Creatureless Oath of Druid decks have been around for quite some time. I remember how much I wanted to play that deck again, how much I liked EDH, and then attempted to build it with the list you see below. Surprisingly the outcome was amazing.
This deck is for you if...
- You enjoy a consistent combo deck
- You like complicated plays that "wow" your opponents and kill them all at the same time
- You enjoy a vintage feel deck
- You like a deck that you can change easily to be a different deck
This deck is not for you if...
- Your local metagame is not very competitive
- You're not all that into complicated combos to win the game
- You actually want to play a game that lasts longer than 10 minutes
- There is a decent amount of instant speed graveyard hate in your meta
Why should you play Oath Deck Wins?
Just as the name says... This deck just wins. It's more for your competitive environment.
It's an extremely consistent deck, that if left unanswered will win every game before or during your 4th turn. Even if answered, the recursion still allows this deck to recover and press on as if nothing happened.
Below is the list that I've tested rather extensively.
This deck can be very difficult to play and play against, so you really have to get used to playing it to get comfortable. Here's the gameplan:
1. Play Oath of Druids with 3 mana available (at least 2 of it colored). One of the sources can be in your hand.
2. At the beginning of your upkeep you mill your entire deck, then at the end of your upkeep you flashback Memory's Journey to place Yawgmoth's Will, Mana Crypt, and Lotus Petal on top of your library, then draw your card.
4. Play the 3rd mana source and flashback Deep Analysis to draw the remaining 2 cards. Then play Mana Crypt and Lotus Petal.
3. Play the will and every mana producer in your graveyard. Then play and activate Doubling Cube to double your mana. Then use Voltaic Key to untap the cube to double your mana once again.
4. play Hurkyl's Recall, returning your mana producers to your hand, just to play them with a small bit of the mana they just created (tip: only use the colorless mana to play them)
5. Rinse and repeat using Rebuild, doubling your mana each time with Doubling Cube.
6. Play Exsanguinate or Mind Grind (for around 200) for the win, leaving as much mana as you need for counterspell support.
7. Win and see your buddies frown because it's only 3rd turn and you've won without going infinite.
This deck has been a blast and rewards players who don't mind making complicated plays to win. Just when you think you can't pull off that 3rd turn win, you'll remember a few interactions that you still have to make it happen.
The biggest thing to understand with this deck is there is nothing wrong with tutoring for a tutor to grab the oath (Merchant Scroll into a Lim-Dul's Vault for example). A lot of players have argued this with me, but I've seen no reason not to do so. Sure it might not be the card I wanted to play in the end, but I'm guaranteed to get the one I do.
I went with this over Hermit Druid for 4 reasons:
1. I don't feel that this is as susceptible to hate (due to being able to kill a creature more easily and whatnot)
2. It's unique. And I like bringing out my innovative side.
3. I haven't come across a (almost) completely creatureless EDH deck. I really don't count Karona as I would never play her. She's there for show. If I played her, it's because I'm losing, built the deck wrong, or just trying to be funny. I needed a 5- Color strategy for options.
4. It's unique! Did I say that already?
A lot of people ask me how it withstands hate. It's resilience is limited, but I have yet to come across a situation that I couldn't deal with. The worst play against this deck is dissipate. It's not unwinnable but sure feels like it. Maybe in further play testing, I'll play some more cpunterspells.
Well I hope you've enjoyed the list and idea. I'd really like some feedback on how to make this better. Thanks!
If you play this in a tourney or something, then yay you prob got a good shot.
Play it against friends and it will probably lose its allure after a few games. Losing that early in the game can be pretty hard on people and making your deck to consistently do just that....well will probably be boring after the first 5 times or so.
Granted, if your playgroup has a lot of distruption, low curves, and are much more competitively minded than the majority, then you might have something you will want to keep around.
IMO having a deck that consistently goes off by turn 4 or so, in a casual enviroment, is kinda missing the point.
I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but sometimes its more fun to build the second best deck you can. Personally, I like to make decks that are not only fun to play, but also allow options that make it fun to play against.
What do you do if each deck in your meta has atleast 2 graveyard hate cards? The most prominent being Tormod's Crypt and Relic of Progenitus.
