Introduction
Ever thought a simple slice of cake could win you a Magic: The Gathering match? It might sound absurd, but the Food mechanic in MTG offers a surprisingly potent and flavorful route to victory. From sacrificing a tasty treat to gain a crucial life point to building an entire deck around culinary creations, Food tokens provide a unique and strategic element to the game. These seemingly innocuous tokens, first introduced in Eldraine and significantly expanded upon in Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, have proven to be more than just a quirky theme; they’re a viable and versatile archetype. This article delves into the delicious world of MTG Food Fight decks, exploring the key ingredients, diverse archetypes, and strategic considerations that make them a force to be reckoned with. We’ll explore the sweet and savory options this strategy has to offer, from swarming the board with Gingerbrutes to grinding out opponents with steady life gain.
The Core Ingredients: Key Food-Related Cards
The success of any MTG Food Fight deck hinges on a carefully curated selection of key cards. These are the essential ingredients that provide the synergy, value, and power needed to turn Food tokens into a formidable strategy. Let’s examine some of the most important players in the Food ecosystem.
Oko, Thief of Crowns
This planeswalker remains a powerhouse, and for good reason. Oko’s ability to turn opposing creatures into Elk (and Food) is invaluable, providing both removal and a steady stream of Food tokens to fuel your strategy. He’s a one card engine that generates resources and disrupts the opponent’s plan, which makes him a staple in many Food-based builds, when legal in the format.
Feasting Troll King
This resilient creature is difficult to remove, thanks to its ability to regenerate by sacrificing Food. It presents a constant threat to your opponent while simultaneously fueling your Food-related synergies. Feasting Troll King is the perfect top-end threat that can turn the tide of any game.
Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar
This legendary creature has a name that’s as unique as its abilities! This card, alongside the Underworld Cookbook, enables powerful card draw and aggressive strategies by allowing you to repeatedly create and sacrifice food. Her ability to come out for one black mana if you discard a cookbook, means she’s usually online by turn two, presenting an early threat.
The Underworld Cookbook
Speaking of the cookbook, this artifact enables efficient Food creation. For just one mana, you can create a Food token, discard a card, and fuel Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar. This cheap artifact provides the necessary ingredients to your culinary strategy, whether you’re discarding excess lands or creatures to make more Food.
Gingerbrute
This adorable gingerbread man isn’t just cute; he’s also surprisingly effective. With haste and evasion, Gingerbrute can apply early pressure and chip away at your opponent’s life total. Plus, his ability to gain protection from artifacts with a Food sacrifice can make him incredibly difficult to block or remove. Gingerbrute is a sweet treat with a surprisingly sharp bite.
Peregrin Took
One of the premier lords of the Food archetype, Peregrin Took creates Food whenever another Hobbit enters the battlefield, and makes Hobbits you control stronger. This makes him an excellent support piece to create a large food-based board presence.
Samwise Gamgee
This loyal friend synergizes incredibly well with Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit, and provides incidental lifegain along the way! This can provide extra resilience or even enable infinite loops, if you can find the correct cards to pair with him.
These are just a few examples, and the selection of key cards will vary depending on the specific deck archetype you choose to build. However, they all share a common thread: the ability to generate Food tokens and leverage their unique properties for strategic advantage.
Deck Archetypes: Serving Up Different Strategies
Food decks aren’t a one-size-fits-all strategy. They can be tailored to different playstyles, offering a range of approaches from aggressive to controlling gameplay. Let’s explore some of the most popular and effective MTG Food Fight archetypes.
Aggro Food
This strategy focuses on overwhelming your opponent with a rapid deployment of early threats, fueled by Food tokens for added resilience and reach. Gingerbrute, along with other low-cost creatures that synergize with Food, are the stars of this deck. The goal is to apply constant pressure and close out the game before your opponent can stabilize. Aggro Food decks often utilize cards that benefit from having Food in play, such as those that gain power or grant abilities when you control Food tokens. They might also include cards that allow you to sacrifice Food for added damage or utility, giving you the burst of power needed to finish off your opponent. However, this aggressive approach is susceptible to removal-heavy strategies.
