Do you like the look of Khans of Tarkir? Are you interested in playing Magic with your friends? Then this might interest you. With the most recent set hitting the shelves, Wizards of the Coast have released another Duel Deck for us all to indulge. This time it is a battle between Speed and Cunning, or more specifically the Mardu clan and the Jeskai clan.
The Speed vs Cunning box comes with two pre-constructed decks centred around two different themes. The first aims to overwhelm the opposition with its use of Goblins, Haste creatures, and damage spells. The second strives to control the game with its clever use of removal and creature manipulation. Both utilise cards from a plethora of sets new and old. These include six cards from the latest set Khans of Tarkir, and four cards with new artworks. So, let’s have a look at what each side has brought to the war.
Speed
24 Lands
- 2 Evolving Wilds
- 1 Ghitu Encampment
- 2 Nomad Outpost
- 10 Mountain
- 3 Plains
- 6 Swamp
22 Creatures
- 1 Frenzied Goblin
- 2 Leonin Snarecaster
- 2 Dregscape Zombie
- 1 Goblin Deathraiders
- 1 Hellraiser Goblin
- 1 Fleshbag Marauder
- 1 Goblin Warchief
- 1 Hell’s Thunder
- 1 Kathari Bomber
- 1 Shambling Remains
- 1 Mardu Heart-Piercer
- 2 Beetleback Chief
- 1 Krenko, Mob Boss
- 1 Ogre Battledriver
- 1 Flame-Kin Zealot
- 1 Scourge Devil
- 1 Zrugo Helmsmasher
- 1 Oni of Wild Places
Starting with the Speed deck, there is an evident focus on the colour Red with big flecks of Black. It tries to put the pressure on early with cheap creatures such as Hell’s Thunder and Kathari Bomber. This early access to fliers allows for cheap and easy damage. Together with Dregscape Zombie and Shambling Remains, the war machine never ends as the Unearth mechanic allows you to temporarily reborn the creature to keep pushing the enemy back. With a hand on the flood gate, you can unleash a Flame-Kin Zealot or Orge Battledriver and watch your army charge for victory.
For me, the cards that most represent the rush and finisher strategy are Krenko, Mob Boss for the mid game and Zurgo Helmsmasher as a late game finisher. Krenko costs two Colourless and two Red Mana and has 3/3 power and toughness. Rather lacklustre on its own, but its ability allows it to shine. By activating its tap ability, you can put 1/1 Goblin creature tokens, of which come with the deck, equal to the amount of Goblin creatures you control. One leads to two, two leads to four, and so on. In this way, small skirmisher forces can easily lead to an army bearing down upon the opponent. As for Zurgo, he is a 7/2 with Haste for two Colourless, one Red, one White, and one Black. He must attack each combat phase if possible but he is indestructible on your turn and if he destroys an enemy minion he grows stronger. Either way, you will most likely tip the game in your favour.
14 Other Spells
- 1 Reckless Abandon
- 1 Shock
- 1 Bone Splinters
- 1 Arc Trail
- 1 Goblin Bombardment
- 2 Krenko’s Command
- 1 Act of Treason
- 1 Dauntless Onslaught
- 1 Orcish Cannonade
- 2 Fiery Fall
- 1 Fury of the Horde
- 1 Banefire
To complement the manic rush down with creatures, there are many burn spells at your disposal. Whether it be an early game Arc Trail for a total of three damage to either creatures or a player, or a late game Banefire to rid of an enemy blocking creature or to finish off the rest of the enemy life points. Or, instead of destroying everything in your path, you can use Act of Treason to use an enemy creature in the assault.
Any rush strategy is incomplete, however, without a nice supply of cheap creatures to throw at the opponent. Krenko’s command puts two 1/1 Goblin tokens onto the battlefield for one Colourless and one Red. Combine that with Dauntless Onslaught and you have two 3/3 Goblins to wreak havoc with. Once you have a substantial force, you can finish the job by playing Fury of the Horde. This untaps all creatures that attacked and allows for a second combat phase. This is devastating when you have Zurgo on board.
