My first taste of EDH was with the Political Puppets deck 2+ years ago. Out of the box, it was a terribly janky mess, with a mana base that struggled to cast cards. But despite this, or perhaps because of it, when I sat at a table of grizzled veterans with this pile of nonsense, I won the first two games I ever played. No one suspects the goat lady -- until Insurrection hits! From then on, I was hooked.
Zedruu was my main deck for over a year. She was always the weakest of my decks, but also my favorite, and perfect for playing with very casual friends. I constantly tweaked her, never satisfied. First pillowfort, then combo, then eventually lifegain -- until Oloro showed up and became the king of that niche. With that, I retired the deck, taking it apart for other deck ideas.
But now I want to return to my first love, going back to the roots of Political Puppets. I'm focusing on donate shenanigans, like my half-goat granny used to do back in the Old Country.
Zedruu was my main deck for over a year. She was always the weakest of my decks, but also my favorite, and perfect for playing with very casual friends. I constantly tweaked her, never satisfied. First pillowfort, then combo, then eventually lifegain -- until Oloro showed up and became the king of that niche. With that, I retired the deck, taking it apart for other deck ideas.
But now I want to return to my first love, going back to the roots of Political Puppets. I'm focusing on donate shenanigans, like my half-goat granny used to do back in the Old Country.
4 Zedruu the Greathearted
Swappers
2 Gilded Drake (*)
3 Daring Thief
3 Vedalken Plotter (*)
4 Akroan Horse (*)
4 Puca's Mischief
5 Perplexing Chimera (*)
6 Djinn of Infinite Deceits
6 Cultural Exchange
Disruption
1 Pithing Needle (*)
1 Swords to Plowshares
2 Darksteel Mutation (*)
2 Rest in Peace (*)
3 Duergar Hedge-Mage (*)
3 Chaos Warp
3 Counterflux
4 Embargo (*)
4 Return to Dust
4 Wild Ricochet
4 Faith's Fetters (*)
4 Statecraft (*)
6 Austere Command
6 Terminus
6 Elspeth, Sun's Champion (*)
7 Cyclonic Rift
Ramp
1 Sol Ring
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
2 Azorius Signet
2 Boros Signet
2 Fellwar Stone
2 Izzet Signet
2 Knight of the White Orchid (*)
3 Chromatic Lantern
3 Coalition Relic
4 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Tithe
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Land Tax
1 Mystical Tutor
3 Sunforger
3 Trinket Mage (*)
4 Ranger of Eos (*)
Utility
2 Lightning Greaves
2 Swiftfoot Boots
2 Wall of Omens (*)
3 Proteus Staff
3 Gift of Immortality (*)
3 Paradox Haze
3 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Clever Impersonator
5 Sphere of Safety
5 Venser, the Sojourner
Winning
1 Dragonmaster Outcast
1 Serra Ascendant
2 Crown of Doom (*)
4 Illusions of Grandeur (*)
4 Manabarbs (*)
5 Assemble the Legion (*)
6 Consecrated Sphinx
6 Medomai the Ageless
6 Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
8 Insurrection
Lands
1 Arcane Lighthouse
1 Azorius Chancery
1 Boros Garrison
1 Cascade Bluffs
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Command Tower
1 Exotic Orchard
1 Forbidden Orchard
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Homeward Path
5 Island
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Kher Keep
1 Kor Haven
1 Mistveil Plains
1 Mountain
1 Mystic Gate
7 Plains
1 Plateau
1 Rainbow Vale (*)
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Rugged Prairie
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Steam Vents
1 Strip Mine
1 Sulfur Falls
* are cards that want to be donated.
Some of the deck's tricks:
Ranger of Eos package: Weathered Wayfarer, Serra Ascendant, Dragonmaster Outcast
Sunforger package: Tithe, Enlightened Tutor, Swords to Plowshares, Chaos Warp, Counterflux, Return to Dust, Wild Ricochet
Paradox Haze synergy: Zedruu, Dragonmaster Outcast, Akroan Horse, Puca's Mischief, Assemble the Legion
Puca's Mischief + Homeward Path: Exchange a creature for an opponent's noncreature permanent, use Homeward Path to return the creature back to you
Swappers + Venser, the Sojourner: Exchange stuff with opponent, bounce your stuff back to your control with Venser.
Proteus Staff + weenies, tokens: This deck generates tons of 1/1 tokens. Staff turns them into better creatures, or tucks troublesome creatures.
Izzet Boilerworks / Azorius Chancery / Boros Garrison + Land Tax / Weathered Wayfarer / Knight of the White Orchid: Ravnica bouncelands let me hit my land drops while having less lands on the table, making it more likely to trigger the "less lands than an opponent" clause.
UBRThraximundar, Tribal ZombiesUBR
WURZedruu's Great TradesWUR