The Origins TCG Glinda Pigs deck combines passive board swarming with explosive spell-based attack scaling to tear down enemy barriers before late-game control decks can stabilize. Anchored by the Three Not So Little Pigs commander ability, the archetype fills all three lanes with low-cost token units starting on turn one, then uses Glinda to grant mass attack buffs whenever spells are cast. Competitive players and content creators during Patch 0.7 recorded an 88% win rate over 33 tracked games with this list, making it one of the premier aggro-combo strategies for ladder climbing.
Core Deck Archetype and Mechanics
The entire engine relies on the synergy between cheap board presence, target manipulation, and Glinda's spell-reactive stat boosts. Unlike traditional board-wide pump effects that modify total stats, Glinda only increases unit attack power, keeping your minions fragile while drastically accelerating damage output.
Commander and Swarm Triggers
- Three Not So Little Pigs (7 Mana, 3 Power / 3 Health): Provides an immediate game-start trigger that summons a 1/1 Little Pig in each of the three locations. When played from hand at 7 mana, it enters as a 3/3 with Trample and summons two additional 3/3 Pigs with Trample across the remaining lanes.
- Three Blind Mice: On death, this unit spawns two separate 1/1 mice across random spaces, allowing you to reload empty boards or double up on Glinda spell triggers.
- Reinforcements (1 Mana Spell): Summons two 1/1 Merry Men. Glinda's passive triggers after the spell resolves, meaning the newly summoned Merry Men receive the +1 attack buff from the very spell that generated them.
- Mummy (1 Mana, 1 Power / 1 Health): Following balance adjustments in Patch 0.7, Rebirth retains stat modifications. If Glinda buffs Mummy up to high attack values, it returns from its first death with those elevated attack stats intact.
Deck Profile Breakdown
The standard tournament and ladder list recorded by Codeman Jack on Patch 0.7 consists of 25 cards split between 11 units and 14 spells, keeping the average curve low to enable multiple casts per turn:
| Card Name | Card Type | Mana Cost | Role and Synergy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three Not So Little Pigs | Unit (Legendary) | 7 | Passive start: spawns three 1/1 Pigs; late-game trample push |
| Glinda | Unit | 4 | Engine core: gives all allies +1 attack whenever a spell is cast |
| Three Blind Mice | Unit | 2 | Swarm filler; death trigger creates two additional token bodies |
| Roo | Unit | 2 | 2/4 body; mobile lane-swapper that repositions after breaking barriers |
| Mummy | Unit | 1 | Sticky board preserver; keeps attack buffs through Rebirth |
| Sandman | Unit | 3 | Cost reducer; lowers spell costs to enable turn-four spell bursts |
| Defense Matrix | Spell | 1 | Grants a protective shield; safeguards Glinda from damaging spells |
| Reinforcements | Spell | 1 | Spawns two 1/1 tokens; tokens immediately gain Glinda's +1 attack |
| Stroke of Midnight | Spell | 1 | Tempo bounce; resets threats or resets damaged friendly units |
| Trash for Treasure | Spell | 2 | Destroys an ally (pigs or mice) to draw two cards |
| Mind Palace | Spell | 2 | Card draw tool to cycle aggressively into Glinda |
| Axe Throw | Spell | 2 | Cheap removal; snipes key opposing units like Christopher Robin |
| Obliterate | Spell | 9 | Direct finisher; deals 10 damage through barriers without board checks |
Key Combo Sequences and Reveal Priority
Managing reveal order dictates whether Glinda survives to buff your units. In Origins TCG, turns occur simultaneously, but actions execute based on reveal priority.
The Reveal Timing Rule
Never drop Glinda onto an empty board while revealing first on turn four if the opponent has open mana and direct damage spells. The intended line is playing Glinda when the opponent reveals first (typically turn four). Because the opponent's board reveals before yours, Glinda enters safely without eating active removal during that window. On the following turn, you gain first reveal, allowing you to cast your sequence of zero-cost and one-cost spells before the opponent can activate counterspells or board clears.
Sandman Ramp Lines
Playing Sandman on turn three or four discounts spells in hand by one mana. This cost reduction turns 1-mana spells like Defense Matrix, Stroke of Midnight, and Reinforcements into 0-cost triggers. Under Sandman's reduction, you can drop Glinda and immediately play multiple spells in a single turn, providing instant attack boosts to your entire board before your opponent can interact.
Token Recycling with Trash for Treasure
Early game pigs spawned by your commander will frequently be blocked by high-health enemy defenders. Rather than letting a 1/1 pig slam into a wall for minimal damage, target it with Trash for Treasure. This replaces an ineffective token with two fresh cards, accelerating your draw toward Glinda. If targeted on Three Blind Mice while Glinda is on the board, the game processes the sequence by killing the mice, spawning two 1/1 tokens, applying Glinda's attack buff to the new spawns, and drawing two cards.
Roo Lane Transitions
Roo provides exceptional utility due to its 2/4 stat profile and mobility. Buffing Roo with Glinda's spell triggers allows it to crash through and break an initial lane barrier. Once that location is secured, Roo can use its move mechanic to jump into an adjacent, contested lane, bringing its stacked attack power against a second enemy barrier on subsequent combat rounds.
Tech Choices and Variant Builds
Competitive lists diverge on top-end finishers and defensive stall tools, adapting to specific tournament restrictions or ladder trends.
Obliterate vs. Paul Bunyan
Early iterations featured Paul Bunyan (7 mana, 10/10) as the primary game-closer. While Paul Bunyan costs two mana less, it must physically strike the lane barrier during combat, which happens after opposing reveals. If an opponent places a blocker in front of Paul Bunyan, or plays heal cards like First Aid or Tin Woodman, the lethal strike is thwarted.
Obliterate (9 mana) bypasses board positioning entirely by dealing 10 direct damage. When revealing first on turn nine, Obliterate connects before the opponent can deploy reactive healing, closing out games against Van Helsing control shells that rely on health recovery loops.
Excluding Sorcerer's Apprentice
Sorcerer's Apprentice (5 mana, 2/3) summons a broomstick with a scaling buff (+1/+1 per spell cast) whenever a spell is played. While seemingly synergistic, it costs five mana—one higher than Glinda. Casting Apprentice followed by three spells generates separate broomstick bodies at 3/3, 2/2, and 1/1, but leaves existing pigs and merrymen at 1/1. Glinda costs four mana and applies +3 attack across every pre-existing body on the field. Because tempo and speed against board-wipe turns are paramount, competitive lists cut Apprentice entirely to avoid awkward curve bloat.
Aggro Swarm Alternatives
Alternate community builds omit Sandman combo pieces in favor of raw aggro tools:
- Heroic Charge: Grants units +2 power and Trample for the turn, pushing lethal through blocked lanes.
- Baby Bear and Papa Bear: Added as tech against mirror matches. Papa Bear deals 3 damage to enemies that strike your barrier, transitioning into Mama Bear upon defeat to destroy barrier attackers.
- En Passant: Applied in movement-heavy variants to destroy opposing lane blockers by sliding buffed allies into position.
Matchup Strategy and Counterplay
Match outcomes depend heavily on how fast you find your engine piece and how you navigate enemy board wipes.
Playing Against Van Helsing Control
Van Helsing is the primary natural predator of token strategies due to access to cheap removal, targeted tools, and large board sweeps.
- Navigating Sweepers: Van Helsing decks run Forbidden Knowledge (an 8-cost full board wipe) alongside Rain of Arrows. You must push lethal damage between turns six and eight. If the game progresses to 8 mana, hold direct damage like Obliterate in reserve.
- Healing Mitigation: Tin Woodman heals eight health per turn, and First Aid delays barrier kills. Concentrate your attacks on two lanes rather than spreading thin across all three.
- Targeting Protection: Defense Matrix prevents direct damage spells from killing Glinda, but it does not protect against hard destroy cards like Dark Omen. Bait minor removal spells on early tokens before deploying Glinda.
The Mirror Match
In a mirror match against other Three Not So Little Pigs decks, both boards start populated by tokens:
- Trading Pigs: Utilize Axe Throw or Roo to clear opposing pigs on turn two or three. Denying your opponent early bodies ensures their Glinda turns produce significantly less total attack value.
- Lane Abandonment: If an opponent heavily buffs a single lane, do not waste resources blocking it unless your barrier life is critical. Pivot resources to race down the remaining two lanes, utilizing Roo's mobility to swing combat math.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I mulligan for in the Glinda Pigs deck?
Hard mulligan every card that is not Glinda. Finding Glinda is mandatory for the deck to execute its win condition. If Glinda is already in your opening hand, keep cheap draw tools like Mind Palace, early sticky units like Roo, or low-cost setup units like Mummy.
Can Defense Matrix protect Glinda from Dark Omen?
No. Defense Matrix shields against damaging spells and combat damage, but it does not prevent unconditional destroy effects such as Dark Omen.
How does the Rebirth interaction work with Mummy?
Following the balance changes in Patch 0.7, Rebirth mechanics retain all accrued stat buffs. If Mummy gains +6 attack from Glinda spell triggers and subsequently dies, it re-enters the field via Rebirth with the +6 attack buff intact.
Why run Three Not So Little Pigs as the commander?
The commander passive spawns three 1/1 Little Pigs at the start of the match without spending mana. This grants instant board presence across all three lanes, giving you targets for Trash for Treasure cycling and providing immediate recipients for Glinda's attack buffs on turns four and five.
