So, I haven't really looked at this deck since Oath was released since we didn't really get too much from that set. Any good ideas come out since then? I'm thinking of picking it back up as Allies have always been my pet tribal deck when they were originally in standard. Also, what kind of Side board is everyone looking at at the moment?
A lot aggro Decks got the Problem, that they running out of "Gas". Lead the Stampede is great Refuel Card. You must only be aware of Decks with . Cards like Negate or Countersquall can really ruin your Day.
hardened scales is a wonderful card if you had this in your starthand. But you don't want to draw this card. I believe this card is strong, but not strong enough for Modern :(:( . Maybe in an Ally Deck with a discard/draw Engine.
I never tried a simple selesnya build, but this could be more a budget Version. We have a lot good Mana Lands like Ally Encampment and if you lucky Cavern of Souls. I had never a real Problem with my Mana Base. But in the future i will try an Ally List with more Mana Dorks and Gideon, ally of zendikar and Return to the Ranks.
Here a straight and simple Selesnya Ally Beat up deck that i will testing in the next weeks. All Spells are producing Ally Triggers except Lead the Stampede.
Is anyone doing some kind of testing? i'm willing to pick up the deck for the funs but i'd like to know also how are it's matchups against actual top tier decks. And which are the conventional builds? Naya Coco + 4 Vials seem to be the standard build.
wow... is this thread dead? Bringing this back for an important discussion. Sideboard.
Yes, there have been a bit of discussion regarding the sideboard, but I think we need to brainstorm together what are the essentials or possible cards against certain decks or MUs in general. Please help!
Currently, on top of my head, I can only think the following:
Grave Hate
Relic of Progenitus
Rest in Peace
Removals
Boros Charm
Wrap in Vigor
Faith's Shield
Blossoming Defenses
Combo
Aven mindcensor: Tutor Hate
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben: non-creature spell-based Hate
Feel free to input the list above or comment on what else can help or what doesn't.
Grave Hate Rest in Peace denied every graveyardplay ( One of my favorite Games, Opponent:"Oh, i play my 0/1 Tarmogoyf and my Snapcaster Mage that doing nothing" )
Repel the Abominable is really good against some combo and removal, most of our creatures are humans anyway.
Nice! It's like something between Eerie Interlude and Cloudshift. One less Mana to avoid Anger of the Gods . But do nothing against Abrupt Decay, supreme verdict or Terminate for example. The Upside is, you can use it for an Attack or Defense. i got often the Situation with Akoum Battlesinger- a lot 3/1 or 4/1 attackers and 2-3 1/1 Chump Blockers.
I have this card never on my radar, Thank you.
I'll post an updated list after today's game. So far I'm going 1-2, 2-1 on average depending on the LGS turn out and meta. With the meta shifting towards cheating big creatures and land D or basically any other unfair decks, I learnt from a friend that the sideboard should aid to push damage or protect creatures. I'll update more later.
FYI, glad that more people are using lead the stampede after my last rant. Hope it works for you. I'm running 2 copies personally and I have never been disappointed with the card.
I never disappointed with the card lead the stampede , too. Currently i running 3 copies in my Deck, but i think 2 of them is better. It is a good card for the longer games and is board out against the fast Modern decks.
The Firemantle Mage is for me a discusible creature. I have tried a lot this guy, but most of the time he was only good for the Ally Trigger and nothing more. Against Eldrazi and Affinity (the Reason is the Evasion, because you can't use Kabira Evangel against colorless decks) you can use better cards for the Sideboard.
Eldrazi: Hard Removal , like Path to Exile , Crumble to Dust?(Eldrazi Temple)
Affinity: Artefact Hate and/or Lifelink ,the Matches are most of the Time very close for me.
Round 1: Reanimator
No RIP on board, just lose. Blessed Alliance works, but not exactly useful. Deflecting Palm would be better, but didn't draw into it. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben would be a good SB but I forgot to SB in.
Round 2: Knightfall
Not much to talk about this deck. The match was intense and fun, but I think we have a pretty favorable MU against Knightfall deck. Deflecting Palm and Blessed Alliance works wonders here. Spellskite is also a great sb card. Rest in Peace shuts down their combo part. Their midrange package is not exactly strong.
Round 3: Bant Eldarzi
I expect this to be an almost walkover. Screwed on mana and creatures in both games. Talking about sideboard, Deflecting Palm, Blessed Alliance and Firemantle Mage works.
