MTG Salvation

Yes, you've read this right. This Zegana deck differs from all the other in that it runs only PERMANENT cards except for Primal Surge, thus the name. It assembled shortly after Gatecrash release and already changed a few times. This is the latest iteration of it and I'm sure it will change more if I'll aquire cards I need. Here I go:


This Zegana wins in three ways:

1. Self mill/draw a library - either by resolving Primal Surge or drawing/milling whole deck with the help of Zegana and some engine into Laboratory Maniac. This can be achieved even without infinite mana.
2. Combo - Palinchron + Deadeye/Phantasmal Image and Food Chain + Misthollow Griffin produce infinite mana to be used for anything like drawing a deck (see point 1) or destroying/bouncing all permanents.
3. Aggro-Control - there are over 50 creatures waiting to be send into a red zone and while most of them are small their numer makes a difference. While doing damage we can control our opponents with multiple creature-based counters and bounce.

To achieve victory one must prevent his opponents from doing the same and prepare a ground for own operations. Having all-permanent deck may seem like a liability but luckly both green and blue creatures give all sorts of tools to make it happen.

1. Ramp - green has quite a lot of cheap, mana-producing or land-searching creatures preparing ground for beefer and more expensive stuff. There are 15 ramp creatures backed up by 2 artifacts and Food Chain to provide that early ramp (CMC 3 or less) so this deck can have some explosive starts leading to combo or board control.
2. Tutors - tutoring with permanents is kind of difficult but possible by all means. Real winners here are Vedalken Aethermage (tutor for Prophet, Teferi and Venser among the others), Fauna Shaman (getting Dead-Pal combo), Tezzeret (Masticore, Pod, Metamorph) and lousy Drift of Phantasms (Food Chain for the win).
3. Answers - Prophet, Teferi and Refugee allow playing some stuff at instant speed which protects against sorcery board wipes and enables both reactive and proactive play. Given flash, some creatures become real monsters. Spike Weaver gives tripple fog effect, Witness restocks stuff to be flashed in again, Man-o'-War bounces, Duplicant kills, Bane destroys, Sower steals and Primordial can use opponents' stuff to blow up the world. The big winner here is Temur Sabertooth, especially paired with Prophet - the best creature in deck.
4. Protection - some creatures like Snake, Venser or Husher allow saying NO to opposing spells and abilities without resorting to instants. There are total eight permission permanents (including Chimera) not to mention possibility of bouncing and copying them. Teferi and Gargoyle can create soft locks for decks reliant on instants and sorcery spells, disabling opposing combos and protecting our own.

How to play Primal Zegana? Simply - cast ramp creatures, durdle a little threating with an aggro, counter and remove something and finally search for one or more combo pieces and win. The most interesting games come from resolving Prophet and battling a whole table united to take us down while getting enormous card advantage with Zegana's draw.

My local group sees this as a more player friendly deck so I can play it without becoming archenemy on the spot because this deck has no early power plays - it's strength lies in a mid-late game. When I have time I'll give you more detailed strategy of how to use this deck to the fullest.

Updated the list.
Changes:
- Zameck Guildmage - counter shenaningans aren't that great
- Scavenging Ooze - great creature but many times useless and hard to tutor for (only with a Shaman)
- Mindless Automaton - Zegana provides all the draw I need
- Tradewind Rider - too slow without haste
- Yeva, Nature's Herald - Prophet's better
- Seedborn Muze - as above, but may return some day
- Fanthom Sage - too slow and unreliable
- Kamahl, Fist of Krosa - amassing creatures without comboing is rare
- Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger - don't need so many mana and draws hate
- Craterhoof Behemoth - see Kamahl
- Woodfall Primus - slow
- Simic Keyrune - prefer mana creature in its place
- Bear Umbra - I rarely attack
- Greater Good - most of my creatures are small now
- Llanowar Reborn - works one time only
- Wood Sage - kind of useless without a top manipulation

+ Willbender - targetting protection
+ Voidmage Prodigy - counterspell and sac outlet for Zegana
+ Dawntreader Elk - more ramp
+ Yavimaya Elder - good stuff
+ Drift of Phantasms - Food Chain tutor
+ Master Thief - Sower's companion
+ Glen Elendra Archmage - couterspell of stick
+ Sakashima Student - clone is always useful; bounces ETB creatures
+ Wickerbough Elder - answer to Torpor Orb
+ Ixidron - mass removal
+ Prophet of Kruphix - most broken Simic creature
+ Cloudthresher - big, flashy body for Zegana's draw
+ Nullstone Gargoyle - doubles opponents' need for removal, protects against counters
+ Perilous Forays - ramp and sac engine in one
+ Decree of Silence - ultimate control
+ Riptide Laboratory - bounces Zegana and other ETB wizards

I'm almost suprised of this deck's win ratio - about or even over 80%. In the last 8 games I lost only once and only because of some mass removal and Sunder casted in short succession. If I get Food Chain or Prophet of Kruphix online it is almost impossible to stop the flow of creatures - for either combo or full control over a table.

Changes (01/01/2014):
- Voidmage Prodigy - it's too color intensive and I need every blue I have most turns
- Leyline of Anticipation - rarely gets cast and having it at opening hand is even more rare
- Garruk Wildspeaker - rarely useful and the aggro is less frequent than combo
- Decree of Silence - I'd rather cast a creature then keep 6 mana open; also hardcasting it is... hard and Teferi gives all the protection I need
- Moldgraph Monstrosity - not many sac outlets to make it useful and random clause is a nuissance
- Terrastodon - resource denial is not that needed here even if it has 9 power for Zegana
- Ixidron - while being one of the best creature based "removal" it can fold my plans when flipped from Primal Surge into a table full of important creatures. I cannot risk it.
- Yavimaya Elder - it costs 5 mana to get 3 cards, two of them being lands.

+ Phantasmal Image - more clones, more ETB fun; comboes with Palinchron
+ Barrin, Master Wizard - ultimate bouncing machine; with so many creatures it will never run out of permanents to sac
+ Oracle of Mul Daya - more ramp and helps dropping excessive lands
+ Azami, Lady of Scrolls - broken with Prophet and other wizards
+ Diluvian Primordial - gives a lot of options depending on graveyard contents
+ Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger - more mana for combo, especially with Palinchron
+ Oblivion Stone - removal in place of Ixodron, can be searched with Tezzeret
+ Sylvan Ranger - little more ramp

Now the list is pretty much optimal and waiting only for new cards to test.

Really fun deck to play. What about one of the ultimate green goodstuffs, Sylvan Library?

Also, Birds of Paradise, Sylvan Caryatid both seem like better options than Sylvan Ranger.

Big list update. Deck became much faster and controllish by including cheap mana dorks and some new toys from latest sets.
Changes (2014 - Oct 2015):
Dawntreader Elk -> Arbor Elf - it's faster
Sylvan Ranger -> Birds of Paradise - as above
Master Thief -> Reclamation Sage - I prefer to destroy artifacts for good than steal them temporarily
Nevermaker -> Stratus Dancer - I have enough bounce already and one more disruption won't hurt (me)
Oracle of Mul Daya -> Elvish Mystic - faster ramp is better
Sakashima's Student -> Kiora's Follower - I don't need this many clones but I need ramp
Acidic Slime -> Bane of Progress - obvious upgrade
Golgari Grave-Troll -> Joraga Treespeaker - ditched graveyard theme...
Genesis -> Llanowar Elves - ... and replaced it with more ramp
Kessig Cagebreakers -> Temur Sabertooth - this little kitty gives more than a whole pack of wolves
Mulldrifter -> Perplexing Chimera - great control element and I have Zegana to draw cards
Deadwood Treefolk -> Riptide Shapeshifter - I prefer to tutor for a wincon than to wait for someone to kill my stuff
Cloudthresher -> Shaman of Forgotten Ways - both ramp and wincon is better than simple fat
Draining Whelk -> Voidmage Apprentice - cheaper counter is better
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger -> Terastodon - rarely played him and Terry can wreck lands
Oblivion Stone -> Seedborn Muse - I usually don't want to wipe a table and Muse gives me open mana for flashing things in
Perilous Forays -> Garruk Wildspeaker - better ramp as it doesn't kill my creatures and can overrun some dorks into lethal

Changes I'm considering:
Nullstone Gargoyle -> Void Winnower - opponents more often than not have some spells to burn before casting ones that matter and Winnower can block them entirely
Deadeye Navigator, Palinchron -> ??? - thinking about removing this combo entirely as use it less and less often