Top 10 Best Tribes In Magic: The Gathering

Tribal decks are decks that are built around a particular creature type. Tribal decks usually feature a critical mass of the given creature type, payoffs for doing so, and cards that synergize with what the tribe wants to do. While there are nearly countless tribes in the game, they certainly aren't all created equal. Today, I want to cover the best tribes in Magic: The Gathering.

Top 10 Tribes In Magic: The Gathering

While some are undoubtedly standout tribes and better than others, they all have strengths and weaknesses. As a result, I'll be listing my picks for the top 10 in no particular order. I'll do my best to cover some key cards, what makes the tribe good, and the formats where they see play. So, without further ado, let's jump in.

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Angels

Kicking things off, we have Angel tribal. While it isn't the most played tribe in the game, it's pretty powerful when built right. Simply put, angels have a lot of standalone powerhouse cards, and recently, they've gotten more synergistic. Most also have built-in evasion in the form of flying, and most gain you life, which is surprisingly hard to deal with.

First, they will be increasingly hard to block without an army of flying creatures. Next, each time they connect, you put your opponent down on life and go up yourself. So, even something like Liesa, Forgotten Archangel will create an eight-point life swing with each hit. Combine this with cards like Righteous Valkyrie, Archangel of Thune, and Aurelia, the Warleader, and things get out of hand quickly.

I can't tell you how many games I've lost to the likes of Lyra Dawnbringer, Akroma, Angel of Wrath, and Shalai, Voice of Plenty. Angel tribal decks aren't the fastest tribal decks, but if you let them stick threats on the board, you're in for an awful time, in my experience. Most tribal decks are weaker at the individual card level and come together to make something powerful. Angels are somewhat the opposite - Even on their own, many are very powerful. Throw in some cohesiveness, and the tribe is excellent.

Dragons

Dragons are a powerhouse tribe that can be built in several excellent ways. Whichever way you choose, you can count on having some terrifying threats in the air and plenty of power and toughness to dominate the board. Dragons have seen play in nearly every format where powerful dragons were legal, but the tribe shines in Commander. And as I mentioned, there are quite a few ways you can build them.

The "treasure" theme is among the most popular, powerful, and flavorful. I say most flavorful because many dragons in fantasy love to hoard treasure. Impactful cards like Old Gnawbone, Goldspan Dragon, and Ancient Copper Dragon are some of the theme's heaviest hitters.

If treasures aren't your thing, chaotic forced combat can also be a fun dragon sub-theme. Firkraag, Cunning Instigator, Warmonger Hellkite, Vengeful Ancestor, Chaos Dragon, and Territorial Hellkite can wreak havoc. Especially alongside cards like Spectacular Showdown, Reins of Power, Dragon Tempest, and Blast-Furnace Hellkite.

There are plenty of dragon tribal staples you'll always want to play too. Crux of Fate, Atarka, World Render, Dragonspeaker Shaman, Dragon's Hoard, and Dragonlord's Servant being a few worth mentioning.

Merfolk

Merfolk has a lot going for them as a tribe. First and foremost, the tribe has some of the best lords to grace the game. Two mana lords are where you want to be, and Merfolk has some of the most powerful. For example, Master of the Pearl Trident, Lord of Atlantis, and Vodalian Hexcatcher all give +1/+1 and have additional upside. Vodalian Hexcatcher also encompasses one of the archetype's other main payoffs besides the strength of its lords - Disruption on a stick.

To elaborate, I mean ways to interact with and disrupt opposing strategies while adding creatures to the board. Things like Mistcaller, Harbringer of the Tides, and Merfok Trickster are all great examples of the multifaceted threats. The tribe can play a great tempo and aggro game simultaneously. And given how efficient the lords are for the deck, it can close out games with just a few bodies.

The archetype is likely at its best in Modern but also sees play in Legacy and Commander. The tribe has never quite broken through to the top tier of MTG, but it's been the longtime contender and is always a pretty viable choice, even when other creature-based decks aren't in a great spot.

