Background
I've been playing the game on and off since revised edition, but since I graduated from college, I had only played casually with my daughter with the occasional "theme deck" or "intro pack". Innistrad block was may gateway back into magic, but I quickly became soured to the "pay $400 to play the same deck everyone else is" nature of standard. I also like playing cool, expensive creatures that are impractical in standard these days, so EDH caught my interest when I heard about it.
For a while I was tinkering with a prospective Riku/Birthing Pod deck, but never came upon any local sellers/traders with a Riku. When the Commander 2013 set came out, I just decided to make it a Roon deck.
Why play Roon
- You like value.
- You like the answers (removal, exiling, tucking) that Bant colors provide.
- You want to have answers to everything.
- You want to use those answers over and over again (aka you like blink, aka you like value.)
- You are patient.
- You like playing control.
Why not play Roon
- You aren't patient.
- You want to bash people's faces with dragons or demons.
Deck Strategy
This is a fairly archetypal ETB "blink" list, with high value ETB creatures that you recur with your commander or other blink effects (currently Deadeye Navigator, Conjurer's Closet, or Venser, the Sojourner) for value.
This is primarily a control list that seeks to have answers to a wide variety of situations, with a few strong synergies and a combo finisher. The deck typically wins by:
- "Soft-locking" the game with counterspells + (Roon+Prophet) or DEN + Archeomancer/EW
- "Total board control" by getting infinite mana via DEN+Palinchron+ a tutor creature (Fierce Empath or Brutalizer Exarch) to fetch creatures to destroy all opponent's permaments.
- Getting Archangel of Thune + Horizon Chimera + Fathom Mage and attacking with arbitrarily large unblockable creatures (via Thassa, God of the Sea or Venser, the Sojourner.)
I'm considering putting Laboratory Maniac back in as an alternate win condition, but currently the combos I need to draw my deck are a bit janky (but not that hard to get into play if I have a pod.)
Your star players
Birthing Pod - Your creatures are answers. Birthing Pod is a reusable creature tutor that gets around counterspells once you get it on the board. You can search this out with Fabricate and recur it with Academy Ruins (or Eternal Witness). Blink sources - Roon of the Hidden Realm, Deadeye Navigator, Venser, the Sojourner, and Conjurer's Closet. Blink your ETB creatures for value. Prophet of Kruphix - keeps your mana and creatures untapped. This has four main functions: 1) Use Roon on each other player's turn; 2) always have counter mana open; 3) Speed up getting creatures out by using the extra mana-turns; 4) Save getting value creatures out until you needing them by uisng the flash feature. This card is a major bomb and you should never cut it. Brutalizer Exarch - if you have not been using this guy in your blink deck because you had the now-banned Sylvan Primordial, you have been missing out. This card has major utility. It doesn't care about indestructibility and keeps players from simply getting their destroyed item back from the graveyard, and it doubles as a creature tutor.
Weaknesses
Torpor Orb is your bane, as it will shut down all of your ETB effects. The deck runs Krosan Grip and Wickerbough Elder on hand to deal with it. If you expect to see it in your meta, think hard before taking those cards out. If you see it a lot, you may want more answers, like Qasali Pridemage or Return to Dust.
Humility is also a card to fear, and is not vulnerable to Wickerbough Elder. I don't see it in my meta since the one player with the 5 color enchantment/token nuisance deck retired it, but if something like it exists in your meta, you will have to compensate.
The deck runs only a small selection of counterspells, so be conservative when using them. Save to keep other players from comboing off or to protect your own synergies unless you have a way to recur them on hand.
Roon vs. Other Generals
Blink in primarily a UW strategy, as most blink effects are in those colors. There are a variety of Bant, Azorious, or Esper generals you could use for a blink deck. (Esper blink sounds particularly fun variant, as there are some great black ETB creatures.)
I resisted the idea of using a different general for a blink deck to provide consistency and flexibility.
1) Consistency. Barring the extraordinary condition of being tucked, having a general who works to your key strategy means you don't need to draw or tutor into a blink creature to get your blink effect online. You pretty much always have access to him.
2) Flexibility. Having a general who blinks means I can get away with less blink effects in my 99. Which means I can put more blink targets in my 99. This gives me a little more latitude in what cards to select.
If you would like another general in UWx blink deck, however, you might try:
Probably Gone 2 Zameck Guildmage (Intended for boost/card draw, but a bit too janky to use) 3 Aether Adept (Bounce) 3 Dissolve (took out for classic Counterspell. Sometimes 1 mana is important.) 3 Pilgrim's Eye (Too slow, put in cultivate/KR instead) 4 Forgotten Ancient (Good with biomancer, guildmage, or beaters, too situational) 4 Increasing Savagery (there for biomancer nuts, too situational) 4 Lu Xun, Scholar General (Card draw, a bit too slow) 5 Razor Hippogriff (Artifact recursion. Get by with EW/AR) 5 Species Gorger (replace w/Venser. Blink is better except for Mystic Snake) 6 Stolen Identity (Copy artifacts/creatures. Needs a bit more evasion to be nuts)
Hi, I've had a Roon deck for quite a while now, and I've put a lot of work into it. That being said, here are a few suggestions I would make to you, given what I've learned from playing my deck.
+Duplicant, -Phyrexian Ingester
Reasoning: Duplicant fills a very similar role (exile a creature, get its power and toughness) at less mana.
+Glen Elendra Archmage, -Mystic Snake
Reasoning: This one is slightly out of your budget restrictions, but I wanted to point out that Mystic Snake isn't as great as you think, since a lot of your bounce effects (looking at you, Roon) return the creature at end of turn, which means you cannot counter a spell at instant speed by bouncing the snake.
+Reveillark, -Diluvian Primordial
Reasoning: The 'lark is another great source of recursion, which you clearly favor. I found this promordial a bit too situational (as opposed to his green brother, who is amazing).
+Mistmeadow Witch, -Stonecloaker
Reasoning: The witch is reusable, can be used on opponents' creatures, and fills your very thin 2 CMC spot.
+Aura Shards, -Wickerbough Elder
Reasoning: The shards are fantastic, especially since your list is so jam-packed with creatures. The elder is good, but the shards will help you lower your mana curve and give you a repeatable source of artifact/enchantment removal.
+Bane of Progress, -Pelakka Worm
Reasoning: You have very few artifacts, and no enchantments. I think this guy would be all upside for you. The worm just seems to do too little to be that far up on your mana curve.
+Qasali Pridemage, -Fathom Mage
Reasoning: The pridgemage is a recurrable piece of artifact/enchantment removal that will get around Torpor Orb. The mage is in an already saturated 4CMC spot and does nothing when it comes into play. You have other, better sources of card draw.
