Knowledge Vault: Plague Rats (in Alpha 40)

The fledgling Alpha 40 format (minimum of forty cards and any number of the same named card) does not use the decisive rule which renders Plague Rats unplayable (“100.2a …A constructed deck may contain… no more than four of any card with a particular English name other than basic land cards…”). Therefore, with an average opening hand (2-3 Swamps and 4-5 rats), average draws (two rats for every three cards drawn), and no opposing board-sweepers, you can expect five 5/5 Plague Rats on turn six.

PLAGUE RATS

THE DECK

Twenty-seven (27) Plague Rats and thirteen (13) Swamps. Seriously. And here’s why:

A 3 cmc 1/1 sucks.

A 3 cmc 2/2 is a Scathe Zombies, which still sucks (unless it’s in a Boris Devilboon Zombie-themed Brawl Deck!)

A 3 cmc 3/3 is a Sedge Troll, which is quite good.

A 3 cmc 4/4 is a cheaper Derelor. Now we’re talking.

A 3 cmc 5/5 is… better than a $1,000 card (Juzam Djinn).

I’d also like to send a big thanks to our readers, the majority of which who constructively commented on my article published earlier today (which has since been unpublished), and pointed out that the article contained the embarassing and erroneous assumption that Plague Rats have the same text as Relentless Rats or Rat Colony (“A deck can have any number of cards named…”). Hey, DFB, can we get a Brawl-specific errata? 😉

Hopefully, you all understand that everyone makes mistakes and that, despite my error, you continue to enjoy our content. I genuinely appreciate the kind manner in which ya’ll provided said feedback.

COMMANDER

In the event that Plague Rats receives errata for Old School Brawl play, as previously discussed, the choices for Mono Black Commanders are Uncle Istvan, El-Hajjâj, or any B/x multicolored Commander (but you wouldn’t have the colored mana to cast them). Assuming that you would actually want to be able to cast your Commander under the most dire circumstances, everyone’s favorite socially-anxious relative (sorry, Mad Auntie) is probably a better choice than the guy from the Arabian Nights comic book series. Thereafter, because the deck is so inexpensive, you can slowly add Mana Rocks, Demonic Tutor, Mox Jet, etc. so that (if you so choose), the deck can eventually grow into any other B/x 93/94 deck (Old School Brawl or otherwise).

https://www.instagram.com/p/BtCa9csHUP4/

WRAP UP

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GIVEAWAY

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