I do have to say that I love the ideas you get. I stole the Martyred Rusalka from you in icebear's comments (gave you credit), and she is amazing. I'm going to throw a link to here on my list if it's cool with you. I'm probably going to test the Forays because I forgot it existed until 30 seconds ago.
Glad I could help in some way. Graveborn did have some juicy vitles so I suggest it if you have the funds. I literally bought it just for the Entomb and came away with a foily Terastodon and Animate Dead's that have Sun Titan on them. Good buy.
The Ooze combo is amazing when you're allowed to do it. In my experience, you want to just let it happen, not Buried alive for all the pieces, because then peoples' alarms go off(especially if you have gobs of mana.). I don't devote my game to it anymore, I just giggle like a schoolgirl when I can pull it off.
I don't really think to high of Trisky in here by himself. He's only good in the combo but if T&N wins are your thing then go for it. I'm also kinda backing away from comboing all the time so my advice may have a little bias. However, Dead Mickey seems like he could do a lot. I have really been wanting to test him, just haven't had too much playing time in the last couple of weeks.
Ok. I was going to suggest the two cards you said not to but reading is tech so I won't, per se. I don't see how you sac your field to Doomgape however, because you only get to sac one creature during each of your upkeeps, not all your creatures or a creature whenever you want. Also, I assume your playgroup has less spot removal, allowing you to actively use the Sculler?
On to actual suggestions. I don't think that Karador needs the whole suite of Voltron-esque equipment. He evades his taxes quite well so board wipes and opposing spot removal isn't really an issue. I'd still keep 1 for Sheoldred and whatnot (hasty beats) but 3 is just taking up space imo.
In green decks I run Crop Rotation over E. Map about 90% of the time just because it allows for singleton karoo land-saving and instant speed Bojuka Bog and such.
I counted 9 cards that costed 7 mana or more. This number can be cut down. What you cut is more of a personal thing, however my suggestions would start with Reya because I feel she's overcosted and Iona, just because she's a whorebag. Just as a reference, I only run 4 cards at 7+cc and I usually see it at 3-7 in most decks I find.
Last thing from me, the Garruks. In my experience Garruk 1.0 isn't bad(overruns ing creature based decks? Who woulda thunk it) but he also isn't amazing, nor necessary. Garruk 2.0 just seems meh imo, mostly because I want to recur literally everything. I don't have experience with him so I'd ask around if you aren't sure.
I think that the Pattern has crossed my mind at some point in time (I have one just wanting to be played) but it kinda suffers the same points that Defense of the Heart does in that I only have one card to rip it out of my yard and it doesn't get past Teeg(more situational). I may try it, but as I posted before, I'm thinking of cutting even the Defense, which I know I like. Then it would come down to pulling Greater Good or Birthing Pod for it and I just don't want to do that.
After all that, however, it's still getting thrown in the thought bin. Thanks for the suggestion.
Super huge update to the thread. I've added some minor deck changes, a whole section on my intentions with Hermit Druid in the context of this specific deck, new obscure card explainations, updated stats, etc. Also made the deck list more organized and set of in two lists, one by card function and one by type. Also, what are some good ramp creatures that are cheap. I'm figurin' on taking out my Defense of the Heart for more Teeg synergy and because it's too hard to abuse in this build. I literally have 1 card that can bring it back. any thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.
In my opinion, Vorinclex is pretty meh. However, this is coming from someone who has seen people float mana in response to him, let him resolve, then blow him up literally every time he's been played. If you want to play him and can keep him alive, run him.
Sheoldred is the nuts in my build so I'd assume she could be with yours. There is no end to the amazing she brings. Although, this comes from someone who's opponents used their spot removal on Vorinclex's and such.
NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Relic of Progenitus only goes in decks that don't care about their own graveyard. The Bog is a very good suggestion, though. I run it in every black deck I have at the moment. For other grave hate check out Nihil Spellbomb, Loaming Shaman(not permenant but combos with Necromancy to save your own yard as well), Tormod's Crypt, etc.
Living End, as good as it is, isn't a thing at my lgs or in my playgroup so I don't have to worry about it. I'm not the biggest fan of Shreikmaw in here because Revillark, Sun Titan, and Order of Whiteclay are unable to hit it. Bone Shredder functionally the same, just 1 more mana, has a turn to block, and gets hit by the Big 3. Thanks for the suggestions, however.
I'd say take out the random guys that just block and beat (i.e. Festerhide Boar, Typhoid Rats, etc.) in favor of creatures with abilities that answer things or relevant ETB effects. Getting more value from your creatures than just blocking and attacking is key in EDH. Also, unearth, although a totally awsome ability in other decks, makes Karador sad because they are only in the yard once to cheapen him/be reused. Qasali Pridemage, Acidic Slime, Shreikmaw, Bone Shredder, etc. are Karador's best friends because they just kill all the things you want when they get up to play. Just some thoughts to ponder. Happy building
I understand that many people who posted here were just discussing the card, and not specifically relating it to any one deck or build (and that many also cited its relevant qualities instead of making other arguments). It just irked me that more than one person basically justified a slot for it with "look at how many good things he fetches!" I get it, there are more targets than the three listed in the OP. I didn't mean to say that those were the only targets that I associated with TMage, but rather meant to exemplify the fact that I understand there really are good things to fetch with him.
I'm glad there are some good reasons for playing him outlined here that I hadn't thought through previously - when I realized that I often make space for this card and three or four targets without even thinking about it, I just wanted to bounce that off of the community because it seemed sort of ridiculous. In terms of raw tutoring power, Trinket Mage is simply not as strong as many other options. However, the primary reasons for playing him that I'm seeing here make sense: he's a body, possesses the wizard creature type (generally a relevant quality), and grants access to several cards that you're generally gonna want to see just about every game.
I get you. I'm apologize. Re-reading my own post, I feel that I sounded assishand probably stupid when I was kinda trying to be light hearted and direct. So to actually bounce something back, in my opinion, no card should be auto-included just because it's in color. If he doesn't help your decks gameplan better than a more open tutor, you don't need him. Come to think of it, I only run him in Sharuum which has a huge cog sub-theme, and Venser to chain tutor for Riptide Lab or grab the grave hate that is necessary to combat my playgroup.
So, use him if it helps you deck overall, not just because he's a staple, imo. Hope I'm less blaurgh and more helpful of an idea giver in this post. Happy building and such.
I really find that the Etched Champions in mb are very overrated. Yes, they can win games alone, but they slow the deck down tremendously. I run 3 in SB, and i side them in vs. Zoo and other decks that play alot of burn and big dudes.
The thing is, Affinity can outrun most decks if played very agressively, but I often find that the champion slows things down more than saves my behind. I would definately swap out the 2 champions, and 2 master of etherium for maybe Frogmites, and then also include some Shrapnel blasts, for the incredible speed they bring.
That does make sense. I did actually want Shrapnel Blasts for this deck so this could make room for them. I just haven't found any yet. Thanks for the critique. You'd probably know better than I.
The arguments that he's a body and more easily re-used than other tutors are the only ones that really hold up. Any other reasoning for playing him over another tutor is just ridiculous. In an aggro-less meta with almost no way to re-use his effect, he's simply not as good as Fabricate or pretty much any other to-hand tutor. There's certainly an argument to be made regarding the fact that instants and sorceries are often easier to reuse depending on your build.
Then don't use him. I'm pretty sure people are just talking about him in general and not Connecting to your situation. If you don't need a blocker and don't have ways to reuse him, just go with Fabricate, or Demonic Tutor (which should go in over the Mage anyways if those are the two fighting for a spot) if it isn't already in.
Edit: Also, I'm pretty sure the reasons you say hold up are the only reasons people are talking about. People aren't saying it's better than something like Fabricate because Fabricate is more open. That would just be silly.
It does indeed just boil down to your meta and build.
Blue doesn't really have a tutor for artifacts (I'm not counting Tezz).
Blue is the "Artifact tutor" color. Fabricate, Reshape, Tinker although it's banned in about every format, Transmute Artifact, etc. But this is off topic and these are not as good as the mage at finding Sol Ring and it's friends as you were suggesting.
On Trinket Mage, he can fix mana with artifact lands in multi-color blue decks. He also chumps after finding your cogs (which have already been mentioned for the most part) so he is very good. As was said by Pathfinder, He doesn't go in every deck that he can but a lot of them. This is true of any card though.
When my Azami list was still active if I didn't find MOM I had Teferi+Knowledge pool (lame sticks XP ), Tunnel Vision combo, Palinchron combo, and FutureTop combo. Yes I did normally have multiple pieces of 3 or so incomplete combos but the deck was hilarious so I didn't care.
I don't really think to high of Trisky in here by himself. He's only good in the combo but if T&N wins are your thing then go for it. I'm also kinda backing away from comboing all the time so my advice may have a little bias. However, Dead Mickey seems like he could do a lot. I have really been wanting to test him, just haven't had too much playing time in the last couple of weeks.
I hope this helps. Happy brewing.
On to actual suggestions. I don't think that Karador needs the whole suite of Voltron-esque equipment. He evades his taxes quite well so board wipes and opposing spot removal isn't really an issue. I'd still keep 1 for Sheoldred and whatnot (hasty beats) but 3 is just taking up space imo.
In green decks I run Crop Rotation over E. Map about 90% of the time just because it allows for singleton karoo land-saving and instant speed Bojuka Bog and such.
I counted 9 cards that costed 7 mana or more. This number can be cut down. What you cut is more of a personal thing, however my suggestions would start with Reya because I feel she's overcosted and Iona, just because she's a whorebag. Just as a reference, I only run 4 cards at 7+cc and I usually see it at 3-7 in most decks I find.
Last thing from me, the Garruks. In my experience Garruk 1.0 isn't bad(overruns ing creature based decks? Who woulda thunk it) but he also isn't amazing, nor necessary. Garruk 2.0 just seems meh imo, mostly because I want to recur literally everything. I don't have experience with him so I'd ask around if you aren't sure.
Hope I helped and good luck.
After all that, however, it's still getting thrown in the thought bin. Thanks for the suggestion.
Sheoldred is the nuts in my build so I'd assume she could be with yours. There is no end to the amazing she brings. Although, this comes from someone who's opponents used their spot removal on Vorinclex's and such.
On graveyard filling, I use Hermit Druid(although I only run about 9 basics; some people who combo kill with him run 0-1), Life from the Loam (if you have the funds; Aggro loam in Modern has aldready affected the price a bit so I'd jump if you can afford it), Buried Alive, Entomb (way expensive, sorry for the non-budget suggestions), Fauna Shaman, Survival of the Fittest. Some people also run more dredge like Golgari Grave-Troll, Stinkweed Imp, etc.
Hope this helps a bit. Happy building.
I get you. I'm apologize. Re-reading my own post, I feel that I sounded assishand probably stupid when I was kinda trying to be light hearted and direct. So to actually bounce something back, in my opinion, no card should be auto-included just because it's in color. If he doesn't help your decks gameplan better than a more open tutor, you don't need him. Come to think of it, I only run him in Sharuum which has a huge cog sub-theme, and Venser to chain tutor for Riptide Lab or grab the grave hate that is necessary to combat my playgroup.
So, use him if it helps you deck overall, not just because he's a staple, imo. Hope I'm less blaurgh and more helpful of an idea giver in this post. Happy building and such.
That does make sense. I did actually want Shrapnel Blasts for this deck so this could make room for them. I just haven't found any yet. Thanks for the critique. You'd probably know better than I.
Then don't use him. I'm pretty sure people are just talking about him in general and not Connecting to your situation. If you don't need a blocker and don't have ways to reuse him, just go with Fabricate, or Demonic Tutor (which should go in over the Mage anyways if those are the two fighting for a spot) if it isn't already in.
Edit: Also, I'm pretty sure the reasons you say hold up are the only reasons people are talking about. People aren't saying it's better than something like Fabricate because Fabricate is more open. That would just be silly.
It does indeed just boil down to your meta and build.
Blue is the "Artifact tutor" color. Fabricate, Reshape, Tinker although it's banned in about every format, Transmute Artifact, etc. But this is off topic and these are not as good as the mage at finding Sol Ring and it's friends as you were suggesting.
On Trinket Mage, he can fix mana with artifact lands in multi-color blue decks. He also chumps after finding your cogs (which have already been mentioned for the most part) so he is very good. As was said by Pathfinder, He doesn't go in every deck that he can but a lot of them. This is true of any card though.