Pioneer: 5 Decks with March of the Machine

About a week after the release of March of the Machine, it is already possible to notice the impact of the new set on the format. Cards that are practically staples, decks that have gained important parts in their strategy and even some new lists are emerging with great potential.

For this article, I separated five lists that can exemplify how much it has impacted Pioneer. All of them also work for Explorer, except the Rona Combo list, as we still don't have Retraction Helix in Magic Arena.

Atarka Red

Atarka Red is a variation of Mono-Red Aggro that uses Atarka's Command, a very versatile and powerful card. The deck gained Ancient Imperiosaur, a creature with Convoke that gave an even more explosive opening to the archetype.

What this list wants is to play Kumano Faces Kakkazan on turn 1, Burning-Tree Emissary + Implement of Combustion and a one mana creature on turn 2 and open turn 3 with Gleeful Demolition and Imperiosaur, still having the possibility to play a Reckless Bushwhacker to grant haste to the dinosaur. Imagine a 20/20 creature with trample and ward 2 hitting you on turn 3!

There are even some lists that run Stoke the Flames, which can be a finisher in many situations.

Dimir Rogues

Dimir Rogues became popular again on Pioneer thanks to Faerie Mastermind, an excellent card for the archetype in a format where Fable of the Mirror-Breaker is widely played. A 2/1 body that can be played at instant speed and still benefit its controller from the opponent's card advantage is a huge upgrade for Rogues.

Another card that is appearing in some lists is Invasion of Amonkhet, which, in addition to synergizing very well in the deck, filling the opponent's graveyard and attacking their resources, can generate card advantage and copy a creature in any graveyard. That's tons of value in a single card.

Since it is a blue deck, some lists also had Change the Equation on the sideboard. This card is wonderful in games against Nykthos and any other red and/or green, in addition to being useful in many other situations due to its versatility.

Nykthos Ramp

One of the most popular decks in the format today, Mono-Green gained some very interesting additions that can put it on an even higher level.

Polukranos Reborn is a 4/5 creature, which is already quite relevant, but it also adds 3 devotion and has reach, in addition to being able to be transformed into a 6/6 that gains lifelink and can leave two 3/3 creatures behind if removed. This creature is outstanding in the deck, and can be cast as soon as on turn 2, serving as a great blocker or even pressuring the opponent in the attack.

Battles are also present in some lists. Invasion of Ixalan will act as an extra copy of Oath of Nissa, and can become a 4/3 creature with trample later on. Invasion of Ikoria can fetch a creature and put it on the battlefield, having as an ideal target Cavalier of Thorns, which can greatly speed up the game plan by adding 5 devotion to the board.

Mono-White Humans

One of the most popular aggro decks right now. The deck now features Invasion of Gobakhan, a card that can delay the opponent's interactions and that can enter on early turns, with an ideal number of counters to be defeated right away. Its transformed face can make your board even more threatening with every end step and can be sacrificed to protect your creatures from board wipes, greatly favoring Humans against Control.

The deck already has Brave the Elements, but there is another card that is appearing in some lists and that may better fit this slot: Surge of Salvation, an instant with similar abilities available as soon as on turn 1, but which can respond to a Thoughtseize, one of Pioneer's most classic spells. I believe that this card can even play alongside Brave the Elements, sharing slots in the maindeck and sideboard, making it more versatile.

Rona Combo

Now we'll talk about the current trend, Rona Combo. This strategy was made possible thanks to Rona, Herald of Invasion, a legendary creature which abilities say that every time you cast a legendary spell, Rona will be untapped. With the second, you can tap Rona to draw a card and discard a card (looting).

With that in mind, the main plan is to use Retraction Helix on Rona while having Mox Amber in hand or on the board to generate a loop, tapping Rona to return the Mox to the hand, and playing it again, uncapping Rona. With this, we have access to infinite mana, but this alone doesn't win the game.

In this specific strategy, we have Diligent Excavator, which is the final piece of the combo, and will force the opponent to mill their entire deck through the Rona + Mox looping, winning the game in a single turn.

This deck became quite popular in the format and has already appeared, doing some 5-0 in the Pioneer League. However, it requires a lot of skill , patience and needs an absurd number of clicks to win the game. This type of strategy usually doesn't maintain popularity on Magic Online, as the platform is quite punishing with decks that require too many clicks to work, but we'll keep an eye out and see how it develops.

March of the Machine has already left its mark on Pioneer, but there is still room for more cards to be tested, and soon we will have March of the Machine: The Aftermath.

I like how Pioneer has changed over the last few days. Rakdos Midrange, Nykthos Ramp and Azorius Control remain at the top of the format as the most played, but other decks are emerging and my impression of the Metagame is that the format is very diverse and interesting.

Nykthos Ramp should continue to grow in popularity, but it will also face a higher amount of hate.

Gruul and Mono-White are great options to play against Nykthos and the other top tier of the format. I'm really looking forward to seeing how these two decks stack up in the meta going forward.

Dimir Rogues is very interesting and can include powerful cards, I hope to see this deck doing more and more expressive results in the coming days.

The Rona Combo has great potential, but it is quite complex and deserves its own article to cover all the details about the deck. Let's wait and see if the archetype will secure its place in the format, or if it will be forgotten in a few months.

Another finished article, I hope you liked it. Leave your questions and suggestions in the comments, and I'll try to answer them all.