A few things about Ephara I've found cool:
* Venser takes your gilded drake back. That's pretty funny.
* Not playing a Reveillark is probably always a mistake with the tiny flash creatures. I had some pretty hilarious turns where someone wrathed. I dropped a reveillark, put lightning pants and a sword of feast and famine on and untapped all my stuff, then during the next player's upkeep flashed in restoration angel, blinked the reveillark, fished whitemane lion and Grand Arbiter out of the yard and lion'd the restoration angel. Then played the restoration angel for 3 next turn to blink the reveillark again, draw another card, pop venser in from the yard, bouncing restoration angel.
A few things about Ephara I've found cool:
* Venser takes your gilded drake back. That's pretty funny.
* Not playing a Reveillark is probably always a mistake with the tiny flash creatures. I had some pretty hilarious turns where someone wrathed. I dropped a reveillark, put lightning pants and a sword of feast and famine on and untapped all my stuff, then during the next player's upkeep flashed in restoration angel, blinked the reveillark, fished whitemane lion and Grand Arbiter out of the yard and lion'd the restoration angel. Then played the restoration angel for 3 next turn to blink the reveillark again, draw another card, pop venser in from the yard, bouncing restoration angel.
Anyway reveillark is awesome.
I actually thought about how Reveillark could be pretty good in this deck, but I was thinking that a lot of the cards that I could recur wouldn't be as good if I didn't have a way to put the Lark out at instant speed. I would probably have to take Rest in Peace out of my deck as well, which may be something I should do anyway since it shuts down Snapcaster Mage, Archaeomancer, Sun Titan, and Academy Ruins already. Relying on Tormod's Crypt as my only graveyard hate seems pretty risky though, even if it is searchable with Trinket Mage and Enlightened Tutor. I guess I have Stonecloaker as well now that I think about it, so I would probably be okay. Lark plays quite well with Flash, a card that I just cut, so I may have to try to fit it back in somewhere. Anyone have suggestions as to what cards are the worst and should be cut? I've got a lot of cards I want to try out, but I am getting to the point where I'm having a hard time deciding what to remove.
Lark doesn't really need to flash when you have so many ways to bounce him. Run him out and put swords on him. Bounce him, flicker him, venser him, whatever. Heck, if he's sitting out there and you've got a couple dudes in your yard you can just wrath the board, put swords on whatever janky creatures you get back.
I am not a big fan of enlightened tutor; it's card disadvantage, which is less of a deal with this deck, but I'd prefer to have tutors that do something. Stoneforge, Academy rector, that kinda thing. Something I can throw pants on and send into battle.
From your original deck I'd think about cutting:
Enlightened tutor -> Stoneforge (yeah, they're pricey, but it's amazing in this deck).
Tormod's crypt
Rest in Peace
Scout's Warning
Devastation Tide
Hero of Bladehold
Crystal Shard (Just feels slow; I'd try without it)
Sensei's Divining Top (I just feel like it's slow and durdly; you're going to draw through those cards so fast I'm not sure it's worth it; I'd rather have lightning greaves to haste my dudes)
Maybe swap Talisman of Progress for felwar's stone (when you care about it, early in the game, it's a virtual guarantee someone else plays blue; alternatively, chromatic lantern is good)
Draining Whelk (I just think this guy is too slow; I'd rather have another counter or another flash dude)
Baneslayer Angel (I just don't get what this does; it's a big non-flash fattie that isn't going to finish the game. Linvala would be a much better choice for this slot I think).
I'd think about swapping Solemn for Knight of the white orchid--more devotion, not quite as good but lower curve. Not like you really need the Solemn's card advantage though.
I'd think about swapping Aura of Silence for Grand Abolisher. Not the same thing, but grand arbiter is amazing and a dude.
I like Ethersworn canonist as well, since I usually want to take so much of my turn in other people's turns.
What I invariably find every game with ephara is:
1) Everything's better when she's turned an indestructible fatty with lightning pants.
2) I want more creatures, especially hate like Linvala, Aven Mindcensor, Grand arbiter, and cheap, cheap flash like Whitemane lion.
3) Stoneforge is ridiculous.
I'd be quite interested to see XeroxedFool's and arguskos1's decklists too, if they'd post them?
Heliod, God of the Sun and Meloku the Clouded Mirror both seem good for instant creature creation and seem to go with more of your weenie attack mode. The vigilance on Heliod seems nice for that as well.
Lark doesn't really need to flash when you have so many ways to bounce him. Run him out and put swords on him. Bounce him, flicker him, venser him, whatever. Heck, if he's sitting out there and you've got a couple dudes in your yard you can just wrath the board, put swords on whatever janky creatures you get back.
I am not a big fan of enlightened tutor; it's card disadvantage, which is less of a deal with this deck, but I'd prefer to have tutors that do something. Stoneforge, Academy rector, that kinda thing. Something I can throw pants on and send into battle.
Yeah, I guess Lark is probably good enough either way. The thing I was thinking with it though is that a lot of my creatures aren't really good if I can only recur them at sorcery speed. The fact that Lark says "leaves the battlefield" means I can just bounce it back to my hand at instant speed to trigger it, which seems insane to me. Enlightened Tutor is technically card disadvantage, but the fact that it can find any artifact or enchantment makes it too flexible to pass up. It's not hard for this deck to mitigate the disadvantage either, since we are drawing so many extra cards. Stoneforge is still an awesome card and one that I want to add, but I think Enlightened Tutor should probably stay as well.
