- A HAZEZON TAMAR vs TENEB, THE HARVESTER DUEL DECK PRIMER -
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These two competitive theme decks are based on Tarmon Gai'don, the epic Last Battle between the armies of the Light and the minions of the Dark One, as told in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, a fantastically flavorful choice for Vorthosian Spikes who enjoy marching tokens across the battlefield.
*If you've already finished the series or don't mind spoilers, please feel free to check out the "flavorful" deck lists hidden in the spoiler sections immediately following the "card type" deck lists.
THE ARMIES OF THE LIGHT (Hazezon Tamar)
Spoiler-free Deck List (for flavorful version, open the 2nd spoiler below)
NOTE: THE FLAVORFUL DECK LIST BELOW CONTAINS SERIES SPOILERS.
Flavorful Introduction (1 of 2): The Armies of the Light
Explore (Boundless Realms) the lands of the Third Age using the deck's ramp spells. Amass your forces (Sand Warrior tokens) under the banners of the three Ta'veren, the Dragon Reborn, Rand al'Thor (Darien, King of Kjeldor); the Wolf King, Perrin Aybara (Tolsimir Wolfblood); and the Prince of Ravens, Matrim Cauthon (Odric, Master Tactician); and let each Ta'veren take up their signature weapon, the sa'angreal, Callandor (Sword of Fire and Ice); the Power-wrought hammer, Mah'alleinir (Loxodon Warhammer); and the Eelfinn-granted ashandarei (O-Naginata), respectively. Train your troops in guerrilla tactics (Warstorm Surge) and boost them with the One Power (Collective Blessing). At the end, when you face the Dark One on the slopes of Shayol Ghul, put everything you have into your final strike (Titanic Ultimatum). And remember, even if victorious, you are destined to break the world (Catastrophe).
Visit TappedOut.net for the deck's sample hand generator and other stats.
MASSIVELY IN-DEPTH(!) Spoiler-free Strategy Guide (1 of 2): The Light (Hazezon Tamar)
Aggro Rule #1
Focus your attacks on whichever player has the lowest life total unless a) they have enough blockers to make attacking unwise, or b) they can help you survive next turn.
Hazezon Tamar Rule #1
DON'T PLAY HIGH MARKET—AND, IN SOME CASES, GREATER GOOD AND ELDRAZI MONUMENT—BEFORE YOU'VE CAST HAZEZON!
Hazezon Tamar Rule #2
AVOID PLAYING LANDS THAT PRODUCE RED MANA UNLESS YOU NEED IT THAT TURN TO CAST A SPELL. YOU'LL WANT TO SAVE YOUR RED-PRODUCING LANDS TO ENSURE BEING ABLE TO CAST TITANIC ULTIMATUM LATER IN THE GAME.
Hazezon Tamar Rule #3
WHEN UP AGAINST BLUE MAGES, DON'T PLAY BOSEIJU, WHO SHELTERS ALL UNTIL THE TURN BEFORE YOU PLAN TO CAST CATASTROPHE. ONLY THE FOLLOWING SPELLS ARE EXCEPTIONS:
BOUNDLESS REALMS,
CONQUEROR'S PLEDGE and only if
you have a haste enabler AND a token-doubler/Collective Blessing in play, or
you're paying the kicker cost, and
INCREASING DEVOTION and only if
being flashed back.
Ramp
Hazezon's CMC is 7, making ramp an essential tactic. You want to have at least seven lands in play by turn 7. The only thing more important than ramping is casting Stranglehold ASAP when playing against Green, Blue, or Black.
Drawing Catastrophe before casting Hazezon means you'll want to rethink putting more than six lands into play. It also means you'll want to play your basic lands before any lands that produce multiple colors of mana. Save Flagstones of Trokair for the turn you cast Catastrophe when possible.
This should go without saying, but if you draw Boundless Realms before you've cast Hazezon, cast Realms first. In addition to Boundless Realms, the deck has a suite of creatures to help you make consistent land drops: the elders Sakura and Yavimaya, Krosan Tusker, and Knight of the Reliquary. (In case you draw a Knight by turn three, prioritize playing Plains and Forests first.)
Unless you're going to do something that will radically swing the game in your favor on the next turn, consider casting/cycling the Elders/Tusker before Sol Ring/Coalition Relic and playing Krosan Verge before any other lands.
Mirari's Wake will double your lands' mana production and Land Tax will glean basic lands from your deck. Use Land Tax to pull three lands every time until you're down to three or less basic lands in the deck. Before turn 7, Garruk Wildspeaker's sole purpose is ramping you up.
Card Advantage (In-Hand)
After ramp, drawing card's is your secondary focus until turn 9. (Yes, turn 9.) Unless you're in a position to win on the current or next turn, Enlightened Tutor should be used for Land Tax or Sensei's Divining Top in that order. If you draw into Greater Good (or if it's in your opening hand) before turn 5, try to cast it before any of your 3-power (or more) creatures. In the same fashion, cast Skullclamp before you produce any tokens whenever possible. When presented with the choice of casting Mind's Eye or mana ramp such as Coalition Relic, always go for the mana ramp. Garruk, Primal Hunter should be played as soon as possible so you have the option of drawing cards the next turn.
Key Creatures
With the exception of the deck's four mana-ramping creatures which trump most other creatures before seven lands are in play or utility creatures to be used when necessary (Eternal Witness, Acidic Slime, Terastodon), the following creatures should be cast ASAP in this approximate order: Grand Abolisher (only before a game-changing spell, however); Rhys the Redeemed; Hero of Bladehold; Odric, Master Tactician; Kamahl, Fist of Krosa; Captain of the Watch; Darien, King of Kjeldor; Tolsimir Wolfblood; and finally, Craterhoof Behemoth (only as a finisher). Unless you have 7 lands in play (or no Forests or Plains left in your deck), do not attack/block with Knight of the Reliquary if it's not going to guarantee your survival or win the next turn.
Planeswalkers
Cast Elspeth, Knight-Errant as soon as you can, even over a ramp or card advantage spell. (Of course, if there's a threat on the board that will reduce her loyalty before your next turn you'll want to wait until you can protect her.) Lifegain is largely irrelevant, so the first order of business when casting Elspeth Tirel is immediate token production. You'll generally alternate between that and her first ability, unless you need to wipe the board. Gideon Jura can be used for removal if needed, but you'll primarily use him to get your army through for one or more swings.
Token Production & Enhancements
Save your token doublers for the turn before you cast Hazezon, Conqueror's Pledge, or Increasing Devotion. Along with Warstorm Surge, cast your haste enablers ASAP: In the Web of War, Fires of Yavimaya, and Fervor. With the obvious exception of Mirari's Wake, think of your other anthems (Collective Blessing & Eldrazi Monument) as preliminary finishers, only to be cast when you have creatures in play (3 or more for the Blessing & "next-turn-lethal" for Monument).
Be wary of casting more token-producing sorceries than necessary. (Note that this also applies to Hazezon.) Avoid casting Martial Coup for less than 4 tokens and avoid casting it until there are three opposing creature threats on the board. Unless you're in desperate need of a card or blockers, do not cycle/cast Decree of Justice for less than 3.
Save Spectral Procession for one of the following scenarios:
a) your opponent has flying creatures you need to block to survive, or
b) you have a token doubler on the board, or
c) you have a way to get its flying tokens through, and/or
d) (and only in conjunction with scenario "c") you have Collective Blessing or an equipment in play.
Conqueror's Pledge is better used when one or both of the following is true: you can kick it; you have a token doubler in play. When possible, hold onto Nomads' Assembly until you have a haste enabler on the board. (Also, don't cast it unless you have at least three creatures in play.)
Don't even think of casting Howl of the Night Pack without at least 3 Forests on the board, even with a token doubler in play. Without a token doubler or Collective Blessing on the board, try to hold onto Increasing Devotion until you have enough mana to cast it on the current turn and flash it back on the next turn.
Non-Token Creatures
With the exception of creatures that act as removal/recursion (e.g. Terastodon, Eternal Witness) or pull lands from the deck, you often won't need to have more than one non-token creature in play.
Non-Creature Permanents
Cast these cautiously with an eye out for mass removal. There's rarely a need to have two non-creature permanents in play that fulfill the same role, e.g. Sword of Fire and Ice/Skullclamp, Mirari's Wake/Eldrazi Monument, Doubling Season/Parallel Lives, Mind's Eye/Greater Good, Loxodon Warhammer/O-Naginata.
Hate/Removal
Without a token-producer on the board, cast Aura Shards first. Reserve Oblation for particularly troublesome generals, planeswalkers you can't punch through to, and indestructible permanents. Beast Within can also handle opposing planeswalkers and Acidic Slime can take care of most anything else.
Utility Lands
Unless it means you missing a land drop, hold on to Gavony Township and Reliquary Tower unless you can benefit on the same turn you play them. Treat Kessig Wolf Run like a preliminary finisher and hold onto it until you can play it and activate its ability for no less than X=3 targeting a creature that will get through. If you haven't cast Hazezon yet and you're close to producing 11 mana, hold onto Miren, the Moaning Well if you don't already have another sacrifice outlet in play.
Finishers
This deck has 2.5 finishers: Craterhoof Behemoth; Titanic Ultimatum; Cloudshift (targeting Behemoth); Eternal Witness (targeting Ultimatum); Kessig Wolf Run; and (with enough mana) Kamahl, Fist of Krosa.
Visit TappedOut.net for the deck's sample hand generator and other stats.
THE MINIONS OF THE DARK ONE (Teneb, the Harvester)
Spoiler-free Deck List (for flavorful version, open the 2nd spoiler below)
NOTE: THE FLAVORFUL DECK LIST BELOW CONTAINS SERIES SPOILERS.
Flavorful Introduction (2 of 2): The Minions of the Dark One "The Dragon Reborn!" Mazrim Taim once claimed that title, but prophecy denied him. Not content to stand in the shadow of Rand al'Thor, he seized the power promised to him by the Dark One. Corrupted by jealousy, Taim is Forsaken, he is M'Hael, and he is harvesting a new army of Dreadlords from the Black Tower itself.
Amongst the Forsaken, Taim is second only to Moridin, the Dark One's Nae'blis (Sorin Markov), resurrected from the ashes of Ba'alzamon. Moghedien (Sheoldred, Whispering One), ever cautious, has survived much plotting her venomous machinations from the shadows, but it's Moridin who now holds the threads to her web. Moridin also controls the reincarnation of Lanfear (Liliana Vess), her very name, Cyndane (Liliana of the Veil), a reminder that this is her last chance from the Dark One.
The Forsaken are not alone. There are other dark forces at work in the final days, including Shaidar Haran, the Hand of the Dark One himself (Geth, Lord of the Vault); and Jeraal Mordeth (Lim-Dûl the Necromancer), a twisted amalgam of pure evil feared by both Myrddraal (Grave Titan) and Machin Shin (Plague Wind) alike.
All Caemlyners, from the smallest child to the hardiest soldier, sleep lightly after a devastating horde of Trollocs (Army of the Damned) poured through the Waygate (Rogue's Passage) and invaded the city. Caemlyn lost, the refugee survivors are haunted by the terrors of that night (Syphon Flesh)—and the grim knowledge that the war is not over, the Last Battle not yet begun.
What cards do you think will round out Mazrim Taim's forces? Tune in next week!
More coming soon! Previews continue 11 November 2012!
I didn't realize there were going to be spoilers in the deck list. I'm still on book four. Would you mind putting a spoiler warning? This is awesome, but it just ruined a major plot point for me:
I did not know that Egwene actually becomes the Amyrlin. One of the experiences in the ter'angreal was based around it, but there's not been anything to suggest that is what will come to be at the point where I am.
It's not a huge issue if you don't want to add a spoiler tag, and props to you for building something this awesome, but I stopped reading the decklist after that because it seriously just damaged my enjoyment of the series.
