Why is this Deck?
Kambal, Profiteering Mayor is an interesting build-around that encourages token generation on both sides of the board, which gives symmetrical token generation such as Eiganjo Uprising unique utility. This combination is a very janky setup, to be sure, but by finding other points of synergistic overlap, we can put together a functional deck that can win some games on the ladder, even if it doesn’t take the next Pro Tour by storm.
The Early Game
Given that Kambal, Profiteering Mayor likes to have tokens enter the battlefield under our control to drain our opponents, we can leverage Resolute Reinforcements and Charming Scoundrel to establish a board presence early while also triggering our late-game threats.
We also need to prioritize survivability given how many aggressive decks are running around out there these days so we, of course, have a solid removal package. Lightning Helix answers a lot of the mono red threats while gaining us life while also hitting Deep-Cavern Bat nicely should the need arise. Get Lost is a special all-star in this build because it has the flexibility to hit most problematic permanents out there but also triggers Kambal in the late game to give us some maps and drain our opponent.
The Mid Game
In addition to Kambal, we have a whole host of other threats that can create the necessary value snowball to win us the game. Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon is a must-answer threat on her own, but with each trigger setting off Kambal, the potential intensifies. We also have Warleader’s Call at the three-drop slot to help boost all the tokens we’re creating and get additional pings as these pings adding up will be our key to success.
The three-drop spot is pretty full of engine pieces, so we don’t have a ton of room for other utility, but we did make space for Loran of the Third Path since artifact and enchantment decks are fairly common, plus this deck struggles with card draw late in the game. We also have a one-of Phyrexian Dragon Engine for an unlikely meld with one of our late-game finishers. Having multiple contingency plans and creative play is crucial for this deck to be successful, and I built the deck with a few of those outs in mind.
In the name of contingency plans, I also added a one-of Roaming Throne since most of the triggered abilities in the deck are coming off of humans. This unintentional synergy is also why we have Cavern of Souls in the mana base just in case we find ourselves staring down unspent blue mana. Of note, Kambal’s token generation trigger does contain the restriction that it only triggers once per turn and that prevents it from being doubled by Roaming Throne; his drain trigger, however, is doubled without any issue.
The Late Game
These combos and synergy points are all well and good, but they’re situational and slow compared to the generic good stuff we find ourselves facing on the ladder (think Preacher of the Schism or The Wandering Emperor). With this in mind, we need a haymaker threat that can close the game out once we’ve established our board in order to prevent our opponents from out-valuing us with time. Enter Mishra, Claimed by Gix. This card is a human, so it synergizes with Roaming Throne, it likes attacking with wide boards, which Eiganjo Uprising and Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon are happy to provide, and it even has the backend gameplan of melding which can win the game on the spot with minimal effort.
This isn’t our only late-game threat, however, because we also have Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin. This card is only a one-of, but it’s a must-answer threat your opponent won’t soon forget. We’re pinging them down with Kambal and Warleader’s Call triggers, so Ob has plenty of opportunities to trigger and become a huge flyer. If you find redundant Cavern of Souls in controlling matchups, you may want to name demon in case he shows up.
Pitiless Carnage is also handy for any deck that has excess material lying around such as map tokens, gnomes, or even excess lands. It also provides some late-game reach in more controlling or grindy matchups where you can sacrifice a little tempo for card advantage. In matches against more aggressive strategies, this card should probably come out, but against control, you may want to have even more in your sideboard than I have listed here.
Sideboard Considerations
The main deck is trying to be versatile and ready for anything our opponents throw at us which, of course, isn’t totally reasonable. Being in Mardu colors means we can access some of the nicest on-board interaction in the game and we do so with Brotherhood’s End and Cut Down to shore up our early game against Mono Red or Boros Convoke. Brotherhood’s End is also really handy against Simulacrum Synthesizer or Oni-Cult Anvil decks.
There are a number of graveyard combo decks running around as well, so we have Rest in Peace as well as Unlicensed Hearse. Until the Aftermath Analyst falls out of favor (or the SNC fetch lands rotate) I suspect dedicating sideboard slots to mass graveyard hate will continue to be a necessity.
We also have a handful of Duress in the sideboard to bring in against control. Making sure the coast is clear of counterspells before ripping an Eiganjo Uprising is a big deal, but you already knew that.
Conclusion
This deck is exactly as janky and awkward as I expected it to be, however, it has played better than I expected since it can flood the board with larger threats than aggro, pray off our opponents’ token generation, and even rebuild to a pretty significant threat level following a board wipe (assuming you don’t overextend). If you have the cards and want to see some fun, silly Mardu nonsense in action, you’ll be hard pressed to find something better than this.
Thanks for checking this out, and happy brewing!
