Onslaught/Theme decks
Onslaught has four bicolored theme decks.
Bait & Switch
Bait & Switch is a blue/black theme deck with a creature-type-changing theme.
| “ | The Bait and Switch deck has a lot of tricks up its sleeve. It features a wide variety of "tribal" cards (cards that work with specific creature types) and a lot of cards that allow you to change one creature's type to another. When this deck has time to develop, it can win in very cool ways. The more you play, the more wacky interactions you'll discover.
The Mistform creatures are the pillars that hold up the whole deck. Each one can transform into any creature type you want. Turn one into a Zombie to regenerate it with Boneknitter, create Goblins to use with Cabal Slaver, or increase the number of Wizards you control to take advantage of Information Dealer. You can even make your Mistform Wall into a Beast so it can attack. If you can pull all these tricks and more with the cards in your own deck, imagine what'll happen when you face tribal cards in your opponent’s deck! If your foe is giving all Soldiers a bonus, you might as well have some Soldiers too. The fun doesn't end there, though. You can use Imagecrafter, Mistform Mutant, and Trickery Charm to mess around with other creature's types. Your opponent who liked Soldiers so much might wind up controlling a bunch of Elves instead. This is where spells like Peer Pressure and Endemic Plague can be particularly devastating. Change creature types wisely and Peer Pressure will let you steal your opponent's best creatures permanently. If you're feeling more destructive, Endemic Plague can wipe out your opponent's entire army (after you make them all the same type, of course). Bait and Switch doesn't deal well with fast decks because you need time to get enough mana to play your Mistform creatures and use your tribal tricks. If things go well, you'll be able to slow down initial attacks by trading early creatures or blocking with your Walls. More cheap creature removal spells like Smother or the Torment card Chainer's Edict can help reduce the early stress. And Voidmage Prodigy can really let you take control of the game. If you like messing with other people's minds - and creatures - you won't regret playing Bait and Switch.[1] |
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The rares in this deck are Endemic Plague and Peer Pressure.
Celestial Assault
Celestial Assault is a white/blue theme deck with a Bird and Soldier tribal theme.
| “ | Usually, white-blue decks are thought of as "control" decks: slow and creatureless, and not the beatdown lover's style of choice. But if you like to pound your opponent with hordes of Soldiers, the Celestial Assault deck is right up your alley. It uses some of the cooler abilities from white and blue-flying and combat tricks-to take over the battlefield.
Your flying creatures are hard to block and your Gustcloak creatures let you back out of combat if it doesn't go your way, so you should be able to constantly attack with an indomitable army. Just to make sure things go your way, Celestial Assault is filled with spells to protect your marauders. Blue surprises like Meddle and Mage's Guile make your opponent's tactics backfire. And white cards like Inspirit, Piety Charm, and Akroma's Blessing can each be used to either rev up your offense or bolster your defense. The beauty of Gustcloak creatures is that sending them into battle is a can't-miss proposition. They give you - not the defender - the final say, so you can attack first and make decisions later. If a Gustcloak creature is unblocked or stopped by a smaller creature, great. If a bigger blocker steps up, pump up your creature (if you have the right spell) or just untap and retreat. Make your opponent call your bluff all day. To make sure you don't run out of gas, use Airborne Aid and Seaside Haven to draw extra cards. Daru Cavalier and Screaming Seahawk let you seek out their twins when you play them, so they're especially good if you expect a mass elimination spell. Play one while holding the one you searched for in your hand, and you'll bounce back fast if the board is wiped clean. There are quite a few Onslaught cards that would be excellent additions to this deck. Aven Brigadier is a natural fit since it gives bonuses to all your Birds and Soldiers and comes with a large flying body to boot. Mobilization lets you churn out Soldier tokens and allows most of your creatures to attack without tapping. With Celestial Assault, you have nothing to fear in combat - so go pick some fights![2] |
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The rares in this deck are Gustcloak Savior and Oblation.