The Dragon, the Ghost, the Demon (and the Cake)A Modern Mardu Cake Mix
Nothing beats the taste of fresh blood in the morning. Except cake of course.
Turning my Mardu Standard deck to a viable Modern one remains an unhealthy hardship. Not just because of the massive amount of cake needed to do so. So far, it's barely been worth it, but I'm looking for some help to turn this deck into a reasonable ($300 or less) investment. So far, this is what the deck has transformed into.
The mana base doesn't have much about which to brag, but the scrylands do provide decent control over the draw for nothing. Painlands contribute hugely to the overall mana base while the others (including the Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth I found) were tossed in there. Otherwise, the manabase is pretty balanced and straightforward.
Probably one of the most iconic and game-changing cards of this deck, Valorous Stance provides decent coverage for everything that comes my way. It protects my most precious board presence from being completely wiped out in addition to erasing some devastating creatures like Tarmogoyf. Despite this, I decided to only run two of this special card from FRF. Thoughtseize, for example, is a decent and very straightforward one-drop that can take care of the opponent's much needed combo pieces on turn one or two. Lingering Souls and Dragon Fodder help flood the board with relentless 1/1s that fuel Butcher of the Horde and Goblin Rabblemaster, respectively (although Butcher can reap the benefits from both). On top of all this, Read the Bones has proved itself to be a great and cost efficient way to gain a serious card advantage over the opponent. To finish it off, Whip of Erebos brings back some nasty critters for a one-turn wipe out and pairs well with Obzedat, Ghost Council. In addition, the whip helps bring back some life plus a ton more. Only 1 is needed, however, as the power of Read the Bones and scrylands will shine through the darkest pits of Zendikar.
Nothing beats hexproof and indestructible like these specific set of cards. Kind of.
Crackling Doom
and
Foul-Tongue Invocation
beat around the horrors that most removal spells don't - hexproof (not players, of course) - in addition to some special effects that can help tilt the game in my favor. Utter End and Path to Exile are thrown in here for some of the more annoying but important cards although at more of price. Lightning Bolt provides decent coverage as it can also finish the opponent for just one mana. Overall, the removal is pretty and heavy stacked for taking out the most annoying permanents on the battefield.
The spirit of Mardu covers a large array of nice win cons ranging from the monstrous Dragonlord Kolaghan to the deceiving Goblin Rabblemaster. First, the first basis and premise of this Mardu deck was none other than the demon from hell, Butcher of the Horde. Unfortunately, this one does not bake nice and yummy cakes; he does, however, craft an exquisite meat pie. Sacrificing the goblins from Goblin Rabblemaster or Dragon Fodder or the spirits of the dead summoned by Lingering Souls buffs Butcher of the Horde to instill a fear in the opponent's mind like no other. On the hand, Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury wrecks face as he dashes once, twice, and thrice and BOOM! The wrath of Mardu actually buffs the 1/1 spirits and goblins into much more effective warriors. Don't forget the good ole' Goblin Rabblemaster who can dish out 20 plus damage by turn 6 while making it like baking a cake. The great phantoms of Orzhov assemble here as Obdezat, the Ghost Council scares the opponents out of their wits with the nice wombo-rombo combo. Last but not least, enter Dragonlord Kolaghan himself. The great dragon of Mardu prevents any outstanding spells that could twist the momentum of the game in the opponent's favor because of the much much earlier Thoughtseize.
Kolaghan's Command pairs well with the group of sideboard cards purely because of its versatility and ability to bring back strong board presences such as Butcher of the Horde.
Mardu Charm
tends to be a blast by gifting some prominent one-drop sorceries (Flame Slash and Duress) with flash in addition to the choice of some nice 1/1s to take down some enemy 1/1s. Wingmate Roc is a nice sideboard against some very very aggro decks as it helps regain the life lost fairly quickly with the help of tokens. Banishing Light - wait why am I not running this in the mainboard!!!!. Enchantment I guess? End Hostilities - Not my greatest friend nor foe... but I can't really beat it so I joined it.
(>'o')>Fin<('o'<)