401 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(21 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

DarrenM wrote:

I actually had another AtLegion in the sideboard. Do you think that 3 is too many? And yeah, I do suppose that moving them out for Azorius charm is a solid move. I could use the lifelink as a stabilizer, and the tempo would help with the big red matchup (Something I struggled with in the first few turns last night).

I'm running 28 lands because I need to get the proper colors as early as possible. Having chained to the rocks into precinct captain into dsphere pretty much demands that I have one of every shock land in the first 3 turns. Granted, I don't even dare attempt to do this in 99% of my games, but it still helps to get things out when I want them. As for flooding, I don't really see this as an issue because of Heliod and Sphinx's Rev. I have about an 80% chance to have either of these when I would be at the point of being flooded, and i'm pretty ok with that. At least in testing 27-28 seems to be where I want to be.

To fit in the Charms though, I do figure that if I take out the Firemane Avengers and move the AtLegions all i'll have to do is swap a land or two out and i'll be where I'd like to be color distribution wise.

My only dilemma that I forsee would be adding to my reliance of blue. It's not too easy to cast a Boros Reckoner with an Island. Do you think that this should be something that I should be worried about?

Obviously the mana fixing will get better when Born of the Gods gives you the other Scry lands, but for the time being, you might want to slide in a guildgate or two rather than just relying on the basics.  Whether you like it or not, you're far more control at this point than midrange and, as such, won't really suffer too much if you have to drop one of your first few lands tapped.  But, to that end, if you're worried about RDW, that's an easy fix in the SB, where you slide in 2x Electrickery to ping all the x/1 creatures they run and, in a pinch, you could easily slide in Riot Control to totally screw over the aggro plan.

As far as hitting everything on curve, obviously it would be ideal, but I can see where playing Reckoner is going to be tough from time to time - although the R/W hybrid will work for you as Steam Vents, Temple of Triumph, Hallowed Fountain, Izzet Guildgate, or Azorius Guildgate will work just fine.

Given that you're playing the tempo game, I would also suggest taking a look at Judge's Familiar as it offers a white devotion, an early 1/1 with evasion, and can easily disrupt the opponent's plays (as most people don't remember it can only counter instants or sorceries).

As for the flooding, I get the major need to hit your land drops and cover your bases with all three colors, BUT, I can still see where having that high of a count will be detrimental.  You aren't sitting on much card draw outside of Sphinx, meaning hitting a sizable land clump is still a problem.  Perhaps sliding a keyrune or two in would be better?  Then at least you wouldn't be totally blanking with top-deck land draws... then again, maybe it's never a problem given your setup... only testing will tell.

Go to forum: Decks and Deckbuilding

402 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(21 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

So given what you just said, a few thoughts.  I would propose moving Assemble the Legion to the SB for the control match-up as you'll be able to outperform most in the earlier stages of the game.  Azorius Charm could actually serve you quite well as the multiple modes will offer you a variety of options across numerous match-ups - the lifelink can be huge, card advantage is a plus, and the tempo gain can really get you somewhere.

Secondly, I see you're actually sitting at 28 lands... haven't you flooded out a lot?  I've never really seen anyone run more than 26 without having serious flooding issues.  If you were to drop two lands and move the legions to the SB that makes room for a playset of the charms.

I still think you're going to want more options in the SB to deal with opposing threats as Sphere and Chained only leave you with seven cards to respond to the opponent's larger threats... but then again, I could be wrong.

So yeah, change the four cards and then consider the worst match-ups and tailor the SB for those.

Go to forum: Decks and Deckbuilding

403 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(21 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

Maybe I'm off base here, but I'm seeing where you probably would want to drop Precinct Captain and Firemane Avenger for more control oriented cards as you're clearly playing a more control-type deck than really most of the mid-range decks.  I'd also say to that end to drop Spear of Heliod.