Midrange Food
This archetype strikes a balance between aggression and control, using Food tokens for value and incremental advantage. Midrange Food decks aim to establish a solid board presence, generate card advantage, and grind out opponents with steady life gain. Cards like Feasting Troll King and Trail of Crumbs are key components, providing resilient threats and card selection. This strategy is more adaptable than Aggro Food, capable of shifting gears depending on the matchup. It thrives in longer games, where the incremental value of Food tokens can add up to a significant advantage. However, Midrange Food can be slow to get going, leaving it vulnerable to faster, more aggressive strategies.
Control Food
This archetype prioritizes control and attrition, using Food tokens for life gain and incremental advantage to outlast opponents. Control Food decks focus on removing threats, disrupting opposing strategies, and eventually winning through sheer resilience. Cards like Oko, Thief of Crowns, and board wipes are essential components. This strategy excels against aggressive decks, using Food tokens to stabilize the board and gain life. It aims to grind out opponents, eventually overwhelming them with card advantage and consistent life gain. However, Control Food can struggle against combo decks that can bypass its control elements and win quickly.
Food Combo
This archetype seeks to leverage food with other cards to create game-winning infinite loops. For example, Academy Manufactor makes Clue and Treasure tokens alongside Food, which can be combined with cards that care about artifacts entering the battlefield for a variety of potent combos. These decks can be very potent, but can also be quite fragile.
Matchups and Metagame Considerations
The success of any MTG Food Fight deck depends on its ability to perform well against the prevailing metagame. Understanding how Food decks fare against popular archetypes is crucial for optimizing your decklist and sideboard.
- Food vs. Aggro: Food decks, particularly those with a strong life gain component, can be effective against aggressive strategies. The ability to sacrifice Food for life can help stabilize the board and outlast early pressure. However, Aggro Food decks may struggle against faster, more explosive aggro builds.
- Food vs. Control: Food decks can present a challenge for control decks, as they generate a steady stream of value and card advantage. The resilience of Food-related creatures and the life gain from Food tokens can make it difficult for control decks to establish a dominant position.
- Food vs. Midrange: Matchups against other midrange decks often come down to value and card advantage. Food decks that can generate more resources and maintain a consistent stream of threats will have an edge.
- Food vs. Combo: Food decks can struggle against combo decks that can bypass their control elements and win quickly. Sideboard cards that disrupt combo strategies, such as counterspells or hand disruption, are essential for these matchups.
Sideboard strategies for Food decks often include cards that address specific weaknesses or improve matchups against problematic archetypes. Cards like removal spells, counterspells, and hate cards targeting specific strategies can significantly impact your win rate.
Budget Options and Upgrades
Building an MTG Food Fight deck doesn’t have to break the bank. There are plenty of budget-friendly options available, allowing you to experience the fun and strategy of Food-based gameplay without spending a fortune. Focus on acquiring key commons and uncommons that provide the foundation for your deck, such as Gingerbrute and some of the cheaper food payoffs in Lord of the Rings.
As your budget allows, you can gradually upgrade your deck with more powerful and expensive cards, such as Oko, Thief of Crowns, or more optimal mana bases. Prioritize upgrades that address the deck’s weaknesses or enhance its strengths, such as adding more resilient threats or improving its card advantage engine.
Conclusion
MTG Food Fight decks offer a unique and surprisingly versatile archetype in Magic: The Gathering. From aggressive strategies that overwhelm opponents with early threats to controlling builds that grind out value and outlast opponents, Food decks provide a range of options for different playstyles. The key to success lies in understanding the core ingredients, exploring the diverse archetypes, and adapting your deck to the prevailing metagame. So, grab your apron, gather your ingredients, and prepare to serve up a delicious defeat to your opponents in the world of MTG Food Fight! Don’t be afraid to experiment with different builds and find the food-based strategy that best suits your taste. The kitchen is open, and the feast awaits!