I am kind of amazed at [...] the fact that somebody on this thread called Mind's Eye, Mirari's Wake, Decree of Pain, Desertion, AND Scroll Rack, all before they were officially spoiled. I will edit this post VERY shortly with the username of this user who deserves at least all of the cookies. Probably more cookies than that.
I didn't realize there were going to be spoilers in the deck list. I'm still on book four. Would you mind putting a spoiler warning? This is awesome, but it just ruined a major plot point for me:
I did not know that Egwene actually becomes the Amyrlin. One of the experiences in the ter'angreal was based around it, but there's not been anything to suggest that is what will come to be at the point where I am.
It's not a huge issue if you don't want to add a spoiler tag, and props to you for building something this awesome, but I stopped reading the decklist after that because it seriously just damaged my enjoyment of the series.
Yikes! My apologies, friend. I've added a warning. Thanks for looking out!
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There are no divisions: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. -Galatians 3:28
Wow. When I was finished reading this amazing thread, I saw that it was you, Chimeric. You have reaffirmed my belief that flavor is the best aspect of this game. That reminds me, I need to show you my updated Gisela decklist soon, you'll like its current configuration.
I have actually had a Hazezon Tamar laying around wanting to be used for a while now, so this actually provides a lot of inspiration.
More than anything, though, this post made me super interested in reading the Wheel of Time series. That's the real victory here, I think.
This is an amazing deck! As a WOT fan I'm very impressed. What about Behemoth Sledge over the Warhammer? You lose out on a point of damage but the extra toughness could help. Right now I'm finishing work on my Doctor Who EDH deck, should be interesting.
You could also put in Brigid, Hero of Kinsbaile as Brigette if you're looking for some pinging ability. Also what about some of the Seals to represent the Seals?
I am kind of amazed at [...] the fact that somebody on this thread called Mind's Eye, Mirari's Wake, Decree of Pain, Desertion, AND Scroll Rack, all before they were officially spoiled. I will edit this post VERY shortly with the username of this user who deserves at least all of the cookies. Probably more cookies than that.
Seeing this reminded me that I didn't actually know when the next one was coming out (or if I missed the release). Super excited for January, and I think I'm going to reread all 13 to refresh my memory.
You mentioned Ulamog for the Dark One. How about Blightsteel Colossus for Shaidar Haran? He NEEDS to be represented in the deck.
The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan. Pretty much the closest comparasion to The Lord of The Rings in terms of depth and epicness. 13 books long, with the 14th due out next year. I highly recommend it, if you are up for wading through 14 books that are 700-1000 pages each.
I am on book 10...if I read this is it going to spoil any plot of any of the later books?
(By "It" I mean the flavorful decklist...that is what I want to read...if it will spoil something from after book 10, I will just wait until I finish to read it.)
Have a helicopter drop you off out front. Light your cigar with a small Indonesian boy holding a black lotus. Then bust out a craw wurm deck with no sleeves. Raw dog shuffle, loose terribly, flip the table, leave in a hovercraft.
I CANT WAIT FOR A MEMORY OF LIGHT!!!!! 20 YEARS AND FINALLY!!!!!
I really like the idea but I would prefer if Rand is Hazezon or your main general. While the other two are of the other colors. something like Tolsimir Perrin, Jor-Kadeen Matt. then the other main characters as single color legends.
Nynaeve, Orim or Oriss preferably Oriss she's much hotter
Egwene, blank dunno
Min, Seer legend, Sisa?
Elayne, Queen Legend drawing blanks
Aviendha, warrior legend Lovisa?
Plus all of them has spells describing their personalities.
btw i only reacted because Elayne has no cards and shes my favorite. So
and by god who made that art. Perrin looks like the 300 guy. LOL
I am on book 10...if I read this is it going to spoil any plot of any of the later books?
(By "It" I mean the flavorful decklist...that is what I want to read...if it will spoil something from after book 10, I will just wait until I finish to read it.)
I am on book 10...if I read this is it going to spoil any plot of any of the later books?
(By "It" I mean the flavorful decklist...that is what I want to read...if it will spoil something from after book 10, I will just wait until I finish to read it.)
Finish the series first. Not only will you avoid spoilers, you'll appreciate the flavorful version a lot more once you know the references.
I CANT WAIT FOR A MEMORY OF LIGHT!!!!! 20 YEARS AND FINALLY!!!!!
I really like the idea but I would prefer if Rand is Hazezon or your main general. While the other two are of the other colors. something like Tolsimir Perrin, Jor-Kadeen Matt. then the other main characters as single color legends.
Nynaeve, Orim or Oriss preferably Oriss she's much hotter
Egwene, blank dunno
Min, Seer legend, Sisa?
Elayne, Queen Legend drawing blanks
Aviendha, warrior legend Lovisa?
Plus all of them has spells describing their personalities.
btw i only reacted because Elayne has no cards and shes my favorite. So
All of my decks are meant to be competitive, even my theme decks. As such, there are some cards that, while flavorful, aren't a good fit. This build is a token deck, so only cards that support that play style were considered for inclusion. That being said, I created a list months ago of my ideal flavorful choices for the various characters in The Wheel of Time. For example, without giving away too much, ideally Egwene is represented by a blue card:
(Don't open if you haven't finished the series!)
Obviously, there is no place for a blue card in a Naya deck. Among the Magic cards printed up to Return to Ravnica, Min and Elayne are better represented by their actions than by their personalities, hence the analogues of "Min's Viewings" and "Andoran Taxes".
I put months of effort into selecting cards that made sense from both the perspective of The Wheel of Timeas well as Magic: The Gathering canon, in addition to making sense mechanically and visually. Aside from the fact that Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer has no business in a deck with so few artifacts, readers whom have completed the series will understand why Odric, Master Tactician was chosen to portray Matrim Cauthon instead. The same thing goes for Rand and Nynaeve. (My ideal choice for her was indeed Oriss, Samite Guardian, but the card mechanics of Eternal Witness make more sense thematically and mechanically.)
Finally, because the deck focuses on Tarmon Gai'don, the Last Battle, I selected cards that reflected the characters later in the series. For that reason, if the deck were to feature Aviendha, she'd be represented by a different red card:
(Don't open if you haven't finished the series!)
I am kind of amazed at [...] the fact that somebody on this thread called Mind's Eye, Mirari's Wake, Decree of Pain, Desertion, AND Scroll Rack, all before they were officially spoiled. I will edit this post VERY shortly with the username of this user who deserves at least all of the cookies. Probably more cookies than that.
Maybe this isn't the place to ask, but if I'm reading Hazezon's ability correctly, can you exile, sac, or otherwise remove him from play before the Sand tokens are generated to avoid the frailty of losing them when somebody tosses out an errant doomblade?
EDIT - I just looked it up, and I am correct. So does your deck plan to abuse that little interaction? White even has a few flicker effects for you that could create multiple instances of that delayed trigger.
Maybe this isn't the place to ask, but if I'm reading Hazezon's ability correctly, can you exile, sac, or otherwise remove him from play before the Sand tokens are generated to avoid the frailty of losing them when somebody tosses out an errant doomblade?
EDIT - I just looked it up, and I am correct. So does your deck plan to abuse that little interaction? White should have a few flicker effects for you.
You are my new best friend! Until your post, I hadn't even considered flickering. I've just been using things like High Market and Beast Within to get rid of Hazezon. You just opened up a whole new world for the deck!
What are your thoughts on creature tutors?
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There are no divisions: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. -Galatians 3:28
1: Combo/Win. You have a combo that gives you an auto-win so long as you can find it.
2: Utility/Answers. You have a bunch of one shot answers to common problems as long as you can find them.
A good example of number 2 in relation to creature tutoring is Red. Red is a color that has very little in the way of tutors, so Red EDH decks tend to rely on a "Goblin toolbox," because goblins are the most easily tutorable thing in Red and there are a ton with useful ETB abilities.
In short: Do you need to search for specific creatures as your win condition? Do you need to search for creatures to deal with threats?
If you answered no to both, then you won't need creature tutors.
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"[Screw] you and the green you ramped in on." - My EDH battle cry. If I had one. Which I don't.
- A HAZEZON TAMAR vs TENEB, THE HARVESTER DUEL DECK PRIMER -
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*If you've already finished the series or don't mind spoilers, please feel free to check out the "flavorful" deck lists hidden in the spoiler sections immediately following the "card type" deck lists.
THE ARMIES OF THE LIGHT (Hazezon Tamar)
1 Hazezon Tamar
CREATURES - 16
1x Acidic Slime
1x Captain of the Watch
1x Craterhoof Behemoth
1x Darien, King of Kjeldor
1x Eternal Witness
1x Grand Abolisher
1x Hero of Bladehold
1x Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
1x Knight of the Reliquary
1x Krosan Tusker
1x Odric, Master Tactician
1x Rhys the Redeemed
1x Sakura-Tribe Elder
1x Terastodon
1x Tolsimir Wolfblood
1x Yavimaya Elder
TOKEN PRODUCERS - 6
1x Conqueror's Pledge
1x Elspeth Tirel
1x Garruk Wildspeaker
1x Garruk, Primal Hunter
1x Martial Coup
1x Spectral Procession
ANTHEMS/ENHANCEMENTS - 9
1x Collective Blessing
1x Dictate of Heliod
1x Eldrazi Monument
1x Fervor
1x Fires of Yavimaya
1x In the Web of War
1x Mirari's Wake
1x Purphoros, God of the Forge
1x Warstorm Surge
1x Doubling Season
1x Parallel Lives
SWISS ARMY KNIFE - 1
1x Cloudshift
TA'VEREN EQUIPMENT - 3
1x Loxodon Warhammer
1x O-Naginata
1x Sword of Fire and Ice
MANA ROCKS - 3
1x Coalition Relic
1x Crucible of Worlds
1x Sol Ring
NON-CREATURE RAMP - 1
1x Boundless Realms
CARD ADVANTAGE (IN-HAND) - 7
1x Enlightened Tutor
1x Greater Good
1x Land Tax
1x Mind's Eye
1x Scroll Rack
1x Sensei's Divining Top
1x Skullclamp
HATE/REMOVAL - 12
1x Aura Shards
1x Aurelia's Fury
1x Beast Within
1x Catastrophe
1x Chaos Warp
1x Gideon Jura
1x Oblation
1x Path to Exile
1x Rest in Peace
1x Stranglehold
1x Swords to Plowshares
1x Wheel of Sun and Moon
1x Titanic Ultimatum
LANDS - 38
1x Buried Ruin
1x Cavern of Souls
1x Command Tower
8x Forest
1x Gavony Township
1x High Market
1x Jungle Shrine
1x Kessig Wolf Run
1x Krosan Verge
1x Miren, the Moaning Well
2x Mountain
1x Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
9x Plains
1x Plateau
1x Reliquary Tower
1x Sacred Foundry
1x Savannah
1x Selesnya Sanctuary
1x Stomping Ground
1x Sunpetal Grove
1x Temple Garden
1x Wooded Bastion
- Gavony
- Goldmeadow
- Hedron Fields of Agadeem
- Immersturm
- Kharasha Foothills
- Naya
- Selesnya Loft Gardens
- Velis Vel
- Chaotic Æther
- Interplanar Tunnel
SynergiesComing Soon!
Discarded Choices
Coming Soon!
Explore (Boundless Realms) the lands of the Third Age using the deck's ramp spells. Amass your forces (Sand Warrior tokens) under the banners of the three Ta'veren, the Dragon Reborn, Rand al'Thor (Darien, King of Kjeldor); the Wolf King, Perrin Aybara (Tolsimir Wolfblood); and the Prince of Ravens, Matrim Cauthon (Odric, Master Tactician); and let each Ta'veren take up their signature weapon, the sa'angreal, Callandor (Sword of Fire and Ice); the Power-wrought hammer, Mah'alleinir (Loxodon Warhammer); and the Eelfinn-granted ashandarei (O-Naginata), respectively. Train your troops in guerrilla tactics (Warstorm Surge) and boost them with the One Power (Collective Blessing). At the end, when you face the Dark One on the slopes of Shayol Ghul, put everything you have into your final strike (Titanic Ultimatum). And remember, even if victorious, you are destined to break the world (Catastrophe).
Visit TappedOut.net for the deck's sample hand generator and other stats.
Rhuarc, clan chief of the Taardad Aiel
1x Hazezon Tamar
THE KARAETHON CYCLE:
THE PROPHECIES OF THE DRAGON
1x Scroll Rack
MIN'S VIEWINGS
1x Mind's Eye
1x Sensei's Divining Top
TA'VEREN
Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn
1x Darien, King of Kjeldor
Callandor
1x Sword of Fire and Ice
Perrin Aybara, the Wolf King
1x Tolsimir Wolfblood
Mah'alleinir
1x Loxodon Warhammer
Matrim Cauthon, Prince of Ravens
1x Odric, Master Tactician
Ashandarei
1x O-Naginata
AES SEDAI
Egwene al'Vere, the Amyrlin Seat
1x Enlightened Tutor
el'Nynaeve al'Meara ti Mandragoran
1x Eternal Witness
THE NATIONS
The Malkieri
al'Lan Mandragoran,
uncrowned King of Malkier
1x Rhys the Redeemed
The Mayener
Berelain sur Paendrag Paeron,
First of Mayene
1x Hero of Bladehold
The Andoran
Birgitte Silverbow,
Captain-General, Queen's Guard
1x Captain of the Watch
CHA FAILE
1x Elspeth Tirel
1x Knight of the Reliquary
THE CHILDREN OF THE LIGHT
Galadedrid Damodred,
Lord Captain Commander
1x Gideon Jura
Eamon Valda
1x Grand Abolisher
The Rank and File
1x Fervor
THE OGIER
Loial son of Arent
son of Halan, Treesinger
1x Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
HEROES OF THE HORN
1x Spectral Procession
WOLFBROTHER
Noam
1x Garruk Wildspeaker
1x Garruk, Primal Hunter
THE EVER VICTORIOUS ARMY
OF THE SEANCHAN
1x Conqueror's Pledge
1x Eldrazi Monument
SEANCHAN WAR STEEDS
S'redit
1x Terastodon
Lopar
1x Craterhoof Behemoth
1x Krosan Tusker
THE ASSASSINATION OF HERID FEL
1x Yavimaya Elder
THE MISTS OF MORDETH
1x Acidic Slime
LAST NIGHT, IN HINDERSTAP
1x Beast Within
1x Parallel Lives
VERIN'S COMPULSION
1x Skullclamp
VERIN'S PARTING GIFTS
1x Oblation
CULLING THE BLACK AJAH
1x Greater Good
SEVERED FROM THE ONE POWER
1x Stranglehold
THE DAMANE ATTACK
THE WHITE TOWER
1x Aura Shards
THE TALENT OF TRAVELING
1x Cloudshift
ANDORAN TAXES
1x Land Tax
"APPLES FIRST…"
1x Doubling Season
1x Mirari's Wake
THE ROAD'S JOURNEYS
1x Boundless Realms
ANGREAL
1x Coalition Relic
1x Sol Ring
BASHERE'S TRAINING CAMPS
1x Warstorm Surge
THE ASHA'MAN AT
THE BATTLE OF MARADON
1x Dictate of Heliod
1x Collective Blessing
ESCAPE FROM THE
TOWER OF GHENJEI
1x Sakura-Tribe Elder
CAEMLYN BURNS
1x Fires of Yavimaya
DEATHGATES AT TARWIN'S GAP
1x Chaos Warp
MATRIM AT MERRILOR
1x Martial Coup
THE RETURN OF THE SEANCHAN
1x In the Web of War
1x Purphoros, God of the Forge
THE FLAME OF TAR VALON
1x Aurelia's Fury
TARMON GAI'DON,
THE LAST BATTLE
1x Titanic Ultimatum
OF THE WORLD
1x Catastrophe
SHAYOL GHUL BLOOMS
1x Crucible of Worlds
MOGHEDIEN'S CAPTURE
1x Path to Exile
LIGHTING THE PYRE
1x Rest in Peace
THE DRAGON'S PEACE
1x Swords to Plowshares
THE WHEEL OF TIME
1x Wheel of Sun and Moon
THE WESTLANDS
(THIRTY-EIGHT LANDS)
9x Plains
8x Forest
2x Mountain
1x Command Tower
1x Savannah
1x Plateau
1x Temple Garden
1x Sacred Foundry
1x Stomping Ground
1x Wooded Bastion
1x Buried Ruin
1x Gavony Township
1x Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1x Kessig Wolf Run
1x High Market
1x Reliquary Tower
1x Miren, the Moaning Well
1x Sunpetal Grove
1x Jungle Shrine
1x Selesnya Sanctuary
1x Krosan Verge
1x Cavern of Souls
Focus your attacks on whichever player has the lowest life total unless a) they have enough blockers to make attacking unwise, or b) they can help you survive next turn.
Hazezon Tamar Rule #1
DON'T PLAY HIGH MARKET—AND, IN SOME CASES, GREATER GOOD AND ELDRAZI MONUMENT—BEFORE YOU'VE CAST HAZEZON!
Hazezon Tamar Rule #2
AVOID PLAYING LANDS THAT PRODUCE RED MANA UNLESS YOU NEED IT THAT TURN TO CAST A SPELL. YOU'LL WANT TO SAVE YOUR RED-PRODUCING LANDS TO ENSURE BEING ABLE TO CAST TITANIC ULTIMATUM LATER IN THE GAME.
