501

(8 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

For what it's worth, here's the sliver build I pieced together.  http://deckbox.org/sets/434636.

I never took it to an FNM, but I see no reason it wouldn't at least do something for you.

For the budget concerns, if you yank the walkers and lands, you should actually be down below $100.

You would have 10 rares as it currently sits, so you could probably afford to lose the 2x Mizzium Mortars for lesser removal.  That would put you at 8 rares (4x Bonescythe, 2x Megantic, 2x Door of Destinies).

I'm only seeing 4 uncommons in the Manaweft Slivers, so you certainly have some leeway there to modify things.

For mythics, I've actually thought Primeval Bounty would be a solid pick in here, as it will turn late game dead cards into threats and ALWAYS impacts the board.

But, looking at your build, I really would consider making sure the curve is lower.  The real strength of slivers is their synergy with one another, making each threat that much more dangerous as the game goes on.  Adding things like trample (Groundshaker Sliver) or the pinging effect from Thorncaster Sliver really just aren't necessary.  You would probably do better with some simple removal like Lightning Strike, Shock, and Magma Jet.

Sebi has recently said that the update in the trade interface is coming soon... I know it's a pain to keep hearing this, but be patient, it will improve soon.

DarrenM wrote:

I've been playing Bant Control for all of theros, and i've had zero issues with the blue devotion decks. Thassa falls to essence scatter, Master can be countered, and supreme verdict happens either the turn before or after Master or thassa can go big. Then its all down to my 5/5 stompy wurm tokens to clean up the mess. Basically, you have to play like you know what you're playing against. that means keeping your counters around for the stuff that matters, and using spot removal on the things that dont. If blue devotion is a problem in your area, build a deck that is full of removal and wraths. I also heard that Gideon, Champ of Justice was awesome against Master of waves.

Gideon sounds hilarious... nice thinking!

hosj321 wrote:

Ok...so I'm pretty sure this is going to be a thing now. How do we deal with this? Gotta be ready by Turn 4 or deal with it on Turn 5 once it hits the board.

Red can't target the Master of Waves and Thassa is indestructible.

A few ideas are all the black "creatures -1/-1" kind of cards & detention spheres but are there any other options? I play Green + White & White + Blue decks. Trying to stay away from splashing black just to answer stuff like this.

Josh

The key is that Master of Waves has protection from red, not just that he cannot be targeted, meaning that damage from things like Anger of the Gods won't take him out.  It's key to distinguish this from the protection from targeting Fiendslayer Paladin enjoys.

As far as ways to deal with him, they're plentiful.  He's an easy target for any/all black removal, Essence Scatter, Banisher Priest, *insert non-red removal here*.  But the key to combating such a deck is going to be simply making sure their devotion count is low at all times.  Oddly enough this means taking out the Frostburn Weirds and Tidebinder Mages, often over worrying about Master or Thassa.  Sure, Thassa is indestructible, but really, how hard is it to keep their devotion below five?  Similarly, if Master hits the field and it's the only thing other than Thassa on their side of the board, well, they're only going to get two of the elementals.  Not a bad value to get 6 power for four, but really still not that big of a deal.

The reason I would argue the mono-blue devotion was so successful at pro-tour was because not all that many people really saw it coming.  It obviously has it's advantages over RDW and aggro for the most part, but I could easily see mono-white aggro overpowering it as well as pretty much any deck that features black and the targeted removal that affords.  Personally, I'm tossing Profit // Loss and/or Golgari Charm into the SB for any decks I'm running with black in them for the -1/-1 abilities at instant speed as it hoses not just Master, but an increasingly higher number of aggro creatures these days (Soldier of the Pantheon, Dryad Militant, Firefist Striker, Firedrinker Satyr, etc etc).

On a side note, Polukranos, World Eater offers a pretty quality answer to Master of Waves as it'll give you a 5/5 blocker who on the next turn can grow to a 6/6, pick off Master, and deal with all the tokens in one fell swoop.

