Voltron is a deck archetype with the goal of casting one creature, then using other cards such as Auras and Equipment to enhance that creature and making it a true threat to the opponent.
Description[]
The archetype's name derives from the animated series Voltron which features several small robots that combine into one large robot. The series is also the naming origin of the Urzatron deck.
The archetype is particularly popular in Commander, which has several rules that greatly benefit the strategy. For one, Commander automatically gives permanent access to a creature card, the commander, who can simply be recast from the Command zone if it would leave the battlefield. Secondly, players start at 40 life, but being dealt 21 total combat damage by a Commander causes a player to lose the game.
Cards which give a creature evasion—such as providing flying or trample—are key, as well as cards that boost power and toughness and/or protection from removal.
Popular Voltron creatures[]
- Uril, the Miststalker — has hexproof and a power-up ability.
- Rafiq of the Many — grants +1/+1 and double strike to a creature that attacks alone, which usually is also Rafiq himself.
- Light-Paws, Emperor's Voice makes every aura cast from hand have a tutor from library attached to it, grabbing combat buffs and protection that are most relevant to the situation on the field.
- Sigarda, Host of Herons — has evasion and is nigh impossible to kill: specifically, it blanks the biggest threat to a voltron deck: edict effects (which force the player to sacrifice a creature).
- Bruna, Light of Alabaster — flying. She also enables use of enchantments from anywhere meaning they will never be wasted.
- Thrun, the Last Troll — very hard to kill, and mono-colored, which may or may not be an advantage.
- Zurgo Helmsmasher — Haste, Indestructible on your turn, and gets bigger when he kills a blocker.
- Narset, Enlightened Master — has Hexproof and lets you cast more auras off the top for free.
- Kemba, Kha Regent — The more equipment attached to Kemba, the more 2/2 Cats you can put onto the field per turn.
- Slicer, Hired Muscle and Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos — have a similar approach to voltron, forcing your opponents to deal damage to each other on their turns.
- Skullbriar, the Walking Grave — focuses on gaining +1/+1 counters and retains them even when destroyed or exiled.
- Yargle and Multani and Ruhan of the Fomori — are essentially vanilla creatures that are massively undercosted for their combat stats. The goal of voltron here is to make them get through the blockers.
- Feather, the Redeemed — Evasive. Instead of Auras, Equipment or counters, Feather focuses on combat tricks, letting the player reuse them every turn.
- Indominus Rex, Alpha and Kathril, Aspect Warper take ability keywords from other creature cards, ideally entering with both protection and evasion. Filling the graveyard with creatures with powerful keywords also allows for a backup gameplan of mass reanimation.
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