Double strike is a keyword in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Magic: The Gathering that allows a creature to deal combat damage twiceℱ. On top of that, the first instance of damage the creature deals happens before regular damage, just like creatures with first strike. As a result, creatures with double strike are some of the most difficult attackers to block in the game.
At the same time, the sheer amount of damage a double strike creature inflicts also often forces opponents to block it. This creates a lose-lose situation for our adversaries: a hallmark of good Magic cards. Now that we understand why double strike is so valuable, let's take a look at the best double strike creatures in the game.
10 💫 ജ Mirran Crusader
This bold knight once represented a fair share of sideboard sl꧑ots in Modern decks, but things have changed a lot since those times. Nonetheless, Mirran Crusader is an incredible aggressor against Golgari (Green/Black) and Jund (Green/Black/Red) decks thanks to its protection from green and black.
In fact, if a Golgari or Jund deck ever ascends to the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:upper tiers of Modern again, there's definitely a world where Mirran Crusader makes an appearance once more in the sideboards of Hammer Time decks. Until then, Crusader will likely remain a popular card for kitchen table magic and niche Commander decks.
9 🅘 Liza💜rd Blades
As a relativel🦹y newly released card, Lizard Blades has yet to find a great home in any successful meta deck. Many players were hopeful this card would be powerful enough to be a player in Mono-Red builds across Standard, but its performance in these builds has been lackluster at best.
Nonetheless, Lizard Blades has a high ceiling as it provides you with the ability to give the powerful double strike keyword to any other creature you field. This artifact creature likely won't shine until it can find a deck chock full of creatures that devastate the opponent if they manage to swing in with double strike.
8 ♔ Kinsbaile 💦Cavalier
Speaking of giving other creatures double strike, Kinsbail𝓀e Cavalier accomplishes the same effect assuming your deck is full of Knights. While the Knight creature type still has a ways to go before it becomes truly formi๊dable, recent sets have printed a large number of powerful Knights that are slowly building towards a great Knight deck.
Cards like History of Benalia, Corpse Knight, and Aryel, Knight of Windgrace already provide a foundation for Kinsbaile Cavalier to impress. Unfortunately, Cavalier's low toughness makes it a bit of a liability as even the cheapest removal spells like Shock can easily remove it.
7 Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt is an impressive creature thanks to a slew of ot🐻her abilities he comes with in addition to the double strike keyword. Firstly, Drizzt creates a 4/1 Cat ꦰcreature token with trample when he enters the battlefield. Beyond that, he also gains counters any time a creature with power greater than him leaves the battlefield.
This ability provides Drizzt with a built-in method of taking advantage of his double strike. While most double strike creatures rely on a pump spell in order to devastate the opponent, Drizzt rewards you simply for playing bigger threats. Coincidentally enough, that's something that many decks want to do anyways.
6 🌸 Drogskol Reaver
While most double strike creatures are best for aggressive decks, Drogskol Reaver bucks the trend by fitting best in control builds. Seven mana is a huge commitment for a creature that doesn't immediately do something when it enters the battlefield, but Reaver more than makes up for this if it manages to get in a single block or attack.
Thanks to lifelink, double strike, and its life gain ability, Reaver will draw you two cards every time it deals damage. Furthermore, you can take advantage of Reaver's life gain ability the turn it enters the battlefield if you have other sources of life gain, such as lifelink creatures or life gain spells.
5 ⛦ Fabled He꧃ro
Heroic has proven itself as a powerful ability in decks like Modern's Boros (Red/White) Feather, so it only makes sense a creature with both heroic and double strike is a force to be reckoned with. Granted, Fabled Hero needs a lot of support from your deck in order to gain counters and really shine.
That being said, a deck that plays a lot of double strike creatures is going to want to play a fair number of pump spells anyways. Cards like Defiant Strike, Sheltering Light, and Gods Willing fit perfectly in a deck looking to win with 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:cheap, aggressive creatures. Fabled Hero j♛ust gives you a li𝐆ttle extra value for playing them.
4 💮 Needle Spireꦉs
Double strike is such a powerful ability that you would play it for free if you could, right? That's essentially what Needle Spires allows you to do. This manland rewards you with a double strike creature for the low, low cost of playing the Boros color pair.
This may be one of the more expensive man lands to activate, but it's well worth it considering the double strike creature you get for the cost. When Needle Spires was still in Standard, it was a common finishing attacker for many aggressive builds.
3 Snapdax, Apeꦏx Of The Hunt
This double strike creature makes for a great Dinosaur c🐼ommander thanks to its high toughness and powerful Mutate ability. Snapdax provides you with an effect similar to Lightning Helix, while also presenting a powerful threat in itself.
The drawback here is that the Mutate effect inherently makes you susceptible to a two-for-one trade, as it essentially works like putting an enchantment on your own creature. That being said, if Snapdax is serving as your commander you can cast him for his Mutate cost again and again, benefitting from th🔴e removal and life gain he offers until your opponent runs out of removal.
2 🌌 Phyrexian Dragon En♎gine
As one of the most recent cards printed in Magic: The Gathering, Dragon Engine has barely had any time at all to show its true strength. That being said, it's already seeing some play in Midrange style builds of Standard Mono-Red where its Uneaꦅrth effect provides signifiꦫcant card draw to an archetype that typically has none.
Additionally, a 2/2 double strike creature for three mana is an efficient threat that many decks will be happy to play: especially if they're home to previously mentioned pump spells. Last of all, Mardu (Black/Red/White) decks in formats like Commander can also take advantage of the Engine's Meld ability, which provides you with a game-winning creature as early as turn five.
1 Fury
It should come as no surprise that the red double strike version of the Elementals released in Modern Horizon 2 takes the cake here. Fury sees play in Modern, Legacy, and Vintage thanks to its Evoke ability, and its enter the battlefield trigger provides single target removal at worst a🍒nd a 🅺board wipe at best.
There's no creature that does a better job of putting the sheer power of double strike on display than Fury. Due to the Evoke ability, Fury can come down on the first turns of the game, and swing in for significant amounts of life before an opponent manages to remove it. In an aggressive deck like Rakdos Scam, even a single successful attack from Fury can spell doom for the opponent. That's the true power of double strike.