Part 22

Conquer Part 22 of your Magic: The Gathering Arena guide! Learn strategies for the "Strength in Numbers" duel, including deck breakdowns and tips.

Alright, let's dive into Part 22! This section is all about tackling a couple of duels in Magic: The Gathering Arena. We'll focus on the first one, 'Strength in Numbers,' which throws a ton of creatures at you.

Walkthrough:

1. DUEL 5-1: STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

   This duel pits you against SIN, who is running a multi-color Ally deck. The core mechanic here is that these Allies get stronger or have special abilities when other Allies join the fray. Think of it like the Slivers from earlier – they all boost each other up.

   Key cards and their effects:

   • Oran-Rief and Greypelt Hunter: These guys get +1/+1 counters, making them bigger.
   • Highland Berserker: Gives first strike to your attackers.
   • Joraga Bard: Grants vigilance, so your creatures can attack and still block.
   • Tajuru Archer and Murasa Pyromancer: These deal damage – the Archer to flying creatures, and the Pyromancer to any creature.

   Planeswalker Difficulty Changes:

   When you face the Planeswalker version, SIN ditches some of the less exciting Stonework Pumas and Joraga Bards for Tuktuk Grunts. These Grunts get +1/+1 counters, similar to Oran-Rief and Greypelt. They also swap out some Pumas for Ondu Clerics. These are low-cost Allies that actually heal you (replenish life) whenever another one of their buddies enters the battlefield. This means they can really swing the game back in your favor if you're low on health.

   Strategy for 'Strength in Numbers':

   Since this battle is so similar to the Sliver Hive duel, the strategy is pretty much the same, minus the ability to deal direct noncombat damage to the opponent easily. You need to:

   • Use noncombat damage: Spells or abilities that deal damage without attacking are your best bet to pick off their growing army.
   • Stall with a beatstick: If you don't have direct damage, play a really strong creature (a 'beatstick') to block their attackers and stall their progress.

   Helpful Cards (Examples):

   Here are some cards that can really help you out in this duel:

   • Agent of the Fates: Forces your opponent to sacrifice a creature when targeted by one of your spells.
   • Auger Spree: Gives a target creature +4/-4, great for taking down a big threat.
   • Anger of the Gods: Deals 3 damage to ALL creatures on the battlefield. This can clear the board for you.
   • Banisher Priest: Lets you exile an opponent's creature until the Priest leaves the battlefield.
   • Ground Assault: Deals damage based on lands you control, good for taking down big ground creatures.
   • Guard Gomazoa: A 1/3 defender that takes no combat damage, perfect for blocking.
   • Inferno Titan: A powerful creature that deals damage when it attacks or enters the battlefield.
   • Planar Cleansing: Destroys ALL permanents on the field – creatures, lands, everything. A board reset!
   • Skymark Roc: Can bounce small creatures back to your opponent's hand.
   • Soul of Zendikar: A big 6/6 creature that also spawns 3/3 tokens.
   • Siege Dragon: A 5/5 flyer that deals damage to enemy creatures when it attacks.
   • Spider Spawning: Spawns 1/2 tokens with reach, and it has flashback so you can cast it again.
   • Terra Stomper: An 8/8 creature with trample for a cost of 6. Big and tough.
   • Undying Evil: Great for making a creature survive an attack or for a risky offensive move.

   Multiplayer Booster Cards that might help:

   • Paragon of Open Graves: A 2/2 that can gain deathtouch.
   • Pharika's Chosen: A 1/1 with deathtouch.
   • Wall of Omens: A 0/4 defender that draws you a card when it enters play.
   • Warstorm Surge: Deals damage equal to a creature's power when you cast it.

   Important Notes:

   • First Strike: Be careful! Spells like Bold Defense and Slaughter Cry give creatures first strike. This means they can attack and kill your blocker before your blocker even gets to deal damage. Don't fall for