#8 mana gets you a 16/16 trample with a bit of protection

[dravidious]

I think you're quite cool y'know

I have this maybe-not-exactly-fear of really big stuff. Like, the thought of a colossal Thing looming over me is like. idk. makes me uneasy? I don't know the feeling exactly but whatever it inspired a magic card. I sure hope tumblr doesn't make the image way bigger than it needs to be!

[mtg-brokentoken]

So You’re Making A [Auroch/Trilobite/Whatever] Deck?

Especially with @askkrenko‘s Guide to Creature Type articles, some of the lesser-loved creature types are getting some attention. Maybe one will catch your eye, or maybe you’ve just always had a soft spot for Ooze or something (Isn’t it all soft spots for Ooze?). The point is, some creatures just don’t have good tribal support on their own. And in those cases, there are ways you can make due. There are 38 cards (currently, as of 2/28/18) that don’t care what creature type you have, they’ll support it (39 if you include Coat of Arms, but that supports all creature types, which may be better for your opponent than you. Shared Animosity is similar but one-sided for 40th card, and Mana Echoes supports red Tribal for number 41. 42 is the answer to the question of life, the universe, and everything). And even if you do have a tribe that’s supportive, these cards might just take it to the next level. Like Belbe’s Portal and Werewolves.

1. Becomes the creature type, though it doesn’t count as it when not on the battlefield. Gives +1/+1, which is good for combat-style tribes or tribes that are frail and susceptible to ping/fight mechanics.

2. For 3 mana you can get a creature out from your hand. Helpful if you want to “Flash” in a creature, for getting out Werewolves out without casting spells, or for having really cheap Eldrazi. Or w/e.

3. Bloodline Shaman is nice in that you choose the creature type as part of the ability, so you can choose a different type each time. Why you would do that? Maybe you want a certain creature in the graveyard, but you have the top card of your library revealed. Otherwise just choose a creature type you don’t have in your deck if you want to move stuff into your graveyard. Mutant/Ninja/Turtle? Maybe something else. But it’s definitely best in a dedicated Tribal deck so if the card is a creature card you’ll be able to put it into your hand.

4. Like Adaptive Automaton, the Brass Herald gives +1/+1 to the type you choose, but Brass Herald does not become one. Unlike Adaptive Automaton, it can replace itself in your hand (up to 4 cards).

5. Caller of the Hunt has a little bit of an update, it’s a Human. That said, make sure when you play it that you choose a creature type you have out, or it will die to state-based actions (having 0 toughness). This one doesn’t actually support the other creatures, but has those creatures support it.

6. Cavern of Souls makes your chosen creature type uncounterable if you pay for it using the second ability. Pretty handy ability.

7. Coordinated Barrage has you choose a creature type and deal damage to an attack or blocking creature. A very white ability, but the choosing a creature type makes this very supportive of tribal decks. From a cycle with Luminescent Rain, Pack’s Disdain, and Distant Melody.

8. Cover of Darkness gives a creature type you choose Fear. Helpful if the deck you’re playing against isn’t black, especially, though still watch out for Artifact Creatures.

9. Distant Melody is from the same cycle as Coordinated Barrage, Luminescent Rain, and Pack’s Disdain, having you draw a card for each of that creature type you have. Works fairly well with The Locust God and Insects.

10. Doom Cannon turns your creatures into 3 damage for 3 mana.

11. Door of Destinies is great for any deck that does use creature cards. It won’t help a deck that’s entirely tokens or something (Like Saprolings, for instance) unless you find ways to trick the door, such as with Changelings or Arcane Adaptation/Conspiracy, or Energy Chamber. After you get the first counter, you can also use Proliferate, or in getting counters you could use Doubling Season. Doesn’t work as well with Belbe’s Portal or Quicksilver Amulet because you aren’t casting those creatures, so you don’t get a charge counter on Door of Destinies.

12. Elvish Soultiller will refill a library in a tribal deck. Helpful if you’re going against mill, or if there’s a certain card in your graveyard you want to draw, w/e.

13. Grave Sifter is pretty similar to Elvish Soultiller but is for all players and “any number” of those cards. Helps if there’s just one specific creature you want by not surrounding it by mediocre cards.

14. Harsh Mercy protects a tribal deck, but if you’re playing against other tribal decks it doesn’t do much. Can help make one player make a tough choice about keeping their tribe or something that supports/is supported by it. Like Caller of the Hunt, from earlier.

15. Making creatures cheaper is almost always a good thing, and getting a potential extra “draw” is good for most Tribal decks that are about creatures and tend to have a harder time with draw engines.

16. Kindred Boon: It’s hard to go wrong with Indestructible. Works well with cards that actually use divinity counters, and also Shifting Shadow, which came out in the same set. Odric, Lunarch Marshal can spread this from one creature to other creatures even if they don’t have the right type. (Odric doesn’t care who his “type” is.)

17. Kindred Charge makes copies of your creatures of a certain type. Maybe use it after you already tapped Krenko to double your creatures, then tap him to do it again. Works with other creature types as well, of course, but hard to find other options that work quite as well. Nacatl War-Pride is an option, but unless you have Sundial of the Infinite it probably won’t be doing much.

