The minotaur tribe is getting a small boost from Amonkhet and since the people in my play group are big tribal fans I thought it might be nice to build a budget deck as a gift to one of them. I'm open to some suggestions on how to build it.
Pretty straightforward. Play minotaurs, beef them up with keywords and turn them sideways. Maybe use Fanatic of Mogis or Cut // Ribbons for a little extra reach at the end.
I omitted Boros Reckoner because the mana requirements to cast RRR on-curve didn't seem worth the reward. I goldfished it a little and it seemed like a turn 3 Ragemonger could make for a very big turn 4. I figured that Syphon Mind and Palace Siege could help keep the deck from running out of gas after that. I also considered Phyrexian Reclamation.
I don't think it's the best deck by any stretch, but for less than $15 it might not be too bad. How would you build it?
Before anyone comments on it Didgeridoo is unplayable trash even in Minotaur decks. It doesn't significantly reduce the cost of your spells and it puts you down a card in an archetype that cannot afford to "mulligan."
I agree with shaving the number of Petrifiers but I would cut Rakdos Signet over the Ragemongers. This isn't a ramp deck; you need early pressure so that you can lean on burn finishers to close the game out. Beyond that I agree with running 4x Kragma Warcaller because maxing out on lords is probably the way to go.
I don't really understand what the Whip adds other than lifelink. Or maybe that's all that you're looking for, I'm not exactly sure.
Palace Siege is a fine singleton but you don't need the second.
I'd try to include the Boros Reckoners. You only need a single black source until late in the game, so you could modify the mana base to include Dragonskull Summit and/or Foreboding Ruins. I know it brings the deck up to $25 from $15, but those three extra red pips are going to go a long way towards making those Fanatic of Mogis legitimate finishers.
I'll toss Tahngarth in there; I'm a sucker for that old school Magic lore. I just can't get behind the 16-mana investment it takes to get Lord of Shatterskull Pass to level six, though. There are a lot of wide decks in my group and it would be nice to have more to do on turn 2, so I'll put some Pyroclasms in as well.
Before anyone comments on it Didgeridoo is unplayable trash even in Minotaur decks. It doesn't significantly reduce the cost of your spells and it puts you down a card in an archetype that cannot afford to "mulligan."
Oh no way, I'm going to need to run at least six Didgeridoos in order to play around counterspells.
I agree with shaving the number of Petrifiers but I would cut Rakdos Signet over the Ragemongers. This isn't a ramp deck; you need early pressure so that you can lean on burn finishers to close the game out.
So maybe then cut the signets and run the full four Cut // Ribbons?
I don't really understand what the Whip adds other than lifelink. Or maybe that's all that you're looking for, I'm not exactly sure.
Yeah, initially I was thinking of relying on Phyrexian Reclamation for gas and that some whips could help to offset the life loss. I left a whip in after I cut those, but there's not any real reason to have there other than "lifelink on all your creatures is nice." I'll just stick another minotaur in that slot. It's even friendlier to the budget that way.
Before anyone comments on it Didgeridoo is unplayable trash even in Minotaur decks. It doesn't significantly reduce the cost of your spells and it puts you down a card in an archetype that cannot afford to "mulligan."
It's trash in this deck but turn 4 Boros Battleshaper really... uhh, shapes the battle.
Ok, but then you have to cut eight cards for 4x Didgeridoo and 4x Boros Battleshaper and deal with all of the games where you draw the latter but not the former. The card is straight trash because there's nothing that you can do with it to actually bolster your overall win %. Even the decks that "want" Digeridon't are still going to lose more games on average than more consistent versions of the archetype.
4 Akoum Refuge
10 Swamp
10 Mountain
Creatures
4 Taurean Mauler
4 Felhide Petrifier
4 Rageblood Shaman
4 Ragemonger
3 Neheb, the Worthy
2 Fanatic of Mogis
2 Kragma Warcaller
4 Rakdos Signet
2 Cut // Ribbons
4 Syphon Mind
1 Whip of Erebos
2 Palace Siege
Pretty straightforward. Play minotaurs, beef them up with keywords and turn them sideways. Maybe use Fanatic of Mogis or Cut // Ribbons for a little extra reach at the end.
I omitted Boros Reckoner because the mana requirements to cast RRR on-curve didn't seem worth the reward. I goldfished it a little and it seemed like a turn 3 Ragemonger could make for a very big turn 4. I figured that Syphon Mind and Palace Siege could help keep the deck from running out of gas after that. I also considered Phyrexian Reclamation.
I don't think it's the best deck by any stretch, but for less than $15 it might not be too bad. How would you build it?
I agree with shaving the number of Petrifiers but I would cut Rakdos Signet over the Ragemongers. This isn't a ramp deck; you need early pressure so that you can lean on burn finishers to close the game out. Beyond that I agree with running 4x Kragma Warcaller because maxing out on lords is probably the way to go.
I don't really understand what the Whip adds other than lifelink. Or maybe that's all that you're looking for, I'm not exactly sure.
Palace Siege is a fine singleton but you don't need the second.
Guilds of Ravnica - Commander 2018 - Core 2019 - Battlebond - Dominaria - Rivals of Ixalan - Ixalan - Commander 2017 - Hour of Devastation - Amonket - Aether Revolt - Commander 2016 - Kaladesh - Conspiracy 2 - Eldritch Moon - Shadows Over Innistrad - Oath of the Gatewatch - Commander 2015 - Battle for Zendikar - Magic Origins - Dragons of Tarkir
Green - Blue - Red - White - Gold
I'll toss Tahngarth in there; I'm a sucker for that old school Magic lore. I just can't get behind the 16-mana investment it takes to get Lord of Shatterskull Pass to level six, though. There are a lot of wide decks in my group and it would be nice to have more to do on turn 2, so I'll put some Pyroclasms in as well.
Oh no way, I'm going to need to run at least six Didgeridoos in order to play around counterspells.
So maybe then cut the signets and run the full four Cut // Ribbons?
Yeah, initially I was thinking of relying on Phyrexian Reclamation for gas and that some whips could help to offset the life loss. I left a whip in after I cut those, but there's not any real reason to have there other than "lifelink on all your creatures is nice." I'll just stick another minotaur in that slot. It's even friendlier to the budget that way.
Here's an updated list:
4 Akoum Refuge
8 Swamp
12 Mountain
Creatures
4 Taurean Mauler
2 Felhide Petrifier
4 Rageblood Shaman
4 Ragemonger
3 Neheb, the Worthy
3 Fanatic of Mogis
4 Kragma Warcaller
1 Tahngarth, Talruum Hero
2 Pyroclasm
4 Cut // Ribbons
4 Syphon Mind
1 Palace Siege
Ok, but then you have to cut eight cards for 4x Didgeridoo and 4x Boros Battleshaper and deal with all of the games where you draw the latter but not the former. The card is straight trash because there's nothing that you can do with it to actually bolster your overall win %. Even the decks that "want" Digeridon't are still going to lose more games on average than more consistent versions of the archetype.
Guilds of Ravnica - Commander 2018 - Core 2019 - Battlebond - Dominaria - Rivals of Ixalan - Ixalan - Commander 2017 - Hour of Devastation - Amonket - Aether Revolt - Commander 2016 - Kaladesh - Conspiracy 2 - Eldritch Moon - Shadows Over Innistrad - Oath of the Gatewatch - Commander 2015 - Battle for Zendikar - Magic Origins - Dragons of Tarkir
Green - Blue - Red - White - Gold