You can then toss in either more removal or even some white enchantments that act as removal, i.e., Pacifism or Arrest.  Then you're still getting some white devotion while also being able to deal with threats as, at current, I can see where you're lacking any sort of sweeper to use against an aggro deck or to deal with multiple threats at once.  Perhaps Supreme Verdict is the item you're looking for - admittedly not adding to your devotion, but giving you the time to force the issue later in games.

But I guess the biggest question is, how do you imagine yourself beating Esper Control/Superfiends/Rich Kid?  As I can see where you aren't too bad off against a lot of the other major builds out there, but Esper would likely eat you alive given their access to more consistent removal, emphasis on card advantage, and, well, Aetherling.  If you've been playtesting and perhaps you can identify the cards you think are weakest.

One more note, I can see where you'd probably get more out of Essence Scatter or even Syncopate in the SB than Negate.

Go to forum: Decks and Deckbuilding

404 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(1 replies, posted in General Discussion)

sweetcheetah wrote:

This might be semantics, but MTG is a bit of a word game.

Bubble Matrix reads "All damage dealt to creatures is reduced to 0".  Cards with death touch state that any amount of damage dealt to creature is enough to destroy it.

The question is, in this scenario and other similar plays (i.e. Lifelink), do effects that happen based on damage dealt still occur before/although damage is reduced to 0?

Negative.  As all damage is prevented/reduced to zero, there would be no triggering of any damage based effects like lifelink or deathtouch.  This is similar to using a Fog to stop a deathtouch creature from killing your creature.  While,  damage prevention IS different from what Bubble Matrix is doing, for this purpose, it will have the same effect.

Go to forum: General Discussion

405 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(1 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

... okay... going to have to give us more than a list to work with here.  Is this for casual play or a more competitive setting?  Are you wanting to take it to FNM or do you envision Grand Prix success in your future with it?  Are you looking to keep it within a specific format or are you open to whatever?  Do you have an idea of how much you're willing to spend to improve the deck?  What does your local meta-game look like?  What sorts of decks do you typically play against?  Are there match-ups you envision yourself having trouble with?  What is your primary win-con?  If you were to come up with an ideal starting hand and 5-6 turns, how would they play out?

As I've said probably a hundred times on this forum by now, the more information you give us, the more likely it is that we can give some meaningful comments.  Simply posting a decklist is likely going to just have your post largely ignored.

Go to forum: Decks and Deckbuilding

406 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(1 replies, posted in General Discussion)

In order for your creature to deal damage to the opponent when it is blocked it needs to have trample.  Otherwise, the size of your creature doesn't really matter as it can be "chump" blocked by smaller creatures without dealing any damage to the opponent.

The biggest issue I'm seeing is that you only gained three life and not the requisite four.  If you have a 4/4 lifelink and it's blocked by a 1/1, it technically still deals four damage to the opposing creature (even though one would kill it).  As such, from the way you've described, the opposing creature should've been killed, you should've gained four life, and your opponent would've taken zero damage.

Does all of that make sense?

Go to forum: General Discussion

407 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(28 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

Piffguru wrote:

too my knowledge the heroic ability triggers immediately because its the act of targeting that triggers it and so the phalanx leader would buff before taking the 1 damage from the stack going down. Although you are right the gods willing would do pretty much the exact thing

You're right... brain fart right there.  But I would still suggest Gods Willing as it'll help protect your creatures against spot removal while also providing scrying.

Go to forum: Decks and Deckbuilding

408 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(28 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

Piffguru wrote:

lol yes evasion does do that.

I just took out cavalry pegasus, I was thinking the same thing.. most of my stuff is human so why not make them flying, it was really underwhelming for some reason and I strait removed them but I did only have 2 in so mayb 4 of would make it more effective. I totally forgot about boros charm not targeting creatures, I guess Ill have to leave magma jet in.

Here is something I thought bout doing but havent tried yet.. throwing in spark jolt to essentially target my own creature to trigger heroic and get the scry, and if for some reason the 1 damage would help kill another creature so be it.

Yea all those reasons you gave about wingsteed rider are why I havent put it in yet. I guess its really just a no go..

