Completing a Zurgo, Thunder’s Decree Commander Deck in MTG

Zurgo, Thunder’s Decree is a standout commander from the Magic: The Gathering set titled Tarkir: Dragonstorm. This version of Zurgo serves as the Mardu faction leader (red/white/black) within the game’s storyline and follows various representations of him in Magic’s history.

From a gameplay perspective, Zurgo, Thunder’s Decree is an ideal choice if you’re interested in crafting a deck centered on the mobilize mechanic, first introduced in Tarkir: Dragonstorm. If you enjoy mobilizing creatures and attacking with them, Zurgo provides everything you would want in a commander, capable of building momentum swiftly if your opponents are too slow to respond.

Decklist

This decklist has 30 creatures, four sorceries, six instants, 13 artifacts, 11 enchantments, and 35 lands. Given that the strategy is heavily combat-focused, creatures are the star of the show, with supporting cards designed to enhance their performance in battles.

Key Cards

Zurgo, Thunder’s Decree

The essential card in this deck is Zurgo, Thunder’s Decree. It prevents your Warrior tokens from being sacrificed, allowing the tokens you generate through mobilize to remain in play.

However, it’s important to note that Zurgo only prevents your Warrior tokens from being sacrificed at the end step. Other effects might force the tokens to be sacrificed during or after combat, and in those cases, Zurgo’s ability won’t apply.

Costing only three mana, you can get Zurgo onto the battlefield as early as turn two. It’s wise to play Zurgo as soon as possible to fill the board quickly with Warrior tokens, making it easier to overwhelm your opponents.

Isshin, Two Heavens As One

Isshin, Two Heavens as One acts as a secondary commander in your strategy. Since all your mobilize effects are triggered abilities, Isshin causes them to activate twice. This is particularly powerful with cards that produce multiple tokens through their mobilize abilities.

Typically, you should only bring Isshin onto the battlefield when you already have a few mobilize creatures in play. On its own, Isshin doesn’t do much without any combat triggers activated. If it gets removed, it can be quite challenging to get it back, so time your play wisely.

Bone-Cairn Butcher

Bone-Cairn Butcher is like a friend to your tokens, turning them into serious threats by giving them deathtouch. Normally, opponents wouldn’t care much about a 1/1 creature, but Bone-Cairn Butcher makes sure they think twice before blocking, as they risk losing a creature in the process.

Keep in mind that your tokens will only gain deathtouch while they are attacking, so it’s not a permanent effect.

Since Bone-Cairn Butcher has mobilize, it can also generate threatening tokens. You don’t need to attack with Bone-Cairn Butcher for its effect to activate, so if attacking puts it at risk, you can hold it back and let your tokens handle the heavy lifting.

Mirkwood Bats

Thanks to the abundance of tokens, Mirkwood Bats can dish out significant burn damage. It triggers whenever a token is created or sacrificed​​, so if Zurgo is not in play, mobilizing will yield two triggers per token created.

The strength of Mirkwood Bats comes into play especially when Zurgo is not on the battlefield. However, even if Zurgo is present, you can still get burn damage from the tokens you generate. Mirkwood Bats is crucial in quickly reducing opponent life totals, paving the way for victories through combat.

Cathars’ Crusade

Cathars’ Crusade is one of the most powerful cards you can include in a Zurgo, Thunder’s Decree deck, assuming you’re willing to keep adding counters to your creatures. Every token created through mobilize results in all your creatures receiving a +1/+1 counter.

Importantly, Cathars’ Crusade triggers for every creature that enters the battlefield. So if you attack with a creature that has mobilize three, each of your creatures will gain three +1/+1 counters. This can result in massive swings in damage and elevate even your weakest creatures into significant threats with just a few activations.

How to Play the Deck

The goal of a Zurgo, Thunder’s Decree Commander deck is to keep attacking, especially with creatures that have mobilize. The strategy floods the battlefield with numerous creature tokens, which should consistently be sent into battle. This is a very aggressive Commander deck where attacking is fundamental.

While mobilize is crucial, keep in mind that the creatures with it can be delicate. Cards like Dolmen Gate and Iroas, God of Victory are helpful as they prevent damage to your attacking creatures, keeping your assault safe.

You can also create tokens through various means beyond mobilizing. Some cards generate creature copies that sacrifice at the end step, but with Zurgo on the battlefield, these copies can remain in play permanently. Although you typically can’t copy legendary creatures, there are many powerful nonlegendary options available.

The primary win condition for this deck is through combat. With mobilize and Zurgo, you can fill the battlefield with tokens to consistently attack each turn. Cards like Starry-Eyed Skyrider can grant your attacking tokens flying, while Bone-Cairn Butcher offers deathtouch, making them more difficult to block. You also have numerous ways to deal damage through burn effects, such as sacrificing tokens with Goblin Bombardment or using Mirkwood Bats.

A significant weakness of this deck lies in the low toughness of your creatures. While the mobilizing strategy is effective, the resulting tokens are still 1/1 creatures. Thankfully, cards such as Shared Animosity, Cathars’ Crusade, and Renewed Solidarity can enhance their stats, transforming them into bigger threats. You might also find it challenging to generate mana, as Mardu lacks many strong ramp options.