I think I can down 1 Firemantle Mage in the side board. I would agree that there are better cards against the MUs Firemantle Mage is working. I love him as a 5th piece of Kabira Evangel, but maybe not for a sideboard material. I would consider another Rest in Peace, or cards like Fiend Hunter or maybe some other general hate card. Pithing Needle would work, but I think it suits better in a control deck rather than in an aggro deck. Probably would look into Zoo, burn or any variants of zoo-ish/creature decks for sideboard inspirations
So I recently went to my LGS and put this together 30minutes before with the cards I owned. It went 2-1 against burn (L), b/w tokens (W), and tribal shamans (W)
I'm looking to refine it, i just don't know how. People at my store suggested I added some Vials? Also I added a one of Legion's Initiative since it pumps and has a possible trigger effect for our guys; however, I never got to play the card but just wanted to discuss it with you guys? Assuming I had all the money in the world, what would you guys add/change? (besides the playset of Arid Mesa , which I plan on adding )
Legion's Initiative: in the colours RW you will most of the time never have 2 Mana open to dodge a wrath (that will probably never come), the pump is sweet, but personally
i would use
- Captain's Claws ( +1/+0 and Ally trigger every round )
or
- Adaptive Automaton Ally trigger and a Lord!
And Legion's Initiative had a big problem. Boros Charm is strictly better. Every Mode is great! for an Example. You played 2x Akoum Battlesinger and got +3/0 from the effect, your Battlesingers don't die against the Chumpblockers with indestructible, or you make the last 4 Damage to your Opponent. Even the Double Strike is really sweet, if your Blademaster for example had 5 +1/+1 counters.
Edit after i read the card again: . The really Big Upside is you can multiple time trigger Akoum Battlesinger at once, that is really insane and unique! Eerie Interlude and Ghostway bring only your troops back in the End Phase - good for a wrath dodge, but nothing more. if i imagin, that i exile 4 Allies and they come back with haste and +4/+0 in the combat phase, it is like that they attack as 4x Ball Lightning's . Maybe a good 1 Drop in your Deck. Something that could be worth for testing. Its not good to dodge a wrath, but for the final kill combo a option. Edit2: Same scenario but this time you exile 2 Battlesingers. You get +8/+0
4 Lightning Bolts are to much. Sure this Card is great, but your creatures are better than this little 3 Damage. You didnt need the (hat much) Bolts
Suggestions: Mirror Entity could be funny. You have tons of +1/+1 Counters but in the end, most of them are only 1/1 --> big boost for all
Blood Moon if you have all money in the world. That could be working as a really badass surprise. The manabase is really greedy in this format, or you use Cavern of Souls if you have too much money
Maybe 1-2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar . His token trigger every round our Allies. Can fight or make even an Anthem.
With Gideon you can try(!) Oath of Gideon. People say this card is only medicore, but we get 2 Ally triggers and a Upside for Gideon himself. For only 1 Mana more as Raise the Alarm.
Return to the Ranks , you have no Collected Company or something else that give you a "boost", but a lot Removals in Modern. This is a good answer
First off, please use the Deck Function in this Forum. With this, everybody can better read your Deck and Cards. I have googled the Legion Card.
@GarfieldKlon
Yea sorry, I'm a long time lurker, first time poster....so I'm not familiar on how to use it. Is it possible I can edit it to fix it?
Anywho, Since I'm guessing you didn't mention PoE, am I supposed to remove those? To make room for the gideons and possible 1-2 Legion's Initiative?
Also wouldn't Blood Moon mess my mana base up as well? seeing as I have to hard cast blademaster? Also I've received a lot of flak, for adding Thalia's Lieutenant, any advice?
Yes, you can edit to fix it. Look at above the comments toolbar on the right and hover until they say "card". Alternatively, you can key in [ card ]card name[ /card ] tags without the spaces.
Personally, I think Path is essential in Modern, but 2-3 pieces in the 75 would be the sweet spot. Legion's initiative actually seems interesting. How has that worked for you in your other games?
In my opinion, I'm quite against RW Ally because of their split between burn spells and ally. The balance is really hard to get it right. I would think of cases of lacking ETB trigger to "grow" the Ally and/or just flat out playing spell-slinging. The reach of the deck to close games is definitely commendable. But, you would be likely to be top-decking really quickly. Correct me if I am wrong though.
I would suggest you may want to try the following cards in addition to what GarfieldKlon has suggested:
browbeat. On paper, it seems win-win either way. Either opponent takes 5 or you draw 3. Inspiring Vantage. I would think this is a 4-off in your deck. Drop the clifftop retreat, painlands or scrylands for it. Fetchlands is not a necessity, but it would greatly help. However, I would think Inspiring Vantage would take priority to give you early and painless access to both colours.
