It seems strange to say but it's been over two years since I've posted anything about my Reaper King deck. For reference, here's that thread. To kick things off here's my most recent decklist:
The idea of this deck, as with the previous version, is to stretch the changeling keyword to the max. Aside from the addition of cards that didn't exist last time I posted about this deck, here are the major differences between the old version and the reboot:
More changelings. It may seem like a no-brainer to use every single changeling in this deck, but 4 or 5 mana is kind of a lot to pay for a creature that needs enablers to be any good. That said, I've added a couple of the changelings with "champion a creature" to help up the count; Changeling Berserker because it costs 4 and not 5, and Changeling Hero because the deck needed (and probably still needs) some more ways to gain life.
Fewer Clones. These just weren't working out for me. The idea was that a Clone effect is essentially another changeling, but that turns out not to be true a lot of the time. Four mana is where these effects tend to begin and that's already pushing it for another 2/2 Bear Wizard Sand Zombie...
Fewer Rebels. Recruiting changelings is a blast and definitely adds a lot to this deck. That said, every time I drew up an opening hand with Defiant Falcon and Ramosian Lieutenant in it I wanted to shoot myself in the face. One is great; two sucks.
More tribal, less good-stuff. I figure if I'm going to play a janky omnitribal deck then I might as well go all the way with it. A bunch of concessions to theme have been made on that front, like Raiders' Spoils over Phyrexian Arena and Rootgrapple over Beast Within. There are still some non-tribal good cards in this list, but they're mostly creature tutors to help set up a board where changelings are awesome.
Helper cards. These include ways to change creature types and things to protect my stuff. Unnatural Selection and company aren't meant for use on changelings, obviously. They help spread around the tribal goodness to lords of disparate types. The protection cards are necessary because the deck is sensitive to having enablers (the changelings) and payoff cards (the tribal effects) in play at the same time. There are a number of tribal ways to protect the changelings, but they aren't worth very much if all my Patron Wizards etc. get blown up.
The mana base. Old version uses fetchlands and dual lands. New version uses trilands. This deck is pretty far down the casual ladder and it just felt wrong to be shuffling it so much during a game. This is a strict mechanical downgrade but I'm OK with that.
This deck is pretty sweet and is usually a lot of fun to play, but it still needs work. Assembling the right combination of cards on the battlefield and keeping them there can be challenging. Another mass protection spell or two would be nice as would some early game card manipulation. Opening hands of just changelings and mana don't do much of anything unless I draw into a tribal card drawer. There are a lot of worthwhile tribal cards out there and striking the right balance between them and changelings is tricky. I'm not exactly sure the deck is there yet. There are also tons of colorless mana tapping lands with sweet tribal synergies, but you can't play too many of those in a five color deck. I think I'm running the right ones but I'm not positive. (If I ever find an Elephant Graveyard at a reasonable price it'll make its way in here).
Specific Things I Need Help With:
Action. There's a major tension in this deck. It needs a bunch of changelings to function but drawing too many changelings and not enough business to go with them is awful. Warspike Changeling doesn't tend to get there alone. How to resolve this?
Speed. Aside from the ETB tapped lands (which I'm choosing to play over dual/fetch lands) this deck can take a while to get going. Where can I afford to lower the curve without giving up too much tribal awesomeness?
Resiliency. Having to commit a ton of small things to the board is very risky in a four player game. I run a few mass hexproof effects, but is there anything to be done about sweepers?
Consistency. Sometimes I draw all changelings. Sometimes I draw all lords. What kind of filtering/tutoring cards should I run, again without giving up too much of the omnitribal theme?
37 duel and triLands
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I tried to make it so the lords worked very well even with just 2+ changelings on the board and weren't completely useless if there were no changelings at all.
Havengul Lich and Sen Triplets offer so many options in a 5 color deck that they just had to be auto includes.
I took out the tribal shroud and hex proof because odds are the changelings are not the problem...the lords are. so enchantments that hexproff all your stuff won my vote.
And a kicked Rite of Replication targeting Reaper King causes 25 targets to be destroyed....even if you have to sac down to one Reaper King at the end. But imagine how many lords would love to be copied 5 times.
I kinda have a minor token theme going on in mine thus all my non tribal anthems but the thought of Xenograft or Artificial Evolution with Krenko, Mob Boss or Avenger of Zendikar sounded like fun.
@Omen316: Your list is very interesting. Whereas I try to make the otherwise unplayable changelings good by loading up utility abilities on them, you try to make them good by pumping. I love me some utility, but maybe there's a middle ground. Your small amount of token production certainly helps to get more mileage out of the anthem effects. Out of these I think Crucible of Fire is best because it's easily the most efficient. Utvara Hellkite is very much like an anthem in that it makes each dinky changeling into a huge threat. Definitely considering it; even with only one friend he's enormous. Dromoka, the Eternal is also interesting since the counters she generates stick around in the event she gets Terminated or something. What do you think about Sage of Fables?
I also kind of like the idea of replacing my Wort, Boggart Auntie with Lord of the Undead to tack some card advantage onto my anthems (or vice versa). On a side note I think that Wort is a little bit better than Angel of Flight Alabaster because it costs one mana less. Mechanically Palace Siege is probably better than both of them, but this is a theme deck after all.
I'm not a fan of the tribal indestructible guys since, as you say about tribal shroud and hexproof, the changelings aren't the problem. Archetype of Endurance is a possibility, but it sure is pricey. Dense Foliage is something I've been on the fence about. It's cheap, but it doesn't stop abilities from picking off your stuff and those are a big part of the action in EDH.
Using Artificial Evolution on Moggcatcher etc. is cute, but with only one copy in 99 cards I can't imagine you actually get to do it that often. Even if you stick to it, I'd still want to play Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero because we all need to do our part by recycling. Skyshroud Poacher is a little more interesting because there are a few natural elves that might be worth tutoring up. I'm tempted to swap Bloom Tender for Wirewood Channeler but the former helps to ramp a lot earlier. The latter is a tribal card, though, and that's pretty important. Another card along those lines is Elvish Guidance which has the drawback of not fixing colors.
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You would never guess, at the terrifying sight of the man, that Hunding was as charming a companion as one could wish for.
Artificial Evolution has a lot of options besides just the Rebels and Moggcatcher like cards.
Its also a 2nd Xenograft which has fun with Reaper king by making any of the token makers make scarecrows instead of goblins/plants/vampires etc. or lets say your lost your utvara hell kite and you use Artificial Evolution on Wort, boggart auntie or lord of the undead to make them bring back dragons instead.
I picked Angel of alabaster over wort simply because it has flying and can be used to block fliers when needed.
Sage of fables would be a nice addition if you feel your deck needs more card draw.
Oh man, I have a Reaper King changeling deck too, and I had no idea what big of a boost it got from the last two sets! I have some updating to do! I'll try to post my list some time.
I've found that the "cog" scarecrows, Heap Doll and Jawbone Skulkin, are pretty useful. I run Tezzeret and Trinket Mage, too. Citanul Flute is already a great card, but it gets better the more one-drop targets you have.
Also, I've been a fan of sac-to-draw effects in this deck, as changelings often don't impact the board. I'm thinking of testing Wall of Mulch out.
Oh yeah, and one other thing: Hibernation Sliver seems really good. I actually don't play it because I kind of feel like it's "too easy," and might draw a lot of hate, but it seems really good, especially with mothdust changeling.
Oh man, I have a Reaper King changeling deck too, and I had no idea what big of a boost it got from the last two sets! I have some updating to do! I'll try to post my list some time.
Please do. From the rest of your post it sounds like you're going for maximum value from each changeling. This is in contrast to Omen613's list which is all about anthems. I don't know which version is "better" but it would be interesting to compare multiple different takes on the same deck.
I assume that by "cog" you mean "cheap scarecrow to get things going." My experience with these cards is that they're much too narrow, only really being useful with Reaper King in play. Heap Doll in particular is a card I ran for a long time because graveyard hate is very attractive. Fact of the matter is, though, that exiling one card with an on-board trick is not going to stop anybody from carrying out their graveyard-based shenanigans.
Also, I've been a fan of sac-to-draw effects in this deck, as changelings often don't impact the board. I'm thinking of testing Wall of Mulch out.
Wall of Mulch is on my radar, too. I'm running a good amount of tribal cards that get better with more creatures in play and turning changelings into mulch runs counter to that.
Oh yeah, and one other thing: Hibernation Sliver seems really good. I actually don't play it because I kind of feel like it's "too easy," and might draw a lot of hate, but it seems really good, especially with mothdust changeling.
My knee-jerk reaction was "no, protecting one tribe isn't good enough" but, as I think was your point, Hibernation Sliver can let you get more enters-the-battlefield triggers for free. Trouble is I only run 4 cards which trigger off of changelings entering play (not counting the King because he tends to draw the most hate). The Sliver is interesting, though. Definitely something to think about.
My group is super casual, so there's very little auto-includes/ goodstuff in my build (though it looks like you're kinda doing the same thing).
I noticed I seem to care much more about rebels than you do. Enough to even include Training Grounds. I think my sliver sub-theme is also more prominent.
Also, "cog" used to mean 1-mana artifact, I don't know if people still say that.
As for Hibernation Sliver, I don't think it's unbeatably good or anything, I just think it could lead to some feel-bad plays, as well as draw a ton of attention to myself the first time I use it to do some rapid-fire Vindication, and this deck already has problems keeping a low profile.
You're not using scarecrone? I've been playing a Reaper King build, and that has to be one of my most helpful cards. I sacrificed all my scarecrows and reaper king to come back from a living death that my opponent cast, which then gave me vindicate triggers.
Adaptive atomaton is also really good, both giving a boost to scarecrows and being able to be brought back with scarecrone.
The group I play with is fairly competitive, with infinite combos generally ending games, so I included kiki-jiki, mirror breaker and deceiver exarch and tooth and nail to pull it off.
Karmic guide is great for a champion creature like changeling berserker, because if the champion dies, you can return it when the guide comes back into play.
I also use pili-pala and grand architect for infinite mana. Grim poppet is helpful for controlling other creatures, and can kill indestructible creatures by -1/-1 counters.
Legacy weapon is great for dealing with indestructible also.
@Pouncing Kavu: In an older version of the deck I used Rathi Assassin. Ultimately, I found its assassin ability to be marginal and cut it for a cheaper rebel. Upon closer inspection, and because of a shift in my metagame away from black, it's probably worth another shot. Though the actual card doesn't say so, its creature type is Zombie Mercenary Assassin so it interacts with Lord of the Undead. Admittedly that's only one additional card in the deck it has synergy with, but it may tip the scales for me. On the subject of mercenaries, what makes Bog Glider at all playable? If you're in a position where saccing a land to fetch up a 1/1 dingus is worth it then you probably don't need said dingus to win the game.
@Zyxix: I'm running a single artifact creature so Scarecrone doesn't seem great. It is, I suppose, a little better than Wall of Mulch but it's not worth very much without a whole bunch of stuff to recur with it. Your version of the deck seems more like a five-color goodstuff/combo deck featuring Reaper King than a changeling deck. That's a fine way to go about it, but I'm really trying to push the omnitribal theme as hard as possible.
@koffiegast: Necromancer's Covenant is a nice find. I've been wanting some more lifegain, but hate cards that only gain life, and more graveyard hate, but want to minimize non-tribal cards. This enchantment checks all the boxes for me (it's even another reason to run Rathi Assassin over some other rebel scum). Definitely got to find room for it. What has your experience been with Hibernation's End? I'm skeptical of the card even though I listed it as an inclusion recently. It just seems slow; possibly too slow to matter.
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You would never guess, at the terrifying sight of the man, that Hunding was as charming a companion as one could wish for.
On the subject of mercenaries, what makes Bog Glider at all playable? If you're in a position where saccing a land to fetch up a 1/1 dingus is worth it then you probably don't need said dingus to win the game.
Haha, I actually think Bog Glider is amazing. Maybe it's more of a 1-on-1 type card, but when most other rebel/merc search costs are 3 or 4, being able to drop Reaper King on turn 5 and immediately have a Vindicate loaded is pretty sweet. Since this deck has a rather low mana curve, you can often afford to sac the land.
I also have not found Rathi Assassin's assassin ability to come up too much, but people do play around it, at least. I've considered using Rathi Fiend instead because it's more easily castable.
Koffiegast: I noticed your version plays a bunch of generic tribal lords (Lord of the Unreal, Pheres-Band Warchief, Knight Exemplar, etc). How useful are these? Though Captivating Vampire seems pretty interesting, too bad it's annoyingly expensive. Makes me want to try some of those Onslaught tap-five-for-impressive-effect lords.
Greatbow Doyen might also be worth it, that's a pretty powerful effect. Just have to be careful with Psionic Sliver!
I've just never felt like the changelings amounted to much, and would rather recycle them somehow. Even Crucible of Fire wasn't enough. Though again, Greatbow Doyen might be powerful enough to be relevant.
Also, I just discovered Rebel Informer and Mercenary Informer. Having one of these along with Amoeboid Changeling in your deck means that every rebel or mercenary recruiter you play basically has "two turns from now, start wrecking stuff." What do you think about that?
I've just never felt like the changelings amounted to much...
Sadly, I have to agree. On the other hand anthem effects that only pump aren't that great because they don't help to "keep the ball rolling." That's why I'm starting to move in the direction of Lord of the Undead and Sage of Fables. They pump the team and generate value at the same time. Conveniently, Reaper King its self follows this model. Are there any more lords like this?
Also, I just discovered Rebel Informer and Mercenary Informer. Having one of these along with Amoeboid Changeling in your deck means that every rebel or mercenary recruiter you play basically has "two turns from now, start wrecking stuff." What do you think about that?
I don't think it's worth it. Maybe you could have argued that having tutorable commander tuck is powerful enough, but not anymore. Also, if something bad happens to Amoeboid Changeling the informers don't do very much.
Also, I just discovered Rebel Informer and Mercenary Informer. Having one of these along with Amoeboid Changeling in your deck means that every rebel or mercenary recruiter you play basically has "two turns from now, start wrecking stuff." What do you think about that?
I don't think it's worth it. Maybe you could have argued that having tutorable commander tuck is powerful enough, but not anymore. Also, if something bad happens to Amoeboid Changeling the informers don't do very much.
Yeah, it's slow, for sure, but it generates card advantage and it's accessible from most of the rebels in the deck. Also, I never played general tuck, I always felt bad about it (we try to keep it casual) so I'm actually more interested in this idea with the rule change. Of course, it sucks if you ever draw the informer. But yeah, if Amoeboid ends up in your graveyard, it is a fairly dead card (but hey, you're playing Artificial Evolution, right?)
The deck is pretty scattered. I'd like to have more changelings AND more lords - with the best in all five colors to choose from, I ran out of space quickly. The mana base could use a lot more spicing up, and I'm still missing choice cards like Dragon Tempest and Return of the Nightstalkers. The deck has some choice lines of play, depending on which tutors are drawn:
The deck is pretty scattered. I'd like to have more changelings AND more lords - with the best in all five colors to choose from, I ran out of space quickly...
...There are so many ways to build Reaper King, even if you're set on a changeling deck. It's awesome!
Hundred percent agree. Higure, the Still Wind is totally sweet and I thought about running him many times. What's always held me back is that he doesn't build your board as effectively as another random 2 cmc Rebel recruiter. Given that you run a lot more pump lords than I do, his ability to make Ninjas unblockable could be a lot more relevant. On a similar theme I was about to suggest replacing Moggcatcher and Seahunter with cheaper rebels, but they can both dig up lords in your build. Maybe you can replace Lovisa Coldeyes with some more Goblin or Merfolk tribal lords, like Goblin Chieftain, so you can have the potential of recruiting up lords turn after turn. Lovisa Coldeyes is totally awesome though, so it's a tough call.
One last thing is that, for whatever reason, seeing it in your list opened my eyes about Cateran Summons. I've always thought of it as sort of a do-nothing card because it basically only gets random changelings. But upon closer inspection, it's got a pretty high floor in terms of the value you can get out of it. Worst case scenario is Summoning up Avian Changeling and a far more likely "worst" mode is grabbing a 2 cmc changeling instead. For a long time I recognized that as the floor on Cateran Summons and dismissed it. Thing is, though, that "B: fetch Woodland Changeling" is just better than War-Spike Changeling so Cateran Summons will be taking that slot in my deck. It gets even better since some changelings, like Mirror Entity and Amoeboid Changeling, actually have relevant abilities and are worth fetching up. The cherry on top is Summoning up a Crib Swap. Solid Card.
1 Reaper King
Changelings
1 Chameleon Colossus
1 Mirror Entity
1 Shapesharer
1 Taurean Mauler
1 Moonglove Changeling
1 Mothdust Changeling
1 Skeletal Changeling
1 Woodland Changeling
1 Amoeboid Changeling
1 Fire-Belly Changeling
1 Avian Changeling
1 Ghostly Changeling
1 Turtleshell Changeling
1 War-Spike Changeling
1 Mistform Ultimus
1 Changeling Berserker
1 Changeling Hero
Pseudo-Changelings
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero
1 Ramosian Sergeant
1 Defiant Falcon
1 Blightspeaker
1 Green Sun's Zenith
Tribal Removal
1 Necrotic Sliver
1 Harmonic Sliver
1 Voidmage Prodigy
1 Patron Wizard
1 Scourge of Valkas
1 Crux of Fate
1 Dragon Tempest
1 Crib Swap
1 Rootgrapple
1 Wirewood Savage
1 Seshiro the Anointed
1 Raiders' Spoils
1 Dormant Sliver
1 Azami, Lady of Scrolls
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Sea Gate Loremaster
1 Wort, Boggart Auntie
Helpers
1 Runed Stalactite
1 Mistform Mutant
1 Unnatural Selection
1 Asceticism
1 Privileged Position
Good Cards
1 Birthing Pod
1 Pattern of Rebirth
1 Wild Pair
1 Sun Titan
1 Academy Rector
1 Skullclamp
Ramp
1 Sol Ring
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Gemhide Sliver
1 Manaweft Sliver
1 Harabaz Druid
1 Bloom Tender
1 Priest of Titania
1 Mistform Warchief
1 Sacchi, Daughter of Seshiro
1 Scuttlemutt
1 Commander's Sphere
Land
1 Riptide Laboratory
1 Mutavault
1 Swarmyard
1 Seaside Haven
1 Contested Cliffs
1 Seraph Sanctuary
1 Exotic Orchard
1 Command Tower
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Mana Confluence
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Ancient Ziggurat
1 City of Brass
1 Grand Coliseum
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Forbidden Orchard
1 Wanderwine Hub
1 Auntie's Hovel
1 Gilt-Leaf Palace
1 Ancient Amphitheater
1 Secluded Glen
1 Flamekin Village
1 Murmuring Bosk
1 Rustic Clachan
1 Eiganjo Castle
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Arcane Sanctum
1 Seaside Citadel
1 Crumbling Necropolis
1 Savage Lands
1 Jungle Shrine
1 Frontier Bivouac
1 Sandsteppe Citadel
1 Opulent Palace
1 Nomad Outpost
1 Mystic Monastery
The idea of this deck, as with the previous version, is to stretch the changeling keyword to the max. Aside from the addition of cards that didn't exist last time I posted about this deck, here are the major differences between the old version and the reboot:
This deck is pretty sweet and is usually a lot of fun to play, but it still needs work. Assembling the right combination of cards on the battlefield and keeping them there can be challenging. Another mass protection spell or two would be nice as would some early game card manipulation. Opening hands of just changelings and mana don't do much of anything unless I draw into a tribal card drawer. There are a lot of worthwhile tribal cards out there and striking the right balance between them and changelings is tricky. I'm not exactly sure the deck is there yet. There are also tons of colorless mana tapping lands with sweet tribal synergies, but you can't play too many of those in a five color deck. I think I'm running the right ones but I'm not positive. (If I ever find an Elephant Graveyard at a reasonable price it'll make its way in here).
Specific Things I Need Help With:
Commander
Reaper King
Changelings
Lords
Utility
Cheat in Creatures
Anthems
Mana Rocks
37 duel and triLands
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I tried to make it so the lords worked very well even with just 2+ changelings on the board and weren't completely useless if there were no changelings at all.
Havengul Lich and Sen Triplets offer so many options in a 5 color deck that they just had to be auto includes.
I didn't take the Rebel Search package simply because of the interactions with Artificial Evolution and Moggcatcher / Seahunter / Skyshroud Poacher because tutoring a Dragon onto the board for just 3 mana is awesome.
I took out the tribal shroud and hex proof because odds are the changelings are not the problem...the lords are. so enchantments that hexproff all your stuff won my vote.
And a kicked Rite of Replication targeting Reaper King causes 25 targets to be destroyed....even if you have to sac down to one Reaper King at the end. But imagine how many lords would love to be copied 5 times.
I kinda have a minor token theme going on in mine thus all my non tribal anthems but the thought of Xenograft or Artificial Evolution with Krenko, Mob Boss or Avenger of Zendikar sounded like fun.
I also kind of like the idea of replacing my Wort, Boggart Auntie with Lord of the Undead to tack some card advantage onto my anthems (or vice versa). On a side note I think that Wort is a little bit better than Angel of Flight Alabaster because it costs one mana less. Mechanically Palace Siege is probably better than both of them, but this is a theme deck after all.
I'm not a fan of the tribal indestructible guys since, as you say about tribal shroud and hexproof, the changelings aren't the problem. Archetype of Endurance is a possibility, but it sure is pricey. Dense Foliage is something I've been on the fence about. It's cheap, but it doesn't stop abilities from picking off your stuff and those are a big part of the action in EDH.
Using Artificial Evolution on Moggcatcher etc. is cute, but with only one copy in 99 cards I can't imagine you actually get to do it that often. Even if you stick to it, I'd still want to play Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero because we all need to do our part by recycling. Skyshroud Poacher is a little more interesting because there are a few natural elves that might be worth tutoring up. I'm tempted to swap Bloom Tender for Wirewood Channeler but the former helps to ramp a lot earlier. The latter is a tribal card, though, and that's pretty important. Another card along those lines is Elvish Guidance which has the drawback of not fixing colors.
Its also a 2nd Xenograft which has fun with Reaper king by making any of the token makers make scarecrows instead of goblins/plants/vampires etc. or lets say your lost your utvara hell kite and you use Artificial Evolution on Wort, boggart auntie or lord of the undead to make them bring back dragons instead.
I picked Angel of alabaster over wort simply because it has flying and can be used to block fliers when needed.
Sage of fables would be a nice addition if you feel your deck needs more card draw.
I've found that the "cog" scarecrows, Heap Doll and Jawbone Skulkin, are pretty useful. I run Tezzeret and Trinket Mage, too. Citanul Flute is already a great card, but it gets better the more one-drop targets you have.
Also, I've been a fan of sac-to-draw effects in this deck, as changelings often don't impact the board. I'm thinking of testing Wall of Mulch out.
Oh yeah, and one other thing: Hibernation Sliver seems really good. I actually don't play it because I kind of feel like it's "too easy," and might draw a lot of hate, but it seems really good, especially with mothdust changeling.
Please do. From the rest of your post it sounds like you're going for maximum value from each changeling. This is in contrast to Omen613's list which is all about anthems. I don't know which version is "better" but it would be interesting to compare multiple different takes on the same deck.
I assume that by "cog" you mean "cheap scarecrow to get things going." My experience with these cards is that they're much too narrow, only really being useful with Reaper King in play. Heap Doll in particular is a card I ran for a long time because graveyard hate is very attractive. Fact of the matter is, though, that exiling one card with an on-board trick is not going to stop anybody from carrying out their graveyard-based shenanigans.
Wall of Mulch is on my radar, too. I'm running a good amount of tribal cards that get better with more creatures in play and turning changelings into mulch runs counter to that.
My knee-jerk reaction was "no, protecting one tribe isn't good enough" but, as I think was your point, Hibernation Sliver can let you get more enters-the-battlefield triggers for free. Trouble is I only run 4 cards which trigger off of changelings entering play (not counting the King because he tends to draw the most hate). The Sliver is interesting, though. Definitely something to think about.
Changes:
Out:
In:
(The list in the OP was only 99 cards by mistake)
1 Wingrattle Scarecrow
1 Heap Doll
1 Jawbone Skullkin
Changelings
1 Avian Changeling
1 Shapesharer
1 Amoeboid Changeling
1 Mothdust Changeling
1 Skeletal Changeling
1 Moonglove Changeling
1 Fire-Belly Changeling
1 Taurean Mauler
1 Woodland Changeling
Rebels/ Mercenaries
1 Ramosian Sergeant
1 Defiant Falcon
1 Blightspeaker
1 Bog Glider
1 Cateran Brute
1 Rathi Assassin
1 Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero
Card Draw
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Fathom Trawl
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Foresee
1 Rush of Knowledge
1 Tidings
1 Etched Monstrosity
1 Vanish into Memory
1 Urban Evolution
1 Candles of Leng
1 Soul of the Harvest
1 Mentor of the Meek
1 Wall of Mulch
1 Wargate
1 Fabricate
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Citanul Flute
1 Birthing Pod
1 Trinket Mage
Slivers
1 Homing Sliver
1 Psionic Sliver
1 Syphon Sliver
1 Dormant Sliver
1 Crypt Sliver
1 Necrotic Sliver
1 Harmonic Sliver
1 Sliver Overlord
1 Gemhide Sliver
Misc
1 Scout's Warning
1 Shimmer Myr
1 Sun Titan
1 Training Grounds
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Obzedat's Aid
Mana
1 Expedition Map
1 Coalition Relic
1 Spectral Searchlight
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Vessel of Endless Rest
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Prophetic Prism
1 Armillary Sphere
1 Sylvan Scrying
2 Plains
6 Island
3 Swamp
1 Mountain
1 Forest
1 Azorius Chancery
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Orzhov Basilica
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
1 Vivid Meadow
1 Vivid Marsh
1 Vivid Creek
1 Ancient Den
1 Seat of the Synod
1 Vault of Whispers
1 Tree of Tales
1 Mirrodin's Core
1 Exotic Orchard
1 Grand Coliseum
1 Command Tower
1 Rupture Spire
1 Arcane Sanctum
1 Mistveil Plains
1 Academy Ruins
1 Grim Backwoods
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Terramorphic Expanse
My group is super casual, so there's very little auto-includes/ goodstuff in my build (though it looks like you're kinda doing the same thing).
I noticed I seem to care much more about rebels than you do. Enough to even include Training Grounds. I think my sliver sub-theme is also more prominent.
I think I'll be adding Dragon Tempest and Silumgar, the Drifting Death (and possibly Dromoka, the Eternal) and redoing the landbase a little bit. One thing I like about Dragon Tempest is it gives Bog Glider and Defiant Falcon haste!
