I've recently started up with a new playgroup that pretty strictly hates infinite, instant win combos. This being completely contrary to my past groups, I've had quite a challenge in re-configuring my deckbuilding strategies to focus more on Aggro, Value, Board State, and Interaction.
Enter Animar. I love Temur, I love the flavor of the card, I love the abilities, I love the art. I also massively prefer cheaper generals to expensive ones, and it's pretty dang hard to beat 3 cmc (I mean, 2 cmc does, but you get it).
My favorite facets of EDH are synergies and explosive turns. Animar, Soul of Elements may not enable mechanical synergies (compared to something like a lifegain deck), but he does have a strong thematic synergy with creatures of all types, especially those that ETB. He creates a "creatures matter" theme. His cost reduction enables completely ridiculously explosive turns (3 mana for Maelstrom Wanderer is insane value) and stupid interactions when you start abusing bounce effects. Because of this, we can run an effective creatures-matter value engine aggro deck without devolving into degenerate Purphoros, God of the Forge-esque combos.
Not every card is optimal, and I'm constantly tuning. The focus is creatures - Animar is generally pretty safe to spot removal, and I try to run enough countermagic to keep him alive against boardwipes, so the more cards I run that benefit from cost reduction, the better the deck functions.
This thread is a WiP, and I'll be updating the list and adding more context over the coming days.
First revision is updating the decklist to it's current state, started with an out of date list.
Added/removed cards:
-1 Artisan of Kozilek
-1 Heroic Intervention
-1 Managorger Hydra
-1 Progenitor Mimic
-1 Swan Song
+1 Craterhoof Behemoth
+1 Elvish Visionary
+1 Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
+1 Sword of Fire and Ice
+1 Wall of Blossoms
I've recently started up with a new playgroup that pretty strictly hates infinite, instant win combos. This being completely contrary to my past groups, I've had quite a challenge in re-configuring my deckbuilding strategies to focus more on Aggro, Value, Board State, and Interaction.
Enter Animar. I love Temur, I love the flavor of the card, I love the abilities, I love the art. I also massively prefer cheaper generals to expensive ones, and it's pretty dang hard to beat 3 cmc (I mean, 2 cmc does, but you get it).
My favorite facets of EDH are synergies and explosive turns. Animar, Soul of Elements may not enable mechanical synergies (compared to something like a lifegain deck), but he does have a strong thematic synergy with creatures of all types, especially those that ETB. He creates a "creatures matter" theme. His cost reduction enables completely ridiculously explosive turns (3 mana for Maelstrom Wanderer is insane value) and stupid interactions when you start abusing bounce effects. Because of this, we can run an effective creatures-matter value engine aggro deck without devolving into degenerate Purphoros, God of the Forge-esque combos.
1 Cloudstone Curio
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Sol Ring
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
Enchantment (5)
1 Asceticism
1 Doubling Season
1 Hardened Scales
1 Sylvan Library
1 Temur Ascendancy
Land (36)
1 Breeding Pool
1 Command Tower
1 Evolving Wilds
10 Forest
1 Frontier Bivouac
1 Gruul Turf
1 Hinterland Harbor
6 Island
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Mosswort Bridge
3 Mountain
1 Opal Palace
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1 Rootbound Crag
1 Sheltered Thicket
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Temple of Mystery
1 Vivid Crag
1 Vivid Grove
1 Acidic Slime
1 Anger
1 Animar, Soul of Elements
1 Beastcaller Savant
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Champion of Lambholt
1 Coiling Oracle
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Draining Whelk
1 Elvish Visionary
1 Eternal Witness
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Fathom Mage
1 Forgotten Ancient
1 Gilded Drake
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Gyre Sage
1 Ingot Chewer
1 Kalonian Hydra
1 Khenra Charioteer
1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
1 Legion Loyalist
1 Maelstrom Wanderer
1 Mulldrifter
1 Mystic Snake
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Peregrine Drake
1 Phyrexian Ingester
1 Prime Speaker Zegana
1 Primordial Sage
1 Rattleclaw Mystic
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
1 Shrieking Drake
1 Somberwald Sage
1 Soul of the Harvest
1 Spellskite
1 Stonehoof Chieftain
1 Surrak Dragonclaw
1 Temur Sabertooth
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Vizier of the Menagerie
1 Wall of Blossoms
1 Wood Elves
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Beast Within
1 Worldly Tutor
Sorcery (6)
1 Blasphemous Act
1 Cultivate
1 Farseek
1 Hull Breach
1 Rishkar's Expertise
1 Urban Evolution
Not every card is optimal, and I'm constantly tuning. The focus is creatures - Animar is generally pretty safe to spot removal, and I try to run enough countermagic to keep him alive against boardwipes, so the more cards I run that benefit from cost reduction, the better the deck functions.
This thread is a WiP, and I'll be updating the list and adding more context over the coming days.
Padeem, Consul of Innovation - Artifact value/combo.
Sidisi, Brood Tyrant - Sultai zombie reanimator.
Added/removed cards:
-1 Artisan of Kozilek
-1 Heroic Intervention
-1 Managorger Hydra
-1 Progenitor Mimic
-1 Swan Song
+1 Craterhoof Behemoth
+1 Elvish Visionary
+1 Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
+1 Sword of Fire and Ice
+1 Wall of Blossoms
Padeem, Consul of Innovation - Artifact value/combo.
Sidisi, Brood Tyrant - Sultai zombie reanimator.