Premodern Terrageddon Deck Guide (2026)
Premodern Terrageddon is a green-white creature deck with a red splash: Wasteland squeezes the mana, Armageddon wipes the lands and Terravore eats them. Cheap, resilient creatures and Rishadan Port set it up, and Armageddon lands when losing every land hurts the opponent far more than it hurts you. It is not the same deck as Oath of Druids, even though both play Terravore and Mox Diamond: Oath Ponza runs about four creatures and a prison, Terrageddon runs a dozen and attacks from turn two. The reference list won Nacional Premodern Brasil 2026 with 225 players, and the exact same 75 also won the MTGO Premodern Challenge of August 4. Terrageddon stayed below 5 percent of the MTGTop8 lists every month from January to August 2026, then rose to about 7 percent in September and 8 percent in October (lists up to October 20), just behind Enchantress and Stiflenought. The second common build, about three in ten lists, plays Wild Mongrel, usually with Earthquake or Pyroclasm in the main deck; Michal Smutný won the 185-player Czech Premodern Nationals with it on September 26, 2026.
How the deck wins
- Your board has to keep working without lands: Nimble Mongoose has shroud, Werebear taps for mana even with no lands, Call of the Herd makes two 3/3s from one card, and Mox Diamond turns a spare land into a mana source no land destruction can touch. It makes a turn-two Terravore possible and a turn-three or turn-four Armageddon realistic. In the second common build, Wild Mongrel takes the place of Nimble Mongoose and often of Werebear too: every land card you discard to it grows Terravore. In either build, about three in ten lists play one City of Traitors, which taps for two colorless mana until you play another land. A third of lists add one or two Anurid Brushhopper, a 3/4 that survives Pyroclasm; discarding two cards, ideally spare lands for Terravore, exiles it until the next end step, out of reach of removal and sweepers.
- Wasteland destroys Serra's Sanctum, Gaea's Cradle, the Urza lands, Mishra's Factory and the painlands of three-color decks, and puts two land cards into graveyards at once. Rishadan Port used in the opponent's upkeep keeps that land tapped through their turn and through yours, so it cannot pay for a response to Armageddon either.
- A simple example of an Armageddon turn from a board lead: a cracked Windswept Heath, a land discarded to Mox Diamond and a Wasteland on their nonbasic land make Terravore a 4/4. Armageddon with three lands on each side turns it into a 10/10 trampler, and your graveyard now holds seven cards (the Heath, the discarded land, the Wasteland, your three lands and Armageddon itself), so Mongoose and Werebear have threshold. After that, Weathered Wayfarer finds you a land whenever they have more lands than you, so you keep pace with their topdecks.
Core cards
- 4 Terravore
- 4 Armageddon
- 4 Mox Diamond
- 4 Swords to Plowshares
- 4 Sylvan Library
- 3 Nimble Mongoose
- 3 Weathered Wayfarer
- 3 Call of the Herd
- 2 Werebear
- 2 Naturalize
- 1 Disenchant
- 4 Wasteland
- 4 Windswept Heath
- 3 Gemstone Mine
- 2 Rishadan Port
- 2 Treetop Village
- 1 Karplusan Forest
- 1 Rith's Grove
- 1 Battlefield Forge
- 1 Secluded Steppe
- 2 Forest
- 2 Plains
Key cards
- Terravore: A three-mana trampler whose power and toughness equal the number of land cards in all graveyards: fetchlands on both sides, Wasteland, lands discarded to Mox Diamond, cycled lands and every land Armageddon destroys. It shrinks when lands leave graveyards, so count Tormod's Crypt, Withered Wretch, Psychatog, Grim Lavamancer and Phyrexian Furnace before you attack. Its mana value is three, so Smother and Pernicious Deed for three kill it at any size.
- Armageddon: It destroys all lands, including manlands such as your own Treetop Village. Cast it when your board is ahead and your threats need no more mana. Cast from behind, or against a deck like Elves whose mana creatures keep working without lands, it hurts you more than them.
- Mox Diamond: Acceleration into a turn-two Terravore, mana in any color that survives Armageddon, and graveyard fuel through the discarded land. It is still a spell: Daze and Mana Leak can counter it, and casting it breaks Standstill.
- Nimble Mongoose: A one-drop with shroud that Swords to Plowshares, Smother, Lightning Bolt, Fire // Ice, Goblin Sharpshooter and Parallax Wave cannot touch. It becomes a 3/3 with threshold, which Armageddon usually provides on the spot. Shroud does not stop Pyroclasm, Pernicious Deed, Powder Keg or edicts.