505

(2 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

To start, I have to ask about your FNM environment.  How frequently have you been/played at your current LGS?  Are people there laid back home-brewers or are you normally encountering people ramping up for the next Grand Prix/Pro-Tour Qualifier/StarCityGames Open?  The reason I ask is because unorthodox decks like this can be a lot of fun and can work in the less competitive environments, but if you're going to be playing against a ton of net-deckers who are just running tier 1 lists, well, you're going to lose... a lot.

So I'm guessing the main idea here is to try and capitalize on the counters provided by Advocate of the Beast.  This is a tempting strategy, but not one that I'm entirely sure will be the most competitive.  In the event that the opponent takes out the advocates, you're really just sitting on a few sub-optimal creatures. 

Gladecover Scout and Witchstalker are good pieces care of hexproof, but if you're wanting to go hexproof auras, you would be much better suited to go G/W to include fun things like Ethereal Armor, Unflinching Courage and Fleecemane Lion (nevermind tossing Heliod in there as he makes enchantment creatures with his cleric tokens).  Outside of an aura-centric build, Gladecover Scout really just doesn't get the job done - you would be better swapping them to Elvish Mystics to at least help with some ramping. 

Deadly Recluse also isn't half bad, but it's a purely defensive creature in a deck that, as it appears to me, is meant to try and take advantage of some speed and aggression. 

Tuskers are good, so run with that...

Advocate of the Beast if he's central to the plan, why not 4x of him?

Rumbling Baloth is decent given what you're running with here, but let me ask, which sounds better, a vanilla 4/4 for four, or a 5/5 with scavenge for four, or perhaps a 5/5 with monstrosity that can take out opposing creatures for four?  In this case, you would lose the synergy with Advocate, but Deadbridge Goliath or Polukranos, World Eater is a better choice at the four drop.  Toss in 2-3 Nylea, God of the Hunt and now you're giving them trample and going to town.

Kalonian Hydra is good, but you would obviously do well to have more than 1.

Giant Growth has been a great spell for years and I certainly wouldn't want to begrudge it, but in the same breath, combat tricks outside of bloodrush aren't very common in standard these days, and even among bloodrush, Ghor-Clan Rampager is the only one that sees much play because it pumps AND gives trample.  You would be better suited with some sort of removal here, I'm thinking Pit Fight makes about as much sense as you really can in standard.  Perhaps Giant Growth is the best option as a sort of pseudo removal...

Naturalize as a 4x in the mainboard?  Auras are more common in Theros standard than they have been for a while, but I don't know that it warrants four in the main... nevermind that you really want Fade into Antiquity to be able to exile the gods in the event they ever hit the field.  In either event, I would slide all these to the sideboard.

Hunt the Weak is not bad, but considering that it's sorcery speed and costs four, you'd be better suited with Pit Fight.

Enlarge is good and might even warrant being at 3x.

The enchantments probably don't need to be in here.  On the one hand, if you're going hexproof auras, you might have something, but outside of that, auras are typically bad as they present an easy opportunity for the opponent to two-for-one you.  Alpha Authority might provide hexproof, but honestly, you'd be better just going with creatures that already have it or things like Fleecemane Lion that can be given hexproof in response to some other action.

Hopefully that much makes sense... now I'll give a list of a few cards you're going to want to look into for a mono-green build that should be useful.

Polukranos, World Eater; Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx; Arbor Colossus; Boon Satyr; Deadbridge Goliath; Nylea, God of the Hunt; Garruk, Caller of Beasts; Karametra's Acolyte... there are more, but I'm blanking at the moment...

I hope some of this helps.  Sadly FNMs are frequently not as much fun for home-brewers in many respects unless the environment is right.  So to that end, give all of this mess a look-through and pick out what you can work with, but most importantly, don't be afraid to spend a bit or go exploring to see if another LGS is more welcoming.

Good luck!

506

(8 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

overlordmario wrote:

I edited the deck a bit.

Is Modern MTG format less common to see at tournaments?

Modern is just another format that a lot of people play.  It doesn't experience rotation and, as such, typically has more established decks and strategies.  That being said, it's a LOT more expensive to get into to really be competitive (unless you build a mono-colored infect, and even then, you're still not well suited against a lot of the major decks out there).

My suggestion would be to stick with standard.

That being said, if you're after aggro, you have to choose whether you're wanting to go pure red aggro or stay red/black.  The latter gives you some additional options for removal, but will suffer a bit in speed and consistency.

For mono-red, to be honest, you can use http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/a … op_8_Decks the mono-red devotion build here and really just make changes where you feel are appropriate or where really fit your inventory/abilities.  While I personally hate people who net-deck, depending on the LGS and level of competition you run into, there's really no need to reinvent the wheel trying to brew your own mono-red aggro deck when we know this one works.

For red/black, well, things change a bit... you should look into Foundry Street Denizen as a second one drop, potentially even Tormented HeroGore-House Chainwalker, Rakdos Shred-Freak, Firefist Striker and Spike Jester as possible two-drops.  Tymaret, the Murder King (aka Burger King) pairs REALLY well with Purphoros if you have two of him - you can sit and sack him to get the other one out of the yard, play him, two damage to the opponent... and repeat.  At the three drop, you'll have access to Chandra's Phoenix, Hellhole Flailer, potentially Nighthowler.  At the four you have Purphoros, Desecration Demon, Exava, and things of that like.  You can certainly extend the curve up to 5 to fit in Gray Merchant or Stormbreath Dragon, but ideally you wouldn't need them.

Additionally, you'll want to consider some combination of removal spells - Magma Jet, Doom Blade, Dreadbore, Ultimate Price, Devour Flesh (although you'll want to avoid this being aggro), Hero's Downfall, and Mizzium Mortars.

So, a R/B aggro build should probably be about 22 lands, 25 creatures, and say 7-8 removal spells.

Hopefully that helps...

507

(8 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

Alright, so again, this will depend on the level of competition at your local FNM.

But if you want to be competitive, a LOT of the deck as it currently sits will have to go. 

One thing to remember is that the most consistent decks have 3-4 of most cards because that increases the consistency with which they'll draw them.  As such, you'll want 3-4 copies of the cards you identify as being best.

The next question is which of the three major archetypes you'll want to play.  Among your choices are aggro, where you are just trying to kill the opponent faster than they have a chance to respond; mid-range, where you tend to stall just a little bit and end up playing some major creatures/spells that ultimately just put the game out of reach; or control, where you tend to use most of your efforts to clear the board or otherwise to "control" the flow of the game until you ultimately drop a single threat that just wins the game.  Aggro is naturally the fastest type of deck, but one which either wins big or goes down in flames (there are a lot of times where an aggro deck just isn't going to get there and you have to sit there watching helplessly).  Mid-range is arguably the most versatile, but frequently loses out to control matchups as they're both trying to slow the game down a bit.  Control is grindy, there's no better way to put it - these are the decks that often go to time during rounds or otherwise take 15-25 turns to win games.

With 4x Rakdos Cackler you have the startings of an aggro build, but I'll let you think over which archetype you want to run before delving too much into specific card choices.

508

(8 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

overlordmario wrote:

Yeah, I've been playing in a few FNM drafts. They are quite fun and I wanted to take it up a notch to a Grand Prix soon!

So to be clear you're saying that your eventual goal is to take this deck to a GP?

509

(8 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

So without delving too deeply into changes I would make, which I can do of course, I figured I would answer the question you have at the end.  M13 is no longer Standard legal.  It rotated with the Innistrad block as soon as Theros became standard legal.

That being said, what is the goal of this deck?  Are you going to just keep playing casually, just within the standard format or were you planning on sleeving up for FNM?

