I think he's looking for Pauper - i.e. common - green 5-drops, not Peasant.
In regard to the topic, I love both Entourage of Trest and Excavating Anurid Both provide a nice combination of beef and card advantage. I guess it really depends what your green deck is looking for though.
I’ve seen a lot of people mention this card, and while most seem excited about her (how could you not be with that Wonder Woman art), I sense some amount of hesitancy over what would be needed to support her. As mentioned above, an “enchantments matter” theme is way easier to pull off than an “aura’s matter” one. Because of this I started brainstorming what auras in the Selesyna colors are actually cubeable and to what degree. Additionally, I noted which are capable of and that you might want to use to enchant your own creatures, since Siona’s second ability only provides value under these circumstances. Obviously, you can build enough support into any archetype you want, but at some point it definitely becomes pretty parasitic, with certain cards only really being playable in one specific deck. Anyway, here’s what I’ve come up with:
S-Tier (Auras that every Peasant cube everywhere is playing even with no support whatsoever) Rancor (enchants your creature)
Help me out if I missed some obvious ones, but I think most everything else would fall into a Tier 4 or below category. In making this short list I was amazed at how few really good, stand-alone auras there are – especially ones that you actually want to attach to your own creatures. For instance, most of the stuff that would trigger Siona’s second ability is in the lower tiers.
My conclusion is that if I’m going to try to cube Siona, then her second ability is basically never going to trigger (not without making space for a ton of “lower tier” archetype support stuff at least). So the question is, am I fine with her just being a 2/2 for 3cmc that PROBABLY (this isn’t for sure either without a bit of extraordinary support) grabs a Pacifism effect when she etbs. Let me know what you think.
Thanks for all the input everyone. I like the look of Syr Alin, the Lion's Claw and had never heard of or considered Elite Scaleguard, but I definitely see the value of it for both counters and Blink synergies. Here's to Wizards printing some more good options at peasant in this space (or downshifting a few more lower powered rares like they did with Feudkiller's Verdict).
I'm trying to convert my 720 card, rare, unpowered cube into a "mostly peasant cube." In doing so I find myself mainly cutting the Baneslayers and Sun Titans of the world - leaving a major need for good 5, 6, and 7 drop creatures (in every color really, but in white for the purposes of this discussion).
What are some good options for these slots?
At the moment I'd say Cloudgoat Ranger is a shoe-in, and I'm seriously considering Sentinel of the Eternal Watch. Beyond that I'm kind of at a loss and am halfway considering using some lower-powered rares like Arbiter of Knollridge, Geist-Honored Monk, and Reveillark to fill what appears to be a total void at the peasant level. Am I missing some obvious choices, or is this really the case?
People seem to be focusing a ton on "its ability to ramp you." My question is this: how often are you really going to have a land in your graveyard and have this on turn three? From my perspective (and granted I'm looking at it from the perspective of a bigger cube - 720) there are only so many lands that get themselves into the graveyard. I remember trying out cards with the Delirium ability and assuming at the time that I could almost take for granted that I'd find some way to get a land into the yard; it was harder than I thought. Maybe you won't have your one fetch and this both early. Maybe you won't even have a fetch in your deck. Of course, you could have other lands like Strip Mine, but in my 720 card cube I only have seventeen lands that easily enter the graveyard. Obviously manlands can die, and you could use spells to loot away lands as well. I just don't think this is a consistent source of early ramp in bigger or even mid-sized cubes.
Additionally, it's a one-time use unless you - or your obliging opponent I suppose - puts another land into the yard.
I could be totally wrong here, but I honestly didn't see "slam dunk Gruul cube card" when I first saw this; I saw "another interesting Gruul card for a lands-matter package."
The "opponents can't gain life" aspect of Sulfuric Vortex is as critical as the consistent two damage a turn. This has neither, in that it can miss, and, as mentioned, is two colors. I agree that the creature aspect of Klothys isn't going to happen in cube, and I think the ability to add mana by exiling lands is unlikely as well. Exiling specific stuff from the GY is definitely useful however. Also, is it just me, or does dealing two damage (to an opponent) and gaining two life seem more like an Orzhov thing than Gruul?
Interesting card, but I don't think it's for my cube.
The problem was, it wasn't a Tier 1 combo deck but a Tier 0 combo deck. When people are being forced to SB 6-8 cards just to have a chance to beat it games 2 and 3, then that's warping the metagame more than is acceptable.
Also, really fast, really consistent combo decks are the decks most likely to violate the basic speed tenets that are supposed to exist in Modern. They're also probably the least interactive.
I can't believe the Loam player lost to that Rock deck - or to that pilot (the guy was clearly misplaying, not bringing in Surgicals and such, and could he possibly be any more whiny?). In general, Loam should beat-up on fair, midrange decks like that, and I think that was what was happening until his graveyard got exiled by Spellbomb games 2 and 3. He couldn't rebuild, and had no hand or board presence either. It seems like he was perhaps too durdly, and couldn't close out the game quick enough when ahead.
Wrenn and Six seemed to be putting in good work while there was a GY - though I think the Loam pilot should have ultimated it when he had a chance. We didn't see much of the Ruination Rioter, but it's death trigger was relevant once in killing a Liliana of the Veil after getting edicted, which I guess is something. I'm still skeptical there.
Faithless looting is overrate in my experience. It give you card disadvantage. And offers no defensive capabilities.
Commune with the gods while searching for answers in a better fashion, also does not lose card advantage. And both of you didn't point out it does a better job of pumping Countryside crusher and Tarmogoyf than faithless looting does.
A one-of Urborg is near useless when you want it early because loam is the best tool to find it but by the time you get loam running their hand is practically depleted.
Well, obviously you can do what you want. That said, the whole "card disadvantage" myth has been disproven time and time again. Is discarding useless blanks for cards that might actually do something card disadvantage? How about discarding a couple of lands for two "real" cards and then Loaming three lands back into your hand? Or alternatively, Loaming three lands back and then Looting two away for two other cards? Additionally, Commune with the Gods can miss occasionally (hence, card disadvantage by your argument) or just find something that isn't all that useful.
As to the defensive capabilities of Faithless Looting, what pure card-draw spell does offer "defensive capabilities" in itself? None. However, they help you find stuff like Bolt which does.
And while your statement about Commune doing a better job of pumping Crusher and Goyf is generally true, it isn't necessarily the case. What if you hit all of the same card type (or a combination of card types already in you yard)? And what if it's just instants and sorceries when your Goyf is already counting those? With Looting you can selectively put certain card-types into your yard to pump Crusher and Goyf (or turn on Delirium). On top of all this, Looting critically costs one while Commune costs two; that's a big difference. You can probably afford to spend your turn 1 mana setting up. By turn 2, you may get smacked for playing a set-up card instead of putting out a blocker or leaving up removal.
In regard to Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, if you absolutely need black mana early, sure, a 1-of Urborg isn't going to help. At that point, it sounds like you're more than splashing a little black for a mid-to-late-game Raven's Crime retrace to rip the U/W control player's hand apart. If you definitively need turn 1 black mana for Inquisition of Kozilek or something, then just build a Jund manabase.
If there's one thing I want to get across to all the people picking up Assault/Loam lately because of all the new toys being printed before MTG Salvation goes read only it's that Faithless Looting as a 4-of is a must if you're playing red. It's one of the best cards in Modern, and with the possible exception of Seismic Assault itself, it's the best red card in the deck and one of the main reasons to be playing red. If you're not playing red... well fine, you should be, but fine. Good luck finding something that does everything Looting does in green, black, or blue (or white... I guess, but I really see this as the color that provides the least).
Read your last statement again:
Quote from Decadent Command »
I think we need a 1 drop which is relevant in our deck to help the curve/take away early pressure quicker decks give. I find when I drop Tarmogoyf early he's too small. And it takes a bit longer to get 3 drops out to deal with pesky 1/1's and 2/2's.