- Werebear: A mana creature that becomes a 4/4 with threshold and keeps tapping for green when every land is gone. It cannot tap for mana the turn it comes down, so a Werebear cast a turn early can help pay for Armageddon, while one cast in the same turn taps for mana from your next turn on. Cursed Totem shuts off its mana ability.
- Weathered Wayfarer: Finds any land, but only while an opponent controls more lands than you: on the draw during their turn, after you discard a land to Mox Diamond, or after Armageddon once they have played more lands than you. Wasteland does not change the count, since it costs each of you a land, and after Armageddon Mox Diamond is usually what pays its {W}. Point it at Wasteland against Serra's Sanctum, Rishadan Port against control, or a basic after Armageddon.
- Wasteland: It denies mana and grows Terravore. Use it before Armageddon: it squeezes their mana in the turns before, and the Wasteland and its target count for Terravore either way. Against mostly basic lands it is the best card to discard to Mox Diamond.
- Sylvan Library: Free card selection every turn, plus two extra cards for 4 life each when a card is worth it. Against Sligh and Burn, stop paying life or side it out.
- Earthquake: Usually one copy, most often in the Wild Mongrel build. It deals X damage to each creature without flying and each player, so with X = 2 it clears most of Goblins, Elves and Sligh, while Terravore and Elephant tokens usually survive it. It also hits your own Weathered Wayfarer, a Mongoose or Werebear without threshold, and your life total; discard to Wild Mongrel in response to keep it alive.
- Wild Mongrel: The two-drop of the second build and of Michal Smutný's Czech Nationals list. Discard a card: it gets +1/+1 and becomes the color of your choice until end of turn. Spare lands become damage and Terravore power, a discarded Call of the Herd can still be cast with flashback, and turning black in response leaves Snuff Out without a legal target.
Mulligan guide
Keep
- Two to four lands with a green source, at least one early threat and a plan for turns two to four: Windswept Heath, Forest, Wasteland, Nimble Mongoose, Terravore, Swords to Plowshares, Sylvan Library is a typical keep.
- Two lands plus Mox Diamond with a land to discard, a threat and Armageddon: Plains, Gemstone Mine, an extra land, Mox Diamond, Weathered Wayfarer, Terravore, Armageddon.
- Against control, a hand with Treetop Village, Rishadan Port, Werebear and Call of the Herd. Against Enchantress or Replenish, three lands, Mongoose, Werebear and Naturalize.
Ship
- One land without Mox Diamond, and Mox Diamond plus a single land, where playing the land and powering the Mox compete for the same card.
- Armageddon and lands without a creature: Armageddon without a board is a symmetrical reset that usually favors the opponent's topdecks.
- Only colorless lands such as Wasteland plus Rishadan Port with green and white spells, only white sources with Terravore and Call of the Herd, or six lands and one spell.
When you mulligan, put Armageddon and extra copies of Sylvan Library on the bottom before creatures and lands. Against aggro decks, a hand with Terravore, Mongoose and Swords is better than a hand with Armageddon.
Play tips and sequencing
- Your role depends on the opponent. Against Landstill, Replenish, Enchantress and Tron you are the aggressor; against Goblins, Elves, Sligh and Zoo you start as the control deck and cast Armageddon only once your board is clearly bigger.
- Deploy creatures first, then deny mana, then cast Armageddon. Before casting it, ask: do I have more power on the table, what survives (Mox Diamond, Werebear and your creatures do, Treetop Village does not), and what does my hand do without lands?
- Before Armageddon, plan around their response: Gush and Daze cast in response save the opponent's Islands, Abeyance stops the sorcery for a turn, and Sacred Ground returns their destroyed lands. Rishadan Port in their upkeep keeps one of their lands tapped through your turn, which helps against Abeyance or a counter that needs mana, though not against the free Gush and Daze.
- Against most decks crack Windswept Heath early, since it grows Terravore and moves you toward threshold. Against Stiflenought crack it on turn one or while they are tapped out, because Stifle on the activation costs you a land.
- Discard the least useful land to Mox Diamond: a Wasteland with no targets, a second Rishadan Port, or a land that enters tapped when you need mana now. Keep basics and colored sources for the game after Armageddon.
