MTG Warhammer 40k EDH Deck: Tyranid Swarm
The Warhammer 40k Commander decks for Magic the Gathering recently released to an eager audience. The decks offer a glimpse into the Universes Beyond concept, with unique, thematic art for reprints and interesting new cards.
The Tyranid Swarm is a +1/+1 counters deck with a token creature subtheme. It also features several creatures with X casting cost. As is, the deck is straight forward: Play creatures, make them big, then stomp over opponents. The default commander, The Swarmlord, complements this idea by not only getting 2 +1/+1 counters for each time it’s cast from the command zone, but also draws a card any time a creature you control with a counter on it dies.
Magus Lucea Kane encourages the use of spells or abilities with X in the cost. While it is a subtheme of the deck, cards like Fireball of any of the green Hydras would work better. Genestealer Patriarch can be a good way to copy opponent’s creatures while still keeping everything in the Tyranid tribe. Tyrant Guard is an interesting card. It uses the Ravenous keyword, but the Shieldwall ability has wide applications that make it useful in almost any green deck.
Likewise, Biophagus taps for any color, and if the mana pays to cast a creature, that creature gets a +1/+1 counter. It is rather cheap too, so I expect to see this card in most decks running green. The Red Terror could make an interesting mono-red commander, with each instance of damage from a red source giving it a +1/+1 counter. Atalan Jackal is very decently priced that searches for a basic land then puts it into play tapped whenever it deals combat damage. As it has both trample and haste, it should be able to get at least 1 land into play, but it is likely to become a priority target, which can also be useful. Tyranid Prime has Evolve and gives every creature you control Evolve as well, making it pair nicely with Simic Ascendancy.
Bone Sabres is an equipment that gives the equipped creature 4 +1/+1 counters whenever it attacks. Any green deck that wants counters will love this card. As this deck is heavily tribal, Icon of Ancestry and Herald’s Horn are welcome inclusions. Hardened Scales and Bred for the Hunt are also great in this deck and have applications in other builds.
Like almost all pre-constructed commander decks, the land base fails to impress. Ugrading the lands should be your first step. Simic Ascendancy would work well in this deck as a secondary win condition, and The Ozolith is almost a requirement. Mowu, Loyal Hound may work if tribal themes aren’t important.
Overall, like most of the recent precon decks, this is a solid base to build on. There are also several cards that will work great for other commanders. For a chance to win this deck, along with BCW accessories, check out this Tweet.