What you're "thinking" you need is Faithless Looting. It helps the curve by providing you with something to do turn 1. It puts stuff like Loam in the yard where you want it. It grows your Tarmogoyf fast so it's a better attacker/blocker. It lets you find the proper lands you need to play your stuff (helping with a black splash I might add). It lets you ditch clunky 3, 4, and 5-drops against aggro, and helps you find nice 1 and 2-drop removal spells instead so you can double-spell in the next turn or two. And then it does a ton of great things later in the game too - whether it's in your graveyard or your hand.
Find room for it.
Aside from that, you have an interesting list, though I agree with Cryptic Commander completely on his analysis of Commune with the Gods. Not that it doesn't have a home in a version of the list that is right for it, but that it's a utility player - not a core piece that you need for your deck to function. I think of it playing a role similar to Magmatic Insight or something. Two Cindervines main seems a bit much, even if you want that effect (and not just out of the board). Also, I'm not too sure about that Domri, Anarch of Bolas - though I've never tested it or even considered it as a possible include, so what do I know. Finally, it looks like you are holding onto a black splash (possibly for something out of the board?) based on your land choices. If you choose to try to play black cards, then Explorer Spud is right, having access to a 1-of Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is really nice. I pretty much consider it a must if I'm running Raven's Crime.
Nantuko Cultivator and these new two (Ruination Rioter and Ore-Scale Guardian) are all cool cards to have in Modern and great to have in a set that almost seems designed around the Assault/Loam theme, but I'm not sure they're powerful enough - even as role-players. Maybe if the deck was radically redesigned... maybe Rioter could be a part of a super aggro shell, Idk.
On a completely separate note, a couple of times now I've seen people either suggesting or putting four Stomping Grounds in lists. You definitely don't want to do this unless you have a really good reason for it. Sure, it's probably the best R/G dual available, but it's also very painful - especially in multiples. To be honest, a pure R/G version of this deck should probably be running two, and three-color versions should probably run one of each shock (maybe two Stomping Grounds). That's plenty to get with all the fetches. Look at some other decks in the format that have some top 8 lists posted on MTGTOP8, MTGDECKs.net, or MTGGOLDFISH. You'll see all the U/W Control lists run two Hallowed Fountains; all the G/B Rock lists run two Overgrown Tombs. The Izzet Phoenix lists do seem to run three Steam Vents, but they're also only running 17-18 lands total. The only deck running a full play-set of shocks (Stomping Ground in this case) is TitanShift, and they're obviously doing so because of the Mountains-matter theme associated with Valakut.
In bigger cubes (I'm at 720 for instance) trying to support aggro in green can still be a challenge compared to white, black, or red, which all seem to have a myriad of 1cmc creature options nowadays, so Hexdrinker will be much appreciated.
In regard to the topic, I love both Entourage of Trest and Excavating Anurid Both provide a nice combination of beef and card advantage. I guess it really depends what your green deck is looking for though.
I’ve seen a lot of people mention this card, and while most seem excited about her (how could you not be with that Wonder Woman art), I sense some amount of hesitancy over what would be needed to support her. As mentioned above, an “enchantments matter” theme is way easier to pull off than an “aura’s matter” one. Because of this I started brainstorming what auras in the Selesyna colors are actually cubeable and to what degree. Additionally, I noted which are capable of and that you might want to use to enchant your own creatures, since Siona’s second ability only provides value under these circumstances. Obviously, you can build enough support into any archetype you want, but at some point it definitely becomes pretty parasitic, with certain cards only really being playable in one specific deck. Anyway, here’s what I’ve come up with:
S-Tier (Auras that every Peasant cube everywhere is playing even with no support whatsoever)
Rancor (enchants your creature)
Tier 1 (Fairly strong, commonly played auras that don’t need support)
Utopia Sprawl
Fertile Ground
Curse of Predation
Faith's Fetters
Tier 2 (Totally fine auras that don’t really need support but that aren’t universal)
Wild Growth
Wolfwillow Haven
Temporal Isolation
Pacifism
Gift of Paradise
Elephant Guide (enchants your creature)
Recumbent Bliss
Armadillo Cloak (enchants your creature)
Unflinching Courage (enchants your creature)
Tier 3 (Sketchier auras or auras that are probably only playable with support)
Ethereal Armor (enchants your creature)
Gryff's Boon (enchants your creature)
Cartouche of Solidarity (enchants your creature)
Hyena Umbra (enchants your creature)
Sentinel's Eyes (enchants your creature)
Kenrith's Transformation
All that Glitters (enchants your creature)
Spirit Mantle (enchants your creature)
Curse of Chains
Hydra's Growth (enchants your creature)
Boar Umbra (enchants your creature)
Cartouche of Strength (enchants your creature)
Ancestral Mask (enchants your creature)
Moldervine Cloak (enchants your creature)
Griffin Guide (enchants your creature)
Arrest/Luminous Bonds
Shield of the Oversoul (enchants your creature)
Gift of Orzhova (enchants your creature)
Help me out if I missed some obvious ones, but I think most everything else would fall into a Tier 4 or below category. In making this short list I was amazed at how few really good, stand-alone auras there are – especially ones that you actually want to attach to your own creatures. For instance, most of the stuff that would trigger Siona’s second ability is in the lower tiers.
My conclusion is that if I’m going to try to cube Siona, then her second ability is basically never going to trigger (not without making space for a ton of “lower tier” archetype support stuff at least). So the question is, am I fine with her just being a 2/2 for 3cmc that PROBABLY (this isn’t for sure either without a bit of extraordinary support) grabs a Pacifism effect when she etbs. Let me know what you think.
I'm trying to convert my 720 card, rare, unpowered cube into a "mostly peasant cube." In doing so I find myself mainly cutting the Baneslayers and Sun Titans of the world - leaving a major need for good 5, 6, and 7 drop creatures (in every color really, but in white for the purposes of this discussion).
What are some good options for these slots?
At the moment I'd say Cloudgoat Ranger is a shoe-in, and I'm seriously considering Sentinel of the Eternal Watch. Beyond that I'm kind of at a loss and am halfway considering using some lower-powered rares like Arbiter of Knollridge, Geist-Honored Monk, and Reveillark to fill what appears to be a total void at the peasant level. Am I missing some obvious choices, or is this really the case?
Additionally, it's a one-time use unless you - or your obliging opponent I suppose - puts another land into the yard.
I could be totally wrong here, but I honestly didn't see "slam dunk Gruul cube card" when I first saw this; I saw "another interesting Gruul card for a lands-matter package."
Interesting card, but I don't think it's for my cube.
Also, really fast, really consistent combo decks are the decks most likely to violate the basic speed tenets that are supposed to exist in Modern. They're also probably the least interactive.
I can't believe the Loam player lost to that Rock deck - or to that pilot (the guy was clearly misplaying, not bringing in Surgicals and such, and could he possibly be any more whiny?). In general, Loam should beat-up on fair, midrange decks like that, and I think that was what was happening until his graveyard got exiled by Spellbomb games 2 and 3. He couldn't rebuild, and had no hand or board presence either. It seems like he was perhaps too durdly, and couldn't close out the game quick enough when ahead.
Wrenn and Six seemed to be putting in good work while there was a GY - though I think the Loam pilot should have ultimated it when he had a chance. We didn't see much of the Ruination Rioter, but it's death trigger was relevant once in killing a Liliana of the Veil after getting edicted, which I guess is something. I'm still skeptical there.
Well, obviously you can do what you want. That said, the whole "card disadvantage" myth has been disproven time and time again. Is discarding useless blanks for cards that might actually do something card disadvantage? How about discarding a couple of lands for two "real" cards and then Loaming three lands back into your hand? Or alternatively, Loaming three lands back and then Looting two away for two other cards? Additionally, Commune with the Gods can miss occasionally (hence, card disadvantage by your argument) or just find something that isn't all that useful.
As to the defensive capabilities of Faithless Looting, what pure card-draw spell does offer "defensive capabilities" in itself? None. However, they help you find stuff like Bolt which does.
And while your statement about Commune doing a better job of pumping Crusher and Goyf is generally true, it isn't necessarily the case. What if you hit all of the same card type (or a combination of card types already in you yard)? And what if it's just instants and sorceries when your Goyf is already counting those? With Looting you can selectively put certain card-types into your yard to pump Crusher and Goyf (or turn on Delirium). On top of all this, Looting critically costs one while Commune costs two; that's a big difference. You can probably afford to spend your turn 1 mana setting up. By turn 2, you may get smacked for playing a set-up card instead of putting out a blocker or leaving up removal.
Again, I'm not bashing Commune with the Gods; go ahead and play it if you want it. I'm just certain that cutting Faithless Looting for it is a mistake.
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In regard to Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, if you absolutely need black mana early, sure, a 1-of Urborg isn't going to help. At that point, it sounds like you're more than splashing a little black for a mid-to-late-game Raven's Crime retrace to rip the U/W control player's hand apart. If you definitively need turn 1 black mana for Inquisition of Kozilek or something, then just build a Jund manabase.
If there's one thing I want to get across to all the people picking up Assault/Loam lately because of all the new toys being printed before MTG Salvation goes read only it's that Faithless Looting as a 4-of is a must if you're playing red. It's one of the best cards in Modern, and with the possible exception of Seismic Assault itself, it's the best red card in the deck and one of the main reasons to be playing red. If you're not playing red... well fine, you should be, but fine. Good luck finding something that does everything Looting does in green, black, or blue (or white... I guess, but I really see this as the color that provides the least).
Read your last statement again: What you're "thinking" you need is Faithless Looting. It helps the curve by providing you with something to do turn 1. It puts stuff like Loam in the yard where you want it. It grows your Tarmogoyf fast so it's a better attacker/blocker. It lets you find the proper lands you need to play your stuff (helping with a black splash I might add). It lets you ditch clunky 3, 4, and 5-drops against aggro, and helps you find nice 1 and 2-drop removal spells instead so you can double-spell in the next turn or two. And then it does a ton of great things later in the game too - whether it's in your graveyard or your hand.
Find room for it.
Aside from that, you have an interesting list, though I agree with Cryptic Commander completely on his analysis of Commune with the Gods. Not that it doesn't have a home in a version of the list that is right for it, but that it's a utility player - not a core piece that you need for your deck to function. I think of it playing a role similar to Magmatic Insight or something. Two Cindervines main seems a bit much, even if you want that effect (and not just out of the board). Also, I'm not too sure about that Domri, Anarch of Bolas - though I've never tested it or even considered it as a possible include, so what do I know. Finally, it looks like you are holding onto a black splash (possibly for something out of the board?) based on your land choices. If you choose to try to play black cards, then Explorer Spud is right, having access to a 1-of Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is really nice. I pretty much consider it a must if I'm running Raven's Crime.
On a completely separate note, a couple of times now I've seen people either suggesting or putting four Stomping Grounds in lists. You definitely don't want to do this unless you have a really good reason for it. Sure, it's probably the best R/G dual available, but it's also very painful - especially in multiples. To be honest, a pure R/G version of this deck should probably be running two, and three-color versions should probably run one of each shock (maybe two Stomping Grounds). That's plenty to get with all the fetches. Look at some other decks in the format that have some top 8 lists posted on MTGTOP8, MTGDECKs.net, or MTGGOLDFISH. You'll see all the U/W Control lists run two Hallowed Fountains; all the G/B Rock lists run two Overgrown Tombs. The Izzet Phoenix lists do seem to run three Steam Vents, but they're also only running 17-18 lands total. The only deck running a full play-set of shocks (Stomping Ground in this case) is TitanShift, and they're obviously doing so because of the Mountains-matter theme associated with Valakut.
Copperline Gorge, Fire-Lit Thicket, Grove of the Burnwillows, Raging Ravine, Sheltered Thicket, more off-color fetches, Prismatic Vista, mono-color or even colorless utility-lands, more basics, etc... there are so many good options.