Type: Deck Idea
Format (legal 👍) modModern
Approx. Value:
$359.00

0 Likes 7 Comments
Avg. CMC 3.67
Card Color Breakdown
Card Type Breakdown

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Main Deck - 60 cards, 17 distinct
Columns
Name  Edition $ Type Cost
Rarity Color
Creature (31)
3 Arbor Colossus
$0.14 Creature - Giant
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
$0.50 Creature - Human Shaman
4 Elvish Mystic
$0.37 Creature - Elf Druid
3 Kalonian Hydra
$9.58 Creature - Hydra
3 Kiora's Follower
$0.25 Creature - Merfolk
2 Nylea, God of the Hunt
$6.84 Legendary Enchantment Creature - God
3 Polukranos, World Eater
$0.76 Legendary Creature - Hydra
2 Prime Speaker Zegana
$2.24 Legendary Creature - Merfolk Wizard
3 Prophet of Kruphix
$0.47 Creature - Human Wizard
4 Sylvan Caryatid
$4.04 Creature - Plant
Instant (2)
2 Cyclonic Rift
$31.76 Instant
Planeswalker (4)
4 Garruk, Caller of Beasts
$3.23 Legendary Planeswalker - Garruk
Land (23)
4 Breeding Pool
$16.08 Land - Forest Island
10 Forest
$0.07 Basic Land - Forest
1 Island
$0.10 Basic Land - Island
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
$33.74 Legendary Land
4 Temple of Mystery
$0.16 Land
Sideboard - 15 cards, 6 distinct
Name  Edition $ Type Cost
Rarity Color
Creature (8)
2 Aetherling
$0.28 Creature - Shapeshifter
3 Mistcutter Hydra
$0.79 Creature - Hydra
3 Nylea's Disciple
$0.06 Creature - Centaur Archer
Instant (7)
2 Plummet
$0.01 Instant
3 Simic Charm
$2.31 Instant
2 Unravel the Aether
$0.19 Instant

Notes
 
Mono Blue:
+4 Mistcutter Hydra
-1 Garruk
-2 Kalonian Hydra
-1 Voyaging Satyr
I used to have 2 Ratchet Bombs for this match for Master of Waves, but I swapped it for 2 Bow of Nylea after last night and haven't gotten to test it in this match (Cylconic Rift is sufficient answer to that). It's also for the G/R pseudo-mirror, but in both cases with Nylea's trample I can just assign 1 damage and trample for lethal to break board stalls. Basically, Ratchet Bomb was always a card to come from behind, and that's not where this deck wants to play. It needs to be able to steal a win from behind with the trample-deathtouch combo, not just try to waste a turn stalling.
With that change, this will be more like:
+4 Mistcutter
+2 Bow
-2 Garruk
-2 Kalonian Hydra
-2 Voyaging Satyr

G/R Devotion:
+3 Simic Charm
-1 Garruk
-1 Zegana
-1 Voyaging Satyr
Simple board. Just want charms to bounce opponent's creatures or blank Domri fights, pump guys to make profitable blocks, etc. After adding the Bows, this will probably become:
+3 Simic Charm
+2 Bow of Nylea
-1 Garruk
-1 Zegana
-3 Voyaging Satyr
The Satyrs are just the most vulnerable mana dorks, I'm often getting a turn 1 elf and jumping the 2-drop or I'd rather play a Caryatid that won't die to Domri fighting it with an opposing Burning-Tree.

Mono Red:
+3 Nylea's Disciple
+2 Simic Charm
-2 Zegana
-3 Garruk
Another easy matchup. Just bring in Disciples to gain life inevitably lost if you stumble early, drop the curve down by dropping the 6-drops. Bring in Charms for combat tricks and stalling. If you're alive on turn 5, you win. The Big Red Devotion flavor is more challenging, but it boards the same way for the same reasons and both cases are just a race and trying not to die before turn 5.

Mono Black:
+4 Mistcutter Hydra
+3 Simic Charm
-2 Zegana
-3 Voyaging Satyr
-2 Polukranos
The Mistcutters are basically Ball Lightnings most of the time and either eat kill spells or punch through damage after another threat ate one. Arbor Colossus is the best card in this matchup. This switches to a more control role, buying time bouncing permanents with Rifts to keep black off devotion and blanking kill spells with Charms (also bouncing Demons with Charms). Buying even 1 or 2 turns that way where they wasted their mana usually lets you land a Prophet and things get out of hand. 1-for-1 Removal can only take them so far, once this deck reaches critical mass they just have no sweeper.

Control:
+4 Mistcutter Hydra
+3 Simic Charm
+2 Aetherling
+1 Island
-1 Forest
-3 Voyaging Satyr
-2 Sylvan Caryatid
-1 Zegana
-2 Elvish Mystic
-1 Cyclonic Rift
Kind of self-explanatory. Mana dorks are bad against board-sweepers, Mistcutters are amazing (ESPECIALLY in the UW version where the only removal for a Hydra is Supreme Verdict, Celestial Flare, or Elspeth minus ability if it's big enough). Zegana is good, but loses some power since it's tough to keep creatures around for her. Swapping in one Island proved necessary to get enough Blue to both play Aetherling and protect it.
---------------

I do take our Voyaging Satyr A LOT. He's a great card Game 1, but Games 2 and 3 he's the most vulnerable piece of the mana puzzle and will get attacked. There are much better things to be doing on turn 2, but in Game 1 the Nykthos shenanigans are worth the 3 card slots.

I'm uncertain about changing the Garruk counts in some matchups, but it seems to be working out well. If it's a deck that has no direct answer outside of creatures, I rarely want to be drawing him in multiples, but in Game 1 having him as a 4-of guarantees I probably draw him, which is critical. I think in many matches I have to either become more reactive with Charms or drop my curve. He's amazing against Mono Black an Control, though, who have a hard time dealing with him (you only have so many Hero's Downfall)....overall, unlike being super-aggro like G/R, this just buries the opponent in inevitability with overwhelming card draw.
Comments
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  • Chris O'Neal (19-Dec-2013 15:52)

    Well played. I've been rocking the U/W Devotion here: http://deckbox.org/sets/554056


    So far I'm at 3 game loses in 2 turnys. Only one of those resulted in a match loss though. 

     
  • Scott (Edited 19-Dec-2013 05:54)

    Another first place finish for this deck. Not just a win either....*puts on best Mortal Kombat announcer voice* Flawless victory! Not even one game loss.

     
    • Chris O'Neal (19-Dec-2013 15:53)

      Mind putting your sideboard strategies in the notes for the major archetypes? Mono blue, mono black, U/W/X constrol, Mono red (?) Green/Mirror matches? 

       
  • Chris O'Neal (18-Nov-2013 15:09)

    This looks sweet man! One island in the sideboard?

     
    • Scott (18-Nov-2013 15:18)

      I really need to hit the blue in the control matchup for Aetherling and increase land by one since I can't rely on mana dorks late game after a wrath.

       
    • Scott (18-Nov-2013 15:24)

      Most fun I've had in a while: Turn 3 drop triple Burning-Tree, Nykthos for 7, Garruk, minus to drop Arbor Colossus, tap my Caryatid to play Voyaging Satyr for good measure. Opponent has two lands. Concedes.

       
  • Scott (Edited 17-Nov-2013 06:46)

    Holy shit I love playing this deck, it's been destroying MTGO. I went 3-2 tonight thanks to a single missed land drop (stuck on 3 land versus Mono Red with all 3 Nylea's Disciple in my hand...meanwhile he goes triple burning tree Nykthos into Fanatic of Mogis, so yeah, terrible luck...next match I go against complete jank that drew all 4 Ghor-Clan Rampagers, the player was really inexperienced and made a ton of mistakes but the deck bailed him out).

    Turn 3 Prophet, untap and drop a Colossus or a Hydra on the opponent's turn, and then just start the feedback loop of card draw and devotion mana that's almost unstoppable.