[Top 10] MTG Arena Best Red Decks That Wreck hard

art of the planeswalker Chandra Nalaar from magic the gathering

Updated:

21 Nov 2022

Are you ready to burn through the ranks of standard?

Red is the color of aggression and energy. This energy is what drives the pyromancer and devil drivers who use it to be feared. Whether using just red mana or pairing it with another, these decks take the flames literally and burn down any opponent who stands in their way. Will you use the goblins and knights to attack quickly or will you summon a blazing inferno to wreck your foe hard? The choice is yours planeswalker, this list gives you some options to start adding red into your mana pool.

10.Mono Red Aggro

The Fervent Champion awaiting you to build this deck

This is what red does best, hit them fast and hit them hard. This deck begins to deal damage turn one and goes for the kill early on. Use an army of creatures, and the amazing artifact embercleave to really show that aggression to all your opponents,

Why you should play Mono Red Aggro

Deals damage quickly
The spells cost little to cast which makes every turn a chance to wreck hard
You amass a board state early game

How to play this deck

Play a land and summon a creature
Use that creature to swing at your opponent
Use instants and sorceries to deal more damage
As the game progresses continue to deal damage by attacking
Repeat until the screen says victory

Deck List

Creatures (32)

4 Fervent Champion

4 Scorch Spitter

3 Tin Street Dodger

2 Rimrock Knight

4 Robber of the Rich

4 Runaway Steam-Kin

4 Anax, Hardened in the Forge

4 Bonecrusher Giant

3 Torbran, Thane of Red Fell

Spells (1)

1 Light Up the Stage

Artifacts (4)

4 Embercleave

Lands (23)

4 Castle Embereth

19 Mountain

9.Gruul Aggro

The Questing Beast is the definition of a triple threat

Was just playing red not aggressive enough for you? Do you need some bigger boys on your squad to confirm that win? Adding some green gives the ramp needed to go big and slam that win home.

Why you should play Gruul Aggro

Ramps up insanely fast to play big spells early game
Green adds larger creatures means they can’t be removed as easily
An additional color adds more variety to the deck making it more unique than just mono red

How to play this deck

Play a land and a decent sized creature that helps you ramp
Play more ramp while casting creatures your creatures will begin to grow rapidly
Play as much ramp as you can and unleash one of the bigger creatures this can happen as early as turn three
Secure the kill by playing every creature you draw and use them to beat your opponent to death
If the boys are not big enough make them bigger with instants and sorceries until victory appears on screen

Decklist

Creatures (30)

4 Pelt Collector

4 Robber of the Rich

3 Scavenging Ooze

3 Zhur-Taa Goblin

4 Bonecrusher Giant

1 Klothys, God of Destiny

1 Radha, Heart of Keld

3 Gemrazer

4 Questing Beast

2 Shifting Ceratops

1 Elder Gargaroth

Spells (3)

1 Shock

2 Soul Sear

Artifacts (3)

3 Embercleave

Lands (24)

2 Fabled Passage

9 Forest

5 Mountain

4 Stomping Ground

4 Temple of Abandon

8.Izzet Tempo

The sprite dragon's pretty wings are to distract enemies while it grows to eat them

The ferocity of red and the calculated plays of blue. This deck is built to outlast aggro and stick around longer than your opponent will want you to. The longer you are alive in the game the more damage your sprite dragons will deal.

Why you should play Izzet Tempo

Blue allows you to draw what you need to stay alive
Red allows you to remove potential late game threats or deal with instant problems
Dragons are cool

How to play this deck

Drop a land for turn and pass you don’t need to worry
Use all your resources to make your opponent's turn function as an additional one for you instant speed is your friend
Make sure to feed the dragons they will come in handy later
Do not forget to keep using all the turns to make sure the game is going how you want it to by playing spells
By playing this way your dragons will become monsters because they are overfed and you swing out

DeckList

Creatures (14)

2 Spectral Sailor

4 Dreadhorde Arcanist

4 Sprite Dragon

4 Stormwing Entity

Planeswalkers (1)

1 The Royal Scions

Spells (21)

4 Crash Through

4 Opt

2 Samut's Sprint

4 Shock

4 Unsummon

3 Aether Gust

Enchantments (4)

4 Riddleform

Lands (20)

6 Island

6 Mountain

4 Steam Vents

4 Temple of Epiphany

7. Mono Red Cavalcade

Another day as a member of the Rakdos guild

It’s time to unleash the calamity with pure red carnage. This deck is as aggressive as the other mono red deck on this list. However, it takes advantage of an enchantment that allows the wrecking to just be multiplied even more.

