Magic: the Gathering is a game of wits that requires an immense understanding of the different card interactions. Experts of the game dedicate a huge amount of their time fine-tuning their decks to get the most synergy out of their cards. This is only possible if you know, and mastered, the absolute basics of the game. 

Despite this, MTG is still a game that can be beginner-friendly. There are decks that are still very powerful while having simple mechanics that can be easily understood by new players. The decks that will be presented in this article are the best starter decks that still pack a punch. Take note that some of the decks mentioned here are still used even by top Mythic players. 

10. Burn 

Mono-red burn is an exciting deck that is really powerful and is great even for beginners. With its cheap spells and basic interactions, even a person that is playing this deck, or even MTG, for the first time can still excel with this powerful deck. It uses the abilities of its creatures to deal damage to the opponent. Since the damage source is not from an attack, then obviously, the opponent cannot block these, allowing you to sneak in massive amounts of damage. 

What this deck excels at:

• Very cheap deck since you will only need 4 Mythic cards for the best version of the deck
• Good combination of active and passive damage. Passive damage comes from the creature’s ability wherein whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, they automatically deal damage to the opponent whether or not the said spell resolves
• Good against decks that rely on an overwhelming number of weak creatures. This deck is equipped with crowd-control cards that can wipeout the opponent’s board full of 1/1 and 2/2 creatures, allowing you more time to finish them off with burn spells

Card list

• 20 Mountain
• 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
• 4 Voldaren Epicure
• 4 Smoldering Egg
• 3 Thermo-Alchemist
• 3 Kessig Flamebreaker
• 4 Play with Fire
• 4 End the Festivities
• 4 Voltage surge
•  4 Reckless Impulse
• 4 Kamis Flare
• 2 Curse of Shaken Faith
• 4 Kumano Faces Kakkazan
• 4 Chandra, Dressed to Kill

9. Azorius Soldiers

A synergistic deck that relies on the interactions between the creatures. Azorius Soldiers can be considered as an aggressive to midrange type of deck since it can create an early onslaught while still having the fuel to battle it out at the later stages of the game. It is also a good deck to have against decks that have a lot of noncreature spells since it taxes the opponent’s noncreature spells. 

What this deck excels at:

• Plenty sources of damage from small creatures to creature tokens
• Great against control decks since it also has its own variety of counterspells and ways to remove threats momentarily
• Serra Redeemer ensures that even if you cast cheap creatures at the later stages of the game, they can still pack a punch as it pumps these creatures with counters once they enter the battlefield

Card list

• 7 Plains
• 3 Island
• 4 Deserted Beach
• 4 Adarkar Wastes
• 4 Thran Portal
• 2 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 1 Otawara, Soaring City
• 4 Guardian of New Benalia
• 4 Resolute Reinforcements
• 4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
• 4 Valiant Veteran
• 3 Dennick, Pious Apprentice
• 4 Brutal Cathar
• 4 Serra Redeemer
• 2 Fading Hope
• 4 Protect the Negotiators
• 4 Make Disappear

8. Mono-red Aggro

A little different from the Mono-Red Burn deck mentioned earlier, this deck is a more creature heavy approach to mono-red. This deck incentivizes the player to keep swinging with creatures to overwhelm the opponent’s blockers.

What this deck excels at:

• A consistent output of damage both from creatures and spells
• Burn spells can simply be directed at the opponent’s creatures to make way for clear attacks
• You can easily cast some of the cards from the graveyard, allowing you to recover even from board wipes.

Card list

• 19 Mountain
• 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
• 4 Phoenix Chick
• 2 Electrostatic Infantry
• 3 Reckless Stormseeker
• 2 Squee, Dubious Monarch
• 4 Defiler of Instinct
• 1 Shivan Devastator
• 4 Lightning Strike
• 4 Play with Fire
• 4 Ancestral Anger
• 4 Reckless Impulse
• 4 Kumano Faces Kakkazan
• 2 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
• 2 Chandra, Dressed to Kill

7. Azorius Tempo 

With the ability to protect its creatures from removal spells, Azorius Tempo gives its handler the chance to pick out when to strike the opponent. Tempo decks are known to be able to slowly establish their board by having the ability to summon low-cost creatures that they can protect while constantly dishing out damage. 

What this deck excels at:

• This deck is good against single-target removal spells as it has cards that can allow creatures to phase out
• With the ability to phase out, the creatures of this deck can dodge board wipes which ensures the stability of your board state
• It has a good mix of card draw, control, and slightly aggressive creatures which all balances out

Card list

• 7 Island
• 7 Plains
• 4 Deserted Beach
• 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 1 Otawara, Soaring City
• 4 Delver of Secrets
• 4 Illuminator Virtuoso
• 2 Ledger Shredder
• 4 Slip out the Back
• 4 Spell Pierce
• 4 Boon of Safety
• 4 Impulse
• 4 Make Disappear
• 4 Homestead Courage
• 2 Combat Research
• 4 Security Bypass

6. Boros Justice

A pretty slow deck compared to most of the decks in the list, Boros Justice relies on surviving the early game onslaught of most decks to capitalize on heavy-hitting spells at the end stage of the game.

What this deck excels at:

• This deck is really powerful when it comes to the middle- to late-stages of the game as it has a lot of heavy-hitting creatures
• The early game gives you card advantage and prevents early pressure from the opponent with card draw, removal spells, and chump blocks
• Once you get into the endgame, both Creatures and Sagas can capitalize on the card advantage gained at the start of the game

Card list

• 8 Plains
• 2 Mountain
• 4 Wind-Scarred Crag
• 4 Jetmir’s Garden
• 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
• 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 4 Sundown Pass
• 4 Spirited Companion
• 4 Sanctuary Warden
• 4 Titan of Industry
• 4 Invoke Justice
• 4 Cathartic Pyre
• 4 The Elder Dragon War
• 4 The Restoration of Eiganjo
• 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
• 4 The Wandering Emperor

5. Grixis Vampires 

Vampire decks have been known for their great synergy and their ability to play with their graveyard. Grixis Vampires is an exciting twist to the once powerful Orzhov Vampires. 

What this deck excels at:

• Powerful planeswalkers gives you all the advantage you need to utilize the strength of this deck
• Removal spells and counterspells ensures that you can remove early threats and counter big spells from your opponent to protect your board state
• High synergy between the creatures gives you an opportunity to mount an overwhelming attack at any stage of the game

Card list

• 1 Swamp
• 4 Shivan Reef
• 4 Sulfurous Springs
• 4 Shipwreck Marsh
• 4 Haunted Ridge
• 2 Stormcarved Coast
• 4 Xander’s Lounge
• 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
• 1 Otawara, Soaring City
• 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• 4 Bloodtithe Harvester
• 4 Tenacious Underdog
• 4 Corpse Appraiser
• 2 Evelyn, the Covetous
• 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
• 2 Meathook Massacre
• 4 Voltage Surge
• 2 Make Disappear
• 1 Cut Down
• 1 Infernal Grasp
• 2 Kaito Shizuki
• 4 Liliana of the Veil

4. Mono-green Aggro

An aggressive deck that relies on overwhelming the board state with huge creatures. This deck uses its great mana curve to ensure that a creature is put into play at every stage of the game, allowing you to build up a stable board state where you can attack every combat phase. Its is great for beginners as it is a deck that does not have very complicated interactions. It only has one goal in mind: attack. 

What this deck excels at:

• Uncomplicated mana situation since it is mono-colored which means that the risk for mana screw is pretty low
• Great creatures that can withstand removal spells allows you to maintain a stable board state
• You no longer have to think of complicated interactions as you can win the game just by swinging at your opponent and overwhelming them with high-powered creatures

Card list

• 23 Forest
• 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
• 4 Ascendant Pack Leader
• 4 Quirion Beastcaller
• 4 Llanowar Loamspeaker
• 4 Briarbridge Tracker
• 2 Jewel Thief
• 4 Cemetery Prowler
• 4 Ulvenwald Oddity
• 4 Defiler of Vigor
• 1 Avarbruck Caretaker
• 4 Tail Swipe
• 1 Tamiyo’s Safekeeping

3. Gruul Aggro

Gruul has been known to cultivate monsters in their decklists. An aggressive deck that focuses on building the board while creating constant pressure towards the late-game, Gruul Aggro is a great starter deck that anyone can use. The only way to play this game is to keep swinging with your monsters and end the game even before the opponent gets the chance to hit the concede button. 

What this deck excels at:

• A good balance of cheap creatures and powerful late-game monsters provides your opponent a threat at any phase of the game. 
• The cheap creatures gain power ups when other bigger creatures enter the battlefield. This means that even the 2-mana cost creatures you cast early on can still pack a punch at the later stages of the game
• Even against other creature decks, this deck is at an advantage as it overpowers most creature decks due to the high power and toughness of its creatures

Card list

• 9 Forest
• 9 Mountain
• 4 Rockfall Vale
• 1 Boseju, Who Endures
• 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
• 1 Rabbit Battery
• 4 Quirion Beastcaller
• 4 Yavimaya Iconoclast
• 3 Radha’s Firebrand
• 3 Briarbridge Tracker
• 4 Reckless Stormkeeper
• 4 Thundering Raju
• 3 Halana and Alena, Partners
• 4 Shivan Devastator
• 4 Kumano Faces Kakkazan
• 2 Lightning Strike

2. Mono-white Aggro

This aggressive deck relies on the synergy of its creatures to ensure a constant threat on the board. With its creatures buffing other creatures, you can surprise the opponent with a powerful attack during your combat phases. A huge portion of this deck costs three mana or less which allows you to have the early threat that can quickly finish the game off for your opponent. 

What this deck excels at:

• Cheap cards in terms of mana cost allows you to have a stable board in the early stages of the game
• Highly synergistic creatures buffs up the power of your other creatures making your attacking prowess something to be feared
• It generates +1/+1 counters, tokens, and even allows lifegain. These three aspects make sure you have whatever you need at any stage of the game. 

Card list

• 22 Plains
• 2 Elganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 4 Hopeful Initiate
• 4 Lunarch Veteran
• 4 Guardian of New Benalia
• 4 Intrepid Adversary
• 3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
• 3 Anointed Peacekeeper
• 3 Brutal Cathar
• 3 Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
• 2 Serra Paragon
• 4 Wedding Announcement
• 2 The Wandering Emperor

1. Selesnya Enchantments

This deck relies on the buff that the creatures get from multiple enchantments. Almost all of the creatures in this deck cost two mana or less which means you can cast them early on in preparation for the enchantments. There are also creatures that gain more power the more enchantments you have on the board. 

What this deck excels at:

• Very cheap deck in terms of average mana cost which means you can cast a lot of spells immediately and also recover from board wipes instantaneously
• The enchantments in this deck can boost the power of your creatures and also detain the creatures of the opponent
• Multiple copies of Jukai Naturalist allows you to cast enchantments for practically free since they reduce the mana cost of these enchantment spells

Card list

• 8 Plains
• 5 Forest
• 4 Overgrown Farmland
• 2 Jetmir’s Garden
• 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
• 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 4 Generous Visitor
• 4 Kami of Transience
• 4 Spirited Companion
• 4 Jukai Naturalist
• 4 Weaver of Harmony
• 3 Katilda, Dawnheart Martyr
• 4 Commune with Spirits
• 4 Circle of Confinement
• 4 Michiko’s Reign of Truth
• 4 Wedding Announcement

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