After Heartfire Hero was banned, Boros Mice disappeared from the Standard radar, paving the way for Boros Burn to become the main Aggro deck in this color combination. With the new season starting, Gruul Aggro variants seem to be taking over as the best variant for the current Metagame, but this is also a good time to revisit the mice package running a few under the radar cards from Bloomburrow.
The Decklist
This list was inspired by the version that player deleon91 presented in the August 1st Standard Challenge, with changes made primarily to the sideboard based on the effectiveness I found in some cards in ranked matches and the beginning of a Metagame where Dimir Midrange, Esper Bounce, Izzet Prowess, Cauldron and Red Aggro seems to be the first strategies to shape up the format.
Our plan doesn't differ much from Gruul Aggro, except for having more interactions with Manifold Mouse. In addition to Flowerfoot Swordmaster as a one-drop, we've included Mabel, Heir to Cragflame to increase the mice's power, and also Whiskervale Forerunner whose ability functions as a pseudo-Collected Company, and we can trigger it every turn with Manifold Mouse or Rockface Village.
The addition of white also includes Sheltered by Ghosts as a tool in the Aggro mirrors that interacts with our game plan, in addition to Exorcise in the Sideboard, and we can also include some tools like Restoration Magic or Boros Charm to counter removal.
Maindeck
The mice pack.
They all rely on interactions with Manifold Mouse. The ability to give Double Strike and Trample to any creature was one of the factors that led to the banning of Heartfire Hero and Monstrous Rage last season, and while we no longer have the same explosive potential, we still enjoy several interactions with the card.
Flowerfoot Swordmaster offers two bodies for a low cost and increases the power of all mice when targeted by a spell or ability. Combined with Manifold Mouse, all Mice can gain up to +2/+0 per turn.
Emberheart Challenger is a staple of red decks and does a bit of everything we want: it has an aggressive body, immediate impact, grows with our spells, and offers card advantage every turn.
Another source of card advantage, Whiskervale Forerunner has a relatively high cost, but with the right setup, it can offer up to two extra bodies on the board during combat, allowing you to reestablish your battlefield in the face of heavy removal when combined with Manifold Mouse.
Finally, while it doesn't interact with Manifold Mouse, Mabel, Heir to Cragflame functions as a lord for all mice you control, and the artifact she puts on the board offers a pseudo-Embercleave, making it an excellent mana sink if we want to trigger multiple instances of Valiant in the same turn.
The red staples.
Hired Claw is the best red one-drop for Standard today. It grows with each combat, offers extra reach, and isn't the worst card to draw in a topdeck war, especially if we have Rockface Village in play.
Screaming Nemesis is still the best red creature in Standard—and I still consider it a design mistake. A 3/3 with Haste for three mana isn't enough by today's standards, but the ability to permanently lock down opponents' life gain and punish blockers is enough to add it to any aggressive deck in that color, especially if we run Twinmaw Stormbrood or Witchstalker Frenzy.
The interaction.
Since we're a go-wide deck now, we focus our spells on dealing with our opponent's creatures rather than focusing on direct damage.
Burst Lightning works on both fronts, but its main function is to deal with the opponent's early game. If the metagame demands it, we can even swap it for Torch the Tower due to its interaction with the Offspring tokens we have. However, having a four-damage range against the opponent is an advantage we can't overlook.
Sheltered by Ghosts deals with any permanent on the board, triggers Valiant, and protects the enchanted creature from certain removal. Ironically, it's a common side-out in Midrange and Control matchups.
Twinmaw Stormbrood deals with larger creatures, has a combo with Screaming Nemesis, but may lose some slots in the future since we no longer have the immediate need to deal with Sheoldred, the Apocalypse and most of the large threats we've seen in the Metagame either don't require five damage, have Flying or have a larger body that can withstand this amount of damage.
Splitting it with Obliterating Bolt offers more effectiveness in dealing with what we normally destroy with Stormbrood while also responding to Kaito, Bane of Nightmares, Enduring Curiosity, Bloodletter of Aclazotz, and some creatures with flying.
We still have twelve untapped duals we can use to ensure consistency, plus a copy of Restless Bivouac as a dual with abilities that interact with Valiant. If we need more untapped duals, we can always resort to Starting Town.
Soulstone Sanctuary functions as another mouse, and its interaction with Manifold Mouse is one of the best ways to end games when the opponent has exhausted all their resources.
Rockface Village can trigger Valiant every turn, turning any creature into an immediate threat, and also works with Soulstone Sanctuary.
Sideboard
Abrade responds to creatures at instant speed and offers a cheap answer to Agatha's Soul Cauldron and Pinnacle Starcage. It's one of the most versatile cards on our sideboard right now.
Obliterating Bolt responds to Planeswalkers and creatures that have a return-to-the-battlefield effect, such as Unstoppable Slasher, Enduring Curiosity, or Enduring Innocence.
Exorcise also deals with Enduring Curiosity, and is a clean answer against artifacts and enchantments in games where we expect a slower paced game with bigger threats. Examples include Azorius Control for Artifacts and Enchantments and Naya Overlords.
Dreadmaw's Ire is a flexible slot. It interacts well with our creatures, and Trample makes a difference in some situations against Izzet Cauldron or even Izzet Prowess.
Despite being an Aggro deck, Fire Magic has seemed increasingly necessary to deal with Dimir Midrange, Esper Bounce, and other archetypes with many small creatures like Mono White Tokens. Since most of our creatures have two toughness, it's easy to use it for just one mana, clearing the opponent's board and maintaining our own.
With the rise of Esper Bounce and the relatively common presence of Naya Yuna in ranked matches, it seems logical to keep Sunspine Lynx in the sideboard even if our list isn't Mono Red. Three copies might be too many, so we can consider one of them as a flex slot alongside Dreadmaw's Ire.
Rest in Peace is primarily used against Naya Yuna, but Bant Omniscience has started to gain ground recently, and a Delirium deck is likely to reappear in the future.
Sideboard Guide
Esper Bounce
IN
OUT
Gruul Aggro
IN
OUT
Azorius Control
IN
OUT
Green Landfall
IN
OUT
Izzet Cauldron
IN
OUT
Naya Yuna
IN
OUT
Dimir Midrange
IN
OUT
Wrapping Up
That's all for today!
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!
Thanks for reading!
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