No, I am not trying to decide between the two. Actually, there is a player in my meta who has a Sydri, Galvanic Genius deck (a fun deck, incidentally, one I enjoy playing against), and then there is my daughter, the poor Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer player. The Jor Kadeen player is young and has only the one deck. She gets shut down by Sydri's U ability to make Jor Kadeen drop his swords, etc. So the Jor Kadeen player is asking for my help. So far, this is what I have come up with:
I am considering Hanna's Custody, but Spectral Guardian seems too weak. Am I missing anything? Is there any cool tech to help out a young Magic player? (Getting another deck is not an option for her, though adding cards is.)
So the first thing I notice, is that this player is running A LOT of equipment. While I understand it would be awesome to run in with a commander that is armed to the teeth. Equipment are very, very mana and resource intensive. My first question would be, does this deck have to be voltron? Running stuff like Myr Battlesphere, Tokens, anthems (True Conviction, Coat of Arms), and artifact value generators would likely allow this player to be more consistent, and help her be terrifying throughout the game, without necessarily needing her commander out.
All in all, Voltron just seems like a direction you could go with Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer but tokens seem like a better direction for the following reasons.
1) Boros has a hard time with card advantage, so if she gets swept it's like being kicked out of the game.
2) Boros has an AWESOME time with tokens. Seriously, Secure the Wastes, Firecat Blitz, etc.
3) Boros has a ton of AWESOME anthems. Mass Haste (Fervor), Good anthems (True Conviction), Evasion (Raging River)
If she is sold on Voltron, there are a lot of changes I would still make.
Well, she loves Voltron. So Voltron it has to stay. She never liked tokens all that much, but last night she wiped out someone by using seven Servo tokens that were 5/1s. Perhaps even a little in the direction of tokens would help.
So the first thing I notice, is that this player is running A LOT of equipment. While I understand it would be awesome to run in with a commander that is armed to the teeth. Equipment are very, very mana and resource intensive. My first question would be, does this deck have to be voltron? Running stuff like Myr Battlesphere, Tokens, anthems (True Conviction, Coat of Arms), and artifact value generators would likely allow this player to be more consistent, and help her be terrifying throughout the game, without necessarily needing her commander out.
All in all, Voltron just seems like a direction you could go with Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer but tokens seem like a better direction for the following reasons.
1) Boros has a hard time with card advantage, so if she gets swept it's like being kicked out of the game.
2) Boros has an AWESOME time with tokens. Seriously, Secure the Wastes, Firecat Blitz, etc.
3) Boros has a ton of AWESOME anthems. Mass Haste (Fervor), Good anthems (True Conviction), Evasion (Raging River)
If she is sold on Voltron, there are a lot of changes I would still make.
There are some good options in there, and I will see what I can do. This deck used to be a Tajic, Blade of the Legion deck (which is why he is still there...).
Thank you both for the suggestions!
Well, she loves Voltron. So Voltron it has to stay. She never liked tokens all that much, but last night she wiped out someone by using seven Servo tokens that were 5/1s. Perhaps even a little in the direction of tokens would help.
The thing about voltron, is that you need to count in turns. 'How many turns till they die from my commander'. Turning Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer 'on' makes him a 3 turn clock (assuming everything hits). This is honestly pretty decent on it's own. Him 'on' with a Sword that give evasion is 'still' a 3 turn clock (pesky off by ones). Pushing more tokens (ideally artifact tokens), is in a sense enabling voltron. While also, pushing for tons of damage everywhere.
Aside from that, you need at least two other things: Steam and Evasion. Steam = Proactive plays (Cards, Haste, Etc.)
Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
I like the more removal idea. I have managed to squeeze a few token-makers in, including Assemble the Legion. I may add Lightning Bolt, too. Not only does it kill Sydri, but there are lots of other useful utility guys it can kill, not to mention messing with blocks. Plus, she loves the foil!
Thank you both for the suggestions!
Well, she loves Voltron. So Voltron it has to stay. She never liked tokens all that much, but last night she wiped out someone by using seven Servo tokens that were 5/1s. Perhaps even a little in the direction of tokens would help.
