Magic: The Gathering Arena - 5 powerful decks to play in Alchemy format

Magic: The Gathering Arena has a format that is exclusive to the digital realm, known as Alchemy. It is adjacent to Standard, but with some digital-exclusive cards that feature mechanics that are only available in the online game. It also features cards that were rebalanced or adjusted in some manner or another.

While there are plenty of powerful Magic: The Gathering Arena decks, these are among the best in the Alchemy format.

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What is Alchemy format in Magic: The Gathering Arena?

Magic: The Gathering Arena’s Alchemy format’s meta will likely always differ in some ways from the traditional Standard. The ability to balance cards, and create ones that are not available in the tabletop version, gives way to entirely different situations.

It is still based on Standard Magic: The Gathering Arena though, and will likely rotate and change as the traditional Standard meta does. There is still a month or two for players to give the current Standard a try, and with that in mind, here are a few decks that are worth playing in the best-of-one format.

5 powerful decks to play

• Rakdos Midrange
• Golgari Elves
• Orzhov Venture
• Mono-red Dragons
• Gruul Werewolves

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1) Rakdos Midrange

Rakdos Midrange is all about control and discard (Image via Sportskeeda)

Players are going to see a lot of Red in this Magic: The Gathering list, because it’s an incredibly powerful color right now. When paired with a variety of others, it creates unfortunate situations for other players. Rakdos Midrange is a powerful deck built around making other players discard and occasionally exile cards.

It has plenty of ways to frustrate opponents in Magic: The Gathering Arena. In particular, the Fable of the Mirror-Breaker and Citystalker Connoisseur. When the Citystalker comes into play, you make an opponent discard a non-land card with the greatest mana value from their hand, and also creates a Blood Token.

Players will want to play Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, and transform it into Reflection of Kiki-Jiki to keep creating copies of the Citystalker, and force that player to keep discarding. Then, use cards like Town-Razer Tyrant to swing for constant damage, all the while denying the other player the ability to have fun in Magic: The Gathering Arena.

Sample Rakdos deck

• 3 Bloodthirsty Adversary
• 4 Bloodtithe Harvester
• 1 Valki, God of Lies
• 2 Graveyard Trespasser
• 4 Town-Razer Tyrant
• 4 Citystalker Connoisseur
• 1 Spikefield Hazard
• 1 Infernal Grasp
• 2 Painful Bond
• 1 Hagra Mauling
• 1 Bloodchief's Thirst
• 3 Undercity Plunder
• 4 Molten Impact
• 1 Bank Job
• 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
• 4 Mountain
• 4 Swamp
• 1 Field of Ruin
• 4 Blightstep Pathway
• 1 Den of the Bugbear
• 2 Hive of the Eye Tyrant
• 4 Haunted Ridge
• 2 Forsaken Crossroads
• 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
• 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire

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2) Golgari Elves

Harald is ready to unite the elves, and decimate other players (Image via Sportskeeda)

Magic: The Gathering Arena's Elves saw quite a bit of love earlier this year, with several of the major cards for the deck having their costs adjusted. This ultimately allowed players to use far more cards, and make some of the Elves viable.

Other cards, like Harald Unites the Elves for example, were made more powerful, increasing the odds that they would get used.

This particular deck isn’t seen as often on the ladder, but that doesn’t take away from its raw power. Elf strategy in general is incredibly easy. You want to create tons of Elf tokens, pump them up, and then overrun the other player with an unstoppable force of creatures. It’s easy, fun, and ultimately, quite satisfying.

Sample Golgari Elves deck

• 3 A-Tyvar Kell
• 4 Jaspera Sentinel
• 4 A-Skemfar Avenger
• 3 A-Elderfang Ritualist
• 4 Elvish Warmaster
• 4 A-Elderleaf Mentor
• 4 A-Harald, King of Skemfar
• 1 A-Canopy Tactician
• 2 Power Word Kill
• 2 Infernal Grasp
• 2 Bloodchief's Thirst
• 4 A-Harald Unites the Elves
• 5 Forest
• 2 Swamp
• 4 Darkbore Pathway
• 3 Hive of the Eye Tyrant
• 2 Lair of the Hydra
• 4 Deathcap Glade
• 1 A-Skemfar Elderhall
• 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• 1 Boseiju, Who Endures

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3) Orzhov Venture

Journey into the dungeon, and return with success (Image via Sportskeeda)

The Black and White Venture deck was already good in Magic: The Gathering Arena, but when Triumphant Adventurer and Precipitous Drop were rebalanced, the deck suddenly became far more enjoyable. This deck is built around the “Venture” keyword, where creatures allow you to quickly venture through dungeons and gain benefits.

While all three dungeons are worthwhile, Lost Mine of Phandelver is going to be the one likely chosen most frequently. Precipitous Drop is a now a very powerful way to remove a creature from play, as it allows a venture, and if you have completed a dungeon, it grants the target -5/-5 instead of the original -2/-2.

Nadaar, Selfless Paladin is also key, because he grants all of your creatures +1/+1 if you’ve completed a dungeon, and he ventures anytime he enters play or attacks. Additionally, it come along with Intrepid Adversary’s ability to buff your creatures. Now, these attacks are safer and deadlier.

Sample Venture deck

• 2 The Wandering Emperor
• 4 A-Triumphant Adventurer
• 1 Intrepid Adversary
• 1 Valki, God of Lies
• 4 Archon of Emeria
• 4 Nadaar, Selfless Paladin
• 4 Citystalker Connoisseur
• 2 Liesa, Forgotten Archangel
• 1 March of Otherworldly Light
• 2 Vanishing Verse
• 1 Power Word Kill
• 1 Infernal Grasp
• 3 Hagra Mauling
• 3 Duress
• 4 A-Precipitous Drop
• 3 Plains
• 1 Swamp
• 1 Needleverge Pathway
• 4 Brightclimb Pathway
• 3 Hive of the Eye Tyrant
• 4 Shattered Sanctum
• 4 Forsaken Crossroads
• 1 A-Dungeon Descent
• 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire

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4) Mono-red Dragons

Big dragons, big damage, that's what makes this deck work (Image via Sportskeeda)

Of course, Mono-red Dragons was going to make this Magic: The Gathering Arena list. It’s an overwhelmingly powerful deck, and when Alchemy first appeared, it was one of the best decks to pilot. The addition of Atsushi, the Blazing Sky has given way to potentially drop powerful cards like Inferno of the Star Mounts.

It has to die to create that value, but as a 4 power, 4 toughness creature with Flying and Trample, it’s a guaranteed threat. On top of that, it’s running huge creatures like Goldspan Dragon, and Orb of Dragonkind is there for mana generation and an easy way to fetch a Dragon from the deck.

It’s a Magic: The Gathering Arena deck with tons of mana ramp and huge creatures, making it easy to just overwhelm another player with big numbers. It’s also incredibly fun to play, to boot.

Sample Mono-red Dragon deck

• 4 Dragon's Fire
• 2 Swashbuckler Extraordinaire
• 4 Fearsome Whelp
• 2 Orb of Dragonkind
• 4 Reckless Barbarian
• 4 Town-Razer Tyrant
• 4 Carnelian Orb of Dragonkind
• 2 Atsushi, the Blazing Sky
• 4 A-Goldspan Dragon
• 2 Ancient Copper Dragon
• 2 Wrathful Red Dragon
• 2 Inferno of the Star Mounts
• 1 A-Faceless Haven
• 18 Snow-Covered Mountain
• 2 Den of the Bugbear
• 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
• 2 Shatterskull Smashing

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5) Gruul Werewolves

Gruul Werewolves are without a doubt, one of the best decks to play right now (Image via Sportskeeda)

While there are many great decks in Magic: The Gathering Arena’s Alchemy format, there are not many that can stand up to the power and speed of Gruul Werewolves. It uses Tenacious Pup as a great early-game card, and it can grow from being weak to a terrifying force of nature by pairing it with cards like Halana and Alena, Partners.

Halana and Alena, Partners is one of the best cards in the deck. It has First Strike and Reach, and at the beginning of your combat, it grants X +1/+1 counters onto a creature you control, where X is equal to Halana and Alena’s power. That buffed creature also gains haste for the turn.

This Magic: The Gathering Arena deck can easily trigger more counters to increase creature’s power, though Ranger Class, and Tenacious Pup, make Halana’s rise even easier. Round things out with Tovolar, the Midnight Scourge to give target Wolf/Werewolf +X/+0 and Trample to devastate foes at the end of the game. The deck has a solid mana curve and almost always has a play to make due to this.

Sample Gruul Werewolves decklist

• 6 Forest
• 1 Mountain
• 4 Shatterskull Smashing
• 4 Cragcrown Pathway
• 2 Magda, Brazen Outlaw
• 4 Jaspera Sentinel
• 2 Snakeskin Veil
• 3 Ranger Class
• Werewolf Pack Leader
• 4 Lair of the Hydra
• 4 Reckless Stormseeker
• 2 Tovolar, Dire Overlord
• 4 Rockfall Vale
• 2 Halana and Alena, Partners
• 2 Rahilda, Wanted Cutthroat
• 4 Town-razer Tyrant
• 2 Lupine Harbingers
• 4 Tenacious Pup
• 2 Forsaken Crossroads

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There are many possible decks to play in Magic: The Gathering Arena’s Alchemy format, and this is just a selection of them. All of these deck archetypes are, without a doubt, powerful. However, just playing these Magic: The Gathering Arena decks does not guarantee success, it’s all up to the player to overcome their opponent’s strategies.

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Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's views.