I believe that's a good way to describe Rafiq in general. He is cute and can provide a lot in the correct situation (sounds perfect for a Wish target. :P).
I think Blue would be a good addition for a list that wants to control the game a little more, for the same reasons Zoo found it appealing: Bant Charm, Unified Will, and Flashfreeze. Rafiq might be able to fit in that mix, but at that point you're almost splashing Black for Doran and maybe Bob, so it might just be sound to cut Black altogether and run Wish-Bant.
EDIT: Since there seems to be some interest in developing the archetype as a whole, should we start a primer? It might not even be strictly GWB, Wish could end up being a card useful for most GW decks to help fill the void that was left by Zenith.
Good thing Glittering Wish exists, and is fairly pain free on a Bob flip.
This. Glittering Wish + Bob is a key reason to run Glittering Junk, because it allows you to run a lot of toolbox cards (potentially with high CMC) at absolutely no risk of flipping them. It also fuels consistency if you keep a single copy of Knight of the Reliquary, Kitchen Finks, etc. in the board.
I can at least understand the good topdeck logic. I think I'm more of a consistency builder, so I'd rather have duplicate good topdecks (e.g. Elspeth, Profane Command, etc.).
I'm one for killer topdecks. Also, drawing two Elspeth sucks. A lot. And she's already a bit painful on Confidant flips, so I'd like to minimize that aspect as well.
I figured as much, though I'm not sure it's really a "worthy" Wish target. In other words, is it worth two cards and losing the chance to grab KotR or KF just to pluck one card?
Often times not, I suppose. I might put him back in the mainboard, though I'm not sure what I would cut at this point.
I think you're getting pretty close to an "ideal" version, in so much as many of your changes were things I recommended
Your changes mention Thoughtseize but I don't see any. At any rate, 6 one-drop discard spells seems like one too many when you're also running the Scullers.
Curious to see how Prey Upon works out for you; let us know!
I think I might run Treetop Village over Mutavault for a manland; bigger body and tapping for green are nice.
Still not sold on the two Swords; if you really want them to make a difference it seems like 3 would be the ideal number. I think I'd rather see extra Elspeth and maybe the fourth Sculler.
I meant Prey Upon. My original changes included a pair of Thoughtseize but I decided that 3 life (fetch + Shock + Seize) was too much on turn 1. I'd like to not auto-lose to Zoo.
I considered Treetop Village but found that my deck was incredibly overly populated with Green sources. Mutavault is also cheaper to activate, which can make a difference if you're running short on lands, and colorless to activate, which helps you potentially cast the spells you want and attack each turn.
The Swords have been nothing but awesome for me. They are not a go-to gameplan, just more of a great top deck, as most of the cards in this deck are. As an aside, the fourth Sculler is in the board so that I can wish for it.
I decided to cut Noble Hierarch. After playing a few games where I didn't see her in my opener and instead drew her late, I realized what an awful topdeck she is.
Without Noble Hierarch, I decided that I wanted 24 lands. I added Arena to Knight package, also adding 2 Thoughtseize and a singleton Elspeth to fill up slots.
New Knight package. Bog has been moved to the board and Steppe cut completely. I decided to go for a manland (Mutavault) and a mana fixer (Urborg) to fill those slots. I am still iffy on Urborg, I'll let you know how that one goes in testing.
Elsepth from side to main. This was to make room for Bog in the side and to help supplement my smaller number of creatures.
Prey Upon. I'm testing this out, it seems like a great way to get some nice value out of your Bobs and act as pseudo-removal in the process. We'll see how it plays.
I've been less and less impressed with Bog and Steppe in my list. What are others running in their Knight packages? I think I want it in the board for sure, but I'm thinking Arena or Tectonic Edge might be better.
Posting my updated list. I've dropped Vexing Shusher and Liliana from the board for a pair of Sudden Death for the Twin matchup, and the Slaughter Pacts have become Smothers. I am quite pleased with this list, and I think I've got it pretty close to where I want it.
With the recent bannings, Affinity, Zoo and RDW are primed en masse. Bob hurts too much and might even cost you a coveted game 1 win.
