Locations
Dragon's Maze includes some exciting new tools for the Boros Legion, particularly the maze runner Tajic. There are a lot of different removal spells being played in Standard at the moment, but almost none of them get rid of an indestructible creature—at least not permanently. This is a large part of why Falkenrath Aristocrat has been doing so well. Although without the speed and evasion of the Aristocrat, Tajic doesn't require any sacrifice, and he is not nearly as easy to kill with Tragic Slip. Here's the list I put together to test out the new champion.
"Boros Legion"
- Creatures (25)
- 3 Pyreheart Wolf
- 4 Lightning Mauler
- 4 Rakdos Cackler
- 4 Splatter Thug
- 4 Stromkirk Noble
- 4 Wojek Halberdiers
- 2 Tajic, Blade of the Legion
- Spells (12)
- 4 Boros Charm
- 4 Searing Spear
- 2 Pillar of Flame
- 2 Legion's Initiative
- Sideboard (15)
- 3 Purify the Grave
- 4 Skullcrack
- 2 Bonds of Faith
- 4 Fiend Hunter
- 2 Warleader's Helix
The Threats
Stromkirk Noble can be pretty embarrassing when your opponent casts a larger creature early in the game, such as Deathrite Shaman or Call of the Conclave, but if you can sneak in a hit or two, it becomes a significant problem for your opponent, and it can trade off with most other creatures. Fortunately, picking up those first couple counters is rarely a significant obstacle. Many decks spend the first couple turns playing tapped shock lands and casting Farseek, and any creatures that you do face can often be taken out with Mugging or Searing Spear.
Wojek Halberdiers is a card that's plenty good enough to see play in Standard, but it has been pushed out of the way by Burning-Tree Emissary. With so many decks using the Emissary for a potential speed boost, 2-drops that can't be cast with 
are seeing a precipitous decline in popularity. With Legion's Initiative, however, the Halberdiers become quite valuable. A 4/3 for 2 mana is absurd, and with first strike from its battalion ability, Wojek Halberdiers can take down everything from Loxodon Smiter to Thragtusk.
Lightning Mauler gives haste to creatures that you really want to give haste to, such as Pyreheart Wolf and Tajic, Blade of the Legion. It easily turns on battalion when you need it, and Legion's Initiative turns it into a Spike Jester when you want one.
Splatter Thug is another first strike creature that can take down just about anything when boosted by Legion's Initiative. Even without Legion's Initiative, it makes Thragtusk an enormously less effective life-saving measure for your opponent.
Tajic, Blade of the Legion is a hard-to-kill threat that just keeps on swinging in until your opponent runs out of blockers. In fact, many decks have no way to deal with Tajic at all, so he's guaranteed to stay on the battlefield the entire game. Although a 4-mana 2/2 isn't very impressive, Legion's Initiative can bump Tajic up to 3/3, and an indestructible Hill Giant actually seems pretty reasonable for Constructed. Of course, with two attacking creatures by his side, Tajic grows to block-me-or-die proportions, making life very difficult for anyone on the other side of the table.
The Support
Boros Charm also helps you laugh off a Supreme Verdict, making all your creatures indestructible for a turn. The 4 points of burn damage are not at all irrelevant either, helping you quickly close out games before your opponent can make a comeback. The option to grant double strike is usually the least effective of the three, but with Tajic, it could theoretically be used to push in an extra 7 damage instead of the normal 4.
Searing Spear is still the best option for aggressive decks at the moment. It kills most creatures at instant speed, and it can be aimed at your opponent to help you end the game a turn ahead of schedule. It also combines rather nicely with the first strike creatures in the deck to take down larger blockers.
Although I'm rather partial to Mugging, Pillar of Flame gets the nod here largely due to Voice of Resurgence. The fancy Grand Abolisher is sure to see significant play in Standard, and Pillar of Flame is one of the few ways of effectively dealing with it.
The Sideboard
Skullcrack stops the life-gain from Thragtusk and Sphinx's Revelation and boasts just as much damage as a Searing Spear to the face. In an aggressive deck like this one, stopping your opponent from gaining life can be the key to victory.
Purify the Grave is a great answer for Unburial Rites decks of all varieties, forcing the opponent to unknowingly waste time dumping creatures into the graveyard and trying to reanimate them. Leaving a single white mana open is hardly too much to ask when what you're getting out of it essentially amounts to an extra turn.
Warleader's Helix is something I'd like to try out against other aggressive decks. It kills nearly any creature, and that combined with gaining 4 life will often be enough to win the race, even if you were behind.
Playtesting
Bant Delver – Game 1
I drew Wojek Halberdiers and attacked for 2. I played my Plains, cast the Halberdiers, and ended my turn. My opponent played Temple Garden, cast Delver of Secrets, and passed the turn.
I drew Lightning Mauler, got in for 5 with my creatures, and then cast the Mauler and ended my turn. Delver of Secrets failed to transform, and my opponent cast a second Delver before playing a land and passing the turn.
I drew a Plains, played it, and cast Pyreheart Wolf, pairing it with Lightning Mauler. I attacked with everything, and my opponent double-blocked the Pyreheart Wolf to trade a Delver of Secrets for it. He dropped to 6, and I ended my turn. He cast Selesnya Charm during my end step to make a 2/2 Knight token. Delver of Secrets revealed a Syncopate, and my opponent conceded.
Sideboarding:
Game 2
My opponent played Temple Garden, cast Delver of Secrets to evolve the Raptor, and attacked for 1. He ended his turn. I drew a Mountain and attacked with the Cackler, getting in 2 damage. I played my Plains, cast Wojek Halberdiers, and ended my turn.
Delver failed to transform, and my opponent played a land and cast Geist of Saint Traft, evolving the Raptor again. He hit me for 2 in the air and passed the turn. I drew a Plains, played my Mountain, and attacked with Rakdos Cackler for 2. I cast Splatter Thug, choosing not to unleash it, and ended my turn.
Delver failed to transform again, and my opponent attacked with Cloudfin Raptor and Geist of Saint Traft. I blocked the Geist with Splatter Thug and Wojek Halberdiers, and my opponent gave it +2/+2 with Selesnya Charm to trade with both of them. The Angel token evolved Cloudfin Raptor, and I dropped to 10. I drew Splatter Thug, got in 2 damage with Rakdos Cackler, and then played my land and cast the Thug, unleashing this one.
My opponent played another Cloudfin Raptor, hit me for 3, and ended his turn. I drew Warleader's Helix and attacked for 5. My opponent took the damage, and I cast the Helix on the larger Cloudfin Raptor, killing it and gaining 4 life.
A Selesnya Charm transformed Delver of Secrets, and my opponent made a Knight, evolving Cloudfin Raptor and attacking me for 4 in the air. I drew Pyreheart Wolf and attacked with both creatures. My opponent traded his Knight for Rakdos Cackler and dropped to 8. I killed him with a pair of Boros Charms.
Wrap-Up
If you're looking to play Boros after the release of Dragon's Maze this week, this deck seems like a solid starting place. If you'd like to invest a bit more in the deck to amp it up a bit, Boros Reckoner would be a strong choice to replace Splatter Thug, and I would consider filling out the play set of Legion's Initiative in place of Pillar of Flame. This deck is fast enough to keep up with any aggro deck in the format, and when it comes to creature combat, first strike gives you a definite edge. If you want to dominate the red zone, 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.
