Introducing the Duel Deck Singleton Format (Part Two)

By Dante Boey

21st August 2016

 

Hail Duellers!

 

As promised, in this article I will be bringing you on a tour of some of the most useful or powerful cards printed across the entire Duel Decks product range, in a bid to help you make optimal card selections for our newly birthed format, Duel Deck Singleton (DD Singleton).

 

It would be helpful to go through all 17 Duel Decks products published so far, to understand what play styles are supported and to ascertain the different types of tools every deck offers. To this end, I'll give a very brief description of individual decks, their colour identities (what coloured spells they play) as well as list out their (mythic) rares and prominent cards. If possible, I'll tag the function of cards in parentheses.

 

Note: In Magic Parlance, a lord is known as a creature that grants other creatures you control that shares its creature type +1/+1.

 

 

 

Duel Decks: Elves vs Goblins

 

Elves Deck

Colour Identity: Green

 

Description: Tribal beatdown deck with options to go wide, fill up the board with tokens and gain life

Rares:

Ambush Commander (Transforms your lands to Elves)

 

Allosaurus Rider (Power and toughness equal to number of lands you control, can be cheated out)

 

Voice of the Woods (Elf that allows you to tap 5 untapped Elves to put a 7/7 Elemental into play)

 

Slate of Ancestry (Once you've played out all of your Elves, this artifact allows you to draw a lot of cards)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Elvish Harbinger, Wellwisher, Wirewood Herald, Harmonize, Elvish Promenade

 

Goblins Deck

Colour Identity: Red

 

Description: Tribal beatdown deck with explosive plays

Rares:

Siege-Gang Commander (Comes into play with three 1/1 Goblins, enables you to sacrifice a Goblin to deal 2 damage)

 

Clickslither (Creature with Haste that grows bigger with every Goblin sacrificed to it)

 

Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician (Forces you to sacrifice every blocked Goblin to deal 4 damage to blocker, allows you to sacrifice two mountains to put two 1/1 Goblins into play)

 

Skirk Fire Marshal (Allows you to tap five untapped Goblins to deal 10 damage)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Goblin Matron, Goblin Warchief

 

 

Duel Decks: Jace vs Chandra

 

Jace's Deck

Colour Identity: Blue

 

Description: Control deck with powerful finishers

Rares:

Jace Beleren (Card draw engine)

 

Guile (5/5 Elemental with pseudo evasion and allows you to cast counterspells for free)

 

Quicksilver Dragon (5/5 flyer that can redirect removal)

 

Ancestral Vision (One blue mana to draw three cards)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Counterspell, Daze, Gush, Mulldrifter, Spire Golem, Errant Ephemeron, Fact or Fiction, Condescend

 

Chandra's Deck

Colour Identity: Red
 

Description: Aggressive beatdown deck with burn suite

Rares:

Chandra Nalaar (5-mana Planeswalker who can potentially deal 6 points of damage to creatures)

 

Hostility (6/6 Elemental with Haste that can expand your board state)

 

Rakdos Pit Dragon (3/3 Dragon that can fly and gains Double Strike when you have no cards in hand)

 

Demonfire (Scalable burn spell that cannot be countered once you have no cards in hand)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Fireblast, Magma Jet, Flametongue Kavu, Flame Javelin, Incinerate, Fireball, Firebolt, Slith Firewalker

 

 

 

Duel Decks: Divine vs Demonic

 

Divine Deck

Colour Identity: White
 

Description: Tribal beatdown deck with very strong late-game threats

 

Mythic Rare: Akroma, Angel of Wrath (6/6 Angel. Flying, First Strike, Vigilance, Trample, Haste, Protection from Red and Black)

Rares:

 

Luminous Angel (4/4 flyer that gives you a 1/1 flying Spirit every turn)

 

Reya Dawnbringer (4/6 flyer that can return a creature in your graveyard into play every turn)

 

Twilight Shepherd (5/5 flyer with Vigilance and Persist, allows you to bring back into play all your creatures who died the same turn she enters the battlefield)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Faith's Fetters, Pacifism, Otherworldly Journey, Marble Diamond, Serra Angel

 

Demonic Deck

Colour Identity: Black

 

Description: Tribal beatdown deck with strong mid-game threats

Mythic Rare: Lord of the Pit (7/7 flyer with Trample)

Rares:

Kuro, Pit Lord (7/7 Demon that allows you to pay 1 life to make target creature -1/-1 until end of turn)

 

Reiver Demon (6/6 flyer that, when cast from hand, destroys all non-artifact, non-black creatures)

 

Promise of Power (Flexible spell that allows you to draw 5 cards for 5 life or/and produce a Demon token)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Demonic Tutor, Breeding Pit, Cruel Edict, Barter in Blood, Dark Banishing, Consume Spirit, Dark Ritual, Abyssal Gatekeeper

 

Duel Decks: Garruk vs Liliana

Garruk's Deck

Colour Identity: Green

 

Description: Beatdown deck with big efficient creatures and pump spells

 

Mythic Rare: Garruk Wildspeaker (Mana ramper, 3/3 Beast producer, pumps all your creatures)

 

Rares:

Plated Slagwurm (8/8 Hexproof creature)

 

Rude Awakening (Spell that untaps all your lands or/and makes them 2/2 creatures)

 

Ravenous Baloth (4/4 Beast that allows you to sacrifice a Beast to gain 4 life)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Rancor, Overrun, Giant Growth, Treetop Village, Blastoderm, Wild Mongrel

 

Liliana's Deck

Colour Identity: Black

 

Description: Removal based control deck with lifegain elements

 

Mythic Rare: Liliana Vess (Can potentially tutor for 2 cards)

Rares:

Skeletal Vampire (3/3 flyer that puts two 1/1 flying Bats into the battlefield when summoned, pay 3BB and sacrifice a Bat to put two Bats into the battlefield)

 

Mutilate (Boardwipe, all creatures get -1/-1 for every swamp you control)

 

Bad Moon (Enchantment, all black creatures get +1/+1)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Snuff Out, Rise from the Grave, Corrupt, Sign in Blood, Phyrexian Rager, Tendrils of Corruption, Enslave, Faerie Macabre, Fleshbag Marauder

 

 

 

Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs the Coalition

 

Phyrexia Deck

Colour Identity: Black

 

Description: Beatdown deck with a creature and life sacrifice theme

 

Mythic Rare: Phyrexian Negator (5/5 Horror with Trample for just 2B. However, you sacrifice a permanent for each damage it suffers)

Rares:

Phyrexian Arena (Card draw engine that lets you draw one extra card every turn at the cost of one life)

 

Phyrexian Processor (Artifact that allows you to put a Minion token into play every turn at 4 mana. The power and toughness of each Minion depends on the amount of life you sacrifice when you cast the Processor)

 

Phyrexian Plaguelord (4/4 Carrier that can sacrifice itself to give another creature -4/-4, or give another creature -1/-1 by sacrificing one creature)

 

Living Death (Extremely powerful card that forces players to sacrifice all current creatures in the battlefield and bring back all creatures in their graveyards into play)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Voltaic Key, Lightning Greaves, Whispersilk Cloak, Puppet Strings, Worn Powerstone, Priest of Gix, Phyrexian Vault

 

The Coalition Deck

Colour Identity: White, Green, Blue, Red, Black

 

Description: 5-colour "goodstuff" deck that focuses on the Domain mechanic and different coloured Kicker abilities

Mythic Rare: Urza's Rage (Uncounterable scalable burn spell)

Rares:

Gerrard Capashen (3/4 Soldier with lifegaining ability and can tap another creature when attacking)

 

Darigaaz, the Igniter (6/6 BRG flying Dragon that allows you to push for extra damage when unblocked)

 

Rith, the Awakener (6/6 RGW flying Dragon that allows you to produce Saproling tokens when unblocked)

 

Treva, the Renewer (6/6 GWU flying Dragon that allows you to gain life when unblocked)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Coalition Relic, Darigaaz's Charm, Rith's Charm, Treva's charm, Armadillo Cloak

 

 

Duel Decks: Elspeth vs Tezzeret

Elspeth's Deck

Colour Identity: White

 

Description: Soldier tribal weenie beatdown

Mythic Rare: Elspeth, Knight-Errant (1/1 Soldier token producer, gives your creature evasion, makes most of your permanents indestructible)

 

Rares:

Angel of Salvation (5/5 flyer that can be Flashed into play to prevent 5 damage)

 

Catapault Master (Allows you to tap 5 of your untapped Soldiers to exile target creature)

 

Loyal Sentry (Destroys himself and a creature he blocks)

 

Crusade (Enchantment, gives all white creatures +1/+1)

 

Rustic Clachan (Land that can be discarded to put a +1/+1 counter on target creature)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Swords to Plowshares, Journey to Nowhere, Abolish, Elite Vanguard

 

Tezzeret's Deck

Colour Identity: Blue

 

Description: Artifact-based deck that relies on synergies among different components to achieve victory

 

Mythic Rare: Tesseret the Seeker (Untaps up to 2 artifacts, tutors for artifacts, transforms your artifacts into 5/5 creatures)

 

Rares:

Master of Etherium (Artifact creature lord whose power and toughness equals to the number of artifacts you control)

 

Steel Overseer (Taps to give every one of your artifact creatures a +1/+1 counter)

 

Pentavus (5/5 artifact creature that can be split up into smaller flying components)

 

Razormane Masticore (5/5 First Strike artifact creature that deals 3 damage to target creature every turn)

 

Triskelion (Artifact creature that can deal 1 damage for each +1/+1 counter removed from it)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Thoughtcast, Echoing Truth, Foil, Argivian Restoration, Elixir of Immortality, Everflowing Chalice, Trinket Mage, Mishra's Factory

 

 

 

Duel Decks: Knights vs Dragons

 

Knights Deck

Colour Identity: White, Green

 

Description: Knight tribal weenie beatdown

 

Mythic Rare: Knight of the Reliquary (2/2 that grows stronger for every land card in your graveyard, sacrifice a plains / forest to tutor for any land and put it onto the battlefield)

 

Rares:

Kinsbaile Cavalier (Gives Knight creatures you control Double Strike)

 

Knight Exemplar (Knight lord that makes all your other Knights Indestructible)

 

Knight of the White Orchid (Allows you to fetch a plains and put it into play if an opponent controls more lands than you)

 

Knotvine Paladin (Gains +1/+1 for every untapped creature you control while attacking)

 

Loxodon Warhammer (Equipment, equipped creature gets +3/+0, Trample and Lifelink)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Oblivion Ring, Reprisal, Wilt-Leaf Cavaliers

 

Dragons Deck

Colour Identity: Red
 

Description: "Big red" deck that seeks to control the early game through burn spells and cast big threats late game

 

Mythic Rare: Borgardan Hellkite (5/5 flyer that can be Flashed in to deal 5 damage divided among any number of targets)

 

Rares:

Kilnmouth Dragon (5/5 flyer that shines in a Dragon Tribal deck because of its Amplify 3 ability)

 

Mordant Dragon (5/5 flyer; when it deals combat damage to a player, you may deal that much damage to target creature he controls)

 

Shivan Hellkite (5/5 flyer, pay mana to deal damage to multiple targets)

 

Thunder Dragon (5/5 flyer; when it enters the battlefield, it deals 3 damage to each creature without flying)

 

Voracious Dragon (4/4 flyer, Devour 1; when it enters the battlefield, it deals damage to a single target equal to twice the number of Goblins it devoured)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Breath of Darigaaz, Jaws of Stone, Punishing Fire, Seething Song

 

 

Duel Decks: Ajani vs Nicol Bolas

 

Ajani's Deck

Colour Identity: White, Green, Red

 

Description: Naya "zoo" beatdown with lifegain support

 