+Beast Within, -Spirit of Uthuun
Reasoning: You still have some issues with noncreature permanents. Beast Within is great. And although I like the spirit, when you compare it to your other 7CMC creatures, I feel it's a bit lackluster.
+Spike Weaver, -Wonder
Reasoning: I liked wonder, but it did not perform as well as I'd hoped. You have a very full 4CMC spot, and to put a relatively "do nothing" in there is unwise. How often are you finding yourself podding into wonder, instead of all the other good 4CMC creatures with powerful ETB effects? Spike Weaver will help combat a certain type of deck for you - anything that relies on its combat phase to kill you. Spike Weaver has been one of my favorite additions, I think you'd really like it.
Hi, I've had a Roon deck for quite a while now, and I've put a lot of work into it. That being said, here are a few suggestions I would make to you, given what I've learned from playing my deck.
Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate that you provide cut suggestions as well.
+Duplicant, -Phyrexian Ingester - I considered this, but was a bit worried that I would miss the extra P/T as a late game beater. May have to test it out.
+Swords to Plowshares -Darksteel Mutation/Simic Charm - possibly. Simic Charm has been a house, but I could see replacing Mutation. Obviously, DSM is intended more for dealing with nuisance commanders, it's really not that hard to deal with. I agree STP is a better card for general purposes.
+Glen Elendra Archmage, -Mystic Snake - Yeah, useless with Roon, but great with DEN. And counters any spell. But yeah, the Archmage is super useful and combos well with EOT blinkers. It's.< $10 and I've been eyeing one for a bit.
+Mistmeadow Witch, -Stonecloaker - Possible. Stonecloaker has been a bit of a multipurpose house, shutting down graveyard combos and bouncing the snake. I always thought of the Mistmeadow Witch as a bit mana-intensive, but I like that you don't need to tap it.
+Aura Shards, -Wickerbough Elder - I was already looking at putting aura shards in, but cutting the elder is a bit tough as I need a tutor able answer to Torpor Orb, which hits this deck hard.
+Bane of Progress, -Pelakka Worm - Probably. Pelakka Worm is at the top of my "cards I could afford to lose" list, and Bane of Progress would nuke some decks in my meta right now. And it would be all the late game beat-stick I could ask for.
+Qasali Pridemage, -Fathom Mage - possibly. It would mean giving up my pet combo, but it never comes up. As a bonus, it does deal with Torpor Orb, and it's recurrable with sun titan.
+Beast Within, -Sphinx of Uthuun - Possibly. I put Sphinx in recently because I felt like my card draw was weak. I still want to try a few more games with him to see how it runs.
+Spike Weaver, -Wonder - Probably. Wonder is sharing the chopping block with Pelakka Wurm. I was already considering Spike Weaver (and Knight-Captain of Eos) as too many of my recent losses have been to being rushed by Craterhoof-led swarms and infinite combo token swarms.
No problem. I forgot to mention it earlier, but Rite of Replication should be an auto-include. It's right around your budget restriction (about $5 last I checked) but it is amazing.
The problem with +/- listing is that I like some cards that just got dismissed as being not too useful, like Mystic Snake. Obviously some choices like Momentary Blink or Ghostly Flicker(especially with Eternal Witness in play) get much better with the snake.
Some suggestions I liked in my Roon deck: Mistmeadow Witch, Nephalia Smuggler: Cheap and repeatable source of blink, the latter works well with Mystic Snake. Also they can be used to ramp with the landsearching dudes way before you play the commander. Bant Charm: Tuck a creature or destroy an evil torpor orb or counter a counter. All choices on this card are good. Ghostway: Dodge a board wipe and trigger all the ETB effects again: Yes, please. Even repeatable with Eternal Witness in play.
Also I would play more tutors to dig for creature solutions against almost anything: Fauna Shaman, Green Sun's Zenith, Eladamri's Call and Wargate.
I play Austere Command as it is a very flexible board wipe.
Things to cut: I don't play any mana artifacts like Signets or Chromatic Lantern but Sol Ring. With green I can search for lands which are harder to get rid of than artifacts. Angel of Serenity as it has CMC7(maybe even more as if you want to permanently exile something you need to pay for a blink effect as well) and WWW. Wonder as it is only useful with a few other cards in your deck.
How does the +1/+1 counter stuff works here? Haven't tested it as blinking you units will remove those counters again.
The problem with +/- listing is that I like some cards that just got dismissed as being not too useful, like Mystic Snake.
Mystic Snake isn't going anywhere for a while.
Things to cut: I don't play any mana artifacts like Signets or Chromatic Lantern but Sol Ring. With green I can search for lands which are harder to get rid of than artifacts.
I consider Chromatic Lantern indispensable (drawing it would have saved me last night when I was short on blue mana), but I'm considering cutting Selesnya Signet for Oracle of Mul Daya.
How does the +1/+1 counter stuff works here? Haven't tested it as blinking you units will remove those counters again.
Archangel's counters will go away if you blink a creature on it. But it has a very strong synergy with Fathom Mage and Horizon Chimera. It doesn't always happen, but I don't play a lot of dedicated beaters, so pumping them a bit helps even without the combo.
Master Biomancer's counters come right back if a creature is blinked. And if you copy the Biomancer and blink it (or repeatedly copy it with the Progenitor Mimic), it gets really sick very quick, as the Biomancer(s) put their total power worth of counters on any creature you play/blink.
And Archangel also gets counters on Biomancer which is applied to any creature that you play/blink. Both also help keep the Spike Weaver online.
Edit: On a slightly amusing side note, I accidentally traded for a Spike Feeder last night instead of a Spike Weaver. I was initially frustrated at my error, but then I realized that it infinite combos with Archangel of Thune. In some ways, the combo is better than the one I had, as I don't risk decking myself and it only takes 2 cards. Still, the card's almost useless by itself and I'm not sure I would put it in just for the combo.
With Bane of Progress in, and feeling the need for card advantage, I swapped in Oracle of Mul Daya for Selesnya Signet. I am a little worried this might dilute the early ramp of the deck, but the ability of the Oracle to get virtual card advantage, ramp, and clear land out of my hand has proven very effective in early testing.
I've considered: Kiora the Explorer Fated Retribution - expensive, but gets you out of scrapes like infinite kiki-jiki combos and Craterhoof charges. Perplexing Chimera - play it, claim a spell, then blink it. Spirit of the Labyrinth - A bit iffy, but could allow you to get the upper hand against control decks that rely on a lot of draw.
I like Arbiter of the Ideal and Kiora's Follower, but I'm not sure they would fit in this deck. But they might work well in a deck less focused on ETB and more on tap tricks, like many Derevi decks.
Experimenting with Spirit of the Labyrinth and Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir as a measure against some more aggressive control decks that have cropped up in our league, two of them being Prime Speaker Zegana decks. I'm a little iffy on Teferi already, as he stops people from stopping other players from doing things you don't want. So functionally, it seems like I might play him as a combo protector only, for which purpose Grand Abolisher might be better.
I hesitated putting Palinchron in because I really don't play lots of mana sink spells like Blue Sun's Zenith. But really, with Deadeye Navigator in play, any ETB creature in play becomes a functional mana sink, and how thick this deck is with ETB effects, that's usually something that will turn the tide in your favor.
Perplexing Chimera is a bit of an experiment. I'll be interested to see how my meta handles it. In the long term, I think it's only worth keeping if I add Homeward Path.
I notice these changes leave my 4-drop spot super glutted. I'm not sure this is a huge problem because it leaves me a bit more room to have counter mana up after casting, and it's an easy jump of point to pod to from a Sun Titan recurred 3-drop.
I'm a little worried about cutting Unexpectedly Absent. Bant Charm is better at tucking commanders, but UA can tuck anything, and Darksteel Forgue is a nuisance in my meta.
Have you considered Mimic Vat? It's sick with Birthing Pod. Little known fact, tokens made by the Vat has a non-zero casting cost since it's a copy of a card. Which means you can pod away the token for extra shenanigans.
Hi, just a few other suggestions (I've been playing a Roon deck for quite a while now too).
Ixidron has been amazing in this deck. It's a tutor-able pseduo-boardwipe, blink him for extra fun. This gets around creatures with hexproof/shroud/indestructible and also is a great way to "tuck" enemy commanders, if only for a little while. I think this card is especially important since I do not see any board wipes. Though this version is creature-heavy, I have found 2 board wipes to be very important. I'd suggest Austere Command for the options it gives you.
I know I suggested it quite a while ago and you liked the idea, but I will insist again that you consider adding Reveillark. He's great, he's recursion (and you'll have a ton of targets given your list), and he fits your slim 5-slot for Birthing Pod.
I also in the past suggested either Spell Crumple or Hinder instead of your Counterspell. I have found the tuck effect to be incredibly helpful against enemy commanders. This is especially important now that you've cutUnexpectedly Absent.
Have you considered Mimic Vat? It's sick with Birthing Pod. Little known fact, tokens made by the Vat has a non-zero casting cost since it's a copy of a card. Which means you can pod away the token for extra shenanigans.
Not seriously. I do have two in other decks. I'd have to peel one away or come up with another one. Something I might try.
Hi, just a few other suggestions (I've been playing a Roon deck for quite a while now too).
Ixidron has been amazing in this deck. It's a tutor-able pseduo-boardwipe, blink him for extra fun. This gets around creatures with hexproof/shroud/indestructible and also is a great way to "tuck" enemy commanders, if only for a little while. I think this card is especially important since I do not see any board wipes.
EDIT:
I did just pick up an Austere Command and an Ixidron (and a full art Hinder), but I think two more board wipes would be too much. I might put Ixidron or Austere Command in, but probably not both, and I have a hard time thinking either is a better card than Terminus or Cyclonic Rift. Austere can nix artifacts or enchantments, but Ixidron hits indestructibles an can be podded for, so each has their own arguments.
I know I suggested it quite a while ago and you liked the idea, but I will insist again that you consider adding Reveillark. He's great, he's recursion (and you'll have a ton of targets given your list), and he fits your slim 5-slot for Birthing Pod.
So many things to try! It's mostly just a matter of finding room and cutting something I can justify. And getting a hold of a copy! But I think the local shop may actually have one.
EDIT: Nope. Will have to order a Reveillark if I want one.
I also in the past suggested either Spell Crumple or Hinder instead of your Counterspell. I have found the tuck effect to be incredibly helpful against enemy commanders. This is especially important now that you've cutUnexpectedly Absent.
The 1 mana difference is occasionally very relevant, but Hinder isn't too expensive. EDIT: Just picked up a full art Hinder. (I already have a Hinder and Spell Crumple in other decks, but hate swapping cards between decks unless they are expensive. Right now, the only card I do it for is Sword of Feast and Famine, which jumps between Grimgin and Jeleva.)
Played a game trying the Ixidron. It worked out pretty well; I won a 5-man pod playing Roon today. I don't love Ixidron compared to my other board wipes, but it shuts down one major nuisance that gets played a lot in my meta: Avacyn. The player with the G/W "goodstuff" Saffi Eriksdotter deck has a combo out with Fauna Shaman and Reya Dawnbringer putting whatever creature he wanted in the graveyard each turn and putting it in play. Ixidron shut it all down. Then Ghostway gave me all my creatures back.
Avenger of Zendikar makes this deck even better and a Time Warp would be amazing. I think they deserve places over Simic Charm and Control Magic. Control Magic doesn't really fit here and Simic Charm is a one time use return to hand card that you'll never use Archomancer to get since Deadeye Navigator saves any targeted creatures and Karmic Guide brings dead stuff back. Time Warp can go infinite turns with your Palinchron and Zendikar gives you tons creatures.
Avenger isn't a bad choice for a Roon list, especially if you are running Craterhoof Behemoth and Tooth and Nail. I hesitate to cut control stuff from this list for it.
Simic Charm has proven very useful in actual situations, mostly the hexproof mode; the other modes are gravy. One of the primary modes this deck wins with is a soft lock with Roon/Prophet + Witness/Archaeomancer or DEN/Snake. Simic Charm can help keep the lock by protecting against spot removal after DEN trigger or uncounterable spot removal such as a Hero's Downfall powered by a Boseiju, Who Shelters All or an activation of Ethersworn Adjudicator.
Time Warp (or Walk) is actually a good fit for this deck, and one I've considered. Alas, our league rules discourage taking more than two turns in a row, but if your leagu/meta is okay with it, it's worth considering.
Sorry, my phone has trouble with the Curse forum forms, I had to split my reply into multiple posts.
Control Magic is an odd bird in this deck. Sometimes taking someone's bomb for your own is the right play. I'd rather have Sower of Temptation, but it's a bit expensive, but blink lets me retarget it and it doesn't die to my own Bane of Progress. If I do get one, expect to see that swap.
I considered putting in Rubininia Soulsinger, but I'd have to wait a turn to use her unless I found a way to squeeze Thousand-Year Elixir in. Not to mention she's more vulnerable to protection from color (any shard color creature is automatically shut down by any "Sword of X and Y".)
Time Warp is looking really appealing right now. Our league is starting up this weekend again, and the point rules discourage infinite combos or taking more than 2 turns in a row. But if I only cast Time Warp to go twice in a row, I'm still wrangling some major advantage.
In my testing, Perplexing Chimera is an absolute beast. He's helped me force multiple players to scoop on a few occasions just by having him and a blink enabler in play. I would strongly encourage you to try him.
