The first day of the October 2021 Arena Open tournament is now underway! In this iteration of the tournament, players can reach 7 wins before 3 losses in a best-of-one (BO1) Standard format or 4 wins before 1 loss in best-of-three (BO3) to receive a token to compete in the second day for their chance to win up to $2000 USD in cash prizes. The format is post-rotation Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Standard.
For this article, we will be changing the format slightly from previous iterations. We will sample a deck from different archetypes that saw success in the tournament and list them all at the end. This is partly due to the lack of diversity leading up to the release of Innistrad: Crimson Vow in less than a month.
One of the most popular decks in the current metagame, Mono White is fast, linear and can be great for beginners. The first version by Urlich is the more traditional approach where the curve is slightly higher with some interaction, whereas Kevin Antonio opted for a super aggressive “second spell” theme that only has 10 rares just as effective (if not more) in best of one.
Mono Green is almost as popular as Mono White, with bigger and resilient creatures. Simon Nielsen, who has cashed in every Arena Open so far (a remarkable feat), opted for this version on day 1 that can lead to more explosive starts with Lotus Cobra and Sculptor of Winter.
Izzet is of course another contender in the current metagame, thanks to Alrund’s Epiphany. The build can vary, from the “Dragons” build with Goldspan Dragon, “Turns” with Galvanic Iteration, and now a hybrid version with Lier, Disciple of the Drowned. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses, but their performance shouldn’t deviate too much from each other.
Urlich, who popularized Mono Black Control, recommended a Mono Black variation deck prior to the event. Many players would have picked it up and found success, to combat the aggro and Izzet decks that are popular right now. Ken Yukuhiro also found success with Mono Black Zombies for a more aggressive build.
A ramp deck is always excellent for best of one, as its linear game plan and the top end win conditions that other decks cannot do much about. There’s no Ugin, Spirit Dragon anymore in Standard, but Alrund’s Epiphany and Koma, Cosmos Serpent is good enough.
Taylor Slow’s deck selection is not a conventional one as they looked to build a hybrid of Mono White Aggro splashed for some extra cards to augment the deck. The deck looks to have a track record, refined from climbing the Mythic ranks up to #54 and for best of one play.
BO1 7 Win Standard Decklists
More decks will be added here as the event progresses, check back soon!
