The Creeps
This deck was founded on the core principals that he "lives" by every day. He's a legendary 2/2 warrior, upside is that you can sack any of his little buddies to the bloodthirsty monster in response to anything for 2 to the dome, or bring him back from the "dead" by the same means. The downside to our perky, little murderer is that he gobbles up all available mana to do so... oh well, can't be perfect all the time!
One of the more recent additions to the deck; this card stands out due to its almost guaranteed 3/2 first strike body. For , I'll take those stats any day! Did I forget to mention that he/she/it's also a warrior?
Staple card in most jeskai and mardu decks, this bald-headed, seeker of faces to punch doesn't know when to stop! He's a 2/2 warrior with prowess and a lifelink clause slapped onto that trigger. This card is perfect to jam onto the board and follow up with a
Crackling Doom
the next turn to cause so much butthurt.
One of the 3 unsung heroes of the deck. His ability to inexplicably catch any and all removal is astounding. If left to dink around on the board, he becomes a major presence, and can easily shift the game in your favor. I used to HATE people who played this card, but after we casually inserted it into the list, it became quite apparent why people use it. This guy creates bodies to jam down your opponents throats, bodies to fling at
Tymaret, the Murder King
with callous disregard, jacks himself up on steroids to facepunch when needed, and is a lightning rod for removal so things like
Butcher of the Horde
or
Arashin Foremost
stay on the board.
Unsung hero numero dos. The chief does enjoy watching all her buddies smack people around, but she knows better than to join in on the festivities. The chief's main purpose is being a global steroid for her warrior chums, while staying back to defend the castle. Always play her, always keep her safe, always punch faces.
Who better to spearhead any offensive push than this guy. This teeny, tiny, one drop wins games. He can't get enough, he comes back, and back, and back, and back, and back so much that your opponent won't even realize he ever left the board. So what, he can't block? You think this little spawn of Satan cares? Nope. Always keep a lookout for snatching this guy back to the board, but don't go out of your way and mess up combos and rebuttals. He can wait, he's patient as Hell.
In my humble opinion, one of the best cards to come out of DTK and the 3rd and final unsung hero. This is one little lady you don't want to meet in a dark alley. She's a little mana intensive, but the perks are worth it. Slapped by the gods with the gift of double strike, and very generous in sharing it with those around her; she will change the tempo of the game the second she hits board, and your opponent won't like where you are going with it. Has synergy with all but one of the creatures ran in deck, and your opponent needs a prompt and final answer to her, lest they be overrun.
To the mardu, this card is what the abzan see their precious
Siege Rhino
as, a linchpin. Its versatile, can haste itself, grant lifelink, stand with vigilance, all for a small fee. Coupled with the fact that its a heavy hitting flyer means you want to be seeing this baddie more often than not.
[Butcher] What are you?
[The Horde] Mobile, agile, hostile!
[Butcher] What is pain?
[The Horde] French bread!
[Butcher] What is fatigue?
[The Horde] Army clothes!
[Butcher] Will you ever quit?
[The Horde] No! We want some mo', we want some mo', we want some mo'!
Non-Creeps
Starting off the non-creature cards is this pretty little bomb. This is one of those cards you want in hand when things go a little bit longer than wanted and you opponent just tapped out. Wait for them to pass turn, tap everything you own, drop neat, little 1/1 warriors to the battlefield, revel in the despair of your opponent! Even when your deck is sputtering, this card can help by dropping some instant speed chump blockers. Nice addition to the deck.
Pretty standard stuff here, kills creeps and peeps alike. Staple removal card in any deck running . Nuff said here.
One of the highlights of KTK has to be this ancient, vampire planeswalker. Sorin give all those little bodies scrambling around that extra little oomph needed to gain the advantage... and the life! At the worst of times, he gives you a neat little 2/2, flying vampire. At his best, you successfully ended the game before it properly started.
Removal/Anti-Removal all in a neat and convenient package. This card does work! Opponent wants to fry that annoying
Arashin Foremost
? Nope.
Courser of Kruphix
ruining your parade? Nope.
Siege Rhino
unfortunately hit the board? Nope, nope, and nope!
What is there to say about
Crackling Doom
that isn't already understood? Smacks opponents (or planeswalkers) while making THEM get rid of that uber nasty creep sitting on their side of the board. Not only that, but this thing triggers prowess and clears the way for face punching galore!
Land
Not much to say here. If you prefer being lightning fast, cut all land that comes in tapped. If you want to not ping yourself every two seconds, cut pain lands and put in some scry lands. I feel that the deck does fine the way it is, but to each their own.
Sideboard Cards
Exiles a nonland permanent... yep, gone, see ya, bye bye. Useful when you need a little bit more planeswalker/anything hate. Don't forget that it is easily countered by control decks running , so pay attention to their board state.
Whatcha got there? It'd be a shame if something happened to your less than toughness 6 creep.
Roast
kills a lot of threats, but it is sorcery speed, and only hits ground based targets. Keep that in mind when siding in.
Them options be pretty tasty. Have yet to find a deck running artifacts to waste in standard, but returning dudes to hand from the grave, shocking something or someone, or making your opponent discard a card at instant speed is pretty neat. The only beef I have with this card is that it only does 2 damage, not 3. Oh well, we can't have everything.
Burns creeps, puts out warriors, or
Duress
at instant speed. Not
Abzan Charm
, but still a nice addition to any mardu deck or sideboard.
Pro
Hero's Downfall
? Yep. Pro
Anger of the Gods
? Uh huh. Pro
Stoke the Flames
. Definitely. Pro whatever creature you just blocked? Of course! Anti-removal with scry attached to it is nothing to shake your head at.
Why is this not in the main? The reason is that its an extra turn that you weren't playing warriors to punch opponents in the face with. It's good to protect bodies in a
Drown in Sorrow
happy game,
Anger of the Gods
game, or even the simplest burn. It even gives you more creeps to do what you please with when swinging.
The deck has changed a wee bit since its birth, but overall has been doing better and better the more she's played it. It started as just a mardu, mash-together-whatever-looks-good, value, fast deck, but has slowly evolved to be what it is today.
As far as standard play with origins coming out, there doesn't seem to be that many cards that would fit well with the deck (which is sad), BUT suggestions as to how it can change and be better are still very much appreciated!
