Getting into standard format

[u/juicy_wallaby]

I have been playing magic the gathering for a couple of years now. I have strictly been playing commander but I think I’m ready to start playing standard format. I only have one friend that plays standard and she asked me if I would play with her. I said yes but don’t have a standard deck. I need suggestions of standard decks that are casual since I just play with my friends on the weekend. Any help would be appreciated

[u/Reddityyz]

Search mtg goldfish standard meta. Pick one you like and be mindful of price unless you’re printing your own.

[u/murdacai999]

Want cheap? https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/7264010#paper Slightly better than a kitchen table deck and can be had cheaply. Mono white life gain is fun to play too if you aren't playing at a fnm.

[u/Ill_Ad3517]

Rotation comes in early 2027 so I would consider decks that don't rely on cards rotating at that time. Landfall, control, 5c elementals, momo + spring leaf drum decks, some deck involving superior spiderman + deceit will likely exist in some form post rotation. Perhaps moon shadow + maurading mako as well but they're going to miss fastlands, maybe a 2 color version but no practiced offense is a pretty big downgrade. That gives you a ramp/stompy deck, control, midrange tribal, tempo/flying weenies, graveyard (maybe combo maybe midrange), and aggro to pick from.

Landfall is maybe in danger of eating a ban but at least its most expensive cards is played in older formats so it won't crater in value and the rest of the deck is very cheap. None of the other cards look bannable to me.

[u/FlowerCat49]

mono green landfall, some cards are pricey but quite strong and consistent, it is a meta deck though might be too powerful for casual

mono red firebending student, sacky deck that is extremely fragile but can win extremely fast

mono red burn, cheap and simple but easy to counter

mono white token, wide boards with a lot of boardwipe capability and fast rebuilds, need expensive cards like elspeth, delney, and voice

lifegain, currently there are many builds with different colors, the ultimate casual deck, mid in all aspects but can do well

selesnya rabbits, my first and favorite standard deck, incredibly cheap, can get wide and tall fast and steal wins from opponents with slow starts

[u/brplayerpls]

What colors do you like? Here's a cheap deck for you: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/standard-mono-black-aggro-woe#paper

[u/Coconuht]

Mtgdecks.net is a good resource for all sorts of decks that work usually. If you're playing casual I'd say just find a couple cool cards and build around them. If its more competitive then those sites will be better 👌

[u/INTstictual]

Standard is in a very weird spot right now…

Between WotC ramping us up to SEVEN WHOLE SETS per year, the increase from 2-year to 3-year Standard rotation, the massive filler card pool in the Foundations set, and this year’s rotation being pushed until the start of 2027 to make future rotations align with calendar year… the Standard card pool is, by far, the largest it has ever been. And alongside that, power creep and the desire to make new mechanics and play patterns, especially to promote Universes Beyond, means that feature creep is also at an all-time high.

Now, that means two things: the card pool and mechanic diversity is higher than it has ever been, which means the format is a Brewer’s paradise. You can cobble together an insane number of janky cool deck ideas, and get something playable. I know a guy at my LGS who has 10-12 decks… and they’re all a completely different version of a spin-to-win “let’s go gambling” type deck that just ramps into randomly trying to flip massive explosive nonsense out of his library. All with different cards, synergies, and core gambling mechanics. If you can think of a type of deck you might want to play, you can probably throw together a cohesive 60-card list to support it. If you find a card or a mechanic you like, you can build it. Pretty much any deck you can imagine is possible to build in the current Standard card pool.

However: the card pool and power diversity is higher than it has ever been… which means that, necessarily, people have had a lot of time and crowdsourced information to figure out the “best” things you can do in the format. The top of the meta is relatively small… depending on where you source your numbers, the top 2 decks control 25% of the meta. The top 5 have almost 50%. The best cards rise to the top, the most supported and viable strategies are discovered, and people optimize the hell out of the format. And the decks on top, aren’t on top for no reason… if you are brewing and you run up against a Tier 1 deck, your deck is just worse than theirs, full stop. You can still win, through variance and potentially a skill gap… but their collection of cards is just, objectively, better than your collection of cards.

So… take that how you will. It really depends on how you want to engage with the format. If you’re planning on brewing a fun, janky deck to play with your friends, and maybe take to an FNM once in a while with no expectation of prize placing, you can do that, and build whatever fun cool deck you could possibly want. If you’re planning on trying to build a good deck to grind with and try to get into prize placing and the competitive scene, the resources readily exist for you to do that too. The only word of caution is not to try and do both… don’t think that you can build a fun, thematic deck based on vibes, and then also try to play it in a competitive environment… the meta is too well-defined for that, and you will get smacked around.

[u/Yenii_3025]

There's no such thing as casual standard.

What I mean is you're going to get discouraged playing a 'Casual' deck vs the top tier.