How about Sanctum Prelate? At 1-2 to shut down storm and countermagic, 3 to shut down Food Chain, 5 to shut down Ad Nauseam. Could be very relevant in a meta where you know of the winconditions.
Spell Queller is boss. When used for removal you can blink away on the stack to interrupt the clause. Being modal from defense to offense is stellar. Use Roon to blink away to then Venser or Mystic Snake something on the stack? Sign me up.
This seems very situational. I think a 1cmc or 2cmc counterspell will be better most of the time.
My Roon-list has taken a very different direction lately. I've cut the avg. CMC a lot and went for a pure prison-build. Roon is a backup-plan, but breaks parity by blinking Kataki, War's Wage, Hokori, Dust Drinker(this is an amazingly punishing card) or Lavinia of the Tenth. It also blinks away utility. There's a few other ETB-effects too, but the ETB-theme is very light.
This deck is currently on hiatus. I was pretty happy with how the deck played, but decided to attempt a really competitive build of Roon. My opinion is that tax, prison and lockdown is a powerful option worth exploring, so that'll what I'll do.
The process and results so far are in this thread, feel free to give any comments and advice.
Any questions or comments about this 75% decklist is of course welcome in this thread still, I put a lot of thought and effort into it and might post an update from time to time.
Comments about the new cards: Slithermuse. Really good game 4, drew me about 10 cards during the game. Gilded Drake. Really good disruption, relevant several times. Winter Orb. Really good. Died early to an Trygon Predator. Spiketail Hatchling. Ok. Stopped an early Newzuri. Cryptolith Rite. Ok. Didn't accelerate my plan without a lock-piece. Static Orb, Judge's Familiar. Didn't show up.
This is a great list and I will absolutely model my own list by it.
A useful tip is to sort your decklist by function, i.e. ramp/acceleration, tutor, draw, reanimation, combo, utility, etc. It makes decklists a lot easier to read and understand. You can sort by mana-cost, by type, or even both. An example:
Updated first post with first draft of decklist.
Updated second post with first 10 goldfish-attempts. 10 more to come, currently only scribbled on paper.
@Serberus: Sun Titan will almost certainly make it into my list, making Qasali Pridemage better. It's also harder to counter the ability compared to a spell. It doesn't have any synergy with Roon or other blinkers, though, so I'll add it to the maybeboard. Glen Elendra Archmage is a card I fortunately own, and it's probably Worth running mainboard.
@Donald: What takes most room: DEN + Palinchron / Peregrine Drake (and keep in mind that both pieces work well with land lockdown + blink) or Boonweaver + Pattern of Rebirth + Reveillark + Karmic Guide + infinite pairs + sac-engine? I worry that several of the pieces will be underwhelming and that the combo will be hard to assemble without black, but I'll gladly hear your reasoning.
I don't know about Mystic Snake. It's way too expensive for a counterspell and doesn't work well with Roon.
I really appreciate both of your input, thank you for taking the time.
Personally, cards like Spirit of the Labyrinth counter act your draw support as well as your opponents. I'm also a fan of Luminate Primordial and Hornet Queen but how much do you get out of them? Phenomenal flicker fodder, but for Luminate how after are you getting 3 or more creatures? (a meta specific question)
Also in Roon, I always rely on creatures to do the work that enchantments can do. For example Mulldrifter can be abused easier than Mystic Remora. I understand, to that point that most stax things can't be on creatures, so there are exceptions to my Roon mindset. I've also always loved Qasali Pridemage, but there's no benefit to flickering it with Roon, and it's not that easy to get back to reuse.
Vorinclex: Fortunately, I have have all the other cards mentioned. Another of my concerns is the high CMC. I want other locks to come into play T2-3, not T6-8. Looking at a few other competitive lists, like Damia, Karador and Derevi - all of which I get inspiration from - he appears in neither. From the Derevi-list: "I tried Vorinclex for a while, but you really don't care about land based acceleration, and while it seems like its tap ability is in line with prison, the fact that it is only 'after the fact' punishment means that it does nothing to actively prohibit opponents from playing threats, making it largely unexciting". He's also a liability in hand early game with the new mulligan rules. If I ran a Natural Order-package (Boonweaver Combo), I think I'd consider him.
