Best MTG Arena decks 2023: Five powerful MTGA decks to use in Standard
Change for the meta.
MTG Arena is a game where what's good and bad shifts constantly, which can make it tough to know the best MTG Arena decks. It's even more tumultuous than paper-based Magic, at least when it comes to formats like Historic and Alchemy. Thankfully, Standard is kept at the same pace as it is in paper - so if you're only just venturing into MTG Arena, you won’t be too unfamiliar with the meta of the best Standard decks in MTG Arena.
One thing that does mark a decided difference between MTG Arena and standard Magic: The Gathering is the rate at which the meta can shift. Due to the fact that online tends to move faster, you're more likely to find an upcoming deck making a splash in MTG Arena than in paper. So, it always helps to keep an eye on the best MTG Arena decks at any given time.
Best MTG Arena decks 2023
To quantify what the best MTG Arena decks are, you generally just have to look at the number of each deck that's being played. Decks with good chances of winning will often end up having the lion's share of the meta. While it's not always the most exciting thing for players who want to innovate and build their own Magic: The Gathering deck, you'll often find good success if you play the deck that most people are playing.
These decks are often the ones that MTG teams have been tinkering with and testing out - and their doing well is a sign of this. That's not to say that you can't create your own deck to try and break through the meta - and the meta will often shift a little bit to make sure the top spot moves every so often - but popular MTG Arena decks are popular for a reason. With that all in mind, we've got the lowdown on the five best MTG Arena decks right now.
1. Mono-White Aggro
Attacking with lots of little creatures
Mono-White Aggro is a deck archetype that can very regularly be seen near the top of the MTG Arena meta. These styles of decks normally rely on two things: consistency of mana, due to only being in one colour, and the ability to cast a lot of creatures very quickly. You'll occasionally see this archetype referred to as Mono-White Weenie, but the main thing is that you're going to be turning your creatures sideways and hitting opponents as much as possible.
The key thing in this deck is that a lot of your creatures, despite being fairly cheap, can grow far larger through the magic of +1/+1 counters. Take Hopeful Initiate, a 1/1 for one mana that gets a +1/+1 counter on it whenever it attacks alongside a creature that has a greater power than it. You can even utilise these counters and remove them for three mana to destroy artifacts and enchantments. Luminarch Aspirant helps out greatly with this strategy, as it puts a +1/+1 counter on a creature you control every single turn.
You've then got Thalia, Guardian of Thraben to help make spells your opponents cast more expensive, and cards such as Elite Spellbinder and Skyclave Apparition to help remove other problems from either the board or your opponent's hand. This is a powerful MTG Arena deck with a surprising amount of versatility for an aggro build, and will overrun most opponents before they know how to react.
Find the Mono-White Aggro decklist for MTG Arena on MTGGoldfish.
2. Jeskai Combo
Making one very big dragon
Combo decks can fall into a lot of different categories in and of themselves, but the Jeskai Combo deck is about making the most out of Goldspan Dragon. Goldspan Dragon is a mighty card that's been a powerhouse since it was introduced early last year with Kaldheim, mostly thanks to it being a 4/4 flying creature with haste that only costs five mana, creates treasure tokens and then also doubles the mana those tokens create.
In this MTG Arena deck, your aim is to build up your number of treasure tokens to an absurd level before casting multiple spells in one turn, and then using Show of Confidence to make Goldspan Dragon a one-hit kill. Show of Confidence is a two-mana White instant that puts a +1/+1 counter on a target creature, but also reads: "When you cast this spell, copy it for each other instant and sorcery spell you’ve cast this turn. You may choose new targets for the copies."
In essence, you'll be casting lots of spells that target Goldspan Dragon for a neutral mana cost or actively gaining mana by casting them, finishing the barrage of spells with Show of Confidence, and then swinging in with a +20/+20 Goldspan Dragon to finish the game. The combo isn't perfect, and aggro decks can cause problems, but it's an entertaining and fairly reliable way to win games in MTG Arena.
Find the Jeskai Combo decklist for MTG Arena on MTGGoldfish.
3. Orzohv Control
Kill all who oppose you
Control decks in Magic: The Gathering are all about having the right answers to the questions your opponents put in front of you. They're about flexibility, and rely on reactionary play above all else. They're also great MTG Arena decks for players who like stalling out until they can cast expensive and incredibly powerful spells, including planeswalkers.
This control deck is Black and White. It makes good use of low-cost, single-target removal spells, the overly powerful board wipe that is The Meathook Massacre, and some token-creating planeswalkers to eventually win the game. It also makes use of the learn mechanic from Strixhaven, which allows you to fetch up cards from your sideboard as you want, or discard and draw a card.
It all comes together to make a fairly tricky deck to play, but one that can be adjusted fairly easily to meet the meta as it changes, and has a very strong baseline thanks to cards like Emeria's Call/Emeria, Shattered Skyclave and Mascot Exhibition, both of which are seven-mana cards that create tokens that can finish off your opponent.
Find the Orzhov Control decklist for MTG Arena on MTGGoldfish.
4. Naya Enchantments
Straight to value town
Naya Enchantments is a really fun midrange MTG Arena deck that makes the most of a few creatures that all gain power from casting enchantment cards, and then having strong enchantments to cast as well. Both Generous Visitor and Kami of Transience are cheap to cast, but gain +1/+1 counters on them whenever you cast an enchantment spell.
You've then got Jukai Naturalist, which can make your enchantments cheaper to cast, and Runeforge Champion, which allows you to grab a specific type of enchantment called a rune from either your deck or your library and also makes those cards far cheaper to cast. This allows you to grab Rune of Might, Rune of Speed or Rune of Sustenance to not only draw cards as they enter the battlefield, but also improve your creatures.
Once you've got all of your pieces in play, all you have to do is cast your enchantments for cheap and you'll draw cards as they come in, buff your creatures and create an imposing board state that other players will have a very hard time dealing with.
Find the Orzhov Control decklist for MTG Arena on MTGGoldfish.
5. Selesnya Midrange
Strong throughout the game
Selesnya Midrange is another MTG Arena deck all about making the most of fairly low-cost creatures mixed with some very expensive spells in order to be potent in both at every stage of the game. This deck uses cards such as Prosperous Innkeeper to keep gaining life as you cast your creatures or make creature tokens, along with using cards like Esika's Chariot to create extra tokens and help you out both offensively and defensively.
You can keep your life total stable and your opponent under pressure until you can cast Starnheim Unleashed or Emeria's Call/Emeria, Shattered Skyclave to make troublesome angel tokens with flying and begin an aerial assault that's very hard to deal with. This deck also uses Legion Angel, which you only need one copy of in your deck because it allows you to get extra copies from your sideboard whenever it enters the battlefield.
You've even got Cave of the Frost Dragon and Lair of the Hydra to use in a pinch, too. These land cards can become creatures for a mana cost each turn, and allow you to survive board wipes that would otherwise be game-ending for creature-based strategies.
Find the Selesnya Midrange decklist for MTG Arena on MTGGoldfish.
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