Hello everyone. Now that the full list of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt cards has been revealed, it's time to figure out which deck to play once these cards become Standard legal on September 24. For the next couple of weeks, we'll be taking a look at some newly-created decks that feature these exciting new cards. Let's get started.

Dimir Zombies

The first deck I have for you features Zombies, both fresh and decayed. Let's take a look at it.

Dimir Zombies | MID Standard | AngeloReznik, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (25)
• 1 Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia
• 2 Death-Priest of Myrkul
• 3 Narfi, Betrayer King
• 3 Wight
• 4 Bladestitched Skaab
• 4 Champion of the Perished
• 4 Shambling Ghast
• 4 Tainted Adversary

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 2 Lolth, Spider Queen

• Instants (2)
• 2 Flip the Switch

• Sorceries (7)
• 2 Agadeem's Awakening // Agadeem, the Undercrypt
• 2 Crippling Fear
• 3 Bloodchief's Thirst

• Enchantments (2)
• 2 Ghoulish Procession

• Lands (22)
• 5 Snow-Covered Island
• 7 Snow-Covered Swamp
• 2 Faceless Haven
• 4 Clearwater Pathway // Murkwater Pathway
• 4 Shipwreck Marsh

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Because of all of these ways to create Zombie creature tokens, Champion of the Perished has the potential to become huge in this deck. It will gain a +1/+1 counter whenever another Zombie enters the battlefield under your control. This counts all Zombies, whether they are spells or tokens that are created. By playing Champion of the Perished on your first turn, you'll be able to create a must-kill creature. However, playing additional Zombies isn't the only way to make Champion of the Perished more lethal.

This deck has a few different ways to amplify the combat effectiveness of all of your Zombie creatures. Bladestitched Skaab gives all of your other Zombies a +1/+0 bonus. Death-Priest of Myrkul gives your Zombies, Skeletons, and Vampires a +1/+1 boost, plus it has a built-in means of creating 1/1 Skeleton tokens. Finally, Narfi, Betrayer King gives a +1/+1 bonus to other snow and Zombie creatures you control. Keep in mind, though, that Faceless Haven will only get a +1/+1 bonus when you turn it into a creature, even though it's both a snow creature and a Zombie.

Gruul Werewolves

Next, I have a Gruul Werewolf deck for you that features Arlinn and her mentor, Tovolar. Let's take a look at the deck.

Gruul Werewolves | MID Standard | Alkofero, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (24)
• 4 Fearless Pup
• 4 Kessig Naturalist // Lord of the Ulvenwald
• 4 Primal Adversary
• 4 Reckless Stormseeker // Storm-Charged Slasher
• 4 Tovolar, Dire Overlord // Tovolar, the Midnight Scourge
• 4 Werewolf Pack Leader

• Planeswalkers (3)
• 3 Arlinn, the Pack's Hope // Arlinn, the Moon's Fury

• Instants (6)
• 2 Snakeskin Veil
• 4 Play with Fire

• Sorceries (2)
• 2 Shatterskull Smashing // Shatterskull, the Hammer Pass

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Ranger Class

• Lands (21)
• 4 Snow-Covered Mountain
• 7 Snow-Covered Forest
• 2 Faceless Haven
• 4 Cragcrown Pathway // Timbercrown Pathway
• 4 Rockfall Vale

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Arlinn, the Pack's Hope // Arlinn, the Moon's Fury can help you increase the amount of creatures you have in play quite a bit. On her daybound side, her +1 loyalty ability allows you to cast creature spells as if they had flash, making combat difficult for your opponent when you have untapped lands. The creatures you cast while using this ability also gain an additional +1/+1 counter, giving them additional value. Arlinn can also create a pair of 2/2 Wolf creature tokens with her -3 loyalty ability. In this deck, Wolves and Werewolves can grow to a fairly large size.

Once night has fallen, Arlinn, the Pack's Hope // Arlinn, the Moon's Fury will be able to add two mana to your mana pool with her +2 loyalty ability. This mana can be used to cast any type of spell, so you can continue growing your ranks by casting additional creature spells, or you can cast any of your noncreature spells and gain additional benefits. The 0 loyalty ability on Arlinn's nightbound side allows Arlinn to transform into a truly frightening creature. A 5/5 creature with trample is good, and when you add indestructible and haste to those abilities, you get something quite amazing.

Arlinn is paired up alongside her former mentor, Tovolar, Dire Overlord // Tovolar, the Midnight Scourge. Tovolar acts as a great source of card drawing, as he allows you to draw a card whenever a Wolf or Werewolf you control deals combat damage to a player. He also retains this ability on his nightbound side, so those extra cards don't go away if he transforms. In addition, Tovolar's nightbound side includes an activated ability that provides a power bonus and trample to a target Wolf or Werewolf you control. You can use this to ensure that you'll be able to deal combat damage to your opponent and draw at least one additional card.

Rakdos Vampires

Even though Werewolves are the main focus in Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, it's very possible to make a fun, competitive Vampire deck. Let's take a look at the deck.

Rakdos Vampires | MID Standard | powrdragn, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (25)
• 2 Voldaren Stinger
• 3 Florian, Voldaren Scion
• 4 Bloodthirsty Adversary
• 4 Falkenrath Pit Fighter
• 4 Immersturm Predator
• 4 Nighthawk Scavenger
• 4 Vampire Socialite

• Instants (7)
• 2 Infernal Grasp
• 2 Lunar Frenzy
• 3 Play with Fire

• Sorceries (7)
• 2 Agadeem's Awakening // Agadeem, the Undercrypt
• 2 Crippling Fear
• 3 Duress

• Lands (21)
• 4 Mountain
• 5 Swamp
• 2 Den of the Bugbear
• 2 Hive of the Eye Tyrant
• 4 Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway
• 4 Haunted Ridge

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A common theme amongst the Vampires of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt is that they gain some kind of bonus if your opponent has lost life this turn. We saw this in Florian, Voldaren Scion, and it's also featured on Vampire Socialite. With this Vampire Noble, you'll be able to add a +1/+1 counter to each other Vampire you have in play when Vampire Socialite enters the battlefield and your opponent has lost life this turn. After that, Vampire Socialite will give each new Vampire you cast a +1/+1 counter when it enters the battlefield as long as your opponent has lost life this turn. Those +1/+1 counters allow your Vampires to hold their own against foes that are usually more powerful.

Each of the decks this week have included playsets of cards from the Adversary cycle, which are all good early play, but scale nicely when played later in the game. This deck includes Bloodthirsty Adversary, which has a mana value of two. When Bloodthirsty Adversary enters the battlefield, you can pay three mana to provide a +1/+1 counter to Bloodthirsty Adversary and to copy an instant or sorcery with a mana value of three or less from your graveyard and cast the copy for free, while exiling the actual spell. You can do this multiple times, provided you have the mana to do it, which makes this cycle of creatures valuable at all points of the game.

Wrapping Up

Innistrad: Midnight Hunt officially releases on September 24. Between now and then, it's important to try out new decks featuring these cards so you'll be ready to play at your local Friday Night Magic event right away.

What do you think of these decks? Do you have any suggestions for improvements? Let me know by leaving a comment below. Also, feel free to share this article with your friends anywhere on social media. And be sure to join me here again next week as I continue my search for innovative decks in Standard. I'll see you then!

-Mike Likes