Scavenge has been known as Golgari’s comeback mechanic in Return to Ravnica, and surely had effect in the Standard metagame. Cards like Dreg Mangler and Deadbridge Goliath for example. Enter Dragon’s Maze, and provided new Scavenge cards to formulate some tricks.

One card that caught my attention is the guild’s maze champion, Varolz, the Scar-Striped. The first critter that came in mind is Vexing Devil. Early turns will have opponents pay four lives to get rid of it, only to see it later on pump Varolz, or any other creatures (with Varolz in play of course).

Let me explain more of the idea via a decklist. Check it out below.

Scavenge Jund by Mark Ian Alloso
Standard

Lands
1 Forest
2 Dragonskull Summit
4 Rootbound Crag
4 Woodland Cemetery
4 Blood Crypt
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Stomping Ground

Creatures
4 Gyre Sage
4 Lotleth Troll
4 Varolz, the Scar-Striped
4 Vexing Devil
4 Slumbering Dragon
3 Dreg Mangler
3 Flinthoof Boar
2 Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch

Spells
3 Increasing Savagery
2 Putrefy
4 Flesh/Blood

There are a few card choices to explain so here it goes:

Varolz, the Scar-Striped – it won’t be named Scavenge Jund if not for this guy. I assure you can do shenanigans with him and your other low costed creatures.

Gyre Sage – this evolving mana elf has seen potential in various stompy Gruul builds and has even appeared in a Naya Aggro deck in the PT. At most it will benefit from scavenge effects and least evolves by just playing your devils and friends.

Lotleth Troll – this zombie is your other engine together with Varolz’ scavenge skill. You can throw excess & irrelevant critters to make him grow and recycle them later on.

Dreg Mangler & Flinthoof Boar – basing before on Jund aggro list, we need these guys to put early pressure when we don’t draw of combo cards.

Slumbering Dragon – this is the most awkward creature that you’ll find in the deck. I say though that it has a big potential with the current meta dominated by hasty aggro decks. It can grow fast against those decks into a flying threat.

There are other options on putting counters like Scavenge and Increasing Savagery, so it will not basically become blank.

Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch – Exava is another card that interacts with Scavenge. She is already a beater on her own, plus she has the passive effect of giving haste to creatures with +1/+1. It can turn draws like Slumbering Dragon & Increasing Savagery an instant win.

Increasing Savagery – the sorcery has pretty many good targets in the deck: boosting up Gyre Sage for Mana, getting an early game ender on Lotleth Troll as well as ‘turning on’ Slumbering Dragon.

Putrefy – the best removal reprinted for the guild. I am thinking of adding two more in the sideboard.

Flesh/Blood – another removal/finisher/other options given for the deck. With extra mana generated from the sage, you can ‘Fuse’ the spell faster. You remove reanimator targets like Angel of Serenity and beef up your critter for added damage.

There is no definite sideboard list just yet, but surely it will compose of graveyard hate and aggro mirror stoppers. Feel free to notify me of any ideas you might suggest for the deck.

Thanks for reading and until next time. Ciao.

@zeichen95 on Twitter