Since the major Pioneer bans that removed Amalia Benavides Aguirre and Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord from the format, players have taken it upon themselves to experiment with different deck choices. Archetypes like Boros Convoke and mono-white Humans that were largely held down by Vampires and Amalia combo are on the rise, while other innovative strategies like Jund sacrifice are popping up here and there.
Definitely the wildest deck to appear in a recent Magic Online Pioneer Challenge, though, is none other than Boros Hammer Time. Making its way to top 32, this unexpected archetype utilizes a multitude of Bloomburrow cards. Colossus Hammer is undoubtedly a powerful card. Unfortunately, the card has largely fallen short in Pioneer due to consistency and support issues. While it’s still unlikely the deck breaks into the top tier any time soon, some new additions do help give the deck more staying power.
Attaching Colossus Hammer
- Mana Value: 1
- Rarity: Uncommon
- MTG Sets: Core Set 2020, Forgotten Realms Commander, The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander
- Card Text: Equipped creature gets +10/+10 and loses flying. Equip 8 (8: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.)
The first category of cards to receive an upgrade are those that allow you to bypass Colossus Hammer’s extreme equip cost. Obviously, paying eight mana is not a winning play in a format as fast as Pioneer. So, you need ways to attach Colossus Hammer to your creatures on the cheap.
At the top of that list, we have Sigarda’s Aid. Sigarda’s Aid was a staple in Modern Hammer Time decks and remains a strong option here. Being able to cast Colossus Hammer at instant speed is a big deal. If you have multiple attackers, you can see how your opponent blocks before making your decision about where to put your Colossus Hammer.
Unlike the Modern version, though, you don’t have access to Puresteel Paladin in Pioneer. As such, this deck utilizes a few other options to help the cause. Resolute Strike is another card that lets you attach Colossus Hammer to a creature you control at instant speed. It is a bit restrictive, but worth a slot, nonetheless. Kemba, Kha Enduring lets you put Colossus Hammer on itself when it enters the battlefield, even with minimal Cat synergies present.
The downside with all of these tools, though, is that they only give you one shot to suit up your creature with Colossus Hammer. If you go to cast Colossus Hammer with Sigarda’s Aid in play and the creature you target is met by a Fatal Push, things can get a little dicey.
The good news, at least, is that the release of Bloomburrow provided a different option that is much stronger in the face of removal. Blacksmith’s Talent is a great inclusion, thanks mostly to its Level 2 ability. Once you reach Level 2, you have the freedom to move Colossus Hammer onto a creature of your choice every combat. If that creature gets killed, it’s not a big deal, since you can reattach it to another threat on the following turn without investing any extra mana. Blackmisth’s Talent is quite strong, and it gets even better when we factor in the creature package.
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Creature Package
- Mana Value: 1R
- Rarity: Rare
- Stats: 2/2
- MTG Set: Bloomburrow
- Card Text: Haste. Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.) Valiant- Whenever Emberheart Challenger becomes the target of a spell or ability you control for the first time each turn, exile the top card of your library. Until end of turn, you may play that card.
Once again, Bloomburrow gave this archetype access to a couple really powerful cards in the creature section. In the one-drop slot, Heartfire Hero joins Cacophony Scamp as another potent creature to equip.
Cacophony Scamp is perfect for the deck. It’s a Warrior for Resolute Strike. If the opponent doesn’t block Cacophony Scamp, they risk you attaching Colossus Hammer before combat damage is dealt, connecting for 11 damage, then doming them for 11 more by sacrificing Cacophony Scamp. Heartfire Hero doesn’t have quite the same upside, but once you get a Colossus Hammer equipped, the opponent will have to lose a boatload of life just to remove it in a traditional sense. Plus, Heartfire Hero’s Valiant trigger pairs nicely with other cards that target it, like Monstrous Rage and Inti, Seneschal of the Sun.
Speaking of Inti, Inti serves as a solid support card for your main gameplan. Its ability to give Trample at will to whatever threat you suit up with Colossus Hammer is key. It also just works super well in conjunction with Heartfire Hero and Emberheart Challenger, adding a nice backup plan if you don’t draw your equipment.
Of course, finding Colossus Hammer is crucial to this archetype’s objective. Beyond just the four copies of Colossus Hammer themselves, the adventure portion of Kellan, the Fae-Blooded can search it up for you, too. From there, Kellan serves as a nice place to put Colossus Hammer. After all, a single hit will usually be lethal when factoring in Double Strike.
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Strengths and Weaknesses
- Mana Value: B
- Rarity: Uncommon
- MTG Sets: Aether Revolt, Double Masters
- Card Text: Destroy target creature if it has converted mana cost 2 or less. Revolt- Destroy that creature if it has converted mana cost 4 or less instead if a permanent you controlled left the battlefield this turn.
With Bloomburrow upgrades in the picture, this deck did get more consistent at actually assembling a Colossus Hammer kill. Blacksmith’s Talent in particular is a good tool against removal-heavy decks like Izzet Phoenix, which can typically be a bit problematic. The presence of Emberheart Challenger and Heartfire Hero then give you a reasonable plan b. Curving out creatures and using Resolute Strike and Inti to buff them can sometimes get the job done when you don’t draw Colossus Hammer.
Even still, playing against decks with lots of efficient kill spells isn’t easy. Strategies like Rakdos midrange can make it tough for you to ever stick a creature long enough for Colossus Hammer to pull its weight. Cards like Sigarda’s Aid, while synergistic, don’t do much at all by themselves. With this in mind, Thoughtseize decks may be able to strip you of important resources and leave you with cards that do little on their own.
Where you get your edge, though, is with your sheer speed. Curving out against archetypes such as mono-green Devotion that lack interaction can make games feel like a cakewalk. In this sense, matchups are often quite polarizing. At least with Rakdos Vampires gone, you won’t run into Fatal Push decks as frequently.
Ultimately, this shell gets a lot of its mileage out of being a fun, off-the-wall strategy that your opponents won’t expect to face. Consider giving it a whirl at your next FNM, and you may be pleasantly surprised.
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