My biggest suggestion for newer players (at least to the competitive environment) is to scout out your LGS and possibly a few other FNMs to see where the environment is most welcoming.  Some FNMs are full of people who are just dying for the next Grand Prix, Star City Games Open, or even Pro Tour Qualifier - and as such, the FNMs are loaded with super competitive players who are essentially just seeing how well they can pilot the latest and greatest net-deck (you wonder why some cards have massive jumps in price, that's why... look at Chandra, Pyromaster and Thassa, God of the Sea as recent examples).  For newer players, these types of environments will simply turn you off of Magic and nobody wants to see that (winning certainly isn't everything, but it gets REALLY old getting blown out game after game after game).  Now, if you're lucky or look hard enough, you'll be able to find more relaxed FNMs that will cater more to the home-brewing, playing the game to have fun crowd.  This is where I think you'll be more comfortable, make more friends, make more trades, and overall just enjoy the game and its players more.  Keep in mind you might have to dig around a bit and likely at every FNM you'll find someone who is super competitive, but try to find a more laid back place to play or it can really just ruin the experience.

Having said all of that, I'll let you get back with regard to where you intend to play this before I give specific comments as they'll hinge on the play environment.

Cheers!

510

(4 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

hooper_n_juice wrote:

Haha, I have been thinking to myself that this list is just screaming to be mono-white and I'm probably just being stubborn and forcing an archetype that isn't really there.

I appreciate the help, and might give those changes a shot.

There is a good possibility this will evolve onto a mono-white devotion deck. I just need to pick up the gods and a few elspeth's... Easier said than done though. Haha

You're not going to need Elspeth for mono-white aggro.  At most you'll curve out at 5 with Archangel of Thune.  I'd suggest looking into getting 4x Soldier of the Pantheon and 1-2 Heliod, God of the Sun long before you would need an Elspeth.

And overlordmario is right, Fiendslayer is pretty sick, especially if you put down Path of Bravery and/or Spear of Heliod.

511

(4 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

If it were me, I would make the following changes:

-4 Bioshift
-4 Triton Tactics
-3 Daxos of Meletis

+1 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
+3 Gods Willing
+3 Mizzium Skin
+1 Brave the Elements
+2 Banisher Priest
+1 Boros Reckoner

You're still sitting at the same number of cards, but then you gain the ability to do a lot more. 

- A second Ajani will increase the chances you actually draw him, and I think you would be hard pressed not to see a benefit from him.

- Gods Willing gives you the ability to make a creature unblockable for a turn, triggers heroic, can remove pesky enchantments from creatures (both yours and your opponent's), OR provides protection against opponent removal.

- Mizzium Skin provides a brief toughness boost or more importantly can provide hexproof to protect your creatures and provides a heroic trigger - note that if there were a card to be tossed, this is probably it and to be honest I can see where Path of Bravery might get more done here.

- Brave the Elements is just that good.  You might as well run the full 4x of them.

- Banisher Priest is a dual purpose card for you.  Not only does it give you another threat on the board, but it can REALLY affect the tempo of the game or otherwise just acts as removal.

- Boros Reckoner is also just that good.  Going up to 2x will give you better chances of drawing one while not putting an insane requirement on your mana (as that triple white is going to be hard to hit reliably).

This likely isn't going to be 100% ideal as it sits.  To be honest, you're close enough to the mono-white aggro lists that were doing real work right after Theros hit that I would suggest just making the change to that.  I mean after all, you're really only getting Aqueous Form by going blue.

512

(2 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

I mean I don't see why it couldn't work alright... There appear to be a few sub-optimal choices and you're totally missing your three-drop spot entirely, but I've seen worse work out alright.

The critical question is where are you planning on playing this?  FNM, you might have a shot.  Grand Prix/PTQ, not so much.

So one thing to try and consider is how you would deal with some of the major decks and threats that are seeing play in standard these days:


Decks:  From the sound of the Pro-Tour today, aggro is definitely a thing to consider a LOT.

1) RDW - You have a few low drop blockers, not bad, but in reality, if you don't land something pretty big on curve, you're likely dead.

2) Mono-white aggro - They're going to blitz past you in a LOT of instances and things like Brave the Elements are just going to hose you - nevermind Banisher Priest dropping your big creatures.

