May I suggest adding 3-4 Lotus Bloom to the 4-land list. Makes mulligan less likely (initial mana source, albeit delayed and not thinning the deck, but the purpose is to lessen the mulligan numbers) plus the explosiveness factor wherein you can cast your Belcher and activate it at the same time on turn 4 (when all your lands are already out of the deck).
Mono G feels much faster and consistent, as the deck thinning process the mono G list uses (mostly) puts the lands directly onto the battlefiled, so less turns casting and waiting to activate Belcher. Also, the post-board also feels much better suited for our bad matchups (especially Burn and Jund), as the deck becomes a Stompy kind of deck with the immediate kill afterwards.
Fog cards (Haze of Pollen might be better due to cycling), I have tried them when I used the UG shell, so I'm comfortable using it here. It's the cushion that gives the list a way to be somewhat all-out before the kill turn.
We should not disregard the utility RG build provides us (I will mostly miss Firespout and SSG), but I think for now, I'll go with the mono build.
I think it is similar to the list that admurk posted on the previous page. I actually am transitioning to that list, as it has been more consistent than the RG build we are using.
It's actually not that worse. Yes it is a delayed land search, but it turns on the opening hand of Simian Spirit Guide and no land or Chancellor of the Tangle, which is most of the time a mulligan. It also helps that it can turn on Delirium (as I have stressed before, it should not be the focus, but at least it helps Traverse the Ulvenwald go into tutor mode). But we're talking of corner cases here. Your case being 0 land, no land drop, and an initial source. Now, if that initial source is G, any other land search is better though the map is playable. But if it is the Ape, then Renegade Map is better, and any other land searcher is not playable, thus resulting to a mulligan. I like that rather than take mulligan on a 7-land deck.
I said 0 land in hand. That doesn't necessarily mean 0 land in play. You lose percentage points in situations like 2 lands in play, no lands in hand, STE + Map in hand, haven't played a land this turn yet - if Map was a Lay of the Land instead, you'd thin the deck of 1 land and have 1 more mana to work with on subsequent turns.
SSG + Map just means "replace those two cards with Forest and skip your first turn". The last four words in that sentence don't inspire confidence, given that this deck already has a hard time killing on turn 4. You want to keep a hand where your first land drop is on turn 2, go ahead. I'll take the mulligan.
Yes, I'll keep a hand that I know will work (taking note of the mulligan rules for this deck, as stated in the first page of the primer) instead of HOPING for a better hand after mulligan and scry, which I will never be aware of what it will be. The deck has very high chance of losing due to mulligans, and that's the only point I'm after when it comes to the Map.
Again, the scenario you pointed out is corner case. I'll just go with playing STE and ship the turn. I admit there is a tempo loss when using the Map vs any other land searchers (as I have also stated before), but again, reducing mulligan hands is what I'm saying an additional benefit to the Map.
I also admit that, I haven't tested the card (and I might not be able to use it, given that the recent list I use include Madcap Experiment). I'm more on theorycrafting here. But let's just say we should not judge a card immediately as bad or worse. The card warrants testing I believe (and it even started a very different angle of attack for the deck, the mono-R one).
I'm glad we're having these kind of conversations, as I learn more from other players and get a sneak peek of other players's point of view. Thanks for that
That seems like an amusing interaction, let us know how it goes!
I'm nervous about spending 5 mana on the non-Bolt proof Wonder, but we'll see how it goes.
I really want to try Walking Ballista here because it works well with all our ramp, gives maindeck interaction, contributes to delirium, and synergizes with Stirrings. Unfortunately, it's very bad with Madcap Experiment, which is my preferred route for the deck right now.
Walking Ballista indeed needs testing. Answers a large variety of creatures, is rechargeable, helps delirium. Has a very high upside. And I share your sentiment, I'm more hooked with the Madcap version right now, so I might skip the card. But it demands some attention and gives us another creature on our arsenal.
It's worse than any G land searcher like Lay of the Land. If you have 0 lands in hand and haven't made a land drop, you'd much rather have Lay of the Land than Renegade Map.
It's actually not that worse. Yes it is a delayed land search, but it turns on the opening hand of Simian Spirit Guide and no land or Chancellor of the Tangle, which is most of the time a mulligan. It also helps that it can turn on Delirium (as I have stressed before, it should not be the focus, but at least it helps Traverse the Ulvenwald go into tutor mode). But we're talking of corner cases here. Your case being 0 land, no land drop, and an initial source. Now, if that initial source is G, any other land search is better though the map is playable. But if it is the Ape, then Renegade Map is better, and any other land searcher is not playable, thus resulting to a mulligan. I like that rather than take mulligan on a 7-land deck.
Map is not good. It sucks if you're relying on a Lay of the Land effect in order to make your land drop for the turn, but said effect is Map (can't crack it immediately).
For a deck that only has 7 lands and has initial mana sources? The map is good. Any initial mana source becomes a land next turn. It matters little that you get the land later, as long as you get that land out of the deck for a lethal belcher activation.
Nice brewing there everyone! I like the look of the R build. Renegade Map is an excellent card for this deck. Though, I like the lifegain more than the agressive approach with the burn spells. The list is slower than the RG build, but it looks like it is more robust due to the lesser chance of mulligans.
I agree Dragon's Claw is nice board answer to Burn, but they already sides Destructive Revelry against us, so there's that. Well, at least, the claw absorbs removal that should have been meant for Belcher.
Why do people ever use Dragon's Claw, instead of Sun Droplet against Burn. Sun Droplet heals ALL damage, regular damage and combat damage, 1 life each upkeep, yours and your opponents upkeep. Much stronger than Dragon's Claw.
I second this. I only run claw in my Skred sideboard.
I acknowledge that Sun Droplet is better than Dragon's Claw. But it has the same problem: it is answered by Destructive Revelry. Burn will side this in because it is an answer to Belcher. That's the reason why I do not have any of those on board (also, my recent build eschews artifact sideboard cards due to Madcap Experiment)
Match 1: vs. BW Tokens: Game 1: I mulliganed to 5, but had an explosive opening, while his are Thoughtseize and no threats other than the lone Auriok Champion. Got to Belch at turn 5 for lethal.
Match 2: vs. WBG Melira Combo: Game 1: He did not know what I am trying to play with, until I ran a turn 3 Wurmcoil Engine (which he Pathed, then another Wurmcoil Engine. He blocked with Kitchen Finks and Scavenging Ooze, while I managed to get all of my lands, and then Belch for around 25 damage (He's down to 6 at that time).
Game 2: He opened with Leyline of Sanctity (I forgot to board in Nature's Claim!!!), while I started with 2 Chancellor of the Tangles. Cast turn 2 Belcher, but since I had no way to fire it to his face, I used it as creature removal. He inserted 2 Praetor's Grasp, taking first my Batterskull, then Wurmcoil Engine. We reached the point where he both cast those, and I was out of lands on my deck, and casting Chancellors left and right. Had a very bad play wherein after rearranging my deck with Belcher, I put to the top Wheel of Sun and Moon, missing that he's on Leyline. So I conceded.
Game 3: He again opened with Leyline, and I again opened with a Chancellor. This time, I had a Claim, and a turn 2 Blood Moon. But before I was able to cast my Belcher, he cast Pithing Needle. So the game took long again, until I had my second Claim. I fired Belcher 3 times, but since I had few land search prior, I fired short of his life total (2, 2, 5), but I know I had him because I know I have exactly 3 lands left, all of which are at the bottom now. So when he cast Eternal Witness (probably to get the Needle), I responded with a Belch, and promptly killed him.
Game 2: He had a slower hand, and before he was able to kill me, I killed him with Belcher. He actually should have won, but he missed the timing on Chord of Calling for Spellskite, wherein he let me reveal the top of my deck, and then when he determined the damage (42, 21 cards plus Stomping Ground) he responded with Chord. This is a soft reminder to players new to Belcher, that once you announce the activation of Belcher and the target, your opponent must respond. Otherwise, if he let you start revealing cards from the top of your library, he does not have any time to respond because the determination of damage via revealing is part of the resolution of activating Belcher (NOT part of the cost of activating Belcher) and thus, cannot be responded in that scenario.
Yeah, your list definitely needs the Wastes. Just add the Talisman there for more C.
I am leaning towards the more aggressive approach in the main, that is why I like Reality Smasher than Steel Hellkite. Costs 1 less to cast, has Trample and Haste, and is annoying to remove (Path to Exile becomes a 3 for 1 exchange here). Besides, against aggressive decks, it seems that if they swarm this list, it is very very hard to come back, even after you've cast the hellkite. I think it is better on board so that the focus on the main is to be aggressive enough for an early kill.
I can't emphasize enough the benefits of Vessel of Nascency in the deck. Such a very good utility card at a very low cost.
I agree Dragon's Claw is nice board answer to Burn, but they already sides Destructive Revelry against us, so there's that. Well, at least, the claw absorbs removal that should have been meant for Belcher.
So i just happened to find this thread by accident, but damn this deck looks sweet! Are there any budget replacements for batterskulls and wurmcoils? Otherwise the deck is super cheap and i will probably buy into it soon! How often do you acctually win, is it consistent enough? I mean it looks pretty inconsistent, though i can imagine that when it works it works wonders!
You hit the nail in the head when you said when it works, it works wonders. Of course a deck with 7 lands + 4 initial G(Chancellor of the Tangle) will be inconsistent. But, the deck digs very frequently, to the point that when you're used to playing with the deck, you eventually mulligan less. It wins, but it is not a tier 1 or tier 1.5 deck.
Nice list for the colorless splash. Though I advocate including Talisman of Impulse in colorless builds due to some decks running Ghost Quarters, where your Thought-Knot Seer becomes a dead card if the Wastes is dealt with. At least a 2-of I think... It also helps that it can produce R for a post-board Firespout, Kozilek's Return or Pyroclasm.
Since you're going the colorless way, why not include Reality Smasher? It's a trampling beatstick that is easy to cast and hard to answer in the current meta of targeted removal. I see it as a better replacement for Steel Hellkite.
You've already highlighted the significance of Ancient Stirrings in your build, as it can fetch both a land and any of your threats. I just want to highlight it more here.
Now, I think it is a matter of preference whether to include additional cantrip cards to the deck. Based on my experience though, Vessel of Nascency is better than both Manamorphose and Chromatic Star given the explanation you stated for both cards. Vessel accelerates Delirium much better, and instead of just cantripping, it will help you dig for lands or business. (Again, I am an advocate of Vessel of Nascency, so I may be a bit biased here.)
@bent1337, your list is a bit susceptible to mulligan due to the number of high-cost cards. I understand that Madcap Experiment sometimes might backfire, but your current count of 11 artifacts seems to many, as what Frank Karsten has computed. It is still up to your comfort preference, though.
My concern is that, 2 Myr Battlesphere seems to much. Very few times do we have 7 mana immediately, and the Battlesphere is a bad early card. I'd rather have an additional Wurmcoil Engine than it. It seems it is a bit mitigated by the number of Batterskulls you play, but I suggest cutting one for another lower-costing threat (if that's where you're comfortable with).
Also, I noticed you didn't play with Vessel of Nascency. Consensus is that the card is a very big boon to the deck, a tutor for all our threats (except Madcap Experiment) and lands as well. An additional benefit is it has some minor potential of turning on Delirium for Traverse the Ulvenwald. Have you tried playtesting with it?
As reference for those asking how much damage potential does Madcap Experiment deal to us, see this picture, as computed by Frank Karsten. Given this data, I'm much more comfortable with having 7 artifacts to search for, having another on the board.
I actually have forgotten about Wheel of Sun and Moon. Nice catch as always, @TheCommunistManatee...
Regarding the Platinum Emperion vs. Wurmcoil Engine argument, Wurmcoil is just easy to cast (8 vs 6) in cases where we don't have Madcap in hand. Platinum Angel is a worse Emperion IMO, as two burn cards can easily dispatch it (aside from the fact that Emperion prevents the Madcap damage, while the Angel does not...).
Now, with the Myr Battlesphere, I may test it if I want a more aggressive approach. But I like my Batterskulls better (though I tend to go with only 3 Wurmcoils, 4 Belchers, then some artifact creatures on the board), since 7 vs. 5 is a big difference. Note that I am still considering the fact that we will not always have Madcap Experiment in hand. Thus, our threats/ways to survive must be cards that we can easily cast.
Whichever is effective on the two graveyard hate cards I will use. BB is hard to come by, but those Dredge and Living End players tend to have 3 cards go into their graveyard on a single turn (in case of Trap). If Leyline will be chosen, there's a need to increase it to at least 3, replacing 1 Choke or Nature's Claim.
Replacement for Legacy Weapon can be Darksteel Colossus.
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
Mono G feels much faster and consistent, as the deck thinning process the mono G list uses (mostly) puts the lands directly onto the battlefiled, so less turns casting and waiting to activate Belcher. Also, the post-board also feels much better suited for our bad matchups (especially Burn and Jund), as the deck becomes a Stompy kind of deck with the immediate kill afterwards.
Fog cards (Haze of Pollen might be better due to cycling), I have tried them when I used the UG shell, so I'm comfortable using it here. It's the cushion that gives the list a way to be somewhat all-out before the kill turn.
We should not disregard the utility RG build provides us (I will mostly miss Firespout and SSG), but I think for now, I'll go with the mono build.
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
Yes, I'll keep a hand that I know will work (taking note of the mulligan rules for this deck, as stated in the first page of the primer) instead of HOPING for a better hand after mulligan and scry, which I will never be aware of what it will be. The deck has very high chance of losing due to mulligans, and that's the only point I'm after when it comes to the Map.
Again, the scenario you pointed out is corner case. I'll just go with playing STE and ship the turn. I admit there is a tempo loss when using the Map vs any other land searchers (as I have also stated before), but again, reducing mulligan hands is what I'm saying an additional benefit to the Map.
I also admit that, I haven't tested the card (and I might not be able to use it, given that the recent list I use include Madcap Experiment). I'm more on theorycrafting here. But let's just say we should not judge a card immediately as bad or worse. The card warrants testing I believe (and it even started a very different angle of attack for the deck, the mono-R one).
I'm glad we're having these kind of conversations, as I learn more from other players and get a sneak peek of other players's point of view. Thanks for that
Walking Ballista indeed needs testing. Answers a large variety of creatures, is rechargeable, helps delirium. Has a very high upside. And I share your sentiment, I'm more hooked with the Madcap version right now, so I might skip the card. But it demands some attention and gives us another creature on our arsenal.
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
It's actually not that worse. Yes it is a delayed land search, but it turns on the opening hand of Simian Spirit Guide and no land or Chancellor of the Tangle, which is most of the time a mulligan. It also helps that it can turn on Delirium (as I have stressed before, it should not be the focus, but at least it helps Traverse the Ulvenwald go into tutor mode). But we're talking of corner cases here. Your case being 0 land, no land drop, and an initial source. Now, if that initial source is G, any other land search is better though the map is playable. But if it is the Ape, then Renegade Map is better, and any other land searcher is not playable, thus resulting to a mulligan. I like that rather than take mulligan on a 7-land deck.
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
For a deck that only has 7 lands and has initial mana sources? The map is good. Any initial mana source becomes a land next turn. It matters little that you get the land later, as long as you get that land out of the deck for a lethal belcher activation.
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
I acknowledge that Sun Droplet is better than Dragon's Claw. But it has the same problem: it is answered by Destructive Revelry. Burn will side this in because it is an answer to Belcher. That's the reason why I do not have any of those on board (also, my recent build eschews artifact sideboard cards due to Madcap Experiment)
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
If I'm to modify it further, I'd increase the Talisman to 2, and add some Simian Spirit Guides.
TKS is such a great card, that I'll be doing the colorless list in the near future.
In other news, a tournament report! Placed 4th on my LGS last Friday:
6 Snow-Covered Forest
1 Stomping Ground
Creature(22)
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
4 Wall of Roots
3 Simian Spirit Guide
3 Wurmcoil Engine
4 Chancellor of the Tangle
4 Goblin Charbelcher
1 Batterskull
Enchantment (8)
4 Vessel of Nascency
4 Utopia Sprawl
Sorcery (18)
4 Ancient Stirrings
3 Caravan Vigil
3 Madcap Experiment
4 Safewright Quest
4 Traverse the Ulvenwald
3 Nature's Claim
1 Wheel of Sun and Moon
2 Blood Moon
1 Ancient Grudge
2 Choke
3 Firespout
1 Huntmaster of the Fells
2 Fracturing Gust
Match 1: vs. BW Tokens:
Game 1: I mulliganed to 5, but had an explosive opening, while his are Thoughtseize and no threats other than the lone Auriok Champion. Got to Belch at turn 5 for lethal.
