[Top 10] MTG Arena Best Red Decks (Latest Patch)

The cherry blossom on this spirit's head is a powerful modification

Updated:

26 Dec 2022

Red is a color archetype that is often related to aggressive gameplays. From the ever popular Burn decks in Modern, to the ‘ol reliable Red Deck Wins, aggro has always been the name of the game for red mages. The hyper-aggressive play style of red, however, can be a double-edged sword since when you play fast, your mistakes are magnified. However, with the proper knowledge, anyone who can tame a red deck can definitely lead it to the top of the leaderboards.

10. Jund Midrange

Due to the banning of Meathook Massacre, it is possible that Midrange decks that are variations of the Rakdos Midrange will be less powerful since the amount of sustain that Meathook Massacre provides is otherworldly. Jund midrange is one of the few midrange decks that relies on its creatures rather than Invoke Despair to win games. This deck still gives you access to Liliana of the Veil and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker because it still has some Rakdos midrange elements.

What this deck excels in:

This deck combines Jund's terrifying strikes with the practicality of Rakdos Midrange.
It strikes the ideal mix between dominating the board and applying pressure to the adversary with powerful creatures during attacks.

Deck list:

3 Liliana of the Veil
4 Bloodtithe Harvester
4 Graveyard Trespasser
2 Nemata, Primeval Warden
3 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
3 Tenacious Underdog
2 Soul Transfer
4 Cut Down
2 Infernal Grasp
2 Unleash the Inferno
2 Reckoner Bankbuster
4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
4 Deathcap Glade
4 Haunted Ridge
2 Karplusan Forest
2 Mountain
1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
4 Sulfurous Springs
3 Swamp
1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
4 Ziatora's Proving Ground

9. Jeskai Invoke

The namesake of this deck, Invoke Justice, is a powerful card that can bring in threats from your graveyard and also increase the fighting power of your creatures. This deck does not have many creatures since it focuses on countering the opponent’s gameplan while focusing on the end game where Invoke Justice can be utilized to its full potential.

What this deck excels in:

Great board control since it can counter spells and remove important threats
This deck can unleash mega amounts of damage in an instant due to the big creatures that have haste

Deck list:

4 Jetmir's Garden
1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
2 The Wandering Emperor
4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
4 Manaform Hellkite
4 March of Otherworldly Light
3 Invoke Justice
1 Hinata, Dawn-Crowned
3 Deserted Beach
4 Strangle
4 Wedding Announcement
3 Adarkar Wastes
1 Fateful Absence
1 Shivan Reef
1 Otawara, Soaring City
1 Protect the Negotiators
4 Plains
4 Sundown Pass
1 Spell Pierce
1 Shivan Devastator
3 Stormcarved Coast
4 Make Disappear
1 Hurloon Battle Hymn

8. Grixis Vampires

Vampires have been known to have some of the best life gain and life drain combos in MTG history. Despite this deck not having those mechanics to utilize in Standard, this deck is still powerful with its combination of removal spells and aggressive playstyle.

What this deck excels in:

Aggressive creatures can help you gain an early advantage both on the board and in terms of life resources
This deck is great against other creature-heavy decks since it can easily get through little creatures and it has enough target removal to withstand the opponent’s aggression

Deck list:

2 Kaito Shizuki
3 Liliana of the Veil
2 Sorin the Mirthless
4 Bloodtithe Harvester
4 Corpse Appraiser
2 Evelyn, the Covetous
4 Tenacious Underdog
2 Duress
2 Soul Transfer
2 Infernal Grasp
4 Voltage Surge
4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
4 Haunted Ridge
1 Mountain
4 Shipwreck Marsh
1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
4 Stormcarved Coast
3 Sulfurous Springs
3 Swamp
1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
4 Xander's Lounge

7. Rakdos Sacrifice

Sacrifice decks were prevalent a few rotations ago with the Cat-Oven combo. Now that those cards are no longer viable in Standard, Oni-Cult Anvil replaces this annoying combo. With this deck’s ability to generate artifacts, it can easily activate Oni-Cult Anvil’s ability multiple times. That single damage will definitely stack up as the game progresses.

What this deck excels in:

This deck is an aggro deck with most of the creatures costing 3 mana or less. This means that you can mount early attacks against the opponent’s usually empty board
Once you get an artifact and Oni-Cult Anvil on the board, you can easily stack up a lot of damage as the game progresses

Deck list:

4 Bloodtithe Harvester
2 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
2 Tenacious Underdog
1 Voldaren Epicure
1 Eaten Alive
2 Soul Transfer
1 Urborg Repossession
1 Infernal Grasp
4 Voltage Surge
4 Experimental Synthesizer
4 Oni-Cult Anvil
3 Reckoner Bankbuster
4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
1 Reckoner Bankbuster
2 Unlicensed Hearse
4 Haunted Ridge
4 Mountain
1 Roadside Reliquary
1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
4 Sulfurous Springs
5 Swamp
1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
4 Ziatora's Proving Ground

6. Grixis Midrange

Despite the banning of Meathook Massacre, Grixis Midrange is still a strong deck in the meta since it has a lot of ways of dealing with existing threats, especially against Midrange mirror matches.