From your original deck I'd think about cutting:
Enlightened tutor -> Stoneforge (yeah, they're pricey, but it's amazing in this deck).
Tormod's crypt
Rest in Peace
Scout's Warning
Devastation Tide
Hero of Bladehold
Crystal Shard (Just feels slow; I'd try without it)
Sensei's Divining Top (I just feel like it's slow and durdly; you're going to draw through those cards so fast I'm not sure it's worth it; I'd rather have lightning greaves to haste my dudes)
Maybe swap Talisman of Progress for felwar's stone (when you care about it, early in the game, it's a virtual guarantee someone else plays blue; alternatively, chromatic lantern is good)
Draining Whelk (I just think this guy is too slow; I'd rather have another counter or another flash dude)
Baneslayer Angel (I just don't get what this does; it's a big non-flash fattie that isn't going to finish the game. Linvala would be a much better choice for this slot I think).
I already discussed Tutor. Tormod's Crypt is my only way to mass exile a player's graveyard if I remove Rest in Peace, which I was thinking about doing, so I think it should probably stay. It also makes a good mid to late game Trinket Mage target. Scout's Warning is another card that I agree could be cut for something better. Devastation Tide is not nearly as good as Evacuation, but if I can Miracle it, it's another good way to bounce all of my creatures back to my hand while also disrupting everyone else at the table. Hero of Bladehold is a good way to trigger Ephara on my own turn and apply pressure to opponents, for a pretty low cost, but it certainly isn't the most useful card in this type of deck. Crystal Shard is amazing in this deck and I wouldn't really even consider cutting it. It's an initial investment of 3 mana, and then every turn after that I can Unsummon one of my guys for U. I have actually experienced the issue with Sensei's Divining Top in a couple games, but I think it's still worth playing because I can use it in between each draw to make sure I get the best pick each time, and it interacts very nicely with Miracles by making sure I draw them at the right time. Lightning Greaves is pretty useless in this deck since most of the creatures come down at instant speed anyways, meaning that they'll be able to attack once my turn comes around. I don't really see Fellwar Stone being better than Talisman of Progress since there is always a chance that the Stone may not produce the color I need in a pinch, while Talisman always will, and I usually only use it for colorless anyway. Chromatic Lantern wouldn't be nearly as helpful since this deck is only two colors and I want my mana rocks at 2 mana so that I can cast Ephara or another 4 drop (the heaviest spot in my curve) on turn 3. Draining Whelk is pretty slow for a counter, but if you hit something big with him, he turns around and starts hitting for a lot of damage on my own turn, and I think the deck probably has enough cheap counters as is. Baneslayer is actually pretty big when the board is usually kept pretty clear, and it provides a 10 point life swing every time it attacks, which makes it very hard to race, even with bigger threats. Protection from Demons and Dragons can actually be relevant in a playgroup where Kaalia of the Vast is a popular general. Baneslayer may not be the biggest threat, but it is probably the most efficient one.
I'd think about swapping Solemn for Knight of the white orchid--more devotion, not quite as good but lower curve. Not like you really need the Solemn's card advantage though.
I'd think about swapping Aura of Silence for Grand Abolisher. Not the same thing, but grand arbiter is amazing and a dude.
I like Ethersworn canonist as well, since I usually want to take so much of my turn in other people's turns.
What I invariably find every game with ephara is:
1) Everything's better when she's turned an indestructible fatty with lightning pants.
2) I want more creatures, especially hate like Linvala, Aven Mindcensor, Grand arbiter, and cheap, cheap flash like Whitemane lion.
3) Stoneforge is ridiculous.
Solemn -> Knight sounds okay, but I'm not sure either card is something I want in this deck. Knight on turn 2 if I am not going first ramps me into turn 3 Ephara, but I'm not sure that I can consistently have WW on turn 2 in this deck, so he may be a little too inconsistent, and later on I will probably have the most lands.
Aura of Silence and Grand Abolisher are completely different cards. Aura is one of the few ways I have of interacting with Artifacts and Enchantments at the moment, so I think if I'm going to cut it, I would switch it for a different piece of hate like Disenchant.
Linvala is probably worth inclusion since it shuts down so many things; I'm not as sure about Grand Abolisher. I agree that Stoneforge Mystic is most likely amazing in this deck. I will add one once I get it.
I'd be quite interested to see XeroxedFool's and arguskos1's decklists too, if they'd post them?
Heliod, God of the Sun and Meloku the Clouded Mirror both seem good for instant creature creation and seem to go with more of your weenie attack mode. The vigilance on Heliod seems nice for that as well.
Yeah I am looking forward to seeing arguskos's list as well. I'm not sure if XeroxedFool actually plays Ephara or whether he is just drawing from his experience with Rasputin Dreamweaver and from games he played against Ephara decks.
As far as Heloid and Meloku, they are both pretty costly to make tokens compared to other options. Heliod's ability costs 4 mana, which I think is simply too much when stuff like Sacred Mesa and Luminarch Ascension only cost 2 and make better tokens anyway. Meloku's abilty isn't so expensive mana wise, but returning lands to your hand is a pretty big cost in a deck that always wants to leave a lot of mana open for counterspells and flash creatures.
I get what you're trying to do with these cards, I really do, but why go for the redundant effect when you could just run more instant speed token makers/flash creatures instead ?
Vedalken Orrery was cut from the deck a while ago, and Scout's Warning is on the chopping block. I like having one option for a global flash enabler, and I think Leyline is definitely the best one, but it could end up getting cut as well if I decide it's not worth it. Cloudstone Curio is on my list of cards to obtain and try out. Erratic Portal is pretty cool as well, but at a certain point I think there are just too many options. Crystal Shard, Tidespout Tyrant, Equilibrium, Glen Elendra Pranksters, and Cloudstone Curio all seem better in this deck, so I don't think I can fit Portal in as well. As far as adding more flash creatures, there really aren't too many good ones left. I've exhausted most of the usable ones, and I'm mostly left with stuff like Pestermite that just doesn't do enough, and then vanilla creatures after that, which are obviously not worth it.
I'd personally also cut the Vial, since it has the same redundancy problems mentioned above.
Then you should, imho, also decide to either go deeper with the Miracle subtheme or to cut it for the most part - though I would always run Temporal Mastery in your deck, it's just such an awesome card for Ephara). Scroll Rack has already been mentioned, another awesome choice, though expensive, is - of course - Jace, the Mind Sculptor.
Vial on 4 is really good for this deck though. It lets me put flash and non-flash creatures alike into play for no mana, and it's tutorable with Trinket Mage. This card has actually become pretty feared when I'm playing this deck, to the point that people usually try to kill it if they can. As for the miracles, I am in the process of acquiring both Temporal Mastery and Scroll Rack, and they will both go in once I get them, which I think gives me a large enough Miracles package to make it worthwhile. Jace is a little outside the price range I am looking to spend on this deck right now.
If you make the cuts mentioned above (Vial, Leyline, Warning and Orrey) and add Curio and the Portal, this would leave you with 2 open slots for either more spot removal (Condemn, Path to Exile etc.), more board wipes (Wrath of God, Day of Judgment), more disenchants (Revoke Existence, Disenchant), more counterspells (Cryptic Command would be strong, although expensive), some planeswalkers (Venser, the Sojourner) and/or more support for your Miracle subtheme. If nothing else, you could add more Flash creatures or more finishers.
I really don't like Aetherize because I have to choose between bouncing my own creatures or a single opponent's, since it can't hit everything at once. Luminarch Ascension is a card that I am having a hard time tracking down a copy of, but once I get one it will go right into the deck.
I will probably at least cut the Warning from what you mentioned, but Orrery is not in the deck so I don't get that spot. Path to Exile is also already in the deck. Wrath of God was recently cut because the deck had honestly too many boardwipes and I found myself usually discarding them because I had to many cards in hand and I wasn't in a situation where I actually needed to cast them. Another disenchant effect is something that I would like to fit in here. Is Disenchant itself the best one, being Instant speed and only 2 mana?
--
Thanks everyone for the awesome suggestions. Clearly I've still got a lot of changes to make. I need to do some more testing with the current list as well so I can figure out for myself what is and isn't working. If anyone wants to playtest on cockatrice at some point, you can private message me and we can figure out some time to play.
Yeah, hey people. Wanted to stop by and say sorry for radio silence on my part. Finishing up my last semester of undergrad right now, life's pretty busy. I'll try to get my list copied up this weekend sometime. I do know that I'm still playing around with lots of slots (and looking at several things from Journey into Nyx right now) but I haven't given Ephara too much love recently. Gotta get around to that.
Anyway, lots of good stuff going on in here. I like the Lark suggestion, I'll have to give it a shot. I run a few small value dorks, so Lark might be a good call. I'm still running Orrery (it works out for me about 75% of the time, which is worth keeping it in), so Lark should be pretty decent. It'd give me another critter to use Flash with too, which is nice.
Got my Temporal Mastery, Rout, and Reveillark finally today, so those can all go into the list when I have a chance. Also got a Remand for really cheap so I might try that out at some point.
So I took your version of this deck for a spin and I loved how smoothly the card draw engine was flowing however I felt choked for mana light on counter magic and that the win cons were too slow without more locking power. Thinking of it like bottleneck I ding care if Draining whelk got me a card when I have to tap out to get my counter I dunno maybe I just dknt like that is top deck it turn 2 all day. Now that being said I was thinking how to levitate the problem without losing the things I liked and I think the most compact way to edit the deck so it functions properly is MLD after testing a few rounds with sunder and Armageddon I can say they are very good here the extra draw means we have lands in hand and with a decent board presence an online god is quite scary once all the mana is gone. Going to do more testing I like this general a lot been trying a few different builds.
So I took your version of this deck for a spin and I loved how smoothly the card draw engine was flowing however I felt choked for mana light on counter magic and that the win cons were too slow without more locking power. Thinking of it like bottleneck I ding care if Draining whelk got me a card when I have to tap out to get my counter I dunno maybe I just dknt like that is top deck it turn 2 all day. Now that being said I was thinking how to levitate the problem without losing the things I liked and I think the most compact way to edit the deck so it functions properly is MLD after testing a few rounds with sunder and Armageddon I can say they are very good here the extra draw means we have lands in hand and with a decent board presence an online god is quite scary once all the mana is gone. Going to do more testing I like this general a lot been trying a few different builds.
