When choosing a deck to play in Alchemy, I had a clear criterion: I wanted to be aggressive. That’s the type of Magic I enjoy playing the most, and it’s usually a good choice in a new, open format. I just didn’t feel like playing midrange or control. This meant that I wanted at least eight one-drops, creatures with attack triggers or haste, a solid mana curve and reliable damage output. With this in mind, I considered Mono-White Aggro, Mono-Red Aggro and Mono-Green Aggro, but I felt that with the nerfing of Faceless Haven and the introduction of Forsaken Crossroads, two-color decks became more appealing than monocolor decks in Alchemy. I dismissed Orzhov Clerics because I wanted to attack rather than sit back and gain life, and I dismissed Rakdos Vampires because the creatures seemed a little bit too small. In the end, spurred on by the newly introduced Tenacious Pup, I settled on RG Werewolves.

After looking over several Gruul Werewolves lists on Untapped.gg and MTGMelee, I saw some elements I liked and some I didn’t. I crafted my own version based on my own deck building philosophy and formulas that have served me well on the Pro Tour level for years, and it worked out perfectly!

As I had other obligations on Day 1 of the Arena Open, I only gave myself one bullet, and I frankly didn’t have high hopes. But I got there on Day 1 and followed it up with an insane 8-1 run on Day 2; my only loss came to fellow Hall of Famer Shota Yasooka. Even though I played like a wet towel in several matches, I clinched the maximum number of wins. Awooo!

Here is the list I ran on Day 2: