Thanks for the reply. I would definitely consider the Null Rod, Stifle, Trickbind package if my group ran more graveyard hate, but the reality is that I don't need it at this point.
As for Deed, Damnation, LftL and Survival, those are all cards that I am looking to acquire whenever I get the chance. Their price tags are fairly high so I'm looking to aquire them through trading. Those are the kind of cards that I consider to be long-term wants. I'm definitely pick them up if I see them.
Would Fauna Shaman be worth using until I can obtain a Survival, or is it too slow / vulnerable?
You're lucky to not have to fight through so much hate. I have found that Null Rod is a funnily annoying card to play against for many decks.
If you play Necrotic Ooze, Fauna Shaman is definitely worth running, as you can use her even if she's dead.
How has the deck been treating you so far?
Ardeyn
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- A single spark of passion can change a man forever. -
I recently just built Mimeoplasm. Maybe you can consider Birthing Pod if you decide have more creatures(e.g mana dorks/creature ramp and utility creatures)
Dissipate can be change to Forbid, you can dump creatures to the grave using the buyback.
You're lucky to not have to fight through so much hate. I have found that Null Rod is a funnily annoying card to play against for many decks.
If you play Necrotic Ooze, Fauna Shaman is definitely worth running, as you can use her even if she's dead.
How has the deck been treating you so far?
Ardeyn
I have definitely thought about running Necrotic Ooze, but I currently only run two creatures with activated abilities, so I can't see it being very useful. If I end up adding some of the combo pieces, I could definitely see Ooze and Fauna Shaman going in. There are just so many options and not enough deck space!
I have had a lot of success with this deck. I think this is due in large part to the lack of graveyard hate. The biggest problem I seem to have is getting screwed on mana, which I don't really understand considering I run 38 lands and quite a bit of ramp. Do you think I need to re-add the Signets? Other than the mana problems the deck is extremely poweful. Games usually end up with me casting an Entwined Tooth and Nail, a Kicked Rite of Replication, or Reanimating a bunch of huge threats. Often I become an archenemy and have to fight against 3 or 4 opponents. The deck is strong enough that it can succeed sometimes, but not always.
I recently just built Mimeoplasm. Maybe you can consider Birthing Pod if you decide have more creatures(e.g mana dorks/creature ramp and utility creatures)
Dissipate can be change to Forbid, you can dump creatures to the grave using the buyback.
Yeah Dissipate -> Forbid is definitely something that would be good in here. My friend has a bunch of copies so I'll try to get one from him.
As for Birthing Pod, it's quite possibly my favorite card in all of Magic. Looking at my curve, I'm pretty well set at 5-6-7, but my lower drops are a bit lacking. I would appreciate any suggestions as to what cards I should use in some of these spots, especially 2-3-4. I've tried to build my deck with a lot of ETB effects, so Pod should be awesome in here.
I also have some questions about optimizing the manabase. I decided that I wanted to keep the number of "comes into play tapped" lands to a minimum, so I decided to limit myself to one cycle + A couple of utility lands. They set I chose to go with was the Vivid Lands, but I can't help wondering if the Ravnica "Karoos" or the Cycling Lands would be better. If I were to add the Life from the Loam package, the Cyclers would be a must, but should I cut basics for them or some other lands?
Alright I've searched through some other lists looking for some good Birthing Pod creatures and these are what I found. Which ones aren't good enough and which ones am I missing?
Thanks for the reply. I love Skullclamp, but is it worthwhile if I'm not running that many 1 toughness guys? I also don't have many sac outlets, so I'm not sure how consistent the cards draw would be. However, if I'm running Trinket Mage is seems wrong not to include it. I would really like to get opinions on it. How many 1 toughness creatures are required to make it worth a slot?
I play 36 creatures, 17 of them are 1 toughness. I feel quantity doesn't matter much as you can clamp other creature for birthing Pod or for defense purpose. People usually won't attack a creature that has skullclamp equiped to it. Skullclamp perform better in a creature-based deck though
I play 36 creatures, 17 of them are 1 toughness. I feel quantity doesn't matter much as you can clamp other creature for birthing Pod or for defense purpose. People usually won't attack a creature that has skullclamp equiped to it. Skullclamp perform better in a creature-based deck though
I would love to see your list if that would be possible. Skullclamp is definitely a card I want to run if it will work. Pod is a good sac outlet, but what other sac outlets should I run to make sure I have enough?
My list is mainly for 1 v 1(My area allow to use Multiplayer banlist for 1 v 1). It's meant to be a fun deck so i am missing some important cards like tooth n nail etc. Thus, this decklist may not be applicable to you. But anyway, here's my deck list =)
I try to abuse skullclamp and birthing pod in this deck. Academy Ruins allows me to take back skullclamp, birthing pod,Phyrexian Metamorph(to kill generals repeatedly) and for the Mindslaver lock. I try to lessen the instant and sorcery count in this deck due to Genesis Wave(one of my fav card in this deck, ha)
Since you playing Primeval Titan, you can use Phyrexian Tower for another sac outlet
I've recently been looking at your Jenara, Asura of War EDH Primer and I noticed that the theme of your deck is similar to what I am going for in one of my decks: ETB effects. I love having creatures that will give me an advantage even if they are removed. I know you are a big supporter of Birthing Pod, which is one of my favorite cards ever printed.
Anyways, seeing as how you were the runner up for Commander Poster of the Year and that your Jenara thread is one of the most popular in the entire EDH subforum, I thought you might be able to give me some advice on my own ETB based deck. The deck in question is my The Mimeoplasm deck that is linked to in my signature. While BUG and Bant are not the same, the fact that they share two colors gives them many similar options. I would be extremely grateful if you would he willing to take a look at my decklist and provide some suggestions as to changes I should make. I would really live to include Birthing Pod if you think it would work. I don't have an unlimited budget, but I try to keep an eye out for expensive cards when trading. Feel free to suggest whatever cards you think will make the deck better. The one exception is dual lands. I don't consider it worthwhile to put hundreds of dollars into slight improvements of my manabase for a casual format.
Thank you for your time,
DTrain
First of all, your mana curve is wayyyyyy too high in my own opinion. I ran your deckstats and you are sitting at 4.38 wows thats high. My own jenara list runs 3.54 which is significantly lower. I dont see enough ramp to really offset either. I would focus on lowering this down as it will keep things moving a lot smoother.
The next thing I will hit on is do you want to run cards specifically for your commander to synergyze / combo off of or do you want to just run the best ETB sort of list you can and then use your commander to pick up additional value? Currently you have sort of a lot of cards I wouldnt honestly run in a goodstuff ETB list. This is sort of a personal call as to how you want to go with it. I think either can be good but going goodstuff ETB means you are going to strip out your commander's specific cards and he will be a smaller impact but your deck as a whole will operate better on its own.
Some cards I would sort of look at:
ARTIFACTS Lightning Greaves this depends on how you want to go honestly. If you go with a goodstuff ETB with mimeo just picking up some additional value then him attacking in will be less important. I stopped running this personally as I run a lot of immediate value sort of cards. It is only good in my opinion at giving haste out. If you are using this as protection for your commander you will be sort of dissapointed. It does do a bit but most control comes in response to you equipping it, as a counterspell when you are casting it, or as a wrath where it wont matter. Due to this I stopped running this for the most part. It will stop some smaller stuff like Duplicant however I have found that the protection it lends is minimal in comparison to the haste.
Mimic Vat it is good but I had some issues with the startup time for it. It brings a lot of hate down on itself and I have seen good times with it but I have also seen this not last long enough for something to die several times.
Swiftfoot Boots Same thing as Lightning Greaves just a little worse as it costs mana to equip.
CREATURES Keiga, the Tide Star I used to try to run Keiga in every blue deck, however I had some issues with the fact that people will just wrath you or exile Keiga before doing much more. I like Keiga in a deck like Teferi where you can flash it in as a surprise as someone attacks but I am not too keen of it outside of that.
Putrefax works with your commander but Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon does too and better. If you want to just run a goodstuff ETB I wouldnt run either but even if you want one of them to work with your commander run Skittles who can keep attacking rather than being sacrificed.
Rune-Scarred Demon it is ok... it is really expensive for a tutor. My problem with it is that I always have it in hand too long and then when I need something particular it costs me like my whole turn to drop this guy and go get it... It can work out but unless you are abusing it a lot or grabbing combo pieces with it I dont really like him much...
Sheoldred, Whispering One never been impressed by her. I have seen her attempted probably about a dozen times now and never once has she ever lasted a whole turn rotation. In face she usually doesnt last more than about a turn in my opinion. People just arent willing to let you free rez something. I have found Braids, Cabal Minion a bit more reliable and less threatening as well as lower on the mana cost.
Triskelion I dont like it. It works ok with your commander but it sucks ass as a creature. It can work with some combos such as with Dark Micky however I dont like it as a standalone creature. If you want to go to a goodstuff ETB this needs to go. If you want to keep it for your commander you can...
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger never been much of a fan in an ETB type of deck. I have had issues just seeing it die before my turn ends like every time. The one deck I have seen it sort of work in is a Mayel deck but even then I think this is far from impressive.
Woodfall Primus I tried running this guy + Terastodon and found it to just be overkill. Run one of the two of them and pack another tutor in place of the other in my opinion. Running both increases your average mana cost and decreases your ability to toolbox.
Wurmcoil Engine it is ok... but honestly I am not overly impressed by it in EDH. Lifegain is overrated and unless you can break it somehow or another then it is just ok. I run it in my mono red deck due to it being a robust sort of token based creature that can be abused with Goblin Welder. It is ok but not great...
Yavimaya Elder never been impressed by this guy. I would look at one of the several land ramping 3 mana guys inistead.
ENCHANTS
Animate Dead personally I prefer Necromancy over it just due to the potential extra versatility but its not a huge deal.
(ADD)Survival of the Fittest I don't see it in your list. It allows you to setup your graveyard for your commander as well as just move creatures into the creatures you need. I would strongly suggest adding it.
(ADD)Necropotence If your landbase can handle the BBB cost this is a great card draw engine. I would definitely run it if you can handle it.
SPELLS
Dissipate it is ok but somehow it just isnt my go to counter.
Cultivate / Kodama's Reach I stopped running these ramp spells in favor for creature based ramp such as Farhaven Elf, Wood Elves, and Yavimaya Dryad. However I do see that you dont have any rav dual lands which really help with the Wood Elves and the Dryad. Farhaven Elf might still be good to swap in though. In my experience they still ramp you but they allow you to abuse them in other ways such as Skullclamping them, Rezing them, Equipping them with Swords, Birthing Pod off of them, Mimic Vat. There are just so many ways to abuse creatures and it is a lot harder to abuse spells.
All is Dust I am not a huge fan of this in decks that have access to green's noncreature hate as well as black or white for regular wrath effects. It is ok but a little expensive for a wrath... Plus I find that I get irritated with paying so much and not killing artifacts when I am not running that many of them.
Rite of Replication I stopped running this one personally in fan of running the clone creatures. Until you go to kick it it is inferior to Phyrexian Metamorph / Phantasmal Image in most ways. The creature based clones are easier to abuse / rez / tutor into. Due to this I stopped running Rite fo Rep. Also, the fact that it targets sucks.
Spitting Image overcosted and I cant think of a time where I dont like having more lands... Also it puts more dependance on your graveyard than you already had.
I think the big question at hand is do you want your mimeo to be supporting your commander or do you want it to be a goodstuff ETB. Either way I think you have a lot of things that you probably should do with it. Your mana curve needs to go down significantly as the deck looks too heavy.
Also, your manabase could use some working on. I really dislike the vivids and if you can put some money into it some Rav duals / fetchlands would be nice.
I would suggest adding Tunnel Vision and using it in combination with Living Death, if you've been hating on your opponents graveyard all game it should give you more value. I'm not really sold on the effectiveness of triskelion.
I would suggest adding Tunnel Vision and using it in combination with Living Death, if you've been hating on your opponents graveyard all game it should give you more value. I'm not really sold on the effectiveness of triskelion.
I used to do this into Open the Vaults in my old Sharrum list. It is fun to do but sort of easy to see coming and I have had issue with it in the past by giving people the heads up that they need to save the counterspell or tutor into a grave hate. It is fun but a little slow and easily disrupted as you give them a whole turn's heads up.
Someone tried this once against me when I was running Teferi and I used Gather Specimens lol it was harsh.
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I have officially moved to MTGNexus. I just wanted to let people know as my response time to salvation decks being bumped is very hit or miss.
First of all, your mana curve is wayyyyyy too high in my own opinion. I ran your deckstats and you are sitting at 4.38 wows thats high. My own jenara list runs 3.54 which is significantly lower. I dont see enough ramp to really offset either. I would focus on lowering this down as it will keep things moving a lot smoother.
I have to agree with you on this, I have often felt that I don't have anything to do during the early turns of the game.
The next thing I will hit on is do you want to run cards specifically for your commander to synergyze / combo off of or do you want to just run the best ETB sort of list you can and then use your commander to pick up additional value? Currently you have sort of a lot of cards I wouldnt honestly run in a goodstuff ETB list. This is sort of a personal call as to how you want to go with it. I think either can be good but going goodstuff ETB means you are going to strip out your commander's specific cards and he will be a smaller impact but your deck as a whole will operate better on its own.
I've found that I typically only cast The Mimeoplasm as an emergency Reanimate, or when I want to kill a player by turning it in to Putrefax.
Some cards I would sort of look at:
ARTIFACTS Lightning Greaves this depends on how you want to go honestly. If you go with a goodstuff ETB with mimeo just picking up some additional value then him attacking in will be less important. I stopped running this personally as I run a lot of immediate value sort of cards. It is only good in my opinion at giving haste out. If you are using this as protection for your commander you will be sort of dissapointed. It does do a bit but most control comes in response to you equipping it, as a counterspell when you are casting it, or as a wrath where it wont matter. Due to this I stopped running this for the most part. It will stop some smaller stuff like Duplicant however I have found that the protection it lends is minimal in comparison to the haste.
Mimic Vat it is good but I had some issues with the startup time for it. It brings a lot of hate down on itself and I have seen good times with it but I have also seen this not last long enough for something to die several times.
Swiftfoot Boots Same thing as Lightning Greaves just a little worse as it costs mana to equip.
This is almost exactly how I felt about Greaves / Boots without really realizing it. The haste is nice but not really needed with ETB creatures. The biggest thing is protecting a Consecrated Sphinx or getting an extra Prime Time trigger. Mimic Var definitely draws a lot of hate but so far I think it has been worthwhile. It's especially good in a heavily ETB deck.
CREATURES Keiga, the Tide Star I used to try to run Keiga in every blue deck, however I had some issues with the fact that people will just wrath you or exile Keiga before doing much more. I like Keiga in a deck like Teferi where you can flash it in as a surprise as someone attacks but I am not too keen of it outside of that.
I actually traded Keiga and haven't had a chance to change the list. It has been replaced by Life from the Loam.
Putrefax works with your commander but Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon does too and better. If you want to just run a goodstuff ETB I wouldnt run either but even if you want one of them to work with your commander run Skittles who can keep attacking rather than being sacrificed.
Yeah I've been trying to trade for a Skittles for a while now. He really would be much better than Putrefax and I would like to keep the option of an infect kill with the general.
Rune-Scarred Demon it is ok... it is really expensive for a tutor. My problem with it is that I always have it in hand too long and then when I need something particular it costs me like my whole turn to drop this guy and go get it... It can work out but unless you are abusing it a lot or grabbing combo pieces with it I dont really like him much...
I actually really love Rune-Scarred Demon. My favorite play is to grab Rite of Replication and then kick it on him for 5 more tutors. If thay doesn't win the game I don't know what will. I also love that he is a tutor on a body which makes him easily recurable / cloneable. Obviously he's not the most efficient tutor, but he enables a ton of cool shenanigans.
Sheoldred, Whispering One never been impressed by her. I have seen her attempted probably about a dozen times now and never once has she ever lasted a whole turn rotation. In face she usually doesnt last more than about a turn in my opinion. People just arent willing to let you free rez something. I have found Braids, Cabal Minion a bit more reliable and less threatening as well as lower on the mana cost.
The same is often the case for me. I love the flavor of running the 3 Praetors as "lieutenants", but they are just so expensive, and they never stick around.
Triskelion I dont like it. It works ok with your commander but it sucks ass as a creature. It can work with some combos such as with Dark Micky however I dont like it as a standalone creature. If you want to go to a goodstuff ETB this needs to go. If you want to keep it for your commander you can...
Yeah he is pretty terrible. The occasional kill when put onto the Mimeoplasm with Lord of Extinction doesn't happen much anymore because I don't run any mill effects.
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger never been much of a fan in an ETB type of deck. I have had issues just seeing it die before my turn ends like every time. The one deck I have seen it sort of work in is a Mayel deck but even then I think this is far from impressive.
See Sheoldred
Woodfall Primus I tried running this guy + Terastodon and found it to just be overkill. Run one of the two of them and pack another tutor in place of the other in my opinion. Running both increases your average mana cost and decreases your ability to toolbox.
I was actually just thinking about this and how he would go much better in my Ghave where he can go crazy with +1/+1 counters. Nice to see that you are of the same opinion.
Wurmcoil Engine it is ok... but honestly I am not overly impressed by it in EDH. Lifegain is overrated and unless you can break it somehow or another then it is just ok. I run it in my mono red deck due to it being a robust sort of token based creature that can be abused with Goblin Welder. It is ok but not great...
Wurmcoil has been in and out of the deck. I agree that both LL or DT are rarely relevant. He's nice with the Wrath protection, but pretty mediocre overall.
Yavimaya Elder never been impressed by this guy. I would look at one of the several land ramping 3 mana guys inistead.
Animate Dead personally I prefer Necromancy over it just due to the potential extra versatility but its not a huge deal.
(ADD)Survival of the Fittest I don't see it in your list. It allows you to setup your graveyard for your commander as well as just move creatures into the creatures you need. I would strongly suggest adding it.
(ADD)Necropotence If your landbase can handle the BBB cost this is a great card draw engine. I would definitely run it if you can handle it.
Animate Dead vs Necromancy is sort of a toss up. I went with Animate Dead because I already own it. Survival of the Fittest is the number one card on my wantlist. I'm not sure I can support the BBB of Necropotence, in addition to the fact that my playgroup has an unusual ammount of hate for the card (I don't think any of them were around for the black summer).
SPELLS
Dissipate it is ok but somehow it just isnt my go to counter.
Cultivate / Kodama's Reach I stopped running these ramp spells in favor for creature based ramp such as Farhaven Elf, Wood Elves, and Yavimaya Dryad. However I do see that you dont have any rav dual lands which really help with the Wood Elves and the Dryad. Farhaven Elf might still be good to swap in though. In my experience they still ramp you but they allow you to abuse them in other ways such as Skullclamping them, Rezing them, Equipping them with Swords, Birthing Pod off of them, Mimic Vat. There are just so many ways to abuse creatures and it is a lot harder to abuse spells.
Yeah Dissipate was just the next best option I had laying around. Not sure if it's better than Counterspell. Kodama's Reach and Cultivate are nice but I can see them being replaced by stuff like Farhaven Elf for sure.
All is Dust I am not a huge fan of this in decks that have access to green's noncreature hate as well as black or white for regular wrath effects. It is ok but a little expensive for a wrath... Plus I find that I get irritated with paying so much and not killing artifacts when I am not running that many of them.
Rite of Replication I stopped running this one personally in fan of running the clone creatures. Until you go to kick it it is inferior to Phyrexian Metamorph / Phantasmal Image in most ways. The creature based clones are easier to abuse / rez / tutor into. Due to this I stopped running Rite fo Rep. Also, the fact that it targets sucks.
Spitting Image overcosted and I cant think of a time where I dont like having more lands... Also it puts more dependance on your graveyard than you already had.
All is Dust will likely become Decree of Pain or Damnation once I get the chance to change it. I'll agree Rite of Replication is not the best but I would really like to keep it for the sheer fun factor. Spitting Image is fun with LftL but overall pretty bad.
I think the big question at hand is do you want your mimeo to be supporting your commander or do you want it to be a goodstuff ETB. Either way I think you have a lot of things that you probably should do with it. Your mana curve needs to go down significantly as the deck looks too heavy.
Also, your manabase could use some working on. I really dislike the vivids and if you can put some money into it some Rav duals / fetchlands would be nice.
As I said earlier, I would like to relegate the general tona supporting role and focus on the deck itself. This means that a lot of the tricks will have to go. As far as the manabase, I am reluctant to invest too much into it. The Vivids have been switched to Cycling Lands for their interaction with LftL.
Also what is your opinion of Evacuation? I feel it could be insane since almost all of my creatures have ETB effects and it doubles as a board clear. Also what about Crystal Shard and Prototype Portal? They are not as splashy of effect but I feel like they offer a lot of potential value. What do you think?
I want to thank you tremendously for all you suggestions. They are greatly appreciated.
I would suggest adding Tunnel Vision and using it in combination with Living Death, if you've been hating on your opponents graveyard all game it should give you more value. I'm not really sold on the effectiveness of triskelion.
I tried this combo before and I wasn't too impressed. Especially since you have to wait an entire turn to draw Living Death. It's very prone to graveyard hate / library shuffling effects.
Significant updates to the deck. Tried to cut some of the higher cost bombs for cheaper, more efficient things. I still haven't been able to force myself to cut the Praetors. I'm trying to trade for a Mana Reflection, which would replace Vorinclex for sure.
I'm actually surprised no one has yet mentioned Mesmeric Orb. That card not only fills your own graveyard with your good stuff, but gives you possible targets in other peoples' decks as well. Plus, it is super annoying to play against as no one likes to be milled. Also a suggestion I give to every Mimeo deck, Deep Spawn. It's fat, it tramples, it self-mills and can shroud itself in a pinch. It's great as a base creature for Mimeo.
I'm actually surprised no one has yet mentioned Mesmeric Orb. That card not only fills your own graveyard with your good stuff, but gives you possible targets in other peoples' decks as well. Plus, it is super annoying to play against as no one likes to be milled. Also a suggestion I give to every Mimeo deck, Deep Spawn. It's fat, it tramples, it self-mills and can shroud itself in a pinch. It's great as a base creature for Mimeo.
I'm trying to stray away from using The Mimeoplasm too much. I typically only cast him a couple times in a game, using him for utility until I am able to cast him as Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon and kill someone. I'm also not a big fan of the self-mill plan. Deep Spawn is definitely a nice find, but I don't think I would get that much use out of it.
As for Mesmeric Orb, once again I'm not a fan of the mill theme, althogh this might be worth it since it fills all graveyards and it can do quite a bit of damage, especiallh lategame. It's definitely a card I would consider.
Opened Mikaeus, the Unhallowed in a draft last night, looking to add him in along with Triskelion for the infinite combo. Any suggestions on what to take out?
But seriously, probably something like Crystal Shard. Not fond of that sort of card. Too easy for people to just pay the 1 in EDH, and all the ETB effects reduce it's usefulness. (Unless of course you use it on yourself to re-use abilities and save creautures? Even then, not fussed on it)
Yeah the goal is to use it on myself to bounce my own guys to reuse my ETB effects or save them from removal and sweepers. It's a recent addition that I haven't had much time to test yet, so I'm not going to cut it yet.
I ended up cutting Jin-Gitaxias, Vorinclex, and Sheoldred for Mikaeus, Trike, and Brainstorm. Are these good changes? As ISB brought up my mana curve is pretty high so I'm trying to lower it. Other potential cuts are Praetor's Counsel, Life's Finale and Massacre Wurm. Ideas?
I still think, the deck would profit from better removal such as Damnation, Decree of Pain and Pernicious Deed, but I do like Evacuation a lot. Especially when using a plethora of ETB creatures yourself - combined with Eternal Witness or Mnemonic Wall it's just beautiful. Now, I'll have to find a slot in my own list.
As to your most recent question: "Mike and Trike" is a cool combo in here, but I'm not too fond of Brainstorm in the Mimeoplasm. In my own list I use the blue Draw & Discard spells such as Careful Consideration, Compulsive Research, Windfall etc. They give you the cards you need in hand and set up your reanimation targets quite nicely.
Granted, I play a bit more combocentric, also using Necrotic Ooze with Grimgrin, Bloodline Keeper & Trike.
Also for the manabase: I think, even without Shocks and Fetches, this could be improved. I really like the Ravnica Karoos, as they help you meet another landdrop. Bojuka Bog would give you a nice advantage when you play Living Death and Tolaria West is a nice tutor for CMC 0s - finding your utility lands - especially when paired with Life from the Loam.
How come you haven't fitted Birthing Pod in there yet?
Ardeyn
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- A single spark of passion can change a man forever. -
I would love to see your list if that would be possible. Skullclamp is definitely a card I want to run if it will work. Pod is a good sac outlet, but what other sac outlets should I run to make sure I have enough?
Greater Good and Tortured Existence are the two springing to mind for me. Greater Good especially - you draw three more cards saccing a skullclamped guy than you would just saccing him by himself. Greater Good also keeps your creatures out of the hands of Insurrection and provides you with value for your board position in case of a wipe.
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Oh, you think the losers' bracket is your ally, but you merely adopted the scrub tier. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn’t 4-0 an FNM until I was already a man; by then, it was nothing to me but an extra pack to sell for store credit!
I still think, the deck would profit from better removal such as Damnation, Decree of Pain and Pernicious Deed, but I do like Evacuation a lot. Especially when using a plethora of ETB creatures yourself - combined with Eternal Witness or Mnemonic Wall it's just beautiful. Now, I'll have to find a slot in my own list.
I agree the sweepers could be much better. I tried to trade for a Pernicious Deed but the only way I could get it was to give up Entomb. I absolutely love Evacuation in here and I should probably be running Mnemonic Wall to take full advantage of it.
As to your most recent question: "Mike and Trike" is a cool combo in here, but I'm not too fond of Brainstorm in the Mimeoplasm. In my own list I use the blue Draw & Discard spells such as Careful Consideration, Compulsive Research, Windfall etc. They give you the cards you need in hand and set up your reanimation targets quite nicely.
Granted, I play a bit more combocentric, also using Necrotic Ooze with Grimgrin, Bloodline Keeper & Trike.
Yeah I'm kind of unsure on Brainstorm. I love it's almost "U: Draw 3 cards" with shuffle effects, but I can't help thinking that Forbidden Alchemy would be better.
Also for the manabase: I think, even without Shocks and Fetches, this could be improved. I really like the Ravnica Karoos, as they help you meet another landdrop. Bojuka Bog would give you a nice advantage when you play Living Death and Tolaria West is a nice tutor for CMC 0s - finding your utility lands - especially when paired with Life from the Loam.
How come you haven't fitted Birthing Pod in there yet?
Ardeyn
I used to run Karoos and Bojuka Bog but cut them because I wanted fewer lands to ETB tapped. I'm currently running 4 that do so I suppose I could fit a couple more. As for Birthing Pod, I really love it, but I'm worried I don't have enough creatures to make it consistantly worthwhile.
Greater Good and Tortured Existence are the two springing to mind for me. Greater Good especially - you draw three more cards saccing a skullclamped guy than you would just saccing him by himself. Greater Good also keeps your creatures out of the hands of Insurrection and provides you with value for your board position in case of a wipe.
Tortured Existence isn't a sac outlet, but I definitely like Greater Good. My biggest worry is that a lot of my creatures have less than 3 power, which leads to card disadvantage.
I love having counsel and Finale in my deck. I can't tell you about massacre wurm thou.
I'd but Sheoldred in the deck again she is an amazing card.
I see that many people are fans of the Praetors. I definitely like them, but they draw a ton of hate and they don't necessarily give advantage (No ETB effects). I tend to agree on Massacre Wurm. It's awesome against tokens but mediocre everywhere else. I'm off and on with Counsel. Sometimes it's amazing but often it's dead. I think if I'm going to run Life's Finale I want to make sure I have enough reanimation. It does have good synergy with The Mimeoplasm.
I see that many people are fans of the Praetors. I definitely like them, but they draw a ton of hate and they don't necessarily give advantage (No ETB effects). I tend to agree on Massacre Wurm. It's awesome against tokens but mediocre everywhere else. I'm off and on with Counsel. Sometimes it's amazing but often it's dead. I think if I'm going to run Life's Finale I want to make sure I have enough reanimation. It does have good synergy with The Mimeoplasm.
I like Sheoldred in my Nath deck, however, I don't think, it has a place in the Mimeoplasm. I'd rather play Havengul Lich for resurrection purposes and cheaper (mass) removal. Massacre Wurm is also a card on probation in my Nath list. As you say: it's great against tokens and overall good if you can make creatures die left and right with Grave Pact, Savra, Butcher of Malakir and assorted sacc outlets. The lifeloss stacks up quickly. But as I see it, the 'plasm doesn't need it; there's decks out there that are just better at attrition games, where the lifeloss ability of Massacre Wurm can shine.
Life's Finale is a great way to "tutor" for efficient 'plasm targets and clears the board to boot. Definitely run this, if you don't run Decree.
The other Praetors I'm not sure about. Vorinclex is a good threat, speed bump for your opponents and combos with Palinchron for infinite mana if you'd like to go there; Jin-Gitaxias is a must answer card, but at ten mana you better have ways to reanimate him reliably. The big question is: do you have room for that many high end (high cost) threats? You need to select what fits you and your deck best.
By the way, I'd add Capsize as a versatile answer card that additionally makes your ETB effects reusable if you have the mana to spare.
Also Mystical Teachings is quite good to find the right answers; but maybe I'm a little biased, as I also run Teferi, who protects you quite nicely and lets you play draw/go style.
I like Sheoldred in my Nath deck, however, I don't think, it has a place in the Mimeoplasm. I'd rather play Havengul Lich for resurrection purposes and cheaper (mass) removal. Massacre Wurm is also a card on probation in my Nath list. As you say: it's great against tokens and overall good if you can make creatures die left and right with Grave Pact, Savra, Butcher of Malakir and assorted sacc outlets. The lifeloss stacks up quickly. But as I see it, the 'plasm doesn't need it; there's decks out there that are just better at attrition games, where the lifeloss ability of Massacre Wurm can shine.
I tend to agree with you. Sheoldred has been taken out and put into my Standard Birthing Pod deck. Massacre Wurm is soon to follow, once I decide upon a suitable replacement. I'm thinking maybe Nihil Spellbomb as an additional Trinket Mage target and non-universal graveyard hate.
Life's Finale is a great way to "tutor" for efficient 'plasm targets and clears the board to boot. Definitely run this, if you don't run Decree
Yeah playing this card has occasionally been awesome, like using it to sweep the board and grab my opponent's Phyrexian Ingester to exile his Blightsteel Colossus. It has the potential to be almost a Bribery if you have some cheap renanimate spells in hand.
The other Praetors I'm not sure about. Vorinclex is a good threat, speed bump for your opponents and combos with Palinchron for infinite mana if you'd like to go there; Jin-Gitaxias is a must answer card, but at ten mana you better have ways to reanimate him reliably. The big question is: do you have room for that many high end (high cost) threats? You need to select what fits you and your deck best.
I've generally found the Praetors to not be worth the ammount of hate they draw. Vorinclex usually eats a Terminate or Path to Exile before he can do much, while Jin gives them a full turn to respond. If you don't have a Reliquary Tower, you usually have to discard most of what you draw off of him.
By the way, I'd add Capsize as a versatile answer card that additionally makes your ETB effects reusable if you have the mana to spare.
Also Mystical Teachings is quite good to find the right answers; but maybe I'm a little biased, as I also run Teferi, who protects you quite nicely and lets you play draw/go style.
I could have sworn I had a Capsize, but I can't figure out what I did with it. Mystical Teachings is a card that I have considered but usually found not to have enough good targets. Forbidden Alchemy is in the deck and I'm carefully considering Careful Consideration.
Thanks for all the feedback
By the way, I checked the deckstats again with the current list and the average CMC is down to 3.90. With the addition of a bit more ramp, the deck is quite a bit faster.
You're lucky to not have to fight through so much hate. I have found that Null Rod is a funnily annoying card to play against for many decks.
If you play Necrotic Ooze, Fauna Shaman is definitely worth running, as you can use her even if she's dead.
How has the deck been treating you so far?
Ardeyn
Dissipate can be change to Forbid, you can dump creatures to the grave using the buyback.
Legacy Deck:
Punishing Jund
I have definitely thought about running Necrotic Ooze, but I currently only run two creatures with activated abilities, so I can't see it being very useful. If I end up adding some of the combo pieces, I could definitely see Ooze and Fauna Shaman going in. There are just so many options and not enough deck space!
I have had a lot of success with this deck. I think this is due in large part to the lack of graveyard hate. The biggest problem I seem to have is getting screwed on mana, which I don't really understand considering I run 38 lands and quite a bit of ramp. Do you think I need to re-add the Signets? Other than the mana problems the deck is extremely poweful. Games usually end up with me casting an Entwined Tooth and Nail, a Kicked Rite of Replication, or Reanimating a bunch of huge threats. Often I become an archenemy and have to fight against 3 or 4 opponents. The deck is strong enough that it can succeed sometimes, but not always.
Yeah Dissipate -> Forbid is definitely something that would be good in here. My friend has a bunch of copies so I'll try to get one from him.
As for Birthing Pod, it's quite possibly my favorite card in all of Magic. Looking at my curve, I'm pretty well set at 5-6-7, but my lower drops are a bit lacking. I would appreciate any suggestions as to what cards I should use in some of these spots, especially 2-3-4. I've tried to build my deck with a lot of ETB effects, so Pod should be awesome in here.
I also have some questions about optimizing the manabase. I decided that I wanted to keep the number of "comes into play tapped" lands to a minimum, so I decided to limit myself to one cycle + A couple of utility lands. They set I chose to go with was the Vivid Lands, but I can't help wondering if the Ravnica "Karoos" or the Cycling Lands would be better. If I were to add the Life from the Loam package, the Cyclers would be a must, but should I cut basics for them or some other lands?
GUB [Retired Primer] The Mimeoplasm BUG
Modern: UR Storm RU
Cube: WUBRG Pauper Cube GRBUW
Credit for the banner goes to DarkNightCavalier at Heroes of the Plane Studios
GUB [Retired Primer] The Mimeoplasm BUG
Modern: UR Storm RU
Cube: WUBRG Pauper Cube GRBUW
Credit for the banner goes to DarkNightCavalier at Heroes of the Plane Studios
If you play more creatures, you can also play Green Sun's Zenith and Skullclamp
Legacy Deck:
Punishing Jund
Thanks for the reply. I love Skullclamp, but is it worthwhile if I'm not running that many 1 toughness guys? I also don't have many sac outlets, so I'm not sure how consistent the cards draw would be. However, if I'm running Trinket Mage is seems wrong not to include it. I would really like to get opinions on it. How many 1 toughness creatures are required to make it worth a slot?
GUB [Retired Primer] The Mimeoplasm BUG
Modern: UR Storm RU
Cube: WUBRG Pauper Cube GRBUW
Credit for the banner goes to DarkNightCavalier at Heroes of the Plane Studios
Legacy Deck:
Punishing Jund
I would love to see your list if that would be possible. Skullclamp is definitely a card I want to run if it will work. Pod is a good sac outlet, but what other sac outlets should I run to make sure I have enough?
GUB [Retired Primer] The Mimeoplasm BUG
Modern: UR Storm RU
Cube: WUBRG Pauper Cube GRBUW
Credit for the banner goes to DarkNightCavalier at Heroes of the Plane Studios
1 Arbor Elf
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Elves of Deep Shadow
1 Bird of Paradise
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Gilded Drake
1 Sylvan Ranger
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Elvish Visionary
1 Spellskite
1 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Coiling Oracle
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Bloom Tender
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Fierce Empath
1 Viridian Shaman
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Eternal Witness
1 Trinket Mage
1 Bone Shredder
1 Trygon Predator
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Master of the Wild Hunt
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Mulldrifter
1 Acidic Slime
1 Indrik Stomphowler
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Primeval Titan
1 Wrexial, the Risen Deep
1 Stormtide Leviathan
1 Terastodon
1 Pathrazer of Ulamog
1 Nature's Claim
1 Dismember
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Negate
1 Go for the Throat
1 Mana Drain
1 Intuition
1 Forbid
Sorcery:
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Thoughtseize
1 Hymm to Tourach
1 Mind Twist
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Deep Analysis
1 Genesis Wave
1 Life's Finale
Planeswalker:
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Enchantment:
1 Sylvan Library
1 Rhystic Study
Artifact:
1 Mana Crypt
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Birthing Pod
1 Mindslaver
Land:
1 Hinterland Harbor
1 Woodland Cemetery
1 Breeding Pool
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Watery Grave
1 Flooded Grove
1 Command Tower
1 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Academy Ruins
1 Underground Sea
1 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Marsh Flats
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Windswept Heath
3 Swamp
5 Island
3 Forest
I try to abuse skullclamp and birthing pod in this deck. Academy Ruins allows me to take back skullclamp, birthing pod,Phyrexian Metamorph(to kill generals repeatedly) and for the Mindslaver lock. I try to lessen the instant and sorcery count in this deck due to Genesis Wave(one of my fav card in this deck, ha)
Since you playing Primeval Titan, you can use Phyrexian Tower for another sac outlet
Legacy Deck:
Punishing Jund
First of all, your mana curve is wayyyyyy too high in my own opinion. I ran your deckstats and you are sitting at 4.38 wows thats high. My own jenara list runs 3.54 which is significantly lower. I dont see enough ramp to really offset either. I would focus on lowering this down as it will keep things moving a lot smoother.
Your current deckstats.
The next thing I will hit on is do you want to run cards specifically for your commander to synergyze / combo off of or do you want to just run the best ETB sort of list you can and then use your commander to pick up additional value? Currently you have sort of a lot of cards I wouldnt honestly run in a goodstuff ETB list. This is sort of a personal call as to how you want to go with it. I think either can be good but going goodstuff ETB means you are going to strip out your commander's specific cards and he will be a smaller impact but your deck as a whole will operate better on its own.
Some cards I would sort of look at:
ARTIFACTS
Lightning Greaves this depends on how you want to go honestly. If you go with a goodstuff ETB with mimeo just picking up some additional value then him attacking in will be less important. I stopped running this personally as I run a lot of immediate value sort of cards. It is only good in my opinion at giving haste out. If you are using this as protection for your commander you will be sort of dissapointed. It does do a bit but most control comes in response to you equipping it, as a counterspell when you are casting it, or as a wrath where it wont matter. Due to this I stopped running this for the most part. It will stop some smaller stuff like Duplicant however I have found that the protection it lends is minimal in comparison to the haste.
Mimic Vat it is good but I had some issues with the startup time for it. It brings a lot of hate down on itself and I have seen good times with it but I have also seen this not last long enough for something to die several times.
Swiftfoot Boots Same thing as Lightning Greaves just a little worse as it costs mana to equip.
CREATURES
Keiga, the Tide Star I used to try to run Keiga in every blue deck, however I had some issues with the fact that people will just wrath you or exile Keiga before doing much more. I like Keiga in a deck like Teferi where you can flash it in as a surprise as someone attacks but I am not too keen of it outside of that.
Putrefax works with your commander but Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon does too and better. If you want to just run a goodstuff ETB I wouldnt run either but even if you want one of them to work with your commander run Skittles who can keep attacking rather than being sacrificed.
Rune-Scarred Demon it is ok... it is really expensive for a tutor. My problem with it is that I always have it in hand too long and then when I need something particular it costs me like my whole turn to drop this guy and go get it... It can work out but unless you are abusing it a lot or grabbing combo pieces with it I dont really like him much...
Sheoldred, Whispering One never been impressed by her. I have seen her attempted probably about a dozen times now and never once has she ever lasted a whole turn rotation. In face she usually doesnt last more than about a turn in my opinion. People just arent willing to let you free rez something. I have found Braids, Cabal Minion a bit more reliable and less threatening as well as lower on the mana cost.
Triskelion I dont like it. It works ok with your commander but it sucks ass as a creature. It can work with some combos such as with Dark Micky however I dont like it as a standalone creature. If you want to go to a goodstuff ETB this needs to go. If you want to keep it for your commander you can...
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger never been much of a fan in an ETB type of deck. I have had issues just seeing it die before my turn ends like every time. The one deck I have seen it sort of work in is a Mayel deck but even then I think this is far from impressive.
Woodfall Primus I tried running this guy + Terastodon and found it to just be overkill. Run one of the two of them and pack another tutor in place of the other in my opinion. Running both increases your average mana cost and decreases your ability to toolbox.
Wurmcoil Engine it is ok... but honestly I am not overly impressed by it in EDH. Lifegain is overrated and unless you can break it somehow or another then it is just ok. I run it in my mono red deck due to it being a robust sort of token based creature that can be abused with Goblin Welder. It is ok but not great...
Yavimaya Elder never been impressed by this guy. I would look at one of the several land ramping 3 mana guys inistead.
ENCHANTS
Animate Dead personally I prefer Necromancy over it just due to the potential extra versatility but its not a huge deal.
(ADD)Survival of the Fittest I don't see it in your list. It allows you to setup your graveyard for your commander as well as just move creatures into the creatures you need. I would strongly suggest adding it.
(ADD)Necropotence If your landbase can handle the BBB cost this is a great card draw engine. I would definitely run it if you can handle it.
SPELLS
Dissipate it is ok but somehow it just isnt my go to counter.
Cultivate / Kodama's Reach I stopped running these ramp spells in favor for creature based ramp such as Farhaven Elf, Wood Elves, and Yavimaya Dryad. However I do see that you dont have any rav dual lands which really help with the Wood Elves and the Dryad. Farhaven Elf might still be good to swap in though. In my experience they still ramp you but they allow you to abuse them in other ways such as Skullclamping them, Rezing them, Equipping them with Swords, Birthing Pod off of them, Mimic Vat. There are just so many ways to abuse creatures and it is a lot harder to abuse spells.
All is Dust I am not a huge fan of this in decks that have access to green's noncreature hate as well as black or white for regular wrath effects. It is ok but a little expensive for a wrath... Plus I find that I get irritated with paying so much and not killing artifacts when I am not running that many of them.
Rite of Replication I stopped running this one personally in fan of running the clone creatures. Until you go to kick it it is inferior to Phyrexian Metamorph / Phantasmal Image in most ways. The creature based clones are easier to abuse / rez / tutor into. Due to this I stopped running Rite fo Rep. Also, the fact that it targets sucks.
Spitting Image overcosted and I cant think of a time where I dont like having more lands... Also it puts more dependance on your graveyard than you already had.
I think the big question at hand is do you want your mimeo to be supporting your commander or do you want it to be a goodstuff ETB. Either way I think you have a lot of things that you probably should do with it. Your mana curve needs to go down significantly as the deck looks too heavy.
Also, your manabase could use some working on. I really dislike the vivids and if you can put some money into it some Rav duals / fetchlands would be nice.
Signature by Inkfox Aesthetics by Xen
[Modern] Allies
I used to do this into Open the Vaults in my old Sharrum list. It is fun to do but sort of easy to see coming and I have had issue with it in the past by giving people the heads up that they need to save the counterspell or tutor into a grave hate. It is fun but a little slow and easily disrupted as you give them a whole turn's heads up.
Someone tried this once against me when I was running Teferi and I used Gather Specimens lol it was harsh.
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[Modern] Allies
I have to agree with you on this, I have often felt that I don't have anything to do during the early turns of the game.
I've found that I typically only cast The Mimeoplasm as an emergency Reanimate, or when I want to kill a player by turning it in to Putrefax.
This is almost exactly how I felt about Greaves / Boots without really realizing it. The haste is nice but not really needed with ETB creatures. The biggest thing is protecting a Consecrated Sphinx or getting an extra Prime Time trigger. Mimic Var definitely draws a lot of hate but so far I think it has been worthwhile. It's especially good in a heavily ETB deck.
I actually traded Keiga and haven't had a chance to change the list. It has been replaced by Life from the Loam.
Yeah I've been trying to trade for a Skittles for a while now. He really would be much better than Putrefax and I would like to keep the option of an infect kill with the general.
I actually really love Rune-Scarred Demon. My favorite play is to grab Rite of Replication and then kick it on him for 5 more tutors. If thay doesn't win the game I don't know what will. I also love that he is a tutor on a body which makes him easily recurable / cloneable. Obviously he's not the most efficient tutor, but he enables a ton of cool shenanigans.
The same is often the case for me. I love the flavor of running the 3 Praetors as "lieutenants", but they are just so expensive, and they never stick around.
Yeah he is pretty terrible. The occasional kill when put onto the Mimeoplasm with Lord of Extinction doesn't happen much anymore because I don't run any mill effects.
See Sheoldred
I was actually just thinking about this and how he would go much better in my Ghave where he can go crazy with +1/+1 counters. Nice to see that you are of the same opinion.
Wurmcoil has been in and out of the deck. I agree that both LL or DT are rarely relevant. He's nice with the Wrath protection, but pretty mediocre overall.
He's been replaced by Sakura-Tribe Elder.
Animate Dead vs Necromancy is sort of a toss up. I went with Animate Dead because I already own it. Survival of the Fittest is the number one card on my wantlist. I'm not sure I can support the BBB of Necropotence, in addition to the fact that my playgroup has an unusual ammount of hate for the card (I don't think any of them were around for the black summer).
Yeah Dissipate was just the next best option I had laying around. Not sure if it's better than Counterspell. Kodama's Reach and Cultivate are nice but I can see them being replaced by stuff like Farhaven Elf for sure.
All is Dust will likely become Decree of Pain or Damnation once I get the chance to change it. I'll agree Rite of Replication is not the best but I would really like to keep it for the sheer fun factor. Spitting Image is fun with LftL but overall pretty bad.
As I said earlier, I would like to relegate the general tona supporting role and focus on the deck itself. This means that a lot of the tricks will have to go. As far as the manabase, I am reluctant to invest too much into it. The Vivids have been switched to Cycling Lands for their interaction with LftL.
Also what is your opinion of Evacuation? I feel it could be insane since almost all of my creatures have ETB effects and it doubles as a board clear. Also what about Crystal Shard and Prototype Portal? They are not as splashy of effect but I feel like they offer a lot of potential value. What do you think?
I want to thank you tremendously for all you suggestions. They are greatly appreciated.
I tried this combo before and I wasn't too impressed. Especially since you have to wait an entire turn to draw Living Death. It's very prone to graveyard hate / library shuffling effects.
GUB [Retired Primer] The Mimeoplasm BUG
Modern: UR Storm RU
Cube: WUBRG Pauper Cube GRBUW
Credit for the banner goes to DarkNightCavalier at Heroes of the Plane Studios
GUB [Retired Primer] The Mimeoplasm BUG
Modern: UR Storm RU
Cube: WUBRG Pauper Cube GRBUW
Credit for the banner goes to DarkNightCavalier at Heroes of the Plane Studios
First posted EDH deck: Hakim, Beardmaster
I'm trying to stray away from using The Mimeoplasm too much. I typically only cast him a couple times in a game, using him for utility until I am able to cast him as Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon and kill someone. I'm also not a big fan of the self-mill plan. Deep Spawn is definitely a nice find, but I don't think I would get that much use out of it.
As for Mesmeric Orb, once again I'm not a fan of the mill theme, althogh this might be worth it since it fills all graveyards and it can do quite a bit of damage, especiallh lategame. It's definitely a card I would consider.
GUB [Retired Primer] The Mimeoplasm BUG
Modern: UR Storm RU
Cube: WUBRG Pauper Cube GRBUW
Credit for the banner goes to DarkNightCavalier at Heroes of the Plane Studios
GUB [Retired Primer] The Mimeoplasm BUG
Modern: UR Storm RU
Cube: WUBRG Pauper Cube GRBUW
Credit for the banner goes to DarkNightCavalier at Heroes of the Plane Studios
Yeah the goal is to use it on myself to bounce my own guys to reuse my ETB effects or save them from removal and sweepers. It's a recent addition that I haven't had much time to test yet, so I'm not going to cut it yet.
I ended up cutting Jin-Gitaxias, Vorinclex, and Sheoldred for Mikaeus, Trike, and Brainstorm. Are these good changes? As ISB brought up my mana curve is pretty high so I'm trying to lower it. Other potential cuts are Praetor's Counsel, Life's Finale and Massacre Wurm. Ideas?
GUB [Retired Primer] The Mimeoplasm BUG
Modern: UR Storm RU
Cube: WUBRG Pauper Cube GRBUW
Credit for the banner goes to DarkNightCavalier at Heroes of the Plane Studios
I still think, the deck would profit from better removal such as Damnation, Decree of Pain and Pernicious Deed, but I do like Evacuation a lot. Especially when using a plethora of ETB creatures yourself - combined with Eternal Witness or Mnemonic Wall it's just beautiful. Now, I'll have to find a slot in my own list.
As to your most recent question: "Mike and Trike" is a cool combo in here, but I'm not too fond of Brainstorm in the Mimeoplasm. In my own list I use the blue Draw & Discard spells such as Careful Consideration, Compulsive Research, Windfall etc. They give you the cards you need in hand and set up your reanimation targets quite nicely.
Granted, I play a bit more combocentric, also using Necrotic Ooze with Grimgrin, Bloodline Keeper & Trike.
Also for the manabase: I think, even without Shocks and Fetches, this could be improved. I really like the Ravnica Karoos, as they help you meet another landdrop. Bojuka Bog would give you a nice advantage when you play Living Death and Tolaria West is a nice tutor for CMC 0s - finding your utility lands - especially when paired with Life from the Loam.
How come you haven't fitted Birthing Pod in there yet?
Ardeyn
Greater Good and Tortured Existence are the two springing to mind for me. Greater Good especially - you draw three more cards saccing a skullclamped guy than you would just saccing him by himself. Greater Good also keeps your creatures out of the hands of Insurrection and provides you with value for your board position in case of a wipe.
I agree the sweepers could be much better. I tried to trade for a Pernicious Deed but the only way I could get it was to give up Entomb. I absolutely love Evacuation in here and I should probably be running Mnemonic Wall to take full advantage of it.
Yeah I'm kind of unsure on Brainstorm. I love it's almost "U: Draw 3 cards" with shuffle effects, but I can't help thinking that Forbidden Alchemy would be better.
I used to run Karoos and Bojuka Bog but cut them because I wanted fewer lands to ETB tapped. I'm currently running 4 that do so I suppose I could fit a couple more. As for Birthing Pod, I really love it, but I'm worried I don't have enough creatures to make it consistantly worthwhile.
Tortured Existence isn't a sac outlet, but I definitely like Greater Good. My biggest worry is that a lot of my creatures have less than 3 power, which leads to card disadvantage.
GUB [Retired Primer] The Mimeoplasm BUG
Modern: UR Storm RU
Cube: WUBRG Pauper Cube GRBUW
Credit for the banner goes to DarkNightCavalier at Heroes of the Plane Studios
I'd but Sheoldred in the deck again she is an amazing card.
Nin's theft
Mill all decks
bruna blink
I see that many people are fans of the Praetors. I definitely like them, but they draw a ton of hate and they don't necessarily give advantage (No ETB effects). I tend to agree on Massacre Wurm. It's awesome against tokens but mediocre everywhere else. I'm off and on with Counsel. Sometimes it's amazing but often it's dead. I think if I'm going to run Life's Finale I want to make sure I have enough reanimation. It does have good synergy with The Mimeoplasm.
GUB [Retired Primer] The Mimeoplasm BUG
Modern: UR Storm RU
Cube: WUBRG Pauper Cube GRBUW
Credit for the banner goes to DarkNightCavalier at Heroes of the Plane Studios
I like Sheoldred in my Nath deck, however, I don't think, it has a place in the Mimeoplasm. I'd rather play Havengul Lich for resurrection purposes and cheaper (mass) removal. Massacre Wurm is also a card on probation in my Nath list. As you say: it's great against tokens and overall good if you can make creatures die left and right with Grave Pact, Savra, Butcher of Malakir and assorted sacc outlets. The lifeloss stacks up quickly. But as I see it, the 'plasm doesn't need it; there's decks out there that are just better at attrition games, where the lifeloss ability of Massacre Wurm can shine.
Life's Finale is a great way to "tutor" for efficient 'plasm targets and clears the board to boot. Definitely run this, if you don't run Decree.
The other Praetors I'm not sure about. Vorinclex is a good threat, speed bump for your opponents and combos with Palinchron for infinite mana if you'd like to go there; Jin-Gitaxias is a must answer card, but at ten mana you better have ways to reanimate him reliably. The big question is: do you have room for that many high end (high cost) threats? You need to select what fits you and your deck best.
By the way, I'd add Capsize as a versatile answer card that additionally makes your ETB effects reusable if you have the mana to spare.
Also Mystical Teachings is quite good to find the right answers; but maybe I'm a little biased, as I also run Teferi, who protects you quite nicely and lets you play draw/go style.
That said, I adore Forbidden Alchemy - for the same reasons as Careful Consideration and Fact or Fiction.
Ardeyn
I tend to agree with you. Sheoldred has been taken out and put into my Standard Birthing Pod deck. Massacre Wurm is soon to follow, once I decide upon a suitable replacement. I'm thinking maybe Nihil Spellbomb as an additional Trinket Mage target and non-universal graveyard hate.
Yeah playing this card has occasionally been awesome, like using it to sweep the board and grab my opponent's Phyrexian Ingester to exile his Blightsteel Colossus. It has the potential to be almost a Bribery if you have some cheap renanimate spells in hand.
I've generally found the Praetors to not be worth the ammount of hate they draw. Vorinclex usually eats a Terminate or Path to Exile before he can do much, while Jin gives them a full turn to respond. If you don't have a Reliquary Tower, you usually have to discard most of what you draw off of him.
I could have sworn I had a Capsize, but I can't figure out what I did with it. Mystical Teachings is a card that I have considered but usually found not to have enough good targets. Forbidden Alchemy is in the deck and I'm carefully considering Careful Consideration.
Thanks for all the feedback
By the way, I checked the deckstats again with the current list and the average CMC is down to 3.90. With the addition of a bit more ramp, the deck is quite a bit faster.
GUB [Retired Primer] The Mimeoplasm BUG
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