if you have 2 heartless summonings out with solemn... you ramp and draw a card for free *drool* that seems REALLY good. I feel like playing more than 1/2 summonings at a time is really greedy
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Modern:
Affinity
EDH:
Rhys (Tokens)
Karrthus (Dragons)
Bruna (Auras OP)
if you have 2 heartless summonings out with solemn... you ramp and draw a card for free *drool* that seems REALLY good. I feel like playing more than 1/2 summonings at a time is really greedy
Yeah, this works pretty well in my experience so far. Unless you are running something like Blightsteel Colossus, though, you probably don't need that ramp with two summonings already in play.
But I do play Blightsteel. Good times. Too bad it doesn't kill in one hit with two summonings down, but that's only an issue if they have no creatures in play anyway.
I agree... If you go Architecht... you need to have a bit of a toolbox. Blightsteel is a must, as is Steel Hellkite, Wurmcoil, and possibly Mindslaver?
This a Mono B version I have been testing. I have made these changes but have not got a chance to test yet.
-2 Reaper from the Abyss
-1 Rune-Scarred Demon
-2 Skinrender
+3 Vengeful Pharaoh
+2 Entomber Exarch
The Pharaoh will either be a perfect fit or will be "too cute." After testing the Pharaohs then I will test Wurmcoil Engine, but I think I might come back to the Reapers for the evasion. As it is, the deck isdisruptive enough I can hold off decks until I draw a Summoning or I can start hardcasting guys.
Here is another variant that I have not tested but interested in.
This a Mono B version I have been testing. I have made these changes but have not got a chance to test yet.
-2 Reaper from the Abyss
-1 Rune-Scarred Demon
-2 Skinrender
+3 Vengeful Pharaoh
+2 Entomber Exarch
The Pharaoh will either be a perfect fit or will be "too cute." After testing the Pharaohs then I will test Wurmcoil Engine, but I think I might come back to the Reapers for the evasion. As it is, the deck isdisruptive enough I can hold off decks until I draw a Summoning or I can start hardcasting guys.
Here is another variant that I have not tested but interested in.
Im working on a B/G Infect deck also pretty much similar to yours. I cant wait to test it out but between my B/R Vampires and B/W Heartless among others it'll have to wait.
Anyways onto your Monoblack build, Which im also working on myself but I would honestly make the following changes.
Wanted to weigh in on this topic as Heartless Summoning stands out to me as one of the true power cards of the set and can lead to some broken plays. While I don't have a workable decklist I'm experimenting with the following cards:
Myr Superion: A 4/5 for free isn't a bad deal especially if you drop more than one at a time. Sure, it does make it vulnerable to Dismember but what (besides Titans) isn't these days?
Chancellor of the Tangle: Allows for a turn one Heartless and potential turn one Superion drop or if two are in hand, can drop a Myr on it's own.
Priest of Urabrask: Heartless basically turns this into a sorcery speed dark ritual. While you lose the Priest with the Summoning out, you still can actually net mana gain from this and cast 7cc creatures as early as turn 3, namely...
Sheoldred, Whispering One: A game changer. Allows for reanimating Chancellors and Superions without having to rely on creature mana while affecting your opponents side of the Board as well.
Perilous Myr: A colorless Shock for free. Recurrable with Sheoldred.
Brimstone Volley: Castable off a dead priest or Perilous Myr.
Palladium Myr: Jury still out on this, but it stays in play with Heartless Summoning out. Almost like having a Sol Ring on a stick (almost) and back-up plan for Superions.
Seems like some good synergies available and the makings for competitive deck but some questions remain, like how I might discard a Chancellor after the first turn if I don't want to incorporate green into the mana base and what other cards would make the deck optimal.
Thing is, I know it seems terrible, but i want to be able to mill through my whole deck with the combo. The only cards that can make that possible are Feast of Crows or Riddlesmith. And they both have similar problems: Feast is really only good with Heartless out, and 'Smith isnt good with heartless unless I have a lord out. So, I'm running both and seeing what happens. Really, it comes down to being smart and not playing certain cards until you have other cards out.
For example, if I have Heartless in my opening hand, I won't play Riddlesmith until I get a Lord, and vice versa. Thing is, Riddlesmith helps me dig for Heartless and also a lord.
Its not the createst, but for my purposes it will have to do. If it fails miserably, then I'll figure something else out, probably jut build some Rock deck.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
About Mindslaver rulings:
Quote from ebcubs03 »
so if i am that player do i get to sleep with his girlfriend ?
Val, you been reading Game Of Thrones again? Murder Of Crows is the name.
I like Riddlesmith in the right kind of deck. I played with him in a Sembalence Anvil combo deck and he was great (esp with Mycosynths)... but yeah, hard to protect. I just don't think Heartless is the right call for him.