Spirit of the Labyrinth: Actually, it doesn't. The goal of Remora, Study and Ephara is to draw cards on opponents turns, and Selvala shuts out one player from the draw. Dig through time puts cards into hand, I don't draw them. It might not work as intended, but I think it's worth a try.
Luminate Primordial and Hornet Queen are probably not good enough. The same goes for Avenger of Zendikar. They're amazing in casual games, but are definitely on my maybe-list now.
Acidic Slime could absolutely be a wincon, but the CMC worries me. If I don't have infinite mana, 5CMC to blow up one permanent isn't very good. Venser, Shaper Savant gets rid of permanents too, but can also be used as countermagic. I like the Reclamation Sage better for enchantment/artifact-removal since it's CMC is lower.
Game 4:
vs Mayael, Anowon and Merieke.
Miserable game. I was mana-screwed for 3+ turns and had a hand full of stuff that would either get stolen or would get sacrificed. Scooped somewhere past T10 after losing control of Roon and having my sweeper countered. Didn't do anything useful the entire game. Loss.
Three of the games today were really bad. The deck didn't function well overall; either few or too many lands, not enough ramp or draw, and I wasn't able to put any threats on the table.
Both suggestions are good, but is Maze of Ith really a competitive card? Against combo, storm or stax it does pretty much nothing. It's decent, but I think that I most times would like a mana-producing land instead.
Ever since I started playing EDH I've played Roon ETB Goodstuff, but I really think that the absolute best build of Roon is a prison-deck utilizing a diversity of lockdowns - effects that tap down lands, detain boardstates or disable tutors, artifact-ramp and hasty beaters. But why Roon?
He is hands down my favorite commander, and I want to build something original. I don't think Roon will ever approach the power-level of Derevi. That's fine. I still want to find the absolute best version of Roon.
Roons ability costs the same when the cost of everything else has increased. The format is packed with good ETB-effects that get slightly better with Roon in the command-zone.
I don't in any way want this to be a "Please build me a deck"-post, but I would very much like your ideas and advice on what direction to take the deck in - especially when it comes to winconditions and the best choices for tax- and lockdowns, as I'm inexperienced in building these kinds of decks. My current budget is $500, and I'm mainly looking for cards below $10.
Winning by not losing. According to the primer on Glix' Derevi-list the goal of his deck is to combine a lockdown-effect with two tax-effects, i.e. Winter Orb with Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Vryn Wingmare - Tap down lands and make even 0- or 1-cmc-spells too expensive to be cast, effectively leaving opponents without options. "Once opponents can litterally do nothing about the board state, your dorks and bird wizards will eventually finish the job." - Glix.
Untapping:
For Roon to provide real value his ability should be utilized several times in a turn cycle. Untapping leaves us with mana from dorks too. Here's our alternatives:
Some taxers make noncreature-spells more expensive. Should I then shy away from spells like Swords to Plowshares, Nature's Claim and enchantment/artifact-based prisons? Also, the synergy is not always good. On one hand, Kataki, War's Wage stops artifact-decks from ramping with a Winter Orb in play. But, it also makes my own artifacts (like Winter Orb) more expensive.
Other considerations:
Note: I'm trying to keep individual cards below $10.
A few of the exceptions on the list, i.e. Burgeoning and Gilded Drake are cards I already own.
Conjurers' Closet. There's way better ways of spending 5 mana. A slow, vulnerable and impractical way of blinking.
Ixidron. Ixidron has been a decent card for when I've been way behind or there's a big threat (or several) that can't be dealed with by conventional sweepers / spot removal. Losing my creatures isn't a big deal. The deck often builds value by ETB-triggers, not board state. It also has synergy with Roon of the Hidden Realm or Brago, King Eternal if I can cast them next turn, flipping 1 or more of my creatures each turn. Occationally useful, but requires some very specific setup to be very good.
