Hey guys. I decided to make a Riku of Two Reflections ETB deck for fun (mostly casual but more competitive casual if that makes any sense). In other words, I want this deck to be fun but have the ability to hang in a more competitive metagame. I have posted the decklist and wanted some opinions on spell choices, creature choices, etc. Also please point out if I missed any obvious creatures and spells
bobthefunny and myself both run distinctly different $50 budget riku decks from time to time that are not oppressive but can still hang with good decks. Check out my primer for one of them (budget creature toolbox), and check out bob's here for the other (hellrider elfball).
Firstly, you can't play this many on-curve creatures in a Riku deck and not play Birthing Pod. I'm pretty sure it's illegal. The pod is so unbelievably good on its own as a tutor for creatures, then add a general that lets you copy everything you pod in to, and it's a can't miss winner. I would never ever play a creature-based Riku deck without this.
Your own list has some very good card quality to it. Some cards I would consider sub-par:
Borderland Ranger is much worse than Farhaven/Wood elves. Yavimaya Elder blows him out of the water.
Manic Vandal/Vithian Renegades: Just play one of these and make the other Fauna Shaman. She is amazingly good in here.
Clone is a worse metamoph. Check out Sower of Temptation as a better alternative. I also love Spike Weaver as an Insurrection shield, a card that is likely to kill you easily. Or, better yet, just play Pod already.
Draining Whelk is pretty useless to copy, and you already have mystic snake. You are running so many creatures here- how bout a Lurking Predators? Seems like it would trigger like every other untap step and be really really strong here. Pod comes first though.
Overall I would suggest that you cut down on duplicate functionality between creatures. For instance, you should not need both Duplicant AND Phyrexian Ingester. Pick the better one, then play a tutor instead of the other. Chord of Calling would be great here with all the convoke targets, and GSZ is always good, since who are you kidding, you're going for P-Tizzle anyway. That would improve your options significantly.
So in short, play more tutors and less bad creatures and creatures that do the same thing as other creatures. Birthing Pod-->Fauna Shaman-->Chord of Calling-->GSZ in that order. This will vastly improve your consistency and your ability to respond to changing board states.
How has the closet played out? I want to fit in 1-2 wrath effects and not sure which ones. I like evacuation style stuff since I can then reuse all my ETB effects really easily. Still deciding.
bobthefunny and myself both run distinctly different $50 budget riku decks from time to time that are not oppressive but can still hang with good decks. Check out my primer for one of them (budget creature toolbox), and check out bob's here for the other (hellrider elfball).
Firstly, you can't play this many on-curve creatures in a Riku deck and not play Birthing Pod. I'm pretty sure it's illegal. The pod is so unbelievably good on its own as a tutor for creatures, then add a general that lets you copy everything you pod in to, and it's a can't miss winner. I would never ever play a creature-based Riku deck without this.
Your own list has some very good card quality to it. Some cards I would consider sub-par:
Borderland Ranger is much worse than Farhaven/Wood elves. Yavimaya Elder blows him out of the water.
Manic Vandal/Vithian Renegades: Just play one of these and make the other Fauna Shaman. She is amazingly good in here.
Clone is a worse metamoph. Check out Sower of Temptation as a better alternative. I also love Spike Weaver as an Insurrection shield, a card that is likely to kill you easily. Or, better yet, just play Pod already.
Draining Whelk is pretty useless to copy, and you already have mystic snake. You are running so many creatures here- how bout a Lurking Predators? Seems like it would trigger like every other untap step and be really really strong here. Pod comes first though.
Overall I would suggest that you cut down on duplicate functionality between creatures. For instance, you should not need both Duplicant AND Phyrexian Ingester. Pick the better one, then play a tutor instead of the other. Chord of Calling would be great here with all the convoke targets, and GSZ is always good, since who are you kidding, you're going for P-Tizzle anyway. That would improve your options significantly.
So in short, play more tutors and less bad creatures and creatures that do the same thing as other creatures. Birthing Pod-->Fauna Shaman-->Chord of Calling-->GSZ in that order. This will vastly improve your consistency and your ability to respond to changing board states.
Good luck with your deck.
