Core 2013 - Repeat Performance

This deck is all about creatures, creatures, and more creatures. In fact the only two cards in your deck that aren't creatures or lands are sorceries that get creature cards out of your library! Most have enters-the-battlefield abilities that trigger spell-like effects, making the most of your resources. At the center of the fray is Roaring Primadox, a heavy-hitting 4/4 that causes you to pick up one of your creatures during your upkeep so that you can cast it again later in the turn.

On the first turn of the game, you want to cast Arbor Elf, Llanowar Elves, or Avacyn's Pilgrim. If you don't have one of those cards in your opening hand, you might want to mulligan. Having one of those creatures on the battlefield gives you the extra mana you need to get all of your other creatures onto the battlefield one turn sooner. Attended Knight and Blade Splicer each bring along a creature token when they enter the battlefield, and it's really bad news for your opponent when they come out on turn two.

From the third turn on, you should be attacking with a steady stream of creatures. Even Borderland Ranger is no slouch as an attacker, and the land it fetches from your library makes it relatively easy to curve into your four- and five-mana monsters. The biggest threat in your deck is Geist-Honored Monk, a creature with vigilance whose power and toughness are each equal to the number of creatures you control—and it brings two tokens with flying along with it. In a deck that's practically all creatures, Geist-Honored Monk can be game over.

Cast Lead the Stampede whenever you don't have any creatures you're excited to cast right now. It lets you look at the top five cards of your library and keep any creature cards you find there. You'll average close to three creatures each time you cast it. Green Sun's Zenith is a more precise tool; save it until you know exactly which creature you need to make life difficult for your opponent.

If your opponent has a lot of spot removal for your creatures, bring Cloudshift in from your sideboard after the first game. It's an inexpensive way to dodge the kill spell while also getting another use out of your creature's enter-the-battlefield ability. If you need to deal with enchantments, War Priest of Thune is a great choice, but Oblivion Ring gets the job done if you also need to deal with artifacts, planeswalkers, or particularly scary creatures. Kemba's Skyguard and Dismember solidify your defenses against aggressive decks.

When you're ready to customize your deck, start by deciding what your focus will be. Do you want to attack early and often with efficient creatures? Wolfir Silverheart from the Avacyn Restored set can turn any of your creatures into a game-winning threat. Do you want to have all the answers in your Primadox-powered toolbox? Look for the planeswalker Garruk Relentless in the Innistrad set. One of his abilities lets you sacrifice a creature to search your library for a creature card and put it into your hand.