Neheb is still super scary to any opponent for good reason. Never actually drew the boar, but I think the boar is simply going to be "average" in this deck. Average as in it does varied things all reasonably efficiently, but nothing ever super insane like many of the other creatures in the deck. I can definitely see cutting it in the future if I do get another insane fatty.
It honestly probably is ranked with the 7 drops of the deck, which I generally consider to be inferior to the above even though they have good advantages. Basically, it is there because everything else is worse rather than it being amazing.
Oh yeah, upgrades
+ Veil of Summer - Notably, this stops targeted bounce on Xenagod in noncreature form.
+ Prismatic Vista
Reap the Past doesn't even look that terrible. It reminds me of a red-green Braingeyser from your graveyard. Better than Seasons' Past when your deck is heavy on several particular CMCs.
I've seen someone in my group use this as a meta call against Xenagod decks. The idea of course being that you can keep shooting every big creature that it throws at you with the 4 life buyback being far preferable to taking 30. Problem is, I don't see it being very useful anywhere else, not to mention the player is still screwed if I end up blanking the card with some protection or run out Carnage Tyrant.
- Dowsing Dagger (Pretty meh if you don't have it exactly on turn 2 following a 1-drop)
- Phyrexian Tower (Actually not needed. Also colorless sources REALLY suck here)
- Cavern Harpy (Holding a ninja enabler is better than losing tempo by playing this card)
- Spire Owl (I'm replacing it with something cheaper and better)
- Triton Shorestalker (also replacing this with something better)
- Elder Deep-Fiend (It costs a lot for what is essentially a limited reactive play.
- Reality Shift (I'm doing a slight... shift towards less costly (in mana) removal
- Xenograft (with more ninjas, this card isn't actually necessary)
- Halimar Depths (This card is not worth having it enter tapped. Even the temple will get cut someday)
- Strip Mine (This is only here for maze, and now you have more ways of overcoming maze. Chasm isn't an issue if you can attack someone else as it doesn't prevent loss of life)
I am going down to a pretty dangerously low 32 lands, but this deck runs on so little mana and carries so much draw and manipulation to find them. Also you never want to flip too many lands unless you need to hit land drops.
+ Azra Smokeshaper (2 mana ninjutsu)
+ Prismatic Vista (fetch for either color)
+ Faerie Seer (Utterly busted 1-drop enabler for ninjas)
+ Changeling Outcast (Utterly busted 1-drop enabler for ninjas) - This card I believe should also make Higure much better as a means of recovering from setbacks.
+ Fallen Shinobi (Getting two cards is insane value, even if it is a 4-drop)
+ Ingenious Infiltrator (draws a metric ton of cards)
+ Phantom Ninja (requires no setup)
+ Smoke Shroud (This card I think is the best evasion aura due to it automatically coming back. The ideal scenario is to discard it to hand size early)
+ Force of Despair (More free removal)
+ River of Tears (Not the best dual, but still barely better than Sunken Ruins and always taps for blue except on turns 1 and 2)
The addition of more ninjas and free spells is a godsend for this deck. Between paying for enablers and ninja costs, you often don't have much mana to hold up for responses, but you can usually spare a card or two.
I am also looking into getting a Force of Negation as an alternative to regular Negate for this deck.
Now that Ancient Tomb got cheaper, I think the only optimized deck I play at this point that doesn't run it is Yuriko because like Edric the colorless is almost not worth having given the color requirements of the deck. Ring is still okay but my first 3-4 turns NEED to be colored sources.
Now that I think about it, even Xenagod doesn't always care about not finding it after drawing 12. However, it does help when your hand is mostly situational cards and you sacced a big body just to draw into a followup that is less situational. However, that deck is built to tutor Ancient Tomb big time and that is always the first target of a land tutor.
Most decks really shouldn't need 40 cards in hand.
However, I still run it in Xenagod because you want to be able to keep making land drops as you will want to back up your aggression. Also, you tend to overdraw when you draw big. It isn't the worst outcome if you don't find it though.
The other reason is pure intimidation factor, although it probably doesn't need the help there. The deck is also simple enough that having a lot of cards doesn't slow down play much.
Tribute Mage is very much equal in weight to Imperial Recruiter in this deck. Both get ravager and both get one of the two best wincons. Finding cuts is VERY hard. Trinket getting ring and clamp alone makes it worth it.
I love changeling decks. Using Ur-dragon is ideal here because the cost reduction + drawing cards on creatures attacking is needed gas because changelings themselves are weak individually.
Ever find space for something like Kindred Discovery or Knight Exemplar? You have so many options, which is the nice thing about a deck like this. Is Scourge of Valkas hard to cast here? It may need some manabase adjustments but the potential is there.
These decks are never really too strong, but they're amusing to watch and can still pull off wins.
Out of curiosity, if you took two combat steps with the same creature, would you draw four total cards if you opted not to activate the ability a second rime?
It is basically a much weaker Partial Paris because we can only bottom cards when going below seven in the first place and only a very limited number.
Sure, combo decks could theoretically find their pieces more often, but if they mulligan too much then they are down too many cards if that plan fails.
You should run Yawgmoth as a sac outlet. It isn't often that you get a free sac outlet that has the effect of drawing a card. (and also killing your opponent's things)
I think what qualifies as "insane" are cards that are absolute bombs in the right scenario such as
Neheb, Dreadhorde Champion
Malignus
Hydra Omnivore
Scourge of the Throne
Etali, Primal Storm (when you get lucky)
Hellkite Tyrant
Pathbreaker Ibex
Savage Ventmaw
Rapacious One
Emrakul, the Promised End
It honestly probably is ranked with the 7 drops of the deck, which I generally consider to be inferior to the above even though they have good advantages. Basically, it is there because everything else is worse rather than it being amazing.
Oh yeah, upgrades
+ Veil of Summer - Notably, this stops targeted bounce on Xenagod in noncreature form.
+ Prismatic Vista
- Autumn's Veil
- Forest
Reap the Past doesn't even look that terrible. It reminds me of a red-green Braingeyser from your graveyard. Better than Seasons' Past when your deck is heavy on several particular CMCs.
- Phyrexian Tower (Actually not needed. Also colorless sources REALLY suck here)
- Cavern Harpy (Holding a ninja enabler is better than losing tempo by playing this card)
- Spire Owl (I'm replacing it with something cheaper and better)
- Triton Shorestalker (also replacing this with something better)
- Elder Deep-Fiend (It costs a lot for what is essentially a limited reactive play.
- Reality Shift (I'm doing a slight... shift towards less costly (in mana) removal
- Xenograft (with more ninjas, this card isn't actually necessary)
- Halimar Depths (This card is not worth having it enter tapped. Even the temple will get cut someday)
- Strip Mine (This is only here for maze, and now you have more ways of overcoming maze. Chasm isn't an issue if you can attack someone else as it doesn't prevent loss of life)
I am going down to a pretty dangerously low 32 lands, but this deck runs on so little mana and carries so much draw and manipulation to find them. Also you never want to flip too many lands unless you need to hit land drops.
+ Azra Smokeshaper (2 mana ninjutsu)
+ Prismatic Vista (fetch for either color)
+ Faerie Seer (Utterly busted 1-drop enabler for ninjas)
+ Changeling Outcast (Utterly busted 1-drop enabler for ninjas) - This card I believe should also make Higure much better as a means of recovering from setbacks.
+ Fallen Shinobi (Getting two cards is insane value, even if it is a 4-drop)
+ Ingenious Infiltrator (draws a metric ton of cards)
+ Phantom Ninja (requires no setup)
+ Smoke Shroud (This card I think is the best evasion aura due to it automatically coming back. The ideal scenario is to discard it to hand size early)
+ Force of Despair (More free removal)
+ River of Tears (Not the best dual, but still barely better than Sunken Ruins and always taps for blue except on turns 1 and 2)
The addition of more ninjas and free spells is a godsend for this deck. Between paying for enablers and ninja costs, you often don't have much mana to hold up for responses, but you can usually spare a card or two.
I am also looking into getting a Force of Negation as an alternative to regular Negate for this deck.
However, after AVR I never saw this card in constructed again.
That deck only runs a single Strip Mine effect and a Blinkmoth Nexus for colorless sources.
Now that I think about it, even Xenagod doesn't always care about not finding it after drawing 12. However, it does help when your hand is mostly situational cards and you sacced a big body just to draw into a followup that is less situational. However, that deck is built to tutor Ancient Tomb big time and that is always the first target of a land tutor.
However, I still run it in Xenagod because you want to be able to keep making land drops as you will want to back up your aggression. Also, you tend to overdraw when you draw big. It isn't the worst outcome if you don't find it though.
The other reason is pure intimidation factor, although it probably doesn't need the help there. The deck is also simple enough that having a lot of cards doesn't slow down play much.
+ Yawgmoth, Thran Physician - A sac outlet that kills things AND draws cards for no further mana input? Insane.
- Midnight Reaper - Yawgs is better
- Arcbound Slith - Recombiner is better.
Just cutting good cards for even better cards.
Tribute Mage is very much equal in weight to Imperial Recruiter in this deck. Both get ravager and both get one of the two best wincons. Finding cuts is VERY hard. Trinket getting ring and clamp alone makes it worth it.
Ever find space for something like Kindred Discovery or Knight Exemplar? You have so many options, which is the nice thing about a deck like this. Is Scourge of Valkas hard to cast here? It may need some manabase adjustments but the potential is there.
These decks are never really too strong, but they're amusing to watch and can still pull off wins.
Almost all of the ninja archetype cards and its supporting cast.
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician and Scrapyard Recombiner for Marchesaffinity..
Enemy color talismans for various decks.
Sure, combo decks could theoretically find their pieces more often, but if they mulligan too much then they are down too many cards if that plan fails.
None of those other names have "siege" in the name.
I plan on putting it in mine.