MTGA Rat Deck Brawl: A Comprehensive Guide to Unlocking the Swarm

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Greetings, Readers!

Welcome to our extensive guide on MTGA Rat Deck Brawl, the premier format for showcasing the insidious power of the rodent horde. Join us as we delve into the intricacies of this captivating format, exploring the best strategies, card choices, and gameplay tips for unleashing a swarm of relentless rats upon your opponents.

The Essence of Rat Deck Brawl

Rat Deck Brawl, a spin-off of the popular MTGA Brawl format, pits players against each other in a free-for-all where the primary objective is to reduce their opponents’ life totals to zero using rat-themed decks. These decks typically feature a combination of cheap, aggressive rat creatures, potent removal spells, and graveyard manipulation cards that enable the player to repeatedly resurrect their fallen comrades and overwhelm their foes.

Unleashing the Gnaw: Key Considerations

Creature Selection:

The foundation of any Rat Deck Brawl deck lies in its creatures. Opt for low-cost rats with evasion abilities like Menace or Flying to maximize your damage output. Consider creatures like [[Pack Rat]], [[Rat Colony]], and [[Chittering Rats]] for their ability to quickly generate an overwhelming board presence.

Removal and Control:

To protect your rats and disrupt your opponents, include a suite of cheap removal spells and control cards. [[Lightning Bolt]], [[Murder]], and [[Moment of Craving]] are excellent choices for eliminating opposing threats and maintaining board control. [[Thoughtseize]] and [[Duress]] can disrupt your opponents’ strategies by discarding key cards from their hands.

Strategies for Victory

Early Aggression:

The key to success in Rat Deck Brawl is to establish an early board presence and apply relentless pressure. Aggressively deploy your rats, using their low mana costs and evasion abilities to chip away at your opponents’ life totals. Don’t be afraid to sacrifice some rats to remove blockers and clear the way for your attackers.

Graveyard Manipulation:

Rat Deck Brawl decks thrive on graveyard manipulation. Cards like [[Stitcher’s Supplier]] and [[Golgari Findbroker]] allow you to retrieve rats from your graveyard, providing you with an endless supply of creatures to overwhelm your opponents. Consider using [[Witch’s Oven]] to sacrifice rats for card advantage and trigger powerful effects.

Persistent Resilience:

Rats are known for their tenacity. Include cards that grant your rats regeneration or indestructible abilities, such as [[Spearpoint Oread]] and [[Bastion of Remembrance]]. These effects make it difficult for your opponents to remove your rats once they enter the battlefield, allowing you to maintain a constant threat.

Table Breakdown: MTGA Rat Deck Brawl Staples

Card Name Mana Cost Type Effect
[[Pack Rat]] 2 Creature When this creature enters the battlefield, create a number of 2/2 black Rat creature tokens equal to the number of cards in your graveyard.
[[Rat Colony]] 2 Creature Creatures you control with power 1 or less get +1/+0.
[[Chittering Rats]] 3 Creature Whenever Chittering Rats attacks, it gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of other Rats you control.
[[Lightning Bolt]] 1R Sorcery Lightning Bolt deals 3 damage to target creature or planeswalker.
[[Murder]] 1BB Sorcery Murder deals 3 damage to target creature.
[[Thoughtseize]] 1B Sorcery Target opponent reveals their hand. You choose a nonland card from that hand and exile it.
[[Stitcher’s Supplier]] 1B Creature When Stitcher’s Supplier dies, return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
[[Golgari Findbroker]] 1BG Creature When Golgari Findbroker dies, return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
[[Witch’s Oven]] 2 Artifact Whenever a creature you control dies, you may pay 2 life. If you do, create a Food token.
[[Spearpoint Oread]] 2RG Creature Creatures you control with power 1 or less gain indestructible.
[[Bastion of Remembrance]] 3W Enchantment Creatures you control with power 1 or less gain regeneration.

Conclusion

As you venture into the swarm-infested battlefields of MTGA Rat Deck Brawl, remember the strategies and tips outlined in this guide. By amassing a horde of relentless rats, manipulating the graveyard, and disrupting your opponents’ plans, you’ll have the power to overrun your foes and claim victory.

For further inspiration and insights, don’t forget to check out our other articles on MTGA. From in-depth deck breakdowns to the latest meta analysis, we have everything you need to become the ultimate master of MTGA.

FAQ about MTGA Rat Deck Brawl

What is a MTGA Rat Deck Brawl?

A MTGA Rat Deck Brawl is a format in MTGA (Magic: The Gathering Arena) where players build decks consisting primarily of Rat creatures. These decks often focus on swarming the opponent with small Rats and utilizing cards that benefit from having multiple Rats on the battlefield.

How do I build a Rat Deck Brawl?

To build a Rat Deck Brawl, start by including a large number of inexpensive Rat creatures, such as Pack Rat and Sewer Rats. Then, add cards that grant bonuses to Rats, such as Rat Colony and Piper of the Swarm. Finally, include a few removal spells to deal with threats from your opponent.

What are some key cards in a Rat Deck Brawl?

Some key cards in a Rat Deck Brawl include:

  • Pack Rat: A mana generator that creates additional Rats.
  • Sewer Rats: A cheap Rat creature that can quickly overwhelm your opponent.
  • Rat Colony: A powerful enchantment that boosts the power of your Rats.
  • Piper of the Swarm: A creature that allows you to tutor for Rats from your deck.
  • Dreadhorde Invasion: A sorcery that creates multiple Rats when cast.

How do I play a Rat Deck Brawl?

To play a Rat Deck Brawl, start by flooding the board with Rats. Use cards like Pack Rat and Sewer Rats to generate a swarm of creatures. Once you have a large number of Rats on the battlefield, start using your bonus-granting cards to increase their power. Be careful to protect your Rats from your opponent’s attacks, as they can be easily removed.

Can I play a Rat Deck Brawl outside of MTGA?

Yes, you can play a Rat Deck Brawl outside of MTGA by using physical Magic: The Gathering cards. However, you will need to build a deck that follows the format’s rules, such as using cards that are primarily Rats and limiting the number of non-Rat cards in your deck.

What are some popular Rat Deck Brawl archetypes?

There are several popular Rat Deck Brawl archetypes, including:

  • Swarm: Focuses on overwhelming the opponent with a massive horde of Rats.
  • Aristocrats: Utilizes cards that sacrifice Rats for benefits, such as drawing cards or gaining life.
  • Combo: Relies on specific card combinations to quickly win the game, such as using Pack Rat and Ravenous Rats.

What are some weaknesses of Rat Deck Brawl?

Some weaknesses of Rat Deck Brawl include:

  • Removal: Spells and abilities that can remove Rats from the battlefield can be devastating.
  • Sweepers: Effects that deal damage to all creatures can wipe out your swarm of Rats.
  • Exiling: Cards that exile Rats can prevent you from recovering them.

How do I improve my Rat Deck Brawl?

To improve your Rat Deck Brawl, consider adding some cards to protect your Rats from removal and sweepers. You can also include cards that grant your Rats additional abilities or make them more resistant to damage.

What are some budget-friendly Rat cards for MTGA Brawl?

Some budget-friendly Rat cards for MTGA Brawl include:

  • Pack Rat
  • Sewer Rats
  • Rat Colony
  • Piper of the Swarm
  • Dreadhorde Invasion