The ability of green to ramp, and the aggressiveness of red’s creatures, makes Gruul a very interesting deck to play. From dealing massive amounts of damage by Turn 3, to casting huge spells before the opponent even gets their land drops, this color archetype is surely a powerful deck.
5. Gruul Elves
This deck is technically not Gruul since you need to splash white in the mana pool in order to make this work. Nevertheless, this iteration of the ever famous Elves deck is a powerful deck to use in Standard. It combines the powerful ramp mechanic of elves and their ability to snowball into a win
What this deck excels in:
- This deck uses a lot of cheap creatures that can turn the game around no matter what phase of the game you are in
- Leaf-Crowned Visionary is a value engine as it allows you to draw cards on top of it giving +1/+1 to your other elves. This helps address one of the weaknesses of Elves which is its ability to sustain aggression. With the presence of this card, you can easily refill your hand to allow you to keep pressuring the opponent
Deck list:
- 3 Jetmir, Nexus of Revels
- 4 Leaf-Crowned Visionary
- 4 Gala Greeters
- 4 Llanowar Loamspeaker
- 4 Fleetfoot Dancer
- 4 Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer
- 4 Deathbloom Gardener
- 4 Cabaretti Ascendancy
- 4 Vivien of the Hunt
- 4 Plains
- 4 Mountain
- 4 Jetmir's Garden
- 4 Rockfall Vale
- 4 Overgrown Farmland
- 5 Forest
4. Gruul Ramp
The bread and butter of Gruul, ramp uses the early game to secure mana advantage over the opponent so that you can cast more spells earlier. This is a form of aggressive deck that relies on the big creatures being cast early, usually on an empty board.
What this deck excels in:
- Ramp, the staple of Gruul, leverages the early game to gain the upper hand in mana over the competition so that you can play bigger spells earlier
- This kind of aggressive deck depends on casting the large creatures first, typically on an empty board which often catches the opponent off guard
- It also allows the opponent to play defensively and reactively which takes away their ability to build their board
Deck list:
- 3 Walking Skyscraper
- 3 Titan of Industry
- 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
- 4 Azusa's Many Journeys
- 4 Big Score
- 2 Burn Down the House
- 4 Chaotic Transformation
- 4 Strangle
- 1 The Elder Dragon War
- 3 Stimulus Package
- 4 Careful Cultivation
- 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
- 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
- 1 Karplusan Forest
- 3 Rockfall Vale
- 4 Jetmir's Garden
- 7 Forest
- 7 Mountain
3. Gruul Midrange
In the current metagame of standard, midrange decks are among the most prevalent. This is understandable given that the meta calls for a more relaxed style of play early on to prepare for dynamic plays later on in the game. This deck is a fantastic illustration of that.
What this deck excels in:
- This midrange deck is creature-heavy which is different from the typical midrange decks known in the meta.
- With the banning of Meathook Massacre, this type of deck becomes powerful since it can finish the game by overwhelming the opponent through attacks
Deck list:
- 1 Moonveil Regent
- 2 Workshop Warchief
- 2 Briarbridge Tracker
- 3 Gala Greeters
- 4 Ascendant Packleader
- 4 Defiler of Vigor
- 4 Llanowar Loamspeaker
- 4 Quirion Beastcaller
- 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
- 4 Halana and Alena, Partners
- 4 Augur of Autumn
- 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
- 1 Mountain
- 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
- 2 Shivan Reef
- 4 Rockfall Vale
- 4 Yavimaya Coast
- 4 Karplusan Forest
- 7 Forest
2. Gruul Aggro
Gruul aggro is a top-tier deck no matter what the meta is because of green mana ramp and red's hyper aggressive playstyle. Due to its ability to draw larger creatures more quickly, this deck can outperform aggro mono-red and provide you a significant board advantage.
What this deck excels in:
- A very aggressive playstyle made possible by the mana advantage of green and the speed of red's creatures
- Due to the fact that Halana and Alena, Partners' abilities provide any creature haste, you can bring in powerful creatures and shock your opponent by attacking with them in the same turn.
- With the exception of the Kumano Faces Kakkazan, all of the spells in this deck are creatures, so Quirion Beasstcaller will always activate, boosting your striking strength.
Deck list:
- 4 Ascendant Packleader
- 7 Forest
- 4 Halana and Alena, Partners
- 4 Karplusan Forest
- 4 Kumano Faces Kakkazan
- 4 Llanowar Loamspeaker
- 8 Mountain
- 4 Phoenix Chick
- 4 Quirion Beastcaller
- 4 Rockfall Vale
- 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
- 4 Squee, Dubious Monarch
- 4 Thundering Raiju
- 4 Yavimaya Iconoclast
1. Wolves
Wolves and Werewolves are some of the scariest creature tribes in the current patch of the standard meta. They use the concept of Daybound and Nightbound to switch their creatures to more powerful beings.
What this deck excels in:
- It is difficult to present the creatures from transforming to their Nightbound side which means that the cards are almost permanently at their strongest form
- This deck functions as an aggressive deck in the early game while still being able to transition to a more balanced midrange and late-game deck.
Deck list:
- 1 Tovolar, Dire Overlord
- 2 Tovolar's Huntmaster
- 2 Reckless Stormseeker
- 2 Avabruck Caretaker
- 2 Volatile Arsonist
- 3 Ill-Tempered Loner
- 3 Kessig Naturalist
- 4 Ascendant Packleader
- 4 Howlpack Piper
- 4 Goldhound
- 2 Tamiyo's Safekeeping
- 2 Prizefight
- 2 Unnatural Moonrise
- 4 Sticky Fingers
- 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
- 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
- 4 Karplusan Forest
- 4 Rockfall Vale
- 6 Mountain
- 7 Forest
You may also be interested in:
- The 10 Best MTG: Arena Decks
- MTG Arena Guide, Tips and Tricks
- MTG Arena Best Packs To Buy – A Guide for Beginners and Intermediate Players
- MTG Arena: Best Ways to Get Cards
- Top 15 Best MTG Arena Mythic Rares
- MTG Arena Ranking System Explained
- The Best Singleton Decks in MTG Arena
