The recent wave of Standard bans has brought transformations to the competitive Metagame, and one of the benefits of no longer having Prowess going under with Stormchaser's Talent and Boomerang Basics loops, nor green decks burying you in value with Badgermole Cub into Ouroboroid, is the return of Midrange decks. Dimir has become relevant again; other Aggro variants with more permanent power and less speed have been posting consistent results, and Dragon decks were one of this week's highlights.Among them, a Mono Red variant reached the Top 8 of one of the Challenges with player SpockVidaLoca, featuring a synergistic package between the new Smaug the Magnificent and Magda, the Hoardmaster, alongside the classic Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant core.The DecklistOne of the advantages I found in this list is its ability to transform depending on the matchup. We do not have the ease of pressuring and going under that traditional Red Aggro would have, but we can better exercise the Control or attrition role in matches where playing as the traditional beatdown would be unfavorable.MaindeckOur early game involves setting up with Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant and Magda, the Hoardmaster. Both are capable of creating Treasures with a triggered ability when they enter or during the match.Sarkhan synergizes with the twelve Dragons we run to accelerate one of them on turn three while growing whenever we play a Dragon. Magda synergizes with damage spells, with Dragons' ETB triggers, and if we have an easy time creating Treasures each turn cycle, we will have 4/4 tokens attacking every two turns as long as she stays on board.Our "follow-up" with Sarkhan tends to be Magmatic Hellkite for a 4/5 with Flying on turn three that disrupts the opponent's mana and sets them back a turn. On turns without a ramp, Nova Hellkite answers a problem on board while attacking for four on turn three, and comes back on turn five to answer another creature and push damage.The new Smaug the Magnificent is an example of this list's synergy. Besides the Haste and Flying body, he and Magda feed each other's abilities. Smaug creates Treasures at end of turn and triggers Magda with the attack trigger, while Magda creates more Treasures for Smaug to deal damage, or sacrifices Treasures to put Dragons into play.Outside the Dragon package, we have Hired Claw, which synergizes with Magda if played on turn one, and Soulstone Sanctuary as a Lizard for Hired Claw and a Dragon for Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant's Behold in the late game.Sunspine Lynx has no synergy with the list, but it is a meta call when some of the most popular decks today have three or more colors. Additionally, it shuts down Orzhov's life gain in Game 1.We run three one-mana spells for two damage as board interaction. The advantage is that none of them are dead cards in Control matches, where the opponent may have no creatures in Game 1. Depending on how the Metagame shapes up, I recommend swapping Shock and Channeled Dragonfire for Lightning Strike and another cheap interaction to handle threats and Planeswalkers, like Sear.SideboardFor those matches with threats, we have a package with two copies of Sear and Scorching Shot to deal with Mightform Harmonizer, Icetill Explorer, Moonshadow, and others. Depending on the Metagame, I would easily move them to the maindeck and open slots for other matchups.Against go-wide Aggro, Slagstorm holds off the board while our creatures survive its damage. When not needed, it is still a topdeck to close out damage against the opponent. Ideal against Momo, Lifegain, and Mono Red Aggro.The Legend of Roku comes in for grindy matches, or when we need to take a more "Control" posture in the game. It offers card advantage, ramp, and if it stays on board, it will create tokens to dominate the match. Sunspine Lynx comes in against matches where the opponent's mana base is greedy, such as Four-Color Control and Mardu Discard. It also comes in against Orzhov Lifegain to "lock" the opponent's loops as long as it stays in play.Magebane Lizard remains relevant due to Jeskai/Four-Color Control, but another card might be more appropriate in this slot when we no longer need to worry about Prowess. Ghost Vacuum comes in against Reanimator, Orzhov Lifegain, Jeskai Control, and can be useful in other matches.Sideboard GuideFour-Color ControlINOUTMono Green LandfallINOUTDimir MidrangeINOUTOrzhov LifegainINOUTNote: It may seem strange to remove so many creatures in a matchup, but Orzhov Lifegain combines one of red's biggest problems with inevitability between Lunar Convocation and various effects that return creatures to the graveyard. Turning the deck into a "Mono Red Control" aiming to reduce the opponent's card value while pressuring with a Dragon was the best way I found to handle this matchup.Mardu DiscardINOUTSultai ReanimatorINOUTMono Red DragonsINOUTWrapping UpThat's all for today!If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!Thanks for reading!
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