I've been playing the game on and off since revised edition, but since I graduated from college, I had only played casually with my daughter with the occasional "theme deck" or "intro pack". Innistrad block was may gateway back into magic, but I quickly became soured to the "pay $400 to play the same deck everyone else is" nature of standard. I also like playing cool, expensive creatures that are impractical in standard these days, so EDH caught my interest when I heard about it.
For a while I was tinkering with a prospective Riku/Birthing Pod deck, but never came upon any local sellers/traders with a Riku. When the Commander 2013 set came out, I just decided to make it a Roon deck.
Why play Roon
- You like value.
- You like the answers (removal, exiling, tucking) that Bant colors provide.
- You want to have answers to everything.
- You want to use those answers over and over again (aka you like blink, aka you like value.)
- You are patient.
- You like playing control.
Why not play Roon
- You aren't patient.
- You want to bash people's faces with dragons or demons.
Deck Strategy
This is a fairly archetypal ETB "blink" list, with high value ETB creatures that you recur with your commander or other blink effects (currently Deadeye Navigator, Conjurer's Closet, or Venser, the Sojourner) for value.
This is primarily a control list that seeks to have answers to a wide variety of situations, with a few strong synergies and a combo finisher. The deck typically wins by:
- "Soft-locking" the game with counterspells + (Roon+Prophet) or DEN + Archeomancer/EW
- "Total board control" by getting infinite mana via DEN+Palinchron+ a tutor creature (Fierce Empath or Brutalizer Exarch) to fetch creatures to destroy all opponent's permaments.
- Getting Archangel of Thune + Horizon Chimera + Fathom Mage and attacking with arbitrarily large unblockable creatures (via Thassa, God of the Sea or Venser, the Sojourner.)
I'm considering putting Laboratory Maniac back in as an alternate win condition, but currently the combos I need to draw my deck are a bit janky (but not that hard to get into play if I have a pod.)
Your star players
Birthing Pod - Your creatures are answers. Birthing Pod is a reusable creature tutor that gets around counterspells once you get it on the board. You can search this out with Fabricate and recur it with Academy Ruins (or Eternal Witness).
Blink sources - Roon of the Hidden Realm, Deadeye Navigator, Venser, the Sojourner, and Conjurer's Closet. Blink your ETB creatures for value.
Prophet of Kruphix - keeps your mana and creatures untapped. This has four main functions: 1) Use Roon on each other player's turn; 2) always have counter mana open; 3) Speed up getting creatures out by using the extra mana-turns; 4) Save getting value creatures out until you needing them by uisng the flash feature. This card is a major bomb and you should never cut it.
Brutalizer Exarch - if you have not been using this guy in your blink deck because you had the now-banned Sylvan Primordial, you have been missing out. This card has major utility. It doesn't care about indestructibility and keeps players from simply getting their destroyed item back from the graveyard, and it doubles as a creature tutor.
Weaknesses
Humility is also a card to fear, and is not vulnerable to Wickerbough Elder. I don't see it in my meta since the one player with the 5 color enchantment/token nuisance deck retired it, but if something like it exists in your meta, you will have to compensate.
The deck runs only a small selection of counterspells, so be conservative when using them. Save to keep other players from comboing off or to protect your own synergies unless you have a way to recur them on hand.
Roon vs. Other Generals
I resisted the idea of using a different general for a blink deck to provide consistency and flexibility.
1) Consistency. Barring the extraordinary condition of being tucked, having a general who works to your key strategy means you don't need to draw or tutor into a blink creature to get your blink effect online. You pretty much always have access to him.
2) Flexibility. Having a general who blinks means I can get away with less blink effects in my 99. Which means I can put more blink targets in my 99. This gives me a little more latitude in what cards to select.
If you would like another general in UWx blink deck, however, you might try:
Combos and Synergies
The basic synergy the deck exploits is Blinker + ETB creature = value! But going on to stronger or more subtle synergies:
Exiler (Angel of Serenity, Fiend Hunter, or (if you play it) Leonin Relic-Warder) + Blinker (while trigger is on stack): permanent exile of 1st target, select 2nd target.
Roon + Prophet of Kruphix + ETB creature: Blink every turn
Archangel of Thune + Horizon Chimera + Fathom Mage - draw X cards, gain X life, put X +1/+1 counters on your creatures, where X is an arbitrarily large number you are comfortable with without decking yourself.
Blinker + Palinchron - always have counter mana open or extra mana (homemade Prophet or Mirari's Wake)
Blinker + any ETB creature + Ephara, God of the Polis = value + card advantage
Deadeye Navigator + Mystic Snake: reusable counter for U1
Deadeye Navigator + Palinchron = all the mana you could ever use.
To make use of this mana for instant wincon, you need either a Fierce Empath or Brutalizer Exarch + card draw (Prime Speaker Zegana or Muldrifter). Once you have either of those, you can re-pair DEN with Empath/Exarch and grab Fiend Hunter, Angel of Serenity, and/or Terastodon (and if you don't have it, Brutalizer Exarch.) Then you re-pair DEN to exile all opponents creatures (in play and in graveyards) and tuck or "elephant" all opponents' non-creature permanents.
The Decklist:
5 Roon of the Hidden Realm
Land Base (38)
1x Academy Ruins (Recover Pod/Closet)
1x Azorius Chancery
1x Bant Panorama
1x Breeding Pool
1x Command Tower
1x High Market (Sac outlet)
1x Hinterland Harbor
1x Opal Palace
1x Rupture Spire
1x Saltcrusted Steppe
1x Selesnya Sanctuary
1x Sejiri Refuge
1x Seaside Citadel
1x Simic Growth Chamber
1x Temple of Enlightenment
1x Temple of Mystery
1x Temple of Plenty
1x Temple of the False God
1x Terramorphic Expanse
1x Transguild Promenade
6x Forest
6x Island
6x Plains
Creatures (37)
2 Coiling Oracle (Ramp/CA)
3 Eternal Witness (Recursion)
3 Farhaven Elf (Ramp)
3 Fiend Hunter (Removal)
3 Fierce Empath (Tutor)
3 Stonecloaker (Bounce & graveyard hate)
3 Thassa, God of the Sea (Scry & evasion)
4 Archaeomancer (Recusion)
4 Angel of Finality (Graveyard Hate)
4 Ephara, God of the Polis
4 Master Biomancer (pump)
4 Mystic Snake (Recurable counter!)
4 Oracle of Mul Daya
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Solemn Simulacrum (Ramp/Draw)