Hazezon Tamar Rule #3
WHEN UP AGAINST BLUE MAGES, DON'T PLAY BOSEIJU, WHO SHELTERS ALL UNTIL THE TURN BEFORE YOU PLAN TO CAST CATASTROPHE. ONLY THE FOLLOWING SPELLS ARE EXCEPTIONS:
Ramp
Hazezon's CMC is 7, making ramp an essential tactic. You want to have at least seven lands in play by turn 7. The only thing more important than ramping is casting Stranglehold ASAP when playing against Green, Blue, or Black.
Drawing Catastrophe before casting Hazezon means you'll want to rethink putting more than six lands into play. It also means you'll want to play your basic lands before any lands that produce multiple colors of mana. Save Flagstones of Trokair for the turn you cast Catastrophe when possible.
This should go without saying, but if you draw Boundless Realms before you've cast Hazezon, cast Realms first. In addition to Boundless Realms, the deck has a suite of creatures to help you make consistent land drops: the elders Sakura and Yavimaya, Krosan Tusker, and Knight of the Reliquary. (In case you draw a Knight by turn three, prioritize playing Plains and Forests first.)
Unless you're going to do something that will radically swing the game in your favor on the next turn, consider casting/cycling the Elders/Tusker before Sol Ring/Coalition Relic and playing Krosan Verge before any other lands.
Mirari's Wake will double your lands' mana production and Land Tax will glean basic lands from your deck. Use Land Tax to pull three lands every time until you're down to three or less basic lands in the deck. Before turn 7, Garruk Wildspeaker's sole purpose is ramping you up.
Card Advantage (In-Hand)
After ramp, drawing card's is your secondary focus until turn 9. (Yes, turn 9.) Unless you're in a position to win on the current or next turn, Enlightened Tutor should be used for Land Tax or Sensei's Divining Top in that order. If you draw into Greater Good (or if it's in your opening hand) before turn 5, try to cast it before any of your 3-power (or more) creatures. In the same fashion, cast Skullclamp before you produce any tokens whenever possible. When presented with the choice of casting Mind's Eye or mana ramp such as Coalition Relic, always go for the mana ramp. Garruk, Primal Hunter should be played as soon as possible so you have the option of drawing cards the next turn.
Key Creatures
With the exception of the deck's four mana-ramping creatures which trump most other creatures before seven lands are in play or utility creatures to be used when necessary (Eternal Witness, Acidic Slime, Terastodon), the following creatures should be cast ASAP in this approximate order: Grand Abolisher (only before a game-changing spell, however); Rhys the Redeemed; Hero of Bladehold; Odric, Master Tactician; Kamahl, Fist of Krosa; Captain of the Watch; Darien, King of Kjeldor; Tolsimir Wolfblood; and finally, Craterhoof Behemoth (only as a finisher). Unless you have 7 lands in play (or no Forests or Plains left in your deck), do not attack/block with Knight of the Reliquary if it's not going to guarantee your survival or win the next turn.
Planeswalkers
Cast Elspeth, Knight-Errant as soon as you can, even over a ramp or card advantage spell. (Of course, if there's a threat on the board that will reduce her loyalty before your next turn you'll want to wait until you can protect her.) Lifegain is largely irrelevant, so the first order of business when casting Elspeth Tirel is immediate token production. You'll generally alternate between that and her first ability, unless you need to wipe the board. Gideon Jura can be used for removal if needed, but you'll primarily use him to get your army through for one or more swings.
Token Production & Enhancements
Save your token doublers for the turn before you cast Hazezon, Conqueror's Pledge, or Increasing Devotion. Along with Warstorm Surge, cast your haste enablers ASAP: In the Web of War, Fires of Yavimaya, and Fervor. With the obvious exception of Mirari's Wake, think of your other anthems (Collective Blessing & Eldrazi Monument) as preliminary finishers, only to be cast when you have creatures in play (3 or more for the Blessing & "next-turn-lethal" for Monument).
Be wary of casting more token-producing sorceries than necessary. (Note that this also applies to Hazezon.) Avoid casting Martial Coup for less than 4 tokens and avoid casting it until there are three opposing creature threats on the board. Unless you're in desperate need of a card or blockers, do not cycle/cast Decree of Justice for less than 3.
Save Spectral Procession for one of the following scenarios:
- a) your opponent has flying creatures you need to block to survive, or
- b) you have a token doubler on the board, or
- c) you have a way to get its flying tokens through, and/or
- d) (and only in conjunction with scenario "c") you have Collective Blessing or an equipment in play.
Conqueror's Pledge is better used when one or both of the following is true: you can kick it; you have a token doubler in play. When possible, hold onto Nomads' Assembly until you have a haste enabler on the board. (Also, don't cast it unless you have at least three creatures in play.)Don't even think of casting Howl of the Night Pack without at least 3 Forests on the board, even with a token doubler in play. Without a token doubler or Collective Blessing on the board, try to hold onto Increasing Devotion until you have enough mana to cast it on the current turn and flash it back on the next turn.
Non-Token Creatures
With the exception of creatures that act as removal/recursion (e.g. Terastodon, Eternal Witness) or pull lands from the deck, you often won't need to have more than one non-token creature in play.
Non-Creature Permanents
Cast these cautiously with an eye out for mass removal. There's rarely a need to have two non-creature permanents in play that fulfill the same role, e.g. Sword of Fire and Ice/Skullclamp, Mirari's Wake/Eldrazi Monument, Doubling Season/Parallel Lives, Mind's Eye/Greater Good, Loxodon Warhammer/O-Naginata.
Hate/Removal
Without a token-producer on the board, cast Aura Shards first. Reserve Oblation for particularly troublesome generals, planeswalkers you can't punch through to, and indestructible permanents. Beast Within can also handle opposing planeswalkers and Acidic Slime can take care of most anything else.
Utility Lands
Unless it means you missing a land drop, hold on to Gavony Township and Reliquary Tower unless you can benefit on the same turn you play them. Treat Kessig Wolf Run like a preliminary finisher and hold onto it until you can play it and activate its ability for no less than X=3 targeting a creature that will get through. If you haven't cast Hazezon yet and you're close to producing 11 mana, hold onto Miren, the Moaning Well if you don't already have another sacrifice outlet in play.
