Standard: 5 Decks with Outlaws of Thunder Junction

In one of my recent articles, I wrote about OTJ and discussed which of its cards might see play in Standard. You can check it out by clicking here. Today, as it's tradition, I'll discuss some new Standard lists that use the new cards!

Outlaws of Thunder Junction has finally started to affect the format that will soon be under the spotlights at the next Pro Tour, set to happen in April. Until then, anyone interested in the event must put their collection to the test as much as they can, and prepare their decks for the competition.

Some lists with the new cards have already popped up and performed well in Magic Online and Magic Arena. So, down below, I listed some that caught my eye.

Boros Pia

Boros Pia was successful in Pioneer. Even though its history in Standard isn't the best (it tried to be viable, but failed), OTJ brought it some new mechanics that might give it another shot at viability.

Standard will benefit quite heavily from Fast Lands, particularly aggro decks like Boros Pia. Besides this, Pia uses Plot well, as it will create a lot of value with cards like Stingerback Terror. Slickshot Show-Off also brings synergy to this deck and is a great attacker.

This deck's strategy is to cast spells from exile and abuse Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival's ability to put a lot of pressure on your opponent. To do this, you'll play Plot creatures and value spells like Reckless Impulse and Wrenn's Resolve.

5C Legends

I discussed this version of Legends in another article, and mentioned it could, in the future, see a lot more play in Standard. One of the reasons behind this is that this set has a good selection of legends that fit this strategy like a glove.

Tinybones, the Pickpocket is a troublesome 1-cost on the board, and can also extract value from your opponent's graveyard. Honest Rutstein's recursion works really well in this deck, and also discounts the cost of your creatures.

Bonny Pall, Clearcutter is an incredible threat that puts two gigantic bodies on the board, and also gives you card advantage when it attacks. Your enchantments, Vraska Joins Up and Annie Joins Up, fit this list perfectly, and also boost the value your legends create for you quite significantly.

Esper Aggro

This was already the best archetype in Standard. Now, with OTJ, it got a new face and became more similar to its Legend version, as it now has a build that focuses on your creatures a lot more.

Duelist of the Mind is simply an almost perfect pair for Raffine, Scheming Seer because it gives you double the value you'd normally get, and even triple the value if you have the chance, all while it pressures your opponent with an absurd clock. Harvester of Misery is a good addition to this list because it serves as a hate with legs against aggro decks, besides being excellent to put pressure on your opponent.

I still think this deck's Midrange version, with the enchantments, will remain the strongest version in Standard, but this aggressive version has performed well thus far, and does bring a new face to this deck.

Mono Red Aggro

Mono-Red Aggro is still popular in Standard, but has lost some of the space it had in the past. Now that OTJ and Slickshot Show-Off are out, it might try to reconquer what it lost.

The most significant difference between Slickshot to the other Haste creatures this deck can use is that it works much better in this deck because it can put on pressure in the same way Monastery Swiftspear does. It may even be better than the Monastery in some situations because of its evasion.

Imagine the hand above, for instance. In this case, we can finish the game on turn three if we find a third land, which just shows how oppressive Slickshot Show-Off can be in this build.

Temur Lands

Temur Lands is one of my favorite decks in Standard nowadays - OTJ might make it even better. You can see a more in-depth analysis of this strategy in this article. But, to sum up, Temur Lands is a Combo/Control deck that wants to accelerate its mana curve as much as possible with cards like Aftermath Analyst and Virtue of Strength. Then, all you need to do is finish the game with a gigantic Worldsoul's Rage.

This deck had been rising considerably since it first popped up in the metagame, but it is, unfortunately, quite vulnerable to graveyard hate. Nonetheless, OTJ may bring another strategy to this deck without forcing it to let go of its core identity.

Bonny Pall, Clearcutter goes really well with this strategy because this deck's main plan is to ramp - a lot. Goldvein Hydra gives you a different strategy because it lets you play a big threat on the board, which, if removed, will still create value. This means it is a great card against other control decks, as it will put pressure on your opponent while you advance your main game plan.

Bristly Bill, Spine-Sower does the same: it brings even more synergy to this deck and gives you an alternative game plan.

Outlaws of Thunder Junction has a lot of potential and has already impacted Standard, albeit very slightly. However, it still has a lot to show us and should shine quite a lot at the Pro Tour.

All the decks I presented in this article are competitive and also great options if you want to risk your chances in Standard now that OTJ is out.

I hope you enjoyed this article. Tell us your thoughts in our comment section, along with your feedback and suggestions.

See you next time!