Last updated on November 1, 2022
Start from Scratch | Illustration by Bayard Wu
Let’s face it, there’s nothing better than jumping right into a game of Magic. But with a card pool of over 20,000 unique cards to choose from, creating a playable deck can be a pretty difficult and lengthy process.
Enter starter decks, nifty pre-constructed products that forgo you having to run to the store on a dime to get your hands on new cards or worrying about tuning your deck. These products are designed for you and ready-to-play, right out of the gate!
The question, though, is this: which one of these decks is the best?
Best MTG Arena Starter Decks
Start Your Engines | Illustration by Darek Zabrocki
When you first sign up for MTGA, you follow a tutorial that shows you the ropes a bit and previews the mono-colored starter decks that you’ll unlock before anything else. After that, you complete “Color Challenges” to teach you the ropes of Magic and improve your mono-colored decks before fully unlocking them and being released into the wilds of Arena to earn the dual-colored decks.
There’s a total of 15 starter decks for you to collect. Best of all, they’re totally free and give you a great deck selection and card pool to start your Arena adventures with! These are the latest decks that we got with the release of Streets of New Capennaand we’ll have them until the next standard rotation occurs.
As a treat, we grabbed numbers from nearly 10,000 games worth of data in Arena Tutor in an exclusive data study to officially rank these decks.
Don’t know what Arena Tutor is? It’s an MTGA helper app, especially useful if you’re new to Arena. Grab it here for free before continuing.
Multicolored Starter Decks
#10. Spellweaver
Lier, Disciple of the Drowned | Illustration by Ekaterina Burmak
Creature (13)
Festival Crasher x3
Smoldering Egg
Wandering Mind x2
Spellrune Painter x3
Vadrik, Astral Archmage
Storm Skreelix x2
Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
Instant (16)
Consider x3
Play with Fire x2
Abrade x3
Cathartic Pyre
Arcane Infusion x2
Electric Revelation
Thirst for Discovery x2
Memory Deluge
Big Score
Sorcery (5)
Reckless Impulse x2
Seize the Storm x2
Burn Down the House
Artifact (1)
Land (25)
First up is Spellweaver, an Izzet spellslinger deck that likes playing many low-to-the-ground spells alongside a few potent threats. It sports a relatively low winrate of 37%, likely due to the inefficiencies of the instants. These kind of spells decks need cheap and effective spells in order to both contest its opponents and develop the board, and budget decks just don’t that all too well.
#9. Strength in Numbers
Wedding Announcement | Illustration by Caroline Gariba
Creature (22)
Civil Servant x3
Gala Greeters
Venom Connoisseur x3
Park Heights Pegasus
Rumor Gatherer x3
Gathering Throng x3
Torens, Fist of the Angels
Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
Darling of the Masses x2
Celebrity Fencer x3
Angelic Observer
Instant (4)
Luxurious Libation x2
Refuse to Yield x2
Sorcery (3)
Join the Dance
Take to the Streets x2
Enchantment (3)
Hold for Ransom x2
Wedding Announcement
Artifact (3)
Citizen's Crowbar x2
Halo Fountain
Land (25)
Forest x9
Plains x9
Blossoming Sands x4
Overgrown Farmland
Botanical Plaza x2
Strength in Numbers is a Selesnya citizens deck that wants to go wide and utilize as many buffs as possible. It sports a 41% win-rate, which is better than Spellweaver, but still leaves a little to be desired. It does include a few nice rares, notably Halo Fountain, Weddning Announcement, and Adeline, Resplendent Cathar.
#8. Grave Matters
Infernal Grasp | Illustration by Naomi Baker
Creature (27)
Deathbonnet Sprout x3
Doomed Dissenter x2
Reclusive Taxidermist x2
Tenacious Underdog
Undead Butler x3
Old Stickfingers
Shigeki, Jukai Visionary
Gravelighter x2
Fell Stinger x3
Gloomshrieker x2
Old Rutstein
Bloodsworn Squire x3
Moldgraf Millipede x2
Spring-Leaf Avenger
Instant (2)
Sorcery (6)
Eaten Alive x2
Mulch x3
Ghoulcaller's Harvest
Land (25)
Forest x10
Swamp x10
Jungle Hollow x4
Deathcap Glade
Grave Matters is a Golgari deck that, well, cares about the graveyard. It seeks to utilize its recursion mechanics to get additional value out of sacrifice effects, furthering its lead and playing the long-game versus its opponent. It has a 42% win-rate overall.
#7. Ignite the Forge
Blood Fountain | Illustration by Evyn Fong
Creature (18)
Virus Beetle x3
Sokenzan Smelter x3
Bloodtithe Harvester x2
Voldaren Bloodcaster
Searchlight Companion x2
Circuit Mender x2
Professional Face-Breaker
Falkenrath Forebear
Twinshot Sniper x2
Atsushi, the Blazing Sky
Instant (7)
Voltage Surge x3
Infernal Grasp x2
Big Score x2
Artifact (10)
Blood Fountain
Experimental Synthesizer x2
Ceremonial Knife
Eater of Virtue
Dragonspark Reactor x2
Oni-Cult Anvil x3
Land (25)
Mountain x9
Swamp x9
Bloodfell Caves x4
Haunted Ridge
Tramway Station x2
Next up is Ignite the Forge, a red/black Anvil deck similar to the one currently in standard. It seeks to deploy Oni-Cult Anvil to repeatedly ping opponents and overwhelm them with value. It currently has a 43% win-rate, which is another nice jump.
