There’s been tons of buzz regarding Historic lately - a format that was met with some skepticism, but constantly gaining momentum and good faith with MTGA players, not to mention great card support. But we are not here to talk about the rules - let’s see what kind of decks people play and rank them up in a tier list!
A recent edition of Hooglandia Open Series, Historic event ran by Twitch streamer Jeff Hoogland for his viewers gave a pretty cool sample of decks that people actually compete with. We’ve got the numbers and running a quick analysis wields interesting results. Here are five decks that all have potential - some much more than others.
Tier F: Mono-Black Control
Represented by 5 players in the tournament and scoring a terrible 28.5714% win rate, this deck does not seem to have what it takes to compete against aggressive decks featuring lots of red and green. Avoid this one!
Example decklist:
Mainboard3x Davriel, Rogue Shadowmage 3x Liliana, Waker of the Dead 4x Liliana's Steward4x Murderous Rider 4x Phyrexian Obliterator 2x Rankle, Master of Pranks 4x Tinybones, Trinket Thief 2x Languish 4x Thoughtseize2x Eliminate 4x Waste Not
2x Bojuka Bog4x Castle Locthwain1x Ifnir Deadlands17x Swamp
Sideboard3x Ashiok, Dream Render 2x Eliminate 2x Gifted Aetherborn 2x Grafdigger's Cage 2x Grasp of Darkness 2x Languish 2x Legion's End
Tier D: Jund Sacrifice
Represented by 7 players in the gauntlet and sporting a 51.8519% win rate, this build is just good enough to make the cut. You can certainly do worse than that, but it will take you lots of time to get far with it.
A Jund Sacrifice should look something along the lines of:
Mainboard3x Bonecrusher Giant 4x Cauldron Familiar4x Gilded Goose4x Mayhem Devil 4x Priest of Forgotten Gods 2x Scavenging Ooze 4x Woe Strider 4x Collected Company 3x Bolas's Citadel 4x Witch's Oven4x Blood Crypt3x Dragonskull Summit2x Fabled Passage1x Forest1x Mountain4x Overgrown Tomb1x Phyrexian Tower4x Stomping Ground2x Swamp2x Woodland Cemetery
Sideboard4x Abrade 1x Bolas's Citadel 4x Claim the Firstborn 1x Jegantha, the Wellspring 1x Scavenging Ooze 4x Thoughtseize
Tier C: Sultai Lands
This archetype was the most represented in the tournament, including the player who ultimately won, but its mixed performance set the average win rate all the way back to 53.8462%.
Here’s how it’s done:
Mainboard1x Ugin, the Spirit Dragon2x Hydroid Krasis 1x Oracle of Mul Daya 3x Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath 2x Cultivate 4x Explore 4x Hour of Promise 2x Languish 4x Thoughtseize4x Growth Spiral 2x Heartless Act 1x Arch of Orazca1x Blast Zone1x Bojuka Bog2x Breeding Pool1x Castle Locthwain1x Drowned Catacomb2x Fabled Passage1x Fetid Pools4x Field of the Dead2x Forest1x Hinterland Harbor1x Indatha Triome2x Island1x Jungle Hollow1x Ketria Triome2x Overgrown Tomb2x Swamp1x Thornwood Falls2x Watery Grave1x Woodland Cemetery1x Zagoth Triome
Sideboard3x Aether Gust 2x Casualties of War 3x Disfigure1x Elder Gargaroth1x Grafdigger's Cage1x Heartless Act1x Languish 1x Massacre Wurm1x Tamiyo, Collector of Tales1x Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
Tier B: Selesnya Ramp
Go Selesnya! This green-white build made won 62.5% of the games it played, making it a really solid choice. It makes heavy used of the Amonkhet Remastered cards, including Wrath of God.
Here’s an example:
Mainboard3x Karn, Scion of Urza3x Ugin, the Spirit Dragon4x Elvish Rejuvenator 4x Golos, Tireless Pilgrim4x Approach of the Second Sun 4x Explore 4x Hour of Promise 3x Wrath of God 2x Settle the Wreckage 1x Arch of Orazca1x Blast Zone1x Blossoming Sands1x Cascading Cataracts1x Fabled Passage1x Field of Ruin4x Field of the Dead2x Forest1x Hashep Oasis1x Indatha Triome1x Mobilized District2x Plains1x Radiant Fountain1x Scattered Groves1x Scavenger Grounds1x Secluded Steppe1x Selesnya Guildgate1x Shefet Dunes1x Sunpetal Grove2x Temple Garden1x Temple of Plenty1x Tranquil Expanse1x Tranquil Thicket
Sideboard1x Baneslayer Angel 4x Gideon's Triumph3x Grafdigger's Cage1x Lyra Dawnbringer1x Settle the Wreckage2x Tithe Taker3x Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
Tier A: Rakdos Aggro
Scoring a smashing 67.6471% win rate, this deck is fun to play and a really nice approach if you want to up your Historic game. Here’s how to build one:
Mainboard3x Ashiok, Dream Render 4x Bonecrusher Giant 4x Earthshaker Khenra 4x Knight of the Ebon Legion4x Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger 4x Mire Triton 3x Phoenix of Ash 4x Rotting Regisaur 4x Thoughtseize3x Embercleave 4x Blood Crypt2x Castle Locthwain4x Dragonskull Summit4x Mountain3x Ramunap Ruins6x Swamp
Sideboard2x Abrade 2x Agonizing Remorse 1x Ashiok, Dream Render 2x Disfigure3x Heartless Act4x Rampaging Ferocidon1x Virulent Plague
What do you think about these bad boys? Give them a go and go win some Historic games!