Mythic Rare: Ajani Vengeant (prevents 1 permanent from untapping during its controller's next untap phase, deals 3 damage to a target and you gain 3 life, destroys all lands of target player)

 

Rares:

Titannic Ultimatum (Spell that makes all your creature very stompy)

 

Ageless Entity (4/4 Elemental that grows whenever you gain life)

 

Firemane Angel (Recurring 4/3 First Strike flyer that gains you life)

 

Loxodon Hierarch (4/4 creature for 2GW; when he enters the battlefield, you gain 4 life)

 

Searing Meditation (Pay cost: Deals 2 damage to a target whenever you gain life)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Lightning Helix, Naya Charm, Wild Nacatl, Kird Ape, Loam Lion, Qasali Pridemage, Spitemare, Behemoth Sledge, Jungle Shrine

 

Nicol Bolas' Deck

Colour Identity: Blue, Black, Red

 

Description: Three colour control deck with heavy disruption suite

 

Mythic Rare: Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker (destroy target non-creature permanent, take control of target creature, deals 7 damage to target opponent and makes him discard 7 cards and sacrifice 7 permanents)

 

Rares:

Cruel Ultimatum (This spell nets you card advantage and life, while stripping your opponent's hand)

 

 

Profane Command (Versatile sorcery that allows you to choose 2 out of 4 modes, all of them useful)

 

Dimir Cutpurse (When he deals combat damage to an opponent, you draw a card and your opponent discards a card)

 

Blazing Specter (2/2 flyer with Haste; when it deals combat damage to an opponent, he discards a card)

 

Undermine (Counter target spell, its controller loses 3 life)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Icy Manipulator, Grixis Charm, Vapor Snag, Crumbling Necropolis, Deep Analysis, Rise // Fall, Shriekmaw

 

 

Duel Decks: Venser vs Koth

Venser's Deck

Colour Identity: Blue, White
 

Description: Deck seeks to blink (exile then return to play) creatures and abuse their "enters the battlefield" abilities

 

Mythic Rare: Venser, the Sojourner (blinks a permanent, makes your creatures unblockable for one turn, grants you an emblem that reads "Whenever you cast a spell, exile target permanent")

 

Rares:

Clone (Versatile creature that copies any creature on the battlefield)

 

Galepowder Mage (3/3 flyer that blinks another creature when it attacks)

 

Sphinx of Uthuun (5/6 flyer that digs into your deck and draws you cards)

 

Sunblast Angel (4/5 flyer; when she enters the battlefield, destroy all tapped creatures)

 

Windreaver (Adaptable flyer that can change its stats)

 

 

Other Prominent Cards: Wall of Denial, Path to Exile, Azorius Chancery, Preordain, Overrule, Revoke Existence

 

Koth's Deck

Colour Identity: Red

 

Description: Aggressive beatdown deck with burn spells that scale with number of mountains you control

 

Mythic Rare: Koth of the Hammer (Untaps a mountain and transforms it into a 4/4 Elemental until end of turn, adds one red mana for each mountain you control, grants you an emblem that lets you tap each of your mountain to deal 1 damage)

 

Rares:

Bloodfire Colossus (6/6 Giant, sacrifice it to deal 6 damage to each player and creature)

 

Lithophage (3RR for 7/7 Insect, sacrifice a mountain during your upkeep)

 

Torchling (Versatile creature that can change its stats and redirect spells that target only it)

 

Volley of Boulders (Expensive spell that distributes 6 damage across any number of targets, can be Flashbacked)

 

Journeyer's Kite (Artifact that tutors for basic lands)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Searing Blaze, Vulshok Morningstar, Plated Geopede

 

 

Duel Decks: Izzet vs Golgari

 

Izzet Deck

Colour Identity: Blue, Red

 

Description: Agressive deck with both draw and burn spells, and creatures that grow when you cast Instants or Sorceries

 

Mythic Rare: Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind (4/4 flyer, tap him to draw a card; whenever you draw a card, he deals 1 damage to a target)

 