The reason for the legion loyalist would be cause I have access to 4 of them lol but I would love to put in 4 soldier of the pantheons that would probably be my best option.. gotta get 3 more of those.

Funny thought.. put in door of destinies and choose humans lol. mana cost is too high imo but mayb it could work

With regard to Spark Jolt, it's far better if your spells are actively contributing to the board state - to which one could easily say that poking your own guys is a BAD idea - especially given that an unpumped Phalanx Leader would die to said poke.  Dragon Mantle, Martial Glory, and perhaps Gods Willing would be sufficient to trigger heroic for the deck.

Door of Destinies is a neat card, but unless you're ramping, odds are it'll come down far too late to really make a difference.

Go to forum: Decks and Deckbuilding

409 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(28 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

So there are three issues with what you're proposing:

1) Boros Charm provides a great option for some spot burn but in a competitive environment, the indestructible can be HUGE as you can blow someone out in combat, survive a sweeper, etc.  Another fun part of the Charm is that it can be directed at PWs, making it a cheaper version of Hero's Downfall in a LOT of instances.  However, what Boros Charm cannot do is target enemy creatures - sort of a big deal given that you're not going the full aggro strategy.  Without Lightning Strike or Magma Jet, you are relying entirely on Chained to the Rocks for your ability to interact with the opponent's side of the board.  Admittedly Martial Glory is going to be pseudo-removal in the sense that nobody will see those pumps coming in combat, but at the end of the day, against a threat like Desecration Demon (who you will be seeing a fair amount at an FNM), you have only a few options.  Perhaps you could slide in Warleader's Helix somewhere in place of those other two Boros Charms?

2) Wingsteed Rider really is not ideal at the three spot.  Chandra's Phoenix makes up for its weaknesses via haste and its ability to return from the yard in response to any burn damage.  Wingsteed is simply a 2/2 flyer with a small heroic pump - and let's be honest, you're going to want to try to trigger heroic on Phalanx Leader and Fabled Hero far more than you would want on the rider.

3) If you're looking for one-drops, why go with Legion Loyalist when you could just as easily go with Soldier of the Pantheon?  Soldier can deal with a LOT of opposing threats via the protection - think Rakdos Cackler or Burning-Tree Emissary while also offering non-inconsequential life gain in response to multicolored threats.  An alternative is Favored Hoplite - but the same issue with your heroic triggers applies.

The catch, of course, is that emphasizing one-drops will focus you more in toward an aggro strategy.  I can certainly see the justification for Soldier, but if you're looking for another creature, Cavalry Pegasus strikes me as a better option, given that it will give your entire team flying (and evasion wins games I hear).

Go to forum: Decks and Deckbuilding

410 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(28 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

Piffguru wrote:

yea im really not going for full on aggro anymore with this deck. the messenger's speed cards are something I wouldnt mind dropping too much, currently its in so I can trample the doublestrikes and the extra red devotion and it helps buff up ethereal armor.

I just added in the chained to the rocks , ratchet bomb, silence to the mainboard so I can have some control of the board and the chained to the rocks helps the ethereal armors aswell. I still want 2 more boros charms and Im working on gettin a couple legion's initiative but right now this was the best blend of control and midrange I could come up with.

I was just wondering why I was having a little bit of a problem consistently getting that 3rd land out or even just the opposite color of what im drawing like starting with 2 plains and not getting the 1 mountain quick enough. so I might just add another land for that reason.

I agree with the statement of having a hodge podge of random spells thats probably the area I am going to be working on soon, I have been having a hard time getting my hands on more brave the elements which I would like atleast 1 more in mainboard. and silence and ratchet bomb are things I just recently got out of a draft so I figured its a good control card if I draw it but I dont really want to have 4 of em anyway, mayb 2. I love the boros charm and martial glory, and ethereal armor is something I really like for this deck since I end up having at least 2-3 enchantments on the field pretty quick so my fabled heros or phalanx leaders become big fast.

I dont really want this to be a burn deck so I like what ajani does for me. I got another 1 on the way, and I do have a second heliod so I might just go all out white with that and drop purphorous. Im really starting to phase out alot of the red cards I had but I really dont want to drop the r/w enchantments like boros charm, martial glory, legion's initiative, and chained to the rocks.

when I put everything out on my table and looked at what I was working with I noticed only 15 creatures which I was like whoa I need to fix something here so I added anax and cymede back in cause it fits the theme but Im thinking about dropping those 2 and putting in 4 1 mana creatures, just not sure what to choose there. mayb legion loyalist even though Im not doing battalion but I could trigger the trample effect which could be beneficial.

Ive wanted to put in dragon mantle but since I am not running alot of red anymore the fact that I have to tap red land each time to use the buff is a problem since I am usually not wanting to waste the land on that I would rather put out another creature 80% of the time. even with it being a free card I just couldnt bring myself to add it over the trample effect.

Also the gods are not really expected to always go creature. I like the purphoros cause of the extra 2 damage each turn basically and heliod actually becomes a creature most times its out but I love the vigilance effect.

So to this end, the reason I said to drop Ethereal Armor is because the creatures you're likely going to put it on are already pretty easy targets (and who will draw removal anyway), i.e., Fabled Hero whose "double-strike" is also like a big red target on his back.  Swapping it for Dragon Mantle is better for a variety of reasons - one, it triggers heroic, two, it gives the OPTION of pumping (whether you only do it once or more is up to you and your mana base) and, three, it replaces itself via the card draw.

I wouldn't go with Legion's Initiative as it really is a sub-optimal Spear of Heliod.  Sure, it costs one less, but outside of Anax and Cymede you don't have any multicolored creatures that are going to get the full benefit - and giving your Fabled Hero +0/+1 really doesn't do much good.  Additionally, Boros Charm is good, but if you're not going the burn route, I wouldn't really suggest adding any more.  The biggest thing it's going to give you is the protection from sweepers, so perhaps 1-2x more in the SB, but 2x in the MB sounds about right for what you're looking at.

Silence has always struck me as an interesting card that doesn't see enough play.  I certainly understand all the reasons why it doesnt, but for an aggro deck, it strikes me as a solid tempo option to help you close the door on the opponent.  But, not being an aggro deck, for your purposes perhaps it goes to the SB to combat control decks that are counter-heavy.

Ratchet Bomb is also a SB card at best, and an underwhelming option given that it telegraphs your play.  I played an opponent this past week who relied on it for his removal of my creatures beyond 2-3 toughness, and well, I was able to play around it just fine.  Keep it in the SB for tokens, but beyond that, it really won't do much for ya.

I wasn't going to say anything, but I'll also concur with El Pablo about using one of each god rather than 2x of the one you're going to benefit from most - likely Heliod.  Purphoros, for all the hype he received, really works best in a deck that utilizes Young Pyromancer and other things like that.

I think if you're sticking with Heroic, Martial Glory is actually a great card.  It provides a double heroic trigger for two, meaning that you can either pump your entire team twice via Phalanx Leader or give +5/+5 to your Fabled Hero - or even some combination using Anax and Cymede for trample.  (Having just run an Agent of the Fates + Hidden Strings combo deck for the victory this past week, I can say that double heroic triggers can be huge).

All that being said, I think you're not too far off from a deck that will perform moderately at your FNM (perhaps yours is super competitive and you'll do worse).  It's unlikely that the deck will beat the tier 1 decks with regularity, but you have a LOT better shot than you did at the start.  Further, sometimes these off-the-wall builds can really take the meta by surprise as I was able to beat both a Selesnya Aggro AND mono-green devotion last week with my U/B homebrew.

Then again, if you're planning to go mono-white, then this is an entirely moot discussion and you should really be looking at the mono-white aggro and mono-white devotion builds.

Go to forum: Decks and Deckbuilding

411 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(3 replies, posted in General Discussion)

Piffguru wrote:

I got a lyev decree that is tinted the wrong color.. the card has a more redish tint to it rather than blue. Its only a common card but could it be worth anything?