I don't know what is in your sideboard, but being RW ally, I'd also suggest 3 pieces of Lightning Helix in your 75 against aggro decks and burn.
My comments and concerns are in the description. I would love to get your input :). I believe the Naya/4c deck is in a nice spot, just debating if i should dip into blue just for jwari shapeshifter. I also think the R/W Ally deck shouldnt be underestimated since it has removal to protect our guys and has some interaction with the board unlike 4c allies who has a plan and just ignores everything.
"What I'm having trouble here is if it's worth running a playset of Aether Vials. Idk if Vials would just dilute the deck? If I did add them in, what would I take out? Also I would like to get people's opinion on Legion's Initiative I feel like its a card that gets overlooked by Eerie Interlude, Ghostway, and Cloudshift. Not only does it pump our team it also includes a quick flash out incase of boardwipe AND puts them back on the field during NEXT combat with haste"
I can immediately tell you Vial will NOT work in your RW deck iteration. Vial will not only dilute your deck but it becomes a hindrance when you need creature or burn spell to win or turn the tide. That is the worst feeling when you draw a Vial top deck, but you need Bolt or Boros charm to seal the game. As I mentioned, RW Ally is very prone to play top-decking wars and every draw you make needs to make an immediate impact. Yes, Aether Vial is very splashy and fun in combat tricks, but you are already playing Legion's Initiative. That works similarly to what you expect from Vial. Basically, you'll empty your hand much faster and yes, the explosive play is very strong against non-interactive decks, but realistically speaking from experience, you'll be disappointed with vial more times than you'd admit after blowing out $160 on a playset.
If you are really keen in vial, play with any iterations with Green in it and play at least 2x Lead the stampede. Your deck will thank you for that. I cannot stress how important refuel of the hand and board in mid games is very important for Ally deck which relies on triggers to "grow". Also, please drop clifftop retreat and play inspiring vantage! You don't want any lands that CipT in the first 3 turns!
For this deck there is currently 58 cards in it, I'm debating if I should take out Adaptive Automaton and Jwari Shapeshifter to make room for a playset of either removal (PoE, bolts, Boros Charms, etc.) or for refueling my hand (Lead the Stampede).OR.should I up the amount of Jwari Shapeshifter (4 of maybe?) and/or Adaptive Automaton (2 of maybe?)
4/5 Colour builds for Ally is more flexible but means more taxing in the selection of your support spells. 4-off Collected company is the right choice. In 3-5 color builds, it really depends on whether you wish to play the following cards:
3-5 colour decks would be more of a build-around-me kind of strategy. There was a 4-colour iteration playing mill and Zulaport synergy/combo with return to the ranks. Another is Abzan scales. Check around the forum for ideas.
Personally, I'm playing Naya Collected. Decklist here.
With response to your 4 colour build, Blue in ally is mainly for halimar excavator and jwari shapeshifter. Maybe umara raptor. but if you are going to play these ally cards without any other reason to play blue (eg. counterspells, etc) I'd really see no reason to play blue unless you are going for the milling route.
The funny thing I see is that your 4-colour build will suit better for vials, whereas your RW build does not need vial at all. If you are going for the 4 colour build with blue, I'd suggest the following support cards as a start:
2x collected company (or 3-3 / 4-2 split. But, both cards has to go in there.)
If you have blue, you can consider the following cards as well: Memory's Journey.
Personally, against my beliefs, I think your RW ally is in a much better position for tuning and playing with better results than your 4 colour atm. Yes, you are right that RW ally is not to be underestimated and I can see why. If you are lacking the time, just follow the suggestions we have above and tune your RW. You can always branch into other builds with your ally staples.
For the 3-4 Colour build and if you are more interested in that iteration, consider carefully what support cards you like to use. 3-4 colour decks are going to be very light in removals so your creatures will be doing most of the heavy lifting for you.
Also, thanks for the idea for legion's initiative! I'm contemplating to test 2 in my deck actually.
Yea I was actually surprised reading this entire thread with no mention of Legion's Initiative for allies, helps boost our guys either offensively AND/or defensively (esp to get out of bolt range) AND helps with a trigger that will benefit US DURING COMBAT. It's the main reason I even considered running r/w allies (that and that one guy who placed playing a r/w allies deck); however I'm not sure if Legion's initiative is actually a good card for us or a TRAP card that tricks us ally players in putting into our deck (i.e. Hardened Scales) which slows down our deck.
