Hello. My name is Taylor. I've been playing Magic for about 13 years now. For about the last 5 years though, I have been strictly playing EDH. Ruric Thar has been my go to deck for the past year or so now since my multiplayer based meta has switched to creature-light and spell-heavy combo and control decks. I haven't seen a lot of Ruric Thar lists, and even fewer good ones. I believe Ruric Thar is an underrated General, especially in multiplayer. The pressure he puts on your opponents is disgusting, hence the deck name. Many of the cards included are pretty self-explanitory a few are either pet cards of mine or in for some other reason. I'll explain a few choices.
Magmaquake - Why This instead of Earthquake or Starstorm? Instant speed over Earthquake and hits 'Walkers over Starstorm.
Scavenging Ooze - I finally bought Kozilek, so Loaming Shaman is out and with the recent reprint, Ooze made it in. Upgrades all 'round!
Ogre Battledriver - Ogre is in for Urabrask for testing, he may come out, but he seems like he could have a good home here.
Somberwald Sage - Truly a Hidden Gem. If you play a lot of creatures like me and she sticks, she wraps up the game for you before it starts. Sylvan Primordial on Turn 4 with no other ramp? Yes please.
Gratuitous Violence - As Ruric Thar's two heads might suggest, the best smashy stuff comes in twos. 12 damage a spell? The Fight Monster eats more stuff? Awesome. Just awesome.
Gruul Ragebeast - The card I endearingly call "The Fight Monster". Creature removal in a creature. Ruric Thar approves. Bonus points if you return him with Artisan of Kozilek for a one-two punch.
Birthing Pod - Just wanted to mention my favorite link in the chain. Inferno Titan swings, then "Pods" into Knollspine Dragon for a new hand. Also, Zealous Conscripts = 4 to 6 CMC in 1 turn.
Tooth and Nail - In some games you just RAMP and cast this baby. The obvious combo is Kiki-Jiki/Zealous Conscripts. The not so obvious combo is Avenger of Zendikar/Sylvan Primordial.
I've been thinking about building a similar deck, but was wondering how hard ruric ends up hurting you over the course of the game? Because just like me, you play quite the bit of noncreature spells such as the necessary ramp or planeswalkers.
Of course you play him when you feel it's the right choice depending on your hand, but you can still draw into a bunch of noncreatures.
Honestly, he doesn't hurt that bad. Of course you're going to have/get Non-Creature spells while he's out but it's simple really. Just hold onto it, unless you need it, and usually when you need something that bad 6 damage doesn't matter to you anyways. To tell you the truth, the "Must attack if able" clause has caused me more headaches than the 6 damage part.
IMO, if Ruric Thar is hitting you for a lot of damage, you're playing the deck wrong. You should be dealing damage, ramping, and other stuff wayyyy before you play Ruric Thar. He helps you finish the game, get your opponent down and it makes their non-creature spell choices more difficult while your turns are now rather simple. SMASH!
I just went and played a bunch of games today, and he still hasn't dissapointed me yet. Won 3 out of 4 multiplayer games and both of the 1v1s I played. Play smart, don't over-commit to your board, and play Ruric Thar when the time is right and you'll win.
Failed Opression Stories:
Legend of Korra
Return to Ravnica
(Not that the stories or character are inhernetly bad, but that they failed to further delve into the topic. Like Gateless/Non-Benders feeling opressed by the Guilds/Benders that sought a revolution but it became less of importance according to the story.)
IMO, if Ruric Thar is hitting you for a lot of damage, you're playing the deck wrong. You should be dealing damage, ramping, and other stuff wayyyy before you play Ruric Thar.
This is definitely true. He's also perfect to drop right after a board wipe.
I'm considering making this deck as well but I'm a bit worried about how much hate I will draw from the table. Do you have that problem? The list I found was waaaay more creature heavy though.
In my local game shop the commander league runs every few months, and the last couple leagues have been ruined by someone running a Ruric Thar deck while someone else in the pod is running a Gisela, Blade of Goldnight deck. If those two are out, the game is over in a couple turns. We go for points rather than just straight kills, so it completely ruins the league.
