Theros Constructed Event Guide and Decklists

This weekend’s event is Theros Constructed, which only allows you to play with decks only consisting of Theros Beyond Death cards. This is an opportunity to get to use more of the new cards, experience a different metagame and win some Individual Card Rewards (ICRs) in the process. Read on to find out more about the event, the reward structure (unfortunately no Nyx Basic Lands yet), tips on building a Theros Constructed deck, and of course our best decks to get you started.

Event Information

Bring a deck and play games using cards only from Theros Beyond Death. You’ll receive rewards based on how many games you win.

• Duration: February 2, 2020 at 8:00 AM PST – February 5, 2020 at 8:00 AM PST
• Format: Theros Beyond Death Constructed
• Entry Fee: 100 Gems or 500 Gold
• Ends After: 4 wins or 2 losses (whichever comes first)
• Match Structure: Best-of-one matches (BO1)

Event Rewards

# of Wins	Gold	Uncommon ICRs	Rare ICRs
0	0	3
1	150	3
2	300	3
3	450	3
4	600	2	1

There has been an undocumented change in event structure. Compare this to the Eldraine Constructed event last year, where the entry fee is now doubled, and the event now ends after 4 wins instead of 5. We earn 3 Individual Card Rewards (ICRs) per event entry, but the exact upgrade rates of these are not known (though we can assume at least the first card will be 100% a rare or mythic rare at 4 wins). This changes the dynamics of the event slightly, where it becomes slightly better return on investment but more risky since 0 wins now give no Gold.

On a side note, this marks another gradual change in monetization strategy by MTG Arena since players will overall be spending more Gold and each entry getting less games.

Building Your Theros Constructed Deck

Theros Constructed allows you to construct a deck using cards only from the latest set, Theros Beyond Death. As a result of this limited card pool, the more rares and mythic rares you use, the better your deck will be. Since most people wouldn’t want to waste their precious Wildcards just for this event (unless you plan to grind it a lot), we recommend you consult our latest Theros Beyond Death Wildcard Crafting Guide first to find out what cards will be more valuable to you going forward.

Enchantments

As you may know, one of the main themes of this set is all about enchantments. There is a high concentration of them that you can use, as well as cards that benefit from playing them. A lot of the decks will be based around the more powerful engines, especially ones that can give you value for no further mana cost.

Gods

The Gods are one of the build around cards of the set. Heliod is probably the best one out of the lot that can also be used outside of this event in Mono White Devotion, followed closely by Klothys in Gruul Aggro. Thassa, Deep-Dwelling is also a decent card, but does not have the right support cards in Theros Constructed. The rest of them look to be mediocre at best, and generally you wouldn’t want to be build your decks around them.

Escape and Titans

The Escape mechanic has some support in this set. You can use cards like The Binding of the Titans and Tymaret Calls the Dead to fuel your graveyard. Even without those, the Escape cards are good on their own and will define your deck.

Removal Spells

Prepare your deck with removal spells where you can, since there will be some cards (like Setessan Champion or Archon of Sun’s Grace) that will get out of hand if not answered on time. The reliable board sweeper spells in the set are Shatter the Sky and Storm's Wrath, with Eat to Extinction and Banishing Light being the best spot removal spells. There are also the Sagas Elspeth's Nightmare and Elspeth Conquers Death, which have additional effects that are powerful.

Other Things to Consider

• We only have access to the five Temples for decent mana fixing. If you are going for three color combinations, then you will want to go with the colors that overlap (for example, white/blue/black offered by both Temple of Enlightenment and Temple of Deceit). Labyrinth of Skophos can also be added as a singular copy for its utility.
• If you have access to the three Planeswalkers, then definitely make use of them! Elspeth, Sun's Nemesis also really works well in a Devotion or control deck, and Ashiok can slot in a Dimir or Esper control deck. Calix, Hand of Destiny is a bit more specific and will need more support.

Our Top Theros Constructed Decklists

Below are some Theros Constructed decks that we’ve prepared for this event. Use these as a starting point or to get some ideas on what is possible. This set still has a nice collection of uncommons that you can use, so substitute cards where you can rather than trying to craft them (unless you think you will still need it outside of this event).

Wrapping Up

Next week we have the February State of the Game coming up, with answers on how MTG Arena plans to deal with the rotating Ranked Draft events. Other than that, it should be a quiet next couple of weeks until the World Championship (have you picked your champion for potential rewards?) and other Standard events such as Dreamhack Arena Open coming up.

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