I s'pose should reiterate: I'd like to build a deck that shuns the notion of a creature. Obviously the Commander can't be avoided, but in a deck with Talrand or Rafiq, you're still using your commander to ether a) generate massive amounts of creature tokens, or b) use you're commander as the sole swinging creature ftw. I like the idea of Skeleton Ship because it doesn't function as a creature. I'm looking to build a deck that doesn't even consider the combat step. Someone like Angus Mackenzie would be good since he's a Fog on a stick and gives access to WU which traditionally create nice creature-hate pillows. Esper or America colors might be better since I can access BR's direct damage effects. I just want an EDH deck that doesn't use a single creature to win.
Maybe some board wipes like Electrickery or Rolling Thunder? Rolling Thunder can even be a finisher later in the game and help clear out threats early.
I added in Rolling Thunder which was actually in my friend's original deck, sorta got lost in the revision. I guess i don't really understand Electrickery? Do you just hope to cast 2 or 3 at once with the overload? Or are they just to ping off tiny dudes?
Once you decide to include an infinite combo, your deck becomes all about getting that combo out there. That's certainly a neat idea, but I'd save it for a different deck entirely.
The Ponders and the Mana Leaks are a great idea for the deck, though I prefer keeping it two colors. Also Vent Sentinel is pretty fun.
I tried with creature removal spells instead of land destruction, and I realize it's 100% a matter of preference. Some of the older cards may be harder to get in paper so I'd look into Reap and Sow and regular Fireball. Everything else is pretty recent.
I actually switched out Ponder for Brainstorm (Specifically Ice Age art, random X-Men villain all the way. Looks like a cross between Apocalypse and Mr. Sinister). I usually prefer Ponder myself when setting up decks with a specific function, but this Defender deck allows a variety of win cons so Brainstorm is great digging deep into your deck and see what goodies come up.
The deck hasn't had any problems being 3 colors. Green is the primary, and Gatecreeper Vine will help us tutor up any gates we may need for the other spells. Then once you get a Axebane Guardian out you have all the mana colors you need.
I like the idea of running Ulamog's Crusher, but I guess it's just a point of preference to run burn over stomp. This deck is pretty neat since it works like Urzatron, just find the most expensive pauper finisher and go to town with it.
Anyone know any other Pauper-legal Ulamog's Crusher-like dudes to stomp with?
My friend Dan played a pauper defender deck last night, it was pretty fun, but still lost, so we sat down together and tried to work out a way to make it more lethal, this is what we came up with:
The idea is to Use Axebane and Overgrown Battlement to generate massive amounts of mana for a Kaervek's Torch. Before that happens we have some Cloudfin Raptors that can keep evolving off the fat butts of all the walls we throw down.
I cracked a Boros Reckoner and promptly sold it, that was the most expensive card I had, in terms of sell value. I bought a Angus MacKenzie for $15, that's the most I've paid for a single card.
Coiling Oracle somes to mind too. It'll be hard to find enough creatures with 3 useful types that overlap. I'd go with 3 types and creatures that share two:
The problem with that cycle is that the creatures have protection from the 3rd color, but if you work with Lords and Coat of Arms, it shouldn't be a problem.
So hypothetically, if I did travel to China, which I'm actually thinking about doing soon for various reasons, how might I go about hunting down pricier Three Kingdoms cards? I understand that these cards would be in Chinese, but I'm banking on them, possibly, being cheaper that if, for whatever reason, I tried to find English ones in Australia. Has anyone encountered buying Magic cards in other countries? How do cardshops/prices differ?
Okay, so I think I've mentioned it once or twice before on here, and in the material world it's all I've been griping about:
I hate Etherial Armor/Hexproof decks. They're just not really fun; sort of like Infect decks - but at least Infect decks require the explosive element. They lose steam after turn 3 and they you're usually screwed. Hexproof decks just lock you in once they get that one Slippery Bogle in, and then you're stuck just swatting away auras with whatever counterspells you have in your own homebrew deck. If Magic is a conversation, and a conversation is a game of ball toss, Hexproof decks just never return the ball. The game is dry. And course. And not fun once you know you don't have the retort.
So I'd really like to build the perfect deck to both mimic and mirror a Hexproof deck. And I'm dead set on building it around Enchanted Being. I'm guessing it'll be WU. I'm trying to keep it oldschool here, I've really been into old cards - revised through homelands.
I'm a huge fan of Royal Assassin - he's oldschool and one of the first creatures I ever went out of my way to obtain. Pretty decent in a Necropotence deck - deters your opponent from attacking while you gather your Drain Lifes and Corrupts for the kill.
There are only 3 other existing Sol'kanar decks, in the Salvation database, and it seems like most of them also take the general Grixis Goodstuff approach. The nice thing about a 3 color commander is that we also have 2 color subthemes we can focus on. Sol'kanar's flavor could fit with a Rakdos theme, just sort of bad vibes and chaos, with blue being utilized for artifact manipulation, defensive control, and library manipulation/tutoring.
So I know there's a lot of hate for "opponent's choice" cards like Dash Hopes, but I've had nothing but success with it in my non-pauper suicide black deck, dubbed "GG Allin." When you're running a fast aggro deck, who cares what your opponent chooses? Either your opponent casts the spell he would have cast anyway, but with 5 less life (allowing you to lay a beat down faster), or you successfully counter a spell that would have otherwise prevented you from dealing 5 damage to him, or more, or less. In suicide black it's usually a win/win card. I know people have their doubts about it, and I wouldn't play it in any other kind of deck, but it can be aggro's best friend.
I'd only run 2 copies, or at the very least sideboard it.
I haven't played Infect Pauper yet, but I've played a Livewire Lash/Infect deck back in Standard and I ran Plague Stingers and a couple Flensermites in that deck. Are they not Pauper worthy? Or did you forget them when making the Primer? I know Flensermite probably isn't that good, but the flying for Plague Stinger seems good to me.
I think I just didn't finish filling out the Black creature section. I'll add those right in!
EDIT: Under the pump section Might of Oaks cannot be used as it is and always was a rare. Vines of Vastwood is mis-spelled in the pump section and doesn't come up with a "did you mean?".
EDIT 2: For more sideboard cards Sandstorm is good for extended games. Lotus Petal is also nice as it grants free mana, I would ONLY use a full set of it in decks with cards such as Brainstorm though as you want to be able to fill your hand with pumps or get rid of garbage if needed, otherwise just use 2.
Oh man, Might of Oaks, I totally meant Titanic Growth. I get them confused because of the Urzas Legacy art of MoG, that giant squirrel looks like Titanic Growth's dog critter.
I've added the other changes, thanks for the help!
I added in Rolling Thunder which was actually in my friend's original deck, sorta got lost in the revision. I guess i don't really understand Electrickery? Do you just hope to cast 2 or 3 at once with the overload? Or are they just to ping off tiny dudes?
4 Cloudfin Raptor
4 Gatecreeper Vine
4 Overgrown Battlement
4 Wall of Tanglecord
4 Mana Leak
4 Vines of Vastwood
4 Kaervek's Torch
4 Rolling Thunder
3 Island
3 Mountain
4 Gruul guildgate
4 Simic guildgate
Once you decide to include an infinite combo, your deck becomes all about getting that combo out there. That's certainly a neat idea, but I'd save it for a different deck entirely.
I actually switched out Ponder for Brainstorm (Specifically Ice Age art, random X-Men villain all the way. Looks like a cross between Apocalypse and Mr. Sinister). I usually prefer Ponder myself when setting up decks with a specific function, but this Defender deck allows a variety of win cons so Brainstorm is great digging deep into your deck and see what goodies come up.
The deck hasn't had any problems being 3 colors. Green is the primary, and Gatecreeper Vine will help us tutor up any gates we may need for the other spells. Then once you get a Axebane Guardian out you have all the mana colors you need.
I like the idea of running Ulamog's Crusher, but I guess it's just a point of preference to run burn over stomp. This deck is pretty neat since it works like Urzatron, just find the most expensive pauper finisher and go to town with it.
Anyone know any other Pauper-legal Ulamog's Crusher-like dudes to stomp with?
4 Cloudfin Raptor
4 Gatecreeper Vine
4 Overgrown Battlement
4 Wall of Tanglecord
2 Wall of Earth
4 Vines of Vastwood
4 Kaervek's Torch
2 Fireball
4 Ponder
3 Island
3 Mountain
4 Gruul guildgate
4 Simic guildgate
The idea is to Use Axebane and Overgrown Battlement to generate massive amounts of mana for a Kaervek's Torch. Before that happens we have some Cloudfin Raptors that can keep evolving off the fat butts of all the walls we throw down.
Zombie Elf Merfolk comes to find
Gaea's Skyfolk - Elf Merfolk
Llanowar Dead - Elf Zombie
Vodalian Zombie - Merfolk Zombie
Then you could splash in some other creatures with one overlapping types in dual colors - like Putrid Leech, and Diregraf Captain. You've also got Elves of Deep Shadow for more ramp.
The problem with that cycle is that the creatures have protection from the 3rd color, but if you work with Lords and Coat of Arms, it shouldn't be a problem.
I hate Etherial Armor/Hexproof decks. They're just not really fun; sort of like Infect decks - but at least Infect decks require the explosive element. They lose steam after turn 3 and they you're usually screwed. Hexproof decks just lock you in once they get that one Slippery Bogle in, and then you're stuck just swatting away auras with whatever counterspells you have in your own homebrew deck. If Magic is a conversation, and a conversation is a game of ball toss, Hexproof decks just never return the ball. The game is dry. And course. And not fun once you know you don't have the retort.
So I'd really like to build the perfect deck to both mimic and mirror a Hexproof deck. And I'm dead set on building it around Enchanted Being. I'm guessing it'll be WU. I'm trying to keep it oldschool here, I've really been into old cards - revised through homelands.
Who wants to help?
There are only 3 other existing Sol'kanar decks, in the Salvation database, and it seems like most of them also take the general Grixis Goodstuff approach. The nice thing about a 3 color commander is that we also have 2 color subthemes we can focus on. Sol'kanar's flavor could fit with a Rakdos theme, just sort of bad vibes and chaos, with blue being utilized for artifact manipulation, defensive control, and library manipulation/tutoring.
I'd only run 2 copies, or at the very least sideboard it.
I think I just didn't finish filling out the Black creature section. I'll add those right in!
Woops! Fixed
Oh man, Might of Oaks, I totally meant Titanic Growth. I get them confused because of the Urzas Legacy art of MoG, that giant squirrel looks like Titanic Growth's dog critter.
I've added the other changes, thanks for the help!