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Standard Rakdos Aggro: Analysis & Sideboard Guide
Quick intro
Recently, we witnessed the City Class Showdown, which is Brazil's equivalent to the RCs found in other countries. Among the various familiar decks, an intriguing and unique Monored build made its way into the top 8, securing a spot in the Pro Tour. In today's article, I'll delve into this build, discussing some considerations regarding the decklist and providing a sideboard guide against key opposing decks in the current meta.
My current version of the deck
(6 - 1 - 1)
75% in City Class Games Showdown Il @City Class Games [140 Players] — 11-Mar-2023
$309/211.27 Tix
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [26] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Bloodthirsty Adversary | $3.49 | |
| 3 Feldon, Ronom Excavator | $0.59 | |
| 4 Kumano Faces Kakkazan | $0.59 | |
| 3 Monastery Swiftspear | $0.69 | |
| 4 Phoenix Chick | $0.79 | |
| 3 Squee, Dubious Monarch | $1.29 | |
| 4 Thundering Raiju | $0.79 | |
| 1 Graveyard Trespasser | $1.29 | |
| 2 Tenacious Underdog | $0.49 | |
| Instant [10] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Lightning Strike | $0.39 | |
| 4 Play with Fire | $3.99 | |
| 2 Go for the Throat | $1.49 | |
| Sorcery [1] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Strangle | $0.35 | |
| Land [23] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Mishra's Foundry | $1.79 | |
| 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance | $5.99 | |
| 5 Mountain | $0.01 | |
| 4 Sulfurous Springs | $1.99 | |
| 2 Swamp | $0.01 | |
| 3 Haunted Ridge | $8.99 | |
| 4 Blackcleave Cliffs | $1.99 | |
| 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire | $12.99 | |
| 1 Mirrex | $7.99 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Ob Nixilis, the Adversary | $6.49 | |
| 2 Go for the Throat | $1.49 | |
| 3 Graveyard Trespasser | $1.29 | |
| 1 Infernal Grasp | $2.49 | |
| 3 Brotherhood's End | $7.49 | |
| 1 Life of Toshiro Umezawa | $0.35 | |
| 2 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse | $84.99 | |
$64.65 Tix @cardhoarder
$1.62 / Week @cardhoarder
$278.77 @tcgplayer
$341.61 @cardkingdom
Visual View
Similar Decks
Proxies
Archetype Analysis
Magic online format
Apprentice and MWS .dec
Upon close examination, it's clear that this deck is predominantly a Mono-Red Aggro , featuring a few strategic splashes for specific, high-impact cards vital to the deck's overall strategy. I'll be spotlighting the primary elements that, in my view, could potentially elevate this variant above the conventional build.
Card choices
GO FOR THE THROAT
One of the primary reasons for splashing black is to gain access to more efficient removal options, with Go for the Throat being the top choice. It essentially eliminates everything we want to take down, especially Sheoldred, which is a major nightmare for Mono-red players.
OB NIXILIS, THE ADVERSARY
Speaking of explosive planeswalkers, Ob Nixilis experienced a massive hype upon its release, even sparking discussions of potential preemptive bans. However, in reality, it didn't see much gameplay. In this side, it's an intriguing addition, as it presents another approach that the deck can take against control decks and even in mirror matches, gaining life and punishing opponents when they don't want to discard anything from their hand.
SHEOLDRED, THE APOCALYPSE
Clearly, if we're splashing black, we must absolutely include one of the best cards in the format. This card effortlessly punishes many decks and works exceptionally well.In this particular build, it will shine when our opponent plays cards like Brotherhood's End or Cut Down. Not only is it a powerful weapon against other aggro decks like Soldiers, but it also proves to be quite effective in mirror matches.
Playing the deck
The deck operates like a traditional mono-red build, so optimal curved hands are ideal. The strategy is simple: fill the board and swing! After sideboarding, there are additional options, but the main deck doesn't hold many secrets.
EXAMPLE HAND #1
Mulligan on both the play and the draw. Our hand is overly reactive, and we don't even know what we're up against yet. It wouldn't be the worst hand if we were facing a mirror match, for example, or even a soldiers deck, with plenty of removal and a solid clock between Trespasser and Raiju. However, we don't even have red mana available on the first turn, and I'd comfortably mulligan in this situation.
EXAMPLE HAND #2
One of the best hands, beautifully curved, featuring removal and creatures in all the early turns. Just one thing, we can maximize Sokenzan's potential as with Squee on the battlefield, it becomes a 3-mana, two-hasty-creatures powerhouse. Post-sideboard, I'd hold onto Mirrex, since we have Sheoldred, and she can assist in casting with the black mana of the turn.
EXAMPLE HAND #3
HAving an Ob Nixilis, it's clear that we're dealing with a post-sideboard game here. So, even if we don't have any interaction during the initial turns, the powerful synergy between Kumano and the planeswalker all but guarantees a second copy. As such, I believe we have a hand worth keeping.
Matchups & Sideboard guide
GRIXIS MIDRANGE
One of the best matchups for the deck, Grixis has enough firepower to win any game. In this scenario, we're even more favored, particularly with the presence of Go for the Throat to take down the feared Sheoldred. Don't be afraid of Brotherhood's End; some lists don't even include it in the main deck, and we can't afford to give our opponent too much time to find the right answers and threats.
After sideboarding, we adopt the "go big" strategy against them; while they have small removal spells and life gain, we bring in two copies of Ob Nixilis to either turn the tables or become a ticking time bomb, as draining 4 life per turn or depleting their hand's can be truly painful for the opponent.
MONORED AGGRO
They're more aggressive and have a non-punishing mana base, so we should be cautious not to keep hands with too many pain lands. The play/draw dynamic, as always, plays a significant role, so be careful not to end up with an overly reactive hand while on the play and an explosive one on the draw, as the roles can reverse. After sideboarding, our black cards make a huge difference, especially Sheoldred and Trespasser, which are difficult threats to answer.
UW SOLDIERS
A match contra Soldiers já era boa sendo apenas Monored, então a cor preta só deixa ainda melhor, pois as cartas dessa cor realmente são muito eficientes contra esse deck. G1 é uma corrida de dano na qual temos mais remoções e burns para finalizar, pós side cartas como Trespasser e Sheoldred nos ajudam a tentar ganhar a corrida de dano, mesmo estando na draw.
ESPER LEGENDS
The matchup isn't the best for Monored decks, but now with the addition of another color, we have access to more removal options and Sheoldred really punishes the deck, especially when it comes to card drawing engines like Raffine. The play/draw aspect is also crucial here, and Skrelv is a card we need to deal with promptly as it renders all our removals useless. That's why weaker cards like Play with Fire remain in the mix post-sideboarding. In Game 2, our opponents also have more removal options, so we transition to a more midrange strategy with the help of our black cards.
MONOWHITE MIDRANGE
The match was already tough, but adding black to the mix greatly improved the situation, as it's fascinating to see how Ob Nixilis excels against this deck. The deck struggles to handle one planeswalker, let alone two, making the circumstances quite complex. We continue to maintain a low curve but extract value from a planeswalker that dodges removal spells like Temporary Lockdown and Depopulate. It's undeniably a card that shifts the balance of the game; we can even play a more grindy game if necessary, safeguarding Ob Nixilis and eliminating targets that could remove him in combat. Still, I appreciate the blend of aggression and lethality from a planeswalker capable of dealing 2 to 4 damage per turn or stripping 1 to 2 cards from the opponent's hand.
Final words
Adding an additional color has truly altered the narrative of Mono-Red against some unfavorable matchups, such as Mono-White Midrange. However, this change has made the mana base slightly worse and more painful, sacrificing a bit of consistency to utilize better cards in specific matchups. I believe this trade-off is valid in the anticipated metagame, and overall, incorporating higher-value black cards provides more benefits than the deck would have if it remained purely red.
Until next time!
If you liked this article maybe you will also find interesting on of the following ones Esper Legends Tips, Tricks & Sideboard Guide by Mogged, Winning the Manatrader Series: A Deep Dive into Pioneer Rakdos Midrange, Orzhov Midrange Guide by Mogged, Pioneer Bant Humans In-depth & sideboard guide, Top 4 @ MTGO Challenge with Rakdos Midrange: Analysis & Sideboard Guide, Getting ready for the Vintage Superqualifier: Vintage Simic Fair Primer
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Hi, my name is Lucas de Almeida Hervás. I'm 31 years old, married, and I live in Indaiatuba/SP, Brazil. I've been playing Magic the Gathering since 2009, but I've been making a living off of it since 2019 through leagues and tournaments on Magic Online. For those who don't know me, I'm 2.17 meters tall, hence the nickname "the tallest Magic player in Brazil."
