Best MTG Standard decks to play (May 2024)

MTG’s Standard meta looks fascinating for May 2024, and the best decks are starting to stand out. When it comes to what decks are the best, that’s always going to be on a player-to-player basis. Not everyone feels comfortable piloting certain decks, or certain strategies don’t appeal to them. I based this on how frequently these decks show up in the traditional (best-of-three) meta, how they perform, and personal feelings about the decks.

However, this could change as the month goes on; if something amazing starts getting wins, we will likely return to update this. I also want to highlight that just because a deck appeared at the Pro Tour, that doesn’t always mean it’s going to start dominating the Standard meta. Those players have a grasp of mechanics and skills that casual players may lack.

Note: This article is subjective and solely based on the author's opinion.

Strongest decks to pick in MTG’s Standard Meta (May 2024)

1) Esper Midrange

The Wandering Emperor is one of many ways you can buff creatures (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

When it comes to the best Standard decks in MTG right now, Esper Midrange might be one of my favorites. This particular decklist was used at the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour by Arne Huschenbeth. It’s a blend of control and strong combinations. It’s a deck that gets out of control pretty fast, thanks to cards like The Wandering Emperor, Virtue of Loyalty, and Wedding Announcement.

You can create a wealth of tokens in this MTG deck and inflate their stats turn after turn, while using instants to take down key creatures your opponent needs to win the game. Between the tokens and Raffine, Scheming Seer, you can make one of your unblocked creatures into a game-winning bomb. There are a few different ways to run this deck, but I’m a fan of Arne’s concoction and it’s one of the best Standard MTG decks right now.

Deck

2 The Wandering Emperor
4 Deep-Cavern Bat
3 Faerie Mastermind
3 Dennick, Pious Apprentice
4 Raffine, Scheming Seer
1 Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal
3 Cut Down
4 Go for the Throat
3 No More Lies
4 Wedding Announcement
3 Virtue of Loyalty
1 Island
1 Plains
2 Underground River
2 Shattered Sanctum
4 Restless Anchorage
3 Deserted Beach
4 Darkslick Shores
3 Concealed Courtyard
2 Caves of Koilos
1 Raffine's Tower
1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
1 Otawara, Soaring City
1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire

Sideboard

1 The Wandering Emperor
3 Tishana's Tidebinder
1 Loran of the Third Path
1 Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal
1 Cut Down
2 Negate
1 Destroy Evil
1 Disdainful Stroke
1 Long Goodbye
3 Pest Control

2) Boros Convoke

Knight-Errant of Eos can really help in a pinch for almost no mana (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

Takumi Matsuura’s Boros Convoke is a powerful, fun aggro concept, and still easily one of the best decks in MTG’s Standard meta. Boros aggro used to frustrate me so much when I was actively playing at FNM, but now I understand and appreciate its power. You can push people around in the early game and combine Warleader’s Call with various token-producing cards to get free damage.

To top it off, you have the ridiculous MTG creature Knight-Errant of Eos, which the deck gets its name from. It has Convoke (tap X number of untapped creatures to pay for X amount of colorless mana in the cost).

When this is cast, you look at the top six of your deck and may reveal up to two creatures with mana value X or less - where X is the Convoke number you used. Those creatures go into your hand. This is a deck that goes fast and hard, and it’s not shocking to see it as one of the best MTG decks in Standard.

Deck

1 Yotian Frontliner
4 Novice Inspector
4 Warden of the Inner Sky
4 Voldaren Epicure
4 Resolute Reinforcements
4 Imodane's Recruiter
2 Sanguine Evangelist
4 Knight-Errant of Eos
4 Gleeful Demolition
4 Case of the Gateway Express
3 Warleader's Call
3 Mountain
3 Plains
2 Cavern of Souls
4 Battlefield Forge
4 Inspiring Vantage
2 Mirrex
2 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
2 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire

Sideboard

2 Destroy Evil
2 Get Lost
2 End the Festivities
2 Lithomantic Barrage
3 Urabrask's Forge
4 Invasion of Gobakhan

3) Domain Ramp

Leyline Binding for 1 mana is absolute madness (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

While I’m a firm believer that the best pro tour decks aren’t necessarily the best MTG Standard decks, Domain Ramp won the OTJ Pro Tour that recently took place, and it’s a highly popular deck. This deck takes advantage of having five land types to do some incredibly powerful things. In this case, it’s having Ziatora’s Proving Ground and Spara’s Headquarters by turn 2 to drop a 1 mana Leyline Binding.

