So, for some reason, I always find myself wanting to make 3 color decks. Since I don't want to shell out more than once for the manabase for a 3 color deck, it is my goal to have a 2 color deck and a mono colored deck (making my total deck count be 3). Since I currently run Mimeoplasm, with most of the cards being Blue and Green, I figured that my 2 color and mono colored decks should be some combination of red, white, and black.
My question to you good folks is which of those those three colors (red, white, and black) should be combined and which should be mono colored?
most people will say that mono white is the worst mono option so I would probably something like a WB deck and a mono red deck. Boros is a step up from mono white but mono red is actually fairly solid these days.
So.... I would go with a W/B deck and a mono red deck just due to what you have to work with.
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I have officially moved to MTGNexus. I just wanted to let people know as my response time to salvation decks being bumped is very hit or miss.
I was being humorous. Even if she is in your meta. She isn't really a big deal. But srsly man. Shirei. Srsly.
Shirei is an interesting dude for sure.
But that entirely comes down to if you like boros. I think there are a few more open ended strategies to be had in orzov but if there is a boros commander you like hes a cool cat.
Overall though, mono white is just as casual as you can get. If you dont mind being casual though, Odric, Master Tactician is a super cool commander.
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I have officially moved to MTGNexus. I just wanted to let people know as my response time to salvation decks being bumped is very hit or miss.
Iona shouldn't be an too big of an issue due to Karn Liberated, Duplicant, Oblivion Stone, All Is Dust, Nevinyrral's Disk, etc. Besides i doubt may people would name white or red for Iona (considering those are underplayed colors).
I was definitely leaning towards mono red/BW, so I am glad my ideas are being reinforced. So I guess the next question is which generals should I go for? I have tried mono red in the past: kiki-jiki was fun but got rather expensive over time/lost horribly to mass removal (hitting my mana rocks hurt), Godo could be crazy fast, but never had much in the way of value cards (plus godo can get really expensive), and the guy who makes your artifacts indestructible (just not competitive enough). Any thoughts on which mono red general to go for?
B/W on the other hand is easier: I would go with Obzedat mostly because I hate that the other generals require creatures (and Selenia is lame). However, I am having a devil of a time making a list because I get caught up in wanting to play super controlling cards (Torpor Orb, Humility) as well as some of the really fun creatures (Sun Titan, Treasury Thrull). How do I reconcile the two strategies?
Mono red these days is fairly good (see the ever popular Norin the Wary deck). BW extort is actually fairly good. A friend recently built Obzedat (the new guy. what's his face) with the theme being extort, and it can be absolutely brutal. Build it with Buyback cards and Retrace cards and you're golden.
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On Mythic Rares: "What's next, Wizards will print six golden Black Lotuses and randomly place them in boosters, and if someone gets one, they get to tour the Wizards facility?"
In my opinion, some of the better red options (not all by any means)
Ashling the Pilgrim versatile goodstuff commander. You can use her as a good beater that can also blow everything up. She scales into the game too which is nice and since you are in mono red you can easily pick up on a bunch of big mana stuff for her.
Godo, Bandit Warlord toolbox voltron equipment. You said you tried it though so I wont continue.
Homura, Human Ascendant another token commander option. The fact that he dies and becomes an amazing anthem is really cool too. Generally this sort of deck runs extra sac outlets due to that.
Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician usually run as a mass LD style of deck where you just drop him in and blow up the lands animating yours into fun dudes.
Jaya Ballard, Task Mage sort of a versatile control deck. Its best with more blue players in your meta though for sure.
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker solid and really good. You said you have been there though so I wont bother explaining.
Krenko, Mob Boss token swarm. Sadly its a little linear and easy to predict for opponents. It gets out of hand very quickly though but it takes time to build and its easy to see where things are going.
Marton Stromgald sort of like Craterhoof Behemoth as your commander. It tends to be built around tokens and mass haste. I have a primer in my sig. Sadly its mostly sort of a glass cannon but its quite effective as a mono red glass cannon
Norin the Wary aka the troll. This deck is usually based on chaotic effects. It generally focuses on creature ETB effects then it flickers Norin as much as possible. Its sort of a wacky deck.
Zirilan of the Claw mono red dragons. Dragons have been getting far better in the last few blocks. I think like two blocks ago he had like total jank to pick from but its surprising how quickly dragons are opening up for new mechanics and playstyles. This is golden for him.
