Deck Name: Ratocalypse Now

Format: Legacy
Deck Type: Tribal Aggro-Control
Deck Theme: Swarming Rats with Disruption and Graveyard Recursion
Colors: Black (Mono-B)

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Description

"Ratocalypse Now" is a Legacy tribal aggro-control deck that overwhelms opponents with a relentless flood of rats while disrupting hands, removing threats, and reanimating power creatures from the grave. It blends the raw aggression of Rat Colony and Pack Rat with the disruptive control of Thoughtseize, Liliana's Triumph, and Collective Brutality.

Behind the swarm lies a surprisingly tactical engine: Entomb + Reanimate enables early resurrection of Pack Rat or Marrow-Gnawer, while Liliana, the Last Hope offers recursive value and pressure. Supporting removal spells like Fatal Push and Dismember keep the board clean, while Mutavault adds reach and resilience.

The deck thrives in both 1v1 and multiplayer games, capable of pivoting between early pressure and late-game inevitability through Marrow-Gnawer’s token army or Slumlord's death-trigger engine. A thematic powerhouse and a surprise contender.

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How to Play

Early Game:
Apply pressure with Rat Colony and Pack Rat.
Strip away threats with Thoughtseize or Collective Brutality.
Use Entomb + Reanimate for an early Pack Rat or Marrow-Gnawer.
Play Mutavault early to threaten uncounterable attackers.

Mid-Game:
Maintain board presence with Liliana recursion and cheap removal.
Deploy Piper of the Swarm to enable menace and threaten steals.
Stabilize using Liliana’s Triumph to bypass hexproof and indestructible.

Late Game:
Let Marrow-Gnawer take over with Fear-enabled armies.
Use Ogre Slumlord to turn every creature death into value.
Leverage card advantage engines to grind out control and combo decks.

Ideal Opening Hand:
2 lands (preferably one Mutavault + one Swamp/Urborg)
One discard spell (Thoughtseize, Brutality)
One pressure piece (Rat Colony, Pack Rat)
One interaction/removal spell (Fatal Push, Dismember)

Mulligan hands with no pressure or no lands.

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How the Swarm Works

Build Early Presence:
Swarm the board with cheap Rats, using Pack Rat and Colony to outscale opponent defenses.

Disrupt and Control:
Strip opponents’ hands early to prevent combo setups.
Clear blockers and hate bears with Brutality, Push, Triumph.

Overrun the Battlefield:
Use Marrow-Gnawer to double rat population and grant fear.
Ogre Slumlord ensures every creature trade feeds your swarm.
Mutavault enables non-interactive finishing damage when needed.

The deck is hard to stabilize against once the swarm begins. Removal is not enough—if even one rat survives, five more may follow next turn.

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Sideboard Strategy

Against Aggro Decks:
Plague Engineer: Devastates tribal strategies like Elves and Goblins.
Fatal Push: Removes early tempo threats efficiently.
Toxic Deluge: One-sided board wipe when needed.

Against Control Decks:
Duress and Hymn to Tourach: Strip away sweepers and countermagic.
Liliana, the Last Hope: Recursion engine that also pressures planeswalkers.
Pithing Needle: Stops planeswalkers like Teferi or Narset.

Against Combo Decks:
Thoughtseize (main) + Duress (side) + Hymn: Early discard locks them out.
Surgical Extraction: Disables graveyard loops or key spells.
Leyline of the Void: Auto-include vs Reanimator, Dredge, and Oops! All Spells.

Against Artifact/Enchantment Strategies:
Pithing Needle: Stops Vial, LED, Saga tokens, and more.
Nihil Spellbomb: Flexible option against artifact recursion.

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Skill Level and Playability

"Ratocalypse Now" is ideal for players who love synergistic swarm decks with interactive control elements. While relatively simple to pilot, optimal sequencing, resource management, and timing of recursion/disruption will reward experienced players.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate
Playstyle: Aggro-Swarm with Disruption and Recursion
Best For: Competitive Casual, 1v1 or Multiplayer Legacy formats

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Competitive Profile and Ratings

Power Level: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
Surprisingly powerful when swarm scales and recursion loops begin.

Tribal vs Control Ratio: 70% Tribal / 30% Control
Leverages aggressive tribal synergy and token generation to overwhelm opponents, while integrating light control elements such as discard, removal, and recursion to maintain pressure.

Speed: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
Can go explosive with Reanimate, but shines turn 3–6.

Resilience: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
Hard to wipe out permanently—Mutavault, Liliana, and Slumlord keep threats coming.

Best Format Fit:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1v1 Competitive Casual
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Multiplayer (3–4 players)
⭐⭐☆☆☆ Legacy Tournaments (Tier 2)

Complexity: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
Easy to learn, hard to master—rewarding for skilled pilots.

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Play Like a Pro – 5 Tips for Mastering the Deck

Keep hands with early rats + discard. Don't keep 5-landers or all-reactive hands.
Don’t overcommit to the board unless you're confident there's no wipe incoming.
Mutavault is one of your best attackers—use it smartly.
Entomb is not just for Reanimate; it sets up future recursion too.
Don’t forget Piper’s steal ability—it wins grindy games by turning enemy bombs into your own.

Bonus: Liliana's Triumph bypasses shroud/hexproof. Always side it in vs Bogles-like threats.

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Quote:
"One rat is an inconvenience. Fifty are a regime change."

Last Update: 01/07/2025