Ogre Battledriver vs Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch
Deck Help forum
Posted on Jan. 8, 2014, 9:10 a.m. by fijord
Im trying to figure out which is a better fit for my Jund deck Demons and Hydras Oh My!. Both Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch and Ogre Battledriver have various plus and minus's in my opinion. The Ogre gets to benefit every one of my creatures regardless of +1/+1 counters, and not only will it give haste, but it will give your creature a small power boost. Downside is he dies to my Anger of the Gods (should I side it in), is a 3/3, and doesnt do much on his own. Exava on the other hand has haste, grants haste to most of my relevant creatures, can and usually does become a 4/4 with first strike, and in general can do reasonable damage. Its a tough decision on who is a better utility. Also, as a point of contention, there is the Hammer of Purphoros , not a creature, but can pump out 3/3's and costs 1 cmc less than the others.
I think the Ogre Battledriver fits with any cheap, quick creature deck while Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch is more of a one-note wonder, relying on the creature to already have the token or have the token to come on it when it comes into play to get the boost. The upside of Exava is if you have a few of those that come with tokens, they will benefit. The downside? She is a legend. With the Ogre Battledriver , no legend rule applies, the +2/+0 stacks, and it gives it to every creature, regardless of counter.
I would run the Battledriver myself, but that is just me.
January 8, 2014 2:40 p.m.
I think I might try running the Ogre Battledriver next FNM to see if theres a difference. Also, I might move some Hammer of Purphoros in in place of some mana dorks I might not be needing to run.
January 8, 2014 10:23 p.m.
I agree with the reasoning that Battledriver is better if you have lots of small creatures that need pumping, while Exava works well on her own or in small groups.
Ogre Battledriver can also be used in a mono-red deck.
I prefer Exava myself overall because she has haste herself and is a threat all by herself.
kintighd says... #2
I really like Exava with Hydras. I always imagined Ogre Battledriver fits best with token decks. Exava is also a nice aggressive creature. If you don't need the aggressive creature and just want the haste for everyone the hammer isn't a bad option.
January 8, 2014 12:08 p.m.