Almost 100% of the time that you have a tutor in hand, there's probably an evident target for it, even if your opponent has so far only played lands. If you ever find yourself uncertain about what to get based on your opponent withholding information (or just being screwed?), you can't go wrong with fatties (indeed, this is why I think Fierce Empath is worthwhile to us); it's usually a safe bet to tutor your titans. Not only that, but if you get the full 9 mana, Iona and Norn should beat most decks (in all liklihood, you've resolved some protection effects by this point, too). Even playing it for 7 when Iona is in hand to drop her two turns sooner can be the right play.
But yeah, it just depends on the board state. Sometimes you need to tutor up protection and utility, sometimes you desperately need a finisher. No, we don't have an evil Mikaeus/Triskelion combo, but I don't think one is necessary for that card. In any event, because T&N itself is not tutorable, it will factor into very very few games. It's mainly just an added redundancy for other creature tutors, likely to be replaced if, say, we get another efficient tutor like GSZ or Eladamri's Call. T&N is, sadly, too slow against the Tier 1 combo decks, so I'll be the first to admit that it's not always the creature tutor that you want to see.
It's mainly just an added redundancy for other creature tutors, likely to be replaced if, say, we get another efficient tutor like GSZ or Eladamri's Call. T&N is, sadly, too slow against the Tier 1 combo decks, so I'll be the first to admit that it's not always the creature tutor that you want to see.
But the only fatty Summoner's Pact gets is Primeval Titan. /selesnyaproblems.
The one creature tutor I've never tested is Sylvan Tutor, but something about Sorcery speed and not enough draw in the deck and giving my opponent information just makes my soul hurt.
I tried Painter's Servant recently and it was priceless. It makes GSZ, Natural Order and Summoner's Pact a lot better, there was a game where I played a T2 Painter Servant followed by a T3 NO into Iona and GG. NO into Terastodon is always useful as an early game LD tool.
I loved the big zoo build posted, but Im not really convinced about playing 40 lands, considering that ramp spells provide better draws in the future. I'm currently trying 36, but 37 should be the optimum I guess. I'm trying to put my creature count between 25-30, putting enough pressure early to not depend heavily on Sisay to win, which happened to me in the past.
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Legacy Decks:
GBW NO Elves / Aggro Elves GBWU Combo Elves
EDH Decks:
Duel Commander: GG Thrun, the last Trolololol GG GW The Captain WG GWB Karadores BWG GWU Jenara UWG UWB Oloro-DD BWU
I tried Painter's Servant recently and it was priceless. It makes GSZ, Natural Order and Summoner's Pact a lot better, there was a game where I played a T2 Painter Servant followed by a T3 NO into Iona and GG. NO into Terastodon is always useful as an early game LD tool.
I'm convinced! I've found room for Servant and NO and will be testing both. At it's worst, NO trades a mana elf for Prime Time, and untapping with an early Prime Time wins me games more often than not (especially given the high probability of protection, haste, or both).
I loved the big zoo build posted, but Im not really convinced about playing 40 lands, considering that ramp spells provide better draws in the future. I'm currently trying 36, but 37 should be the optimum I guess. I'm trying to put my creature count between 25-30, putting enough pressure early to not depend heavily on Sisay to win, which happened to me in the past.
I'm back and forth between 37 and 38 (currently at 37). There's way way way less pyroclasm and wrath effects post-Edric, so I'm going a little more risky and playing mana elves and leaning more on Gaea's Cradle again (hey, Ezuri and Rhys have been top 8ing lately, so they can't be all that crazy).
Major changes! Here's my latest entry to the deck history, which (per usual) gives some insight into what's going on in the meta at large:
After a revolutionary banning of Edric, red-based decks receded almost immediately and the number of pyroclasm, -2/-2 effects, and wrath cards all but disappeared in short order, thus allowing aggro and elf-based decks to exist again. With extinction builds almost themselves extinct, it became clear that running Rampant Growth effects over elves was no longer the optimal way to play Sisay in the meta, so I had to bring back many cards that were, for a long time, major liabilities.
With mana dorks back in the deck, we found our speed again and could finally once more take major advantage of Gaea's Cradle and reliably outramp nearly every other deck. But Edric's banning didn't just eventually allow creature-based decks to thrive again; white/blue control decks quickly began dominating tournaments in this slowed down meta. This meant, sadly, having to reevaluate some of our combos, recognizing that few if any could even resolve against many of the top tier decks. Good stuff began replacing narrow stuff, and the deck shifted focus to take full advantage of Cavern of Souls against control decks.
That said, the deck has seen some pretty major revisions as I've reintroduced old staples to the deck in the form of mana dorks that are safe to come out and play again, taking out the majority of the rampant growth effects. But that's not all! With much more testing to tease out my strongest/easiest win cons and with decks changing flavor to be more ramp-tastic and general-centric, changes have been made with that in mind. Namely, Sword of Fire and Ice has been removed, as it's completely irrelevant more often than not (and both Jitte and Elesh Norn do for me better what I'm trying to do with Fire and Ice, which is kill two power creatures). Although undeniably awesome, Elspeth, Knight-Errant really doesn't fit my deck and is kind of irrelevant against many of the best decks currently. I may be eating those words, but every spot is precious and she just doesn't synergize with what I'm trying to do.
Some notable additions in considering the meta change are Aura of Silence (to seriously combat ramp and to have yet another means of dealing with Oath/Humility/etc) and Isochron Scepter (which, when paired with some anti-control cards in Silence and Orim's Chant, can be a two card win combo against a slowed-down meta).
I've also updated the win % area. I'm at 58.67% wins overall, which, as you can see from the several 1-0s, would almost certainly be double the amounts in the W category if my opponent's didn't rage quit after the first round. To be sure, I'm only factoring in players who have French decks and have discarded any data in which someone with a multiplayer list was very insistent on playing and no one else was available. That said, I'm seeing more and more what Emether is referring to in that there's a sort of fine line among Duel Commander lovers between those who want to play Tier 1 decks (or at least Tier 1 tuning) and those who have no interest in winning tournaments but just enjoy competing in a fairly balanced meta with several pet cards. I don't mean the latter in a negative way, but just to illustrate that my matches seem to be engaging both DC player types almost evenly, so that's something to consider.
On an aside: with more elf decks cropping up where Edric used to be, we're getting better matchup chances overall because Linvala and Norn are just such a sure (and often very fast) beating for Ezuri and Rhys. So, yay for that.
38 lands seems to be a sweet spot, I guess? As I was saying to Kwiznek last night, I'm okay with getting land-screwed say, 1 in 10 games, but it seemed something like 2 in 3 games last night. I know, I have to look at the bigger picture, but it was still a scary night. If for whatever reason it seems that things are looking bleak in the amount of mana screw I'm experiencing, I'll have to find room for Land Tax again, even if it's not the most ideal card. Maybe I want Skullclamp again just because it's broken and trading dorks for cards is never a bad thing in the mid-late game, especially if they dig me through my lands quicker and into real threats. /shrug
You'll note that I've removed Tooth and Nail. To be honest, I don't remember when or why I did it, but I don't find myself missing it. Casting it is asking for a lot, entwined or not. I'm giving Natural Order a chance in its stead, because why not? Seems decent so far.
Anyway, I thought I'd also reiterate that I'm still quite convinced that Sisay is the most competitive overall G/W general. To anyone who loves the color combo and is stuck between picking Teeg or Rhys or even Sigarda, I strongly urge giving Sisay a try. She requires quite a bit more decisions (both in the multitude of ways there is to tutor cards and in what to include in the deck for your meta), but the payoff and effort is definitely worth it. She can steal games from multiple angles/angels and has more gas than any of the other G/W generals, so try her maybe?
In general, I like your new build, but have to differ about some of the selections:
- Selesnya Charm is too narrow, I would run Terastodon everyday over that card.
- While Isochron Scepter is a good card, I don't like the inclusion of cards like Silence or Orim's Chant, and why you don't include Karmic Guide and Reveillark ?? You can instant win with Survival.
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Legacy Decks:
GBW NO Elves / Aggro Elves GBWU Combo Elves
EDH Decks:
Duel Commander: GG Thrun, the last Trolololol GG GW The Captain WG GWB Karadores BWG GWU Jenara UWG UWB Oloro-DD BWU
In general, I like your new build, but have to differ about some of the selections:
- Selesnya Charm is too narrow, I would run Terastodon everyday over that card.
- While Isochron Scepter is a good card, I don't like the inclusion of cards like Silence or Orim's Chant, and why you don't include Karmic Guide and Reveillark ?? You can instant win with Survival.
I seem to have uncannily bad luck with drawing not only one but ALL my fatties early on instead of mana, so the thought of adding Terastodon scares me, even having seen that be a great game-ending pair with a turn 3 Natural Order for others on Cockatrice. But that just might mean I'm not running enough mana dorks or something. Hard to say.
On Selesnya Charm: Admittedly, it's only slightly better than Last Breath (which was cut for being too narrow) because it has some options, but so far the options have been almost never flexed. I forgot to mention it, but I went ahead and cut Tariff (AGAIN) precisely because of the criticism of its narrowness, and that totally valid concern of "huh, this could have been a ramp card or threat but instead it's something that may or may not ever be used this match." Often when the fattie is cast, it has done it's damage (Wanderer, Griselbrand, Prime Time) or can't be targeted by this spell (Emrakul) so it certainly... is flimsy. Maybe I give Terastodon a chance in its spot?
I just don't feel very confident with that sort of change. The tell-tale sign of a B-Tier (or semi-casual) deck on Cockatrice is if someone draws two cards in a row that cost more than 4 mana. I hate to increase these odds. I'll have to think on this.
As for Isochron Scepter: You're probably right, but I find it too tantalizing not to test further. Silence/Chant are weird ones, too, and in most situations where I want to play them, I'm probably just better off putting Thrun back in the deck. I'll have to think about this, too.
The Guide/Reveillark/Entity/etc combo is just too mana intensive. If I've got Survival out, realistically I've only got a very few amount of turns to make it count before my opponent overwhelms me, so Survival will be cheating out Norn/Iona first and foremost. If I were to add another old-school combo, I would probably consider Stuffy Doll/Guilty Conscience again just because the pieces are fairly easy to tutor out and it's only 6 mana in total (with a not unreasonable expectation of haste). But I dunno. Combos are really hard to justify, especially if they're not centered around an easily recastable general (Iname, Animar).
I appreciate your suggestions. Maybe I'll give Terastadon a chance. I've actually never tested him for this deck...
The thing I have with Karmic Guide is that she is a much better Loyal Retainers (which I'm kind of unsure if acquiring him or not), capable of bringing back a titan or even Terastodon. With the amount of ramp you have, it should't be weird something like T1 mana dork, T2/T3 active Survival/Fauna Shaman, T4 Karmic Guide for a discarded Terastodon which should be game. The combo I was mentioning was Painter Servant -> Iona -> Karmic Guide-> Reveillark -> game, not including Mirror Entity, Yosei, the Morning Star or Saffi Eriksdotter. As a ramp card, Bloom Tender goes in 3 color decks for me, and Hall of the Bandit Lord is a big no for me considering you could include Boseiju in that place. Anything else is really fine. I like this version of the deck with more creatures, and I think Thrun deserves a spot
And I would say Sisay is the best of the GW generals, she is pure card advantage, and considering the nature of the format, recurrable tutoring is something very valuable (the kind of thing you can do with Isochron Scepter and Eladamri's Call/other tutors).
Hall of the Bandit Lord has proven necessary in the DC meta, even if it routinely cuts my life by a 1/3 or more points; there are simply far too many tier 1 control decks that are a nightmare for Sisay who will absolutely 100% of the time have removal to kill (or, at the very least, bounce) her at instant speed. Which is why I've decided that Thousand-Year Elixir needs to be reconsidered. As for the inevitable life loss from the card, the sort of decks that are packing this much removal aren't putting that much early pressure on us, for the most part. Boseiju just doesn't interact with enough of our spells because it only provides colorless mana. Definitely not putting that back into the deck.
As for everything else suggested: it's just not going to cut it in the French meta. The more cards I jam into the deck that have to function as part of a multi-card combo, the harder I'll lose to the majority of tier 1 decks who are packing plenty of removal/counterspells to be able to snipe all my mana-intensive efforts. I used to think that Survival was super broken, but you'd be surprised how many games I've lost despite having it in play. Deckbuilders have gotten a lot better at answering things on the Cockatrice meta, for one, and secondly, they're murdering me way before I can get any backbreaking value out of Survival. It's still one of the best cards in the deck, no question about that, but it can't be "the card" that I build around. That role has to belong to Sisay.
I'm at work so don't have the decklist on me, but off the top of my head, these are the recent changes that have proven necessary as I've faced off against an overwhelming majority of blue-based control decks:
If I get into the long long grind with a control deck (pretty frequent, just given their goals), I'll most likely lose. In the arduous process, everything I play will be answered. It's just a fact. Unfortunately, Silence/Chant have not had the desired effect; although they do occasionally assist in resolving my key creatures (usually, Sisay), those spells are often henceforth vulnerable and are very often being removed before I can make any use of them. More often than not, Silence/Chant have to be used aggressively to stop my opponent from casting their general (this has especially come up with Geist, who I can't otherwise stop), who will basically shrug it off and then have mana open to hard counter your next plays. It's quite ugly.
Resolving hexproof creatures in these situations is almost certainly better (and has done well for me in the past when the meta has shifted towards blue dominance). As for the tech against Wanderer: meh. I don't have a lot of experience with this matchup, but I'm fairly confident that I can ramp with a greater/faster impact than Wanderer and have a bigger army in play before the cascading shows up on my radar. I suppose, anyway. Some decks can outrace Sisay in the ramp department, including dedicated elfball (though Linvala, lol), Iname, and Animar, but they're a breed of their own.
Here are some other changes that were just not pulling enough weight for the deck:
Without Silence/Chant, Scepter has to go. It was basically only ever effective 1/3 of the time it was in my hand, so that's pretty telling. Crypt is just plain useless in a lot of matchups, so I figured I'd replace it with the more versatile (and even useful on my own yard) Loaming Shaman. He's a beater, if nothing else, and another fairly easily tutorable means of hate against some really awful matchups (still have the absolute worst win % vs. Iname of all the decks).
My grievance with Elixir, in hindsight, was with the fact that it costs 3 mana and not 2. Well, we can't have it all. Nevertheless, the fact that it doesn't need to be equipped unlike Lightning Greaves means that my opponent's removal will still allow me a Sisay tutor--or two. Those situations where I tutor up both Cradle and Norn in the same turn and cast both are too tantalizing to pass up. This should be a good re-addition, I hope.
Again, with red receding and so many blue-based decks flooding the meta, it's more important than ever that I outrace my opponent and resolve early threats. I know that some of these will make you say "WTF," but let me just say preemptively that KotR hasn't worked for me AT ALL in recent memory. I don't resolve enough must answer threats, for starters, and she will assuredly be dealt with. But if she does get active? So what? I'm probably already going to win just by keeping Sisay on the board. Painter's Servant is self-evident for Magical Christmas Land reasons. Aura of Silence is a turn too slow for what I want out of it, and playing it doesn't advance my board at all (particularly in that "this should either protect Sisay or help ramp into Norn" sense). Beast Within is just sad, especially when I should be spending my mana on trying to win rather than trying not to lose.
As for all of the dorks above, they've proven themselves playable in the past (and for other decks currently in the meta), and they're less vulnerable than they once were. Yes, I've faced off against wraths (chiefly, TUTORS for wraths, bleh) in both Zur and Geist, but it's a risk we simply have to take. And annoyingly, even after upping the land count from 37 to 38 and plugging in all these mana dorks, land tutors, and +forests, I find myself mana screwed FAR too often (both in only having colorless mana and getting stuck on three mana with no dorks). Not sure what more I can add without seriously lowering the power level of the deck. =/
I think those were all the changes. I'm still not satisfied with the performance overall, but decks like Geist and Zur are winning tournaments for a reason (and oh so trendy right now). I'll update the OP sometime in the near future.
EDIT: Oh, right. Vesuva is back in. I'm running into a situation where I can pretty reliably get Cavern of Souls into play, resolve Sisay against control decks, and then... resolve nothing else. It makes me all of the sad. Realistically, I can adjust the gameplan to prioritize resolving Primeval Titan in these matchups and getting a copy of Cavern of Souls. In these longer games, I almost always have a second fatty in hand that really wants to resolve (Iona, anyone?). It's funny to even be typing all this out because it sounds absurd, but two Caverns could be the key to these matchups. ALL OF THE CAVERNS. Also, yes, even mono-blue decks run Cavern, so there's still that potential of copying your opponent's Cavern without having to worry about getting your tutor for your own countered. And oh my gosh, blowing up opposing Gaea's Cradles is so important. And doubling your manlands is nice. It will, however, forever suck that it comes into play tapped and generally a crappy card to draw in your first turn or two, but alas.
ALSO, someone the other night spectating my game remarked that Restoration Angel is too good not to run. Oh, without a doubt, it's a fantastic card, but when am I not tapped out and losing permanents right after casting them? Could you imagine trying to wait until you have 10 or 11 mana before casting Titan/Norn to try and protect it with Angel? A major no-go in this build, unfortunately.
I have a couple of suggestions:
- Given that you don't abuse survival chains, why not to include RIP or WoS&M, in the GY hate slot ?? It's a permanent effect and need an answer in the moment.
- Great Sable Stag sounds great against control, but given that it's not really that difficult to reach 6 mana with the deck, why not Gaea's Revenge instead?? Control decks need a wrath just to get rid of him.
- Aura of Silence is one of my favourite cards, along with Kataki, War's Wage put all the decks based on artifact ramp to shame. I play them both.
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Legacy Decks:
GBW NO Elves / Aggro Elves GBWU Combo Elves
EDH Decks:
Duel Commander: GG Thrun, the last Trolololol GG GW The Captain WG GWB Karadores BWG GWU Jenara UWG UWB Oloro-DD BWU
I have a couple of suggestions:
- Given that you don't abuse survival chains, why not to include RIP or WoS&M, in the GY hate slot ?? It's a permanent effect and need an answer in the moment.
- Great Sable Stag sounds great against control, but given that it's not really that difficult to reach 6 mana with the deck, why not Gaea's Revenge instead?? Control decks need a wrath just to get rid of him.
- Aura of Silence is one of my favourite cards, along with Kataki, War's Wage put all the decks based on artifact ramp to shame. I play them both.
I have to agree about Rofellos and Priest; my mana ramp effects should never have such big chance factors attached to them, and they have admittedly been let-downs just enough to warrant a re-balancing of +1 land effects (particularly because I've been having difficulty hitting land drops and getting enough colored mana again after retooling the deck almost entirely around elves). I think Rof/Priest and similar such cards would benefit from a deck that had room for swords or enough of an alt-gameplan to justify swords. But that path wasn't beating Tier 1 combo decks.
I'm rambling, but what I mean to say is that I definitely want more ramp effects in the deck. Being 1 mana or turn away from casting Norn or Iona before my opponent seals the deal on their end describes one too many games. I've been through phases where I want to have hateful answers to all the decks I have bad matchups with, but I have to admit in hindsight that the better route would have been to try to reach critical mass faster than my Tier 1 opponents (and, generally speaking, a faster Norn/Iona will make my matchups even more solid against Tier 2 decks).
Wild Growth made its way out of the deck, but probably deserves to be back in. I'll try that over Rofellos. I agree with Farseek deserving a slot, so I'll try that again over Priest.
And because I wouldn't be me if I weren't trying something obviously stupid, I'm going to be testing out Platinum Angel in place of Great Sable Stag. I figure, I'm pretty consistent at resolving Cavern of Souls and find myself wanting to name Angel often enough (especially against control decks), and the redundancy of Shroud effects makes Angel even more enticing. For what my deck does pretty consistently, Angel may be the "ultimate" silver bullet. It's not uncommon to find myself with a shrouded something that was tutored and be staring down lethal damage anyway. /shruuuuug, we'll see.
I'm going to veto playing more GY hate cards, even if Evergreen is one of my most frequent opponents. ;P I feel like 2's fine, and 3 was a crowd (especially when my GY hate cards kept coming up against non GY decks, blehhh). Without the throwback emphasis on enchantment tutoring, I'd rather not rely too much on toolbox enchantments again, anyway, especially when it would eat up a turn just to get one in my hand. Bad times.
On an unrelated note, I lost to a Sisay deck on Cockatrice. No, it wasn't my deck at all. Let's just say that maybe I've underestimated Birthing Pod. -_-
The best gy hate cards in Duel Commander (besides Scavenging Ooze) have to be Ground Seal and Relic of Progenitus due to the cantrip effect, so they aren't dead draws against other matches. Loaming Shaman is another option as the card no.4 because it's easily tutorable.
