Squirrel Graveyard

They say restriction breeds creativity – if that’s the case, we’re gonna need a bit of imagination innovating today’s deck. It’s been some time since we last looked at a tribal build, and today’s stack of cards is one of the narrowest tribes in existence. Why? Because while most tribes see some cards printed in nearly every set, today’s band of brothers only saw print in a couple of them. Despite this however, it has become one of the most beloved in the game. So without wasting any other words on this introduction, grab your nuts and prepare to play with a Squirrel Graveyard.

One of the main strengths of Squirrels is also one of its main weaknesses: colour choices. Because they are only available in Green, choosing whether or not you want to add another colour can be tough. I know this may seem like a pretty simple decision, yet there is certainly some strength in playing only one as well. Today I chose to add a second colour because I wanted decent creature removal; you may notice however, that that was about the only reason I did, as I did not want to stray from the main strategy of the deck. Going the route of extra ramp and the high CMC removal that G has at its disposable is certainly viable as well.

To be honest, despite being a semi-combo deck, I think that Squirrel Graveyard seems to be pretty straightforward. The cards are simple enough to understand and the strategy is pretty obvious. I think what gives the deck some resilience is its ability to win with or without a combo in play. Simillar to Elves, this deck can just win via swarming the enemy with critters. Nest, Harvest and Chatter are all great ways at generating some virtual card advantage via tokens. And those are just a small number of options the deck provides.

Did I just say a small number? That’s right! You see, the deck also contains a number of creatures that enjoy popping out our tiny friends. The creatures in question are Deranged Hermit, Nut Collector and Squirrel Wrangler. These are good not only because they create squirrel armies on their own, but also because they are 1-man win conditions as well. You see, each one can both create and strengthen our squirrel tokens. Now they are what I call awesome win conditions!

Things to consider. As previously mentioned, pairing the deck with a secondary colour (and which one) can vary depending on preference. Card choices and even strategy are also debatable, as ramp, emphasis on combo and even graveyard-utility are not set in stone. Squirrel-based decks can and do offer a number of options that you might want to consider. Happy Brewing!

Squirrel Graveyard

Land

5 Forest

1 Swamp

2 Gaea’s Cradle

4 Bayou

8 Fetch lands

4 Wasteland

Total: 24

Creatures

4 Birds of Paradise

4 Deranged Hermit

4 Squirrel Mob

2 Nut Collector

1 Squirrel Wrangler

Total: 15

Spells

4 Chatter of the Squirrel

4 Acorn Harvest

1 Squirrel Nest

4 Entomb

4 Reanimate

4 Exhume

Total: 21

Sideboard

4 Naturalize

4 Tormod’s Crypt

4 Innocent Blood

2 Defense Grid

1 Ensnaring Bridge