I'm looking at the decks on mtgtop8.com for French Duel Commander, and I'm looking to make a Selvala, Heart of the Wilds mono-green elfball deck, so big creatures will be the name of the game. I have a decklist from the site of what I'm looking to build, and it's going to cost around $400 to put together. I know this is already considered "budget" for this format, but I want to build something along the same lines that's cheaper than that.. maybe $100-$200 so that I can have a playable deck in a couple months, as opposed to buying every card for the finished deck and not playing until I have them all. I know certain things are necessary for the deck to function, but I don't know which expensive cards are absolutely necessary, and what I can replace the ones I can replace with. Dark Depths can be replaced pretty easily with just another forest, a Treetop Village or a Pendelhaven. The decklist does not have Cavern of Souls in it.. I may add that too eventually, bringing the price of the deck to $500... or I can change to snow forests, and because Dark Depths is also snow, and so is Boreal Druid I might put in Mouth of Ronom and Scrying Sheets. I know Selvala herself is expensive, but that cost is already a given. Besides Selvala and Dark Depths, these are the cards in the deck that are currently over $10:
I know that ramp, big creatures and being able to tutor for what you need are key to this strategy, but finding creatures to fit the deck and preserve the mana curve is eluding me, as is how many tutors and which ones absolutely can't be cut. Any help in this is greatly appreciated.
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"Cut it down, bury it in the snow, put it to the torch. The rose will still bloom again."
Even this deck seems a little weak. I lose miserably to Arahbo, and if someone steals Selvala, or uses Lignify or Darksteel Mutation on her then I'm pretty much toast. Not so sure how it will fare against control decks, Saskia the Unyielding, and Najeela, the Blade-Blossom which is pretty much what my meta is. Any suggestions on how to update this list, without making the deck cost more than it does ($400 US)? Also, I already play Kari Zev, Skyship Raider. Would Selvala be as good as her in my local meta? Also, should I add a snow-covered land, Mouth of Ronom, Scrying Sheets package?
There is no such thing as budget in Duel-Commander. This format is an incredibly strong one, and a budget brew while trying to be competitive is nothing more than a farce. A pipe dream. Ironically, the cheapest deck that is mainstream viable at the top one percent of performance, is the all-in-red that you started. But you can't eschew budget, those pricey cards make the deck what it is for a reason.
If you're serious about playing DC...you should stop by my Kari Zev primer and we'll get you tuned up so you can compete. Spoiler alert: it'll be cheaper than what you're looking at for a top-of-the-line Selvala 2.0 deck.
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Emrakul, the Promised End
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Phyrexian Dreadnought
1 Primeval Titan
1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary - (might replace this with Elvish Archdruid or Wall of Roots)
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Tireless Tracker
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
1 Chord of Calling
1 Tooth and Nail
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Birthing Pod
1 Hall of Gemstone
1 Staff of Domination
I know that ramp, big creatures and being able to tutor for what you need are key to this strategy, but finding creatures to fit the deck and preserve the mana curve is eluding me, as is how many tutors and which ones absolutely can't be cut. Any help in this is greatly appreciated.
RWArchangel Avacyn, GWNazahn, Revered Bladesmith, RKari Zev, Skyship Raider (French Duel)
Wirewood Lodge
Great Oak Guardian
Oblivion Sower
Yisan, The Wanderer Bard
Phyrexian Soulgorger
Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar
Elvish Archdruid
Prowling Serpopard
Courser of Kruphix
World Breaker
Summoning Trap
Eldritch Evolution
Fierce Empath
Traverse The Ulvenwald
Elvish Spirit Guide
Heroes' Bane
1 Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
LANDS
1 Crystal Vein
1 Dark Depths
1 Eye of Ugin
31 Forest
1 Hickory Woodlot
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Thespian's Stage
1 Wirewood Lodge
CREATURES
1 Arbor Elf
1 Arborback Stomper
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Boreal Druid
1 Chameleon Colossus
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Devoted Druid
1 Elderscale Wurm
1 Elvish Mystic
1 Emrakul, the Promised End
1 Eternal Witness
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Fierce Empath
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Great Sable Stag
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Mistcutter Hydra
1 Myr Superion
1 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
1 Obstinate Baloth
1 Phyrexian Dreadnought
1 Phyrexian Soulgorger
1 Polukranos, World Eater
1 Priest of Titania
1 Primalcrux
1 Primeval Titan
1 Quirion Ranger
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Regal Force
1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Sheltering Ancient
1 Surrak, the Hunt Caller
1 Sylvan Caryatid
1 Sylvan Primordial
1 Thragtusk
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Thunderfoot Baloth
1 Tireless Tracker
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
1 Verdurous Gearhulk
1 Wirewood Symbiote
1 Woodland Bellower
1 World Breaker
1 Aspect of Hydra
1 Chord of Calling
1 Eldritch Evolution
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Primal Command
1 Summoner's Pact
1 Tooth and Nail
1 Worldly Tutor
OTHER SPELLS
1 Birthing Pod
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
1 Hall of Gemstone
1 Skullclamp
1 Song of the Dryads
1 Staff of Domination
1 Umbral Mantle
1 Wild Growth
Even this deck seems a little weak. I lose miserably to Arahbo, and if someone steals Selvala, or uses Lignify or Darksteel Mutation on her then I'm pretty much toast. Not so sure how it will fare against control decks, Saskia the Unyielding, and Najeela, the Blade-Blossom which is pretty much what my meta is. Any suggestions on how to update this list, without making the deck cost more than it does ($400 US)? Also, I already play Kari Zev, Skyship Raider. Would Selvala be as good as her in my local meta? Also, should I add a snow-covered land, Mouth of Ronom, Scrying Sheets package?
RWArchangel Avacyn, GWNazahn, Revered Bladesmith, RKari Zev, Skyship Raider (French Duel)
If you're serious about playing DC...you should stop by my Kari Zev primer and we'll get you tuned up so you can compete. Spoiler alert: it'll be cheaper than what you're looking at for a top-of-the-line Selvala 2.0 deck.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.