IMO, I believe only R/W can benefit from a filler card like Legion's Initiative d/t the amount of removal/board interaction we have with spells that helps delay the enemy until we can fully utilize Legion's initiative. With Naya allies, i feel like they cannot afford to play random spells like Hardened SCales due to the fact that they play with coco, lead, vial, and have no interaction/removal.
Mirror Mockery and Panharmonicon . What's your take on these cards, I think Mirror Mockery with Akoum battlesinger would be good, same for Panharmonicon
Also, thanks for the idea for legion's initiative! I'm contemplating to test 2 in my deck actually.
Yea I was actually surprised reading this entire thread with no mention of Legion's Initiative for allies, helps boost our guys either offensively AND/or defensively (esp to get out of bolt range) AND helps with a trigger that will benefit US DURING COMBAT. It's the main reason I even considered running r/w allies (that and that one guy who placed playing a r/w allies deck); however I'm not sure if Legion's initiative is actually a good card for us or a TRAP card that tricks us ally players in putting into our deck (i.e. Hardened Scales) which slows down our deck.
IMO, I believe only R/W can benefit from a filler card like Legion's Initiative d/t the amount of removal/board interaction we have with spells that helps delay the enemy until we can fully utilize Legion's initiative. With Naya allies, i feel like they cannot afford to play random spells like Hardened SCales due to the fact that they play with coco, lead, vial, and have no interaction/removal.
Yes, with a deeper look at the card and I think RW Ally suits best with Legion's Initiative and not Naya build. You can play scales but the colours that would benefit more would be the Abzan build with bojuka brigad, champion of the parish and thalia's lieutenant and abrupt decay. I think the consensus would be 4 collected company as your main support spell if you have green. It's the best card for almost any tribal build. Aether vial a lot more build-around-me for it to work well. I'd pair 4x lead the stampede with it over collected company. I would play other cards other than lead the stampede but that is the only card so far that consistently does what I felt the deck was lacking in late games.
Digress: I'm personally testing out another card recommended by a friend of mine. Works only in Naya build.
Mirror Mockery and Panharmonicon . What's your take on these cards, I think Mirror Mockery with Akoum battlesinger would be good, same for Panharmonicon
Both cards are a bit clunky. I'd advise avoiding them. Panharmonicon would serve better in EDH rather than modern format. As mentioned, your draws need to be impactful since you will be top-decking most of the time. mirror mockery may seem decent but you need to know that the slots available for your decks are around 8-10 slots maximum. Make them count. I personally never tried the latter because of colour restrictions but feel free to go ahead to try to test for kinky brews. The real downside for mirror mockery is that your creatures are very likely to die. And they do die very easily to removal spells in early games. If the opponent is of any worth, he will know to kill your creatures on the spot. So basically, just know you are going to get 2-for-1-ed very often.
Also, thanks for the idea for legion's initiative! I'm contemplating to test 2 in my deck actually.
Yea I was actually surprised reading this entire thread with no mention of Legion's Initiative for allies, helps boost our guys either offensively AND/or defensively (esp to get out of bolt range) AND helps with a trigger that will benefit US DURING COMBAT. It's the main reason I even considered running r/w allies (that and that one guy who placed playing a r/w allies deck); however I'm not sure if Legion's initiative is actually a good card for us or a TRAP card that tricks us ally players in putting into our deck (i.e. Hardened Scales) which slows down our deck.
IMO, I believe only R/W can benefit from a filler card like Legion's Initiative d/t the amount of removal/board interaction we have with spells that helps delay the enemy until we can fully utilize Legion's initiative. With Naya allies, i feel like they cannot afford to play random spells like Hardened SCales due to the fact that they play with coco, lead, vial, and have no interaction/removal.
Yes, with a deeper look at the card and I think RW Ally suits best with Legion's Initiative and not Naya build. You can play scales but the colours that would benefit more would be the Abzan build with bojuka brigad, champion of the parish and thalia's lieutenant and abrupt decay. I think the consensus would be 4 collected company as your main support spell if you have green. It's the best card for almost any tribal build. Aether vial a lot more build-around-me for it to work well. I'd pair 4x lead the stampede with it over collected company. I would play other cards other than lead the stampede but that is the only card so far that consistently does what I felt the deck was lacking in late games.
Digress: I'm personally testing out another card recommended by a friend of mine. Works only in Naya build.
