"Gnoll like it simple! Gnoll be noob friendly!"
This is a Budget Elder Dragon Highlander deck (BEDH). It is meant for the Elder Dragon Highlander format, a.k.a. Commander. If you are not familiar with the format, I'll link it below for you.
https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Commander_(format)
I mostly use MTG Vault for my own private projects nowadays, but feel free to comment or request a deck of your choice. I've loved the Vault so far, and I like that they are still improving on it, as well as I am improving on my English language skills.
So, if you like what you see, consider checking out some of my other budget-y work from the link below.
https://www.mtgvault.com/northernwarlord/budget/
Well, the Christmas came and went, so here we are - back in deckcrafting!
Now, excuse me for the long post, but I'll type it in just to help new players (and new Magic-teachers) out.
This deck is supposed to be the most simpliest deck that you'll come across while staying as budget and playable as possible. Or, put simplier - this deck tries to be easy-to-play and cheap-to-buy, while still being good enough to be used in casual play.
Targ Nar means some mean business. Drop him onto the field with a couple of other fellas and skulls soon start knockin'. He can easily wipe the floor with enemies foolish enough to leave themselves unguarded, but with great power also comes great responsibility - there are a few things that should be taught to new players playing this deck:
- OVEREXTENDING. Ah, the bane of many newbies and Timmies alike, overextending means playing too greedily for your own benefit. If you have a bunch of creatures on the field and you are doing fine, it is ill-advised to cast more without making sure you won't get board-wiped the next turn, losing even more card advantage. Try casting other cards, such as instants or sorceries, artifacts or enchantments, and remember - sometimes the best play is not to play your cards at all!
- CARD ADVANTAGE. While playing Gruul (Red and Green colors combined, that is), card advantage is usually not something that just comes out of nowhere. If you constantly play two cards that get handled by just a single card of an opponent, you are constantly throwing away some good cardboard. Card advantage (or "card value" in some circles) is measured on how many cards do you on average spend on opposing cards. Aggressive decks naturally have lower levels of card advantage, since they spend more time dealing damage to the opposing life totals than handling enemy threats with spells and abilities. Rule of thumb: never spend more than one card on handling any threat unless ABSOLUTELY necessary, and always look out for opportunities to handle as many enemy threats as possible with a single card. (See how Burn Down the House and Savage Twister can kill a whole lot of dudes at once?)
- IT IS OKAY TO BE POLITICAL. You don't always need to whack someone dead just to get them lost from the game. You may also ask what do they are willing to do in return if you spare their life for a single turn more. If they'll help you, you just might be able to get more out of your whacking than you normally would. In general the "politics" in MTG usually mean making outside-the-game deals with another players in exchange of benefits. No one is forcing anyone to hold on to their end of the deal, but the players who break their vows usually find themselves unable to make new ones in the future.
- INSTANTS MATTER. Why cast spells and activate abilities just for them to get hosed down by a bunch of little critters? When playing a combat-heavy deck, instant-speed tricks can (and likely will) mean the difference between victory and defeat. Targ Nar's activated ability can be activated as an instant, and should be noticed: whenever you attack with Targ Nar and you have a plenty of mana open, your opponents pretty much HAVE to block Targ Nar in order to avoid back-breaking and/or game-ending blows. This provides you with opportunities to surprise unwary enemies: even a mere 1/1 token can lash out 12 points of damage with just 5 mana and two cards (Invigorated Rampage and Uncaged Fury), not to mention all the bigger creatures which can even end the game straight away if they connect with proper buff ups. Another rule of thumb: If a card (or an ability, for that matter) is an instant, always try to use it when sorcery spells cannot (for example, in the middle of a combat).
Magic ain't easy. But with little practice (and a proper deck), it can be learned in a constructive environment. This deck tries to help out in such situations. Hope you learned anything. Also, feel free to drop any questions or comments down in the section below!
Now, before I end my essay, this deck's statistics, pros and cons. Consider reading these, especially if you are a newbie!
Statistics: (out of 5)
- Deck Speed: <><><><> (How quick the deck is?)
- Creature Focus: <><><><><> (How much this deck relies on creatures?)
- Creature Size: <><><> (How big are the main creatures of this deck?)
- Card Synergy: <><><><> (Do the cards of the deck help out each other well?)
- Card Value: <><> (How much card advantage can you get out of your cards?)
- Level of Complexity: <> (How hard this deck is to properly play?)
Pros:
+ If left undisturbed, this deck can "bogstomp" opponents all out of sudden.
+ This deck can rebuild from disasters rather quickly with its wide array of token generation, graveyard-retrieval and cheap-to-cast commander.
Cons:
- Disruption-heavy lategame decks can repeatedly knock down your chances at winning. If you are playing in a multiplayer environment, consider handling them first - Targ Nar refuses to be anyone's bitch!