So yes, I am still playing Mardu. Still don’t want to shell out for the Jaces (despite loving how the Jeskai decks look like how they play out, I can’t bring myself to buy Jaces given how few events I can actually play these days). Finally, after a poor showing with Mardu Green…Dragons (don’t ask) last weekend, I decided to finally cut the Dragons from my deck in favor of cards that actually are better by themselves.

Creatures - 15

4 Soulfire Grand Master

2 Hangarback Walker

1 Eldrazi Displacer

3 Thought-Knot Seer

3 Goblin Dark-Dwellers

2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar



Spells - 19

4 Fiery Impulse

4 Crackling Doom

2 Painful Truths

2 Kolaghan’s Command

1 Mardu Charm

1 Roast

1 Read the Bones

1 Murderous Cut

1 Ruinous Path

1 Utter End

1 Chandra, Flamecaller



Lands - 26

4 Nomad Outpost

2 Needle Spires

3 Shambling Vent

4 Bloodstained Mire

3 Mountain

1 Swamp

1 Smoldering Marsh

3 Caves of Koilos

4 Battlefield Forge

1 Blighted Fen



Sideboard

2 Flaying Tendrils

2 Outpost Siege

2 Infinite Obliteration

2 Hallowed Moonlight

2 Self-Inflicted Wound

2 Duress

2 Arashin Cleric

1 Transgress the Mind



As much as I wanted to play Mardu Green (with Siege Rhinos), I hated the mana last week so I decided that back to straight Mardu would be right for me. Removing the Thunderbreak Regents made room for Thought-Knot Seer - which was perfect with the painland manabase. I ended up cutting the 2 Haven of the Spirit Dragons (which were colorless sources for Thought-Knot also) for two more colorless sources - a 4th Battlefield Forge and a Blighted Fen.

Thought-Knot Seers were great. I loved them all day. A Vendilion Clique that hits hard and also doesn’t die to every removal spell underneath the sun was absolutely great. The Eldrazi Displacer was also fantastic, allowing me to lock a GR Eldrazi player with Thought-Knot, and also blinking Goblin Dark-Dwellers was awesome too.

Chandra was also fantastic - she pretty much does everything. She’s versatile - in aggro she’s a sweeper but against control she turns dead cards into live ones (ideally), or clocks them. I would not mind playing a second, though maybe if I need an extra slot I’d play Linvala.

Mardu Charm was great too. One was the right number for this card, but the versatility of the card was awesome - especially with Goblin Dark-Dwellers, since it basically makes Dark-Dwellers into a Thought-Knot, Pia & Kiraan, or Flametongue Kavu based on the situation.

Here are the rounds I played (there were 50 or so players present)

Round 1: Mardu Green - 2-1 WIN



Round 2: Jeskai Black - 2-1 WIN



Round 3: 4c Rally - 1-1-1 DRAW

Round 4: GR Eldrazi - 1-2 LOSS

Round 5: BW Tokens - 2-0 WIN

Round 6: Atarka Red - 2-1 WIN

Top 8: Esper Dragons - 1-2 LOSS

I probably need to play a Kalitas in place of a Hallowed Moonlight; in fact, the sideboard probably needs some work but I was very happy with the maindeck. It’s a shame that this PPTQ is the last one I’ll be able to play in for awhile.