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One of the biggest benefits ofMagic: The Gathering Arenais giving some cards a second chance. Cards that arrive in the paper version ofMagic: The Gatheringmight sometimes be a little undercooked, and Arena gives Wizards of the Coast the option of giving those cards a helpful tweak.
One of those cards is Raiyuu, Storm’s Edge, who got a bit more powerful thanks to the release ofa Brawl deckin Arena. Alongside a stronger Raiyuu, several other samurai also saw their stats tweaked in this aggressive and combat-focused red-white samurai-warrior deck.
A-Raiyuu, Storm’s Edge Brawl Deck List
Here’s a full listof cards in MTG Arena’s A-Raiyuu, Storm’s Edge Brawl deck.
Usher of the Fallen
Plains (14)
A-Raiyuu, Storm’s Edge Brawl Deck Themes
Since this is adeck built around Raiyuu, Storm’s Edge, you need look no further than the commander to understand this deck’s theme:attack with a single Warrior or Samurai, then attack againafter Raiyuu provides you with an extra combat phase.
Raiyuu’s Arena buffcomes in the form anadditional power and toughness, making him a 4/4 instead of a 3/3. And since he has first strike, Raiyuu himself is likely to be your best option for a samurai to attack alone.
There are plenty of other cards in this Brawl deck that supportthe theme of a single Samurai or Warrior attacking alone. Eiganjo Exemplar provides your lonely attacking Samurai/Warrior with a temporary +1/+1 buff. Imperial Subduer taps down a potential blocker. Peerless Samurai reduces the cost of your next spell. And Asari Captain gives your lone Samurai/Warrior a power boost equal to your entire army.
Many of these cards havealso received slight alterations to their stats for Magic Arena, so don’t expect them to be the same as their paper versions.
However, merely having an attacking army doesn’t necessarily lead to victory. A-Raiyuu, Storm’s Edge also contains a plethora ofspells to remove key defenses to ensure your critters can continue to attack unabated. Ossification, Borrowed Time, and Banishing Slash remove creatures the white way, while red deals direct damage with Lightning Strike, Moonrager’s Slash, and Kami’s Flare.
The plan for A-Raiyuu, Storm’s Edge is simple. Play lands, then play creatures, and then keep attacking. Most likely you’llplay A-Raiyuu, Storm’s Edge on your fourth turnand thenattack with a single Samurai or Warrior. Your opponent will defend, you’ll hopefully win (with a Lightning Strike tipping the scales), and thenA-Raiyuu will trigger a second attackto crush your opponent’s defenses.
A-Raiyuu, Storm’s Edge Brawl Deck Analysis
The overall strategy for A-Raiyuu, Storm’s Edge Brawl deck is sound, butsome of the card choices seem a little unfocused. For example, it has several cards like Bladegraft Aspirant and Kami’s Flare that want there to be a bunch of equipment, but the deck has exactly five.
Also,many cards only affect Warriorswhen the deck is both Warriors and Samurai, cutting down on their overall usefulness.Several enchantments offer removal, but at the risk of being countered by an opponent that brings anti-enchantment spells to the battle.
There’s also theusual problem that red/white faces of running out of steam. The deck is mostly creatures at 35, including A-Raiyuu, but if those creatures all die from a Wrath of God, you don’t have anything to refill your hand.
Keeping your creatures alive is paramount. If you know your opponent is packing a lot of mass removal, be sure to keep some creatures in your hand where they’ll be safe. Just play enough creatures to keep the pressure on your opponent.
For a deck that’s focused on having more combat,A-Raiyuu could also do with more combat tricks. Cards like Ossification are good, but your opponent can see them coming. Instead, a few spells that happen at instant speed can really trip up the enemy’s game plan and give you an opening for that second combat phase.
With that, we’re going to becutting a lot of the chaff,throwing in a few more equipmentto justify the existence of some equipment-focused cards, andimproving the deck’s flexibilityto respond to threats while also adding a few new tricks.
Mountain(2)
Plains(2)
Impact Tremors is gone. This isn’t a token deck, which is also why Urabrask’s Forge is getting cut.
This deck has exactly one Dragon, Atsushi, the Blazing Sky, soKolaghan Warmonger has little value. It’s gone, and so is Atsushi.
Furnace Punisher,Magmatic Sprinter,Alabaster Host Intercessor,Cleaving Skyraider,Angel of Unity, andEmeria Camptainare all out. They have little value, are too expensive, or only affect Warriors when this deck has more Samurai.
Imodane, the Pyrohammeris a great card when paired with spells that deal direct damage to creatures. This deck has exactlyfive of those spells, whicharen’t enough to justify her existence. Plus, she’s a Knight, not a Warrior.
Cut In,Sacred Fire,Hold for Ransom, andMoonrager’s Slasharegetting cut for better removal spells. Gleeful Demolition is a good card, but you probably don’t want to blow up your own artifacts.
The Shattered States Era is too expensiveand too slow for an aggressive deck. And finally, we’re getting rid of two Mountains and two Plains which are being replaced with more flexible lands and/or mana rocks.
A-Raiyuu, Storm’s Edge Brawl Deck Upgrades
We’readding more Samurai and Warriorsin place of the creatures we’ve removed, and we’re alsoadding a ton of flexibilityand efficiency alongside those promised combat tricks.Plus a bunch of equipment, since who doesn’t love equipment?
Reason
A-Akki Ronin
A curious omission from the original decklist, the Arena version of Akki Ronin is a hyper-efficient one-mana Samurai that introduces card cycling whenever a Samurai or Warrior attacks alone. The perfect first-turn play.
Abrade
Better than dealing merely three damage to something is having the option of blowing up an artifact instead. A staple red spell for a reason.
A-Bruenor Battlehammer
With the equipment being added in these upgrades, the Arena version of Bruenor Battlehammer makes a lot more sense. He’s a Warrior and offers a buff to every creature wielding a piece of equipment, and five power for four mana is a pretty good deal.
Akiri, Fearless Voyager
A-Raiyuu still suffers from a lack of card draw, but Akiri, Fearless Voyager helps a tiny bit with all the extra equipment being added. She also provides a defensive ability to keep your equipped creature alive.
Combat Celebrant
Combat Celebrant can help give you just that little bit of extra pressure to break down your opponent’s defenses. Plus its a Warrior too!
Diamond Pick-Axe
Cheap equipment that provides you with Treasure tokens. It doesn’t do a lot, but what it does is extremely helpful.
Duelist’s Heritage
Giving your solo attacking Samurai or Warrior double strike is a great way to ensure that your opponent either doesn’t block or dies trying.
Legion Leadership / Legion Stronghold
Legion Leadership provides you with a nice combat trick to keep your solo Samurai/Warrior alive, but if you find yourself short on mana, the other side provides a helpful red/white mana source. Flexible and helpful.
Lightning Bolt
The gold standard of direct damage. Can be aimed anywhere with zero strings attached.
Lizard Blades
It begins life as a humble artifact creature but winds up giving a Samurai or Warrior double strike. An excellent addition for A-Raiyuu.
Lost Jitte
Lost Jitte doesn’t start out as a big deal, but as soon as you can start putting charge counters on it, you’ll wind up with a Swiss army knife, providing helpful abilities no matter the situation.
Oketra’s Monument
Makes white creatures cost less and produces a 1/1 Warrior whenever you cast a creature spell. A way better token manufacturer than Urabrask’s Forge.
Patchwork Banner
A mana rock that also provides +1/+1 to every creature of a chosen type. The perfect addition to any multicolored deck that also follows a creature theme.
Path to Exile
One of the best removal spells in the game. One mana to make almost any problem go away.
Risona, Asari Commander
It’s not too hard a task to get Risona through to start dealing damage to a player’s life total, and then she becomes an indestructible menace. The perfect creature to send into combat solo to trigger A-Raiyuu’s extra attack.
Sejiri Shelter / Sejiri Glacier
Sejiri Shelter helps protect a creature in need, while Sejiri Glacier helps ensure you’ve got mana when you need it. An excellent and flexible card.
Sigil of Valor
If you’re going to be attacking solo anyway, Sigil of Valor is the best way to ensure that solo assault is worthy. Give your solo attacker the power of an army, and then attack with that army thanks to A-Raiyuu.
Stroke of Midnight
The next best removal spell in white, you take care of a problem while providing your opponent a 1/1 creature token. Sounds like a fair trade.
Swiftfoot Boots
Getting A-Raiyuu into combat faster and also keeping him safe at the same time.
Tempered in Solitude
It’s not quite card draw, but it’s close. Since your first attack is usually going to be a solo affair, Tempered in Solitude gives you access to more cards than you’d otherwise have access to.
Two-Handed Axe
Two-Handed Axe begins life as a useful combat trick before returning as an even more useful equipment.
Unbreakable Formation
One of the problems with attacking a bunch is that you’re left without any defenses. Not only does Unbreakable Formation ensure that your creatures cannot die, it also ensures that they stay untapped to defend against anything your opponent does.