3) U/W Control - You have a few options against Verdict, but really I'm not seeing much in the way of an answer in the SB.  If Skylasher and Mistcutter Hydra are your only anti-control cards, you'll want them as more than a 2x of each.

Specific Threats: If you're wanting to look at more specific cards that will be problems...

1) Stormbreath Dragon - I'm game, outside of Desecration Demon, Doom Blade is your only real option.

2) Desecration Demon - This little fella is seeing a LOT of play these days... you have 3x, but outside of that, how do you deal with theirs?

3) Blood Baron of Vizkopa - I'm seeing 1x Warped Physique and not much else.

4) Planeswalkers?  Gods?  I see no answers...

These are just a few things to consider if you're taking it to a more competitive environment.  My suggestion would be to look more toward the BUG list that Frank Lepore has been tinkering with (http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=11427) for some guidance.  His deck is far from perfect, but he's both thought about and played with it far more than I have.  I can say that if you watch the videos, he is quite partial to his Essence Scatters and the role they manage to play... something to keep in mind.

If it were me trying to adapt the deck, I'd likely go ahead and pull Corpsejack Menace (it pains me as I thought he was going to be really good...), and Lotleth Troll (you want to be playing your threats more than discarding them).  If you're going mid-range, you might as well go mid-range. 

I'd suggest Putrefy in the MB and Doom Blade in the SB, as Putrefy just hits more targets to begin with.  Then, in the event you're not playing black, you can easily SB them for the Doom Blades.

You're going to want SOME counters mainboard, why else would you play blue?  Essence Scatter and Negate, although you might be able to get away with Spell Rupture.  I'd also suggest looking into other blue removal like Rapid Hybridization or Curse of the Swine as either could take out a big threat for cheap... swine also exiles, so you could take care of one of the gods.

Again, on its face it looks like the deck could be alright and likely would be fun to play, but against Tier 1 opponents I think you're going to find yourself getting stuck without the answers you need.  So, that in mind, FNM away... but I'd really give it a lot more testing and hard looks before you go to something more competitive.

513

(3 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

Well, so you're completely right that you don't want to go dropping $100 on singles for a deck you might not like.  Thankfully, you really don't have to.  The first option is to build the deck here on deckbox and simulate trial hands with it to see how you think it will perform.  The second option is to proxy up the deck and see how it plays.  This means simply putting basic lands into the sleeves with a piece of paper in front of them that explain what card it is supposed to be - this way you can simulate what it's like to play with the actual deck before you go splurge on all the cards.

My initial reaction would be to find a more laid back LGS to start attending as you really don't want to immerse yourself in an overly competitive environment just starting out (trust me when I say it's no fun running into a $1000 deck when yours is a total of $80).

Now, for the removal question, it depends entirely on the type of play you enjoy, the strategy you're looking to use, and a variety of other factors what is best.  In many instances the burn you see in red is sufficient to take out opposing threats; however, as you experienced in the draft, there are creatures that simply cannot be handled in that way.  Each color has its own sort of removal (or removal like option) and you really just have to decide which you like using.  Black is typically the most straight-forward; however, there are plenty of weaknesses there as black doesn't  have any way to clear the entire board currently in standard (as compared to red - Anger of the Gods & Mizzium Mortars; white - Supreme Verdict w/blue, Merciless Eviction w/black, & Planar Cleansing; etc. etc).  BUT, on the flip side, black's removal tends to be the most unconditional "kill target creature."

With regard to sorting through your cards to build a deck, unfortunately cards that shine as all-stars in draft and sealed formats aren't always the good cards in constructed.  So Sengir Vampire is pretty bad-ass in sealed, but in constructed, Desecration Demon is just plain better - it costs one less to cast, is a 6/6, and in the worst case scenario can serve as repeat removal.  To that end, I would suggest looking through your inventory and through the available sets to identify the cards that you really would enjoy playing with most and then try to build around those.  The alternative would be to look online for ideas, typically by looking at the decks that are performing well in major tournaments (you can find them on magic.tcgplayer.com).

morph66 wrote:

60 views and not a single trade offer. Wow this board is deadski

It could be that people just aren't sitting on the list of stuff you're looking for... those are some pretty heavy-duty staples you're looking for.

