Arena Brawl Meta
Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2019 3:52 pm
All the discussion of Brawl on Arena is currently focused on their Brawlidays extortion attempt. And I don't have a lot to add to that.
But Brawl is an interesting format that I'm surprised more people don't talk about. Maybe just because we are limited to only playing it on Wednesdays.
It's important to note that multiplayer can fix a lot of issues in a format, but since we are limited to 1 v 1 on Arena, that just won't happen here.
I think there is a clear tier 1 of brawl decks.
Nicol Bolas, Dragon God
Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
I think those 3 are the clear best decks. With Bolas probably coming out on top.
Now, there are other viable decks. And you can win without being one of the big 3. But those decks shape what you are up against.
Bolas dominates the board and generates massive advantage. Even when dealt with, his +1 keeps a steady stream of cards making him easier to recast. And don't get me started on Fires of Invention
Golos functions on a similar axis, and the fact that he ramps you everytime he's cast keeps his commander tax from being daunting.
Niv Reborn works differently, but the enters the battlefield trigger that is effectively draw 2-5 cards is a real haymaker.
I worry that these 3 squeeze out a lot of the fun things people can do. At the same time, there will always be best decks and these 3 can have plenty of interesting games with each other. It just sucks to try out a new brew, and run into one of these 3 over and over. Without multiplayer games and politics to balance them out, they tend to run roughshod over everything. It's just too hard to go under these decks and do damage fast enough. What are your thoughts on the format?
Sidenote: As a result of the dominance of these 3, I would recommend land destruction to disrupt them, but there are only 3 non-embarrassing options available:
Casualties of War
Ravager Wurm
Bedeck // Bedazzle
I'm stretching for that third one, although it's decent enough creature kill in the other half. Assassin's Trophy is important too, although that's because it's useful against Field of the Dead and less useful in preventing recasts in generally.
But Brawl is an interesting format that I'm surprised more people don't talk about. Maybe just because we are limited to only playing it on Wednesdays.
It's important to note that multiplayer can fix a lot of issues in a format, but since we are limited to 1 v 1 on Arena, that just won't happen here.
I think there is a clear tier 1 of brawl decks.
Nicol Bolas, Dragon God
Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
I think those 3 are the clear best decks. With Bolas probably coming out on top.
Now, there are other viable decks. And you can win without being one of the big 3. But those decks shape what you are up against.
Bolas dominates the board and generates massive advantage. Even when dealt with, his +1 keeps a steady stream of cards making him easier to recast. And don't get me started on Fires of Invention
Golos functions on a similar axis, and the fact that he ramps you everytime he's cast keeps his commander tax from being daunting.
Niv Reborn works differently, but the enters the battlefield trigger that is effectively draw 2-5 cards is a real haymaker.
I worry that these 3 squeeze out a lot of the fun things people can do. At the same time, there will always be best decks and these 3 can have plenty of interesting games with each other. It just sucks to try out a new brew, and run into one of these 3 over and over. Without multiplayer games and politics to balance them out, they tend to run roughshod over everything. It's just too hard to go under these decks and do damage fast enough. What are your thoughts on the format?
Sidenote: As a result of the dominance of these 3, I would recommend land destruction to disrupt them, but there are only 3 non-embarrassing options available:
Casualties of War
Ravager Wurm
Bedeck // Bedazzle
I'm stretching for that third one, although it's decent enough creature kill in the other half. Assassin's Trophy is important too, although that's because it's useful against Field of the Dead and less useful in preventing recasts in generally.