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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Arcane Tempo is the blue-red Magic: The Gathering Challenger Deck released in 2019. It comes with a 60-card main deck and 15-card sideboard, built around casting spells, controlling the board, and finishing with threats such as Crackling Drake and Niv-Mizzet, Parun.
What is the Arcane Tempo deck?
Arcane Tempo is a physical, preconstructed Magic: The Gathering deck in Wizards of the Coast’s 2019 Challenger Deck lineup. Wizards announced the four-deck series on March 18, 2019, with availability scheduled for April 12, 2019. The decks were presented as an on-ramp to Standard play at that time. The announced U.S. MSRP was $29.99, a historical release price rather than a guide to what the deck costs today. Wizards’ 2019 announcement identifies the product and provides its official decklist.
The full deck contains 75 cards: 60 in the main deck and 15 in the sideboard. Its colors are blue and red, often called Izzet in Magic. The official list is a snapshot of Standard in 2019, not evidence of present-day Standard legality.
What is Arcane Tempo’s game plan?
Wizards lead designer Donald Smith Jr. described Arcane Tempo as a relatively controlling build. He said the main-deck copies of Niv-Mizzet, Parun and Murmuring Mystic helped distinguish its strategy from the other Challenger Decks. The deck uses a substantial package of inexpensive spells and interaction, then leans on creatures that reward spell-casting or provide powerful late-game threats.
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That design draws on the Izzet Drakes archetype, but Arcane Tempo is its own preconstructed list. Wizards cited Pascal Vieren’s Izzet Drakes deck as inspiration; the 9–1 record mentioned in that context belongs to Vieren’s separate tournament deck, not to Arcane Tempo.
Arcane Tempo decklist overview
The main deck’s official card-type breakdown is 13 creatures, 9 sorceries, 15 instants, 1 enchantment, and 22 lands. Notable main-deck cards include:
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- Creatures: four Goblin Electromancer, four Crackling Drake, two Murmuring Mystic, one Arclight Phoenix, and two Niv-Mizzet, Parun.
- Spells: Opt, Radical Idea, Shock, Lava Coil, Chart a Course, Dive Down, Blink of an Eye, Beacon Bolt, and The Mirari Conjecture.
The 15-card sideboard includes Negate, Entrancing Melody, Fiery Cannonade, Shivan Fire, Disdainful Stroke, Beacon Bolt, and The Mirari Conjecture. Those are highlights, not a complete list of quantities. For every card and exact count, use the official Arcane Tempo list from Wizards.
Is Arcane Tempo still legal in Standard?
The deck’s Standard context is historical: Wizards described the cards as having been printed in Standard and legal when the Challenger Decks were released in 2019. That does not establish that Arcane Tempo, or any particular card in its list, is legal in Standard now. Check the current rules and card legality for the format you intend to play before bringing the deck to an event.
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- Includes a mix of AT LEAST 25 Rares/Uncommons which is half of the cards.
- Absolutely NO... Basic lands, Foreign, or silver/gold bordered cards.
- Some may contain Foils or Mythics but not all.
- Sets can range from Beta to the current Magic the Gathering set.
- Mint/Excellent condition only.
Can you still buy the Arcane Tempo Challenger Deck?
The product is an older release, and current stock, price, condition, and language are not established here. Noble Knight Games catalogs “2019 Challenger Deck – Arcane Tempo” as out of print and reports a last-stocked date of March 31, 2026; that catalog history does not confirm present availability. If you are considering a secondhand copy, check that the listing is for the complete 75-card deck and verify condition and language with the seller.
Wizards’ design commentary also noted that the archetype could be pushed in a more aggressive or tempo-oriented direction, with historical suggestions including Pteramander, Enigma Drake, and Spell Pierce. Those suggestions explain the deck’s flexibility as a starting point; they are not a current metagame recommendation.
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