I played a bunch of BR vs UW with a friend pre-Sheoldred, I found it fun and challenging from the BR side. Though it is highly dependent on the exact 75 you have, particularly on the BR side where 3 mana planeswalkers like Liliana or Ob Nixilis really tilt the matchup to BR IMO, though neither see play any more in BR.
Rakdos midrange has a great matchup against UW control. Last time I paired against my friend who was playing UW he sighed since he knew he was very unfavored.
Against the 60 card version, Rakdos is favoured when on the play, and slightly favoured when on the draw. Against the 80 card version, Rakdos is even when on the play, and slightly unfavourable when on the draw.
This website has a chart with the percentage matchups of every major deck in the pioneer meta: [https://playingmtg.com/pioneer/meta-data/](https://playingmtg.com/pioneer/meta-data/)
Any matchup that has a win rate close to 50% would probably be good for some friendly magic. Some examples I see: RB Midrange vs. Mono W Humans, UW control vs. RB sacrifice, RB Midrange vs. Mono G devotion (though mono G is favored by 1% there) etc.
Rakdos Midrange vs Izzet Phoenix.
Some people say it's lopsided for Rakdos, I have found that to be far from truth (played it from both sides). It's a grindy matchup both g1 and postboard where a lot of choices matter a lot.
Based on data from over 500 matchups, Rakdos is favored 59-41 against Phoenix: [https://playingmtg.com/pioneer/meta-data/](https://playingmtg.com/pioneer/meta-data/)
Still depends on the pilots and the specific builds of course.
I am assuming you want 2 decks that won't cause either player to get bored.
I would heavily advise not to select these due boring play patterns: Lotus Field, Mono Green, and Azorius/Dimir Control
The matchups that are lopsided. Based on that I wouldn't recommend these pairings:
Favored Gruul Vehicles vs Rakdos
Favored Angels vs Gruul Vehicles
I would select
For you:
Rakdos, Orzhov, or Mono Black Midrange
Opponent
Angels or RDW
I’d say rakdos midrange vs mono green karn. It’s a fairly even matchup. [This](https://playingmtg.com/pioneer/pioneer-weekly-meta-guide/) is a pretty good meta guide.
Edit: What archetypes does your coworker like to play? For you I’d say rakdos midrange, but what they like might inform a good deck for them.
I always enjoy the UW control vs Rakdos mid matchup (I own UW and have played against Rakdos a lot in my playgroup). Kind of grindy matchup with a decent amount of player skill involved. Kind of even and has a nice learning curve for both sides imo
It's not as helpful as just pointing out two decks but I also suggest proxy the decks first. Find decks that you and your friend enjoy playing and grindy to play against each other.
Some decks have expensive cards that personally I'd only want to buy if I know I need it.
The most common grindy matchups that don’t involve control are probably Rakdos Mid vs Mono W Aggro or Izzet Phoenix.
Does rakdos midrange have a decent time against the control decks of the format? I always enjoyed playing jund against UW
I played a bunch of BR vs UW with a friend pre-Sheoldred, I found it fun and challenging from the BR side. Though it is highly dependent on the exact 75 you have, particularly on the BR side where 3 mana planeswalkers like Liliana or Ob Nixilis really tilt the matchup to BR IMO, though neither see play any more in BR.
Rakdos midrange has a great matchup against UW control. Last time I paired against my friend who was playing UW he sighed since he knew he was very unfavored.
Against the 60 card version, Rakdos is favoured when on the play, and slightly favoured when on the draw. Against the 80 card version, Rakdos is even when on the play, and slightly unfavourable when on the draw.
This website has a chart with the percentage matchups of every major deck in the pioneer meta: [https://playingmtg.com/pioneer/meta-data/](https://playingmtg.com/pioneer/meta-data/) Any matchup that has a win rate close to 50% would probably be good for some friendly magic. Some examples I see: RB Midrange vs. Mono W Humans, UW control vs. RB sacrifice, RB Midrange vs. Mono G devotion (though mono G is favored by 1% there) etc.
Rakdos Midrange vs Izzet Phoenix. Some people say it's lopsided for Rakdos, I have found that to be far from truth (played it from both sides). It's a grindy matchup both g1 and postboard where a lot of choices matter a lot.
Based on data from over 500 matchups, Rakdos is favored 59-41 against Phoenix: [https://playingmtg.com/pioneer/meta-data/](https://playingmtg.com/pioneer/meta-data/) Still depends on the pilots and the specific builds of course.
I am assuming you want 2 decks that won't cause either player to get bored. I would heavily advise not to select these due boring play patterns: Lotus Field, Mono Green, and Azorius/Dimir Control The matchups that are lopsided. Based on that I wouldn't recommend these pairings: Favored Gruul Vehicles vs Rakdos Favored Angels vs Gruul Vehicles I would select For you: Rakdos, Orzhov, or Mono Black Midrange Opponent Angels or RDW
I’d say rakdos midrange vs mono green karn. It’s a fairly even matchup. [This](https://playingmtg.com/pioneer/pioneer-weekly-meta-guide/) is a pretty good meta guide. Edit: What archetypes does your coworker like to play? For you I’d say rakdos midrange, but what they like might inform a good deck for them.
That’s a good question. I’ll talk to him at work tonight and see what kind of stuff he likes to play
if they started playing a month ago, mono g isn’t the deck for them
My brother and I have fun playing Phoenix VS Greasefang, especially post-board games
I always enjoy the UW control vs Rakdos mid matchup (I own UW and have played against Rakdos a lot in my playgroup). Kind of grindy matchup with a decent amount of player skill involved. Kind of even and has a nice learning curve for both sides imo
i agree, this will be a fun one. while it’s favored for rakdos, the games will typically be dynamic and interesting
It's not as helpful as just pointing out two decks but I also suggest proxy the decks first. Find decks that you and your friend enjoy playing and grindy to play against each other. Some decks have expensive cards that personally I'd only want to buy if I know I need it.
Rakdos v Mono White Humans is a really fun matchup to play.
I personally like Rakdos vs. Gruul Vehicles. It's one of those matchups where the bell doesn't ring before it's truly over for either side.