Mardu Energy Timeless Deck Guide: Arena Championship 10 “Winning” Builds
Introduction: The Deck Everyone Brought to Arena Championship 10
Going into Arena Championship 10 (AC10) on December 20–21, 2025, the story of the Timeless format looked straightforward: if you were playing to win, you were heavily incentivized to register Mardu Energy.
According to Wizards of the Coast’s official Timeless metagame breakdown for AC10, 34 players chose Mardu Energy, making up 30.9% of the entire field—by far the most‑played archetype in the tournament. By comparison, the next most popular decks, Mono‑Black Necro and Mono‑Red Prison, each had 13 pilots (11.8%). Other archetypes like Dimir Reanimator (6 players) and Orzhov Necro (5 players) trailed far behind in representation.
“With 34 players sleeving up the deck, Mardu Energy is the most popular choice in the Arena Championship 10 field.”
— Magic.gg, “Arena Championship 10 Timeless Metagame Breakdown” (Dec. 19, 2025)
At the same time, third‑party event data paints a more complicated picture: Mardu Energy dominated the metagame, but not the Top 16. According to MTG Rocks’ report using Melee data, only 2 of those 34 Mardu pilots converted to Top 16, while Necrodominance shells (Mono‑Black and Orzhov) put 8 of 18 players into the Top 16 and claimed 3 of 4 semifinal spots.
So where does that leave Mardu Energy? As of late December 2025, it remains:
- The most played deck at Timeless’s first premier event (AC10).
- A proven winner in open events like The Gathering – Timeless Open: TLA #1.
- A focal point of the format discussion thanks to its explosive energy engine, Lurrus of the Dream‑Den companion, and flexible disruption.
This guide pulls directly from Wizards’ coverage, tournament results on MTGDECKS and MTGGoldfish, and format overviews from TheGathering.gg and Cards Realm to present a factual, data‑driven look at Mardu Energy in Timeless, with an emphasis on Arena Championship 10–era builds.
Arena Championship 10: Format, Stakes, and Mardu’s Role
AC10 was held online on MTG Arena as a direct‑challenge event on:
- Day 1: Saturday, December 20, 2025, 9:00 a.m. PST (17:00 UTC)
- Day 2: Sunday, December 21, 2025, 9:00 a.m. PST (17:00 UTC)
The event featured:
- Constructed format: Timeless, Best‑of‑Three
- Structure:
– Day 1: up to 8 rounds of modified Swiss (players stop at 6 wins or 3 losses) – Day 2: Top‑16 single‑elimination bracket
- Prize pool: $250,000 total, with $15,000 for 1st, $12,500 for 2nd, and cash down to $500 for the bottom finishers
- Invites:
– Top 16: invited to Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed (Richmond, VA, Jan 30 – Feb 1, 2026) – Finalists (Top 2): invited to Magic World Championship 32 at MagicCon: Atlanta in 2026
(All details from Magic.gg’s AC10 viewer’s guide and fact sheet.)
Timeless itself is Arena’s “no‑holds‑barred” 60‑card format, where every collectible Arena card is legal, except for a short restricted list:
- Channel, Demonic Tutor, and Tibalt’s Trickery – 1 copy per deck only.
Cards like Strip Mine, Necropotence, fetchlands, and powerful Modern/Legacy staples are fully legal. AC10 is the first premier championship event to feature Timeless as its Constructed format, making it a high‑visibility stress test for the format.
Within that environment, Wizards’ own preview positioned Mardu Energy as the headliner:
- 34 Mardu Energy decks – 30.9% of the field
- Every Mardu list at AC10 used Lurrus of the Dream‑Den as its companion
- The archetype leaned on Guide of Souls and Amped Raptor as its core engine, plus Ocelot Pride and Ajani, Nacatl Pariah as primary threats, with a black splash for Orcish Bowmasters
Performance Check: Mardu Energy vs. Necrodominance at AC10
While Mardu Energy clearly won the popularity contest, conversion statistics tell a different story.
