Despite concerns that Lorwyn Eclipsed wouldn’t do enough to shift the dominant decks in Standard, the set has already made quite an impact. Several new decks are rising in prominence thanks to the new cards, and existing strategies are making great use of them, too. A prime example of this is Rakdos Monument, which is now leveraging some of Lorwyn’s scariest additions to forge a new place for itself in MTG Standard.
Rakdos Monument In MTG Standard
Rakdos Monument definitely existed pre-Lorwyn Eclipsed, but it was a much more niche deck. Essentially, it’s an Aggro/Midrange hybrid strategy, leveraging Monument to Endurance as a value engine. Cards like Marauding Mako and Fear of Missing Out are great at applying pressure early, but that game plan can run out of steam fast. Monument gives the deck more momentum, as well as extra burn damage when needed. With easy discard fodder like Bloodghast and Flamewake Phoenix in the mix, the deck can fuel its early aggression while also laying roots for later plays.
While this deck has always had tight-knit synergy, Lorwyn Eclipsed adds some crucial extra punch to this established strategy. Moonshadow is the headliner addition here, serving a similar role to Marauding Mako, and giving the deck a much stronger turn one on average. The deck also gets a fantastic new discard outlet in Iron-Shield Elf, which provides both an on-curve threat and an enabler for the rest of your shenanigans. Since it can easily gain Indestructible, it makes a great blocker in Aggro mirrors, too.
Alongside these newcomers, recent Rakdos Monument lists have also begun to lean harder into the discard theme. Bloodthorn Flail, for example, is another free discard outlet that can buff your early creatures. Slapping this on a turn one Moonshadow can have you swinging for four with Menace on turn two, which opens the doors for a Flamewake Phoenix resurrection during combat.
The beauty of Rakdos Monument is the way it can play a curve-out Aggro game to start, then pivot to a more grindy plan thanks to Monument and its recursive creatures. The new Lorwyn Eclipsed cards strengthen the deck on both axes, putting it in a solid position in current Standard.
Meta Breaker Or Meta Faker?
While it’s certainly doing better than it once was, Rakdos Monument is by no means a sure thing in MTG Standard now. The current format is fairly ruthless, with Simic Ouroboroid still riding Badgermole Cub to dominance. Izzet Lessons and Dimir Midrange aren’t far behind, either, with both still holding on to sizable chunks of the metagame.
In such an environment, Rakdos Monument faces some serious challenges. Both Izzet and Dimir pack plenty of cheap interaction, which can make it difficult for Monument to establish itself on board. Since its early creatures really need to survive in order to snowball into serious threats, this is a big issue. Meanwhile, even though Simic Ouroboroid is mercifully light on interaction, it does pack plenty of ramp. This means it can just go over the top of Monument with a Nature’s Rhythm/Craterhoof Behemoth play.
That said, it’s not all bad news for the deck. With its combination of aggression and resilience, Rakdos Monument is an ideal counter to Jeskai Control, which holds a sizable chunk of the meta at present. Sultai Reanimator, another big current deck, is also fairly durdly, which gives plenty of room for Monument to ramp up and close things out.
Thanks to these strong matchups, there’s a lot of potential here. Rakdos Monument claimed a flawless first-place finish in Sunday’s MTGO Standard Challenge, which is impressive for any deck. Since then it has achieved steady results in Challenges and Leagues, cementing itself as a solid contender. With TMNT promising some solid discard support already, this is definitely a deck to watch in the months to come.
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