Finishers
This deck has 2.5 finishers: Craterhoof Behemoth; Titanic Ultimatum; Cloudshift (targeting Behemoth); Eternal Witness (targeting Ultimatum); Kessig Wolf Run; and (with enough mana) Kamahl, Fist of Krosa.
Visit TappedOut.net for the deck's sample hand generator and other stats.
THE MINIONS OF THE DARK ONE (Teneb, the Harvester)
1 Teneb, the Harvester
CREATURES - 13 (of 20)
1x Cemetery Reaper
1x Death Baron
1x Dread
1x Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1x Geth, Lord of the Vault
1x Grave Titan
1x Gravecrawler
1x Lim-Dûl the Necromancer
1x Lord of the Undead
1x Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
1x Sheoldred, Whispering One
1x Undead Warchief
1x Zombie Master
TOKEN PRODUCERS - 5 (of 5)
1x Army of the Damned
1x Garruk Relentless (/)
1x Garruk, the Veil-Cursed
1x Increasing Devotion
1x Syphon Flesh
1x Zombie Infestation
1x Mana Web
1x Vedalken Orrery
DARK EQUIPMENT - 2 (of 2)
1x Quietus Spike
1x Whispersilk Cloak
CARD ADVANTAGE (IN-HAND) - 8 (of 9)
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Land Tax
1x Liliana Vess
1x Phyrexian Arena
1x Promise of Power
1x Scroll Rack
1x Sensei's Divining Top
1x Skullclamp
RECURSION - 2 (of 2)
1x Beacon of Unrest
1x Nim Deathmantle
HATE/REMOVAL - 13 (of 16)
1x Austere Command
1x Catastrophe
1x Damnation
1x Decree of Pain
1x Final Judgment
1x Identity Crisis
1x Liliana of the Veil
1x Necromancer's Covenant
1x Oblation
1x Plague Wind
1x Rout
1x Sorin Markov
1x Unmake
1x Murmuring Bosk
1x Rogue's Passage
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1x Volrath's Stronghold
Planar Deck
Coming Soon!
Synergies
Coming Soon!
Discarded Choices
Coming Soon!
"The Dragon Reborn!" Mazrim Taim once claimed that title, but prophecy denied him. Not content to stand in the shadow of Rand al'Thor, he seized the power promised to him by the Dark One. Corrupted by jealousy, Taim is Forsaken, he is M'Hael, and he is harvesting a new army of Dreadlords from the Black Tower itself.
Amongst the Forsaken, Taim is second only to Moridin, the Dark One's Nae'blis (Sorin Markov), resurrected from the ashes of Ba'alzamon. Moghedien (Sheoldred, Whispering One), ever cautious, has survived much plotting her venomous machinations from the shadows, but it's Moridin who now holds the threads to her web. Moridin also controls the reincarnation of Lanfear (Liliana Vess), her very name, Cyndane (Liliana of the Veil), a reminder that this is her last chance from the Dark One.
The Forsaken are not alone. There are other dark forces at work in the final days, including Shaidar Haran, the Hand of the Dark One himself (Geth, Lord of the Vault); and Jeraal Mordeth (Lim-Dûl the Necromancer), a twisted amalgam of pure evil feared by both Myrddraal (Grave Titan) and Machin Shin (Plague Wind) alike.
All Caemlyners, from the smallest child to the hardiest soldier, sleep lightly after a devastating horde of Trollocs (Army of the Damned) poured through the Waygate (Rogue's Passage) and invaded the city. Caemlyn lost, the refugee survivors are haunted by the terrors of that night (Syphon Flesh)—and the grim knowledge that the war is not over, the Last Battle not yet begun.
What cards do you think will round out Mazrim Taim's forces? Tune in next week!
More coming soon! Previews continue 11 November 2012!
Mazrim Taim, M'Hael, Forsaken
1x Teneb, the Harvester
PROPHECIES OF THE SHADOW
1x Scroll Rack
DARK FORETELLINGS
1x Sensei's Divining Top
SHAIDAR HARAN
1x Geth, Lord of the Vault
Cloak of Shadow
1x Whispersilk Cloak
THE FORSAKEN
Moridin/Ba'alzamon/Ishamael,
Nae'blis/Heart of the Dark/
Betrayer of Hope
1x Sorin Markov
Demandred/
Barid Bel Medar/Bao the Wyld
1x Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
Lanfear, Daughter of the Night,
Before the Finn (Lanfear 1.0)
1x Liliana Vess
Cyndane's Last Chance
After the Finn (Lanfear 2.0)
1x Liliana of the Veil
Moghedien, the Spider
1x Sheoldred, Whispering One
JERAAL MORDETH/PADAN FAIN
1x Lim-Dûl the Necromancer
Mordeth's Dagger
1x Quietus Spike
LUC MANTEAR/
ISAM MANDRAGORAN,
SLAYER
1x Garruk Relentless (/)
1x Garruk, the Veil-Cursed
DARKFRIENDS
Alviarin Freidhen, Black Ajah
1x Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Doilin Mellar's Associates
1x Increasing Devotion
MELLAR FOLLOWS ORDERS
1x Austere Command
1x Demonic Tutor
DREAMSPIKE
1x Mana Web
COUR'SOUVRA
1x Skullclamp
THE ADVANCING BLIGHT
1x Land Tax
BLIGHTED STEDDING
1x Murmuring Bosk
"THE LOOK OF THE EYELESS IS FEAR"
1x Dread
MYRDDRAAL
1x Death Baron
1x Grave Titan
1x Lord of the Undead
1x Zombie Master
THE CAEMLYN WAYGATE
1x Rogue's Passage
THE TROLLOC HORDE
1x Army of the Damned
1x Cemetery Reaper
1x Gravecrawler
1x Undead Warchief
TROLLOCS TAKE CAEMLYN
1x Rout
TROLLOC COOKPOTS
1x Necromancer's Covenant
1x Syphon Flesh
1x Plague Wind
OF CHANCES, NEXT AND LAST
1x Beacon of Unrest
SPUN BACK INTO THE PATTERN
1x Oblation
THE BURN OF BALEFIRE
1x Unmake
MORDETH IN THE BLIGHT
1x Nim Deathmantle
1x Zombie Infestation
THE SHADOW'S ALLURE
1x Promise of Power
ASHA'MAN, TURNED
1x Identity Crisis
THE PRICE OF THE TRUE POWER
1x Phyrexian Arena
TRUE POWER, CHANNELED
1x Vedalken Orrery
SHAYOL GHUL
1x Volrath's Stronghold
THE PIT OF DOOM
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
THE DARK ONE'S VICTORY IS ASSURED
1x Catastrophe
1x Damnation
1x Decree of Pain
"THERE WILL BE NO ETERNITIES"
1x Final Judgment
Misc. EDH Stuff: Commander Cube | Zombies (Horde)
Resources:Commander Rulings FAQ | Commander Deckbuilding Guide
Follow me on Twitter! @cryogen_mtg
It's not a huge issue if you don't want to add a spoiler tag, and props to you for building something this awesome, but I stopped reading the decklist after that because it seriously just damaged my enjoyment of the series.
