So I lost two matches to BG elf company with a mono w build. They sat back and defended and simply outranged meby generating craptons of mana and company/chording me to death with Shamans. Didn't see a single path, sunlance, or Crusader in any of those games though.
What is the plan for that? Sunscour for when a deck like that overcommits?
Revisiting Sea Gate Wreckage, due to the addition of the pain deserts from HOU, as a budget option for Horizon Canopy?
Also: I played this deck in the early days of Modern, and looking at picking it up again. When did Aven Mindcensor go from a 3/4 of requirement to not even having a spot in the board on some lists?
Drake Haven is probably worth considering as a 2-3 of given that with all the discarding going on, for 1 more mana you get a chump blocker, or eventually be able to go wide on value.
Also nudging the manabase for cycling lands gives you a black splash and CopyCat decks currently have no answer for Trespasser's Curse, and even if they did shift to some enchantment removal, it'd soften their match ups against mardu's wincons.
So... Whale is bad because of "dies to removal"? Doesn't that apply to all threats played in this deck? Even Sphinx can get hit by a well-timed To the Slaughter. Calling a threat with some kind of protection bad because your opponent has the ideal removal spell to avoid that protection is not the best metric to evaluate a creature.
I think he is the win condition that U/B has been looking for. He is just about unbeatable, and he trades with torrential gearhulk in combat for free.
If by win con you mean the non-gearhulk, non-summonings, non-sphinx win con, then I'd rather run Thing in the Ice or spend the money to get a Spinx of the Final Word. The whale is a big flying fish that any deck with grasp can deal with. There are much better finishers (including the ones already being used) for this deck
I think he's referring to the fact that the whale gives you more than enough energy to bounce it back to your hand in the event your opponent tries to remove it, which either fizzles the spell, or they have to respond to the bounce ability with a second removal spell, netting you a 2-for-1, and that's assuming your list isn't running Glimmer and by casting it earlier in the game you force your opponent to potentially 3-for-1 your threat.
So, after reading articles and watching videos, I'm getting ready to start looking at building my very first Cube, and as someone who plays on a budget off and on for 10+ years, I'm looking to my existing collection.
Already I am overwhelmed, and I need limits to get started. So I have two boxes of EMA, and one each of MM1, and MM2. I'm thinking on building a medium-sized cube out of that pool as a starting point.
Has anyone else attempted this? Because I've been looking at lists and haven't found a good template yet.
Any thoughts on mechanics or archetypes I'll need to be sure I balance appropriately?
With Dauthi Horror and the other Dauthi creatures being errata'ed to having a tribal creature types, would running them with something like Stoneforge Masterwork be viable as a 1/2-of?
I'm going to use some variant of this get to doink around in some Legacy events locally, so just trying to spitball some ideas.
Also, not budget, but of you have a playset of Æther Vial sitting around, would those be worth working in?
It looks like a clunky pile, but it does well to have just enough control of the board and hand to stick an eldradi threat.
Also, Despiseing a Siege Rhino only to Nerco it and beat your opponent to death is vastly satisfying. Or Bringing a reality smasher back as a 7/7 the turn after they answered it by eating the 2nd card.
Right now the metas I've been playing in seem to be light on aggro, so having 3 Flaying Tendrils main may be overkill.
All the 1-ofs needs to be trimmed down to a more consistent creature base, unless we want to keep it diverse as either protection from Infinite Obliteration and/or increase chances of Flying/Deathtouch Soulflayer silliness. but with Soulflayer being one of the two finishers who can't live through Languish... meh.
Basic Idea is to wall behind 1 drops that stall or go 1-for-1 or rip apart thier hand until you can sweep and keep the board clear for Obnix to do his work or stick some other threat. In theory, in a pinch outlasting an ancestor could be useful endgame, but that would probably be a case of MagicChristmasland.
And yes, I'm aware that UBx Decks can to a lot in terms of reach, and Abzan Midrange does a lot as well, but when the format leans towards 3/4-Color-Goodstuff.dec, I get cranky and want to build a semi-competative mono deck. Out of spite.
My first deck submission on these forums is a budget deck. I never have time to commit to standard long enough to justify blowing a large chunk of cash on a deck I will only play maybe twice.
The Main use of the deck is to use Commune with the Gods and Kruphix's Insight to fill up your graveyard to cheat out Hooting Mandrills or Nemesis of Mortals on turn 2 or 3. Paragon for a little boost and to help push damage through on the non-tramplers. Savage Punch for removal options. Ranger's Guile for anti-removal. Become Immense just in case you're stuck with the smaller creatures and have the full 'yard to Delve it out. I dunno if Boon Satyr's flash and bestow makes him any better for this deck than maybe Alpine Grizzly, but Boons are cheap and no reason not to since we are Mono-green.
Goldfishing and playtesting have confirmed that an early giant snake or monkey horde causes some panic, but I think the filler creatures need fine tuning.
What is the plan for that? Sunscour for when a deck like that overcommits?
Also: I played this deck in the early days of Modern, and looking at picking it up again. When did Aven Mindcensor go from a 3/4 of requirement to not even having a spot in the board on some lists?
Also nudging the manabase for cycling lands gives you a black splash and CopyCat decks currently have no answer for Trespasser's Curse, and even if they did shift to some enchantment removal, it'd soften their match ups against mardu's wincons.
I think he's referring to the fact that the whale gives you more than enough energy to bounce it back to your hand in the event your opponent tries to remove it, which either fizzles the spell, or they have to respond to the bounce ability with a second removal spell, netting you a 2-for-1, and that's assuming your list isn't running Glimmer and by casting it earlier in the game you force your opponent to potentially 3-for-1 your threat.
Already I am overwhelmed, and I need limits to get started. So I have two boxes of EMA, and one each of MM1, and MM2. I'm thinking on building a medium-sized cube out of that pool as a starting point.
Has anyone else attempted this? Because I've been looking at lists and haven't found a good template yet.
Any thoughts on mechanics or archetypes I'll need to be sure I balance appropriately?
Gah. I'm already lost. Need so very much help...
3 Dragonlord Ojutai
2 Myth Realized
4 Thing in the Ice
Removal and Sweepers
3 Immolating Glare
3 Declaration in Stone
2 Planar Outburst
Counters
4 Ojutai's Command
2 Invasive Surgery
2 Dispel
4 Void Shatter
1 Jace, Unraveler of Secrets
2 Epiphany at the Drownyard
3 Anticipate
Lands
4 Port Town
4 Prairie Stream
3 Evolving Wilds
7 Plains
7 Island
4 Negate
4 Reflector Mage
1 Dispel
2 Invasive Surgery
4 Horribly Awry
No Flip Jace as I'm trying to minimize the creature count and maximize the rate that the Thing will flip.
Really struggling to find the right balance of counters/removal/utility though.
I'm going to use some variant of this get to doink around in some Legacy events locally, so just trying to spitball some ideas.
Also, not budget, but of you have a playset of Æther Vial sitting around, would those be worth working in?
2 Bearer of Silence
2 Thought-Knot Seer
3 Reality Smasher
[Planeswalkers]
3 Ob Nixilis Reignited
[Spells]
4 Duress
4 Despise
3 Warping Wail
3 Grasp of Darkness
3 Flaying Tendrils
2 Ruinous Path
1 Languish
2 Necromantic Summons
1 Crux of Fate
1 Murderous Cut
17 Swamp
2 Sea Gate Wreckage
3 Blighted Fen
4 Crumbling Vistage
3 Transgress the Mind
2 Infinite Obliteration
2 Ruinous Path
1 Warping Wail
1 Grasp of Darkness
1 Flaying Tendrils
2 Languish
2 Crux of Fate
1 Murderous Cut
It looks like a clunky pile, but it does well to have just enough control of the board and hand to stick an eldradi threat.
Also, Despiseing a Siege Rhino only to Nerco it and beat your opponent to death is vastly satisfying. Or Bringing a reality smasher back as a 7/7 the turn after they answered it by eating the 2nd card.
Right now the metas I've been playing in seem to be light on aggro, so having 3 Flaying Tendrils main may be overkill.
After sleeping on it and staring at Gatherer, I brewed up this pile of cards:
4 Ruthless Ripper
4 Disowned Ancestor
1 Hangarback Walker
1 Erebos's Titan
1 Kothophed, Soul Hoarder
1 Archfiend of Depravity
1 Deathbringer Regent
1 Sidisi, Undead Vizier
1 Soulflayer
1 bane of bala Ged
1 Eldrazi Devastator
2 Ob Nixilis Reignited
Spells
3 Read the bones
2 Murderous Cut
3 Ruinous Path
4 Transgress the Mind
2 Duress
2 Languish
2 Crux of Fate
2 Despise
4 Blighted Fen
2 Mage-Ring Network
3 Mortuary Mire
16 Swamp
All the 1-ofs needs to be trimmed down to a more consistent creature base, unless we want to keep it diverse as either protection from Infinite Obliteration and/or increase chances of Flying/Deathtouch Soulflayer silliness. but with Soulflayer being one of the two finishers who can't live through Languish... meh.
Basic Idea is to wall behind 1 drops that stall or go 1-for-1 or rip apart thier hand until you can sweep and keep the board clear for Obnix to do his work or stick some other threat. In theory, in a pinch outlasting an ancestor could be useful endgame, but that would probably be a case of MagicChristmasland.
And yes, I'm aware that UBx Decks can to a lot in terms of reach, and Abzan Midrange does a lot as well, but when the format leans towards 3/4-Color-Goodstuff.dec, I get cranky and want to build a semi-competative mono deck. Out of spite.
Let's get to brewin!
My first deck submission on these forums is a budget deck. I never have time to commit to standard long enough to justify blowing a large chunk of cash on a deck I will only play maybe twice.
The Main use of the deck is to use Commune with the Gods and Kruphix's Insight to fill up your graveyard to cheat out Hooting Mandrills or Nemesis of Mortals on turn 2 or 3. Paragon for a little boost and to help push damage through on the non-tramplers. Savage Punch for removal options. Ranger's Guile for anti-removal. Become Immense just in case you're stuck with the smaller creatures and have the full 'yard to Delve it out. I dunno if Boon Satyr's flash and bestow makes him any better for this deck than maybe Alpine Grizzly, but Boons are cheap and no reason not to since we are Mono-green.
Goldfishing and playtesting have confirmed that an early giant snake or monkey horde causes some panic, but I think the filler creatures need fine tuning.
Decklist: 09/23/14
4 Swordwise Centaur
4 Heir of the Wilds
4 Boon Satyr
2 Paragon of Eternal Wilds
4 Hooting Mandrills
2 Nemesis of Mortals
4 Commune with the Gods
4 Savage Punch
2 Kruphix's Insight
2 Become Immense
Current Cost: 3.74
Budget remaining: 11.26