[Top 5] MTG Arena Best Explorer Decks (Latest Patch)

Of course you take the Cavalier from the forest to navigate the Explorer format

Updated:

21 Nov 2023

In Explorer, players can use any legal cards in the Standard format, as well as any cards from the Historic format, which includes all cards that have been added to the game since its release. This format is a great way for players to experiment with different card combinations and strategies, and can be a lot of fun for players who enjoy the deck-building aspect of Magic: The Gathering.

5. Mono Green Devotion

Mono Green is known for its ability to ramp your mana as well as to cheat in permanents off the top of your library. This version of Mono Green does that as well as provide you with something where you can dump your excess mana off

What this deck excels in:

This deck has an aggressive nature and with cards like Questing Beast and Skysovereign, you can also deal with the opponent’s planeswalkers making this deck good against even control matchups
You will definitely have excessive mana by turn 4 in most cases. This means that having 3 copies of Lair of the Hydra gives you a mana dump which you can use to deal massive amounts of damage to the opponent

Deck list:

1 Questing Beast
1 Paradise Druid
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Cavalier of Thorns
4 Old-Growth Troll
4 Llanowar Elves
2 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
4 Storm the Festival
4 Wolfwillow Haven
1 Nissa, Who Shakes the World
4 Karn, the Great Creator
4 Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner
2 Boseiju, Who Endures
3 Lair of the Hydra
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
14 Forest

4. Azorius Control

Blue-White control never runs out of gas. This value-generating machine can take down whatever deck the opponent has and most often they can damage the morale of the opponent as you will not let them cast anything

What this deck excels in:

Card draw and counterspells are plentiful in this deck which means that you can generate every advantage you can think of with this deck
When you get to the later stages of the game where you are way ahead of your opponent in board state and card advantage, you can deploy your Shark Typhoons and other hitters to finish off your wounded opponent

Deck list:

1 Censor
1 Saw It Coming
1 Behold the Multiverse
2 March of Otherworldly Light
2 Dovin's Veto
2 Fateful Absence
3 Make Disappear
3 Absorb
3 Memory Deluge
1 Farewell
3 Supreme Verdict
2 Temporary Lockdown
3 Shark Typhoon
3 The Wandering Emperor
3 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
1 Otawara, Soaring City
1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
1 Castle Vantress
2 Plains
2 Field of Ruin
2 Hall of Storm Giants
3 Deserted Beach
3 Island
4 Irrigated Farmland
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Hallowed Fountain

3. Mono Red Aggro/Burn

Mono Red Burn is already a powerful deck no matter what the meta is. This deck is an improved version since it runs Obos as its companion. With Obosh at the forefront of your attacks, all damage you deal will be doubled, allowing you to finish off your opponent much more quicker

What this deck excels in:

This deck is a more powerful version of Mono-Red Burn since it has Obosh which amplifies the damage output of your cards
You can play this deck just like a typical Mono Red deck by being aggressive. At the latter stages of the game where you typically run out of gas, you can cast Obosh to help secure the last remaining hit points

Deck list:

Companion: Obosh, the Preypiercer

3 Goblin Chainwhirler
4 Bonecrusher Giant
4 Phoenix Chick
4 Soul-Scar Mage
4 Kumano Faces Kakkazan
4 Monastery Swiftspear
2 Spikefield Hazard
4 Play with Fire
4 Skewer the Critics
4 Light Up the Stage
3 Chandra, Dressed to Kill
1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
1 Castle Embereth
4 Ramunap Ruins
4 Den of the Bugbear
10 Mountain

2. Mono Blue Spirits

Spirits is one of the powerful tribes in the Modern format since it has the mix of control and aggro all in one deck. This deck can easily snowball if your opponent does not have the resources to clear out the board since the more Spirits there are in the board, the more powerful your attack becomes

What this deck excels in:

This deck is very cheap in terms of mana-cost since there are only 4 cards that have more than 2 mana cost. This card can even be cast for one mana at some point in the game which means you can be really aggressive with how you cast your spells
The control aspect of this deck allows you to protect the creatures that are on your board. Despite it still being easy to rebuild after a wipeout, maintaining the threats on your board can be the game changer that you need in grindy matchups

Deck list:

3 Ascendant Spirit
3 Spectral Sailor
4 Mausoleum Wanderer
4 Rattlechains
4 Shacklegeist
4 Supreme Phantom
2 Fading Hope
3 Slip Out the Back
4 Lofty Denial
4 Geistlight Snare
1 Witness Protection
4 Curious Obsession
3 Faceless Haven
17 Snow-Covered Island

1. Rakdos Sacrifice

Ever since the Cat-Oven combo entered the Arena, Rakdos Sacrifice has been a mainstay in most formats. Even in the current Standard meta, there is still a version of Rakdos Sacrifice but with different cards.

What this deck excels in:

This deck allows you to ping the opponent with 1 damage every time you sacrifice your permanents
Since you have a lot of things to sacrifice, you can consistently dish out damage especially when you have multiple copies of Mayhem Devil on the field
The Cat-Oven combo is a powerful combo if your opponent does not have anything to exile graveyards or prevent casting spells from graveyards

Deck list: