Also are you saying that you'd rather have 4 vials and 4 lead the stampedes instead of 4 coco? O_O Because from what I understand it seems you hold Lead the stampede in a higher regard then coco
Also are you saying that you'd rather have 4 vials and 4 lead the stampedes instead of 4 coco? O_O Because from what I understand it seems you hold Lead the stampede in a higher regard then coco
For Vial to actually work properly, I'd place lead the stampede over Collected Company. The main idea of using Vial is to abuse their ETB triggers during combat or punish opponents for doing something. So for cards like kabira evangel, firemantle mage and halimar excavator, their triggers become really punishing. Imagine vialing in creatures in response to their removal, making everyone stronger and protection. This can only work if you consistently have something in your hand, and lead the stampede does that for you. collected company gives the edge for more explosive damage. It can do the same thing as mentioned, but it will cost more and less reliable. That is my take on the subtle differences in the synergy of the cards.
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?
Keeping this to myself first. I'll post the results if I have some success.
Wanted to test the card today, but ended up playing another deck instead. The card I wanted to test on field is Violent Outburst. Now before anyone going off saying this is a living end card, it's not supposed to be here, etc, hear my out my reasoning:
3 mana: It sits comfortably at 3 mana, which most is what most of the decks running 20-22 lands should be able to hit in most cases. Hitting 4 mana may sometimes be an issue because of shuffling or just the draw rates. But, I think 3 mana would be an easy target.
5th Akoum battlesinger: It has almost the same ability as Akoum Battlesinger. Giving all my creatures +1/+0 as a combat trick or as a means to push extra damage can make a huge difference.
Cascade: This is where the card really shines. I don't think this card is suitable in a vial build, but probably better specific to my deck (naya, vial-less). The cascade trigger only have 3 main targets: 1,2 cmc ally creatures or Path to exile.
It's really good on theory that it's a mini-Collected Company. Worst cast scenerio it says: creatures you control get +1/+0, Path to Exile target creature.
I didn't play Lightning Bolt anymore in a Ally Deck. It's truly a fine Card, but the impact is low.The real importend creatures are "Bolt-proof".I believe we have great 1 Drop's creatures that make a better permanent Thread. If you are in a Top-Deck Modus you want the next Ally Draw to get for example the Evasion from Kabira Evangel.
Never tried Boros Charm in a Naya Build. Could be a good Card, because every Mode is great. My worries is about the cost in a 3 colour deck.
Play anyone Selfless Spirit ? This guy is Protection and a Thread in one Card.
I didn't play Lightning Bolt anymore in a Ally Deck. It's truly a fine Card, but the impact is low.The real importend creatures are "Bolt-proof".I believe we have great 1 Drop's creatures that make a better permanent Thread. If you are in a Top-Deck Modus you want the next Ally Draw to get for example the Evasion from Kabira Evangel.
Never tried Boros Charm in a Naya Build. Could be a good Card, because every Mode is great. My worries is about the cost in a 3 colour deck.
Play anyone Selfless Spirit ? This guy is Protection and a Thread in one Card.
Selfless spirit is decent actually. I've tried 1 pc in the main and it does work well with ally. It's also 2/1 which you can push damage if needed. Opponents may have to play around the card to remove your board.
I am looking into kalastria healer for the reach. I've overlooked that card. Now I'm playing 4 pieces of it. In theory, it's bad, but when tested out against control and midrange MUs, it's actually really good. Yes, it may mean a 4th colour splash, but Cavern of souls and ally encampements should help. I'm currently playing 2/4 sources + reflecting pool + 1 godless shrine for consistency. But, otherwise, the conventional 6-8 pieces of cavern of souls and ally encampments does help work for the black mana.
Anyone have any success with Ally deck lately? I'm getting wrecked quite badly over the past month, going 1-2, 1-2, 1-2, 0-3. I'm reviewing the deck for flaws but honestly, I'm starting its because of the meta rather than the deck. It may sound as an excuse, but I cannot help but think that way. I've tried a lot of cards for support and even changed up a bit with the mainboard to include kalastria healer which by the way, is a very powerful card actually. However splashing into 4 colours makes the mana unstable without the proper support. I had a decent mana base, so that isn't the issue. The problem is I'm not fully utilising the four colours and I'm really wondering if the splash is worth it. It helped me in prolonging and surviving the game but wasn't enough to close the game.
Things I have tried over the weeks in the mainboard: Lead the Stampede: Still the best card possible out there. But, I realised 1 problem. The card refuels, but doesn't help in pushing damage.
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar: Actually, no complaints. He is extremely powerful and if left unchecked, he can just win games. Even with empty board state, he has the capability to punch in some damage or create a board state.
Violent Outburst: a win-more card. It's very powerful if you have some creatures and you want to close the game, but the card will cascade into no evasion (our evasion lords are cmc 3). Path is not a bad card to cascade into but I realise that if I am lagging behind, the card won't be as helpful as collected company or gideon, ally of zendikar to give immediate presence. Heck! There are even times Lead the stampede outclass this! In summary, it's a fine card in theory. Only if you are already ahead.
return to the ranks: Didn't come out in the testing. But in theory, it should give you late game gas. You need the mana though. Having the mana base averaged at 4-5 mana with 22 lands, I think it's another collected company, but from the grave.
Aether Vial: State of desperate measure and after discussion with other people, a lot of people will talk about putting Aether vial. However, putting together the vial build, I immediately dismantled. Its flaws outweigh the explosive advantage the card generates. I'll create a separate list with the vial build nevertheless, but this is the updated reason why I cannot bring myself to play vials:
Inconsistent. A vial build would require a bit of work around me. Without the vial the deck still functions, but slower.
I look Ally as an aggro deck in general. Vial is a tempo card and it works better in the combo variant of the deck. Not the aggro version.
extremely bad top-deck. I've already talked about this.
Sorry, I really want to try the vial version to play unfairly, but I really cannot bring myself to play it in this deck.
Dromoka's command: Actually, I tested this from the sideboard and played 2 games with it. It is actually decent, but I can never imagine how we will have 2 mana open against wrath effects. Assuming we played around and have it, having 4 modes for 2 mana is very versatile and playable. I would KIV this card actually.
Boros charm: didn't come out in playtest. Can't comment.
I guess another factor attributed to my game loss would be luck or my shuffling skills. At 22 lands, I can have mana jammed at 1-2 mana in 3 out of the 6 games. A few games were close ones and I lost due to mana jam and when I could eventually get my lands out, the game has past beyond the optimal turns for me to do whatever I wanted to do. Seriously, I'm not trying to find excuses, but I really cannot help but think that the luck factor is really playing a huge part this time (Anger of the gods top deck!!! with opponent at 3 life?! / Land jam at 1, with opponent at 4 life! I needed to cast ANYTHING from my hand... WTF?) Sorry I digress.
Anyway, I've put another list together. This time, no lead the stampede, a few tweaks to the list. I'm rather confident with my sideboard, so I'll just use back the sideboard.
Explanation to changes:
I think Gideon, Ally of Zendikar outclasses lead the stampede when it comes to consistency in damage. Yes, I have ranted about refuel, but through playtests, I think Gideon, AoZ works much better and gives an immediate board presence and threat. 2 piece for angst and consistency
I have cut kalastria Healer to stick to naya colours so as not to tax my mana base and also to avoid the susceptiblity to blood moon. I would put Kalastria healer back in but I'll have to do a bit more tuning. Maybe as a 5c deck focusing more on ETB rather than aggro.
Harabaz Druid is back in because I want the consistency to be able to hit 4 mana for Gideon and Collected Company. Also, he is an ally.
Gavony Township. I'll presume there may be an access mana required for sinks, so I'll try gavony township for synergy. Since it's an aggro deck, an alternative can be kessig wolf-run.
Please help to comment on this decklist and if there is anything I've overlooked. Much appreciated!
Some thoughts: Gideon, Ally of Zendikar > lead the Stampede
, you are right. In the last Standard Pro Tour the good old Gideon was in every white color deck. He is too good and a "Power House" itself. Lead the Stampede is more a midrange card. This Card is great if you have Harabaz Druid out and the Mana to play additional Allies in the same round you have played the Stampede. Thats some "if's" too much. And not forget, that Gideon produce Ally trigger every round.
Why not Reckless Bushwhacker as a 2 Drop ? I really like this guy and he make absurdly good rounds with our 1 Drops in round 3
This little guy make haste and is a much better Option as the Beastcaller Savant.
Why not Reckless Bushwhacker as a 2 Drop ? I really like this guy and he make absurdly good rounds with our 1 Drops in round 3
This little guy make haste and is a much better Option as the Beastcaller Savant.
He's great actually. But, based on what I've worked out when testing him (forgotten to include him into the list), The actual value cost of reckless is not 2 mana. He's still 3-4 mana at optimum. What I mean is that the card itself would be still 3-4 mana because of the prior spell. He's great when he has his moments, but I feel that playing 4 mana for him, I'd be comparing him with Gideon, AoZ and Collected Company. I may be wrong, but this is essentially my reason to drop bushwhacker. In decks like 8-whack and burning zoo, they have a lot more 1-drops, which allows this card to effectively be 3 mana, same as its vanilla cost. Going to 4 mana is not worth it anymore, I would feel.
Been there. If you looked back at my earlier iterations of the deck, I do play mirror entity. Then I've dropped both harabaz druid and mirror entity. I really wished harabaz druid has haste. Then I would really break the deck. However, Mirror entity usually should not come earlier than turns 5-6 to make it effective. sorry, with excess mana. In any scenario actually, mirror entity requires either harabaz druid alive and on the turn(s) earlier or survive till the next turn with other creatures on board to make him effective. It's a lot of hoops to jump through and if it fails, the card is just a 1/1. I'll look into putting it back in though.
Idea for Gavony township is that as long as I hit 5 mana with it, I'll just pump the board. It's less restrictive and it synergises well with Gideon AoZ without requiring a lot more mana to be good. In an ideal scenario, a good board state of 3-4 creatures. Alternatively, I would think Kessig wolf run to be better than Gavony township instead. It works with lesser mana requirements and it gives trample.
I apologise for by now you may think I'm just criticizing or pretend to be a know-it-all, I've done rather extensive research on this deck, so I've seen the decklist and played the reanimator version as well. Yes, it's a completely different deck (sheesh... I wished people understood that... instead of saying just splash x colour or play this or another card...) and I underestimated the power of kalastria healer. his gain 1/lose 1 per etb even in that few triggers does help bring in damage I could not reach. But, I totally agree he would be better off in the reanimator build. Hence, dropped.
Tuktuk Scrapper I love him, but he is too expensive to be efficient, even in a Sideboard. Maybe with a Eldritch Evolution in a another Ally Deck [/card]
I haven't formally tested him yet and yes I agree at 4 mana is too much. However, I would love to side him in against rogue brews that abuse artifacts like Lantern Control, Equipment, vehicles if they hit modern. In more realistic matches, Affinity would be the match I'd side in against. On the other hand, tuktuk scrapper is a flexi card slot so I can drop him anytime. My sideboard core would pretty much be the following cards:
I dont know how I would feel using scrapper against an affinity deck. They usually are fast decks and he costs 4. Without ramp he might be too little too late. I feel like at 4 for affinity removal we want a solid spell.
Value is good. But Dredgevine isn't supposed to be about value. It's supposed to be about V-8; 2000 pounds of nitro boosted war vegetables. The more velocity, the better.
Modern:
DredgeVine EDH:
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
Anima Standard:
I dont know how I would feel using scrapper against an affinity deck. They usually are fast decks and he costs 4. Without ramp he might be too little too late. I feel like at 4 for affinity removal we want a solid spell.
Game 1 it's 50/50.. whoever is faster... Game 2, I won't just side in Tuktuk. I have other removals like stony silence,wear / tear and / or ancient grudge. Yes, tuktuk is slow but considering that if resolved and affinity is rather light in removals, it's destroying their board and dealing damage at the same time.
Like I said, that card slot is flexible in sideboard.
I think I would want to remain close to 30 creatures for the CoCo if I replace the Bushwhacker. I could see about the Harabaz Druid though for that. Although, I really do like your prevent all damage from Non-Human sources.
If playing Vial, I'd recommend playing 1-2 lead the stampede. Sideboard Gideon, ally of zendikar against matches where you'd expect artifact hate or activated abilities. For collected company to work optimally, you'd want at least 28 creatures. Any lower won't be ideal.
Think you have to be more specific as to what tech you have trouble figuring out. It's hard to talk about that unless you are more specific. I can only talk about the general tech for ally for the start:
Nature of the deck:
Aggro. There are combo variants but most lists here would be aggro. There are 3-4 kinds of builds for the aggro version:
RW Ally
Abzan Ally
Naya Ally
Generally, the idea is the same as zoo decks: just go in for the damage. The objective is to maximize damage output in the early game. You have a lot of cards that give buffs, protection, and multiple ETB triggers to give that damage. However, ally decks will fall short very quickly if faced against heavy removal decks.
Some of the prominent bad MUs
Jund
U/W and Grixis Control
Reanimator
TRon
Against Midrange MUs, you are heavily favoured as your creatures tend to grow bigger than theirs and even better if they are light in removal. Just don't overcommit the board if unnecessary.
Sideboarding:
Sideboarding for Ally is a problem. Unlike Slivers and merfolk, we already utilize the best creatures on the main and we don't really have utility creatures of reasonable cmc. There are some as listed below, but their CMC is a little too high for most people to consider them even in sideboard thanks to the aggressive nature of Modern format.
So the best advice for sideboarding is to bring in deck hates. Find cards that shuts down strategies or at least slows them down so that you can build pressure and win by beatdown. Cards like Stony silence, suppression field, pithing needle, Nevermore, Runed Halo, spellskite are some examples that would help.
Last tier would be expedition envoy,firemantle mage,kor bladewhirl would take the priority if required to side out. I may be wrong in the line-up of cards to side out; feel free to disagree and discuss
Adding on, read up what other decks do and how they work at a fundamental level and see what cards can be utilized to shut them down completely or slow them out. You can read up on Zoo decks and their strategies because as mentioned, we are pretty much similar to a naya zoo at the core.
The last point I can point out for tuning deck is to fully utilize your support cards. You may realize don't have many slots for support cards like removal, anthemns, other effects etc.
One of my biggest challenges is figuring out when to play CoCo. Should I drop the allies already on my hand, then CoCo or th other way around? I have a feeling the answer wont be straightforward, since I feel this depends a lot on the other deck I'm playing against.
Also should I path early creatures or save it for the midgame?
CoCo should be rather straightforward. Look at the deck. Do they potentially play mass removals? If no, be bold and go in for damage. If they are playing heavy removal, play it end of their turns to allow them to attack on your turn. Other more straightforward tricks would include using them to protect your creatures (coco intokabira evangel/firemantle mage)or to ambush the opponents. Generally, you'd CoCo for extra damage; be it via evasion/protection or for the anthem effect
I tried the RW allies first, but found it wasn't very consistent, even though it was super fun to play with. Then shifted a few things around to get to this version and I think it has a lot of potential, but I am not living up to it yet.
Yep, I did discuss that RW ally is very inconsistent. But, I think another player is tinkering with RW brew and it looks decent. Personally, I don't play RW ally and I don't advise ppl playing it, but hey it's a meta call and preference, so give it a shot if you think it's fun. Naya ally gives more room for exploration and more well-known, but there are other possible variants and ways to play Ally.
The sideboard, though. How on earth should I decide what comes out?
Your input was awesome, though, thanks! I'm usually afraid of taking creatures out and mess up the ratio for CoCo.
Do you take cards like scales or lead the stampede out or usually just creatures?
This one is tricky... Rule of thumb is no less than 28 (26 is the minimum) for coco to function proper. Generally, you'll have 3-4 slots flex for sideboarding. Depending on MUs, which you think are the most redundant cards against a MU, you side them out regardless card type.
For instance, Kabira evangel is powerful against midrange decks, but it's a dead card against Tron decks and less effective against Eldrazis. Alternatively, Lead the stampede won't help against aggro mirrors but works wonderfully against control MUs.
I think you have to play with the deck awhile to figure out what cards are great in what MUs and what cards are redundant and requires siding against certain MUs.
Panharmonicon is a great Card, but it's not good for Allies. Primarily we want the 1+/+1 Trigger. There was a lot of Experiments with Hardened scales that look great with only G Mana! The Result from the tests is, that the Card is a trap.
Pan is useless with Lifelink, First Strike, Menace Allies , because you need this effect only once . Maybe only Akoum Battlesinger have a real use for the Panharmonicon.
The Primer is very good, but with the disappointment(?), the creator did not an update for the Oath of the Gatewatch Set.
