The Solution is one of the most emblematic decks of the Aggro-Control philosophy, introducing many of the core concepts of that strategy, and it's back for another chance to shine in Premodern.
The deck combines extremely efficient creatures like Lightning Angel and Meddling Mage with a robust package of removal and countermagic, allowing it to establish constant board pressure while keeping windows open to interact with the opponent. Despite its greedy three-color base, adding red provides access to the best tools from each color pair.
The Decklist
This list follows the classic core of the archetype, prioritizing speed and efficiency over the life loss that can accumulate from consistent use of painlands and fetch lands. Our plan is to establish the board with evasive or impactful creatures while using cheap removal and stack interaction to protect our threats and prevent the opponent from executing their own game plan.
Broad format knowledge is recommended for piloting this list, given that Meddling Mage is the key piece that can lock out specific opponent's cards and maintain an aggressive clock during the turns they lose searching for an answer. Meanwhile, cards like Fire // Ice benefit from the wide range of strategies in the Premodern Metagame, functioning differently in various matchups.
Maindeck
Mother of Runes is one of the best creatures in the format, offering repeatable protection for your threats and turning unfavorable trades into two-for-ones. She becomes almost mandatory in any deck looking to establish a board of creatures with lasting effects, and in this list, she ensures Lightning Angel and Meddling Mage stay on the battlefield.
Meddling Mage is the heart of this list. With knowledge of the Metagame, you can name the exact card that most disrupts your opponent—be it a Wrath of God against Control, Phyrexian Dreadnought against Stiflenought, or Terravore / Oath of Druids against Oath/Ponza.
Lightning Angel is arguably the best four-mana creature in the format, albeit at a demanding mana cost. A 3/4 with Flying, Vigilance, and Haste does a lot to pressure the opponent, survive most combats, or fly over blockers.
Exalted Angel complements the strategy as a late-game threat and/or a way to punish aggressive decks. Although slower, its Morph ability lets you play it on turn four, and the lifegain turns it into a threat that's nearly impossible to race, often serving as our primary win condition against Aggro.
The best removal spells in the format.
Swords to Plowshares deals with any creature permanently for one mana, considered by many to be the best removal spell ever printed in Magic. The opponent's lifegain is irrelevant when your clock is based on creatures that exert significant pressure.
Lightning Bolt removes small creatures like Birds of Paradise and Goblin Lackey for the lowest possible cost and can also go straight to the opponent's face to close out games. Many wins come from sequences where Lightning Angel pressures the opponent into range of multiple Lightning Bolts and Fire // Ice.
Fire // Ice is one of the best modal cards in the format. Ice functions as Tempo, tapping a permanent and replacing itself — in some cases, it can even act like a Time Walk in the early game. Meanwhile, Fire offers two split damage to clear multiple small threats from Goblins and Elves, or to finish the game as a Burn spell.
Seal of Cleansing and Disenchant handle problematic artifacts and enchantments. Seal of Cleansing can be played proactively and activated in response, freeing you from having to "hold up" mana every turn.
Impulse lets you dig deep for what you need—whether it's the necessary removal, a Counterspell to protect a threat, or the threat itself to apply pressure — and helps find the right lands in the early game.
Fact or Fiction is one of the most powerful card advantage engines for a deck that aims to keep mana open during the opponent's turn, and it severely punishes poor decisions in the "piles" the opponent builds for you.
Mana Leak is the most consistent stack interaction we have, given our three-color mana base, punishing opponents for interacting too early or playing with overly greedy mana costs. Counterspell, on the other hand, should be saved for dealing with key cards or protecting threats on crucial turns.
The mana base is built for maximum consistency across three colors. Flooded Strand fetches the necessary basics, while the Painlands (Battlefield Forge, Shivan Reef, Adarkar Wastes) provide immediate fixing at the cost of life—a resource The Solution can afford given its proactive plan.
Reflecting Pool and Gemstone Mine offer more consistency at the expense of flexibility, while City of Brass acts as a Pain Land from which we can't avoid the damage when paying colorless costs.
Sideboard
Tormod's Crypt is the universal answer against graveyard-based strategies. It's essential against Reanimator decks, shuts down Psychatog, and can also be used proactively against Accumulated Knowledge or other effects that rely on the graveyard. Its zero cost allows you to keep mana open for interaction or be proactive with your creatures.
Pyroclasm is the best mass answer against decks with small creatures. It completely clears the board against Goblins, Elves, and sometimes Sligh, allowing you to retake control of the match. Remember you can use Mother of Runes to protect one of your creatures or herself from the sweeper.
Hibernation provides a way to handle Elves' explosive turns and delay some turns from decks like Enchantress, and it has gained additional utility with the rise of Saproling Burst.
Annul is a strong answer against some combo and artifact-based lists, dealing with enchantments like Parallax Wave or Saproling Burst, breaking the combo or lock in Ponza with Sphere of Resistance or Oath of Druids, and also serving as a reliable counterspell against Phyrexian Dreadnought.
Hydroblast answers practically everything red decks can throw at you, being essential against Sligh, Goblins, and also for stopping Pyroclasm and the land destruction from Gruul Oath. Meanwhile, Pyroblast is a critical tool in blue mirrors against Stiflenought, Standstill, Psychatog, and others.
Sideboard Guide
Stiflenought
IN
OUT
The key to beating Stiflenought is having cheap interaction. Annul stops Phyrexian Dreadnought, while Pyroblast handles Stifle, Vision Charm, or other cheap stack interaction. Resolving and protecting a Meddling Mage is one of the best ways to gain multiple extra turns against the opponent, but remember that cards like Mana Leak lose potency as the game goes long.
Mono Red Sligh
IN
OUT
Preserve your life total. Hydroblast answers practically everything Sligh does, and Pyroclasm clears their board. The counterspells come out because they're too slow in a game where we need answers that function in the first three turns. Be aggressive with Lightning Angel to establish a fast clock, but don't ignore Sulfuric Vortex or Cursed Scroll — they're the reason we keep Seal of Cleansing and Disenchant.
Goblins
IN
OUT
Pyroclasm is devastating against Goblins, and Hydroblast kills practically all their creatures. Primary targets should be Goblin Lackey, Goblin Ringleader, Siege-Gang Commander, and Goblin Sharpshooter from the sideboard.
Elves
IN
OUT
Hibernation is absolutely devastating if timed correctly: with a full board at the end of the opponent's turn or after they go all-in, they'll be forced to discard down to seven. Pyroclasm clears the mana dorks, prevents explosive turns with Priest of Titania, and handles most problems in this matchup.
Standstill
IN
OUT
This is a match where we need to be the Aggro deck. Standstill is often a card the opponent will only play if we fail to keep threats on the board. Use your Pyroblasts and Counterspells to try and keep your threats alive, while pieces like Humility must be removed immediately to maintain our pressure. Exalted Angel tends to be a problem, but we can avoid unfavorable trades with it by using Mother of Runes.
Enchantress
IN
OUT
Another match where we need to be very aggressive. The biggest challenge is knowing what to name with Meddling Mage, but the primary target tends to be a lock piece like Solitary Confinement or Parallax Wave. Mana Leak loses utility quickly, so don't hesitate to use it to answer a cheap enchantment, and remember we can use Fire // Ice to tap a Serra's Sanctum during the opponent's upkeep.
Gruul Aggro
IN
OUT
Hydroblast is your best card against red, but it loses a lot of utility against Gruul. Pyroclasm clears the small creatures, so try to save your spot removal for Call of the Herd and Wild Mongrel / Werebear. As with Mono Red, Exalted Angel is your best path to victory.
Psychatog
IN
OUT
You can keep the Disenchants and remove four Lightning Bolts if your opponent brings in problematic enchantments or artifacts for Game 2. Psychatog is very removal- and stack-interaction intensive, so our challenge is to resolve something and stay alive before it buries us in card advantage—a task that's much easier on the play but requires an aggressive cadence that we sacrifice the moment we include more interaction in the maindeck.
Gruul Oath
IN
OUT
Annul and Disenchant answer Oath of Druids and Sphere of Resistance, while Hibernation deals with green permanents and removes Call of the Herd tokens in the process. Pyroblast helps against their sideboard pieces, especially other Pyroblasts and cards like Pyroclasm which often show up in Game 1.
Meddling Mage should name Oath of Druids whenever possible and try to resolve a Lightning Angel as early as you can to maintain an advantage—provided a massive Terravore isn't on the other side of the board without a Tormod's Crypt ready to shrink it.
Wrapping Up
That's all for today!
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!
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