Boarded 3 Nature's Claim, 3 Firespouts. (Note: I did not note down what I took out on all of my games, other than I always board out Madcap Experiment.
Game 2: He again opened Thoughtseize, followed by Intangible Virtue, followed by Spectral Procession, then Sorin, Solemn Visitor. I did not find my Firespouts, and lost.
Game 3: He opened with Bitterblossom, then Auriok Champion, then Sorin again.
Standing: 0-1 (1-2)
Match 2: vs. WBG Melira Combo:
Game 1: He did not know what I am trying to play with, until I ran a turn 3 Wurmcoil Engine (which he Pathed, then another Wurmcoil Engine. He blocked with Kitchen Finks and Scavenging Ooze, while I managed to get all of my lands, and then Belch for around 25 damage (He's down to 6 at that time).
Boarded 2 Blood Moons, 1 Wheel of Sun and Moon.
Game 2: He opened with Leyline of Sanctity (I forgot to board in Nature's Claim!!!), while I started with 2 Chancellor of the Tangles. Cast turn 2 Belcher, but since I had no way to fire it to his face, I used it as creature removal. He inserted 2 Praetor's Grasp, taking first my Batterskull, then Wurmcoil Engine. We reached the point where he both cast those, and I was out of lands on my deck, and casting Chancellors left and right. Had a very bad play wherein after rearranging my deck with Belcher, I put to the top Wheel of Sun and Moon, missing that he's on Leyline. So I conceded.
Boarded 3 Nature's Claim
Game 3: He again opened with Leyline, and I again opened with a Chancellor. This time, I had a Claim, and a turn 2 Blood Moon. But before I was able to cast my Belcher, he cast Pithing Needle. So the game took long again, until I had my second Claim. I fired Belcher 3 times, but since I had few land search prior, I fired short of his life total (2, 2, 5), but I know I had him because I know I have exactly 3 lands left, all of which are at the bottom now. So when he cast Eternal Witness (probably to get the Needle), I responded with a Belch, and promptly killed him.
Standing: 1-1 (3-3)
Match 3: vs. BG Elves
Game 1: He overrun me with Elves (Heritage Druid, Nettle Sentinel, Elvish Archdruid, Chorded for Ezuri, Renegade Leader).
Boarded in 3 Firespouts
Game 2: He had a slower hand, and before he was able to kill me, I killed him with Belcher. He actually should have won, but he missed the timing on Chord of Calling for Spellskite, wherein he let me reveal the top of my deck, and then when he determined the damage (42, 21 cards plus Stomping Ground) he responded with Chord. This is a soft reminder to players new to Belcher, that once you announce the activation of Belcher and the target, your opponent must respond. Otherwise, if he let you start revealing cards from the top of your library, he does not have any time to respond because the determination of damage via revealing is part of the resolution of activating Belcher (NOT part of the cost of activating Belcher) and thus, cannot be responded in that scenario.
Game 3: I won a nailbiter. I forgot the interactions, but it involved Heritage Druid, Nettle Sentinel, Elvish Archdruid, Ezuri, Renegade Leader, and me having turn 3 Wurmcoil Engine, turn 4 Wurmcoil Engine, Chancellor of the Tangle, Birds of Paradise, Wall of Roots, 2 Firespouts after Ezuri was down. Last thing I remember was I wiped the board clean after combat (including my Wurm tokens, leaving me with a lone wall, and fired Belcher for lethal.
Standing: 2-1 (5-4)
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
I am leaning towards the more aggressive approach in the main, that is why I like Reality Smasher than Steel Hellkite. Costs 1 less to cast, has Trample and Haste, and is annoying to remove (Path to Exile becomes a 3 for 1 exchange here). Besides, against aggressive decks, it seems that if they swarm this list, it is very very hard to come back, even after you've cast the hellkite. I think it is better on board so that the focus on the main is to be aggressive enough for an early kill.
I can't emphasize enough the benefits of Vessel of Nascency in the deck. Such a very good utility card at a very low cost.
I agree Dragon's Claw is nice board answer to Burn, but they already sides Destructive Revelry against us, so there's that. Well, at least, the claw absorbs removal that should have been meant for Belcher.
