MTG Salvation

I don't even think you need to go so hard on Awaken to make this good. Give me 10-12 awaken control spells + manlands, and I think the card justifies itself.



Basically a port of Shaheen's recent list with fewer walkers and no Languish.

Quote from harlannowick »

Why are you playing bad cards though? Run Fetches instead of the wilds and expanse. You get the same interaction, but better mana throughout the game.

Maybe I want a bad deck and more life points, gawd

So I've given more thought to the GUW Awaken heavy deck, and I think I've started to form a list. Given the need for an awaken heavy list to hit a critical mass of lands, I truly believe landfetch is necessary for the deck that wants Awaken as it's primary mechanic. Tentative list as follows:



This is very rough, but the idea is fairly simple. Create tempo and ramp for lands to hit your critical mass, so you can start stacking awaken triggers to create the angriest damn land there ever was.

I probably missed a few land ramps that would be helpful, but Animist's Awakening will get you there, and Embodiment of Spring doubles as a wall to slow agro. Kiora doubles as both an enabler of being able to use your animated lands as both mana and creatures, while providing a backdoor win condition should things go horribly awry. Jace is here because it's a blue standard deck. He has to be by default. Encircling Fissure helps as another instant with awaken, and having a fog effect helps the tempo plan quite a bit.

Nissa's Renewal is probably the big controversial choice, but it will help you recover if your animated lands get popped, as well as giving you a life buffer late game to help grind out the win. Halimare Tidecaller still makes the deck however, being able to recur so many of your spells from the grave allows for you to drown in CA. I picked Dig Through Time as the draw spell here, mostly due to lack of other options. Ugin's Insight is something to consider, but only if you have Kiora or Noyan out. I'm not going to say this deck is particularly grand or anything, but I think it functions how it should. I regret having less creature protection and instant speed removal, but I honestly can't think of where to fit it. If someone could tell me what to cut for the likes of Center Soul or Valorous Stance, this would probably go up in value quite a bit.

I'm probably off base with this as I (obviously) haven't gotten to playtest it, but it's a something I thought I would spitball.

If Green is involved with Awakening, that gives access to Inspiring Call for draw and Awakened lands Indestructible for the turn.

Quote from Singe »

If Green is involved with Awakening, that gives access to Inspiring Call for draw and Awakened lands Indestructible for the turn.

That may actually be an answer to the card draw dilemma I was having as well, though it will likely ever only be draw 1-2, that's still a cantrip that makes those lands indestructible, which certainly would be nice against control if they pulled their sweeper. Doesn't stop Languish, but nothing short of a counterspell would. I'm not entirely sure it's better than the flexibility provided by Valorous Stance. But it's certainly an option.

Quote from harlannowick »

Quote from Darkbrew »

you arent playing this with awful cards like mirror mockery lets stay in reality.

Mirror Mockery is actually a decent card. It just needs to be in the same standard as powerful ETB abilities. In a deck with good ETB CA creatures that can attack reasonably safely, its efficient psuedo removal and a card advantage engine. Just calling it a bad card out of hand is a mistake. Its a powerful and versatile build around card.

I'd love to land it on a siege rhino for the lols.

this dude is certainly pushed.

gosh, I hate how long it takes to put the set on the gatherer after the full spoil

Quote from Themisto »

this dude is certainly pushed.

gosh, I hate how long it takes to put the set on the gatherer after the full spoil

Its really annoying. I don't understand the delay.

So Prison is finally back? Good call on Mirror Mockery. Tidecaller + Mockery + Roil Spout + Scatter to the Winds = lock. Throw in a bunch of early counters and removal.

Also new manlands that get ridiculous with counters from Awaken = 5/6 lifelink or 6/6 hexproof or bigger.

Quote from Lord of Atlantis »

So Prison is finally back? Good call on Mirror Mockery. Tidecaller + Mockery + Roil Spout + Scatter to the Winds = lock. Throw in a bunch of early counters and removal.

Also new manlands that get ridiculous with counters from Awaken = 5/6 lifelink or 6/6 hexproof or bigger.

