(Gornog, the Red Reaper | Art by: Ishikawa Kenta)

Warriors Come Out to Play!

Red Hot! That is the deck that we have for you today. I will not fluff this one too much with an intro because this deck is too strong for an intro. This deck is too hot for an into. This deck is too much of a Warrior for an intro. This deck is Gornog, the Red Reaper, and I am Nick. The most important thing you need to know about this deck is that Cowards can't block Warriors. Here we go!

I Thought You Said Eggnog.

The only cow that I would never want to meet in a dark alley alone at night. I have been in love since I saw the spoiler for this card. I might be alone, however, since the Red Reaper is the fifth most-built commander from Foundations Jumpstart. I thought, why aren't more people building this deck?

And there is only one conclusion that I could formulate in my mind. Everyone else is a Coward. Originally thought of as a bit of a joke, like on cards, the phrase, Cowards can't block Warriors, is a key aspect of this deck. So, outside of Gornog, the Red Reaper, how will we make all of the opponents' creatures quake in their boots?

Cowardice.

The most unfortunate part about this deck is that the depth of cards that can turn creatures you do not control into Cowards is not vast. However, decks have been built on slimmer margins than those we work with.

The first one is Kargan Intimidator. An occasional player in standard occasionally, the intimidation can do a bit of everything as long as we have some mana to spare. It's a bit small on the back side, but we can deal with that if our opponents ever figure out how to block.

An-Zerrin Ruins is a card I had never heard of before putting together this list. If you ever face someone playing a typal deck of their own, this card will stonewall them as a nice side benefit, but in this deck, it provides turn-by-turn lockdown ability, clearing the way for our creatures to pump out more damage. I will admit that this card is a bit slower than something like Static Orb, but we want our board to remain untouched by this effect.

Roaming Throne choosing the creature-type Warrior is a phrase that will strike fear into the heart of players at a table for games to come after this deck. The throne will allow us to get more benefit out of Gornog by not triggering off of each Warrior that attacks, and it will pump our team even higher when we attack, thanks to the increasing numbers of Cowards. Roaming Throne is a staple in typal decks, and while it is a card that I am not the biggest fan of because of how good it is, this deck does need a boost in some places.

A once major player in the world of EDH, Strionic Resonator does a lot of work in this deck. With 25 of our 32 total creatures having some triggered ability, the possibilities might not be endless with Strionic Resonator, but they are plentiful. The ability I most want to copy is the one from our commander, but there are other fun options in the deck.

Tokens.

You get a war when you remove the creature type's first three letters from most of our deck. And what does the war of this deck need but more and more Warriors? The best way to do that in the game is to make tokens. And the color red makes tokens with a flare.

Red is a color that likes to make tokens but does not like them to stick around. We could do something about this, like adding a Sundial of the Infinite, but instead, I would make more and more tokens. Molten Echoes allows us to double up on every attacking Warrior we make. Kindred Charge is a bit expensive at six mana, but it has no restriction if we have tokens lying around and can allow us to attack with token copies of creatures we might want to hold back. I am unsure why we would ever do that since this deck lives on a 90-degree angle.

Flamerush Rider and Mirror-Style Master are both great by themselves and together. The Backup ability allows Mirror-Style Master to always have a modified creature to copy. Flamerush Rider Having Dash lets us get a copy of a creature every turn for four mana. A bonus card, Uncivil Unrest, not only helps out these two cards by giving them haste but can allow our other creatures to become modified if we put a counter on them instead.

One card in this deck is a personal favorite of mine. Much like this deck, it does not come with a guarantee and can do nothing or anything, depending on how the coins fall.

Mirror March.

This might be my favorite red enchantment in the game. I also think it is an absolute slam dunk in this deck. I have to stress this card does not guarantee the user's success; it depends on how many coins come your way, but when they do, the rewards will be great. Some cards can be duds in this deck to get copies of, like Archetype of Aggression or Manic Vandal.

Those, however, are the floor for this card. The ceiling can be as high as fifteen copies of Zealous Conscripts stealing an entire board. Or an Ogre Battledriver with five identical friends. Even a few extra copies of Devilish Valet can be game-changing.

But I told you that this deck had some hot tech to it. And sometimes, that hot tech stares back at you in the mirror. Specifically Mirror Box.

Mirror Box.

What is inside this box is a whole bunch of legends.

Mirror Box allows us to change the game by throwing the legend rule out the window. This allows us to get even more triggers from our big bovine boy Gornog, the Red Reaper, giving our same-named legends a nice +1/+1 boost. It could be many copies of Lovisa Coldeyes to make our team massive.

Varchild, Betrayer of Kjeldor making their best impression of Cowards can't block Warriors by saying the survivors it makes are not allowed to do anything to you. Maybe you want all of the copies of Gimli of the Glittering Caves to contest with one another for who can get the most counters.

Or maybe you want to make opponents never think about blocking even if they do not have a single Coward with Neheb, the Eternal, and one of the most unfun mechanics in Afflict.

Spice Cabinet.

Much like the proverbial pepper, this deck has spice, at least concerning my pallet. If we cannot turn everything on the board into Cowards, we need another way to clear the way. Insurrection used to be the go-to for how a red deck would win the game. Most people have decided that the card is for those who regularly complain about back pain. Nowadays, it is all about goad.

Disrupt Decorum is a card most players have run across at the table, and it should be seen more often. Spectacular Showdown is another card that surprised me while building. Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate is a set that will never stop giving commander players hidden gems, and Spectacular Showdown is, well, spectacular.

Versatility is the name of the game, and it is either targeting one particular creature you do not want to swing your way or turning into the most insane way to dish out massive amounts of damage with a vast quantity of double-striking creatures.

Wrap Up.

This is one of the most fun decks I have ever teched. It is fun and fast, and I will never get bored of telling players that Cowards can't block Warriors. Gornog, the Red Reaper might not be for everyone, and I think that my lane of leaning into tokens and turning other creatures into Cowards might be a bit off the wall in terms of a build for this deck.

If you are not a Coward, and I know you are not, then you should check out the rest of the decks that I have teched or any of the other articles that I have done, ranging from planeswalkers to being wrong on the power level of cards in set reviews. You can also check out many fantastic articles here or on Commanders Herald.

As always, I have been Nick. Thanks for checking out how I teched this deck.

Deck List.

Nicholas Lucchesi

Player and lover of all Magic the Gathering formats. Forged in the fires of Oath of the Gatewatch expeditions. Always down to jam games with anyone and everyone. When not playing Magic I am doing something else equally, if not more nerdy.