Explorer / Pioneer Orzhov Tormenting Sun

Goal

I usually lose interest in Arena and go multiple sets without playing much. Then I want to try and rank up again so have to go through hordes of aggro and odd custom decks to be able to rank up.

This Explorer deck is meant to be able to farm best-of-one (BO1) Explorer aggro decks and rank up quickly in the lower levels.

How the Deck Works

Your main goal is just to survive long enough to cast Approach of the Second Sun twice.

You will also accept people rage-quitting after you continously destroy their permanents while having no permanents to destroy yourself.

If neither of those options work you want to burn your opponent out with a combination of: Torment of Hailfire, Invoke Despair and Crushing Disappointment.

Beyond that there are no other win conditions. You have no creatures or other permanents making your opponent’s removal spells useless.

You want to cycle through your deck with the card draw and keep your life total up with all the life gain in the deck.

Strengths and Weaknesses

The Tormenting Sun deck does great against most aggro and mid-range decks. If they play lots of creatures and want to win by attacking and burning you out, you will do well.

Control, combo and control-aggro style decks (flash decks, creatures and counterspells or protective spell decks) are the main weaknesses of this deck. All the decks interaction is meant for removing creatures, if they attack along another axis if will be rough going unless you draw exactly the right spells.

Deck List

Lands

• 4 Godless Shrine (RNA) 248
• 2 Shattered Sanctum (VOW) 264
• 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire (NEO) 268
• 4 Brightclimb Pathway (ZNR) 259
• 3 Isolated Chapel (DAR) 241
• 1 Castle Locthwain (ELD) 241
• 1 Plains (ONE) 272
• 8 Swamp (ONE) 274

Sorceries

• 1 Torment of Hailfire (AKR) 128
• 2 Approach of the Second Sun (STA) 1
• 3 Farewell (NEO) 13
• 4 Invoke Despair (NEO) 101
• 2 Path of Peril (VOW) 124
• 2 Shatter the Sky (THB) 37
• 2 Depopulate (SNC) 10

Instants

• 4 Crushing Disappointment (STX) 68
• 3 Baleful Mastery (STX) 64
• 4 Union of the Third Path (BRO) 31
• 4 Revitalize (M21) 31
• 3 Vanishing Verse (STX) 244
• 2 Go for the Throat (BRO) 102

Sideboard

This preliminary sideboard is for those who want to modify the deck for best of 3 in Pioneer paper.

Note: I’ve never played the deck in paper so I have no experience using this sideboard. It will probably require a lot of turning to make it useful in your meta.

• 2 Go Blank (STX) 72
• 4 Duress (M21) 96
• 1 March of Wretched Sorrow (NEO) 111
• 1 Bloodchief’s Thirst (ZNR) 94
• 2 Disenchant (ZNR) 10
• 2 Fatal Push (KLR) 84
• 2 Cosmos Elixir (KHM) 237
• 1 Ritual of Soot (GRN) 84

The goal of the sideboard is to shore up weaknesses for the deck and to give it a shot against control and combo decks.

Conclusion

So that’s Orzhov Tormenting Sun, my Arena farming deck.

What do you think? What would you change?