MTG Salvation

Psychobabble, is your set review out? What do you think about WB (semi)heroic aggro vs WR? Thoughtseize is obviously a huge plus, but most of the other black cards you'd play cost BB. Too greedy?

Cutting Hopeful Eidolon, Ordeal of Purphoros and Gods Willing would take me from 19 maindeck heroic enablers to 8. At that point, is it better to ditch heroic completely? Maybe WR aggro sans heroic is just a better deck, but cutting over half of the heroic enablers and leaving in most of the heroic creatures seems like the worst of both worlds.

Here's my WR heroic aggro list. Most of the sideboard options are awful, so I went with a "big" transformational sb... probably junk. Is red worth it here?

Quote from The Dork Knight

the ones with activation costs might need an extra 1 added.

Yeah I'm not happy with the costing or design of my Izzet, Golgari and Orzhov guys. I wanted to avoid repeatable activated abilities because I didn't want to create any mini Guildmages. I think the real cards will avoid them too.

That's where the Golgari 1/1 fails. I like the idea of a (G/B) creature that has deathtouch and functions as a removal spell. Didn't pull it off and I don't think adding 1 to the activated ability will fix it.

Turns out my Orzhov 1/1 is a hybrid, uncommon version of Children of Korlis. Any ideas here?

My Izzet design is clunky, don't like it. Izzet Charm and Nivix Guildmage already loot, so I don't think our (U/R) friend will. A restricted instant/sorcery tutor might work. CMC 1 or less, put it on top of your library? Maybe an ability that triggers whenever you cast an instant or sorcery, something smaller than Kiln Fiend's bonus.

Quote from zemanjaski

Maybe a jackal pup reprint would suit the rakdos theme?

I suggested a hasty hybrid Jackal Pup a few posts ago. I think that's reasonable considering how far creatures have come since Tempest.

Quote from zemanjaski

I wish that you designed cards, red would get playables.

Thanks, here are the rest. I'm not happy with the Izzet one...

(U/B)
Whenever ~ attacks, creatures you control are unblockable this turn.
1/1

(W/B)
Sac ~: gain life equal to the life you've lost this turn.
1/1

(R/W)
~ gets +1/+1 for each attacking creature.
1/1

If it's a cycle, we should get ally and enemy pairs. Let's say they won't use guild mechanics.

(U/R)
Sacrifice ~: copy target instant or sorcery with converted mana cost 3 or less.
1/1

(B/R)
Haste
Whenever ~ is dealt damage, it deals that much damage to you.
2/1

(B/G)
Deathtouch
(B/G): ~ fights target creature.
1/1

(R/G)
~ gets +1/+1 for each nonbasic land your opponents control.
1/1

(U/G)
Flash
When ~ etb, target permanent gets hexproof until eot.
1/1

I don't know if the curve is low enough for this to qualify as a stompy deck, but here's a rough mono G list. I added Hoods and Vorapedes because WBx tokens and BWGx planeswalkers will be very good at clogging up the board.

Yeah I agree. Snapcaster decks can afford to bring in Lost in the Mist against this deck, which makes Nevermore worse in this deck compared to the more aggressive white decks. It's still one of your best SB cards.

Spending 2 mana and a card to turn a Bloodgift Demon into a Phyrexian Arena seems horrible unless your opponent is on a very short clock, which is why I like Bonds of Faith in WG Humans but not here.

I'm not sure if auras fall off when a card transforms. If they do, Bonds of Faith is even worse. If they don't, well, a flipped Mayor is still a Bitterblossom on roids and a flipped Instigator Gang still pumps attackers.

I like Bonds of Faith as a pacifism in the WG Humans deck, not so much in the WR one. Here, I think you need your removal to kill stuff dead. Mayor of Avabruck, Snapcaster Mage, Mentor of the Meek, Instigator Gang, Bloodgift Demon, etc. can all beat you without attacking or blocking.

Thanks, that was helpful.

I'd like to hear more about your block league. What decks are considered tier 1, how have they evolved, sleepers, etc. This might not be the thread for something that general.

Of course the exact numbers will depend on the rest of the deck, but any mana base built with Plains, Forests and Gavony Townships is going to be shaky. Is Gavony Township worth it? The deck's card quality is high enough that maybe extra stability is better than the ability to pay 5 to pump. Like you said, purely theory.

The deck is splashing green for 4 one drops, 8 two drops and some Garruks. It doesn't require a lot of green mana, but it wants green mana early.

Let's say 24 lands. 2 Gavony Township, 12 Plains, 10 Forest. For a deck that has 8 WW spells in the MD, plus Nevermore in the SB, I wouldn't call that extremely stable. Avacyn's Pilgrim does help.

This deck will be very good when it gets to cast its spells. Gavony Township produces colourless and needs both G and W to be better than a basic land, so any more than 0-1 seems greedy. Should the mana base just be half forests, half plains? Some number of Shimmering Grotto and/or Ghost Quarter?

Now that I've had more time to think about the format, I agree that Spectral Rider should be cut.

I stayed away from red creatures and Devil's Play because I didn't want to put more pressure on the mana base. Your mana base is built to support those cards, but is 15 white sources enough to reliably cast Elite Inquisitor and Fiend Hunter? Even without Stormkirk and Devil's Play, my list probably needs another mountain.

4 Nevermore in the SB seems correct. I've been working a UBR control list, and I'm still trying to figure out an elegant way of dealing with a resolved Nevermore naming Bloodgift Demon. There's not enough room for more than 1-2 other finishers. It's going to steal some games.

Are you happy with that equipment split?