(Iyslander, Stormbind | Art by Alexander Mokhov)

Hello there!

We are quickly moving towards Nationals season, and with so few events left it’s a great time to take stock of where the Classic Constructed format is at. These power rankings are intended to be used as a starting point as either the decks to beat or the best decks in the format. I’ve scoured the internet and combined that information with my own experience in order to give you the top five decks to take to a tournament today.

1.Iyslander, Stormbind by Majin Bae

If Nationals were tomorrow, I would pick Iyslander as the hero to win it. The doubters keep piling on and yet, Iyslander continues to win tournaments. The addition of Warmonger’s Diplomacy has provided more disruption while adding another three block to the deck to make it more consistent. This card is very potent versus Rangers specifically.

A consistent theme in these power rankings is that Ice heroes are good and the rest of the format is a reaction to that. If you’re looking to make the jump up to competitive play, a good rule of thumb is play the best deck or play a deck that beats the best deck. 

What I like about Majin Bae’s list in particular is the addition of extra phantasm poppers (a total of nine) against Dromai as that can be a troublesome matchup. The addition of Command and Conquer also doubles as great tech vs. Lexi and Azalea who need their arsenal to thrive. I also like the addition of Nullrune Hood as a nod to Iyslander becoming more prevalent in the meta.

Iyslander is not for the feint of heart. The deck is very difficult to play at the highest level because of the infinite options when it comes to timing your cards correctly. If you’re up to the challenge, then Iyslander is a very rewarding deck that boasts very few bad matchups. Overall, Iyslander (specifically Bullander) holds the top spot in these power rankings due to consistency, few bad matchups, and insane results.

2. Lexi, Livewire by Michael Feng

If Iyslander is the most consistent deck of this format, then Lexi is the most powerful. Even with Bull’s Eye Bracers banned, consistent 20 damage turns will get the job done. Michael Feng was very close to taking down the Salt Lake City Brawl event against Majin Bae, but still showcased the powerful turns Lexi can have. If Iyslander is public enemy number one, then Lexi isn’t far behind.

The matchup spread for Lexi shows quite a bit more variation than Iyslander. While Iyslander is pretty solid across the board, Lexi has great matchups into almost all aggressive decks and decent game into Iyslander and Bravo. Where Lexi really starts to struggle is against Dromai, Azalea, and Uzuri. 

Michael Feng pays the Dromai tax in his list with seven phantasm poppers, which are two Down and Dirty, two Command and Conquer, and three Battering Bolt. He also plays a small Ice package in his otherwise fuse-less list, which gives you some additional disruption into the mirror while keeping your damage output high.

Unlike Iyslander, Lexi is a forgiving deck and would be a great place to start for someone making the jump to competitive play. 

3. Dromai, Ash Artist by Brodie Spurlock

If Iyslander and Lexi are the best decks, then Dromai is the first deck that tries to counter them. Dromai preys on decks by creating permanents that are must-kill and then forcing inefficient trades into those permanents. For this reason, Dromai does very well into decks that can’t attack in smaller increments or present multiple phantasm poppers. 

Dromai has one of the most lopsided matchup spreads in the entire format. Her matchups range from Iyslander, Azalea, and Uzuri being almost unloseable, to Fai and Rhinar being unwinnable. If you’re playing Dromai, you are in essence playing the matchup lottery. You need to hit your good matchups to do well, but if you do then the tournament is yours for the taking. 

Out of all the decks in the format, Dromai gained the most cards from Dusk Till Dawn. Adding to the variance of Brodie Spurlock’s Dromai deck is the addition of Flicker Trick, Lost in Thought, and Warmonger’s Diplomacy. Each of these cards presents big upside if your opponent has a hand that doesn’t work well around it. For example, if you only have one attack and get it Lost in Thought-ed, then you essentially fell a turn behind. On the other hand if your opponent can increase an attack to six in reactions then your Flicker Trick just became a blank card.

Dromai is a nice place to start if you enjoy countering metagames, but be prepared for unwinnable and unlosable games during your tournament. 

4. Bravo, Showstopper by Pablo Pintor

Anytime Pablo does well in a tournament I have to automatically add the deck to my playtesting gauntlet, and this Bravo deck is no different. Bravo has a lot of play into the current format with the addition of Star Struck in particular providing another huge on-hit that is a must block for most decks.

Bravo is another deck that showcases consistency across most matchups. He also tries to counter the metagame as an answer to Lexi and Dromai, which were the two most popular decks of last season. Unfortunately, with the addition of Iyslander, Bravo has a bad matchup in the mix as well. The next iteration of Bravo might involve trying to target Iyslander more effectively. Still, with the addition of Star Struck, Bravo improved his matchup into aggro decks like Briar and Fai that make him an appealing option.

What I love about Pablo’s decklist is the addition of a fatigue plan against Lexi. Sigil of Solace in particular could provide for a multi-faceted answer to many decks. Unfortunately, Pablo only played arcane barrier two which is not where you want to be against Iyslander as you will need at least arcane barrier three to fatigue that matchup. The addition of Warmonger’s Diplomacy into Rangers and Runeblades also makes for a huge upgrade. 

5. Azalea, Ace in the Hole by Stefano Moeni

There will usually be pick for a dark horse to win a tournament out of nowhere, and Azalea fits the bill. Azalea beats the best two decks, and so makes a lot of sense as a sleeper pick in this format.  She leverages her disruption with Dominate in order to leak damage onto her opponents and prevent them from having an effective turn. The one thing that stops her from being on the top of this list is the prevalence of Warmonger’s Diplomacy, which can be absolutely back breaking against her.

Azalea, like Dromai, has a lot of variance in her matchup spread, making her matchup-dependent for results. The good news is Azalea has a great matchup into both Iyslander and Lexi, which are the two most powerful decks in the format. The bad news is she has bad matchups into both Dromai and Bravo, which are right behind those decks and will be very popular as well. Part of choosing a deck like Dromai or Azalea is identifying when your bad matchups are on the decline in order to have a decent showing.

Something that Stefano’s list has that makes me think there is a glimmer of hope is the addition of Ravenous Rabble in order to maybe have some turns that can play around Warmonger’s Diplomacy. Azalea will probably need to lean harder in this direction in order to produce results, but options are available! Azalea is a tricky deck to play at the highest level but can be a decent deck for someone who expects to see less Dromai then normal at their tournament. 

And there it is, my power rankings leading up to Nationals season. Go out there and crush (bonus points if you wear your FABREC gear!)

Tyler Horspool

Tyler won the first ever major Flesh and Blood event in the world (The Calling Las Vegas 2021) and has been rated as one of the top classic constructed players ever since. He top 8ed the first US Nationals and has top 64ed every Pro Tour to date. Tyler hopes to continue playing Flesh and Blood at a high level and share his passion for card games with others.