Yeah the draw engine is the main appeal of playing Ephara and this deck as a whole. When you say you were choked for mana, do you just mean that there are too many high mana cost cards? I know the deck doesn't have a lot of ramp, but I didn't really want to include a lot since you want to be playing stuff on opponents' turns rather than playing mana rocks on your own. I'm sure you know by now that my meta is a fair bit slower than yours, so stuff like Draining Whelk is at least somewhat playable, though I agree it is a very awkward draw in the early to mid game. I'm not sure I like this deck as a land destruction deck since I was trying to make it a little more controlling, but I guess it could potentially work if I'm able to resolve it while I have a strong board. Let me know how your testing goes.
Well the big spells I found clunky she draws cards like a champ a lot if the flash guys seemed meh since you dint always have a grip to cast then every turn and without an untap like muse you only have so much mana so what I did was bring the curve down to where nothing cost more than 5. And when things get to where I'm getting ramped past and I have a good grip and guys on board I just reset the mana. Sunder and Armageddon win games but as I said in off topic is does cause rage. I love having a having a general I cast ASAP and rarely gets killed. SFM for sofaf has been awesome at helping me get more mana and hold up control keep the engine rolling. Ephie has been amazing though in that she draws 7+ cards a game and swings in at the end treachery sower and bribery have been allstars for me so far. While thier have been a few times I wished I ran even 1 *** I haven't missed then that bad and I figure a low density with just rift is fine for tutoring though I find myself tutoring sunder and geddon far more often it's a fun deck to play much more fair than my normal combo deck but enjoyable I love playing generals who draw cards from the command zone. Also the cheap accel is good inakwayscwantbti see a signet considering adding more like chalice and fellwar so I can get a ramp spell to get rogue out turn 3 and they are net cost 1 later making it better than lands when flooded and still aoat as good as a land when you run dry also good with the geddon obviously could even potentially play coalition and thran but slots are tight and it's difficult to get the correct balence I also think I need a shuffle effect fir mtgo twister is probly best for offline
Here is my current list I thank you for the starting point I don't feel like making my own thread mines a little less built around the general and a little more good stuff but I really am enjoying tweaking it much more focused on the sunder and Armageddon tech
One thing I like in my Ephara deck that I haven't seen in lists is Plumeveil. It is pretty entertaining when returned to your hand as well because the longer the game goes on, the more people forget it is back into your hand and they walk into another mistake.
One thing I like in my Ephara deck that I haven't seen in lists is Plumeveil. It is pretty entertaining when returned to your hand as well because the longer the game goes on, the more people forget it is back into your hand and they walk into another mistake.
Also, if you're going for devotion to turn on Ephara, it does a lot of work there.
I played a game recently with my Ephara deck. Archaeomancer and Mnemonic Wall are definitely a huge plus for helping with a control feel. I know they're not flash but Ghostly Flicker or any instant speed clones helps a lot. I think I casted Arcane Denial 5+ times during the game. Reveillark is just good too, even if it's not flash either for the same reasons. I ran Avacyn, Angel of Hope just for lack of big finishers, adding indestructible to weenies was quite good. Hoofprints of the Stag is awful, I didnt' see the clause that it was sorcery speed to make the tokens, so pretty bad. Luminarch Ascension, so good, one of the best finishers. I found vigilance in general was really nice, I still think Heliod, God of the Sun will be good for that, another indestructible beater, mass vigilance and if you have some spare mana at end of opponents turn, make a token or two. With the amount of counter magic we have available, I can't say I was ever worried about one of my gods becoming a creature.
I'd cut Devastation Tide, it sat in my hand all game and was pretty disappointing. The fact that it's all permanents instead of creatures made it more detrimental for me, getting rid of Ephara, useful enchantments, and Venser the Sojourner. I feel Evacuation and Cyclonic Rift are just so much better especially since they are instant speed. I feel we can counter any nasty permanents we can't get rid of otherwise.
yes disenchant is good i also added revoke there is also some old ass one thats just artifacts have been grinding on mtgo just soloed a 2hg with 1 wrath form my dear ally on animar more than enough contribution for me im gonna start my own thread I have made alot of changes that new mythic lion dude is a baller to the max loving this general i didn't like scroll rack b t dubs but i like ALL your cuts
yes disenchant is good i also added revoke there is also some old ass one thats just artifacts have been grinding on mtgo just soloed a 2hg with 1 wrath form my dear ally on animar more than enough contribution for me im gonna start my own thread I have made alot of changes that new mythic lion dude is a baller to the max loving this general i didn't like scroll rack b t dubs but i like ALL your cuts
Yeah Scroll Rack is probably not as effective as it could be in a deck like this which already draws so much anyway, but it works really nicely with the little miracles package that I have in the deck. It's the kind of thing that doesn't really work in a super competitive meta, but I can do it in mine because it's a little slower and not as cutthroat. When you're talking about "that new mythic lion dude" I'm assuming you're referring to Brimaz, King of Oreskos. I agree that he is amazing, but I hate how much he costs for a card that's currently in print. It's mainly hype from standard, so I keep hoping the price will settle down, but it hasn't yet. I will probably just have to break down and get one soon.
