Welcome back to our month of spooky content here at Master of Magics. For those that don’t know, this October we are starting Halloween early here on the site, with a whole bunch of articles covering a variety of creepy topics for our favourite games. If like us you love Halloween, make sure you subscribe to Master of Magics to not miss any of our content in the coming weeks. But for now, let’s get to today’s eerie deck tech, inspired by a true horror classic.

If I had to pick my favourite scary creature, hands down it would be the classic Werewolf. Vampires and Zombies are well and good, but there is something about someone transforming into a bad ass half wolf/half man that can rip a man to bits that I find kinda cool. And I know I’m not the only one. Stories about werewolf (and all kinds of other were-creatures) have existed in folklore since man first began to tell stories around the fire. In the modern day, they have found their way into all kinds of different media, from books, to comic, to video games and of course, films.

Now fans of the lycanthropes will of course have their own personal favourite pick when it comes to werewolf movies (I’m personally a huge fan of Dog Soldiers). But if we all had to collectively choose one film that set the standard for werewolf movies, I think everyone would agree it would have to be 1981’s An American Werewolf in London.

Written and directed by John Landis, An American Werewolf in London follows two American backpackers, David and Jack, who are attacked by a creature while traveling to moors of England. Jack is mauled to death by the beast, while David is injured. However, when the ghost of Jack begins to haunt David, he begins to question whether he will become a werewolf under the next full moon. Known for its amazing visual effects and dark humour, An American Werewolf in London is a must watch for any horror fan.

So, how do you make a deck based on such a movie. Easy. Werewolf tribal. Between the original Innistrad and the return block, there are a metric ton of these rabid creatures with which to make a Modern deck. What’s more, some of them are actually pretty good and have even seen competitive play. While todays deck might not be the most competitive brew on the market, it is a lot of fun and can catch unaware opponents off guard like a couple of American backpackers in the einglish countryside. What’s more, it can be built on a budget, so it’s a great brew to try this Halloween if you got a spare couple of tixs.

Starting off with the namesake werewolves, the deck runs full playsets of Reckless Waif and Wolfbitten Captive as early game threats, and four copies of Duskwatch Recruiter to work as some card advantage should we need it. For lords we run both Mayor of Avabruck, Immerwolf and two copies of Howlpack Resurgence to help get damage through chump blockers, as well as the Jund all-star Huntmaster of the Fells as a top end threat. Finally, four copies of Geier Reach Bandit to help transform our other werewolves provided it is also flipped.

As for non-werewolf cards, since we are running red it would be rude not to play with a playset of Lightning Bolt, since creepy lightning is a mainstay of any good horror setting. Additionally, the deck also runs a full four copies of Atarka’s Command, as it is one of the best aggressive modal spells ever printed. When it comes to lands, the deck runs a combination of Fetchlands and Shocklands, as well as a even split of basic lands. Of course, you could also run a more budget friendly mana base with some check lands if you so wish.

And that will about do it for the main deck. Now for the sideboard.

Sideboard wise, we are making sure to take some silver bullets (pun very much indented) for some of the most egregious decks in the Modern format. Destructive Revelry takes care of both Artifacts and Enchantments, while Tormod’s Crypt stops graveyard centric decks running away with the game. Damping Sphere pulls double duty stalling Storm and Tron, and Molten Rain adds to this quite nicely. Finally, Shapers’ Sanctuary gives us card advantage against removal heavy decks, while Heroic Intervention saves us from sweepers.

And that is Modern Werewolves, inspired by the classic An American Werewolf in London. A fun budget deck to try out during this spooky season, so why not try it out for yourself? If you have some suggestions for the deck, let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to like and subscribe to keep up to date with all we do here at Master of Magics.

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