Just run Kitchen Finks + Oran-Rief and you should be absolutely fine. You pack enough removal and disruption to keep the board clean while you bash. Aggro matchups aren't too bad, for the most part. If you are afraid of Affinity, play Kataki, War's Wage. RDW loses to Kor Firewalker and Burrenton Forge-Tender. Zoo folds to Engineered Explosives. Hate cards are powerful; use them.
-Why Slaughter Pact? Smother seems ideal in that slot. Dark Confidant damage is worth considering, but killing opposing Dark Confidants seems better.
-How good has Kitchen Finks been for you? I feel like it's never gonna have the board impact one hopes for, with PtE and Punishing Fire everywhere
-I've never been a fan of Tidehollow Sculler. I just want to hear how well it's been working for everyone.
I've thought about switching out for Smother. I've yet to test it.
The Meta is very aggro heavy right now. Finks helps you stay alive and is incredible with Oran-Rief. If they don't have Path, they will likely lose.
Sculler is good in that he can nab most things ans also gives you information. You can play around so many things when you know what to expect. If he dies, you just potentially Time Walked your opponent. The fact that he comes on a Bear is just gravy.
I've been working on a non-wish list for fun. I took a lot of inspiration from Legacy Junk, though this will obviously never be that deck. However,the deck is much tighter, with more removal and less general answers that a wishboard provides.
As far as the Swords go, they are in the list solely for being incredible topdecks. SoFaI is recurring removal and card advantage (on top of Bob), while SoLaS helps me regain life and keep me full of gas when facing down control matchups. I think they are fine, even without a tutor for them.
Glittering Wish is my attempt at replacing Green Sun's Zenith, but I think it has the potential to be more flexible. My Wish targets:
Kitchen Finks is anti-aggro. He is a 2of so that I can board an extra copy in for the heavy aggro matchups (i.e. Zoo) and still have one in the board to wish for.
Knight of the Reliquary is my 4th copy between main and side. I want to make sure I always have access to this guy, so I decided to go with 7 copies between main and side as opposed to just 4 main.
Gaddock Teeg. Go-to guy against high CMC combo (Hive Mind) or traditional control decks (Teachings). He shuts them down completely until they find a way to get rid of him.
Dauntless Escort. Board wipe insurance, and the 4-ofs of both Inquisition and Tidehollow will help make sure you don't fetch him until he's needed.
Augury Adept is for aggro-control mirrors, assuming those still exist at all. It's a bit of a pet card of mine, and I wanted to include at least 1 copy.
Qasali Pridemage should be self-explanatory. Hatebear for artifacts and enchantments with Exalted slapped on.
Vexing Shusher fills a similar role to Teeg, but is geared more towards Permission Control as opposed to something like Cruel Control or Tapout Control.
Maelstrom Pulse and Putrefy are extra, general removal spells.
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG
EDIT: Since there seems to be some interest in developing the archetype as a whole, should we start a primer? It might not even be strictly GWB, Wish could end up being a card useful for most GW decks to help fill the void that was left by Zenith.
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG
This. Glittering Wish + Bob is a key reason to run Glittering Junk, because it allows you to run a lot of toolbox cards (potentially with high CMC) at absolutely no risk of flipping them. It also fuels consistency if you keep a single copy of Knight of the Reliquary, Kitchen Finks, etc. in the board.
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG
I'm one for killer topdecks. Also, drawing two Elspeth sucks. A lot. And she's already a bit painful on Confidant flips, so I'd like to minimize that aspect as well.
Often times not, I suppose. I might put him back in the mainboard, though I'm not sure what I would cut at this point.
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG
I meant Prey Upon. My original changes included a pair of Thoughtseize but I decided that 3 life (fetch + Shock + Seize) was too much on turn 1. I'd like to not auto-lose to Zoo.
I considered Treetop Village but found that my deck was incredibly overly populated with Green sources. Mutavault is also cheaper to activate, which can make a difference if you're running short on lands, and colorless to activate, which helps you potentially cast the spells you want and attack each turn.
