Thirsty Thriller

"The end is always nigh. Let's have some fun!"

Here's my mono-red Vampire tribal deck with a dominating twist. It uses "Act of Treason" effects to take control of your opponent's creatures and then sacrifices them to deal even more damage. While it might be tempting to add black to the mix, I wanted to see what could be done with just one color. There are plenty of Rakdos decks out there with this strategy, but I thought it would be fun to stick with a single color.

The Creatures:

Falkenrath Pit Fighter is a robust 1-drop with a handy activated ability when you're in a tight spot.

 Voldaren Epicure offers the best value for a 1-mana Vampire, providing 1 damage, a blood token, and a 1/1 body - a great deal.

Voldaren Stinger is another budget-friendly Vampire, although it doesn't see much play because it's overshadowed by our previous entry. Nevertheless, it's valuable here, offering an additional activated ability and occasionally causing havoc on the field with its situational first strike.

Bloodthirsty Adversary is the sole creature in our deck with haste, making it useful in various situations. Its additional ability, however, is where the deck's true power lies. Bringing back some of our spells can be devastating for our opponent if played at the right moment.

Dominating Vampire is a tricky card to play, but the primary objective of this deck is to steal your opponent's creatures. Plan ahead to determine the best target for theft. The number of creatures you have in play can significantly impact the outcome.

 Voldaren Thrillseeker serves as a cunning finisher and our primary means of flinging creatures at the opponent's life total. It requires some strategic planning, but even if it ends up in your graveyard, it's not a terrible outcome. This is because the combination with Agatha's Soul Cauldron is exceptionally potent.

The Spells:

Monstrous Rage is a highly versatile card that shines in many situations. Ensuring that damage goes through can be crucial in any game, and the added boost to raw power adds extra punch to your attacks.

Blazing Crescendo or Antagonize operate on the same principle as the previous card but with even larger numbers. Although both are solid choices, I personally prefer the card draw offered by the first option.

 Thrill of Possibility is a crucial card for gaining card advantage and ensuring you have the right cards in your hand when you need them. Given the deck's low mana curve, discarding a land occasionally won't have a significant long-term impact.

Bloody Betrayal is your best tool for pilfering your opponent's creatures.

Vampires' Vengeance is an excellent way to clear the field of tokens and other creatures when your opponent outnumbers you. The best part is that it doesn't come with any significant drawbacks, though it could be a bit cheaper.

The Other Stuff:

Agatha's Soul Cauldron is a fantastic card, and while our deck might not make full use of its potential, it still performs exceptionally well with it in play. In addition to its targeted graveyard removal, it pairs wonderfully with Voldaren Thrillseeker for the combo of flinging or sacrificing a creature.

 Sanguine Statuette is a bit of a dark horse, capable of delivering substantial damage seemingly out of nowhere. It's also relatively safe from board sweepers. The statuette generates and leverages our blood tokens, which we have in decent supply in this deck. Furthermore, it counts as a vampire, allowing Dominating Vampire to control larger creatures.

Hostile Hostel // Creeping Inn serves as a land but also acts as our backup sacrifice plan. It's worth noting for its versatility and can even transform into an intriguing creature if the game extends for an extended period.

The Gameplan:

This deck may not be as swift as many mono-red decks, but that's the clever part of its strategy. You can deliver a substantial early hit and catch your opponent off guard when you change your approach. Utilize your blood tokens for card draw, and with the help of Thrill of Possibility and Blazing Crescendo, you should be able to maintain card advantage while dealing damage when opportunities arise. Once your opponent's life total is low enough, a well-timed "fling" effect can secure victory, or you can achieve it by stealing a significant creature, or even both.