Why you should play Cavalcade

Only using one color eliminates the need for more lands and allows for more spells
Fast paced gameplay that keeps you engaged
Produces more damage by giving more non-creature spells

How to play this deck

Use your mana to play creatures and establish a board state quickly
The enchantments and other spells are used to deal damage
Continue to conjure more calamity for additional damage
Multiply the damage even more with the artifacts and enchantments
Swing unitl victory is achieved with the aid you continue to play

Decklist

Creatures (26)

4 Fervent Champion

4 Grim Initiate

4 Scorch Spitter

4 Tin Street Dodger

3 Chandra's Pyreling

1 Robber of the Rich

3 Bonecrusher Giant

3 Torbran, Thane of Red Fell

Planeswalkers (2)

2 Chandra, Acolyte of Flame

Spells (6)

4 Shock

2 Light Up the Stage

Artifacts (3)

3 Embercleave

Enchantments (4)

4 Cavalcade of Calamity

Lands (19)

1 Castle Embereth

18 Mountain

6. PawBlade

Their bark is almost as bad as their bite

Red and white combine for a union that protects your value. Red gives us the ability to wreck and white protects our wrecking ability. Still going fast but, playing just a bit slower to try and see what tricks can be used to turn the battle our way.

Why you should play Pawblade

White provides protection from instants and sorceries
Able to change the pacing of the game using a mid-range strategy
Dogs look adorable and deal the damage needed to secure the win

How to play this deck

This deck is mid-range play what you can when available
Do not be afraid to lose some of the dogs they will help protect you and their furry friends on the board
We still have the trusty embercleave to put blades in the paws of the hounds
Winota is where the value is, in this deck exploit her constantly by playing humans
Swinging will trigger the mentor ability and that will trigger your victory screen if used wisely

Decklist

Creatures (30)

2 Gingerbrute

4 Selfless Savior

4 Alpine Houndmaster

2 Alpine Watchdog

2 Igneous Cur

4 Tithe Taker

3 Legion Warboss

2 Tajic, Legion's Edge

3 Basri's Lieutenant

4 Winota, Joiner of Forces

Spells (4)

4 Raise the Alarm

Artifacts (2)

2 Embercleave

Lands (24)

2 Castle Embereth

8 Mountain

8 Plains

4 Sacred Foundry

2 Temple of Triumph

5.Mardu Winota

Winota awating the call to combat

Red and white make an excellent team but, using black along with them makes this deck a challenge for your opponent. Black brings removal into your arsenal allowing for more tricks during the game. This deck makes use of the companion Jegantha to make it easier to draw upon the colors we need.

Why you should play Winota

Versatile color combo
Can keep up with aggro decks and stop other decks from drawing the game out
Tons of tricks during combat between the creatures and spells

How to play this deck

Make use of the companion to help get the colors you need
Use Winota to deal damage and build an army quickly
The amass mechanic allows you to create large zombie tokens that can be used to block or attack
Mentor is essential for the damage and bulk needed to survive or kill
Leaving mana open will give you a chance to respond to problems your opponents may play that turn or generate value in the long term

4.Temur Elementals

Uro has escaped and is waiting for you to help him take over standard

This deck uses red, blue, and green to play big spells and respond to anything that stands in its path. Wrecking is an understatement, when this deck allows the largest creatures to bring havoc to the board early game. You win by flooding the board with creatures and watching the monsters grow to win the game.

Why you should play Temur Elementals

Allows you to ramp up fast and play devastating cards early on
Mana production is not an issue because most of the creatures give you the mana you need
The creatures make each other stronger so the more you put into play, the better your odds of winning

How to play this deck

Use the mana dorks to get the colors and power you need to play the big boys
Play the big boys and keep on playing them until you overwhelm your foe
Take advantage of the powerful titan Uro using his ability to neutralize most threats
The elementals allow you to look for the cards you need, do this as much as possible
Against other control decks use your mana wisely if fighting aggro decks use the big boys to take the damage so you don't have to

Decklist

Companion

1 Yorion, Sky Nomad

Creatures (29)

2 Hydroid Krasis

4 Leafkin Druid

4 Paradise Druid

3 Bonecrusher Giant

4 Risen Reef

4 Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath

4 Omnath, Locus of the Roil

4 Cavalier of Thorns

Planeswalkers (6)

2 Nissa, Who Shakes the World

4 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

Spells (6)

3 Aether Gust

3 Genesis Ultimatum

Lands (39)

4 Breeding Pool

1 Castle Vantress

4 Fabled Passage

5 Forest

3 Island

4 Ketria Triome

1 Mountain

4 Steam Vents

4 Stomping Ground

3 Temple of Abandon

3 Temple of Epiphany

3 Temple of Mystery

3.Mardu Knights

Embercleave is the sword for taking names and winning all the games

Using red, white, and black, this time we are going all out with an aggro approach.You know the drill, hit your opponent really hard and don't stop til they die. The color combo gives you even more instruments of death to make the game end even faster.