People are typically more interested in mis-cuts rather than ink/color mistakes - I have two copies of Sire of Insanity that when set next one another are way off (one the demon is orange, the other he's red).

Then again, if you can find someone interested in an off color mistake that adds a few cents to the value, more power to ya.

Go to forum: General Discussion

412 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(28 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

This version is considerably better than the previous, so you're definitely moving in the right direction.  A few things I might would consider swapping out include:

Messenger's Speed --> Dragon Mantle or Madcap Skills
Ethereal Armor --> 1x more of both Spear of Heliod and Hammer of Purphoros

I would also suggest finding a way to up your land count to 21-23 - your curve tops at 4 with the two gods, but more importantly you want to guarantee you end up with that third land drop on-curve - something that might be a bit spotty with only 20 lands.

Otherwise, I can see where this is going to be decent at an FNM.  Don't be afraid to keep tinkering with it in response to how it performs - but don't just toss out a card as bad if it's only bad in a specific match-up (that's what the SB is for!).

Good luck!

Go to forum: Decks and Deckbuilding

413 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(3 replies, posted in Trading Post)

Not really the proper forum for this... moving to the Trading Post.

Go to forum: Trading Post

414 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(5 replies, posted in General Discussion)

Considering that Merfolk was fringe playable in Legacy and it's a three-drop "protection from your opponent" card, yeah, it's pretty good.  I think the biggest issue is that the market is flooded with them at the moment as it really doesn't fit the Grixis commander deck and as a result everyone is looking to unload them (and there aren't as many big legacy players as there are with the newer formats).

Go to forum: General Discussion

415 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(5 replies, posted in General Discussion)

blindrocket wrote:

I think that Xenagos may become a God by the time it's over with. 

And Selesnya needs some help right now so I hope that the G/W God or Planeswalker are going to be playable.

It's pretty much a given with the art they've released from the latter sets - just like how Ajani will be joining with a new version in Journey into Nyx.

That being said, I would imagine the RTR pairings are going to get some love in Born of the Gods.  You'll see the other five scry lands, probably some more quality multi-colors (I'm not entirely sold the other gods are going to be multi-colored).  But if I were a betting individual, Kiora Atua (the merfolk PW from DoTP 2012 is likely going to make her appearance here in the next two sets) - likely as a G/U walker - note that they had the exact art for Ral Zarek already used for his portrait in DoTP...

Go to forum: General Discussion

416 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(2 replies, posted in General Discussion)

BDRawhide747 wrote:

My wife and I have a debate regarding a sorcery card that grants 3 additional mana to the mana pool.  When I play the card, is this mana permanent for the game?  Or does it only last until the end of my turn?

Helios is spot on regarding the duration of sorceries.  To clarify just a bit further - barring some modification (see Omnath, Locus of Mana), your mana pool will empty at the end of every phase.  So to be specific, that means mana added to the pool during any of the phases must be used by the end of said phase or it will be lost when the pool empties.  For more on the specific phases, see https://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/ … /academy/4, but the simple rule of thumb with regard to mana is that you use it or lose it.

Go to forum: General Discussion

417 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(2 replies, posted in Site Discussion)

Hooray MTG seller pricing typo!

Go to forum: Site Discussion

418 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(6 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

Kyremi wrote:

Yeah, I tend to just include 1 of what I like... I'd like to make this as good a deck as possible, regardless of where I'd play it. Also, the only cards of what you suggested that I own are 3x Voyage's End and one Mizzium Mortars, no others. I'd want to make the deck from cards I have already...

Please don't take any offense, but if you prefer to just run 1x of cards, I would suggest not taking the deck to an FNM.  The reason why most decks have 3-4x of most cards is because it increases the consistency of the deck's performance - as you're more likely to draw the cards you really want to see.

I would suggest putting those four cards into the deck and trying to up the counts of the cards that are essential to your strategy.  Then identify the few pieces you really want to pick up for the deck, as you have some pretty good trade pieces to move in order to get the cards you'd want.

