I built a Tiny Leaders deck based on Hanna, Ship's Navigator and Solitary Confinement. It needs a guysbit of fine tuning though, here's the list, what do you think:
The general idea is to get Hanna and Solitary out with some sort of protection like Spellskite or preferably Auramancy. If they don't have an answer, I win. Otherwise, stall out with Ram/Wall and propaganda effects. Limited Resources is fantastic with Propaganda effects, and with Prop/Prison/Copy out with Limited Resources, it's very unlikely they'll be attacking. I had Second Chance, but since I don't have any real way of hurting myself, it only served as a means to stall until they could attack for lethal unless they were dumb enough to walk into it.
My sideboard is a mess, and needs a bit of work. Ezuri is a pain unless I can stall them out long enough AND they're not running multiple main deck enchantment hate, but it's possible to see t3 lethal with Ezuri, which I can't do much about. I think Myth Realized would be a nice fit in here, which might replace Mesa, though I like the flying (which is why it's not Mobilization).
I don't know what your budget is but Serra Sanctum might be at home in this deck. You could also go for Mesa Enchantress, sadly all of her much-better sisters are green.
Wall of Denial doesn't look to me like it would do enough. This is a format with more smaller creatures and I think blocking just one isn't that great, unless of course you've already got Propaganda or Ghostly Prison down. Still, I'd recommend Wall of Omens since it will usually be able to block similarly (4+ power creatures are a lot rarer) and doesn't die to common burn, at least. Drawing a card is really relevant, especially since you're digging for your really good enchantments.
Counterspell is just better than Negate; if you're worried about the double blue (which I don't think you need to be), run Mana Leak. If you're not running very many cards to shuffle your library, Preordain is better than Brainstorm. Journey to Nowhere is also better than Arrest.
I think Standstill could be really fun here. Hanna + Courier's Capsule is a great trick under Solitary Confinement.
If you're worried about Ezuri more than anything else, you might consider cards like Holy Day or Orim's Chant just to stall you that extra turn to hit your Prison effects. You might even consider some bounce, Withdraw will really punish them if they're reckless and the aforementioned Seal of Removal comes down turn one, though they get the opportunity to factor it in to their plans. Wing Shards is an absolute beating; sadly, Ezuri makes Marrow Shards a lot less effective than it could be. You could also run Lotus Petal or its ilk to make yourself a turn faster.
URGImperial AnimarGRU BRGProssh, Tokenmaker of KherGRB WURNarset NostalgicRUW UBR"I like your deck better" JelevaRBU UBlue BraidsU GAzusa, Lost but RampingG
WUHanna, Pillowfort's NavigatorUW WBRAleshacratsBRW UBRGrixis Pew PewRBU URGYasova the ThreateningGRU BGGlissa the ArticiferGB WUSygg MerfolkUW RSquee, Value NabobR
Thank you. That was exactly the kind of post I needed.
I will first start with my disagreements, which is brainstorm vs preordain. Brainstorm wins because it's not only and instant, but it can also serve as hand protection against targeted discard effects. I think preordain wins over ponder, which was in because I forgot about preordain lol. I don't see a problem running all 3 if I can make space.
Second, Wall of Denial is an answer to something more voltron like Geist. I might move it to the board.
The good stuff. Orim's Chant is I think is the way to go, and on that note I don't see why Isochron Scepter should be excluded. Worst case scenario I can Brainstorm every turn. Best case, Chant on a Stick. I don't know why I'm not on Counter spell over negate or at least leak. Withdraw is also fine to put on a stick.
Now, what should be cut for all this plus Standstill, Seal, Capsule, ect.?
With regards to Brainstorm: The reason this card is so good is the ability to put back two cards you don't really want, then shuffle your library so you don't have to worry about drawing them any time soon. Brainstorming then not being able to shuffle is often a really disappointing experience and you kind of feel trapped by your library. Dodging Duress effects is secondary and nice, but not enough to put it above Ponder and Preordain. Still, like you said, hardly any reason not to run all three.
Yeah, Isochron Scepter is a completely insane card and it's practically a hard lock with Orim's Chant. I don't normally suggest it just because it's a sort of un-fun card, but this is a pretty competitive format so go for it.
The cards that stand out to me as pretty meh in your deck: Nevermore: Unless their Leader is absolutely key to their strategy, this isn't going to do much in a singleton format. Copy Enchantment: This one's tough because it really is quite good, I'm just not sure it's good enough. Copying Greater Auramancy is really cool, but are you ever going to need that third conditional Ghostly Prison effect? Vanishing: Is this just to protect Hanna? Take out a threat? I dunno, I just don't see much benefit to this. Energy Field: Even with Hanna recurring it, I don't know how reliable this thing is going to be. All they have to do is Disenchant something on their turn and swing away. Monastery Siege: Far from the worst card in your deck, but it does seem like the one that has the least direct synergy with anything. Elixir of Immortality: I don't think you should cut this, but keep an eye on it. I'm not sure how often you'll really need to keep from milling yourself to death in long games, which is what I assume it's for.
URGImperial AnimarGRU BRGProssh, Tokenmaker of KherGRB WURNarset NostalgicRUW UBR"I like your deck better" JelevaRBU UBlue BraidsU GAzusa, Lost but RampingG
WUHanna, Pillowfort's NavigatorUW WBRAleshacratsBRW UBRGrixis Pew PewRBU URGYasova the ThreateningGRU BGGlissa the ArticiferGB WUSygg MerfolkUW RSquee, Value NabobR
Copy Enchantment is a sort of catch all in the deck. It's Prop/Prison #3 and paying 6 to attack is pretty hard with Limited Resources. Generally, the target is Auramancy, but it can also be another O-Ring/Sphere, or even a Monastery Siege/Aura of Silence.
On the topic of Siege, it's generally the protection it offers. Rarely do I go for the the looting unless I have confinement, but need a real finisher. I mean, if they don't have an answer, then they generally scoop like Lyzolda (unless they run something like Exsanguinate).
I have a Love/Hate with Energy Field, though most of the time it's been enough to stall out. I'm a stall deck, and if something hits the GY, 5 mana and I'm all reset. My overall lack of creatures means that kill spells also don't get rid of EF because Hanna never sees the GY. The benefit over Confinement is that I am still drawing cards. However, the downside is that I'm not usually casting spells because it pops EF. If I cut it, I might move it to the board along with Rest in Peace. EF/RiP would come in against a deck I know wouldn't be able to remove them.
Elixir also serves a dual purpose. Obviously it's about as anti-mill as you can get since I don't care if it gets milled, I know I'll more than likely never deck myself in a hardcore stall (or a stubborn opponent), and it's 5 life as another buffer to non-ezuri aggro, which is the weakest aspect.
Well yeah, six is hard to pay for under Limited Resources, but four really isn't that much better. If you've managed to get both of your Prison effects out like that I think a third is just win more. And of course it's flexible, it wouldn't be my first cut for sure, it's just that you have to worry about what you want to copy getting removed in response y'know?
Indeed, I like Siege a lot. Like I said, faaar from the worst card in the deck. It's just that you have other protection, it just doesn't feel like it's synergizing with your stay alive plan because it's protecting your permanents more than you. If you're ever playing it for the draw ability, you're most likely better off with a recur-able draw like Capsule.
While you're not going to lose Energy Field because of kill spells, I'm more worried about all the other stuff. Any Disenchant targeting another one of your spells, mill, discard effects, there are just so many ways to lose it and having to spend your valuable Hanna activations to get it back isn't ideal. You have enough tutor and dig that Solitary Confinement shouldn't be that hard to find if you have the kind of time to be recurring Energy Field. It's definitely better suited for the sideboard.
I figured as much re: Elixir. I just feel like those reasons you listed make it much better as a sideboard card than a mainboard one.
In regards to your sideboard: Pull from Eternity: I must be missing something here. What's this do? Bring back Solitary Confinement if they Revoke Existence it? Reality Acid: This is really slow, do you have a plan on how to abuse it other than Faith Healer? Faith Healer: You're never going to want to sack any of your enchantments, especially if the most you'll gain is three. I'd make this a more generic life gain card, like Elixir.
URGImperial AnimarGRU BRGProssh, Tokenmaker of KherGRB WURNarset NostalgicRUW UBR"I like your deck better" JelevaRBU UBlue BraidsU GAzusa, Lost but RampingG
WUHanna, Pillowfort's NavigatorUW WBRAleshacratsBRW UBRGrixis Pew PewRBU URGYasova the ThreateningGRU BGGlissa the ArticiferGB WUSygg MerfolkUW RSquee, Value NabobR
I don't think it would be bad. Definitely hoses token and +1 counter strategies. Against Ezuri it could be used as a pseudo-Fog effect on turn two if they're going too fast and want to buy time. It's really slow though, so I don't think you can reliably expect to Overload it. Usually by the time you could, I would think you'd be pretty comfortable behind Solitary Confinement and some Prisons, but it's a great late game punch in the face that has early-game uses. I'd say you have some flexibility in the mainboard because I still don't see a lot of merit to Nevermore and Vanishing.
URGImperial AnimarGRU BRGProssh, Tokenmaker of KherGRB WURNarset NostalgicRUW UBR"I like your deck better" JelevaRBU UBlue BraidsU GAzusa, Lost but RampingG
WUHanna, Pillowfort's NavigatorUW WBRAleshacratsBRW UBRGrixis Pew PewRBU URGYasova the ThreateningGRU BGGlissa the ArticiferGB WUSygg MerfolkUW RSquee, Value NabobR
I have a Seal of Cleansing available as well as a Condemn.
I think Mental Misstep and Nevermore are probably the weakest board cards. Not sure what else to put there.
One thing I forgot to mention was the possibility of adding in Tectonic Edge and/or Ghost Quarter because Wasteland is out of budget. I just don't want to not have enough colored mana when I need it.
I can't say for sure, but LD of that sort seems pretty weak in this format. I think the use of Tec Edge and Ghost Quarter will really put you behind against the hard aggro decks, so you're better off with colored mana. If possible I'd recommend slipping in some more fetches because, as I said, they make Brainstorm so much better.
I'm inclined to say you should keep Mental Misstep around. If nothing else, it can slow down Ezuri a lot even when you're on the draw. I consider it a lot better than Spell Snare in this format (just personal experience really) even if you ignore that MM can be played for free. There's just so much scary stuff at cmc 1.
I'd agree that Nevermore is a bit weak, it even comes across as just worse than Runed Halo in most situations. Maybe sideboard Seal of Cleansing for the time being in Nevermore's place.
Edit: Peacekeeper is also pretty good against Ezuri.
URGImperial AnimarGRU BRGProssh, Tokenmaker of KherGRB WURNarset NostalgicRUW UBR"I like your deck better" JelevaRBU UBlue BraidsU GAzusa, Lost but RampingG
WUHanna, Pillowfort's NavigatorUW WBRAleshacratsBRW UBRGrixis Pew PewRBU URGYasova the ThreateningGRU BGGlissa the ArticiferGB WUSygg MerfolkUW RSquee, Value NabobR
Ooh Peacekeeper is very nice. It's another thing that needs to be answered and can't be played through by the insane amounts of mana the deck generates. It's borderline main deck playable, and if it weren't a creature, it would be I think. Take it in against something like Ezuri that has a somewhat difficult time removing creatures. They have what, Beast Within and maybe Lignify/Song of the Dryads?
Question: What would you board against Ezuri with this list (assuming Nevermore replaced by Peacekeeper)?
-Aura of Silence - They don't run many it would seem, plus the tax isn't too hard on them
-Copy Enchantment - I'm just worried spending three to copy something you've already had to cast is really slow
-Monastery Siege - Does nothing for you right away
-Limited Resources - I don't think they need much land as long as they have dorks and a Gaea's Cradle
+Peacekeeper - Easy Choice
+Pithing Needle - Namiming Ezuri cripples them a lot
+Overburden - I'm not positive about this one. In theory it would be really hard for them to handle.
+Mental Misstep - I could be wrong on this, but hitting their turn one dork seems strong. Later in the game it can stop Glimpse of Nature, Crop Rotation, Concordant Crossroads, and Joraga Warcaller.
URGImperial AnimarGRU BRGProssh, Tokenmaker of KherGRB WURNarset NostalgicRUW UBR"I like your deck better" JelevaRBU UBlue BraidsU GAzusa, Lost but RampingG
WUHanna, Pillowfort's NavigatorUW WBRAleshacratsBRW UBRGrixis Pew PewRBU URGYasova the ThreateningGRU BGGlissa the ArticiferGB WUSygg MerfolkUW RSquee, Value NabobR
That sounds like a solid swap. The only thing I am concerned with is Siege because it's really my only defense against Kgrip, which I fully expect out of the board if it isn't Main. Then again, I am replacing protection with more problems.
On the topic of Crossroads, I have rarely seen them hard cast it, and instead usually see it come out on a Gen Wave, but I don't think that means MM should stay out. They have a deck full of 1 drops.
I agree that in theory, overburden would help against elves, but it could also potentially help them. Imagine I have Ob out, and they Crop Rotate into a Cradle. They tap their cradle, play an elf, bounce the cradle, play more elves, bounce their lands, drop the cradle and tap for more mana into Ezuri death. Burden was more for generic agro who's agro wasn't based on mana dorks lol
Would Aura of Silence be better off as a normal Seal of Cleansing? The 1 mana makes a big difference when recycling things and it fits the 5 mana Limited Resources plan better. Is the tax worth it?
Now, I meant to bring this up before, but what do you think of a morph counter spell? Specifically, I had the new Stratus Dancer in mind because it's significantly cheaper than Voidmage Apprentice, but still catches the cards I care about, ie Kgrip, Back to Nature, GenWave, Chord, ect. I think this would be a sideboard thing, though it might be good MB. Really, it catching Kgrip and other split second cards like Trick Bind or Spoiling is the primary reason for a Morph since it doesn't use the stack. I could also use Willbender to the same effect since I will more than likely have a less critical target AND it "counters" Rec Sage, which is significant.
The tax on Monastery Siege just seems insignificant to a deck like Ezuri. Multiple tax triggers like Propaganda and Prison make sense, but a one-shot 2 cost against their limited removal is less impressive.
Probably true, but sometimes they do draw it and have to cast it if they want the effect. Either way there's plenty to counter.
That occurred to me too and I hesitated to suggest its inclusion. My thinking, however, is that it can ruin their Glimpse of Nature turns and/or make Genesis Wave super awkward. You may be right that giving them the ability to handle Cradle like that isn't worth the risk though. Eidolon of Rhetoric could be a perfectly decent card against them too.
Against the majority of decks I do prefer to just have Aura of Silence in the main, I think. The tax is real. The Swords are all over this format and Pernicious Deed is one of the only sweepers in this format that's really scary to you.
I always have trouble evaluating the value of protection cards in singleton formats. I think between WB and Dancer, you go with Dancer. WB stops things that mess with you, but Dancer stops things that get their board state out of control. I'd rather see your Solitary Confinement get Rec Sage'd than them land a huge Gen Wave that puts you way behind, especially since Gen Wave can just hit Rec Sage anyway (same with Chord) and, like you said, KGrip is a thing. Outside of the Ezuri match up Dancer is also just the more flexible one, stopping the few other sweepers that your deck is weak to, countering counters, and stopping Naturalize effects. Another creature along those lines to consider is Voidmage Prodigy, but I still think he's barely better than Voidmage Apprentice.
URGImperial AnimarGRU BRGProssh, Tokenmaker of KherGRB WURNarset NostalgicRUW UBR"I like your deck better" JelevaRBU UBlue BraidsU GAzusa, Lost but RampingG
WUHanna, Pillowfort's NavigatorUW WBRAleshacratsBRW UBRGrixis Pew PewRBU URGYasova the ThreateningGRU BGGlissa the ArticiferGB WUSygg MerfolkUW RSquee, Value NabobR
Mystical Tutor maybe, since it's just straight better than Personal Tutor in two ways. It's not the best just because you don't have that much interesting to search for. The only thing in your deck I'd call an actual target for it is Orim's Chant, everything else the card disadvantage isn't going to be worth it very often.
URGImperial AnimarGRU BRGProssh, Tokenmaker of KherGRB WURNarset NostalgicRUW UBR"I like your deck better" JelevaRBU UBlue BraidsU GAzusa, Lost but RampingG
WUHanna, Pillowfort's NavigatorUW WBRAleshacratsBRW UBRGrixis Pew PewRBU URGYasova the ThreateningGRU BGGlissa the ArticiferGB WUSygg MerfolkUW RSquee, Value NabobR
URGImperial AnimarGRU BRGProssh, Tokenmaker of KherGRB WURNarset NostalgicRUW UBR"I like your deck better" JelevaRBU UBlue BraidsU GAzusa, Lost but RampingG
WUHanna, Pillowfort's NavigatorUW WBRAleshacratsBRW UBRGrixis Pew PewRBU URGYasova the ThreateningGRU BGGlissa the ArticiferGB WUSygg MerfolkUW RSquee, Value NabobR
I haven't gotten to use it as much as I'd like, but when i did, it went about as well as expected. Bringing Energy field/ RiP out of the board against stuff like Anafenza and Grenzo is just mean. Stratus Dancer won me a game against Ezuri by hitting a Kgrip g1, and Peace keeper did the rest on G2
Overall , I love it. When I can, I load up a pic of my signed Judge Promo, which is just nice to show off while I'm doing nothing to them lol
URGImperial AnimarGRU BRGProssh, Tokenmaker of KherGRB WURNarset NostalgicRUW UBR"I like your deck better" JelevaRBU UBlue BraidsU GAzusa, Lost but RampingG
WUHanna, Pillowfort's NavigatorUW WBRAleshacratsBRW UBRGrixis Pew PewRBU URGYasova the ThreateningGRU BGGlissa the ArticiferGB WUSygg MerfolkUW RSquee, Value NabobR
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1 Limited Resources
1 Vanishing
2 Planar Collapse
2 Energy Field
2 Greater Auramancy
2 Luminarch Ascension
3 Story Circle
3 Ghostly Prison
3 Propaganda
3 Copy Enchantment
3 Solitary Confinement
3 Aura of Silence
3 Sacred Mesa
3 Monastery Siege
3 Nevermore
3 Oblivion Ring
3 Detention Sphere
Instants
1 Brain Storm
1 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Enlightened Tutor
2 Negate
1 Ponder
3 Idylic Tutor
Creatures
2 Nyx-Fleece Ram
2 Grand Abolisher
2 Spellskite
3 Wall of Denial
Arifacts
1 Elixir of Immortality
Land
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Flooded Strand
1 Command Tower
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Nimbus maze
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Sejiri Refuge
1 Arcane Lighthouse
1 Faerie Conclave
1 Celestial Colonnade
1 Maze of Ith
5 Planes
4 Island
1 Mental Misstep
1 Pull from Eternity
1 Pithing Needle
2 Aegis of the Gods
2 Overburden
2 Faith Healer
2 Darksteel Mutation
3 Reality Acid
3 Arrest
3 Eidolon of Rhetoric
The general idea is to get Hanna and Solitary out with some sort of protection like Spellskite or preferably Auramancy. If they don't have an answer, I win. Otherwise, stall out with Ram/Wall and propaganda effects. Limited Resources is fantastic with Propaganda effects, and with Prop/Prison/Copy out with Limited Resources, it's very unlikely they'll be attacking. I had Second Chance, but since I don't have any real way of hurting myself, it only served as a means to stall until they could attack for lethal unless they were dumb enough to walk into it.
My sideboard is a mess, and needs a bit of work. Ezuri is a pain unless I can stall them out long enough AND they're not running multiple main deck enchantment hate, but it's possible to see t3 lethal with Ezuri, which I can't do much about. I think Myth Realized would be a nice fit in here, which might replace Mesa, though I like the flying (which is why it's not Mobilization).
Thoughts on fine tuning this?
RRRAshling, the PilgrimRRR
UUUThadda Adel, AcquisitorUUU
I don't know what your budget is but Serra Sanctum might be at home in this deck. You could also go for Mesa Enchantress, sadly all of her much-better sisters are green.
