What makes this deck more exciting is that it is rather cheap to craft, both in paper and on MTG Arena. In paper, most of the price of the deck lies with two cards: Screaming Nemesis and Urabrask’s Forge. Both cards are pretty necessary inclusions, but the rest of the deck doesn’t cost much.
Meanwhile, on MTG Arena, 55 of the 75 slots are commons or uncommons. Playsets of Hired Claw, Emberheart Challenger, Manifold Mouse, and Urabrask’s Forge make up the rares. Screaming Nemesis is the only mythic rare. There aren’t even any rare utility lands this time around; just basics and Rockface Village. As such, you don’t need to invest many Wildcards to get mono-red aggro together.
It’s unusual that a deck this cheap is such a dominant force, but mono-red aggro really is this time around. It’ll be interesting to see how MTG Foundations shakes things up. For now, though, this deck is an excellent choice.