I don’t think it would be accurate to describe Minotaurs as a powerhouse tribe. Beloved by many, certainly, but never a deck that has taken any constructed format by storm (although people really did try to break Deathbellow War Cry). However – could there be enough tribal support in Commander to pull a proper Minotaur deck together?
EDH fan clevelandsteam17 certainly thinks so, and has designed the following list. Filled to the brim with Minotaurs and led by the mighty Sethron, Hurloon General, this list is a pretty cut-and-dried tribal deck – although I will say that there are some weird old cards that come out of the woodwork when it comes to Minotaurs, including – if you’ll believe it – one of the very few mono-red creatures with vigilance!
Minotaur Tribal by clevelandsteam17
Commander
Creature (30)
Sorcery (9)
Instant (9)
Artifact (12)
Land (34)
There have been some pretty powerful Minotaurs over the years. Ahn-Crop Crasher, Fanatic of Mogis, Neheb, Dreadhorde Champion, even Moraug, Fury of Akoum – these cards can all hold their own, and even without the tribal synergies they’re still generically good cards. On the other hand, there are some real stinkers when it comes to Minotaurs, but you’ve got to have a critical mass of them, which is why we see cards like… Minotaur Sureshot and Skophos Reaver. They can’t all be winners, kid.
When it comes to Minotaur tribal cards, however, some pack a real punch, and many work a long way outside the established orthodoxy of tribal cards. Sure, there’s Rageblood Shaman to give the team +1/+1 and trample – pretty standard – but then there are cards like Kragma Warcaller, Ragemonger and Anaba Spirit Crafter. Kragma Warcaller gives the team haste and +2/+0 on attacks, Ragemonger knocks up to two mana off the cost of your Minotaurs, while Anaba Spirit Crafter gives all Minotaurs +1/+0. You better not hope you’re playing the mirror!
All the usual tribal suspects are here, from Coat of Arms to Vanquisher’s Banner, but there’s one absurdly specific tribal card that could only ever go in a Minotaur deck: Didgeridoo. I don’t know what the connection between an instrument played by indigenous Australians and a beast from Greek mythology is, but this card threads that needle and lets you cheat your Dreamshaper Shaman in at a steep discount.
A light reanimation theme allows you to bring back your fallen heroes, with Whip of Erebos also bolstering your life total as you do, but there’s one card in here that is truly remarkable, almost unique. In the history of Magic, there have only ever been two mono-red cards printed that have vigilance – and one of them is in this deck, as it’s a minotaur! Tahngarth, Talruum Hero can get in for a crisp four damage, then tap to fight another creature. Not bad, for a card that’s over two decades old!
