Pioneer: Atarka Gruul - Deck Tech & Sideboard Guide

Burning-Tree Emissary has been a card that players have been trying to break since Pioneer was first announced with its interaction with Reckless Bushwhacker, which allows for highly explosive damage-dealing turns in a go-wide deck. This strategy originally originated in Modern in an archetype known as “8-Whack,” and has been extensively tested over the years in the newer format.

The past year has been pivotal for this strategy: the abundance of high-quality red and green cards in sets like Outlaws of Thunder Junction has given Burning-Tree Emissary the ideal payoffs for the extra mana it generates through Aloe Alchemist and Cunning Coyote, making Atarka Gruul a competitive archetype in Pioneer!

Check out this article for the latest iteration of this deck!

This is basically the default Atarka Gruul list for the past few months, with no changes to the maindeck and only slight adjustments to the Sideboard numbers based on personal preference. As of this writing, it doesn't appear that any cards from Aetherdrift will be making it specifically to this version, although there are a few potential candidates.

Our plan here is simple: we want to pressure the opponent with a go wide strategy that sequences multiple spells in a turn, Burning-Tree Emissary is the heart of this list, and the entire second turn is made up of cards that we can take advantage of by using it first.

Maindeck

Although we have a Prowess subtheme with Monastery Swiftspear and Heartfire Hero, this deck doesn't really go into that theme and the one-drops are on the list because they are the best possible choices in the format and have good interactions with the other cards on the list.

Kumano Faces Kakkazan is much more important in Atarka Gruul than in traditional Prowess versions: the second turn sequencing is the most explosive in this list, and having a 3/3 Burning-Tree Emissary accompanied by another spell on the second turn and accompanied by a 2/2 with Haste and another sequencing on the third turn usually puts enough pressure to win some games for free.

Burning-Tree Emissary is one of the few “free spells” available in Pioneer and does not require conditions to trigger its ability, so you can simply play it and sequence the next spell.

From there, we have three options.

Aloe Alchemist is the best option when your one-drop is Heartfire Hero because it triggers Valiant and allows an attack for five damage on the second turn.

Cunning Coyote is the best option when our one-drop is Monastery Swiftspear or Kumano Faces Kakkazan. We use it to give Haste to Burning-Tree Emissary and attack for five damage.

Reckless Bushwhacker is best when we are establishing more pressure on the board, but a hand with two Burning-Tree Emissary is an excellent motivator to use the card as an extra damage engine.

There are cases where it is worth sequencing Burning-Trees and leaving the next turn for Reckless Bushwhacker. For example, if our first turn was a creature, playing Burning-Tree Emissary to set up Aloe Alchemist, guaranteeing the pump on the one-drop means that, on the next turn, we can sequence Aloe Alchemist for Bushwhacker, increasing the damage potential we have on the third turn.

Screaming Nemesis has a good body and impact on the board while punishing blockers and life gain that would significantly hinder our clock.

Atarka’s Command is our other tool to prevent life gain, works as burn and has a combat trick mode that allows for favorable trades against blockers, or even to close the game suddenly with enough creatures on the board.

Play with Fire is our basic interaction against Prowess and other smaller creature decks, and we can use it on the opponent if necessary, while Monstrous Rage guarantees evasion and another way to trigger Prowess or Valiant.

Our mana base is as straightforward as possible: one set of each dual land that generates and unconditionally, complemented by two Thornspire Verge, which requires one of our Mountains or Stomping Ground to add .

We complement these with utility lands that can work in longer games. Ideally, you'll never need to sacrifice a Ramunap Ruins or activate a Den of the Bugbear, but there are games that demand these cards.

Sideboard

Claim the Firstborn is not a card we usually see in lists without Witch's Oven, but it plays a crucial role in getting the 6/6 Demon from Unholy Annex out of our way and making our opponent pay the price for tapping five mana for a blocker. It also works against Prowess and can be useful in other games with cheap high-power creatures.

Rending Volley is our main answer against Selesnya Company, Spirits, Greasefang, Okiba Boss and can play in some versions of Ensoul Artifact that are running Mendicant Core, Guidelight.

Redcap Melee is our go-to option against Prowess, Atarka Gruul, and any other red Aggro in the current Metagame.

Magebane Lizard is the answer to Izzet Phoenix, Lotus Combo, and also fits into Prowess games as a way to punish spell sequences while a 1/4 body is a good blocker.

Destructive Revelry fits into any matchup where artifacts and enchantments matter: Rakdos Demons, Four-Color Zur, Enigmatic Fires, and Greasefang, which has been making a comeback in ranked play since Aetherdrift.

The extra copy of Screaming Nemesis is for games where life gain matters, or where we want to create a wall against the opponent’s attackers - after all, it’s extremely punishing for a Prowess deck to hit with a 4/4 or higher and take a Flame Javelin in the process.

Shapers’ Sanctuary offers a way to punish spot removals. It’s a card I’d like to see more copies of in the list, but it ends up not having enough room as it doesn’t do anything to advance our game plan.

Grafdigger’s Cage is a way to hold off Izzet Phoenix and has occasional uses against a few other decks such as Sacrifice.

Rakdos Demons

IN

OUT

Izzet Phoenix

IN

OUT

Rakdos Prowess

IN

OUT

Nykthos Ramp

IN

OUT

Abzan Greasefang

IN

OUT

That’s all for today!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!