I'm aware that this is going to sound super janky, but can anything be done with Rat Colony and Secret Salvage? The rats actually scale reasonably well. For 6 mana you put 12 power on the table. That isn't awful. But beyond just swarming the opponent, you have the potential to put 20+ cards in your hand off a single 5 mana spell. Is there any discard engine, etc, that would want that effect?
Ty for the reply. I dunno that there's anything here with legs, but as I said in the OP, putting a bazillion cards in hand for 5 mana is enough to make me wonder. Could it be possible to just grind someone down with an unending string of rats? Run whatever removal spells are appropriate and just play rat after rat...then refill with about 8 rats and do it all again. I wonder if you couldn't actually win that way through attrition.
Hahahaha this sounds like a lot of janky fun. You could also consider Throne of the God-Pharaoh for some extra burn in case your opponent has chump blockers. Then again for a more immediate kill you could splash blue and use Testuko Umezawa, Fugitive as a backup instead and ignore their blockers altogether.
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I like the idea of Testuko. It could lead to some slack-jawed opponents when you play him and a rat on 5 and swing for as much as much as 24. 'Cause, yanno, you're running like 24 rats. It does bring up a question of whether there is any other support, perhaps in other colors? I want to say something like The Immortal Sun or Vanquisher's Banner are too slow, but maybe not? I like the thought of something cheaper, like the Monument idea. Maybe something like Radiant Destiny? But that doesn't feel right. Maybe Shapers' Sanctuary? I even kicked around Arcane Adaptation, but that's just diving off the proverbial cliff instead of edging up to it.
Its an interesting thought experiment, honestly. If you could break it, it would be the most consistent thing ever because a third, or more, of your deck would be the same silly card.
Edit: What if you could go the other way with it? Instead of using Arcane Adaptation to turn everything into rats, what if we used it to turn all our rats into Servos? Or Knights? Or Zombies? Maybe goblins? Still think we'd wanna stick with something simpler, but the thought of an endless string of goblin-rats to play after Goblin Warchief or fling with Siege-Gang Commander just shows the potential angles you could take it.
These are all good ideas I am reading (I am thinking about a home brew too), but what are some ideas that are beyond standard? I was thinking about cards like Thrumming Stone, Bloodbond March & Echoing Courage.
These are all good ideas I am reading (I am thinking about a home brew too), but what are some ideas that are beyond standard? I was thinking about cards like Thrumming Stone, Bloodbond March & Echoing Courage.
What protection do we currently have in Standard against board wipes in Black, to protect all these wee rattos?
There is nothing like mass indestructible in black or colorless in Standard and the only comparable card at all in the format is Heroic Intervention - which is low cost, and splashable, but still probably not enough.
Faith of the Devoted allows you, for a small additional mana investment to drain your opponents, when you discard your cards.
Merciless Javelineer allows you to place out more -1/-1 counters.
Ruthless Sniper does the same, for a small additional mana cost.
Tomb Robber grows bigger, permanently, and provides potential mana fixing.
Fateful Showdown deals a *lot* of damage.
Hazoret the Fervent deals damage for a small mana investment.
And that is just in Black and Red in standard.
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Numquam evolutioni obstes. Solum conculceris.
Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.
Ty for the reply. I dunno that there's anything here with legs, but as I said in the OP, putting a bazillion cards in hand for 5 mana is enough to make me wonder. Could it be possible to just grind someone down with an unending string of rats? Run whatever removal spells are appropriate and just play rat after rat...then refill with about 8 rats and do it all again. I wonder if you couldn't actually win that way through attrition.
YES! That is perfect. Rat Colony + Bontu's Monument + Removal should be a solid deck.
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Numquam evolutioni obstes. Solum conculceris.
Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.
-Chandra Nalaar
Its an interesting thought experiment, honestly. If you could break it, it would be the most consistent thing ever because a third, or more, of your deck would be the same silly card.
Edit: What if you could go the other way with it? Instead of using Arcane Adaptation to turn everything into rats, what if we used it to turn all our rats into Servos? Or Knights? Or Zombies? Maybe goblins? Still think we'd wanna stick with something simpler, but the thought of an endless string of goblin-rats to play after Goblin Warchief or fling with Siege-Gang Commander just shows the potential angles you could take it.
Any other non-standard ideas?
I mean, there are general rat tribal effects that you can run. Ratcatcher, Marrow-Gnawer, and Ogre Slumlord all help.
There is nothing like mass indestructible in black or colorless in Standard and the only comparable card at all in the format is Heroic Intervention - which is low cost, and splashable, but still probably not enough.
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