{"ops":[{"attributes":{"color":"#000000"},"insert":"It’s time to tough it out with "},{"attributes":{"color":"#000000"},"insert":{"card-link":"Tahngarth, Talruum Hero"}},{"attributes":{"color":"#000000"},"insert":" in my submission to June’s deckbuilding contest “Tahngarth Tussles with Toughness.” By building up Tahngarth’s toughness and using his fighting ability to damage our own high base-toughness creatures, the deck aims to redirect damage around the table while maintaining a strong defense against potential incoming attackers. Then, when the moment’s right, we’re able to flip the board state on its head with some of red’s historic power-toughness switching abilities, turning that formidable defense into a potent offense."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#000000"},"insert":"With one of the first instances of what later became the “fight” mechanic, Tahngarth has power to take out most any opposing creatures with toughness four or less with just one activation. Problem is, he only has four toughness himself, which leaves him vulnerable on the punch back if we don’t have a way to protect him. That’s where the deck’s toughness-buffing tools come into play, including nine equipments that boost Tahngarth’s toughness more than his power. These equipment can also be used to fortify our other creatures’ toughness as well, allowing us to shift into the second part of the deck’s gameplan, which is damaging our own creatures for profit."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#000000"},"insert":"A characteristic feature of red decks is a tendency to throw damage around and we’re not deviating from that here. The caveat, though, is our plan of damaging our own creatures using Tahngarth’s ability (or just by attacking) and then redirecting that damage to our opponents or their creatures. With 11 damage redirectors and five damage amplifiers in the deck, we should have at least a couple ways to swing major damage around the table by the time Tahngarth hits the field and is able to tap to activate his ability. Additionally, while not the primary point of the deck, there are ways to combo off with infinite damage loops using the likes of "},{"attributes":{"color":"#000000"},"insert":{"card-link":"Brash Taunter"}},{"attributes":{"color":"#000000"},"insert":" or "},{"attributes":{"color":"#000000"},"insert":{"card-link":"Stuffy Doll"}},{"attributes":{"color":"#000000"},"insert":", though I’ve intentionally taken out most of the indestructible-granting equipment to reduce the potential for those combos to pop up out of nowhere."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#000000"},"insert":"If for some reason we aren’t able to find our damage redirecting pieces or they get removed, the deck does have a backup plan using red’s historic ability to switch power and toughness at instant speed. With the likes of "},{"attributes":{"color":"#000000"},"insert":{"card-link":"Dwarven Thaumaturgist"}},{"attributes":{"color":"#000000"},"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"color":"#000000"},"insert":{"card-link":"Mannichi, the Fevered Dream"}},{"attributes":{"color":"#000000"},"insert":", we can opt to attack with our beefed-up toughness creatures for big damage or give Tahngarth possibly lethal punching potential."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#000000"},"insert":"To round things out, there are a couple pieces of notable tech in the deck, including "},{"attributes":{"color":"#000000"},"insert":{"card-link":"Sting, the Glinting Dagger"}},{"attributes":{"color":"#000000"},"insert":", which can untap Tahngarth each combat, allowing him to reuse his fighting ability each turn, and "},{"attributes":{"color":"#000000"},"insert":{"card-link":"Soul Immolation"}},{"attributes":{"color":"#000000"},"insert":", which can serve as a nearly one-sided board wipe if we are able to stick a sufficiently tough creature on our side of the board."},{"insert":"\n"}]}