Long time no see, Planeswalkers! I’m The MTG Hero, and I’m excited to say that I’m officially back home writing for MTGAzone!
For those of you who are new here (or remember me from a few years ago), I’m a dedicated MTG Arena grinder and deck builder. I originally built my reputation on aggressive red decks, so it feels only fitting to return with a look at Boros Aggro a deck I believe is both the strongest aggressive color combo right now and one that’s been overlooked in favor of Mono-Red and Boros Mice.
Mono-Red remains a solid choice with its straightforward, powerful game plan. The problem is that it often lacks haymakers to disrupt opponents. Outside of Magebane Lizard and Abradeagainst Izzet Cauldron for example, the strategy is basically “get them dead.” That works, but having access to cards like Rest in Peace to shut down graveyards or stronger removal to handle threats that Witchstalker’s Frenzy can’t quite finish gives Boros a real edge.
Boros Mice, on the other hand, has explosive starts. But its weaknesses are tough to ignore. Many of its creatures are underwhelming on their own and rely heavily on Mabel, Heir to Cragflame to boost stats and make the “go wide” plan viable. The deck also leans too hard on valiant triggers from Manifold Mouse which is an awful top deck after a sweeper or in grindy matchups. Rockface Village helps, but it ties up mana and creates awkward curves while only producing colorless if you’re not casting creatures.
This is where Boros Aggro shines. The deck focuses on only the most individually powerful cards, meaning your threats are strong on their own and don’t need much support. Adding white also unlocks efficient burn like [cardname=”Boros Charm”], giving the deck reach that Mono-Red just doesn’t have. The result feels a lot like the classic Red Deck Wins. Apply early pressure with the best 1 and 2-drops, then finish the job with a barrage of burn to close out games. Adding white is also safe from a deck building perspective because it has access to every type of duel land in standard.
”Greasewrench is easily one of the most underrated 1-drops in Standard right now. I included it because I believe any aggressive deck needs at least two 2-power one-drops to really function. Greasewrench not only fills that role, but its exhaust ability gives it late-game value by pitching excess lands or clunky creatures in exchange for a chance to draw burn spells that can finish the opponent.
”Opera is another card I think players are sleeping on. We’ve already seen how strong effects like ”Wrenn’s and ”Reckless can be, and Opera takes it a step further. Instant speed card advantage is huge, and on top of that it doubles as a sneaky burn spell that can deal 4 damage or more when combined with ”Slickshot.
is another standout. At first glance it looks like just a 4-damage burn spell, but it does so much more. The indestructible mode acts like a pseudo-counterspell, protecting your entire board from sweepers or removal, and the double strike option can create explosive, game-ending turns with ”Slickshot. This kind of flexibility makes it one of the deck’s most dangerous tools.
”Chandra, may look unusual, but it’s proven itself against control and midrange. On turn 4, you can immediately create a 3/2 token, and thanks to Chandra’s static ability, that token can gain haste and attack right away. This often forces opponents to waste removal on something that cost you nothing, making it a strong follow-up to sweepers. Even when not attacking, the tokens can trade with enemy threats. You can also crew extra tokens with your weaker creatures and attack safely with the vehicles, maintaining board pressure forcing your opponent to trade blockers with tokens instead of your actual creatures. At worst, Chandra’s +2 lets you filter away dead draws, and if you ever reach her -7, she becomes an inevitable engine of damage by creating a token, dealing 3, then attacking with the token for 3 more damage.
”Case shows up as a single copy. The logic here is simple: I’d usually rather draw my first Chandra than my first Case, but I’d rather draw Case than a second Chandra. It’s a clean source of card advantage in the mid-to-late game, and in top-deck mode it’s excellent since the discard happens before the draw, you effectively get a free “draw two” with an empty hand.
Finally, ”Cathar is my compromise between efficiency and aggression. While Abrade and Get Lost may be stronger pure removal spells for artifacts or enchantments, Commando attacks, pressures the board, and still answers key artifacts or enchantments. Flash also gives it great flexibility, letting it ambush attackers or slip in at the end of a turn for surprise damage. In many situations, the ability to both apply pressure and disrupt opponents makes it worth the slightly slower cost.
”Lightstall was a card I seriously considered as either an extra 1-drop or a replacement for ”Greasewrench, but in testing it just didn’t deliver. Since you don’t get to choose the exiled card, it rarely gave me the effect I needed when I needed it. While it does improve as the opponent’s hand shrinks, our deck actually gets weaker as the game drags on, so I’d much rather have ”Chandra, or ”Case in those mid-to-late game scenarios. On top of that, I ran into awkward hands where I only had Mountains and couldn’t even cast it on turn one to apply early pressure. Not to mention Greasewrench’s filtering ability has been clutch for me in more games than I can remember.
”Restless is undeniably a strong land, but I’ve lost more games to it entering tapped than I’ve ever won by attacking with it. Compared to ”Soulstone, which is also left out here, it feels pretty underwhelming.
Speaking of the colorless land, while I usually love ”Soulstone in other builds, the 4-mana activation is just too steep for this list. On top of that, being colorless creates awkward play patterns in a tight 21-land, two-color deck, so it simply doesn’t fit here.
Tips and Tricks
Don’t forget that you can activate {card name=”Greasewrench Goblin”] even if you have no cards in hand and just get the +1/+1 counter. It can also be activated at instant speed.
”BOROS HAS MODES!!! SO USE THEM!!! Specifically in situations you can get more damage out of the double strike than the 4 damage it deals.
You can cast ”Burst or other burn spells to target your own ”Screaming to prevent life gain at instant speed.
If you can afford to do so, hold an unneeded land in your hand to discard to ”Greasewrench.
The exile effect of ”Opera only lasts until the end of your turn. If you cast it on your turn you will lose the cards when you pass, but you will keep them until the end of your turn if you cast it on your opponent’s turn resulting in having two more cards to play when you untap.
You can play lands exiled from ”Opera. If you do cast it on your turn play it before you play a land if possible.
”Sheltered can exile any nonland permanent. Just be careful casting it into removal or else you can get 2-for-1ed.
Wraping-Up
This has become my go-to deck for climbing both on Arena and at RCQs. That’s why I thought it was the perfect choice for my first article back on MTGAzone! If you enjoyed this breakdown, make sure to check out my YouTube channel and other socials. I’ve got a ton of exciting content in the works, and I’d love for you to be part of it.
My name is The MTG Hero. I have played Magic for over 15 years. I am a consistent high Mythic ranked player. Follow me on Twitch and subscribe on YouTube!