So now to my question: Is Defang the only useful Ruric Thar deterrent? Aside from running pure aggro creature decks?
Wow. Okay then. Sorry guys, I had a nice long awesome post about all the changes. The reasons why, why I like the new cards, and even witty one-liners.....but sadly (and stupidly)....I clicked off of the page and it was all for naught, so instead I will now direct you to the shenanigans that is Storm Crow's discussion thread. Enjoy.
Have you thought about adding [CARD]Strionic Resonator
[/CARD]? With Rurics ability it would hurt like hell. Or if you end up playing spell on your turn you can make sure they get in on that damage as well. Also way cheaper than Gratuitous Violence.
I'm considering making this deck as well but I'm a bit worried about how much hate I will draw from the table. Do you have that problem? The list I found was waaaay more creature heavy though.
Regarding the "hate" Ruric Thar draws, there really isn't that much before the game starts. He isn't a widespread general, and the damage doesn't look that threatening until you play him when you're supposed to. The deck itself is what makes the General strong, not the other way around. If you were to rematch someone, and they knew how the deck ran...then I can see how you might recieve some static right of the bat.
As far as the creature-heavy lists go, that is one approach, but I do not think it to be the best. Few generals, IMO, can run a critical mass of creatures benificially. Ex: Momir Vig or Animar. Most other decks need to strike their perfect blend to be efficient. Especially in R/G. After a certain point, the creatures you're adding become sub-optimal and there are spells/other types of permanents that much better address a given situation. Cramming a Ruric-Thar list full of creatures just to duck the "6 damage" ability is just not good for business.
In my local game shop the commander league runs every few months, and the last couple leagues have been ruined by someone running a Ruric Thar deck while someone else in the pod is running a Gisela, Blade of Goldnight deck. If those two are out, the game is over in a couple turns. We go for points rather than just straight kills, so it completely ruins the league.
So now to my question: Is Defang the only useful Ruric Thar deterrent? Aside from running pure aggro creature decks?
Sorry, but I have never ran the deck in a point-geared league/game...so I have no experience on how this warps the event. All I know is I hate the number '40' and I REALLY like the number '0'.
As far as Defang being a Ruric-Thar deterrent...I can't seem to wrap my head around this question. You mean to tell me that you taking 6 damage to your dome to enchant Ruric-Thar with Defang, then my destroying Defang with Hull Breach or something of the like for NO damage should bother me? How? PleaseDefang Ruric-Thar...because that seems like all upside for me.
Now to address the "Pure Aggro Creature" part of your question, see my response to Dutch253 on this.
Have you thought about adding [CARD]Strionic Resonator
[/CARD]? With Rurics ability it would hurt like hell. Or if you end up playing spell on your turn you can make sure they get in on that damage as well. Also way cheaper than Gratuitous Violence.
Ruric Thar's ability doesn't target, and therefore can't be redirected when triggered upon myself. Against opponents, yeah it's alright. What if they cast two spells in one turn? I only get to double the damage once. Not to mention in multiplayer. Gratuitous Violenence IS more expensive, but in this case, you get what you pay for.
Thanks for the input though. Any other suggestions?
I'm personally still a fan of Heartless Hidetsugu in this deck. His ability truly does make things escalate quickly. He makes opponents go from "Ewww..." to "OMG...I think we're gonna die" from things like Ruric Thar and Purphoros.
I'm personally still a fan of Heartless Hidetsugu in this deck. His ability truly does make things escalate quickly. He makes opponents go from "Ewww..." to "OMG...I think we're gonna die" from things like Ruric Thar and Purphoros.
With a higher noncreature-to-creature ratio that my build, I echo Amadeus's suggestion about more lifelink enablers.
Yeah, Heartless Hidetsugu was a tough cut, the rate in which he advanced the game is amazing. The thing is though, he is a "Coin Toss" kind of card. Sometimes he'll go off and things will go according to plan, the other half of the time, he goes off and a board wipe ensues and I am now that much easier to finish off. Your best friend in a Singleton format is consistency so that is why he came out.
