Recently, my playgroup has permitted me to use Genju of the Realm as a commander, though one of them is skeptical about allowing it to do commander damage.
I initially wanted to build Gitrog, but then I realized that I like having fun when I play Magic, and that part of that experience is other people also enjoying the game. So, I thought to myself, "I have a Gitrog - what can I put it in? Additionally, what can I do that I haven't yet seen in my meta (while leaning 5-color on the matter)?" I realized that Genju was the perfect card for this theme.
Next, I set forth a restriction: "I'm sick of buying hundreds of dollars of lands for my decks, so this build can't have any lands over the ~$5 range EXCEPT as a win condition, and then I'm only allowing one." I went with Inkmoth Nexus. (This is why Thawing Glaciers isn't in here.)
So, as you can see, I went with a Multi-Landfall sub-theme, as well as a Maze's End win condition for shiggles.
There were a handful of cards I chose not to run, such as Sacred Ground, the Zendikons, and the other Genjus. With regards to Sacred Ground, since Genju isn't animated unless I want it to be, and my meta doesn't see a lot of instant-speed spot removal, it seemed like a waste of a slot. Genju is infinitely more likely to get hit by enchantment removal. If I had run the Zendikons and other Genjus, I might consider Sacred Ground, but I don't, so I won't.
As for why not the other Genjus or Zendikons; well, based on the Landfall theme of the deck, I'm always going to have creatures out, whether they're tokens or not. Animating a lot of lands is resource-intensive, and that's mana I'd rather be spending on casting spells and increasing the number of permanents I have in play.
This is a similar reason for why I'm not running any manlands except for the Inkmoth Nexus; I felt as though my resources were better put into spells, as opposed to choosing and deciding which lands should be tapped and which should be turned into creatures; plus, some of the better manlands (looking at you, Creeping Tar Pit) can get a little pricey, which goes against the land restriction I have on the deck.
I decided the route to go for color-fixing was the cheap fetches, which could be recurred with Crucible of Worlds or used as Gitrog fodder.
I like the addition of Bear Umbra, because it basically gives any of my animated lands Vigilance. It's better than Sword of Feast and Famine in that respect, as they don't have to make contact for the effect to go off.
Anyway, I think I grabbed most of what would be effective in this deck, but I'm open to some ideas. I'm slightly concerned about the mana color ratio, but I think I'll get it right with some more testing. Additionally, do you guys think I should stick with the Maze's End + Guildgates idea, or should I take them all out for cheap duals or just more snow-covered basics?
2011: Best Mafia Performance (Individual) - Best Newcomer
2012: Best (False?) Role Claim - Worst Town Performance (Group) - Best Mafia Performance (Group) - Best SK Performance - Best Overall Player
2013: Best Non-SK Neutral Performance
2014: Best Town Performance (Individual) - Best Town Performance (Group) - Most Interesting Role - Best Game - Best Overall Player
2015: Worst Mafia Performance (Group) - Best Read
2016: Best Town Performance (Group) - Best Town Player - Best Overall Player
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I initially wanted to build Gitrog, but then I realized that I like having fun when I play Magic, and that part of that experience is other people also enjoying the game. So, I thought to myself, "I have a Gitrog - what can I put it in? Additionally, what can I do that I haven't yet seen in my meta (while leaning 5-color on the matter)?" I realized that Genju was the perfect card for this theme.
Next, I set forth a restriction: "I'm sick of buying hundreds of dollars of lands for my decks, so this build can't have any lands over the ~$5 range EXCEPT as a win condition, and then I'm only allowing one." I went with Inkmoth Nexus. (This is why Thawing Glaciers isn't in here.)
Anyway, here's the build:
1 Avenger of Zendikar
1 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
1 Coiling Oracle
1 Courser of Kruphix
1 Dragonmaster Outcast
1 Dune-Brood Nephilim
1 Emeria Angel
1 Hazezon Tamar
1 Herald of Leshrac
1 Liege of the Tangle
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Mina and Denn, Wildborn
1 Omnath, Locus of Rage
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Patron of the Moon
1 Rampaging Baloths
1 Roil Elemental
1 Seedborn Muse
1 Sporemound
1 The Gitrog Monster
1 Tireless Tracker
1 Titania, Protector of Argoth
1 Undergrowth Champion
1 Amulet of Vigor
1 Chromatic Lantern
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Druidic Satchel
1 Expedition Map
1 Eternity Vessel
1 Pyramids
1 Explore
1 Planar Cleansing
1 Planar Outburst
1 Summer Bloom
1 Tempt with Discovery
1 Urban Evolution
1 Bear Umbra
1 Burgeoning
1 Exploration
1 Into the Wilds
1 Manabond
1 Prismatic Omen
1 Rites of Flourishing
1 Terra Eternal
1 Azorius Guildgate
1 Bad River
1 Bant Panorama
1 Boros Guildgate
1 Dakmor Salvage
1 Darksteel Citadel
1 Dimir Guildgate
1 Drownyard Temple
1 Esper Panorama
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Flood Plain
1 Golgari Guildgate
1 Grasslands
1 Grixis Panorama
1 Gruul Guildgate
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Izzet Guildgate
1 Jund Panorama
1 Maze's End
1 Mountain Valley
1 Naya Panorama
1 Orzhov Guildgate
1 Rakdos Guildgate
1 Rocky Tar Pit
1 Scrying Sheets
1 Selesnya Guildgate
1 Simic Guildgate
1 Terrain Generator
1 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Snow-Covered Island
4 Snow-Covered Mountain
4 Snow-Covered Plains
4 Snow-Covered Swamp
So, as you can see, I went with a Multi-Landfall sub-theme, as well as a Maze's End win condition for shiggles.
There were a handful of cards I chose not to run, such as Sacred Ground, the Zendikons, and the other Genjus. With regards to Sacred Ground, since Genju isn't animated unless I want it to be, and my meta doesn't see a lot of instant-speed spot removal, it seemed like a waste of a slot. Genju is infinitely more likely to get hit by enchantment removal. If I had run the Zendikons and other Genjus, I might consider Sacred Ground, but I don't, so I won't.
As for why not the other Genjus or Zendikons; well, based on the Landfall theme of the deck, I'm always going to have creatures out, whether they're tokens or not. Animating a lot of lands is resource-intensive, and that's mana I'd rather be spending on casting spells and increasing the number of permanents I have in play.
This is a similar reason for why I'm not running any manlands except for the Inkmoth Nexus; I felt as though my resources were better put into spells, as opposed to choosing and deciding which lands should be tapped and which should be turned into creatures; plus, some of the better manlands (looking at you, Creeping Tar Pit) can get a little pricey, which goes against the land restriction I have on the deck.
I decided the route to go for color-fixing was the cheap fetches, which could be recurred with Crucible of Worlds or used as Gitrog fodder.
I like the addition of Bear Umbra, because it basically gives any of my animated lands Vigilance. It's better than Sword of Feast and Famine in that respect, as they don't have to make contact for the effect to go off.
Anyway, I think I grabbed most of what would be effective in this deck, but I'm open to some ideas. I'm slightly concerned about the mana color ratio, but I think I'll get it right with some more testing. Additionally, do you guys think I should stick with the Maze's End + Guildgates idea, or should I take them all out for cheap duals or just more snow-covered basics?
Let me know!
{мы, тьма}
2012: Best (False?) Role Claim - Worst Town Performance (Group) - Best Mafia Performance (Group) - Best SK Performance - Best Overall Player
2013: Best Non-SK Neutral Performance
2014: Best Town Performance (Individual) - Best Town Performance (Group) - Most Interesting Role - Best Game - Best Overall Player
2015: Worst Mafia Performance (Group) - Best Read
2016: Best Town Performance (Group) - Best Town Player - Best Overall Player