7 Standard Aggro Decks With Wilds of Eldraine

Wilds of Eldraine offers a ton of cards that promote games going long, mainly the widely recognizable Adventure cards.

However, I feel like with Eldraine’s release there is a lot of potential in the aggressive decks. For one, there is a surprising number of new tools that could bolster such strategies. On top of that, new formats promote aggression, since you can punish those who are just testing stuff out and having fun. We will also have fun – beating them into the ground!

Mono Black Aggro

It’s no surprise that Mono Black Aggro is still going to be very playable after Eldraine. It has got the very best black cards – and the format is full to the brim with those.

I believe that the strategy is further upgraded thanks to a few new toys.

Spiteful Hexmage joins Evolved Sleeper as a powerful one-drop played in the deck, giving more consistency in how aggressively it can open.

Its above-rate stats had to be mitigated somehow so it attaches a Cursed Role upon entering the battlefield. If it’s the only creature, i.e. on turn one, it will become a 1/1 creature – hardly a threat.

However, there are multiple ways to circumvent the downside.

First, when you play it on a later turn, you can attach the role to a different creature – although it’s a half-measure. The other creature still has to bear the downside.

When you deploy it on turn one, you can follow it up with Candy Grapple, bargaining the Curse away and killing a potential blocker. You’re both clearing the way and unlocking the true potential of Hexmage.

Last but not least, Braids, Arisen Nightmare gives you a tempting option to sacrifice the role on your end step which is already an upside. On top of that, you get the effect of Braids trigger, possibly resulting in you drawing a card and Shocking the opponent.

All in all, I think there is a ton of potential for Spiteful Hexmage.

Azorius Aggro

Artifact strategies have been under the radar for a long time despite the huge support it’s got from The Brothers' War Thankfully, Eldraine might move the needle just enough to make it break into the main stream.

This little Food Golem has been cheekily winning games in Pioneer and Modern in various shells, making some splash in Historic as well. Now it will be able to shine in Standard. It won’t achieve much on its own, since a 1/1 haste creature can push so much damage.

However, if you pair it with Michiko's Reign of Truth and the fact that you can give it unblockable in a pinch, it will start hitting like a truck.

I can fully foresee games where I’m sandbagging Ginger and Michiko and then when I suspect the opponent has their guard down, perform a combo-esque finish deploying both and swinging for unblockable lethal.

The lady Gingerbrute appears on a card for the first time and it’s a hell of a card. 3 power on a two-drop creature is great, especially as it makes the number of scary two-drops adequately high.

Its trigger is a nice way to make it even stronger, the longer the game goes. Scry 1 isn’t much but it’s a nice little card selection bonus.

The fact that it’s legendary shouldn’t be a big problem, since I fully expect it to be the first creature to die in the face of opposing removal.

Selesnya Enchantments Aggro

I believe that Yenna, Redtooth Regent will make a splash in Selesnya Enchantments in a more long-game slanted build. However, today we’re talking AGGRO. I’m therefore interested in a different build.

The deck is largely composed of cards that we’ve already had in the format but full-on oriented at aggression.

Full four copies of Audacity gives us those powerful aggro starts where a removal spell has to be very soon for the opponent.

When backed by Michiko's Reign of Truth, a single creature will hit for tons and tons of damage.

With that in mind, the opponent will be heavily incentivized to kill our threat. BUT!

We won’t let our creature die thanks to Royal Treatment. I cannot wait to blank a two or three mana removal spell with Royal Treatment and still crash through for ten damage.

The Role that Treatment creates also synergises with the deck at large such as growing Katilda, Dawnhart Martyr or increasing the buff that Michiko provides.

Boros Ash Aggro

Ash, Party Crasher will come and destroy all the cute synergies the opponent wants to assemble. We’re fast, we’re furious.

Ash will grow as it celebrates which beautifully synergises with Baird. In practice, a single counter on Ash will keep triggering Baird every single end step. It allows the deck to go tall but also wide.

Speaking of going wide, Progenitor Exarch is a great one-stop-shop that creatures formidable boards but also triggers constellation in a pinch.

Mono Red Aggro

Let’s have a stab at the most classic archetype in the history of this game. Mono Red Aggro has always been playable, whatever the sets were legal.

Now, with Eldraine I think there is one particular card that can give it a nice boost.

Goddric, Cloaked Reveler is a constellation creature that cares about permanents entering the battlefield. With so many creatures, it’s a non-consideration, as we want to keep adding to the board anyways.

When we do meet the condition, it becomes a firebreathing Dragon with evasions. Not only does it hit harder and through blockers, it can also be pumped – it’s a great anti-flood protection. If you do happen to have drawn too many lands, you’ll just sink your mana into Goddric and slam half their life total.

Mono White Aggro

Continuing down the mono colour path, let’s delve into Mono White.

Mono White has already been pretty decent, something leaning more into Human synergies.

The two new additions are not Human-centric but I still think they are pretty good.

Mouse is literally Savannah Lions and I’m all here for it. We want to get out of the gates fast and early and this is exactly what the Mouse provides us with.

On top of that, the adventure part will come in handy when you’re roadblocked by Serra Paragon or Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, allowing your Adeline, Resplendent Catharto smash in unopposed.

There has always been some kind of three-mana removal effect in these decks. It’s been taken up by Brutal Cathar usually. However, I think Werefox Bodyguard is a better fit.

First, it has flash so you can surprise remove an attacker or blocker. The opponent might be thinking that you’re holding up Recruitment Officer‘s ability but actually, you want to get rid of their Sheoldred, the Apocalypse and smash in for lethal on the following turn.

On top of that, you can use Fox to save your own creatures. You paid three mana to kill my Thalia, Guardian of Thraben with Go for the Throat? What if I thwarted your plan completely?

Thanks to the activated ability on the Fox, you can unlock the creature you’ve saved at any moment as well.

Werefox is a great card and I expect it to make a splash.

Gruul Aggro

Let’s go Gruuling and stomping people with red and green now.

The deck had already revolved around Reckless Stormseeker, Voldaren Thrillseeker, and Halana and Alena, Partners.

There are a few nice additions that will make the deck even better.

Questing Druid shines in any deck that plays red and green. Card advantage spliced onto a threat that grows every turn. Every subsequent copy fuels the previous one.

As in the mono red deck, Goddric here also provides that much needed evasion against annoying blockers but also a mana sink.

When you spend a lot of mana on a threat, you don’t want to see it go. Royal Treatment turns on Constellation and saves Questing Druid that you’ve put so much effort into growing.

Since you intend to smash in every single turn, why not play a one-mana removal that kills almost every creature in the format, crucially including Sheoldred, the Apocalypse.

I’m a huge fan of Virtue of Courage. It’s an amazing way to provide inevitability to an aggro deck that’s supposed to run out of gas eventually. Well, not this one.

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