Commanders:
Basandra, Battle Seraph | Diaochan, Artful Beauty | Mayael the Anima | Nath of the Gilt Leaf | Oona, Queen of the Fae | Raksha Golden Cub | Rayne, Academy Chancellor | Roon of the Hidden Realm
Yikes! My apologies, friend.
I have actually had a Hazezon Tamar laying around wanting to be used for a while now, so this actually provides a lot of inspiration.
More than anything, though, this post made me super interested in reading the Wheel of Time series. That's the real victory here, I think.
Commander/EDH Decks:
BRG The Blood of Jund - Kresh the Bloodbraided BRG
WR The Blades of Goldnight - Gisela, Blade of Goldnight WR
You could also put in Brigid, Hero of Kinsbaile as Brigette if you're looking for some pinging ability. Also what about some of the Seals to represent the Seals?
Many many thanks! I'll be back to check out this list in about six months.
Commanders:
Basandra, Battle Seraph | Diaochan, Artful Beauty | Mayael the Anima | Nath of the Gilt Leaf | Oona, Queen of the Fae | Raksha Golden Cub | Rayne, Academy Chancellor | Roon of the Hidden Realm
You mentioned Ulamog for the Dark One. How about Blightsteel Colossus for Shaidar Haran? He NEEDS to be represented in the deck.
Misc. EDH Stuff: Commander Cube | Zombies (Horde)
Resources:Commander Rulings FAQ | Commander Deckbuilding Guide
Follow me on Twitter! @cryogen_mtg
The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan. Pretty much the closest comparasion to The Lord of The Rings in terms of depth and epicness. 13 books long, with the 14th due out next year. I highly recommend it, if you are up for wading through 14 books that are 700-1000 pages each.
Misc. EDH Stuff: Commander Cube | Zombies (Horde)
Resources:Commander Rulings FAQ | Commander Deckbuilding Guide
Follow me on Twitter! @cryogen_mtg
(By "It" I mean the flavorful decklist...that is what I want to read...if it will spoil something from after book 10, I will just wait until I finish to read it.)
I really like the idea but I would prefer if Rand is Hazezon or your main general. While the other two are of the other colors. something like Tolsimir Perrin, Jor-Kadeen Matt. then the other main characters as single color legends.
Nynaeve, Orim or Oriss preferably Oriss she's much hotter
Egwene, blank dunno
Min, Seer legend, Sisa?
Elayne, Queen Legend drawing blanks
Aviendha, warrior legend Lovisa?
Plus all of them has spells describing their personalities.
btw i only reacted because Elayne has no cards and shes my favorite. So
and by god who made that art. Perrin looks like the 300 guy. LOL
IIRC, no, you should be fine.
Misc. EDH Stuff: Commander Cube | Zombies (Horde)
Resources:Commander Rulings FAQ | Commander Deckbuilding Guide
Follow me on Twitter! @cryogen_mtg
All of my decks are meant to be competitive, even my theme decks. As such, there are some cards that, while flavorful, aren't a good fit. This build is a token deck, so only cards that support that play style were considered for inclusion. That being said, I created a list months ago of my ideal flavorful choices for the various characters in The Wheel of Time. For example, without giving away too much, ideally Egwene is represented by a blue card:
(Don't open if you haven't finished the series!)
I put months of effort into selecting cards that made sense from both the perspective of The Wheel of Time as well as Magic: The Gathering canon, in addition to making sense mechanically and visually. Aside from the fact that Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer has no business in a deck with so few artifacts, readers whom have completed the series will understand why Odric, Master Tactician was chosen to portray Matrim Cauthon instead. The same thing goes for Rand and Nynaeve. (My ideal choice for her was indeed Oriss, Samite Guardian, but the card mechanics of Eternal Witness make more sense thematically and mechanically.)
Finally, because the deck focuses on Tarmon Gai'don, the Last Battle, I selected cards that reflected the characters later in the series. For that reason, if the deck were to feature Aviendha, she'd be represented by a different red card:
(Don't open if you haven't finished the series!)
It's a shame that the colors of the deck don't allow Shared Fate. While it's suboptimal from a gameplay stance, it fits very well flavorfully.
Commanders:
Basandra, Battle Seraph | Diaochan, Artful Beauty | Mayael the Anima | Nath of the Gilt Leaf | Oona, Queen of the Fae | Raksha Golden Cub | Rayne, Academy Chancellor | Roon of the Hidden Realm
EDIT - I just looked it up, and I am correct. So does your deck plan to abuse that little interaction? White even has a few flicker effects for you that could create multiple instances of that delayed trigger.
Pristaxcontrombmodruu!
What are your thoughts on creature tutors?
I'm very glad to have helped!
From your other thread on the topic:
Pristaxcontrombmodruu!
Added
Cloudshift
Acidic Slime
Stomping Ground
Removed
Rise of the Hobgoblins
Promise of Brunei
Plains
Pristaxcontrombmodruu!