MTG Salvation

At first glance, I was not that into Animar, Soul of Elements, but after playing Mayael, the Anima for a while I realized I was relying on her less and less to get my creatures out, but was desiring more control. So then I had an epiphany... WHAT IF I HAD BLUE?? So I dropped white and picked up blue with Animar because he was still 3 to cast and his ability could greatly help get my creatures out, and that's when I realized his potential in combination with my play style.

This deck is all about letting your library just spill out onto the battlefield, if Animar doesn't swing lethal first, all while protecting his integrity. The flavor of the art speaks for the deck. You pretty much just accelerate while adapting to the game until you hit a combo, overwhelm the board, or until you can swing through with the big guy. I keep switching cards in and out as I keep feeling out the synergy but here is where it stands now. Let me know what you think or if you got a question for me, input is welcomed!

um well animar isnt a control deck, its a combo/voltron-esqe deck. you have a lot of creatures that dont really have synergy with animar, your creature count is low, a lot of your spells are gonna be hard to cast with all these double colors. when you build animar think of the death and taxes that combos.

Thanks for your input! I guess what I meant with the control is focused mainly on keeping Animar safe or getting rid of threats, but there is a lot of versatility with my "control". As it stands I tend to go off quite easily with my tutor-into-play cards like Tooth and Nail or Chord of Calling. Swinging voltron style definitely wins me games but just as often i will get half my library out in one turn or one of the Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker pairings, and half the time i am doing that is on the other players turn with my flash granting cards and infinite mana with Palinchron or Earthcraft + Shrieking Drake.

Cards I am thinking about putting back in...
-Altar of the Brood
-Glaring Spotlight

While you're mentioning Kiki pairings, you'll want to throw in the other of the three - Pestermite.

Much like Deceiver Exarch, it can also be free with Animar ( with two counters, untapping the land that plays it).

Quote from Elyphant »

Thanks for your input! I guess what I meant with the control is focused mainly on keeping Animar safe or getting rid of threats, but there is a lot of versatility with my "control". As it stands I tend to go off quite easily with my tutor-into-play cards like Tooth and Nail or Chord of Calling. Swinging voltron style definitely wins me games but just as often i will get half my library out in one turn or one of the Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker pairings, and half the time i am doing that is on the other players turn with my flash granting cards and infinite mana with Palinchron or Earthcraft + Shrieking Drake.

Cards I am thinking about putting back in...
-Altar of the Brood
-Glaring Spotlight

i guess but using all that mana to try to keep him safe with enchantments and counterspells , when you can be casting more creatures and building your board to just combo out that turn. you dont always need to protect him with cute tricks, you can win the game other way. i would add maelstrom wanderer . peregrine drake time spiral

Maelstrom Wanderer is definitely something i would like to try but i think I'll proxy it first to see how it goes (probably will go splendidly). Peregrine Drake was in here at one point but once i got Palinchron i figured that and Cloud of Faeries might be enough, but i haven't written it off completely. Time Spiral looks like great fun because it could serve as disruption as well.

Crookshank Kobolds+ Cloud of Faeries+Cloudstone Curio= Infinitely big Animar/ Infinite Mana/ Infinite Storm.
I really like the kobolds for the casting cast. In the right conditions you can Animar and in the same turn drop three counters on him. Same is true for Memnite but being an artifact Memnite doesn't work well with Cloudstone.

Crookshank Kobolds is new to me and I really like it for its compatibility with Cloudstone Curio. Thanks for that suggestion!

Here are my most recent changes...

- Zameck Guildmage + Sylvan Safekeeper
- Sage of Fables + Spy Network
- Prime Speaker Zegana + Kruphix, God of Horizons
- Primordial Sage + Maelstrom Wanderer
- Crop Rotation + Time Spiral
- Chromatic Lantern + Treasounous Ogre
- Frontier Bivouac + Steam Vents
- Temple of the False God + Flamekin Village

Draining Whelk is great over Muddle, I know it can get you combo cards, but you've been doing fine just trail blazing with top deck, which brings me to say

Spy Network has nothing on Gitaxian Probe, but I think another cantrip creature will do you worlds better. Think of all the different ways you could reccur its ETB as opposed to getting back a non-creature spell. This puts you a card ahead as opposed to just top deck manipulation, which as you've said before, can usually give you answers.

Put Primordial Sage and Zegana back in imo, I know you always say you wish/needed you had more draw a lot. I think you

You have Ondu Giant, but not Fairhaven Elf? Treasonous Ogre doesn't seem to fit, you are usually looking for blue or green mana. There are easier ways to ramp for combo and if it isnt hard focused combo you're going for, the life isn't worth the mana.

Tidespout Tyrant is a beast and as mentioned earlier in a post, you have some easy access to casting infinite storm easily, and this one wipes the board with the ability to respond to response.

Steal Eric's Alluren

I agree with cutting temple of the false god, but not with cutting the new khans tri color land. You can afford a tapped land if it provides you all your colors, which it seems you regularly need all sorts of combonations each turn.

After playing this a few months I've made a few changes. There are still a lot of cards i have that aren't in here that i still want to try, but this is what i changed for now.


- temple of the false god + flamekin village.
- island + misty rainforest.
- Kruphix, God of Horizons + purphoros, god of the forge.
- Treasonous Ogre + pestermite.
- Oracle of Mul Daya + temur sabertooth.
- spy network + sea gate oracle.
- Elgaud Shieldmate + prime speaker zegana.
- vanishing + plaxmanta.
- ondu giant + sage of fables.

Den Protector, Ainok Survivalist, Stratus Dancer and Ancestral Statue seem like contenders for slots.

Quote from Welgo »

Den Protector, Ainok Survivalist, Stratus Dancer and Ancestral Statue seem like contenders for slots.

Hell yes. I have made some minor changes to try some new cards since Dragons of Tarkir came out...

- Oran-Rief, the Vastwood + Frontier Bivouac
- Signal the Clans + Stratus Dancer
- Coiling Oracle + Ancestral Statue
- Sol Ring + Rattleclaw Mystic
- Seagate Oracle + Raven Familiar
- Wall of Bloossoms + Den Protector
- Flametongue Kavu + Ainok Survivalist

Good cuts, was debating cutting Sol Ring from Marchesa for the same reason you would here. By the end of the game, that early ramp wasn't worth it in a deck that values colored mana and creature spells. Guess I'll need to try cutting mine too

Quote from Welgo »

Good cuts, was debating cutting Sol Ring from Marchesa for the same reason you would here. By the end of the game, that early ramp wasn't worth it in a deck that values colored mana and creature spells. Guess I'll need to try cutting mine too

Yes I believe Rattleclaw Mystic is a much better choice than Sol Ring in this particular kind of deck as I greatly prefer colored mana over colorless. Also chances are that Animar will allow Rattleclaw Mystic to be cast for free as a morph creature. This also allows for yet another option for a combo piece for Cloudstone Curio (along with all the other colorless/morph creatures), which Sol Ring cannot do.

Vesuvan Shapeshifter is a nice addition, as it works great with the other morph cards to get the effects, its free from anima cost reduction and combos like any clone (just for double blue then, if you need an comes into play effect).

Phyrexian Metamorph is also an free morph and just good allways.

Quote from TheOnlyOne652089 »

Vesuvan Shapeshifter is a nice addition, as it works great with the other morph cards to get the effects, its free from anima cost reduction and combos like any clone (just for double blue then, if you need an comes into play effect).

Phyrexian Metamorph is also an free morph and just good allways.

Both are actually in my maybe-board! I've played with both, as well as Clever Impersonator, so I have experienced their wonders, but somehow they were maybe-boarded, possibly because they sometimes are unusable or there isn't always something good to copy. I think Vesuvan Shapeshifter might be best by a hair, just because of its reusable utility, though i wish it was an actual morph critter.

It is an actual morph critter. You can cast it face-down for 3 and turn it face up for 1U, whereupon it becomes a copy of any creature on the battlefield and gains the ability to turn face-down on your upkeep.

Quote from gxmiter »

It is an actual morph critter. You can cast it face-down for 3 and turn it face up for 1U, whereupon it becomes a copy of any creature on the battlefield and gains the ability to turn face-down on your upkeep.

Wow... proof that I am dumb and don't read the card right, forget what I said before. I may have to find spot for it then, we shall see.

I never noticed you cut the Metamorph. I would definitely put him in. Honestly a blue staple just because of the diversity of the card. Cloning a Gilded Lotus or other high mana producing rock could potentially make him a huge ramp spell or on the off chance a creature is cheated into play somehow you can share the wealth. At worst he clones for a free etb.