Why you should play Mardu Knights

The knights have heavy synergy
Easy to pick up and play
Feels satisfying to give a small human a big sword that can change the game instantly

How you should play this deck

Like all aggro decks play aggressively
Hit them really hard
Hit them really hard again
Hit them really hard again if they are still alive
Use embercleave to secure the win by hitting them really hard

Deck List

Companion

1 Lurrus of the Dream-Den

Creatures (33)

4 Fervent Champion

1 Foulmire Knight

4 Knight of the Ebon Legion

4 Venerable Knight

4 Blacklance Paragon

4 Inspiring Veteran

4 Smitten Swordmaster

4 Stormfist Crusader

4 Worthy Knight

Spells (5)

3 Fight as One

2 Dire Tactics

Lands (22)

4 Blood Crypt

4 Godless Shrine

2 Plains

4 Sacred Foundry

4 Swamp

4 Tournament Grounds

2.Cycling

Lurrus, the companion that was so strong they needed to ban cards to stop him

The underdog of the decks on this list, it uses red, white, blue, and a splash of black. The goal here is to use the ability called cycling to load up your graveyard with cards. Then, once nobody is looking, use spells that take advantage of the loaded graveyard

Why you should play Cycling

Does not require combat to win
A more relaxed play style for a more causal experience in arena
It is really funny to watch your graveyard expand as your opponent's life total drops at the same time

How you should play this deck

Draw as much as you can
Use red to deal damage as early as you can and start discarding cards
It is ok if you lose certain cards while cycling because the companion allows you to play them from your grave
Try to leave mana open so you can shut down threats that may emerge
Cycle constantly to load up that grave and then cast spells that take advantage of the amount of cards you have

Decklist

Companion

1 Lurrus of the Dream-Den

Creatures (18)

4 Flourishing Fox

2 Selfless Savior

4 Drannith Healer

4 Drannith Stinger

4 Valiant Rescuer

Spells (20)

4 Go for Blood

4 Startling Development

4 Memory Leak

4 Zenith Flare

2 Frostveil Ambush

2 Boon of the Wish-Giver

Enchantments (4)

4 Footfall Crater

Lands (18)

5 Mountain

9 Plains

4 Sacred Foundry

1.Temur Adventures

Adventure awaits all you need to do is play this deck

The growth of green, the speed of red, and the draw power of blue all in one deck. There is only one deck in standard right now that is beating this one. Go on some adventures and climb your way to the top of the food chain using this deck.

Why you should play Temur Adventures

The three colors combined are ridiculously powerful
The adventure ability on almost every creature lets them function as spells in addition to bulking up your board
It is one of the top 3 decks in standard right now

How to play this deck

Use instants to prevent anything that you do not want to happen
Adventures will provide you with ways to deal damage and effect the board cast the spell before the creature for maximum value
Use ramp as needed to make sure you can gain the colors you need early on
Using the creature abilities together makes for an easy win
Do not hesitate to remove threats

Creatures (27)

4 Edgewall Innkeeper

4 Fae of Wishes

3 Goblin Electromancer

4 Bonecrusher Giant

4 Brazen Borrower

4 Lovestruck Beast

4 Beanstalk Giant

Spells (3)

3 Escape to the Wilds

Artifacts (4)

4 Lucky Clover

Lands (26)

4 Breeding Pool

6 Forest

4 Island

1 Ketria Triome

2 Mountain

3 Steam Vents

4 Stomping Ground

1 Temple of Abandon

1 Temple of Mystery

You may also be interested in:

Email us about this article

James McDonald

Avid gamer, casual planeswalker and occasional cunning linguist. James is an encyclopedia of comic book heroes,anime superpowers, video game trivia and grammar when it counts.

Gamer Since:

2002

Favorite Genre:

RPG

Currently Playing:

Kingdom Hearts

Top 3 Favorite Games:

DOOM, Fallout: New Vegas, Prototype

More Top Stories