Introduction
They are organized in two ways below: A list of sources with provided color signatures and a list of color signatures with corresponding deck sources.
Each section starts with the decks that are updated for THB before listing the ELD versions.
Evaluations conducted in association will will add what they can. The evaluation scale is binary: non-competitive decks are only suitable for fulfilling quests; competitive decks are suitable for grinding up to Gold level (win rate >= ~30%).
Please help by providing other sources of budget grinding decks or evaluating existing decks. If you want to propose a new budget grinding deck, this other thread is intended to provide a home for them, so please add it there.
Arena Budget Grinder Meta-List
Arena Budget Grinders Organized by Source
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THB
- MTG_Joe at Aetherhub has an article on Mono-Black Devotion with emphasis on budget (part of a Budget Build Series?).
- MTG Arena Zone has updated this very good article for THB: MTG Arena Budget Standard Decks – January 2020. It has the following decks as of 1/21/20: Mono-White Aggro, Mono-Black Devotion, Mono-R Aggro, Mono-R Cavalcade, Azorius Flyers, Boros Knights, Dimir Control, Golgari Adventures, Gruul Aggro, Orzhov Auras, Rakdos Sacrifice, Selesnya Auras and Simic Flash.
- Reddit user Grumbul proposed: Beginner Mono White Fliers - THB edition; Beginner Mono-Black - THB edition; Beginner Mono Red Cavalcade - THB edition; Beginner Rakdos Sacrifice - THB edition
- Youtuber Ford Freestar AKA Reddit user Sargo8 proposed a budget build of their Selesnya Constellation "Season of Grace" deck that requires only 6-9 rares here.
- Reddit user GarrukPrimal proposed these "5 Mono colored BO1 decks most new players can build."
- MTGNexus Arena NPE "Starter" Decks, Modifications and Other Budget Deck to Grind With thread: Mono-R Cavalcade; UW Flyers; Orzhov Afterlife Tokens; Boros Feather; Dimir Surveillance Campaign; Selesnya Convoke Tokens; Orzhov Lifegain
- MTGGoldfish's budget decks (These decks tend to require some rares, but not very many.): Izzet (Draw Two) Drakes; Golgari Reanimator; Mono-Blue Mill; Draft Chaff White Weenie; QuasidupliDrakes; 5C Gates (uses banned Field of the Dead); Rakdos Aristocrats; Orzhov Blink; Goblin Calamity; Mono-Red Cavalcade; Simic Arkbow; Hydra Stompy; UW Fliers. SaffronOlive also proposes budget builds of Standard Affinity. .
- LegenVD has done videos upgrading NPE monocolor decks. They may continue with other NPE decks. Their videos seem to generally be here. I found Mono-U, Mono-W and Mono-G. I skipped through the Mono-U video and found that it explained things very well and demonstrated with real matches. Could be very good for a beginner. More experienced players may find it a bit slow.
- Cards Realm (cardsrealm.com) proposes a budget Gruul deck here in what may be the start of a budget series. In response, on reddit, PryomancerMTGA proposes edits that look good to me here. Other cardsrealm budget entries are Mardu Knights, Sultai Food (w/Sacrifice).
- Martin Juza at channelfireball.com proposed 13 rare-free decks for an Arena Artisan event here (Judiciously adding available rares could help, of course.): Mono-R; Dimir Reanimator; Simic Flash; Dimir Control; Dimir Control 2.0 (with creatures?); Azorius Flyers; Izzet Spells; Mono-Green Counters; Gruul Aggro; Golgari; Mono-White; Orzhov Knights; Orzhov Midrange;
- Reddit user PryomancerMTGA compiled a set of artisan decks here, which links or includes: Azorius Flyers; Mono-B Prison; Mono-R Burn; Mono-B Reanimator; Izzet Draw 2; Elementals; Mono-U Tempo; Gates; Another Izzet Draw 2; Orzhov; Another UW Flyers; Izzet Drakes; Grummgully Gruul; Golgari Adventure; UW Dovin; UW Drakes; Dimir; Other Elementals.
- Miscellaneous Reddit posts: Mono-U Tempo (PryomancerMTGA Reddit post) ; Meatloag Mono Green Season of Growth Deck; badde_jimme 4-color budget gates deck.
- Reddit user bee_doge posted this budget version of BW Adventure Knights.
- Reddit user Aitch-Kay opened a new account and used cards from the starter decks to make Platinum in 12 days as described here. They used Rakdos, Mono-G and White Weenie.
- gamersdecide.com has an article with (TOP 7) MTG Arena Best Budget Decks including: 7. Izzet Improbable Alliance; 6. Selesnya Adventure; 5. BW Lifegain; 4. Cavalcade of Calamity; 3. Aristocrats; 2. Grumgully Gruul; 1. White Weenies
- Reddit user Grumbul proposed these Selesnya Adventure Tokens - ELD edition, Beginner Rakdos Sacrifice - ELD edition and Beginner Golgari Oven Adventure - ELD Edition lists that "Uses only cards from the New Player Experience decks, commons, and uncommons." He also recommends upgrades for when more wildcards become available.
Arena Budget Grinders Organized by Color Signature
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- Mono-W: MTGGoldfish Draft Chaff White Weenie; LegenVD Mono-W; Martin Juza artisan Mono-White; Aitch-Kay White Weenie; Gamers Decide Budget White Weenie
- Mono-U: MTGGoldfish Mono-Blue Mill; LegenVD Mono-U; Mono-U Tempo (PryomancerMTGA Reddit post)
- Mono-B: Aetherhub MTG_Joe Budget Mono-Black Devotion (THB)
- Mono-R: MTGNexus Mono-R Cavalcade; MTG Arena Zone Mono-R Cavalcade; MTGGoldfish Goblin Calamity; Mono-Red Cavalcade; Martin Juza artisan Mono-R; Gamers Decide Budget Cavalcade of Calamity
- Mono-G: LegenVD Mono-G; Martin Juza artisan Mono-Green Counters; Meatloag Mono Green Season of Growth Deck; Aitch-Kay Mono-G
- Azorius (WU):MTGNexus UW Flyers; MTG Arena Zone Azorius Flyers; MTGGoldfish UW Fliers; Martin Juza artisan Azorius Flyers
- Orzhov (WB): MTGNexus Orzhov Afterlife Tokens; MTGGoldfish Orzhov Blink; Martin Juza artisan Orzhov Knights, Midrange; bee_doge's BW Adventure Knights; MTGNexus Orzhov Lifegain; Gamers Decide Budget BW Lifegain
- Dimir (UB): MTGNexus Dimir Surveillance Campaign; MTG Arena Zone Dimir Control; Martin Juza artisan Dimir Reanimator, Dimir Control and Dimir Control 2.0 (with creatures)
- Izzet (UR): MTG Arena Zone Izzet Control; MTGGoldfish Izzet (Draw Two) Drakes; QuasidupliDrakes; Martin Juza artisan Izzet Spells; Gamers Decide Budget Izzet Improbable Alliance
- Rakdos (BR): MTG Arena Zone Rakdos Aristocrats; MTGGoldfish Rakdos Aristocrats; Aitch-Kay Rakdos Aggro; Gamers Decide Budget Aristocrats
- Golgari (BG): MTG Arena Zone Golgari Midrange; MTGGoldfish Golgari Reanimator; Martin Juza artisan Golgari
- Gruul (RG): MTG Arena Zone Gruul Aggro; Cards Realm Gruul Aggro; PryomancerMTGA Gruul Aggro; Martin Juza artisan Gruul Aggro; Gamers Decide Budget Grumgully Gruul
- Boros (RW): MTGNexus Boros Feather;
- Selesnya (GW): MTGNexus Selesnya Convoke Tokens; MTG Arena Zone Selesnya Adventures; Gamers Decide Budget Selesnya Adventure; Grumbul Selesnya Adventure Tokens
- Simic (GU): MTG Arena Zone Simic Flash; MTGGoldfish Simic Arkbow; Hydra Stompy; Martin Juza artisan Simic Flash
- Mardu (BRW): Cards Realm Mardu Knights
- Sultai (UBG): Cards Realm Sultai Food (w/Sacrifice)
- Four-Color (WURG): badde_jimme 4-color budget gates deck on Reddit
Evaluations
- MTGNexus Reddit-Derived UW Flyers: Competitive
- MTGNexus Mono-R Cavalcade: Competitive
- MTGNexus Surveillance Campaign: Not competitive
- Mono-U Tempo: Insufficient data
- MTGNexus Orzhov Lifegain: Insufficient data
- Aitch-Kay Mono-G Season (slightly modified): Not competitive
- Aitch-Kay Mono-W Weenie Lifegain (slightly modified): Competitive