Made some changes. I am actually looking to add GSZ, chord, and fauna shaman as soon as I get some more copies (I use them in all EDH decks and standard/modern/etc). My metagame actually has almost no insurrection and lurking predators makes me WAY too much of a target Ill play with it some more and keep making changes
Thanks for all the suggestions
Cards Currently Looking to Add in:
Green Sun's Zenith
Chord of Calling
Fauna Shaman
Mystical Tutor
Sensei's Divining Top
Loaming Shaman
Sakashima's Student
Squee Goblin Nabob
After playing with the deck some more, I made some changes. I finally acquired a sakashima's student so I took the clone out for him. Then I swapped out solemn simulacrum since as much value as he is, I just didn't like the 4 casting cost on him and out he came for a mystical tutor. Really the tutor is in the deck as a finisher. It gets me tooth and nail to combo off (if need be), or it gets me comet storm to win if i have a palinchron in hand. I also took supersonik's advice and cut the draining whelk for a thragtusk. The life gain was fairly relevant for me and the body wasn't bad either. Not to mention with deadeye navigator an army builds FAST. Lastly, I swapped a forest for a sensei's divining top.
In the future, I plan to add in Green Suns Zenith, chord of calling, loaming shaman, fauna shaman, etc. Probably cutting some creatures that are redundant.
Alright played the deck for another while and made some more changes! I actually hated the 2cmc ramp spells and hated some of the other stuff because they were underwhelming. Changes:
In:
Sylvan Tutor
Green Sun's Zenith
Frost Titan
Fauna Shaman
Decklist:
1 Riku of Two Reflections
Creatures:
2 Coiling Oracle
2 Wall of Blossoms
2 Elvish Visionary
2 Fauna Shaman
3 Farhaven Elf
3 Fierce Empath
3 Wood Elves
3 Eternal Witness
3 Wormfang Drake
3 Manic Vandal
3 Vithian Renegades
4 Gamekeeper
4 Venser, Shaper Savant
4 Sakashima's Student
4 Sakashima the Imposter
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Anger
4 Flametongue Kavu
4 Mystic Snake
5 Seedborn Muse
5 Acidic Slime
5 Indrik Stomphowler
5 Body Double
5 Mulldrifter
5 Ixidron
5 Zealous Conscripts
5 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
5 Ingot Chewer
6 Primeval Titan
6 Deadwood Treefolk
6 Brutalizer Exarch
6 Deadeye Navigator
6 Frost Titan
6 Inferno Titan
6 Duplicant
7 Chancellor of the Spires
7 Sphinx of Uthuun
7 Palinchron
8 Craterhoof Behemoth
8 Maelstrom Wanderer
1 Gamble
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Sylvan Tutor
2 Blood Frenzy
3 Fabricate
3 Kodama's Reach
3 Cultivate
3 Chaos Warp
4 Rite of Replication
4 Fact or Fiction
7 Tooth and Nail
9 Comet Storm
0 Green Sun's Zenith
Permanents:
1 Sol Ring
1 Sensei's Divining Top
2 Sylvan Library
3 Proteus Staff
3 Mimic Vat
3 Cloudstone Curio
4 Vedalken Orrery
4 Birthing Pod
Lands:
1 Volcanic Island
1 Taiga
1 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Arid Mesa
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Shivan Reef
1 Yavimaya Coast
1 Karplusan Forest
1 Flooded Grove
1 Fire-Lit Thicket
1 Hinterland Harbor
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Rootbound Crag
1 Command Tower
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Reliquary Tower
1 High Market
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Lonely Sandbar
1 Tranquil Thicket
5 Snow-Covered Island
5 Snow-Covered Forest
2 Snow-Covered Mountain
Change Log:
Out:
1 Borderland Ranger
1 Ondu Giant
1 Animar, Soul of Elements
1 Phyrexian Ingester
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Snow-Covered Island
1 Snow-Covered Mountain
1 Palinchron
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Sylvan Library
1 Birthing Pod
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Rootbound Crag
1 Kessig Wolf Run
Out:
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Draining Whelk
1 Clone
1 Snow-Covered Forest
1 Sakashima's Student
1 Thragtusk
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Mystical Tutor
Out:
1 Rampant Growth
1 Farseek
1 Thragtusk
1 Elgaud Shieldmate
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Sylvan Tutor
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Frost Titan
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Maelstrom Wanderer
Please let me know any thoughts via post! Thanks!
Wanted Card List: (PM me)
1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
1 Ravages of War
1 Swords to Plowshares (Judge)
1 Land Tax (Judge)
U
1 Mana Vortex
B
1 Desolation Angel (Foil)
1 Guardian Beast
1 Contamination
R
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
G
1 Food Chain
WUBRG
1 Rohgahh of Kher Keep
X
1 Charcoal Diamond (Foil)
1 Fellwar Stone (Foil)
T
1 Temple Garden (Foil)
3 Mutavault
1 Kor Haven
Firstly, you can't play this many on-curve creatures in a Riku deck and not play Birthing Pod. I'm pretty sure it's illegal. The pod is so unbelievably good on its own as a tutor for creatures, then add a general that lets you copy everything you pod in to, and it's a can't miss winner. I would never ever play a creature-based Riku deck without this.