Another problem, atleast it would be for me, is that my meta/most meta's don't allow sideboards, have you come across this?
EDIT: actually about the sideboard, why do you cunning wish for retract and not just play it with yawgmoth's instead?
A turn 4~ win is pretty impressive, but I think how well it performs it pretty dependent on who and what you face. I love that you found an alternative to H-druid, but it looks like you use a massive amount of your deck to actually pull off the win and don't have enough room for answers. I think I counted about 8 counterspells, some of which are very situation. For a tournament, this is probably pretty good. But I don't see this being able to beat a competitive meta with any consistency. I run about 15 answers I could use to stop this, without counting counters or vague tutors (like vampiric), and I bet many run more than that. If you can find room, I would strongly suggest adding Leyline of Anticipation and Vedalken Orrery; flashing in Oath on the end step before your turn is pretty strong and would require me to jump through a couple hoops to use some of my answers.
Oh, and I love that you use Yawgmoth's Will to have access to the entire yard.
Quick question: what other two cards do you put on top of the library with Memory's Journey?
A turn 4~ win is pretty impressive, but I think how well it performs it pretty dependent on who and what you face. I love that you found an alternative to H-druid, but it looks like you use a massive amount of your deck to actually pull off the win and don't have enough room for answers. I think I counted about 8 counterspells, some of which are very situation. For a tournament, this is probably pretty good. But I don't see this being able to beat a competitive meta with any consistency. I run about 15 answers I could use to stop this, without counting counters or vague tutors (like vampiric), and I bet many run more than that. If you can find room, I would strongly suggest adding Leyline of Anticipation and Vedalken Orrery; flashing in Oath on the end step before your turn is pretty strong and would require me to jump through a couple hoops to use some of my answers.
Oh, and I love that you use Yawgmoth's Will to have access to the entire yard.
Quick question: what other two cards do you put on top of the library with Memory's Journey?
Memory's Journey says "up to 3 cards" but if I only have 3 mana available, I'll put a Mana Crypt and Lotus Petal with the YW to play it (flashback Deep Analysis to draw the other 2 cards after my draw step)
Graveyard hate is not predominate in my local meta. I took this version last night to a prize tournament and took all three rounds at turn 4 each time. Bojuka Bog is the random answer some players put in their decks and it just never quite gets there.
All I was trying to do was make something that I haven't seen anyone do, that seemed absurd, and was VERY competetive. That's why I took some time making sure I didn't play any infinite combos and I one with cards no one would be thinking about. Really I was just wanting to share my idea.
I'll probably go back to playing mono blue control with Teferi as my commander, and only pull this out on occasion.
Oh, and my local meta allows a 10 card sideboard + 2 Alternate Generals
Deck list seems fine .... Missing a few fairly obvious inclusions IMO like enlightend tutor Wtc for 5 color and I'd use sliver queen but seeing as your pretty much 3 colors Why not just use Damia ?
Very, very interesting to see. Why not just run Enlightened Tutor straight up? You might also want to run more recursion/counter in case they counter the Oath. I mean, once someone plays against this deck they'd know how it works.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
EDH
BGJumpin' JaradsGB BB Furry Rat Lady: The Deck BB UU I Don't Ever Want To Explain How Knowledge Pool Works Ever Again UU RR This Is My Suika Cosplay Lightning Bolt Deck RR WW Mangara exiles both permanents and friends RWG Marath Sunforger RWG WUBRG Cromat and Friends WUBRG
--
Memory's Journey says "up to 3 cards" but if I only have 3 mana available, I'll put a Mana Crypt and Lotus Petal with the YW to play it (flashback Deep Analysis to draw the other 2 cards after my draw step)
Graveyard hate is not predominate in my local meta. I took this version last night to a prize tournament and took all three rounds at turn 4 each time. Bojuka Bog is the random answer some players put in their decks and it just never quite gets there.
All I was trying to do was make something that I haven't seen anyone do, that seemed absurd, and was VERY competetive. That's why I took some time making sure I didn't play any infinite combos and I one with cards no one would be thinking about. Really I was just wanting to share my idea.