Mirror Mockery and Panharmonicon . What's your take on these cards, I think Mirror Mockery with Akoum battlesinger would be good, same for Panharmonicon
Both cards are a bit clunky. I'd advise avoiding them. Panharmonicon would serve better in EDH rather than modern format. As mentioned, your draws need to be impactful since you will be top-decking most of the time. mirror mockery may seem decent but you need to know that the slots available for your decks are around 8-10 slots maximum. Make them count. I personally never tried the latter because of colour restrictions but feel free to go ahead to try to test for kinky brews. The real downside for mirror mockery is that your creatures are very likely to die. And they do die very easily to removal spells in early games. If the opponent is of any worth, he will know to kill your creatures on the spot. So basically, just know you are going to get 2-for-1-ed very often.
which card are u talking about?
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Ive been playing an abzan build, played naya. But idk, has anyone tried a simple selesnya build? Maybe some outlast cards in it
hardened scales is a wonderful card if you had this in your starthand. But you don't want to draw this card. I believe this card is strong, but not strong enough for Modern :(:( . Maybe in an Ally Deck with a discard/draw Engine.
I never tried a simple selesnya build, but this could be more a budget Version. We have a lot good Mana Lands like Ally Encampment and if you lucky Cavern of Souls. I had never a real Problem with my Mana Base. But in the future i will try an Ally List with more Mana Dorks and Gideon, ally of zendikar and Return to the Ranks.
Lead the Stampede.
4 Ally Encampment
1 Brushland
2 Cavern of Souls
2 Forest
1 Gavony Township
3 Plains
3 Temple Garden
3 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Mutavault
4 Collected Company
4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
3 Lead the Stampede
2 Oath of Gideon
Creatures
2 Adaptive Automaton
4 Expedition Envoy
4 Hada Freeblade
4 Harabaz Druid
4 Kabira Evangel
4 Kazandu Blademaster
4 Oran-Rief Survivalist
1 Fracturing Gust
3 Rest in Peace
2 Pithing Needle
1 Banishing Light
3 Path to Exile
3 Stony Silence
1 Eerie Interlude
1 Lantern Scout
If you want to try the deck out, you can go super low budget and get a feel for how it plays. In general, you can skip Aether Vials and Cavern of Souls, even Collected Company (replace with Lead the Stampede).
Yes, there have been a bit of discussion regarding the sideboard, but I think we need to brainstorm together what are the essentials or possible cards against certain decks or MUs in general. Please help!
Currently, on top of my head, I can only think the following:
Grave Hate
Removals
Combo
Feel free to input the list above or comment on what else can help or what doesn't.
What kind of sideboard do you all bring in?
RIP: GWU Midrange (2012-2013) | GWR Ally (2014-2016)
3 Rest in Peace
2 Pithing Needle
1 Banishing Light
3 Path to Exile
3 Stony Silence
1 Eerie Interlude
1 Lantern Scout
Grave Hate
Rest in Peace denied every graveyardplay ( One of my favorite Games, Opponent:"Oh, i play my 0/1 Tarmogoyf and my Snapcaster Mage that doing nothing" )
Artifact Hate:
Fracturing Gust, Stony Silence
Burn / Heavy Lifeloss
Lantern Scout --> it's nice to have more creatures if needed
Zoo / Death Shadows / troublesome Creatures/
Path to Exile
Combo / (Planeswalkers)
Peething Needle
The Rest
Eerie Interlude against Mass Removals
Banishing Light against Planeswalker and other troublesome things. This is my swiss knife for threads
Nice! It's like something between Eerie Interlude and Cloudshift. One less Mana to avoid Anger of the Gods . But do nothing against Abrupt Decay, supreme verdict or Terminate for example. The Upside is, you can use it for an Attack or Defense. i got often the Situation with Akoum Battlesinger- a lot 3/1 or 4/1 attackers and 2-3 1/1 Chump Blockers.
I have this card never on my radar, Thank you.
Sideboard (15)
I'll post an updated list after today's game. So far I'm going 1-2, 2-1 on average depending on the LGS turn out and meta. With the meta shifting towards cheating big creatures and land D or basically any other unfair decks, I learnt from a friend that the sideboard should aid to push damage or protect creatures. I'll update more later.
FYI, glad that more people are using lead the stampede after my last rant. Hope it works for you. I'm running 2 copies personally and I have never been disappointed with the card.
