Adventures in the Forgotten Realms has finally released on Magic Arena and it’s time to brew up some spicy new decks for our favorite formats. Today we’ll be looking at 3 spicy new Historic brews that incorporate new Forgotten Realms cards!
Bant Venture
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This deck is a deck that focuses really heavily on the Venture into the Dungeon mechanic. We’re playing some of the all stars like Nadaar, Sefless Paladin and
Varis, Silverymoon Ranger
Varis, Silverymoon Ranger
Reach, ward {1}
Whenever you cast a creature or planeswalker spell, venture into the dungeon. This ability triggers only once each turn. (To venture into the dungeon, enter the first room or advance to the next room.)
Whenever you complete a dungeon, create a 2/2 green Wolf creature token.
to help get our venturing going. Outside of the venture package, we’re playing
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
First strike
Noncreature spells cost {1} more to cast.
and
Elite Spellbinder
Elite Spellbinder
Flying
When this creature enters, look at target opponent's hand. You may exile a nonland card from it. For as long as that card remains exiled, its owner may play it. A spell cast this way costs {2} more to cast.
as ways to tax our opponent’s spells, and then our removal suite is a couple
Baffling End
Baffling End
When this enchantment enters, exile target creature an opponent controls with mana value 3 or less.
When this enchantment leaves the battlefield, target opponent creates a 3/3 green Dinosaur creature token with trample.
s and
Skyclave Apparition
Skyclave Apparition
When this creature enters, exile up to one target nonland, nontoken permanent you don't control with mana value 4 or less.
When this creature leaves the battlefield, the exiled card's owner creates an X/X blue Illusion creature token, where X is the mana value of the exiled card.
to help force our creatures through. This deck ultimately wants to curve out and get a ton of value through adventuring.
Sultai Acererak
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The next deck that we’ll talk about Sultai Acererak. This deck is based around the Standard Sultai Ultimatum deck. We look to ramp a bunch in the early game, and try to land an
Emergent Ultimatum
Emergent Ultimatum
Search your library for up to three monocolored cards with different names and exile them. An opponent chooses one of those cards. Shuffle that card into your library. You may cast the other cards without paying their mana costs. Exile Emergent Ultimatum.
as quickly as possible. From there, we’re hoping to get down an
Omniscience
Omniscience
You may cast spells from your hand without paying their mana costs.
and
Acererak the Archlich
Acererak the Archlich
When Acererak enters, if you haven't completed Tomb of Annihilation, return Acererak to its owner's hand and venture into the dungeon.
Whenever Acererak attacks, for each opponent, you create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token unless that player sacrifices a creature of their choice.
. This creates an infinite combo where we venture through
Lost Mine of Phandelver
Lost Mine of Phandelver
Cave Entrance — Scry 1. (Leads to: Goblin Lair, Mine Tunnels)
Goblin Lair — Create a 1/1 red Goblin creature token. (Leads to: Storeroom, Dark Pool)
Mine Tunnels — Create a Treasure token. (Leads to: Dark Pool, Fungi Cavern)
Storeroom — Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. (Leads to: Temple of Dumathoin)
Dark Pool — Each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life. (Leads to: Temple of Dumathoin)
Fungi Cavern — Target creature gets -4/-0 until your next turn. (Leads to: Temple of Dumathoin)
Temple of Dumathoin — Draw a card.
over and over, going through the Dark Pool each time. This drains our opponent out on the spot. The other cards we can get are
Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider
Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider
Trample, haste
If you would put one or more counters on a permanent or player, put twice that many of each of those kinds of counters on that permanent or player instead.
If an opponent would put one or more counters on a permanent or player, they put half that many of each of those kinds of counters on that permanent or player instead, rounded down.
and
Liliana, Dreadhorde General
Liliana, Dreadhorde General
Whenever a creature you control dies, draw a card.
+1: Create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token.
−4: Each player sacrifices two creatures of their choice.
−9: Each opponent chooses a permanent they control of each permanent type and sacrifices the rest.
which also basically wins us the game on the spot as well.
READ MORE: Magic: The Gathering Fan Predicted Dungeons & Dragons-Themed Set 2 Years Ago
Mono White Taxes
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Our last spicy brew is one that I’ve been working on and have written about before, Mono White Taxes. This deck aims to use really small white creatures to make our opponent’s spells cost more to cast. We’ve played this list before, but we’ve gotten some great additions from Forgotten Realms. The first addition is
Paladin Class
Paladin Class
(Gain the next level as a sorcery to add its ability.)
Spells your opponents cast during your turn cost {1} more to cast.
{2}{W}: Level 2
Creatures you control get +1/+1.
{4}{W}: Level 3
Whenever you attack, until end of turn, target attacking creature gets +1/+1 for each other attacking creature and gains double strike.
. This class’s Level 1 ability makes our opponent’s spells that they cast on our turn cost 1 more. This taxes counter magic, and can help force our creatures through. We’ve talked about
Guardian of Faith
Guardian of Faith
Flash
Vigilance
When this creature enters, any number of other target creatures you control phase out. (Treat them and anything attached to them as though they don't exist until their controller's next turn.)
in this article, so we won’t talk about that card here. The last spicy addition is
The Book of Exalted Deeds
The Book of Exalted Deeds
At the beginning of your end step, if you gained 3 or more life this turn, create a 3/3 white Angel creature token with flying.
{W}{W}{W}, {T}, Exile The Book of Exalted Deeds: Put an enlightened counter on target Angel. It gains "You can't lose the game and your opponents can't win the game." Activate only as a sorcery.
. This card combos with
Faceless Haven
Faceless Haven
{T}: Add {C}.
{S}{S}{S}: This land becomes a 4/3 creature with vigilance and all creature types until end of turn. It's still a land. ({S} can be paid with one mana from a snow source.)
to give us a nearly non-interactable way for us to not lose the game. When we activate Faceless Haven, it’s an angel, and we can target it with the Book. Then we just never animate the land again, and we’re set. If our opponent doesn’t have a way to destroy that land, they cannot win.
There’s a few more spicy brews that we’ll be looking at in the future, but they will require a little bit more testing. What cards are you excited to brew with from the new set? Let us know in the comments!