Domain as an ability in MTG that triggers based on how many land types you have in play—those fancy Triome Lands count as three apiece. That means you can flash in a Leyline Binding for 1 mana, and exile key cards your opponent needs.

It’s all about getting that early Topiary Stomper, doing some serious mana ramp, and using cards like Astraxa, Grand Unifier, and Archangel of Wrath to set up damage. You also have the powerful Spelunking enchantment to make your lands come into play untapped - great for all the fancy lands this deck runs.

You can win the MTG match-ups in various ways, such as casting Sunfall and beating someone down with one powerful creature, or slowing the game down with Depopulate if you aren’t getting creatures. Depending on how fast you get access to all five land types, you can 1-drop Herd Migration and swarm someone with 5 3/3 bears. It’s such a fun deck.

Deck

1 Imodane's Recruiter
4 Topiary Stomper
4 Archangel of Wrath
3 Atraxa, Grand Unifier
1 Long Goodbye
1 Glimpse the Core
1 Cartographer's Survey
3 Depopulate
3 Sunfall
4 Herd Migration
3 Up the Beanstalk
2 Spelunking
4 Leyline Binding
3 Forest
1 Island
3 Plains
1 Swamp
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Spara's Headquarters
4 Jetmir's Garden
1 Raffine's Tower
4 Ziatora's Proving Ground
1 Boseiju, Who Endures

Sideboard

1 Nissa, Ascended Animist
2 Tranquil Frillback
2 Chrome Host Seedshark
3 Negate
3 Long Goodbye
2 Rest in Peace
2 Temporary Lockdown

4) Dimir Midrange

Sheoldred of the Apocalypse is one of Magic's best game enders right now (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

I’m such a big fan of Dimir Midrange, and it appears to be one of the most powerful decks in MTG’s Standard meta. Some put it at tier 2, but I don’t think I agree. With Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor, the almighty Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, and a wealth of low-cost, high-value cards to deal early damage (Deep-Cave Bat) and eliminate threats (Cut Down), it’s got non-stop value.

Aclazotz and Sheoldred are efficient ways to wrap up MTG games, but you also have Liliana of the Veil and Hostile Investigator to force discard and plenty of ways to draw cards yourself. You’ll never be out of ways to manipulate the game's flow until it’s time to win. You can counter spells, destroy creatures, draw free cards, and do constant discard to your opponents. What’s not to like?

Deck

4 Preacher of the Schism
3 Deep-Cavern Bat
3 Caustic Bronco
2 Faerie Mastermind
3 Hostile Investigator
3 Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor
2 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
1 Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal
4 Go for the Throat
3 Cut Down
4 Make Disappear
2 Liliana of the Veil
3 Swamp
4 Shipwreck Marsh
4 Underground River
2 Mirrex
1 Otawara, Soaring City
3 Restless Reef
2 Field of Ruin
2 Island
1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
4 Darkslick Shores

Sideboard

1 Cut Down
1 Liliana of the Veil
1 Gisa, the Hellraiser
1 Gix's Command
1 Tishana's Tidebinder
2 Path of Peril
2 Unlicensed Hearse
1 Sorin the Mirthless
1 Kaito Shizuki
2 Duress
1 Negate
1 Disdainful Stroke

Some decks simply didn't make the cut for a variety of reasons. Red Deck Wins feels like it's more of a best-of-1 deck. but it is incredibly strong. Plenty of other amazing things are going on in the world of MTG, such as the recent leaks concerning Modern Horizons 3.