What do you think of Mangara ?? I miss him sometimes because it's the card you need. I'm thinking about including a Quirion Ranger or a Scryb Ranger, as they block Animar all the time and that deck is fastest than us, also their multiple clone effects make that Sisay doesn't last more than 1 turn alive.
The issue I see with omnath is that he essentially a 1/1 one-sided upwelling for 3. He doesnt have evasion and just dies to stuff. If you use Sisay, then I would guaranttee that there are better targets in just about every situation.
I used to run Omnath and over time he just never seemed good enough unless im using a mana outlet in conjunction.
@Riley: By DC meta, do you mean the District of Columbia?
In the recent french online tournament, the version I tried had great matchups against other aggro decks but horrible against U-based control decks unless Cavern of Souls was online. In addition to this, more grave hate is recommended and Humillity is a really pain to fight against. This is the list I presented:
Aura of Silence isn't really useful in French BL as it is when you are playing with the regular BL, same thing happens to Kataki, Null Rod and Stony Silence.
My suggestions:
+ Seal of Primordium
+ Stoneforge Mystic
+ Krosan Grip
+ Carpet of Flowers
+ Thalia
+ Loxodon Smiter
+ Loaming Shaman
+ Rest in Peace
+ Sword of Fire and Ice
+ Great Sable Stag
+ City of Solitude
+ Dosan
- Kataki
- Acidic Slime
- Aura of Silence
- Tithe
- Last Breath
- Null Rod
- Stony Silence
- Reveillark
- Eternal Witness
- Oblation
Just to contribute in the advancement of this primer.
I've been playing Captain Sisay as my one vs. one (french ban list) general for years now. Here's my current take on the deck...
In a recent tournament of 43 players, I managed to top the elimination rounds, but unfortunately I got beaten by Grand Arbiter Augustin IV in the semis. I will highly appreciate any comment on my current build.
Hey, kabuted and masd, thank you for keeping the Sisay dream alive. I've not been able to play at all this year due to time restraints, but I of course still have my deck and, at the very least, keep up with spoilers.
Looks like Blue/White is still a huge headache. kabuted, the two recent Selesyna cards really made my day and I'd definitely find a space for them: Voice of Resurgence and Skylasher. So aggressively costed, and they look so good at what they do. Just at a glance at tournament threads, Blue/White and just plain ole Blue continue to dominate top 8's, so I don't think there's much harm in having a few more cards to make those players have nightmares, cards that also carry Jitte and just beat face when needed.
In the end, I couldn't justify Tooth and Nail, and mass Land Desctruction (especially Cataclysm) had the effect of making my already bad matchups even worse (Thrax, GAA, Iname, etc.) and my good matchups win-more, so I'd recommend taking those out for more aggressive beaters. Limited Resources didn't really work for me, either. Faith's Fetters I really hate in French for the cost. I could never bring myself to try Afterlife, but another huge PITA for us is equipment based decks like Geist, so I never want my opponent to have another creature (which can't target Geist anyway). Speaking of, has anyone tried Renounce the Guilds? That one looks solid give the proliferation of Hexproof and lack of cheap answers for really strong multi-colored generals. Advent of the Wurm, anyone? Could work for the more zoo-oriented builds.
Quick hits: Kamahl tested either way too slow against Tier 1 or overkill for me against Tier 2. Duplicant was just too slow in general, as much as I love him. Also, the tempo loss from keeping Peacekeeper not-sacrificed made him unplayable against the best decks in the format, I think.
Alright, if I say anything more, I'm moving into talking out of my ass territory. I'm extremely out of the loop.
But I must say this much: WTF, Emmara Tandris?!? Considering some of the other extremely powerful Guild generals who were revealed, I was so pissed off to see that one—and yet another set go by with no G/W Planeswalker. I was sure it was a cruel joke at first.
Anyway, carry on! Sisay players, help out kabuted.
EDIT: Holy crap, Savage Summoning! I'm pretty sure we want this card. I've lost a ton of games where I had all the mana for days but just couldn't resolve Iona/Norn/Sun Titan through counters where playing them would have probably won me the game. I'd argue it's a must in the competitive meta.
cards that also carry Jitte and just beat face when needed.
I don't think Jitte is as good as it once was. I know I don't run it in Godo anymore, and I've heard other players thinking about removing it from their decks. That being said, it still may be worth it just because Selesnya doesn't have much in terms of creature removal.
Any two of the eighteen creatures!
EDH:
RNorin the WaryR <-Link! (Primer - Mono Red Control)
GUEdric, Spymaster of TrestUG <- Link! (Mini-Primer - Dredge)
Duel Commander:
WUGeist of Saint TraftUW <- Link! (Aggro-Control)
BGSkullbriar, the Walking GraveGB <- Link! (Aggro)
BUGDamia, Sage of StoneGUB <- Link! (Extinction Control)
Church of the Wary
Yep!
Almost 100% of the time that you have a tutor in hand, there's probably an evident target for it, even if your opponent has so far only played lands. If you ever find yourself uncertain about what to get based on your opponent withholding information (or just being screwed?), you can't go wrong with fatties (indeed, this is why I think Fierce Empath is worthwhile to us); it's usually a safe bet to tutor your titans. Not only that, but if you get the full 9 mana, Iona and Norn should beat most decks (in all liklihood, you've resolved some protection effects by this point, too). Even playing it for 7 when Iona is in hand to drop her two turns sooner can be the right play.
But yeah, it just depends on the board state. Sometimes you need to tutor up protection and utility, sometimes you desperately need a finisher. No, we don't have an evil Mikaeus/Triskelion combo, but I don't think one is necessary for that card. In any event, because T&N itself is not tutorable, it will factor into very very few games. It's mainly just an added redundancy for other creature tutors, likely to be replaced if, say, we get another efficient tutor like GSZ or Eladamri's Call. T&N is, sadly, too slow against the Tier 1 combo decks, so I'll be the first to admit that it's not always the creature tutor that you want to see.
My Captain Sisay Duel Commander Primer
Duel Commander Mega-Thread
There's always Summoner's Pact.
But the only fatty Summoner's Pact gets is Primeval Titan. /selesnyaproblems.
The one creature tutor I've never tested is Sylvan Tutor, but something about Sorcery speed and not enough draw in the deck and giving my opponent information just makes my soul hurt.
My Captain Sisay Duel Commander Primer
Duel Commander Mega-Thread
I loved the big zoo build posted, but Im not really convinced about playing 40 lands, considering that ramp spells provide better draws in the future. I'm currently trying 36, but 37 should be the optimum I guess. I'm trying to put my creature count between 25-30, putting enough pressure early to not depend heavily on Sisay to win, which happened to me in the past.
GBW NO Elves / Aggro Elves
GBWU Combo Elves
EDH Decks:
Duel Commander:
GG Thrun, the last Trolololol GG
GW The Captain WG
GWB Karadores BWG
GWU Jenara UWG
UWB Oloro-DD BWU
Regular EDH:
GBW Ghave the Enchanter WBG
I'm convinced! I've found room for Servant and NO and will be testing both. At it's worst, NO trades a mana elf for Prime Time, and untapping with an early Prime Time wins me games more often than not (especially given the high probability of protection, haste, or both).
I'm back and forth between 37 and 38 (currently at 37). There's way way way less pyroclasm and wrath effects post-Edric, so I'm going a little more risky and playing mana elves and leaning more on Gaea's Cradle again (hey, Ezuri and Rhys have been top 8ing lately, so they can't be all that crazy).
My Captain Sisay Duel Commander Primer
Duel Commander Mega-Thread
And here's the updated deck list as of 12/8/12:
1 Captain Sisay
Legends (7)
1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Saffi Eriksdotter
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Sigarda, Host of Herons
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
Creatures (19)
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Sylvan Safekeeper
1 Mother of Runes
1 Painter's Servant
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Bloom Tender
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Grand Abolisher
1 Fierce Empath
1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Loyal Retainers
1 Primeval Titan
1 Sun Titan
Artifact (6)
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Expedition Map
1 Isochron Scepter
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Lignify
1 Steely Resolve
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Sylvan Library
1 Aura Shards
1 Aura of Silence
1 Nevermore
1 Oblivion Ring
Instants (14)
1 Tithe
1 Mana Tithe
1 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Silence
1 Orim's Chant
1 Nature's Claim
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Crop Rotation
1 Selesnya Charm
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Beast Within
1 Krosan Grip
Sorceriers (6)
1 Steelshaper's Gift
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Sylvan Scrying
1 Nature's Lore
1 Three Visits
1 Natural Order
Legendary Lands (5)
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Eiganjo Castle
1 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Yavimaya Hollow
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
4 Snow-Covered Plains
4 Snow-Covered Forest
1 Command Tower
1 Savannah
1 Temple Garden
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Wooded Bastion
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Brushland
1 Razorverge Thicket
1 Reflecting Pool
1 City of Brass
1 Stirring Wildwood
1 Treetop Village
1 Windswept Heath
1 Flooded Strand
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Arid Mesa
1 Marsh Flats
1 Homeward Path
1 Wasteland
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Mutavault
1 Dryad Arbor
That said, the deck has seen some pretty major revisions as I've reintroduced old staples to the deck in the form of mana dorks that are safe to come out and play again, taking out the majority of the rampant growth effects. But that's not all! With much more testing to tease out my strongest/easiest win cons and with decks changing flavor to be more ramp-tastic and general-centric, changes have been made with that in mind. Namely, Sword of Fire and Ice has been removed, as it's completely irrelevant more often than not (and both Jitte and Elesh Norn do for me better what I'm trying to do with Fire and Ice, which is kill two power creatures). Although undeniably awesome, Elspeth, Knight-Errant really doesn't fit my deck and is kind of irrelevant against many of the best decks currently. I may be eating those words, but every spot is precious and she just doesn't synergize with what I'm trying to do.
Some notable additions in considering the meta change are Aura of Silence (to seriously combat ramp and to have yet another means of dealing with Oath/Humility/etc) and Isochron Scepter (which, when paired with some anti-control cards in Silence and Orim's Chant, can be a two card win combo against a slowed-down meta).
I've also updated the win % area. I'm at 58.67% wins overall, which, as you can see from the several 1-0s, would almost certainly be double the amounts in the W category if my opponent's didn't rage quit after the first round. To be sure, I'm only factoring in players who have French decks and have discarded any data in which someone with a multiplayer list was very insistent on playing and no one else was available. That said, I'm seeing more and more what Emether is referring to in that there's a sort of fine line among Duel Commander lovers between those who want to play Tier 1 decks (or at least Tier 1 tuning) and those who have no interest in winning tournaments but just enjoy competing in a fairly balanced meta with several pet cards. I don't mean the latter in a negative way, but just to illustrate that my matches seem to be engaging both DC player types almost evenly, so that's something to consider.
On an aside: with more elf decks cropping up where Edric used to be, we're getting better matchup chances overall because Linvala and Norn are just such a sure (and often very fast) beating for Ezuri and Rhys. So, yay for that.
38 lands seems to be a sweet spot, I guess? As I was saying to Kwiznek last night, I'm okay with getting land-screwed say, 1 in 10 games, but it seemed something like 2 in 3 games last night. I know, I have to look at the bigger picture, but it was still a scary night. If for whatever reason it seems that things are looking bleak in the amount of mana screw I'm experiencing, I'll have to find room for Land Tax again, even if it's not the most ideal card. Maybe I want Skullclamp again just because it's broken and trading dorks for cards is never a bad thing in the mid-late game, especially if they dig me through my lands quicker and into real threats. /shrug
You'll note that I've removed Tooth and Nail. To be honest, I don't remember when or why I did it, but I don't find myself missing it. Casting it is asking for a lot, entwined or not. I'm giving Natural Order a chance in its stead, because why not? Seems decent so far.
Anyway, I thought I'd also reiterate that I'm still quite convinced that Sisay is the most competitive overall G/W general. To anyone who loves the color combo and is stuck between picking Teeg or Rhys or even Sigarda, I strongly urge giving Sisay a try. She requires quite a bit more decisions (both in the multitude of ways there is to tutor cards and in what to include in the deck for your meta), but the payoff and effort is definitely worth it. She can steal games from multiple angles/angels and has more gas than any of the other G/W generals, so try her maybe?
My Captain Sisay Duel Commander Primer
Duel Commander Mega-Thread
- Selesnya Charm is too narrow, I would run Terastodon everyday over that card.
- While Isochron Scepter is a good card, I don't like the inclusion of cards like Silence or Orim's Chant, and why you don't include Karmic Guide and Reveillark ?? You can instant win with Survival.
GBW NO Elves / Aggro Elves
GBWU Combo Elves
EDH Decks:
Duel Commander:
GG Thrun, the last Trolololol GG
GW The Captain WG
GWB Karadores BWG
GWU Jenara UWG
UWB Oloro-DD BWU
Regular EDH:
GBW Ghave the Enchanter WBG
I seem to have uncannily bad luck with drawing not only one but ALL my fatties early on instead of mana, so the thought of adding Terastodon scares me, even having seen that be a great game-ending pair with a turn 3 Natural Order for others on Cockatrice. But that just might mean I'm not running enough mana dorks or something. Hard to say.
On Selesnya Charm: Admittedly, it's only slightly better than Last Breath (which was cut for being too narrow) because it has some options, but so far the options have been almost never flexed. I forgot to mention it, but I went ahead and cut Tariff (AGAIN) precisely because of the criticism of its narrowness, and that totally valid concern of "huh, this could have been a ramp card or threat but instead it's something that may or may not ever be used this match." Often when the fattie is cast, it has done it's damage (Wanderer, Griselbrand, Prime Time) or can't be targeted by this spell (Emrakul) so it certainly... is flimsy. Maybe I give Terastodon a chance in its spot?
I just don't feel very confident with that sort of change. The tell-tale sign of a B-Tier (or semi-casual) deck on Cockatrice is if someone draws two cards in a row that cost more than 4 mana. I hate to increase these odds. I'll have to think on this.
