Chatterfang Budget Deck Guide: Build A Squirrel Swarm For MTG Commander

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Are you a new Magic: The Gathering player looking to dive into the world of Commander? Do you love the idea of swarming the board with squirrels and overwhelming your opponents? Then look no further! This comprehensive guide will help you build a budget-friendly Chatterfang, Squirrel General deck that's both fun and effective. We'll cover everything from key cards and combos to budget alternatives and gameplay strategies. So, grab your nuts and get ready to squirrel away some wins!

Why Choose Chatterfang?

Chatterfang, Squirrel General is a fantastic commander for new players for several reasons. First, he's relatively inexpensive to cast, sitting at just 1B (one black mana). Second, his abilities are straightforward and powerful. He creates a 1/1 black Squirrel creature token whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control. He also lets you pay 1 life and tap him to give a Squirrel you control +1/+1 until the end of the turn, letting you turn your swarm into a formidable force.

But beyond the mechanics, Chatterfang embodies a fun and aggressive playstyle. He encourages you to build a deck focused on creature tokens, which are readily available in black and green. This makes it easy to flood the board with small creatures and then overrun your opponents with their combined power. Plus, who doesn't love squirrels? They're cute, fluffy, and surprisingly fierce in the world of Magic!

Chatterfang is also a great choice for a budget deck. Many of the key cards that synergize well with him are common or uncommon, making them easy to acquire without breaking the bank. This allows you to build a competitive deck without spending hundreds of dollars on rare and expensive cards. You can focus on building a strong core strategy and then gradually upgrade your deck with more powerful cards as your budget allows.

Building Your Budget Chatterfang Deck: Key Components

Now, let's dive into the nuts and bolts (pun intended!) of building your budget Chatterfang deck. We'll break down the key card categories and highlight some budget-friendly options for each.

Token Generators: The Squirrel Army

Token generators are the heart of your Chatterfang deck. You want cards that can consistently create Squirrel tokens to take advantage of Chatterfang's ability. The more tokens you generate, the more powerful your board presence becomes. Look for cards that provide multiple tokens at once or that can repeatedly create tokens over time. Some standout budget options include:

  • Squirrel Nest: This enchantment turns any land into a Squirrel-producing machine. For just two mana, you can tap the enchanted land to create a 1/1 Squirrel token. This is a fantastic source of repeatable token generation, and it pairs incredibly well with lands that can tap for multiple mana.
  • Acorn Harvest: This instant-speed spell creates a number of Squirrel tokens equal to the number of lands you control. It's a great way to quickly fill your board with creatures, especially in the mid-to-late game when you have a sizable land base. The instant speed also allows you to cast it in response to removal spells, creating blockers and potentially saving your other creatures.
  • Nut Collector: This creature is a Squirrel powerhouse. It enters the battlefield with a number of +1/+1 counters equal to the number of Squirrels you control. It also has an ability that allows you to pay mana to create additional Squirrel tokens. Nut Collector can quickly become a massive threat on the board, especially if you already have a decent number of Squirrels in play.
  • Chatterstorm: A powerful sorcery that creates a 1/1 Squirrel token for each spell you've cast this turn, this card can flood the board with squirrels in a single turn, especially if you've been casting a lot of cheap spells.
  • Sylvan Offering: This spell creates two 1/1 green Squirrel creature tokens and two 1/1 green Elf creature tokens. While it doesn't exclusively create Squirrels, the additional creatures are still valuable for triggering Chatterfang's ability and contributing to your overall board presence.

Token Synergies: Making Squirrels Stronger

Once you have a Squirrel army, you need ways to make them stronger. Token synergies are cards that buff your tokens or provide other benefits for having a large number of creatures. These cards can turn your small Squirrels into a real threat. Here are some excellent budget-friendly options:

  • Overrun: This classic green overrun effect gives all your creatures +3/+3 and trample until end of turn. It's a fantastic way to close out games, allowing you to attack with your entire army and trample over your opponent's defenses. Overrun is a must-have in any token-based strategy.
  • Beastmaster Ascension: This enchantment gives your creatures +5/+5 once you've attacked with at least seven creatures. It can be a bit slow to set up, but once active, it provides a massive power boost to your entire team.
  • Triumph of the Hordes: A powerful but risky option, Triumph of the Hordes gives your creatures +1/+1 and infect until end of turn. Infect is a mechanic that makes creatures deal damage in the form of poison counters, and a player loses the game if they have ten or more poison counters. While this can lead to quick wins, it also makes you a target for your opponents.
  • Shared Animosity: This enchantment gives your creatures a significant power boost based on the number of creatures you control that share a creature type. In a Squirrel-heavy deck, Shared Animosity can turn your squirrels into incredibly potent attackers.
  • Parallel Lives/ Doubling Season (more expensive but powerful): While Doubling Season is a pricier option, Parallel Lives is a budget-friendlier alternative that does a similar job. Both enchantments double the number of tokens you create, effectively doubling the size of your Squirrel army. These cards can lead to explosive turns and overwhelming board presence.

