Firefist Striker has recently proved itself worthy of inclusion in aggro decks, truly putting battalion on the map in Constructed for the first time. With the Striker's success, I decided to see if a more battalion-focused Boros deck could do well. Here's the list I put together.

"Boros Battalion"

• Creatures (31)
• 3 Skyknight Legionnaire
• 4 Boros Elite
• 4 Champion of the Parish
• 4 Firefist Striker
• 4 Firemane Avenger
• 4 Frontline Medic
• 4 Lightning Mauler
• 4 Viashino Firstblade

• Spells (7)
• 4 Searing Spear
• 3 Pillar of Flame

• Lands (22)
• 10 Plains
• 7 Mountain
• 1 Evolving Wilds
• 4 Boros Guildgate

• Sideboard (15)
• 4 Nearheath Pilgrim
• 2 Assemble the Legion
• 3 Skullcrack
• 3 War Priest of Thune
• 3 Purify the Grave

Buy This Deck

The Creatures

Most of the creatures in the deck happen to be Humans, so Champion of the Parish can accumulate +1/+1 counters fairly quickly. It will be attacking for 3 on turn three about as consistently as Boros Elite, and it can grow even larger from there.

Firefist Striker is a great tool for fighting off early Thragtusks. Thragtusk is normally an excellent tool for fighting aggressive decks, giving your opponent 5 life as well as allowing him to trade with two creatures. It also can't be entirely dealt with by most removal spells. Fortunately, Firefist Striker just shoves it out of the way so your creatures can charge right past it. The ability to leave behind a token when it dies isn't so great when you just stop it from blocking rather than killing it.

Lightning Mauler ensures that you can trigger battalion on turn three even if you don't have a hasty 3-drop in your hand. It also allows you to trigger spicy battalion abilities such as those on Frontline Medic and Firemane Avenger immediately rather than being forced to wait a turn.

Skyknight Legionnaire also helps trigger battalion, and although it doesn't boast as much damage as the Firstblade, it does get in more consistently thanks to flying. There will be no trading off Voice of Resurgence for this creature.

Frontline Medic has an incredibly powerful battalion ability, making all your attackers indestructible for the turn. Even your smallest creatures will be able to attack with impunity, and common blockers such as Thragtusk and Restoration Angel won't be nearly as effective at preserving your opponent's life total. It also fights Sphinx's Revelation quite well, forcing your opponent to remove the Frontline Medic if possible or be forced to cast his Revelation for three fewer cards and 3 less life.

Firemane Avenger can win games very quickly with two friends by its side. There's a reason Lightning Helix sees so much play in Modern, and casting a free one every turn will make it difficult for your opponent to stay alive and nearly impossible for him to race you.

The Burn

Searing Spear can kill many creatures at instant speed, which can be particularly relevant when your opponent tries to flicker a Thragtusk with Restoration Angel. Stopping that extra creature and 5 life can be the difference between winning and losing a game. Against other aggressive decks, Searing Spear can kill just about anything, from Burning-Tree Emissary to Hellrider. You can even blow your opponent out when he tries to pump up a creature with Ghor-Clan Rampager.

The Sideboard

War Priest of Thune slows down Bant Hexproof decks significantly without harming your ability to put enough creatures on the board to trigger battalion. A Grizzly Bears may not be particularly exciting, but one that blows up an Armadillo Cloak certainly is.

Purify the Grave takes Unburial Rites down a notch and has become my favorite tool for doing so. It forces your opponent to spend time and mana on reanimating a creature, only for you to exile it at the last second. It's not uncommon for your opponent to cast Unburial Rites on an Angel of Serenity rather than casting the Thragtusk in his hand, and if you're holding a Purify the Grave, you may have just won that game.

Assemble the Legion and Skullcrack are a powerful one-two punch against control decks. Assemble the Legion gives you a persistent source of damage that can't be stopped by Supreme Verdict and Terminus, and Skullcrack prevents your opponent from buying several turns with a Sphinx's Revelation. Skullcrack can also stop the 5 life from Thragtusk, and combined with Firefist Striker, it can allow you to pretend the card doesn't even exist.

Playtesting

Junk Aristocrats – Game 1

I drew Boros Guildgate, played a Mountain, and cast Lightning Mauler. I ended my turn. My opponent played Woodland Cemetery and cast Skirsdag High Priest. He ended his turn.

I drew Viashino Firstblade and cast Pillar of Flame on the High Priest. I played my Guildgate and passed the turn. My opponent paid 2 life for a Temple Garden and cast Voice of Resurgence.

I drew Firefist Striker and cast Pillar of Flame on the Voice. I cast the Striker, pairing it with Lightning Mauler, and attacked with everything, making Young Wolf unable to block. My opponent dropped to 9, and I passed the turn. My opponent paid 2 life for a Godless Shrine and cast Sorin, Lord of Innistrad. He made a Vampire token and ended his turn.

I drew Searing Spear, killed the Vampire, and attacked for lethal damage.

Game 2

My opponent played Woodland Cemetery, cast Voice of Resurgence, and ended his turn. I drew Champion of the Parish, played my Plains, and cast it. I killed Voice of Resurgence with Pillar of Flame and passed the turn.

My opponent cast Young Wolf and Doomed Traveler and ended his turn. I drew a Mountain, played it, and cast Skyknight Legionnaire, putting a counter on the Champion. I attacked for 2 with the Legionnaire and passed the turn.

My opponent played a tapped Overgrown Tomb and cast Cartel Aristocrat. He ended his turn. I drew another Champion of the Parish, cast it, and cast my Lightning Mauler, putting a +1/+1 counter on each Champion. I attacked for 2 in the air again and passed the turn.

My opponent played a Temple Garden and cast Varolz, the Scar-Striped before ending his turn. I drew Champion of the Parish and cast Firemane Avenger. I paired it with Lightning Mauler and attacked with everything. I targeted Varolz with the Lightning Helix, and my opponent sacrificed Young Wolf to regenerate him. Doomed Traveler traded with Lightning Mauler, Young Wolf traded with the smaller Champion, and the other Doomed Traveler was sacrificed to give Cartel Aristocrat protection form white before the Aristocrat and the token took down the larger Champion. My opponent dropped to 9 from the fliers, and I ended my turn.

My opponent cast Blood Artist, scavenged Cartel Aristocrat onto Varolz, and ended his turn. I drew Firefist Striker and attacked with Skyknight Legionnaire. My opponent sacrificed his Blood Artist to Varolz and killed the flyer with Tragic Slip. I cast Firefist Striker, putting a counter on my Champion, and passed the turn.

My opponent played a land, scavenged a Doomed Traveler onto Varolz, and then attacked, activating Gavony Township to deal 6 damage. I drew Boros Elite, cast it to put a counter on the Champion, and dropped my opponent to 1.

I ended my turn, and he drew his card and conceded.

Wrap-Up

This deck can have some extremely fast draws, and between Firefist Striker, Firemane Avenger, and the seven burn spells in the deck, it can be difficult for your opponent to muster any kind of defense. Even when your opponent thinks he's stopped you from triggering battalion next turn, Viashino Firstblade and Skyknight Legionnaire can change that in an instant. If you're a devoted member of the Boros Legion or if you just want to take advantage of that gorgeous Firemane Avenger promo from Game Day, give this deck a try.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, you can find me on the forums under Twinblaze, on Twitter under @MTGCannon, or simply leave a comment below.