Dark Tutelage Alchemy – Wilds of Eldraine Festival Event Guide and Best Decklists

Hey everyone! This week we are kicking off the newest string of Festival events with Dark Tutelage Alchemy. Well, that’s certainly a thing. It’s normal Alchemy, but everyone has a Dark Tutelage effect going for them. Per usual, I’m here to drop some deck lists to help you smash through it.

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I’m going to be up front with you. Since it is play until you win, you could just play normal Alchemy decks without any real penalty other than time. If you are concerned about using Wildcards and already have those decks, feel free to do that. I will be focusing on decks that take advantage of the Emblem so you can get through the event quicker.

The first thing is that I am going to keep all of the curves really low. The only four drop I’m running here is Sheoldred, the Apocalypse because it helps pressure their life total while keeping yours high. Maybe I’m overdoing it a bit, but I’m looking to end games quickly here. I’m not in the business of taking five damage from the emblem in a control deck while a crushing wave of creatures is swarming me.

I’m also going to be sticking to mono-colored decks since the format feels like it will all be rush decks. I don’t want to compromise myself by taking extra damage or having lands come into play tapped.

On top of that, I’m going to be cutting a few more lands than usual. Knowing that I’ll be drawing two cards a turn means that I’m much more likely to be hitting my land drops even with a lower count. When dealing with so many low drops, quantity of spells certainly matters.

Yeah, yeah, I’m almost to the decklists… Just some event info and then you can click your buttons.

Event Details

It’s festival time in MTG Arena! The Dark Tutelage Alchemy festival begins this Thursday, September 28, and continues until Monday, October 2, with start and end times on those days at 8 a.m. PT (15:00 UTC).

Bring a 60-card Alchemy deck to the digital table—maybe one of your latest and greatest from the lab or try a favorite. In this event, each player gets an extra card each turn but loses life equal to its mana value! Can you harness the great knowledge, or will you succumb to the price of such power?

Wins earn you Adventure card styles to add to your collection, five in all!

• Duration: September 28, 2023 at 8:00 AM PST – October 2nd, 2023 at 8:00 AM PST
• Format: Dark Tutelage Alchemy
• Entry Fee: 2500 Gold or 500 Gems
• Ends After: When event ends
• Match Structure: Best-of-one matches (BO1)

Event Rewards

Alchemy Banned Card List

The following cards are banned in Alchemy:

• No currently banned cards

Best Dark Tutelage Festival Decklists

Red Deck Wins

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This was obviously the first deck that popped into my head when the plan is to sneak in as much quick damage as possible. Having burn to send to the face helps take advantage of the self-clock that Dark Tutelage applies to everyone.

Dark Tutelage Festival Red Deck Wins

by j2sjosh

Buy on TCGplayer $13.57

Buy on Card Kingdom $27.5

Alchemy

best of 1

0 mythic

12 rare

18 uncommon

30 common

0

1

2

3

4

5

6+

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Creatures (26)

4

Rotisserie Elemental

$1.96

4

Embereth Veteran

$1.40

4

Monastery Swiftspear

$2.76

4

Phoenix Chick

$3.16

2

Goblin Morale Sergeant

$0.00

2

Bloodfeather Phoenix

$0.98

3

Feldon, Ronom Excavator

$1.47

3

Squee, Dubious Monarch

$3.87

Instants (8)

4

Shock

$1.40

4

Lightning Strike

$1.40

Sorceries (8)

4

Ranger’s Firebrand

$1.40

4

Rally at the Hornburg

$1.40

Lands (18)

18

Mountain

$6.30

60 Cards
$27.5

Mono White Aggro

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Buy on TCGplayer $3.53 Buy on Card Kingdom $5.49 view card details

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Low curve, highly aggressive pile with some anthems thrown in. I’m certainly not reinventing the wheel here. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

Dark Tutelage Festival Mono White Aggro

by j2sjosh

Buy on TCGplayer $28.52

Buy on Card Kingdom $46.44

Alchemy

best of 1

2 mythic

12 rare

26 uncommon

20 common

0

1

2

3

4

5

6+

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Creatures (32)

