💀🔥 MONO DECKS CAN'T WIN | Rakdos Midrange | Dominaria United Standard | MTG Arena Ranked 

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Less than a week and I'm already sick of seeing Liliana

I'm waiting for the inevitable "play sheoldred and cast spells that make the opponent draw cards until they die" meme deck

For the One in Best of One, exiling with the + protects the card from black discard effects.

Impossible to wine about painlands I play fetchlandsb+ shocklands in modern, those are 3 pips a time

I haven’t checked all the comments yet, but I realized when watching this video… if you meathook for 1, you had 1 black leftover to cut down braids because her power toughness went to 4 total. The secret Cut Down tech!!!

The pain lands are why mono red is even a thing anymore. I miss my pathways.

If players today are tilting about pain lands, imagine the reaction if City of Brass was printed as one of the few mana fixers in Standard.

I was the guy in the first match gg, I never drew hook and so many lands

Hello! That is my kind of deck. However since you like control, if you want to beat the meta i give you a suggestion: Deck 4 Fateful Absence (MID) 18 4 Sunset Revelry (MID) 38 3 Depopulate (SNC) 10 4 The Wandering Emperor (NEO) 42 3 Farewell (NEO) 13 2 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire (NEO) 268 5 Island (NEO) 296 3 Make Disappear (SNC) 49 2 Negate (STA) 18 3 Thirst for Discovery (VOW) 85 5 Plains (NEO) 293 2 Memory Deluge (MID) 62 2 Hullbreaker Horror (VOW) 63 1 Otawara, Soaring City (NEO) 271 3 Faithful Mending (MID) 221 4 Deserted Beach (MID) 260 4 Skybridge Towers (SNC) 256 4 Tranquil Cove (M21) 258 2 Karn's Sylex (DMU) 234

I've been having good success with a mono green Shigeki ramp deck that gets 4x invoke the ancients and 4x industry titan on the board ASAP and then using Shigeki to recur them over and over for big value. Can grind indefinitely if they don't exile Shigeki.

Blue/white or Esper was the worst decks during Ravnica Allegiance, with busted Teferi untapping lands and search for Azcanta. Despised this meta. The meta was Mono red Aggro, Mono White Aggro or Control, ... only viable 3 decks 2 of which had to be super fast to beat control otherwise they'd turn tables turn 4 or 5.

As a Rakdos player who hates anvil, thank you, finally

This meta fucking sucks

Come on cgb, I'm still waiting for the jund windgrace pile for bo1

Like everything else in Magic, your life total is a resource--and the only point that matters is the last one.

Man did this format start to feel stale in what feels like record time.

Planeswalker card needs to have the word "Then," between "Draw a card," and "You may exile," to work as intended, I believe.

One opinion for The One in Best of One {+1}: Can help tuck cards from hand against discard strategies.

It seems like every deck in standard has the same cards very boring

Absolutely delicious. Show those Black decks who’s the one in best of one!

Sheoldred single-handedly stabilizing both the board and your life total in game 1 gives an idea of how underrated this card was when it was revealed. Also it shuts down Mono-red completely if not answered properly.

Honestly, I don't like tenacious underdog here. When for the same two mana I can have Knight of Dusks Shadow which does a few things. 1 it prevents your opponent from gaining life. 2 it can be pumped as a fair enough mana sink when you haven't much else to spend on at the time 3 it has menace which makes it somewhat evasive for damage application 4 and most importantly in many cases it will be a much more tempting target than sheoldred for spot removal allowing Sheoldred to be a bit more sticky on the battlefield and get that turn or two of extra gain-n-drain. TD was nerfed by Cut Down imho he gets slammed with it every time I pull him out against another deck running black, and while KoDS can also succumb to cut down, he allows you to buy him out of it for 2 mana if you have it open.

Why does it have to be black? 😟

yesterday monoblack, learned. put red in it. tomorrow leave despair and liliana behind and get a third color, imo doesnt matter blue white or green. As long as u use 2for1

Wanna spank the discard meta decklist below Deck 3 Ziatora, the Incinerator (SNC) 231 2 Ziatora's Envoy (SNC) 232 4 Rivaz of the Claw (DMU) 215 3 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker (NEO) 141 3 Atsushi, the Blazing Sky (NEO) 134 1 Ragefire Hellkite (DMU) 285 2 Junji, the Midnight Sky (NEO) 102 2 Voltage Surge (NEO) 171 3 Bloodtithe Harvester (VOW) 232 3 Soul Transfer (NEO) 122 4 Rockfall Vale (MID) 266 4 Ziatora's Proving Ground (SNC) 261 2 The Meathook Massacre (MID) 112 4 Haunted Ridge (MID) 263 2 Sulfurous Springs (DMU) 256 2 Karplusan Forest (DMU) 250 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire (NEO) 278 4 Deathcap Glade (VOW) 261 1 Swamp (NEO) 288 3 Mountain (SNC) 269 3 Infernal Grasp (MID) 107 2 The Cruelty of Gix (DMU) 87 2 Urborg Repossession (DMU) 114

Could you please make a mardu sacrifice deck featuring Lagomos, Elas il-Kor, and other cards that fit

Meathook Meta until next September? This cards wins/looses way to much games alone (in my opinion)

A month before rotation I was running a rotation proof mono black deck that is basically everywhere now. I knew black was going to take over I felt it getting stronger with the last few sets and it has really taken off.

Counting your removal, based on what I’ve experienced today in Platinum, you are 10 removal cards short. My Jund Windgrace deck just is getting Slaughtered. I counted the average graveyard, 9-10 removal spells by games end. It’s fucking miserable.

Most I can stomach is 4-6 pain lands depending on how much life gain is baked into the deck.

Needs a one of Shivan Devstator for a small cheeky and sneaky factor.

Anvil is NOT more boring than cat-oven or angels. And in historic you can do far more interesting things with Anvil than cat-oven.

Few Days into new Standard and I am demanding Invoke Despair to be banned. In a slow ass Meta like this that Card is absolutely broken.

Apparently Im one of the weak whiners, and after doing my pushups I still don't get it with the new lands... Arent't they only better on turn 2 if you kept a twolander and did't play your tapland on turn 1 or you just got 2 taplands? And only if you need to play a 2drop? If your deck is full of dual/triple taplands I can understand taking painlands... But otherwise especially in a dual color deck I got no clue why one prefers them. The dimir version is missing anyway :)

oh wotc....i hope your happy with what you've done... (decided to play a little standard, back to back games of mono black or rakdos...literally nothing else in 8 games)

Who wouldn't run a pain land? If you don't need the specific mana, it taps for a colorless and no damage. Otherwise, take 1 damage and play a card you wouldn't have been able to play otherwise. That seems like a win.

There is an extra turn spell still in standard... perhaps a control deck that puts it to use is what will stop the black midrange decks from running this meta

Not enough card advantage IMHO. Gonna drop a Kiki, meat, and invoke, and add celeste, evolved#2, rbb#2.

Control deck you say huh. Try bant superfiends. I have been giving people the business with that deck and it's super fun to play

Was there a commander video that I missed? I don’t see one for this week! Last one I see is 9 days old? I like the other formats, but especially enjoy the commander games! What did I miss?

Painlands are nice because they let my control deck win from 1 as often as I want. If you don't play them you're leaving that tilt on the table!

I'm sure the pain lands do give you an edge, I still dislike them out of principle. How dare my own cards harm me.

I’d cut the 1 drops for 1 land and 2 more ob nix. He and Sheoldred close out games so fast. Might also consider Braids

Y'all might want to start running one copy of Pithing Needle in your decks for this meta...

Two Rage Against the Machine lyric references in a week! I would not have guess that you're a fan, nice 🤘

This is the second video where Cut Down could have worked on a creature after playing the meathook, is that how that interaction works?

* Gently sobbing in the corner * " but I can't do ANY push-ups. " LOL

Hey cgb I'm curious about your thoughts on tramway station or the other capenna sac2draw lands over gain lands. Is sacking lands too steep? Or is the life too relevant?

1:99 beautiful. Just beautiful lmao. Let the pain (lands) set you free.

Pain lands have been perfectly fine with me. I run 8 of them. Lol. It’s like you said, the double to triple value cards are what makes the meta scary. Haha. You just can’t overpower a lot of them by conventional means. Therefore I like this idea of 4x Meathooks.

Pls do a grixis Ob and invoke dispair 🤗 I love playing it on paper and I would love an updated decklist 🥰

Exiling cards from your hand keeps them safe from the duress’s of the world.

Not a big fan of evolved sleeper. Strong card but takes a lot of mana to get it going. Plus, it can easily be taken out

What about Orzhov? Lilly, Sorin and the Emperor together?

Yeah at plat 2 at the moment I'm 50% vs Rakdos as mono red but mono black control just owns me lol

2:34 should make them go back in time 20 years and play city of brass or ancient tomb.

This +1 on your planeswalker card is an anti-discard deck mechanism.

Arena always flooded me with lands in the mid game playing against this deck which cost me a lot of games 😔

AWESOME VIDEO MUST WATCH IMMEDIATELY especially if you love the triple D draining death and DESPAIRRRR enjoyed every second and that opponent jund deck is interesting and ty CGB for confirming that you will use that Avatar deck that can steal land and stayed till the end even through commercial for more support cool CGB Planeswalker and can't wait to see what you do next and please never forget CGB you're cool 😎🤟🏾❤️

Anybody else do their 10 pushups for not liking the pain lands?

Falls asleep watching cgb... que in the loudest outro in the world

Agree with your opinion on the pain lands but did the press-ups anyway.

Ooh... So THIS is the reason I keep running into Rakdos in ranked...

Please bant list :) lots of okay variants we just need someone to perfect it

lololololol "mono decks" this is just on the meta range of monoblack to mostlymonoblack

I've had luck with 3 hooks and a one of burn down just a thought

I wana play dimir but the mana base right now is ... not desirable.

I think people forget that pain lands can also just tap for a colorless without loss of life So early on in the game you might take 1 or 2 damage but mid and late game you'll rarely be taking damage from them because you won't need them for colored mana Compare this to shock lands where late game if you need to play it as an untapped land you still have to pay the 2 life regardless if you need the colored mana or not

Completely agree with how boring Anvil decks are. It was my best deck in the last meta, and I couldn’t bring myself to ladder with it. Saved up for this format instead & glad I did.

Please try and make a deck using the vehicles from neon D and mechtitian core.

Best removal infernal grasp👎 meathook/lilliana👍

So the best counter to invoke despair decks is an invoke despair deck?

Back to back virtually identical decks? Yeesh

Since rotation everyone is forgetting how much of a beast Esper is. It's weird. Replacing Luminarch ass-pirate for The Benalia card from Dominaria or The Knight of Dusk's Shadow more or less makes the deck just as effective if not better than it was prior to rotation.

2:31 i just finished my 10 pushups sensei!!!

Heck no, Explorer is Rakdos city.

oh man, this deck plays sweet. I've added 2 lands and just meathooked a Silverback Elder. I didn't spend all my wildcards on this, so another great tech for the budget players is the combination of Sheoldred and Vile Stinger targeting the opponent for 6 damage.

There r some very well placed Black/blue cards that help alot as well sloting in not to mention there's a nice way of sifting to agro control by tossing a blue djinn so far haven't lost a match in best of one or best of 2 in ranked since I built it and went from bronze to gold 3 now on it mostly so many ways to build with black/blue thr djinn is nice but I prefer haveing a card or land to always draw from and always removal with 24 sources of removal in different ways and soul transfer is super underrated 2 of perfect getting that one planswalker or creature back late game or in general when your opponents hand and yours is dead from lilly or just a removal

At 38:45 you could've blitzed both underdogs and swung in for lethal. It doesn't play around a 1 mana removal. I know you know, but think of it more of helping other players out who maybe didn't see the line.

A Simic ramp build playing a ton of lands with Azusa's Many Journeys and Joint Exploration could slam Titan of Industry two or three turns early and go over the top that way >.>

hey man i really enjoyed your dimir Sedgewood Witch with Lier flashback shennanigans from last rotation, i found mixing up Lier and a couple slip out the backs and ronas vortex into the mono black control deck thats dominating atm makes for a well rounded deck, and getting to flashback an invoke to darkness is mighty nice. Id love to see your spin on placing Lier into a new Dimir standard deck if you had the time

Exactly what I was expecting: no reason to play Rakdos instead of Jund or Grixis. The splash is free, the cards the 3rd color gives are amazing and Invoke is still playable in 3 colors very easily

you are chubby aswell! i want 25 push ups too!

In the MTGGoldfish meta breakdown for the first week of this Standard, the top 6 decks are all midrange piles with black as one of the colors.

CGB HATES sacrifice decks lol

Fan art is one step away from fan fiction. Can’t wait 🤣

only good pain-lands are shock lands, ancient tomb and city ^^ .. but very nice to see cards that did work back in ice age standard still do work in todays standard ^^ same with Liliana who's 10 years old by now

I have enough crap luck trying to get enough of one land, every time I try to get more than one kind it is even worse. I can survive with 4-5 mana in play mono - no chance if I'm not.

Fable of the Mirror Breaker is going to be the new siege rhino in this meta, I can already smell it. The free 2 for one is just way too powerful as evidenced by literally every single deck in this video running at least 2 of them

We all paid 2 life to shock in untapped dual lands 2 years ago. Don't see why over the course of the game paying 1 or 2 life with the current pain lands scare ppl.

0-10 with this deck in diamond 😞

Cgb did you notice about soul of windgrace that it doesn't target the land. You if you have mana you can pitch a land in response to the trigger with his ability

I knew I was going to miss Devistating Mastery. That card swept up these Rackos Avil Decks so nicely.

I love pain lands. In a rakdos deck the sulfurous springs is no different than a city of Brass which is a powerful land

Anyone ever tried watching CGB's intro in 144p it's like it's underwater

I am in diamond 3 right now w/ Jund+ a skyturtle for the memes. It's been fun thus far but many opponents just scoop when they see Titans on turn 3 or 4. It has lots of overlap with your deck

I want to see a dimir sheoldred protection & card draw deck.

CGB! Those pain lands…. I love ‘em! Thanks for the decks/deck ideas! Great videos keep it up sensei!

city of brass one of the best lands ever.