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Budget Sardian Avenger Decks: MTG Wins on a Dime

Red mana isn’t traditionally known for patient, grindy attrition, but occasionally a scrappy one-drop goblin takes you from “couldn’t win a race” to “coulda won a race, if you brought a little chaos.” Sardian Avenger, a rare from The Brothers’ War Commander set, is one of those cards that invites clever, budget-conscious players to think differently about combat, tempo, and artifact-heavy boards. With a mana cost of {1}{R}, this 1/1 Goblin Warrior isn’t asking for the sun and stars. It asks for a little chaos, a touch of aggression, and the willingness to lean into red’s love of artifacts—both as tools for your own board and as targets for your opponent’s triumphs. 🧙‍♂️🔥

What Sardian Avenger brings to the table

• First strike, trample—two powerful keywords in red’s toolbox. Sardian Avenger can trade efficiently and still punch through when the board gets messy. In multiplayer Commander, that combination helps you survive when opponents are building boards of value artifacts and expensive threats. ⚔️
• Attack buff based on opponents’ artifacts—Whenever this creature attacks, it gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is the number of artifacts your opponents control. The more artifact-heavy their boards, the more fearsome Sardian becomes on the attack. It’s a built-in scaling engine, especially in games where red decks lean into aggro and chaos. 💎
• Artifact-graveyard trigger—Whenever an artifact an opponent controls is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, Sardian Avenger deals 1 damage to that player. That’s persistent reach that punishes artifact-centered strategies and adds a little direct damage spice to each swing. It’s not just about combat; it’s a subtle form of pressure that wears down your opponents as the game unfolds. 🔥
• Color identity and rarity—As a red card in a Commander deck, Sardian Avenger slots cleanly into budget red lists and occasionally into goblin-focused builds. Its rarity (rare) means it’s collectible and often accessible, with price points that won’t break your play budget—roughly a dollar or so in many markets, with foil options that glimmer a bit brighter. 🧨

From a lore and flavor perspective, Sardian Avenger embodies red’s goblin cunning and battlefield chaos. A creature that thrives when the stakes rise, it invites players to lean into the unpredictable rhythms of multiplayer play. The Brothers’ War era is a perfect canvas for a red deck that doesn’t rely on big bombs, but on clever synergies and sudden, explosive moments. The art by Joseph Weston captures that scrappy scrapper energy—an Avenger who seems to show up with a spark, a plan, and a whole lot of determination. 🎨

Budget strategies: how to maximize value without overspending

Budget doesn’t mean boring. It means you lean into timing, resource management, and the joy of surprising opponents with smart plays. Here are practical angles to make Sardian Avenger sing on a shoestring:

• Ramping into red pressure—Even on a tight budget, you can lean on inexpensive artifact ramp or mana rocks to hit your red threats faster. Cards that tap for colorless mana or fix your mana base let Sardian Avenger swing early and threaten a tempo swing that catches opponents off guard. 🧙‍♂️
• Artifact control as ongoing pressure—In multiplayer, you’ll often see opponents building boards full of artifacts. Use affordable removal that targets artifacts or mass-disruption effects to keep their tools in check while Sardian Avenger grows. When an opponent’s artifact is destroyed, Avenger’s trigger at the end of the swing punishes the table with a ping. ⚔️
• Direct-damage synergy—Red is built to punish, and Sardian Avenger’s second-triggered damage makes it a convenient anchor for cheap, synergistic flakes of direct damage. Look for inexpensive +damage-return spells, goblin-styled reach, and temporary damage boosters to keep you in the game as your opponent’s artifacts proliferate. 🔥
• Artifact-heavy boards as a feature, not a bug—Because the Avenger scales with opponents’ artifacts, you’ll often want to invite artifact-rich setups. This might mean games where you lean into political truce or bait a flourish of plays that leave opponents with plenty of artifacts on the battlefield. The payoff is when Sardian Avenger hits and your opponents realize the spike is coming from their own scrap heap. 💎
• Budget card draw and value—You don’t need revolutionary effects to keep your hand full. Look for reliable red draw spells, cantrips, or low-cost wheels that pair well with the tempo you’re trying to establish. Cards that replace themselves or draw a couple of cards on demand help keep you ahead as you fuel the Avenger’s jump in power. 💡

In practice, a Sardian Avenger list isn’t about locking in a single path to victory; it’s about weaving tempo with a touch of chaos. You might not always dominate the early turns, but the Avenger’s evolving power curve means you can spike out of nowhere when opponents have fed the board with artifacts. And if you’re lucky enough to trigger the artifact-damage clause while also driving a big final swing, you’ll hear the table murmur that old-school red deck feeling again—nostalgia with a spark. 🎲

Card design and value highlights

Red creatures with scalable power on a budget are the sweet spot for many players who want to enjoy Commander's depth without over-investment. Sardian Avenger delivers just that—solid front-end stats, meaningful combat tricks, and a pair of triggers that reward savvy, artifact-aware play. It’s a reminder that sometimes the most memorable wins come from turning opponents’ tools against them.

As of its latest market snapshot, Sardian Avenger sits at a reasonable price point for a rare from a Commander set, with foil options that can justify a little splurge for showy table presence. The card carries a modest EDHREC footprint and remains a recognizable, fun option for budget red lists seeking a focal point that scales with the game’s chaos. 🧙‍♂️💎

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