Written by Dendros

I recently took air threshold earth threshold Harbinger to SCGCon Portland 2026 and was surprised by how well it performed.

My Harbinger build is a minion-based midrange strategy that aims to consistently discount minions and deploy them a turn early.

Harbinger by Dendros

Artifacts (6)

2 Torshammer Trinket
3 Toolbox
1 Book of the Dead

Minions (37)

3 Autumn Unicorn earth threshold
2 Croll Morlocks
3 Gibbous Nightgaunts air threshold
3 Headless Haunt
3 Phase Assassin
2 Root Spider
1 Sir Bors, the Younger
2 Gargantula
3 Pudge Butcher
1 Sir Perceval
1 Archangel Gabriel
3 Daperyll Vampire
2 Hounds of Ondaros
1 Renatus Trueblood
1 Sir Galahad
2 Grandmaster Wizard
1 Lord of Greed earth threshold
1 Nosferatu air threshold
1 Ophanim
1 Ultimate Horror

Magic (17)

1 Browse air threshold
1 Cast into Exile
4 Gift of the Wolf earth threshold
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Grapple Shot
1 Earthquake
2 Whirling Blades

My Midrange Life

I am a good-stuff midrange player, stemming back through my long history of playing Magic: The Gathering (MTG). I always forced Jund or Sultai midrange. I love that there is no concrete way to answer a flexible midrange strategy.

Midrange always has a winning chance by snowballing tiny advantages through card quality and meta knowledge. Pre-Gothic, I played Druid. Post-errata, I wanted to play the most generally powerful Avatar. Harbinger stood out for its near-universal cost-reducing ability that could be powerful if leveraged every turn.

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Harbinger

The easiest way to leverage the “portals” Harbinger creates is to include a significant number of voidwalk minions. With voidwalk, it matters less where the portals are randomly generated during setup. Voidwalkers can be summoned anywhere in the Realm.

Cheap voidwalk minions are the most important. Playing a turn-two, three-power voidwalk minion is a significant tempo advantage. As sites fill the Realm, where the portals were generated matters less.

The Math — Dealing with Randomness

Many have said that Harbinger is completely luck-based during setup. A portal generated on an enemy’s starting site is presumably more powerful than a site deep in your own territory, but playing Harbinger revealed that this is not entirely true.

While I don’t need perfect portals to do well, there are placements I prefer. The image below displays squares in the Realm in different colors:

IIII — I can leverage this portal quickly.
III — I can leverage this portal if the enemy allows it or if I have some time.
II — The enemy must agree to it being a powerful portal.
I — The worst squares for portals.

I	II	IIII	II	I
I	III	IIII	III	I
I	IIII	IIII	IIII	I
I	IIII	Harbinger	IIII	I

Portal Math

Portal probabilities are hypergeometric, exactly like calculating the odds of drawing cards from a deck. There is an 80% chance of generating at least one IIII portal, an 89.5% chance of getting at least one IIII or III portal, and a 95% chance of getting at least one non-I portal.

The odds of taking advantage of a portal from the start of the game are pretty decent. The compound odds of drawing a 3-mana voidwalker and getting a non-I portal are around 70% when considering mulligans.

Playing a higher curve also means a higher likelihood of using portals as sites are naturally deployed. Considering this and the above percentages, I can confidently say that Harbinger is consistent and less luck-dependent than most believe, presuming the two caveats of playing a sufficient density of voidwalkers and a higher curve to save mana after deploying a fourth or fifth site.

Even if my minions’ placements are not ideal, I play a lot of airborne, and Grapple Shot, Blink, and Whirling Blades can reposition quickly.

Defining Characteristics

Below are deckbuilding beliefs I have:

The 3-Power Standard

SCR’s minions tend to cluster around 3 power. Many commonly played minions have 3 power. I designed my Harbinger deck with this in mind and only played minions that could trade with opposing 3-power minions.

I play many 4-power minions and include ways of increasing my 3-power minions’ power or cards that enable a one-sided strike.

Damage vs. Removal Flexibility

A true midrange deck packs innate flexibility. My flexibility comes in the form of the three cards that function as either removal, movement, or damage to the Avatar. Gift of the Wolf, Grapple Shot, and Lightning Bolt can all hit minions or Avatars reliably. This flexibility lets me better time when to pivot as the aggressor or move into a controlling stance.

No Dead Cards

I decided to rely on the theory that no cards should be useless in a vacuum. Every card I draw should be impactful, whether that’s improving a minion(s) presence or shaping life totals. The only caveat is that many cards rely on minions, but it should be rare to not have a minion in the Realm.

Everything leans into rectangle theory: either it is, and/or it generates a rectangle, and/or it removes opposing rectangles.

Avatar Rectangle Theory — Part One

Avatar Rectangle Theory — Part Two

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Card Choices

Artifacts

Torshammer Trinket

Increases damage output or lets weaker minions trade up. I play two copies because I want to see one, but rarely want the second. Consider dropping to the miser’s copy.

Toolbox

Can tutor for movement, a finisher, or niche removal. Its flexibility shines in a midrange shell. Always play three.

The Book of the Dead

I play many minions, and there are always a few in the cemetery. Always provides three or more cards’ worth of value, making it great for a long game.

Minions

Autumn Unicorn

Good ol’ three mana for 4 power; it’s just good. Four power is the breakpoint in SCR. Feel empowered to replace these with more voidwalkers.

Croll Morlocks
Gibbous Nightgaunts
Headless Haunt
Phase Assassin

The core of the deck. Any can be cast on turn two to any portal thanks to voidwalk.

Root Spider

Anti-aggro tech and functions as ‘removal’ that can benefit from Harbinger’s discount. I Consider removing both copies due to their lack of offensive capacity and poor positioning against mono- water threshold strategies.

Sir Bors, the Younger

Anti-stealth tech for Infiltrate and Morgana le Fey. Ranged 2 is incredible with four power.

Gargantula

Oftentimes, a two-for-one. Even when dealt with, the opponent must spend valuable time freeing the cocooned minion. earth threshold is a challenge, but it is still impactful even when delayed.

Pudge Butcher

Three-mana Pudge Butcher on the play is no joke. I play movement in the Collection and Grapple Shot to extract the most value.

Sir Perceval

The card I am closest to cutting. A 4/5 for four mana is strong, and the ability can be relevant with Grapple Shot.

Archangel Gabriel

A sticky minion that almost always draws a card. air threshold can be an issue.

Daperyll Vampire

A turn four Daperyll Vampire feels excellent, especially in games with a portal nearby the enemy Avatar.

Renatus Trueblood

I am considering adding the second copy, but the other five-mana minions have more impact.

Sir Galahad

Strong stats paired with a relevant damage prevention ability.

Grandmaster Wizard

The deck lacks card draw options, so I play the two allowable copies.

Hounds of Ondaros

The G.O.A.T. of the deck and my personal favorite card. Casting it for four mana is the best.

Lord of Greed

My secret tech. Snatches Rings of Morrigan and Toolboxes. Hoses Battlemage and Bladedancer. Six power is challenging to combat without hard removal. Consider adding the second copy.

Ophanim

Sticky threat with huge range. Airborne and movement +1 make it a great defender. Consider adding the second copy.

Nosferatu

The self-reanimate is strong, but slow because it must unburrow every turn after it dies. Reanimating on the home square means it is often too far from relevant action. I will likely replace it.

Ultimate Horror

Casting for seven mana and returning two or three minions is game over. Terrible in an opening hand, but otherwise Harbinger’s best friend.

Magics

Browse

I play air threshold , therefore I play Browse.

Cast into Exile

Really good catchall removal.

Gift of the Wolf
Lightning Bolt
Grapple Shot

The flexibility core of the deck. Provides heavy damage wherever needed. Can finish opponents quickly and can function as removal. I play four of each and would never play fewer.

Gift of the Wolf is nasty with Grapple Shot because you deal the additional two damage twice.

Earthquake
Whirling Blades

Realm wipes. The more I play them, the more I want three Whirling Blades. Hitting Avatars makes them better than Bury-only removal.

Sites

City of Souls
City of Glass
Dark Tower
Gothic Tower
Lone Tower

Extra mana acceleration to supplement Harbinger’s ability. Turn three Hounds of Ondaros, then Gift-Grapple combo the following turn, and it’s lights out.

The Void

A defensive site I can ignore, but it hasn’t proven too strong. Probably better to replace with another threshold site.

Fields of Phyxis

Offers a fighting chance against Thin Ice.

Forlorn Keep
Forsaken Crypt

Allows a turn-two minion if they align with a portal. I play one of each corresponding minion in the Collection because there is a 3-8% chance of drawing both copies, and I would rather play something more impactful later in the game. If I do draw both copies, I don’t miss the second minion.

I am happy with two copies of each site and feel like it is a good turn-three play for the value.

Mount Ussar Sanctuary

Buys an additional turn when playing from behind.

Rift Valley

Can connect sites to your portals.

The Base of Babel
The Apex of Babel

I play air threshold earth threshold , so why not go for it!

All other sites maximize threshold.

Notable Exclusions & Considerations

I don’t play Ring of Morrigan because it’s expensive. If finances weren’t a consideration, I’d likely play the Ring of Morrigan over a Torshammer Trinket.

I was unimpressed by Ether Core. It felt good to ramp two mana when cast, but when I wanted to deal damage with the voidwalker carrying it, it wouldn’t make mana the following turn because it was no longer in The Void.

Harbinger already accelerates well, and Ether Core didn’t feel worth its slot. It also violates my rule of no bad topdecks.

The reason I don’t play air threshold water threshold is because earth threshold provides more explosive potential via Gift of the Wolf and has better two-for-one minions in Gargantula and Pudge Butcher.

I am considering Legion of Gall. Five Power is really strong, and hating out the Collection can be a huge swing against the right Avatars.

Harbinger Beckons

I have been pleasantly surprised with Harbinger. When built correctly, it can break free from needing lucky portal placement and provide a consistent mana advantage. air threshold earth threshold provide explosive damage potential.

If you want to play a semi-straightforward yet flexible strategy that combines powerful minions and a proactive plan, Consider Harbinger.