Common MTG Pest-Maker Revolutionizes Dead Combo Deck

Since the release of MTG Avatar, many decks have emerged abusing the set’s Lessons package. Strategies like Izzet Prowess and Selesnya Company in Pioneer have gotten stronger by tutoring for situational sideboard cards as needed.

Although this set came out roughly 10 months ago, its strong lessons allow players to keep coming up with brews featuring the Learn mechanic. In fact, just today, a fun Rakdos deck 5-0d a Pioneer League out of nowhere, borrowing ideas from a fan-favorite combo shell.

Enabling Indomitable Creativity

The goal behind this deck piloted by Magic Online user OafMcNamara is to use Indomitable Creativity Indomitable Creativity Destroy X target artifacts and/or creatures. For each permanent destroyed this way, its controller reveals cards from the top of their library until an artifact or creature card is revealed and exiles that card. Those players put the exiled cards onto the battlefield, then shuffle. to cheat enormous haymakers into play. The only actual creature cards in the entire deck are Raph & Mikey, Troublemakers Raph & Mikey, Troublemakers Trample, haste
Whenever Raph & Mikey attack, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature card. Put that card onto the battlefield tapped and attacking and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. , Atraxa, Grand Unifier Atraxa, Grand Unifier Flying, vigilance, deathtouch, lifelink
When Atraxa enters, reveal the top ten cards of your library. For each card type, you may put a card of that type from among the revealed cards into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. (Artifact, battle, creature, enchantment, instant, land, planeswalker, and sorcery are card types.) , and Valgavoth, Terror Eater Valgavoth, Terror Eater Flying, lifelink
Ward—Sacrifice three nonland permanents.
If a card you didn't control would be put into an opponent's graveyard from anywhere, exile it instead.
During your turn, you may play cards exiled with Valgavoth. If you cast a spell this way, pay life equal to its mana value rather than pay its mana cost. , so you’re guaranteed to reveal only bombs.

The key to making this strategy work is to have artifact and creature token makers that enable the powerful sorcery. Unsurprisingly, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker Fable of the Mirror-Breaker (As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter.)
I — Create a 2/2 red Goblin Shaman creature token with "Whenever this token attacks, create a Treasure token."
II — You may discard up to two cards. If you do, draw that many cards.
III — Exile this Saga, then return it to the battlefield transformed under your control. plays a crucial role here, netting you multiple bodies while also digging for Creativity. Similarly, Obsessive Pursuit Obsessive Pursuit When this enchantment enters and at the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life and create a Clue token. (It's an artifact with "{2}, Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.")
Whenever you attack, put X +1/+1 counters on target attacking creature, where X is the number of permanents you've sacrificed this turn. If X is three or more, that creature gains lifelink until end of turn. provides a steady stream of Clues you can use as Creativity targets or for card advantage.

This brew gets a unique boost, however, from the inclusion of Hunt for Specimens Hunt for Specimens Create a 1/1 black and green Pest creature token with "When this token dies, you gain 1 life."
Learn. (You may reveal a Lesson card you own from outside the game and put it into your hand, or discard a card to draw a card.) , which does everything this deck wants. If you have Creativity lined up, you can grab Pest Summoning Pest Summoning Create two 1/1 black and green Pest creature tokens with "When this token dies, you gain 1 life." from your sideboard to generate three tokens. If you don’t have your combo card ready, you can always search for Ruinous Waterbending Ruinous Waterbending As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may waterbend {4}. (While paying a waterbend cost, you can tap your artifacts and creatures to help. Each one pays for {1}.)
All creatures get -2/-2 until end of turn. If this spell's additional cost was paid, whenever a creature dies this turn, you gain 1 life. to buy time or Decorum Dissertation Decorum Dissertation Target player draws two cards and loses 2 life.
Paradigm (Then exile this spell. After you first resolve a spell with this name, you may cast a copy of it from exile without paying its mana cost at the beginning of each of your first main phases.) to churn through your library.

You even have the luxury of tutoring Dai Li Indoctrination Dai Li Indoctrination Choose one —
• Target opponent reveals their hand. You choose a nonland permanent card from it. That player discards that card.
• Earthbend 2. (Target land you control becomes a 0/0 creature with haste that's still a land. Put two +1/+1 counters on it. When it dies or is exiled, return it to the battlefield tapped.) , which, with Thoughtseize Thoughtseize Target player reveals their hand. You choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card. You lose 2 life. and Duress Duress Target opponent reveals their hand. You choose a noncreature, nonland card from it. That player discards that card. , lets you resolve your impactful spells through countermagic. This flexibility is a huge boon and helps you beat a wide variety of matchups.

Taking on Different Roles

Despite being a combo strategy at heart, one of Rakdos Creativity’s biggest strengths is adapting its gameplay to the matchup at hand. Against aggro decks like Mono-Red or White Weenie, this deck can easily play like a control deck, for example. Fatal Push Fatal Push Destroy target creature if it has mana value 2 or less.
Revolt — Destroy that creature if it has mana value 4 or less instead if a permanent left the battlefield under your control this turn. and Volcanic Spite Volcanic Spite Volcanic Spite deals 3 damage to target creature, planeswalker, or battle. You may put a card from your hand on the bottom of your library. If you do, draw a card. stave off early pressure, while your Clue tokens and Fountainport Fountainport {T}: Add {C}.
{2}, {T}, Sacrifice a token: Draw a card.
{3}, {T}, Pay 1 life: Create a 1/1 blue Fish creature token.
{4}, {T}: Create a Treasure token. grind the opponent into dust. All the while, incidental life gain from Pests prevents you from getting burnt out until you turn the corner with Creativity.

At the same time, against opposing combo decks like Abzan Greasefang, this deck can become an insurmountable force as early as turn four. Your discard spells also work wonders here, stripping the opposition of key pieces and slowing them down significantly.

Unfortunately, even with this dual approach in mind, some decks can still pose problems for Rakdos Creativity. Boros Land Destruction has the potential to obliterate your mana base, making it virtually impossible to cast Creativity after a certain point. Plus, with only three real win conditions, you risk getting punked by Erode Erode Destroy target creature or planeswalker. Its controller may search their library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle. , Get Lost Get Lost Destroy target creature, enchantment, or planeswalker. Its controller creates two Map tokens. (They're artifacts with "{1}, {T}, Sacrifice this token: Target creature you control explores. Activate only as a sorcery.") , and Emergency Eject Emergency Eject Destroy target nonland permanent. Its controller creates a Lander token. (It's an artifact with "{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this token: Search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.") .

Beyond Boros, decks like Izzet Prowess can apply early pressure and back it up with Spell Pierce Spell Pierce Counter target noncreature spell unless its controller pays {2}. , making it hard to stick cards like Fable on curve. In this sense, Rakdos Creativity is far from perfect. Nonetheless, there’s still a lot to like, and the Lesson package adds a lot of depth to a forgotten archetype.

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