Kenrith's Rainbow Ascendancy
BrawlDeck Strategy
A five-color Historic Brawl ramp-control deck led by Kenrith, the Returned King that accelerates with cheap mana dorks, Mox Amber, and land-fetch spells, then buries opponents under a parade of mythic haymakers while Kenrith turns every spare mana into card draw, recursion, and life. After reviewing your full collection I swapped in ten upgrades: Ragavan, Mox Amber, Phlage, Selvala, Swiftfoot Boots, Scavenging Ooze, Grafdigger's Cage, Panharmonicon, Lier, and March of Otherworldly Light.
- Kenrith, the Returned King is the ultimate mana sink: with 8+ mana he draws cards, reanimates fallen threats, gains life, and pumps a lethal attacker — every point of ramp converts directly into advantage.
- Mox Amber and Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer give explosive turn-one plays; Mox Amber taps for any color the moment Kenrith (or any legendary) is on the battlefield, and Ragavan ramps and steals cards.
- Defense of the Heart triggers when an opponent controls three creatures, tutoring Atraxa, Praetors' Voice plus Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus straight onto the battlefield for a game-ending board.
- Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines doubles every enters-the-battlefield trigger — Titan of Industry makes two 4/4s and gains 14 life, Atraxa draws and proliferates twice, Massacre Wurm double-punishes token boards, and Bonehoard Dracosaur generates two Treasures and two exiled cards each combat.
- Panharmonicon is effectively a second Elesh Norn for our ETB creatures, so the value engines stack.
- Lier, Disciple of the Drowned turns our graveyard of instants and sorceries into a second hand, letting us rebuy removal, counters, and card draw.
- Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury is a recurring 6/5 that escapes from the graveyard for three mana and Lightning Helixes on entry, grinding out creature decks.
- Enlightened Tutor finds the silver bullet: Smothering Tithe or Black Market Connections for engines, Leyline Binding for removal, Grafdigger's Cage or Scavenging Ooze for graveyard hate, or Defense of the Heart as a win condition.
- Leyline Binding costs a single white mana because the deck naturally has all five basic land types, making it the most efficient removal spell in the list.
- Swiftfoot Boots, Skrelv, Defector Mite, and Heroic Intervention protect your commander and haymakers from spot removal and board wipes.
Keep any hand with three or more lands that includes at least one green source and one cheap ramp spell (Growth Spiral, Explore, Ilysian Caryatid, Llanowar Loamspeaker, Birds of Paradise, Delighted Halfling, Mox Amber, or Arcane Signet). A hand with two lands plus a two-mana ramp spell is acceptable on the play. Mulligan aggressively any hand with zero green sources, no early action, or nothing to do before turn four — this deck loses games where it stumbles on mana, not games where it runs out of action.
Early (turns 1–3): Ramp relentlessly. Deploy one- and two-mana accelerants, use Ragavan or Mox Amber for explosive starts, and curve into Cultivate or Growth Spiral. Use Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, or Thoughtseize to buy time against fast starts.
Mid (turns 4–6): Stabilize and land an engine. Resolve Smothering Tithe, Black Market Connections, Phyrexian Arena, or Panharmonicon and protect it. Clear the board with Burn Down the House or Expel the Interlopers when the opponent overcommits, and use Counterspell, Dovin's Veto, and Tishana's Tidebinder to stop their key play. The Wandering Emperor and Kaito Shizuki provide instant-speed card advantage.
Late (turn 7+): Deploy one haymaker per turn and let Kenrith back it up. Elesh Norn or Panharmonicon into Titan of Industry, Atraxa, or Bonehoard Dracosaur buries opponents in value. Zopandrel doubles your board's power and toughness, Massacre Wurm and Hullbreaker Horror lock the board, and Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger exiles their two best permanents on cast. With excess mana, Kenrith draws cards and reanimates your threats faster than any fair deck can keep up.
- Extremely aggressive red or white decks that go under your ramp before turn four — you rely on a small number of cheap removal spells to bridge the gap.
- Heavy counterspell decks can answer your seven-drops one-for-one; lean on Thoughtseize, Dovin's Veto, and Cavern of Souls to force finishers through.
- Graveyard strategies are punished by Grafdigger's Cage and Scavenging Ooze, but if you don't draw them, reanimator can outgrind you.
- The curve is top-heavy: a hand of only five-plus-drops with no ramp is close to a guaranteed loss, so mulligan discipline matters more than usual.
| Type | Rarity | Card Name | Mana |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creatures (31) | Rare | Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon | |
| Mythic Rare | Atraxa, Praetors' Voice | ||
| Rare | Birds of Paradise | ||
| Mythic Rare | Bonehoard Dracosaur | ||
| Mythic Rare | Bristly Bill, Spine Sower | ||
| Mythic Rare | Delighted Halfling | ||
| Mythic Rare | Delney, Streetwise Lookout | ||
| Mythic Rare | Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines | ||
| Rare | Enduring Curiosity | ||
| Rare | Etali, Primal Storm | ||
| Mythic Rare | Glarb, Calamity's Augur | ||
| Rare | Hullbreaker Horror | ||
| Common | Ilysian Caryatid | ||
| Rare | Incubation Druid | ||
| Rare | Jegantha, the Wellspring | ||
| Mythic Rare | Jodah, the Unifier | ||
| Mythic Rare | Kenrith, the Returned King | ||
| Rare | Llanowar Loamspeaker | ||
| Rare | Lotus Cobra | ||
| Mythic Rare | Massacre Wurm | ||
| Rare | Narset, Jeskai Waymaster | ||
| Mythic Rare | Ocelot Pride | ||
| Mythic Rare | Sheoldred, the Apocalypse | ||
| Rare | Skrelv, Defector Mite | ||
| Token | Tender Wildguide | ||
| Rare | Thornvault Forager | ||
| Rare | Tishana's Tidebinder | ||
| Mythic Rare | Titan of Industry | ||
| Mythic Rare | Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger | ||
| Common | Voyaging Satyr | ||
| Mythic Rare | Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus | ||
| Planeswalkers (3) | Mythic Rare | Kaito Shizuki | |
| Rare | Kaya, Intangible Slayer | ||
| Mythic Rare | The Wandering Emperor | ||
| Instants (19) | Rare | Assassin's Trophy | |
| Uncommon | Brainstorm | ||
| Common | Consider | ||
| Common | Counterspell | ||
| Uncommon | Dovin's Veto | ||
| Uncommon | Enlightened Tutor | ||
| Common | Growth Spiral | ||
| Uncommon | Hero's Downfall | ||
| Rare | Heroic Intervention | ||
| Uncommon | Infernal Grasp | ||
| Rare | March of Wretched Sorrow | ||
| Rare | Memory Deluge | ||
| Uncommon | Path to Exile | ||
| Uncommon | Sheoldred's Edict | ||
| Uncommon | Swords to Plowshares | ||
| Mythic Rare | Three Steps Ahead | ||
| Common | Thrill of Possibility | ||
| Rare | Vanishing Verse | ||
| Rare | Void Rend | ||
| Sorceries (7) | Rare | Burn Down the House | |
| Common | Cultivate | ||
| Rare | Expel the Interlopers | ||
| Common | Explore | ||
| Rare | Maelstrom Pulse | ||
| Common | Ponder | ||
| Rare | Thoughtseize | ||
| Artifacts (1) | Common | Arcane Signet | |
| Enchantments (5) | Rare | Black Market Connections | |
| Mythic Rare | Defense of the Heart | ||
| Rare | Leyline Binding | ||
| Rare | Phyrexian Arena | ||
| Mythic Rare | Smothering Tithe | ||
| Lands (34) | Rare | Blood Crypt | |
| Mythic Rare | Cavern of Souls | ||
| Rare | Commercial District | ||
| Rare | Concealed Courtyard | ||
| Rare | Deathcap Glade | ||
| Rare | Deserted Beach | ||
| Rare | Dreamroot Cascade | ||
| Common | Evolving Wilds | ||
| Basic Land | Forest | ||
| Rare | Haunted Ridge | ||
| Rare | Hedge Maze | ||
| Rare | Indatha Triome | ||
| Rare | Inspiring Vantage | ||
| Basic Land | Island | ||
| Rare | Lush Portico | ||
| Rare | Meticulous Archive | ||
| Basic Land | Mountain | ||
| Rare | Overgrown Farmland | ||
| Basic Land | Plains | ||
| Rare | Plaza of Heroes | ||
| Rare | Raucous Theater | ||
| Rare | Rockfall Vale | ||
| Rare | Shadowy Backstreet | ||
| Rare | Shattered Sanctum | ||
| Rare | Shipwreck Marsh | ||
| Rare | Spirebluff Canal | ||
| Rare | Stormcarved Coast | ||
| Rare | Sundown Pass | ||
| Basic Land | Swamp | ||
| Rare | Temple of Mystery | ||
| Uncommon | Unclaimed Territory | ||
| Rare | Undercity Sewers | ||
| Rare | Windswept Heath | ||
| Rare | Ziatora's Proving Ground |