While not much impressed with Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest when he was first spoiled, he has grown on me and I realized he is the perfect general for a spellslinger deck. I'm looking to have a combat control theme as well (think Master Warcraft and Ordic, Master Tactician). Has anybody built a combat control deck before and if so, any advice on strategy and/or cards to include? Thanks.
My tribal monk deck is combat-control, albeit a spellslinger/Stax mashup. I designed it so that Narset, Enlightened Master can be used interchangeably with Shu Yun as a commander.
I'm not much for general advice, but in my experience, Shu Yun works incredibly well with the other monks in my deck, and even better with Narset onboard for free prowess triggers thanks to her ability. Regardless of which commander I'm using in the deck, I generally try to hold some cards in hand. (I play a lot of control.) I'm often quite happy having only one or two creature cards out, but if Monastery Mentor's on the 'field, I obviously go buck wild doing what I can to create more tokens.
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There are no divisions: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. -Galatians 3:28
I've got a pretty solid Shu Yun deck that I've been testing out in smaller games (with 2 or 3 opponents). At first, I thought I wanted to stock up on all the great creature buffs - like Fists of the Anvil and Blood Lust - but I find I get more milage out of utility and card draw (like Shadow Rift, Opt, Submerge, Scout's Warning and Flame Jab). My list is incoming here momentarily.
+ lands to suit your taste. I find I need a lot of the non-basics to always have the right mana (Duals, Fetches, Shocks + Shadowmoor Hybrid Filters).
Reasons for inclusion/exclusion: Sword of Fire and Ice - It is a non-bo with Shu Yun (you cant target the equipped creature with his doublestrike) Sunforger - Frankly, it's too mana intensive (for my tastes) and stocking the deck with a suite of targets will dilute it. Force of Will - I've got one, but I'm not sure if this needs it. Maybe it's ok for blue EDH decks not to have one. Soulfire Grand Master - value lategame plus infinte combo potential with time warp or turnabout Serra Ascendant - seems like it'd be great, trying to get one and fit it in. Aggravated Assault - Ditto. Just gotta find space for it. (Also a possible infinite attack step combo with Sword of Feast and Famine) Mercadia's Downfall - one of my favorite hidden gems, just trying to find something to squeeze it in for. Fellwar Stone - trying to fit in one more 2 mana rock that doesn't CIPT - It's important to get ahead on mana - particularly if you're trying for an early Shu yun win.
Thada Adel - Obviously in here for Equipment and mana rocks from other decks. Remember to account for the artifacts being exiled when you kill their owners!
Awesome - I saw your list and it looked pretty great. I went down to 41 mana sources to squeeze in Mystic Spec and Impulse (for now). Do you usually pick one mode for Monastery Siege - or do you take whatever seems most useful at the time ?
Awesome - I saw your list and it looked pretty great. I went down to 41 mana sources to squeeze in Mystic Spec and Impulse (for now). Do you usually pick one mode for Monastery Siege - or do you take whatever seems most useful at the time ?
Mystic Speculation is phenomenal in many decks, but in a deck that receives bonuses for casting spells it's particularly golden. Impulse has a low mana cost and digs deep. Good calls on both of those!
I've yet to select Dragons for Monastery Siege. It's not a bad mode with my deck's Stax elements, but I still prefer the card selection of Khans.
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There are no divisions: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. -Galatians 3:28
Burntgerbil, do you ever have trouble with evasion? I'm wondering if you have trouble punching through that double strike damage in the face of chump blockers. Tibor and Lumia looks really fun, although its a pretty hard nonbo if you manage to kill your own general :). Mistfire Adept seems a little more consistent. What's the function of Mirror Entity in the deck? Besides a large strike later in the game, it seems underwhelming
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My Cubes - The Busted Cube. A fully functional, almost 100% custom cube. The project started out by asking "What if other colors got cards on the power level of Mana Drain,Ancestral Recall, and Time Walk?" Draft and enjoy!
With 3 different creatures that spit out tokens when I cast an instant or sorcery, you can wind up with a small army pretty easily. I've used it as a plan B when I couldn't punch through with just Shu yun before.