He called his Deck "Hardened Humans" , but imho, it's a GW Ally Deck with Scales.
Very Interesting, because there a ton of creatures hat benefits from the Scales.
But only 18 Lands?! If i would pilot this deck, i believe every Game i will be mana screwed
---
Oath of Ajani and Oath of Gideon, could be something in a GW Ally Deck. Of Course with Gideon.
Again Time for the Home Brew Hell's Kitchen
I think that the Oath of Ajani isn't good enough here (and a "Hardened Scales" build isn't great anyway) it is just another dead card without board presence.
And even for this type of card there are better alternatives like Travel Preparations and Collective Effort.
Hi all, I've retired my ally deck. I'm moving to play other decks for experience. But, I'll be hanging around in the primer to help you guys if needed though
For Vial to actually work properly, I'd place lead the stampede over Collected Company. The main idea of using Vial is to abuse their ETB triggers during combat or punish opponents for doing something. So for cards like kabira evangel, firemantle mage and halimar excavator, their triggers become really punishing. Imagine vialing in creatures in response to their removal, making everyone stronger and protection. This can only work if you consistently have something in your hand, and lead the stampede does that for you. collected company gives the edge for more explosive damage. It can do the same thing as mentioned, but it will cost more and less reliable. That is my take on the subtle differences in the synergy of the cards.
RIP: GWU Midrange (2012-2013) | GWR Ally (2014-2016)
Keeping this to myself first. I'll post the results if I have some success.
RIP: GWU Midrange (2012-2013) | GWR Ally (2014-2016)
3 mana: It sits comfortably at 3 mana, which most is what most of the decks running 20-22 lands should be able to hit in most cases. Hitting 4 mana may sometimes be an issue because of shuffling or just the draw rates. But, I think 3 mana would be an easy target.
5th Akoum battlesinger: It has almost the same ability as Akoum Battlesinger. Giving all my creatures +1/+0 as a combat trick or as a means to push extra damage can make a huge difference.
Cascade: This is where the card really shines. I don't think this card is suitable in a vial build, but probably better specific to my deck (naya, vial-less). The cascade trigger only have 3 main targets: 1,2 cmc ally creatures or Path to exile.
It's really good on theory that it's a mini-Collected Company. Worst cast scenerio it says: creatures you control get +1/+0, Path to Exile target creature.
RIP: GWU Midrange (2012-2013) | GWR Ally (2014-2016)
RIP: GWU Midrange (2012-2013) | GWR Ally (2014-2016)
Never tried Boros Charm in a Naya Build. Could be a good Card, because every Mode is great. My worries is about the cost in a 3 colour deck.
Play anyone Selfless Spirit ? This guy is Protection and a Thread in one Card.
Selfless spirit is decent actually. I've tried 1 pc in the main and it does work well with ally. It's also 2/1 which you can push damage if needed. Opponents may have to play around the card to remove your board.
I am looking into kalastria healer for the reach. I've overlooked that card. Now I'm playing 4 pieces of it. In theory, it's bad, but when tested out against control and midrange MUs, it's actually really good. Yes, it may mean a 4th colour splash, but Cavern of souls and ally encampements should help. I'm currently playing 2/4 sources + reflecting pool + 1 godless shrine for consistency. But, otherwise, the conventional 6-8 pieces of cavern of souls and ally encampments does help work for the black mana.
RIP: GWU Midrange (2012-2013) | GWR Ally (2014-2016)
Things I have tried over the weeks in the mainboard:
Lead the Stampede: Still the best card possible out there. But, I realised 1 problem. The card refuels, but doesn't help in pushing damage.
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar: Actually, no complaints. He is extremely powerful and if left unchecked, he can just win games. Even with empty board state, he has the capability to punch in some damage or create a board state.
Violent Outburst: a win-more card. It's very powerful if you have some creatures and you want to close the game, but the card will cascade into no evasion (our evasion lords are cmc 3). Path is not a bad card to cascade into but I realise that if I am lagging behind, the card won't be as helpful as collected company or gideon, ally of zendikar to give immediate presence. Heck! There are even times Lead the stampede outclass this! In summary, it's a fine card in theory. Only if you are already ahead.
return to the ranks: Didn't come out in the testing. But in theory, it should give you late game gas. You need the mana though. Having the mana base averaged at 4-5 mana with 22 lands, I think it's another collected company, but from the grave.