Go to forum: Decks and Deckbuilding

419 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(6 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

So the first question is, where are you looking to play this?  Casual?  FNM?  More competitive?

The reason I ask is because as it currently stands, the deck has FAR too many 1-off cards to be consistent.  If you're looking to play in any sort of a competitive event, you're really going to want to focus in more on the specific cards that are vital to your strategy.

For casual play, if I were to pick a few cards to remove, they would be the following:

Blistercoil Weird
Archaeomancer
2x Fluxcharger
Dynacharge
Protect // Serve
2x Armed // Dangerous
Teleportal
Traitorous Instinct
and Blast of Genius

I would definitely suggest adding:

Magma Jet
Lightning Strike
Mizzium Mortars
Voyage's End
Cyclonic Rift

and other things of that nature...

Go to forum: Decks and Deckbuilding

420 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(5 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

So some things to consider: 

Keep in mind that U/G really doesn't give you very good options for interacting with the opponent in a lot of scenarios.  You have some counters, but unless you really set up with more counter-magic, odds are you aren't going to have that many answers for the opponent.

I like the mid-range feel, but I think you have a bit too much at the top end of the spectrum without much ramping to get you there.  Essentially, if someone can drop your mana dorks, they have you dead to rights.  If you're not really playing a threat until turn 5-6, you will be done - whether you're going against aggro or just a mid-range deck (nevermind the fact that a control build will love the added turns to set up their long game.

So, how do you tackle these issues?  My suggestion would be to focus on the few big hitters you're aiming to use and then drop the rest of them.  For instance, you don't really want Aetherling in here, as you really should consider it to be a 7-drop (you always want one more to flicker it).  Other creatures that are really out of place here, Master Biomancer and Progenitor Mimic.  Master really just pumps creatures that are already big enough to be a threat (that's pretty win-more), and Progenitor is unlikely to generate more than one copy given the removal available in the format - so if that's what you want, why not just run Clone?  In essence, the only six-drop creature that you would want to consider running is Prime Speaker Zegana and that's primarily for the card advantage she generates.  I would consider sliding at least 2x Polukranos, World Eater into the build to give yourself a solid four-drop threat that has to be answered (which also works rather well with Bow of Nylea if you decide to keep it in there).

As for Swan Song, you can certainly leave it in if it has performed for you, but I can see where Syncopate will be more effective.  Additionally, I would consider some Rapid Hybridizations as a spot removal/combat trick to deal with BIG threats (or alternately Curse of the Swine if you have them - note it EXILES, so you can take out the Gods with it too!).  Cyclonic Rift is a MUST for you as well.

I would also suggest some added ramp options, whether they come in the form of Voyaging Satyr or something else, as you're going to want to get to six mana as quickly as possible as consistently as possible.  If you'd like, I tossed together a quick build that might be more to your liking (http://deckbox.org/sets/534192) or, alternately, there is a version that I saw the other day posted by Frank Lepore (http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=11492) you could investigate, AND, as another alternative, he reviewed a different UG list a while back that is more along the lines of what you're doing (http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=11466) and, lastly, here's a BUG list he tried out a while back (http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=11427).

What I can say, Prognostic Sphinx is an epic threat when paired with Bident of Thassa... I won my FNM last night.  I hope some of those lists I've linked you to can help.  I think it's an under-appreciated color pairing, but in the same respect, the lack of clear, meaningful removal is a serious problem.

Go to forum: Decks and Deckbuilding

421 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(4 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

DarrenM wrote:

This is essentially the build that I am after. Though I believe that by going black, he's not really gaining anything over my going red. He's got Blood Baron, which replaces my firemane avenger, he's got the orzhov charm which is pretty much swappable with boros charm, and he's got thoughtseize. Where he is in disruption, I am in board presence.

I do like his build though, but I think it could be a bit more tuned. I think that he's going black as more of a meta call, just to get the blood baron against mono black and mono white strategies.

I'm certainly not advocating matching that deck exactly, but it's a proven winner, having finished well in two major competitive events... so there's that.  To be honest I would've taken the build more mid-range myself and focused more on fun stuff like Obzedat.... but that's just me.

