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Hey, all! Welcome back again!
Today we're going to go over the Top 5 Warriors. This time, according to Scryfall there are 1,107 warriors in the game. Unfortunately, most of them are draft chaff and would never make a list like this.
As usual, the list is going to be a combination of cards I like, cards that are popular and powerful, and cards that are or have been historically important to the game.
Number Five
Goblin Piledriver is a classic! Not only was it a Tier 1 staple back in Standard when Onslaught first came out, it still sees a ton of play in both Legacy and Commander. Back in the day, along with cards like Goblin Sharpshooter, Clickslither, and Patriarch's Bidding, Goblin Piledriver was dealing damage in the double-digits. Any deck that's focusing on goblins is going to include our piledriving friend here and the Onslaught version still has about a $10 price tag.
Goblin Piledriver was reprinted for the first time in Magic Origins, and he ended up seeing a ton of Standard play then as well. Mono-Red decks in Khans of Tarkir Standard loved making goblins, and that's where the Piledriver really shines. While protection from Blue isn't always useful, when it's good it can be very good. Being able to blank an entire color is usually not the worst ability.
Number Four
Wild Nacatl is another legend. (Not, like, an actual legend though; you're welcome to play a bunch at the same time if you want.) Unfortunately, this little guy is so far down on the list for two reasons: 1) a conditional 3/3 for one mana just isn't as exciting these days. And 2) the Nacatl is kind of boring. The only thing it really does is attack. Thankfully, it is pretty good at that, and making it a 3/3 on turn two is pretty easy to do.
As you can imagine, this little guy is at its best in a Naya shell, and that's where it has traditionally shined. It even has a couple of top finishes in classic decks like Naya Lightsaber and Boss Naya!
Number Three
Where's the "I like turtles" kid when you need him? Yes, Kappa Cannoneer is a turtle warrior, and a darn good one at that! In fact, I don't think anyone has ever spent six whole mana to cast him. While it was recently introduced to Modern through a printing in Modern Horizons 3, this was originally a Commander card in the Neon Dynasty Commander decks. After it was released, it basically caused havoc on Legacy for a while, where it still sees a heavy amount of play.
The truth is, ward 4 might as well be hexproof a lot of the time, especially in an older format like Legacy where there are already some pretty sizable mana constraints. This guy is right at home in any deck that is churning out a ton of artifacts that can both trigger its ability and reduce its cost.
Number Two
Ajani happens to be the newest warrior on the list, the most expensive warrior on the list, and the second Nacatl on the list.
Ajani was recently released in Modern Horizons 3, and I remember wondering if it would see any play. I then watched it go from two copies in a couple decks, to the full four copies in several Tier 1 decks. Remember when we talked about Wild Nacalt just being a 3/3 for 1 mana? Well, Ajani is essentially a 3/3 for 2 mana, over two bodies, that also turns into a planeswalker. I don't know...seems like a bit of an upgrade, but if you play them both together, the Wild Nacatl can at least trigger your Ajani!
You know...when it dies, that is.
Number One
I was actually kind of surprised this was a warrior. It doesn't feel very warriorish. Maybe a soldier? I don't know. Either way, I don't know if any card on this list is responsible for more blowouts than Zealous Conscripts. Don't get me wrong, all the other cards are packing a ton of wins under their belts, but none of them have the same finesse that the Conscripts do. I mean, who else is stealing your opponent's Griselbrand and killing them with it? Or comboing off with Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker?
Zealous Conscripts was a staple in countless Standard decks, such as Reanimator, Naya, Birthing Pod, Aristocrats, Red Deck Wins, Jund, Humans...
Zealous Conscripts is just super versatile and ends up being able to slot into any deck running Red, especially with only one Red pip in the mana cost. If they only stole creatures, that'd be one thing, but they steal anything! I'm sorry, "conscript." They conscript anything! Have you ever conscripted your opponent's planeswalker just to ultimate it? It's a beautiful thing.
Honorable Mentions:
- Ezuri, Renegade Leader
- Krenko, Mob Boss
- Seasoned Dungeoneer
- Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
- Chatterfang, Squirrel General
As always, I would love to hear what you think and have you shoot me your own Top 5 Warriors over on social media! Thanks a ton for reading and I'll catch ya next time!
Frank Lepore
