Raise costing 2 is also ideal for another reason. On turn 3, the turn before you expect to combo, you can spend 1 mana on a discard spell to strip any spot removal or countermagic, then hold up 2 for the Raise and check the opponent.
This exact reason is why I play Beckon Apparition, not only it is incidental graveyard hate, the fact that on turn 3 I can hold up 2 mana counterspells (or Gigadrowse I guess) while still threatening a token is really nice.
Yeah id rather play bitterblossom and secure the wastes than legions landing or raisr the alarm.
Upside is much higher and will be more valuable in a sideboarded g2 3. In game 1 you probably get them with creativity easily
What do you think of Search for Azcanta? It not only can be a mana-rock, the ability literally also searches for all of our combo pieces and can shunt Emrakul away from our hand at the same time!
I wonder why this UB deck doesn't play any Thoughtseize-effects? It helps a lot with stripping cards off of the opponent which speeds up the Lorebroker lock
The problem I have with this version is just how slow it is, sure you can goldfish a T4 Emrakul but it's so fragile you often have to slow yourself down a couple of turns just so you can try to protect the Polymorph.
Speaking of Creativity pulling 2 wincons, if you put a Dragonlord Kolaghan and an Emrakul you can actually just straight up hit the opponent for 21. And even off of a Creativity x=1, Dragonlord Kolaghan is not embarassing.
Tho my personal spice is to play Lightning Greaves, this way Polymorph won't pick up the Lightning Greaves while Creativity x=2 can still allow for a Shrouded hasty Emrakul
Great minds think alike! I did consider the d-lord kolaghan for some time. Thing is,I'm put off by any target that can be solved with a spot removal. Still, 6 hasty damage in the air is not nothing, and I like that if there's a teferi on the board u can probably kill him in 1 swing. Perhaps the biggest upside is unlike Iona, you could actually hardcast her a lot of the time.
I wonder if I can get a foil kolaghan easily..
If you want a target that doesn't die to spot removal easily there's Shalai, Voice of Plenty, even if you draw her she's perfectly castable and can protect the combo!
Speaking of Creativity pulling 2 wincons, if you put a Dragonlord Kolaghan and an Emrakul you can actually just straight up hit the opponent for 21. And even off of a Creativity x=1, Dragonlord Kolaghan is not embarassing.
Tho my personal spice is to play Lightning Greaves, this way Polymorph won't pick up the Lightning Greaves while Creativity x=2 can still allow for a Shrouded hasty Emrakul
I see a couple of issues with using Dryad arbor as your fodder.
1. There is a nonzero chance that you might not draw any of your 12 fetches when you want to, or you might need the fetch to correct your mana and then be left dry with combo in the hand and no fodder.
2. With only a singleton fodder in your deck, a single removal spell will mean multiple dead cards in your deck until you can get saheeli online and produce some tokens from there. More token generation would be good, since you have 6 combo cards.
Recommendations in blue: Cloudform - doesn't get picked up by creativity, but can be used to create a 2/2 hexproof. jokes on you if you accidentally manifest the payoff card, though. Callous Dismissal - bounce something, make a token, at instant speed. Use it defensively in conjunction with your combo, or just deal with an ensnaring bridge.
Oh man I found out that Indomitable Creativity exists right after I finished brewing a Polymorph deck....
So I figured why not try combining the two in 1 deck?
The idea is that since Dryad Arbor is a creature, we can just fetch it up with fetchlands use it as our Polymorph material, which frees up space for regular control elements.
Took this to FNM. Was 5-2 in games. I had a bye first round.
I had Emrakul out by turn 4 of 5 very consistently.
Never cast 1 planeswalker all nite. It was Sprouts and Beast Within, that proved to be excellent.
My only losses were to Ponza. Turn 2 and turn 3 blood moon, followed by multiple stone rains put me way behind.
Going forward, the sideboard is the most fluid part of the deck.
More combo - more damping Sphere
More control - more defense grid
More Aggro - more counterspells.
Might be an idea to cut a few ramps and put in some Lightning Greaves. Protect the tokens and equip a hasty Emrakul.
Why don't you play a 1-of Dryad Arbor? It's a Polymorph target that can be tutored by fetchlands!!
why don't we play Whir of Invention as an alternate way of getting the Citadel? and since 2 Citadels are a wincon by themselves we don't need any extra things like Grapeshot anymore.
Not only can she be played just as Mono-U as to not strain a manland-using manabase too much, she spits out tokens without being a creature herself so she won't mess up Polymorph, she can give Emrakul pseudo-haste if there's already another artifact like say Mishra's Bauble or another Servo token out, AND she can be a win-con all by herself.
Another thing I realized that in someways this archtype can be played in some ways just like Splinter Twin, on turn 3 you flash in your Beckon Apparition and Raise the Alarm on the opponent's end step for a t4 Polymorph, but unlike Splinter Twin since your combo tokens only cost 1-2 mana you can still hold up counterspells or something like Gigadrowse to really force the opponent to tap out.
This exact reason is why I play Beckon Apparition, not only it is incidental graveyard hate, the fact that on turn 3 I can hold up 2 mana counterspells (or Gigadrowse I guess) while still threatening a token is really nice.
What do you think of Search for Azcanta? It not only can be a mana-rock, the ability literally also searches for all of our combo pieces and can shunt Emrakul away from our hand at the same time!
Has WOTC ever printed a Raise the Alarm with a different name?
3x Polymorph
4x Secure the Wastes
3x Beckon Apparition
1x Lightning Greaves
3x Saheeli, Sublime Artificer
1x Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
4x Lightning Bolt
3x Path to Exile
4x Opt
3x Faithless Looting
4x Remand
2x Logic Knot
2x Island
1x Mountain
1x Plains
2x Steam Vents
4x Scalding Tarn
4x Flooded Strand
4x Arid Mesa
2x Sacred Foundry
2x Hallowed Fountain
2x Timely Reinforcements
2x Teferi, Time Raveler
2x Sorcerous Spyglass
3x Dovin's Veto
2x Settle the Wreckage
1x Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
3x Rest in Peace
The problem I have with this version is just how slow it is, sure you can goldfish a T4 Emrakul but it's so fragile you often have to slow yourself down a couple of turns just so you can try to protect the Polymorph.
If you want a target that doesn't die to spot removal easily there's Shalai, Voice of Plenty, even if you draw her she's perfectly castable and can protect the combo!
Tho my personal spice is to play Lightning Greaves, this way Polymorph won't pick up the Lightning Greaves while Creativity x=2 can still allow for a Shrouded hasty Emrakul
Callous Dismissal is a sorcery, not an instant. I'm very ambivalent towards Lazotep Plating which is an instant though.
And isn't there a card in Modern somewhere that forces the opponent to tap down all their lands?
So I figured why not try combining the two in 1 deck?
1x Dryad Arbor
Lands
4x Misty Rainforest
3x Steam Vents
1x Stomping Ground
1x Breeding Pool
4x Wooded Foothills
4x Windswept Heath
2x Spirebluff Canal
1x Desolate Lighthouse
2x Island
1x Mountain
4x Indomitable Creativity
2x Polymorph
Cantrips
4x Opt
2x Serum Visions
2x Quicken
Removal
4x Lightning Bolt
2x Flame Slash
Counterspells
4x Remand
2x Mana Leak
2x Cryptic Command
Multi-Function cards
3x Saheeli, Sublime Artificer
3x Izzet Charm
1x Progenitus
1x Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
3x Anger of the Gods
3x Cindervines
2x Ceremonious Rejection
3x Commandeer
2x Spell Snare
The idea is that since Dryad Arbor is a creature, we can just fetch it up with fetchlands use it as our Polymorph material, which frees up space for regular control elements.
Why don't you play a 1-of Dryad Arbor? It's a Polymorph target that can be tutored by fetchlands!!
Saheeli, Sublime Artificer
Not only can she be played just as Mono-U as to not strain a manland-using manabase too much, she spits out tokens without being a creature herself so she won't mess up Polymorph, she can give Emrakul pseudo-haste if there's already another artifact like say Mishra's Bauble or another Servo token out, AND she can be a win-con all by herself.
Another thing I realized that in someways this archtype can be played in some ways just like Splinter Twin, on turn 3 you flash in your Beckon Apparition and Raise the Alarm on the opponent's end step for a t4 Polymorph, but unlike Splinter Twin since your combo tokens only cost 1-2 mana you can still hold up counterspells or something like Gigadrowse to really force the opponent to tap out.
Here's the list that I'm thinking of making:
4x Polymorph
2x Proteus Staff
Combo Tokens
4x Beckon Apparition
3x Spiritual Visit
Poly Targets
1x Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1x Progenitus
Cantrips
4x Opt
4x Mishra's Bauble
Saheeli
3x Saheeli, Sublime Artificer
4x Remand
4x Mana Leak
Removal
4x Path to Exile
Lands
4x Inkmoth Nexus
4x Seachrome Coast
4x Hallowed Fountain
4x Flooded Strand
2x Polluted Delta
2x Island
2x Plains
3x Secure the Wastes
2x Cryptic Command
3x Rest in Peace
3x Damping Sphere
3x Stony Silence
1x Teferi, Hero of Dominaria