Magic: Arena Anthologies: Top Cards for Brawl Decks

Arena Anthologies have quietly become some of the most exciting releases on Magic: The Gathering Arena. Unlike regular sets, these curated bundles drop iconic cards straight into Arena, and their impact is immediate. For formats like Timeless and especially Brawl, they can completely reshape the landscape overnight. With the latest drops, we've seen cards that not only power up competitive strategies but also unlock fresh brewing potential for casual players. Let's take a look at the biggest winners and the decks that came out ahead.

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Why Anthologies Shape Brawl

Brawl lives in a unique spot. It's a singleton format where one new card can change everything for a commander. Anthologies don't just give us nostalgia pieces — they provide real building blocks. Adding mana rocks like Signets and Talismans finally gives Brawl decks the kind of fixing and ramp that Commander players have enjoyed for years. Meanwhile, high-powered staples like Mox Opal don't just spice up casual play; they open the door for entirely new archetypes to emerge.

Why Anthologies Shape Timeless and Historic

It's not just Brawl that gets shaken up — Timeless and Historic see a big boost from Anthologies too.

In Timeless, Mox Opal supercharges Affinity, letting it pull off the kind of explosive starts that made the deck famous in paper Magic. Historic, meanwhile, picks up tools like Mana Leak, giving blue control decks a reliable way to keep opponents in check right from the early turns.

Another major upgrade is Damn, which is perfect for Orzhov and Esper builds. Sometimes you just need to take out one problem creature, and other times you need to wipe the whole board — Damn does both, giving these decks a level of flexibility they didn't have before.

Formats like Timeless and Historic thrive on efficiency, and that's exactly what these Anthology drops provide. Add a few staples like these to the card pool, and suddenly the metagame shifts — Affinity is back in force, and classic blue tempo-control strategies are making a comeback.

The Biggest Winners Overall

The standout has to be Mox Opal, which immediately slots into Timeless and makes Affinity-style decks a real threat.

Fast mana is always dangerous, and with artifact synergies already strong on Arena, this card is a game-changer.

Right alongside it are the Signets and Talismans, a huge boost for Brawl. These rocks finally give multicolor commanders the mana fixing and acceleration they’ve always needed on Arena.

Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary is another massive winner — not just for power level, but for what it represents. Seeing a Reserved List card come to digital opens the door for even more iconic, previously “off-limits” cards to appear in the future. If Wizards is willing to bring Rofellos into Arena, who knows what might be next?

Mana Leak also deserves a spotlight. This counterspell has long been a staple in competitive Magic, and its arrival gives both Historic and Brawl control decks a reliable, efficient answer to nearly anything in the early turns.

Then there's Mother of Runes, a classic protection piece that makes creature-heavy strategies much harder to disrupt. Giving any creature protection at instant speed can completely swing a game, and her presence adds resilience to a wide range of aggressive and midrange decks.

And finally, role-players like Trinket Mage and Ancient Den might not grab headlines, but they dramatically improve artifact-based strategies. Trinket Mage tutoring up critical pieces and Ancient Den providing both mana and artifact synergy are perfect for commanders like Breya, Etherium Shaper.

Nice to have, but not really impactful

Not every addition shakes up the formats in a big way.

Some cards, like Champion's Helm or Flame Slash, are fine to have around but don't really move the needle. I mean, when was the last time you sleeved up Control Magic in a 1v1 format? Don't get me wrong — cards like Eternal Witness and Thought Scour are undeniably powerful, but they're only truly impactful in the specific archetypes that can make the most of them.

Brawl Deck Highlights

Deck 1: Cloud, Midgar Mercenary

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Cloud already had plenty of flair as a commander, but with Anthologies bringing in all the classic swords plus Mox Opal, the deck feels complete.

Now you can suit up Cloud with iconic equipment while enjoying faster starts thanks to the artifact package. It’s the perfect marriage of flavor and function.

Deck 2: Slimefoot and Squee

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This quirky Jund duo got an enormous upgrade from Anthology 2.

With cards like Grist, the Hunger Tide, Ignoble Hierarch, Pyrogoyf, and Barrowgoyf added, the deck suddenly has access to a powerful midrange backbone. Slimefoot and Squee go from a fun synergy pick to a serious contender, blending value and aggression in a way that few other Brawl decks can, especially since Green Sun's Zenith can now be used to fetch a planeswalker!

Deck 3: Breya, Etherium Shaper

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No commander benefited more from the Anthologies than Breya.

With access to Signets, Talismans, and even Mox Opal, the mana base is finally good enough to support her four-color demands. Add in the new support pieces like Trinket Mage and Ancient Den, and Breya becomes a well-oiled artifact machine. For the first time on Arena, Breya feels truly playable, and the artifact ramp means she can hit the battlefield early and often. Without question, this is the biggest winner of the bunch.

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