RIP: GWU Midrange (2012-2013) | GWR Ally (2014-2016)
The Firemantle Mage is for me a discusible creature. I have tried a lot this guy, but most of the time he was only good for the Ally Trigger and nothing more. Against Eldrazi and Affinity (the Reason is the Evasion, because you can't use Kabira Evangel against colorless decks) you can use better cards for the Sideboard.
Eldrazi: Hard Removal , like Path to Exile , Crumble to Dust?(Eldrazi Temple)
Affinity: Artefact Hate and/or Lifelink ,the Matches are most of the Time very close for me.
4x Ally Encampment
1x Arid Mesa
2x Cavern of Souls
1x Forest
3x Plains
1x Reflecting Pool
1x Sacred Foundry
1x Stomping Ground
2x Temple Garden
4x Windswept Heath
1x Wooded Foothills
Sorcery (2)
2x Lead the Stampede
4x Akoum Battlesinger
4x Expedition Envoy
1x Firemantle Mage
4x Hada Freeblade
4x Kabira Evangel
4x Kazandu Blademaster
2x Lantern Scout
4x Oran-Rief Survivalist
2x Selfless Spirit
Instant (7)
4x Collected Company
3x Path to Exile
Planeswalker (1)
1x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1x Blessed Alliance
1x Celestial Purge
1x Choke
2x Crumble to Dust
1x Deflecting Palm
1x Firemantle Mage
2x Rest in Peace
2x Spellskite
1x Suppression Field
2x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1x Wear / Tear
Round 1: Reanimator
No RIP on board, just lose. Blessed Alliance works, but not exactly useful. Deflecting Palm would be better, but didn't draw into it. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben would be a good SB but I forgot to SB in.
Round 2: Knightfall
Not much to talk about this deck. The match was intense and fun, but I think we have a pretty favorable MU against Knightfall deck. Deflecting Palm and Blessed Alliance works wonders here. Spellskite is also a great sb card. Rest in Peace shuts down their combo part. Their midrange package is not exactly strong.
Round 3: Bant Eldarzi
I expect this to be an almost walkover. Screwed on mana and creatures in both games. Talking about sideboard, Deflecting Palm, Blessed Alliance and Firemantle Mage works.
I think I can down 1 Firemantle Mage in the side board. I would agree that there are better cards against the MUs Firemantle Mage is working. I love him as a 5th piece of Kabira Evangel, but maybe not for a sideboard material. I would consider another Rest in Peace, or cards like Fiend Hunter or maybe some other general hate card. Pithing Needle would work, but I think it suits better in a control deck rather than in an aggro deck. Probably would look into Zoo, burn or any variants of zoo-ish/creature decks for sideboard inspirations
RIP: GWU Midrange (2012-2013) | GWR Ally (2014-2016)
4 Kabira Evangel
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
4 Hada Freeblade
4 Expedition Envoy
1 Firemantle Mage
1 Kor Bladewhirl
2 Lantern Scout
2 Reckless Bushwhacker
4 Kazandu Blademaster
---
1 Legion's Initiative
2 Path of Exile
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Boros Charm
----------
2 Plains
2 Mountain
2 Temple of Triumph
4 Sacred Foundry
2 Clifftop Retreat
4 Ally encampment
4 Battlefield Forge
So I recently went to my LGS and put this together 30minutes before with the cards I owned. It went 2-1 against burn (L), b/w tokens (W), and tribal shamans (W)
I'm looking to refine it, i just don't know how. People at my store suggested I added some Vials? Also I added a one of Legion's Initiative since it pumps and has a possible trigger effect for our guys; however, I never got to play the card but just wanted to discuss it with you guys? Assuming I had all the money in the world, what would you guys add/change? (besides the playset of Arid Mesa , which I plan on adding )
We really need no Aether Vials: here is the reason.
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/deck-creation-modern/624257-modern-coco-allies?comment=613
In short: We have no card draw engine and running out of "Gas" to fast, if we use Vial and we really don't want topdeck this card
Legion's Initiative: in the colours RW you will most of the time never have 2 Mana open to dodge a wrath (that will probably never come), the pump is sweet, but personally
i would use
- Captain's Claws ( +1/+0 and Ally trigger every round )
or
- Adaptive Automaton Ally trigger and a Lord!
And Legion's Initiative had a big problem. Boros Charm is strictly better. Every Mode is great! for an Example.
You played 2x Akoum Battlesinger and got +3/0 from the effect, your Battlesingers don't die against the Chumpblockers with indestructible, or you make the last 4 Damage to your Opponent. Even the Double Strike is really sweet, if your Blademaster for example had 5 +1/+1 counters.Edit after i read the card again: . The really Big Upside is you can multiple time trigger Akoum Battlesinger at once, that is really insane and unique! Eerie Interlude and Ghostway bring only your troops back in the End Phase - good for a wrath dodge, but nothing more. if i imagin, that i exile 4 Allies and they come back with haste and +4/+0 in the combat phase, it is like that they attack as 4x Ball Lightning's . Maybe a good 1 Drop in your Deck. Something that could be worth for testing. Its not good to dodge a wrath, but for the final kill combo a option.
Edit2: Same scenario but this time you exile 2 Battlesingers. You get +8/+0
4 Lightning Bolts are to much. Sure this Card is great, but your creatures are better than this little 3 Damage. You didnt need the (hat much) Bolts
Suggestions:
Mirror Entity could be funny. You have tons of +1/+1 Counters but in the end, most of them are only 1/1 --> big boost for all
Blood Moon if you have all money in the world. That could be working as a really badass surprise. The manabase is really greedy in this format, or you use Cavern of Souls if you have too much money
Maybe 1-2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar . His token trigger every round our Allies. Can fight or make even an Anthem.
With Gideon you can try(!) Oath of Gideon. People say this card is only medicore, but we get 2 Ally triggers and a Upside for Gideon himself. For only 1 Mana more as
Raise the Alarm.
Return to the Ranks , you have no Collected Company or something else that give you a "boost", but a lot Removals in Modern. This is a good answer
I hope this would be a help.
@GarfieldKlon
Yea sorry, I'm a long time lurker, first time poster....so I'm not familiar on how to use it. Is it possible I can edit it to fix it?
Anywho, Since I'm guessing you didn't mention PoE, am I supposed to remove those? To make room for the gideons and possible 1-2 Legion's Initiative?
Also wouldn't Blood Moon mess my mana base up as well? seeing as I have to hard cast blademaster? Also I've received a lot of flak, for adding Thalia's Lieutenant, any advice?
Personally, I think Path is essential in Modern, but 2-3 pieces in the 75 would be the sweet spot. Legion's initiative actually seems interesting. How has that worked for you in your other games?
In my opinion, I'm quite against RW Ally because of their split between burn spells and ally. The balance is really hard to get it right. I would think of cases of lacking ETB trigger to "grow" the Ally and/or just flat out playing spell-slinging. The reach of the deck to close games is definitely commendable. But, you would be likely to be top-decking really quickly. Correct me if I am wrong though.
I would suggest you may want to try the following cards in addition to what GarfieldKlon has suggested:
browbeat. On paper, it seems win-win either way. Either opponent takes 5 or you draw 3.
Inspiring Vantage. I would think this is a 4-off in your deck. Drop the clifftop retreat, painlands or scrylands for it. Fetchlands is not a necessity, but it would greatly help. However, I would think Inspiring Vantage would take priority to give you early and painless access to both colours.
I don't know what is in your sideboard, but being RW ally, I'd also suggest 3 pieces of Lightning Helix in your 75 against aggro decks and burn.
RIP: GWU Midrange (2012-2013) | GWR Ally (2014-2016)
1. R/W Allies http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/allies-rw-1/
2. Naya/4c allies http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/09-07-16-allies/
My comments and concerns are in the description. I would love to get your input :). I believe the Naya/4c deck is in a nice spot, just debating if i should dip into blue just for jwari shapeshifter. I also think the R/W Ally deck shouldnt be underestimated since it has removal to protect our guys and has some interaction with the board unlike 4c allies who has a plan and just ignores everything.
I can immediately tell you Vial will NOT work in your RW deck iteration. Vial will not only dilute your deck but it becomes a hindrance when you need creature or burn spell to win or turn the tide. That is the worst feeling when you draw a Vial top deck, but you need Bolt or Boros charm to seal the game. As I mentioned, RW Ally is very prone to play top-decking wars and every draw you make needs to make an immediate impact. Yes, Aether Vial is very splashy and fun in combat tricks, but you are already playing Legion's Initiative. That works similarly to what you expect from Vial. Basically, you'll empty your hand much faster and yes, the explosive play is very strong against non-interactive decks, but realistically speaking from experience, you'll be disappointed with vial more times than you'd admit after blowing out $160 on a playset.
If you are really keen in vial, play with any iterations with Green in it and play at least 2x Lead the stampede. Your deck will thank you for that. I cannot stress how important refuel of the hand and board in mid games is very important for Ally deck which relies on triggers to "grow". Also, please drop clifftop retreat and play inspiring vantage! You don't want any lands that CipT in the first 3 turns!