- Cast Call of the Herd early. From your hand it is a three-mana 3/3, but the flashback costs four and is often out of reach after Armageddon. Against Parallax Wave, remember that Elephant tokens never come back.
- Against Pernicious Deed, Wrath of God, Pyroclasm and Perish, two threats are usually enough, so keep the third creature in hand and make them use the sweeper on a smaller board.
- Secluded Steppe and the other cycling lands are Terravore fuel: cycle them when you do not need the land drop, since every cycled land is one more point of power. A Lair such as Rith's Grove played before Armageddon returns a land to your hand, where it is safe from Armageddon, to play on your next turn.
Matchups
- Stiflenought (unfavorable): Phyrexian Dreadnought outsizes Terravore while fewer than 12 lands are in the graveyards, Daze and Gush cost no mana and can save Islands from Armageddon, an all-Island mana base gives Wasteland no targets, and Stifle counters your fetchland and Rishadan Port activations. Pressure early and keep Swords to Plowshares or Naturalize for Dreadnought when they cannot pay for Vision Charm. Their Powder Keg, in most main decks, destroys Mox Diamond on zero counters and Nimble Mongoose on one. Expect Back to Basics on your nonbasic lands after boarding. MTGDecks: 41 percent over 193 matches.
- Goblins (favorable): Terravore and Elephant tokens outsize almost every Goblin, Nimble Mongoose cannot be targeted by Sharpshooter, Siege-Gang or Gempalm Incinerator, and a late Armageddon strands Ringleader and Siege-Gang. Watch out for their own Port and Wasteland and a fast Lackey start. About a third of lists already have Earthquake or Pyroclasm in game one. MTGDecks: 73 percent over 125 matches.
- Sligh (slightly favorable): Terravore and Call of the Herd block Jackal Pup and Grim Lavamancer, and Armageddon turns off Fireblast's free mode and Cursed Scroll. The danger is your own life: fetchlands, painlands, Sylvan Library and 21 nonbasic lands against Price of Progress, which three in four lists play in the main deck or sideboard. Fetch basics early, and expect Overload after boarding for Mox Diamond and Zuran Orb. MTGDecks: 57 percent over 118 matches.
- Enchantress (favorable): Wasteland on Serra's Sanctum takes away their biggest mana source, Armageddon takes the Wild Growth mana with the lands, and maindeck Naturalize and Disenchant answer Solitary Confinement, Parallax Wave and Sterling Grove. Destroy Sterling Grove first, since it gives their other enchantments shroud. Elephant Grass, in about half of their main decks, makes each of your attackers cost {2}, though after Armageddon they usually cannot pay its cumulative upkeep. Their Swords to Plowshares, in nearly all main decks, goes to Terravore. Expect Sacred Ground after boarding. MTGDecks: 62 percent over 129 matches.
- Landstill (favorable): Standstill, Mishra's Factory, Decree of Justice and their counterspells all need lands, so Wasteland on Mishra's Factory, Port in their upkeep and an Armageddon after two threats usually end it. Deploy threats before Standstill, attack with Treetop Village once it is down, and answer Humility with Naturalize. Wrath of God punishes a third threat, Powder Keg destroys Mox Diamond and Elephant tokens on zero counters and Mongoose and Wayfarer on one, and about half of their lists play Exalted Angel in the main deck. After boarding, Teferi's Response counters a Wasteland or Rishadan Port activation. MTGDecks: 76 percent over 75 matches.
- Mono Black (even): Duress and Cabal Therapy take Armageddon. Smother and Snuff Out kill everything but Mongoose, though Wild Mongrel can turn black against Snuff Out, and Diabolic Edict gets around Mongoose's shroud. Withered Wretch exiles land cards, which shrinks Terravore and delays threshold. Terravore usually outgrows their creatures, and Armageddon from a board lead punishes Dark Ritual draws and leaves Nantuko Shade without Swamps to pump it. Gloom and Dystopia come in after boarding. MTGDecks: 50 percent over 107 matches.
- Replenish (even): Parallax Wave exiles tokens forever but cannot target Mongoose, Opalescence plus Replenish makes a wall at once, and Abeyance can stop the Armageddon turn. Decree of Silence, in nearly all of their lists, can be cycled to counter Armageddon, and once Replenish puts it onto the battlefield it counters your next three spells. Your maindeck enchantment removal is live and Armageddon before four mana delays both combo pieces. MTGDecks: 49 percent over 81 matches.
- Oath of Druids (slightly favorable): Both decks fight over mana and both play Terravore, so the Terravores are always the same size. While you control more creatures than they do, Oath of Druids lets them put the first creature card from their library onto the battlefield in each of their upkeeps, so destroy it with Naturalize or Disenchant before you add to your board. With Oath gone, Armageddon is excellent, since their other threats are mostly manlands and a Terravore no bigger than yours. MTGDecks: 57 percent over 56 matches.
- Psychatog (slightly unfavorable): Their Counterspell, Foil and Duress fight Armageddon and Terravore, Gush cast in response to Armageddon saves two of their Islands, and Psychatog exiling the land cards in their graveyard shrinks Terravore, which their Smother kills at any size. Swords to Plowshares answers Psychatog, Nimble Mongoose has shroud, Call of the Herd comes back by flashback, and Wasteland and Rishadan Port go after Underground River and their Islands. After boarding bring Red Elemental Blast and Pyroblast, which destroy Psychatog, Cursed Totem, which stops its pumps, and Tormod's Crypt. MTGDecks: 43 percent over 44 matches.
- The Rock (favorable): Pernicious Deed is the card to play around: casting it and activating it for three or more both take mana, so Armageddon, Wasteland and Port weaken it, though a Deed already on the battlefield can still destroy Mox Diamond and Elephant tokens for zero. Duress and Cabal Therapy, in nearly all of their lists, take Armageddon. Do not overextend into Deed: two threats and an Armageddon usually beat a two-color mana base with Llanowar Wastes and Treetop Village. MTGDecks: 64 percent over 45 matches.
- Elves (unfavorable): Armageddon does not stop mana creatures: Llanowar Elves and Priest of Titania keep producing mana after it resolves, and Deranged Hermit's Squirrels block Terravore, though it tramples over them. Save Wasteland for Gaea's Cradle. Pyroclasm and Cursed Totem help after boarding, but Masticore survives Pyroclasm, and Nantuko Vigilante and their sideboard Naturalize destroy Cursed Totem. Lists with Earthquake or Pyroclasm in the main deck have a sweeper in game one; Earthquake misses Birds of Paradise, which has flying. MTGDecks: 38 percent over 42 matches.
- UG Madness (slightly unfavorable): Wild Mongrel and Arrogant Wurm grow faster than your early board. Daze, in most of their lists, counters Armageddon unless you keep one mana open, and Circular Logic, in about half, asks you to pay {1} for each card in their graveyard. Wonder in their graveyard gives their creatures flying only while they control an Island, so Armageddon grounds them until they play another Island. After boarding, Red Elemental Blast and Pyroblast answer Circular Logic and Aquamoeba, and only Tormod's Crypt removes Wonder from their graveyard. MTGDecks (Madness): 50 percent over 30 matches.
- Deadguy Ale (favorable): Their answers are one-for-one, and when Gerrard's Verdict makes you discard, you choose the cards: lands grow Terravore but give them 3 life each. Armageddon is excellent against a deck that wants three and four mana for Exalted Angel and Phyrexian Arena on a two-color land base, and their Wasteland, in most lists, goes after your nonbasic lands. Withered Wretch is the card that shrinks Terravore. No meaningful match data.
- Reanimator (even): Reanimate and Exhume cost one and two mana, so Armageddon comes too late. Swords answers Akroma and Phantom Nishoba, Wasteland on City of Brass or Underground River slows the setup, and Tormod's Crypt is the key sideboard card. Limited data: 53 percent over 17 matches.
- Aluren (even): Aluren costs four mana, much of it from Yavimaya Coast, City of Brass, Havenwood Battleground and Reflecting Pool, all Wasteland targets, and Armageddon stops a hardcast Aluren. Once it resolves they can combo on the same turn, so use Swords to Plowshares on Soul Warden or Spike Feeder before Aluren resolves, and keep Aura of Silence and Naturalize for Aluren and Survival. Once Aluren is out, Swords on a loop creature and Naturalize on Aluren both work best while a Cavern Harpy spell is on the stack. At any other time they combo in response to Naturalize, and Harpy, returned to hand for 1 life and recast, returns a targeted Man-o'-War to their hand, while a recast Man-o'-War does the same for any other creature. Expect Tsabo's Web for your Rishadan Port. MTGDecks: 54 percent over 13 matches, limited data.
- Tron (favorable): No recent match data. Wasteland destroys an Urza land, Port taps them, and Armageddon resets a deck that needs seven mana. After boarding expect Teferi's Response and Sacred Ground, and Wrath of God and Masticore still punish a slow draw.
- Clerics (even): Dark Supplicant puts Scion of Darkness onto the battlefield without mana, so Armageddon does not stop their biggest threat, and Withered Wretch shrinks Terravore. After boarding Pyroclasm and Cursed Totem, which stops Dark Supplicant and Cabal Archon, come in, but while Rotlung Reanimator is on the battlefield every Cleric that Pyroclasm kills, Rotlung included, leaves a 2/2 Zombie. About half of their sideboards have Perish. Very limited data.
- The Solution (even): Meddling Mage can name Armageddon or Terravore, Exalted Angel and, in the red lists, Lightning Angel fly over your board, and Mother of Runes protects their creatures from Swords. Wasteland and Armageddon hit their three-color mana base hard, and burn cannot target Mongoose. Very limited data.
- Dromar Control (even): No recent match data. Meddling Mage, Shadowmage Infiltrator, Exalted Angel, Vindicate, Swords and counterspells make a grindy game, while three colors of mana make Wasteland, Port and Armageddon strong. Shadowmage has fear, so only a Wild Mongrel turned black can block it; otherwise race it.
- Zombies (even): No recent match data. Carnophage and Sarcomancy start fast, their Duress and Cabal Therapy go after Armageddon, Shepherd of Rot drains without attacking and Withered Wretch shrinks Terravore. Terravore walls the ground, and after boarding Pyroclasm sweeps their 2/2s while Cursed Totem stops Shepherd of Rot, Withered Wretch and Lord of the Undead's recursion. Expect Gloom and Dystopia.
- MUD (favorable): Every land they play is nonbasic, so Wasteland hits all 21, and your maindeck Naturalize, plus Disenchant in many lists, has targets. Nimble Mongoose has shroud against Triskelion and Fire // Ice, and their lands grow Terravore. Their artifact mana survives Armageddon, Ensnaring Bridge and Icy Manipulator hold off Terravore, and Phyrexian Furnace can exile land cards from graveyards; Pyroclasm comes in after boarding. Cursed Totem shuts off Goblin Welder. MTGDecks (Tinker Welder): 78 percent over 9 matches, very limited data.
- Full English Breakfast (slightly favorable): Wasteland, Rishadan Port and Armageddon hit a mana base of 22 nonbasic lands, and your maindeck Swords to Plowshares and Naturalize answer Hermit Druid and Survival of the Fittest. Cursed Totem, Tormod's Crypt and Aura of Silence come in after boarding, and Sylvan Library helps you draw them; expect Pyroclasm from them in return. MTGDecks: 55 percent over 33 matches.
- Stasis (slightly unfavorable): Your main-deck Naturalize destroys Stasis or Black Vise at instant speed, Wasteland on Forsaken City breaks their payment engine, and Rishadan Port taps their Island before their upkeep, so it cannot pay for Stasis. After boarding bring Red Elemental Blast, Pyroblast, Aura of Silence and Ray of Revelation, and expect Annul, Hydroblast, Cursed Totem and Chill, which makes your red spells cost {2} more. A freshly cast Mox Diamond gives you one more mana under the lock, unless Root Maze makes it enter tapped. MTGDecks: 42 percent over 45 matches.
- White Weenie (slightly favorable): Both decks want to cast Armageddon first; yours comes with Mox Diamond, Weathered Wayfarer and Sylvan Library to rebuild, and every land in a graveyard makes Terravore bigger. Nimble Mongoose has shroud against their Swords, and your Pyroclasm after boarding kills every creature they have with toughness 2 or less except Silver Knight and Soltari Priest. Expect Swords for Terravore, Reprisal after boarding in some lists, and their Armageddon only while Terravore is off the table. Very limited data: 67 percent over 6 matches.
- BW Control (favorable): Armageddon after two or three creatures decides most games against a deck that needs seven mana to cast Eternal Dragon and six or more for a useful Decree of Justice, and that has almost no early creatures of its own. Their Dust Bowl, cycling lands and Gerrard's Verdict put lands into graveyards for Terravore, Nimble Mongoose dodges Swords and Vindicate, and Wasteland hits Caves of Koilos. Respect Wrath of God: cast Armageddon with the board you have instead of rebuilding into a sweeper. Sacred Ground after boarding returns their lands. MTGDecks: 75 percent over 20 matches.
- Gro-a-Tog (favorable): Wasteland and Rishadan Port go after City of Brass and Gemstone Mine, their only sources of most colors, and Armageddon hurts a five-color mana base more than yours. Most of their lists play Armageddon too, which grows your Terravore. Nimble Mongoose dodges Swords and Fire // Ice, and Terravore outgrows Quirion Dryad. Cast Armageddon with a spare mana for Daze, and keep it away from Counterspell by baiting first. Limited data: 71 percent over 14 matches.
- Pit Rack (favorable): Terravore and a Nimble Mongoose or Werebear with threshold outsize Hypnotic Specter, and Armageddon after an early board usually ends the game. Their Smother and Snuff Out answer Terravore, while Diabolic Edict takes it only when it is your only creature. After boarding expect Dystopia, which takes a green or white permanent in each of your upkeeps, and in some lists Perish, which destroys every green creature. MTGDecks: 65 percent over 23 matches.
- Rebels (favorable): Armageddon after a creature or two wins most games, since every search needs mana. Their answers are Counterspell, Mana Leak and Meddling Mage, so cast it when they are tapped out, and let Wasteland and Rishadan Port slow them first. Defiant Vanguard destroys whatever it blocks, shroud or not, so expect to lose an attacker to it. No match data.
- Contamination (slightly favorable): Mox Diamond and Werebear are your way around Contamination: they make colored mana as an artifact and a creature, while your lands make only black once the enchantment is out. Their Rishadan Port and Wasteland fight yours, Smother kills Terravore, and Innocent Blood gets around Nimble Mongoose's shroud. Mox Diamond or Werebear pays the {G} for Naturalize, and Mox Diamond the {W} for Disenchant; destroying Contamination gives your lands their colors back. Limited data: 55 percent over 11 matches.
- Turbo Lands (favorable): Wasteland destroys Glacial Chasm, Rishadan Port taps their green source, and Armageddon destroys every land they have, Chasm included. Every land card they discard to Seismic Assault, sacrifice to Crop Rotation or lose to your Wasteland grows Terravore. Their Seismic Assault kills Weathered Wayfarer and an early Werebear but cannot target Nimble Mongoose, and Sacred Ground after boarding returns the lands you destroy. No match data.
- Fluctuator (even): Wasteland and Rishadan Port hit every land they own, since all of them are nonbasic, and Polluted Mire and Dromar's Cavern are their only black sources. Naturalize and Disenchant destroy Fluctuator, and every land they cycle grows your Terravore. Armageddon does not stop the cycling once Fluctuator is out, only the black mana for Songs of the Damned, so it works best before Fluctuator lands. No match data.
- RG Zoo (slightly unfavorable): Zoo starts like Sligh with green threats behind it: Jackal Pup, Mogg Fanatic, Grim Lavamancer, Quirion Dryad and Wild Mongrel come down early, Call of the Herd and Treetop Village make 3/3s, and Lightning Bolt and Incinerate kill Weathered Wayfarer, Werebear before threshold and a small Terravore, but not Nimble Mongoose. Their six or seven fetchlands grow Terravore, while Grim Lavamancer exiles two cards from their graveyard each time it shoots. Those fetchlands, Karplusan Forest and Sylvan Library also cost them life, and Armageddon hurts them less than it hurts slower decks, because most of their threats cost one or two mana. Pyroclasm after boarding kills Jackal Pup, Mogg Fanatic, Grim Lavamancer and a small Quirion Dryad; Elephants and Arrogant Wurm survive it, and so do Wild Mongrel and Basking Rootwalla if they can pump. MTGDecks: 41 percent over 41 matches.
Sideboard guide
- vs Stiflenought, Landstill and Stasis: Red Elemental Blast, Pyroblast, Aura of Silence, Ray of Revelation, Reprisal, Hidden Gibbons. In: Red Elemental Blast, Pyroblast and two Aura of Silence. Out against Stiflenought: three Armageddon and a Weathered Wayfarer, since free spells and Gush blunt it. Against Landstill, two Swords and two Weathered Wayfarer go instead, keeping two Swords for Mishra's Factory and Exalted Angel. Against Stasis, add Ray of Revelation and take out all four Swords plus an Armageddon. Aura of Silence taxes Powder Keg and Tsabo's Web and destroys Back to Basics. Two more options are common in lists since September: Reprisal, in almost half of the sideboards, destroys a creature with power 4 or greater at instant speed, Phyrexian Dreadnought included, and Hidden Gibbons, in a quarter, becomes a 4/4 Ape the first time an opponent casts an instant.
- vs Goblins, Elves, Clerics and Zombies: Pyroclasm, Cursed Totem, Zuran Orb. Against Goblins, in: four Pyroclasm and Zuran Orb; out: the two Naturalize, the Disenchant and the two Werebear. Against Elves, Clerics and Zombies, in: four Pyroclasm and two Cursed Totem; out: a Naturalize, the two Werebear and the three Weathered Wayfarer, since Pyroclasm and Cursed Totem both hurt those creatures. Cast Pyroclasm before deploying your own one-toughness creatures, or after Mongoose and Werebear have threshold.
- vs Sligh: Pyroclasm, Aura of Silence, Warmth, Zuran Orb, Circle of Protection: Red, Enlightened Tutor. In: two Pyroclasm, an Aura of Silence, Warmth and Zuran Orb. Out: all four Sylvan Library and a Naturalize, since paying 4 life per card speeds up their clock. Keep one Naturalize and the Disenchant for Cursed Scroll, Sulfuric Vortex and Pyrostatic Pillar. Circle of Protection: Red, in about four in ten sideboards, is the other common choice: for {1} it prevents the damage the next time a red source of your choice would deal damage to you this turn. Enlightened Tutor, in a third of sideboards, finds Zuran Orb, Warmth or the Circle and puts it on top of your library.
- vs Enchantress, Replenish, Oath of Druids and Aluren: Aura of Silence, Ray of Revelation, Naturalize, Pyroclasm. Against Enchantress, in: two Aura of Silence, Ray of Revelation, the third Naturalize and three Pyroclasm for Argothian Enchantress and small animated enchantments; out: the four Swords to Plowshares, which have few targets there, and the three Call of the Herd, since Parallax Wave exiles tokens for good. Against Replenish the same four enchantment answers come in without Pyroclasm, for the three Call of the Herd and a Weathered Wayfarer. Against Oath and Aluren they come in for the three Weathered Wayfarer and a Call of the Herd, and Swords to Plowshares stays for Oath's Terravore and Aluren's loop creatures. With fewer creatures you are less likely to control more than the Oath player, which their Oath needs.
- vs Psychatog, UG Madness and graveyard decks: Tormod's Crypt, Red Elemental Blast, Pyroblast, Cursed Totem. Red Elemental Blast and Pyroblast destroy Psychatog and counter Circular Logic, and Tormod's Crypt removes Wonder, which the Blasts cannot touch in the graveyard, or a Reanimator target. Point Crypt carefully: exiling land cards from a graveyard shrinks your own Terravore too. Against Psychatog, Cursed Totem also shuts off both of its pump abilities, and Werebear stays in: Totem turns off its mana, but with threshold it is still a 4/4.
Budget and upgrades
Typical cost: $1,340–$5,800. The reference 75 costs about $5,800 at the Premodern-era printings tracked here, and four Mox Diamond are about $4,470 of that, or 77 percent. Mox Diamond is on the Reserved List and has only one nonfoil printing. The rest of the deck costs about $1,330, and with tournament-legal modern reprints of Windswept Heath, Wasteland, Rishadan Port and Terravore it gets much cheaper still, if your organizer allows reprints.
- Cut the four Mox Diamond and add one Forest, one Plains, one Nimble Mongoose and one Werebear, which brings the 75 to about $1,340. You lose the turn-two Terravore and a mana source that survives Armageddon, but the deck still works: a little slower, and more dependent on threshold-ready creatures.
- Replace Rishadan Port with a basic land or Kor Haven, and Windswept Heath with Brushland. Both changes cost some Terravore growth or mana denial, so prefer reprints where your events allow them.
- Keep Armageddon, Terravore, Swords to Plowshares and Wasteland: Armageddon and Terravore are the plan, Swords is the only creature removal in the reference main deck, and Wasteland is both mana denial and Terravore fuel.
- Upgrade in this order: the creatures, Armageddon and Swords first, then Wasteland, Sylvan Library, Windswept Heath, Rishadan Port, Gemstone Mine and the painlands, then the red sideboard cards, and Mox Diamond last.
Every deck that costs under $500 with reprints is on our budget decks page, priced from a real tournament list.