It looks pretty good, I was just trying to offer feedback. And I asked about Memory's Journey because I imagined a player Blue Sun's Zenith-ing you for 1, but I realized tjhat's probably less of a problem than I originally thought.
I see some gravehate being dangerous (instant speed full removal, for one), but isn't enchantment and/or artifact destruction more dangerous? I may be incorrectly assessing how the deck actually plays.
Luckily counter magic and enchantment destruction aren't a big problem for this deck. If I don't have a counterspell, I just tutor for Memory's Journey or Krosan Reclamation and shuffle it back in. It slows me down for a turn but that's about it.
Damia was my first commander and then I realized the importance of Pull from Eternity in the sideboard for Cunning Wish. Needs to be at least 4 color, but there are no generals that I know of in that combination.
And you all are absolutely right. Needs good ol Enlightened Tutor.
A fellow Karona, Village W***e player. My variation is significantly slower, and vastly different. Of course we were going in different directions to start. Mine is an enchantment lock-down. We seem to share a general, low creature count (mine is 1 since I don't insta-win), an Oath package, and a handful of staples and tutors.
Nice deck, I might try to build down the road, but right now it's hard to justify dropping about 1200-1500 on the handful of cards I don't have for it. (just the big ones, mana drain, seal, cruel and grim tutors, timetwister, intuition, city of traitors)
"The distance between genius and insanity... Is measured only by success."
-Elliot Carver, Tomorrow Never Dies
"If violence isn't solving it, you're obviously not using enough!"
-Me
A kid at my local gameshop wanted to break a twenty.
"You got 2 tens?" he asked me.
"No, but I probably got 3 fives." I replied.
"Perfect!"
"You might want to check your math there."
Creatureless Oath of Druid decks have been around for quite some time. I remember how much I wanted to play that deck again, how much I liked EDH, and then attempted to build it with the list you see below. Surprisingly the outcome was amazing.
This deck is for you if...
- You enjoy a consistent combo deck
- You like complicated plays that "wow" your opponents and kill them all at the same time
- You enjoy a vintage feel deck
- You like a deck that you can change easily to be a different deck
This deck is not for you if...
- Your local metagame is not very competitive
- You're not all that into complicated combos to win the game
- You actually want to play a game that lasts longer than 10 minutes
- There is a decent amount of instant speed graveyard hate in your meta
Why should you play Oath Deck Wins?
Just as the name says... This deck just wins. It's more for your competitive environment.
It's an extremely consistent deck, that if left unanswered will win every game before or during your 4th turn. Even if answered, the recursion still allows this deck to recover and press on as if nothing happened.
Below is the list that I've tested rather extensively.
General 1
1 Karona, False God
Instants 24
1 Ad Nauseum
1 Brainstorm
1 Cabal Ritual
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Dark Ritual
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Force of Will
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Intuition
1 Krosan Reclamation
1 Lim-Dul's Vault
1 Mana Drain
1 Memory's Journey
1 Mental Misstep
1 Misdirection
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Noxious Revival
1 Pact of Negation
1 Rebuild
1 Remand
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Tolarian Winds
1 Vampiric Tutor
Sorceries 17
1 Cruel Tutor
1 Deep Analysis
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Exsanguinate
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Grim Tutor
1 Ill-Gotten Gains
1 Imperial Seal
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mind Grind
1 Personal Tutor
1 Ponder
1 Preordain
1 Serum Visions
1 Temporal Mastery
1 Time Twister
1 Windfall
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Chrome Mox
1 Doubling Cube
1 Grim Monolith
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
1 Lotus Bloom
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Mox Diamond
1 Sol Ring
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Scroll Rack
1 Voltaic Key
Enchantments 6
1 Burgeoning
1 Exploration
1 Mirri's Guile
1 Necropotence
1 Oath of Druids
1 Sylvan Library
Lands 39
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Archaeological Dig
1 Bayou
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 Breeding Pool
1 City of Brass
1 City of Traitors
1 Command Tower
1 Crystal Vein
1 Exotic Orchard
1 Forbidden Orchard
2 Forest
1 Forsaken City
1 Glimmervoid
7 Island
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Polluted Delta
1 Reflecting Pool
1 River of Tears
5 Swamp
1 Tarnished Citadel
1 Tendo Ice Bridge
1 Tropical Island
1 Underground Sea
1 Undiscovered Paradise
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Watery Grave
This deck can be very difficult to play and play against, so you really have to get used to playing it to get comfortable. Here's the gameplan:
1. Play Oath of Druids with 3 mana available (at least 2 of it colored). One of the sources can be in your hand.
2. At the beginning of your upkeep you mill your entire deck, then at the end of your upkeep you flashback Memory's Journey to place Yawgmoth's Will, Mana Crypt, and Lotus Petal on top of your library, then draw your card.
4. Play the 3rd mana source and flashback Deep Analysis to draw the remaining 2 cards. Then play Mana Crypt and Lotus Petal.
3. Play the will and every mana producer in your graveyard. Then play and activate Doubling Cube to double your mana. Then use Voltaic Key to untap the cube to double your mana once again.
4. play Hurkyl's Recall, returning your mana producers to your hand, just to play them with a small bit of the mana they just created (tip: only use the colorless mana to play them)
5. Rinse and repeat using Rebuild, doubling your mana each time with Doubling Cube.
6. Play Exsanguinate or Mind Grind (for around 200) for the win, leaving as much mana as you need for counterspell support.
7. Win and see your buddies frown because it's only 3rd turn and you've won without going infinite.
This deck has been a blast and rewards players who don't mind making complicated plays to win. Just when you think you can't pull off that 3rd turn win, you'll remember a few interactions that you still have to make it happen.
The biggest thing to understand with this deck is there is nothing wrong with tutoring for a tutor to grab the oath (Merchant Scroll into a Lim-Dul's Vault for example). A lot of players have argued this with me, but I've seen no reason not to do so. Sure it might not be the card I wanted to play in the end, but I'm guaranteed to get the one I do.
I went with this over Hermit Druid for 4 reasons:
1. I don't feel that this is as susceptible to hate (due to being able to kill a creature more easily and whatnot)
2. It's unique. And I like bringing out my innovative side.
3. I haven't come across a (almost) completely creatureless EDH deck. I really don't count Karona as I would never play her. She's there for show. If I played her, it's because I'm losing, built the deck wrong, or just trying to be funny. I needed a 5- Color strategy for options.
4. It's unique! Did I say that already?
A lot of people ask me how it withstands hate. It's resilience is limited, but I have yet to come across a situation that I couldn't deal with. The worst play against this deck is dissipate. It's not unwinnable but sure feels like it. Maybe in further play testing, I'll play some more cpunterspells.
Well I hope you've enjoyed the list and idea. I'd really like some feedback on how to make this better. Thanks!
Play it against friends and it will probably lose its allure after a few games. Losing that early in the game can be pretty hard on people and making your deck to consistently do just that....well will probably be boring after the first 5 times or so.
Granted, if your playgroup has a lot of distruption, low curves, and are much more competitively minded than the majority, then you might have something you will want to keep around.
IMO having a deck that consistently goes off by turn 4 or so, in a casual enviroment, is kinda missing the point.
I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but sometimes its more fun to build the second best deck you can. Personally, I like to make decks that are not only fun to play, but also allow options that make it fun to play against.
Another problem, atleast it would be for me, is that my meta/most meta's don't allow sideboards, have you come across this?
EDIT: actually about the sideboard, why do you cunning wish for retract and not just play it with yawgmoth's instead?
[Primer] Kozilek, Butcher with Juice.
wouldstrongly suggest adding Leyline of Anticipation and Vedalken Orrery; flashing in Oath on the end step before your turn is pretty strong and would require me to jump through a couple hoops to use some of my answers.Oh, and I love that you use Yawgmoth's Will to have access to the entire yard.
Quick question: what other two cards do you put on top of the library with Memory's Journey?
Memory's Journey says "up to 3 cards" but if I only have 3 mana available, I'll put a Mana Crypt and Lotus Petal with the YW to play it (flashback Deep Analysis to draw the other 2 cards after my draw step)
Graveyard hate is not predominate in my local meta. I took this version last night to a prize tournament and took all three rounds at turn 4 each time. Bojuka Bog is the random answer some players put in their decks and it just never quite gets there.
