Table of Contents
Hello everyone!
To help complement the Standard 2023 articles, we have enough cards to start building the decks of the future! I’m going to focus on the decks least likely to change as we want these to be as accurate as possible moving into the new format.
- Standard 2023 Izzet Control Deck Guide – Rotation Proof Decks
- Standard 2023 Grixis Vampires Deck Guide – Rotation Proof Decks
- Standard 2023 Mono Black Aggro Deck Guide – Rotation Proof Decks
- Standard 2023 Boros Aggro Deck Guide – Rotation Proof Decks
- Standard 2023 Selesnya Enchantments Deck Guide – Rotation Proof Decks
- Standard 2023 Rakdos Anvil Deck Guide – Rotation Proof Decks
- Standard 2023 Gruul Werewolves Deck Guide – Rotation Proof Decks
To me, the key of finding the best new decks of a format is to find the base from the previous Standard that was good or close to being strong and see if it has a lot of cards that can be added on top of it.
For this article, I’m focusing on porting over one of the current best decks of Standard into the new metagame, Mono Green Aggro.
Let’s take a look at the deck.
Mono Green Aggro
by DoggertQBones
Standard
Aggro
best of 1
5 mythic
25 rare
4 uncommon
26 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Creatures (31)
60 Cards
$137.34
Deck Breakdown
Like every good aggro deck, you always have to start with a one drop. Ascendant Packleader is really our only reasonable option, but it is quite good for what it’s worth. A strictly better Elite Vanguard, you can beat in for two early on, and then in the late game, this can easily grow larger.
Moving up the curve we have our two drops!
For our swiss army knife of a two drop, we have Quirion Beastcaller. Initially this spot would’ve been taken by Gala Greeters, but this does pretty much what we wanted from Greeters, but better. Starting off as a 2/2 makes this less sad on its face, and then with each creature or counter added, it’ll start growing quickly. Then better yet, when it dies, you get to move those counters over to other creatures on your side to keep the momentum going.
The new two drop on the block, Llanowar Loamspeaker is the perfect mana dork for the deck. It has 3 toughness which makes it tougher to kill in and out of combat and it has a powerful activated ability. The issue with mana dorks is that their utility falls off extremely fast in the late game, but Loamspeaker allows you to turn a land into a hasty 3/3 to keep the pressure on.
Moving up once again, we have our three drops!
The Streets of New Capenna common all star, we have Jewel Thief headlining the three drops! While this isn’t the most exciting three drop I’ve ever played, a 3/3 for 3 mana that has Trample, Vigilance, and recoups one mana is quite powerful in both Limited and Constructed.
To continue the theme of three drops that accrue value, we have Briarbridge Tracker! A 4/3 Vigilance body is a solid body by itself, but Tracker replaces itself as it produces a Clue token on entry! Like I say with a lot of aggressive decks, having mana sinks is so important.
For the final three drop, we have the pretty much unplayed Cemetery Prowler. Prowler has gotten the short end of the stick as it’s extremely powerful but was always the bridesmaid in previous Standard. However, a 3/4 Vigilance that dodges Lightning Strike, is incidental graveyard hate, and can help you accelerate out threats if you exile the right permanents.
While we have threats at different parts of the curve, I consider these three the top end of the deck.
For our strong aggressive threat, we have Ulvenwald Oddity. A hasty 4/4 Trampler is a brutal card to follow up a good curve with, and if you manage to reach seven mana, you have a ridiculously huge threat that pumps your team as well!
The second and final new card for Mono Green, we’re playing Defiler of Vigor. There is so much to this card it makes it absolutely obscene in this deck. First off, a 5 mana 6/6 Trample is quite a strong stat line. On top of that, this is a pseudo mana dork as it lets you exchange two life for a mana when casting spells. Then to put the nail in the coffin, every time you cast a green permanent spell (which is most of the deck), then your whole team gets bigger which is ridiculous.
For the last threat in the deck, we’re playing a one of Avabruck Caretaker for another piece of top end. While it is pricey, being incredibly hard to kill and scaling your team quickly makes this worthwhile. Furthermore, if you ever flip this over, your opponent can kiss any hope of beating you on board goodbye.
To round out the deck, we have a few pieces of interaction to work with.
To insulate our threats, we’re playing two Tamiyo's Safekeeping. While I’m generally a bigger fan of these effects, like Snakeskin Veil or Blossoming Defense, Safekeeping is the weakest of these as it can’t affect combat at all. Nevertheless, the card is powerful and versatile which makes it worthwhile. Then for some creature interaction, we’re playing four copies of Tail Swipe. Before Tail Swipe was spoiled, I was playing Master's Rebuke which I wasn’t too thrilled with, but this is a big upgrade. While it isn’t a Rabid Bite effect, it being one mana, still an instant, and can buff your creature if you play it during your main phase is fantastic. This still falls a bit short of Blizzard Brawl, but I’m definitely not complaining!
Realistically, Mono Green did lose a lot from rotation. Having to play without Werewolf Pack Leader, Old-Growth Troll, and Esika's Chariot may seem rough, but I think Mono Green still has so many strong pieces it can persevere. At the end of the day, the deck has a great curve and powerful threats which is the most important aspect for Mono Green.
Tips and Tricks
- Whether the Ascendant Packleader is played before the 4+ drop or after, it’ll get the +1/+1 counter regardless.
- Keep in mind that Llanowar Loamspeaker can only animate a land sorcery speed so don’t expect to use it as a surprise blocker.
- Don’t forget to animate lands with Llanowar Loamspeaker with Defiler of Vigor’s buff trigger on the stack.
- Remember that Briarbridge Tracker gets the bonus for any token being on your side, not just the Clue token.
- Defiler of Vigor can only reduce the cost of a card by a single Green, not multiple time.
- Passing the turn just to flip Avabruck Caretaker in the late game is a very legitimate play.
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DoggertQBones
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