Welcome, Gathering Magicians. Today, I'll be taking a look at a deck that's a bit different than my usual fare. Many times when building budget decks, I like to take advantage of one of the presented strategies in the first set of the block, even if it's not very good yet. By doing this, you learn the deck. You figure out how it plays and what it needs to be better. Then, when the second and third sets deliver more cards perfectly suited to the deck, you already know exactly what you're looking for.

For example, when Scars of Mirrodin was released, I immediately picked up a play set of Tempered Steel—then easily affordable at $2 each. I built a deck around the card, and although it had some weak points (it played four Vector Asp, for example), I managed to do pretty well. When Mirrodin Besieged was released, the deck improved greatly, and almost as soon as New Phyrexia hit the shelves, Tempered Steel was a Pro Tour–level deck and a $10 card. A similar thing happened during Innistrad block, this time with Champion of the Parish.

By jumping into a deck that you know will receive more support, you can come out swinging when each new set is released—and possibly save some money in the process. Although I've already covered some decks that I want to keep an eye on, such as mono-green devotion, there's one strategy in particular I haven't yet explored. Here's the deck I built to do it.

"B/R Minotaurs"

• Creatures (32)
• 2 Borderland Minotaur
• 2 Firedrinker Satyr
• 4 Deathbellow Raider
• 4 Fanatic of Mogis
• 4 Firefist Striker
• 4 Kragma Warcaller
• 4 Minotaur Skullcleaver
• 4 Rageblood Shaman
• 4 Rakdos Cackler

• Spells (4)
• 2 Doom Blade
• 2 Ultimate Price

• Lands (24)
• 12 Mountain
• 9 Swamp
• 3 Rakdos Guildgate

Buy This Deck

The Bulls

Kragma Warcaller is the other tribal lord we have access to. Although 5 mana is a lot for an aggressive deck, the Warcaller does have a very influential ability as soon as it hits the board. It gives all Minotaurs haste, including itself, so it can attack the turn you cast it. More importantly, it gives all Minotaurs +2/+0 when attacking. I've played Rally the Peasants in aggressive decks before, and +2/+0 can often end a game on the spot.

Deathbellow Raider is a reasonable 2-drop that also happens to be a Minotaur. With 3 toughness, it can't be taken down by Frostburn Weird without the Weird also dying, and it bounces off Nightveil Specter just fine. The regeneration ability is pricey, but it could come in handy later in the game.

Minotaur Skullcleaver is almost identical to another 3-drop we've seen recently: Viashino Firstblade. Although losing the 2-toughness boost is certainly a drawback, allowing your opponent to trade with it normally on the first attack, it is a Minotaur. In this deck, that counts for a lot.

Fanatic of Mogis won't be dealing ridiculous amounts of damage as it might in a dedicated devotion deck, but it can regularly deal between 3 and 5, which is plenty to warrant its inclusion. It's also a 4/2, which isn't too bad for a 4-mana creature.

Borderland Minotaur is mostly just another creature, albeit not a particularly powerful one. It receives the Minotaur bonuses, and it has an okay body for its cost. It's not going to be winning games single-handedly, but it can do a lot to help.

The Others

Firefist Striker is a powerful tool for aggressive decks, almost functioning as a free removal spell attached to a Goblin Piker. As long as you're attacking with three or more creatures, you can negate one of your opponent's blockers entirely. This is hugely beneficial when facing down Thassa, God of the Sea. She may be indestructible, but she's still afraid of the Firefist.

I wanted some removal spells to round out the deck, and fortunately, black has that area covered. Ultimate Price is an obvious choice in this predominantly mono-colored format, but Doom Blade can kill Frostburn Weird, which can be a very annoying problem for aggressive decks. I decided to go with a split for now. Sufficient testing would probably reveal the correct choice.

Playtesting

Mono-Black – Game 1

I drew my other Borderland Minotaur and attacked for 2. I then passed the turn. My opponent cast Devour Flesh to kill my Cackler, and I drew Minotaur Skullcleaver.

I cast it and attacked for 4 before ending my turn. My opponent missed his land drop, and I drew a Mountain.

I dropped him to 10 with the Skullcleaver and then cast Borderland Minotaur and passed the turn. He missed again and passed back.

I drew a Mountain and cast Minotaur Skullcleaver. I attacked for lethal, but he killed Borderland Minotaur with Ultimate Price. I ended my turn. My opponent cast Nightveil Specter and passed the turn.

I drew Rakdos Cackler and attacked with both creatures. He killed one with the Specter and dropped to 2. I cast Borderland Minotaur and Rakdos Cackler, and he conceded.

Game 2

He played another land and passed back. I drew Minotaur Skullcleaver and cast Rakdos Cackler. I ended my turn, and my opponent cast Devour Flesh during my end step to kill the creature.

He cast Nightveil Specter, and I drew a Swamp. I cast Rageblood Shaman and ended my turn.

My opponent cast Whip of Erebos and attacked with the Specter, gaining 2 life. He exiled a Rakdos Cackler from my library and ended his turn. I drew Firefist Striker and cast Minotaur Skullcleaver. I attacked for 7 and passed the turn.

My opponent cast Thoughtseize, taking a Fanatic of Mogis, and ended his turn. I drew a Mountain, played it, and cast the other Fanatic. My opponent killed Rageblood Shaman with Ultimate Price in response, and the Fanatic took him to 9. I ended my turn.

My opponent cast Gray Merchant of Asphodel. I killed it with the ability on the stack, and he drained 5 life from me. He passed the turn. I drew a Swamp and cast Kragma Warcaller. I attacked with everything. Firefist Striker made Nightveil Specter unable to block, and both Minotaurs received +2/+0. My opponent dropped to 3, and I ended my turn.

My opponent cast my Rakdos Cackler and used Whip of Erebos to bring back the Merchant. He attacked with it, dropping me to 3 and bringing him to 13. He ended his turn. I drew Firedrinker Satyr, cast my second Warcaller, and attacked for 20, making the Specter unable to block. My opponent blocked a creature with my Rakdos Cackler, but he took exactly lethal damage form the other three.

Wrap-Up

This deck honestly performed better than I thought it would. It can get off to some fast starts, and Kragma Warcaller can give you a ton of extra damage instantly later in the game. Although I never was able to see both Minotaur lords on the battlefield at the same time, it seems that would be a devastating board state if you can pull it off. If you like Minotaurs—or if you want a deck with some room to grow when Born of the Gods is released—give this one a try.