All I was trying to do was make something that I haven't seen anyone do, that seemed absurd, and was VERY competetive. That's why I took some time making sure I didn't play any infinite combos and I one with cards no one would be thinking about. Really I was just wanting to share my idea.
I'll probably go back to playing mono blue control with Teferi as my commander, and only pull this out on occasion.
Oh, and my local meta allows a 10 card sideboard + 2 Alternate Generals
Damia http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=410191
DDFT Legacyhttp://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=505247
Domain Zoo http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=10212429#post10212429
BG Jumpin' JaradsGB
BB Furry Rat Lady: The Deck BB
UU I Don't Ever Want To Explain How Knowledge Pool Works Ever Again UU
RR This Is My Suika Cosplay Lightning Bolt Deck RR
WW Mangara exiles both permanents and friends
RWG Marath Sunforger RWG
WUBRG Cromat and Friends WUBRG
--
BG Savra, Rocking Attrition (retired) GB
BB">Shauku, Envoy of the End (retired) BB
BU Wrexial, the Tentacled H beast(retired)UB
BB Endrek Sahr, Master Commander (retired )BB
UU [PRIMER] Talrand's Terrible Tempo Terror Teatime (retired) UU
UBW Senator Trio - Three Heads Are Better Than One (retired) UBW
BB MONSTRUAL BLEEDING EREBOS SADISM (retired) BB
It looks pretty good, I was just trying to offer feedback. And I asked about Memory's Journey because I imagined a player Blue Sun's Zenith-ing you for 1, but I realized tjhat's probably less of a problem than I originally thought.
I see some gravehate being dangerous (instant speed full removal, for one), but isn't enchantment and/or artifact destruction more dangerous? I may be incorrectly assessing how the deck actually plays.
Damia was my first commander and then I realized the importance of Pull from Eternity in the sideboard for Cunning Wish. Needs to be at least 4 color, but there are no generals that I know of in that combination.
And you all are absolutely right. Needs good ol Enlightened Tutor.
Nice deck, I might try to build down the road, but right now it's hard to justify dropping about 1200-1500 on the handful of cards I don't have for it. (just the big ones, mana drain, seal, cruel and grim tutors, timetwister, intuition, city of traitors)
Had you ever considered Gemstone Mine? I imagine Grand Coloseum coming in tapped is a problem.
I'm guessing you don't run Idyllic Tutor because it's too slow and tips your hand? Ditto for Shred Memory? Think Twice seems like it'd go better with Krosan Reclaimation, but too much mana and never enough space.
Are Reclaim and Regrowth no good? I figure it's another option for an Intuition package: Oath, Noxious Revival, Reclaim/Regrowth
Does Intuition typically grab something like Vamp Tutor, Demonic Tutor, Imperial Seal?
What's your answer for Sad Sac (liable to grab Oath, Yawg Win, and Ad Nauseam/Necro if the guy is smart) or Praetor's Grasp? Sad Sac may not be common, but I see Praetor's Grasp often enough.
Karona, Warden of AlcatrazWUBRG
The EPIC EDHWUBRG
Sun Quan Aggro1U
Animar GoodstuffRUG
Horobi MBCB
Medomai NerfWU
Saffi EriksdotterGW
Zur (CF)WUB
-Elliot Carver, Tomorrow Never Dies
"If violence isn't solving it, you're obviously not using enough!"
-Me
A kid at my local gameshop wanted to break a twenty.
"You got 2 tens?" he asked me.
"No, but I probably got 3 fives." I replied.
"Perfect!"
"You might want to check your math there."
This frees up room for far more hate and protection spells, complete with plan B.
EDH:
RNorin the WaryR <-Link! (Primer - Mono Red Control)
GUEdric, Spymaster of TrestUG <- Link! (Mini-Primer - Dredge)
Duel Commander:
WUGeist of Saint TraftUW <- Link! (Aggro-Control)
BGSkullbriar, the Walking GraveGB <- Link! (Aggro)
BUGDamia, Sage of StoneGUB <- Link! (Extinction Control)
Church of the Wary