Deck Primer / Description

• Sauron, the Dark Lord Brawl Deck Primer
  • Overview
  • Key Cards and Synergies
  • Game Plan
  • Tips and Tricks
  • Images for Key Cards
  • Common Matchups

Sauron, the Dark Lord Brawl Deck Primer

Last Updated: February 20, 2025

Deck Theme: Grixis (Blue/Black/Red) Orcs, Ring-tempting, and Mordor Domination

Overview

This deck harnesses the power of Sauron, the Dark Lord to overwhelm opponents with Orcs, Nazgûl, and Ring-tempting strategies from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth. It’s a midrange-control build that uses removal, card advantage, and amass mechanics to grind out victories. The color identity is [c:u] [c:b] [c:r], so expect a mix of Blue counterspells, Black discard, and Red aggression.

Key Cards and Synergies

• Commander: Sauron, the Dark Lord ([c:3] [c:u] [c:b] [c:r])

  • Your win condition! Use his ability to tempt opponents with the Ring, creating 3/3 Orc Army tokens. Protect him with counterspells or artifacts like Mithril Coat.
    
  • Synergizes with Ring-tempting cards like Nazgul, Call of the Ring, and Oath of the Grey Host.

• Orcs and Armies:

  • Orcish Bowmasters, Mauhur, Uruk-hai Captain, Ugluk of the White Hand—amass Orcs and deal damage with cheap, efficient creatures.
    
  • Foray of Orcs and Mordor Muster create or buff Army tokens for board presence.

• Removal and Control:

  • Bitter Downfall, Shelob's Ambush, Soothing of Smeagol—handle threats while tempting with the Ring.
    
  • Gandalf's Sanction and Display of Power provide Blue control with a Red twist.

• Card Advantage:

  • The One Ring, Palantir of Orthanc, Ringsight—draw cards to keep up with opponents, but watch out for the Ring’s temptation cost.
    
  • Saruman the White offers scry and draw when paired with an Army.

• Land Base: 38 lands (8 Island, 13 Swamp, 12 Mountain, plus utility lands like Barad-dur and Mount Doom) ensure consistent mana for Sauron, the Dark Lord’s [c:6] cost.

Game Plan

1. Early Game (Turns 1-4)

   • Focus on mana development with basics and utility lands (Mines of Moria, Shire Terrace).
     
   • Play cheap threats like Orcish Bowmasters or Mirkwood Bats to apply pressure or block.
     
   • Use removal (Gollum's Bite, Bitter Downfall) to handle early threats.
     
   • Mulligan if you have fewer than 2 lands or no early interaction/removal.

2. Mid Game (Turns 5-8)

   • Cast Sauron, the Dark Lord and start tempting opponents with the Ring. Use his ability to create Orc Armies and pressure life totals.
     
   • Deploy support creatures like Gothmog, Morgul Lieutenant or Grima Wormtongue to disrupt opponents or boost your board.
     
   • Use Blue cards (Soothing of Smeagol, Ringsight) to control the board while building resources.

3. Late Game (Turns 9+)

   • Overwhelm with large Armies from Sauron, the Dark Lord, Mordor Muster, or Foray of Orcs.
     
   • Unleash big threats like The Balrog, Durin's Bane or Witch-king, Bringer of Ruin to close out games.
     
   • Use The One Ring or Palantir of Orthanc for card advantage, but manage its temptation cost carefully.

Tips and Tricks

• Ring Temptation: Many cards tempt with the Ring (e.g., Nazgul, Call of the Ring). Use this to trigger Sauron, the Dark Lord’s ability, but avoid over-tempting if it risks losing control of the game.
  
• Protect Sauron: Equip Mithril Coat or use Glamdring to make him harder to remove. Counterspells like Gandalf's Sanction can save him from board wipes.
  
• Graveyard Synergy: Cards like Troll of Khazad-dum and The Torment of Gollum benefit from graveyard filling—use Nasty End or discard effects to fuel them.
  
• Sideboard (Optional): In casual Brawl, you can swap in situational cards like Cast into the Fire for more removal or March from the Black Gate for extra aggression against slower decks.

Images for Key Cards

Here are images of the most critical cards to visualize the deck:
images Sauron, the Dark Lord The One Ring Orcish Bowmasters
(These will display the card images in MTG Arena-compatible format if supported.)

Common Matchups

• Aggro Decks: Use Bitter Downfall, Shelob's Ambush, and Orcish Bowmasters to trade efficiently. Stall with Soothing of Smeagol until Sauron, the Dark Lord hits the board.
  
• Control Decks: Leverage The One Ring and Ringsight for card advantage. Push damage with Foray of Orcs and Mauhur, Uruk-hai Captain to force them to answer.
  
• Combo Decks: Use Gandalf's Sanction or Display of Power to disrupt key spells, then overwhelm with Orcs.