4 Sower of Temptation
4 Spike Weaver
4 Venser, Shaper Savant
4 Wickerbough Elder (naturalize)
5 Acidic Slime (Annoyance removal)
5 Archangel of Thune (Flyer/Booster/Lifegain)
5 Ixidron
5 Karmic Guide (Recursion)
5 Mulldrifter (Card draw)
5 Prophet of Kruphix (Amazing!)
5 Reveillark
6 Bane of Progress
6 Brutalizer Exarch (removal/tutor)
6 Deadeye Navigator (Amazing!)
6 Duplicant (Removal)
6 Prime Speaker Zegana (Card draw)
6 Progenitor Mimic (Nice!)
6 Sun Titan (beater/recursion)
7 Angel of Serenity (Removal)
7 Diluvian Primordial (Borrow spells)
7 Palinchron (Mana/Combo piece)
8 Terastodon (Removal)
1 Sol Ring
2 Swiftfoot Boots
3 Chromatic Lantern
3 Darksteel Ingot
4 Birthing Pod (Creature fetch)
5 Conjurer's Closet (Amazing!)
Planeswalkers (1)
5 Venser, the Sojourner
Other Spells (17)
1 Path to Exile
2 Cyclonic Rift
2 Simic Charm
3 Aura Shards
3 Bant Charm
3 Cultivate
3 Dissipate
3 Fabricate (Find Pod or Closet)
3 Ghostway
3 Hinder
3 Kodama's Reach
3 Krosan Grip
3 Render Silent
3 Voidslime
5 Mirari's Wake (Super ramp)
6 Terminus
8 Praetor's Counsel
Roon of the Pod People (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
Sydri, Super Genius (Sydri, Galvanic Genius)
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Retired:
Grimgrin's Corpse-Beats (Grimgrin, Corpse-Born) | Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge | Varolz, the Scar-Striped (1v1) | Glissa, the Traitor
1/29/14:
-Wonder
-Pelakka Wurm
+Aura Shards
+Bane of Progress
2/3/14:
-Sylvan Primordial
-Selesnya Signet
+Oracle of Mul Daya
+Ephara, God of the Polis
2/6/14:
-Simic Signet
+Darksteel Ingot
2/8/14:
- Selesnya Guildgate
- Azorius Guildgate
- Leonin Relic-Warder
- Darksteel Mutation
- Sphinx of Uthuun
+ Temple of Plenty
+ Temple of Enlightenment
+ Spirit of the Labyrinth
+ Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
+ Palinchron
2/18/14
- Unexpectedly Absent
- Spirit of the Labyrinth
- Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
- Creeping Renaissance
+ Bant Charm
+ Spike Weaver
+ Perplexing Chimera
+ Praetor's Counsel
2/22/14
- Perplexing Chimera
- Yavimaya Elder
- Counterspell
+ Ghostway
+ Ixidron
+ Hinder
3/5/14:
- Horizon Chimera
- Fathom Mage
+ Reveillark
+ Cryptic Annelid
7/11 or before:
- Cryptic Annelid
- Cryptoplasm
- Phyrexian Ingester
- Control Magic
+ Sower of Temptation
+ Phyrexian Metamorph
+ Duplicant
+ Mirari's Wake
Old Changes:
2 Zameck Guildmage (Intended for boost/card draw, but a bit too janky to use)
3 Aether Adept (Bounce)
3 Dissolve (took out for classic Counterspell. Sometimes 1 mana is important.)
3 Pilgrim's Eye (Too slow, put in cultivate/KR instead)
4 Forgotten Ancient (Good with biomancer, guildmage, or beaters, too situational)
4 Increasing Savagery (there for biomancer nuts, too situational)
4 Lu Xun, Scholar General (Card draw, a bit too slow)
5 Razor Hippogriff (Artifact recursion. Get by with EW/AR)
5 Species Gorger (replace w/Venser. Blink is better except for Mystic Snake)
6 Stolen Identity (Copy artifacts/creatures. Needs a bit more evasion to be nuts)
2 Selesnya Charm
2 Void Stalker (Tuck effect)
3 Laboratory Maniac (Alternate win condition.)
6 Garruk, Caller of Beasts
7 Luminate Primordial
Considering:
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Nephalia Smuggler
2 Azorius Guildmage (Maybe, a bit situational and obvious)
2 Fauna Shaman (tutor, great with Titan or EW)
2 Mistmeadow Witch
3 Thousand-Year Elixir (could speed up/double Roon, but not too many other targets)
5 Momir Vig, Simic Visionary (Reusable tutor)
7 Avenger of Zendikar
2 Survival of the Fittest (better tutor)
3 Cloudstone Curio (better than Species Gorger)
4 Glen Elendra Archmage
4 Sower of Temptation
8 Craterhoof Behemoth (expensive, but great finisher)
Roon of the Pod People (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
Sydri, Super Genius (Sydri, Galvanic Genius)
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Retired:
Grimgrin's Corpse-Beats (Grimgrin, Corpse-Born) | Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge | Varolz, the Scar-Striped (1v1) | Glissa, the Traitor
+Duplicant, -Phyrexian Ingester
Reasoning: Duplicant fills a very similar role (exile a creature, get its power and toughness) at less mana.
+Harmonic Sliver, -Leonin Relic-Warder
Reasoning: The sliver is abusable by repeatedly blinking him, while the warder is not.
+Swords to Plowshares -Darksteel Mutation/Simic Charm
Reasoning: Exile effects for W are wonderful. I had both the mutation and the charm in my original deck, but found them both lackluster.
+Spell Crumple/Hinder, -Dissipate/Render Silent
Reasoning: This counter suite has the added benefit of tuck effects for opponents' commanders.
+Glen Elendra Archmage, -Mystic Snake
Reasoning: This one is slightly out of your budget restrictions, but I wanted to point out that Mystic Snake isn't as great as you think, since a lot of your bounce effects (looking at you, Roon) return the creature at end of turn, which means you cannot counter a spell at instant speed by bouncing the snake.
+Reveillark, -Diluvian Primordial
Reasoning: The 'lark is another great source of recursion, which you clearly favor. I found this promordial a bit too situational (as opposed to his green brother, who is amazing).
+Mistmeadow Witch, -Stonecloaker
Reasoning: The witch is reusable, can be used on opponents' creatures, and fills your very thin 2 CMC spot.
+Aura Shards, -Wickerbough Elder
Reasoning: The shards are fantastic, especially since your list is so jam-packed with creatures. The elder is good, but the shards will help you lower your mana curve and give you a repeatable source of artifact/enchantment removal.
+Bane of Progress, -Pelakka Worm
Reasoning: You have very few artifacts, and no enchantments. I think this guy would be all upside for you. The worm just seems to do too little to be that far up on your mana curve.
+Qasali Pridemage, -Fathom Mage
Reasoning: The pridgemage is a recurrable piece of artifact/enchantment removal that will get around Torpor Orb. The mage is in an already saturated 4CMC spot and does nothing when it comes into play. You have other, better sources of card draw.
+Beast Within, -Spirit of Uthuun
Reasoning: You still have some issues with noncreature permanents. Beast Within is great. And although I like the spirit, when you compare it to your other 7CMC creatures, I feel it's a bit lackluster.
+Spike Weaver, -Wonder
Reasoning: I liked wonder, but it did not perform as well as I'd hoped. You have a very full 4CMC spot, and to put a relatively "do nothing" in there is unwise. How often are you finding yourself podding into wonder, instead of all the other good 4CMC creatures with powerful ETB effects? Spike Weaver will help combat a certain type of deck for you - anything that relies on its combat phase to kill you. Spike Weaver has been one of my favorite additions, I think you'd really like it.
Some out of budget ideas, in case you have them lying around: Gilded Drake, Noble Hierarch, the two missing shocklands, Dryad Arbor
Currently Playing:
Multiplayer EDH Lists (click italics for a link to the thread!)
[Primer] Lord of Tresserhorn - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do[Primer] Roon of the Hidden Realm - Rhino Blink
5 Color Tribal Guide (Slivers, Atogs, Allies, Spirits)
Also Playing (most decklists can be found on my profile)
MarathGeistKamahlGrenzoBolasThassaGitrog
PiratesZurVial Smasher&ThrasiosYennettJhoira(cEDH)Strix(Pauper)
Legacy: Maverick
Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebearsThanks for the feedback. I appreciate that you provide cut suggestions as well.
+Duplicant, -Phyrexian Ingester - I considered this, but was a bit worried that I would miss the extra P/T as a late game beater. May have to test it out.
+Harmonic Sliver, -Leonin Relic-Warder - I like this, with the sole reservation that two esper artifact decks I frequently face play Darksteel Forge, and exiling is occasionally very important.
+Swords to Plowshares -Darksteel Mutation/Simic Charm - possibly. Simic Charm has been a house, but I could see replacing Mutation. Obviously, DSM is intended more for dealing with nuisance commanders, it's really not that hard to deal with. I agree STP is a better card for general purposes.
+Spell Crumple/Hinder, -Dissipate/Render Silent - Render Silent has been very useful, but I could see cutting Dissipate.
+Glen Elendra Archmage, -Mystic Snake - Yeah, useless with Roon, but great with DEN. And counters any spell. But yeah, the Archmage is super useful and combos well with EOT blinkers. It's.< $10 and I've been eyeing one for a bit.
+Reveillark, -Diluvian Primordial - A bit iffy. DP has won me games, but I do like the lark.
+Mistmeadow Witch, -Stonecloaker - Possible. Stonecloaker has been a bit of a multipurpose house, shutting down graveyard combos and bouncing the snake. I always thought of the Mistmeadow Witch as a bit mana-intensive, but I like that you don't need to tap it.
+Aura Shards, -Wickerbough Elder - I was already looking at putting aura shards in, but cutting the elder is a bit tough as I need a tutor able answer to Torpor Orb, which hits this deck hard.
+Bane of Progress, -Pelakka Worm - Probably. Pelakka Worm is at the top of my "cards I could afford to lose" list, and Bane of Progress would nuke some decks in my meta right now. And it would be all the late game beat-stick I could ask for.
+Qasali Pridemage, -Fathom Mage - possibly. It would mean giving up my pet combo, but it never comes up. As a bonus, it does deal with Torpor Orb, and it's recurrable with sun titan.
+Beast Within, -Sphinx of Uthuun - Possibly. I put Sphinx in recently because I felt like my card draw was weak. I still want to try a few more games with him to see how it runs.
+Spike Weaver, -Wonder - Probably. Wonder is sharing the chopping block with Pelakka Wurm. I was already considering Spike Weaver (and Knight-Captain of Eos) as too many of my recent losses have been to being rushed by Craterhoof-led swarms and infinite combo token swarms.
Thanks again!
Roon of the Pod People (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
Sydri, Super Genius (Sydri, Galvanic Genius)
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Retired:
Grimgrin's Corpse-Beats (Grimgrin, Corpse-Born) | Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge | Varolz, the Scar-Striped (1v1) | Glissa, the Traitor
Currently Playing:
Multiplayer EDH Lists (click italics for a link to the thread!)
[Primer] Lord of Tresserhorn - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do[Primer] Roon of the Hidden Realm - Rhino Blink
5 Color Tribal Guide (Slivers, Atogs, Allies, Spirits)
Also Playing (most decklists can be found on my profile)
MarathGeistKamahlGrenzoBolasThassaGitrog
PiratesZurVial Smasher&ThrasiosYennettJhoira(cEDH)Strix(Pauper)
Legacy: Maverick
Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebearsSome suggestions I liked in my Roon deck:
Mistmeadow Witch, Nephalia Smuggler: Cheap and repeatable source of blink, the latter works well with Mystic Snake. Also they can be used to ramp with the landsearching dudes way before you play the commander.
Bant Charm: Tuck a creature or destroy an evil torpor orb or counter a counter. All choices on this card are good.
Ghostway: Dodge a board wipe and trigger all the ETB effects again: Yes, please. Even repeatable with Eternal Witness in play.
Also I would play more tutors to dig for creature solutions against almost anything: Fauna Shaman, Green Sun's Zenith, Eladamri's Call and Wargate.
I play Austere Command as it is a very flexible board wipe.
Things to cut: I don't play any mana artifacts like Signets or Chromatic Lantern but Sol Ring. With green I can search for lands which are harder to get rid of than artifacts.
Angel of Serenity as it has CMC7(maybe even more as if you want to permanently exile something you need to pay for a blink effect as well) and WWW. Wonder as it is only useful with a few other cards in your deck.
How does the +1/+1 counter stuff works here? Haven't tested it as blinking you units will remove those counters again.
Mystic Snake isn't going anywhere for a while.
I consider Chromatic Lantern indispensable (drawing it would have saved me last night when I was short on blue mana), but I'm considering cutting Selesnya Signet for Oracle of Mul Daya.
Not sure what you mean here. I have 2 main cards that generate +1/+1 counters: Archangel of Thune and Master Biomancer.
Archangel's counters will go away if you blink a creature on it. But it has a very strong synergy with Fathom Mage and Horizon Chimera. It doesn't always happen, but I don't play a lot of dedicated beaters, so pumping them a bit helps even without the combo.
Master Biomancer's counters come right back if a creature is blinked. And if you copy the Biomancer and blink it (or repeatedly copy it with the Progenitor Mimic), it gets really sick very quick, as the Biomancer(s) put their total power worth of counters on any creature you play/blink.
And Archangel also gets counters on Biomancer which is applied to any creature that you play/blink. Both also help keep the Spike Weaver online.
Roon of the Pod People (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
Sydri, Super Genius (Sydri, Galvanic Genius)
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Retired:
Grimgrin's Corpse-Beats (Grimgrin, Corpse-Born) | Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge | Varolz, the Scar-Striped (1v1) | Glissa, the Traitor
-Wonder
-Pelakka Wurm
+Aura Shards
+Bane of Progress
Diluvian Primordial was vindicated again last night. Playing it was a major swing of the game in my favor, as I netted a Naturalize, an Increasing Ambition, and an Insurrection.
Edit: On a slightly amusing side note, I accidentally traded for a Spike Feeder last night instead of a Spike Weaver. I was initially frustrated at my error, but then I realized that it infinite combos with Archangel of Thune. In some ways, the combo is better than the one I had, as I don't risk decking myself and it only takes 2 cards. Still, the card's almost useless by itself and I'm not sure I would put it in just for the combo.
Roon of the Pod People (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
Sydri, Super Genius (Sydri, Galvanic Genius)
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Retired:
Grimgrin's Corpse-Beats (Grimgrin, Corpse-Born) | Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge | Varolz, the Scar-Striped (1v1) | Glissa, the Traitor
-Sylvan Primordial
-Selesnya Signet
+Oracle of Mul Daya
+Ephara, God of the Polis
Sylvan is banned now. I think I have enough artifact/enchantment/land removal with Acidic Slime, Aura Shards, Brutalizer Exarch, Bane of Progress, Wickerbough Elder, and Terastodon, so I opted to look for more card advantage with Ephara, God of the Polis.
With Bane of Progress in, and feeling the need for card advantage, I swapped in Oracle of Mul Daya for Selesnya Signet. I am a little worried this might dilute the early ramp of the deck, but the ability of the Oracle to get virtual card advantage, ramp, and clear land out of my hand has proven very effective in early testing.
Roon of the Pod People (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
Sydri, Super Genius (Sydri, Galvanic Genius)
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Retired:
Grimgrin's Corpse-Beats (Grimgrin, Corpse-Born) | Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge | Varolz, the Scar-Striped (1v1) | Glissa, the Traitor
Currently Playing:
Multiplayer EDH Lists (click italics for a link to the thread!)
[Primer] Lord of Tresserhorn - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do[Primer] Roon of the Hidden Realm - Rhino Blink
5 Color Tribal Guide (Slivers, Atogs, Allies, Spirits)
Also Playing (most decklists can be found on my profile)
MarathGeistKamahlGrenzoBolasThassaGitrog
PiratesZurVial Smasher&ThrasiosYennettJhoira(cEDH)Strix(Pauper)
Legacy: Maverick
Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebearsKiora the Explorer
Fated Retribution - expensive, but gets you out of scrapes like infinite kiki-jiki combos and Craterhoof charges.
Perplexing Chimera - play it, claim a spell, then blink it.
Spirit of the Labyrinth - A bit iffy, but could allow you to get the upper hand against control decks that rely on a lot of draw.
I like Arbiter of the Ideal and Kiora's Follower, but I'm not sure they would fit in this deck. But they might work well in a deck less focused on ETB and more on tap tricks, like many Derevi decks.
Roon of the Pod People (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
Sydri, Super Genius (Sydri, Galvanic Genius)
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Retired:
Grimgrin's Corpse-Beats (Grimgrin, Corpse-Born) | Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge | Varolz, the Scar-Striped (1v1) | Glissa, the Traitor
- Simic Signet
+ Darksteel Ingot
I'm a little nervous this leaves me with only 2 pieces of ramp less than 3 mana, but it should help me negotiate my own Bane of Progress better.
I'm ordering a Spike Weaver and a Ghostway.
Roon of the Pod People (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
Sydri, Super Genius (Sydri, Galvanic Genius)
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Retired:
Grimgrin's Corpse-Beats (Grimgrin, Corpse-Born) | Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge | Varolz, the Scar-Striped (1v1) | Glissa, the Traitor
- Selesnya Guildgate
- Azorius Guildgate
- Leonin Relic-Warder
- Darksteel Mutation
- Sphinx of Uthuun
+ Temple of Plenty
+ Temple of Enlightenment
+ Spirit of the Labyrinth
+ Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
+ Palinchron
Traded for the last 2 scry lands today.
Experimenting with Spirit of the Labyrinth and Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir as a measure against some more aggressive control decks that have cropped up in our league, two of them being Prime Speaker Zegana decks. I'm a little iffy on Teferi already, as he stops people from stopping other players from doing things you don't want. So functionally, it seems like I might play him as a combo protector only, for which purpose Grand Abolisher might be better.
I hesitated putting Palinchron in because I really don't play lots of mana sink spells like Blue Sun's Zenith. But really, with Deadeye Navigator in play, any ETB creature in play becomes a functional mana sink, and how thick this deck is with ETB effects, that's usually something that will turn the tide in your favor.
Roon of the Pod People (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
Sydri, Super Genius (Sydri, Galvanic Genius)
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Retired:
Grimgrin's Corpse-Beats (Grimgrin, Corpse-Born) | Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge | Varolz, the Scar-Striped (1v1) | Glissa, the Traitor
For now I am looking at:
- Unexpectedly Absent
- Spirit of the Labyrinth
- Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
- Creeping Renaissance
+ Bant Charm
+ Spike Weaver
+ Perplexing Chimera
+ Praetor's Counsel
Also considering replacing Cryptoplasm with Phyrexian Metamorph. It's not Sun Titan friendly, and I might miss the ability to "rove" with the copies, but if I have two double mana lands (Ravnica Karoo lands/Temple of the False God) in play, it goes infinite with Palinchron.
Perplexing Chimera is a bit of an experiment. I'll be interested to see how my meta handles it. In the long term, I think it's only worth keeping if I add Homeward Path.
I notice these changes leave my 4-drop spot super glutted. I'm not sure this is a huge problem because it leaves me a bit more room to have counter mana up after casting, and it's an easy jump of point to pod to from a Sun Titan recurred 3-drop.
I'm a little worried about cutting Unexpectedly Absent. Bant Charm is better at tucking commanders, but UA can tuck anything, and Darksteel Forgue is a nuisance in my meta.
Roon of the Pod People (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
Sydri, Super Genius (Sydri, Galvanic Genius)
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Retired:
Grimgrin's Corpse-Beats (Grimgrin, Corpse-Born) | Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge | Varolz, the Scar-Striped (1v1) | Glissa, the Traitor
If you have a non cutthroat play group, Conjured Currency is a lot of fun. (After all, if you really need a card back you can blink it.)
Club Flamingo Wins: 1!
Ixidron has been amazing in this deck. It's a tutor-able pseduo-boardwipe, blink him for extra fun. This gets around creatures with hexproof/shroud/indestructible and also is a great way to "tuck" enemy commanders, if only for a little while. I think this card is especially important since I do not see any board wipes. Though this version is creature-heavy, I have found 2 board wipes to be very important. I'd suggest Austere Command for the options it gives you.
I know I suggested it quite a while ago and you liked the idea, but I will insist again that you consider adding Reveillark. He's great, he's recursion (and you'll have a ton of targets given your list), and he fits your slim 5-slot for Birthing Pod.
I also in the past suggested either Spell Crumple or Hinder instead of your Counterspell. I have found the tuck effect to be incredibly helpful against enemy commanders. This is especially important now that you've cutUnexpectedly Absent.
Currently Playing:
Multiplayer EDH Lists (click italics for a link to the thread!)
[Primer] Lord of Tresserhorn - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do[Primer] Roon of the Hidden Realm - Rhino Blink
5 Color Tribal Guide (Slivers, Atogs, Allies, Spirits)
Also Playing (most decklists can be found on my profile)
MarathGeistKamahlGrenzoBolasThassaGitrog
PiratesZurVial Smasher&ThrasiosYennettJhoira(cEDH)Strix(Pauper)
Legacy: Maverick
Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebearsNot seriously. I do have two in other decks. I'd have to peel one away or come up with another one. Something I might try.
I run Terminus. EDIT: And Cyclonic Rift.
EDIT:
I did just pick up an Austere Command and an Ixidron (and a full art Hinder), but I think two more board wipes would be too much. I might put Ixidron or Austere Command in, but probably not both, and I have a hard time thinking either is a better card than Terminus or Cyclonic Rift. Austere can nix artifacts or enchantments, but Ixidron hits indestructibles an can be podded for, so each has their own arguments.
So many things to try! It's mostly just a matter of finding room and cutting something I can justify. And getting a hold of a copy! But I think the local shop may actually have one.
EDIT: Nope. Will have to order a Reveillark if I want one.
The 1 mana difference is occasionally very relevant, but Hinder isn't too expensive. EDIT: Just picked up a full art Hinder. (I already have a Hinder and Spell Crumple in other decks, but hate swapping cards between decks unless they are expensive. Right now, the only card I do it for is Sword of Feast and Famine, which jumps between Grimgin and Jeleva.)
Roon of the Pod People (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
Sydri, Super Genius (Sydri, Galvanic Genius)
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Retired:
Grimgrin's Corpse-Beats (Grimgrin, Corpse-Born) | Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge | Varolz, the Scar-Striped (1v1) | Glissa, the Traitor
- Perplexing Chimera
- Yavimaya Elder
- Counterspell
+ Ghostway
+ Ixidron
+ Hinder (full art!)
Played a game trying the Ixidron. It worked out pretty well; I won a 5-man pod playing Roon today. I don't love Ixidron compared to my other board wipes, but it shuts down one major nuisance that gets played a lot in my meta: Avacyn. The player with the G/W "goodstuff" Saffi Eriksdotter deck has a combo out with Fauna Shaman and Reya Dawnbringer putting whatever creature he wanted in the graveyard each turn and putting it in play. Ixidron shut it all down. Then Ghostway gave me all my creatures back.
Roon of the Pod People (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
Sydri, Super Genius (Sydri, Galvanic Genius)
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Retired:
Grimgrin's Corpse-Beats (Grimgrin, Corpse-Born) | Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge | Varolz, the Scar-Striped (1v1) | Glissa, the Traitor
R Ashling the Pilgrim [EDH]
GB Meren of Clan Nel Toth [EDH]
URG Animar, Soul of Elements [EDH]
BGW Doran, the Siege Tower [EDH]
GRW Marath of the Wild[EDH]
Simic Charm has proven very useful in actual situations, mostly the hexproof mode; the other modes are gravy. One of the primary modes this deck wins with is a soft lock with Roon/Prophet + Witness/Archaeomancer or DEN/Snake. Simic Charm can help keep the lock by protecting against spot removal after DEN trigger or uncounterable spot removal such as a Hero's Downfall powered by a Boseiju, Who Shelters All or an activation of Ethersworn Adjudicator.
Time Warp (or Walk) is actually a good fit for this deck, and one I've considered. Alas, our league rules discourage taking more than two turns in a row, but if your leagu/meta is okay with it, it's worth considering.
Roon of the Pod People (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
Sydri, Super Genius (Sydri, Galvanic Genius)
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Retired:
Grimgrin's Corpse-Beats (Grimgrin, Corpse-Born) | Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge | Varolz, the Scar-Striped (1v1) | Glissa, the Traitor
Control Magic is an odd bird in this deck. Sometimes taking someone's bomb for your own is the right play. I'd rather have Sower of Temptation, but it's a bit expensive, but blink lets me retarget it and it doesn't die to my own Bane of Progress. If I do get one, expect to see that swap.
I considered putting in Rubininia Soulsinger, but I'd have to wait a turn to use her unless I found a way to squeeze Thousand-Year Elixir in. Not to mention she's more vulnerable to protection from color (any shard color creature is automatically shut down by any "Sword of X and Y".)
Roon of the Pod People (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
Sydri, Super Genius (Sydri, Galvanic Genius)
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Retired:
Grimgrin's Corpse-Beats (Grimgrin, Corpse-Born) | Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge | Varolz, the Scar-Striped (1v1) | Glissa, the Traitor
I got my Reveillark and am prepping for the new league season. I am running out of room so sacrificed my Angel/Chimera/Fathom Mage combo.
- Horizon Chimera
- Fathom Mage
+ Reveillark
+ Cryptic Annelid
Cryptic Annelid is a bit of an experiment to see if it can help me dig. The spot may go to other cards soon. Possibilities include:
Mirari's Wake: General mana ramp and a second way to go infinite with Palinchron.
Spike Feeder: A different way to go infinite with Archangel of Thune
Another counterspell
Perplexing Chimera
Time Warp: Goes infinite with Roon + Archaeomancer/Eternal Witness
Time Warp is looking really appealing right now. Our league is starting up this weekend again, and the point rules discourage infinite combos or taking more than 2 turns in a row. But if I only cast Time Warp to go twice in a row, I'm still wrangling some major advantage.
Roon of the Pod People (Roon of the Hidden Realm)
Sydri, Super Genius (Sydri, Galvanic Genius)
Marchesa, the Black Rose
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Retired:
Grimgrin's Corpse-Beats (Grimgrin, Corpse-Born) | Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge | Varolz, the Scar-Striped (1v1) | Glissa, the Traitor
Also, as to a spike comboing with Archangel of Thune, did you mean Spike Breeder or did you mean Spike Feeder?
Currently Playing:
Multiplayer EDH Lists (click italics for a link to the thread!)
[Primer] Lord of Tresserhorn - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do[Primer] Roon of the Hidden Realm - Rhino Blink
5 Color Tribal Guide (Slivers, Atogs, Allies, Spirits)
Also Playing (most decklists can be found on my profile)
MarathGeistKamahlGrenzoBolasThassaGitrog
PiratesZurVial Smasher&ThrasiosYennettJhoira(cEDH)Strix(Pauper)
Legacy: Maverick
Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebears