The Rich Get Reveling: A Standard Budget Brew

Dealing 20 damage is overrated. I'd rather horde some treasure.

Ever since Revel in Riches appeared in Ixalan, I've been wanting to build around it. While it may not be the best way to win in Standard, it's certainly the flashiest. Also, it's less than 50 dollars to build in paper. Here's the deck:

The Gameplan

Push the game as long as possible. The more time you have to accumulate Treasure, the more likely you are to win. Also, whenever possible, conserve those Treasures. You'll want at least a few of them when you cast your Revel in Riches.

The Win Condition

Here's the conundrum: you want to draw Revel in Riches every game, but you don't want multiples. Therefore, I decided on three copies. With four Filigree Familiars, four Treasure Maps, and two Desert of the Glorifieds to rifle through the deck, you should be able to find a copy (while decreasing the chances of drawing too many).

The Treasure Makers

Yes, the beginning of this curve looks like a mediocre Rivals of Ixalan draft deck. No, that won't stop us from playing it.

Fresh off its latest appearance on A&E, Dire Fleet Hoarder is—no way around it—the worst card in the deck. But rather than thinking of it as a 2/1 for two, let's instead consider it one tenth of our win condition.

Gleaming Barrier, on the other hand, is actually a bit better than it might look. It holds off opposing Longtusk Cubs, Toolcraft Exemplars, Scrapheap Scroungers, and Veteran Motorists. This early stall is exactly what our deck wants.

And then there's Treasure Map, our first legitimately good card. Scrying helps you find your Revels, and three treasures in one gets you even closer to the required 10. If you don't already have your win condition, the extra card draw on Treasure Cove can get you there.

The Lifelines

It may not seem like much, but 14 lifegain effects tacked onto relevant spells can set back creature-based aggro decks, many of which exist in the current Standard format.

The most powerful of these spells has to be Battle at the Bridge. This card takes out strong creatures at essentially any point in the game, plus gains back a lot of life when you do it. Use your Treasures to Improvise and make your spell even better. And don't forget: Improvise works with any artifact. So you can tap your Gleaming Barriers, Filigree Familiars, or Treasure Maps to gain even more life.

Furthermore, Battle at the Bridge matches up excellently with Hazoret, the Fervent, one of the most played creatures in current Standard. The minus-minus effect gets around Indestructible while also gaining back life you might've lost from attacks.

The Removal Suite

Since Revel in Riches triggers when an opposing creature dies, we've gone somewhat light on exile effects. The one-of Hour of Glory appears mostly to combat The Scarab God (or Hazoret, if need be). Otherwise, these spells put creatures in graveyards.

I'd love to have more board wipes, but this is the best black offers. Still, I think this deck takes advantage of Bontu's Last Reckoning and Yahenni's Expertise better than most. For one, the cost of Bontu's Last Reckoning is somewhat mitigated by Treasure, which allows you to cast spells even when you're tapped out. And after casting Yahenni's Expertise, you can use the second line of text to cast any number of inexpensive spells (I recommend Filigree Familiar, Treasure Map, or Underhanded Designs).

Tetzimoc, Primal Porcupine—I mean Primal Death, sorry—does exactly what you want. Though somewhat slow, it will often kill three or four creatures on your opponent's board when it enters the battlefield. Turn five Revel in Riches into turn six Tetzimoc could stabilize you and give you three or four Treasure. I like that scenario.

The Sideboard

It's unlikely that your opponent can interact with Revel in Riches in game one. However, many decks will have an easier time in games two and three. As such, don't be afraid to board out your Revels in favor of your powerful sideboard creatures, if need be.

Herald of Anguish is a powerhouse. You should be able to ramp it out using any artifacts on the battlefield, then start destroying creatures left and right the following turn. If you can get it out fast enough, you might be able to pressure a control player's hand with the discard effect. And a 5/5 flier pressures an opponent's life total no matter what deck they're playing.

Marionette Master is a bit of a speculative choice, though I like the ability to deal surprise bursts of damage. If you choose to pack the counters onto the Master, you can deal four damage per Treasure token you sacrifice. Or if you need more artifacts for a big Battle at the Bridge, you can create three Servos instead.

The Best Matchups

Considering its life gain, its slowing ability, and its interaction with Hazoret, I think this deck is actually quite well-positioned against Mono-Red Aggro and Mardu Vehicles. Tokens decks will also struggle against this one, especially if you cast a board wipe with a Revel already on the battlefield (send me a pic of that one). You should also have an excellent matchup against any of the various tribal decks you're likely to see at FNM, such as dinosaurs, merfolk, vampires, or, in some instances, cats.

The Worst Matchups

This deck struggles in control matchups, especially in game one. With so much creature removal in the main deck, you're going to draw a lot of blank cards. Your powerful sideboard options will help, but control is still your toughest matchup.

The Conclusion

This deck embodies the phrase "Get rich or die tryin'" perhaps better than any other deck ever. It's inexpensive, unusual, and super fun. Give it a try this Friday.

Kyle Massa is a writer and avid Magic player living in upstate New York with his fiancée and their two cats. When he's not writing, you'll find him down at the East Greenbush FlipSide store jamming booster drafts. For more of Kyle's work, visit www.kyleamassa.com.