Zombies

Zombies are certainly one of the most popular and well-supported tribes in the game. And when you're talking about the best MTG tribes, it's bound to show up somewhere. As you can imagine, the tribe takes full advantage of the graveyard, and the threats keep coming back, often overwhelming opponents.

Since the creatures don't mind dying, zombie tribal decks also benefit from sacrificing their creatures. Take a card like Gravecrawler that you can easily be recast multiple times per turn and get out of hand with things like Carrion Feeder, Wayward Servant, Undead Aguur, and Corpse Knight. And many of these loops can go infinite with Rooftop Storm.

Zombie tribal is one of the top tribes in Commander and has seen some success in Modern as well. You could also play it in Pioneer, but most of the deck's archetype key cards (such as lords) aren't legal in the format. So, it's not very viable in formats outside of the ones I mentioned.

The only caveat to the tribe is that zombies don't block well and can be susceptible to graveyard hate. If you like the undead, like using your graveyard as a resource, turning big boards sideways, or creating nice value engines, Zombies might be the tribe for you.

Goblins

Goblins are not only one of the game's oldest tribes but are also one of the best tribes in MTG. Notorious for their reckless abandon, goblin decks come out of the gate fast and hard and will stop at nothing to deal damage. The archetype is one of the most aggressive. It can quickly churn out an army of small creatures with things like Hordeling Outburst, Krenko's Command, Dragon Fodder, and Krenko, Mob Boss.

Once the board is full of small, pesky bodies, they can easily be turned into lethal threats. Not only does the tribe have a plethora of lords (Goblin Chieftain, Goblin Trashmaster, and Hobgoblin Bandit Lord to name a few) it wouldn't be goblins without some other tricks up its sleeve.

There are several effects like Goblin Bushwhacker, which can turn an army of 1/1s into a formidable attacking force, and plenty of ways to squeak out extra damage - Goblin Grenade, Goblin Bombardment, Impact Tremors, and Munitions Expert area few excellent examples.

Goblins mostly see success in Commander and Modern but see play in Legacy and Pauper as well. One of MTG's most classic and aggressive tribes is a perpetual fan favorite.

Slivers

In my experience, people land on one of two sides when it comes to Slivers - People who play Slivers and love them and those who play against them and hate Slivers. Love or hate them, Slivers are a very lore-rich and mighty tribe. They share a hive mind allowing them to share their abilities with all other nearby slivers.

For example, Blur Sliver grants haste to all your Slivers, including itself. Galerider Sliver gives them all flying, Dregscape Sliver gives them all unearth, and there are nearly countless other creatures that give a unique ability. With just a few creatures in play, your board can be highly augmented into potent, versatile threats. The more the deck builds up its board, the more the tribe snowballs out of control and becomes incredibly hard to deal with.

There is also a "double-edged sword" element in play here - Cards like Diffusion Sliver, Frenetic Sliver, Dregscape Sliver, and Unsettled Mariner (who is technically a Sliver) can make creatures incredibly hard to remove and keep gone, which gives the deck an out to removal. While cards like Sinew Sliver, Predatory Sliver, and Leeching Sliver can quickly close out games.

Slivers are mainly, I would say, a Commander tribe. There are a few Legendary Slivers that can helm EDH decks, including:

• Sliver Gravemother
• The First Sliver
• Sliver Overlord
• Sliver Hivelord
• Sliver Legion
• Sliver Queen

But there have been a few good builds for Modern as well. For the most recent lists doing well in modern, click here - New Sliver Tribal Deck CRUSHING In Modern

Vampires

Vampires are my favorite MTG tribe; I have played it more than any other archetype. Vampires, as a tribe, mainly drain opponents of life while gaining you life. Not only is this fun, often powerful, and on point in terms of flavor. After all, vampires steal the life essence of others to sustain themselves. Blood Artist is a quintessential vampire card that sees play in every black deck looking to take advantage of death triggers.

Aside from the typical drain and gain strategy, there are a few other ways to build the tribe. In fact, I find it to be one of the more versatile tribes in the game. You can be very aggressive with cards like Vampire Lacerator, Vicious Conquistador, Vampire Nocturnus, Captivating Vampire and Legion Lieutenant. You can play a grindy midrange strategy with Cordial Vampire, Indulgent Aristocrat, Blood Artist, Bloodghast, and Pyre of Heroes.

There is also a vampiresque mechanic called madness, which revolves around discarding cards. Olivia, Mobilized for War, Anje Falkenrath, Falkenrath Gorger, Asylum Visitor and Alms of the Vein are some nice payoffs for playing madness. Different Vamp strategies see play in Pioneer, Modern, and Commander frequently. And anytime a set that features support for the tribe passes through Standard, it's also played there.

Eldrazi

Five colors of mana are the cornerstone of the game. The Eldrazi are cosmic beings that exist in the void between those colors of mana and have an insatiable hunger to consume the other colors. This ancient, eldrich tribe has some of the biggest, gnarliest creatures in the game, and many have potent abilities too.

Some of the tribe's heaviest hitters are Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger, Emrakul, the Promised End, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Kozilek, Butcher of Truth, and Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre. Many of these "Eldrazi Titans" come down and warp the entire board when they are played, often exiling multiple permanents or wrecking opponent's turns.

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There are also archetypes (such as Modern Eldrazi & Taxes) that rely on the lower-costed Eldrazi like Thought-Knot Seer and Reality Smasher alongside controlling cards that "tax" opposing resources like Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, and Leonin Arbiter for an aggressive/disruptive one-two punch.

Humans

Human tribal is unique as a tribe because the decks usually feature all five colors. From a flavor and lore perspective, some humans fit into every color on the MTG color pie, which isn't true of many other tribes. As a result, the deck has access to just about whatever tools it wants. The decks tend to be predominantly white, aggressive, and disruptive.

Some of the main payoffs for playing humans are Thalia's Lieutenant, Champion of the Parish, and Coppercoat Vanguard, which become bigger and bigger threats as you build up your board. While humans like Jirina, Dauntless General, Kitesail Freebooter, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Meddling Mage, and Reflector Mage disrupt opposing gameplans. And, of course, trigger the first few cards I mentioned.

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This "disruption on a stick" strategy that progresses the offensive plans of the deck as it hinders what the opponents are doing is reminiscent of Merfolk, which I covered above. Considering the deck does need access to every color of mana, tribal lands like Unclaimed Territory, Cavern of Souls, and Secluded Courtyard are essential for running the tribe smoothly.

There are also several ways to build the tribe in Commander, including +1/+1 counters, Legendary tribal, and tokens. Kyler, Sigardian Emissary is one of the more powerful human tribal commanders, but several others exist.

Elves

Elves are and have always been, one of the best MTG tribes. The tribe does a few things exceptionally well, which makes it powerful. First and foremost, they can produce mana (particularly green mana) like no other. Cards like Marwyn, the Nurturer, Elvish Archdruid, Priest of Titania, and Canopy Tactician can all produce insane amounts of mana. Where these decks get out of hand is when the decks start to produce mana and draw cards for each elf they cast.

Once these chains start, they usually result in the elf player casting most of their deck and winning on the spot with an insurmountable board. The decks often win through combat; they play more like a pseudo combo deck, slowly piecing mana-producing creatures (and cards like Realmwalker) together to assemble a game-winning chain of events.

Conclusion

There you have it, my friends, my top picks for the best tribes in MTG. I love tribal decks, and many other players do too. Playing lesser-known or even downright bad tribal decks can be fun as well. Maybe I'll do an article about that next... If you'd like to read it, comment and let me know. Oh, and drop your favorite tribe as well!

I look forward to hearing from everyone.