Also, "cog" used to mean 1-mana artifact, I don't know if people still say that.
As for Hibernation Sliver, I don't think it's unbeatably good or anything, I just think it could lead to some feel-bad plays, as well as draw a ton of attention to myself the first time I use it to do some rapid-fire Vindication, and this deck already has problems keeping a low profile.
Adaptive atomaton is also really good, both giving a boost to scarecrows and being able to be brought back with scarecrone.
The group I play with is fairly competitive, with infinite combos generally ending games, so I included kiki-jiki, mirror breaker and deceiver exarch and tooth and nail to pull it off.
Karmic guide is great for a champion creature like changeling berserker, because if the champion dies, you can return it when the guide comes back into play.
I also use pili-pala and grand architect for infinite mana. Grim poppet is helpful for controlling other creatures, and can kill indestructible creatures by -1/-1 counters.
Legacy weapon is great for dealing with indestructible also.
This is my list -http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/07-04-15-its-harvest-time/
@Zyxix: I'm running a single artifact creature so Scarecrone doesn't seem great. It is, I suppose, a little better than Wall of Mulch but it's not worth very much without a whole bunch of stuff to recur with it. Your version of the deck seems more like a five-color goodstuff/combo deck featuring Reaper King than a changeling deck. That's a fine way to go about it, but I'm really trying to push the omnitribal theme as hard as possible.
@koffiegast: Necromancer's Covenant is a nice find. I've been wanting some more lifegain, but hate cards that only gain life, and more graveyard hate, but want to minimize non-tribal cards. This enchantment checks all the boxes for me (it's even another reason to run Rathi Assassin over some other rebel scum). Definitely got to find room for it. What has your experience been with Hibernation's End? I'm skeptical of the card even though I listed it as an inclusion recently. It just seems slow; possibly too slow to matter.
Haha, I actually think Bog Glider is amazing. Maybe it's more of a 1-on-1 type card, but when most other rebel/merc search costs are 3 or 4, being able to drop Reaper King on turn 5 and immediately have a Vindicate loaded is pretty sweet. Since this deck has a rather low mana curve, you can often afford to sac the land.
I also have not found Rathi Assassin's assassin ability to come up too much, but people do play around it, at least. I've considered using Rathi Fiend instead because it's more easily castable.
Also, Necromancer's Covenant is indeed pretty awesome. I might have to try that.
Koffiegast: I noticed your version plays a bunch of generic tribal lords (Lord of the Unreal, Pheres-Band Warchief, Knight Exemplar, etc). How useful are these? Though Captivating Vampire seems pretty interesting, too bad it's annoyingly expensive. Makes me want to try some of those Onslaught tap-five-for-impressive-effect lords.
Greatbow Doyen might also be worth it, that's a pretty powerful effect. Just have to be careful with Psionic Sliver!
Also, I just discovered Rebel Informer and Mercenary Informer. Having one of these along with Amoeboid Changeling in your deck means that every rebel or mercenary recruiter you play basically has "two turns from now, start wrecking stuff." What do you think about that?
Sadly, I have to agree. On the other hand anthem effects that only pump aren't that great because they don't help to "keep the ball rolling." That's why I'm starting to move in the direction of Lord of the Undead and Sage of Fables. They pump the team and generate value at the same time. Conveniently, Reaper King its self follows this model. Are there any more lords like this?
Edit: Elvish Archdruid is a lord of this type. Think I'll cut Bloom Tender for it.
I don't think it's worth it. Maybe you could have argued that having tutorable commander tuck is powerful enough, but not anymore. Also, if something bad happens to Amoeboid Changeling the informers don't do very much.
Yeah, it's slow, for sure, but it generates card advantage and it's accessible from most of the rebels in the deck. Also, I never played general tuck, I always felt bad about it (we try to keep it casual) so I'm actually more interested in this idea with the rule change. Of course, it sucks if you ever draw the informer. But yeah, if Amoeboid ends up in your graveyard, it is a fairly dead card (but hey, you're playing Artificial Evolution, right?)