Go to forum: Decks and Deckbuilding

422 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(4 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

If you're after a mono-white devotion build... take a gander at Frank Lepore's Deck Tech from earlier today.

http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=11502

There are some options obviously, but it looks like fun.  I would probably run a few more removal options or at least Pacifism in the mainboard.  Evangel of Heliod can also be an option if you're interested.  I would potentially suggest the swapping of Ajani too...

But anyway, give it a look...

Go to forum: Decks and Deckbuilding

423 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(20 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

It's looking a lot better.  I would still drop one Nighthowler and two copies of Commune with the Gods for three more lands, but otherwise it looks workable.  Give it a go.  There's no telling how it will perform until you playtest with it.

Go to forum: Decks and Deckbuilding

424 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(20 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

obnysalt wrote:

Another option I considered was Gifts of Orzhova/Marks of the Vampire/Whips to give it some comeback ability.

Trust me when I say that Whip is an epic card.  I actually ran a home-brewed version of Mono-black devotion on Theros gameday that ran 4x Pack Rat, 2x Abhorrent Overlord, and 3x Whip of Erebos and I can say that the whip EASILY won three games for me alone and kept me in the Esper Control matchup for far longer than I should've been able to.  Even after he cleared out my threats, I was able to keep reanimating Desecration Demons and other pieces for lifegain.  Sure, they're one shot pieces, but a 6/6 flying lifelink for four?  If that's not Ball Lightning on steroids...  Being able to reanimate Abhorrent Overlord for some 10 odd harpies that stick around wasn't half bad either.

But all this is beside the point.  The input you're getting from all of us is good.  Don't think that we're piling on or tearing your ideas apart, it's just that we've all been there already.  I can't speak for the other guys but I haven't won any Grand Prix or Pro-Tour events (hell... I haven't even been to one), but when it comes to FNM, you do have to bring your A game if you hope to win.  The desire to build something different isn't a bad thing, if anything, it's part of what makes the game fun.  To me, deckbuilding is often more fun than actually playing the decks... When I first got back into the game (after a 15 year break), I had this strange notion that a deck centered around Slumbering Dragon would work... well... it didn't... by a long shot.  I don't think I won but a single game that entire FNM - and winning isn't everything, but it sure makes the deck more fun when you actually have a fighting chance.

Go to forum: Decks and Deckbuilding

425 Reply by TyWooOneTime

(20 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

obnysalt wrote:

I see now that I am a Johnny among Spikes here.

I don't know that I'd go that far.  I actually fall as more of a Johnny/Timmy mix than a Spike.  Hell, I tried to run elf-ball into Worldspine Wurm one week...  But, that being said, I have played around super competitive players (hardcore Spikes) long enough to recognize what is and isn't viable.  It's fun to come up with something different and have fun with it, but it's also no fun to just lose EVERY game.

I don't think you're too far off from a moderately competitive build, but here are some thoughts (on the correct build this time).

1) I think you would be MUCH better served trying to make this a mid-range deck as opposed to going an aggro plan.  That being said, Slitherhead really does you no good here.  You can afford to drop him.

2) I have to second El Pablo on the Undercity Informers as you aren't really wanting to mill yourself too much.  At current you can already dig pretty well with Grisly Salvage and similar spells.  So why waste a spot on something that requires you to sack a creature to even take advantage of?

3) Jarad is a REALLY underrated card that can get quite disgusting really quickly.  The issue; however, is that he does not possess trample.  Before rotation this was easy with Rancor (through which I had many a fun time against Tier 1 decks that didn't know how to deal with a threat that kept growing AND had trample).  His sack ability is also quite relevant... more on that in a moment.

4) On the one hand Nemesis of Mortals strikes me as a neat card to work with, but it's rather fragile.  Let's be honest, a lot of the time it will still be a 4 or 5 drop and even if you make it monstrous, it has no evasion, nor does it even have trample sad .  A 10/10 is cool, but if it can get chumped all day long, well, that's just no fun.