18. Kindred Discovery for card draw. Definitely helpful, potentially killer (especially with The Locust God or Zombies). Keep in mind it’s when it enters the battlefield or attacks. This also isn’t a “may” ability, so careful how you attack when your library gets low.

19. One-sided Wraths are almost never a bad thing. When you’re playing tribal and name your tribe, it means few things should remain for your opponents. Amoeboid Changeling can also do some spot removal of creature types. If you happen to be truly evil, though, you remove all creature types from your opponents creatures before casting this, (perhaps even naming the tribe they were using). Ego Erasure is best for this combo.

20. Kindred Summons works pretty well if you have a combination of Tokens on the field and Creature cards in your library. Maybe you have Eldrazi Spawn so you’ll get some high mana cost Eldrazi, or perhaps you just want to get out every Elf that was in your library. Because you reveal cards until you reveal one of the chosen type, this could also be used with something like Pawn of Ulamog to get Eldrazi Spawn tokens that reveal Emrakul/Ulamog/Kozilek. Just make sure you don’t have other Eldrazi in the deck and you can reliably get them every time. The best part is you can use the Spawns to get some extra mana to help you cast this.

21. Luminescent Rain. If I’m playing any tribe that includes green, this card is almost always included. Emphasis added if there are tokens. From the cycle with Coordinated Barrage, Pack’s Disdain, and Distant Melody.

22. Like Brass Herald or Adaptive Automaton, this helps a bit, but only when the creature enters the battlefield, not any creatures already on the battlefield. Like the Automaton but not the Herald, this becomes that creature type. Like Bramblewood Paragon, but doesn’t give Trample. Like Oona’s Blackguard but doesn’t make your opponent discard. Like Sage of Fables, but doesn’t let you draw. And yet it can work with each of them by starting to get counters sooner or putting counters on other creatures.

23. Mirror of the Forebears lets you copy whichever creature of yours is the best at that time until the end of turn. You probably don’t want to copy a legendary, but sometimes it’s worth it to use the tap ability again or something, or “replace” it when your opponent is about to Doom Blade it. Or maybe you just want the additional mana or +1/+1 from something like Elvish Archdruid. Whatever the case, this is a good way to “fill out” a Tribal deck.

24. Obelisk of Urd loves a good tribal deck. If you have enough creatures, it doesn’t cost any mana, and it gives your creatures +2/+2. Unlike Coat of Arms or Door of Destinies, it tops out at +2/+2, but it’s still hard to beat free (and unlike Door of Destinies, you’ll have an easier time with things like Saprolings).

25. Pack’s Disdain is part of the Coordinated Barrage, Distant Melody, and Luminescent Rain cycle. This one can kill a creature pretty reliably if you have enough creatures out.

26. Patriarch’s Bidding is in many ways the opposite of Harsh Mercy, yet they work so very well together. Harsh Mercy removes non-tribal creatures from the battlefield to clear the board, and Patriarch’s Bidding returns any of the creatures of a tribe each player chooses to the board.

27. Almost like a Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund but with a bit more work and in blue. Works fairly well with Amoeboid Changeling to take one creature, but if you use something like Shields of Velis Vel you could potentially take all of someone’s creatures if you outnumber them enough.

28. Another newer card, Pillar of Origins is a mana rock not limited by color, but by creature type. Especially helpful in spread-out, multicolor tribes, such as Slivers.

29. Radiant Blessing gives +1/+1 and, if you have City’s Blessing, Vigilance. Not bad for 3 mana.

30. Riptide Replicator may be just what you need, or a crazy addition for your deck. Because it uses charge counters, there’s a lot of ways to pump up the creature you’ll be getting. The art shows it making a Sliver, but as with the other cards in this article, it can be whatever you want it to be.

31. Riptide Shapeshifter. Sort of like a one-time use of Kindred Summoning, but does put a creature directly into the battlefield from your library. In some ways it leans away from Tribal (so you can know what you’re getting), but it can also be used in a Tribal deck.

32. The last of the Morningtide cycle, Roar of the Crowd deals damage to a creature or player based on how many creatures you have of a chosen type. Unlike Coordinated Barrage, they don’t need to be attacking or blocking.

33. Shared Triumph. +1/+1, but not with a creature. Maybe that makes it a little harder to get rid of though, right?

34. Steely Resolve grants one creature type Shroud, but that protects them from your spells/auras as well.

35. Like Pillar of Origins, Unclaimed Territory is able to tap for any color mana for creatures of one type. Unlike the Pillar, this is a land and can tap for mana for other things.

36. Urza’s Incubator is another card that only supports casting tribal cards, so no love for Saprolings or tokens, and doesn’t affect Belbe’s Portal or Quicksilver Amulet. But it does make your spells cheaper, which is rarely a bad thing.

37. Vanquisher’s Banner is yet another “Anthem” effect, like Brass Herald, Metallic Mimic, or Shared Triumph. Vanquisher’s banner also has you draw a card when you cast a creature of the chosen type, though.

38. Volrath’s Laboratory is a bit similar to Riptide Replicator, but is always a 2/2 that costs 5 mana. Typically that’s a steep price, but sometimes it’s worth it in a pinch. If you’re using this, you may want to look into token-doubling options so you get more for your mana. Helps in situations like Sacred Mesa.

And honorees that don’t quite make the list: