Atarka Red is a deck that got it's start during Theros-Khans standard, and is of course centered around Atarka's Command. The deck is a typical token deck that swings wide and then capitalizes on combat tricks. I had a great time playing this deck until large chunks rotated out with the release of Battle for Zendikar. But now, with Frontier, we're bringing it back!
Let's talk card choices
Atarka's Command - The namesake of the deck! You gotta run four of this incredibly versatile card. Probably our best (but not only!) combat trick, it can be used to pump in an alpha strike with an additional benefit. No lie, we end up choosing the 3 damage 90% of the time, though the life gain hate is advantageous. Can be used on defense as well. All around a very solid card.
Monastery Swiftspear - Easily the most efficient red creature in Frontier, and she plays very well with our combat tricks. Think about it, Temur Battle Rage makes an instant 4 damage. Become Immense turns her into a massive 8/9. If we can resolve both, she swings for a monstrous 18 damage! Run four Swiftspears to maximize the rustling of your opponent's jimmies.
Smuggler's Copter - I mean, it was banned from standard, so that tells you something! Combine evasion with card advantage and you have a devious card. Any of our tokens can crew it, and it helps filter unneeded lands into more creatures and combat tricks. Run four unless you're some kind of jabroni.
1 CMC Monastery Swiftspear - Nuff said. play four. Foundry Street Denizen - Buffs when creatures enter the battlefield, and we're dropping creatures left and right! Zurgo Bellstriker - 2/2 for 1 mana is always great, and this guy has extra utility for us. The dash cost can make him a reliable trigger for Denizen. I'm running 2, and wouldn't recommend any more than that because of the pesky legendary rule.
2 CMC Smuggler's Copter - Nuff said, play four. Dragon Fodder - Two mana, two bodies, one card. Decent value means that this will likely end up in your list. I recommend at least 3 copies. Abbot of Keral Keep - A good attacker, and a solid means for card advantage. That being said, his "draw" effect is not repeatable in this build. I play 2, but he could possibly be cut for a token maker.
3 CMC Hordeling Outburst - Did you like Dragon Fodder? Here's a better one! Three mana, three bodies, one card. Crazy efficient! I'm running 4 to smooth out my curve, and I've never had a complaint about this bad boy. We should run at least 3. Goblin Rabblemaster - This guy didn't make my list yet, but he's at the top of my scratch pad. All our tokens are goblins, which makes his attack super relevant. The sad part is that his cost almost guarantees a blocker will be in place, especially if we're on the draw. Perhaps if we can incorporate trample...
4+ CMC
I don't see us ever running a 4 cmc creature unless they net tokens as an ETB effect. We have to keep the curve lower than a snake's belly to smash in for damage quick enough.
More coming soon!
1 CMC Collateral Damage - God, I could write a whole article about this card! It plays well with tokens, and basically gives us a bolt in Frontier! You always have a dude to spare, and so you're paying 1 mana for 3 damage. The best time to use it is in response to blocks, when you can sac your 1/1 to send 3 damage right over their blocker's big, dumb head. Hell, play it in response to removal as well. It really keeps the clock ticking when you use it properly. Right now I have four in the sideboard, but I would LOVE to move them into the main, perhaps switching places with Kari Zev's Expertise. Blossoming Defense - A very solid green buff spell that doubles as a way to save key pieces from removal. They target Copter? Crew it and then cast Defense. It's versatility landed it 3 spots in my list, but I'm willing to consider a 4th.
2 CMC Atarka's Command - Nuff said, play four. Temur Battle Rage - While this does little for our tokens, this card shines with our threats. Double up that Copter to swing for 6 flying damage! Double up a Denizen or Swiftspear, which is especialy tasty when the latter has already been buffed. I would run 4, but I've only included 3 in my list to avoid an overabundance when we're only showing sub-optimal targets. Definitely has to be in the deck though. Wrangle - Steal a dude for two mana! One of the quickest threaten effects we have access to, but not quite the most efficient. Still, I've thrown a few copies in my board. I recommend we run a few in the sideboard regardless, in case we face creature-heavy decks. Can easily be subbed out for better interaction or more meta-dependent options. After all, our best Threaten is one more mana...
3 CMC Kari Zev's Expertise - Easily the most efficient threaten effect in Frontier, if not all of Magic! We get to steal their dude, then cast pretty much any card in our deck for FREE! Especially dastardly when you hijack their evasive creature and then buff it with another combat trick. Because of the relatively high CMC, I can only justify running 3 copies. But perhaps their is space in the sideboard for one more...
More coming soon!
Gotta clear space for our attacks! So far all my removal is concentrated in the sideboard, but there may be a spot for certain cards in the main if we run into blockers more frequently. 1 CMC Outnumber - A delicious direct damage spell capitalizing on our growing horde. I'm excited to test this card.
2 CMC Roast - One of the best red removal spells in the format. Sure, we miss those pesky fliers, but maybe we want to keep them around to threaten them
So far I've been playing a Jund version of this deck with some aspects of mono black Aggro and the extra delve creatures have actually been huge so... maybe consider? I don't know
Atarka Red is a deck that got it's start during Theros-Khans standard, and is of course centered around Atarka's Command. The deck is a typical token deck that swings wide and then capitalizes on combat tricks. I had a great time playing this deck until large chunks rotated out with the release of Battle for Zendikar. But now, with Frontier, we're bringing it back!
Let's talk card choices
Atarka's Command - The namesake of the deck! You gotta run four of this incredibly versatile card. Probably our best (but not only!) combat trick, it can be used to pump in an alpha strike with an additional benefit. No lie, we end up choosing the 3 damage 90% of the time, though the life gain hate is advantageous. Can be used on defense as well. All around a very solid card.