Meh, I don't think mirror mockery is correct here. Not being able to attack easily with Tidecaller is off putting. You really want to be running Mirror mockery in a deck with cards like...

• Woodland Bellower
  
• wingmate Roc
  
• sidisi, Undead Vizier
  
• Gilt-leaf Winnower
  
• Whirler Rogue
  
• Tower Geist
  

All of these cards have powerful etb abilities and can be expected to be able to attack into your opponents without issue.

The lock is mid to late game anyway. You want to play control, clear the board, then set up the lock.



Superfriends control with land creatures finishers. In addition to possible soft-lock, Tidecaller makes your land creatures fly over for the finish. Mirror Mockery can act as pseudo-removal in a pinch. Kiora helps get more lands, but dumps spells into the grave. Fortunately, Tidecaller has recursion and Jace can flashback. Kiora can also get Jace, Tidecaller, and here I got Fathom Feeder as filler. Fetches and tubalands easily allows 4 colors. The only two natural manlands coincidentally fit in these 4 colors and also act as enemy color duals to complement the other allied duals.

Edit: below decklist updated with Nissa and Bring to Light. Latter can tutor-cast almost every spell in the deck.

This deck is very fun and strong.

I've tested several versions. This is the best one yet. Streamlined the curve with 1 and 2 drops. Discard + Counters ensure a stronger lock. If they play spells, you counter. If they don't, you make them discard.



Willbreaker is ridiculous with Jace and Kiora. Steal a creature every turn. If the lock is on, keep Scatter to the Winds in hand to protect Willbreaker.

U/B also has Possessed Skaab for more graveyard recursion.

Quote from Singe »

U/B also has Possessed Skaab for more graveyard recursion.

I saw other cards like Skaab and Warden of the Eye. Problem is they cost too much and don't do much else. Halimar and Jace are cheap to cast and have other useful abilities.

BTW I started a new thread on Standard forums. . It's a different list, adding Siege Rhinos, which makes the deck even more ridiculously powerful.

I've been testing tidecaller in an esper control build with great success.


The deck has been quite powerful against most of the decks I've played against, it does have a weakness against manlands. Surge, Foul-tongue and the extra feeders out of the board does mitigate that somewhat.

Quote from TheTennesseeFireman »

I could totally see this as a standard playable. It turns awakened lands into threats that don't get blanked by Siege Rhino or Deathmist Raptors, and rebuys counterspells, removal, and wrath; it's like a Den Protector for control decks that has even more value.

halimar tidecaller is probably my favorite card in the set next to the new Drana, who will be fun to play in mono-black aggro. Honestly, the only reason Den Protector is even worth talking about is because the current blocks in standard seem to lack anything better. Eternal Witness needs a reprint, or at least another card that happens to be like it without some weirdness attached.

I was trying to put together a deck this weekend using this powerful enabler.
I had an idea that might be worth exploring:
Repeated castings of Earthen Arms on Lumbering Falls, made easier with Halimar Tidecaller and Jace, Telepath Unbound.
Earthen Arms slowly turns Lumbering Falls into a massive, unanswerable threat, while Tidecaller grants it evasion, and Retreat to Coralhelm taps down any flying blockers they might have.
It works a little like a Delver or Bogles deck where you try to use a single, resilient threat to end the game rather quickly.
The main problem is that the deck does nothing but prepare until t3-4. Maybe Jaddi Offshoot can buy it some time in the early game?

Posted this is the Secret Tech, but figured it might go well with this conversation as well.

Clutch of Currents + Halimar Tidecaller + Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper + Jeskai Ascendancy = ~Infinite Combo.

Made a quick list that I'm hoping to try out soon. Probably needs some tweaking.

1 or 2 Jace's Sanctum might be useful. The mana cost reduction for Awakening and Scry 1 bonus.

Going back to mirror mockery(a card I really want to brew with!) you can create a soft lock with sidisi's faithful on turn 2. Kind of fun :). The copy exploits itself to return whatever the opponent played on the previous turn. Add assault formation for damage also.