Doing better, but still needs work.
Changes:
1 Jan 2016 - Replaced sideboard Rain of Gore with a third Dreadbore.
3 Jan 2016 - Replaced mainboard Smoldering Marsh with Lavaclaw Reaches. Testing 3 sideboard Guttural Responses over 1 Dreadbore and 2 Lingering Souls.
10 Feb 2016 - Completely rehauled into a genuine control suite.
29 Feb 2016 - We're back! Added Urborg, Lavaclaw, and a 3rd Pyre mainboard, reworked sideboard.
The Basics
It's not really control unless it's blue (or Abzan, which I prefer to call nonblue blue). But Mardurn attempts to be more control-y than Boros or Naya burn, to which it draws immediate comparison.
Mardu has access to an amazing removal suite in Path to Exile, Dreadbore, Kolaghan's Command, Lightning Bolt, Lightning Helix, and plenty others but most importantly Crackling Doom. Crackle Boom effectively targets without targeting the creature or its controller. It kills everything from Slippery Bogle hiding behind a Leyline of Sanctity to Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.
Combined with Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek, I can prevent the things I can't remove from hitting the board in the first place, and then my own creatures have the run of the place. Theoretically.
While it's not nearly as focused as the top 8 flavors of the month, it's a fun and consistent deck that has answers for most of the meta's threats.
Creatures & Planeswalkers
Ajani Vengeant - A nice one-of but definitely a painful hit off of Bob. In grindier games Ajani can shut off an opponent's only red/blue/whatever source, keep their beater from continuing to beat, throw some Lightning Helices in a pinch. He's also my best answer to Eidolon of the Great Revel.
Boros Reckoner - The main source of damage in the deck, I can pretty safely say. Can trade up with everything that isn't indestructible or hexproof, or just chuck more damage than a 3CMC should be able to. Bonkers with my pet cards,
Volcanic Fallout
and
Harvest Pyre
.
Dark Confidant - Draws cards, swings for 2, blocks in a pinch. Everybody Loves Bob.
Goblin Dark-Dwellers - A 5-drop 4/4 menace isn't anything spectacular. A 5-drop 4/4 menace that recasts Crackling Doom, Path, Bolt, Helix, or even IoK is a great way to shift the fulcrum back in my favor.
Soulfire Grand Master - Using life as a resource so aggressively requires some form of mitigation, and SGM does just that. The buyback ability makes late-game topdecks much more potent.
Honorary Mention: Shambling Vent - Poor Shambles dies to Bolt, but having more life gain is nice. Not the worst manland they've ever printed.
Spells
Crackling Doom - I already sang its praises, but this is seriously one of the best removal spells in the game if not the best. Nothing is safe. I thought it would be too tough a cast when I first made this deck, but mainboarding it has made my deck so much better.
Harvest Pyre
- 2-drop instant speed damage-based removal. Because I have very little else using the grave as a resource, delving away to make this immense is usually fine. I can either gain a stupid amount of life off of Soulfire while I kill a Goyf, or smack my own Reckoner for the kill.
Inquisition of Kozilek + Thoughtseize
- These two need no introduction. I tried the deck with no discard whatsoever and found myself missing these all too much.
Kolaghan's Command - Versatile, in a word. Instant speed discard, creature removal, extra little bits of burn, artifact destruction, disentomb... It does it all.
Lightning Bolt - According to many, the best spell in the game.
Lightning Helix -
Healing Salve
stapled to a bolt. As much of a life swing as a rhino entering, even more so with Soulfire on board.
Path to Exile - The reason people tap down or remove my white sources first.
Volcanic Fallout
- The extra R compared to Pyroclasm is well worth the instant speed, can't-be-countered, and 2 to each player. Ridiculous with Soulfire, great with Reckoner.
Sideboard
Deflecting Palm - Say whatever you want, I'm keeping this card. Turning someone's swing for lethal off of a Kessig-boosted Nacatl or Eldrazi Titan into a win for 2 mana and a nobody card is hysterical. Again, it doesn't target, and it is the source of the damage, so it plays well with Soulfire too.
Dragonlord Kolaghan - A control finisher for when my mainboard isn't cutting it. Strongly discourages the Bolt-Snap-Bolt strategy. 6 flying haste demands an answer.
Fulminator Mage - My go-to for Tron but good against any land-dependent strategies like Naya and Grixis. Still experimenting with it, seems much better as a 4-of, but there's only so much room.
Guttural Response - Wins games against blue. Sucks that it's still vulnerable to Dispel, but oh well.
Rakdos Charm - Another very versatile card, like 3 sideboard cards in one.
Spellskite - Eats a lot of strategies for breakfast.
Stormbreath Dragon - A smaller alternative to Kolaghan that is blessed with immunity to Path and Lingering Souls chump blocks.
Suppression Field - Shuts down Liliana of the Veil, Scavenging Ooze, and Spellskite, among others.
Timely Reinforcements - A great answer to Burn if I live long enough to cast it. Strongly considering adding more.
Wear / Tear - More artifact destruction, and enchantment destruction, which helps get rid of Leyline of Sanctity or particularly dangerous auras.
Closing
I've changed this deck a lot since its inception and it's less of a burn/lifegain/discard deck and is now much more streamlined. I realize that by not copying and pasting something off of top 8 I'm deliberately debilitating myself, but any suggestions to make this the best Mardu deck I can are welcome. If you'd like to know how it's been performing just ask.
