Pioneer Tier List

An Aggressive Explosive Creature Deck: The best deck in Pioneer is also the most boring! The PIO version of Mono-Red runs even more ways to prevent gaining life in an otherwise familiar shell. Not content with ruining just Standard, the pile of value-generating mice continues to deal 20 damage with double strike/trample/death damage with haste after a board-wipe.

A Consistent Tempo Aggro Spells Deck: Draw cards, discard cards, and kill creatures with low cost spells while filling the graveyard. Izzet Phoenix is packed full of cantrips and cheap interaction, delve spells to keep cards flowing, and recursive threats that count the number of spells played per turn. Phoenix can always dig up what it needs while applying pressure.

A Consistent Pure Combo Deck: Search up, copy, and untap the namesake Lotus Field to generate absurd amounts of mana. As a true dedicated combo deck, Lotus Field requires a lot of moving pieces to tap Lotus Field many times in one turn and cast a massive threat or Emergent Ultimatum to win the game all at once, as early as turn three.

A Midrange Graveyard Combo Deck: Put vehicles into the graveyard and bring them back for a big attack. Greasefang has been reanimating Parhelion II for years in a powerful but fragile combo, but Aetherdrift introduced better payoffs for discarding cards. The Orzhov version is truly midrange, applying resilient pressure until value artifacts can generate lethal value.

A Traditional Hard Control Deck: Answer threats, generate value, lock down the game, and win at your leisure. Azorius Control runs the best removal and sweepers available in Pioneer, with counterspells tuned to the meta as needed and strict instant-speed card advantage. A few planeswalkers, tokens, and lands are the only threats. This is the deck for simply telling your opponent “No”.

A Consistent Disruptive Midrange Deck: Gain life, disrupt hands, kill creatures, and generate value. As long as it can interact with what the other deck is doing, Mono-Black applies consistent pressure while killing every threat that sticks. This is an excellent deck for changing gears, attacking the graveyard, and grinding out opposing resources.

A Synergistic Combo Drain Deck: Add 1 Cauldron Familiar and 1 Witch’s Oven to block and chip damage in the early game the early game. Mix in an Ygra, Eater of All to let two Cauldron Familiar’s eat each other infinitely. Season enchantments for additional lifegain or milled cauldron familiars. Serve with Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER (Optional) for a fair win-con.

A Proactive Goldfish Lifegain Deck: Play angels, gain life, and attack with angels- yes each of those angels gained you 36 life. Angels only struggle against infinite combos and board wipes, flying over and ignoring everything else. Kayla’s Reconstruction and Collected Company deploy fliers that enter at the same time, triggering each other’s effects.

A Controlling Interactive Token Deck: A new style of control deck, using Caretaker’s Talent and other value-generating token producers. Being a single color allows for more colorless lands, making the most out of Fountainport, Sunken Citadel, and Field of Ruin effects. Compared to other control decks, Tokens make excellent blockers and finishers.

An All-In Toolbox Aggro Deck: Stick a single small removal-resistant creature and add power to it until it can win the game alone. All That Glitters, Ethereal Armor, and Audacity let any warded creature deal 20 damage alone, while Light-Paws searches up specific auras as needed for the matchup. Sheltered By Ghosts provides removal the archetype always lacked.

An Interactive Value Tempo Deck: Kaito and Moon-Circuit Hacker keep cards flowing and turn into real threats with a few emblems, with numerous other creatures that generate value or clear the board every time they return to play via ninjutsu. Cheap interaction spells keep the game plan safe, and Mutavault is a strong finisher with a few ninja-pumping emblems around.

An Aggressive Resilient Prowess Deck: Get creatures into play as quickly as possible to increase the damage of every burn spell. Compared to other aggro decks, Gruul can push damage for longer with Cori-Steel Cutter and additional draw spells. Green opens up better sideboard options and protection spells without a major sacrifice of mana.