As a decades long MTG fan, one of the most useful bits of knowledge every player needs to have is a general awareness of when your opponent is most likely to ruin your carefully laid plans.
What is their preferred method of removing your creatures off the board?
How soon will it start happening?!
IS THERE EVEN ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP IT!?
I present to you ALL War Counter cards along with where along the mana curve you can expect to start experiencing their nasty effects!
NOTE: Some cards appear identical in effect but with different mana costs due to omitting additional effects unrelated to these lists. Please look up each card to see what other "surprises" they might have.
| Creature Abbreviations | Keyword Abbreviations | |
|---|---|---|
| [c]reature | (Ab)ility | (R)oar |
| [r]elic | (A)fterlife | (S)tart (o)f (T)urn |
| (F)renzied | (E)nd (o)f (T)urn |
"By Ares, what have you done, Ent!? WHY ARE THERE SO MANY LISTS?!"
Well, I did warn you. . . I make lists. . .and stuff. . .
But seriously, War is a heavily concentrated domain to play with direct damage, (God)Blitz, Twin Strike, Protected and +X/+X making up the vast majority of their card plays. Blitz, for example, can't fit in a single list, so I've split it up into Creature and Non-Creature sources. There are a few Leech cards designed to lessen the self-harm caused by the moshpit every War player secretly hopes to be the cause of, but I digress. . .
War removal is straight forward: I see you, I kill you (Blitz/damage), I kill you again (Twin Strike), and maybe if you're lucky I kill me too (Relics).
It's worth noting that War has multiple interactions with things that are damaged, so once they've tagged you with face damage you're open season for Bar Fight and Vicious Rend. I've also tried to include the many sources of +X/+X that double as removal when used correctly, but there are a few that slipped through like Tamed Mammoth that gets stronger just by watching his friends play with fire.
The main thing you need to know is War has reliable access to board damage and +X. I strongly recommend against leaving Creatures alive (KO or don't bother) and advocate for trading creatures early if you're not a Nature/War bro yourself. If War hasn't starting pumping serious iron by turn 4, something has likely gone wrong for them.
This list is largely self-explanatory, but I do want to highlight that nearly every Blitz creature has a secondary effect that creates opportunities for trading advantage. Respected Jarl is a cheap 1:1 trade that can setup a secondary 0-1:2 trade by granting Twin Strike; Archangel Bruiser can kill most sub 6-cost creatures with the potential for 1:2+ trading if Overkill hits weak fodder; and freaking Orcish Elite can 0:2 all by her dang self in the right circumstances.
The bright side? Everything about Blitz evaporates if there's nothing for War to attack. For this very reason, it's unlikely that you'll see Blitz-focused decks very often. Control decks usually negate Blitz making Blitz purists uncommon.
Oh, and nearly everything in the 6-7 mana range is Epic/Legendary. Your biggest concerns fall in the 1-4 range.
I've omitted various effects from the listed Relics like healing, so take the time to review them if unfamiliar with War weaponry.
The main point of this list is to remind you that there are nearly as many Blitz relics as their are creatures. Relics commonly carry the added benefit of Godblitz, so I recommend viewing this list as another form of removal. Most War Relics have a base of 1-3 Strength, but don't forget about Warmonger Smith (R: +2 Strength for Relic's next attack). He's not on any of these lists, but he's from the core set and is highly sought after.
Also, pay special attention to [1] Fury, [2] Red Fume Death, and [3] Sound the Charge. The first two can turn any War creature into souped up removal while the third plays into the last list by forming the basis for late-game power turns.
Out of all the lists I've made, this one was the most eye-opening to assemble. What even is "Creature Ramp?" you ask? Well, whereas Magic wants to hoard mana for summoning high-cost creatures long before you do, War "settles" for making everything in their hand and deck play like it's a high-cost creature.
The beauty of it is that the more of it you run in a deck, the better it all becomes. Take this entirely hypothetical situation for example:
At some point in a match, you drop a Blitz creature to go shuffle some loser off to the Void. Unfortunately, it now has 1 Health left and is easy pickin's for Death's/Magic's/Nature's God power. But wait! Put it Out of Its Misery and go fetch something better! What's that? You drew Blacksmith Armourer? Now, it's a 3-cost 4/4 that will give everything in your hand +1/+1? Excellent; now, go smash someone's hopes and dreams.
Hopefully you get my point: There is tremendous synergy in ramping creatures simply by playing other creatures. The lower stats they have as a trade-off for their abilities becomes increasingly less problematic with more ramp. If nothing else, Call to Arms is an amazingly cheap card to slot into any deck that runs primarily War creatures. It instantly provides longevity to War creatures without sacrificing draw tempo. Only the mana spent is "lost" for a turn.
That's all for now, but do share in the comments below if you've discovered other strong combos or plays worth learning or being prepared for!
~ Ent
Counter Lists for Each God:
DEATH — Card Removal, Board Control
DECEPTION — Card Removal, Board Control, Card Advantage
LIGHT — Card Removal, Board Control
MAGIC — Card Removal, Board Control, Mana Ramp
NATURE — Card Removal, Board Control, Card Advantage