We have officially entered the end of the road for Standard, which means this space is going to feature more Modern decks and more Legacy decks than is typical. Up today is one of the latter that features a card I’ve been singing the praises of a lot recently: Collective Brutality.
In the long long ago, before Deathrite Shaman, Legacy featured a Sultai Control deck that used Innocent Blood, Life from the Loam, and Liliana of the Veil alongside the typical slate of blue cards to grind opponents into dust. Deathrite Shaman served to speed up the format as well as disrupt the graveyard enough that the deck fell by the wayside, but Collective Brutality is an excellent new addition.
The speed of the deck can also be helped through the addition of the land combo Dark Depths and Thespian’s Stage. To facilitate this combo, the deck incorporates elements from the Lands deck, specifically Mox Diamond and Crop Rotation. Both work very well with Life from the Loam and the former helps power out your planeswalkers, while the latter gives you a nice toolbox of lands, from Bojuka Bog and The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale to the sideboard Karakas.
Abrupt Decay replaces some of the removal the deck used to play before Return to Ravnica cast its favor on the Golgari guild, and the result is a nice little Combo-Control deck that is still more than capable of grinding opponents into a fine paste before mercifully finishing the game two damage at a time with a Snapcaster Mage, but can also threaten to race when necessary with a quick Marit Lage.
Much like in Modern, it’s important for reactive decks in Legacy to have the capability to turn the corner quickly, since the decks you’re playing against are so powerful and so varied that they will draw out of their disadvantage when given enough time. It’s a little like a James Bond villain. You can’t make the mistake of indulging yourself by explaining your dastardly plot before killing 007. He always has some gadget or sneaky maneuver to get out of his predicament, so you’d better just dump him in the piranha tank.
So basically what I’m saying is if you want to play this deck you need to shave your head and practice eerily stroking a white cat. Diabolical supervillains always have a cat. I guess you could play this deck if you’re a compassionate, humane dog-lover, but I’m not sure I’d risk it.
Creatures (4)
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (24)
Spells (29)
