You do in fact need to ramp up sooner. There are no 1CMS good options to ramp that are shamans (treefolk harbingers and the snake shaman aren't good options, but can do). Well, mystics trigger wolf-skull shamans ability. The other option would be Birds of Paradise but they are out of budget. If you had Fauna Shaman, you oculd sac late game mystics for more relevant creatures and they can always chump block or chump attack. However casting more creatures on turn 2/3/4 are useful especially for things like lead the stampede etc.
You can try more Burning Tree Shaman. They don't really hurt your game plan all that much. However, I would see if I could get a hold of 2 Essence Wardens, drop your Eternal Witness by one, and get a third Burning Tree Shaman. This will be a solid deck.
There are a couple cheap sideboard cards you can use. Destructive Revelry, Reclamation Sages, Dismembers, Roast, Goblin Ruinblasters, the finishing set of Essecne Wardens, the rest of the Burning Tree Shamans, Troll Ascetics aren't so bad, Relic of Progenitus. This is to name a few. The front page had some good selections as well as other deck lists in the forums
You have Elvish Mystic listed twice. I think you mean Elvish Visionary. What is your budget and sideboard looking like? It looks like the deck I had when I first started. I think you only need 3 Elvish Mystics. You can subract another land to 21. It does help a bit.
Do you have a current list by chance? I would be interested in seeing the changes. I am slowly trying to put togeter this list because it is interesting. It is just expensive since I am so knew for things like crucible?
Anything thinkg you would recommend for a budget build until you get the bigger pieces?
I am reporting the results of the PPTQ/Star City Qualifier. I dropped after round 6 with a 2-4 record where one of the wins was a bye.
Round 1 - Azban midrange. He went more white with wrath of gods and Siguarda as I found out. The first game I played well and had him down to 3, but couldn't finish him as he had a 4/5 goyf, Tasigur, and Siguarda. Second game, I attempted to Blood Moon on my turn 3, he had just enough for an abrubt decay and killed it, I didn't have enough later. 0-2. Oh..Languish Sucks!
Round 2 - GR Tron. 0-2. He mulled to five and still found tron on turn 4. He had drew 2 pyroclasms. I lost hard, both games. The second game, I had 2 caverns and a forest, but no red source to kick the ruinblaster or the destructive revelry for his o-stone when he only had 3 mana on the board.
Round 3 - Scapeshift I think, 2-0. He didn't get the draws, while I didn't, I just played more and more things to kill him.
Round 4 - Some sort of Grixis Delverless Delve. 1-2. I think I won game one due to cavern souls so he couldn't counter my shamans and I did well to get my creatures out to over run his burn especially getting 2 burning tree shamans out. However, he played around Blood Moon games 2 and 3 even Shared Animosity and game 2 was lost due to the artificat that casting red spells gain that person 1 life. IT hurt my aggro game, but he had just more so it wouldn't have mattered as much. I might have one against this guy if I had a better hand.
Round 5 - Black/Red/White Burn - 1-2 I don't really have a description other then it was a race all 3 games except that I blew up him out on game 2. I think this is one where if I had a good hand it could have gone either way.
I think there is too much individual removal and pyroclasms kinda coming back at least with GR Tron that I don't know if Shamans are decent right now. The individual removal hurts so so much at times. I could be playing the deck wrong and I am not giving up on it. I think upgrades might be Sarkhan Vol against Azban and possibly Tron. Fulminator Mage instead of Ruinblaster. I didn't feel that Shaman of the Great Hunt does much with all the cheap removal wehther from Grim Lavamancer or pyroclasm or any of hte other easy cheap removal. I also think Languish will be more popular as time goes on.
I took out the 3rd Fauna Shaman for Shaman of the Great Hunt, but i didn't really get to play it.
Round 1 (0-1)vs. Affinity - I won the first game due bolting his activated blink moth on his turn 2 (he was on the play), and getting 2 BTE and a Visionary (getting my 3rd BTE), which I played on turn 3 with Shared Animosity. I won on turn 4 after casting my fourth BTE. Shared Animosity did work there. I got crushed the next two rounds. I had answers and sided in all the good artifact hate, stigma lasher, even ruinblaster, but to no avail. I just got outraced pretty badly by the flying 1/1. so 1-2 overall
Round 2 (1-1) vs. a weird 5 color singleton deck - He won the first round by being faster then I was and bloodmoon didn't come up at all. Matches 2 and 3 is where I went off with good pulls and multiple Rage Forges for the win. The last game I pulled out 4 Bolts for himself and his creatures. 2-1 overall
Round 3 (2-1) vs. UB/Artifact deck. They had wormcoils, batterskulls, Ashiok, and another planeswalker which I don't remember. This game the dismember was pretty handy with batterskulls falling to it and killing a wormcoil down to a 1/1 and lettng it get chump blocked. I had enough creatures on the field to overwhelm him. The second match, i should have scooped, when his ashiok got my stigma lasher, rage forger, and reclamation sage. I don't remember in this game, but I had a nice play where I had a 2 bosk bannerts on the field, cracked a fatch to cast an Eternal Witness, got back one of my Rage Forgers and played him that turn. 2-1 overall
There is a PPTQ/Star City qualifier on Sunday that I was thinking of taking this deck into. I am so nervous as it is my first tournement.
I know there was talk earlier, but did anybody test Sarkhan Vol or Domri Rade? What about Chandra, Pyromancer? Due to Outpost Seige not doing anything the turn it comes out? Sarkhan or Chandra can help get that last bit of damage after Rage Forger comes down?
I have been playing shamans in my local FNM. It has evolved from the quick and cheap start without a sideboard. To looking something like pizzap's non-budget version. This is my first post, so I am not sure how to post decks. However, I would be willing to try Shaman of the Great Hunt as well. I have tried Ire Shaman and I am not too impressed, by it. It hasn't done that much on the whole. I do like my fauna shaman as it has been useful to getting the 5 (with Eternal Witness) Rage Forger.
My first time with the budget version was a 3-1 and got second place out of 20ish or so people. I have been taking the deck as it is my only modern deck to the FNM modern stuff for a 3-4 months now. Each week, I made an improvement whether that was getting a better sideboard, bloodmoon, fauna shaman or the mo better landbase. I have only gone once in an 1-3, but I generally go from 3-1, 2-2, 2-3, 3-2 with this deck. Our meta includes at least Podless Pod, a Living End, Splinter Twin, U Tron, GR Tron, Azban, Grixis Delver, Jund fun, Merfolk, Burn, Hatebears, and others.
I was thinking of not going with the Windswept Heath/card] and staying with 4 Forest. Have you found the Windswept Heath useful? I think one of the few changes is that I have 1 Collected Company and 1 Commune with Nature. I think I am preferring the Commune due to the low mana cast. The Company and 4 mana is an issue I feel. I also play with Shared Animosity as a sixth Rage Forger. It goes ok. I generally have been happy when I drew it and it has served its purpose.
I had a question that I was thinking of brewing with Origens Red Enchantment of Flameshadow Conjuring. I feel this could be useful for better late game Rage Forgers, Elvish Visionary, Reclamation Sages, Eternal Witness, Fauna Shaman. I just got Goblin Ruinblasters, but if I had Fulminator Mages, it would be useful late game for those as well. I can see running 1 of it as a sort of late game gas.
As an aside as this is my first post, can soembody show me or point me to a post that tells me how to formulate a deck. I am still newbish at magic, but I love my Shaman deck. I think my FNM loves that I play Shamans, and I want to eventually at one point take it to a GP to see how it does, but I am looking to hone it to perfection.
For a black enchantment, Sanguine Bond from M14 would be good for your life gain for more burn. Add in a Whip of Erebos for a finisher when Sanguine Bond is out. If you are trying a more Modern tournement, Exquisite Blood forms a same turn game winning combo from either Burn or Lifegain.
There are a couple cheap sideboard cards you can use. Destructive Revelry, Reclamation Sages, Dismembers, Roast, Goblin Ruinblasters, the finishing set of Essecne Wardens, the rest of the Burning Tree Shamans, Troll Ascetics aren't so bad, Relic of Progenitus. This is to name a few. The front page had some good selections as well as other deck lists in the forums
What are the 20 or so cards you use to make it more competitive?
Anything thinkg you would recommend for a budget build until you get the bigger pieces?
Round 1 - Azban midrange. He went more white with wrath of gods and Siguarda as I found out. The first game I played well and had him down to 3, but couldn't finish him as he had a 4/5 goyf, Tasigur, and Siguarda. Second game, I attempted to Blood Moon on my turn 3, he had just enough for an abrubt decay and killed it, I didn't have enough later. 0-2. Oh..Languish Sucks!
Round 2 - GR Tron. 0-2. He mulled to five and still found tron on turn 4. He had drew 2 pyroclasms. I lost hard, both games. The second game, I had 2 caverns and a forest, but no red source to kick the ruinblaster or the destructive revelry for his o-stone when he only had 3 mana on the board.
Round 3 - Scapeshift I think, 2-0. He didn't get the draws, while I didn't, I just played more and more things to kill him.
Round 4 - Some sort of Grixis Delverless Delve. 1-2. I think I won game one due to cavern souls so he couldn't counter my shamans and I did well to get my creatures out to over run his burn especially getting 2 burning tree shamans out. However, he played around Blood Moon games 2 and 3 even Shared Animosity and game 2 was lost due to the artificat that casting red spells gain that person 1 life. IT hurt my aggro game, but he had just more so it wouldn't have mattered as much. I might have one against this guy if I had a better hand.
Round 5 - Black/Red/White Burn - 1-2 I don't really have a description other then it was a race all 3 games except that I blew up him out on game 2. I think this is one where if I had a good hand it could have gone either way.
I think there is too much individual removal and pyroclasms kinda coming back at least with GR Tron that I don't know if Shamans are decent right now. The individual removal hurts so so much at times. I could be playing the deck wrong and I am not giving up on it. I think upgrades might be Sarkhan Vol against Azban and possibly Tron. Fulminator Mage instead of Ruinblaster. I didn't feel that Shaman of the Great Hunt does much with all the cheap removal wehther from Grim Lavamancer or pyroclasm or any of hte other easy cheap removal. I also think Languish will be more popular as time goes on.
Round 1 (0-1)vs. Affinity - I won the first game due bolting his activated blink moth on his turn 2 (he was on the play), and getting 2 BTE and a Visionary (getting my 3rd BTE), which I played on turn 3 with Shared Animosity. I won on turn 4 after casting my fourth BTE. Shared Animosity did work there. I got crushed the next two rounds. I had answers and sided in all the good artifact hate, stigma lasher, even ruinblaster, but to no avail. I just got outraced pretty badly by the flying 1/1. so 1-2 overall
Round 2 (1-1) vs. a weird 5 color singleton deck - He won the first round by being faster then I was and bloodmoon didn't come up at all. Matches 2 and 3 is where I went off with good pulls and multiple Rage Forges for the win. The last game I pulled out 4 Bolts for himself and his creatures. 2-1 overall
Round 3 (2-1) vs. UB/Artifact deck. They had wormcoils, batterskulls, Ashiok, and another planeswalker which I don't remember. This game the dismember was pretty handy with batterskulls falling to it and killing a wormcoil down to a 1/1 and lettng it get chump blocked. I had enough creatures on the field to overwhelm him. The second match, i should have scooped, when his ashiok got my stigma lasher, rage forger, and reclamation sage. I don't remember in this game, but I had a nice play where I had a 2 bosk bannerts on the field, cracked a fatch to cast an Eternal Witness, got back one of my Rage Forgers and played him that turn. 2-1 overall
There is a PPTQ/Star City qualifier on Sunday that I was thinking of taking this deck into. I am so nervous as it is my first tournement.
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Copperline Gorge
2 Mutavault
2 Stomping Ground
4 Forest
1 Mountain
Creatures
4 Rage Forger
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Bosk Banneret
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
3 Flamekin Harbinger
3 Birds of Paradise
3 Fauna Shaman
2 Burning-Tree Shaman
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Eternal Witness
1 Essence Warden
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Shared Animosity
2 Blood Moon
1 Collective Company
1 Commune with Nature
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Blood Moon
1 Choke
2 Destructive Revelry
1 Reclamation Sage
2 Essence Warden
3 Goblin Ruinblaster
1 Troll Ascetic
1 Stigma Lasher
1 Burning-Tree Shaman
This is my deck in its current iteration. Any suggestions on what I could sideboard or do better to improve it?
My first time with the budget version was a 3-1 and got second place out of 20ish or so people. I have been taking the deck as it is my only modern deck to the FNM modern stuff for a 3-4 months now. Each week, I made an improvement whether that was getting a better sideboard, bloodmoon, fauna shaman or the mo better landbase. I have only gone once in an 1-3, but I generally go from 3-1, 2-2, 2-3, 3-2 with this deck. Our meta includes at least Podless Pod, a Living End, Splinter Twin, U Tron, GR Tron, Azban, Grixis Delver, Jund fun, Merfolk, Burn, Hatebears, and others.
I was thinking of not going with the Windswept Heath/card] and staying with 4 Forest. Have you found the Windswept Heath useful? I think one of the few changes is that I have 1 Collected Company and 1 Commune with Nature. I think I am preferring the Commune due to the low mana cast. The Company and 4 mana is an issue I feel. I also play with Shared Animosity as a sixth Rage Forger. It goes ok. I generally have been happy when I drew it and it has served its purpose.
I had a question that I was thinking of brewing with Origens Red Enchantment of Flameshadow Conjuring. I feel this could be useful for better late game Rage Forgers, Elvish Visionary, Reclamation Sages, Eternal Witness, Fauna Shaman. I just got Goblin Ruinblasters, but if I had Fulminator Mages, it would be useful late game for those as well. I can see running 1 of it as a sort of late game gas.
As an aside as this is my first post, can soembody show me or point me to a post that tells me how to formulate a deck. I am still newbish at magic, but I love my Shaman deck. I think my FNM loves that I play Shamans, and I want to eventually at one point take it to a GP to see how it does, but I am looking to hone it to perfection.