Armada Wurm. Without the ability to mulligan it away in my opener this is too expensive. Has little overall synergy with the deck.
2 taxers (Vryn Wingmare, Lodestone Golem): I've really enjoyed Mystic Remora and Rhystic Study lately, and how early-game taxing disrupts early-game setup for my opponents. I'll probably experiment with more tax/lockdown/disruption-effects. Roon's ability is not affected by taxes or land lockdown. I've yet to see any other Roon-deck play these taxers (searching TappedOut, Deckbox, Deckstats and EDHRec).
Momentary Blink. Instant speed, can double as protection and is useful early game.
Profaner of the dead. His big sister, Lavinia of the Tenth, is really good and he should be too. Even if it only exploits itself this will disrupt a lot of utility-creatures. A lot of value in one card.
Other current considerations: Trostani's Summoner has been great in almost every game it has showed up. It has synergy with Aura Shards, can be sacrificed to Skullclamp, is a great target for Reveillark and provide both blockers and beaters. This card has won me several games. However, the new mulligan changes really discourage playing high-CMC cards. It's dead in my hand at least until T4-5, and is only really good if it can be blinked 1-2 times.
@DementedKirby: Ghostway is great in my deck, and Eerie Interlude could be even better. Triggering several of your ETB-effects at once is great value. It's crippling as a response to a sweeper, leaving you with a board when everybody else is back to start. Containment Priest turns Roon into 2TaP Exile target creature. It can be really disruptive, but has it's upsides too.
This seems very situational. I think a 1cmc or 2cmc counterspell will be better most of the time.
My Roon-list has taken a very different direction lately. I've cut the avg. CMC a lot and went for a pure prison-build. Roon is a backup-plan, but breaks parity by blinking Kataki, War's Wage, Hokori, Dust Drinker(this is an amazingly punishing card) or Lavinia of the Tenth. It also blinks away utility. There's a few other ETB-effects too, but the ETB-theme is very light.
Top contenders for inclusion are Sun Titan, Slithermuse, Flash or a piece of artifact removal (i.e. Qasali Pridemage), and Eldritch Evolution will probably get a spot in place of Worldly Tutor. The wincondition Linvala, Keeper of Silence / Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite + Living Plane, but a lot of other options are explained in detail in the description.
I'd be happy to hear your opinions on the list. Here it is.
The process and results so far are in this thread, feel free to give any comments and advice.
Any questions or comments about this 75% decklist is of course welcome in this thread still, I put a lot of thought and effort into it and might post an update from time to time.
Sunscape Familiar -> Cryptolith Rite. More synergistic acceleration.
Ephara, God of the Polis -> Slithermuse.
Root Maze -> Winter Orb. Better lockdown.
Spelltithe Enforcer -> Static Orb. Better lockdown.
Angel of Serenity -> Gilded Drake. Angel was dead in hand several times. The Drake is cheap disruption.
Brago, King Eternal -> Judge's Familiar. Brago was dead in hand several times. More counters needed.
Ghostway -> Spiketail Hatchling. Ghostway was dead in hand several times. More counters needed.
4 games yesterday, 4 losses.
Comments about the new cards:
Slithermuse. Really good game 4, drew me about 10 cards during the game.
Gilded Drake. Really good disruption, relevant several times.
Winter Orb. Really good. Died early to an Trygon Predator.
Spiketail Hatchling. Ok. Stopped an early Newzuri.
Cryptolith Rite. Ok. Didn't accelerate my plan without a lock-piece.
Static Orb, Judge's Familiar. Didn't show up.
A useful tip is to sort your decklist by function, i.e. ramp/acceleration, tutor, draw, reanimation, combo, utility, etc. It makes decklists a lot easier to read and understand. You can sort by mana-cost, by type, or even both. An example:
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Deathrite Shaman
2 Bloom Tender
3 Wood Elves
1 Dark Ritual
0 Chrome Mox
0 Lotus Petal
0 Mana Crypt
0 Mox Diamond
1 Sol Ring
2 Golgari Signet
2 Simic Signet
2 Talisman of Dominance
3 Crucible of Worlds
1 Entomb
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric tutor
1 Worldly Tutor
3 Intuition
1 Imperial Seal
3 Buried Alive
Updated second post with first 10 goldfish-attempts. 10 more to come, currently only scribbled on paper.
Boreal Druid (doesn't create colored mana)
Elvish Spirit Guide (situational?)
Shaman of Forgotten Ways (also a wincon)
Weathered Wayfarer, Nature's Lore, Skyshroud Claim (land ramp isn't really what I want to do)
Selesnya Signet-cycle or Talisman of Progress-cycle (diversify ramp and be less vulnerable to sweepers / lockdown)
Burgeoning (probably not)
Frontier Siege (great under lockdown, but high CMC)
There's also a lot of cuts to be made, so feel free to suggest i.e. what lock/prison-Cards to get rid of.
@Donald: What takes most room: DEN + Palinchron / Peregrine Drake (and keep in mind that both pieces work well with land lockdown + blink) or Boonweaver + Pattern of Rebirth + Reveillark + Karmic Guide + infinite pairs + sac-engine? I worry that several of the pieces will be underwhelming and that the combo will be hard to assemble without black, but I'll gladly hear your reasoning.
I don't know about Mystic Snake. It's way too expensive for a counterspell and doesn't work well with Roon.
I really appreciate both of your input, thank you for taking the time.
Vorinclex: Fortunately, I have have all the other cards mentioned. Another of my concerns is the high CMC. I want other locks to come into play T2-3, not T6-8. Looking at a few other competitive lists, like Damia, Karador and Derevi - all of which I get inspiration from - he appears in neither. From the Derevi-list: "I tried Vorinclex for a while, but you really don't care about land based acceleration, and while it seems like its tap ability is in line with prison, the fact that it is only 'after the fact' punishment means that it does nothing to actively prohibit opponents from playing threats, making it largely unexciting". He's also a liability in hand early game with the new mulligan rules. If I ran a Natural Order-package (Boonweaver Combo), I think I'd consider him.
Spirit of the Labyrinth: Actually, it doesn't. The goal of Remora, Study and Ephara is to draw cards on opponents turns, and Selvala shuts out one player from the draw. Dig through time puts cards into hand, I don't draw them. It might not work as intended, but I think it's worth a try.
Luminate Primordial and Hornet Queen are probably not good enough. The same goes for Avenger of Zendikar. They're amazing in casual games, but are definitely on my maybe-list now.
Qasali Pridemage gets rid of i.e. Torpor Orb.
Acidic Slime could absolutely be a wincon, but the CMC worries me. If I don't have infinite mana, 5CMC to blow up one permanent isn't very good. Venser, Shaper Savant gets rid of permanents too, but can also be used as countermagic. I like the Reclamation Sage better for enchantment/artifact-removal since it's CMC is lower.
Game 1:
vs Nath of the Gilt-Leaf elfball, Mayael the Anima, Eight-and-a-Half-Tails and Ghave, Guru of Spores.
8.5 tales had an explosive start with a lot of ramp and draw, and soon became really hard to interact with. Didn't do much throughout the game. Loss.
Game 2:
Same pod. Nath finished us all with Timberwatch Elf, Copperhorn Scout and Overwhelming Stampede, wiping out all 4 opponents at once. Impressive win. Loss.
Game 3:
vs Nath, Mayael, Anowon, the Ruin Sage and Merieke Ri Berit.
Aura Shards locked out my opponents plans. Slowly beat everyone to death with DEN + Hornet Queen, and had protection with both countermagic and Cyclonic Rift. Win.
Game 4:
vs Mayael, Anowon and Merieke.
Miserable game. I was mana-screwed for 3+ turns and had a hand full of stuff that would either get stolen or would get sacrificed. Scooped somewhere past T10 after losing control of Roon and having my sweeper countered. Didn't do anything useful the entire game. Loss.
Three of the games today were really bad. The deck didn't function well overall; either few or too many lands, not enough ramp or draw, and I wasn't able to put any threats on the table.
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger is really good, but also really expensive. I'll consider it for sure.
Any suggestions on cuts from my list above?
Version 1 assembled. Trying 20 hands to see how the deck feels.
Hand 1:
2xForest, Hallowed Fountain, Bloom Tender, Aven Mindcencor, Reclamation Sage, Cyclonic Rift
Board after 5 turns: 2xForest, Hallowed Fountain, Dryad Arbor, Adarkar Wastes, Bloom Tender, Aven Mindcencor, Aura Shards, Reclamation Sage
Hand after 5 turns: Cyclonic Rift, Forsaken City, Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite.
Comments: Decent hand and board going forward, both some offensive and defensive moves.
Hand 2:
0 lands, 3x dorks.
Nope. Mulligan
Hand 3:
Yavimaya Coast, Arbor Elf, Joraga Treespeaker, Kataki, War's Wage, Ephara, God of the Polis, Swords to Plowshares, Ghostly Flicker.
Board after 5 turns: Yavimaya Coast, Plains, Command Tower, Arbor Elf, Joraga Treespeaker (lvl 1), Kataki, War's Wage, Oracle of Mul Daya, Ephara, God of the Polis.
Hand after 5 turns: Swords to Plowshares, Ghostly Flicker, Aura Shards, Worldly Tutor, Parallax Wave, Sun Titan. Sol Ring at the top of my library
Comments: Not the best keep, but it turned out OK.
Hand 4:
Adarkar Wastes, Yavimaya Coast, Windswept Heath, Murkfiend Liege, Angel of Serenity, Birthing Pod, Ghostly Flicker.
No early game plays. Mulligan.
Hand 5:
Forest, Glacial Fortress, Cephalid Coliseum, Fyndhorn Elves, Exploration, Root Maze, Rhystic Study
Board after 5 turns: Forest, Glacial Fortress, Cephalid Coliseum, Mana Concluence, Fyndhorn Elves, Grand Arbiter Augustin IV, Exploration.
Hand after 5 turns:Rhystic Study, Spelltithe Enforcer
Comments:Decent start.
Hand 6:
Forest, Command Tower, Cephalid Coliseum, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Worldly Tutor, Carpet of Flowers, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben.
Board after 5 turns: Forest, Command Tower, Cephalid Coliseum, Avacyn's Pilgrim, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Oracle of Mul Daya, Lodestone Golem, Carpet of Flowers.
Hand after 5 turns: Dig Through Time, Murkfiend Liege. Bloom tender at top of library. Worldly tutor in graveyard.
Comments: Tutored for Oracle in hope of finding lands to cast Dig. Depending on opposing boards, Hokori, Dust Drinker could absolutely be a better target.
Hand 7:
Plains, Llanowar Elves, Joraga Treespeaker, Lotus Cobra, Skullclamp, Hokori, Dust Drinker, Aura Shards
Too bad the land wasn't a forest. Mulligan.
Hand 8:
Plains, Bloom Tender, Aven Mindcencor, Murkfiend Liege, Dig Through Time, Mystic Remora, Skullclamp.
Mana-screwed twice in a row. Mulligan.
Hand 9:
Yavimaya Coast, Forest, Spirit of the Labyrinth, Bloom Tender, Angel of Serenity, Sol Ring, Lightning Greaves.
Board after 5 turns: Yavimaya Coast, 2x Forest, Birds of Paradise, Bloom Tender, Rhystic Study, Sol Ring, Lightning Greaves (equiped to BT)
Hand after 5 turns: Spirit of the Labyrinth, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Angel of Serenity, Swords to Plowshares.
Comments: Missed white mana until turn 5. Depending on board I'd cast Roon, Spirit or Eidolon this turn.
