MTG Salvation

Hey there! For one reason or another, I've recently become enamored with mono-colored decks. I've had this copy of Tahngarth sitting around for ages; I don't remember where or when I obtained this, errr... amazing piece of cardboard. But I want to build a red deck, and I think playing around with Tahngarth's ability would be fun if nothing else. It doesn't have to be cut-throat competetive, but I'd at least like to avoid getting steamrolled every game.



The deck I'm envisioning right now has an emphasis on the activated abilities of it's creatures. Seeing how cards such as Gratuitous Violence, Loxodon Warhammer, and Sword of Kaldra work for creatures that deal non-combat damage, I have an array of obscure creatures in the deck.

I appreciate everyone's input, and have adopted many of your suggestions. (also, this deck is now a legal 100 cards!)

I don't know if it's a route you want to consider, but stuffy doll and snow lands lets you get skredto be amazing. also volcano hellion is fun with stuffy doll, instant kill if they have less life than you

Maybe add Gorgon Flail or that Scythe that gives Wither, so that Tahngarth can take out enemies regardless of size? The Wither one seems especially tasty, since it should prevent Tahngarth from dying to his own ability.

Tahngarth is cool!

Lose Scuttlemutt for Darksteel Ingot.

Lose Deep-Slumber Titan for Avatar of Fury.

And how about Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle? Teetering Peaks can also be good for Tahngarth.

And, if you can afford it of course, Gauntlet of Might.

Quote from Kuro42

Maybe add Gorgon Flail or that Scythe that gives Wither, so that Tahngarth can take out enemies regardless of size? The Wither one seems especially tasty, since it should prevent Tahngarth from dying to his own ability.

I was looking at Arena's oracle rulings, and it looks like Wither won't work to prevent damage to the dueling creature. Tahngarth himself doesn't have any oracle rulings, but I assume that's not going to work for him as well.

Your post did remind me of Scythe of the Wretched, though. That sounds intriguing...

Skred sounds like fun, and running Snow opens up the possibility of Scrying Sheets. I'll be adding it. Volcano Hellion seems downright mean, and a little risky in a 40-life format.

Scuttlemutt was in there as a combo with Jaya as much as an accelerant. I'm not sure which I prefer- the indestrutability or the utility. I'll test them both out.

I don't know what I was thinking with Deep-Slumber Titan, I suppose that he'd exist only to fight in the Arena? Avatar of Fury seems like a stronger pick.

Valakut is simply forgot about. Oops.

I don't think I'll own a Gauntlet of Might anytime soon, but if I did, you bet it would be included!

Thank you to everyone for your input.

Quote from scumbling1

I was looking at Arena's oracle rulings, and it looks like Wither won't work to prevent damage to the dueling creature. Tahngarth himself doesn't have any oracle rulings, but I assume that's not going to work for him as well.

No, it's way more straightforward than that Tahngarth will damage the opponent's creature first and because he has wither, he will deal out -1/-1 counters. So if he decides to butt head with a 5/5 Dragon, that Dragon will be 1/1 by the time it gets to hit back

Btw, I reported your deck to the EDH Database

I was actually thinking of making a Tahngarth deck. Magebane Armor seems pretty apt as it makes big T always live when he duels.

"10/4/2004 The power of the creatures when the effect resolves is used to determine how much damage is done."

That's the ruling I was looking at. To me, it says that the game looks at Tahngarth and his victim's power once, and then it's locked in place. But the effect is more 'intelligent' than that? The game looks at the step-by-step process of the creatures slugging it out? I like your interpertation better.

Oh, and thanks for the mention on the general master list!

Tahngarth Oracle Wording:
{1}{R}, {T}: Tahngarth, Talruum Hero deals damage equal to its power to target creature. That creature deals damage equal to its power to Tahngarth.1

Arena Oracle Wording:
{3}, {T}: Tap target creature you control and target creature of an opponent's choice he or she controls. Each of those creatures deals damage equal to its power to the other.

Different wordings. Arena provides simultaneous damage dealing, while Tahngarth clearly seperates them into seperate sentences, with his going through first. The Arena Ruling is not duplicated on Tahngarth's ruling's page, and since the effects are rather different in composition and "effect" (no tappy-opponent's-creature, no simultaneous damage), it is unlikely that the ruling has cross-over.

Contested Cliffs shares wording with Arena (for simultaneous damaging), for the other "arena"-esque effect.

Quote from Kuro42

Tahngarth Oracle Wording:
{1}{R}, {T}: Tahngarth, Talruum Hero deals damage equal to its power to target creature. That creature deals damage equal to its power to Tahngarth.1

Arena Oracle Wording:
{3}, {T}: Tap target creature you control and target creature of an opponent's choice he or she controls. Each of those creatures deals damage equal to its power to the other.

Different wordings. Arena provides simultaneous damage dealing, while Tahngarth clearly seperates them into seperate sentences, with his going through first. The Arena Ruling is not duplicated on Tahngarth's ruling's page, and since the effects are rather different in composition and "effect" (no tappy-opponent's-creature, no simultaneous damage), it is unlikely that the ruling has cross-over.

Contested Cliffs shares wording with Arena (for simultaneous damaging), for the other "arena"-esque effect.

I'm not sure that it matters. SBEs don't check in the middle of the ability resolving, so it's not as if he can kill a creature before it gets to hit him back.

Your welcome. Your deck seems to be shaping up into something really fun to play. I would put in a few more creatures though. A few more suggestions I have:

Icefall seems pretty underwhelming to me. I would replace it with another fatty, either Bogardan Hellkite or Bloodfire Colossus.

Lose Hamletback Goliath for Flameblast Dragon.

And maybe replace Cold Storage for Extraplanar Lens for greater accel into fatties?

Quote from MSU31

I'm not sure that it matters. SBEs don't check in the middle of the ability resolving, so it's not as if he can kill a creature before it gets to hit him back.

True, but the significance of his damage being dealt first is if Tahngarth had something that gave him Wither. Then the targeted creature wouldn't ever be able to kill him as it would take 4 -1/-1 counters. Well, unless he targeted something really stupid big, like a Krosan Cloudscraper. But then why would he target that anyway? *roll eyes*

But yeah, there's the significance.

As far as I can tell, your deck's only 89 cards. You need 10 moar!

Now that the deck's listed in the General database, I was compelled to learn how to count and then fill in the remaining cards.