Need help fighting Mardu
Standard forum
Posted on Feb. 25, 2015, 12:03 p.m. by Crossmalaki
Every single week at my local game shop I play nothing but Mardu decks, and each week I get stomped because I can't stop Butcher of the Horde, Stormbreath Dragon, and Crackling Doom from raping my face. So I need some help. What cards and decks are a good choice to completely destroy Mardu players?
Being a player of Mardu myself, I can give you a couple solutions on how to beat it.
Removal spells like Banishing Light or Reprisal helps get rid of Butcher of the Horde. As for Stormbreath Dragon, the only removal option in your colors (I looked at your deck, btw), Stoke the Flames is a really viable option.
Stompy cards like Polukranos, World Eater and Stormbreath Dragon, as long as there is no removal, wreck Mardu.
And that's really it to solutions.
February 25, 2015 12:44 p.m.
LIVEFORCHAOS lol I completely forgot about that card.
February 25, 2015 12:49 p.m.
Neutralizing Blast doesn't only stop threats of Mardu, but also those of Abzan as well as Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver and Kiora, the Crashing Wave to hinder control decks. If you don't play blue you either have black and access to Bile Blight, Silence the Believers and the likes or you're pretty screwed. Unless you can build a deck that consistently kills by turn 3 which I don't think.
February 25, 2015 1:07 p.m.
Crossmalaki says... #6
So, am I right in assuming I need to start cycling some blue into my current deck, or should I switch to an Esper control?
February 25, 2015 6:52 p.m.
Crossmalaki says... #7
Also, something I should have probably made more clear:
The Butcher and the Dragon are problematic, certainly, but this deck does have a few ways of neutralizing them, if I can get something close to a board presence. The problem is, every single turn three is a Crackling Doom, followed by Butcher, followed by another Crackling Doom the moment I get another creature on the board. It's basically a case of needing a hand of four one or two cost creatures and three lands to even have a chance to play the game because I know turn three they're gonna Crackling Doom me.
February 25, 2015 6:55 p.m.
ChrisHansonBiomancin says... #8
If people are playing Mardu midrange, which seems to be the case, Black removal is your best friend (Hero's Downfall handles all their top-end threats and Bile Blight cleans up tokens/Rabblemasters.
Counterspells also tend to do work and happen to be the only answer to Crackling Doom.
Really, most of Mardu's stuff is powerful but easy to disrupt. So make sure you can disrupt the parts that are most detrimental to your deck's gameplan.
February 26, 2015 4:32 a.m.
The easiest way to handle crackling doom on a mardu deck is to go broad. You have access to both Raise the Alarm and Hordeling Outburst. By playing something like Citadel Siege to create threats and Outpost Siege to create card advantage you can blow them out if you get to a midgame. For sideboard I'd then put a higher emphasis on singular threats like Butcher of the Horde and Stormbreath Dragon or even Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury since they'll likely sideboard crackling doom for Anger of the Gods and other wraths.
By using this kind of dual strategy the only problem will be guessing how your opponent sideboards.
February 26, 2015 7:09 a.m.
So actually knowing what deck you play makes it easier to give advise. If you want to play a new deck just to deal with Mardu go Dimir control and watch them slowly cry in a corner as their threats get dealt with faster than they can dish them out.
February 26, 2015 7:12 a.m.
I have been running a Red Deck Wins for the last 2 weeks and I have been crushing face most of the time. Your just faster then them and your opponent will get beaten down and burned out. You can also transform into a pure burn/control deck against the slower midrange decks with sweepers and loads of spotremoval. Try the deck out at your local shop, it more or less free to put together with the exeption of Stoke the Flames and Eidolon of the Great Revel.
lemmingllama says... #2
Try using Stoke the Flames. It kills Butcher of the Horde and Stormbreath Dragon, and it also works well when you do token strategies like Jeskai (which would dodge the Crackling Dooms). Still, if you are only seeing large creatures then just run removal. Stoke the Flames, Murderous Cut, countering them with Disdainful Stroke, etc are all good ways to deal with their fatties.
February 25, 2015 12:37 p.m.