Wall of Denial doesn't look to me like it would do enough. This is a format with more smaller creatures and I think blocking just one isn't that great, unless of course you've already got Propaganda or Ghostly Prison down. Still, I'd recommend Wall of Omens since it will usually be able to block similarly (4+ power creatures are a lot rarer) and doesn't die to common burn, at least. Drawing a card is really relevant, especially since you're digging for your really good enchantments.
Counterspell is just better than Negate; if you're worried about the double blue (which I don't think you need to be), run Mana Leak. If you're not running very many cards to shuffle your library, Preordain is better than Brainstorm. Journey to Nowhere is also better than Arrest.
I think Standstill could be really fun here. Hanna + Courier's Capsule is a great trick under Solitary Confinement.
If you're worried about Ezuri more than anything else, you might consider cards like Holy Day or Orim's Chant just to stall you that extra turn to hit your Prison effects. You might even consider some bounce, Withdraw will really punish them if they're reckless and the aforementioned Seal of Removal comes down turn one, though they get the opportunity to factor it in to their plans. Wing Shards is an absolute beating; sadly, Ezuri makes Marrow Shards a lot less effective than it could be. You could also run Lotus Petal or its ilk to make yourself a turn faster.
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I will first start with my disagreements, which is brainstorm vs preordain. Brainstorm wins because it's not only and instant, but it can also serve as hand protection against targeted discard effects. I think preordain wins over ponder, which was in because I forgot about preordain lol. I don't see a problem running all 3 if I can make space.
Second, Wall of Denial is an answer to something more voltron like Geist. I might move it to the board.
The good stuff. Orim's Chant is I think is the way to go, and on that note I don't see why Isochron Scepter should be excluded. Worst case scenario I can Brainstorm every turn. Best case, Chant on a Stick. I don't know why I'm not on Counter spell over negate or at least leak. Withdraw is also fine to put on a stick.
Now, what should be cut for all this plus Standstill, Seal, Capsule, ect.?
RRRAshling, the PilgrimRRR
UUUThadda Adel, AcquisitorUUU
The board does seem like where Wall of Denial belongs. Wall of Omens is a real card for this deck.
Yeah, Isochron Scepter is a completely insane card and it's practically a hard lock with Orim's Chant. I don't normally suggest it just because it's a sort of un-fun card, but this is a pretty competitive format so go for it.
The cards that stand out to me as pretty meh in your deck:
Nevermore: Unless their Leader is absolutely key to their strategy, this isn't going to do much in a singleton format.
Copy Enchantment: This one's tough because it really is quite good, I'm just not sure it's good enough. Copying Greater Auramancy is really cool, but are you ever going to need that third conditional Ghostly Prison effect?
Vanishing: Is this just to protect Hanna? Take out a threat? I dunno, I just don't see much benefit to this.
Energy Field: Even with Hanna recurring it, I don't know how reliable this thing is going to be. All they have to do is Disenchant something on their turn and swing away.
Monastery Siege: Far from the worst card in your deck, but it does seem like the one that has the least direct synergy with anything.
Elixir of Immortality: I don't think you should cut this, but keep an eye on it. I'm not sure how often you'll really need to keep from milling yourself to death in long games, which is what I assume it's for.
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On the topic of Siege, it's generally the protection it offers. Rarely do I go for the the looting unless I have confinement, but need a real finisher. I mean, if they don't have an answer, then they generally scoop like Lyzolda (unless they run something like Exsanguinate).
I have a Love/Hate with Energy Field, though most of the time it's been enough to stall out. I'm a stall deck, and if something hits the GY, 5 mana and I'm all reset. My overall lack of creatures means that kill spells also don't get rid of EF because Hanna never sees the GY. The benefit over Confinement is that I am still drawing cards. However, the downside is that I'm not usually casting spells because it pops EF. If I cut it, I might move it to the board along with Rest in Peace. EF/RiP would come in against a deck I know wouldn't be able to remove them.
Elixir also serves a dual purpose. Obviously it's about as anti-mill as you can get since I don't care if it gets milled, I know I'll more than likely never deck myself in a hardcore stall (or a stubborn opponent), and it's 5 life as another buffer to non-ezuri aggro, which is the weakest aspect.
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Indeed, I like Siege a lot. Like I said, faaar from the worst card in the deck. It's just that you have other protection, it just doesn't feel like it's synergizing with your stay alive plan because it's protecting your permanents more than you. If you're ever playing it for the draw ability, you're most likely better off with a recur-able draw like Capsule.
While you're not going to lose Energy Field because of kill spells, I'm more worried about all the other stuff. Any Disenchant targeting another one of your spells, mill, discard effects, there are just so many ways to lose it and having to spend your valuable Hanna activations to get it back isn't ideal. You have enough tutor and dig that Solitary Confinement shouldn't be that hard to find if you have the kind of time to be recurring Energy Field. It's definitely better suited for the sideboard.
I figured as much re: Elixir. I just feel like those reasons you listed make it much better as a sideboard card than a mainboard one.
In regards to your sideboard:
Pull from Eternity: I must be missing something here. What's this do? Bring back Solitary Confinement if they Revoke Existence it?
Reality Acid: This is really slow, do you have a plan on how to abuse it other than Faith Healer?
Faith Healer: You're never going to want to sack any of your enchantments, especially if the most you'll gain is three. I'd make this a more generic life gain card, like Elixir.
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Now back to the main board, I just realized I can use Cyclonic Rift, but do I need it?
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BGGlissa the ArticiferGB
WUSygg MerfolkUW
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1 Limited Resources
2 Planar Collapse
2 Font of Fortunes
2 Greater Auramancy
2 Luminarch Ascension
3 Story Circle
3 Ghostly Prison
3 Propaganda
3 Copy Enchantment
3 Solitary Confinement
3 Aura of Silence
3 Monastery Siege
3 Oblivion Ring
3 Detention Sphere
Instants
1 Orim's Chant
1 Brainstorm
1 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Enlightened Tutor
2 Counterspell
2 Cyclonic Rift
1 Preordain
1 Ponder
3 Idylic Tutor
Creatures
2 Wall of Omens
2 Nyx-Fleece Ram
2 Grand Abolisher
2 Spellskite
Arifacts
2 Isochron Scepter
Land
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Flooded Strand
1 Command Tower
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Nimbus maze
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Sejiri Refuge
1 Arcane Lighthouse
1 Faerie Conclave
1 Celestial Colonnade
1 Maze of Ith
5 Planes
4 Island
1 Mental Misstep
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Pithing Needle
2 Aegis of the Gods
2 Overburden
2 Energy Field
2 Rest in Peace
3 Wall of Denial
3 Nevermore
3 Eidolon of Rhetoric
I have a Seal of Cleansing available as well as a Condemn.
I think Mental Misstep and Nevermore are probably the weakest board cards. Not sure what else to put there.
One thing I forgot to mention was the possibility of adding in Tectonic Edge and/or Ghost Quarter because Wasteland is out of budget. I just don't want to not have enough colored mana when I need it.
RRRAshling, the PilgrimRRR
UUUThadda Adel, AcquisitorUUU
I'm inclined to say you should keep Mental Misstep around. If nothing else, it can slow down Ezuri a lot even when you're on the draw. I consider it a lot better than Spell Snare in this format (just personal experience really) even if you ignore that MM can be played for free. There's just so much scary stuff at cmc 1.
I'd agree that Nevermore is a bit weak, it even comes across as just worse than Runed Halo in most situations. Maybe sideboard Seal of Cleansing for the time being in Nevermore's place.
Edit: Peacekeeper is also pretty good against Ezuri.
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Ooh Peacekeeper is very nice. It's another thing that needs to be answered and can't be played through by the insane amounts of mana the deck generates. It's borderline main deck playable, and if it weren't a creature, it would be I think. Take it in against something like Ezuri that has a somewhat difficult time removing creatures. They have what, Beast Within and maybe Lignify/Song of the Dryads?
Question: What would you board against Ezuri with this list (assuming Nevermore replaced by Peacekeeper)?
RRRAshling, the PilgrimRRR
UUUThadda Adel, AcquisitorUUU
-Aura of Silence - They don't run many it would seem, plus the tax isn't too hard on them
-Copy Enchantment - I'm just worried spending three to copy something you've already had to cast is really slow
-Monastery Siege - Does nothing for you right away
-Limited Resources - I don't think they need much land as long as they have dorks and a Gaea's Cradle
+Peacekeeper - Easy Choice
+Pithing Needle - Namiming Ezuri cripples them a lot
+Overburden - I'm not positive about this one. In theory it would be really hard for them to handle.
+Mental Misstep - I could be wrong on this, but hitting their turn one dork seems strong. Later in the game it can stop Glimpse of Nature, Crop Rotation, Concordant Crossroads, and Joraga Warcaller.
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On the topic of Crossroads, I have rarely seen them hard cast it, and instead usually see it come out on a Gen Wave, but I don't think that means MM should stay out. They have a deck full of 1 drops.
I agree that in theory, overburden would help against elves, but it could also potentially help them. Imagine I have Ob out, and they Crop Rotate into a Cradle. They tap their cradle, play an elf, bounce the cradle, play more elves, bounce their lands, drop the cradle and tap for more mana into Ezuri death. Burden was more for generic agro who's agro wasn't based on mana dorks lol
Would Aura of Silence be better off as a normal Seal of Cleansing? The 1 mana makes a big difference when recycling things and it fits the 5 mana Limited Resources plan better. Is the tax worth it?
Now, I meant to bring this up before, but what do you think of a morph counter spell? Specifically, I had the new Stratus Dancer in mind because it's significantly cheaper than Voidmage Apprentice, but still catches the cards I care about, ie Kgrip, Back to Nature, GenWave, Chord, ect. I think this would be a sideboard thing, though it might be good MB. Really, it catching Kgrip and other split second cards like Trick Bind or Spoiling is the primary reason for a Morph since it doesn't use the stack. I could also use Willbender to the same effect since I will more than likely have a less critical target AND it "counters" Rec Sage, which is significant.
RRRAshling, the PilgrimRRR
UUUThadda Adel, AcquisitorUUU
Probably true, but sometimes they do draw it and have to cast it if they want the effect. Either way there's plenty to counter.
That occurred to me too and I hesitated to suggest its inclusion. My thinking, however, is that it can ruin their Glimpse of Nature turns and/or make Genesis Wave super awkward. You may be right that giving them the ability to handle Cradle like that isn't worth the risk though. Eidolon of Rhetoric could be a perfectly decent card against them too.
Against the majority of decks I do prefer to just have Aura of Silence in the main, I think. The tax is real. The Swords are all over this format and Pernicious Deed is one of the only sweepers in this format that's really scary to you.
I always have trouble evaluating the value of protection cards in singleton formats. I think between WB and Dancer, you go with Dancer. WB stops things that mess with you, but Dancer stops things that get their board state out of control. I'd rather see your Solitary Confinement get Rec Sage'd than them land a huge Gen Wave that puts you way behind, especially since Gen Wave can just hit Rec Sage anyway (same with Chord) and, like you said, KGrip is a thing. Outside of the Ezuri match up Dancer is also just the more flexible one, stopping the few other sweepers that your deck is weak to, countering counters, and stopping Naturalize effects. Another creature along those lines to consider is Voidmage Prodigy, but I still think he's barely better than Voidmage Apprentice.
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Here's another question, what about tutors like Merchant Scroll, Personal Tutor, and Mystic Tutor? Think they are worth slotting in a deck like this?
RRRAshling, the PilgrimRRR
UUUThadda Adel, AcquisitorUUU
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GAzusa, Lost but RampingG
WBRAleshacratsBRW
UBRGrixis Pew PewRBU
URGYasova the ThreateningGRU
BGGlissa the ArticiferGB
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vesuva and thespian stage make great 2nd and 3rd maze of iths
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I haven't gotten to use it as much as I'd like, but when i did, it went about as well as expected. Bringing Energy field/ RiP out of the board against stuff like Anafenza and Grenzo is just mean. Stratus Dancer won me a game against Ezuri by hitting a Kgrip g1, and Peace keeper did the rest on G2
Overall , I love it. When I can, I load up a pic of my signed Judge Promo, which is just nice to show off while I'm doing nothing to them lol
RRRAshling, the PilgrimRRR
UUUThadda Adel, AcquisitorUUU
Living End Contributor and Enthusiast
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UBRGrixis Pew PewRBU
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