B/W on the other hand is easier: I would go with Obzedat mostly because I hate that the other generals require creatures (and Selenia is lame). However, I am having a devil of a time making a list because I get caught up in wanting to play super controlling cards (Torpor Orb, Humility) as well as some of the really fun creatures (Sun Titan, Treasury Thrull). How do I reconcile the two strategies?
Oh and thanks by the way!
It is a little bit of an issue but generally speaking you wouldn't play out those cool creatures if you are riding one of those good control cards. Wait for the Orb to blow up then play the recovery for it. Overall you want to focus on one plan but that doesn't mean you shouldn't dabble a little into something else because it is powerful for your deck. I just wouldn't run heavy on both strategies at the same time lol.
Echoing what the others have said, mono red is fine for EDH. Just be prepared to sit there when there's an annoying enchantment in play, as there's really not much you can do to it apart from Chaos Warp or one of the colorless sweepers.
A forewarning about going with Obzedat and possibly an extort/taxing theme - there are about a million triggered abilities that you're going to have to pay attention to if you go this route. Friend of mine built this deck and loves it, but he's always complaining about how many triggers he has to pay attention to.
I think for mono red I will be going with Diaochan, Artful beauty. Why? She is pretty uncommon and is far less threatening than say Heartless Hidetsugu, Kikki-Jikki, Godo, or even (if made correctly) Norin. I will try and post a list soon as I could definitely use the help.
Personally, I have always wanted to try a Red/Black Rakdos, Lord of Riots deck, but I don't have the two big Eldrazis to run it effectively (I did, but before Rakdos was spoiled I didn't need them and got some decent stuff out of the trade). That leaves you with mono-white, which although people say is the most difficult mono color to make, it is still partial to myself and I love it. I guess that's just me, I love a good challenge.
Boros, mono black. Black is such a fun color, and it can do a lot of really great things. Not to mention there are a lot of fantastic black commander options.
For boros Gisela or Aurelia are both pretty solid, but my favorite is Jor Kadeen with a metalcraft theme.
Alternately white/black, with a mono red commander could also be fun. Red decks are always fun to pilot.
Mono white is sort of looked down upon, but I wouldn't count it out either; Darien, Kemba, and Odric can all be pretty solid. That gives you red/black options and those are always fun.
If it were me personally though; WR and B are the way to go.
I think for mono red I will be going with Diaochan, Artful beauty. Why? She is pretty uncommon and is far less threatening than say Heartless Hidetsugu, Kikki-Jikki, Godo, or even (if made correctly) Norin. I will try and post a list soon as I could definitely use the help.
I always forget about her. I'm tired of Norin, maybe I'll convert that deck into Diaochan. Or Márton.
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On Mythic Rares: "What's next, Wizards will print six golden Black Lotuses and randomly place them in boosters, and if someone gets one, they get to tour the Wizards facility?"
I run a Zirilan deck that is totally fun! I also have a Damia mono black deck that is a combination of big mana, control and voltron. Both are strong but rely on colorless or creative options for enchant hate. I had a mono white deck at one point (8.5 tails) and it did well enough but it wasnt really my play style.
I was debating doing Boros, but then I looked up all the R/W cards (both gold and hybrid) and realized that I didn't like any of them (other than maybe Boros Charm). I know this shouldn't be the a deal breaker, but I am always curious as to what cards are exclusive to a color combination. Sadly, for Boros, things like Treasury Thrull, Vindicate, and Vizkopa Guildmage are infinitely cooler than Auralia's Fury, Boros Charm, and Ajani Vangeant. Also, other than Gizela, I find all the Boros commanders to be rather uninspiring.
I think for mono red I will be going with Diaochan, Artful beauty. Why? She is pretty uncommon and is far less threatening than say Heartless Hidetsugu, Kikki-Jikki, Godo, or even (if made correctly) Norin. I will try and post a list soon as I could definitely use the help.
She is goofy but fun. Totally not the kind of general you build around but she does give you an interesting play from the General Zone that no other card can do.
She is goofy but fun. Totally not the kind of general you build around but she does give you an interesting play from the General Zone that no other card can do.
I considered picking up CA Diaochan, because she is interesting. (Moreso when you give her shroud/hexproof/pro-red.) Of course, I've already got a mono-red deck (Jaya Ballard), and somebody else picked up the copy of Diaochan I was looking at before I could. (Oops!)
I was debating doing Boros, but then I looked up all the R/W cards (both gold and hybrid) and realized that I didn't like any of them (other than maybe Boros Charm). I know this shouldn't be the a deal breaker, but I am always curious as to what cards are exclusive to a color combination. Sadly, for Boros, things like Treasury Thrull, Vindicate, and Vizkopa Guildmage are infinitely cooler than Auralia's Fury, Boros Charm, and Ajani Vangeant. Also, other than Gizela, I find all the Boros commanders to be rather uninspiring.
Hey now....Boros actually does have some cool stuff.
Boros has one of the most awesome equipment in the game: Sunforger
Sunforger toolbox, even in a straight Boros deck, can give you everything from counterspells, to removal of just about any permanent (burning a player in order to remove PWs), to fork effects, to C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER (like Angel's Grace).
My question to you good folks is which of those those three colors (red, white, and black) should be combined and which should be mono colored?
most people will say that mono white is the worst mono option so I would probably something like a WB deck and a mono red deck. Boros is a step up from mono white but mono red is actually fairly solid these days.
So.... I would go with a W/B deck and a mono red deck just due to what you have to work with.
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[Modern] Allies
But honestly. I like mono black and mono red.
Mono black gets you awesome generals like Shirei and Xiao Duhn. And any of the big black mana generals like Geth or Drana.
Red has generals like Norin and Zirilan of the Claw and Kiki-Jiki.
So I would choose one of those for mono. Which leaves you with WR or WB.
Both those options are kinda meh but I prefer WR stax.
Thanks to Heroes of the Plane for the awesome Sig.
Currently Playing- EDH
GGGOmnath, Locus of the LifestreamGGG
BBBShirei, Lord of PoniesBBB
UWRasputin Dreamweaver, Russia's Greatest Love MachineUW
UBWZur, Killer of FunUBW
UGWTreva, Princess of CanterlotUGW
RWTajic, Master of the Reverse BladeRW
RRRZirilan, How to Train Your DragonRRR
PDH Decks
Gelectrode
Ascended Lawmage
Blaze Commando
That statement really comes down to how much your meta runs Iona. Personally I have never been all that impressed by her.
Overall, I don't think she is all that popular of a card in EDH but it really comes down to what your meta likes playing.
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[Modern] Allies
I was being humorous. Even if she is in your meta. She isn't really a big deal. But srsly man. Shirei. Srsly.
Thanks to Heroes of the Plane for the awesome Sig.
Currently Playing- EDH
GGGOmnath, Locus of the LifestreamGGG
BBBShirei, Lord of PoniesBBB
UWRasputin Dreamweaver, Russia's Greatest Love MachineUW
UBWZur, Killer of FunUBW
UGWTreva, Princess of CanterlotUGW
RWTajic, Master of the Reverse BladeRW
RRRZirilan, How to Train Your DragonRRR
PDH Decks
Gelectrode
Ascended Lawmage
Blaze Commando
Shirei is an interesting dude for sure.
But that entirely comes down to if you like boros. I think there are a few more open ended strategies to be had in orzov but if there is a boros commander you like hes a cool cat.
Overall though, mono white is just as casual as you can get. If you dont mind being casual though, Odric, Master Tactician is a super cool commander.
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[Modern] Allies
Either was both combinations are fairly narrow.
Thanks to Heroes of the Plane for the awesome Sig.
Currently Playing- EDH
GGGOmnath, Locus of the LifestreamGGG
BBBShirei, Lord of PoniesBBB
UWRasputin Dreamweaver, Russia's Greatest Love MachineUW
UBWZur, Killer of FunUBW
UGWTreva, Princess of CanterlotUGW
RWTajic, Master of the Reverse BladeRW
RRRZirilan, How to Train Your DragonRRR
PDH Decks
Gelectrode
Ascended Lawmage
Blaze Commando
I was definitely leaning towards mono red/BW, so I am glad my ideas are being reinforced. So I guess the next question is which generals should I go for? I have tried mono red in the past: kiki-jiki was fun but got rather expensive over time/lost horribly to mass removal (hitting my mana rocks hurt), Godo could be crazy fast, but never had much in the way of value cards (plus godo can get really expensive), and the guy who makes your artifacts indestructible (just not competitive enough). Any thoughts on which mono red general to go for?
B/W on the other hand is easier: I would go with Obzedat mostly because I hate that the other generals require creatures (and Selenia is lame). However, I am having a devil of a time making a list because I get caught up in wanting to play super controlling cards (Torpor Orb, Humility) as well as some of the really fun creatures (Sun Titan, Treasury Thrull). How do I reconcile the two strategies?
Oh and thanks by the way!
On Mythic Rares: "What's next, Wizards will print six golden Black Lotuses and randomly place them in boosters, and if someone gets one, they get to tour the Wizards facility?"
Wydwen|Edric|Sakashima|Marrow-Gnawer|Hazezon
8.5 Tails|Seton|Rasputin|Doran|Gisela|Karona|Márton
Ashling the Pilgrim versatile goodstuff commander. You can use her as a good beater that can also blow everything up. She scales into the game too which is nice and since you are in mono red you can easily pick up on a bunch of big mana stuff for her.
Godo, Bandit Warlord toolbox voltron equipment. You said you tried it though so I wont continue.
Homura, Human Ascendant another token commander option. The fact that he dies and becomes an amazing anthem is really cool too. Generally this sort of deck runs extra sac outlets due to that.
Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician usually run as a mass LD style of deck where you just drop him in and blow up the lands animating yours into fun dudes.
Jaya Ballard, Task Mage sort of a versatile control deck. Its best with more blue players in your meta though for sure.
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker solid and really good. You said you have been there though so I wont bother explaining.
Krenko, Mob Boss token swarm. Sadly its a little linear and easy to predict for opponents. It gets out of hand very quickly though but it takes time to build and its easy to see where things are going.
Marton Stromgald sort of like Craterhoof Behemoth as your commander. It tends to be built around tokens and mass haste. I have a primer in my sig. Sadly its mostly sort of a glass cannon but its quite effective as a mono red glass cannon
Norin the Wary aka the troll. This deck is usually based on chaotic effects. It generally focuses on creature ETB effects then it flickers Norin as much as possible. Its sort of a wacky deck.
Zirilan of the Claw mono red dragons. Dragons have been getting far better in the last few blocks. I think like two blocks ago he had like total jank to pick from but its surprising how quickly dragons are opening up for new mechanics and playstyles. This is golden for him.
It is a little bit of an issue but generally speaking you wouldn't play out those cool creatures if you are riding one of those good control cards. Wait for the Orb to blow up then play the recovery for it. Overall you want to focus on one plan but that doesn't mean you shouldn't dabble a little into something else because it is powerful for your deck. I just wouldn't run heavy on both strategies at the same time lol.
Signature by Inkfox Aesthetics by Xen
[Modern] Allies
EDH
WBRKaalia of the VastRBW
BChainer, Dementia MasterB
Legacy
0Manaless Dredge0
RGoblinsR
Standard
RBWThe AristocratsWBR
A forewarning about going with Obzedat and possibly an extort/taxing theme - there are about a million triggered abilities that you're going to have to pay attention to if you go this route. Friend of mine built this deck and loves it, but he's always complaining about how many triggers he has to pay attention to.
RUG Intet, the Dreamer
WBG Karador, Ghost Chieftain
WRG Mayael the Anima
UUU Jalira, Master Polymorphist
BBB Sherei, Shizo's Caretaker
GGG Yeva, Nature's Herald
GGG Ezuri, the Renegade Leader
Constructing: Karn, Silver Golem - Ephara, God of the Polis
For boros Gisela or Aurelia are both pretty solid, but my favorite is Jor Kadeen with a metalcraft theme.
Alternately white/black, with a mono red commander could also be fun. Red decks are always fun to pilot.
Mono white is sort of looked down upon, but I wouldn't count it out either; Darien, Kemba, and Odric can all be pretty solid. That gives you red/black options and those are always fun.
If it were me personally though; WR and B are the way to go.
I always forget about her. I'm tired of Norin, maybe I'll convert that deck into Diaochan. Or Márton.
On Mythic Rares: "What's next, Wizards will print six golden Black Lotuses and randomly place them in boosters, and if someone gets one, they get to tour the Wizards facility?"
Wydwen|Edric|Sakashima|Marrow-Gnawer|Hazezon
8.5 Tails|Seton|Rasputin|Doran|Gisela|Karona|Márton
She is goofy but fun. Totally not the kind of general you build around but she does give you an interesting play from the General Zone that no other card can do.
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
I considered picking up CA Diaochan, because she is interesting. (Moreso when you give her shroud/hexproof/pro-red.) Of course, I've already got a mono-red deck (Jaya Ballard), and somebody else picked up the copy of Diaochan I was looking at before I could. (Oops!)
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
(Image by totallynotabrony)
Hey now....Boros actually does have some cool stuff.
Master Warcraft
Boros has one of the most awesome equipment in the game: Sunforger
Sunforger toolbox, even in a straight Boros deck, can give you everything from counterspells, to removal of just about any permanent (burning a player in order to remove PWs), to fork effects, to C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER (like Angel's Grace).
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
(Image by totallynotabrony)