Good evening, players! Today we’re looking at the 2019 Challenger Decks and how to upgrade them on a budget. If you haven't already read Parts One and Two, please check them now.
Today, we'll touch on my favourite of the guilds, Golgari. In specific, we'll look at Golgari's entry into the Challenger Decks, Deadly Discovery. There will be some slight favouritism here, but given what Golgari lists try to accomplish (especially at mid-range) it's important to keep in mind that these changes were made to bring their strengths forward.
Let's have a look at the initial deck before we get into any changes:
Change 1
I looked at the lands straight away and noticed a strong lack of a playset for Woodland Cemetery. These lands and their colour mirrors are a must in any two colour deck, if only for the rate you’ll draw and activate them when they enter the battlefield. To remedy this, we’re going to cut one basic Forest and one basic Swamp, then add two more to give us the playset we need.
Change 2
Ravenous Chupacabra has had its time in the sun and has been replaced with a much deadlier counterpart. Considering this list’s spot removal, we can get away with cutting one of them to add in a second Plaguecrafter. With the upcoming plethora of Planeswalkers in War of the Spark, it's a safe bet that Plaguecrafters will be a must in the new Standard rotation.
Change 3
Reclamation Sage, though a solid card in the right list, seems to be a weaker counterpart of this deck's whole idea: removing creatures to make way for much better sources of damage. Enter the fourth copy of The Eldest Reborn and a second copy of Vraska, Relic Seeker.
I’ll admit it, I’m playing favourites. Vraska is one of my favourite Planeswalkers to date. Her ability to make tokens, remove threats on her own, and eventually ultimate your opponent to a measly one life total ensures that she has a solid place in this list.
Change 4
District Guide is a fine card in Limited but it's just about useless in most, if not all, constructed formats. Replacing it with Jadelight Ranger not only allows you filter for what you want, but dropping it on Turn Three consistently leads to a potential 4/3 threat which cannot be ignored.
With those changes in mind, let’s take a look at what we’ve figured out here.
The extra explore triggers with Wildgrowth Walker on the field should give you plenty of opportunities to set off your Seekers’ Squire and Jadelight Ranger. In turn, they'll provide the gas you need to stay in the game. In addition, your sideboard kit can give you that one up you need in that inevitable control match-up.
There's plenty more to see and do with Deadly Discovery, but I'll leave that up to your own experimentation. Until next time, may all your rares be mythics, and happy gaming!
