The only "obvious" changes would be adding a Phyrexian Tower if you own one and cutting one of the 5+ CMC recursive threats for a Wood Elves. Your deck has a ton of top-end so the sooner that you can naturally cast your spells the better.
I would just cut the Angel for something like [stuff].
Yea, I get where you are coming from, but I enjoy being able to do things like cast Massacre Wurm and blinking it in the same turn, same with some of the other ETB creatures. It works well in the play group.
Didn't god create Eldrazi Displacer for that purpose?
Or is that not good enough because it costs more mana than a pod activation?
(edit: Probably the colorless activation is a problem, oh well.)
It does have a lot of other uses than blinking ETB critters.
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In magic there's Harry Dresden, Fizban, Sethra Lavode, Dorotea Senjak and me...
My meta: 3 or 4 player free for all, anything goes but boring games or broken decks cause a vote to end that game.
I know this doesn't help the WGB deck idea at all;
But I've been tinkering with a Bant-Pod deck for a while now, still trying to nail down all the slots.
I'm running 8 manadorks, 3 Viridian Emissary for early turns, plus a couple other value 2-drops like Scavenging Ooze.
3 Phantasmal Image, 1 Deceiver Exarch or Pestermite, 2 Phyrexian Metamorph.
The idea is to Pod a 2-drop into Exarch. Untap Pod. You get the idea where this is going.....
It can setup some nice chains earlier than you might without blue, Image works well with Sun Titan, and Image/Metamorph are just generally useful in large MP FFA's
As for other bluey's, I'm running 1 Glen Elendra Archmage(which loves Gavony Township) & 1 Deadeye Navigator to abuse ETB effects, or untap pod thru Exarch.
Havengul Lich is a card I'm looking hard at for Pod, I'm just unsure if Lich will stick around long enough in play for abusing it.
Looks ripe for abuse
It may mean giving up on white, which I'm not keen on, but I could use/abuse my grave and pod repeatedly for value.
I know this doesn't help the WGB deck idea at all;
But I've been tinkering with a Bant-Pod deck for a while now, still trying to nail down all the slots.
I'm running 8 manadorks, 3 Viridian Emissary for early turns, plus a couple other value 2-drops like Scavenging Ooze.
3 Phantasmal Image, 1 Deceiver Exarch or Pestermite, 2 Phyrexian Metamorph.
The idea is to Pod a 2-drop into Exarch. Untap Pod. You get the idea where this is going.....
It can setup some nice chains earlier than you might without blue, Image works well with Sun Titan, and Image/Metamorph are just generally useful in large MP FFA's
As for other bluey's, I'm running 1 Glen Elendra Archmage(which loves Gavony Township) & 1 Deadeye Navigator to abuse ETB effects, or untap pod thru Exarch.
Havengul Lich is a card I'm looking hard at for Pod, I'm just unsure if Lich will stick around long enough in play for abusing it.
Looks ripe for abuse
It may mean giving up on white, which I'm not keen on, but I could use/abuse my grave and pod repeatedly for value.
I truly appreciate this post! I started out with a Bant version and moved away from it quickly because I didn't like the way blue scaled in multiplayer with the effects. Exarch and 'mite just don't do enough for me. I want to tap or return everything, not just one thing at a time. Your suggestion on how to use it is interesting, but seems a bit too un-interactive for me. The Archmage is probably the best in blue for Pod.
I also tested Havengul Lich and the issue I had was either no mana to cast the cool creatures in the yard or I had the mana and nothing interesting was out there. He has high power in theory, but in a mature meta, someone will have a counter for maximized use.
The Lich will certainly draw hate. However in my experience (if you run a deck full of good creatures) it has been great fun and very useful to run. Either recurring small but highly useful critters (like Reclamation Sage) or recurring/stealing threats from any yard.
But if you run a deck that's chronically short on mana he won't work. But possibly a deck like that has other problems as well...
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In magic there's Harry Dresden, Fizban, Sethra Lavode, Dorotea Senjak and me...
My meta: 3 or 4 player free for all, anything goes but boring games or broken decks cause a vote to end that game.
Provided you start from a 1-drop, a 2-drop & Pod on the field (not unlikely given I run 8 1-cmc manadorks), the blue approach with Deceiver Exarch enables landing a 5-drop on the first turn you tap Pod, given you don't mind losing up to 8 life. Since I typically play 4-8 player FFA's, that first 5-drop has been Gary usually, then the next turn is usually Sun Titan.
FWIW, I'm still not sure Blue is the best colour for MP-Pod, behind White & Green, but I'm giving it a spin for now as I already own all those cards.
Oh the attraction of abusing Havengul Lich!
Given it enables getting back Viridian Emissary and manadorks after their Podding, the mana is there, but it doesn't offer much against large threats. The deck to me feels durdly enough to lose quickly if you pursue the Exarch-combo and pay the 8 life, as that's around the same number of turns that aggro decks start landing must-answer threats, or people drop Wraths. I can't help but feel that Lich is one of those cards we'd play once the mana and grave, is ripe. I think we may have other more effective choices to stay alive long enough to get to the lategame.
OOC why Primal Druid over Viridian Emissary?
Guilds of Ravnica - Commander 2018 - Core 2019 - Battlebond - Dominaria - Rivals of Ixalan - Ixalan - Commander 2017 - Hour of Devastation - Amonket - Aether Revolt - Commander 2016 - Kaladesh - Conspiracy 2 - Eldritch Moon - Shadows Over Innistrad - Oath of the Gatewatch - Commander 2015 - Battle for Zendikar - Magic Origins - Dragons of Tarkir
Green - Blue - Red - White - Gold
7x Forest
4x Overgrown Tomb
2x Plains
5x Swamp
4x Temple Garden
1-drop (6)
4x Birds of Paradise
2x Llanowar Elves
2-drop (5)
1x Blood Artist
4x Viridian Emissary
3-drop (5)
1x Fierce Empath
1x Foul Emissary
1x Loaming Shaman
1x Reclamation Sage
1x Skullwinder
4x Birthing Pod
1x Deathreap Ritual
1x Meren of Clan Nel Toth
1x Phyrexian Metamorph
1x Siege Rhino
5-drop (4)
1x Karmic Guide
1x Reveillark
1x Sidisi, Undead Vizier
1x Thragtusk
6-drop (7)
1x Greenwarden of Murasa
1x Linvala, the Preserver
1x Massacre Wurm
1x Primeval Titan
1x Sun Titan
1x Wispweaver Angel
1x Woodland Bellower
1x Angel of Serenity
1x Sylvan Primordial
10-drop (1)
1x Decimator of the Provinces
Guilds of Ravnica - Commander 2018 - Core 2019 - Battlebond - Dominaria - Rivals of Ixalan - Ixalan - Commander 2017 - Hour of Devastation - Amonket - Aether Revolt - Commander 2016 - Kaladesh - Conspiracy 2 - Eldritch Moon - Shadows Over Innistrad - Oath of the Gatewatch - Commander 2015 - Battle for Zendikar - Magic Origins - Dragons of Tarkir
Green - Blue - Red - White - Gold
Or is that not good enough because it costs more mana than a pod activation?
(edit: Probably the colorless activation is a problem, oh well.)
It does have a lot of other uses than blinking ETB critters.
My meta: 3 or 4 player free for all, anything goes but boring games or broken decks cause a vote to end that game.
Considering that he has zero colorless sources, I'd say this is a big problem.
My Powered 610 card Vintage Multiplayer Cube
cEDH: WUBR Blue Farm WUBR, UG Kinnan Flips UG, U Urza Scepter U
But I've been tinkering with a Bant-Pod deck for a while now, still trying to nail down all the slots.
I'm running 8 manadorks, 3 Viridian Emissary for early turns, plus a couple other value 2-drops like Scavenging Ooze.
3 Phantasmal Image, 1 Deceiver Exarch or Pestermite, 2 Phyrexian Metamorph.
The idea is to Pod a 2-drop into Exarch. Untap Pod. You get the idea where this is going.....
It can setup some nice chains earlier than you might without blue, Image works well with Sun Titan, and Image/Metamorph are just generally useful in large MP FFA's
As for other bluey's, I'm running 1 Glen Elendra Archmage (which loves Gavony Township) & 1 Deadeye Navigator to abuse ETB effects, or untap pod thru Exarch.
Havengul Lich is a card I'm looking hard at for Pod, I'm just unsure if Lich will stick around long enough in play for abusing it.
Looks ripe for abuse
It may mean giving up on white, which I'm not keen on, but I could use/abuse my grave and pod repeatedly for value.
I also tested Havengul Lich and the issue I had was either no mana to cast the cool creatures in the yard or I had the mana and nothing interesting was out there. He has high power in theory, but in a mature meta, someone will have a counter for maximized use.
But if you run a deck that's chronically short on mana he won't work. But possibly a deck like that has other problems as well...
My meta: 3 or 4 player free for all, anything goes but boring games or broken decks cause a vote to end that game.
FWIW, I'm still not sure Blue is the best colour for MP-Pod, behind White & Green, but I'm giving it a spin for now as I already own all those cards.
Oh the attraction of abusing Havengul Lich!
Given it enables getting back Viridian Emissary and manadorks after their Podding, the mana is there, but it doesn't offer much against large threats. The deck to me feels durdly enough to lose quickly if you pursue the Exarch-combo and pay the 8 life, as that's around the same number of turns that aggro decks start landing must-answer threats, or people drop Wraths. I can't help but feel that Lich is one of those cards we'd play once the mana and grave, is ripe. I think we may have other more effective choices to stay alive long enough to get to the lategame.
Just thinking that Podding Rhino > Gary > Massacre Wurm or Kokusho > Seppaz > Griselbrand would be fun ...said no one ever.