Your own list has some very good card quality to it. Some cards I would consider sub-par:
Borderland Ranger is much worse than Farhaven/Wood elves. Yavimaya Elder blows him out of the water.
Manic Vandal/Vithian Renegades: Just play one of these and make the other Fauna Shaman. She is amazingly good in here.
Clone is a worse metamoph. Check out Sower of Temptation as a better alternative. I also love Spike Weaver as an Insurrection shield, a card that is likely to kill you easily. Or, better yet, just play Pod already.
Draining Whelk is pretty useless to copy, and you already have mystic snake. You are running so many creatures here- how bout a Lurking Predators? Seems like it would trigger like every other untap step and be really really strong here. Pod comes first though.
Overall I would suggest that you cut down on duplicate functionality between creatures. For instance, you should not need both Duplicant AND Phyrexian Ingester. Pick the better one, then play a tutor instead of the other. Chord of Calling would be great here with all the convoke targets, and GSZ is always good, since who are you kidding, you're going for P-Tizzle anyway. That would improve your options significantly.
So in short, play more tutors and less bad creatures and creatures that do the same thing as other creatures. Birthing Pod-->Fauna Shaman-->Chord of Calling-->GSZ in that order. This will vastly improve your consistency and your ability to respond to changing board states.
Good luck with your deck.
:symu::symr: Melek WheelStorm
:symw::symg: Trostani Enchantress (updated 6/5)
:symg::symr::symu: Unexpected Results.dec
Thada Adel Stax WIP
How has the closet played out? I want to fit in 1-2 wrath effects and not sure which ones. I like evacuation style stuff since I can then reuse all my ETB effects really easily. Still deciding.
Made some changes. I am actually looking to add GSZ, chord, and fauna shaman as soon as I get some more copies (I use them in all EDH decks and standard/modern/etc). My metagame actually has almost no insurrection and lurking predators makes me WAY too much of a target Ill play with it some more and keep making changes
Thanks for all the suggestions
Cards Currently Looking to Add in:
Green Sun's Zenith
Chord of Calling
Fauna Shaman
Mystical Tutor
Sensei's Divining Top
Loaming Shaman
Sakashima's Student
Squee Goblin Nabob
Cards Likely Being Cut:
Draining Whelk
Clone
Solemn Simulacrum
Rampant Growth
Snow-Covered Forest
Wanted Card List: (PM me)
1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
1 Ravages of War
1 Swords to Plowshares (Judge)
1 Land Tax (Judge)
U
1 Mana Vortex
B
1 Desolation Angel (Foil)
1 Guardian Beast
1 Contamination
R
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
G
1 Food Chain
WUBRG
1 Rohgahh of Kher Keep
X
1 Charcoal Diamond (Foil)
1 Fellwar Stone (Foil)
T
1 Temple Garden (Foil)
3 Mutavault
1 Kor Haven
In the future, I plan to add in Green Suns Zenith, chord of calling, loaming shaman, fauna shaman, etc. Probably cutting some creatures that are redundant.
Wanted Card List: (PM me)
1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
1 Ravages of War
1 Swords to Plowshares (Judge)
1 Land Tax (Judge)
U
1 Mana Vortex
B
1 Desolation Angel (Foil)
1 Guardian Beast
1 Contamination
R
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
G
1 Food Chain
WUBRG
1 Rohgahh of Kher Keep
X
1 Charcoal Diamond (Foil)
1 Fellwar Stone (Foil)
T
1 Temple Garden (Foil)
3 Mutavault
1 Kor Haven
In:
Sylvan Tutor
Green Sun's Zenith
Frost Titan
Fauna Shaman
Out:
Rampant Growth
Farseek
Thragtusk
Elgaud Shieldmate
Wanted Card List: (PM me)
1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
1 Ravages of War
1 Swords to Plowshares (Judge)
1 Land Tax (Judge)
U
1 Mana Vortex
B
1 Desolation Angel (Foil)
1 Guardian Beast
1 Contamination
R
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
G
1 Food Chain
WUBRG
1 Rohgahh of Kher Keep
X
1 Charcoal Diamond (Foil)
1 Fellwar Stone (Foil)
T
1 Temple Garden (Foil)
3 Mutavault
1 Kor Haven