The Game Plan
There were a handful of directions you can take an Izzet deck in the current Standard: Izzet Phoenix, Izzet Tempo, Izzet Prowess, and so on. I started off with a list from Adam "Yoman5" Hernandez's deck dump last week because
Stormwing Entity

Stormwing Entity
Stormwing Entity

Magic: The Gathering
Rare
This spell costs 2U less to cast if you've cast an instant or sorcery spell this turn.

Flying

Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creatu... Read More

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caught my eye. His initial list felt like a strong tempo deck, however I was more interested in getting more aggressive by utilizing prowess and "prowess-like" cards.
This deck wants to build up to an explosive turn that is game-ending (or close to it). This typically revolves around getting a
Sprite Dragon

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or
Stormwing Entity

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in play.
Riddleform

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and
Brazen Borrower

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can also be impactful creatures for dealing damage over a handful of turns.
Set up and basic cantrip philosophy changes greatly in this version of a prowess deck. Typically, you would
Opt

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on your opponent's end step if you had mana open. In this deck, it is important to hold on to your
Opt

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s and other spells with a converted mana cost of 1 so you can cast
Stormwing Entity

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for cheap.
Key Cards
Cantrips
OptCrash ThroughLight Up the Stage
The cantrips are one of the most important features of the deck.
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,
Crash Through

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and
Light up the Stage

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help trigger prowess (or
Sprite Dragon

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), refuel on cards, plan your future turns, and allow you to cast
Stormwing Entity

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for two mana. As I said before, I like to hold on to these cards until I can cast
Stormwing Entity

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or trigger prowess.
My most recent additions to the deck were
Frantic Inventory

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and
Light up the Stage

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. I found myself running out of things to do in the late game, or having too many creatures and not enough spells in my deck. Both of these cards have been phenomenal in both generating explosive, game-ending turns and grinding out longer games against midrange and control decks.
Creatures
There are a ton of creatures that could fit into a deck like this, such as
Pteramander

Pteramander
Pteramander

Magic: The Gathering
Uncommon
Flying

7U: Adapt 4. This ability costs 1 less to activate for each instant and sorcery card in your graveyard. (If this creature has no +1/+1 counters on it, put fo... Read More

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or
Arclight Phoenix

Arclight Phoenix
Arclight Phoenix

Magic: The Gathering
Mythic
Flying, haste

At the beginning of combat on your turn, if you've cast three or more instant and sorcery spells this turn, return Arclight Phoenix from your graveyar... Read More

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, but I wanted to streamline the prowess theme to enable efficiency and consistency. In the current configuration of the deck, you typically always have one to three creatures and a handful of cantrips.
Sprite DragonStormwing Entity
Sprite Dragon

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was one of my favorite cards when Ixalan was released, but it didn't have enough support to find a home in a new archetype.
Stormwing Entity

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is truly the card that this archetype needed to push through into a meta deck. It is already a 3/3 with flying and prowess for essentially two mana, but on top of that when it enters the battlefield you get to scry 2. This is important because you get to shape your next couple of turns, whether that be starting a cantrip chain or finding a backup creature if you expect a removal spell from your opponent.
Other Spells
Petty Theft

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and
Shock

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are your maindeck ways to interact with your opponent. Largely, in game one I favor being the proactive strategy at the table, so I've left the countermagic and other forms of interaction in the sideboard. However, both
Shock

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and
Petty Theft

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can play into the proactive game-one strategy by removing creatures to swing in for lethal, and
Shock

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can also hit your opponent's face, all while triggering prowess!
Riddleform
Riddleform
Magic: The Gathering
Uncommon

Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, you may have Riddleform become a 3/3 Sphinx creature with flying in addition to its other types until end of turn.

2U: Scry 1... Read More

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Riddleform
Riddleform

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is a spell I was unsure of including in the deck at first, but it has been overperforming in almost every match I've played it in. Casting a second
Riddleform

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triggers the initial
Riddleform

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, and you can trigger
Riddleform

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on your opponent's turn if you are in need of a good blocker. Being a flier directly supports your game plan, and being a 3/3 also makes it a solid blocker against some aggro decks.
Raking Claws

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is a great "game one card" that can win you games early or win a game out of nowhere. Otherwise, this card often comes out in the post-board matches.
Sideboard Guide
We still don't completely know how the format is going to shake up with M21, but here are a few matchups I've seen on MTG Arena so far.
Vs. Bant Ramp
The goal against Bant Ramp is to win the game before the Bant player can stabilize with
Shatter the Sky

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or
Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath

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. Therefore, I would bring in cards to deal with
Teferi, Time Raveler

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and Uro.
Riddleform

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is very good in this matchup because it dodges
Shatter the Sky

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.
Vs. Bant Ramp
Vs. Mono-Red Aggro
Mono-Red Aggro was a difficult matchup initially, so I added more removal in the sideboard. In this matchup you want to control their board presence while putting on your own pressure. Game one you only have access to
Brazen Borrower

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and
Shock

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as interaction, so you often have to race your opponent. In the post-board games you get to slow down by controlling their board presence and attacking with one or two creatures a turn.
Vs. Mono-Red Aggro
Vs. Temur Reclamation
I haven't gotten to test this matchup yet, but we don't have enough ways to interact in game one, so it's going to be a race to kill them first. In the post-board games we get a lot more tools to interact with the opponent and play more of a tempo game by applying pressure with one creature while holding up interaction.
Vs. Temur Reclamation
Vs. Rakdos Sacrifice
Sacrifice decks are still a big part of the meta. That's good for us, because all of our creatures fly, we are a quicker deck, and
Stormwing Entity

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can't get hit by
Claim the Firstborn

Claim the Firstborn
Claim the Firstborn

Magic: The Gathering
Uncommon
Gain control of target creature with converted mana cost 3 or less until end of turn. Untap that creature. It gains haste until end of turn.
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(
Sprite Dragon

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can though, so watch out!)
Tormod's Crypt

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is a great card to enable prowess and hurt sacrifice decks.
Lava Coil

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and
Flame Sweep

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are still really good against these decks as well.
Vs. Rakdos Sacrifice
Vs. Simic Ramp
Simic Ramp is a new deck that centers around casting
Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

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as early as turn four. Luckily, we can often outrace the Ugin and they don't have many ways to interact with us in the pre-board games. After sideboarding, we can still race, but we want to be sure to hold on to
Aether Gust

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for potential
Shifting Ceratops

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.
If this deck becomes a tier 1 deck, I would look at sideboarding
Lofty Denial

Lofty Denial
Lofty Denial

Magic: The Gathering
Common
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 1. If you control a creature with flying, counter that spell unless its controller pays 4 instead.
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instead of
Mystical Dispute

Mystical Dispute
Mystical Dispute

Magic: The Gathering
Uncommon
This spell costs 2 less to cast if it targets a blue spell.

Counter target spell unless its controller pays 3.
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to have a more effective counter against
Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

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. If we assume our opponent is bringing in countermagic, we should also bring in
Mystical Dispute

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.
Mystical Dispute

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can always counter Ugin if necessary.
Vs. Simic Ramp
Note:
Soul Sear

Soul Sear
Soul Sear

Magic: The Gathering
Uncommon
Soul Sear deals 5 damage to target creature or planeswalker. That permanent loses indestructible until end of turn.
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is in the sideboard for some decks playing the Theros Gods, as well as any planeswalkers you feel like you otherwise cannot deal with.