Rankle's Rakdos Annihilation
BrawlDeck Strategy
A relentless Rakdos Brawl deck built around Rankle, Master of Pranks that strips the opponent's hand and board on every attack while a cheap, evasive threat suite closes the game fast.
- Rankle, Master of Pranks triggers on every attack and can force discard, sacrifice, and life loss at once. Pair it with recursive threats like Bloodsoaked Champion, Scrapheap Scrounger, and Gutterbones, and you break parity on the sacrifice/discard modes because your creatures keep coming back.
- Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger and Squee, Dubious Monarch generate repeatable value from the graveyard, so Rankle's discard and sacrifice modes cost you almost nothing.
- Plaguecrafter and Goblin Chainwhirler punish opponents who try to rebuild: Plaguecrafter forces an edict the turn before Rankle lands, and Chainwhirler wipes out token swarms and mana dorks that would otherwise chump-block your attackers.
- Judith, the Scourge Diva, Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor, and Light Up the Stage reward attacking with many small bodies, turning disposable tokens from Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin and Legion Warboss into damage and card advantage.
- Hand disruption (Thoughtseize, Inquisition of Kozilek, Duress, Kitesail Freebooter) plus Rankle clears the way for your attackers and strips sweepers before they can be cast.
Keep hands with 2-4 lands, a turn-one or turn-two play, and at least one piece of disruption or removal. Mulligan any hand with fewer than two lands or more than five. A hand that curves Knight of the Ebon Legion into a removal spell and Rankle on turn four is ideal.
Early: Deploy one-drop threats such as Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Monastery Swiftspear, and Knight of the Ebon Legion, then use cheap removal and hand attack to keep the board clear and the opponent off balance. Mid: Land Rankle, Master of Pranks and attack every turn to force discards and sacrifices, backing it up with Kroxa, Judith, and Gix to keep pressure high and refill your hand. Late: Close with Hazoret the Fervent, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, Ob Nixilis, the Adversary, Liliana, Dreadhorde General, or a big Kolaghan's Command / Angrath's Rampage turn. Lavaclaw Reaches, Den of the Bugbear, Hive of the Eye Tyrant, and Ramunap Ruins act as extra threats.
- Heavy lifegain and large blockers can stall the ground assault; rely on Rankle's flying and direct burn to finish.
- Board wipes are the biggest problem. Hold a threat in hand and use hand disruption to strip sweepers before committing.
- The deck can run out of gas if it floods; Castle Locthwain and Sign in Blood help, but you must pressure quickly.
- Several utility lands tap for colorless, so pay attention to your colored sources when keeping a two-land hand.
| Type | Rarity | Card Name | Mana |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creatures (31) | Rare | Bloodsoaked Champion | |
| Rare | Bomat Courier | ||
| Mythic Rare | Dauthi Voidwalker | ||
| Rare | Dreadhorde Butcher | ||
| Common | Fanatical Firebrand | ||
| Mythic Rare | Fury | ||
| Mythic Rare | Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor | ||
| Rare | Glint-Horn Buccaneer | ||
| Rare | Goblin Chainwhirler | ||
| Mythic Rare | Grief | ||
| Rare | Grim Lavamancer | ||
| Rare | Gutterbones | ||
| Mythic Rare | Hazoret the Fervent | ||
| Rare | Judith, the Scourge Diva | ||
| Uncommon | Kitesail Freebooter | ||
| Rare | Knight of the Ebon Legion | ||
| Rare | Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin | ||
| Mythic Rare | Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger | ||
| Rare | Legion Warboss | ||
| Uncommon | Monastery Swiftspear | ||
| Mythic Rare | Orcish Bowmasters | ||
| Uncommon | Plaguecrafter | ||
| Mythic Rare | Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer | ||
| Mythic Rare | Rankle, Master of Pranks | ||
| Mythic Rare | Robber of the Rich | ||
| Rare | Scrapheap Scrounger | ||
| Mythic Rare | Sheoldred, the Apocalypse | ||
| Rare | Soul-Scar Mage | ||
| Rare | Squee, Dubious Monarch | ||
| Mythic Rare | Urabrask, Heretic Praetor | ||
| Common | Voldaren Epicure | ||
| Planeswalkers (5) | Rare | Chandra, Acolyte of Flame | |
| Mythic Rare | Chandra, Torch of Defiance | ||
| Mythic Rare | Liliana of the Veil | ||
| Mythic Rare | Liliana, Dreadhorde General | ||
| Mythic Rare | Ob Nixilis, the Adversary | ||
| Instants (16) | Uncommon | Abrade | |
| Rare | Bedevil | ||
| Uncommon | Cathartic Pyre | ||
| Uncommon | Cut Down | ||
| Common | Deadly Dispute | ||
| Uncommon | Fatal Push | ||
| Uncommon | Heartless Act | ||
| Rare | Kolaghan's Command | ||
| Uncommon | Lightning Bolt | ||
| Common | Lightning Strike | ||
| Uncommon | Play with Fire | ||
| Uncommon | Reckless Rage | ||
| Common | Shock | ||
| Mythic Rare | Terminate | ||
| Common | Unholy Heat | ||
| Common | Village Rites | ||
| Sorceries (11) | Uncommon | Angrath's Rampage | |
| Uncommon | Bloodchief's Thirst | ||
| Common | Bone Shards | ||
| Uncommon | Claim the Firstborn | ||
| Common | Dreadbore | ||
| Common | Duress | ||
| Rare | Inquisition of Kozilek | ||
| Uncommon | Light Up the Stage | ||
| Common | Night's Whisper | ||
| Rare | Sign in Blood | ||
| Rare | Thoughtseize | ||
| Lands (37) | Rare | Blackcleave Cliffs | |
| Rare | Blood Crypt | ||
| Basic Land | Bloodfell Caves | ||
| Rare | Canyon Slough | ||
| Rare | Castle Embereth | ||
| Rare | Castle Locthwain | ||
| Common | Command Tower | ||
| Rare | Den of the Bugbear | ||
| Rare | Dragonskull Summit | ||
| Rare | Fabled Passage | ||
| Uncommon | Field of Ruin | ||
| Rare | Haunted Ridge | ||
| Rare | Hive of the Eye Tyrant | ||
| Uncommon | Ifnir Deadlands | ||
| Rare | Lavaclaw Reaches | ||
| Mythic Rare | Mana Confluence | ||
| Uncommon | Memorial to Folly | ||
| Basic Land | Mountain | ||
| Rare | Plaza of Heroes | ||
| Common | Radiant Fountain | ||
| Common | Rakdos Guildgate | ||
| Uncommon | Ramunap Ruins | ||
| Rare | Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance | ||
| Rare | Sulfurous Springs | ||
| Basic Land | Swamp | ||
| Rare | Takenuma, Abandoned Mire | ||
| Rare | Temple of Malice |