#6. Storm of Blades
Thundering Raiju | Illustration by Xavier Ribeiro
Planeswalker (1)
Creature (25)
Thundering Raiju
Simian Sling
Rabbit Battery x2
Reinforced Ronin x3
Usher of the Fallen x3
Lion Sash
Selfless Samurai x2
Twinblade Geist x2
Eiganjo Exemplar x3
Blade-Blizzard Kitsune
Risona, Asari Commander
Raiyuu, Storm's Edge
Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei
Asari Captain x3
Instant (7)
Play with Fire x2
Valorous Stance x2
Kami's Flare x2
Imperial Oath
Enchantment (2)
Artifact (1)
Land (24)
In the 6th place spot is Storm of Blades, a red/white Samurai deck. It deploys classic Boros aggro to overwhelm opponents, even through removal, and even includes a few great rares to amp up the power such as The Wandering Emperor, Lion Sash, and Thundering Raiju. It’s just barely ahead of the competition with a win rate of 43%.
#5. Balancing Act
Dockside Chef | Illustration by Steven Belledin
Creature (18)
Dockside Chef x2
Spirited Companion x3
Chainflail Centipede x3
Nezumi Bladeblesser x2
Circuit Mender x2
Kami of Terrible Secrets x2
Naomi, Pillar of Order x3
Liesa, Forgotten Archangel
Instant (1)
Sorcery (3)
Banishing Slash x2
Soul Transfer
Enchantment (9)
Michiko's Reign of Truth
Life of Toshiro Umezawa
The Restoration of Eiganjo
Touch the Spirit Realm x3
Twisted Embrace x2
Spirit-Sister's Call
Artifact (4)
Citizen's Crowbar x2
Mukotai Soulripper
Mysterious Limousine
Land (25)
Plains x9
Swamp x10
Scoured Barrens x4
Shattered Sanctum
Roadside Reliquary
Balancing Act brings your classic Orzhov midrange to the starter deck scene, and with a 44% win-rate no less. It has some of the best overall cards in Standard right now, like Spirited Companion and The Restoration of Eiganjo, but it still fails to reach that 50% win-rate.
#4. Stealthy Subterfuge
Hero's Downfall | Illustration by Chris Rallis
Planeswalker (1)
Creature (27)
Network Disruptor x3
Thousand-Faced Shadow
Dokuchi Silencer x3
Inkrise Infiltrator x2
Silver-Fur Master x3
Moon-Circuit Hacker x2
Prosperous Thief x2
Biting-Palm Ninja
Satoru Umezawa
Nashi, Moon Sage's Scion
Mukotai Ambusher x3
Moonsnare Specialist x2
Kotose, the Silent Spider
Dokuchi Shadow-Walker x2
Instant (6)
Fading Hope x2
Fake Your Own Death x2
Hero's Downfall x2
Enchantment (2)
The Long Reach of Night
Behold the Unspeakable
Land (24)
Island x17
Dismal Backwater x4
Shipwreck Marsh
Waterfront District x2
Next up in 4th place is Stealthy Subterfuge, a Dimir ninjas deck that includes some banger staples like Kaito Shizuki and Hero's Downfall. Although one of the more synergistic decks on the rankings thus far, it still only has a win-rate of 44.5%.
#3. Angelic Accountants
Elspeth Resplendent | Illustration by Anna Steinbauer
Planeswalker (1)
Creature (22)
Hopeful Initiate
Lion Sash
Parish-Blade Trainee x3
Raffine's Informant x3
Giada, Font of Hope
Celestial Regulator x3
Inspiring Overseer x3
Metropolis Angel x3
Undercover Operative
Angelic Quartermaster x3
Instant (6)
Light the Way
Valorous Stance x2
Planar Incision
Thirst for Discovery x2
Sorcery (2)
Enchantment (4)
Borrowed Time x3
Sigarda's Summons
Land (25)
Island x9
Plains x9
Tranquil Cove x4
Deserted Beach
Skybridge Towers x2
Angelic Accounts puts some sweet Azorius angels action at your disposal, and backs it up with powerful inclusions such as Elspeth Resplendent, Hopeful Initiate, Giada, Font of Hope, and Sigarda's Summons. While it only has a win-rate of 45.6%, it has serious upgrade potential if you manage to cut some of the one-ofs and make the deck a bit more consistent.
#2. Blossoming Growth
Titan of Industry | Illustration by Lucas Staniec
Creature (17)
Fang of Shigeki x2
Triskaidekaphile
Jewel Thief x3
Psychic Pickpocket
Sludge Monster
Cleanup Crew x3
Blossom Prancer
Titan of Industry
Hullbreaker Horror
Colossal Skyturtle x3
Instant (7)
Master's Rebuke x2
Prizefight x2
Case the Joint x3
Sorcery (1)
Enchantment (10)
Azusa's Many Journeys x3
Careful Cultivation x3
Boseiju Reaches Skyward x3
Glorious Sunrise
Land (25)
Forest x10
Island x10
Thornwood Falls x4
Dreamroot Cascade
Blossoming Growth is the Simic ramp/big mana deck, as you may have expected. It ramps out with cards like Jewel Thief and Prizefight to take board control and accelerate your threat deployment. Overall, it’s win-rate stands at 45.8%.
#1. On the Hunt
Tovolar, Dire Overlord | Illustration by Chris Rahn
Planeswalker (1)
Creature (24)
Snarling Wolf x3
Outland Liberator x2
Kessig Naturalist x3
Packsong Pup x2
Hungry Ridgewolf x3
Reckless Stormseeker
Weaver of Blossoms x3
Tovolar, Dire Overlord
Fangblade Brigand
Child of the Pack x3
Howlpack Piper
Halana and Alena, Partners
Instant (7)
Lunar Frenzy x2
Moonrager's Slash x3
Wolf Strike x2
Sorcery (2)
Enchantment (1)
Land (25)
Forest x9
Mountain x9
Rugged HighLands x4
Rockfall Vale
Racers' Ring x2
We’ve finally reached first place, and that spot belongs to On the Hunt. This Gruul werewolves deck is fortunate to have some of the most powerful werewolves cards ever in Standard currently, like Arlinn, the Pack's Hope and Tovolar, Dire Overlord. Despite this, it still fails to reach an even or positive win-rate, and sits at 49.4% overall.