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
As what RiotInferno stated. The only catch here is that Ancient Stirrings cannot get the non-colorless threats. Wurmcoil Engine and Batterskull also happen to have lifelink, which is important when you're trying to survive towards the midgame. With that taken into consideration, I suggest Thragtusk, Pelakka Wurm, Ant Queen, Obstinate Baloth, Huntmaster of the Fells as replacements for them.
You hit the nail in the head when you said when it works, it works wonders. Of course a deck with 7 lands + 4 initial G(Chancellor of the Tangle) will be inconsistent. But, the deck digs very frequently, to the point that when you're used to playing with the deck, you eventually mulligan less. It wins, but it is not a tier 1 or tier 1.5 deck.
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
Since you're going the colorless way, why not include Reality Smasher? It's a trampling beatstick that is easy to cast and hard to answer in the current meta of targeted removal. I see it as a better replacement for Steel Hellkite.
You've already highlighted the significance of Ancient Stirrings in your build, as it can fetch both a land and any of your threats. I just want to highlight it more here.
Now, I think it is a matter of preference whether to include additional cantrip cards to the deck. Based on my experience though, Vessel of Nascency is better than both Manamorphose and Chromatic Star given the explanation you stated for both cards. Vessel accelerates Delirium much better, and instead of just cantripping, it will help you dig for lands or business. (Again, I am an advocate of Vessel of Nascency, so I may be a bit biased here.)
On board, Fracturing Gust is better than All is Dust based on the CMC alone. Since your deck lacks lifelinkers, I worry a bit about survival towards the midgame against Burn. So I suggest Kitchen Finks/Huntmaster of the Fells/Obstinate Baloth.
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
My concern is that, 2 Myr Battlesphere seems to much. Very few times do we have 7 mana immediately, and the Battlesphere is a bad early card. I'd rather have an additional Wurmcoil Engine than it. It seems it is a bit mitigated by the number of Batterskulls you play, but I suggest cutting one for another lower-costing threat (if that's where you're comfortable with).
Also, I noticed you didn't play with Vessel of Nascency. Consensus is that the card is a very big boon to the deck, a tutor for all our threats (except Madcap Experiment) and lands as well. An additional benefit is it has some minor potential of turning on Delirium for Traverse the Ulvenwald. Have you tried playtesting with it?
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
Regarding the Platinum Emperion vs. Wurmcoil Engine argument, Wurmcoil is just easy to cast (8 vs 6) in cases where we don't have Madcap in hand. Platinum Angel is a worse Emperion IMO, as two burn cards can easily dispatch it (aside from the fact that Emperion prevents the Madcap damage, while the Angel does not...).
Now, with the Myr Battlesphere, I may test it if I want a more aggressive approach. But I like my Batterskulls better (though I tend to go with only 3 Wurmcoils, 4 Belchers, then some artifact creatures on the board), since 7 vs. 5 is a big difference. Note that I am still considering the fact that we will not always have Madcap Experiment in hand. Thus, our threats/ways to survive must be cards that we can easily cast.
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR
For the Madcap list, maybe I'll try something like this:
6 Snow-Covered Forest
1 Stomping Ground
Creatures(19):
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
4 Wall of Roots
3 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Chancellor of the Tangle
Artifact(7):
4 Goblin Charbelcher
3 Wurmcoil Engine
4 Vessel of Nascency
4 Utopia Sprawl
Sorcery(19):
4 Ancient Stirrings
3 Caravan Vigil
4 Madcap Experiment
4 Safewright Quest
4 Traverse the Ulvenwald
4 Nature's Claim
1 Ancient Grudge
2 Choke
3 Firespout
1 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Fracturing Gust
2 Ravenous Trap
2 Leyline of the Void
Whichever is effective on the two graveyard hate cards I will use. BB is hard to come by, but those Dredge and Living End players tend to have 3 cards go into their graveyard on a single turn (in case of Trap). If Leyline will be chosen, there's a need to increase it to at least 3, replacing 1 Choke or Nature's Claim.
Edit: Platinum Emperion may also warrant a slot in the sideboard (namely not losing to a lethal Madcap Experiment)
RGForest BelcherRG
WUBRGBring to BalanceWUBRG
Commander Decks:
WUBSharuum the HegemonWUB
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonWUBRG
UBDralnu, Lich LordUB
UBRNekusar, the MindrazerUBR