For this deck there is currently 58 cards in it, I'm debating if I should take out Adaptive Automaton and Jwari Shapeshifter to make room for a playset of either removal (PoE, bolts, Boros Charms, etc.) or for refueling my hand (Lead the Stampede).OR.should I up the amount of Jwari Shapeshifter (4 of maybe?) and/or Adaptive Automaton (2 of maybe?)
4/5 Colour builds for Ally is more flexible but means more taxing in the selection of your support spells. 4-off Collected company is the right choice. In 3-5 color builds, it really depends on whether you wish to play the following cards:
3-5 colour decks would be more of a build-around-me kind of strategy. There was a 4-colour iteration playing mill and Zulaport synergy/combo with return to the ranks. Another is Abzan scales. Check around the forum for ideas.
Personally, I'm playing Naya Collected. Decklist here.
With response to your 4 colour build, Blue in ally is mainly for halimar excavator and jwari shapeshifter. Maybe umara raptor. but if you are going to play these ally cards without any other reason to play blue (eg. counterspells, etc) I'd really see no reason to play blue unless you are going for the milling route.
The funny thing I see is that your 4-colour build will suit better for vials, whereas your RW build does not need vial at all. If you are going for the 4 colour build with blue, I'd suggest the following support cards as a start:
If you have blue, you can consider the following cards as well: Memory's Journey.
Personally, against my beliefs, I think your RW ally is in a much better position for tuning and playing with better results than your 4 colour atm. Yes, you are right that RW ally is not to be underestimated and I can see why. If you are lacking the time, just follow the suggestions we have above and tune your RW. You can always branch into other builds with your ally staples.
For the 3-4 Colour build and if you are more interested in that iteration, consider carefully what support cards you like to use. 3-4 colour decks are going to be very light in removals so your creatures will be doing most of the heavy lifting for you.
Hope this helps!
RIP: GWU Midrange (2012-2013) | GWR Ally (2014-2016)
RIP: GWU Midrange (2012-2013) | GWR Ally (2014-2016)
Yea I was actually surprised reading this entire thread with no mention of Legion's Initiative for allies, helps boost our guys either offensively AND/or defensively (esp to get out of bolt range) AND helps with a trigger that will benefit US DURING COMBAT. It's the main reason I even considered running r/w allies (that and that one guy who placed playing a r/w allies deck); however I'm not sure if Legion's initiative is actually a good card for us or a TRAP card that tricks us ally players in putting into our deck (i.e. Hardened Scales) which slows down our deck.
IMO, I believe only R/W can benefit from a filler card like Legion's Initiative d/t the amount of removal/board interaction we have with spells that helps delay the enemy until we can fully utilize Legion's initiative. With Naya allies, i feel like they cannot afford to play random spells like Hardened SCales due to the fact that they play with coco, lead, vial, and have no interaction/removal.
Mirror Mockery and Panharmonicon . What's your take on these cards, I think Mirror Mockery with Akoum battlesinger would be good, same for Panharmonicon
Yes, with a deeper look at the card and I think RW Ally suits best with Legion's Initiative and not Naya build. You can play scales but the colours that would benefit more would be the Abzan build with bojuka brigad, champion of the parish and thalia's lieutenant and abrupt decay. I think the consensus would be 4 collected company as your main support spell if you have green. It's the best card for almost any tribal build. Aether vial a lot more build-around-me for it to work well. I'd pair 4x lead the stampede with it over collected company. I would play other cards other than lead the stampede but that is the only card so far that consistently does what I felt the deck was lacking in late games.
Digress: I'm personally testing out another card recommended by a friend of mine. Works only in Naya build.
Both cards are a bit clunky. I'd advise avoiding them. Panharmonicon would serve better in EDH rather than modern format. As mentioned, your draws need to be impactful since you will be top-decking most of the time. mirror mockery may seem decent but you need to know that the slots available for your decks are around 8-10 slots maximum. Make them count. I personally never tried the latter because of colour restrictions but feel free to go ahead to try to test for kinky brews. The real downside for mirror mockery is that your creatures are very likely to die. And they do die very easily to removal spells in early games. If the opponent is of any worth, he will know to kill your creatures on the spot. So basically, just know you are going to get 2-for-1-ed very often.
RIP: GWU Midrange (2012-2013) | GWR Ally (2014-2016)
which card are u talking about?