As for Isochron Scepter: You're probably right, but I find it too tantalizing not to test further. Silence/Chant are weird ones, too, and in most situations where I want to play them, I'm probably just better off putting Thrun back in the deck. I'll have to think about this, too.
The Guide/Reveillark/Entity/etc combo is just too mana intensive. If I've got Survival out, realistically I've only got a very few amount of turns to make it count before my opponent overwhelms me, so Survival will be cheating out Norn/Iona first and foremost. If I were to add another old-school combo, I would probably consider Stuffy Doll/Guilty Conscience again just because the pieces are fairly easy to tutor out and it's only 6 mana in total (with a not unreasonable expectation of haste). But I dunno. Combos are really hard to justify, especially if they're not centered around an easily recastable general (Iname, Animar).
I appreciate your suggestions. Maybe I'll give Terastadon a chance. I've actually never tested him for this deck...
My Captain Sisay Duel Commander Primer
Duel Commander Mega-Thread
And I would say Sisay is the best of the GW generals, she is pure card advantage, and considering the nature of the format, recurrable tutoring is something very valuable (the kind of thing you can do with Isochron Scepter and Eladamri's Call/other tutors).
GBW NO Elves / Aggro Elves
GBWU Combo Elves
EDH Decks:
Duel Commander:
GG Thrun, the last Trolololol GG
GW The Captain WG
GWB Karadores BWG
GWU Jenara UWG
UWB Oloro-DD BWU
Regular EDH:
GBW Ghave the Enchanter WBG
As for everything else suggested: it's just not going to cut it in the French meta. The more cards I jam into the deck that have to function as part of a multi-card combo, the harder I'll lose to the majority of tier 1 decks who are packing plenty of removal/counterspells to be able to snipe all my mana-intensive efforts. I used to think that Survival was super broken, but you'd be surprised how many games I've lost despite having it in play. Deckbuilders have gotten a lot better at answering things on the Cockatrice meta, for one, and secondly, they're murdering me way before I can get any backbreaking value out of Survival. It's still one of the best cards in the deck, no question about that, but it can't be "the card" that I build around. That role has to belong to Sisay.
I'm at work so don't have the decklist on me, but off the top of my head, these are the recent changes that have proven necessary as I've faced off against an overwhelming majority of blue-based control decks:
- Silence
- Orim's Chant
+ Thrun
+ Great Sable Stag
If I get into the long long grind with a control deck (pretty frequent, just given their goals), I'll most likely lose. In the arduous process, everything I play will be answered. It's just a fact. Unfortunately, Silence/Chant have not had the desired effect; although they do occasionally assist in resolving my key creatures (usually, Sisay), those spells are often henceforth vulnerable and are very often being removed before I can make any use of them. More often than not, Silence/Chant have to be used aggressively to stop my opponent from casting their general (this has especially come up with Geist, who I can't otherwise stop), who will basically shrug it off and then have mana open to hard counter your next plays. It's quite ugly.
Resolving hexproof creatures in these situations is almost certainly better (and has done well for me in the past when the meta has shifted towards blue dominance). As for the tech against Wanderer: meh. I don't have a lot of experience with this matchup, but I'm fairly confident that I can ramp with a greater/faster impact than Wanderer and have a bigger army in play before the cascading shows up on my radar. I suppose, anyway. Some decks can outrace Sisay in the ramp department, including dedicated elfball (though Linvala, lol), Iname, and Animar, but they're a breed of their own.
Here are some other changes that were just not pulling enough weight for the deck:
- Isochron Scepter
- Tormod's Crypt
+ Thousand-Year Elixir
+ Loaming Shaman
Without Silence/Chant, Scepter has to go. It was basically only ever effective 1/3 of the time it was in my hand, so that's pretty telling. Crypt is just plain useless in a lot of matchups, so I figured I'd replace it with the more versatile (and even useful on my own yard) Loaming Shaman. He's a beater, if nothing else, and another fairly easily tutorable means of hate against some really awful matchups (still have the absolute worst win % vs. Iname of all the decks).
My grievance with Elixir, in hindsight, was with the fact that it costs 3 mana and not 2. Well, we can't have it all. Nevertheless, the fact that it doesn't need to be equipped unlike Lightning Greaves means that my opponent's removal will still allow me a Sisay tutor--or two. Those situations where I tutor up both Cradle and Norn in the same turn and cast both are too tantalizing to pass up. This should be a good re-addition, I hope.
And some further changes:
- Beast Within
- Knight of the Reliquary
- Aura of Silence
- Painter's Servant
+ Arbor Elf
+ Boreal Druid
+ Weathered wayfarer
+ Priest of Titania
Again, with red receding and so many blue-based decks flooding the meta, it's more important than ever that I outrace my opponent and resolve early threats. I know that some of these will make you say "WTF," but let me just say preemptively that KotR hasn't worked for me AT ALL in recent memory. I don't resolve enough must answer threats, for starters, and she will assuredly be dealt with. But if she does get active? So what? I'm probably already going to win just by keeping Sisay on the board. Painter's Servant is self-evident for Magical Christmas Land reasons. Aura of Silence is a turn too slow for what I want out of it, and playing it doesn't advance my board at all (particularly in that "this should either protect Sisay or help ramp into Norn" sense). Beast Within is just sad, especially when I should be spending my mana on trying to win rather than trying not to lose.
As for all of the dorks above, they've proven themselves playable in the past (and for other decks currently in the meta), and they're less vulnerable than they once were. Yes, I've faced off against wraths (chiefly, TUTORS for wraths, bleh) in both Zur and Geist, but it's a risk we simply have to take. And annoyingly, even after upping the land count from 37 to 38 and plugging in all these mana dorks, land tutors, and +forests, I find myself mana screwed FAR too often (both in only having colorless mana and getting stuck on three mana with no dorks). Not sure what more I can add without seriously lowering the power level of the deck. =/
I think those were all the changes. I'm still not satisfied with the performance overall, but decks like Geist and Zur are winning tournaments for a reason (and oh so trendy right now). I'll update the OP sometime in the near future.
EDIT: Oh, right. Vesuva is back in. I'm running into a situation where I can pretty reliably get Cavern of Souls into play, resolve Sisay against control decks, and then... resolve nothing else. It makes me all of the sad. Realistically, I can adjust the gameplan to prioritize resolving Primeval Titan in these matchups and getting a copy of Cavern of Souls. In these longer games, I almost always have a second fatty in hand that really wants to resolve (Iona, anyone?). It's funny to even be typing all this out because it sounds absurd, but two Caverns could be the key to these matchups. ALL OF THE CAVERNS. Also, yes, even mono-blue decks run Cavern, so there's still that potential of copying your opponent's Cavern without having to worry about getting your tutor for your own countered. And oh my gosh, blowing up opposing Gaea's Cradles is so important. And doubling your manlands is nice. It will, however, forever suck that it comes into play tapped and generally a crappy card to draw in your first turn or two, but alas.
ALSO, someone the other night spectating my game remarked that Restoration Angel is too good not to run. Oh, without a doubt, it's a fantastic card, but when am I not tapped out and losing permanents right after casting them? Could you imagine trying to wait until you have 10 or 11 mana before casting Titan/Norn to try and protect it with Angel? A major no-go in this build, unfortunately.
My Captain Sisay Duel Commander Primer
Duel Commander Mega-Thread
- Vesuva in --> Cavern is too powerful.
- Thrun in --> I even have a deck with him as a general.
I don't agree with Rofellos in the MD, not even Priest of Titania or Arbor Elf: they happen to be too conditional to add a lot of mana, I'm still preferring 1cc mana dorks and 2cc ramp spells (got rid of Cultivate and Kodama's Reach, added Three visits and Farseek).
I have a couple of suggestions:
- Given that you don't abuse survival chains, why not to include RIP or WoS&M, in the GY hate slot ?? It's a permanent effect and need an answer in the moment.
- Great Sable Stag sounds great against control, but given that it's not really that difficult to reach 6 mana with the deck, why not Gaea's Revenge instead?? Control decks need a wrath just to get rid of him.
- Aura of Silence is one of my favourite cards, along with Kataki, War's Wage put all the decks based on artifact ramp to shame. I play them both.
GBW NO Elves / Aggro Elves
GBWU Combo Elves
EDH Decks:
Duel Commander:
GG Thrun, the last Trolololol GG
GW The Captain WG
GWB Karadores BWG
GWU Jenara UWG
UWB Oloro-DD BWU
Regular EDH:
GBW Ghave the Enchanter WBG
I have to agree about Rofellos and Priest; my mana ramp effects should never have such big chance factors attached to them, and they have admittedly been let-downs just enough to warrant a re-balancing of +1 land effects (particularly because I've been having difficulty hitting land drops and getting enough colored mana again after retooling the deck almost entirely around elves). I think Rof/Priest and similar such cards would benefit from a deck that had room for swords or enough of an alt-gameplan to justify swords. But that path wasn't beating Tier 1 combo decks.
I'm rambling, but what I mean to say is that I definitely want more ramp effects in the deck. Being 1 mana or turn away from casting Norn or Iona before my opponent seals the deal on their end describes one too many games. I've been through phases where I want to have hateful answers to all the decks I have bad matchups with, but I have to admit in hindsight that the better route would have been to try to reach critical mass faster than my Tier 1 opponents (and, generally speaking, a faster Norn/Iona will make my matchups even more solid against Tier 2 decks).
Wild Growth made its way out of the deck, but probably deserves to be back in. I'll try that over Rofellos. I agree with Farseek deserving a slot, so I'll try that again over Priest.
And because I wouldn't be me if I weren't trying something obviously stupid, I'm going to be testing out Platinum Angel in place of Great Sable Stag. I figure, I'm pretty consistent at resolving Cavern of Souls and find myself wanting to name Angel often enough (especially against control decks), and the redundancy of Shroud effects makes Angel even more enticing. For what my deck does pretty consistently, Angel may be the "ultimate" silver bullet. It's not uncommon to find myself with a shrouded something that was tutored and be staring down lethal damage anyway. /shruuuuug, we'll see.
I'm going to veto playing more GY hate cards, even if Evergreen is one of my most frequent opponents. ;P I feel like 2's fine, and 3 was a crowd (especially when my GY hate cards kept coming up against non GY decks, blehhh). Without the throwback emphasis on enchantment tutoring, I'd rather not rely too much on toolbox enchantments again, anyway, especially when it would eat up a turn just to get one in my hand. Bad times.
On an unrelated note, I lost to a Sisay deck on Cockatrice. No, it wasn't my deck at all. Let's just say that maybe I've underestimated Birthing Pod. -_-
My Captain Sisay Duel Commander Primer
Duel Commander Mega-Thread
What do you think of Mangara ?? I miss him sometimes because it's the card you need. I'm thinking about including a Quirion Ranger or a Scryb Ranger, as they block Animar all the time and that deck is fastest than us, also their multiple clone effects make that Sisay doesn't last more than 1 turn alive.
GBW NO Elves / Aggro Elves
GBWU Combo Elves
EDH Decks:
Duel Commander:
GG Thrun, the last Trolololol GG
GW The Captain WG
GWB Karadores BWG
GWU Jenara UWG
UWB Oloro-DD BWU
Regular EDH:
GBW Ghave the Enchanter WBG
- Worldly Tutor
- Fierce Empath
- Stoneforge Mystic package (along with Steelshaper's Gift, Umezawa's Jitte & Lightning Greaves)
1 Captain Sisay
Legendary Creatures
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Saffi Eriksdotter
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Dosan, the Falling Leaf
1 Mangara of Corondor
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Sigarda, Host of Herons
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
Non-Legendary Creatures
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Ulvenwald Tracker
1 Mother of Runes
1 Painter's Servant
1 Scryb Ranger
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Fiend Hunter
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Loyal Retainers
1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Eternal Witness
1 Academy Rector
1 Karmic Guide
1 Reveillark
1 Primeval Titan
1 Terastodon
1 Wild Growth
1 Land Tax
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Stony Silence
1 Lignify
1 Sterling Grove
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Sylvan Library
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Aura of Silence
1 Nevermore
1 Living Plane
Non-Legendary Artifacts
1 Expedition Map
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Null Rod
Sorceries
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Three Visits
1 Nature's Lore
1 Farseek
1 Sylvan Scrying
1 Idyllic Tutor
1 Natural Order
Instants
1 Tithe
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Nature's Claim
1 Sword to Plowshares
1 Path to Exile
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Oblation
1 Beast Within
Legendary Lands
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
1 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Eiganjo Castle
1 Kor Haven
4 Forests
3 Plains
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Flooded Strand
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Marsh Flats
1 Arid Mesa
1 Savannah
1 Temple Garden
1 Wooded Bastion
1 Razorverge Thicket
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Command Tower
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Vesuva
1 High Market
1 Homeward Path
1 Maze of Ith
1 Wasteland
1 Rishadan Port
1 Stirring Wildwood
1 Treetop Village
GBW NO Elves / Aggro Elves
GBWU Combo Elves
EDH Decks:
Duel Commander:
GG Thrun, the last Trolololol GG
GW The Captain WG
GWB Karadores BWG
GWU Jenara UWG
UWB Oloro-DD BWU
Regular EDH:
GBW Ghave the Enchanter WBG
I think it's a well occupied slot, he aggros, he ramps, he gets tutored.
I used to run Omnath and over time he just never seemed good enough unless im using a mana outlet in conjunction.
@Riley: By DC meta, do you mean the District of Columbia?
540 Peasant cube- Gold EditionSomething SpicyGBW NO Elves / Aggro Elves
GBWU Combo Elves
EDH Decks:
Duel Commander:
GG Thrun, the last Trolololol GG
GW The Captain WG
GWB Karadores BWG
GWU Jenara UWG
UWB Oloro-DD BWU
Regular EDH:
GBW Ghave the Enchanter WBG
no use for aura shards?
aka we use this rules
Duel Commander
URG [Primer] Maelstrom Wanderer [Primer] URG
Duel Commander Current Projects:
RGWMarath, Will of the WildRGW
BRXMogis, God of SlaughterBRX
RWxIoras, God of VictoryRWx
WBxAthreos, God of PassageWBx
Created By: DarkNightCavalier
1 Captain Sisay
Legendary Creatures
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Saffi Eriksdotter
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Mangara of Corondor
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Sigarda, Host of Herons
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
Non-Legendary Creatures
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Ulvenwald Tracker
1 Mother of Runes
1 Painter's Servant
1 Grand Abolisher
1 Scryb Ranger
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Fiend Hunter
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Loyal Retainers
1 Eternal Witness
1 Acidic Slime
1 Karmic Guide
1 Reveillark
1 Primeval Titan
1 Sun Titan
1 Terastodon
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Stony Silence
1 Lignify
1 Sterling Grove
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Sylvan Library
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Aura of Silence
1 Nevermore
1 Living Plane
Legendary Artifacts
1 Umezawa's Jitte
Non-Legendary Artifacts
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Expedition Map
1 Null Rod
1 Lightning Greaves
Sorceries
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Three Visits
1 Nature's Lore
1 Farseek
1 Sylvan Scrying
1 Idyllic Tutor
1 Natural Order
Instants
1 Tithe
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Nature's Claim
1 Sword to Plowshares
1 Path to Exile
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Last Breath
1 Oblation
1 Beast Within
Legendary Lands
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
1 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Eiganjo Castle
1 Kor Haven
3 Forests
3 Plains
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Flooded Strand
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Marsh Flats
1 Arid Mesa
1 Savannah
1 Temple Garden
1 Wooded Bastion
1 Razorverge Thicket
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Brushland
1 Command Tower
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Vesuva
1 City of Brass
1 Homeward Path
1 Maze of Ith
1 Wasteland
1 Rishadan Port
1 Stirring Wildwood
1 Treetop Village
Aura of Silence isn't really useful in French BL as it is when you are playing with the regular BL, same thing happens to Kataki, Null Rod and Stony Silence.
My suggestions:
+ Seal of Primordium
+ Stoneforge Mystic
+ Krosan Grip
+ Carpet of Flowers
+ Thalia
+ Loxodon Smiter
+ Loaming Shaman
+ Rest in Peace
+ Sword of Fire and Ice
+ Great Sable Stag
+ City of Solitude
+ Dosan
- Kataki
- Acidic Slime
- Aura of Silence
- Tithe
- Last Breath
- Null Rod
- Stony Silence
- Reveillark
- Eternal Witness
- Oblation
GBW NO Elves / Aggro Elves
GBWU Combo Elves
EDH Decks:
Duel Commander:
GG Thrun, the last Trolololol GG
GW The Captain WG
GWB Karadores BWG
GWU Jenara UWG
UWB Oloro-DD BWU
Regular EDH:
GBW Ghave the Enchanter WBG
I've been playing Captain Sisay as my one vs. one (french ban list) general for years now. Here's my current take on the deck...
In a recent tournament of 43 players, I managed to top the elimination rounds, but unfortunately I got beaten by Grand Arbiter Augustin IV in the semis. I will highly appreciate any comment on my current build.
1 Captain Sisay
Creatures
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Boreal Druid
1 Duplicant
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Eternal Witness
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Grand Abolisher
1 Harmonic Sliver
1 Hokori, Dust Drinker
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
1 Karmic Guide
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Loyal Retainers
1 Mother of Runes
1 Painter's Servant
1 Peacekeeper
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Reveillark
1 Saffi Eriksdotter
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Sun Titan
1 Sylvan Safekeeper
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Umezawa's Jitte
Enchantments
1 Aura Shards
1 Defense of the Heart
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Lignify
1 Limited Resources
1 Nevermore
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Sylvan Library
1 Utopia Sprawl
1 Wild Growth
Instants
1 Afterlife
1 Beast Within
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Wordly Tutor
Sorceries
1 Armageddon
1 Austere Command
1 Cataclysm
1 Idyllic Tutor
1 Life from the Loam
1 Sylvan Scrying
1 Tooth and Nail
Lands
1 Arid Mesa
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 Brushland
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Command Tower
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Eiganjo Castle
1 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Flooded Strand
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 Homeward Path
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Kor Haven
1 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Savannah
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Temple Garden
1 Wasteland
1 Windswepth Heath
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Wooded Bastion
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Yavimaya Hollow
7 Forest
4 Plains
Looks like Blue/White is still a huge headache. kabuted, the two recent Selesyna cards really made my day and I'd definitely find a space for them: Voice of Resurgence and Skylasher. So aggressively costed, and they look so good at what they do. Just at a glance at tournament threads, Blue/White and just plain ole Blue continue to dominate top 8's, so I don't think there's much harm in having a few more cards to make those players have nightmares, cards that also carry Jitte and just beat face when needed.
In the end, I couldn't justify Tooth and Nail, and mass Land Desctruction (especially Cataclysm) had the effect of making my already bad matchups even worse (Thrax, GAA, Iname, etc.) and my good matchups win-more, so I'd recommend taking those out for more aggressive beaters. Limited Resources didn't really work for me, either. Faith's Fetters I really hate in French for the cost. I could never bring myself to try Afterlife, but another huge PITA for us is equipment based decks like Geist, so I never want my opponent to have another creature (which can't target Geist anyway). Speaking of, has anyone tried Renounce the Guilds? That one looks solid give the proliferation of Hexproof and lack of cheap answers for really strong multi-colored generals. Advent of the Wurm, anyone? Could work for the more zoo-oriented builds.
Quick hits: Kamahl tested either way too slow against Tier 1 or overkill for me against Tier 2. Duplicant was just too slow in general, as much as I love him. Also, the tempo loss from keeping Peacekeeper not-sacrificed made him unplayable against the best decks in the format, I think.
Alright, if I say anything more, I'm moving into talking out of my ass territory. I'm extremely out of the loop.
But I must say this much: WTF, Emmara Tandris?!? Considering some of the other extremely powerful Guild generals who were revealed, I was so pissed off to see that one—and yet another set go by with no G/W Planeswalker. I was sure it was a cruel joke at first.
Anyway, carry on! Sisay players, help out kabuted.
EDIT: Holy crap, Savage Summoning! I'm pretty sure we want this card. I've lost a ton of games where I had all the mana for days but just couldn't resolve Iona/Norn/Sun Titan through counters where playing them would have probably won me the game. I'd argue it's a must in the competitive meta.
My Captain Sisay Duel Commander Primer
Duel Commander Mega-Thread
I don't think Jitte is as good as it once was. I know I don't run it in Godo anymore, and I've heard other players thinking about removing it from their decks. That being said, it still may be worth it just because Selesnya doesn't have much in terms of creature removal.
Really? Selesnya has plenty of ways to deal with artifacts/enchantments. I can't imagine that you're losing these matchups due to the equipments.
@ kabuted:
What's Painter's Servant doing in there? Is it just for Iona? I must be missing something...