So, many Naya Dinos have been spoiled at this point, including a pretty good 5-mana planeswalker in Huatli. I think there's enough to start making some initial Standard drafts.
It seems like there are a ton of high-cost high-impact Dinosaurs so far, so it's important that we build the deck to get out of the early game. We don't want our hand over-stuffed with 5 drops and 6 drops. Ramunap Red, Temur Energy, God-Pharaoh's Gift and U/x control variants appear to be the front-runners for the new format, so we have to make sure the aggressive decks can be managed.
-To this end, Priest of the Wakening Sun looks like a very important card to fight off early aggression. If played on turn 1, and if you have a Dinosaur, you can gain 8 life by the time you are able to activate its other ability. That's humongous, to the point where Ramunap Red might even take a turn off just to point a removal spell at it. Priest is, IMO, the biggest chance this archetype has at succeeding so far, unspoiled cards notwithstanding.
-The next best Dinosaur cards to me, are Regisaur Alpha and Huatli, Warrior Poet. While it's possible that there is a Dinosaur deck that isn't all 3 colors, I doubt there is a Dinosaur deck that doesn't want both of these cards. These two 5-drops will be absolutely critical in stabilizing the board, while also being extremely good if you are ahead. It's possible we want to skip playing 4-drops in the curve and play mana accelerants instead, so that we can land one of these two lynchpins a turn earlier.
-I like Burning Sun's Avatar a lot. It's got a Gearhulk vibe to it. It's pretty devastating if you can curve a 5-drop into it, particularly if it gets haste from Regisaur. Its big body and 187 ability means it'll stabilize quite nicely, if you can cast it in time.
-Carnage Tyrant is rather vanilla in comparison to the other Dinos mentioned, but it's probably the single best Dinosaur card versus control decks. They can't counter it, they can't cast it out, they can't do anything except try to sweep it away. Even Torrential Gearhulk loses in head-to-head combat. I don't think it's a great main deck option, as it doesn't help much if you're behind to a bunch of dudes, but we want at least 2 to 3 in the sideboard.
-There are a few good top-top-top-end options. Gishath, Sun's Avatar is a card I want to make work in this deck. I tend to over-value any card that has a high ceiling, and Gishath isn't any different. I simply want to cast my eight drop, connect for 7 damage, and flip like 3 or 4 more dinosaurs onto the battlefield. Because that seems awesome. That being said, 8 mana is a lot, and it's not guaranteed that casting it will mean it will connect, as it's still vulnerable to Cast Out or Unlicensed Disintegration. The interesting debate is Gishath versus Wakening Sun's Avatar. The white Dino will wipe the opponent's board even if they have removal at the ready. That probably means it's the superior option, even if it's slightly less awesome than "army of Dinos". It's possible that 1 copy of both make it into the deck as flexible tutor targets for Priest.
There are a lot of gaps to fill. We've got eleven cards that cost 5 or more mana. We want a good mix of removal and we want good ramp/good fixing, so that we can turn the corner without trouble. Pillar of Origins and Unclaimed Territory will both go a long way in the mana category. Together they can reconcile the trouble of paying triple colored costs and gold costs. Pillar also helps us skip ahead a turn, though unfortunately it won't help cast Huatli. Also worth mentioning that Pillar doesn't come into play tapped.
Gift of Paradise seems tailor-made for this deck. Makes all our 5 drops happen on turn 4, gains us extra life, fixes our colors however we want. It is one of the best turn 3 plays for this deck. Channeler Initiate has a lot of potential in a deck like this, adding mana of any color while growing into a good body supports the "build toward lategame" strategy.
It's hard to ignore Chandra, Torch of Defiance. Her versatility, her ability to single-handedly dominate a game, and her double acceleration are all highly desirable aspects. She might be too hard to cast in conjunction with the rest of the deck. Abrade is a nice and simple modal spell, as is Sweltering Suns. Both main-deck-able. If we plan on playing Chandra and Sweltering Suns, our mana base will gravitate pretty heavily towards red. Cast Out is another excellent, versatile spell.
Captain Lannery Storm is an interesting card, you're usually guaranteed 1 Treasure out of a turn-3 cast, and if she survives the turn, a second treasure can really help -- she can single-handedly curve you into a turn 4 Burning Sun's Avatar. It might be a bit of a stretch, but I do want to try at least one.
The mana isn't perfect, but I did try to include lots of turn-one sources of white for Priest. The cycling lands have decent synergy with the check lands, but neither can add turn 1 mana.
Just random thought. The Dino's feel like dragons that can't fly. Don't know if they intended it that way but I like dragons in any form lol
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Carnage Tyrant is absolutely nuts. The only way to deal with the creature at all is to use a board sweeper. There is no other answer for it except to try and go bigger than the Carnage Tyrant or kill it with a sacrifice effect. The only catch is that it does require some means to ramp into it. In fact, the entire dinosaur tribal lineup looks like it needs mana-dorks to some degree or at least a focus on getting more lands down than usual. But yeah, this is one mythic that is probably going to be selling like crazy on pre-order and will probably have one heck of a price tag. Rhonas, the Indomitable is still probably a better card, so I wouldn't say it's going to be as bad as that guy is (or will be in the next few months?). What ramp do we have right now? I know we have the energy one from kaladesh and that newer one with the -1/-1 counter synergy stuff going on.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I think Pillar of Origins is a pretty good call and a safe best for any deck that wants to do a "Dino Tribal" theme. Ramp that's really likely not to be counteracted is always welcome.
Now that lightning strike has been spoiled I feel like either a split between that and Abrade or Abrade moves to the side entirely? The deck should probably be on the more aggressive side of midrange, so the reach can't hurt.
i think they're is definitely something there and its kinda cool that they gave us cards like priest as i don't think it's exactly mainboardable but sideboard for the red match up it seems phenomenal.
im sure drover is a 4 of with maybe 2 or 3 channelers as extra dorks. biggest thing is outside lightning strike what ae some more removal options for the deck.
I like Ripjaw Raptor. It's a 4/5 for 4 mana, which is decent. Doesn't have any evergreen abilities but it does draw you a card whenever it is dealt damage which is always nice.
I like the Enrage angle. There are some particularly interesting ways to boost the Hatchling's power. I think this would look a lot better with Huatli in place of Raging Swordtooth, even if it's just a soft white splash. The versatility of Huatli is far greater. Burning Sun's Avatar also has the convenient ability to target your own dude while also being just an awesome card by itself. Here's what I'd try:
I like the Enrage angle. There are some particularly interesting ways to boost the Hatchling's power. I think this would look a lot better with Huatli in place of Raging Swordtooth, even if it's just a soft white splash. The versatility of Huatli is far greater. Burning Sun's Avatar also has the convenient ability to target your own dude while also being just an awesome card by itself. Here's what I'd try:
So far, these are the ones that look like they have the most powerful and cost effective effects. Sun-Crowned Hunters if it didn't cost 6 would be good but... it's too expensive without doing other things. The Aegisaur and Ballista are a good combo, but for 6 mana you can just slam the new Carnage Tyrant. Also, what is there in Standard to make your creatures indestructible? Anything?
The success of a ramp strategy depends on how broken the top end is. The most broken thing dinosaurs can do is go infinite with the Bellowing Aegisaur / Walking Ballista combo. It's not Annihilator 6, but sending with a couple of million power dudes on turn 5 or 6 puts the opponent to the test. The deck can bash pretty hard without the combo and there are some good cards to help assemble the combo, both of which help the deck. Here's my latest build:
The success of a ramp strategy depends on how broken the top end is. The most broken thing dinosaurs can do is go infinite with the Bellowing Aegisaur / Walking Ballista combo. It's not Annihilator 6, but sending with a couple of million power dudes on turn 5 or 6 puts the opponent to the test. The deck can bash pretty hard without the combo and there are some good cards to help assemble the combo, both of which help the deck.
It's not infinite, because you will eventually kill the Aegisaur. It doesn't put a counter on itself. But, you can start pinging it again every turn. I'm wondering if an Abzan deck with this combo and the snake whose name I can't recall at the moment could be a thing. It's an interesting thought.
It seems like there are a ton of high-cost high-impact Dinosaurs so far, so it's important that we build the deck to get out of the early game. We don't want our hand over-stuffed with 5 drops and 6 drops. Ramunap Red, Temur Energy, God-Pharaoh's Gift and U/x control variants appear to be the front-runners for the new format, so we have to make sure the aggressive decks can be managed.
-To this end, Priest of the Wakening Sun looks like a very important card to fight off early aggression. If played on turn 1, and if you have a Dinosaur, you can gain 8 life by the time you are able to activate its other ability. That's humongous, to the point where Ramunap Red might even take a turn off just to point a removal spell at it. Priest is, IMO, the biggest chance this archetype has at succeeding so far, unspoiled cards notwithstanding.
-The next best Dinosaur cards to me, are Regisaur Alpha and Huatli, Warrior Poet. While it's possible that there is a Dinosaur deck that isn't all 3 colors, I doubt there is a Dinosaur deck that doesn't want both of these cards. These two 5-drops will be absolutely critical in stabilizing the board, while also being extremely good if you are ahead. It's possible we want to skip playing 4-drops in the curve and play mana accelerants instead, so that we can land one of these two lynchpins a turn earlier.
-I like Burning Sun's Avatar a lot. It's got a Gearhulk vibe to it. It's pretty devastating if you can curve a 5-drop into it, particularly if it gets haste from Regisaur. Its big body and 187 ability means it'll stabilize quite nicely, if you can cast it in time.
-Carnage Tyrant is rather vanilla in comparison to the other Dinos mentioned, but it's probably the single best Dinosaur card versus control decks. They can't counter it, they can't cast it out, they can't do anything except try to sweep it away. Even Torrential Gearhulk loses in head-to-head combat. I don't think it's a great main deck option, as it doesn't help much if you're behind to a bunch of dudes, but we want at least 2 to 3 in the sideboard.
-There are a few good top-top-top-end options. Gishath, Sun's Avatar is a card I want to make work in this deck. I tend to over-value any card that has a high ceiling, and Gishath isn't any different. I simply want to cast my eight drop, connect for 7 damage, and flip like 3 or 4 more dinosaurs onto the battlefield. Because that seems awesome. That being said, 8 mana is a lot, and it's not guaranteed that casting it will mean it will connect, as it's still vulnerable to Cast Out or Unlicensed Disintegration. The interesting debate is Gishath versus Wakening Sun's Avatar. The white Dino will wipe the opponent's board even if they have removal at the ready. That probably means it's the superior option, even if it's slightly less awesome than "army of Dinos". It's possible that 1 copy of both make it into the deck as flexible tutor targets for Priest.
So, let's say our numbers look like this:
4 Regisaur Alpha
3 Burning Sun's Avatar
1 Wakening Sun's Avatar
1 Gishath, Sun's Avatar
There are a lot of gaps to fill. We've got eleven cards that cost 5 or more mana. We want a good mix of removal and we want good ramp/good fixing, so that we can turn the corner without trouble. Pillar of Origins and Unclaimed Territory will both go a long way in the mana category. Together they can reconcile the trouble of paying triple colored costs and gold costs. Pillar also helps us skip ahead a turn, though unfortunately it won't help cast Huatli. Also worth mentioning that Pillar doesn't come into play tapped.
Gift of Paradise seems tailor-made for this deck. Makes all our 5 drops happen on turn 4, gains us extra life, fixes our colors however we want. It is one of the best turn 3 plays for this deck. Channeler Initiate has a lot of potential in a deck like this, adding mana of any color while growing into a good body supports the "build toward lategame" strategy.
It's hard to ignore Chandra, Torch of Defiance. Her versatility, her ability to single-handedly dominate a game, and her double acceleration are all highly desirable aspects. She might be too hard to cast in conjunction with the rest of the deck. Abrade is a nice and simple modal spell, as is Sweltering Suns. Both main-deck-able. If we plan on playing Chandra and Sweltering Suns, our mana base will gravitate pretty heavily towards red. Cast Out is another excellent, versatile spell.
Captain Lannery Storm is an interesting card, you're usually guaranteed 1 Treasure out of a turn-3 cast, and if she survives the turn, a second treasure can really help -- she can single-handedly curve you into a turn 4 Burning Sun's Avatar. It might be a bit of a stretch, but I do want to try at least one.
4 Channeler Initiate
1 Captain Lannery Storm
4 Regisaur Alpha
3 Burning Sun's Avatar
1 Wakening Sun's Avatar
1 Gishath, Sun's Avatar
4 Abrade
3 Pillar of Origins
2 Sweltering Suns
4 Gift of Paradise
2 Cast Out
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Huatli, Warrior Poet
2 Unclaimed Territory
1 Sheltered Thicket
1 Scattered Groves
1 Aether Hub
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Rootbound Crag
4 Plains
3 Mountain
2 Forest
4 Evolving Wilds
The mana isn't perfect, but I did try to include lots of turn-one sources of white for Priest. The cycling lands have decent synergy with the check lands, but neither can add turn 1 mana.
When I get all steamed up here me shout Bite your head off suck your soul out
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Certainly felt like they were reading my brain when I decided on 4 Channeler Initiate. It'll fit perfectly.
im sure drover is a 4 of with maybe 2 or 3 channelers as extra dorks. biggest thing is outside lightning strike what ae some more removal options for the deck.
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Commander: Allies & Adversaries
4 Drover of the Mighty
3 Metallic Mimic
4 Ranging Raptors
3 Ripjaw Raptor
3 Regisaur Alpha
3 Raging Swordtooth
2 Carnage Tyrant
3 Chandra's Pyrohelix
3 Savage Stomp
2 Samut, the Tested
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
I guess Samut was a closet dino support card the whole time.
I like the Enrage angle. There are some particularly interesting ways to boost the Hatchling's power. I think this would look a lot better with Huatli in place of Raging Swordtooth, even if it's just a soft white splash. The versatility of Huatli is far greater. Burning Sun's Avatar also has the convenient ability to target your own dude while also being just an awesome card by itself. Here's what I'd try:
4 Drover of the Mighty
2 Walking Ballista
4 Metallic Mimic
4 Ranging Raptors
4 Ripjaw Raptor
4 Burning Sun's Avatar
3 Savage Stomp
2 Samut, the Tested
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Huatli, Warrior Poet
And adding white would give you access to Priest of the Wakening Sun likely in the side and possibly Bellowing Aegisaur if you're running Walking Ballista.
4 Walking Ballista
4 Ripjaw Raptor
?? Ranging Raptors
?? Ravenous Daggertooth
So far, these are the ones that look like they have the most powerful and cost effective effects. Sun-Crowned Hunters if it didn't cost 6 would be good but... it's too expensive without doing other things. The Aegisaur and Ballista are a good combo, but for 6 mana you can just slam the new Carnage Tyrant. Also, what is there in Standard to make your creatures indestructible? Anything?
2x Scattered Groves
9x Plains
9x Forest
4x Kinjalli's Caller
4x Drover of the Mighty
4x Ranging Raptors
4x Ripjaw Raptor
4x Walking Ballista
4x Bellowing Aegisaur
2x Merfolk Branchwalker
1x Kinjalli's Sunwing
3x Commune with Dinosaurs
4x Savage Stomp
It's not infinite, because you will eventually kill the Aegisaur. It doesn't put a counter on itself. But, you can start pinging it again every turn. I'm wondering if an Abzan deck with this combo and the snake whose name I can't recall at the moment could be a thing. It's an interesting thought.
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GWB Abzan Evolution GWB