The thing about voltron, is that you need to count in turns. 'How many turns till they die from my commander'. Turning Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer 'on' makes him a 3 turn clock (assuming everything hits). This is honestly pretty decent on it's own. Him 'on' with a Sword that give evasion is 'still' a 3 turn clock (pesky off by ones). Pushing more tokens (ideally artifact tokens), is in a sense enabling voltron. While also, pushing for tons of damage everywhere.
Aside from that, you need at least two other things: Steam and Evasion. Steam = Proactive plays (Cards, Haste, Etc.)
Aside from all of this, make sure to have fun.
This. I feel that getting it to work against Sydri specifically, you should also make inroads on getting the Voltron plan to work in general. Specifically for newcomers, they need to understand that it’s a very vulnerable strategy that needs a lot of different things to work.
A) Protection from Stuff – Not only do you need protection from Sydri, you also need a solution to Maze of Ith, Tower of the Magistrate. Capsize, so on. I’m not going to go into solutions for everything, but just a few that come to mind.
Grand Abolisher – Pretty sweet card that is painless to use. It’s fun for a lot of players too, because it can eliminate the “gotcha” moments in this game. Eight-and-a-Half-Tails – Saves your stuff from getting targeted by anything, but you can get into a mana-production contest with certain things like Sydri.
B) Evasion – Past a certain turn, everyone is either dead or has blockers. Evasion of some form is a must. Understandable if you are having trouble with artifacts. They are not that good for evasion, anyway. I prefer auras for certain things, anyway.
Flickering Ward – Staple card for Voltron, nice and repeatable and gets you evasion fairly reliably. Unquestioned Authority – Pretty solid, replaces itself. Doesn’t fall off with Sydri. Pentarch Ward – Similar to above, protection against less things. Spectra Ward – Doesn’t replace itself, but pretty solid for the value. Angelic Destiny – Flying is good, the pump is solid, and it’s nice to get it back after a wipe.
C) Fast enough clock. Like Tryno says, it’s about how fast your clock is, not how many equipment you have. The problem is, I don’t see any of these equipments actually shortening the clock. That compounds the problem, because when you get in and nobody’s interfering with you, you can’t take advantage. So, focus on things that give +3 or more. And, there are plenty of them with costs cheap enough that you can weather the interference. Also, using the good auras and spells will help with Sydri.
O-Naginata - Good buff, evasion, and cheap to cast and equip. Tenza, Godo's Maul – Basically the same effect, cheaper to reequip. Barbed Battlegear – A favorite of mine when Double Strike or First Strike is available, since you usually don’t mind the toughness loss. Sunforger Expensive certainly, but has other uses, so I thought I’d mention it. You already have the creatures in here that let you equip for free also. Glacial Plating – Since you’re in Snow already, I thought I’d mention it. It’s not very good at first, but I have seen it get out of control. Aurelia, the Warleader – Free combats for Jor, regardless of what Sydri has to say about it. Aggravated Assault – Same thing, costs mana. Waves of Aggression – Similar to above, again free combats. Wrecking Ogre – Single-use pumps are good. This one one-shots with an unblocked, Metalcraft Jor Kadeen. This and the rest of the Bloodrush also synergize better than the usual pumps, in that they can be retrieved by Sword of Light and Shadow, etc. Rush of Blood – This one has come in handy for me in the past. Multiplier for your multipliers.
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Linvala, Keeper of Silence
Indomitable Archangel
Leonin Abunas
Fountain Watch
I am considering Hanna's Custody, but Spectral Guardian seems too weak. Am I missing anything? Is there any cool tech to help out a young Magic player? (Getting another deck is not an option for her, though adding cards is.)
Here is her list, for reference.
All in all, Voltron just seems like a direction you could go with Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer but tokens seem like a better direction for the following reasons.
1) Boros has a hard time with card advantage, so if she gets swept it's like being kicked out of the game.
2) Boros has an AWESOME time with tokens. Seriously, Secure the Wastes, Firecat Blitz, etc.
3) Boros has a ton of AWESOME anthems. Mass Haste (Fervor), Good anthems (True Conviction), Evasion (Raging River)
If she is sold on Voltron, there are a lot of changes I would still make.
1x Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer
Creature (16)
1x Angel of Invention
1x Auriok Windwalker
1x Brass Squire
1x Duplicant
1x Godo, Bandit Warlord
1x Kytheon, Hero of Akros
1x Ornithopter
1x Puresteel Paladin
1x Selfless Spirit
1x Slobad, Goblin Tinkerer
1x Solemn Simulacrum
1x Sram, Senior Edificer
1x Stoneforge Mystic
1x Tajic, Blade of the Legion
1x Thopter Engineer
1x Visionary Augmenter
Artifact (32)
1x Captain's Claws
1x Crucible of Worlds
1x Cultivator's Caravan
1x Darksteel Forge
1x Darksteel Plate
1x Fire Diamond
1x Fleetfeather Sandals
1x Fleetwheel Cruiser
1x Infiltration Lens
1x Kitesail
1x Lightning Greaves
1x Loxodon Warhammer
1x Marble Diamond
1x Moonsilver Spear
1x Prowler's Helm
1x Skullclamp
1x Smuggler's Copter
1x Sol Ring
1x Spidersilk Net
1x Sunstone
1x Swiftfoot Boots
1x Sword of Body and Mind
1x Sword of Feast and Famine
1x Sword of Fire and Ice
1x Sword of Light and Shadow
1x Sword of the Animist
1x Sword of War and Peace
1x Trailblazer's Boots
1x Umezawa's Jitte
1x Vorrac Battlehorns
1x Whispersilk Cloak
1x Worn Powerstone
1x Oath of Lieges
Instant (4)
1x Enlightened Tutor
1x Path to Exile
1x Swords to Plowshares
1x Wear//Tear
Sorcery (8)
1x Blasphemous Act
1x Day of Judgment
1x Insurrection
1x Martial Coup
1x Reforge the Soul
1x Servo Exhibition
1x Sram's Expertise
1x Wrath of God
Planeswalker (2)
1x Chandra, Flamecaller
1x Nahiri, the Lithomancer
Land (36)
1x Darksteel Citadel
1x Inventors' Fair
1x Rogue's Passage
1x Scrying Sheets
1x Slayers' Stronghold
14x Snow-Covered Mountain
17x Snow-Covered Plains
1) Boros has a ton of good land options, there is no reason you need 31 'basic lands'.
-If you do anything, please make sure you do this
2) Add (At least) Wheel of Fortune, Solemn Simulacrum, Myr Battlesphere, Pia and Kiran Nalaar, Land Tax, Scroll Rack, Tempo Artifact Ramp (Grim Monolith), Open the Armory, Steelshaper's Gift, Batterskull
-There is more you can add but these are what I would add first.
3) Remove Tajic, Blade of the Legion, Trailblazer's Boots, Sunstone, Spidersilk Net, Moonsilver Spear, Kitesail, Fleetfeather Sandals, Fleetwheel Cruiser, Swords of X and Y where X isn't Fire/Feast and Y isn't Ice/Famine, Prowler's Helm, Tapped Mana Stone (Marble Diamond), Ornithopter, Oath of Lieges, Darksteel Forge, Auriok Windwalker, Brass Squire
-There are a lot more you can remove but here is the first... culling
Current EDH
Akroma W | Tymna and Bruse RBW
Pyroblast, Red Elemental Blast, Jaya Ballard, Task Mage, Spinal Villain
War's Toll, Price of Glory
Well, she loves Voltron. So Voltron it has to stay. She never liked tokens all that much, but last night she wiped out someone by using seven Servo tokens that were 5/1s. Perhaps even a little in the direction of tokens would help.
There are some good options in there, and I will see what I can do. This deck used to be a Tajic, Blade of the Legion deck (which is why he is still there...).
Those also look like some great suggestions.
As for Sigarda's Aid and Open the Armory, I have no excuse. They should have been in there already!
Could consider...land destruction.
(U/B)(U/B)(U/B) JUMP IN THE LINE, ROCK YOUR BODY IN TIME
(R/W)(R/W)(R/W) RISING FROM THE NEON GLOOM, SHINING LIKE A CRAZY MOON
(U/R)(R/G)(G/U) STEALIN' WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUYIN'
The thing about voltron, is that you need to count in turns. 'How many turns till they die from my commander'. Turning Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer 'on' makes him a 3 turn clock (assuming everything hits). This is honestly pretty decent on it's own. Him 'on' with a Sword that give evasion is 'still' a 3 turn clock (pesky off by ones). Pushing more tokens (ideally artifact tokens), is in a sense enabling voltron. While also, pushing for tons of damage everywhere.
Aside from that, you need at least two other things: Steam and Evasion. Steam = Proactive plays (Cards, Haste, Etc.)
Aside from all of this, make sure to have fun.
Current EDH
Akroma W | Tymna and Bruse RBW
If you kill sydri she can't use her abilities. I also like pithing needle.
Beyond that, you also have Leonin Abunas and Fountain Watch. Or Pithing Needle.
Finally, Jor Kadeen isn't just Voltron. He's actually a combo of Voltron and tokens, similar to Kemba, so you can run Assemble the Legion, Myr Battlesphere, Elspeth, Sun's Champion, Angel of Invention, etc. And of course, Pandemonium/Warstorm Surge and Cathars' Crusade are additional wincons in a token deck.
On phasing:
This. I feel that getting it to work against Sydri specifically, you should also make inroads on getting the Voltron plan to work in general. Specifically for newcomers, they need to understand that it’s a very vulnerable strategy that needs a lot of different things to work.
A) Protection from Stuff – Not only do you need protection from Sydri, you also need a solution to Maze of Ith, Tower of the Magistrate. Capsize, so on. I’m not going to go into solutions for everything, but just a few that come to mind.
Grand Abolisher – Pretty sweet card that is painless to use. It’s fun for a lot of players too, because it can eliminate the “gotcha” moments in this game.
Eight-and-a-Half-Tails – Saves your stuff from getting targeted by anything, but you can get into a mana-production contest with certain things like Sydri.
B) Evasion – Past a certain turn, everyone is either dead or has blockers. Evasion of some form is a must. Understandable if you are having trouble with artifacts. They are not that good for evasion, anyway. I prefer auras for certain things, anyway.
Flickering Ward – Staple card for Voltron, nice and repeatable and gets you evasion fairly reliably.
Unquestioned Authority – Pretty solid, replaces itself. Doesn’t fall off with Sydri.
Pentarch Ward – Similar to above, protection against less things.
Spectra Ward – Doesn’t replace itself, but pretty solid for the value.
Angelic Destiny – Flying is good, the pump is solid, and it’s nice to get it back after a wipe.
C) Fast enough clock. Like Tryno says, it’s about how fast your clock is, not how many equipment you have. The problem is, I don’t see any of these equipments actually shortening the clock. That compounds the problem, because when you get in and nobody’s interfering with you, you can’t take advantage. So, focus on things that give +3 or more. And, there are plenty of them with costs cheap enough that you can weather the interference. Also, using the good auras and spells will help with Sydri.
O-Naginata - Good buff, evasion, and cheap to cast and equip.
Tenza, Godo's Maul – Basically the same effect, cheaper to reequip.
Barbed Battlegear – A favorite of mine when Double Strike or First Strike is available, since you usually don’t mind the toughness loss.
Sunforger Expensive certainly, but has other uses, so I thought I’d mention it. You already have the creatures in here that let you equip for free also.
Glacial Plating – Since you’re in Snow already, I thought I’d mention it. It’s not very good at first, but I have seen it get out of control.
Aurelia, the Warleader – Free combats for Jor, regardless of what Sydri has to say about it.
Aggravated Assault – Same thing, costs mana.
Waves of Aggression – Similar to above, again free combats.
Wrecking Ogre – Single-use pumps are good. This one one-shots with an unblocked, Metalcraft Jor Kadeen. This and the rest of the Bloodrush also synergize better than the usual pumps, in that they can be retrieved by Sword of Light and Shadow, etc.
Rush of Blood – This one has come in handy for me in the past. Multiplier for your multipliers.