Be Aggressive B-E aggressive... or Don't.

As of April 2020 there have been over 20,000 different Magic: the Gathering cards printed, so it's not hard to believe that many different types of decks and strategies arose from the mounds of loose cardboard. I myself have a multitude of different decks with different strategies, however, if I had to summarize the three main archetypes for deck building they would go like this; Aggro, control, and mid-ranged. It may seem like a massive generalization, but typically decks will fall into one of these 3 archetypes.

Let's begin by examining an aggressive deck, (I should add that I will be looking at my Commander decks which means you are only allowed one copy of each card that is not a basic land). My deck titled "Holiday High Jinks" is an Elf tribal deck, which revolves around stomping over my opponents with jolly party of elves. But, these aren't your perched-high-on-you-fridge-watching-over-you-with-an-unblinking-stare type of elf, no these are 6 foot tall forces of nature. They hunt in packs and are fairly effective killers. They are also spiritually attached to the land through which they draw there mana, the source of magic energy in the Multiverse.

This is reflected in their play style. Elves work well each other and many elves can use their turn to collect mana to be uses as opposed to attacking. This rapid mana acceleration and high potent attack power make elves a force to be reckoned with. Their problem, they are one massive board wipe away from destruction. Not a lot of elves can stop a massive Wrath of God, and many other types of mass creature removal.

The way to beat an aggressive deck, manage the board effectively. It may be tempting to use a removal spell on the creature that is an immediate threat, but it can save you in the long run if you wait to kill it after your opponent invests resources to help power up that creature. Timing is key so use your spells wisely.

The next deck I will explore is a control deck. What's their goal, you might ask. Well, it's in the name, control. Whether it be having a firm grasp on the game state, what spells an opponent plays, or even manage what cards your opponent draws. The deck I own that exemplifies the control strategy is my cycling deck. Cycling is a mechanic that allows you to sift through the deck in order to find the infinite combo in the deck. A collection of 3 cards that can end the game in an instant.

If there is one thing control strategies love more then winning out of no where, it's using pieces of disruption to hinder your opponents game play. Using cards like Leonin Arbiter or Spirit of the Labyrinth to put limitations on key game mechanics like adding cards to your hand.

The way to beat a control deck, out speed them. It may be difficult with all of the disruption you are facing, but if you can maintain a board presences, eventually their resources will run out.

It may seem counter intuitive making a deck that's all control or all aggro, so be like Hannah Montana and get the best of both worlds with a mid-ranged deck. I'll be using my +1/+1 counter deck as an example. To begin, let's discuss my choice of commander for the deck, Anafenza, the Foremost. Anafenza as a commander can be very potent and disruptive commander. She has a lingering effect that disrupts the opponents graveyard, and can deal massive damage with minimal investment.

I built the deck to work around counters and exchanging counters around the field. Anafenza helps too because her on attack ability gives another creature on the team a +1/+1 counter, thus making the board more massive. However, I also hid and infinite combo into the deck to win by surprise.

To beat a mid ranged deck, you'll need to take it match by match, use your resources wisely, and keep yourself in control of the board. Don't worry about losing board presence too much against control decks, and keep up pressure against aggro decks.

Thanks so much for reading and I hope this was helpful

- A wacky WUBRG mage