Looking at Teach by Example again made me notice the wording is different than other copy spells. Most copy a spell on the stack, but Teach specifically copies the next one you cast. Be careful not to miss play and cast it after the spell you want to copy. I guess this wording is the only way it could be printed as a common considering how powerful the other way can be.
Teach by Example will be tested for my Hunt for Red Controlber list as a 2-of. Being able to copy Fiery Cannonade against decks that run bigger creatures would be good. Being able to copy most of the other spells in that deck is good too!
I've been keeping the Emerge mechanic in the back of my mind and recently revisited the idea with this new brew. With the addition of Mutate we now have some more creatures that fit into the game plan. Plan: Drop early ETB creatures for value then Emerge/Mutate them for more value.
This deck can fairly consistently see a second turn Mutated Greathorn with 4 lands in play. Arboreal Grazer and Elvish Pioneer allow for this to happen.
Dreamtail Heron can come down on turn 3 giving us a strong flier that replaces itself.
Wretched Gryff has the same benefits as Dreamtail Heron, but you draw when it is cast so it replaces itself even if countered.
It of the Horrid Swarm has good stats and brings along some Mutate/Edict fodder or allows you to go wider.
Fierce Empath is also great to not only fetch the Emerge creatures, but it also reduces the Emerge cost by 3 making it a good sac option.
Skyshroud Cutter is a recent addition to the list that I'm testing for now. I've always been wondering if there will ever be a reason to use this creature in Pauper for any combos or synergies, and this might be it. The "free" casting cost coupled with it's 4 cmc opens the up 2nd turn Emerge creatures. Is it worth your opponent gaining 5 life? I'm still trying to determine that. This is a big flex slot for the list, so if anyone has other suggestions for enabling quick Emerges then let me know! So far this is the only "free" creature with a high cmc.
Giantbaiting is another card that fits into using early creatures for value. Burning-Tree Emissary helps add a free creature to conspire with and if you had a first turn Grazer/Pioneer then Giantbaiting can hit hard Turn 2. Emissary can't be a Mutate target since it's human, but providing a "free" body gives you Edict protection for your Mutants.
Another creature I was using originally was Siege Wurm. It was easy to cast fairly early with Convoke and can be tutored with Fierce Empath. I considered some other Convoke creatures, but Siege Wurm is probably the best option since it has Trample. I cut it out of the list to have room to test Skyshroud Cutter for the time being.
As always, any thoughts, comments, and suggestions are welcome! Has anyone else tested any Emerge lists in the past? What about Mutate?
It was a fun match and it was great to finally play against you!
Bonder's Ornament seems to do much more for the deck than the Talismans at this point. Most losses with my old list were due to running out of gas and getting to top deck mode. Pristine Talisman can still be good if one can find the room to keep it in along with the Ornaments, but for now I haven't needed to bring them back.
I think Electrickery is just a hold over and I should switch it out for more Cannonades or something else entirely. I'll have to do some more in depth testing and take notes and see what I should do.
Skred still works well with the lower snow land count. Wildfire can help fetch more if needed. In most cases with the current meta I need 5 snow lands to get most threats, but Ulamog's Crusher could be a problem if I come across it.
I'd definitely like to see you pilot the deck at some point in the future if you feel it would be good content on your channel!
Newly updated list! I got some Commander Legends boosters on MTGO and pulled some big ticket cards, so I traded them in and was able to get a lot of pricey Pauper cards I was missing in my collection. This allowed me to add Bonder's Ornament and Boarding Party. I even got some Red Elemental Blasts to pump up the sideboard.
This deck has been performing really well in most matchups. My main issue has been anything that gains too much life, which I found when going up against some Angel Tribal decks that gain a lot of life and has high toughness creatures that fly which kills my board wipes. Burn is still tricky too, but I haven't been seeing it too much lately.
Cleansing Wildfire has been a great maindeck card with the Darksteel Citadel package. The current meta has some decks running very low to no amount of Basic Lands. It hurts Tron and gives us more power post board with Pillage. It also hits Affinity's lands well with Echoing Ruin and Pillage. Wildfire should see more play in red decks!
I haven't actually faced any Tron decks yet, so the Wildfire hasn't paid off in that regard. The ramp has really helped and it has worked well against decks running the Ravnica/Karoo lands.
Tuskeri Firewalker gives us an ability that we haven't had in the format (as far as I recall). It's good stats, and it can give red some much needed CA.
It's been a while, but some recent sets may have graced this archetypes with new cards to help cover some of it's weaknesses. My new decklist is a major facelift from my last iteration, so here it is:
Commander Legends gave us Fiery Cannonade which is now one of the best sweepers in the format. The instant speed is wonderful and can even counter Spellstutter Sprites. This was a no-brainer addition.
One weakness of the deck was the severe lack of card advantage, but we have two new Monarch cards available in Staunch Throneguard and Crimson Fleet Commodore. We previously only had Crown-Hunter Hireling but it left something to be desired. The new cards can survive a Cannonade, and I prefer Throneguard since it can attack and still block some midrange creatures favorably. Commodore has some good power, but bears can stop it from attacking.
Another new combo that helps the deck is the Cleansing Wildfire+Darksteel Citadel trick. It helps us ramp and replaces a card in hand. This feels very powerful and it gives the deck something to do early in the game. Wildfire also improves our Tron matchup by being in the maindeck to give us an edge post board.
Other considerations:
Boarding Party looks good, but I feel the Cascade has a chance to whiff depending on the opponent's board and if we've been doing a good job clearing the board. I will be testing it to see how it works out. It's already proved to proved to be a strong card in the format.
Bonder's Ornament can replace the Wildfire+Citadel combo for something that might be more consistent, but currently I can only try the deck on MTGO and the tix for it are too high for my wallet. I will definitely test it when I get the chance.
Another option I considered is incorporating some Madness cards like Fiery Temper and Reckless Wurm and use the newly downshifted Jalum Tome to gain some advantage. I might test that out sometime as well, but I'll have to make some considerable changes to fit that package in.
So far I've played a few games and this list has performed well! I anticipate it will still have issues against Burn and Tron (although I'm optimistic it'll fare better than before). What are your thought? Comments and criticism is always welcome and appreciated!
Foundry Inspector looks like this could make the Battered Golem/Retraction Helix more consistent. Multiples of Inspector/Etherium Sculptor can make plenty of artifacts free to combo off. Plus the extra power on the table gives the back uo plan of beating down your opponent.
Haven't really updated my decks yet, but I think this can work, with the redundancy and all. Is mono blue still the way to go? Or izzet better adding red?
With Red there's access to Galvanic Blast and Faithless Looting , but is that enough to warrant a splash? What else would be good? Since this is a bit off topic for spoiler discussions perhaps you can start a new thread with your decklist.
Foundry Inspector looks like this could make the Battered Golem/Retraction Helix more consistent. Multiples of Inspector/Etherium Sculptor can make plenty of artifacts free to combo off. Plus the extra power on the table gives the back uo plan of beating down your opponent.
Filigree FAmiliar gets a downshift and that looks decent. The ETB and Death trigger cards are always interesting.
Staunch Throneguard will definitely see play. We've already seen how strong Monarch is in the format, so a colorless creature that can block well and also attack sounds great! This will give fringe control decks like my Hunt for Red Controlber deck some much needed card advantage.
Maelstrom Colossus is probably on of the most interesting cards to come out so far. This is finally good competition with Ulamog's Crusher for "best fatty". This one feels especially relevant now since Ghostly Flicker effects are commonplace in Tron decks, giving this colossus an easy home as both a finisher and a value engine.
Cascade work only if cast, not as an ETB effect. Flicker won't create an engine, but bounce effects can create some value. I'm imagining some Withdraw or Curfew shenanigans.
Fall from Favor looks strong and also annoying. Lol!
Fleshbag Marauder has been something I've been wanting for a long time in Pauper, so this pleases me very much!
I'm getting real tired of seeing Tormenting Voice reprinted ad nauseam. I know it's just one common slot in the whole set, but I just want to see something different for red.
Looks like some good changes! I watched your most recent Youtube video with the new list and it worked out perfectly in that matchup! Weather the Storm is brutal against some decks.
Emerge Creatures:
Mutate Creatures:
Here's my current list:
12 Forest
8 Island
3 Holdout Settlement
Creatures
3 Arboreal Grazer
3 Elvish Pioneer
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Coiling Oracle
3 Fierce Empath
4 Skyshroud Cutter
4 Migratory Greathorn
4 Dreamtail Heron
2 Wretched Gryff
2 It of the Horrid Swarm
2 Lead the Stampede
2 Giantbaiting
3 Mizzium Skin
3 Spreading Seas
3 Faerie Macabre
3 Gleeful Sabotage
3 Pulse of Murasa
This deck can fairly consistently see a second turn Mutated Greathorn with 4 lands in play. Arboreal Grazer and Elvish Pioneer allow for this to happen.
Dreamtail Heron can come down on turn 3 giving us a strong flier that replaces itself.
Wretched Gryff has the same benefits as Dreamtail Heron, but you draw when it is cast so it replaces itself even if countered.
It of the Horrid Swarm has good stats and brings along some Mutate/Edict fodder or allows you to go wider.
Fierce Empath is also great to not only fetch the Emerge creatures, but it also reduces the Emerge cost by 3 making it a good sac option.
Skyshroud Cutter is a recent addition to the list that I'm testing for now. I've always been wondering if there will ever be a reason to use this creature in Pauper for any combos or synergies, and this might be it. The "free" casting cost coupled with it's 4 cmc opens the up 2nd turn Emerge creatures. Is it worth your opponent gaining 5 life? I'm still trying to determine that. This is a big flex slot for the list, so if anyone has other suggestions for enabling quick Emerges then let me know! So far this is the only "free" creature with a high cmc.
Giantbaiting is another card that fits into using early creatures for value. Burning-Tree Emissary helps add a free creature to conspire with and if you had a first turn Grazer/Pioneer then Giantbaiting can hit hard Turn 2. Emissary can't be a Mutate target since it's human, but providing a "free" body gives you Edict protection for your Mutants.
Another creature I was using originally was Siege Wurm. It was easy to cast fairly early with Convoke and can be tutored with Fierce Empath. I considered some other Convoke creatures, but Siege Wurm is probably the best option since it has Trample. I cut it out of the list to have room to test Skyshroud Cutter for the time being.
As always, any thoughts, comments, and suggestions are welcome! Has anyone else tested any Emerge lists in the past? What about Mutate?
Bonder's Ornament seems to do much more for the deck than the Talismans at this point. Most losses with my old list were due to running out of gas and getting to top deck mode. Pristine Talisman can still be good if one can find the room to keep it in along with the Ornaments, but for now I haven't needed to bring them back.
I think Electrickery is just a hold over and I should switch it out for more Cannonades or something else entirely. I'll have to do some more in depth testing and take notes and see what I should do.
Skred still works well with the lower snow land count. Wildfire can help fetch more if needed. In most cases with the current meta I need 5 snow lands to get most threats, but Ulamog's Crusher could be a problem if I come across it.
I'd definitely like to see you pilot the deck at some point in the future if you feel it would be good content on your channel!
4x Darksteel Citadel
2x Radiant Fountain
18x Snow-Covered Mountain
Sorcery
2x Flame Slash
4x Cleansing Wildfire
Instant
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Skred
3x Magma Jet
3x Fiery Cannonade
2x Staggershock
2x Crimson Fleet Commodore
3x Staunch Throneguard
2x Boarding Party
Artifact/Enchantment
4x Curse of the Pierced Heart
3x Bonder's Ornament
2x Electrickery
3x Echoing Ruin
3x Pillage
2x Swirling Sandstorm
2x Relic of Progenitus
3x Red Elemental Blast
This deck has been performing really well in most matchups. My main issue has been anything that gains too much life, which I found when going up against some Angel Tribal decks that gain a lot of life and has high toughness creatures that fly which kills my board wipes. Burn is still tricky too, but I haven't been seeing it too much lately.
Cleansing Wildfire has been a great maindeck card with the Darksteel Citadel package. The current meta has some decks running very low to no amount of Basic Lands. It hurts Tron and gives us more power post board with Pillage. It also hits Affinity's lands well with Echoing Ruin and Pillage. Wildfire should see more play in red decks!
4x Darksteel Citadel
2x Radiant Fountain
18x Snow-Covered Mountain
Sorcery
2x Flame Slash
4x Cleansing Wildfire
Instant
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Skred
3x Magma Jet
3x Fiery Cannonade
2x Staggershock
2x Thunderous Wrath
2x Crimson Fleet Commodore
4x Staunch Throneguard
Artifact/Enchantment
4x Curse of the Pierced Heart
2x Pristine Talisman
2x Electrickery
3x Echoing Ruin
4x Pillage
2x Swirling Sandstorm
3x Relic of Progenitus
1x Pristine Talisman
Commander Legends gave us Fiery Cannonade which is now one of the best sweepers in the format. The instant speed is wonderful and can even counter Spellstutter Sprites. This was a no-brainer addition.
One weakness of the deck was the severe lack of card advantage, but we have two new Monarch cards available in Staunch Throneguard and Crimson Fleet Commodore. We previously only had Crown-Hunter Hireling but it left something to be desired. The new cards can survive a Cannonade, and I prefer Throneguard since it can attack and still block some midrange creatures favorably. Commodore has some good power, but bears can stop it from attacking.
Another new combo that helps the deck is the Cleansing Wildfire+Darksteel Citadel trick. It helps us ramp and replaces a card in hand. This feels very powerful and it gives the deck something to do early in the game. Wildfire also improves our Tron matchup by being in the maindeck to give us an edge post board.
Other considerations:
Boarding Party looks good, but I feel the Cascade has a chance to whiff depending on the opponent's board and if we've been doing a good job clearing the board. I will be testing it to see how it works out. It's already proved to proved to be a strong card in the format.
Bonder's Ornament can replace the Wildfire+Citadel combo for something that might be more consistent, but currently I can only try the deck on MTGO and the tix for it are too high for my wallet. I will definitely test it when I get the chance.
Another option I considered is incorporating some Madness cards like Fiery Temper and Reckless Wurm and use the newly downshifted Jalum Tome to gain some advantage. I might test that out sometime as well, but I'll have to make some considerable changes to fit that package in.
So far I've played a few games and this list has performed well! I anticipate it will still have issues against Burn and Tron (although I'm optimistic it'll fare better than before). What are your thought? Comments and criticism is always welcome and appreciated!
With Red there's access to Galvanic Blast and Faithless Looting , but is that enough to warrant a splash? What else would be good? Since this is a bit off topic for spoiler discussions perhaps you can start a new thread with your decklist.
Staunch Throneguard will definitely see play. We've already seen how strong Monarch is in the format, so a colorless creature that can block well and also attack sounds great! This will give fringe control decks like my Hunt for Red Controlber deck some much needed card advantage.
Cascade work only if cast, not as an ETB effect. Flicker won't create an engine, but bounce effects can create some value. I'm imagining some Withdraw or Curfew shenanigans.
Fall from Favor looks strong and also annoying. Lol!
Fleshbag Marauder has been something I've been wanting for a long time in Pauper, so this pleases me very much!