5) I'm of the belief that Nighthowler might have a build somewhere (he's in my build as a 3x).  The real strength to him will be to treat him as an aura and always bestow him before you go trying to cast him as a creature.  Keep that in mind when it comes to trying to decide whether or not to mulligan or not.

5) El Pablo is RIGHT ON about the removal.  You're sitting at the intersection of black and green, giving you access to perhaps the best suite of removal in the format - Abrupt Decay, Doom Blade, Ultimate Price, Devour Flesh, Putrefy, Hero's Downfall - and that's just to name a few.  At least a smattering of this stuff NEEDS to be in here in order for you to be competitive.

6) I'm also not sold that you need three different spells to dig.  Grisly Salvage should be sufficient as a 4x.  The issue with the other two is that they're actually working counter to one another.  Commune with the Gods is essentially mill yourself four and grab a land.  But Drown in Filth actually wants you to have lands in your yard.  Nevermind that you're still sitting at only 21 lands... so if you're grabbing all your lands with Salvage and Commune, where will the lands in the yard be for Drown to even do anything?

So some suggestions on where to go from here:

1) You have ramp creatures, but nothing to really ramp into.  You can either a) drop them for more independently useful creatures that fit your plan, or b) keep them and move to a more mid-range strategy - which means REALLY stocking up on big threat creatures like Reaper, Desecration Demon, Polukranos, etc.

2) Given the way the deck works and you're putting stuff in the yard, Whip of Erebos is pretty much a MUST to some degree.  While it removes things from the yard via its reanimation (somewhat counter to your strategy) but it can actually work with Jarad pretty well, pending you get to seven mana.  You can easily have Jarad lose one of his pumps to reanimate a sizable creature, swing, and then sack it before it exiles.  The lifelink for your entire team is also pretty good I hear.

3) You probably want some means of card draw.  The way that mid-range decks really shine is by generating more card advantage than the opponent, allowing them to simply do more and, in turn, winning the game.  Look at the mono-black devotion deck, for all the love given to Gray Merchant and whatnot, it is Underworld Connections that really makes that deck go.  Without it, well, they end up top-decking all day long and relying on luck that they don't just keep drawing lands like their opponents.  So to that end, Read the Bones or, if you have it, Underworld Connections are GREAT options here.  Sure, they cost life, but if you have the Whip, then you will easily gain more than you lose in the long run.  Garruk, Caller of Beasts could also be an option, although he might whiff a fair amount and might not work as much as you'd like (he's also pricey and costs six to play).

4) I talked about giving stuff trample to really help you get there.  The issue is that there isn't Rancor to help us here anymore... however, we do have an alternative - Nylea, God of the Hunt.  I'd say to run 2x of her - giving you a decent shot of getting one to give trample but she also doesn't have a bad shot at coming online care of most of the creatures giving at least one devotion to green.

5) This might just be me, but having seen how Pack Rat just takes over a lot of games for mono-black devotion, it might be worth it to put 2-3x of them in the build.

6) I'm not really sure I'm following much of your sideboard.  This will depend a lot on how competitive your FNMs are (I hope they're not as hardcore as El Pablo's), but you probably need to have a few cards for specific matchups.  How do you battle Mono-black devotion?  What about Mono-blue?  Mono-green devotion?  How about Esper Control?  Do you have cards to slide in against aggro matchups?  You need to build the sideboard thinking about what you might face from your opponents.  As it currently stands, it's essentially just a few cards you were thinking might make it into the MB but that didn't make the cut (which is fine, I used to make that mistake like many others).

Anywhom, it's better than it was and certainly would be more competitive, but I still don't think it's quite there for a competitive matchup.  Keep on tweaking, think up some combos, have a good time with it.  If you're okay with losing more than winning, go big and pull out some weird combos, but if you'd like to be competitive while also having some fun, you might want to stick a bit more to some of the format staples and such.

As a final note, how competitive is your FNM?

Good luck!

Go to forum: Decks and Deckbuilding