1x Reaper King
Changelings
1x Amoeboid Changeling
1x Avian Changeling
1x Changeling Berserker
1x Changeling Hero
1x Changeling Titan
1x Fire-Belly Changeling
1x Mirror Entity
1x Mothdust Changeling
1x Shapesharer
1x Skeletal Changeling
1x Taurean Mauler
1x Woodland Changeling
Tribal Tutors
1x Cateran Summons
1x Goblin Matron
1x Higure, the Still Wind
1x Homing Sliver
1x Moggcatcher
1x Seahunter
1x Sliver Overlord
1x Vedalken AEthermage
Tribal Lords
1x Drogskol Captain
1x Knight Exemplar
1x Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero
1x Lord of the Unreal
1x Lovisa Coldeyes
1x Master of the Pearl Trident
1x Merrow Reejerey
Tribal Utility/Value
1x Cryptic Gateway
1x Krenko, Mob Boss
1x Mana Echoes
1x Necrotic Sliver
1x Sigil Tracer
1x Sea Gate Loremaster
1x Wort, Boggart Auntie
1x Angel of Glory's Rise
1x Crib Swap
1x Crux of Fate
1x Endemic Plague
1x Harsh Mercy
1x Harmonic Sliver
1x Peer Pressure
1x Tuktuk Scrapper
1x Whelming Wave
Tribe Manipulation
1x Artificial Evolution
1x Blades of Velis Vel
1x Mistform Sliver
1x Runed Stalactite
1x Shields of Velis Vel
1x Unnatural Selection
1x Xenograft
Ramp
1x Burnished Hart
1x Commander's Sphere
1x Manaweft Sliver
1x Springleaf Drum
1x Fellwar Stone
1x Boros Signet
1x Izzet Signet
1x Gilded Lotus
Not Tribal Removal
1x Lightning Bolt
1x Oblation
1x Rapid Hybridization
1x Return to Dust
Tribal Lands
1x Mutavault
1x Riptide Laboratory
1x Swarmyard
1x Sliver Hive
1x Boros Guildgate
1x City of Brass
1x Command Tower
1x Evolving Wilds
1x Forest
1x Frontier Bivouac
5x Island
1x Jungle Hollow
5x Mountain
1x Mystic Monastery
1x Opal Palace
5x Plains
1x Sandsteppe Citadel
1x Seaside Citadel
1x Simic Growth Chamber
1x Swamp
1x Terramorphic Expanse
1x Vivid Crag
1x Vivid Creek
1x Vivid Meadow
1x Wanderwine Hub
The deck is pretty scattered. I'd like to have more changelings AND more lords - with the best in all five colors to choose from, I ran out of space quickly. The mana base could use a lot more spicing up, and I'm still missing choice cards like Dragon Tempest and Return of the Nightstalkers. The deck has some choice lines of play, depending on which tutors are drawn:
1. Get the three Champion changelings - Changeling Hero, Changeling Berserker, and Changeling Titan - to loop into unlimited ETB triggers. With Reaper King out you'll basically win on the spot.
2. Mirror Entity + Lord of the Unreal makes your creatures effectively 1/1s with hexproof. Add Master of the Pearl Trident or Goblin King for an unblockable army.
3. If you have Sliver Overlord, use it to tutor for Amoeboid Changeling and start stealing opponents' creatures.
4. Krenko, Mob Boss is in there for pure value, but if you have Xenograft or Artificial Evolution he can trigger Reaper King for Violent Ultimatums for days.
5. Shapesharer is super useful if you have plenty of mana. It can become a second Myr Galvanizer, which can create infinite mana combos. Combined with Unnatural Selection you can turn an opponent's creatures into copies of their Commander.
There are so many ways to build Reaper King, even if you're set on a changeling deck. It's awesome!
Hundred percent agree. Higure, the Still Wind is totally sweet and I thought about running him many times. What's always held me back is that he doesn't build your board as effectively as another random 2 cmc Rebel recruiter. Given that you run a lot more pump lords than I do, his ability to make Ninjas unblockable could be a lot more relevant. On a similar theme I was about to suggest replacing Moggcatcher and Seahunter with cheaper rebels, but they can both dig up lords in your build. Maybe you can replace Lovisa Coldeyes with some more Goblin or Merfolk tribal lords, like Goblin Chieftain, so you can have the potential of recruiting up lords turn after turn. Lovisa Coldeyes is totally awesome though, so it's a tough call.
One last thing is that, for whatever reason, seeing it in your list opened my eyes about Cateran Summons. I've always thought of it as sort of a do-nothing card because it basically only gets random changelings. But upon closer inspection, it's got a pretty high floor in terms of the value you can get out of it. Worst case scenario is Summoning up Avian Changeling and a far more likely "worst" mode is grabbing a 2 cmc changeling instead. For a long time I recognized that as the floor on Cateran Summons and dismissed it. Thing is, though, that "B: fetch Woodland Changeling" is just better than War-Spike Changeling so Cateran Summons will be taking that slot in my deck. It gets even better since some changelings, like Mirror Entity and Amoeboid Changeling, actually have relevant abilities and are worth fetching up. The cherry on top is Summoning up a Crib Swap. Solid Card.
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