MTG Salvation

This is just a rough draft for Bruna, Light of Alabaster. Suggestions are greatly appreciated, as I have little experience with this deck archetype and color combination.

My initial impression from your deck list is that it is trying to play 2 different ways that are naturally opposed to each other.

You have a fair amount of creatures and other spells you want to play on your turn and then you're playing quite a few instants and many of them are counterspells that you'd need to hold bak mana to even cast.

If this were my own deck, I'd cut back on counters and only play the free ones and maybe Forbid because you can justify it as a discard outlet. The thing is that you really want to go all in on the Voltron plan.

Here are some cards that you may find useful:

• Indestructibility
  
• Spirit Link
  
• Kithkin Armor
  
• Savor the Moment
  
• Iridescent Drake
  
• Kor Spiritdancer
  
• Fool's Demise
  
• Attunement

Fool's Demise goes infinite with Academy Researches and any repeatable sac outlet.

I got the Spiritdancer edited in right before you posted (I just barely found out that the card existed).

I really do appreciate the help. I threw in a lot of counters because I'm a little iffy on Bruna actually resolving. I don't know what kind of decks my playgroup will actually pull out to play with her, so I don't know what I'm up against for certain yet. I'll see what I can do to move them around.

This post is going to be short, because I'm sitting in an airport without free wifi, but I'll mess with the list while I'm sitting here. Should be altered a bit within the next hour because I really like some of the cards you suggested.

All right, I updated with a few changes based on suggestions here and by my playgroup. ^.^

I should be able to finish building the deck today, and play test it this week.

Update:

Frantic Search ---> Greater Auramancy

This deck's been a blast to play so far. Even when I haven't been able to stick Bruna, cards like Kor Spiritdancer and Sovereigns of Lost Alara kept me in the game until I could land her.

I'm adding in Greater Auramancy because I only just learned of its existence and it seems like a good fit.

Update.

Auratouched Mage ---> Cataclysm
1x Plains ---> Flooded Strand

I've really liked Cataclysm so far, especially when paired with something like Alexi's Cloak attached to Bruna. I'm also adding in Flooded Strand, but it's the only extra fetchlands I have at the moment, so I don't anticipate adding in more.

Kithkin Armor ---> Diplomatic Immunity
Academy Researchers ---> Celestial Mantle

Just trying to add some redundancy for effects I already run.

As for Khans of Tarkir, there wasn't much, but I plan to look at Clever Impersonator.

Did you just call Vanishing weak!? It's probably the best defensive Aura in the game IMO. Put it on Bruna to keep her safe for an entire round around the table or enchant something you don't like to keep it away indefinitely. The csrd is banned in 1v1, so that should say something abkut its power level.

Hello, I'll try to address this as best I can.

Quote from Quietschkuchen_Raupenkerl »

I have a lot of fun with my Bruna deck. It is incredibly strong and my opponents usually put me under early pressure because they are afraid of getting one-shotted with Bruna. So I reduced the number of auras and only kept the strongest ones, which mostly get tutored in numerous ways. I also cut cards that support auras in ways that are unnecessary with Bruna. Nomad Mythmaker, Kor Spiritdancer and Umbra Mystic were pretty useless. You do not cast your auras and you do not need to get them back from your graveyard. You should replace these cards with more defensive/control oriented elements.

Removing everything but broken auras Leeds to a super glass cannon deck, making you even more vulnerable than Bruna already is to disruprion. I don't know what your playgroup looks like, but defensive auras are pretty important to me.

The same goes for the support creatures. It doesn't sound like much fun to have to conceed if something happens to Bruna. I am aware the don't do much when I have access to her, but I'm counting on not always having her around. My play group is very removal heavy, and even if my chances of winning are severely reduced if Bruna gets tucked or something, they aren't non-existant.

Cards I recommend for this deck:
Academy Rector, Auratouched Mage,Lost Auramancers or even Boonweaver Giant are better than weak auras like Vanishing and Spirit Mantle. Tutor for the juicy ones instead!

Of the cards you've listed, I'd be most likely go run Rector. That said, I haven't spent much money on this deck outside of what I already owned, and I'd rather not invest in one at the moment. I cut Auratouched Mage a while back, and the other two are too slow/has too high of a casting cost.

Godhead of Awe stops giant beatsticks and Ghostly Prison and Propaganda stop token masses.

Sadly... I'm the one people run Prison type effects for. :/

Sac your auras for Faith Healer before you attack with Bruna and get them back. Scout's Warning is another way to get Bruna out savely. Knight of the White Orchid and Kor Cartographer give you lands, which is nice, because your mana rocks will be removed a lot. Grand Arbiter Augustin IV gives you virtual ramp and slows your opponents down. Trinket Mage gives you a nice little toolbox with Pithing Needle, Sol Ring, Mana Vault, Dispeller's Capsule, Brittle Effigy and the artifact lands. Basalt Monolith gives you a fast Bruna. Muddle the Mixture and Steelshaper's Gift let you tutor for Lightning Greaves.

There are a lot of suggestions here. I'm kind of right on room, because it like the enchantments that you don't seem to, but I'll consider some of this. Artifact lands are too fragile for me though.

If you lower the number of auras, cards like Windfall, Traumatize and Tunnel Vision become less effective, so I'd rather run Mystic Remora or other draw spells.

But they do work in this deck, so I don't mind them. Your deck seems a bi more glass cannon, so I can understand the need for other sources of draw.

Return to Dust and Spin Into Myth are two very good removal spells.

Return to Dust may find a home, the other one is a bit too expensive to cast though. It comes down a couple turns after my opponents have an advantage.

Some more sweepers like Wash Out, Ætherspouts, Divine Reckoning and of course Winds of Rath would fit the deck well and there is nothing I like more than casting Armageddon after Bruna entered the battlefield.

A lot of those don't meh against control decks, but Divine Reckoning has potential. I'll consider it. I'm using Cataclysm instead of Armageddon. It hits some decks harder than a land wipe will (*cough*Azami*cough*).

I hope some of these suggestions help you to improve your deck!

Again, thank you. There are a couple of cards I'll consider.

I started playing Barrin, Wizard Master as tech in my build. Because new legend rule makes things awkward. You'll swing in, make Bruna unblockable, and slay someone. But then next player Clones her, swings in, and you can't get the block trigger because they took all your unblockable Auras :/

But with Barrin, just sac those Auras on their trigger, block, and get them right back. Also great for contingency against board wipes. Sac two Auras and put Barrin and Bruna back in your hand.

Quote from Loozar402 »

I started playing Barrin, Wizard Master as tech in my build. Because new legend rule makes things awkward. You'll swing in, make Bruna unblockable, and slay someone. But then next player Clones her, swings in, and you can't get the block trigger because they took all your unblockable Auras :/

But with Barrin, just sac those Auras on their trigger, block, and get them right back. Also great for contingency against board wipes. Sac two Auras and put Barrin and Bruna back in your hand.

It's an interesting little trick. So far, I've had problems making cuts, but I'll consider him, and try to test him out. ^.^ I do have seven decks that I switch between, so it may take me a while to get back with any suggestions I've tried.

Treachery also works really nicely with Barrin. A free Mind Control is already neat, but being able to keep mana open to protect Bruna or for instant speed shenanigans every turn is amazing.

I agree that you are a little bit in between in your play styles here.

Either you are voltron control or you arent. If you dont want to play like that then you want to ramp more, drop threats every turn and constantly demand answers.

If you do want to be voltron control you may have to prepare yourself for some shocking changes.

Number 1: Drop the majority of the auras. True Bruna voltron control pretty much just runs Battle Mastery, Eldrazi Conscription, Steel of the Godhead, Corrupted Conscience and 2 or 3 more auras tops.

Number 2: Run even fewer creatures. Most of the creatures should help enable control. Venser, Teferi, and Abolisher are keeps. Serra Ascendant is a nice backup plan.

Number 3: Fill the holes with tons of card draw and tutor options. Mystical Tutor and Merchant Scroll for tutor chains. Cantrips and wheels for speed and consistency.

Number 4: Time magic. When playing against a good Bruna deck it is pretty obvious they think they are prepared to win when they try to resolve Time Stretch. Ways to recast Stretch are nice.

Number 5: More removal is good. Stuff like Supreme Verdict, Terminus and Hallowed Burial become very important in a build like this.

Number 6: A true counter spell package. Surprisingly you dont need a huge one. Because of the card draw and tutors you should be able to find answers when you need them.

Now, I totally understand if you dont want to commit to something like this. It can be pretty boring/repetitive/oppressive. But in my experience playing against a deck like this, its the most effective way to build voltron control.

If you have experience with hardcore Niv combo think about it like that. What does that run? Basically just Niv, the combo cards, a metric crap-ton of draw and control. Hardcore Bruna voltron is essentially the same.

My main goal isn't to be a control deck, or to be glass cannon. It isn't even to be remotely competitive. I want the deck to be resiliant, and not fall over to removal (especially removal that exiles). I never saw much point in making this a control deck, because it would always be subpar to actual dedicated control decks in my play group.

It's largely based off of the primer, not because I blindly wanted to follow such a list, by because I play in a control heavy group, that I want the deck to be able to work through answers.

So far, it does pretty well. I'm not running counters or anything like that to try to mess with other people (unless I have the answer and have to use it or lose), but to help resolve my own stuff/protect Bruna once she's out.

But again, I'm not looking for hardcore Bruna. I just wanted a resiliant aura voltron deck that was different from other aura based decks in my play group. The nastier it gets, the less matchups I can actually play it in.

I may look at adding one or two of the cards you've listed, but I don't think I want to make that kind of drastic change.

I totally can get that.

In that case, I would still probably cut the auras significantly and add more creature threats (Baneslayer Angel, Serra Ascendant etc...) and control. Maybe a wheel or two.

In my experience, decks like what you what to build are successful when they constantly push out threats. They win an attrition game by burning all the answers.

Quote from bigbearlyke »

I totally can get that.

In that case, I would still probably cut the auras significantly and add more creature threats (Baneslayer Angel, Serra Ascendant etc...) and control. Maybe a wheel or two.

In my experience, decks like what you what to build are successful when they constantly push out threats. They win an attrition game by burning all the answers.

I will... Look in to it. I've gotten pretty confusing advice all around (add more auras/take out auras/more creatures/less creatures), so I do need time to process it and decide how this deck is going to work best for me.

Sadly, not much from C14 for this deck.

I've thought a lot about what to do with deck, and I can't justify cutting out a large portion the aura cards. It would negate the entire reason at to why I built this deck, and I would just end up talking if apart. :/

I am going to make this small change, but I don't want to drastically alter the deck:

Traumatize ---> Mystical Tutor
Tunnel Vision ---> Commander Sphere