OVERVIEW:

Fun deck built around Deathtouch mechanic after the wife and I opened our first booster box of Guilds of Ravnica. This is a budget deck, focused on a limited card selection where fun is key (2 rares in entire deck). I like to show low-budget or new players it doesn't take a big budget, to have big fun!

BREAKDOWN:

The strategy of this particular deck is to force your opponent into decision making on a regular basis, when it comes to creatures. There are a lot of Deathtouch creatures in this deck (14 total). When these creatures attack, your opponent has to make the crucial decision to block or not to block. While these little creatures are only 1 or 2 power, with Deathtouch they automatically kill any creature they damage. Over a few turns, the pressure from all these little creatures also chip away at a player's life total that doesn't block. The opposite is also true, when your opponent wants to attack, they have to take your Deathtouch creatures in mind.

For a little speed, we have Adventurous Impulse which we did pull from Domanaria set. This card lets you dig a bit, looking at the top 3 cards of your library. If your short on land, you can hopefully get one into your hand. If you desperately need a creature, you can choose one of those. This is good because it can help stabilize you in a bad situation. There are also 3 Generous Stray, which replaces itself when cast, as in you play it and immediately get to draw a card. If I were playing this deck, I would've restructured the speed a little and put in Daggerback Basilisk from Core 2019 in this slot for more Deathtouch, but the wife liked the cat card 

On the offense, Swarm Guildmage provides an awesome ability to let more of your creatures through defenses. For 4B, it taps to give all your creatures +1/+0 and Menace until end of turn. That means if your opponent wants to block them, they have to declare at least 2 blockers for each of your attackers. This should allow more creatures to get through and chip away. Ochran Assassin with its ability, it clears the path. All opposing creatures have to block it, allowing any other attackers to get through.

Might of the Masses provides a surprise for any creature getting through the defenses. It's cheap, only costing G to cast, and it gets in a little extra damage. From my personal mindset, I'd try to have at least 3 total creatures in play, before utilizing it. This gives you a +3/+3 buff for only 1 mana. Every situation is different obviously, but I feel that provides the biggest trade-off. It would become an old-school Giant Growth at that point. With 27 creatures in the deck, it should not be difficult for this deck to have 3 in play.

More offense pressure found on the little ability at the bottom of Poison-Tip Archer we took from Core 2019. Whenever another creature dies, your opponent loses 1 life. So, whenever any creature, whether it's under your control or your opponent's control dies, your opponent loses life. Again, this is part of the chip-away strategy of the deck.

For removal, we have Rabid Bite taken from Core 2019, a nice common that allows your Deathtouch creatures to snipe any of your opponent's creatures. Because, remember a Deathtouch creature only has to deal 1 point of damage to another creature to destroy it. There is something amusing about the idea of a Hired Poisoner sneaking into the lair of your opponent's Ghalta, Primal Hunger, biting him on the leg, and taking him out before he even knew what happened. We also have Status // Statue, which can sneak attack in, granting a creature Deathtouch if needed in a pinch. But, this card is primarily here for the Statue spell. It gives great removal options, able to target a creature, artifact, or enchantment.

Finally, I also like to work at least a little life gain into a deck if at all possible. You never know when needing just a few extra life can give you the extra turn you need to stabilize or simply win the game. Child of Night has Lifelink, so any damage it deals gains you life, and the second ability of Swarm Guildmage gains you 2 life whenever you have extra mana.

Winning the Game: Aside from hopefully overrunning your opponent's defenses with these small creatures, the deck does have 2 heavy hitters, in the form of Doom Whisperer. A 6/6 Flying, Trample is definitely something that demands attention. Without removal, it can quickly turn the tide of a game, or close it out altogether. Even if it gets removed, if a Golgari Findbroker gets played, you can return the Doom Whisperer from your graveyard back to your hand. If you do not have Doom Whisperer, you can fill this slot with any other beefy creature you own, looking for something with higher than average power/toughness that can cause problems for an opponent.

 Well, I think that's it. Thank you all so much for looking and have fun! 

(Decks I display here are constructed only with cards I own and are typically budget minded.)