Stormwild Capridor has piqued my interest since it was printed back in 2020. I knew that there was a deck just waiting to be built that took full advantage of the weird bird goat hybrid, but nothing I threw together seemed to really click for me. Other similar creatures, like Spitemare and Boros Reckoner, were, at the time, a bit heavy on the wallet, and their tendency to actually die when hit with big enough damage spells was a bit of a turn off. Fast forward a bit, and I stumbled upon the card Gideon's Sacrifice, which renewed my Capridor fervor.

I'm certainly not the first person to build a Stormwild Capridor deck that includes Gideon's Sacrifice, but I was definitely surprised at just how few lists existed online which showcased the combo. So, I decided to play around with the different synergies I could find, and come up with something I would enjoy playing at the kitchen table. The following is an aggressive Boros list that tries to deal damage to its own creatures, and has a couple interesting tricks up its masochistic sleeve. Part of me feels bad for the unfortunate life Capridor is forced to lead, being hurt by its friends for the greater good. The other part of me, however, feels like a playground bully, giggling with glee and shouting, "Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself!" every time I manage to smack it with yet another burn spell.

Boros Capridor| Casual | James Heslip

• Creatures (18)
• 2 Truefire Captain
• 4 Boros Reckoner
• 4 Crossbow Infantry
• 4 Raptor Hatchling
• 4 Stormwild Capridor

• Instants (12)
• 4 Burning Oil
• 4 Gideon's Sacrifice
• 4 You Hear Something on Watch

• Sorceries (4)
• 4 Flame Slash

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Nahiri's Machinations

• Lands (22)
• 9 Plains
• 6 Mountain
• 1 Keldon Megaliths
• 2 Lorehold Campus
• 4 Wind-Scarred Crag

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Cost: $12.50 at the time of publication

The Core

Boros Reckoner and Truefire Captain are our Capridor-lites. They don't grow from damage, and the damage dealt to them isn't prevented, so they're much more likely to end up in the graveyard after all is said and done. However, their similar abilities are still relevant to the rest of the deck. Even on their own, they're respectable threats that any opponent will think twice about blocking or attacking into.

The Backup

Realistically, this deck can be broken down into two parts: creatures that want to be hurt, and things that hurt them. We've already looked at the core of the first part, but there's one little guy we haven't touched on: Raptor Hatchling. This adorable-yet-dangerous 2-drop creature might seem like a strange addition at first, but his enrage ability fits right in considering everything else we're doing. He helps even out the curve of the deck by providing an early creature to drop onto the board, and like Reckoner and Captain, the opponent will always second guess blocking him or attacking into him.

Crossbow Infantry is our other early creature play. We can always use him in the traditional sense, killing small attackers and blockers, or adding in additional damage as needed to aid our other combatants in their fights. However, his primary purpose is as a repeatable source of effect damage to benefit Capridor and friends. One or more infantry allows us to reliably and consistently grow our bird goats every turn, or distribute damage across the board by targeting Reckoners and Captains. Keldon Megaliths serves the same purpose, though it comes with an added activation cost.

Gideon's Sacrifice has already been mentioned, but it's far from the only source of effect damage we have in our spell line up. In terms of damage-to-cost ratio, You Hear Something on Watch is the best bang-for-your-buck spell we can cast reliably. It will kill most threats an opponent might send at you, but also acts as a cheaper instant-speed Increasing Savagery when targeting Capridor, or a two-cost Lava Axe when targeting its cousins. Burning Oil doesn't represent quite as much growth or damage, but it makes up for it with the inherent card advantage that the flashback ability provides. Finally, Flame Slash is an all-around powerful removal option that won't find a better home. 1 mana for four damage is all we could ask for in a strategy like this.

Last to be mentioned, but far from least important, is Nahiri's Machinations. With this safe-word-like tool on our BDSM belt, anything that isn't Capridor will be able to handle as much harm as we can throw at it without succumbing to the pain. Whether it be minotaur wizard, human knight, or adorable baby dinosaur, Machinations keeps it alive and kicking, opening up a plethora of opportunities. Aside from Flame Slash, every single source of effect damage this deck has to offer can be created at instant speed and Nahiri's Machinations is the reason why. Though the gifted immortality lasts until the end of the turn, it is created during combat, which is also the most beneficial time to make use of it. Thus, instant-speed pain is the most optimal pain to apply.

Tips and Tricks

On the spell side of things, don't hesitate to use Burning Oil to sear away early aggression. You'll be able to re-cast it later on to whatever end you might need. If there's a creature that's being a particular nuisance, but isn't aggressively attacking into you, use Boros Reckoner as a roundabout way to redirect damage. Together with your crossbow men, the minotaur can burn away mana dorks, your opponent's HP, or even planeswalkers.

Additional Options

Additional Options | James Heslip

• Creatures (12)
• 1 Spitemare
• 1 Flametongue Yearling
• 1 Frontline Medic
• 1 Heavy Ballista
• 1 Ballista Squad
• 1 Brash Taunter
• 1 Selfless Savior
• 1 Frilled Deathspitter
• 1 Brigid, Hero of Kinsbaile
• 1 Dauntless Bodyguard
• 1 Resolute Watchdog
• 1 Swans of Bryn Argoll

• Planeswalkers (4)
• 1 Basri Ket
• 1 Chandra, Heart of Fire
• 1 Chandra, the Firebrand
• 1 Gideon Blackblade

• Instants (12)
• 1 Cinderclasm
• 1 Crushing Pain
• 1 Reckless Rage
• 1 Gideon's Reproach
• 1 Summary Judgment
• 1 Blacksmith's Skill
• 1 Heat Ray
• 1 Piercing Light
• 1 Divine Arrow
• 1 Justice Strike
• 1 Iron Verdict
• 1 Unholy Heat

• Sorceries (2)
• 1 Rip Apart
• 1 Strangle

• Enchantments (5)
• 1 Archery Training
• 1 Lightmine Field
• 1 Powerstone Minefield
• 1 Saving Grace
• 1 Sinstriker's Will

• Artifacts (1)
• 1 Caltrops

• Lands (1)
• 1 Desert

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Of the creatures listed, Spitemare is likely the most obvious. Unlike Truefire Captain, which is what it would likely replace, it's able to redirect damage to opposing creatures. However, it does not boast quite as much power, and doesn't have the Mentor ability, which can be relevant in boosting Hatchlings or (depending on the timing) Stormwild Capridors. In the same vein, we have Brash Taunter and Swans of Bryn Argoll. Taunter is likely much too expensive to cast, but is otherwise right on theme. Swans could provide some much-needed card draw, but we do risk giving our opponent a means to draw extra cards themselves. Additionally, the double White casting cost might create some issues from time to time.

Heavy Ballista, Ballista Squad, Brigid, and Hero of Kinsbaile each act as more expensive Crossbow Infantry. While they do more damage, their higher casting cost likely means they are not worth their weight. Caltrops, Lightmine Field, Powerstone Minefield, and others work to the same end, but are not as easy for an opponent to get rid of as a creature might be. The passivity of their effects also means they can both protect you and be abused by your Capridor creatures simultaneously, instead of you having to choose one or the other like you would with a creature that taps.

Saving Grace is an additional copy of Gideon's Sacrifice for those that like the combo enough to fill the deck with additional instances of it. Personally, I feel that it's not needed, but if you're a player that tends to enjoy being flashy like that, then why not? It could also be used on Hatchlings in order to benefit from the Crossbow/Hatchling combo in cases where Machinations can't be found, thanks to the buff to toughness.

Reckless Rage is a perfect addition to the deck, and was actually in the original list. However, the recent price hike of the card forced me to remove it in order to keep the cost of the deck at a respectable level. However, if you've got them floating around, I'd definitely suggest finding room for them.

Basri Ket and Gideon Blackblade are both extremely cheap planeswalkers who can act as pseudo Nahiri's Machinations, providing creatures with temporary immortality for us to take advantage of. Gideon Blackblade is especially interesting, as the option to bestow a large Capridor with lifelink could easily be relevant. Additionally, his -6 fills the void of our inability to answer non-creature problems.