Deck Name: Swarm of Vermin

Format: Legacy
Deck Type: Combo-Tribal
Deck Theme: Ripple Swarm Combo – Thrumming Stone + Relentless Rats
Colors: Black (Mono-Black)

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Description

"Swarm of Vermin" is a Legacy combo-tribal deck that transforms a seemingly endless stream of Relentless Rats into a game-ending wave of toxic death. By leveraging Thrumming Stone's ripple mechanic, the deck can explode in a single turn, flooding the battlefield with boosted rats. Combined with Karumonix, the Rat King, each Rat becomes a deadly infect threat, creating pressure on both life totals and poison counters.

What sets the deck apart is its consistency and resilience. With access to card draw, tutoring, recursion, and sweeper control, Swarm of Vermin isn’t just aggressive — it’s inevitable. Whether in 1v1 or multiplayer, the swarm grows... and kills.

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How to Play

Early Game:
Develop your mana base with Wayfarer’s Bauble, Charcoal Diamond, and Mind Stone.
Play 1–2 Relentless Rats to start applying pressure.
Use Tragic Slip or Hero’s Downfall to manage early threats.

Mid-Game:
Cast Phyrexian Arena or Ambition’s Cost to maintain card flow.
Deploy Karumonix to turn your rats into toxic weapons.
Tutor for Thrumming Stone with Profane Tutor or Diabolic Tutor.

Late Game:
Drop Thrumming Stone and cast a single Relentless Rat to begin the ripple chain.
Swarm the board with 10+ rats, each buffing one another and carrying toxic 1.
Use Patriarch’s Bidding or Secret Salvage to refill after wipes.
Close the game with Rogue’s Passage for unblockable toxic damage or proliferate via Karn’s Bastion.

Ideal Opening Hand:
2–3 lands (including 1 mana rock preferred)
1 Relentless Rat
1 piece of interaction (Dark Ritual, Tragic Slip)
Card draw or tutor (Phyrexian Arena, Profane Tutor)

Mulligan hands with no ramp or combo pieces.

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How the Combo Works

Swarm Setup:
Every Relentless Rat gives +1/+1 to every other, scaling fast.
Thrumming Stone (ripple 4) chains through your library when casting a Rat.
One Relentless Rat may cascade into 5–10 more.

Toxic Kill:
Karumonix gives all your rats toxic 1.
10 unblocked Rats = automatic infect kill, even if opponent has full life.

Graveyard Loops:
Secret Salvage pulls all your Rats from deck to hand.
Patriarch’s Bidding reanimates every dead Rat back to the field.
Echoing Return (previous version) is replaced for battlefield-scale plays.

Proliferate Bonus:
Contagion Engine/Clasp and Karn’s Bastion increase poison counters to finish stalled games.

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Sideboard Strategy

Against Aggro Decks:
Toxic Deluge – Wipes wide boards while keeping your game intact.
Echoing Decay – Efficient for killing tokens and 1-toughness swarms.
Ensnaring Bridge – Stops combat-heavy decks cold.

Against Control Decks:
Duress – Strip sweepers and counterspells.
Pithing Needle – Name planeswalkers or key abilities (Wasteland, Jace, etc.).

Against Combo Decks:
Damping Sphere – Slows storm or multispell turns.
Syphon Mind – Refuels vs grind/control and punishes slow hands.

Against Graveyard Decks:
Grafdigger’s Cage – Stops reanimation and Green Sun’s Zenith.
Tormod’s Crypt – Free-speed graveyard removal.

Against Enchantments / Locks:
Feed the Swarm – Only black answer to enchantments.
Karn’s Sylex – Sweeper and anti-life gain tool.

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Skill Level and Playability

"Swarm of Vermin" is perfect for players who love snowballing tribal synergies with the threat of a sudden combo kill. While sequencing your explosive turns takes some practice, the deck is intuitive and punishing in the hands of someone who knows when to hold back or go all-in.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate
Playstyle: Combo-tribal with infect pressure and swarm overrun
Best For: Multiplayer pods and competitive casual Legacy

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Competitive Profile and Ratings

Power Level: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.5/5)
Kills out of nowhere, massive scaling, and poisonous win condition.

Combo vs Tribal Ratio: 60% Combo / 40% Tribal
Plays like a snowball tribal deck until the combo turn unleashes the swarm.

Speed: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3/5)
Wins typically from turn 5–6 onward. Earlier if left unchecked.

Resilience: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)
Patriarch’s Bidding, Secret Salvage, and tutors offer excellent recovery.

Best Format Fit:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Multiplayer (3–5 players)
⭐⭐⭐☆☆ 1v1 Casual
⭐⭐☆☆☆ Legacy Events (with minor tuning)

Complexity: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3/5)
Easy to learn, challenging to master the timing and sequencing.

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Play Like a Pro – 5 Tips for Mastering the Deck

Never waste your ripple turn.
Don’t cast Thrumming Stone unless you can follow up with a Relentless Rat immediately.

Karumonix is a win condition – protect him.
Use Lightning Greaves or bait removal first. He doesn't need to stay long — just one swing with 10 rats.

Play around sweepers.
Always assume your board can be wiped. Save Secret Salvage or Bidding as backup.

Sequence mana carefully.
Urborg + mana rocks = explosive turns. Don’t bottleneck yourself.

Use Rogue’s Passage or Contagion Engine to close.
If damage stalls, infect or unblockable hits will finish the job.

Bonus: You don’t need to go wide every turn — sometimes holding 3 Rats is scarier than casting them.

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Quote:
"They came not by dozens, but by hundreds. By the time you saw them, it was already too late."

Last Update: 02/07/25