October/2016 EDIT
- Kinda fixed land speed and decided to cut most enter-tapped, except for any-color and hideaway ones. Added more basic lands.
- Based all ramp on creatures with {T} add mana. It's risky but they can attack too.
- Reduced Avg. CMC to 3.98, added more haste. Still finding room for double-strike enchants.
You made some good observations of what we Gahiji players face on late game. Yea, our hand is empty, full of mana and if someone wipes the board, the game is pretty over.
Mana sinks and draw are our best option if we don't manage to finish the game 'til meta. I'll run some crazy research for more of them but focused more on creatures like Heliod, God of the Sun and Skullmulcher. Craterhoof Behemoth is a long desired card, maybe I'll run a proxy instead
I can switch Wrath of God for a Martial Coup yes, thank you.
I'm trying to put insane haste on this deck too so Fires of Yavimaya may come back and Hammer of Purphoros is up for some tests.
I agree with you that my land base is slow as hell, but there's two reasons for that:
1) My playgroup uses that same slow land base;
2) Generally fast land cards are too expensive and I can't afford it.
Based on that last argument, Swords are out of reach. Maybe when I graduate as an engineer.
I really liked Sword of the Animist and maybe it'll be on the deck on the next version.
Both Nature's Will and Overwhelming Instinct seems interesting too, I'll run some tests.
Thank you and have a nice day too! (Up the Irons!)
Since I was editing this via tappedout I lost all changes, but I tried to get rid of pricey cards and add more haste and aggro to the deck.
Have a look and pls tell me what you think.
Hey, I have a Gahiji tokens list too and I found that mana doubling effects puts you way ahead of your opponents so, consider running those cards: Mirari's Wake Mana Reflection
Marath, Will of the Wild %The Swiss Army Knive. Keep all that mana produced at work with this guy. Naya have R offering monstrous creatures that fits your theme. Jenara, Asura of War %The Voltron Angel. Keep all that mana produced at work with this girl. Bant have U offering draw and control, keep that mana at work drawing cards. Kruphix, God of Horizons %The Mana God. Keep that unused mana for future investments. Does not have W, but suits better your overall theme. Karametra, God of Harvests %The Land God. You will ramp like crazy, but won't have a general to keep that mana used, suits perfectly your theme. Focus on really big things and a lot of creatures.
Remember, you are playing Esper, so you don't have that mutch presence on the board at the beggining of the game as a Red/Green guy would have. Build around the late game then and control that guy that have strong presence at the beggining and meta game. Playing with so mutch hate for creatures will attract that hate from the board to YOU.
Build buffing Rafiq and supporting/controling with ETB creatures(Specially Soulbound ones) so you can abuse of Fecundity too. Run a lot of creatures, enchants and equips. Avoid instants, sorceries and planeswalkers.
You might want to play a suite of ETB creatures that plow up artifacts and/or enchantments to deal with Propaganda effects, and things like rootborn defences and Faith's Reward to be resilient to wipes. Non-creature permanents that can become creatures are good tools as well. Such as manlands, artifacts that make tokens or become creatures etc.
ETB creatures that destroy enchants/artifacts is something I should look at. I'm just running Acidic Slime atm.
I'm already running Rootborn Defenses, I would play Fresh Meat over Faith's Reward once it produces tokens. Thanks!
Eldrazi Monument is something I'm gonna test someday, but it is a bit pricey.
I'm already running some removal, I'll add some ETB removal creatures once I can tutor them.
I'll test once again Spawning Pit, maybe it can be better this time. Really liked the idea of Fecundity and Gaddock Teeg.
There's a Derevi in my playgroup, that's why I don't play Hokori, Dust Drinker like cards.
I always considered Armageddon, maybe it's the time to test it.
Thank you!
In my experience with Naya, Sun Titan and Dauntless Escort together make for some awesome recursion and are tough to play around. Also, just Sun Titan in general.
There's just a few cards with mana cost 3- in my deck, I wouldn't run Sun Titan just to combo with Dauntless Escort.
- Kinda fixed land speed and decided to cut most enter-tapped, except for any-color and hideaway ones. Added more basic lands.
- Based all ramp on creatures with {T} add mana. It's risky but they can attack too.
- Reduced Avg. CMC to 3.98, added more haste. Still finding room for double-strike enchants.
You made some good observations of what we Gahiji players face on late game. Yea, our hand is empty, full of mana and if someone wipes the board, the game is pretty over.
Mana sinks and draw are our best option if we don't manage to finish the game 'til meta. I'll run some crazy research for more of them but focused more on creatures like Heliod, God of the Sun and Skullmulcher.
Craterhoof Behemoth is a long desired card, maybe I'll run a proxy instead
I can switch Wrath of God for a Martial Coup yes, thank you.
I'm trying to put insane haste on this deck too so Fires of Yavimaya may come back and Hammer of Purphoros is up for some tests.
Thank you again, I'll be waiting for more hints!
I agree with you that my land base is slow as hell, but there's two reasons for that:
1) My playgroup uses that same slow land base;
2) Generally fast land cards are too expensive and I can't afford it.
Based on that last argument, Swords are out of reach. Maybe when I graduate as an engineer.
I really liked Sword of the Animist and maybe it'll be on the deck on the next version.
Both Nature's Will and Overwhelming Instinct seems interesting too, I'll run some tests.
Thank you and have a nice day too! (Up the Irons!)
Since I was editing this via tappedout I lost all changes, but I tried to get rid of pricey cards and add more haste and aggro to the deck.
Have a look and pls tell me what you think.
Glory of Warfare --> Cathars' Crusade
Greater Good --> Siege-Gang Commander
Marshal's Anthem --> Avacyn, Angel of Hope
Sylvan Lybrary --> Austere Command
Cultivate --> Sakura-Tribe Elder
Explosive Vegetation --> Solemn Simulacrum
Mentor of the Meek --> Thunderfoot Baloth
Mirari's Wake
Mana Reflection
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger %also a doubler, but attract a lot of hate towards you
Darien, King of Kjeldor
Broodhatch Nantuko
Druid's Call
Saber Ants
Gahiji's ability sinergizes offensively with a lot of creatures.
Rith, the Awakener --> Reclamation Sage
Trostani's Summoner --> Joiner Adept
Reducing the CMC and adding some ramp and utility
Sunforger => Birthing Pod %Fits better on a creature-heavy deck
Hull Breach => Qasali Pridemage
Savage Beating => Doubling Season
Soul's Majesty => Sylvan Library
Marath, Will of the Wild %The Swiss Army Knive. Keep all that mana produced at work with this guy. Naya have R offering monstrous creatures that fits your theme.
Jenara, Asura of War %The Voltron Angel. Keep all that mana produced at work with this girl. Bant have U offering draw and control, keep that mana at work drawing cards.
Kruphix, God of Horizons %The Mana God. Keep that unused mana for future investments. Does not have W, but suits better your overall theme.
Karametra, God of Harvests %The Land God. You will ramp like crazy, but won't have a general to keep that mana used, suits perfectly your theme. Focus on really big things and a lot of creatures.
I have a friend that have a Oloro, Ageless Ascetic and it runs pretty sweet. Here what he does:
Beggining:
Ramp and start building your pillowfort, play passive and nobody will burn your stuff because of hate. Mana rocks, Propaganda/Ghostly Prison/Collective Restraint/Crawlspace enters here. Pillowfort cards are awesome and buys you time to the late game, where you have the advantage.
Meta:
Start building your combo via some tutors and drop Oloro for card draw. Hold the game with some pillowforts and creatures with lifelink or that exploit of lifetotal/lifegain like Divinity of Pride/Serra Avatar. Out of control? Wipe the board of creatures, keep your enchants up. Try to steal a win with Test of Endurance/Felidar Sovereign. Prevent general damage incoming with Riot Control/Reverse Damage, Prahv, Spires of Order.
Late:
Here's your time to shine. Play Magister Sphinx/Sorin Markov and take the most annoying player from the game. Drop those combos! Sanguine Bond/Exquisite Blood combos with your lifelink creatures, Vizkopa Guildmage/Chant of Vitu-Ghazi is absolutly crazy and can be a instant-win.
Oloro's lifegain is something ridiculous. Run cards that makes you pay life for a strong effect like Greed/Bond of Agony/Hatred/Necropotence/Phyrexian Reclamation. Always look some lists on the forum for more ideas.
Want to offer draw to everyone(I think it's a bad idea, specially vs. control decks)? Run Fecundity
Want to abuse Venser and ETB effects? Run Acidic Slime/Mulldrifter/Luminate Primordial/Glimmerpoint Stag/Restoration Angel/Deadeye Navigator ...............
Build buffing Rafiq and supporting/controling with ETB creatures(Specially Soulbound ones) so you can abuse of Fecundity too. Run a lot of creatures, enchants and equips. Avoid instants, sorceries and planeswalkers.
ETB creatures that destroy enchants/artifacts is something I should look at. I'm just running Acidic Slime atm.
I'm already running Rootborn Defenses, I would play Fresh Meat over Faith's Reward once it produces tokens. Thanks!
Eldrazi Monument is something I'm gonna test someday, but it is a bit pricey.
I'm already running some removal, I'll add some ETB removal creatures once I can tutor them.
I'll test once again Spawning Pit, maybe it can be better this time. Really liked the idea of Fecundity and Gaddock Teeg.
There's a Derevi in my playgroup, that's why I don't play Hokori, Dust Drinker like cards.
I always considered Armageddon, maybe it's the time to test it.
Thank you!
There's just a few cards with mana cost 3- in my deck, I wouldn't run Sun Titan just to combo with Dauntless Escort.