Cunning
24 Lands
- 2 Mystic Monastery
- 2 Terramorphic Expanse
- 10 Islands
- 3 Mountains
- 7 Plains
22 Creatures
- 2 Faerie Imposter
- 2 Coral Trickster
- 2 Fathom Seer
- 1 Jeskai Elder
- 1 Willbender
- 1 Sparkmage Apprentice
- 1 Lone Missionary
- 1 Master Decoy
- 1 Echo Tracer
- 1 Kor Hookmaster
- 1 Stonecloaker
- 2 Aquamorph Entity
- 1 Hussar Patrol
- 1 Lightning Angel
- 1 Faerie Invaders
- 1 Thousand Winds
- 1 Arcanis the Omnipotent
- 1 Sphinx of Uthuun
The pace of the Cunning deck is completely different. This deck employs tactics to slow down and control the board, whilst poking for damage when it can. This is evident by the creatures it uses. Early game drops such as Master Decoy and Coral Trickster allow you to control which creatures attack and mitigate the damage you sustain if any. Combining that with a Jeskai Elder or Fathom Seer, the deck allows you to dig for the right cards and keep a necessary advantage at all times.
As for the mid to late game, you can keep control by summoning vigilance creatures such as Hussar Patrol and Lightning Angel to make sure you can keep the damage flowing as well as blocking turn after turn. When the going gets tough, dropping a well-timed Thousand Winds utilising the Morph mechanic will return all tapped creatures to their owner’s hands. This allows you to regain control after the opponent attempts a massive attack.
14 Others Spells
- 1 Fleeting Distraction
- 1 Stave Off
- 1 Swift Justice
- 1 Impulse
- 1 Mana Leak
- 1 Lightning Helix
- 1 Hold the Line
- 1 Inferno Trap
- 1 Steam Augury
- 2 Traumatic Visions
- 1 Whiplash Trap
- 1 Arrow Volley Trap
- 1 Repeal
For the spell line up, it is predominantly Blue, and, as with any deck that utilises Blue, there are many cards that manipulate and control the board. Cards such as Fleeting Distraction can stop early game pushes by reducing a creature’s power by one and allowing you to draw one card. Combining this with a nice amount of counter spells such as Mana Leak and Traumatic Visions, you are sure to gain a foothold on the battlefield.
The best spells to flip the tables in your favour in this deck are the late game Arrow Volley and Whiplash Trap. The former can potentially stop a game ender. For three Colourless and two White, you can deal five damage divided amongst any attacking creatures. If there are four or more you can cast it for one Colourless and one White which is even better. As for the latter, you can return two creatures to the owner’s hands for three Colourless and two Blue. If the opponent is feeling greedy and spawns two or more on the current turn, you can cast it for one Blue instead.
The two decks as a whole are very cleverly built. By no means are they are competitive or expected to be taken to tournaments, instead they are aimed to be used for fun between friends and they certainly achieve that. The Speed deck has enough Goblin cards and rush tactics to allow for fun, exciting gameplay. As for the Cunning deck, it allows for more precise, thoughtful gameplay to combat the rush. The introduction to a sample of new cards from Khans of Tarkir is just enough to hook you in. As for the new artworks, they are beautifully done and add a lot of flavour to the game.
All in all, the decks combo well within themselves and against each other. However, in my experience, the Speed deck appears to have an edge. With the amount of low cost creatures and damage spells, it can be difficult at times for the Cunning deck to keep up. It would have been more apt also, if the main boss monster and cover card for Cunning was Narset, Enlightened Master leader of the Jeskai from Khans of Tarkir. This could have levelled the playing field just enough to pull you further in to the new set. But other than that, the battles are fun, possess a good selection of mechanics, and are aimed at players of all levels.