Rares:

Djinn Illuminatus (3/5 flyer that gives Replicate to all your Instants and Sorceries)

 

Galvanoth (3/3 creature that allows you to play your topdeck for free if it's a Instant or Sorcery)

 

Invoke the Firemind (Versatile scalable Sorcery that can be a draw spell or burn spell)

 

Prophetic Bolt (4 damage burn spell that allows you to dig the first 4 cards of your library and put one in your hand)

 

Sphinx-bone Wand (Artifact that deals more damage to a target the more Instants/Sorceries you cast)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Izzet Charm, Fire // Ice, Izzet Signet, Dissipate, Prophetic Bolt, Reminisce, Izzet Chronarch, Izzet Boilerworks, Kiln Fiend, Overwhelming Intellect, Isochron Scepter, Brainstorm

 

Golgari Deck

Colour Identity: Black, Green

 

Description: Reanimator deck that fills up your graveyard with creatures using the Dredge mechanic

 

Mythic Rare: Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Gains +1/+1 for each creature in your graveyard, sacrifice a creature to make your opponents lose life equal to the victim's power, sacrifice a swamp and forest to return Jarad to your hand from your graveyard)

 

Rares:

Doomgape (10/10 Trampler that requires you to sacrifice a creature every turn and gain life)

 

Gleancrawler (6/6 Trampler that returns all your creatures that die to your hand every turn if it's in play)

 

Golgari Grave-Troll (Creature that grows with every creature card in your graveyard, Dredge 5, can regenerate)

 

Life from the Loam (Spell that allows you to return 3 lands to your hand from your graveyard, Dredge 3)

 

Twilight's Call (Each player reanimates all their creatures in their graveyards, can be played as an Instant)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Eternal Witness, Life // Death, Vigor Mortis, Putrefy, Golgari Signet, Dakmor Salvage, Elves of Deep Shadow, Putrid Leech, Grim Flowering, Golgari Rot Farm

 

 

Duel Decks: Sorin vs Tibalt

 

Sorin's Deck

Colour Identity: Black, White

Description: Token-based beatdown deck with Vampire sub-theme and wide selection of removal

 

Mythic Rare: Sorin, Lord of Innistrad (1/1 Vampire token and emblem producer, Sorin's emblem grants +1/+0 to all your creatures)

 

Rares:

Butcher of Malakir (5/4 flyer; whenever a creature you control dies, each opponent sacrifices one creature)

 

Twilight Drover (1/1 Spirit that produces even more Spirit tokens)

 

Ancient Craving (3B Sorcery, draw 3 cards and lose 3 life)

 

Death Grasp (Scalable spell that deals damage to a target and gains you life)

 

Field of Souls (Enchantment that puts a 1/1 Spirit into play whenever a nontoken creature of yours dies)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Vampire Nighthawk, Mortify, Unmake, Zealous Persecution, Wall of Omens, Tainted Field, Lingering Souls, Spectral Procession, Gatekeeper of Malakir

 

Tibalt's Deck

Colour Identity: Red

 

Description: Aggressive deck that focuses on punisher cards (cards that force your opponent to choose between 2 disadvantageous outcomes), the Flashback mechanic and creatures with Unearth

 

Mythic Rare: Tibalt the Fiend-Blooded (Draws a card but discards one of your cards at random, deals damage equal to number of cards in your opponent's hand)

 

Rares:

Breaking Point (Punisher card that can destroy all creatures for 1RR)

 

Devil's Play (Scalable burn spell with Flashback)

 

Hellrider (3/3 Haste; whenever your creature attacks, Hellrider deals 1 damage to defending player)

 

Lavaborn Muse (3/3 creature that deals 3 damage to opponent every turn once he has less than 3 cards in hand)

 

Sulphuric Vortex (Enchantment, deals 2 damage to each player during his upkeep, prevents the gaining of life)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Terminate, Blightning, Browbeat, Recoup, Torrent of Souls, Flame Slash, Pyroclasm, Faithless Looting, Hellspark Elemental, Corpse Connoisseur, Rakdos Carnarium

