Things are heating up in the cursed metropolis of Ravnica, and we’ve got an epic battle brewing this week on Nights At The Game Table!
Last week, we saw our first glimpse of how the upcoming Guilds of Ravnica set will change the game, with Aren using his Boros Legion Warboss deck to beat down Aaron and his Sultai Assassin’s trophy deck. But this week, he’s facing a new opponent: Mana Wars mainstay Ryan Christian and his lethal Monogreen stompy deck upgraded with several Guilds of Ravnica standouts!
As always, Aryeh Wiznitzer will be providing expert deck-building commentary, backed up by Kevin O’Connor and his colorful insights!
If you’d like to build this decks yourself (or build the decks that might be able to beat these!), be sure to check out Pat’s Games for their amazing MTG expertise!
Ryan: Monogreen Nullhide Ferox/Steel Leaf Champion
Longtime Mana Wars player Ryan is bringing a good old-fashioned Green Stompy Deck to the field today, making use of several new Guilds of Ravnica cards to deal some serious pain onto his opponent. The basis of his deck is formed via a one-two punch from Steel Leaf Champion, a venerable 5/4 that can’t be blocked by creatures with power 2 or less (which, unfortunately for his opponent Aren, can include many of his goblins), and the all-new Nullhide Ferox! Ferox is a monstrous 6/6 for only four mana, though it is limited by the opponent’s ability to spend mana to reduce its abilities. Still, it’s quite formidable, and its biggest drawback (not allowing the player to use noncreature spells) is rendered a non-issue due to Ryan only having creatures in his deck. When combined with another M19 card, Beast Whisperer, and its ability to let the player draw every time a creature spell is cast, Ryan will be able to keep his hand stuffed with powerful creatures and ensure he’s got the mana needed to bring their full might onto the battlefield!
Ryan’s full deck list includes:
Creatures (26)
- 4 Druid of the Cowl
- 3 Ghalta, Primal Hunger
- 4 Hungering Hydra
- 4 Llanowar Elves
- 2 Merfolk Branchwalker
- 4 Thorn Lieutenant
- 1 Thrashing Brontodon
- 4 Vine Mare
Lands (24)
- 24 Forest
Aren: Boros Legion Warboss/Goblin Banneret
Last week, we got to see the full might of the Legion Warboss deck in action! This goblin-centric fighting force is based around the new mentor keyword, which adds +1/+1 to each attacking creature of less power on the battlefield. Thanks for the plethora of low-power goblins available through Legion Warboss’ abilities to create 1/1 tokens, their power can quickly stack when they are paired with a more powerful leader (especially Goblin Banneret, which can buff up its own power to support its allies!) Given that Ryan’s creatures will typically have a higher mana cost, Aren can potentially deal serious damage before Ryan can even get his most useful troops out onto the field!
Aren’s full deck list includes:
Creatures (28)
- 4 Boros Challenger
- 4 Goblin Banneret
- 4 Goblin Motivator
- 4 Knight of Grace
- 4 Legion Warboss
- 4 Sunhome Stalwart
- 4 Viashino Pyromancer
Lands (23)
- 4 Clifftop Retreat
- 8 Mountain
- 7 Plains
- 4 Sacred Foundry
Instants (6)
- 4 Lightning Strike
- 2 Shock
Enchantments (4)
- 4 History of Benalia
To see how this stompy band of green beasts will fare when facing off against the small-but-numerous goblin forces, watch the episode below!
https://youtu.be/fMdaINZPCb8
And be sure to stay up to date with all your Guilds of Ravnica updates with Pat’s Games!