It also serves as an easy way to pump up Shu yun's P / T into 1-hit lethality territory.
Okay, so I have a list of like 200 cards to work with. Now the question is do I try and stay on theme with the whole enlightenment thing or just put off-flavor good stuff in like Skullclamp and Grafted Exoskeleton?
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I'm not much for general advice, but in my experience, Shu Yun works incredibly well with the other monks in my deck, and even better with Narset onboard for free prowess triggers thanks to her ability. Regardless of which commander I'm using in the deck, I generally try to hold some cards in hand. (I play a lot of control.) I'm often quite happy having only one or two creature cards out, but if Monastery Mentor's on the 'field, I obviously go buck wild doing what I can to create more tokens.
Creatures
1 Mother of Runes
1 Grand Abolisher
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Soulfire Grand Master
1 Monastery Mentor
1 Mirror Entity
1 Young Pyromancer
1 Thada Adel, Acquisitor
1 Thassa, God of the Sea
1 Talrand, Sky Summoner
1 Land Tax
1 Mystic Remora
1 Jeskai Ascendancy
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 O-Naginata
1 Boros Signet
1 Izzet Signet
1 Azorius Signet
1 Talisman of Progress
1 Isochron Scepter
1 Mask of Memory
1 Runechanter's Pike
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Veilstone Amulet
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Grafted Exoskeleton
1 Shadow Rift
1 Brainstorm
1 Stubborn Denial
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Opt
1 Ponder
1 Artful Dodge
1 Distortion Strike
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Snap
1 Arcane Denial
1 Mana Drain
1 Counterspell
1 Frantic Search
1 Windfall
1 Timetwister
1 Rewind
1 Turnabout
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Submerge
1 Time Warp
1 Time Spiral
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Dig Through Time
1 Ajani's Presence
1 Gods Willing
1 Emerge Unscathed
1 Scout's Warning
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Steelshaper's Gift
1 Reckless Charge
1 Flame Jab
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Past in Flames
1 Seize the Day
1 World at War
1 Waves of Aggression
1 Boros Charm
1 Hindering Light
+ lands to suit your taste. I find I need a lot of the non-basics to always have the right mana (Duals, Fetches, Shocks + Shadowmoor Hybrid Filters).
Reasons for inclusion/exclusion:
Sword of Fire and Ice - It is a non-bo with Shu Yun (you cant target the equipped creature with his doublestrike)
Sunforger - Frankly, it's too mana intensive (for my tastes) and stocking the deck with a suite of targets will dilute it.
Force of Will - I've got one, but I'm not sure if this needs it. Maybe it's ok for blue EDH decks not to have one.
Soulfire Grand Master - value lategame plus infinte combo potential with time warp or turnabout
Serra Ascendant - seems like it'd be great, trying to get one and fit it in.
Aggravated Assault - Ditto. Just gotta find space for it. (Also a possible infinite attack step combo with Sword of Feast and Famine)
Mercadia's Downfall - one of my favorite hidden gems, just trying to find something to squeeze it in for.
Fellwar Stone - trying to fit in one more 2 mana rock that doesn't CIPT - It's important to get ahead on mana - particularly if you're trying for an early Shu yun win.
Thada Adel - Obviously in here for Equipment and mana rocks from other decks. Remember to account for the artifacts being exiled when you kill their owners!
I'd also considered additional cards like:
- JESKAI ASCENDANCY
- LAND TAX
- Monastery Siege
- Fact or Fiction
- Impulse
- Prophetic Bolt
- Telling Time
- MYSTIC SPECULATION
- Ponder
- Preordain
- Teferi, Temporal Archmage
- Jeskai Elder
The cards in all caps are of the utmost importance in my own Shu Yun deck.I've yet to select Dragons for Monastery Siege. It's not a bad mode with my deck's Stax elements, but I still prefer the card selection of Khans.
Regular 450 unpowered cube (with some custom cards) - 450 Unpowered
It also serves as an
easyway to pump up Shu yun's P / T into 1-hit lethality territory.