Aether Vial: State of desperate measure and after discussion with other people, a lot of people will talk about putting Aether vial. However, putting together the vial build, I immediately dismantled. Its flaws outweigh the explosive advantage the card generates. I'll create a separate list with the vial build nevertheless, but this is the updated reason why I cannot bring myself to play vials:
Dromoka's command: Actually, I tested this from the sideboard and played 2 games with it. It is actually decent, but I can never imagine how we will have 2 mana open against wrath effects. Assuming we played around and have it, having 4 modes for 2 mana is very versatile and playable. I would KIV this card actually.
Boros charm: didn't come out in playtest. Can't comment.
Anyway, I've put another list together. This time, no lead the stampede, a few tweaks to the list. I'm rather confident with my sideboard, so I'll just use back the sideboard.
4x Ally Encampment
1x Arid Mesa
2x Cavern of Souls
1x Forest
1x Gavony Township
3x Plains
1x Sacred Foundry
1x Stomping Ground
2x Temple Garden
4x Windswept Heath
1x Wooded Foothills
Planeswalker (2)
2x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
4x Akoum Battlesinger
2x Beastcaller Savant
4x Expedition Envoy
2x Firemantle Mage
4x Hada Freeblade
2x Harabaz Druid
2x Kabira Evangel
4x Kazandu Blademaster
2x Lantern Scout
4x Oran-Rief Survivalist
Instant (7)
4x Collected Company
3x Path to Exile
1x Aven Mindcensor
1x Choke
1x Crumble to Dust
1x Deflecting Palm
1x Pithing Needle
2x Rest in Peace
2x Spellskite
1x Stony Silence
2x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1x Tuktuk Scrapper
2x Wear / Tear
Explanation to changes:
I think Gideon, Ally of Zendikar outclasses lead the stampede when it comes to consistency in damage. Yes, I have ranted about refuel, but through playtests, I think Gideon, AoZ works much better and gives an immediate board presence and threat. 2 piece for angst and consistency
I have cut kalastria Healer to stick to naya colours so as not to tax my mana base and also to avoid the susceptiblity to blood moon. I would put Kalastria healer back in but I'll have to do a bit more tuning. Maybe as a 5c deck focusing more on ETB rather than aggro.
Beastcaller savant is in there to test how effective it would be for another haste creature and a
mana dorkancient ziggurat combined.Harabaz Druid is back in because I want the consistency to be able to hit 4 mana for Gideon and Collected Company. Also, he is an ally.
Gavony Township. I'll presume there may be an access mana required for sinks, so I'll try gavony township for synergy. Since it's an aggro deck, an alternative can be kessig wolf-run.
Please help to comment on this decklist and if there is anything I've overlooked. Much appreciated!
RIP: GWU Midrange (2012-2013) | GWR Ally (2014-2016)
Some thoughts:
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar > lead the Stampede
, you are right. In the last Standard Pro Tour the good old Gideon was in every white color deck. He is too good and a "Power House" itself. Lead the Stampede is more a midrange card. This Card is great if you have Harabaz Druid out and the Mana to play additional Allies in the same round you have played the Stampede. Thats some "if's" too much. And not forget, that Gideon produce Ally trigger every round.
Why not Reckless Bushwhacker as a 2 Drop ? I really like this guy and he make absurdly good rounds with our 1 Drops in round 3
This little guy make haste and is a much better Option as the Beastcaller Savant.
If you look for Mana Outlets: Mirror Entity , maybe only as 1 Drop and better option as Gavony Township. In your position i would make a split with the Firemantle Mage.
Kalastria Healer is in my Opinion a cute card, but to be really scary he need a build around with return to the ranks and/or March from the Tomb and Phantasmal Image and/or Jwari Shapeshifter - 4 Healers in a Resurection drain 16 Life(!) . As a Plan B Halimar Excavator just a good Job too.
here from the same Player the Deck with Comments!
