It has been a while. A great while. But Leylines remains a great deck with lots of fun potential.
We have a new card for Leylines, the great card Sanctum Weaver
While it can go into the main deck, it is, I am told, perhaps best used as a sideboard card for game to, after the opponent boards out all their removal.
Another big find is Scheming Symmetry, which allows us to search for any piece we need for 1 black mana. As a sorcery, it might not seem optimal, seeing as the opponent will get the first crack at drawing the card they select - but you can circumvent this by playing this card during your upkeep when you have Leyline of Anticipation in play. Now you get your card, draw it and hopefully win before they draw theirs. It's a potentially instant speed tutor, and I have 4 in the mainboard nowadays.
Leylines biggest weakness is you need 3 pieces to win. The Leylines, Serra's Sanctum and Opalescence.
Drawing the Leylines will always happen with the sheer number we run. It is the Sanctum and the Opalescence that can be tricky. The sheer number of tutors will help, now that we can run a potential 12. The deck may want more tinkering to overcome counterspells. Silence has been suggested as a single white mana instant that stops the opponent completely.
Impact Tremors has always intrigued me, so I will add to this.
You need creatures that deploy multiple times. One person already mentioned Norin the Wary, but have to also looked at the Dash mechanic? There are at least 2 and perhaps as many as 4 cards with Dash, or a Dash effect. Because you are mainly concerned with IT, you do not even need to attack.
But I would advise you to have some way to block your opponent, or remove his creatures. White excels at this, so no major worries.
Silkwrap and other such effects will also remove the opponents creatures.
Done correctly, I think this deck could definitely surprise people.
Also keep in mind a good end game is a 6/1 elemental and Fling.
It has been a while. Looks like activity on this forum died around the same time I stopped posting.
Only took me a few minutes to catch up on 18 months of advances.
Since then, there have been some rather big changes.
Mill seems to be poised to be a real threat.
What I am particularly looking at, is the possibility of Scheming Symmetry to singlehandedly replace Field of Ruin as THE way to force opponents to search, Field of Ruin has been bleh because of the tap 2 and FoR cost, meaning it cannot be done before turn 3. Also, it strained our manabase somewhat. Drawing a basic and FoR into our opening hand really made us think hard about whether we wanted to keep or mull. Lastly was the fact that opponents may be running a monocolor deck, which left us a little strapped, shall we say? Scheming Symmetry now opens up a whole new world of opportunities of a forced search.
Scheming Symmetry solves all of those problems, for a single black mana. Really nice way to hit them for a T1 Trap that probably takes away a key card they were happy you gifted them. Pay attention to that first card they mill. Might be pretty revealing as to their game plan. Hitting that card with a Surgical just might win the game more often than you think. Have to be aware, though, that Symmetry is a non-bo with Mesmeric Orb, which still stands, in my opinion, as the finest Mill card in existence.
Ruin Crab, obviously makes a huge splash. Probably the single best Mill card to hit in years. I had dropped Hedron Crab because it just turned into T1 Island Crab, go. Opp: Swamp, Fatal Push, go.
Total waste of time. But now we have 2 crabs, which means the chances of getting one into opening hand are twice as high, as are the chances of 2 onto the field quickly. Odds of T2 tap island drop Crab2, fetch, mill 6, crack fetch, mill 6 more are acceptable.
Vantress Gargoyle intrigues me. I'd stopped using Jace's Phantasm for the same reason I stopped using Hedron Crab, but with 8 of them, I might look into running them both. T1 Scheming Symmetry/Archive Trap into T2 Vantress Gargoyle seems an interesting opening that forces them to respect your 2 pronged attack. If nothing else, you can play a game of Ensnaring Bridge in game 1, and then for game 2 bring in Crabs and fliers after they board out their removal.
Good times. Lots of new options.
Another point of interest, is the emergence of the new flip lands. Clearwater Pathway/Murkwater Pathway really cleans up our mana fixing. No, it is not fetchable, but it does not, IMO, need to be. It stands alone as it's own fetched land. I feel very comfortable with 4 CP/MP, 4 Polluted Delta's, 1 Urborg and 11/12 basic Swamps/Islands. Suddenly, with the possible removal of Field of Ruin, I can explore Academy Ruins as a way to bring back Mesmeric Orb or Ensnaring Bridge, though really, I'd prefer to find a way to get Welding Jar into the deck so as not to lose continuity. I can also find room for an Oboro, Palace in the Clouds if I have a Cast of Crabs.
I do need to take some time to absorb how the format changes with my ability to force a search on T1 as opposed to T3, and how this changes the approach of the deck. I think my particular brand of Mill, which attacks their manabase to set up a very large Mind Funeral, becomes more consistent.