Mono-Colored Starter Decks
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, due to the lack of data acquired for these decks—likely because they’re sort of underwhelming and less desirable to play—which means we have a much lower confidence level for their rankings. They likely have some accuracy, but take it with a heavy grain of salt in comparison to the multicolored decks.
#5. Large and in Charge
Jungle Delver | Illustration by Kieran Yanner
Creatures (27)
Jungle Delver x3
Ilysian Caryatid x4
Woodland Mystic x2
Wildwood Patrol x2
Baloth Packhunter x4
Prized Unicorn
Rumbling Baloth x2
World Shaper
Gigantosaurus x2
Sentinel Spider x2
Affectionate Indrik x2
Rampaging Brontodon x2
Enchantments (3)
Colossal Majesty x2
Epic Proportions
Instants (2)
Sorceries (3)
Rabid Bite x3
Lands (25)
Forest x25
Sideboard (9)
First up is the mono-green list Large and in Charge. It has a terrible win-rate of 22.22%, likely due to the poor ramp and absence of interaction. While it may be much stronger with some tuning, our limited data doesn’t favor this one too well.
#4. Keep the Peace
Bond of Discipline | Illustration by Zezhou Chen
Creatures (25)
Charmed Stray x4
Fencing Ace x2
Hallowed Priest x4
Impassioned Orator x3
Moorland Inquisitor x2
Angel of Vitality x2
Leonin Warleader x2
Serra Angel
Spiritual Guardian
Angelic Guardian
Inspiring Commander x2
Goring Ceratops
Enchantments (4)
Instants (5)
Tactical Advantage x4
Confront the Assault
Sorceries (1)
Lands (25)
Plains x25
Sideboard (9)
Next up is Keep the Peace, a mono-white lifeline deck with a winrate of 31.5%. This is still pretty poor, but at least it’s nearly 10 points higher than the last one!
#3. Goblins Everywhere!
Goblin Gathering | Illustration by Svetlin Velinov
Creatures (20)
Tin Street Cadet x3
Goblin Tunneler x2
Nest Robber x4
Molten Ravager x2
Goblin Gang Leader x2
Goblin Trashmaster
Ogre Battledriver x2
Immortal Phoenix
Volcanic Dragon
Siege Dragon x2
Enchantments (2)
Instants (9)
Shock x3
Storm Strike x2
Burn Bright x2
Inescapable Blaze x2
Sorceries (4)
Lands (25)
Mountain x25
Sideboard (9)
Goblins Everywhere sees a significant jump in winrate up to 44.5%. Like the Gruul werewolves deck, this one has a lot of synergistic cards available to it, like Raid Bombardment, which pads the data a fair bit.
#2. Aerial Domination
Wall of Runes | Illustration by Zezhou Chen
Creatures (23)
Wall of Runes x2
Sworn Guardian x2
Waterkin Shaman x3
Cloudkin Seer x3
Warden of Evos Isle x3
Octoprophet x2
Soulblade Djinn x2
Windstorm Drake x2
Frilled Sea Serpent
Riddlemaster Sphinx x2
Windreader Sphinx
Enchantments (3)
Waterknot x3
Instants (5)
Sorceries (4)
Winged Words x2
Sleep
Overflowing Insight
Lands (25)
Island x25
Sideboard (9)
The runner-up for the mono-colored decks is the mono-blue deck Aerial Domination. With a relatively O.K. win-rate of 45%, this mono-blue tempo deck takes to the skies with a number of powerful flying creatures backed up by some efficient removal and interaction.
#1. Cold-Blooded Killers
Typhoid Rat | Illustration by Dave Kendall
Creatures (22)
Sanitarium Skeleton x2
Typhoid Rats x2
Malakir Cullblade x3
Vampire Opportunist x2
Mardu Outrider x2
Savage Gorger x3
Skeleton Archer x2
Sengir Vampire x2
Soulhunter Rakshasa
Nightmare
Demon of Loathing x2
Enchantments (1)
Instants (11)
Compound Fracture x4
Cruel Cut
Unlikely Aid x3
Murder x3
Sorceries (1)
Lands (25)
Swamp x25
Sideboard (9)
In first place is the mono-black deck, Cold-Blooded Killers, which uniquely has a win-rate of 53%! This is the only starter deck with a positive win-rate. While there isn’t much data to solidify this fact, and my own intuition says that the Gruul werewolves deck would probably beat it in a larger sample size, it’s certainly still a contender.
MTG Arena Starter Deck Upgrades
Section and upgrades by Chris Reay
So you’ve downloaded MTG Arena and completed the color challenges and got yourself some starter decks. You’re probably finding that they’re not quite getting you there anymore after playing a while and you want to change things up a bit to make them more competitive.
Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! Today I’ll be going through my suggestions for upgrades to these decks.
Deckbuilding Basics
While different decks need different things to work, there are some rules of thumb that are very useful when thinking about building and upgrading decks.
You generally want four copies of your cards. The starter decks come with very few 4-ofs, but having four of the key cards keeps your deck more consistent and allows it to play how you want more often. There are of course times when you won’t want four copies of certain cards, like if they’re high mana cost top-end cards, or if they’re legendary creatures (sometimes you still want four of these too, though).
Another point to look at is your mana base. Lands are a key part of your deck, and the rare lands available are often a great (if slightly boring) way to upgrade your deck. The current rare land cycles are the “slow lands” and the pain lands. Only six of the pain lands have been printed so far, though, with the other four expected in The Brothers’ War.
As for number of lands, 24 is what the “average” deck runs. Faster decks play one or two fewer, and slower more controlling decks sometimes opt for a couple more.
I’ve suggested upgrades using commons and uncommons only for each of these starter decks because I recommend trying these low-risk upgrades before using up those precious rare and mythic wildcards. I’ve also suggested some rares that you can consider, too!
And if you have any spicy rares in your collection that you’ve opened from Limited events or prizes, you can use those too!
Spellweaver
Smoldering Egg | Illustration by Simon Dominic
Spellweaver cares about casting instants and sorceries and using creatures that get huge from that. Luckily that’s a Draft archetype in Dominaria United. This means there are lots of good cards to support the deck, a lot of which are commons and uncommons.
What I think I want to do here is take out some of the bigger costed spells and make this low to the ground. I’d go with the following changes:
Creature (15)
Festival Crasher x3
Smoldering Egg
Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
Thermo-Alchemist x4
Electrostatic Infantry x3
Balmor, Battlemage Captain x3
Instant (19)
Consider x4
Play with Fire x4
Abrade x2
Lightning Strike x4
Twinferno x4
Memory Deluge
Sorcery (3)
Seize the Storm x2
Burn Down the House
Land (23)
This provides you with some better creatures that grow quicker and are cheap to cast as well as some spells that you can cast for much cheaper. This lets you drop a couple lands and, to be honest, there’s an argument to taking out one or two more.
If you’re looking for rares to include, I’d probably start with more Smoldering Eggs and Lier, Disciple of the Drowned. Rare dual lands can upgrade your mana base, and you’re looking at Shivan Reef or Stormcarved Coast with this Izzet () deck.
Something like Shore Up might also be a good addition if you find your creatures are being taken out by targeted removal too much.
Strength in Numbers
Chaplain of Alms | Illustration by Anastasia Ovchinnikova
Clearly the idea with Strength in Numbers is to grow your board wide and take your opponent down with sheer number of creatures. It’s likely a bit of a better choice now that The Meathook Massacre is banned. I think I’d look to focus on the aggro strategies available here to end the game before your opponent can do anything about you.
Creature (26)
Llanowar Stalker x4
Chaplain of Alms x4
Gala Greeters
Resolute Reinforcements x4
Park Heights Pegasus
Rumor Gatherer x3
Gathering Throng x4
Torens, Fist of the Angels
Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
Argivian Phalanx x3
Instant (4)
Luxurious Libation x2
Strength of the Coalition x2
Sorcery (4)
Enchantment (3)
Hold for Ransom x2
Wedding Announcement
Land (23)
Forest x8
Plains x8
Blossoming Sands x4
Overgrown Farmland
Botanical Plaza x2
I’ve taken out a lot of the citizen synergies since it was pretty much as good of a citizen deck as it could be already and just something included in Streets of New Capenna. I added some fairly powerful 1-drops in Chaplain of Alms and Llanowar Stalker instead.
I think this is a deck that can really benefit from rares. Cards that are already included as one-ofs, like Torens, Fist of the Angels and Adeline, Resplendent Cathar should have three or even four copies each, really. Other great inclusions include Intrepid Adversary, The Wandering Emperor, and Katilda, Dawnhart Prime, as well as the rare lands available to you.
Grave Matters
Eerie Soultender | Illustration by Igor Kieryluk
The graveyard is what matters in Grave Matters. There’s some recursion, but also cards that care about what’s in your ‘yard. There are some gems in here as well as some underperformers.
Creature (28)
Deathbonnet Sprout x3
Reclusive Taxidermist x2
Tenacious Underdog
Undead Butler x3
Old Stickfingers
Shigeki, Jukai Visionary
Gravelighter x2
Fell Stinger x3
Gloomshrieker x2
Old Rutstein
Eerie Soultender x4
Spring-Leaf Avenger
Writhing Necromass x4
Instant (2)
Sorcery (7)
Eaten Alive x2
Ghoulcaller's Harvest
Urborg Repossession x4
Land (24)
Forest x10
Swamp x9
Jungle Hollow x4
Deathcap Glade
The main thing I’ve added here are some cards that anyone who’s played Dominaria United Limited should be well aware of: Urborg Repossession, Eerie Soultender, and Writhing Necromass. These fit incredibly well into the idea of making the most of creatures in your graveyard, and casting a Necromass for one mana is an amazing feeling.
Rares to consider are less important than they were with Strength in Numbers, but my first go-tos would be finishing the playset of Tenacious Underdog and springing for some Urborg Lhurgoyfs.
Ignite the Forge
Voldaren Epicure | Illustration by Martina Fackova
Rakdos () Anvil decks have been played around with in Standard for a while now and these artifact decks are a great place to start, even when you’re not focusing on rares and mythics. And Ignite the Forge is poised to just get better with The Brothers’ War looking like it’s going to have a lot of artifacts.
Creature (19)
Voldaren Epicure x4
Virus Beetle x4
Sokenzan Smelter x3
Bloodtithe Harvester x4
Voldaren Bloodcaster
Professional Face-Breaker
Falkenrath Forebear
Atsushi, the Blazing Sky
Instant (7)
Voltage Surge x3
Infernal Grasp x2
Big Score x2
Artifact (11)
Experimental Synthesizer x4
Blood Fountain
Dragonspark Reactor x2
Oni-Cult Anvil x4
Land (23)
Mountain x8
Swamp x8
Bloodfell Caves x4
Haunted Ridge
Tramway Station x2
You definitely want to complete your playset of Oni-Cult Anvils. This is the key card in the deck and will be included in your best games even if you don’t need it to win. Other upgrades include a powerful 1-drop in Voldaren Epicure and the multi-format all-star Bloodtithe Harvester.
Ob Nixilis, the Adversary can provide some great value if you’re looking for rares and mythics. Fable of the Mirror-Breaker is shaking up formats all the way back to Legacy and is another easy inclusion.
Storm of Blades
Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei | Illustration by Mike Jordana
Boros () aggro is a very common deck and is often either tier 1 or 2 in Standard. Storm of Blades is a solid start to a good deck to grind with, but there’s definitely some improvements to be made.
Planeswalker (1)
Creature (23)
Thundering Raiju
Phoenix Chick x4
Rabbit Battery x4
Reinforced Ronin x4
Lion Sash
Twinblade Geist x2
Sunrise Cavalier x4
Risona, Asari Commander
Raiyuu, Storm's Edge
Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei
Instant (9)
Play with Fire x3
Lightning Strike x4
Kami's Flare x2
Enchantment (4)
Land (23)
I removed a lot of the more expensive cards and added some cheaper ones. There’s now 20 1-drop creatures in the deck. I admit that this may be a bit overboard, but there are lots of options at this slot and there’s less available at the 2-drop slot, at least as far as commons and uncommons are concerned.
The rares in the deck are already pretty good so you just want more of them! Particularly Thundering Raiju, The Wandering Emperor, and Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei.
Balancing Act
Virus Beetle | Illustration by Dan Scott
Balancing Act works on a theme included in Neon Dynasty and cares about having both artifacts and enchantments out. It can grind out games and has some good removal, if not-so-great creatures.
Creature (16)
Dockside Chef x2
Spirited Companion x4
Virus Beetle x4
Chainflail Centipede x3
Circuit Mender x2
Liesa, Forgotten Archangel
Instants (2)
Cut Down x2
Sorcery (5)
Soul Transfer
Rite of Oblivion x4
Enchantment (9)
Michiko's Reign of Truth
Life of Toshiro Umezawa
The Restoration of Eiganjo
Touch the Spirit Realm x3
Twisted Embrace x2
Spirit-Sister's Call
Artifact (4)
Citizen's Crowbar x2
Mukotai Soulripper
Mysterious Limousine
Land (24)
Plains x9
Swamp x9
Scoured Barrens x4
Shattered Sanctum
Roadside Reliquary
Upgrades for this one were honestly difficult without changing the basis of the deck or including a boat load of extra rares and mythics. There are some good upgrades to the removal spells, like Cut Down and Rite of Oblivion. And I’m not sure why Virus Beetle was left out of the original list, but it’s an easy addition here.
Rares you can look at are just generically good rares in the format. The Wandering Emperor, Wedding Announcement, and Tenacious Underdog are three solid examples.
Stealthy Subterfuge
Network Disruptor | Illustration by Viko Menezes
Ninjas! An absolute fan-favorite deck, and one that can also be pretty competitive. We’re starting out with a pretty good shell with Stealthy Subterfuge, and one that has some easy streamlining available.
Planeswalker (1)
Creature (28)
Network Disruptor x4
Thousand-Faced Shadow
Dokuchi Silencer x3
Inkrise Infiltrator x2
Silver-Fur Master x4
Moon-Circuit Hacker x4
Prosperous Thief x2
Biting-Palm Ninja
Satoru Umezawa
Nashi, Moon Sage's Scion
Mukotai Ambusher x2
Moonsnare Specialist x2
Kotose, the Silent Spider
Instant (8)
Fading Hope x4
Fake Your Own Death x2
Hero's Downfall x2
Land (23)
Island x17
Dismal Backwater x3
Shipwreck Marsh
Waterfront District x2
I went for playsets of some of the better cards here, like Network Disruptor and Silver-Fur Master. I didn’t even add anything new because the staples are already there, but maybe you could move the removal around a little bit to include a copy or two of Cut Down if you like.
Rares, again, are just going to be filling out playsets. Thousand-Faced Shadow is a great 1-mana evasive creature that helps out a lot. Biting-Palm Ninja is also a solid beater that can really swing a game.
Angelic Accountants
Giada, Font of Hope | Illustration by Eric Deschamps
Angelic Accountants is an Azorius () aggro/tempo deck aiming to be one of the faster builds in the format. It’s maybe closer to midrange on the spectrum compared to some of the aggro decks, but it doesn’t want to wait around long.
Planeswalker (1)
Creature (27)
Hopeful Initiate
Lion Sash
Parish-Blade Trainee x4
Raffine's Informant x4
Giada, Font of Hope
Celestial Regulator x4
Inspiring Overseer x4
Metropolis Angel x4
Undercover Operative
Angelic Quartermaster x3
Instant (3)
Sorcery (3)
Enchantment (4)
Borrowed Time x3
Sigarda's Summons
Land (23)
Island x7
Plains x9
Tranquil Cove x4
Deserted Beach
Skybridge Towers x2
This is another deck where I didn’t actually add any new cards, just trimmed out some of the weaker bits and added more of the already good cards.
If you’re looking for rares to include, my first stop would be more Giada, Font of Hopes because it’s an absolute house when it comes down on turn 2. Serra Paragon is another really synergistic inclusion. It’s still an angel but also lets you get your cheap stuff back. I think it’s best to take out the blue cards and run this as a mono-white deck if you get these.
Blossoming Growth
Llanowar Loamspeaker | Illustration by Zara Alfonso
You have a ramp deck in Blossoming Growth, which I always think is a great inclusion in a selection of starter decks. It’s a fun way to play and can often be really different to other aggro and midrange strategies.
Creature (19)
Reclusive Taxidermist x4
Jewel Thief x4
Psychic Pickpocket
Sludge Monster
Cleanup Crew x3
Blossom Prancer
Titan of Industry
Hullbreaker Horror
Colossal Skyturtle x3
Instant (7)
Master's Rebuke x2
Prizefight x2
Case the Joint x3
Sorcery (1)
Enchantment (8)
Azusa's Many Journeys x4
Careful Cultivation x3
Glorious Sunrise
Land (25)
Forest x10
Island x10
Thornwood Falls x4
Dreamroot Cascade
The only new card I’ve added here is Reclusive Taxidermist as a 2-mana mana dork. It’s not great, and there’s a good chance that we’ll get a better one in the next set or two, but it’s fine and helps you get some bigger stuff out.
I didn’t change it much for the top end. You’re just going to play the expensive high-cost rare and mythic cards that you have with these decks most of the time anyway.
If you do want to use some rare and mythic wildcards on this, Titan of Industry is one of the best ramp targets you can get. And Llanowar Loamspeaker is a great upgrade to Reclusive Taxidermist to help you get there.
On the Hunt
Packsong Pup | Illustration by April Prime
The final deck we’re going to look at is Gruul () werewolves. Never quite making it to the top of standard, On the Hunt is still a solid deck that doesn’t take much in the way of upgrades.
Planeswalker (1)
Creature (25)
Snarling Wolf x3
Outland Liberator x4
Kessig Naturalist x4
Packsong Pup x4
Reckless Stormseeker
Weaver of Blossoms x3
Tovolar, Dire Overlord
Child of the Pack x3
Howlpack Piper
Halana and Alena, Partners
Instant (6)
Play with Fire x4
Lunar Frenzy x2
Sorcery (2)
Enchantment (4)
Land (24)
Forest x9
Mountain x8
Rugged HighLands x4
Rockfall Vale
Racers' Ring x2
I’m keeping the core of the deck very much as-is here. You want your Kessig Naturalists and Packsong Pups. Some of the cards that work with night and day are less good, and I added what may seem like an odd choice in Kumano Faces Kakkazan. But this is just a solid aggro card, and you really want it if you’re playing red.
There are a bunch of rares that are already included that you probably want more of. Tovolar, Dire Overlord, Halana and Alena, Partners, and Reckless Stormseeker are all solid beaters, with the latter two being good additions to lots of decks.
Next Steps
So now you have a nice upgraded version of your favorite starter deck. What do you do after this?
Well, once you’ve played a few games with it and hopefully ranked up a bit, I’d advise you to check out some strategy guides for other tier lists. I also suggest you try Limited because it can really help you with your own deckbuilding.
Standard-Legal Products
Unfortunately, there are currently no starter decks in Standard. With none released alongside Midnight Hunt, we’re left just a couple options.
Welcome Boosters
While Zendikar Rising didn’t give us any new planeswalker decks like Theros: Beyond Death, it did come with new welcome boosters which were previously released in Core Set 2021. These replaced the welcome decks and offer a few unique cards as a free sample to new players. They don’t contain nearly enough cards to build a deck, but they do offer a taste of Magic to newer players.
Theme Boosters
Theme boosters are the closest things we have to starter decks in Standard. These packs contain 35 cards of a specific color or theme. The general idea is to pick one, add some lands, and you have a basic deck ready to go! They even contain a few rare/mythic cards as well as common showcase cards.
There are theme boosters available for each of the sets currently in Standard, including the newly released Midnight Hunt. The newest iterations include a theme booster for each color as well as one all all about werewolves.
Planeswalker Decks
Core Set 2021
There are five Core Set 2021 planeswalker decks to chose from, with each option being one of the five colors. Each deck contains your typical 60-card deck, a single M21 booster pack, an MTG Arena code card, a deck box, and a spindown life tracker.
- The Core 2021 set includes great new planeswalker cards like Teferi, as well as powerful reprints for both new and engaged players!
- This listing includes all 5 Planeswalker decks.
- Each deck has one 60-card deck, 1 Core 2021 booster pack, 1 MTG Arena code card, and more! This listing is for all 5 decks: 1 of each version.
- Release Date: July 03 2020
Throne of Eldraine
No products found.No products found. were released in 2019 to accompany Throne of Eldraine. They’re aimed at beginning players who want to get more familiar with the game. Each deck comes with a 60-card deck, two ELD boosters, a strategy guide, and one MTG Arena code.
No products found.
Theros: Beyond Death
The Theros: Beyond Death planeswalker decks include exclusive cards made specifically for them as well as two Theros booster packs and an MTG Arena digital deck code. These are aimed at beginning players just like the other planeswalker decks.
- Theros is a mythical world filled with Gods and warriors and honor to be had!
- Inspired by the ancient-Greek legends on one hand and Magic the Gathering's own underworld twist that finds Elspeth!
- This listing includes both planeswalker decks, each deck has 60 cards including a foil exclusive Planeswalker!
- There is also a chance to get new limited collectible version cards (borderless planeswalkers, extended art frames, and showcase frames) randomly inserted in some boxes.
- Release Date: Jan 24 2020
Starter Products
Theros: Beyond Death Deckbuilder’s Toolkit
The second product that was released with Theros: Beyond Death was the deckbuilder's toolkit. The toolkit contains 125 cards, 100 lands, four booster packs, a deckbuilder’s guide, a “learn to play” guide, and a full-art card storage box. The product is aimed at beginning players who want to start creating their own decks as well as improving the Theros planeswalker decks.
- The Theros Beyond Death (THB) Magic: The Gathering (MTG) Deckbuilder’s Toolkit is perfect for building several decks—plus there’s deckbuilding guide full of expert advice.
- With boosters, land cards, and a selection of individual cards, you can build a deck that’s truly your own.
- Battle your way back from the underworld with legendary gods and destined heroes! Theros Beyond Death (THB) spins Greek mythology through the lens of Magic: The Gathering (MTG).
- The original strategy card game, Magic: The Gathering (MTG) has inspired more than 38 million fans over 25 years.
- Contents: four (4) booster packs from recent sets; one hundred (100) basic land cards; one hundred and twenty-five (125) individual Magic cards; one (1) deck builder’s guide; one (1) reusable storage box.
Core Set 2021 Starter Kit
The gift of giving continues for new players with the Core Set 2021 starter kit. This is a great product for really new players who are just starting after Zendikar Rising‘s rotation. It’s basically a rebranding of the Spellslinger kit for M20, with two ready-to-play decks that each contain five rares and a foil creature. The kit also includes an MTGA code for both decks if you wanna take it digital.
- THE BEST WAY TO START PLAYING MAGIC. Choose your deck, grab a friend, and jump into your first game of Magic: The Gathering (MTG). This kit has everything you need to get started.
- PICK A SIDE. Summon colossal monsters with the green deck or bone-chilling undead with the black deck—both starter decks have five rares, a foil creature card, and a strategy all their own.
- GAME NIGHT FOR TWO. Challenge a friend, teach a family member, or play a fun game on date night—these decks are the perfect go-to for two-player experience that’s never the same twice.
- PLAY AT HOME AND ONLINE. Play at home or online with a code to unlock both decks on MTG Arena for two players. Challenge a friend, share your code, and wage war from near or far.
- THE GAME THAT STARTED IT ALL. Magic: The Gathering is the deepest strategy card game there is, with endless challenges for new players and veterans alike.
2021 Challenger Decks
If you want to try your hand at more competitive play that also includes sideboarding, the 2021 Challenger decks are perfect for you. There are four individual decks that each come with a 60-card main deck and a 15-card sideboard. They’re aimed at Friday Night Magic players that are already familiar with the game. Each deck is designed to be competitive at a local level and geared towards being playable right off the bat.
Commander Decks
There’s plenty to choose from when it comes to the 2021 Commander decks. Each deck contains the usual 100 cards, 10 tokens, a spindown, and a deck box, as well as a foil commander card! The tally of new decks comes up all the way to 13, which means we have a lot to look at.
Innistrad: Midnight Hunt
Midnight Hunt brought two exciting Commander decks with two very different playstyles. Each deck also includes unique cards not seen in previous Commander precons.
First is the Selesnya () deck Coven Counters headed by Leinore, Autumn Sovereign, which works to build up a strong team of creatures and buff them with various coven triggers. Your other options is to focus on making a huge team of zombies that act as cannon fodder for other effects with the Dimir () Undead Unleashed led by Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver.
- Pre-constructed 100-card deck, ideal for new players.
- Cards that are unique to the Commander series.
- You will receive one deck, styler sent at random.
- Note:- Item sent is a single deck of "Innistrad Midnight Hunt Commander Deck" (style sent at random)
- English (Publication Language)
D&D: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms brought players four new multicolor Commander precons, which each include two foil legendary creature cards as well as a foil-etched commander!
First up is the Bant () equipment deck Aura of Courage led by Galea, Kindler of Hope. Then there’s Draconic Rage, a Gruul () dragons deck with Vrondiss, Rage of Ancients, and Dungeons of Death, an Esper () reanimator deck helmed by Sefris of the Hidden Ways. Last but not least is Planar Portal, a Rakdos () Treasure deck led by Prosper, Tome-Bound.
- Bundle of 4 Adventures in the Forgotten Realms (AFR) Commander Decks
- All 4 ready-to-play MTG decks contain 100 Magic cards (2 traditional foil + 98 nonfoil)
- Each deck comes with 1 Display Commander, 10 double-sided tokens, 1 life tracker + 1 deck box
- Beloved Dungeons & Dragons heroes and monsters have ventured into Magic for the ultimate crossover!
- English (Publication Language)
Strixhaven: School of Mages
Strixhaven blew the last Commander precon release out of the water with five dual-color Commander decks. Lorehold Legacies is a Boros () artifact deck with elements of recursion led by Osgir, the Reconstructor. Witherbloom Witchcraft is your run of the mill Golgari () leech deck revolving around its commander, Willowdusk, Essence Seer.
If you’re like me and won’t play those decks since because don’t have blue then you may be more interested in Prismari Performance, a wonderful Izzet () spellslinger deck led by Zaffai, Thunder Conductor. You’ll be running with Felisa, Fang of Silverquill in Silverquill Statement, a politics deck that encourages your enemies to fight each other while building up your own pillow fort.
Last is the Simic () deck Quantum Quandrix. The deck’s commander is Adrix and Nev, Twincasters and it looks to make as many tokens as possible while leveraging good ol’ Simic value to pull ahead.
- Bundle of 5 Strixhaven Commander Decks—Silverquill Statement, Prismari Performance, Witherbloom Witchcraft, Lorehold Legacies, Quantum Quandrix
- Explore all 5 Strixhaven colleges, each with their own unique take on magic
- All 5 ready-to-play MTG decks contain 100 Magic cards, including 1 foil Commander card
- Each deck comes with 10 double-sided tokens, 1 life tracker, and 1 deck box
- Decks come in reduced-plastic packaging
Kaldheim
Kaldheim released with two dual-color Commander decks. First up is Phantom Premonition, led by Ranar the Ever-Watchful, with the goal of overwhelming your opponents with flying spirits and generating value when cards are exiled.
But if spirits aren’t your thing, Elven Empire is your other option. Commanded by Lathril, Blade of the Elves, this precon looks to do what elves do best: generate lots of mana, have a lot of little elf guys, and then absolutely crush your opponent with overwhelming resources.
Zendikar Rising
Another new Commander product was gifted to use with the release of Zendikar Rising. We got two unique decks, each headed by their own unique commander with a different strategy.
Obuun, Mul Daya Ancestor heads the Naya () Land's Wrath while Dimir’s () Sneak Attack is led by Anowon, the Ruin Thief. Each deck comes with 100 cards, 10 double-sided tokens, one life tracker, and a deck box.
- Join Jace, Nariri, Nissa and more in Zendikar; a dangerous world of lethal risks where brave adventurers in the Edlrazi aftermath delve into ancient ruins in search of priceless rewards!
- Return to Zendikar where the plane is Rising with danger and treasure
- BATTLE YOUR FRIENDS; Commander is a different way to play Magic: The Gathering; It's all about legendary creatures, big plays, and battling your friends in epic multiplayer games
Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths
Ikoria gave us some great new decks to play with.
First is Timeless Wisdom, a Raugrin () deck led by Gavi, Nest Warden. Then there’s the Zagoth deck, Enhanced Evolution, helmed by the legendary Otrimi, the Ever-Playful. Kalamax, the Stormsire commands the Ketria () Arcane Maelstrom while Kathril, Aspect Warper takes charge of Symbiotic Swarm‘s Indatha () deck. Last up is Ruthless Regiment, a Savai () deck helmed by Jirina Kudro.
Each of the four decks contains 100 cards, the 10 tokens represented in it, an oversized commander card, and a deck box to keep it all in. These decks are aimed at more experienced players who are already familiar with the game.
- Choose from 15 fierce Commanders from Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO) to lead your decks to victory—10 legendary creatures and 5 Commander and monster pairs that share a magical bond.
- Commander is a Magic: The Gathering (MTG) multiplayer format where alliances are formed, friends are betrayed, and grudges are repaid with a vengeance.
- Dive right in to MTG Commander with these ready-to-play decks, desiged to be fun and powerful, with 71 cards printed here for the first time.
- Start a game night right out of the box. Grab your friends, try out the decks, then swap for round two—play them all to find your favorite!
- Collect all five Commander Decks from Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO) in this bundle—Arcane Maelstrom, Enhanced Evolution, Ruthless Regiment, Symbiotic Swarm, and TImeless Wisdom.
Brawl Decks
Last but certainly not least are the Throne of Eldraine brawl decks. If you’re not familiar, Brawl is a Commander variant that only uses Standard legal cards.
Each of the four decks features a tri-color planeswalker specifically designed for this product. First there’s Korvold, Fae-Cursed King, who leads Jund () in Savage Hunger. Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale is the head of Jeskai’s () Knights' Charge while the Esper () Faerie Schemes deck is helmed by Alela, Artful Provocateur. Finally, Bant () is led by Chulane, Teller of Tales in Wild Bounty.
This is a great product for experienced players that are already familiar with MTG and its different formats.
- The plane of Eldraine is a high-fantasy medieval world filled with knights and castles and fairy tales come alive!
- Inspired by the Arthurian legend of Camelot on one hand and Grimms' Fairy Tales on the other, the set also covers a range of European fairy tales that come from a variety of sources.
- This listing includes all 4 brawl deck versions. Each deck has 60 cards, each randomly including: 1 foil face card, 7 new/unique cards, and 1 life wheel
- There is also a chance to get new limited collectible version cards (borderless planeswalkers, extended art frames, and showcase frames) randomly inserted in some boxes.
- Release Date: Oct 04 2019
Wrap Up
Battlefield Promotion | Illustration by Scott Murphy
With that, we’ve come to the end of the line. I’ve covered everything from the MTG Arena starter decks ranked to all the fantastic paper products available to you.
Do you have any suggestions for products we missed? Let us know if the comments! And if you’re a new MTG Arena player, you absolutely need to try out our tracker and draft assistant, Arena Tutor.
See you again soon, but above all, enjoy playing Magic!
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29 Comments
Just wanted to say thank you so much for this article. I’m a new player and probably would have floundered around with the sub par decks instead of winning with Gruul Clans (don’t have orzhov or boros yet). This gave me the confidence to modify and strengthen Gruul Clans and even build my first deck from scratch.
Awesome, so glad it helped you!
Very happy to hear the article helped you get the confidence you needed! MTG is definitely one of those games where the more time you invest in understanding the game and its intricacies, the more you’ll be able to take away from it. Above all, enjoy playing and have fun with it!
The idiot in me edited the initial 5 decks as soon as I got packs not honking of how to put them back. But now I can’t. Some require crafting and I just cant redo out for blood as meteor golem is not on my list. Any tips?
Hi there! could you adjust the starting decks and improvement tips? m20 is out now and i just started :/ Awesome guide anyway! 🙂 thx
Paper decks have been updated!
What about the mono black starter deck Cold Blooded Killers. This is my personal favorite. I’ve kind of tweaked it to my liking. I’m new to Arena…about 2 weeks or so.
My Stomp, Stomp doesn’t have Escape to the Wilds card in it.
Looks like it has Radha, Heart of Keld instead.
Totally makes sense since that card was banned. They’ll replace it with another rare. I’ll update the article, thanks.
I must be missing something , i keep ending up with 61 cards for the Stomp, Stomp
He took out 4 cards and put in 5.. Hopefully he catches that and makes a tweak. 😉
Not exactly sure what you guys are talking about. 26 + 8 + 1 + 1 +24 = 60.
Yeah, but 4 cards were taken out in and 5 added resulting in 61/60. I’m having the same issue haha
I see. Feel free to include one less card of your choice 🙂
Any suggestions which card to include one less of? What would you do?
Probably not 1 copy of Barge In since there are enough situational combat tricks already.
RE: Orzhov: Life Skills it looks like you’ve removed 6 and added 5, or am I missing something?
Looks like it. I’d probably just leave a Boot Nipper (for mana curve reasons) or the mythic (for power level) in the deck.
Wasn’t able to find any of the cards to add for starry-eyed except pacifism for some reason :/
Please Help! I don’t know if these decks were removed in an update or something, but there are 5 new starter decks and now I can’t get these 10 anymore T-T somebody please help, am I never going to able to get these? Or do I have to ‘make’ them myself
With rotation coming soon, I think they just did an update. We’ll get this revised shortly.
I followed this guide, but now with recent changes five of this decks cant be played in standard only in historic, these decks are: treasure hunt fireworks, sky patrol, savage lands and dungeon delving, it says invalid cards are zero, but a yellow warning signs came up over the decks, what does that mean ?
This guide has been updated with new decks instead!
I really like your site. I found it because someone told me about your Arena Tutor. It sounds wonderful but I have a Mac! Any chance of a port?
Thanks! Sorry, but as long as Overwolf is Windows-only, Arena Tutor will likely be the same.
Will you be updated the article with suggested starter deck upgrades like last year?
As a beginner, I found your sugggestions really helpful and I had way more fun with the game.
Yes, we did a few days ago. It’s in the middle of the article. If you’re not seeing it, try clearing your browser cache for this article.
There are 61 cards in the gravematters. What should we cut?
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