Standard: 5 Decks with March of the Machine

I was given the opportunity to play the March of the Machines Early Access Event on April 13th and 14th at Magic Arena and could try out the new set exclusively.

During the event, I separated five lists that I really liked and that, I believe, can see play in Standard when the set officially comes out. The lists I'll discuss here are still in development and may improve over time after March of the Machine comes out.

Jeskai Superfriends

Urza Assembles the Titans is a card released in The Brothers' War that I've always wanted to put in a deck. In MOM, we had the addition of Chandra, Hope's Beacon, a strong planeswalker that can generate a lot of value.

I decided to build a Superfriends deck around these two cards and arrived at the following list.

The idea is to control the game with counterspells and removals and clear the way to get several powerful Planeswalkers on the board.

Urza Assembles the Titans is a fundamental piece in the deck, as it is with it that we can put heavier planeswalkers in play, such as the new Chandra and The Eternal Wanderer.

Abzan Toxic

As I said in my Standard set review, Grafted Butcher can be an excellent card for creature-focused Toxic decks.

A lord who strengthens your creatures and grants Menace when it enters the battlefield, in addition to having a recursion effect, is certainly a great card for the archetype, which with the addition of the black color, can become much more versatile, assuming a more Midrange stance when necessary.

Elesh Norn can also enter the main deck, being a great card against Aggro and acting as a board wipe that doesn't affect your side, while putting even more creatures in play. She almost wins the game all by herself.

Phyrexian Censor is another standout here, shining brightly in games against Midrange and Control.

5-Color Atraxa

Atraxa decks have become very popular in Standard and are very difficult to play against. With the new set, we will have the introduction of Battles, and one of the ones that caught my attention the most was Invasion of Tolvada which can bring a permanent from your graveyard to the battlefield, an ability that fits very well in Reanimator archetypes.

Another new card that has synergy with this type of strategy is the duo Kroxa and Kunoros, which can reanimate a creature when it enters the battlefield or attacks.

However, none of these cards match the power of the new Sheoldred, which can be used as a removal and then as a massive reanimator, bringing multiple creatures from all graveyards to your side of the battlefield.

Jeskai Tokens

By far the most fun deck that I present in this article. This list is only possible thanks to Monastery Mentor and Chrome Host Seedshark, which can easily fill the board. The Mentor is the heavy hitter, putting more attack power in play for each spell. I confess that I underestimated Chrome Host during the spoilers, but now I see the potential of this card and the incubator tokens.

Baral and Kari Zev is also an interesting card on this list and one that needs to be explored in the format after its release.

Meeting of Minds goes well in the deck, as it can cast for free easily. With cards like Fable of the Mirror-Breaker and Wedding Announcement to support the strategy and generate value, the deck can easily beat the main decks of the format if the opponent fails to find the proper interactions.

Mono Green Aggro

I saved this list for last as I was so impressed with its performance in the Early Access Event. I mentioned the possibility of a green Aggro in the MOM format in my last article, and now I present my first idea for the deck.

Polukranos Reborn is one of the best creatures in the set and fits very well in this strategy.

Doomskar Warrior is the engine that the deck needs to follow in the most grindy games, allowing to search for more creatures in the deck when it deals damage, and replicating this ability with the Backup mechanic makes it a must-have for Green Aggro.

I still don't know if the new Vorinclex is good enough to be on this list, but having such a bomb in the deck doesn't sound bad.

Cosmic Hunger can be an interesting removal in a list full of large creatures, and Invasion of Ixalan can also fit here, to keep the gas running.

March of the Machine brings different and fun mechanics and cards that will surely change Standard, allowing the emergence of new archetypes and updating of already consolidated archetypes. Battles are a welcome addition, featuring familiar yet unseen interactions in the game.