Removal: Dealing with Threats

Every Commander deck needs removal to deal with opposing threats. Black and green have access to a wide range of removal spells, and many of them are quite budget-friendly. Focus on cards that can destroy creatures, enchantments, and artifacts, as these are the most common threats you'll encounter. Here are some budget removal options for your Chatterfang deck:

  • Go for the Throat: A simple and effective instant-speed spell that destroys target nonartifact creature. It's a clean answer to most creatures you'll face.
  • Murder: Another straightforward removal spell that destroys target creature. While it's not instant speed, it's still a reliable way to eliminate threats.
  • Putrefy: This instant-speed spell destroys target creature or artifact. It's a versatile option that can deal with a wide range of problems.
  • Beast Within: This instant-speed spell destroys target permanent and its controller creates a 3/3 green Beast creature token. While it gives your opponent a creature, it's often worth it to remove a more problematic permanent.
  • Nature's Claim: This instant-speed spell destroys target artifact or enchantment and its controller gains 4 life. It's a cheap and efficient way to deal with troublesome artifacts and enchantments.

Card Draw: Keeping the Squirrels Flowing

Card draw is essential for any Commander deck. You need to be able to consistently draw cards to keep your hand full and ensure you don't run out of gas. Black and green offer several budget-friendly card draw options. Some solid choices include:

  • Sign in Blood: This instant-speed spell lets you draw two cards and lose 2 life. It's a classic black card draw spell that's efficient and reliable.
  • Night's Whisper: Similar to Sign in Blood, Night's Whisper lets you draw two cards and lose 2 life. It's another great option for filling your hand.
  • Harmonize: This sorcery lets you draw three cards. It's a bit slower than the instant-speed options, but it provides a significant card advantage.
  • Skullclamp: An incredibly powerful card draw engine, Skullclamp equips to a creature and gives it +1/-1. Whenever the equipped creature dies, you draw two cards. In a token-heavy deck, Skullclamp can draw you a ton of cards.
  • Moldervine Reclamation: This enchantment lets you draw a card whenever a creature you control dies. This is an excellent way to recoup value from your creatures, especially if you're sacrificing them for value or they're dying in combat.

Ramp: Getting Mana Early

Ramp refers to cards that help you generate mana faster. This allows you to cast your spells earlier and get ahead of your opponents. Green is the king of ramp, and there are plenty of budget-friendly options available. Some examples include:

  • Rampant Growth: This sorcery lets you search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped. It's a classic ramp spell that's been reprinted numerous times.
  • Cultivate: This sorcery lets you search your library for up to two basic land cards, put one onto the battlefield tapped, and put the other into your hand. It provides both ramp and card advantage.
  • Kodama's Reach: Similar to Cultivate, Kodama's Reach lets you search your library for up to two basic land cards, put one onto the battlefield tapped, and put the other into your hand.
  • Farseek: This sorcery lets you search your library for a Plains, Island, Swamp, or Mountain card and put it onto the battlefield tapped. It's a great way to fix your mana in a two-color deck.
  • Llanowar Elves/ Elvish Mystic: These one-mana creatures tap for one green mana. They're excellent early-game ramp spells that can help you cast your more expensive spells ahead of schedule.

Budget Card Suggestions:

Here’s a list of budget-friendly cards that work perfectly with a Chatterfang Commander deck:

  • Creatures: Squirrel Sovereign, Swarmborn Giant, Nightpack Ambusher, Deep Forest Hermit, Verdant Force, Avenger of Zendikar (can be a bit pricier but very effective).
  • Enchantments: Pitiless Plunderer, Moldervine Reclamation, Dictate of Erebos (helps control the board).
  • Sorceries/Instants: Army of the Damned (expensive mana cost but game-winning), Skyshroud Claim, Tempt with Discovery.
  • Artifacts: Commander's Sphere, Sol Ring (almost an auto-include in Commander), Fellwar Stone.

Budget Decklist Example

Here's a sample budget decklist to get you started. Keep in mind that prices can fluctuate, so you may need to make some substitutions based on your local market. This decklist focuses on generating lots of Squirrel tokens, buffing them, and overwhelming your opponents.

(Note: A full decklist exceeding 100 cards is not provided here due to length constraints, but this provides a good starting point. You'll need lands and a well-rounded mix of the categories discussed above.)

  • Commander: Chatterfang, Squirrel General
  • Creatures:
    • Squirrel Nest
    • Acorn Harvest
    • Nut Collector
    • Chatterstorm
    • Sylvan Offering
    • Deep Forest Hermit
    • Squirrel Sovereign
  • Enchantments:
    • Overrun
    • Beastmaster Ascension
    • Parallel Lives
    • Shared Animosity
    • Moldervine Reclamation
  • Removal:
    • Go for the Throat
    • Murder
    • Putrefy
    • Beast Within
    • Nature's Claim
  • Card Draw:
    • Sign in Blood
    • Night's Whisper
    • Harmonize
    • Skullclamp
  • Ramp:
    • Rampant Growth
    • Cultivate
    • Kodama's Reach
    • Farseek
    • Llanowar Elves
    • Elvish Mystic

Gameplay Strategies: Squirrel Tactics

Now that you have your deck built, let's talk about how to play it. The key to success with Chatterfang is to flood the board with Squirrel tokens and then leverage your token synergies to overwhelm your opponents. Here are some gameplay tips and strategies:

  • Early Game: Focus on ramping your mana and playing your early token generators. Cards like Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic, and Rampant Growth will help you get ahead on mana, while cards like Squirrel Nest and Acorn Harvest will start building your Squirrel army.
  • Mid Game: Continue generating tokens and start playing your token synergy cards. Overrun, Beastmaster Ascension, and Shared Animosity can turn your small Squirrels into a formidable force. Also, start using your removal spells to deal with any threats your opponents play.
  • Late Game: Overwhelm your opponents with your massive Squirrel army. Use Overrun or Triumph of the Hordes to deal a massive amount of damage and close out the game. If your opponents try to wipe your board, use cards like Moldervine Reclamation to recoup value and rebuild your army.
  • Prioritize Token Generation: The more squirrels, the better. Chatterfang’s ability makes every creature entering your battlefield a win, so lean into spells and permanents that create multiple tokens.
  • Political Plays: Use your squirrels as bargaining chips. Commander is a multiplayer format, and sometimes making deals can get you further than brute force. Offering chump blockers or targeting removal strategically can gain allies.
  • Beware of Board Wipes: Board wipes can devastate token strategies. Try to hold back some resources or have ways to rebuild quickly after a wipe. Cards like Second Harvest can help you recover from a board wipe and get back into the game.

Upgrading Your Deck: Beyond the Budget

Once you've played your budget Chatterfang deck for a while, you may want to start upgrading it with more powerful (and often more expensive) cards. Here are some upgrades to consider as your budget allows:

  • Doubling Season: As mentioned earlier, Doubling Season is a powerhouse in any token-based strategy. It doubles the number of tokens you create, effectively doubling the size of your Squirrel army.
  • Parallel Lives: A more budget-friendly alternative to Doubling Season, Parallel Lives still doubles the number of tokens you create.
  • Craterhoof Behemoth: This creature provides a massive power and toughness boost to your creatures and gives them trample until end of turn. It's a fantastic way to close out games, especially if you have a large number of creatures.
  • Eldrazi Monument: This artifact gives all your creatures +1/+1, flying, and indestructible. It's a powerful way to protect your army and make them even more difficult to deal with.
  • Gaea's Cradle: This land taps for a number of green mana equal to the number of creatures you control. It's a fantastic ramp card in a creature-heavy deck.

Conclusion: Embrace the Squirrel Swarm!

Chatterfang, Squirrel General is a fantastic commander for new Magic: The Gathering players. He's budget-friendly, fun to play, and encourages a straightforward and aggressive strategy. By focusing on token generation, token synergies, removal, card draw, and ramp, you can build a competitive Chatterfang deck that can hold its own against a wide range of opponents. So, gather your Squirrels, sharpen your claws, and get ready to take over the Commander table!