MTG Rocks, summarizing data from Melee, reports that:
- Mardu Energy
– 34 pilots Day 1 → 2 pilots in Top 16
- Mono‑Black + Orzhov Necrodominance
– 18 pilots total → 8 in Top 16 – 3 of the 4 semifinalists on Mono‑Black Necro
This data implies:
- Mardu Energy was heavily respected and targeted.
- Necrodominance decks made much better use of Timeless’s fast mana and free resource engines (e.g., Dark Ritual, Chrome Mox, Necropotence/Necrodominance), outperforming Mardu in high‑stakes matches.
As of December 22, 2025, Wizards has not yet published official “Winner + Decklists” coverage for AC10, and Wikipedia still lists the AC10 winner as “TBD”. The Melee event page used for detailed standings is not publicly accessible (403 restricted). So while it is clear that Mardu Energy underperformed relative to its Day‑1 share, we cannot definitively name the winner or their exact decklist from verifiable public sources.
For this guide, that means:
- We will treat AC10 as a metagame and structural reference, not as a source of exact 75‑card Mardu lists.
- For specific deck construction, we will rely on documented winning Mardu Energy lists from other Timeless events close to AC10—particularly The Gathering – Timeless Open: TLA #1 and related tournaments.
Proven “Winning Builds”: The Gathering Timeless Open Results
If AC10 showed that Mardu Energy can be beaten in a targeted field, earlier events demonstrate that it is still fully capable of winning tournaments.
On December 6, 2025, The Gathering – Timeless Open: TLA #1 (32 players, Timeless on Arena) concluded with Mardu Energy (Lurrus) as the champion:
- 1st place (7–1 record):
– Player: TheSteelCurtain21 – Deck: Mardu Energy (Lurrus) – Documented on MTGDECKS and MTGGoldfish
Other Mardu Energy performances from the same event include:
- Top 4 (5–2): Federico Velasco – Mardu Energy (Lurrus)
- Top 8 (4–2): Korae – Mardu Energy (Lurrus)
- Several Top 16 / Top 32 finishes by different Mardu pilots
MTGGoldfish lists 23 recorded competitive Mardu Energy (Lurrus) decks in 2025, many of them with Top 8 or better results in Timeless Opens and similar events. Deck cost estimates for these tuned builds range roughly from:
- Paper prices: about $780–$1,020
- MTGO prices: around 180–230 tix
The specific 1st‑place list from TheSteelCurtain21 is valued at around $897 in paper and ~207 tix online, according to MTGGoldfish’s vendor‑based estimates.
These numbers help frame Mardu Energy not just as an AC10 “metagame darling,” but as a proven tournament winner with documented trophy finishes.
Core Engine: Why Mardu Energy Is So Explosive
Despite differing flex slots and sideboard choices, successful Mardu Energy lists in Timeless share a tight core that aligns closely with Wizards’ own AC10 description and community tier lists.
Companion Constraint: Lurrus of the Dream‑Den
Every AC10 Mardu Energy list, and nearly all high‑level Mardu Energy builds tracked by MTGGoldfish and MTGDECKS, use:
- Companion: Lurrus of the Dream‑Den
This requirement shapes the deck in several clear ways:
- Nonland permanents have mana value ≤ 2, which:
– Locks out 3‑drops like Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury – Steers the archetype away from 3+ mana planeswalkers
- In return, decks gain persistent recursion of:
– 1‑ and 2‑mana threats (e.g., Guide of Souls, Ocelot Pride, Ragavan) – Cheap permanents like Static Prison, Goblin Bombardment, and Juggernaut Peddler
Cards Realm emphasizes that this recursion, sometimes paired with Chthonian Nightmare in some lists, makes Lurrus “the most powerful Companion” and “the most powerful creature in Magic,” in their words, within the Timeless context.
Energy Engine: Guide of Souls + Amped Raptor
At the heart of the deck are two Modern Horizons 3 energy cards:
- Guide of Souls (MH3) – 1‑mana 1/2
– Triggers on each creature entering under your control: – You gain 1 life – You get 1 energy counter – You can spend 3 energy in combat to put two +1/+1 counters and a flying counter on an attacking creature, transforming it into a large Angel threat.
- Amped Raptor (MH3) – 2‑mana 2/1 first strike
– On ETB, you get two energy – If cast from hand, it exiles cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card, and lets you cast that card by paying energy equal to its mana value
When combined, these cards form a compact engine that:
- Generates energy at a high rate from normal gameplay (playing creatures)
- Converts energy into:
– Card advantage (casting exiled spells via Amped Raptor) – Lethal pressure (turning cheap creatures into evasive Angels via Guide of Souls)
Cards Realm describes this shell as creating “one of the most efficient Aggro decks in Magic history,” and Wizards’ metagame article echoes that Mardu Energy combines a “fast clock and efficient interactive suite”.
Threat Suite: Ocelot Pride, Ajani, Ragavan
The energy engine feeds into a dense package of cheap, high‑impact threats:
- Ocelot Pride (MH3)
– A key threat in every major list; it rewards lifegain and token production, creating wide boards and incremental advantages.
- Ajani, Nacatl Pariah // Ajani, Nacatl Avenger (MH3)
– 2‑mana legendary Cat that creates 2/1 Cat tokens and can flip into a planeswalker (Ajani, Nacatl Avenger). – The planeswalker side can eventually force an opponent to sacrifice down to one of each permanent type, giving Mardu real endgame inevitability against midrange mirrors.
- Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
– Frequently 3–4 copies in top lists. – A hyper‑efficient 1‑drop that provides treasure and card advantage upon hitting opponents.
Together, these threats:
- Fit the Lurrus companion constraint
- Synergize with Guide of Souls (creature ETBs and lifegain)
- Apply fast pressure while still being relevant in longer games
Interaction and Disruption
Competitive Mardu Energy lists back their aggressive shell with a surprisingly deep suite of disruption, taking advantage of access to white and black:
- Swords to Plowshares
– A near‑universal 3–4‑of in maindecks. – Efficient exile removal that pairs well with Mardu’s life‑gain theme.
- Static Prison (MH3)
– Enchantment removal that exiles a nonland permanent on entry and generates two energy. – Seen in tournament lists like Korae’s Top‑8 build from TLA #1, doubling as both removal and fuel for Guide of Souls/Amped Raptor.
- Orcish Bowmasters
– One of the most played cards at AC10 overall. – Mardu lists typically run 3–4 copies between main and side, using it to punish card draw and small creatures.
- Juggernaut Peddler
– A 2‑mana 2/2 that reveals the opponent’s hand, exiles a chosen nonland card, and conjures a Juggernaut token for them. – MTGDECKS’ usage data shows Timeless Mardu Energy as the top archetype using Juggernaut Peddler (18 recorded decks in the last 90 days), underlining its role as hand disruption plus pressure.
- Thoughtseize
– Commonly seen in maindeck or sideboard, especially in more black‑leaning builds or as a post‑board upgrade. – As TheGathering.gg’s tier list notes, shifting from Boros Energy to Mardu Energy trades some speed for proactive hand disruption—a key edge versus combo.
Many lists also feature Goblin Bombardment as a finishing tool, turning extra tokens or small creatures into direct damage and breaking late‑game board stalls.
Mana Base: Fetches, Strip Mine, and Tight Colors
Top Mardu Energy lists built around Lurrus generally run:
- 4 Strip Mine
– Wizards’ AC10 metagame breakdown notes that Strip Mine was the most played card across the entire tournament. – Every Mardu Energy deck there reportedly included the full four copies, using them to punish greedy manabases and lock opponents out of key colors.
- 10–12 fetchlands, typically:
– Arid Mesa – Marsh Flats – Bloodstained Mire
- Shocklands and duals, such as:
– Sacred Foundry, Godless Shrine, Blood Crypt – Occasionally tri‑lands like Raucous Theater/Elegant Parlor in some lists
- A very small number of basics, often a single Plains (some variants also feature a basic Swamp or Mountain).
This mana configuration supports:
- Reliable Mardu colors on curve
- Constant shuffle effects for deck‑thinning and minor synergies
- Frequent Strip Mine locks or tempo plays in conjunction with early pressure
Sideboard Patterns: How the Deck Adapts
While AC10 decklists are not yet public, we can observe common sideboard packages from The Gathering Timeless Opens and high‑ranking ladder lists on MTGDECKS.