Monastery Swiftspear - Easily the most efficient red creature in Frontier, and she plays very well with our combat tricks. Think about it, Temur Battle Rage makes an instant 4 damage. Become Immense turns her into a massive 8/9. If we can resolve both, she swings for a monstrous 18 damage! Run four Swiftspears to maximize the rustling of your opponent's jimmies.
Smuggler's Copter - I mean, it was banned from standard, so that tells you something! Combine evasion with card advantage and you have a devious card. Any of our tokens can crew it, and it helps filter unneeded lands into more creatures and combat tricks. Run four unless you're some kind of jabroni.
1 CMC
Monastery Swiftspear - Nuff said. play four.
Foundry Street Denizen - Buffs when creatures enter the battlefield, and we're dropping creatures left and right!
Zurgo Bellstriker - 2/2 for 1 mana is always great, and this guy has extra utility for us. The dash cost can make him a reliable trigger for Denizen. I'm running 2, and wouldn't recommend any more than that because of the pesky legendary rule.
2 CMC
Smuggler's Copter - Nuff said, play four.
Dragon Fodder - Two mana, two bodies, one card. Decent value means that this will likely end up in your list. I recommend at least 3 copies.
Abbot of Keral Keep - A good attacker, and a solid means for card advantage. That being said, his "draw" effect is not repeatable in this build. I play 2, but he could possibly be cut for a token maker.
3 CMC
Hordeling Outburst - Did you like Dragon Fodder? Here's a better one! Three mana, three bodies, one card. Crazy efficient! I'm running 4 to smooth out my curve, and I've never had a complaint about this bad boy. We should run at least 3.
Goblin Rabblemaster - This guy didn't make my list yet, but he's at the top of my scratch pad. All our tokens are goblins, which makes his attack super relevant. The sad part is that his cost almost guarantees a blocker will be in place, especially if we're on the draw. Perhaps if we can incorporate trample...
4+ CMC
I don't see us ever running a 4 cmc creature unless they net tokens as an ETB effect. We have to keep the curve lower than a snake's belly to smash in for damage quick enough.
More coming soon!
1 CMC
Collateral Damage - God, I could write a whole article about this card! It plays well with tokens, and basically gives us a bolt in Frontier! You always have a dude to spare, and so you're paying 1 mana for 3 damage. The best time to use it is in response to blocks, when you can sac your 1/1 to send 3 damage right over their blocker's big, dumb head. Hell, play it in response to removal as well. It really keeps the clock ticking when you use it properly. Right now I have four in the sideboard, but I would LOVE to move them into the main, perhaps switching places with Kari Zev's Expertise.
Blossoming Defense - A very solid green buff spell that doubles as a way to save key pieces from removal. They target Copter? Crew it and then cast Defense. It's versatility landed it 3 spots in my list, but I'm willing to consider a 4th.
2 CMC
Atarka's Command - Nuff said, play four.
Temur Battle Rage - While this does little for our tokens, this card shines with our threats. Double up that Copter to swing for 6 flying damage! Double up a Denizen or Swiftspear, which is especialy tasty when the latter has already been buffed. I would run 4, but I've only included 3 in my list to avoid an overabundance when we're only showing sub-optimal targets. Definitely has to be in the deck though.
Wrangle - Steal a dude for two mana! One of the quickest threaten effects we have access to, but not quite the most efficient. Still, I've thrown a few copies in my board. I recommend we run a few in the sideboard regardless, in case we face creature-heavy decks. Can easily be subbed out for better interaction or more meta-dependent options. After all, our best Threaten is one more mana...
3 CMC
Kari Zev's Expertise - Easily the most efficient threaten effect in Frontier, if not all of Magic! We get to steal their dude, then cast pretty much any card in our deck for FREE! Especially dastardly when you hijack their evasive creature and then buff it with another combat trick. Because of the relatively high CMC, I can only justify running 3 copies. But perhaps their is space in the sideboard for one more...
More coming soon!
Gotta clear space for our attacks! So far all my removal is concentrated in the sideboard, but there may be a spot for certain cards in the main if we run into blockers more frequently.
1 CMC
Outnumber - A delicious direct damage spell capitalizing on our growing horde. I'm excited to test this card.
2 CMC
Roast - One of the best red removal spells in the format. Sure, we miss those pesky fliers, but maybe we want to keep them around to threaten them
More coming soon!
Sample deck list:
2 Abbot of Keral Keep
3 Foundry Street Denizen
4 Monastery Swiftspear
2 Zurgo Bellstriker
Instant (13)
4 Atarka's Command
3 Become Immense
3 Blossoming Defense
3 Temur Battle Rage
3 Dragon Fodder
4 Hordeling Outburst
3 Kari Zev's Expertise
Artifact (4)
4 Smuggler's Copter
Land (22)
3 Bloodstained Mire
4 Cinder Glade
9 Mountain
2 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Hooting Mandrills
4 Collateral Damage
2 Outnumber
4 Roast
3 Wrangle
I'm interested to hear what everyone thinks. Post your lists and your critiques on the cards I've featured. Also, suggest your own!
This is a new format with a clean slate. Let's make this deck bust out as a major aggro player.
Mook's Cube!
Mook's Frontier Atarka Red Primer!
For more of my projects and brews, check out Clutch City Cardboard on Facebook, or at our domain.
Mook's Cube!
Mook's Frontier Atarka Red Primer!
For more of my projects and brews, check out Clutch City Cardboard on Facebook, or at our domain.
Mook's Cube!
Mook's Frontier Atarka Red Primer!
For more of my projects and brews, check out Clutch City Cardboard on Facebook, or at our domain.