 

 

Duel Decks: Heroes vs Monsters

Heroes Deck

Colour Identity: Red, White

 

Description: Beatdown deck with support from Aura enchantments that can be recurred

 

Mythic Rare: Sun Titan (6/6 Giant with Vigilance; when he enters play or attacks, you may return permanent of converted casting cost 3 or less from your graveyard into play)

 

Rares:

Anax and Cymede (3/2 Soldier with First Strike and Vigilance, Heroic trigger grants all your creatures +1/+1 and Trample until end of turn)

 

Figure of Destiny (1/1 Kithkin that can grow in power and ability as the game progresses)

 

Kamahl, Pit Fighter (6/1 Barbarian with Haste, tap him to deal 3 damage to any target)

 

Noblis of War (3/4 flyer, attacking creatures you control get +2/+0)

 

Winds of Rath (Destroy all non-enchanted creatures, they cannot be regenerated)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Condemn, Battle Mastery, Miraculous Recovery, Boros Guildgate, Truefire Paladin, Auramancer, Fencing Ace, Righteousness

 

Monsters Deck

Colour Identity: Red, Green

 

Description: Beatdown deck with creature ramp and Bloodthirst mechanic (if your opponent is dealt damage this turn, the Bloodthirst creature enters play with as many +1/+1 counters as the number stated)

 

Mythic Rare: Polukranos, World Eater (2GG for 5/5, make it Monstrous to have it grow and fight multiple creatures)

 

Rares:

Conquering Manticore (5/5 flyer; when it enters the battlefield gain control of a creature, untap the creature and give the creature Haste)

 

Crater Hellion (6/6; when it enters play, deal 4 damage to each other creature)

 

Deus of Calamity (5 mana for 6/6 body and Trample; when it deals 6 or more combat damage to opponent, destroy target land he controls)

 

Troll Ascetic (Hexproof 3/2 Troll that can Regenerate)

 

Skarrgan Firebird (3/3 flyer with Bloodthirst 3, can be returned to your hand from your graveyard if your opponent is dealt damage)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Regrowth, Beast Within, Destructive Revelry, Fires of Yavimaya; Skarrg, the Rage Pits; Kazandu Refuge, Orcish Lumberjack

 

 

Duel Decks: Jace vs Vraska

Jace's Deck

Colour Identity: Blue

 

Description: Illusion tribal beatdown with control elements and a milling sub-theme

Mythic Rare: Jace, Architect of Thought (Weakens your opponent's creatures, digs into the top 3 cards of your library to at least draw a card, play spell for free)

 

Rares:

Aeon Chronicler (His power/toughness equals to the number of cards in your hand. You can suspend him. Every time you remove a time counter from him while he's exiled, draw a card.)

 

Body Double (Becomes a copy of any creature in any graveyard)

 

Spelltwine (Play an Instant/Sorcery in your graveyard and an Instant/Sorcery in your opponent's graveyard for free)

 

Future Sight (Enchantment; reveal the top card of your library, you may play it.)

 

Jace's Mindseeker (4/4 flyer; when it enters play, opponent mills 5 cards and you can cast an Instant/Sorcery among them for free)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Remand, Memory Lapse, Thought Scour, Prohibit, Jace's Phantasm, Sea Gate Oracle, Halimar Depths, Control Magic, Archaeomancer

 

Vraska's Deck

Colour Identity: Black, Green

 

Description: Beatdown deck that receives benefits as long as creatures die, whether yours or your opponent's

 

Mythic Rare: Vraska the Unseen (Destroys creature who damages her, destroys target nonland permanent, spawns three 1/1 Assassins that win you the game once any one damages your opponent)

 

Rares:

Ohran Viper (1/3 Snake with Deathtouch-like ability, draws you a card if it deals combat damage to opponent)

 

Reaper of the Wilds (4/5 Gorgon; whenever a creatures dies, Scry 1; can gain Deathtouch and Hexproof)

 

