Overview

G/W Aggro is basically your Big Dumb Creature Deck with scary, efficient monsters that have just enough evasion or abilities to impede an opponent’s ability to win.

High Picks

Armageddon (the glue that makes this deck a powerhouse)
Efficient Weenies (Paladin en-Vec, Albino Troll, Blastoderm, Silver Knight, Tarmogoyf, River Boa)
Equipment (Umezawa’s Jitte, Sword of Fire and Ice, Bonesplitter)
Powerful Enchantments (Rancor, Armadillo Cloak, Griffin Guide)
Card Advantage/Selection (Sylvan Library, Sensei’s Divining Top, Land Tax)
Flexible Answers (Oblivion Ring, Prison Term, Glare of Subdual)
Late Game Reach (Genesis, Spectral Procession)

Strategy

This is a strategy that is easily defined: If I open Armageddon in my opening pack, I’m probably going to go this route or B/W Aggro Discard (but that’s another strategy article). With that said, this archetype gives you powerful creatures for little mana (Albino Troll, Blastoderm, Spectral Force), incredible protection creatures (Mother of Runes, Eight-and-a-Half Tails) and late-game perseverance thanks to bombs like Equipment or enchantments like Sylvan Library.

This is an archetype that needs a few unfair creatures or cards to win. You also must be willing to mulligan aggressively. The ability to go one-drop (Isamaru), two-drop (Eight-and-a-Half Tails), three-drop (Paladin en-Vec), Armageddon is your nut draw. Without putting pressure on your opponent in this way you will probably be unable to win the game, so mulliganing to hands that put pressure on early is very important.

Equipment is also very important in this archetype. Even something as innocent looking as Lightning Greaves can create a lot of problems for red decks that can’t Lightning Bolt your guy away. Umezawa’s Jitte is of course the Equipment du juor and should be windmill slammed appropriately, and Sword of Fire and Ice is easily one of the best three-drops this deck can offer.

With the recent addition of Shards of Alara, spanning this archetype to include a few Naya cards, specifically Realm Razer, wouldn’t be the most horrible idea in the world. This basically gives you a second Armageddon, and that’s something you really want to try to attain.

This archetype just rolls over G/R aggro most of the time due to their inability to deal with your protection monsters (Silver Knight) and/or the ability for you to dispose of their creatures (Arrest / Prison Term). It’s also very strong against Mono Red strategies for the same reason, and while B/W can be an issue do their powerful spot removal and board sweeper ability, again, cards like Paladin en-Vec are your all-stars in these matchups.

Weaknesses

You generally have a hard time dealing with Wrath of God effects. You want to hold back powerful cards like Spectral Procession until after they drop the hammer on you. 5-Color Control is your worst matchup, as they have a variety of answers and problems in all colors. U/W Control is also an issue, as something an innocent as a Sacred Mesa can give them turn after turn of buildup with which to find their wrath effects. This is the reason that you need to draft multiple Disenchant effects (Disenchant / Return to Dust) in order to have answers to powerful cards like Crystal Shard or Bitterblossom.

Summary

This is a very powerful archetype that is often drafted incorrectly. Many times it is correct to run fewer lands (15 or 16 depending on your curve or your luck sacking into a Sol Ring + Multiple Moxen) and many times it is correct to mulligan to 5 if need to be to ensure you hit your first and second aggressive drops. You also have the ability to pick up powerful multicolor cards that go late, such as Loxodon Hierarch and particularly Armadillo Cloak as those cards just win games, either through heft or the lifegain factor.

This a powerful strategy for newcomers to the cube, as drafting dorks and smashing into the red zone is always fun times. Take away your opponent’s ability to play spells soon afterward (Armageddon, mentioned for the 56th time) is the bees knees.