Arena Challenger by OctalPlains

Format: Commander

Commander: Maarika, Brutal Gladiator

Bracket: 3

DeckCheck Threat Index: 36

Deck overview

This deck is a Jund combat-control and Voltron strategy commanded by Maarika, Brutal Gladiator. The game plan revolves around accelerating Maarika onto the battlefield by Turn 4, then weaponizing its mandatory blocking clause and turn-bound indestructible keyword. By augmenting Maarika with deathtouch, damage multipliers, and trample, the deck turns every combat into a one-sided slaughter: defending creatures are destroyed through excess combat damage, which immediately triggers the sacrifice of opposing noncreature permanents. Massive power-based card draw spells such as Rishkar's Expertise and The Legend of Kyoshi convert Maarika's 7 base power into overflowing card advantage. The deck closes games through lethal commander damage, extra combats via Fury of the Horde, or an explosive Triumph of the Hordes overrun. Built-in protection and efficient hexproof spells keep the commander alive through opposing removal windows.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Alien Symbiosis
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Basilisk Collar
  • 1 Beamtown Beatstick
  • 1 Big Score
  • 1 Blackblade Reforged
  • 1 Blazemire Verge
  • 1 Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway
  • 1 Bloodline Recollector // Ancestral Craving
  • 1 Command Tower
  • 1 Crash Through
  • 1 Cruel Tutor
  • 1 Daily Bugle Building
  • 1 Dark Fortress
  • 1 Darkbore Pathway // Slitherbore Pathway
  • 1 Dauntless Scrapbot
  • 1 Deathcap Glade
  • 1 Decanter of Endless Water
  • 1 Decree of Pain
  • 1 Defend the Rider
  • 1 Delighted Halfling
  • 1 Exotic Orchard
  • 1 Fabled Passage
  • 1 Faithless Looting
  • 1 Fellwar Stone
  • 1 Fiendlash
  • 1 Fog
  • 6 Forest
  • 1 Fury of the Horde
  • 1 Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor
  • 1 Green Slime
  • 1 Grove of the Burnwillows
  • 1 Guild Artisan
  • 1 Haunted Ridge
  • 1 Hollowmurk Siege
  • 1 Impolite Entrance
  • 1 Inquisitor's Flail
  • 1 J. Jonah Jameson
  • 1 Karplusan Forest
  • 1 Kessig Wolf Run
  • 1 Kodama's Reach
  • 1 Lantern of the Lost
  • 1 Lifestream's Blessing
  • 1 Llanowar Wastes
  • 1 Luxury Suite
  • 1 Maarika, Brutal Gladiator
  • 1 Mjölnir, Hammer of Thor
  • 1 Morbid Opportunist
  • 1 Mosswort Bridge
  • 3 Mountain
  • 1 Nemesis Mask
  • 1 Obscuring Haze
  • 1 Overgrown Tomb
  • 1 Phyrexian Arena
  • 1 Phyrexian Obliterator
  • 1 Rampant Growth
  • 1 Redirect Lightning
  • 1 Requiem Monolith
  • 1 Revenge of the Hunted
  • 1 Rishkar's Expertise
  • 1 Rising of the Day
  • 1 Rockfall Vale
  • 1 Seize the Spoils
  • 1 Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
  • 1 Shelob, Dread Weaver
  • 1 Slaughter Specialist
  • 1 Smellerbee, Rebel Fighter
  • 1 Snake Umbra
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Stomping Ground
  • 1 Studious First-Year // Rampant Growth
  • 1 Sulfurous Springs
  • 4 Swamp
  • 1 Tempt with Vengeance
  • 1 The Endstone
  • 1 The Fire Nation Drill
  • 1 The Last Agni Kai
  • 1 The Legend of Kyoshi // Avatar Kyoshi
  • 1 Thornspire Verge
  • 1 Training Compound
  • 1 Triumph of the Hordes
  • 1 Tyvar's Stand
  • 1 Undergrowth Stadium
  • 1 Unexpected Windfall
  • 1 Vexing Bauble
  • 1 Wastewood Verge
  • 1 Xantcha, Sleeper Agent
  • 1 Zero Point Ballad
  • 1 Ziatora's Proving Ground
  • 1 Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus