I went 6-3 at Charlotte today.
I wiffed on CoCo twice today. It hurt. I like that CoCo can come out of nowhere EOT or during combat, but it's unpredictability really hurts.
Choke and Blood Moon are so good.
I never disliked Command. I was always happy to see it, and found myself wanting it as an out occasionally.
Crusader was fun. It sucks that a 3 drop dies to bolt, but no one expected him. He's obviously super funzies with exalted.
What am I supposed to side out against grixis twin? 2 scoozes, 1 coco, and ?? for blood moon and choke.
I was happy with the cards in my SB. I didn't find myself wishing for something else or that I was unprepared for a match.
I really need help with sideboarding. I would LOVE some input. I know I did some mathes wrong, but I'm still not sure of the correct Choices.
W Round 1 Homebrew Elves/Beasts
This guy played fogs, random mana dorks, and some random beasts. Knight + Kessig won both games
- 2 scooze
+ 2 Fallout
L Round 2 Living end
g1: He managed to win through 2 oozes
g2: Ethersworn won it for me.
g3: 2 fulminators + mana screw made quick work of me
- Kessig, 2 Pridemage, 1 Lightning Bolt
+ Bojuka Bog, Etherswon Canonist, 2 Thalia
W Round 3 Burn
g1: I stumbled on lands, but his goblin guide got me through it
g2: he counted to 20 first. I saw no SB cards
g3: dromokas command was real good. Coco for goyf and thalia does work.
- 4 PtE, 1 Crusader
+ 2 Thalia, Etherswon, 2 Kor Firewalker
W Round 4 Liege Abzan with no coco
g1: He mulled to 3. I only saw a forest from him
g2: spellskite won his this game.
g3: I volcanic fallout and hit 2 birds. He still came back. I resolved 2 good cocos. Knight + kessig won this one again.
-2 pridemage
+2 fallout.
W Round 5 UW Control
G1: I'm just too fast.
G2: 2 Supreme Verdicts, 2 Cryptics, a clique, and his colonnade get me.
G3: Blood moon wins
-2 pridemage, 1 CoCo, 2 Crusader
+3 Blood Moon, 2 Choke
W Round 6 Grixis Twin
G1: He combos off early.
G2: Goyfs and exalt triggers get me there.
G3: Choke is a good card..
- 1 CoCo, 2 Scooze, 1 Smiter, 1 kotr
+3 Blood Moon, 2 Choke
L Round 7 Grixis Twin
G1: I flood out
G2: blood moon...
G3: Answer a twin. He has answers for all of my guys and wins with pestermite beats..
- 1 CoCo, 2 Scooze, 1 Smiter, 1 kotr
+3 Blood Moon, 2 Choke
L Round 8:
GR Tron:
G1: Very early turn tron into ugin.
G2: Turn 4 tron. I see no blood moons. I manage to kill a karn. He goes through 2 o stones and eventually takes it with an ugin.
- 2 Scooze, 1 bolt
+3 Blood Moon
W Round 9 Grixis Twin
G1: I mull to 4. Ride a goyf and Smiter to victory.
G2: I resolve blood moon. I path away 2 splinter twins. We play a semi-attrition game that I eventually win.
- 1 CoCo, 2 Scooze, 1 Smiter, 1 kotr
+3 Blood Moon, 2 Choke
I feel like I'm going a little crazy, so I'm going to throw my thoughts out and stay open minded.
I.... don't understand grim lavamancer.
It is anti-synergetic with goyf, KoTR, and possibly scooze. With cruises running around, we are even more reliant on our yard to boost our goyf, because they will exile theirs.
It's super fragile in a world of U/R Delver lists..
It's slow. It doesn't activate for a whole turn, it ties up mana, and you have to have fuel, for it.
I do understand that it usually at least a 2-for-1 and can potentially zap a few creatures.
Holy 1 and 2 ofs Batman.
I keep seeing lists with lots of <4 ofs. This summer we were basically running all 4 ofs with maybe 2 or so 3 ofs.
The 1 and 2 ofs make our deck so much less consistent. It's exactly not what we want to be doing. Slow decks can afford those numbers because they rely on the game going longer and normally have card draw/selection/engines.
We are fast, really fast. We can't really afford to have variance in our draws.
I reread this and it seems a bit "aggressively worded". It isn't meant to be. I would just love to hear why I'm wrong.
4 damage - 1 extra damage, but you miss out on the gain 3
Double strike - only smiter is really ever bigger than 3 power, unless you charm + rampager. So, 3 damage + gain 3 can go straight to the face.
Indestructible - Unless they have firespout or something MD AND you are saving mana open for it, then you are protecting 1 creature, in which case, helix would be one swing and gain 3.
That's my line of thinking (which may be wrong), just getting some discussion going.
I've also been wondering 1 canopy and 3 stomping ground vs 2 canopy 2 grounds. Again, the 1x Consistency argument comes into play, but I'm not a huge fan of seeing canopy too often. Also, 2 tarns vs 2 flats. Not sure how much difference that will make in practice.
Chiming in. I've been creeping on this thread multiple times daily since the ubanning. I've been testing on cockatrice a bit.
I've gravitated more towards sasky's list. I really like goblin guides as they really help to power out that damage quickly. Everything in the deck is essentially 4x of, which makes draws more consistent. I still don't quite understand the 1x pillar. 1x cards are so sporadic. You can't rely on them and they show up at awkward times. For a deck where the first few turns mean the most, I want really consistent draws.
Now I'm torn between Lantern's list and Magix's list for tonight.
Isn't 7x 3-drops a little too much for 20 lands?
By lantern's list(stuff gets buried after a few pages), do you mean the one that's the same as the reddit post? Again, I try to shy away from too many 2x and 3x in a deck as fast as this. Alot are functionally similar though, so I think that is fine. I really started to shy away from domris. Like others have said, I think I prefer him in a higher cmc list like kibler's. I find myself wanting to hold him so I could drop creatures to apply more pressure. If I do drop him, then that's essentially a whole turn that I used to usually cycle him for a creature.
The list is a little "bigger" than some of the lists I have seen creeping around here. I dislike that cackler is the only 1 drop. I almost feel like:
- 2 shock
- 1 chainwalker
I have gotten good value out of Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle, less so without primeval titan, but it's free removal on a land; can also be a win condition. Prismatic Omen makes it better.
betrays + firbombers is quite cute. I'll think about it.
regrowth effects are good, but I'm affraid to be flooded by them in the first few turns.
Krosan Grip will probably find a way.
Plow Under is sweet, but since I have to do some multiplayer, I'm not sure how effective.
Alot of the other cards seem too situational. I want consistency.
So, I've been fishing and testing this deck. I feel like I need better natural order/tooth and nail targets.
Current targets:
Avenger of Zendikar + Regal Force
Kiki Jiki + One of the above 2
Urabrask or Vorenclex happens sometimes off conspired Tooth and Nails or if the situation is right.
I feel like I need a strong "I WIN" double creature combo to hit. Avenger and Regal Force is nice, but not if I had to tapout to get to it
Okay, you convinced me. I also felt as though I had too much ramp, and too much of my ramp was mana dorks. Gonna keep doing some mild online goldfishing and playtesting. Hopefully I can get a few more suggestions. I think I also need to look at my landbase a little closer. Maze of Ith and maybe another utility land or 2 probably need to make the cut
-All is Dust
-Primal Command
-Arbor Elf
-Birds of paradise
-Fyndhorn Elves
-Joraga Treespeaker
-Llanowar Elves
-Priest of Titania
-Slice in Twain
+Beacon of Creation
+Howl of the Night Pack
+Hull Breach
+One Dozen Eyes
+Slate of Ancestry
+Doubling Season
+Fecundity
+Mana Reflection
+Vicious Shadows
Really appreciate the response. Your deck is actually one of the few that I tried to model mine somewhat after.
Fecundity and Vicious Shadows seems like you'd need alot of token producers, and then sac outlets like goblin bombardment and the altars to really take advantage. Seems like a ~8 card package, and I'm not sure how worth strong it would be, or what should be taken out for it.
1) big token producers- You mainly have one dozen eyes, howl, beacon, and parallel. I'm not really sure how I feel about these. My deck has to also be competitive at 1v1 for this tournament. Those spells all seem to cost alot for a few small tokens.
2) slate seems underwhelming unless you run tons of spells like in 1)
3)I agree here, some of the answers I have are kind of expensive.
I'm thinking of removing slice in twain for hull breach.
Here is a quick rundown. I have been itching to make a new commander deck. My LGS is having a tournament in a few weeks to see who gets the "privilege" to buy one of the Commander's Arsenal Precons. We were able to convince the owner to do a triathlon. So I am building my deck for that tournament, and then I'l likely make a few changes after to make the deck less competitive, more fun. If you don't know, the commander triathalon tournament is 3 rounds. First round is a 4-way free for all, second round is 2 headed giant (my partner is chosen for me, so I can't tune my deck to help him), and round 3 is 1v1. I need my deck to be quick and explosive enough to win 1v1, but not too big of a target early on so I can do well in the 4way.
I decided on Wort the Raidmother. I read through a few of the 1v1 lists and a few of the multiplier lists. I decided against the big land destruction package, as it would likely not be very effective in a 4 way. My goal is to have enough confidence in the decklist by the end of the week, so I can order cards and still have time to playtest it.
My budget is 60 or so per card. Things like Mana Crypt, I am willing to pick up. Things like Imperial Recruiter, not so much. Suggest a card regardless of price though.
I am going for a ramp and then drop something big/ win out of card advantage type strategy. Everything is still very early stage. I'll be updating this more later. With more explanations and such.
kiki jiki + Regal Force / Terastodon
ramp + banefire/comet storm
tooth and nail + any of the above 2 or vorinclex
Edited the original post with changes I made. I'll try to address the changes so far here:
-All is Dust
-Primal Command
-Arbor Elf
-Birds of paradise
-Fyndhorn Elves
-Joraga Treespeaker
-Llanowar Elves
-Priest of Titania
-Slice in Twain
+Beacon of Creation
+Howl of the Night Pack
+Hull Breach
+One Dozen Eyes
+Slate of Ancestry
+Doubling Season
+Fecundity
+Mana Reflection
+Vicious Shadows
Thanks reveillark. I ran a diff on our 2 decks, there's a few gimicky things that you run (notably Liquimetal Coating), but I stole some ideas from you. I have been having the problem of not drawing a mana doubler or something, and am sitting with a hand full of like 7 drops. I lowered the curve on the deck, and put a list of things that I am unsure about... Would love more feedback from people.
Third attempt to give you some tips. Every time I start, something comes up and I have to exit and run off.
I run a Zedruu deck also. Mine is less centered on donating everytime, and I also run a sunforger package, but you could take a look at the list in my sig for card ideas.
Things like steel golem and grid monitor are cool, but become deck cards when no Zedruu, and you become a huge target as a jerk in a multiplayer game. I prefer to stay a little lower on the radar.
Saltskitter seems counter-synergetic. Since it comes back to your control, likely every turn. You have to do alot of donating to keep getting CA from Zedruu off of it.
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept heath
4 Arid Mesa
2 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Forest
2 Plains
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Horizon Canopy
Creatures:
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Qasali Pridemage
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Knight of the reliquary
3 Loxodon Smiter
2 Mirran Crusader
3 Collected Company
2 Dromoka's Command
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
3 Blood Moon
2 Volcanic Fallout
2 Stony Silence
2 Thalia, guardian of thraben
1 Bojuka Bog
2 Choke
1 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Kor Firewalker
I went 6-3 at Charlotte today.
I wiffed on CoCo twice today. It hurt. I like that CoCo can come out of nowhere EOT or during combat, but it's unpredictability really hurts.
Choke and Blood Moon are so good.
I never disliked Command. I was always happy to see it, and found myself wanting it as an out occasionally.
Crusader was fun. It sucks that a 3 drop dies to bolt, but no one expected him. He's obviously super funzies with exalted.
What am I supposed to side out against grixis twin? 2 scoozes, 1 coco, and ?? for blood moon and choke.
I was happy with the cards in my SB. I didn't find myself wishing for something else or that I was unprepared for a match.
I really need help with sideboarding. I would LOVE some input. I know I did some mathes wrong, but I'm still not sure of the correct Choices.
W Round 1 Homebrew Elves/Beasts
This guy played fogs, random mana dorks, and some random beasts. Knight + Kessig won both games
- 2 scooze
+ 2 Fallout
L Round 2 Living end
g1: He managed to win through 2 oozes
g2: Ethersworn won it for me.
g3: 2 fulminators + mana screw made quick work of me
- Kessig, 2 Pridemage, 1 Lightning Bolt
+ Bojuka Bog, Etherswon Canonist, 2 Thalia
W Round 3 Burn
g1: I stumbled on lands, but his goblin guide got me through it
g2: he counted to 20 first. I saw no SB cards
g3: dromokas command was real good. Coco for goyf and thalia does work.
- 4 PtE, 1 Crusader
+ 2 Thalia, Etherswon, 2 Kor Firewalker
W Round 4 Liege Abzan with no coco
g1: He mulled to 3. I only saw a forest from him
g2: spellskite won his this game.
g3: I volcanic fallout and hit 2 birds. He still came back. I resolved 2 good cocos. Knight + kessig won this one again.
-2 pridemage
+2 fallout.
W Round 5 UW Control
G1: I'm just too fast.
G2: 2 Supreme Verdicts, 2 Cryptics, a clique, and his colonnade get me.
G3: Blood moon wins
-2 pridemage, 1 CoCo, 2 Crusader
+3 Blood Moon, 2 Choke
W Round 6 Grixis Twin
G1: He combos off early.
G2: Goyfs and exalt triggers get me there.
G3: Choke is a good card..
- 1 CoCo, 2 Scooze, 1 Smiter, 1 kotr
+3 Blood Moon, 2 Choke
L Round 7 Grixis Twin
G1: I flood out
G2: blood moon...
G3: Answer a twin. He has answers for all of my guys and wins with pestermite beats..
- 1 CoCo, 2 Scooze, 1 Smiter, 1 kotr
+3 Blood Moon, 2 Choke
L Round 8:
GR Tron:
G1: Very early turn tron into ugin.
G2: Turn 4 tron. I see no blood moons. I manage to kill a karn. He goes through 2 o stones and eventually takes it with an ugin.
- 2 Scooze, 1 bolt
+3 Blood Moon
W Round 9 Grixis Twin
G1: I mull to 4. Ride a goyf and Smiter to victory.
G2: I resolve blood moon. I path away 2 splinter twins. We play a semi-attrition game that I eventually win.
- 1 CoCo, 2 Scooze, 1 Smiter, 1 kotr
+3 Blood Moon, 2 Choke
I.... don't understand grim lavamancer.
It is anti-synergetic with goyf, KoTR, and possibly scooze. With cruises running around, we are even more reliant on our yard to boost our goyf, because they will exile theirs.
It's super fragile in a world of U/R Delver lists..
It's slow. It doesn't activate for a whole turn, it ties up mana, and you have to have fuel, for it.
I do understand that it usually at least a 2-for-1 and can potentially zap a few creatures.
Holy 1 and 2 ofs Batman.
I keep seeing lists with lots of <4 ofs. This summer we were basically running all 4 ofs with maybe 2 or so 3 ofs.
The 1 and 2 ofs make our deck so much less consistent. It's exactly not what we want to be doing. Slow decks can afford those numbers because they rely on the game going longer and normally have card draw/selection/engines.
We are fast, really fast. We can't really afford to have variance in our draws.
I reread this and it seems a bit "aggressively worded". It isn't meant to be. I would just love to hear why I'm wrong.
4 damage - 1 extra damage, but you miss out on the gain 3
Double strike - only smiter is really ever bigger than 3 power, unless you charm + rampager. So, 3 damage + gain 3 can go straight to the face.
Indestructible - Unless they have firespout or something MD AND you are saving mana open for it, then you are protecting 1 creature, in which case, helix would be one swing and gain 3.
That's my line of thinking (which may be wrong), just getting some discussion going.
I've also been wondering 1 canopy and 3 stomping ground vs 2 canopy 2 grounds. Again, the 1x Consistency argument comes into play, but I'm not a huge fan of seeing canopy too often. Also, 2 tarns vs 2 flats. Not sure how much difference that will make in practice.
I've gravitated more towards sasky's list. I really like goblin guides as they really help to power out that damage quickly. Everything in the deck is essentially 4x of, which makes draws more consistent. I still don't quite understand the 1x pillar. 1x cards are so sporadic. You can't rely on them and they show up at awkward times. For a deck where the first few turns mean the most, I want really consistent draws.
By lantern's list(stuff gets buried after a few pages), do you mean the one that's the same as the reddit post? Again, I try to shy away from too many 2x and 3x in a deck as fast as this. Alot are functionally similar though, so I think that is fine. I really started to shy away from domris. Like others have said, I think I prefer him in a higher cmc list like kibler's. I find myself wanting to hold him so I could drop creatures to apply more pressure. If I do drop him, then that's essentially a whole turn that I used to usually cycle him for a creature.
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=59589
4 Ash Zealot
4 Boros Reckoner
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Chandra's Phoenix
4 Fanatic of Mogis
4 Firefist Striker
1 Gore-House Chainwalker
4 Rakdos Cackler
21 Mountain
Spells (10)
4 Lightning Strike
4 Magma Jet
2 Shock
4 Frostburn Weird
4 Burning Earth
1 Hammer of Purphoros
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
4 Mizzium Mortars
The list is a little "bigger" than some of the lists I have seen creeping around here. I dislike that cackler is the only 1 drop. I almost feel like:
- 2 shock
- 1 chainwalker
+ 1 mountain
+ 2 firedrinker satyr
A few things.
Your decklist seems to have sculpting steel twice, totaling to 98 actual cards.
Why no darksteel citadel? Seems like the extra free artifact would outweigh the colorless downfall.
I'm thinking fetches should be played if only for top/brainstorm/depths.
Man, I gotta start skipping some meals to pick up a workshop.
EDIT: Hah, just noticed your username. I definitely have a foil mountain autographed by you (and your daughter) :p.
Exactly what I was looking for. Seems janky-ish, but I like it
betrays + firbombers is quite cute. I'll think about it.
regrowth effects are good, but I'm affraid to be flooded by them in the first few turns.
Krosan Grip will probably find a way.
Plow Under is sweet, but since I have to do some multiplayer, I'm not sure how effective.
Alot of the other cards seem too situational. I want consistency.
Really appreciate the responses.
Current targets:
Avenger of Zendikar + Regal Force
Kiki Jiki + One of the above 2
Urabrask or Vorenclex happens sometimes off conspired Tooth and Nails or if the situation is right.
I feel like I need a strong "I WIN" double creature combo to hit. Avenger and Regal Force is nice, but not if I had to tapout to get to it
-All is Dust
-Primal Command
-Arbor Elf
-Birds of paradise
-Fyndhorn Elves
-Joraga Treespeaker
-Llanowar Elves
-Priest of Titania
-Slice in Twain
+Beacon of Creation
+Howl of the Night Pack
+Hull Breach
+One Dozen Eyes
+Slate of Ancestry
+Doubling Season
+Fecundity
+Mana Reflection
+Vicious Shadows
Fecundity and Vicious Shadows seems like you'd need alot of token producers, and then sac outlets like goblin bombardment and the altars to really take advantage. Seems like a ~8 card package, and I'm not sure how worth strong it would be, or what should be taken out for it.
1) big token producers- You mainly have one dozen eyes, howl, beacon, and parallel. I'm not really sure how I feel about these. My deck has to also be competitive at 1v1 for this tournament. Those spells all seem to cost alot for a few small tokens.
2) slate seems underwhelming unless you run tons of spells like in 1)
3)I agree here, some of the answers I have are kind of expensive.
I'm thinking of removing slice in twain for hull breach.
I decided on Wort the Raidmother. I read through a few of the 1v1 lists and a few of the multiplier lists. I decided against the big land destruction package, as it would likely not be very effective in a 4 way. My goal is to have enough confidence in the decklist by the end of the week, so I can order cards and still have time to playtest it.
My budget is 60 or so per card. Things like Mana Crypt, I am willing to pick up. Things like Imperial Recruiter, not so much. Suggest a card regardless of price though.
1x Wort, the Raidmother
1x Banefire
1x Beacon of Creation
1x Collective Unconscious
1x Cultivate
1x Decimate
1x Gamble
1x Genesis Wave
1x Green Sun's Zenith
1x Harmonize
1x Howl of the Night Pack
1x Hull Breach
1x Hunting Wilds
1x Kodama's Reach
1x Natural Order
1x Nature's Lore
1x One Dozen Eyes
1x Reap and Sow
1x Recollect
1x Regrowth
1x Rude Awakening
1x Skyshroud Claim
1x Sylvan Scrying
1x Sylvan Tutor
1x Three Visits
1x Tooth and Nail
1x Wheel of Fortune
1x Bloodstained Mire
1x Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1x Deserted Temple
1x Fire-Lit Thicket
19x Forest
1x Gaea's Cradle
1x Kessig Wolf Run
1x Misty Rainforest
4x Mountain
1x Stomping Ground
1x Strip Mine
1x Taiga
1x Verdant Catacombs
1x Windswept Heath
1x Wooded Foothills
1x Artifact Mutation
1x Beast Within
1x Chaos Warp
1x Chord of Calling
1x Comet Storm
1x Crop Rotation
1x Worldly Tutor
1x Garruk Wildspeaker
1x Sarkhan Vol
1x Acidic Slime
1x Avenger of Zendikar
1x Deranged Hermit
1x Dragon Broodmother
1x Duplicant
1x Eternal Witness
1x Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1x Regal Force
1x Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
1x Siege-Gang Commander
1x Terastodon
1x Urabrask the Hidden
1x Vexing Shusher
1x Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger
1x Mana Crypt
1x Memory Jar
1x Sensei's Divining Top
1x Skullclamp
1x Slate of Ancestry
1x Sol Ring
1x Doubling Season
1x Earthcraft
1x Fecundity
1x Mana Reflection
1x Sylvan Library
1x Vicious Shadows
I am going for a ramp and then drop something big/ win out of card advantage type strategy. Everything is still very early stage. I'll be updating this more later. With more explanations and such.
kiki jiki + Regal Force / Terastodon
ramp + banefire/comet storm
tooth and nail + any of the above 2 or vorinclex
Cards I am considering/ looking for a spot for:
restock
scapeshift
Primal Command
I could also possibly throw in a token sac package:
phyrexian altar
ashnod's altar
goblin bombardment
Edited the original post with changes I made. I'll try to address the changes so far here:
-All is Dust
-Primal Command
-Arbor Elf
-Birds of paradise
-Fyndhorn Elves
-Joraga Treespeaker
-Llanowar Elves
-Priest of Titania
-Slice in Twain
+Beacon of Creation
+Howl of the Night Pack
+Hull Breach
+One Dozen Eyes
+Slate of Ancestry
+Doubling Season
+Fecundity
+Mana Reflection
+Vicious Shadows
I run a Zedruu deck also. Mine is less centered on donating everytime, and I also run a sunforger package, but you could take a look at the list in my sig for card ideas.
Things like steel golem and grid monitor are cool, but become deck cards when no Zedruu, and you become a huge target as a jerk in a multiplayer game. I prefer to stay a little lower on the radar.
Saltskitter seems counter-synergetic. Since it comes back to your control, likely every turn. You have to do alot of donating to keep getting CA from Zedruu off of it.
Rout,Wrath of God, Hallowed Burial/Final Judgment. I'd use some of these to replace some of the wraths you are running, as they just seem better.
I run more Propaganda type cards. Just check my sig.
Shifting Borders and Political Trickery are cool.
Oath of Lieges is popular with zedruu decks.