Val, you been reading Game Of Thrones again? Murder Of Crows is the name.
I like Riddlesmith in the right kind of deck. I played with him in a Sembalence Anvil combo deck and he was great (esp with Mycosynths)... but yeah, hard to protect. I just don't think Heartless is the right call for him.
Lol, no. But I used to work at an Amazon.com warehouse and I had to deal with that series of books EVERY FREAKING NIGHT. Might be why that name is in my head.
Anyway, you are probably right. But like I said, I'm going to test it out and change it if I find out that its not worth it. I'm open to any Ideas as far as what I could replace him with. Plus without him I can drop the Architect and blue altogether. I really want to try to make some kind of a combo deck out of Heartless Shenanigans, rather than just a plain ole rock deck.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
About Mindslaver rulings:
Quote from ebcubs03 »
so if i am that player do i get to sleep with his girlfriend ?
I think one of the best uses for heartless summoning is going to be in Forgemaster decks. The ability to go from a 5/6 turn combo into a 3/4 turn combo or just being able to combo off with counter mana up
Ok guys, so the full Innistrad spoiler has been out for a few days, and everyone's throwing deck ideas around. Quite a few people (myself included) have been fascinated with Heartless Summoning. All my creatures cost 2 whole mana less? And the only downside is that they get -1/-1? For the affordable cost of only 1B? I'm in!
There are tons of different creatures that would be awesome if they costed 2 less. So why not make a deck revolving around ridiculous undercosted creatures? Here are our options, depending on the color:
Perilous Myr - With Heartless Summoning in play, this is a free Shock. This should be an automatic 3/4-of if you play Black/Green with Glissa, the Traitor. (If you didn't know, Heartless Summoning + Glissa on the field allows you to get rid of every creature your opponent controls with 2 or less toughness. This wrecks aggro decks.)
Spellskite - A free 0/3 that can draw removal spells, Auras, and pump spells. This is especially good if your opponent tries to Acidic Slime your Heartless Summoning. You can redirect it, and save your enchantment.
Myr Superion - Although this is risky, being able to pump out free 4/5's on turn 2 is pretty ridiculous. I wouldn't recommend playing more than 1 or 2 of these, since they're dead draws if you don't have Heartless Summoning out.
Solemn Simulacrum - The sad robot is great in this deck, and I suggest running 2, although it's obviously up to your discretion.
Wurmcoil Engine - The -1/-1 puts this in Dismember range, but even if it does die, you still get a pair of 2/2 Wurms with good abilities. This is probably the best Titan in the deck, except for maybe Inferno Titan if you play Red. I'd run this in almost every deck.
Glissa, the Traitor - Although it doesn't get any cheaper, this is great with Perilous Myr to beat aggro face. I'd run at least 1 or 2 in any B/G Summoning deck, combined with the Myr. Even without it, this is a 2/2 deathstriker, which is nothing to scoff at.
Sun Titan - This is one of the only reasons to play White. Sun Titan is amazing here, allowing you to get back destroyed Summonings, along with any creature that might have died (perhaps recurring a used Priest of Urabrask for 3 free Red mana). Play 2 in any White Summoning deck (W/B or W/B/R).
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite - If you play White, run 1 of these. It's absolutely amazing. It destroys any aggro deck and reverses the -1/-1 effect of Heartless Summoning. However, if you do play White, you should probably play this instead of Sheoldred, the Whispering One. Not in addition to. More than one 7-drop is risky, in case your Heartless Summoning gets Memoricided (in which case you're probably screwed anyway) or destroyed and you're unable to draw into another.
Phantasmal Image/Phyrexian Metamorph - Copying anything on the field is cool, especially at the low cost of U or 1 and 2 life. I think Metamorph is better here, since it can be played outside of the relatively uncommon Blue variants.
Consecrated Sphinx - Best card advantage in Standard right now - there's a reason he's $15 a pop. The Sphinx is decent here, as a 3/5 Flier that will draw you cards. It's better than Frost Titan in this deck, in my opinion, but not as good as Wurmcoil Engine.
Frost Titan - Being able to tap down their blockers is nice. It frees the way for attackers (like him) to get through. If you get this out on turn 4, you can lock your opponent out of half of his lands until Frosty dies.
Phyrexian Rager - Best card draw in the deck, and since the deck will always run Black, this is an automatic 3 or 4-of.
Entomber Exarch - Great in this deck. [mana]BB[/card] for a 1/1 and a Gravedigger effect is good, and Duressing them is nice against control. Run a few, it's one of out best 4-drops (in my opinion).
