Ashling was created to draw attention away from my stronger decks so I wouldn't always be the focus of attention in a multiplayer setting. She was made as a political move but her style of play, simplicity and fun cards quickly grew on me. Right now Ashling is my "pet" deck (treated specially and has some not so great but fun/funny cards).
However, with a meta change she has went from a fun deck that could occasionally win but usually just cause chaos to a non-factor in most games, at best letting me determine which deck beats me.
So I worked on her a bit and with some research and help from a few Reddit members. That being said, there are some cards in the deck I'm not 100% confident about so I'm hoping for some great suggestions!
In general I want to keep this deck from being a huge jackass. No mass land destruction, no perma lockdown and no targeted hate.
There are also budget restrictions here, I currently own about 75% of the cards on the deck list. The only cards I don't own will be posted in a list at the bottom of this post for reference. I want to keep the changes to around $50 (I'm trying to modify 5 decks right now on a budget using only gift cards and reward points so the budget part is important).
Current playgroup Meta: Control, aggro, tokens, graveyard, big creatures, combo, token.
Price of Glory does hurt me and would mainly be saved for situations where me ramping Ashling isn't as important as dealing with the control decks. Ashling does not need 45+ mana, while using her four or five times would certainly leave her costing a bit to cast I honestly don't plan to blow her up that much without having some protection for her. Also, 45 lands would mean losing 7 cards which very likely could be more important than casting Ashling one more time.
Most of the cards you suggested either buff ashling in some way or give her evasion of some sort. With the exception of maybe adding Rogue's passage, I don't think giving her evasion is necessary and neither is small power boosts. I won't be typically attacking and with all the board control I have I could simply wipe the board and remove blockers instead of giving her conditional evasion. Unstable obelisk might make its way into the deck but I'm looking to see how my current removal package does. Not a fan of Flameblast Dragon, its a mana sink which I already have plenty of. Chaossphere is interesting but again I can simply wipe the field.
Illusionist bracers seems pretty strong here. With all of the damage doublers, and your general specifically being a repeatable wipe, I don't see much point in chain reaction or blasphemous act unless you routinely see enormous creatures.
Illusionist bracers seems pretty strong here. With all of the damage doublers, and your general specifically being a repeatable wipe, I don't see much point in chain reaction or blasphemous act unless you routinely see enormous creatures.
I've run bracers in multiple decks and they always seem lackluster when I draw them. Blasphemous Act and Chain Reaction are both easier to cast wipes than blowing up a big ashling, and are options for when she its removed. Additionally, they can work great with Repercussion even with no ashling on the field. Both cards also deal very well with token decks/aggro.
Considering removing ashling for Jaya. Similar but more options and easier to get off the abilities. Additionally, I'm not sure if Mana Geyser is worth it. Basically in there for the infinite combo with Reiterate and thats really it.
you're running too man other spells. you want to just constantly be dumping mana into ashling if you want to maximize her effectiveness. you really never want to be tapping out to play a spell that isn't going to win the game right then and there. you always want six mana available to blow ashling up in response to something another player does. check my list in my sig.
Ashling was created to draw attention away from my stronger decks so I wouldn't always be the focus of attention in a multiplayer setting. She was made as a political move but her style of play, simplicity and fun cards quickly grew on me. Right now Ashling is my "pet" deck (treated specially and has some not so great but fun/funny cards).
However, with a meta change she has went from a fun deck that could occasionally win but usually just cause chaos to a non-factor in most games, at best letting me determine which deck beats me.
So I worked on her a bit and with some research and help from a few Reddit members. That being said, there are some cards in the deck I'm not 100% confident about so I'm hoping for some great suggestions!
In general I want to keep this deck from being a huge jackass. No mass land destruction, no perma lockdown and no targeted hate.
There are also budget restrictions here, I currently own about 75% of the cards on the deck list. The only cards I don't own will be posted in a list at the bottom of this post for reference. I want to keep the changes to around $50 (I'm trying to modify 5 decks right now on a budget using only gift cards and reward points so the budget part is important).
Current playgroup Meta: Control, aggro, tokens, graveyard, big creatures, combo, token.
All help is greatly appreciated!
1x Akroma's Memorial
1x Basilisk Collar
1x Caged Sun
1x Darksteel Plate
1x Expedition Map
1x Extraplanar Lens
1x Grafdigger's Cage
1x Journeyer's Kite
1x Loxodon Warhammer
1x Magebane Armor
1x Mind Stone
1x Nevinyrral's Disk
1x Perilous Vault
1x Planar Portal
1x Scythe of the Wretched
1x Sensei's Divining Top
1x Sol Ring
1x Staff of Nin
1x Sword of the Animist
1x Trading Post
1x Wayfarer's Bauble
Instant (8)
1x Chaos Warp
1x Comet Storm
1x Commune with Lava
1x Reiterate
1x Reverberate
1x Shattering Pulse
1x Starstorm
1x Word of Seizing
1x Blasphemous Act
1x Browbeat
1x Chain Reaction
1x Devil's Play
1x Faithless Looting
1x Gamble
1x Ghitu Fire
1x Insurrection
1x Mana Geyser
1x Past in Flames
1x Reforge the Soul
1x Tormenting Voice
1x Vandalblast
1x Wild Guess
Creature (9)
1x Anarchist
1x Burnished Hart
1x Dwarven Miner
1x Heartless Hidetsugu
1x Magma Phoenix
1x Magus of the Wheel
1x Silent Arbiter
1x Solemn Simulacrum
1x Stuffy Doll
Planeswalker (2)
1x Chandra Ablaze
1x Koth of the Hammer
1x Braid of Fire
1x Dictate of the Twin Gods
1x Furnace of Rath
1x Gratuitous Violence
1x Outpost Siege
1x Price of Glory
1x Repercussion
1x Vicious Shadows
Land (37)
1x Buried Ruin
1x Flamekin Village
1x Forgotten Cave
1x Ghost Quarter
1x Glacial Chasm
25x Mountain
1x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1x Reliquary Tower
1x Tectonic Edge
1x Temple of the False God
1x Terrain Generator
1x Thespian's Stage
1x Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
1 Gamble
1 Scythe of the Wretched
1 Braid of Fire
1 Tormenting Voice
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Price of Glory
1 Mana Geyser
1 Chandra Ablaze
1 Sword of the Animist
1 Flamekin Village
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Dwarven Miner
1 Planar Portal
1 Magus of the Wheel
1 Akroma's Memorial
R Ashling the Pilgrim [EDH]
GB Meren of Clan Nel Toth [EDH]
URG Animar, Soul of Elements [EDH]
BGW Doran, the Siege Tower [EDH]
GRW Marath of the Wild[EDH]
Ashling is always mana hungry...especially after she dies a could times. I'd up the land count much higher than an average deck. like 45+ at least.
Cards you may be interested in:
assault suit - simply for the "can't be sacrificed" clause. helps out when playing a grave pact heavy deck.
Price of Glory does hurt me and would mainly be saved for situations where me ramping Ashling isn't as important as dealing with the control decks. Ashling does not need 45+ mana, while using her four or five times would certainly leave her costing a bit to cast I honestly don't plan to blow her up that much without having some protection for her. Also, 45 lands would mean losing 7 cards which very likely could be more important than casting Ashling one more time.
Most of the cards you suggested either buff ashling in some way or give her evasion of some sort. With the exception of maybe adding Rogue's passage, I don't think giving her evasion is necessary and neither is small power boosts. I won't be typically attacking and with all the board control I have I could simply wipe the board and remove blockers instead of giving her conditional evasion. Unstable obelisk might make its way into the deck but I'm looking to see how my current removal package does. Not a fan of Flameblast Dragon, its a mana sink which I already have plenty of. Chaossphere is interesting but again I can simply wipe the field.
R Ashling the Pilgrim [EDH]
GB Meren of Clan Nel Toth [EDH]
URG Animar, Soul of Elements [EDH]
BGW Doran, the Siege Tower [EDH]
GRW Marath of the Wild[EDH]
Credit to DolZero for this awesome sig!
I've run bracers in multiple decks and they always seem lackluster when I draw them. Blasphemous Act and Chain Reaction are both easier to cast wipes than blowing up a big ashling, and are options for when she its removed. Additionally, they can work great with Repercussion even with no ashling on the field. Both cards also deal very well with token decks/aggro.
Considering removing ashling for Jaya. Similar but more options and easier to get off the abilities. Additionally, I'm not sure if Mana Geyser is worth it. Basically in there for the infinite combo with Reiterate and thats really it.
R Ashling the Pilgrim [EDH]
GB Meren of Clan Nel Toth [EDH]
URG Animar, Soul of Elements [EDH]
BGW Doran, the Siege Tower [EDH]
GRW Marath of the Wild[EDH]