About the sacrifice thing, I am not a fan of sacrificing part or all of my board state to try and wrap up a game sooner. Again, due to the same reasoning as above. If the opponent is tapped out and are within range of this strategy working...then it is good. If they are not within 'lethal' range or they have mana for a potential answer or if other opponents will survive...this strategy is not optimal and the cards you have included to facilitate it are not as strong as some other cards you could have in the deck in their place.
To respond to the higher non-creature ratio issue...I tend not to include cards to support any one strategy but rather, cards that are good in a multitude of situations. Having a lot of creatures just to duck Ruric-Thar's ability or to cater to a card like Primal Surge (which I have seen in a lot of Ruric lists) is just too limiting for my liking.
None of this is to put down other strategies or any individuals deck idea...but just more of an explanation of why I include the cards I do, or to provide counter-feedback on certain suggested cards. I appreciate everyone's contributions on this list so far.
6 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
Creatures 32
2 Tunnel Ignus
2 Sakura-Tribe Elder
2 Fauna Shaman
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Vexing Shusher
3 Fierce Empath
3 Eternal Witness
3 Wood Elves
3 Somberwald Sage
4 Purphoros, God of the Forge
4 Anger
4 Solemn Simulacrum
4 Oracle of Mul Daya
4 Ember Swallower
4 Ogre Battledriver
5 Genesis
5 Zealous Conscripts
5 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
5 Acidic Slime
6 Wurmcoil Engine
6 Inferno Titan
6 Bane of Progress
7 Balefire Dragon
7 Knollspine Dragon
7 Sylvan Primordial
7 Avenger of Zendikar
7 Gruul Ragebeast
7 Molten Primordial
8 Terastodon
8 Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger
9 Artisan of Kozilek
10 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Worldly Tutor
2 Magamaquake
2 Ancient Grudge
3 Beast Within
3 Krosan Grip
3 Chaos Warp
Sorceries 12
1 Green Sun's Zenith
2 Regrowth
2 Hull Breach
2 Nature's Lore
2 Explore
3 Kodama's Reach
3 Cultivate
3 Genesis Wave
4 Skyshroud Claim
5 Primal Command
7 Tooth and Nail
9 Blasphemous Act
Enchantments 2
5 Asceticism
5 Gratuitous Violence
Artifacts 5
1 Sol Ring
1 Basilisk Collar
2 Lightning Greaves
4 Birthing Pod
6 Staff of Nin
3 Domri Rade
5 Garruk, Primal Hunter
6 Garruk, Caller of Beasts
Lands 39
1 Gruul Guildgate
1 Kazandu Refuge
1 Raging Ravine
1 Stomping Ground
1 Fire-Lit Thicket
1 Karpulsan Forest
1 Rootbound Crag
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Command Tower
1 Taiga
1 Wasteland
1 Temple of Abandon
1 Temple of the False God
14 Forest
12 Mountain
1 Sol Ring
2 Sakura-Tribe Elder
2 Nature's Lore
2 Explore
3 Wood Elves
3 Somberwald Sage
3 Cultivate
3 Kodama's Reach
4 Skyshroud Claim
4 Solemn Simulacrum
4 Oracle of Mul Daya
Tutor & Draw 8
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Worldly Tutor
2 Fauna Shaman
3 Fierce Empath
5 Garruk, Primal Hunter
6 Garruk, Caller of Beasts
6 Staff of Nin
7 Knollspine Dragon
10 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
Recursion 5
2 Regrowth
3 Eternal Witness
5 Genesis
9 Artisan of Kozilek
Removal 12
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Hull Breach
2 Magmaquake
3 Beast Within
3 Krosan Grip
4 Ember Swallower
5 Acidic Slime
6 Bane of Progress
7 Balefire Dragon
7 Gruul Ragebeast
7 Sylvan Primordial
8 Terastodon
9 Blasphemous Act
1 Basilisk Collar
2 Lightning Greaves
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Vexing Shusher
3 Domri Rade
3 Chaos Warp
4 Anger
4 Birthing Pod
4 Ogre Battledriver
5 Primal Command
5 Asceticism
5 Gratuitous Violence
Just Creatures 6
2 Tunnel Ignus
4 Purphoros, God of the Forge
6 Wurmcoil Engine
6 Inferno Titan
7 Avenger of Zendikar
7 Molten Primordial
8 Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger
Counter? No? I win. 4
3 Genesis Wave
5 Zealous Conscripts
5 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
7 Tooth and Nail
Lands 39
1 Gruul Guildgate
1 Kazandu Refuge
1 Raging Ravine
1 Stomping Ground
1 Fire-Lit Thicket
1 Karpulsan Forest
1 Rootbound Crag
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Command Tower
1 Taiga
1 Wasteland
1 Temple of Abandon
1 Temple of the False God
14 Forest
12 Mountain
6 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
About The Deck
Hello. My name is Taylor. I've been playing Magic for about 13 years now. For about the last 5 years though, I have been strictly playing EDH. Ruric Thar has been my go to deck for the past year or so now since my multiplayer based meta has switched to creature-light and spell-heavy combo and control decks. I haven't seen a lot of Ruric Thar lists, and even fewer good ones. I believe Ruric Thar is an underrated General, especially in multiplayer. The pressure he puts on your opponents is disgusting, hence the deck name. Many of the cards included are pretty self-explanitory a few are either pet cards of mine or in for some other reason. I'll explain a few choices.
Magmaquake - Why This instead of Earthquake or Starstorm? Instant speed over Earthquake and hits 'Walkers over Starstorm.
Scavenging Ooze - I finally bought Kozilek, so Loaming Shaman is out and with the recent reprint, Ooze made it in. Upgrades all 'round!
Ogre Battledriver - Ogre is in for Urabrask for testing, he may come out, but he seems like he could have a good home here.
Somberwald Sage - Truly a Hidden Gem. If you play a lot of creatures like me and she sticks, she wraps up the game for you before it starts. Sylvan Primordial on Turn 4 with no other ramp? Yes please.
Gratuitous Violence - As Ruric Thar's two heads might suggest, the best smashy stuff comes in twos. 12 damage a spell? The Fight Monster eats more stuff? Awesome. Just awesome.
Gruul Ragebeast - The card I endearingly call "The Fight Monster". Creature removal in a creature. Ruric Thar approves. Bonus points if you return him with Artisan of Kozilek for a one-two punch.
Birthing Pod - Just wanted to mention my favorite link in the chain. Inferno Titan swings, then "Pods" into Knollspine Dragon for a new hand. Also, Zealous Conscripts = 4 to 6 CMC in 1 turn.
Tooth and Nail - In some games you just RAMP and cast this baby. The obvious combo is Kiki-Jiki/Zealous Conscripts. The not so obvious combo is Avenger of Zendikar/Sylvan Primordial.
Honestly, he doesn't hurt that bad. Of course you're going to have/get Non-Creature spells while he's out but it's simple really. Just hold onto it, unless you need it, and usually when you need something that bad 6 damage doesn't matter to you anyways. To tell you the truth, the "Must attack if able" clause has caused me more headaches than the 6 damage part.
IMO, if Ruric Thar is hitting you for a lot of damage, you're playing the deck wrong. You should be dealing damage, ramping, and other stuff wayyyy before you play Ruric Thar. He helps you finish the game, get your opponent down and it makes their non-creature spell choices more difficult while your turns are now rather simple. SMASH!
I just went and played a bunch of games today, and he still hasn't dissapointed me yet. Won 3 out of 4 multiplayer games and both of the 1v1s I played. Play smart, don't over-commit to your board, and play Ruric Thar when the time is right and you'll win.
Legend of Korra
Return to Ravnica
(Not that the stories or character are inhernetly bad, but that they failed to further delve into the topic. Like Gateless/Non-Benders feeling opressed by the Guilds/Benders that sought a revolution but it became less of importance according to the story.)
This is definitely true. He's also perfect to drop right after a board wipe.
-1 Loaming Shaman/+1 Scavenging Ooze
-1 Urabrask the Hidden/+1 Ogre Battledriver
-1 Omnath, Locus of Mana/+1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
My meta has been using more Green/Color combo decks now and I've been giving thought to Tunnel Ignus lately....
So now to my question: Is Defang the only useful Ruric Thar deterrent? Aside from running pure aggro creature decks?
Changes though...
-1 Birds of Paradise/+1 Tunnel Ignus
-1 Heartless Hidetsugu/+1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
-1 Indrik Stomphowler/+1 Bane of Progress
-1 Brutalizer Exarch/+1 Ember Swallower
-1 Garruk Wildspeaker/+1 Garruk, Caller of Beasts
[/CARD]? With Rurics ability it would hurt like hell. Or if you end up playing spell on your turn you can make sure they get in on that damage as well. Also way cheaper than Gratuitous Violence.
Regarding the "hate" Ruric Thar draws, there really isn't that much before the game starts. He isn't a widespread general, and the damage doesn't look that threatening until you play him when you're supposed to. The deck itself is what makes the General strong, not the other way around. If you were to rematch someone, and they knew how the deck ran...then I can see how you might recieve some static right of the bat.
As far as the creature-heavy lists go, that is one approach, but I do not think it to be the best. Few generals, IMO, can run a critical mass of creatures benificially. Ex: Momir Vig or Animar. Most other decks need to strike their perfect blend to be efficient. Especially in R/G. After a certain point, the creatures you're adding become sub-optimal and there are spells/other types of permanents that much better address a given situation. Cramming a Ruric-Thar list full of creatures just to duck the "6 damage" ability is just not good for business.
Sorry, but I have never ran the deck in a point-geared league/game...so I have no experience on how this warps the event. All I know is I hate the number '40' and I REALLY like the number '0'.
As far as Defang being a Ruric-Thar deterrent...I can't seem to wrap my head around this question. You mean to tell me that you taking 6 damage to your dome to enchant Ruric-Thar with Defang, then my destroying Defang with Hull Breach or something of the like for NO damage should bother me? How? Please Defang Ruric-Thar...because that seems like all upside for me.
Now to address the "Pure Aggro Creature" part of your question, see my response to Dutch253 on this.
Ruric Thar's ability doesn't target, and therefore can't be redirected when triggered upon myself. Against opponents, yeah it's alright. What if they cast two spells in one turn? I only get to double the damage once. Not to mention in multiplayer. Gratuitous Violenence IS more expensive, but in this case, you get what you pay for.
Thanks for the input though. Any other suggestions?
For a deck that wants to win by getting into the red zone, that can get a little difficult in a multiplayer format like EDH. In my Ruric Thar build, I added some Fling-type cards to give me some extra reach after combat damage or during Main 2. Stalking Vengeance or Vicious Shadows with a sac outlet (Ashnod's Altar, Phyrexian Altar, Grafted Wargear, Thermopod, Greater Gargadon, etc.) lets you stack on quite a bit of damage. But if you're pressed for deck space, Goblin Bombardment works.
With a higher noncreature-to-creature ratio that my build, I echo Amadeus's suggestion about more lifelink enablers.
Yeah, Heartless Hidetsugu was a tough cut, the rate in which he advanced the game is amazing. The thing is though, he is a "Coin Toss" kind of card. Sometimes he'll go off and things will go according to plan, the other half of the time, he goes off and a board wipe ensues and I am now that much easier to finish off. Your best friend in a Singleton format is consistency so that is why he came out.
About the sacrifice thing, I am not a fan of sacrificing part or all of my board state to try and wrap up a game sooner. Again, due to the same reasoning as above. If the opponent is tapped out and are within range of this strategy working...then it is good. If they are not within 'lethal' range or they have mana for a potential answer or if other opponents will survive...this strategy is not optimal and the cards you have included to facilitate it are not as strong as some other cards you could have in the deck in their place.
To respond to the higher non-creature ratio issue...I tend not to include cards to support any one strategy but rather, cards that are good in a multitude of situations. Having a lot of creatures just to duck Ruric-Thar's ability or to cater to a card like Primal Surge (which I have seen in a lot of Ruric lists) is just too limiting for my liking.
None of this is to put down other strategies or any individuals deck idea...but just more of an explanation of why I include the cards I do, or to provide counter-feedback on certain suggested cards. I appreciate everyone's contributions on this list so far.