Bloodgift Demon - Well it isn't Consecrated Sphinx, but it's pretty close. After dropping a Summoning turn 2, playing Bloodgift Demon turn 3 is one of the best plays for this deck (other than Magical Christmas Land scenarios and god hands). A 4/3 flier and an extra card every turn is very good, and it's even better without Lightning Bolt in the format. I'd run at least 1, 2 for sure if you don't play Green (Acidic Slime).
Grave Titan - Ironically enough, the Black Titan is the worst of them all. A 4 mana 5/5 that makes 1/1 tokens every turn is decent, but not overly broken like Inferno Titan or Wurmcoil Engine. This is still playable, but not as good as Wurmcoil.
Sheoldred, Whispering One - A beast. While this isn't as good as Elesh Norn, being able to revive a creature every turn - and force your opponent to sacrifice theirs - is pretty cool. Run 1 in every non-White summoning deck. If you pump this out turn 4 (turn 2 Summoning, turn 3 Viridian Emissary, turn 4 this), you probably just win.
Priest of Urabrask - Oh yeah, well, you know, it's nice to have a Dark Ritual for Red. With Heartless out, this is seriously crazy. This can get you a turn 3 Elesh Norn, Sheoldred, or Titan! Yeah, it's that good. This and Inferno Titan is why you play Red. Play 4 in every Red Summoning deck.
Urabrask, the Hidden - This is a great follow up to a turn 2 Heartless Summoning. A 3/3 Haste is not that great, but if you play an Inferno Titan the next turn... well, let's just say dealing 17 damage by turn 4 is pretty good. As good as this is with something like a Titan, without a follow up it is relatively weak, since Summoning gives it -1/-1.
Inferno Titan - The best of the Titans, playing a 4 mana 5/5 that deals Forked Bolts for 3 every turn is, in my mind, a good deal. Run 2 in Red Summoning decks.
Viridian Emissary - If Heartless Summoning is not on the field, this is a 2/1 beater that will search out a land when it dies. While Heartless is on the field, this basically becomes a Rampant Growth for G. This may not seem that amazing, but trust me: it is. Run at least 3 in all Green Summoning decks, unless you really hate it.
Acidic Slime - It's pretty well irrelevant whether this is a 1/1 or a 2/2, since it has Deathtouch. Being able to blow up a land, artifact or enchantment for only 3 mana is a good deal - I'd run 1 or 2 in Green Summoning decks, maybe more if you're short 5-drops.
Primeval Titan - Searching out lands is not really important with this deck if you get it through Primeval Titan. If you have Heartless out and cast this for 4 mana, you're probably ahead. If you hardcast this, you already have 6 mana, and that's enough for this deck. I wouldn't run this over Wurmcoil, so basically I wouldn't play this. I only included it because some people have tried running it and it completes the cycle of Titans.
So, those are your choices for creatures. Here are your spells:
Oblivion Ring - A bit pricey, but it gets the job done. Good for annoying Planeswalkers like Gideon and Liliana. I'd run a few in any White version of this deck, if I had the room.
Timely Reinforcements - I saw someone playing this card, so I thought I'd include it in the primer to tell you not to play it. You won't get any use out of the creatures, and playing a spell that reads - 2W: Gain 6 life if you're playing an aggro deck - is wrong (you will not be behind against a control or combo deck until it's too late).
Divine Reckoning/Day of Judgment - Once again, saw someone running this. This defeats the whole purpose of your deck, which is to beat face with tons of cheap beasts. Don't play this, unless your meta is plagued with Tempered Steel decks. Even then, just play a Gideon or two or some Creeping Corossion in the sideboard (depending on the colors of your deck).
Ponder - This is good in the occasional Blue Summoning deck, as it allows you to dig for your Heartless Summonings if you don't draw one early. Run 2-4 in Blue Summoning decks.
Mana Leak - Personally, I wouldn't run counters in any Heartless Summoning deck - it's just not this decks' style. Nonetheless, some people like it, and if you're one of those people, go ahead.
Altar's Reap - I actually like this card a lot. It's not as good as Sign in Blood, but it's instant-speed and can waste an opponents removal spell. It's up to you, but I like this.
Dismember - The best removal spell for this deck. Somewhere around 2 MD and 2 SB, with a Go For the Throat or 2 maindeck should suffice.
Liliana of the Veil - I haven't tried this in a Summoning deck yet, but it seems like it would be good. It protects itself, and if it's ultimate goes off it'll win you the game. However, there isn't much space in this deck, and I would probably only run her in a White-Black Summoning deck, to abuse Unburial Rites.
Unburial Rites - Pretty good in a White-Black Summoning deck, although your creatures are so undercosted paying 5 mana (or even 4) isn't that great a deal. Run 2 in White-Black versions, otherwise stay away from this.
Beast Within - Decent removal for Green, and with this and an early Acidic Slime you can completely wreck your opponents mana base. You might want to run a few if you don't have access to Oblivion Ring in White.
Bramblecrush - I prefer Beast Within, since it's instant-speed and can take out creatures, but some people prefer this.
And of course, for lands we have the Core Set duals, the Innistrad enemy-colored duals, and the Scars duals.
I like your primer a lot. You made me reconsider Altars Reap, and are one of the only people that Ive seen mention the greatness of Spellskite. My only qualm is that you talk about how great Emissary is, and from testing I'm just not seeing it. It helps for fixing, but at least in my deck anyway, the ramp aspect isn't needed. I'm almost to the point of taking them out altogether and just putting land in their place.
Did a little testing tonight and did not really like the Pharaohs. Could not get my hands on Entombers so stuck with Skinrenders and wished it was Entombers every time.
-3 Vengeful Pharaoh
-4 Skinrender
-4 Go for the Throat
+3 Wurmcoil
+2 Entomber Exarch
+2 Alter's Reap
+4 Dismember
You're not liking Emissary? Interesting. I found it unexciting, but almost always useful. I guess it could be dead later in the game if you have Summoning out and 5-6 lands. Are you completely cutting Emissary, or just playing 2, or what? What do you think the best number is?
I've been working on a Mono Black Heartless deck myself, and I have to agree with whoever says Altar's Reap is an auto-include. The advantages of this card are incredible. Mono Black definitely gains respectable and consistent card-drawing engines when Heartless Summoning is out, but otherwise plays a solid midrange game that might be viable in the new meta. Time will tell, but anyone interested in focusing on Mono B should definitely keep up posting their playtest findings.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Dull roots with spring rain.
I common comment that I wanted to say something about was the "Heartless Summoning decks are bad because HS is a dead draw in multiples"
In this format, there are going to be a ton of counters, O-rings, Beast Withins, etc. Having a backup in your hand can be a dead card, but isn't completely useless.
Also, there are some situations where having a second HS in your hand can be useful if you're also holding an Elesh Norn or Sheoldred that you don't have the mana for yet. Imagine a hand including 2 HS, 1 Elesh Norn, x, x, x, x. Getting to 3 mana with two HS might be easier than getting to 5 mana with one. Also, if you're playing GWB, Beast Within on your second HS is amazing. O-ring on it would be a waste, but can also be done if necessary.
First match I just played against mono-green, so excited about something that just happened that I had to post about it.
Mana 2 HS > Mana 4 Wurmcoil Engine > dead wurmcoil, live tokens > bring wurmcoil back w/ Unburial Rites > dead wurmcoil again + more tokens > flashback Unburial Rites into Wurmcoil again
The main point of the deck is to dig for heartless summoning and use it to keep putting out threats, so I'll probably end up using ponder for that reason. As a late game finisher, I bring out sun titan and revive a phantasmal image coming into play as sun titan until I've revived them all, and then revive something else like skaab, rager, or whatever I replace skaab with if he doesn't work out. I wanted to try something like this so I could bounce back the turn after something like DoJ.
I've been working on a Mono Black Heartless deck myself, and I have to agree with whoever says Altar's Reap is an auto-include. The advantages of this card are incredible. Mono Black definitely gains respectable and consistent card-drawing engines when Heartless Summoning is out, but otherwise plays a solid midrange game that might be viable in the new meta. Time will tell, but anyone interested in focusing on Mono B should definitely keep up posting their playtest findings.
I don't think red has enough to support this type of deck. I think green is almost an auto include because of the ramp available, which is important if we don't hit the Heartless. I also think Diabolic Tutor should be at least considered. White is very good as well with Unburial and Sun Titan. I am not a fan of blue, but the Grand Architect build is interesting. I think a BGW build would be very interesting...
Modern:
Affinity
EDH:
Rhys (Tokens)
Karrthus (Dragons)
Bruna (Auras OP)
Yeah, this works pretty well in my experience so far. Unless you are running something like Blightsteel Colossus, though, you probably don't need that ramp with two summonings already in play.
But I do play Blightsteel. Good times. Too bad it doesn't kill in one hit with two summonings down, but that's only an issue if they have no creatures in play anyway.
4 Skinrender
4 Solemn Simulacrum
4 Bloodgift Demon
2 Reaper from the Abyss
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
4 Despise
4 Go for the Throat
4 Smallpox
22 Swamps
This a Mono B version I have been testing. I have made these changes but have not got a chance to test yet.
-2 Reaper from the Abyss
-1 Rune-Scarred Demon
-2 Skinrender
+3 Vengeful Pharaoh
+2 Entomber Exarch
The Pharaoh will either be a perfect fit or will be "too cute." After testing the Pharaohs then I will test Wurmcoil Engine, but I think I might come back to the Reapers for the evasion. As it is, the deck isdisruptive enough I can hold off decks until I draw a Summoning or I can start hardcasting guys.
Here is another variant that I have not tested but interested in.
4 Phyrexian Vatmother
4 Phyrexian Hydra
4 Putrefax
2 Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
4 Mutagenic Growth
4 Go for the Throat
3 Beast Within
23 Lands
Im working on a B/G Infect deck also pretty much similar to yours. I cant wait to test it out but between my B/R Vampires and B/W Heartless among others it'll have to wait.
Anyways onto your Monoblack build, Which im also working on myself but I would honestly make the following changes.
-4 skinrender
-2 Reaper
-1 Rune-scarred demon
-1 Despise
+2 Pharaoh
+2 Dismember
+2 Wurmcoil Engine
+2 Altar's Reap
Youre playing mono black so Dismember is an auto include of whether its 2-4.
Altar's reap is great with Solemn Simulacrum and in absolutely worse case scenarios, Wurmcoil Engine.
Those are just my changes so I hope it helps a bit.
I might even take out 1 more despise for another swamp but thats up to you.
4x Heartless Summoning
3x Beast Within
2x Fresh Meat
2x Golem Foundry
creatures:
4x Glissa, The Seeker
4x Necropede
4x Perilous Myr
4x Riddlesmith
3x Spellskite
3x Phyrexian Emissary
3x Adaptive Automaton
2x Murder of Crows
1x Grand Architect
1x Wurmcoil Engine
4x G/b dual
3x Darkslick Shores
2x G/U dual
4x Forest
4x Swamp
3x Island
About Mindslaver rulings:
Modern
xWBAffinityBWx
BBBVampiresBBB
BURGDice FactoryGRUB
Check out the Primer!
Myr Superion: A 4/5 for free isn't a bad deal especially if you drop more than one at a time. Sure, it does make it vulnerable to Dismember but what (besides Titans) isn't these days?
Chancellor of the Tangle: Allows for a turn one Heartless and potential turn one Superion drop or if two are in hand, can drop a Myr on it's own.
Priest of Urabrask: Heartless basically turns this into a sorcery speed dark ritual. While you lose the Priest with the Summoning out, you still can actually net mana gain from this and cast 7cc creatures as early as turn 3, namely...
Sheoldred, Whispering One: A game changer. Allows for reanimating Chancellors and Superions without having to rely on creature mana while affecting your opponents side of the Board as well.
Perilous Myr: A colorless Shock for free. Recurrable with Sheoldred.
Brimstone Volley: Castable off a dead priest or Perilous Myr.
Palladium Myr: Jury still out on this, but it stays in play with Heartless Summoning out. Almost like having a Sol Ring on a stick (almost) and back-up plan for Superions.
Seems like some good synergies available and the makings for competitive deck but some questions remain, like how I might discard a Chancellor after the first turn if I don't want to incorporate green into the mana base and what other cards would make the deck optimal.
Questions/comments welcomed.
That's why I run Adaptive Automaton and a single Grand Architect.
Thing is, I know it seems terrible, but i want to be able to mill through my whole deck with the combo. The only cards that can make that possible are Feast of Crows or Riddlesmith. And they both have similar problems: Feast is really only good with Heartless out, and 'Smith isnt good with heartless unless I have a lord out. So, I'm running both and seeing what happens. Really, it comes down to being smart and not playing certain cards until you have other cards out.
For example, if I have Heartless in my opening hand, I won't play Riddlesmith until I get a Lord, and vice versa. Thing is, Riddlesmith helps me dig for Heartless and also a lord.
Its not the createst, but for my purposes it will have to do. If it fails miserably, then I'll figure something else out, probably jut build some Rock deck.
About Mindslaver rulings:
I like Riddlesmith in the right kind of deck. I played with him in a Sembalence Anvil combo deck and he was great (esp with Mycosynths)... but yeah, hard to protect. I just don't think Heartless is the right call for him.
Lol, no. But I used to work at an Amazon.com warehouse and I had to deal with that series of books EVERY FREAKING NIGHT. Might be why that name is in my head.
Anyway, you are probably right. But like I said, I'm going to test it out and change it if I find out that its not worth it. I'm open to any Ideas as far as what I could replace him with. Plus without him I can drop the Architect and blue altogether. I really want to try to make some kind of a combo deck out of Heartless Shenanigans, rather than just a plain ole rock deck.
About Mindslaver rulings:
Go ahead post it and I'll update the first post with it. I was working on one but it'll just save me the time. I'll update when I get home in a bit.
~~~
Ok guys, so the full Innistrad spoiler has been out for a few days, and everyone's throwing deck ideas around. Quite a few people (myself included) have been fascinated with Heartless Summoning. All my creatures cost 2 whole mana less? And the only downside is that they get -1/-1? For the affordable cost of only 1B? I'm in!
There are tons of different creatures that would be awesome if they costed 2 less. So why not make a deck revolving around ridiculous undercosted creatures? Here are our options, depending on the color:
Perilous Myr - With Heartless Summoning in play, this is a free Shock. This should be an automatic 3/4-of if you play Black/Green with Glissa, the Traitor. (If you didn't know, Heartless Summoning + Glissa on the field allows you to get rid of every creature your opponent controls with 2 or less toughness. This wrecks aggro decks.)
Spellskite - A free 0/3 that can draw removal spells, Auras, and pump spells. This is especially good if your opponent tries to Acidic Slime your Heartless Summoning. You can redirect it, and save your enchantment.
Myr Superion - Although this is risky, being able to pump out free 4/5's on turn 2 is pretty ridiculous. I wouldn't recommend playing more than 1 or 2 of these, since they're dead draws if you don't have Heartless Summoning out.
Solemn Simulacrum - The sad robot is great in this deck, and I suggest running 2, although it's obviously up to your discretion.
Wurmcoil Engine - The -1/-1 puts this in Dismember range, but even if it does die, you still get a pair of 2/2 Wurms with good abilities. This is probably the best Titan in the deck, except for maybe Inferno Titan if you play Red. I'd run this in almost every deck.
Glissa, the Traitor - Although it doesn't get any cheaper, this is great with Perilous Myr to beat aggro face. I'd run at least 1 or 2 in any B/G Summoning deck, combined with the Myr. Even without it, this is a 2/2 deathstriker, which is nothing to scoff at.
Sun Titan - This is one of the only reasons to play White. Sun Titan is amazing here, allowing you to get back destroyed Summonings, along with any creature that might have died (perhaps recurring a used Priest of Urabrask for 3 free Red mana). Play 2 in any White Summoning deck (W/B or W/B/R).
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite - If you play White, run 1 of these. It's absolutely amazing. It destroys any aggro deck and reverses the -1/-1 effect of Heartless Summoning. However, if you do play White, you should probably play this instead of Sheoldred, the Whispering One. Not in addition to. More than one 7-drop is risky, in case your Heartless Summoning gets Memoricided (in which case you're probably screwed anyway) or destroyed and you're unable to draw into another.
Phantasmal Image/Phyrexian Metamorph - Copying anything on the field is cool, especially at the low cost of U or 1 and 2 life. I think Metamorph is better here, since it can be played outside of the relatively uncommon Blue variants.
Consecrated Sphinx - Best card advantage in Standard right now - there's a reason he's $15 a pop. The Sphinx is decent here, as a 3/5 Flier that will draw you cards. It's better than Frost Titan in this deck, in my opinion, but not as good as Wurmcoil Engine.
Frost Titan - Being able to tap down their blockers is nice. It frees the way for attackers (like him) to get through. If you get this out on turn 4, you can lock your opponent out of half of his lands until Frosty dies.
Phyrexian Rager - Best card draw in the deck, and since the deck will always run Black, this is an automatic 3 or 4-of.
Entomber Exarch - Great in this deck. [mana]BB[/card] for a 1/1 and a Gravedigger effect is good, and Duressing them is nice against control. Run a few, it's one of out best 4-drops (in my opinion).
Bloodgift Demon - Well it isn't Consecrated Sphinx, but it's pretty close. After dropping a Summoning turn 2, playing Bloodgift Demon turn 3 is one of the best plays for this deck (other than Magical Christmas Land scenarios and god hands). A 4/3 flier and an extra card every turn is very good, and it's even better without Lightning Bolt in the format. I'd run at least 1, 2 for sure if you don't play Green (Acidic Slime).
Grave Titan - Ironically enough, the Black Titan is the worst of them all. A 4 mana 5/5 that makes 1/1 tokens every turn is decent, but not overly broken like Inferno Titan or Wurmcoil Engine. This is still playable, but not as good as Wurmcoil.
Sheoldred, Whispering One - A beast. While this isn't as good as Elesh Norn, being able to revive a creature every turn - and force your opponent to sacrifice theirs - is pretty cool. Run 1 in every non-White summoning deck. If you pump this out turn 4 (turn 2 Summoning, turn 3 Viridian Emissary, turn 4 this), you probably just win.
Priest of Urabrask - Oh yeah, well, you know, it's nice to have a Dark Ritual for Red. With Heartless out, this is seriously crazy. This can get you a turn 3 Elesh Norn, Sheoldred, or Titan! Yeah, it's that good. This and Inferno Titan is why you play Red. Play 4 in every Red Summoning deck.
Urabrask, the Hidden - This is a great follow up to a turn 2 Heartless Summoning. A 3/3 Haste is not that great, but if you play an Inferno Titan the next turn... well, let's just say dealing 17 damage by turn 4 is pretty good. As good as this is with something like a Titan, without a follow up it is relatively weak, since Summoning gives it -1/-1.
Inferno Titan - The best of the Titans, playing a 4 mana 5/5 that deals Forked Bolts for 3 every turn is, in my mind, a good deal. Run 2 in Red Summoning decks.
Viridian Emissary - If Heartless Summoning is not on the field, this is a 2/1 beater that will search out a land when it dies. While Heartless is on the field, this basically becomes a Rampant Growth for G. This may not seem that amazing, but trust me: it is. Run at least 3 in all Green Summoning decks, unless you really hate it.
Acidic Slime - It's pretty well irrelevant whether this is a 1/1 or a 2/2, since it has Deathtouch. Being able to blow up a land, artifact or enchantment for only 3 mana is a good deal - I'd run 1 or 2 in Green Summoning decks, maybe more if you're short 5-drops.
Primeval Titan - Searching out lands is not really important with this deck if you get it through Primeval Titan. If you have Heartless out and cast this for 4 mana, you're probably ahead. If you hardcast this, you already have 6 mana, and that's enough for this deck. I wouldn't run this over Wurmcoil, so basically I wouldn't play this. I only included it because some people have tried running it and it completes the cycle of Titans.
So, those are your choices for creatures. Here are your spells:
Heartless Summoning - Run 4, or don't play the deck.
Oblivion Ring - A bit pricey, but it gets the job done. Good for annoying Planeswalkers like Gideon and Liliana. I'd run a few in any White version of this deck, if I had the room.
Timely Reinforcements - I saw someone playing this card, so I thought I'd include it in the primer to tell you not to play it. You won't get any use out of the creatures, and playing a spell that reads - 2W: Gain 6 life if you're playing an aggro deck - is wrong (you will not be behind against a control or combo deck until it's too late).
Divine Reckoning/Day of Judgment - Once again, saw someone running this. This defeats the whole purpose of your deck, which is to beat face with tons of cheap beasts. Don't play this, unless your meta is plagued with Tempered Steel decks. Even then, just play a Gideon or two or some Creeping Corossion in the sideboard (depending on the colors of your deck).
Ponder - This is good in the occasional Blue Summoning deck, as it allows you to dig for your Heartless Summonings if you don't draw one early. Run 2-4 in Blue Summoning decks.
Mana Leak - Personally, I wouldn't run counters in any Heartless Summoning deck - it's just not this decks' style. Nonetheless, some people like it, and if you're one of those people, go ahead.
Altar's Reap - I actually like this card a lot. It's not as good as Sign in Blood, but it's instant-speed and can waste an opponents removal spell. It's up to you, but I like this.
Go For the Throat - Not as good as Dismember, but it takes care of Titans, Consecrated Sphinx, and Skaab Ruinator. And it doesn't cost you life.
Dismember - The best removal spell for this deck. Somewhere around 2 MD and 2 SB, with a Go For the Throat or 2 maindeck should suffice.
Liliana of the Veil - I haven't tried this in a Summoning deck yet, but it seems like it would be good. It protects itself, and if it's ultimate goes off it'll win you the game. However, there isn't much space in this deck, and I would probably only run her in a White-Black Summoning deck, to abuse Unburial Rites.
Unburial Rites - Pretty good in a White-Black Summoning deck, although your creatures are so undercosted paying 5 mana (or even 4) isn't that great a deal. Run 2 in White-Black versions, otherwise stay away from this.
Beast Within - Decent removal for Green, and with this and an early Acidic Slime you can completely wreck your opponents mana base. You might want to run a few if you don't have access to Oblivion Ring in White.
Bramblecrush - I prefer Beast Within, since it's instant-speed and can take out creatures, but some people prefer this.
And of course, for lands we have the Core Set duals, the Innistrad enemy-colored duals, and the Scars duals.
Here are our main options:
0-2 Myr Superion
3-4 Viridian Emissary
3-4 Phyrexian Rager
1-2 Glissa, the Traitor
2 Entomber Exarch
2 Skinrender
2 Acidic Slime
2 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
3-4 Phyrexian Rager
2-3 Solemn Simulacrum
2-3 Entomber Exarch
2-3 Bloodgift Demon
2 Sun Titan
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
2-4 Dismember
0-2 Oblivion Ring
2 Unburial Rites
3 Phyrexian Rager
4 Priest of Urabrask
2 Solemn Simulacrum
2 Bloodgift Demon
2 Urabrask, the Hidden
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
4 Heartless Summoning
1-2 Phantasmal Image/Phyrexian Metamorph
3-4 Phyrexian Rager
3 Solemn Simulacrum
1-2 Consecrated Sphinx
1-2 Sun Titan
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
0-2 Oblivion Ring
0-2 Go For the Throat
2 Dismember
~~~
I was planning on adding a Jund skeleten and possibly other color combinations.
Also, It may be a good Idea to mention Thrun, The Last Troll.
About Mindslaver rulings:
-3 Vengeful Pharaoh
-4 Skinrender
-4 Go for the Throat
+3 Wurmcoil
+2 Entomber Exarch
+2 Alter's Reap
+4 Dismember
Will keep you updated.
Also, Thrun is a good idea, I might put that in.
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Dull roots with spring rain.
-TS Eliot, The Waste Land
Heartless Esper
4 Ponder 1
4 Heartless Summoning 2
4 Viridian Emissary 2
4 Phantasmal Image 2
4 Phyrexian Rager 3
4 Phyrexian Metamorph 4
2 Entomber Exarch 4
2 Solemn Simulacrum 4
4 Acidic Slime 5
2 Sun Titan 6
2 Elesh Norn 7
24 Lands
4 Woodland Cemetary
4 Hinterland Harbor
4 Darkslick Shores
6 Forests
3 Swamps
3 Islands
Cheers
In this format, there are going to be a ton of counters, O-rings, Beast Withins, etc. Having a backup in your hand can be a dead card, but isn't completely useless.
Also, there are some situations where having a second HS in your hand can be useful if you're also holding an Elesh Norn or Sheoldred that you don't have the mana for yet. Imagine a hand including 2 HS, 1 Elesh Norn, x, x, x, x. Getting to 3 mana with two HS might be easier than getting to 5 mana with one. Also, if you're playing GWB, Beast Within on your second HS is amazing. O-ring on it would be a waste, but can also be done if necessary.
------------------------------------------------------
This might be too convoluted mana-wise, but I'm going to do some testing with it on Cockatrice
GWB Heartless Summoning
4 Isolated Chapel
4 Sunpeal Grove
5 Forest
5 Swamp
2 Plain
4 Veridian Emissary
3 Phyrexian Rager
4 Solemn Simulacrum
2 Entomber Exarch
2 Myr Superion
2 Acidic Slime
1 Bloodgift Demon
2 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
2 Oblivion Ring
3 Beast Within
1 Divine Reckoning
2 Unburial Rites
2 Dismember
First match I just played against mono-green, so excited about something that just happened that I had to post about it.
Mana 2 HS > Mana 4 Wurmcoil Engine > dead wurmcoil, live tokens > bring wurmcoil back w/ Unburial Rites > dead wurmcoil again + more tokens > flashback Unburial Rites into Wurmcoil again
Creatures: 21
3 Sun Titan
4 Phantasmal Image
3 Solemn Simulacrum
3 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Treasure Mage
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
3 Phyrexian Rager
2 Entomber Exarch
Spells: 16
3 Liliana of the Veil
4 Heartless Summoning
4 Forbidden Alchemy
3 Ponder / Altar's Reap
2 Unburial Rites
Lands: 23
4 Darkslick Shores
4 Isolated Chapel
4 Drowned Catacomb
2 Seachrome Coast
3 Swamp
3 Island
3 Plains
The main point of the deck is to dig for heartless summoning and use it to keep putting out threats, so I'll probably end up using ponder for that reason. As a late game finisher, I bring out sun titan and revive a phantasmal image coming into play as sun titan until I've revived them all, and then revive something else like skaab, rager, or whatever I replace skaab with if he doesn't work out. I wanted to try something like this so I could bounce back the turn after something like DoJ.
What is your list looking like?
BGw Heartless
4 Woodland Cemetary
4 Isolated Chapel
4 Sunpetal Grove
5 Forest
5 Swamp
1 Plains
Creatures (22):
4 Perilous Myr
3 Phyrexian Rager
3 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Glissa, the Traitor
2 Myr Superion
3 Acidic Slime
2 Bloodgift Demon
2 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Sun Titan
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
4 Heartless Summoning
3 Rampant Growth
2 Oblivion Ring
1 Beast Within
2 Unburial Rites
2 Dismember
1 Go for the Throat
Not sure on the sideboard with white...I like Creeping Corrosion though against Tempered Steel.