Pretty straightforward question, I'd hope. Feeling really good with where my Mono-Black Vampire midrange deck and Green White Hunan tribal deck are sitting right now, but despite both being solid, I'm still craving that feeling of being the aggressor that can just beat you down if you don't stop me. The old-fashioned Gruul "turn dudes sideways, MUSH" strategy. My werewolf deck is constantly tinkering with being that, but I'm trying to get something a bit more.....consistent and powerful, I guess. Plus I have a sweet foil Selvala, Heart of the Wilds and Sunbird's Invocation that I would love to get some proper use out of.
Problem is, I'm afraid to just do Xenagos, God of Revels or Prosh, Skyraider of Kher when I feel I've seen each more or less solved. So anyone have something else they've brewed or had fun with along the aggro-lines? Don't mind going 3 colors in any capacity, but 4 colors I just always feel iffy on. Just looking for something to ignite the aggro passion a bit. At least until werewolves get a little more viable.
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Vorthos-player with way too much time on his hands and a love of thematic decks.
EDH - Yes, Each One is Named After a Song. I love tying music to my decks.
I don't have any big suggestions for you at the present moment (maybe 4 color Saskia, but only if you're willing to put up with 4 colors in an aggro deck)
But from my time making the deck, I don't know if I feel that Xenagos is a solved deck. It changes far less than it used to and I want to aim for consistency over glass-cannon power, but I simply have tried and exhausted all available tools for making it happen. Either that, or my meta would wreck me really hard for trying certain cards, or I'm unwilling to devote that much space to a card package in a deck where every card matters.
You can just ignore the white of Samut. She’s got all the rarer keywords for those colors, so Kessig Wolf Run is all you need to complete the set! Built-in Fires is always good, too.
well you want to go big with Sunbird's invocation and Selvala you could go with Radha, heir to keld, she is cheap and small but provides mana to ramp you up, Alternatively I would suggest Stonebrow, Krosan Hero There are plenty of Tramplers in both Red and Green or Heck with it...Old Classic time Stangg
Don't overlook building a 4 color commander with a 2 or 3 color deck. A more streamlined Ydris in a Jund or Gruul deck could be neat. He wants to make contact, and his ability helps you get CA and flood the board quickly. Green mana fixing let's you get blue or blue and black easily in a mostly RG mana base, assuming that Ydris is the only thing that needs the colors.
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The Meaning of Life: "M-hmm. Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations"
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
Given afforementioned options and your goal of being aggressive in combat, I think it would be worth considering how you plan to draw cards and deal with inevitable board wipes. After you have your route chosen, which commander to use will be a bit clearer.
I think I like the idea of Yasova or Samut, personally, even mostly ignoring the third colors they bring.
Is the deck going to have recursion? How much ramp are you going to run? What is the critical amount of beefy bodies you'll need to kill people reliably? Is this a Craterhoof Behemoth deck?
It probably depends heavily on the specific meta, but my Xenagod hydras are a fun tribal where I piled in disruption cards and hydras. Very simple, very reliable. It does what it does with very little worry of off-kilter play. Just depends on whether someone's packing a deck that can get around things fast enough. Another fun one would be a value town creature-based Ruric Thar, the Unbowed.
Given afforementioned options and your goal of being aggressive in combat, I think it would be worth considering how you plan to draw cards and deal with inevitable board wipes. After you have your route chosen, which commander to use will be a bit clearer.
I think I like the idea of Yasova or Samut, personally, even mostly ignoring the third colors they bring.
Is the deck going to have recursion? How much ramp are you going to run? What is the critical amount of beefy bodies you'll need to kill people reliably? Is this a Craterhoof Behemoth deck?
Hmmm...all good questions! Ideally, the deck would mostly just rebuild after a board wipe via card advantage. Thinking cards like Lifecrafter's Bestiary to keep the hand full and options available. Ramp would depend on the top-end density, I would suppose. Craterhoof would be nice, if I had one. :/ I love the Overrun type effects though (Kamahl, Fist of Krosa is one of my favorite win-cons in Sigarda), so with or without hoof I'd like to have a similar effect or two available to seal the deal if needed.
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Vorthos-player with way too much time on his hands and a love of thematic decks.
EDH - Yes, Each One is Named After a Song. I love tying music to my decks.
It probably depends heavily on the specific meta, but my Xenagod hydras are a fun tribal where I piled in disruption cards and hydras. Very simple, very reliable. It does what it does with very little worry of off-kilter play. Just depends on whether someone's packing a deck that can get around things fast enough. Another fun one would be a value town creature-based Ruric Thar, the Unbowed.
I've been intrigued by the Hydra decks for awhile - saw a lot of people suggesting that theme for Selvala 2.0, which makes a great deal of sense. If I didn't have such a desire to test out the new Sunbird's Invocation and get a little Red going again, I might have just gone for a mono-green deck. Anything the deck does specifically that keeps it pretty consistent for you?
Ruric Thar has swapped in and out with Xenagod as the head of my werewolf deck, so I love that dumb beststick. Hopefully he'll be a nice addition to this deck in whatever form it takes.
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Vorthos-player with way too much time on his hands and a love of thematic decks.
EDH - Yes, Each One is Named After a Song. I love tying music to my decks.
well you want to go big with Sunbird's invocation and Selvala you could go with Radha, heir to keld, she is cheap and small but provides mana to ramp you up, Alternatively I would suggest Stonebrow, Krosan Hero There are plenty of Tramplers in both Red and Green or Heck with it...Old Classic time Stangg
Hmmmmm....few older options there that could be worth the look; thanks for the suggestions! Stangg for flavor could be neat....
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Vorthos-player with way too much time on his hands and a love of thematic decks.
EDH - Yes, Each One is Named After a Song. I love tying music to my decks.
I would personally go with Stonebrow, if only because I always liked him, and lots of big green and red beasties have trample, so you can do the attack get them bigger for Selvala, there is also things like Anger, Brawn you could leverage.
It probably depends heavily on the specific meta, but my Xenagod hydras are a fun tribal where I piled in disruption cards and hydras. Very simple, very reliable. It does what it does with very little worry of off-kilter play. Just depends on whether someone's packing a deck that can get around things fast enough. Another fun one would be a value town creature-based Ruric Thar, the Unbowed.
I've been intrigued by the Hydra decks for awhile - saw a lot of people suggesting that theme for Selvala 2.0, which makes a great deal of sense. If I didn't have such a desire to test out the new Sunbird's Invocation and get a little Red going again, I might have just gone for a mono-green deck. Anything the deck does specifically that keeps it pretty consistent for you?
Yep. It works because the disruption I have in there keeps others held back in development while my deck does not rely on it. That gives me time to set up mana with my own ramp to start dropping hydras. Xenagos then pumps them, leading to common kills of twenty-plus damage at a time.
It does take some time to get going, however, so if the disruption doesn't stop opponents from setting up a combo, then it is vulverable. That's what makes it meta dependent.
The problem with Going Hydra.dec is that he wants to use Sunbirds Invocation and a bunch of Hydras are X casting cost things that would feel reel bad hit on with an Invocation.
The problem with Going Hydra.dec is that he wants to use Sunbirds Invocation and a bunch of Hydras are X casting cost things that would feel reel bad hit on with an Invocation.
Maybe so, just read the card, but I was telling him about the hydra option and Xenagod and he can decide on his own if that's the angle he wants. This card would work stupidly well with Ruric Thar, though. It's a great card, for sure, but only as long as other players let him keep using it.
The deck is subtle as trainwreck (on a boat), but does it's job fairly well.
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X Hope of Ghirapur Swordpile W Ghosty Blinky Anafenza U Nezahal- Big, Blue and HERE! B Gonti Can Afford It R Etali, Primal 'Whatjusthappened?' G Polukranos Wants More Mana WU The Exalted Vizier Temmet WB Home, Athreos WR Basandra, Recursive Aggression WG Karametra, Momma of Lands UB Wrexial Eats Your Brains UR Arjun, the Mad Flame UG The Fable of Prime Speaker BR Hellbent, Malfegor Style BG Jarad, Death is Served RG Running Thromok WUB Varina and ALL the Zombies WUBYennett, the Odd Pain-Train WUR Zedruu the Furyhearted WUG Arcades' Strategy, Shmategy, Sausage and Spam WBR A Case of Mathas' Persistent F*ckery WBRLicia's League of Legendary Lifegain Layabouts WBG The Karador Advantage PackageWRG Gahiji Rattlesnake Collection UBR Jeleva... does... things UBG Damia's Just Deserts URG Yasova's Has More Power Than Sense BRG Wasitora, Bad Kitty WUBRBreya, Eggs, Breya'd Eggs WUBG Tymna and Kydele, Extended Borrowing WURG Kynaios and Tiro, Landfall Impersonations WBRG Saskia Pet Card EnchantressUBRG Yidris of the Chi-Ting Corporation WUBRG Tazri's Amazing Allies
Problem is, I'm afraid to just do Xenagos, God of Revels or Prosh, Skyraider of Kher when I feel I've seen each more or less solved. So anyone have something else they've brewed or had fun with along the aggro-lines? Don't mind going 3 colors in any capacity, but 4 colors I just always feel iffy on. Just looking for something to ignite the aggro passion a bit. At least until werewolves get a little more viable.
EDH - Yes, Each One is Named After a Song. I love tying music to my decks.
B Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief B - Fear of the Dark
WG Sigarda, Heron's Grace WG - Strength in Numbers
RG Xenagos, God of Revels RG - Fullmoon (It's werewolves)
RW Archangel Avacyn // Avacyn, the Purifier RW - The End is Nigh
60 Card Kitchen Table Decks
WUB Avacyn, Spirit Ferrier
RG Arlinn Kord's Howlpack
But from my time making the deck, I don't know if I feel that Xenagos is a solved deck. It changes far less than it used to and I want to aim for consistency over glass-cannon power, but I simply have tried and exhausted all available tools for making it happen. Either that, or my meta would wreck me really hard for trying certain cards, or I'm unwilling to devote that much space to a card package in a deck where every card matters.
The Unidentified Fantastic Flying Girl.
EDH
Xenagos, the God of Stompy
The Gitrog Monster: Oppressive Value.
Marchesa, Marionette Master - Undying Robots
Yuriko, the Hydra Omnivore
I make dolls as a hobby.
Note that Yasova’s blue can be ignored, too.
(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'
well you want to go big with Sunbird's invocation and Selvala you could go with Radha, heir to keld, she is cheap and small but provides mana to ramp you up, Alternatively I would suggest Stonebrow, Krosan Hero There are plenty of Tramplers in both Red and Green or Heck with it...Old Classic time Stangg
Dragons of Legend, Lead by Scion of the UR-Dragon
The Gitrog Monster
Gonti, Lord of Luxury
Shogun Saskia
Hive World
Atraxa hates fun
Abzan
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
I think I like the idea of Yasova or Samut, personally, even mostly ignoring the third colors they bring.
Is the deck going to have recursion? How much ramp are you going to run? What is the critical amount of beefy bodies you'll need to kill people reliably? Is this a Craterhoof Behemoth deck?
Older Magic as a Board Game: Panglacial Wurm , Mill
Hmmm...all good questions! Ideally, the deck would mostly just rebuild after a board wipe via card advantage. Thinking cards like Lifecrafter's Bestiary to keep the hand full and options available. Ramp would depend on the top-end density, I would suppose. Craterhoof would be nice, if I had one. :/ I love the Overrun type effects though (Kamahl, Fist of Krosa is one of my favorite win-cons in Sigarda), so with or without hoof I'd like to have a similar effect or two available to seal the deal if needed.
EDH - Yes, Each One is Named After a Song. I love tying music to my decks.
B Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief B - Fear of the Dark
WG Sigarda, Heron's Grace WG - Strength in Numbers
RG Xenagos, God of Revels RG - Fullmoon (It's werewolves)
RW Archangel Avacyn // Avacyn, the Purifier RW - The End is Nigh
60 Card Kitchen Table Decks
WUB Avacyn, Spirit Ferrier
RG Arlinn Kord's Howlpack
I've been intrigued by the Hydra decks for awhile - saw a lot of people suggesting that theme for Selvala 2.0, which makes a great deal of sense. If I didn't have such a desire to test out the new Sunbird's Invocation and get a little Red going again, I might have just gone for a mono-green deck. Anything the deck does specifically that keeps it pretty consistent for you?
Ruric Thar has swapped in and out with Xenagod as the head of my werewolf deck, so I love that dumb beststick. Hopefully he'll be a nice addition to this deck in whatever form it takes.
EDH - Yes, Each One is Named After a Song. I love tying music to my decks.
B Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief B - Fear of the Dark
WG Sigarda, Heron's Grace WG - Strength in Numbers
RG Xenagos, God of Revels RG - Fullmoon (It's werewolves)
RW Archangel Avacyn // Avacyn, the Purifier RW - The End is Nigh
60 Card Kitchen Table Decks
WUB Avacyn, Spirit Ferrier
RG Arlinn Kord's Howlpack
Hmmmmm....few older options there that could be worth the look; thanks for the suggestions! Stangg for flavor could be neat....
EDH - Yes, Each One is Named After a Song. I love tying music to my decks.
B Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief B - Fear of the Dark
WG Sigarda, Heron's Grace WG - Strength in Numbers
RG Xenagos, God of Revels RG - Fullmoon (It's werewolves)
RW Archangel Avacyn // Avacyn, the Purifier RW - The End is Nigh
60 Card Kitchen Table Decks
WUB Avacyn, Spirit Ferrier
RG Arlinn Kord's Howlpack
Dragons of Legend, Lead by Scion of the UR-Dragon
The Gitrog Monster
Gonti, Lord of Luxury
Shogun Saskia
Hive World
Atraxa hates fun
Abzan
It does take some time to get going, however, so if the disruption doesn't stop opponents from setting up a combo, then it is vulverable. That's what makes it meta dependent.
Dragons of Legend, Lead by Scion of the UR-Dragon
The Gitrog Monster
Gonti, Lord of Luxury
Shogun Saskia
Hive World
Atraxa hates fun
Abzan
It's nick'd "more power than sense", and basically goes with aggressive creatures that might not be sticking around. CMC 2 needs to bring to the table 3 or more power, CMC3 4 or more, CMC4 5 or more, etc. Hitting hard, and hitting early. Starting the curve with Vexing Devil, Hidden Guerrillas, Hidden Herd, Talara's Battalion and Garruk's Companion, and ending with the likes of Xenagos, God of Revels, Blitz Hellion, Thunderblust, Outland Colossus and Hydra Omnivore. ETB-buffs like Primal Forcemage and In the Web of War, extra combats and good ol' Furnace of Rath with Gratuitous Violence.
Blue in the deck is mostly for cheap removal like Silent Departure or Void Snare, the occasional draw effect, and few good Temur cards like Temur Ascendancy, Shaman of the Great Hunt and Savage Knuckleblade.
The deck is subtle as trainwreck (on a boat), but does it's job fairly well.