4

Yotian Frontliner

$1.40

4

Benalish Knight-Counselor

$0.00

4

Recruitment Officer

$1.40

2

Skrelv, Defector Mite

$10.98

2

Knight of Dawn’s Light

$0.70

4

Coppercoat Vanguard

$2.36

4

Guardian of New Benalia

$1.96

4

Resolute Reinforcements

$2.36

4

Valiant Veteran

$1.96

Enchantments (8)

4

Ossification

$2.36

2

Flowering of the White Tree

$11.98

2

In the Trenches

$1.98

Lands (20)

20

Plains

$7.00

60 Cards
$46.44

Mono Black Almost Midrange

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Solid cheap removal and even some life gain thrown in to get you to the point that Sheoldred, the Apocalypse comes to do her thing. It was very tempting to put The One Ring in here and I won’t argue if you want to do so. It just doesn’t seem as necessary when you are already drawing an extra card every turn and have plenty of ways to make aggro decks lives miserable.

Dark Tutelage Festival Mono Black Almost Midrange

by j2sjosh

Buy on TCGplayer $461.4

Buy on Card Kingdom $564.44

Alchemy

best of 1

4 mythic

18 rare

18 uncommon

20 common

0

1

2

3

4

5

6+

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Creatures (30)

4

Evolved Sleeper

$1.96

4

Gnawing Vermin

$1.40

4

Cult Conscript

$1.40

4

Orcish Bowmasters

$219.96

4

Misery’s Shadow

$1.96

2

Vraan, Executioner Thane

$2.98

4

Gumdrop Poisoner

$1.96

4

Sheoldred, the Apocalypse

$319.96

Instants (8)

4

Cut Down

$5.16

4

Lonely End

$0.00

Enchantments (2)

2

The Witch’s Vanity

$0.70

Lands (20)

20

Swamp

$7.00

60 Cards
$564.44

Green Beats

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Buy on TCGplayer $0.17 Buy on Card Kingdom $0.59 view card details

Buy on TCGplayer $0.27 Buy on Card Kingdom $0.49 view card details

Deploy your beaters and do what green does best, turn creatures sideways. There’s a small counters subtheme with the Ozolith, the Shattered Spire turning Evolving Adaptive, Quirion Beastcaller, and Simian Simulacrum into massive threats. Tyvar's Stand is mostly there to ensure that nobody lays a finger on your butterfinger (or in this case creatures).

Dark Tutelage Festival Green Beats

by j2sjosh

Buy on TCGplayer $88.94

Buy on Card Kingdom $127.52

Alchemy

best of 1

0 mythic

24 rare

16 uncommon

20 common

0

1

2

3

4

5

6+

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Creatures (30)

4

Delighted Halfling

$59.96

4

Evolving Adaptive

$1.40

4

Tough Cookie

$1.40

4

Streetwise Negotiator

$1.40

4

Quirion Beastcaller

$2.36

4

Simian Simulacrum

$1.96

4

Bloated Contaminator

$13.96

2

Polukranos Reborn

$0.98

Instants (4)

4

Tyvar’s Stand

$9.16

Sorceries (4)

4

Feral Encounter

$1.96

Artifacts (2)

2

Ozolith, the Shattered Spire

$25.98

Lands (20)

20

Forest

$7.00

60 Cards
$127.52

Budget Red Deck Wins

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It should come as a surprise to no one that the budget deck is going to be cheap burn. You know the drill here, attack and burn until they stop moving.

BUDGET Dark Tutelage Festival RDW

by j2sjosh

Buy on TCGplayer $19.64

Buy on Card Kingdom $27.88

Alchemy

best of 1

0 mythic

0 rare

27 uncommon

33 common

0

1

2

3

4

5

6+

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Creatures (22)

4

Embereth Veteran

$1.40

4

Monastery Swiftspear

$2.76

3

Harried Spearguard

$1.05

4

Phoenix Chick

$3.16

4

Khenra Spellspear

$1.40

3

Imodane’s Recruiter

$1.05

Instants (12)

4

Monstrous Rage

$5.16

4

Shock

$1.40

4

Lightning Strike

$1.40

Sorceries (8)

4

Ranger’s Firebrand

$1.40

4

Rally at the Hornburg

$1.40

Lands (18)

18

Mountain

$6.30

60 Cards
$27.88

Complete List

The decks below also include ones from the community.

Wrap Up

Thanks for reading! I’ll be back soon with some decklists for the next stop on the Festival trail, Season of Growth Standard. Until then, stay classy people!