515

(3 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

So first off, welcome to the game.

My first suggestion would be to go to your local FNM and just observe.  Depending on your local game shop's environment, you might be able to perform alright with a less polished home brew; however, if it's a more competitive store, you're likely going to just get destroyed.

Having said that, the deck as currently constructed has several issues.  The most pressing being that you're not clearly dedicated to a strategy.  You can really classify decks into one of three types: 1) aggro, 2) mid-range, and 3) control.  The first type is dedicated to putting as many threats on the board as possible and simply smashing face as quickly as possible.  Aggro decks are characterized by lower mana curves, typically ending at four or occasionally five.  Mid-range decks are meant to either ramp into or otherwise just last until you can start dropping bigger threats, typically ones that are harder to deal with.  As a result, your curve will be higher and you'll feature more removal.  The third type of decks are control, which outside of a few late game win-cons, consist of almost nothing other than removal and answers to your opponent's threats.  The plan here is to essentially just control the game until the later turns at which point you can resolve some giant threat that the opponent simply cannot overcome.

You state in your description that you're after a control-type build, yet, you really don't have that much in the way of quality removal.  If you're running black, you need to be sitting on a lot of unconditional removal like Doom Blade, Ultimate Price, Hero's Downfall and Devour Flesh.  Red should be running Anger of the Gods, Lightning Strike, Mizzium Mortars and things of the like.  Additionally Dreadbores are nice to have too. You'll likely want higher end threats to be things like Desecration Demon, Sire of Insanity, Underworld Cerberus, and the like.  (Side note, Abhorrent Overlord works beautifully with Whip of Erebos).  Outside of these threats, you're going to want a LOT more removal, most importantly being Anger of the Gods, which will let you clear out the opponent's board quite frequently.

Without delving into specific cards too much, I would suggest figuring out which way you would like to run with the deck, then identify the cards that are critical to your strategy.  Then you ideally want to pick up multiples of those cards and run most of them as 3-4 ofs, as opposed to only having one copy of a card in the deck.  The idea here is to increase consistency across games, making the deck more reliable and more competitive.

All of that being said, if the LGS is super competitive, I would actually suggest trying another LGS and finding somewhere laid back, as the shops where people are dedicated to Grand Prix and Pro-Tour style events will typically have a TON of net-deckers and really just aren't as much fun until you're more skilled.

Remember, the biggest part is to have fun.  I hope some of this helped.

516

(7 replies, posted in General Discussion)

Sebi is the process of a trading interface overhaul.  I'm not sure on the timetable for the update, but it shouldn't be too far off as he provided a preview of how the next interface will operate here in the forums.

That being said, it will still show up if you load another user's profile, showing you the overlap between your respective trade and wishlists.  It's a bit tedious for the time being, but it's easy enough to find a card you're after, load it's page, and start looking through the people with it in their tradelists.

Here is the deck that is being referenced.

http://deckbox.org/sets/496737

GR33NJ3RK, please remember to link to the deck in question so that people know what you're referring to.

More pointedly, the deck is clearly for standard play not for modern (trust me as you'll get blown out playing modern with this deck).  That being said, you REALLY need to focus more on having 3 and 4x of the cards you're really wanting if you hope to be competitive.

Perhaps if you could detail more about the setting you're playing in, budget you're looking to spend, and how you expect the deck to perform in an ideal scenario, then we might be able to provide more useful insight.  Remember, the more information you give the community, the more likely we can give meaningful feedback.

518

(12 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

hosj321 wrote:

Swapping for the path of bravery right now (definitely a good idea).

Now question, would EACH attacking creature trigger the angel's ability? Or would it be just ONE set of +1s for the Path and one set of +1s for the lifelink angel?

I like the voices because they are fast enough and versatile, I'm reluctant to get rid of them because they've been doing so well.

Josh

Sadly, you don't get separate triggers for each attacking creature.  Path of Bravery counts how many attackers are declared and then you gain that much life - so it's a pump if you're over 20, but if you're playing aggro and attacking frequently (as you should), this will equate into a quick and easy source of life gain and Glorious Anthem.

For the Voices, if you have all 4 of them you're certainly welcome to give it a go with them, but I just know that they're not as threatening as a 3/3 centaur or lion on the same turn.  They do have the potential to create the tokens, but given that Anger of the Gods and Supreme Verdict are your biggest obstacles, the tokens aren't all that relevant (as Anger exiles, so no token, and verdict clears everything, so only a 1/1 token).  Personally, I've found them to under-perform, especially in an aggro build... but ultimately it is your deck and it's up to you.

519

(12 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

From the look of the current build you're straying from the aggro again... Mistcutter Hydra can work as a SB card, but so can Voice (and having the Voice count at 2x saves you the trouble of picking up 2x more $40 cards).  Don't even worry about Elspeth as she's too high for the curve you're shooting for.  The same can be said for Collective Blessing.

Your best bet anthem will be Path of Bravery - consider the synergy with the angel... attacking gains life and more pumps for the entire team...  It's also WAY cheaper to cast and easier to hit the colored mana requirements.

But again, you're going to want to max out Dryad Militant and/or Soldier of the Pantheon as 4-ofs - as you want to put the pressure on early and keep it on until they're finished off.

The hammer gives BOTH options as viable.  In an aggro deck you really won't ever need more than 5 mana, so it lets you convert anything beyond that into 3/3 haste golems AND it lets you haste up the other creatures - think about recovering from a Supreme Verdict with BTE - Firefist and a Golem - all of them having haste lets you keep the pressure on.

521

(12 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

hosj321 wrote:

Very good advice here, but I really think the Voices are key to this deck. It's kind of an "Anti control" deck to an extent. I do like the idea of the brave the elements and the Spear of Heliod could definitely help here. Rootborn Defenses is definitely sideboardable, possibly maindeck.

You're probably right, 2 more Call of the Conclaves would be better than the Guildmage

Josh

I most certainly understand the whole appeal of Voice, but if you're playing aggro, that means putting as much pressure on the opponent as possible as quickly as possible.  As such, if I had to choose between a 3/3 centaur or a 2/2 voice for two mana... well... one has more power than the other.  You definitely keep them SB so that you're able to slide them in against control, but if you're playing honest-to-god aggro, you will want Militants and Soldier of the Pantheon more.

This will be competitive as currently constructed, but if you want to be up there with the tier 1 decks, you really have to go all in behind your strategy and not hedge at all.

522

(12 replies, posted in Decks and Deckbuilding)

The guildmage is pretty bad here, given that you're already pretty flooded with two-drops - yet, I'm going to suggest dropping them for 2x more Call of the Conclave

I'd also suggest finding room for Spear of Heliod and/or Path of Bravery as either one will end up putting your guys out of range rather quickly.

Since you're going aggro, I'd actually slide Voice and Ooze to the SB in favor of Soldier of the Pantheon and Dryad Militant to put the pressure on early.

I would even consider dropping Unflinching Courage if you're in need of the space.

Lastly, Brave the Elements could also prove pretty big for you... so I'd suggest some number of those and/or Rootborn Defenses - odds are if you're sitting on two or three 3/3 creatures, you can afford to keep your mana for a response to a verdict as you'll be in a controlling board state.

They're pretty good... but now you have to refine your game to know when to put everything on the board and pressure the opponent and when to turn it back a bit and play around things like Supreme Verdict.

To that end, I would actually suggest trying to find room to run 2x Hammer of Purphoros.

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(4 replies, posted in Site Discussion)

There really just isn't a clean way to do this, as, to be honest, most people don't really stress keeping a record of what they pull out of each pack.

You can find competitive decklists at the following link:

http://magic.tcgplayer.com/standard_deck_hq.asp