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/return-of-the-excavator-competitive-copy/
only in Esper + Colors , but this will be a absolutly a new Deck. I'm working for a Deck like a lot other Ally Decks
Tuktuk Scrapper I love him, but he is too expensive to be efficient, even in a Sideboard. Maybe with a Eldritch Evolution in a another Ally Deck
He's great actually. But, based on what I've worked out when testing him (forgotten to include him into the list), The actual value cost of reckless is not 2 mana. He's still 3-4 mana at optimum. What I mean is that the card itself would be still 3-4 mana because of the prior spell. He's great when he has his moments, but I feel that playing 4 mana for him, I'd be comparing him with Gideon, AoZ and Collected Company. I may be wrong, but this is essentially my reason to drop bushwhacker. In decks like 8-whack and burning zoo, they have a lot more 1-drops, which allows this card to effectively be 3 mana, same as its vanilla cost. Going to 4 mana is not worth it anymore, I would feel.
Been there. If you looked back at my earlier iterations of the deck, I do play mirror entity. Then I've dropped both harabaz druid and mirror entity. I really wished harabaz druid has haste. Then I would really break the deck. However, Mirror entity usually should not come earlier than
turns 5-6 to make it effective.sorry, with excess mana. In any scenario actually, mirror entity requires either harabaz druid alive and on the turn(s) earlier or survive till the next turn with other creatures on board to make him effective. It's a lot of hoops to jump through and if it fails, the card is just a 1/1. I'll look into putting it back in though.Idea for Gavony township is that as long as I hit 5 mana with it, I'll just pump the board. It's less restrictive and it synergises well with Gideon AoZ without requiring a lot more mana to be good. In an ideal scenario, a good board state of 3-4 creatures. Alternatively, I would think Kessig wolf run to be better than Gavony township instead. It works with lesser mana requirements and it gives trample.
I apologise for by now you may think I'm just criticizing or pretend to be a know-it-all, I've done rather extensive research on this deck, so I've seen the decklist and played the reanimator version as well. Yes, it's a completely different deck (sheesh... I wished people understood that... instead of saying just splash x colour or play this or another card...) and I underestimated the power of kalastria healer. his gain 1/lose 1 per etb even in that few triggers does help bring in damage I could not reach. But, I totally agree he would be better off in the reanimator build. Hence, dropped.
I haven't formally tested him yet and yes I agree at 4 mana is too much. However, I would love to side him in against rogue brews that abuse artifacts like Lantern Control, Equipment, vehicles if they hit modern. In more realistic matches, Affinity would be the match I'd side in against. On the other hand, tuktuk scrapper is a flexi card slot so I can drop him anytime. My sideboard core would pretty much be the following cards:
RIP: GWU Midrange (2012-2013) | GWR Ally (2014-2016)
Modern:
DredgeVine
EDH:
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
Anima
Standard:
Game 1 it's 50/50.. whoever is faster... Game 2, I won't just side in Tuktuk. I have other removals like stony silence,wear / tear and / or ancient grudge. Yes, tuktuk is slow but considering that if resolved and affinity is rather light in removals, it's destroying their board and dealing damage at the same time.
Like I said, that card slot is flexible in sideboard.
RIP: GWU Midrange (2012-2013) | GWR Ally (2014-2016)
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Ally Encampment
2 Plains
1 Forest
4 Windswept Heath
1 Temple Garden
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Stomping Ground
2 Wooded Foothills
4 Aether Vial
2 Collected Company
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Path to Exile
4 Kazandu Blademaster
4 Akoum Battlesinger
4 Oran-Rief Survivalist
4 Kabira Evangel
2 Lantern Scout
2 Firemantle Mage
2 Reckless Bushwhacker
4 Expedition Envoy
2 Rest in Peace
2 Stony Silence
2 Path to Exile
2 Collected Company
2 Spellskite
1 Celestial Purge
2 Ondu Cleric
2 Blessed Alliance
RIP: GWU Midrange (2012-2013) | GWR Ally (2014-2016)
Nature of the deck:
Aggro. There are combo variants but most lists here would be aggro. There are 3-4 kinds of builds for the aggro version:
Generally, the idea is the same as zoo decks: just go in for the damage. The objective is to maximize damage output in the early game. You have a lot of cards that give buffs, protection, and multiple ETB triggers to give that damage. However, ally decks will fall short very quickly if faced against heavy removal decks.
Some of the prominent bad MUs
Against Midrange MUs, you are heavily favoured as your creatures tend to grow bigger than theirs and even better if they are light in removal. Just don't overcommit the board if unnecessary.
Sideboarding:
Sideboarding for Ally is a problem. Unlike Slivers and merfolk, we already utilize the best creatures on the main and we don't really have utility creatures of reasonable cmc. There are some as listed below, but their CMC is a little too high for most people to consider them even in sideboard thanks to the aggressive nature of Modern format.
So the best advice for sideboarding is to bring in deck hates. Find cards that shuts down strategies or at least slows them down so that you can build pressure and win by beatdown. Cards like
Stony silence, suppression field, pithing needle, Nevermore, Runed Halo, spellskite are some examples that would help.
Other than that as to what cards to side out or in, The core of the deck, naming Hada freeblade, kazandu blademaster, akoum battlesinger would rarely be touched. The next tier down is oran-rief survivalist, kabira evangel, lantern scout, harabaz druid would see potential siding out if necessary.
Last tier would be expedition envoy,firemantle mage,kor bladewhirl would take the priority if required to side out. I may be wrong in the line-up of cards to side out; feel free to disagree and discuss
Adding on, read up what other decks do and how they work at a fundamental level and see what cards can be utilized to shut them down completely or slow them out. You can read up on Zoo decks and their strategies because as mentioned, we are pretty much similar to a naya zoo at the core.
The last point I can point out for tuning deck is to fully utilize your support cards. You may realize don't have many slots for support cards like removal, anthemns, other effects etc.
RIP: GWU Midrange (2012-2013) | GWR Ally (2014-2016)
CoCo should be rather straightforward. Look at the deck. Do they potentially play mass removals? If no, be bold and go in for damage. If they are playing heavy removal, play it end of their turns to allow them to attack on your turn. Other more straightforward tricks would include using them to protect your creatures (coco intokabira evangel/firemantle mage)or to ambush the opponents. Generally, you'd CoCo for extra damage; be it via evasion/protection or for the anthem effect
Yep, I did discuss that RW ally is very inconsistent. But, I think another player is tinkering with RW brew and it looks decent. Personally, I don't play RW ally and I don't advise ppl playing it, but hey it's a meta call and preference, so give it a shot if you think it's fun. Naya ally gives more room for exploration and more well-known, but there are other possible variants and ways to play Ally.
This one is tricky... Rule of thumb is no less than 28 (26 is the minimum) for coco to function proper. Generally, you'll have 3-4 slots flex for sideboarding. Depending on MUs, which you think are the most redundant cards against a MU, you side them out regardless card type.
For instance, Kabira evangel is powerful against midrange decks, but it's a dead card against Tron decks and less effective against Eldrazis. Alternatively, Lead the stampede won't help against aggro mirrors but works wonderfully against control MUs.
I think you have to play with the deck awhile to figure out what cards are great in what MUs and what cards are redundant and requires siding against certain MUs.
RIP: GWU Midrange (2012-2013) | GWR Ally (2014-2016)
Play Path to Exile or Lightning Bolt, that feels never wrong
Sorry if it was already posted here.
Pan is useless with Lifelink, First Strike, Menace Allies , because you need this effect only once . Maybe only Akoum Battlesinger have a real use for the Panharmonicon.
The Primer is very good, but with the disappointment(?), the creator did not an update for the Oath of the Gatewatch Set.
http://mtgtop8.com/event?e=13401&d=278610&f=MO
He called his Deck "Hardened Humans" , but imho, it's a GW Ally Deck with Scales.
Very Interesting, because there a ton of creatures hat benefits from the Scales.
But only 18 Lands?! If i would pilot this deck, i believe every Game i will be mana screwed
---
Oath of Ajani and Oath of Gideon, could be something in a GW Ally Deck. Of Course with Gideon.
Again Time for the Home Brew Hell's Kitchen
And even for this type of card there are better alternatives like Travel Preparations and Collective Effort.
Mikaeus, the Lunarch is just bad imho and Mirror Entity needs support in the form of Aether Vial (to free up mana for activation) or a mana dork like Harabaz Druid.
Lantern Scout is probably more of a SB card (though 1x might be ok in the MD).
A good option for the H.S build is Taurean Mauler which requires a red splash (which isn't a problem with Cavern/A.Encampment).
Here is an old idea I had for this:
RIP: GWU Midrange (2012-2013) | GWR Ally (2014-2016)