Orzhov Pixie: Top Standard MTG Deck for Competitive Play

Finding the best Pixie Deck in Standard (it's Orzhov)

Discover why Orzhov Pixie is the top Standard deck in Magic: The Gathering. Explore its consistent mana base and versatile gameplay in our detailed analysis.

We just finished up the Regional Championship in Bologna, and we are finally getting some answers in regards to what the best decks are in Standard. We had the confirmation of aggro still being very effective, and those pesky mice continue to do their thing. In addition to that, Izzet Prowess has made a name for itself. Jeskai Control had a good showing, and Domain was still represented as well. We have all known about Esper Pixie for a bit, and many of us have been adequately terrorized by it. A new, more consistent version of this archetype is here and it uses some great cards. This archetype had a good showing at the Regional Championship, and had a list that qualified for the next RC, while just missing a spot at the pro tour. Orzhov Pixie is a deck that aims to be more consistent with its mana, and also allows for a pivot to more of a midrange battle when needed. The plethora of discard and removal make it a deck that is right up my alley, and I will never turn down the opportunity to play cards that make the opponent lose life. Today we are going to examine Orzhov Pixie, and why I believe it is the best version of the Pixie Archetype. We will go over some important cards that this list uses that the Esper version does not, then we will compare the pros and cons of playing each list.

Total Cards:

This list that was pretty well curated by Massimiliano earned him an honorable finish in Bologna. This player was one win away from a pro tour invitation and at that point, you have to say that they are in the conversation to be considered one of the top-tier players in Europe at least. They will be back for more opportunities to qualify. This deck has started to break into the meta, and it has finally made a name for itself by having three different players finish in the top 64 with the deck. All three players took home at least $500. Not bad for playing your favorite game over a weekend. What strikes me the most in this deck is the versatility of it. There are cards that we can top deck that make it so we are a lot less likely to run out of gas. I think that is what I enjoy most about this compared to the Esper Version. Esper is all in on the combo itself, and it doesn't have as good of a backup plan. This list allows you to play the midrange and attrition-based matchups that are sometimes demanded of you based on what the opponent is playing. The versatility of Orzhov Pixie is what sets it apart.

Relevant Cards

Surprise surprise, the demon guy likes the fact that annex is in this deck. Well, I want to steer away from talking about the combo cards that we all know are in the deck, and focus more on the ones that help it stand out. This is the ultimate midrange card in standard right now. Anything that plays black wants to put this in their deck if they want to be able to play grindy games. Being able to gain back some life is also really important in the mirror where they are constantly shocking you for 2 and sometimes doing it multiple times per turn. That is an advantage that can help us turn the corner.

Beza, or as we like to call it, Jeff Bezos, can always help you get back into a game. The card is literally designed to fix the game for you in any way that you might be behind on board, or resources. The fact that it is a 4/5 body also helps a lot in combat and is probably the biggest body out of all the Pixie decks, unless you include the occasional 6/6 demon that we summon.

Preacher is always great. It is well-known as another one of those grindy cards. Some versions of this deck put a few in the sideboard for when it is time to grind, but I like that this deck just has them in the main to begin with. We know that we can pivot to our plan b at any time, or just start to create multiple avenues of pressure to overwhelm the opponent. Preacher itself also contributes to our plan of doing what we can to gain card advantage, so it is hard to make an argument that we don't have at least two or three copies in the main deck.

I know that this is one of the cards that is a combo piece, but I think it is worth discussing because I believe it to be one of the cards that makes the Orzhov version as consistent as the Esper version. In Esper, they use Fear or Isolation to bounce spells, and it is a flyer that allows you to get in for good damage. Now we are introducing another flyer that has the flash ability. This makes cards like Nowhere to Run even more powerful in this iteration. While we are on the topic of bouncing permanents, I have discovered that Unholy Annex fits into the deck even better than originally planned, because you can basically cast your demons ad nauseum in the late game if you have enough bounce abilities. We have a constant mana sink that other versions simply do not have.

What Sets This Deck Apart?

The reason that Orzhov is better is because it can grind when it needs to grind, and it has a more consistent mana base. A lot of the time, Esper lists require them to use so many pain lands that players can run their life total way too low to be able to effectively cast their spells. We only run 4 pain lands in this list, where Esper lists have to run up to 12. This allows us to preserve our life total, while also allowing us to cast spells that have multiple black pips in them. Those types of spells also allow us to gain more life. This deck just feels a lot safer, and more likely that you won't die to your own mana, or running out of gas. Do I think that Esper might have the highest ceiling? I do. I think that when the Esper decks are really popping off and looping their spells, it is pretty hard to beat. The issue there is the consistency. Since we know we are partly a midrange deck, we knew that we signed up for consistency, and in turn sacrificed having that higher ceiling. I believe Orzhov is your safer bet that is going to be easier on the wallet, and easier on your life total. If it's worth anything, I also simply have more fun playing the Orzhov version, because it allows me to cast some of my favorite spells!

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I am a Magic The Gathering competitive player, and streamer. I specialize in homebrew decks. My favorite formats are: Standard, Pioneer (Explorer on Arena), and EDH. I first started playing MTG in 2001, and have played on and off since then.

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I See a Monument and I want it Painted Black

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