Spawnwrithe (2/2 Elemental with Trample; when it deals combat damage to opponent, put a copy of it into play)

 

Vinelasher Kudzu (2 mana for 1/1; whenever a land enters play under your control, it gets a +1/+1 counter)

 

Underworld Connections (Land Aura, tap enchanted land to pay 1 life and draw a card)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Tragic Slip, Tainted Wood, Golgari Guildgate, Rogue's Passage, Marsh Casualties, Night's Whisper, Wight of Precinct Six, Nekrataal, Acidic Slime

 

 

 

Duel Decks: Speed vs Cunning

 

Speed Deck

Colour Identity: Red, White

 

Description: Fast agressive beatdown deck with plenty of creatures with Haste

 

Mythic Rare: Zurgo Helmsmasher (5 mana for 7/2 Orc with Haste. He attacks each turn when able and is indestructible while it's your turn. He also grows when he kills opposing creatures during your turn.)

 

Rares:

Banefire (Scalable burn spell that becomes uncounterable and unpreventable once you pay enough mana, minimally 5 generic and 1 red)

 

Fury of the Horde (Spell that allows you to untap your creatures and engage in an additional combat phase, can even be cheated out)

 

Hell's Thunder (1RR for a 4/4 flyer with Haste that is sacrificed at end of turn, can be Unearthed)

 

Krenko, Mob Boss (Produces 1/1 Goblins exponentially if left unchecked)

 

Ogre Battledriver (3/3 Ogre, any other creature you control that enters play gets Haste and +2/+0 until end of turn)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Ghitu Encampment, Nomad Outpost, Goblin Bombardment, Arc Trail, Reckless Abandon

 

Cunning Deck

Colour Identity: Red, Blue, White
 

Description: Tricky deck that utilises the Morph mechanic to keep your opponent on his toes and guessing your intentions

 

Mythic Rare: Arcanis the Omnipotent (3/4 Wizard. Tap him to draw 3 cards. Can be unsummoned back to your hand.)

Rares:

Hold the Line (Instant combat trick that gives all blocking creatures +7/+7 until end of turn)

 

Lightning Angel (1RWU for 3/4 Angel with Flying, Haste and Vigilance)

 

Sphinx of Uthuun (See Duel Decks: Venser vs Koth )

 

Steam Augury (Instant that digs the top 5 cards of your library and puts at least one you need in your hand)

 

Thousand Winds (Elemental that can be Morphed any time to return all other tapped creatures to their owners' hands)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Mana Leak, Repeal, Mystic Monastery, Impulse, Traumatic Visions, Inferno Trap, Whiplash Trap, Arrow Volley Trap

 

 

Duel Decks: Zendikar vs Eldrazi

 

Zendikar Deck

Colour Identity: White, Green
 

Description: Beatdown deck that relies on Landfall triggers and creatures that can level up

Mythic Rare: Avenger of Zendikar (5/5 Elemental. When it enters the battlefield, put a 0/1 Plant into play for each land you control. Landfall triggers to make your Plants bigger.)

Rares:

 

Primal Command (Versatile sorcery that allows you to choose 2 out of 4 modes, all of them useful)

 

Scute Mob (1/1 Insect for G. At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control 5 or more lands, put four +1/+1 counters on Scute Mob.)

 

Seer's Sundial (Artifact that allows you to draw a card for 2 mana whenever Landfall triggers)

 

Stirring Wildwood (Land that produces G/W and can transform into a 3/4 Elemental with Reach)

 

Veteran Warleader (Her power and toughness are each equal to the number of creatures you control. Tap another untapped Ally you control to give her First Strike, Vigilance or Trample until end of turn.)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Oust, Harrow, Sheer Drop, Khalni Heart Expedition, Explorer's Scope, Graypelt Refuge, Groundswell, Ondu Giant, Frontier Guide, Retreat to Kazandu

 

Eldrazi Deck

Colour Identity: Black, Red

 

Description: Removal-heavy deck that seeks to control the board early game and lay big deadly threats late game

Mythic Rare: Oblivion Sower (5/8 Eldrazi. When you cast it, opponent exiles top 4 cards of his library, then you may put any number of land cards opponent owns from exile onto the battlefield under your control.)

