The "Standard 2022" format is a little preview of what is to come when Core Set 2021, Throne of Eldraine, Theros Beyond Death, and Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths rotates out of Standard in the fall (though it obviously doesn't include the upcoming first Innistrad set that I believe will kick off the 2022 season.) Jumping back into Magic after so many years has been interesting - especially given how Arena's crafting system makes it way easier to build a tournament-level deck that it was with MTGO or, of course, physical cards.
As such, when players can pick the very best cards to spend their wildcards on, viability of a deck build is very tightly balanced.
As the main "big feature" of Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, Magic's D&D-themed set (going the other way on crossovers after the publication of two MTG-based campaign settings and the upcoming Stirxhaven one in D&D,) Dungeons are a really wacky and out-there mechanic, but one that I kind of love.
So, in the set, various cards have a keyword: "Venture into the Dungeon." Every player has access to the three dungeons, all based on published adventures from 5th Edition D&D. There's the Lost Mines of Phandelver, the Dungeon of the Mad Mage, and the Tomb of Annihilation.
Typically the venture mechanic will either be caused by a passive trigger or an activated ability. When you first do this, you choose between the three dungeons, and you start at the first "room," at the top of the dungeon card (which exists outside of normal game spaces and is just kind of a baked-in part of this keyword.)
Each time you venture into the dungeon, you progress to the next line down (the "next room," sometimes choosing between different options, which might funnel you into other room choices later on.) Whatever the room's effect is takes place, and the next time you venture, you move to the next floor down.
Then, there's typically a big reward at the final room, and when you reach it, the dungeon is completed, and you get to choose a different one (or the same) the next time you venture, starting again at the top.
Choosing which dungeon to go into is a strategic one - the Lost Mines are quick to get through and have some modest rewards. The Dungeon of the Mad Mage has more levels, meaning you'll need to venture more times to get to the end, but the end reward is really good (after getting Scry 3 on the penultimate room, you can draw three cards and cast one of the three for free.) Tomb of Annihilation can be gotten through quickly, and rewards a 4/4 legendary zombie god with deathtouch, but the steps of the dungeon are punishing, usually having each player either sacrifice or discard or pay life, though there's one route that skips a step if you're willing to sacrifice one of each of several types of permanents and discard a card.
Many cards will reward you if you've completed at least one dungeon, with Acererak, the Archlich, specifically rewarding you for finishing the Tomb of Annihilation.
I did try using him in my recently-built Orzhov deck, but I found that the rest of the deck didn't really synergize with it very well, and going for Tomb of Annihilation put me too far behind to catch up.
So, let's talk about the fundamentals of the deck:
Intrepid Adventurer is a 1/1 human... knight? I think? for WB, and has deathtouch. On your turn, it has first strike. And every time you attack with it, you venture into the dungeon.
So, of course, what makes this great is that in most situations, if you attack with it, anything that blocks it will die, and thanks to first strike, the adventurer will not. (I think this more or less sums up how level 1 adventurers wind up killing gods by the end of a campaign.) Of course, if the opponent double-blocks it, you'll lose the guy, but if you buff up his power by even one, it means that he can first-strike down multiple blockers, making this guy very reliable as a venture-engine, though he'll be a high priority target for removal (thankfully there's a way to get him back, which we'll get to.)
Nadaar, Selfless Paladin, is a 3/3 dragon knight for 3W and has vigilance. When he enters the battlefield and when he attacks, you venture into the dungeon. Then, if you've completed a dungeon, all other creatures you control get +1/+1. This guy is beefy enough to survive a few attacks, and the anthem effect along with the repeated ventures make him maybe the star of the entire deck.
Barrowin of Clan Undarr (I might have spelling wrong) is a 3/3 Dwarf Cleric for 2WB. When she enters the battlefield, you venture into the dungeon. Then, when she attacks, if you've completed a dungeon, you can return a creature of a mana value 3 or lower from the graveyard to the battlefield. In my experience, this usually gets Nadaar back after he's been killed by removal, which then, helpfully, triggers another venture, and of course buffs her up. Barrowin will help with the deck's longevity.
Paladin Class is another nice card for this. There's a sort of pseudo-white weenie thing going on, so if you buff this to provide the +1/+1 effect on all your creatures, it can help a lot, and the final level is very powerful. It's also a quick and easy 1-drop that you can fill out on later turns when you have mana to spare.
Precipitous Drop is pretty reliable removal - it's an aura that costs 2B, and gives the enchanted creature -2/-2, or -5/-5 if you've completed a dungeon, and also has you venture when it comes into play.
Basically, with this deck, you're going to be churning through dungeons and getting a ton of little bonuses that add up to some real power. In most games I'll get through the Lost Mines pretty early on, which causes all the cards that need you to have completed a dungeon to come online, and I can often get through the Dungeon of the Mad Mage in a game as well.
Given how cheap many of the creatures in the deck are, it is vulnerable to Shadow's Verdict, especially because it tends to do well when going wide.
There are a couple cards in there I'm less crazy about that sort of fill the deck out. Delver's Torch is an equipment that costs 1W and has an equip cost of 3, giving the creature +1/+1 and letting you venture whenever the creature attacks. It's great when active, but the 3 equip cost is a bit limiting. Yuan-ti Fang Blade is another that struggles sometimes - a 2/2 deathtouch snake rogue for 2B which lets you venture whenever it deals combat damage to the opponent. So, if it's blocked, it can't. On the other hand, when you get Paladin Class fully leveled up, the double strike buff causes this guy to let you venture twice.
Anyway, the deck is a lot of fun and pretty ridiculous, and on top of that, actually seems capable of winning in the Standard 2022 format (at least in the unranked "play" mode.)
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