Does anyone else have cards from the last 18 months they really like? Is Persistent Petitioner a thing yet?
We have a new card for Leylines, the great card Sanctum Weaver
While it can go into the main deck, it is, I am told, perhaps best used as a sideboard card for game to, after the opponent boards out all their removal.
Another big find is Scheming Symmetry, which allows us to search for any piece we need for 1 black mana. As a sorcery, it might not seem optimal, seeing as the opponent will get the first crack at drawing the card they select - but you can circumvent this by playing this card during your upkeep when you have Leyline of Anticipation in play. Now you get your card, draw it and hopefully win before they draw theirs. It's a potentially instant speed tutor, and I have 4 in the mainboard nowadays.
Leylines biggest weakness is you need 3 pieces to win. The Leylines, Serra's Sanctum and Opalescence.
Drawing the Leylines will always happen with the sheer number we run. It is the Sanctum and the Opalescence that can be tricky. The sheer number of tutors will help, now that we can run a potential 12. The deck may want more tinkering to overcome counterspells. Silence has been suggested as a single white mana instant that stops the opponent completely.
You need creatures that deploy multiple times. One person already mentioned Norin the Wary, but have to also looked at the Dash mechanic? There are at least 2 and perhaps as many as 4 cards with Dash, or a Dash effect. Because you are mainly concerned with IT, you do not even need to attack.
But I would advise you to have some way to block your opponent, or remove his creatures. White excels at this, so no major worries.
Silkwrap and other such effects will also remove the opponents creatures.
Done correctly, I think this deck could definitely surprise people.
Also keep in mind a good end game is a 6/1 elemental and Fling.
Only took me a few minutes to catch up on 18 months of advances.
Since then, there have been some rather big changes.
Mill seems to be poised to be a real threat.
What I am particularly looking at, is the possibility of Scheming Symmetry to singlehandedly replace Field of Ruin as THE way to force opponents to search, Field of Ruin has been bleh because of the tap 2 and FoR cost, meaning it cannot be done before turn 3. Also, it strained our manabase somewhat. Drawing a basic and FoR into our opening hand really made us think hard about whether we wanted to keep or mull. Lastly was the fact that opponents may be running a monocolor deck, which left us a little strapped, shall we say? Scheming Symmetry now opens up a whole new world of opportunities of a forced search.
Scheming Symmetry solves all of those problems, for a single black mana. Really nice way to hit them for a T1 Trap that probably takes away a key card they were happy you gifted them. Pay attention to that first card they mill. Might be pretty revealing as to their game plan. Hitting that card with a Surgical just might win the game more often than you think. Have to be aware, though, that Symmetry is a non-bo with Mesmeric Orb, which still stands, in my opinion, as the finest Mill card in existence.
Ruin Crab, obviously makes a huge splash. Probably the single best Mill card to hit in years. I had dropped Hedron Crab because it just turned into T1 Island Crab, go. Opp: Swamp, Fatal Push, go.
Total waste of time. But now we have 2 crabs, which means the chances of getting one into opening hand are twice as high, as are the chances of 2 onto the field quickly. Odds of T2 tap island drop Crab2, fetch, mill 6, crack fetch, mill 6 more are acceptable.
Vantress Gargoyle intrigues me. I'd stopped using Jace's Phantasm for the same reason I stopped using Hedron Crab, but with 8 of them, I might look into running them both. T1 Scheming Symmetry/Archive Trap into T2 Vantress Gargoyle seems an interesting opening that forces them to respect your 2 pronged attack. If nothing else, you can play a game of Ensnaring Bridge in game 1, and then for game 2 bring in Crabs and fliers after they board out their removal.
Good times. Lots of new options.
Another point of interest, is the emergence of the new flip lands. Clearwater Pathway/Murkwater Pathway really cleans up our mana fixing. No, it is not fetchable, but it does not, IMO, need to be. It stands alone as it's own fetched land. I feel very comfortable with 4 CP/MP, 4 Polluted Delta's, 1 Urborg and 11/12 basic Swamps/Islands. Suddenly, with the possible removal of Field of Ruin, I can explore Academy Ruins as a way to bring back Mesmeric Orb or Ensnaring Bridge, though really, I'd prefer to find a way to get Welding Jar into the deck so as not to lose continuity. I can also find room for an Oboro, Palace in the Clouds if I have a Cast of Crabs.
I do need to take some time to absorb how the format changes with my ability to force a search on T1 as opposed to T3, and how this changes the approach of the deck. I think my particular brand of Mill, which attacks their manabase to set up a very large Mind Funeral, becomes more consistent.
Does anyone else have cards from the last 18 months they really like? Is Persistent Petitioner a thing yet?