 

Rares:

It That Betrays (11/11 Eldrazi with Annihilator 2. Whenever opponent sacrifices a nontoken permanent, put that card onto the battlefield under your control.)

 

Magmaw (4/4 Elemental. Sacrifice a nonland permanent for it to deal 1 damage to a target)

 

Consume the Meek (Destroy each creature with converted mana cost 3 or less at instant speed. They can't be regenerated.)

 

Hellion Eruption (Spell that lets you sacrifice all creatures you control, then put that many 4/4 Hellions in play)

 

Butcher of Malakir (See Duel Decks: Sorin vs Tibalt)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Mind Stone, Smother, Forked Bolt, Read the Bones, Corpsehatch, Eldrazi Temple, Akoum Refuge, Pawn of Ulamog, Ulamog's Crusher, Cadaver Imp, Emrakul's Hatcher, Artisan of Kozilek

 

 

Duel Decks: Blessed vs Cursed

 

Blessed Deck

Colour Identity: White, Blue

 

Description: Human and Spirit beatdown deck with plenty of evasion creatures

Mythic Rare: Geist of Saint Traft (2/2 Hexproof Spirit. When he attacks, put a 4/4 flying Angel onto the battlefield tapped and attacking. Exile the Angel at end of combat.)

Rares:

Captain of the Mists (Tap him to tap or untap target permanent.)

 

Champion of the Parish (1/1 Soldier for W. He grows whenever you summon more Humans.)

 

Dearly Departed (5/5 flying Spirit. As long as Dearly Departed is in your graveyard, each Human you control enters play with an additional +1/+1 counter on it.)

 

Eerie Interlude (Instant. Exiles any number of creatures you control and returns them at the beginning of the next end step.)

 

Increasing Devotion (Put five 1/1 Humans into play. If Increasing Devotion is Flashbacked, put ten of those tokens onto the battlefield instead.)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Momentary Blink, Tranquil Cove, Gather the Townsfolk, Emancipation Angel, Nephalia Smuggler

 

Cursed Deck

Colour Identity: Black, Blue

 

Description: Zombie tribal beatdown

Mythic Rare: Mindwrack Demon (4/5 flyer. When it enters the battlefield, put the top 4 cards of your library into your graveyard. It deals 4 damage to you during your upkeep unless you achieve Delirium.)

 

Rares:

Gravecrawler (2/1 Zombie for B. Gravecrawler can't block. You may cast it from your graveyard as long as you control a Zombie.)

 

Harvester of Souls (5/5 Demon with Deathtouch. Whenever another nontoken creature dies, you may draw a card.)

 

Havengul Runebinder (2/2 Wizard. 2U, tap to exile a creature card from your graveyard: Put a 2/2 Zombie into play, then put a +1/+1 counter on each Zombie you control.)

 

Sever the Bloodline (Sorcery. Exile target creature and all other creatures with the same name as that creature. Can be Flashbacked.)

 

Unbreathing Horde (Unbreathing Horde enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it for each other Zombie you control and each Zombie card in your graveyard. If it would be dealt damage, prevent that damage and remove a +1/+1 counter from it.)

 

Other Prominent Cards: Tribute to Hunger, Victim of Night, Dismal Backwater, Barter in Blood, Dread Return, Forbidden Alchemy, Diregraf Ghoul, Diregraf Captain

 

Phew! It took a long time for us to visit the star cards of all Duel Decks released so far, as well as how they empower the key strategies of the decks that utilise them. However, our approach so far has limitations. Staples of the Duel Deck Singleton format need not be limited to the (Mythic) Rare cards. They exist in the Uncommon and even Common slots too. Therefore, come the third part of this article, I am going to go through the most impactful cards by colour and continue exploring card interactions. Well, that's all the time we have for today. Until the next time we meet, keep calm and duel.