Styles: Aggro
Tribes: Spider | Insect | Desert
Strats: -1/-1 Counter | Forced Combat | Deathtouch
Power: 6-7

Leading swarms of venomous arachnids, insects, and snakes, Thantis forces opponents to swing in on an array of undesirable defenders with abilities ranging from Deathtouch to Infect

Forced Combat:
Thantis' static ability forces all creatures to attack each combat, drawing utility creatures into dangerous exchanges and clearing the way for subsequent attackers. Try waiting until your 2nd Main Phase before playing Thantis unless you intend to swing in...

Deadly Touch:
In order to maximize the impact of forced combat, a large number of permanents in this deck either have or grant Deathtouch - ensuring that your blockers can finish the job regardless of their strength

Infectious Sting:
Some of the Creatures in this deck have the Infect keyword, meaning they deal damage to Opponents in Infect counters and to Creatures in -1/-1 Counters. This further ensures that every forced exchange leaves the Opponent at a disadvantage

Countering Down:
Many permanents in this deck synergize with the placement of -1/-1 Counters. Don't hesitate to place these Counters on your own creatures as needed, as they will often produce ample rewards - and many of the creatures in this deck have means to remove them as well!

Crumbling Infestation:
Crumbling Ashes allows you to destroy a target Creature with a -1/-1 Counter at the beginning of each turn, which can be combined with Blowfly Infestation to target and destroy a new Creature each turn.