Welcome to another set release day, where this time players get a chance to experience the historic war between the brothers Urza and Mishra. Brother’s War is the newest set to enter Standard, and there are plenty of cards that are looking primed and ready to compete in the top decks of the format. But before people decide on what is the best deck, it’s important to test out some potential lists that could make a splash. Here are just a few ideas for decks to try out on Brother’s War release day.
Mono Black Gix Aggro
| Creatures | Non Creature Spells | Lands |
| 2x Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor | 2x Cut Down | 22x Swamp |
| 4x Tenacious Underdog | 2x Go For the Throat | |
| 4x Misery’s Shadow | 4x Stronghold arena | |
| 4x Evolved Sleeper | 2x March of Wretched Sorrow | |
| 4x Cult Conscript | ||
| 3x Phyrexian Fleshgorger | ||
| 4x Graveyard Tresspasser | ||
| 4x Tainted Adversary |
Black cards have been the focal point of Standard for quite some time now. Thanks to cards like Liliana of the Veil, Invoke Despair, and the recently banned Meathook Massacre, players have opted to start with a base of black cards and adding other colors after the fact. Brother’s War looks like it will push the color even further into the spotlight as it ushers in some powerful new options. Instead of going big with Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, this list focuses on all-out aggression.
Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor is a powerful engine for low-to-the-ground decks. Typically these agressive, low-cost lists have problems finding more threats as the game persists. However with Gix and Stronghold Arena finding cards shouldn’t be a problem. The wide variety of removal and threats could make this deck a contender going forward in the Brother’s War Standard.
RG Steel Wurm
| Creatures | Non Creature Spells | Lands |
| 4x Teething Wurmlet | 2x Bushwhack | 4x Karplusan Forest |
| 4x Professional Face-Breaker | 4x Yotia Declares War | 4x Rockfall Vale |
| 4x Gala Greeters | 10x Forest | |
| 4x Simian Simulacrum | 6x Mountain | |
| 4x Sarinth Steelseeker | ||
| 2x Arbalest Engineers | ||
| 4x Quiron Beastcaller | ||
| 4x Haywire Mite |
The amount of incidental artifact-creation that occurs in games has risen drastically in the past few sets. Smart players will want to take advantage of this, and now players have a payoff card in Brother’s War. Teething Wurmlet is a cheap beater that can grow very quickly if left to its own devices. Gaining deathtouch by simply playing cards like Gala Greeters and Professional Face-Breaker makes Wurmlet an obnoxious creature to handle.
The neat part about this list is the secondary “+1/+1 counters” sub-theme. Simian Simulacrum looks like a terrifying threat that pumps up itself or other creatures. There are several individual cards that can take over the game, making this list a fun and interesting take on RG beatdown.
UW Soldiers
| Creatures | Non Creature Spells | Lands |
| 4x Brutal Cathar | 4x Soul Partition | 4x Fortified Beachhead |
| 2x Cemetery Protector | 2x Lay Down Arms | 4x Adarkar Wastes |
| 4x Dennick, Pious Apprentice | 2x The Wandering Emperor | 6x Islands |
| 4x Valiant Veteran | 10x Plains | |
| 4x Sungold Sentinel | ||
| 4x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben | ||
| 2x Myrel, Shield of Argive | ||
| 4x Skystrike Officer |
Looks like an old tribe has made its way back into the fold. Soldiers got plenty of new tools to become a viable deck in Standard thanks to Brother’s War. Skystrike Officer is the big addition to this archetype as it offers a way to draw cards and continually have options available throughout the game. Once it hits the battlefield, players can start drawing right away.
Myrel, Shield of Argive is the other big name to watch in this Standard format. Not only is it a card that can generate an army of tokens, but it prevents the opponent from interacting with your board in an efficient manner. Some may argue that Myrel is actually a control finisher, but why can’t it be both?
Stay Connected
Featured image courtesy of Wizards of the Coast
You can like The Game Haus on Facebook! And make sure to follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other TGH writers.Follow Bryan on Twitter @esportsbrock for more updates on Overwatch, VALORANT, and the LCS