What this deck excels in:

Being able to block an opponent's spell is incredibly helpful, especially considering that the bulk of games will involve midrange decks.
A fantastic technique to break a deadlock against other decks that are designed for the later stages of the game is to use Rona's Vortex to delay the opponent's strategy.

Deck list:

4 Bloodtithe Harvester
4 Corpse Appraiser
3 Ertai Resurrected
3 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
3 Tenacious Underdog
2 Sorin, the Mirthless
2 Soul Transfer
2 Fires of Victory
2 Rona's Vortex
3 Voltage Surge
2 Reckoner Bankbuster
4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
4 Haunted Ridge
1 Mountain
1 Otawara, Soaring City
4 Shipwreck Marsh
3 Shivan Reef
1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
2 Stormcarved Coast
3 Sulfurous Springs
2 Swamp
1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
4 Xander's Lounge

5. Izzet Control

Izzet Control is a common control deck that employs counterspells and removal/burn spells to neutralize the threat posed by the opponent. It is a solid deck in the meta since it can handle the majority of the significant threats that are present in popular Midrange decks like Rakdos and Mono-Black.

What this deck excels in:

Early on in the game, strong counterspells and removal spells can shield you, allowing you to set up your board.
Its adaptable gameplay allows it to become an aggressive deck against slower opponents.

Deck list:

1 Hullbreaker Horror
1 Wandering Mind
2 Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
1 The Celestus
2 Reckoner Bankbuster
1 Negate
1 Abrade
2 Make Disappear
2 Fading Hope
2 Memory Deluge
4 Flame-Blessed Bolt
4 Fires of Victory
4 Consider
1 Invoke the Winds
2 Temporal Firestorm
1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
1 Otawara, Soaring City
4 Stormcarved Coast
4 Swiftwater Cliffs
4 Shivan Reef
5 Mountain
7 Island

4. Jeskai Control

Because it was designed to address all the relevant threats in the meta, this deck is a fantastic control variant. This can be your go-to control deck due to the number of saves, board wipes, and card advantages.

What this deck excels in:

This deck can counter all relevant threats in the meta.
In addition to neutralizing the majority of meta decks, it also delivers a lot of firepower.
An extremely potent card is Lier, Disciple of the Drowned, which effectively allows you to perform your spells twice thanks to Flashback. This is especially helpful when dealing with ongoing threats.

Deck list:

2 Archangel of Wrath
2 Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
1 The Celestus
4 Reckoner Bankbuster
2 Fading Hope
2 Destroy Evil
2 Negate
3 Flame-Blessed Bolt
3 Abrade
2 Sunset Revelry
4 Temporal Firestorm
3 Teferi, Who Slows the Sunset
4 The Wandering Emperor
1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
1 Plains
1 Otawara, Soaring City
1 Mountain
1 Island
1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
4 Wind-Scarred Crag
4 Sundown Pass
4 Shivan Reef
4 Adarkar Wastes
4 Deserted Beach

3. Boros Aggro

Aggressive decks are always powerful in any meta. This deck is especially strong since it is in Boros colors which is usually the standard of hyper aggressive creatures. Boros Aggro can deal excessive amounts of damage before the opponent can even think and react.

What this deck excels in:

Very cheap creatures in terms of mana cost means that you can play a lot of spells in the early stages of the game and overwhelm the opponent with sheer number
This deck is great at generating +1/+1 counters so even if the game progresses in to the later stages, your creatures will still be able to power through most blockers

Deck list:

8 Plains
7 Mountain
2 Lightning Strike
3 Intrepid Adversary
4 Bloodthirsty Adversary
2 Play with Fire
4 Reckless Stormseeker
1 Sunrise Cavalier
3 Hopeful Initiate
3 Wedding Announcement
4 Sundown Pass
4 Kumano Faces Kakkazan
3 Thundering Raiju
1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
2 Jetmir's Garden
4 Resolute Reinforcements
4 Phoenix Chick

2. Gruul Counters

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. Red Deck Wins

The name already says it all: Red deck definitely wins. If you want quick games so you can climb the ladder faster, Mono-red aggro is a deck that you will never go wrong with. Its aggressive playstyle and no nonsense damage output is a great feature that allows even beginners to pilot this deck towards the top of the rankings.

What this deck excels in:

Hyper aggressive spells means you have a ton of damage at your disposal at the early stages of the game
You can easily clear the way for your creatures by burning down the blockers that may hinder your progress

Deck list: