Recently, we saw the release of the Adventures in the Forgotten Realms set at MTG Arena, and the general public. What does this mean for Standard and the Renewal Season? It removes 4 main sets that have been staples of decks for months: Theros Beyond Death, Ikoria, M21, and most importantly, Eldraine. So, with all these sets gone, and the new ones coming in, what’s left? Well, here’s a deck that I made back at the release of Kaldheim, focusing on a mechanic from the previous set (Zendikar Rising) that just so happens to survive the current rotation cycle.
Overview
This deck focuses on the Party mechanic from ZNR. Your party can consist of up to one Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, or Wizard. When these 4 creature types come together, they can generate massive effects that can improve your team before, during, or after combat. Cards like Nimble Trapfinder, Squad Commander, Archpriest of Iona, and Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate do this fairly effectively.
A set later in Kaldheim, we saw the release of a new batch of Changelings (cards that are every creature type). Cards like Realmwalker, Bloodline Pretender, and Guardian Gladewalker fit this type. Other cards like Tazri, Beacon of Unity, The Bears of Littjara, and Journey to Oblivion provide other effects that can buff and help the team, via finding, building, and removal. Not many people choose to use a deck like this, especially since a lot of newer players don’t entirely know how the Party mechanic works. This deck requires a lot of thinking and order, as you want to be able to get your Party on the board as fast as possible to utilize those abilities.
Card Breakdown
Party Enablers
These “Small 3” of the deck are the things that can get you going in the early game, with or without a full party. Archpriest of Iona is the only 1-drop in this deck, and getting this out on Turn 1 can be a huge help for your game plan. It also can make itself a potentially evasive 5/3, which is a big benefit of a full party.
Speaking of evasion, Nimble Trapfinder becomes unblockable as soon as another creature enters the battlefield. Getting a free 2-3 damage every turn is a big help. With a full party, it will also draw a card if another creature enters the battlefield, and when it deals combat damage.If you manage to hit on a full swing, you’re drawing 4-6 cards on average from just your creatures.
Finally, the biggest of the smalls is Linvala, Shield of Sea Gate. With a full party, it can neutralize one of your opponents’ big guys for free until my next turn. However, its second ability can save your team. Giving your entire party indestructible is a big help, especially against control players who have board wipes like Doomskar.
Changelings
As the only changelings in the deck, these play something of a large role, as they enable a party quite speedily. Bloodline Pretender fits this role very nicely, as it grows as a Party type and as the other changelings enter the battlefield. When you buff this guy, and you give it some Party benefits, it can become an unstoppable killing machine.
Guardian Gladewalker is in there as a buffer, a nice, cheap creature that buffs a team member and upticks the party. As the game progresses, it can also become a nice chump blocker for the bigger dudes that your opponent has.
Realmwalker is the largest enabler out of these, allowing you to cast creature spells from the top of your library. This helps a lot, especially if you get mana flooded in the late game, and if you need to find that last party member.
Game Enders/Win Conditions
These three cards are what can take over games. Squad Commander not only generates four tokens when your party is full, but it also gives every creature you control +1/+0 and indestructible, allowing you to just swing out every turn. As soon as this guy comes down and combat comes around, it’s basically game over.
As for Maskwood Nexus, this card turns every creature you control (both in your deck and on the field) into every creature type. It automatically fills your party if you have four random creatures on the field, and can generate Party members on its own.
Tazri, Beacon of Unity helps you a lot, being able to find two creatures for your party for just 6 mana. Its ability is a bit pricey, but a one mana 4/6 isn’t that bad, right? I sure don’t think so.
The Big Guys
These two creatures are the main beatsticks of the deck, each having the specific ability of “This spell costs 1 less to cast for each creature in your party”. These guys can become cheap, late game menaces, sometimes being cast several turns early. Sea Gate Colossus can become a three mana 7/5, a very good thing to have access to at any time.
Veteran Adventurer is a bit different, as it is also a Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, and Wizard at the same time. Sadly, like changelings, it only takes up one party spot. With a full squad, a two mana 5/5 with vigilance can also end the game, as it can attack and/or block each combat.
Other Noteworthy Cards
These three cards are here in the deck for specific reasons. They act as the engines to keep your board stable and healthy, and to keep your party in good standing. Spoils of Adventure is your main draw engine, also providing lifegain. Along with the “1 less for each creature” ability, this can just keep drawing cards and fueling your board.
The Bears of Littjara is an insane buff, creating a token, making said token and other Shapeshifters into 4/4s, then killing a creature an opponent controls. It’s a pretty good Saga to put in any deck, in my opinion.
As for Journey to Oblivion, it’s literally Banishing Light but with the “1 less for each creature” ability. It’s great removal for almost anything your opponent controls, and it usually doesn’t get destroyed.
Playing the Deck
The way you play this deck is quite simple: Get your party going fast. An ideal starting hand would contain at least two colors of mana and at least 2-3 creatures that you can play on turns 1-3. This deck is fairly friendly on draws, especially with the Arena shuffler.
An ideal start is something like
T1: White > Archpriest of Iona
T2: Blue/Green > Guardian Gladewalker/Nimble Trapfinder
T3: Green > Realmwalker/Bloodline Pretender (name Warrior)
T4: Green/Blue/White > Anything that has Party Discount, otherwise Maskwood Nexus/Bears of Littjara
T5: Green/Blue/White > Same as T4; party should be on by now
T6: No lands required > Squad Commander to end the game
When Stuck: Spoils of Adventure at any cost to find lands or keep yourself alive.
Mana Problems
Since this is for Standard 2022, there is little color fixing except for the Pathways. You’re going to have to rely on shuffler/draw engines to get your lands. Starting with three colors of mana on turn three can pretty much win you the game if you draw a fourth land.
Matchup Guide
Since we don’t have too much of a Standard 2022 metagame, I’ll just go through some of the decks that I’ve seen in play when using this deck.
Mono-Black Aggro
This deck revolves around your creatures dying to removal. It has a lot of “ETB Tapped” cards, so getting creatures out on turns 1-3 is crucial. Also, just attacking can slow them down. Eventually, they will run out of removal and have to lose their own creatures in order to defend your indestructible (thanks to Squad Commander) creatures.
Mono-Red Goblins
This is probably the worst matchup for this deck. It’s a deck filled with haste creatures, and they go extremely fast and can get buffed from Hobgoblin Bandit Lord, among other things. Getting your beefy dudes out can slow them down a ton, as they will be somewhat scared to go all-in if your life total is higher than 10. It requires a lot of trading creatures and chump-blocking, as Goblins aren’t made for the late game at all.
Mono-Green Stompy/Aggro
This matchup is also bad for your deck, as it can get out larger dudes at a faster rate than Goblins. They also have the ability to fight creatures with Inscription of Abundance and make them grow with spells that just farm +1/+1 counters. Sure, you can get creatures out at the same rate, but the creatures they have all have trample. Unless you can get Squad Commander on turn four with a full party, there is little you can do to win here. Journey to Oblivion helps a tiny bit, as it is able to remove a Old-Growth Troll without killing it.
Golgari Skeletons
Just let the skeletons go through. They attack each combat if able, and Skeletal Swarming makes tapped tokens. Taking a couple hits from them won’t do much to you, even with the trample damage. The problem is, you have to be pumping out blockers at a constant rate. Squad Commander/Maskwood Nexus can help a lot. One produces 4 tokens at most, the other produces 1 per turn.
Conclusion
In short, this deck can last for a long time while still being able to win games. As no one really seems to focus on the Party mechanic anymore, this matchup can be confusing to newer opponents. Also, being rotation-proof with not too many wildcards, you can use this deck for a long time.