As far as Disenchants, I did a quick magiccards.info search and it looks like Disenchant itself is indeed the best option. Revoke is cool but being a Sorcery makes it a lot worse, even if it does exile. Abolish is an interesting option, especially with the amount of cards we draw, but I'm not sure we would consistently have a Plains in hand to pitch to it.
Return to Dust is my favorite option. I know that you're trying to keep the curve really low. I just think that getting the two cards and putting them in exile is worth the cost. Casting it in the main phase is the best value but it can always be used in a pinch on someone elses turn.
Talrand, Sky Summoner is another creature I enjoy playing in my list. He turns all of your instant spells into cantripping 2/2 flying creatures on everyone else's turn! What is not to like?
Talrand, Sky Summoner is another creature I enjoy playing in my list. He turns all of your instant spells into cantripping 2/2 flying creatures on everyone else's turn! What is not to like?
Yeah Talrand is amazing, get him out, cast some counterspells, suddenly you have some creatures.
After some weeks of tweaking i made this list that does fairy well its job. Daxos and Reveillark are under testing but til now they went pretty well.
The swords package is fantastic, they made me close some games (a 8/9 Grand Arbiter is nasty).
I'm not really fond of Luminarch Ascension 's utility, it helped me in one game against Oloro but i don't know how to change it.
I will really appreciate suggestions and critics
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Edh Decks: Maelstrom Wanderer | Ephara, God of the Polis | Surrak Dragonclaw
I feel like you have a small amount of creatures. Recently I've started playing Ephara and I really want to have a creature ETB every turn. That fits my play style but it might not be for everyone.
Which creatures do you suggest to add? And what should I take out? The first cards to take out I think that could be Desertion and Rite of Replication but I don't know what to put in!
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Edh Decks: Maelstrom Wanderer | Ephara, God of the Polis | Surrak Dragonclaw
French Duel Decks: Wydwen, the Biting Gale
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
* Venser takes your gilded drake back. That's pretty funny.
* Not playing a Reveillark is probably always a mistake with the tiny flash creatures. I had some pretty hilarious turns where someone wrathed. I dropped a reveillark, put lightning pants and a sword of feast and famine on and untapped all my stuff, then during the next player's upkeep flashed in restoration angel, blinked the reveillark, fished whitemane lion and Grand Arbiter out of the yard and lion'd the restoration angel. Then played the restoration angel for 3 next turn to blink the reveillark again, draw another card, pop venser in from the yard, bouncing restoration angel.
Anyway reveillark is awesome.
UW Ephara Hatebears [Primer], GB Gitrog Lands, BRU Inalla Combo-Control, URG Maelstrom Wanderer Landfall
I actually thought about how Reveillark could be pretty good in this deck, but I was thinking that a lot of the cards that I could recur wouldn't be as good if I didn't have a way to put the Lark out at instant speed. I would probably have to take Rest in Peace out of my deck as well, which may be something I should do anyway since it shuts down Snapcaster Mage, Archaeomancer, Sun Titan, and Academy Ruins already. Relying on Tormod's Crypt as my only graveyard hate seems pretty risky though, even if it is searchable with Trinket Mage and Enlightened Tutor. I guess I have Stonecloaker as well now that I think about it, so I would probably be okay. Lark plays quite well with Flash, a card that I just cut, so I may have to try to fit it back in somewhere. Anyone have suggestions as to what cards are the worst and should be cut? I've got a lot of cards I want to try out, but I am getting to the point where I'm having a hard time deciding what to remove.
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 am not a big fan of enlightened tutor; it's card disadvantage, which is less of a deal with this deck, but I'd prefer to have tutors that do something. Stoneforge, Academy rector, that kinda thing. Something I can throw pants on and send into battle.
From your original deck I'd think about cutting:
Enlightened tutor -> Stoneforge (yeah, they're pricey, but it's amazing in this deck).
Tormod's crypt
Rest in Peace
Scout's Warning
Devastation Tide
Hero of Bladehold
Crystal Shard (Just feels slow; I'd try without it)
Sensei's Divining Top (I just feel like it's slow and durdly; you're going to draw through those cards so fast I'm not sure it's worth it; I'd rather have lightning greaves to haste my dudes)
Maybe swap Talisman of Progress for felwar's stone (when you care about it, early in the game, it's a virtual guarantee someone else plays blue; alternatively, chromatic lantern is good)
Draining Whelk (I just think this guy is too slow; I'd rather have another counter or another flash dude)
Baneslayer Angel (I just don't get what this does; it's a big non-flash fattie that isn't going to finish the game. Linvala would be a much better choice for this slot I think).
I'd think about swapping Solemn for Knight of the white orchid--more devotion, not quite as good but lower curve. Not like you really need the Solemn's card advantage though.
I'd think about swapping Aura of Silence for Grand Abolisher. Not the same thing, but grand arbiter is amazing and a dude.
I like Ethersworn canonist as well, since I usually want to take so much of my turn in other people's turns.
What I invariably find every game with ephara is:
1) Everything's better when she's turned an indestructible fatty with lightning pants.
2) I want more creatures, especially hate like Linvala, Aven Mindcensor, Grand arbiter, and cheap, cheap flash like Whitemane lion.
3) Stoneforge is ridiculous.
UW Ephara Hatebears [Primer], GB Gitrog Lands, BRU Inalla Combo-Control, URG Maelstrom Wanderer Landfall
Heliod, God of the Sun and Meloku the Clouded Mirror both seem good for instant creature creation and seem to go with more of your weenie attack mode. The vigilance on Heliod seems nice for that as well.
Yeah, I guess Lark is probably good enough either way. The thing I was thinking with it though is that a lot of my creatures aren't really good if I can only recur them at sorcery speed. The fact that Lark says "leaves the battlefield" means I can just bounce it back to my hand at instant speed to trigger it, which seems insane to me. Enlightened Tutor is technically card disadvantage, but the fact that it can find any artifact or enchantment makes it too flexible to pass up. It's not hard for this deck to mitigate the disadvantage either, since we are drawing so many extra cards. Stoneforge is still an awesome card and one that I want to add, but I think Enlightened Tutor should probably stay as well.
I already discussed Tutor. Tormod's Crypt is my only way to mass exile a player's graveyard if I remove Rest in Peace, which I was thinking about doing, so I think it should probably stay. It also makes a good mid to late game Trinket Mage target. Scout's Warning is another card that I agree could be cut for something better. Devastation Tide is not nearly as good as Evacuation, but if I can Miracle it, it's another good way to bounce all of my creatures back to my hand while also disrupting everyone else at the table. Hero of Bladehold is a good way to trigger Ephara on my own turn and apply pressure to opponents, for a pretty low cost, but it certainly isn't the most useful card in this type of deck. Crystal Shard is amazing in this deck and I wouldn't really even consider cutting it. It's an initial investment of 3 mana, and then every turn after that I can Unsummon one of my guys for U. I have actually experienced the issue with Sensei's Divining Top in a couple games, but I think it's still worth playing because I can use it in between each draw to make sure I get the best pick each time, and it interacts very nicely with Miracles by making sure I draw them at the right time. Lightning Greaves is pretty useless in this deck since most of the creatures come down at instant speed anyways, meaning that they'll be able to attack once my turn comes around. I don't really see Fellwar Stone being better than Talisman of Progress since there is always a chance that the Stone may not produce the color I need in a pinch, while Talisman always will, and I usually only use it for colorless anyway. Chromatic Lantern wouldn't be nearly as helpful since this deck is only two colors and I want my mana rocks at 2 mana so that I can cast Ephara or another 4 drop (the heaviest spot in my curve) on turn 3. Draining Whelk is pretty slow for a counter, but if you hit something big with him, he turns around and starts hitting for a lot of damage on my own turn, and I think the deck probably has enough cheap counters as is. Baneslayer is actually pretty big when the board is usually kept pretty clear, and it provides a 10 point life swing every time it attacks, which makes it very hard to race, even with bigger threats. Protection from Demons and Dragons can actually be relevant in a playgroup where Kaalia of the Vast is a popular general. Baneslayer may not be the biggest threat, but it is probably the most efficient one.
Solemn -> Knight sounds okay, but I'm not sure either card is something I want in this deck. Knight on turn 2 if I am not going first ramps me into turn 3 Ephara, but I'm not sure that I can consistently have WW on turn 2 in this deck, so he may be a little too inconsistent, and later on I will probably have the most lands.
Aura of Silence and Grand Abolisher are completely different cards. Aura is one of the few ways I have of interacting with Artifacts and Enchantments at the moment, so I think if I'm going to cut it, I would switch it for a different piece of hate like Disenchant.
Linvala is probably worth inclusion since it shuts down so many things; I'm not as sure about Grand Abolisher. I agree that Stoneforge Mystic is most likely amazing in this deck. I will add one once I get it.
Yeah I am looking forward to seeing arguskos's list as well. I'm not sure if XeroxedFool actually plays Ephara or whether he is just drawing from his experience with Rasputin Dreamweaver and from games he played against Ephara decks.
As far as Heloid and Meloku, they are both pretty costly to make tokens compared to other options. Heliod's ability costs 4 mana, which I think is simply too much when stuff like Sacred Mesa and Luminarch Ascension only cost 2 and make better tokens anyway. Meloku's abilty isn't so expensive mana wise, but returning lands to your hand is a pretty big cost in a deck that always wants to leave a lot of mana open for counterspells and flash creatures.
Vedalken Orrery was cut from the deck a while ago, and Scout's Warning is on the chopping block. I like having one option for a global flash enabler, and I think Leyline is definitely the best one, but it could end up getting cut as well if I decide it's not worth it. Cloudstone Curio is on my list of cards to obtain and try out. Erratic Portal is pretty cool as well, but at a certain point I think there are just too many options. Crystal Shard, Tidespout Tyrant, Equilibrium, Glen Elendra Pranksters, and Cloudstone Curio all seem better in this deck, so I don't think I can fit Portal in as well. As far as adding more flash creatures, there really aren't too many good ones left. I've exhausted most of the usable ones, and I'm mostly left with stuff like Pestermite that just doesn't do enough, and then vanilla creatures after that, which are obviously not worth it.
Vial on 4 is really good for this deck though. It lets me put flash and non-flash creatures alike into play for no mana, and it's tutorable with Trinket Mage. This card has actually become pretty feared when I'm playing this deck, to the point that people usually try to kill it if they can. As for the miracles, I am in the process of acquiring both Temporal Mastery and Scroll Rack, and they will both go in once I get them, which I think gives me a large enough Miracles package to make it worthwhile. Jace is a little outside the price range I am looking to spend on this deck right now.
I really don't like Aetherize because I have to choose between bouncing my own creatures or a single opponent's, since it can't hit everything at once. Luminarch Ascension is a card that I am having a hard time tracking down a copy of, but once I get one it will go right into the deck.
I will probably at least cut the Warning from what you mentioned, but Orrery is not in the deck so I don't get that spot. Path to Exile is also already in the deck. Wrath of God was recently cut because the deck had honestly too many boardwipes and I found myself usually discarding them because I had to many cards in hand and I wasn't in a situation where I actually needed to cast them. Another disenchant effect is something that I would like to fit in here. Is Disenchant itself the best one, being Instant speed and only 2 mana?
--
Thanks everyone for the awesome suggestions. Clearly I've still got a lot of changes to make. I need to do some more testing with the current list as well so I can figure out for myself what is and isn't working. If anyone wants to playtest on cockatrice at some point, you can private message me and we can figure out some time to play.
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
Anyway, lots of good stuff going on in here. I like the Lark suggestion, I'll have to give it a shot. I run a few small value dorks, so Lark might be a good call. I'm still running Orrery (it works out for me about 75% of the time, which is worth keeping it in), so Lark should be pretty decent. It'd give me another critter to use Flash with too, which is nice.
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth, Radha, Heir to Keld, Barrin, Master Wizard, Prime Speaker Zegana, King Macar, the Gold-Cursed, Slobad, Goblin Tinkerer, Patron of the Orochi, Nicol Bolas, Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind, Hanna, Ship's Navigator, Marton Stromgald, Thriss, Nantuko Primus, Cromat, Vish Kal, Blood Arbiter
UBRBLACK ROSE COMMANDERUBR
WURGBTrades - Looking for ABU Duals, Fetches, Ect. Have Liliana otV, Snapcaster Mages, Chrod of Calling, Alters!WURGB
Commander
Omnath, Locus of Mana
GWBUR Genju of The Realms RUBWG
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
Damia http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=410191
DDFT Legacyhttp://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=505247
Domain Zoo http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=10212429#post10212429
Yeah the draw engine is the main appeal of playing Ephara and this deck as a whole. When you say you were choked for mana, do you just mean that there are too many high mana cost cards? I know the deck doesn't have a lot of ramp, but I didn't really want to include a lot since you want to be playing stuff on opponents' turns rather than playing mana rocks on your own. I'm sure you know by now that my meta is a fair bit slower than yours, so stuff like Draining Whelk is at least somewhat playable, though I agree it is a very awkward draw in the early to mid game. I'm not sure I like this deck as a land destruction deck since I was trying to make it a little more controlling, but I guess it could potentially work if I'm able to resolve it while I have a strong board. Let me know how your testing goes.
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
Damia http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=410191
DDFT Legacyhttp://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=505247
Domain Zoo http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=10212429#post10212429
Cmc 0
2 Mana Crypt
3 Mox Diamond
Cmc 1
4 Sol ring
5 Mana Vault
6 Tithe
7 Ponder
8 Preordain
9 Brainstorm
10 Sensei's Divining Top
11 Land Tax
12 Swords to Plowshares
13 Mystical Tutor
14 Serra Ascendant
Cmc 2
15 azorius Signet
16 Fellwar stone
17 sapphire medallion
18 talisman of progress
19 merchant scroll
20 counterspell
21 counterbalance
22 mana drain
23 remand
24 disenchant
25 stoneforge mystic
26 snapcaster mage
27 Phantasmal image
28 Whitemane Lion
29 Cyclonic Rift
30 Gilded Drake
31 Thasa, God of the Sea
32 Thada Adel, Acquisitor
33 Vendillion Clique
34 Crucible of Worlds
35 Sword of Fire and Ice
36 Sword of Feast and Famine
37 Sword of War and Peace
38 Geist of Saint Traft
39 Hinder
40 Forbid
41 Intuition
42 Rhystic Study
43 Trinket Mage
44 Aven Mindcensor
45 Detention Sphere
Cmc 4
46 Phyrexian Metamorph
47 Sower of Temptation
48 Fact or Fiction
49 Cryptic Command
50 Restoration Angel
51 Venser Shaper Savant
52 Grand Arbitor Augustin IV
53 Hero of Bladehold
54 Glen Elendra Archmage
55 Armageddon
Cmc 5
56 Gilded lotus
57 Sunder
58 Treachery
59 Bribery
60 Force of will
61 Misdirection
62 Teferi Mage of Zahlfir
63 Time Spiral
Cmc 7
64 Commandeer
Lands 36
65 Tundra
66 Hallowed Fountain
67 Glacial Fortress
68 Mystic Gate
69 Kor Haven
70 Strip Mine
71 Wasteland
72 Reliquery Tower
73 Tolaria West
74 Command tower
75 Flooded Strand
76 Arid Mesa
77 Windswept Heath
78 Marsh Flats
79 Misty Rainforest
80 Polluted Delta
81 Scalding Tarn
82 Riptide Laboratory
6 Plains
12 Islands
Here is my current list I thank you for the starting point I don't feel like making my own thread mines a little less built around the general and a little more good stuff but I really am enjoying tweaking it much more focused on the sunder and Armageddon tech
Damia http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=410191
DDFT Legacyhttp://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=505247
Domain Zoo http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=10212429#post10212429
Also, if you're going for devotion to turn on Ephara, it does a lot of work there.
I played a game recently with my Ephara deck. Archaeomancer and Mnemonic Wall are definitely a huge plus for helping with a control feel. I know they're not flash but Ghostly Flicker or any instant speed clones helps a lot. I think I casted Arcane Denial 5+ times during the game. Reveillark is just good too, even if it's not flash either for the same reasons. I ran Avacyn, Angel of Hope just for lack of big finishers, adding indestructible to weenies was quite good. Hoofprints of the Stag is awful, I didnt' see the clause that it was sorcery speed to make the tokens, so pretty bad. Luminarch Ascension, so good, one of the best finishers. I found vigilance in general was really nice, I still think Heliod, God of the Sun will be good for that, another indestructible beater, mass vigilance and if you have some spare mana at end of opponents turn, make a token or two. With the amount of counter magic we have available, I can't say I was ever worried about one of my gods becoming a creature.
I'd cut Devastation Tide, it sat in my hand all game and was pretty disappointing. The fact that it's all permanents instead of creatures made it more detrimental for me, getting rid of Ephara, useful enchantments, and Venser the Sojourner. I feel Evacuation and Cyclonic Rift are just so much better especially since they are instant speed. I feel we can counter any nasty permanents we can't get rid of otherwise.
Solemn Simulacrum -> Everflowing Chalice
Devastation Tide -> Rout
Familiar's Ruse -> Remand
Rest in Peace -> Reveillark
Aura of Silence -> Sword of War and Peace
Scout's Warning -> Scroll Rack
Leyline of Anticipation -> Intuition
Seht's Tiger -> Temporal Mastery
Is Disenchant the best card of its kind in these colors? I was trying to think of something better but I couldn't really come up with anything.
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
Damia http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=410191
DDFT Legacyhttp://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=505247
Domain Zoo http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=10212429#post10212429
Yeah Scroll Rack is probably not as effective as it could be in a deck like this which already draws so much anyway, but it works really nicely with the little miracles package that I have in the deck. It's the kind of thing that doesn't really work in a super competitive meta, but I can do it in mine because it's a little slower and not as cutthroat. When you're talking about "that new mythic lion dude" I'm assuming you're referring to Brimaz, King of Oreskos. I agree that he is amazing, but I hate how much he costs for a card that's currently in print. It's mainly hype from standard, so I keep hoping the price will settle down, but it hasn't yet. I will probably just have to break down and get one soon.
As far as Disenchants, I did a quick magiccards.info search and it looks like Disenchant itself is indeed the best option. Revoke is cool but being a Sorcery makes it a lot worse, even if it does exile. Abolish is an interesting option, especially with the amount of cards we draw, but I'm not sure we would consistently have a Plains in hand to pitch to it.
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
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG
Yeah Talrand is amazing, get him out, cast some counterspells, suddenly you have some creatures.
1 Ephara, God of the Polis
Creatures (22):
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
1 Reveillark
1 Thada Adel, Acquisitor
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Sun Titan
1 Whitemane Lion
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
1 Grand Abolisher
1 Hero of Bladehold
1 Gilded Drake
1 Daxos of Meletis
1 Thassa, God of the Sea
1 Trinket Mage
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Serra Ascendant
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Restoration Angel
Istants (15):
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Hinder
1 Forbid
1 Desertion
1 Counterspell
1 Render Silent
1 Sunder
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Return to Dust
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Pongify
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Impulse
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Rout
1 Revoke Existence
1 Ponder
1 Time Spiral
1 Preordain
1 Rite of Replication
1 Bribery
Enchantments (6):
1 Luminarch Ascension
1 Rest in Peace
1 Rhystic Study
1 Bident of Thassa
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Land Tax
Artifacts (12):
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Talisman of Progress
1 Azorius Signet
1 Mana Vault
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Sol Ring
1 Mind Stone
Lands (36):
1 Riptide Laboratory
1 Command Tower
1 City of Brass
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Strip Mine
1 Skycloud Expanse
1 Forbidden Orchard
1 Wasteland
1 Winding Canyons
1 Moorland Haunt
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Vivid Creek
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Marsh Flats
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Polluted Delta
1 Misty Rainforest
12 Island
7 Plains
After some weeks of tweaking i made this list that does fairy well its job. Daxos and Reveillark are under testing but til now they went pretty well.
The swords package is fantastic, they made me close some games (a 8/9 Grand Arbiter is nasty).
I'm not really fond of Luminarch Ascension 's utility, it helped me in one game against Oloro but i don't know how to change it.
I will really appreciate suggestions and critics
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG