Deck Archetypes

The Graveyard Combo Archetype in Highlander

Welcome to the Graveyard Combo deck archetype for 7 Point Highlander! On this page you will find all the content related to this play style. A Summary of the Graveyard Combo Archetype Graveyard Combo decks often look to deploy a game-winning threat much earlier than its mana cost dictates. The most common way to do this involves discarding a large creature from your hand, and then casting a spell that returns a creature from the graveyard to the battlefield. The goal is to be operating on a very different axis from your opponent, and when your game-winning threats cost only… Read More »The Graveyard Combo Archetype in Highlander

The Synergy Control Archetype in Highlander

Welcome to the Synergy Control deck archetype for 7 Point Highlander! On this page you will find all the content related to this play style. A Summary of the Synergy Control Archetype Synergy Control decks often look strange on the surface because in comparison to the Good-stuff Control archetype their individual cards tend to look somewhat weak in a vacuum. However, dig a little deeper beneath the surface and you’ll realise that every card plays a specific role, and many of them work in concert to create very powerful synergies. Synergy Control decks are typically built around one of two… Read More »The Synergy Control Archetype in Highlander

The Artifact Ramp Archetype in Highlander

Welcome to the Artifact Ramp deck archetype for 7 Point Highlander! On this page you will find all the content related to this play style. A Summary of the Artifact Ramp Archetype Artifact Ramp decks look to leap ahead of the opponent on mana (i.e. ‘ramp’ up) and head straight for the ‘end game’, where they can play huge threats significantly ahead of curve. These big spells range from Planeswalkers like Karn Liberated, through to creatures like Wurmcoil Engine; either way the opponent will have a hard time dealing with a string of large threats. Lands like Ancient Tomb and… Read More »The Artifact Ramp Archetype in Highlander

The Good-stuff Control Archetype in Highlander

Welcome to the Good-stuff Control deck archetype for 7 Point Highlander! On this page you will find all the content related to this play style. A Summary of the Good-stuff Control Archetype Good-stuff Control decks plan to control the game via spells that are fundamentally good on their own (as opposed to the Synergy Control Archetype). When behind, these Control decks can leverage incremental advantage via continual two-for-one exchanges and slowly grind their way into a position of power. Whilst Blue counterspells (like Mana Leak) and card selection (like Preordain) fit within any Control shell, the Good-stuff Control archetype seeks… Read More »The Good-stuff Control Archetype in Highlander

The Burn Archetype in Highlander

Welcome to the Burn deck archetype for 7 Point Highlander! On this page you will find all the content related to this play style. A Summary of the Burn Archetype Burn decks can be found in almost any format, and Highlander is no exception.  The goal of burn is to quickly reduce your opponent’s life total from 20 to zero, and whilst this will sometimes involve Red creatures, the archetype earns its name from the suite of ‘burn’ spells, like Lava Spike, that serve to attack that life total via the most direct means possible. Burn decks are therefore known… Read More »The Burn Archetype in Highlander

The Protect the Queen Archetype in Highlander

Welcome to the Protect the Queen deck archetype for 7 Point Highlander! On this page you will find all the content related to this play style. A Summary of the Protect the Queen Archetype: Protect the Queen decks are based on a strategy in chess whereby you leverage one particularly important piece and make moves that keep it safe so that it can continue its rein over the board. The iconic equivalent in Magic is deploying a Delver of Secrets early in the game, and then holding your ‘counterspells’ for when your opponent attempts to kill that powerful creature (and… Read More »The Protect the Queen Archetype in Highlander

The Lands Archetype in Highlander

Welcome to the Lands deck archetype for 7 Point Highlander! On this page you will find all the content related to this play style. A Summary of the Lands Archetype All decks play some number of land cards, however dedicated ‘Lands’ deck archetypes are filled with a high density of special lands that have powerful spell-like abilities, such as Strip Mine, which can be very tricky for opponents to interact with. The Lands archetype is designed around effects that search the library for these lands, as well as return them from the graveyard, making for an incredibly consistent framework for… Read More »The Lands Archetype in Highlander

The Mox Aggro Archetype in Highlander

Welcome to the Mox Aggro deck archetype for 7 Point Highlander! On this page you will find all the content related to this play style. A Summary of the Mox Aggro Archetype Mox Aggro is a collection of decks that have an aggressive game plan and can leverage a Mox Ruby to vault their strategy a turn or two ahead of their opponent. Red is the typical shell for Mox Aggro because ‘burn’ spells serve to both remove opposing blockers as well as deal damage directly to the opponent. However unlike a dedicated ‘burn’ deck which runs cards like Lava… Read More »The Mox Aggro Archetype in Highlander

The Value Midrange Archetype in Highlander

Welcome to the Value Midrange deck archetype for 7 Point Highlander! On this page you will find all the content related to this play style. A Summary of the Value Midrange Archetype Value Midrange decks attempt to gain advantage over other fair decks by getting a better rate on their exchanges. In essence, one of your spells or creatures can trade with something else on the opponent’s battlefield whilst also generating an additional card, creature, or other effect in the process. Since you seek to bury your opponent in this card advantage, Value Midrange decks often play the historically ‘best’… Read More »The Value Midrange Archetype in Highlander

The Storm Archetype in Highlander

Welcome to the Storm archetype for 7 Point Highlander! On this page you will find all the content related to this play style. A Summary of the Storm Archetype If a spell with the keyword ‘Storm’ is legal in a format, it will probably boast a Storm-based Combo deck and Highlander is no exception. Storm is among one of the most powerful and degenerate keyword mechanics, and when combined with mana-generating ‘ritual’ spells and cheap card draw, a Storm deck will be able to generate the required ‘storm count’ to deal lethal damage with a Tendrils of Agony, or create… Read More »The Storm Archetype in Highlander