MTG Salvation

I liked the "idea" last GMaD: a simple premise; rather than trying to build a deck, build the deck around an idea and it opens up more possibilities.

This one is simple: Non-Invasive Proliferate. I still maintain that Proliferate is a broken ability, but coupled with Infect, in a set that had no counter-offensive to Infect, just made Proliferate worse. Other than that, let's build a deck around the Proliferate ability that doesn't involve Infect/Poison/Wither.

Also, aside from the "follow GMaD rules" I'm going to add a budget restriction. No individual card over $20, no playsets over $50.

I'll start off the deck with 2 Plaguemaw Beast. This card could have some interesting interactions with other possible cards in the deck.

Adding in 4 proliferate on a stick (Contagion Clasp ).

Though the -1/-1 counter could be seen as wither it's not technically and we don't have to proliferate it. Adding 4 so we consistently get it. With ramp we can run multiples on field anyway

I would like to add 4 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar.
I think it is a good addition because our deck is combo-ish in nature, and planeswalkers can shift the attention of deck that beat you down quickly, it also has great synergy with effects that sac creatures (Plaguemaw Beast) and/or benefit from token production (Renegade Krasis).

I know that 5 mana is a lot, but the pay off from sticking an Inexorable Tide can be absurd. I'm going to add a single copy to the deck.

Adding 4 Hangarback Walker. It has so many synergies with proliferate, Plaguemaw Beast, Renegade Krasis, Nissa, and another strong proliferate engine (Throne of Geth, should more artifacts end up in the deck).

We may have a hard time casting some of these cards with Mutavault...

Contagion Clasp is okay.
Hangarback with the likes of Thopter Squadron and Triskelavus/Pentavus and Throne of Geth could be interesting.

for now, adding 4 Llanowar Reborn. Graft land, win. i would have added Gavonry Township, but do we want to splash white into the deck that may be UG?

Adding 2 animation module, since it works well with a lot of our +1/+1 counter synergies while providing creatures for plaguemaw beast and more creatures to pump with nissa

Quote from FTW1987 »

We may have a hard time casting some of these cards with Mutavault...

Mutavault is only a placeholder for lands. They will get adjusted.

Quote from kamakazi339 »

Quote from FTW1987 »

We may have a hard time casting some of these cards with Mutavault...

Mutavault is only a placeholder for lands. They will get adjusted.

Really? The final decklist wasn't meant to have 24 Mutavault?

Reading between the lines, my comment was spurring people to think about what kind of manabase we want and start adding lands. It looks like we already have a new land addition!

Since people are arguing over why the land placeholder is Mutavault, i chanced the land placeholder to reflect the deck better. Shaddup 'bout it, unless you aim to fix it.

That said, adding 4 Elven Rite. it's a cheap card to get some counters on our creatures- which would be fun with the Tide. I wanted to add Gilder Bairn, but it only doubles the counters on one permanent... so, eh.
Also, Bond Beetle/Ironshell Beetle would be good fodder.

Adding Vorel as a two-of. Good blocker with 4 toughness or double all counters on a single target at instant speed.

Adding 4 Scrounging Bandar for counters and shifting

Adding 4 Aetherhub. Mana fixing is always good and we can proliferate our energy counters to get more uses out of it. We may also want to consider some amount of Vivid lands and possibly an off color storage land ala Calciform Pools

Quote from Vault756 »

Adding 4 Aetherhub. Mana fixing is always good and we can proliferate our energy counters to get more uses out of it. We may also want to consider some amount of Vivid lands and possibly an off color storage land ala Calciform Pools

Or Hickory Woodlot and Saprazzan Skerry. We could also try running Fading/Vanishing creatures- Blastoderm, Saproling Burst, etc...

Adding Forgotten Ancient, good at making and moving counters.

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We need more Proliferate triggers, and something to protect our investments. Fuel for the Cause is one such card. Adding four.

Also, we should consider adding Gemstone Mine. limitless mana of any color!
also, Spike Rogue is an alternative to the Ancient and Bandar- any time counter shift, for a price of course.

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Quote from RabidVacin » »

I feel like this deck needs some ramp and more Inexorable Tide. Adding 3 Sphere of the Suns and to add 1 Inexorable Tide.

@BlackVise - I love the Ice Age adds. I'm sure Selvaxri does too.

Yep, I do like it when people remember there are other sets outside of Standard. Many interesting interactions are possible.

Since we're getting close to the cutting phase- i'm going to preemptive start some-
Voting out 2 Krasis, 2 Bandor, and 1 Ancient. Why?
in regards to Krasis- we don't have many critters larger than it, so it's evolve won't be triggered often as as we'd hope. [unless something like Saproling Cluster triggers it.]
Bandar- interesting creature, would work in the deck, but it's going to be slow going until we get Proliferate triggers going. Ancient- likewise, with Bandar, it'll take a while to really kick off.

I'm mostly trying to clear room for possibly something with power or evasion. Avatar of Resolute and or Kalonian Hydra.

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Would Magistrate's Scepter be considered invasive? What about Sage of Hours or Darksteel Reactor?

Quote from Selvaxri »

Yep, I do like it when people remember there are other sets outside of Standard. Many interesting interactions are possible.

I try to vary between standard and modern additions to deck lists. For example scrounging Bandar is standard but it's +1/+1 counters and inherent ability to move them where we want them to proliferate makes it an amazing add in my opinion.

And clasp is as I said proliferate on a stick

I will agree that ice age is an interesting set. It was a bit before my joining magic though. I got in during Ravnica. Easily my favorite set

Still on the cusp of the cutting phase, so adding more fuel to the fire of thought:
3 Sphere of Suns- this deck currently isn't mana intensive, and we still have many other options to consider. Work Horse?
2 Nissa- i like her, she supplies plants for the plaguemaw to proliferate with, and her second ability is something we really need. but we need to consider what is needed in the deck.

adding 4 Gemstone Mine. It's a "better" Æther Hub, as it only get one Energy counter- the mine gets three. sure, it can tap for colorless, that's why i'm not voting to cut it.

At this point, a pair each of Hickory Woodlot/Saprazzan Skerry would finish off the mana base.

Gonna vote to cut all 4 "Lead by Example". It just seems like a week card imo. Also going to vote to cut the 3 Sphere of Suns. I would much rather have Astral Cornucopia in this spot. Actually I'm going to add 2 Astral Cornucopia. I think we've got some good synergies here and we're already so close to the cutting phase that prolonging it will just make us take longer to find what we want to cut.

Why not just run the Mana Batteries? Honestly, i don't think we need mana rocks all that much in the deck.
It's a bummer we don't have many Proliferate proc's in the deck, and Atraxa would have been possible.

I'm currently brainstorming my own "non-invasive proliferate" deck...