So flavor/story/theme regarding 'mom aside, I'm interested in developing around Pia Nalaar in EDH, but am not too sure which direction to take her. She seems tuned for the current standard environment, and not at all pushed for EDH development.
I see three possible routes with her in terms of building a functional (non-thematic) deck;
~ Some sort of low-cmc artifact aggro design. She comes out a little earlier and can boost random artifact creatures (although she is a non-bo with etched champion).
~ Some sort of artifact/attrition design. She seems like an odd version of slobad, goblin tinkerer. A deck full of small-advantage cards like ichor wellspring/spine of ish sah and scrap mastery. I like that she can make herself incapable of blocking, so you can always just sac' an artifact even if the opponents have nothing to target.
~ Thopter combo, as a strictly worse pia and kiran nalaar. A while ago I made a combo deck around Pia and Kiran Nalaar where it could use nim deathmantle and make infinite thopter tokens (here). The list had such little reliability that it never moved into being made IRL, and loosing the 2nd thopter with just pia nalaar makes it just that much worse.
I could see a bleed between artifact/attrition and low-cmc aggro working out too. I'm also flirting with the idea of a voltron-thopter brew where we can toss some swords of x+y on the thopter and swing, but they don't really count for general damage, which is the selling point of a voltron deck.
Has anyone else considered any alternative routes with her, or realized any nifty card interactions?
In the 99 of nu-grezno for sure. I think Pia & Keiran as a team are better then lonely mom. She's also not as good as the other mono r artifact generals (kurkesh, feldon, daretti, etc). However, if I was building her I'd focus on using rituals and other red ramp to power out and sword up some fatties like wurmcoil engine, steel hellkite, myr battlesphere etc. I'd also run some eggs like conjurer's bauble for card advantage and sac fodder. Hangarback walker seems good here as well
So flavor/story/theme regarding 'mom aside, I'm interested in developing around Pia Nalaar in EDH, but am not too sure which direction to take her. She seems tuned for the current standard environment, and not at all pushed for EDH development.
I see three possible routes with her in terms of building a functional (non-thematic) deck;
~ Some sort of low-cmc artifact aggro design. She comes out a little earlier and can boost random artifact creatures (although she is a non-bo with etched champion).
~ Some sort of artifact/attrition design. She seems like an odd version of slobad, goblin tinkerer. A deck full of small-advantage cards like ichor wellspring/spine of ish sah and scrap mastery. I like that she can make herself incapable of blocking, so you can always just sac' an artifact even if the opponents have nothing to target.
~ Thopter combo, as a strictly worse pia and kiran nalaar. A while ago I made a combo deck around Pia and Kiran Nalaar where it could use nim deathmantle and make infinite thopter tokens (here). The list had such little reliability that it never moved into being made IRL, and loosing the 2nd thopter with just pia nalaar makes it just that much worse.
I could see a bleed between artifact/attrition and low-cmc aggro working out too. I'm also flirting with the idea of a voltron-thopter brew where we can toss some swords of x+y on the thopter and swing, but they don't really count for general damage, which is the selling point of a voltron deck.
Has anyone else considered any alternative routes with her, or realized any nifty card interactions?
Links to my most current deck lists;
Primary EDH; Rakka Mar Token Perfection, Crosis Mnemonic Betrayal, Cromat Villainous, Judith Gravestorm, Rakdos Empty Storm, Exava Artifacts, Bant Trash, & Fumiko Voltron!
EDH kept at home; Ruzzian Isset & Rakdos LoR!
EDH (nostalgic/pimp/retired) in storage;
Latulla Burns, Akroma Smash, Jeska Voltron, Rakdos Storm, Bladewing Darghans, Lyzolda Worldgorger, Xantcha Steals your Heart, Jori Storm, Wydwen Permission, Gwendlyn Paradox, Jeleva Warps, & Sigarda Brick!
Legacy Showanimator and High Tide!
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest WUR Voltron Control
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun WU Unblockable Mirror Trickery
Ra's al Ghul (Sidar Kondo) and Face-Down Ninjas
Brudiclad, Token Engineer
Vaevictis (VV2) the Dire Lantern
Rona, Disciple of Gix
Tiana the Auror
Hallar
Ulrich the Politician
Zur the Rebel
Scorpion, Locust, Scarab, Egyptian Gods
O-Kagachi, Mathas, Mairsil
"Non-Tribal" Tribal Generals, Eggs