Hand 10:
Adarkar Wastes, Hokori, Dust Drinker, Eladamri's Call, Chord of Calling, Ghostly Flicker, Sol Ring, Lightning Greaves.
Comments: I'll start with comments on this one since it's a risky keep, but with either a dork or a land I should be in a good spot.
T1: Adarkar Wastes into Sol Ring into Lightning Greaves
T2: If I draw a white-producing land this turn I can cast Hokori, Dust Drinker. If I draw a blue-producing land I can tap Adarkar Wastes to float W, use U + Sol Ring to cast Ghostly Flicker, flicker Adarkar Wastes + Sol Ring and then cast Hokori. Instead, I draw a Forest and cast Eladamri's Call for Birds of Paradise.
T3: Cast Birds, equip to Greaves and cast Hokori, Dust Drinker.
T4: Topdeck and cast Glen Elendra Archmage.
T5: Topdeck and play Forest. Board is now Adarkar Wastes, 2x Forest, Birds of Paradise, Hokori, Dust Drinker, Glen Elendra Archmage, Sol Ring and Lightning Greaves. Depending on the board I can cast Roon and equip Greaves, and in the turns to come I can blink out Hokori on my opponent's end step, untap all my lands on my turn and have by far the most resources. Saving mana for Glen Elendra is also an option.
Hand 11:
Board after 5 turns:
Hand after 5 turns:
Hand 12:
Board after 5 turns:
Hand after 5 turns:
Hand 13:
Board after 5 turns:
Hand after 5 turns:
Hand 14:
Board after 5 turns:
Hand after 5 turns:
Hand 15:
Board after 5 turns:
Hand after 5 turns:
Hand 16:
Board after 5 turns:
Hand after 5 turns:
Hand 17:
Board after 5 turns:
Hand after 5 turns:
Hand 18:
Board after 5 turns:
Hand after 5 turns:
Hand 19:
Board after 5 turns:
Hand after 5 turns:
Hand 20:
Board after 5 turns:
Hand after 5 turns:
Hands kept:
Mulligans:
Comments so far:
Angel of Serenity has been drawn a number of times so far, and is a completely dead card until at least T5. I'm considering Rishadan Cutpurse, Rishadan Footpad or Rishadan Brigand in it's place.
Arbor Elf doesn't function well with this few forest. Possible cut.
Sunscape Familiar is also a possible cut. It's a nonbo under lock, but provides a discounted Roon.
I don't in any way want this to be a "Please build me a deck"-post, but I would very much like your ideas and advice on what direction to take the deck in - especially when it comes to winconditions and the best choices for tax- and lockdowns, as I'm inexperienced in building these kinds of decks. My current budget is $500, and I'm mainly looking for cards below $10.
Possible winconditions:
Untapping:
For Roon to provide real value his ability should be utilized several times in a turn cycle. Untapping leaves us with mana from dorks too. Here's our alternatives:
Tax- and lockdown-effects:
Version 1 - a rough draft
5 Roon of the Hidden Realm
Land (34)
0 Flooded Strand
0 Windswept Heath
0 Temple Garden
0 Hallowed Fountain
0 Breeding Pool
0 Brushland
0 Adarkar Wastes
0 Yavimaya Coast
0 Glacial Fortress
0 Sunpetal Grove
0 Hinterland Harbor
0 Command Tower
0 Mana Confluence
0 City of Brass
0 Forbidden Orchard
0 Reflecting Pool
0 Tarnished Citadel
0 Forsaken City
0 Cephalid Coliseum
0 Dryad Arbor
7 Forest
4 Island
3 Plains
Acceleration (19)
1 Arbor Elf
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Elvish Mystic
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Joraga Treespeaker
2 Lotus Cobra
2 Bloom Tender
2 Sunscape Familiar
3 Selvala, Explorer Returned
4 Oracle of Mul Daya
5 Seedborn Muse
5 Murkfiend Liege
1 Mana Vault
1 Utopia Sprawl
1 Exploration
1 Carpet of Flowers
Tax (8)
2 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Vryn Wingmare
3 Glowrider
4 Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
4 Lodestone Golem
5 Spelltithe Enforcer
3 Aura of Silence
Denial and prison (6)
2 Grand Abolisher
2 Spirit of the Labyrinth
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Eidolon of Rhetoric
4 Hokori, Dust Drinker
1 Root Maze
Draw (6)
3 Edric, Spymaster of Trest
4 Ephara, God of the Polis
1 Skullclamp
1 Mystic Remora
3 Rhystic Study
8 Dig Through Time
Removal (8)
3 Reclamation Sage
4 Venser, Shaper Savant
5 Lavinia of the Tenth
7 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
7 Angel of Serenity
2 Cyclonic Rift
3 Aura Shards
Tutors (5)
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Green Sun's Zenith
2 Eladamri's Call
3 Chord of Calling
3 Birthing Pod
Flicker (5)
4 Brago, King Eternal
6 Deadeye Navigator
3 Ghostly Flicker
3 Ghostway
4 Parallax Wave
Utility (10)
1 Copperhorn Scout
1 Quirion Ranger
3 Eternal Witness
4 Glen Elendra Archmage
6 Sun Titan
7 Palinchron
2 Lightning Greaves
Top considerations:
Note: I'm trying to keep individual cards below $10
2 Winter Orb
3 Static Orb
3 Tangle Wire
3 Back to Basics
4 Rising Waters
3 Yisan, the Wanderer Bard
Other considerations:
Note: I'm trying to keep individual cards below $10.
A few of the exceptions on the list, i.e. Burgeoning and Gilded Drake are cards I already own.
1 Weathered Wayfarer
2 Priest of Titania
0 Lotus Petal
1 Burgeoning
2 Cryptolith Rite
Tax:
1 Cursecatcher
1 Judge's Familiar
2 Spiketail Hatchling
4 Loxodon Gatekeeper
Denial and Prison:
2 Imposing Sovereign
2 Blind Obedience
2 Stasis
3 Storage Matrix
3 Hall of Gemstone
3 Arcane Laboratory
4 Kismet
4 Slithermuse
3 Blue Sun's Zenith
Removal
2 Qasali Pridemage
1 Nature's Claim
4 Cataclysm
Tutors
2 Fauna Shaman
3 Trinket Mage
4 Captain Sisay
4 Wargate
Flicker and targets
2 Containment Priest
4 Profaner of the Dead
6 Prime Speaker Zegana
7 Luminate Primordial
7 Avenger of Zendikar
7 Hornet Queen
Utility:
1 Sylvan Safekeeper
2 Scryb Ranger
2 Kiora's Follower
2 Gilded Drake
3 Village Bell-Ringer
5 Willbreaker
5 Peregrine Drake
1 Reconnaissance
2 Cryptolith Rite
2 Quest for Renewal
Out:
In:
Avg. CMC: 3.59 to 3.37.
Other current considerations:
Trostani's Summoner has been great in almost every game it has showed up. It has synergy with Aura Shards, can be sacrificed to Skullclamp, is a great target for Reveillark and provide both blockers and beaters. This card has won me several games. However, the new mulligan changes really discourage playing high-CMC cards. It's dead in my hand at least until T4-5, and is only really good if it can be blinked 1-2 times.
1 Game thursday: vs Eight-and-a-half-tails, Ghave, Guru of Spores and Ezuri, Claw of Progress.
Slowly built value with Brago + Hornet Queen, protected from removal and sweeps with Parallax Wave (amazing card), and eliminated everybody with a kicked Rite of Replication targeting Murkfiend Liege. Win
Ghostway is great in my deck, and Eerie Interlude could be even better. Triggering several of your ETB-effects at once is great value. It's crippling as a response to a sweeper, leaving you with a board when everybody else is back to start.
Containment Priest turns Roon into 2TaP Exile target creature. It can be really disruptive, but has it's upsides too.