Apart from the annual Commander pre-constructed (Precon) decks, I most look forward to the Challenger ones, built for the Standard format. In sanctioned play, Standard is the easiest to manage for new players and these Challenger decks 2021 provide a budget entry point without breaking the bank.

Standard single cards can still be pretty expensive (The Great Henge is almost at US$50) and Wizards of the Coasts use these precon decks to offer reprints on some of these cards. Unfortunately, The Great Henge was not one of them, we’ll get into that shortly..

Just like in recent years, Wizards has opted to give us 4 Challenger decks for 2021, showcasing different colours and archetypes:

Here are our rating guidelines!

Playability – How likely the deck is to hold its own against other non-precon decks in the format.

Value – How good is the deck in terms of financial value and inherent value of cards present.

Upgradability – How easily the deck upgraded and improved for minimal cost.

Beginner Friendliness, (How easy are the mechanics of the deck for a beginner to learn).

Each category will carry 5-star rating system, with an average score at the end to round it off.

Blue White Control Challenger Deck 2021

Playability

On a day with nice clear skies and puffy clouds, this Azorius Control Challenger Deck can easily hold its own against any other deck in the format. The challenge(!) has always been drawing the right cards when you need them. It has sufficient protection against fast decks, with 3 board wipes (Shatter the Sky and Doomskar. You’d want to also have either Omen of the Seas or Birth of Meletis to play on turn 2, so that you can swiftly set yourself up for whatever the opponent is playing.

This deck’s mid to late game is particularly strong, as the 2 Archon of Sun’s Grace and 2 Dream Trawlers will keep your life total, draw more cards and create an even stronger foothold on the battlefield. The Ultimatums are growing in popularity now, and you counter spells such as Negate and Neutralize will play an important role in keeping them in check. If you can cast out that single Shark Typhoon, it’s pretty much game over.

Value:

This deck has pumped in cards of significant value, and we couldn’t be happier. Two Skyclave Apparitions ($8 each, in the Sideboard) are not cheap in the secondary market, mainly because it’s also used in other formats. Shark Typhoon is another particularly pricey card at $11.50.

You even get 3 Mystical Disputes ($1 each), which though an Uncommon, it’s highly sought after as a counter against other Blue decks. It’s a pity that Fabled Passage isn’t in here, as it would be push this Challenger Deck into the top spot easily. Friendly reminder: many of these cards begin to lose value once the Challenger Decks are in their full print run, as the market gets flooded with these reprints.

Upgradability:

While this deck is already pretty strong on its own, there are some quality upgrades that should be carried out. For example, Neutralize and Saw It Coming could be replaced by Negate and Disdainful Stroke. Even though they are more limited in countering scope, they are cheaper to cast. When playing Control, I feel it’s important to keep spells as lean as possible, so that you don’t need to hold up as much Mana available for the opponent’s turn. Besides, the deck has plenty of counters against Creatures and Planeswalkers such as Elspeth Conquers Death, Banishing Light and Skyclave Apparition.

For Lands, I’d replace the Tranquil Coves with Mistgate Pathway for the same reasons of keeping your Mana base open and accessible as much as often. Fabled Passages also work but those will cost more. You might always want to add in an additional Doomskar to provide better protection against aggressive decks.

Beginner Friendliness:

Unfortunately Control decks are not the easiest to play, as experience and a patient mind will understand how to curve out and cast spells only when needed. Chances are a beginner will be playing any spell that is readily available, and not anticipating the opponent’s next turn that might have a spell that needs countering.

Final Rating:

Despite having almost perfect scores for Playability and Value, it got pulled down by being difficult to pilot for beginners. But if you’ve got experience under your belt, this deck is perfect and the best overall to buy, as Shark Typhoon, Skyclave Apparition, and Mystical Disputes are easy fits into other formats and will see high re-playability.