Typical tools include:
- Versus Combo / Spell‑Dense Decks
– Thoughtseize (up to 4 copies total between main + side) – Deafening Silence to slow spell chains – Vexing Bauble in some lists as another anti‑spell piece
- Versus Graveyard / Reanimator
– Surgical Extraction – Ghost Vacuum – Unlicensed Hearse in some builds
- Versus Artifacts / Prison / Problem Permanents
– Prismatic Ending – Meltdown – Disruptor Flute, noted as a sideboard card that can shut down specific opposing cards (e.g., combo artifacts, certain planeswalkers)
These packages align with format commentary:
- Cards Realm reports that Mardu Energy’s energy engine and recursion let it pressure slower combo decks while still playing a long game.
- TheGathering.gg’s Timeless tier list highlights that adding black improves matchups against fast combo relative to straight Boros Energy, though at some cost against pure burn/aggro.
Where Mardu Energy Stands After AC10
Putting all of this together, the post‑AC10 picture of Mardu Energy in Timeless looks like this:
- Metagame Status
– Most played deck at AC10: 34 copies, 30.9% of the field. – A clear Tier‑1 presence in community tier lists (TheGathering.gg places it at the top of the format alongside other major archetypes). – Cards Realm explicitly calls it “currently the best Timeless deck” in a December 2025 article focusing on ten key Timeless strategies.
- Results vs. Expectations
– Underperformed at AC10 relative to its Day‑1 share: only 2 Top‑16 finishes per MTG Rocks’ Melee‑based report. – Outshined in elimination rounds by Necrodominance decks, which: – Had fewer pilots (18 total) – Put 8 players into Top 16 and 3 into the semifinals
- Proven Winning Shell
– Outside AC10, Mardu Energy (Lurrus) won The Gathering – Timeless Open: TLA #1 on Dec 6, 2025, and posted multiple Top‑4 and Top‑8 finishes in that 32‑player event. – MTGGoldfish’s archetype page documents more than 20 competitive finishes across 2025, underscoring that the deck’s core is not just theoretical—it has real, repeated success.
- Economic Considerations
– Competitive paper builds estimate between $780 and $1,020 depending on specific lists and vendors. – Online equivalents on MTGO run in the 180–230 tix range. – These figures place Mardu Energy among the more expensive Timeless strategies, reflecting its concentration of high‑impact rares and mythics (e.g., Ragavan, fetchlands, Lurrus).
Practical Takeaways for Timeless Players
Based strictly on the documented facts and lists:
- If you want a proven, tournament‑winning aggressive deck in Timeless that:
– Plays Lurrus of the Dream‑Den as companion – Leverages Guide of Souls + Amped Raptor – Runs Ocelot Pride, Ajani, Bowmasters, Ragavan, Swords to Plowshares, and Strip Mine then Mardu Energy (Lurrus) is a primary option, with multiple 2025 event trophies to back it up.
- If you are preparing for Timeless events shaped by AC10’s results, be aware:
– Necrodominance shells demonstrated superior conversion at AC10 and are likely to remain a major part of the metagame. – Sideboard packages featuring Thoughtseize, Deafening Silence, Disruptor Flute, and graveyard hate are grounded in observed lists and directly address those combo/control threats.
- From a coverage standpoint, AC10 shows a key tension:
– Mardu Energy: the deck that everyone brought, featured centrally in Wizards’ official metagame coverage. – Necrodominance decks: the archetypes that actually converted their seats into Top‑16 and Top‑4 finishes at a much higher rate.
As of late December 2025, without official AC10 decklists public, the safest factual conclusion is that Mardu Energy remains one of Timeless’s defining strategies, backed by substantial tournament success, but its “best deck” status is actively contested by fast mana–powered Necrodominance shells at the very top end of competitive play.
For Timeless players on MTG Arena, the Mardu Energy shell built around Lurrus, Guide of Souls, Amped Raptor, Ocelot Pride, Ajani, Bowmasters, and Strip Mine is firmly established by data as a tier‑one, tournament‑caliber choice, even as the format continues to evolve in response to Arena Championship 10.