A casual Mardu Prowess deck that I've been using in games with my friends. It's incredibly fun and has answers to most things that they can put on the table.
Beaters: Monastery Mentor- A fantastic card, has great potential in being on a 2/2 body with Prowess that creates more bodies that also have Prowess. He's easily the most expensive card in the deck at $15 and could probably be switched out for another budget option, however I'm not sure what that option would be. He's honestly a linchpin in the deck and really solidifies our strategy, helping us to clog the board and make it harder for our opponents to attack and block.
Monastery Swiftspear- One of the best cards for red in the game, especially in a deck making use of Prowess. She has haste, which is incredibly relevant as a turn one play or, honestly, at any time in the game. She's just a great creature that can absolutely make some crazy plays.
Abbot of Keral Keep
- A great late-game card that can help you hit land drops and other spells when you have none in hand. Early game it's a bit of a dead card, since you will likely not be able to cast whatever Abbot exiles, so there are only two of them in the deck. Seeker of the Way- He's a pretty good prowess creature that gives some much needed lifegain in the deck, and his having a 2/2 body with Prowess is fantastic. I'm actually thinking of replacing
Abbot of Keral Keep
with two more copies of him.
Planeswalkers: Sorin, Solemn Visitor- What a great Planeswalker, I mean really. He triggers Prowess in and of himself, as well as giving our creatures another boost and lifelink until end of turn with his +1, which is just fantastic. Eventually, I'll probably make him a 2-of once my LGS gets more copies in.
Sorin, Grim Nemesis
- Another wonderful Planeswalker. Once again, since he's a noncreature spell, he triggers Prowess, as well as having incredibly powerful abilities that give us innate card advantage and some incremental damage, especially if we flip another Planeswalker or one of our Kolaghan, the Storm's Furys. He's a bit over our curve, unfortunately. I'll probably be removing him in the future for another Sorin, Solemn Visitor.
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
- Probably my favourite Planeswalker in the deck; she's won me more games than I can count. She makes tokens if your board has been wiped, which helps greatly with setting yourself back up, as well as jumping your creatures to get in some amazing damage as early as turn 4. Her ultimate is rare to get off, as she's a big target, but she still has huge utility at any stage of the game. I very much want to put more of her in the deck, although I think she is quite good as a one-of.
Noncreature Spells:
Hero's Downfall- This deck has a lot of removal, so I felt that I didn't need a whole lot of unconditional removal, hence this being a two-of. Deals well with Planeswalkers when your opponent has blockers up to protect them. Lightning Strike- Fantastic removal for creatures, as well as a fine way to trigger prowess whether you target a creature or player. Some people have suggested trading it for Lightning Bolt but I'm not a fan of that card, as it is honestly too powerful for its mana cost, which I don't want in the deck. Don't get me wrong, it's a great card, but I've never liked using it. Lightning Strike, however, follows the unwritten rule of Magic that 1 mana allows for 2 damage to a player, plus one damage for every mana after that, to a certain soft-cap.
Lightning Helix
- This is a remnant from when I played Modern and Naya Company was my jam. I absolutely adore this card, as it has huge value in killing creatures, hurting players, stalling games out, taking you just out of kill range, et cetera. It's just such a simple, versatile card. Crackling Doom- Probably my favourite noncreature spell in the entire deck. This card is just amazing. For 3 mana, you get removal of your biggest threat (or threats, if playing a multiplayer game) as well as 2 damage to all of your opponents' faces. Lingering Souls- An okay spell in this deck. Like
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
, it helps to refill the board after a wipe, as well as having the ability to double-trigger Prowess. Not really much to say here, other than that this can also be a useful combat trick to chump your opponents' creatures and buff your own to take them out of kill range. Duress- Hand disruption is very nice, as removing a threat from an opponent's hand is always relevant. Gods Willing- A fantastic spell for protecting your creatures, and a great way to ensure that you can swing in with one of your guys for damage if you have this in hand. In addition, the scry is always useful, as setting up your draws is a very powerful effect.
Finishers:
Fall of the Titans- Great as a finisher or just removal or even mid-game burn. This spell allows you to take out creatures, planeswalkers, and throw some damage to the opponent's face. You mostly want to cast it with Surge, so try to cast a one mana spell before throwing this out. Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury- His dash cost allows you to buff all of your creatures (including himself) and get in for some massive damage lategame.
