Animar with bounce, control, and aggro mixed together. I've had this deck for several years and this is the current decklist. Can win through swarming the opponents or can win through huge general damage or can win through Warstorm Surge damage or through Psychosis Crawler damage.
If anyone has any suggestions, I'm more than open to them.
Lands Llanowar Reborn- Possibly starting Animar out with a counter is fine by me Reliquary Tower- No handsize is big when possibly drawing as much as this deck can Winding Canyons- Ability to play creatures on opponents turn so summoning sickness isn't a factor
Aggro Package Archetype of Aggression- you can have trample and your opponent can't is handy Champion of Lambholt- nice to dictate that your opponents can't block at all which is usually what happens if this sticks Craterhoof Behemoth- potential game ender Kamahl, Fist of Krosa- Overrun is a nice ability but also doubles as board wipe discouragement Stonehoof Chieftain- Trample & indestructible for attacking creatures is always nice Surrak Dragonclaw- decent body on a creature that gives your other creatures trample and makes your creature spells uncounterable Urabrask the Hidden- Haste for you enter tapped for opponent
Control/Protection/Removal Package Ainok Survivalist- nice answer for Torpor Orb or similar effects Draining Whelk- counter spell on a body that buffs itself Duplicant- so I can exile a creature that is hindering me AND have a copy of it for myself? Yes please! Gilded Drake- always nice to hit someone with their own beater Glen Elendra Archmage- usually you get at least two uses out of the counter spell ability Mizzium Medder- spell redirection protection on a decent defensive body Pestermite- flying blocker or tap creature with vigilance or untap something you need Phyrexian Metamorph- oh you have a Blightsteel or a Gilded Lotus or.... so do I Plaxmanta- shroud till end of turn Scuttlemutt- can be ramp but let's be honest- he's in the deck to change colors of creatures to benefit Animar's protection Stratus Dancer- countering instants & sorceries is nice Sylvan Safekeeper- shroud for a creature until end of turn is nice Voidmage Husher- countering an activated ability is nice plus it bounces itself the next time you cast a spell Willbender- no Animar isn't targeted by your spell, your commander is
Misc. Cards Artisan of Kozilek- mainly recursion but Annihilator 2 doesn't hurt Brualizer Exarch- either a tutor or removal or both for GG in this deck most likely Den Protector- more recursion Eternal Witness- more recursion Fierce Empath- tutor with many possible targets Hamletback Goliath- can be a beater or those counters can be turned into card draw with Sage of Fables Hardened Scales- the ONLY straight forward +1/+1 spell I've found to be worth running Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker- obviously combos with Zealous Conscripts but also combos with some of the bounce cards Kruphix, God of Horizons- no hand size is nice and so is being able to tap out at the end of your opponents turn to use later even if colorless Maelstrom Wanderer- So much value, three spells for the price of one Primal Surge- basically a "I win" spell- also the only non-permanent in the deck Purphoros, God of the Forge- mini Warstorm Surge effect Training Grounds- mostly in the deck to minimalize the cost of Sage of Fables draw ability Vesuvan Shapeshifter- another copy effect but with a little twist Warstorm Surge- with all the bouncing this adds up, especially if you land Primal Surge Zealous Conscripts- combos nice with Kiki-Jiki but is also useful for stealing opponents stuff
As far as I can tell you run Training Grounds to benefit a single creature, which seems to me like it would be a dead card more often than not.
I personally would recommend including more card draw (or other card advantage engines like Etherium-Horn Sorcerer) in the deck. Mulldrifter is an all-star in a bounce heavy deck.
You might also consider adding another combo win to your Primal Surge package: Laboratory Maniac. This way you can win even if you don't get a combat step for any reason.
It looks like a fair deck (as far as Animar goes) with a few different combo options, but no way to aggressively tutor for them. Only a little fast mana, so you're not seeking to combo off before turn 5 unless you get really lucky with a Birds of Paradise and the right combo pieces. More often than not you'll be attacking with a large Animar or a horde of utility creatures for victory.
Scuttlemutt is a nice little bit of tech that I haven't played with myself. How does it perform for you?
Scuttlemutt is a good piece, it's won some games with the ability to change creatures colors be it Animars or another creature.
Wow, I totally spaced on Mulldrifter...and I've got it in three other decks. (DOH!)
I've tried Laboratory Maniac, actually have been bouncing between it and Training Grounds, the games I've needed it I haven't been able to get to it. Which kind of brings this back around to your point of not having ways to aggressively tutor for the combo pieces. That definitely is the weakness of this deck, I've debated adding Chord of Calling and Green Sun's Zenith but they don't interact well with Primal Surge. I like that Survival of the Fittest is an enchantment but the green creature restriction hurts some if I need say Lab Maniac. Contemplating Birthing Pod atm but aren't sure that's the right move.
Any specific suggestions?
(Sorry I didn't include card tags but I'm posting from my phone ATM)
If anyone has any suggestions, I'm more than open to them.
Below the decklist is a explanation section.
1 Ainok Survivalist
1 Ancestral Statue
1 Archetype of Aggression
1 Artisan of Kozilek
1 Beastcaller Savant
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Bloom Tender
1 Brutalizer Exarch
1 Champion of Lambholt
1 Cloud of Faeries
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Den Protector
1 Draining Whelk
1 Dream Stalker
1 Duplicant
1 Eternal Witness
1 Fathom Mage
1 Fierce Empath
1 Gilded Drake
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Hamletback Goliath
1 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Kruphix, God of Horizons
1 Maelstrom Wanderer
1 Man-o'-War
1 Mizzium Meddler
1 Palinchron
1 Peregrine Drake
1 Pestermite
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Plaxmanta
1 Psychosis Crawler
1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
1 Rattleclaw Mystic
1 Sage of Fables
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Scuttlemutt
1 Seedborn Muse
1 Shrieking Drake
1 Soul of the Harvest
1 Stonehoof Chieftain
1 Stratus Dancer
1 Surrak Dragonclaw
1 Sylvan Safekeeper
1 Temur Sabertooth
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
1 Urabrask the Hidden
1 Vesuvan Shapeshifter
1 Voidmage Husher
1 Willbender
1 Wood Elves
1 Xenagos, God of Revels
1 Zealous Conscripts
1 Animar, Soul of Elements
Spells
1 Cloudstone Curio
1 Earthcraft
1 Hardened Scales
1 Primal Surge
1 Training Grounds
1 Warstorm Surge
Lands
1 Ancient Ziggurat
1 Breeding Pool
1 Cinder Glade
1 Command Tower
10 Forest
1 Frontier Bivouac
1 Gruul Turf
1 Hinterland Harbor
9 Island
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Llanowar Reborn
2 Mountain
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Rootbound Crag
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Winding Canyons
Explanations for cards...
Lands
Llanowar Reborn- Possibly starting Animar out with a counter is fine by me
Reliquary Tower- No handsize is big when possibly drawing as much as this deck can
Winding Canyons- Ability to play creatures on opponents turn so summoning sickness isn't a factor
Aggro Package
Archetype of Aggression- you can have trample and your opponent can't is handy
Champion of Lambholt- nice to dictate that your opponents can't block at all which is usually what happens if this sticks
Craterhoof Behemoth- potential game ender
Kamahl, Fist of Krosa- Overrun is a nice ability but also doubles as board wipe discouragement
Stonehoof Chieftain- Trample & indestructible for attacking creatures is always nice
Surrak Dragonclaw- decent body on a creature that gives your other creatures trample and makes your creature spells uncounterable
Urabrask the Hidden- Haste for you enter tapped for opponent
Bounce Package
Ancestral Statue- Animar with four counters & this can leads to a huge Animar
Cloudstone Curio- the cornerstone of the package
Dream Stalker- nice bounce piece with a defensive body
Man-o'-war- another bouncer
Shrieking Drake- yet another bouncer
Temur Sabertooth- and even one more bouncer
Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger- bouncing continously to exile your opponents board is nice
Xenagos, God of Revels- can be a game ender
Card Draw Package
Fathom Mage- Evolves more often than not
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth- card draw on a 12/12 body that doubles as a beater
Psychosis Crawler- punish your opponents for your card draw
Sage of Fables- turns excess +1/+1 counters from Fathom Mage or Animar into cards
Soul of the Harvest- basic card draw
Control/Protection/Removal Package
Ainok Survivalist- nice answer for Torpor Orb or similar effects
Draining Whelk- counter spell on a body that buffs itself
Duplicant- so I can exile a creature that is hindering me AND have a copy of it for myself? Yes please!
Gilded Drake- always nice to hit someone with their own beater
Glen Elendra Archmage- usually you get at least two uses out of the counter spell ability
Mizzium Medder- spell redirection protection on a decent defensive body
Pestermite- flying blocker or tap creature with vigilance or untap something you need
Phyrexian Metamorph- oh you have a Blightsteel or a Gilded Lotus or.... so do I
Plaxmanta- shroud till end of turn
Scuttlemutt- can be ramp but let's be honest- he's in the deck to change colors of creatures to benefit Animar's protection
Stratus Dancer- countering instants & sorceries is nice
Sylvan Safekeeper- shroud for a creature until end of turn is nice
Voidmage Husher- countering an activated ability is nice plus it bounces itself the next time you cast a spell
Willbender- no Animar isn't targeted by your spell, your commander is
Ramp
Beastcaller Savant- Hastey mana dork
Birds of Paradise- mana dork
Bloom Tender- usually taps for 3 mana
Cloud of Faeries- can lead to infinite mana
Earthcraft- easily benefits from the bounce package
Palinchron- a bigger Cloud of Faeries
Peregrine Drake- another bigger Cloud of Faeries
Rattleclaw Mystic- nice ramp from morph that can lead directly into Maelstrom Wanderer
Sakura-Tribe Elder- basic ramp
Seedborn Muse- sure I'll untap all my permanents on each opponents untap step
Wood Elves- a little more ramp
Misc. Cards
Artisan of Kozilek- mainly recursion but Annihilator 2 doesn't hurt
Brualizer Exarch- either a tutor or removal or both for GG in this deck most likely
Den Protector- more recursion
Eternal Witness- more recursion
Fierce Empath- tutor with many possible targets
Hamletback Goliath- can be a beater or those counters can be turned into card draw with Sage of Fables
Hardened Scales- the ONLY straight forward +1/+1 spell I've found to be worth running
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker- obviously combos with Zealous Conscripts but also combos with some of the bounce cards
Kruphix, God of Horizons- no hand size is nice and so is being able to tap out at the end of your opponents turn to use later even if colorless
Maelstrom Wanderer- So much value, three spells for the price of one
Primal Surge- basically a "I win" spell- also the only non-permanent in the deck
Purphoros, God of the Forge- mini Warstorm Surge effect
Training Grounds- mostly in the deck to minimalize the cost of Sage of Fables draw ability
Vesuvan Shapeshifter- another copy effect but with a little twist
Warstorm Surge- with all the bouncing this adds up, especially if you land Primal Surge
Zealous Conscripts- combos nice with Kiki-Jiki but is also useful for stealing opponents stuff
Building: Varina
As far as I can tell you run Training Grounds to benefit a single creature, which seems to me like it would be a dead card more often than not.
I personally would recommend including more card draw (or other card advantage engines like Etherium-Horn Sorcerer) in the deck. Mulldrifter is an all-star in a bounce heavy deck.
You might also consider adding another combo win to your Primal Surge package: Laboratory Maniac. This way you can win even if you don't get a combat step for any reason.
It looks like a fair deck (as far as Animar goes) with a few different combo options, but no way to aggressively tutor for them. Only a little fast mana, so you're not seeking to combo off before turn 5 unless you get really lucky with a Birds of Paradise and the right combo pieces. More often than not you'll be attacking with a large Animar or a horde of utility creatures for victory.
Scuttlemutt is a nice little bit of tech that I haven't played with myself. How does it perform for you?
Let me know if I missed anything obvious.
Wow, I totally spaced on Mulldrifter...and I've got it in three other decks. (DOH!)
I've tried Laboratory Maniac, actually have been bouncing between it and Training Grounds, the games I've needed it I haven't been able to get to it. Which kind of brings this back around to your point of not having ways to aggressively tutor for the combo pieces. That definitely is the weakness of this deck, I've debated adding Chord of Calling and Green Sun's Zenith but they don't interact well with Primal Surge. I like that Survival of the Fittest is an enchantment but the green creature restriction hurts some if I need say Lab Maniac. Contemplating Birthing Pod atm but aren't sure that's the right move.
Any specific suggestions?
(Sorry I didn't include card tags but I'm posting from my phone ATM)
ETA- card links
Building: Varina