[Deck] The Rat Pack

[B.C.]

This post has been modified into an updated primer due to the recent increased popularity and success of this deck. First, let me acknowledge that the original concept for this deck came from Vroman, who developed it as an exceedingly entertaining casual deck. The basic concept was to play a bunch of hand disruption/creature kill guys with comes-into-play abilities. These creatures could then be bounced back to hand with ninjas and replayed. Ultimately, Balthor will come into play and overwhelm your opponent by returning all your dudes from the yard, nuking their hand and their board, then swing for the win. This is a control deck, not an aggro deck, despite packing a large number of creatures. There is no draw engine to speak of, but the deck creates what I like to call "virtual card advantage" by fully utilizing creature cards in the graveyard.

The Rat Pack




Current list:

// Lands
3 [TSP] Swarmyard
17 [UNH] Swamp

// Creatures
4 [LRW] Shriekmaw
4 [JU] Balthor the Defiled
4 [BOK] Skullsnatcher
4 [DS] Chittering Rats
3 [VI] Crypt Rats
3 [ALA] Fleshbag Marauder
2 [EVE] Creakwood Liege
4 [IN] Ravenous Rats

// Spells
2 [BOK] Umezawa's Jitte
4 [DS] AEther Vial
4 [LRW] Thoughtseize
1 [EX] Recurring Nightmare
1 [DS] Sword of Light and Shadow

// Sideboard
SB: 2 [OD] Innocent Blood
SB: 1 [RAV] Darkblast
SB: 2 [UL] Engineered Plague
SB: 3 [10E] Pithing Needle
SB: 4 [FE] Hymn to Tourach (1)
SB: 3 [PLC] Extirpate

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Card explanations:
The deck mostly consists of 3- and 4-ofs with a few exceptions. The cards that are 1- or 2-ofs fill a redundant roll (e.g. Recurring Nightmare and SoLS are the 5th and 6th graveyard recursion cards after the 4-of Balthor). Therefore having these 1- and 2-of cards makes sense even though the deck has no tutors or draw engine.

Mana Base:
Basic Swamps + Swarmyard - 20 lands total seems to be the consensus, although people have played with less. This deck does not run Wastelands because a lot of black mana is essential especially for Balthor and Crypt Rats. Swarmyard is a very strong card that combos with Crypt Rats and can give you an infinite Tarmogoyf blocker, etc.

Discard Spells:
Thoughtseize is my spell of choice, although Cabal Therapy is also commonly played. Thougtseize is a stronger turn 1 play. Cabal Therapy can be flashed back easily and has the potential to hit many cards. It’s a personal preference.

Hand Disruption Creatures:
Ravenous Rats and Chittering Rats - Neither is particularly strong on its own, but when combined with the rest of this deck they become quite threatening.

Graveyard Recursion:
Balthor – Obviously broken. He is the inspiration for the deck and the main graveyard recursion engine. I will always play 4, although some people have dropped to 3.
Recurring Nightmare - Extremely strong card, as it can recur Shriekmaw or Fleshbag Marauder every turn, or even create a hard lock with Chittering Rats (Rats + 6 mana or 2 Rats + 3 mana = Chittering Rat every turn).
Sword of Light and Shadow - Brings creatures back to your hand as well as creating combat advantage. Has great synergy with Crypt Rats since it can bring back dudes you may have lost to Crypt Rat damage, and it also gains you some life back. Basically makes Crypt Rats one-sided.

Creature Removal:
Shriekmaw - Targeted removal that can be recurred with Balthor or Nightmare.
Fleshbag Marauder - Can hit untargetable creatures or pro-black creatures or whatever and can also be recurred.
Crypt Rats - Great mass removal, and is a combo with Swarmyard. Crypt Rats can also be used for direct damage or to force game draws out of unwinnable situations.

Graveyard Disruption:
Skullsnatcher - Gets red and black creatures out of the opponent’s graveyard, and also Ninjas CIP creatures back to your hand.

Other:
Jitte - The best combat card ever printed.
Creakwood Liege - A great token generator. Bitterblossom has also seen some play, but it can be destroyed with EE for 2, and the damage from BB can make a big difference sometimes.
Aether Vial: Absolutely essential to this deck, especially when only running 20 mana sources. No discussion necessary.


