This is my spin on the Rakdos madness vampire tribal deck in standard.
Ever since SOI I've wanted to build a vampire tribal for the Standard format, but didn't get around to it, that is, until EMN came out... This is an Aggro deck based around the Madness mechanic common with vampires (red ones particularly) to quickly fill the board with sh*t tons of vampires and maintaining constant pressure on the opponent, while building up counters on creatures for big hits. Any feedback appreciated!
Updated the build for the Aether Revolt update, adding some of the cards that fit the style as well as giving us benefits. E.G. Yahenni, Undying Partisan for opponent creature death value, and Gifted Aetherborn for a more aggressive approach.
Bloodhall Priest : A 4/4 creature with a madness cost of three, in combination with her ability, makes this card one of the more versatile cards in the deck. Either rush her our for a turn 3 drop, or keep her in your hand for a surprise drop and destroy one of their smaller creatures or shock them for 2. This card is great in this deck, because of its size, she does become the target of removal, but if left on the board, opponent are either compelled to block (usually losing one of their creatures in the process), or if they don't, take 4. Her ability is great too, for if you run out of steam, having her on the board and maintaining pressure give you an edge for extra damage against the player of for burning their smaller creatures.
Drana, Liberator of Malakir : A 2/3 Flying/First Strike creature for 3 mana, already a great card, but also has her ability, allowing her to give counters to all your attacking creatures before they deal damage (As long as she isn't blocked and your other creatures don't have first strike).
Falkenrath Gorger
: A great one-drop, giving all your vampires madness costs, which is a necessity for preventing the deck from running out of steam.
Gifted Aetherborn : For 2 mana this creature gives a an edge on the opponent early game. With Stensia Masquerade on the battlefield turn three, this creature becomes a horrifyingly powerful creature, making it a 2/3 first strike/deathtouch/lifelink creature when attacking, and if he isn't blocked, gains a counter.
Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet : I don't even think its necessary for to explain why this is a good card, but I'm going to anyway. A four-drop 3/4 lifelink that has an ability that screws over any graveyard shenanigans, and beefs up your battlefield at the same time! His second ability is great too, allowing you to sac zombies or vampires at any time to beef him up, which is great when playing against a lot of removal or burn to get value from destroyed creatures.
Olivia, Mobilized for War : A 3 mana 3/3 flying creature. Already great value, but opens up massive trick play combos because of her ability. Dropping
Stromkirk Occultist
and giving it a counter, then discarding any other vampire card and playing it for its madness cost, brings out a 4/3 trample haste creature that would also allow us to exile & cast the top card of our library (Assuming we have the mana).
Stromkirk Condemned : A two-drop 2/2 madness enabler that also beefs up your board for the turn. Great for trick plays.
Stromkirk Occultist
: A madness cost of 2 mana for a 3/2 trample and an ability to play cards off your top deck when damage is dealt is amazing already, but works even better when combined with the abilities of Stensia Masquerade!
Yahenni, Undying Partisan : Yahenni's appearance in Aether Revolt makes for a great addition to this deck, being a 2/2 haste Aetherborn vampire, that also gets value from opponents dying creatures, making him stronger. His self protection is also invaluable, making him resistant to most removal in the format at the moment
Call the Bloodline : A simple card but amazing card. For one mana, this allows you to discard a card at any time and giving you a 1/1 lifelink vampire knight. The discard is great for trick plays, being able to flash in creatures at any time!
Stensia Masquerade : A great enchantment with a madness cost, fitting it perfectly into this deck. Great for beefing up the little guys in this deck, assuming they aren't blocked, & for beefing up flyers if they don't have any reach or flyers to block.
I will be posting the sideboard info later.Thanks, and +1 if you like the deck!!