The Swords have been nothing but awesome for me. They are not a go-to gameplan, just more of a great top deck, as most of the cards in this deck are. As an aside, the fourth Sculler is in the board so that I can wish for it.
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Marsh Flats
2 Murmuring Bosk
2 Godless Shrine
2 Swamp
2 Forest
1 Plains
1 Temple Garden
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Arena
1 Mutavault
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
4 Dark Confidant
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Kitchen Finks
3 Knight of the Reliquary
Other Spells (19):
4 Glittering Wish
4 Path to Exile
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Prey Upon
2 Smother
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
3 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Sudden Death
1 Augury Adept
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Crime / Punishment
1 Dauntless Escort
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Tidehollow Sculler
A couple things of note:
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Marsh Flats
2 Godless Shrine
2 Murmuring Bosk
2 Forest
2 Swamp
1 Plains
1 Temple Garden
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Sejiri Steppe
1 Bojuka Bog
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Dark Confidant
3 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Knight of the Reliquary
3 Kitchen Finks
Other Spells (16):
4 Glittering Wish
4 Path to Exile
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Smother
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
3 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Sudden Death
1 Augury Adept
1 Crime // Punishment
1 Dauntless Escort
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Tidehollow Sculler
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG
Just run Kitchen Finks + Oran-Rief and you should be absolutely fine. You pack enough removal and disruption to keep the board clean while you bash. Aggro matchups aren't too bad, for the most part. If you are afraid of Affinity, play Kataki, War's Wage. RDW loses to Kor Firewalker and Burrenton Forge-Tender. Zoo folds to Engineered Explosives. Hate cards are powerful; use them.
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG
I've been working on a non-wish list for fun. I took a lot of inspiration from Legacy Junk, though this will obviously never be that deck. However,the deck is much tighter, with more removal and less general answers that a wishboard provides.
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Marsh Flats
3 Overgrown Tomb
2 Godless Shrine
2 Swamp
2 Plains
2 Tectonic Edge
1 Temple Garden
1 Forest
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1 Sejiri Steppe
1 Horizon Canopy
4 Dark Confidant
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Knight of the Reliquary
3 Kitchen Finks
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch
Other Spells (19):
4 Path to Exile
4 Thoughtseize
3 Slaughter Pact
3 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Geth's Verdict
2 Smother
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
3 Kataki, War's Wage
3 Deathmark
3 Kor Firewalker
2 Engineered Explosives
2 Qasali Pridemage
2 Celestial Purge
Thoughts?
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Marsh Flats
2 Godless Shrine
2 Murmuring Bosk
2 Forest
2 Swamp
1 Plains
1 Temple Garden
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Sejiri Steppe
1 Bojuka Bog
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Dark Confidant
3 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Knight of the Reliquary
3 Kitchen Finks
Other Spells (16):
4 Glittering Wish
4 Path to Exile
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Slaughter Pact
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
3 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Crime / Punishment
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Liliana of the Veil
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Dauntless Escort
1 Augury Adept
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Tidehollow Sculler
1 Vexing Shusher
A few slight changes:
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG
As far as the Swords go, they are in the list solely for being incredible topdecks. SoFaI is recurring removal and card advantage (on top of Bob), while SoLaS helps me regain life and keep me full of gas when facing down control matchups. I think they are fine, even without a tutor for them.
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Marsh Flats
2 Godless Shrine
2 Murmuring Bosk
2 Forest
2 Swamp
1 Plains
1 Temple Garden
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Sejiri Steppe
1 Bojuka Bog
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Dark Confidant
4 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Knight of the Reliquary
2 Kitchen Finks
Other Spells (16):
4 Glittering Wish
4 Path to Exile
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Slaughter Pact
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
3 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Kitchen Finks
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Liliana of the Veil
1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Dauntless Escort
1 Augury Adept
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Putrefy
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Vexing Shusher
Glittering Wish is my attempt at replacing Green Sun's Zenith, but I think it has the potential to be more flexible. My Wish targets:
Thoughts?
Legacy: UB(R/G) Storm UB(R/G)
Vintage: UBG Gush Storm UBG