Previous Inclusions:
Bone Shredder – Does essentially the same thing as Shriekmaw but for 1 more mana. Was a little bit overkill, and was cut for non-targeted removal.
Throat Slitter – Another removal guy. He was good because he was another way to Ninja guys back to your hand. He could also kill artifact creatures. Ended up being very clunky at its mana cost, and was worse than useless in some situations. Fleshbag Marauder has pretty much replaced him at this point.
Street Wraith – Still a potentially awesome inclusion. He cycles for 0 mana, and can come back with a Balthor activation. 3/4 Swampwalker is pretty nuts against most decks.
Dark Ritual/Chrome Mox – Potentially good mana acceleration. Haven’t seen much play lately because powering out 3cc creatures on turn 1 isn’t that explosive of a play. Slow, steady mana base has proven to be sufficient.
Skull Collector – Another potential recursion engine and combo with Chittering Rats/Aether Vial. Much like Throat Slitter, however, he is worse than useless in some situations.
Stinkweed Imp – Good creature to keep the opponent from attacking. Doesn’t usually kill anything, though. Also dredges, which is kinda good.
Phyrexian Rager – Draws you a card when it CIP. Doesn’t do much.


Sideboard:
Innocent Blood/Darkblast – These are included primarily to stop turn 1 Goblin Lackey, which can be devastating. Still useful later in the game as well.
Engineered Plague – Goblins, Elves, Merfolk. Nuff said.
Pithing Needle – Versatile card, useful against many different decks for many different purposes.
Hymn to Tourach – This deck has a LOT of trouble against Tendrils combo. Hymn to Tourach is really the best chance there is to stay in the game, although even that is not usually enough.
Extirpate – More graveyard hate. Obviously useful against Ichorid or Loam decks, but also useful against Tendrils Combo, whereas Tormod’s Crypt is largely ignored by combo.

Other possible sideboard cards:
Tormod’s Crypt/Relic of Progenitus/Offalsnout/Faerie Macabre – More graveyard hate.
Perish/Nature’s Ruin – Got a problem with green creatures? Here’s your answer.
Thorn of Amethyst/Chalice of the Void – Possible anti-combo cards.
Chains of Mephistopheles – Answer for Enchantress/blue decks.


Matchup Analysis:

Favorable Matchups-
Merfolk: Should be a very favorable matchup unless they have a very strong starting hand. Creature removal (particularly Crypt Rats) should keep them from getting too far. Balthor is completely 1-sided in this matchup too.

Threshold/Blue Tempo Decks: Most of the time you play more creature kill than they play creatures. Counterbalance is almost completely ignorable, since the majority of our creatures cost 3-5 mana.

Random Aggro: The amount of creature kill you have in addition to your equipment and recursion are very hard to keep up with. Enemy Jitte can pose a serious problem.

Landstill: Humility can obviously be a problem, and Elspeth can be tough. Preboard you have some dead cards, but you should have more than enough good stuff in your board to swap out all the creature kill. Crypt Rats and Pithing Needle should be enough to handle Mishra's Factories.

Goblins: First turn Lackey preboard is very hard to beat, but if you survive the early turns you should be able to turn it around. Multiple Ringleaders can provide too much card advantage to keep up with, but as long as they draw only one card a turn, it's quite easy to kill everything before it hurts you. Balthor can be a liability unless you also get a Skullsnatcher going.

Dragon Stompy: Similar to Goblins, except that they run way fewer creatures. Moon effects are worthless. Chalice and Trinisphere are ignorable. Should be an auto-win.

Elves: Crypt Rats is the nuts. Engineered Plague is a backbreaker too. They could always just go off in your face, though.


Even/Unfavorable Matchups:
Aggro Loam: This matchup is fairly even, but can be very tough. They have a lot of relevant mass removal such as Firespout, Devastating Dreams, Seismic Assault, Jund Charm, etc.

Lands: Recurring Factories, Tabernacle, Maze, B-Ring, etc. Can be really tough.

Tendrils Combo: Preboard half your deck is dead. Postboard you get some chance to actually interact. If you’re lucky you can make it tough for them, but for the most part you are going to get blown out.

Affinity: The creatures are too fast, too big and mostly immune to your removal.

Enchantress: The perfect opportunity to curl up and cry.

Ichorid: This one can also be pretty even, depending on how much hate you draw. Skullsnatcher can shine in this matchup. Crypt Rats are huge. Extirpate out of the board can be the MVP if you play it right. I would still call the matchup unfavorable, though.



Thanks to Marit for pretty much raising this deck from the dead by Top 4ing with it in the MTG Salvation tournament. Also thanks to Sisyphos for writing a pretty good matchup analysis that I pretty much just stole for this primer. Finally, thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread and to those that have taken this deck to tournaments and done well, especially Sisyphos and pcccp.

Any ideas/suggestions for this primer are greatly appreciated and thanks for reading.