[Top 5] MTG Arena Best Explorer Decks (Ranked)

Updated:

20 Jan 2024

Explorer is Magic: The Gathering Arena’s version of Pioneer.

What this means is that any cards found on Arena that aren’t specific to Historic are available for use in the Explorer format. Also included in the format are cards that go all the way back to the Return to Ravnica set IF the cards are found on Arena.

This can be a little confusing, fortunately Arena gives you the option to sort by format when building a deck. I recommend loading up the deck builder, selecting that option and browsing what cards you have and are available to use.

You can also check out Magic: The Gathering’s main website and read the official rules for the Explorer format.

5. Keruga Fires

Starting off this list is Keruga Fires, a five color deck utilizing Fires of Invention and the companion, Keruga, the Macrosage. To begin with, Keruga, the Macrosage in the companion slot forces the deck to have nothing under three mana cost other than lands. This can be a rather large crutch against aggressive, fast start decks, so Keruga Fires cheats the system by using Bonecrusher Giant and Leyline Binding. Both of these removal spells dodge the three mana cost requirement by utilizing the Adventure cost and reducing the total mana cost of the spell by your basic land counts. This lets the deck interact on turn two with aggro decks despite the restriction.

With that issue solved, Keruga Fires runs Fires of Invention to make this deck go. With this Enchantment in play, you gain the ability to cast two spells on your turn and your turn only without paying their mana costs, and the spells must be of a mana cost lower than your total land count. That’s a lot of text, but in practice you are able to play two spells for free and keep mana open to activate the abilities of creatures and lands you control.

Now the deck can drop its big, game ending creatures. Koma, Cosmos Serpent will generate a 3/3 Serpent token each end step and can sacrifice those tokens to gain Indestructible. If you’ve played Standard lately, you’ve run into Atraxa, Grand Unifier. This card can drop multiple cards onto the battlefield when it enters and if it isn't answered immediately will end the game quickly behind a 7/7 Flying, Vigilance, Deathtouch, Lifelink stat line. If the opponent starts to gain some ground, Agent of Treachery will quickly answer by taking control of any target permanent they control. If all that wasn’t enough, Keruga Fires runs twenty enchantment cards that can be sacrificed to Enigmatic Incarnation to get creatures onto the battlefield each turn. Since Leyline Binding costs six mana, you can sacrifice it to Enigmatic Incarnation as early as turn four to cheat out Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Koma, Cosmos Serpent at the end of your turn four and force your opponent to deal with it.

Play multiple, powerful spells a turn via Fires of Invention
Effective card draw by casting the companion, Keruga, the Macrosage, with other creatures on the battlefield
Synergies between enchantments and big creatures to get them out earlier than expected

Deck

Companion

1 Keruga, the Macrosage

Creatures

4 Bonecrusher Giant

1 Omnath, Locus of Creation

1 Heliod, the Radiant Dawn

1 Cavalier of Dawn

1 Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves

1 Kenrith, the Returned King

1 Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines

1 Agent of Treachery

1 Atraxa, Grand Unifier

1 Koma, Cosmos Serpent

Enchantments

2 Touch the Spirit Realm

2 Temporary Lockdown

4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker

4 Fires of Invention

4 Enigmatic Incarnation

4 Leyline Binding

Lands

1 Plains

3 Sunpetal Grove

3 Sulfur Falls

4 Breeding Pool

4 Spara's Headquarters

1 Stomping Ground

4 Sacred Foundry

4 Savai Triome

1 Godless Shrine

1 Boseiju, Who Endures

1 Otawara, Soaring City

Sideboard

2 Brazen Borrower

1 Twinshot Sniper

1 Keruga, the Macrosage

4 Mystical Dispute

1 Deafening Clarion

2 Temporary Lockdown

4 Leyline of the Void

4. Rakdos Midrange

Explorer’s number four deck is Rakdos Midrange. Listen, if you play Magic: The Gathering Arena in any format, you’re going to run into these strong Black cards sooner than later, and Rakdos Midrange takes those strong cards and throws them into a deck together. Standard and Historic staples like Liliana of the Veil, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, Thoughtseize, and Fatal Push are all here ready to take control of the game.

In addition to those above mentioned strong, Black cards, Rakdos runs two powerful Red cards in Bonecrusher Giant and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker. Bonecrusher Giant functions as a removal spell with the added benefit of damage being unable to be prevented this turn. It then becomes a 4/3 Giant creature that will burn the opponent for two if it’s targeted by a spell. A very powerful Enchantment and banned in other formats, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker runs wild if left unchecked. Step one is to get a 2/2 Goblin Shaman that will give you a Treasure token, step two is to discard up to two cards to draw that many, and step three is Reflection of Kiki-Jiki. This flipped side creature has the ability to create a token copy of target nonlegendary creature, give it haste, and sacrifice it at the end of the next end step all for one mana and a tap. Bloodtithe Harvester, Graveyard Trespasser, and Bonecrusher Giant are all great targets of this ability. And don’t sleep on Mutavault, Hive of the Eye Tyrant and Den of the Bugbear. Post board wipe it can be difficult for an opponent to deal with threats from your mana sources and their removal must be able to target lands.

The deck is pretty straightforward. Deal with the opponent using your powerful format staple cards and win the game. The deck burns, drains, generates card advantage, attacks the opponent's hand and graveyard, and destroys anything the opponent tries to do. Proper sideboarding will let you take games two or three, so don’t be afraid to adjust that sideboard if you are running into the same matchups while attempting to climb the Arena ranks.

Powerful Black and Red cards that are run or banned in all three formats of Arena
Strong matchups against most decks in the format with the ability to adjust in games two or three to strengthen the matchup
Attacks the opponent from multiple angles, including using the lands as creatures

Deck

Planeswalkers

2 Liliana of the Veil

Creatures

3 Misery's Shadow

4 Bloodtithe Harvester

4 Bonecrusher Giant

3 Graveyard Trespasser

3 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse

Instants

4 Fatal Push

2 Go for the Throat

Sorceries

4 Thoughtseize

Artifacts

1 Reckoner Bankbuster

Enchantments

4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker

Lands

3 Swamp

1 Sulfurous Springs

2 Mutavault

4 Blackcleave Cliffs

4 Blightstep Pathway

1 Den of the Bugbear

2 Hive of the Eye Tyrant

4 Haunted Ridge

4 Blood Crypt

1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire

Sideboard

1 Rending Volley

1 Abrade

2 Kolaghan's Command

3 Duress

3 Ritual of Soot

2 Extinction Event

1 Pithing Needle

1 Reckoner Bankbuster

1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship

3. Mono-Blue Spirits

At number three is Mono-Blue Spirits. This is a very strong tempo deck that is very low to the ground. More so than other Mono-Blue tempo decks, this Spirits version relies on its creatures to control the pace of the game. At one mana, Mausoleum Wanderer threatens the opponent by growing larger when spirits enter the battlefield and more importantly represents a permanent counterspell to instant and sorcery spells unless an opponent pays X, where X is the power Mausoleum Wanderer. With this card in play, you always have a counterspell available and can use your mana elsewhere. To increase the power of your Spirits further, Rattlechains and Supreme Phantom grant Flash, Hexproof, and +1/+1 to Spirits.

The engine of this deck is Curious Obsession. Since all the creatures have Flying, you’ll be able to land attacks against the opponent reliably, ensuring you draw multiple cards a turn. The key is protecting the Spirit enchanted by Curious Obsession, and that's where Rattlechains comes in to give it Hexproof. In addition to that, Slip Out the Back and a couple counterspells help to keep your Spirits protected.

Ascendant Spirit can grow to a 4/4 and gain the Warrior and Angel keywords as well as gaining a Curious Obsession like effect. Remember, to activate Ascendant Spirit abilities you need Snow lands, so make sure your deck runs the correct basic Islands. If you have the mana to spend, Faceless Haven can enter the fray as a 4/3 Vigilance creature with all creature types, meaning it gains the benefit of effects that buff Spirits like from Supreme Phantom.

Very low to the ground deck that flies under most opponents and prevents them from setting up their gameplan
Creatures support creatures and keep the card draw and pressure going
Strong controlling and protection spells to keep opponents off guard

Deck

Creatures

4 Mausoleum Wanderer

4 Spectral Sailor

4 Ascendant Spirit

4 Rattlechains

4 Supreme Phantom

4 Shacklegeist

Instants

3 Slip Out the Back

2 Lofty Denial

4 Geistlight Snare

Enchantments

4 Curious Obsession

Lands

18 Snow-Covered Island

1 Otawara, Soaring City

4 Faceless Haven

Sideboard

1 Cerulean Drake

1 Brazen Borrower

1 Dive Down

2 Unsubstantiate

2 Aether Gust

3 Mystical Dispute

3 Unlicensed Hearse

2 Witness Protection

2. Abzan Greasefang

Second place in Explorer is Abzan Greasefang. True to its colors, this is a graveyard strategy that's looking to cheat out powerful vehicles to decimate the opponent early. Cards like Scrapwork Mutt, Raffine’s Informant, Vessel of Nascency, and Grisly Salvage look to fill up the graveyard early while also putting a card back into your hand. Another way to get cards into the graveyard is Witherbloom Command. This card lets you choose two effects, which means you can advance your gameplan while dealing with an opponent's creature or draining the opponent all for just one black and one green mana.

Once these cards have filled the graveyard a bit, multiple cards can take advantage of this. Traverse the Ulvenwald has the Delerium keyword and hitting four card types in your graveyard should come easy, allowing you to then search your library for a creature or land. The namesake of this deck, however, is the big payoff, Greasefang, Okiba Boss. This 4/3 for three mana creature will return a Vehicle from your graveyard to the battlefield at the start of combat, give it haste, and return it to its owner's hand at your next end step.

So what targets does Greasefang, Okiba Boss have? Try Esika’s Chariot, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship, and Parhelion II. Each of these Vehicles hit hard in their own right, but they have additional effects that help take over the game. Esika’s Chariot generates two 2/2 Cat tokens and will copy a target token you control whenever Esika’s Chariot attacks. Skysovereign, Consul Flagship deals three damage to a creature or planeswalker upon entering the battlefield and attacking, and has a 6/5 statline to boot. Lastly, Parhelion II not only has a 5/5 Flying, First Strike, Vigilance statline, but it will generate two 4/4 Angel tokens that have Flying and Vigilance and are attacking themselves whenever Parhelion II attacks. Each of these three Vehicles have the ability to take over a game and generate ways to Crew themselves if they attack and make it back to the battlefield the following turns. A turn three Greasefang, Okiba Boss into Parhelion II attacking for 5 and two Angels attacking for 8 is a tall order for any deck to deal with.

Abzan Greasefang has the ability to close out games quickly with powerful Vehicles and effects
Synergies between filling graveyard and returning or finding key pieces quickly
Doesn’t worry about interacting with the opponent, focusing on its own game plan and making the opponent have an answer or take the L

Deck

Creatures

2 Scrapwork Mutt

4 Raffine's Informant

4 Greasefang, Okiba Boss

Instants

4 Grisly Salvage

Sorceries

4 Thoughtseize

3 Traverse the Ulvenwald

4 Witherbloom Command

1 Can't Stay Away

Artifacts

4 Esika's Chariot

2 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship

4 Parhelion II

Enchantments

3 Vessel of Nascency

Lands

1 Swamp

3 Razorverge Thicket

4 Mana Confluence

3 Blooming Marsh

2 Concealed Courtyard

4 Darkbore Pathway

2 Temple Garden

2 Godless Shrine

Sideboard

4 Liliana of the Veil

1 Knight of Autumn

4 Fatal Push

2 Ray of Enfeeblement

2 Duress

2 Unlicensed Hearse

1. Mono-White Humans

Number one in Explorer, Mono-White Humans. This deck is very well rounded and performs well against multiple decks and strategies, positioned to perform well no matter the opponent.

Mono-White Humans run thirty-two creatures and they’re all Humans. To capitalize on this, the deck runs Human synergies like Thalia’s Lieutenant and Coppercoat Vanguard. Both of these cards look to strengthen your Human army with +1/+1 counters and an additional +1/0 and Ward 1. To protect those two key pieces the deck runs Dauntless Bodyguard and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben. Dauntless Bodyguard can sacrifice itself to give the creature it chose Indestructible. Meanwhile, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben doesn’t outright protect a creature but does impose a one mana tax on all Noncreature spells, and when combined with Coppercoat Vanguard this will make a one mana kill spell cost three mana.

With all this protection and taxing on Noncreature spells, the game plan is to load up the board with Humans and run over the opponent. Recruitment Officer and Adeline, Resplendent Cathar can help fill the board by searching for additional three mana value or less creatures, to which there are twenty-six, or generate Human tokens during the attack phase. To clear the way for the Human army, Brutal Cathar and Ossification can remove a key blocker or threat. Board wipes are something to watch out for, so as an insurance policy against that two copies of Brave the Elements will give all your White creatures protection from the chosen color until the end of turn.