I'm pretty certain in my Core for the "Value Walker Combo" deck (I think a value version is a little stronger than the "all-in" version in the upcoming meta); but The only decision remaining is whether to play a Woodland Bellower Package or a Rishkar's Expertise package at the top end. Testing will tell.
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Walking Ballista has been VERY strong. I would advise even those not adding anything from AER to try it out and see if there is a spot in your 75 for it. Even just as a sink it is a great way to deal with wide decks. It can be brought back with Witness after it's used up all its counters...is great with Nissa, Voice of Zendikar or anything that does +1/+1 counters for that matter...I think this is one card that fits in many (possibly a majority) of Green Devotion decks.
I thought about also replacing Polukranos with a second copy of Ballista; but they are good in slightly different scenarios; so I'm going to try one of each for now.
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Given the cards that have seemed to fit best (as Rishkar's expertise requires the deck playing a little different); here is what I am testing today:
I've gone back and forth on the use of Renegade Rallier. I do have 7 fetches and Curio (so it's not hard to trigger Revolt) and once it's on it's on...it's a big deal that he can keep re-buying Nykthos's...if I did add him, I'd probably have to remove a Bellower (to go down to 2 copies)...so we'll see.
This tourney was only a 12-man, so take it with a grain of salt
Round 1 - GW Tron (2-1)
Game 1: I keep a hand of BTEs, courser, and no payoff. He leads on temple garden, so I have a little breathing room. I go BTE/courser beatdowns into Acidic Slime on his tower to seal the game.
Game 2: Close game, which I threw! I'm drawing mostly lands and elves, but he also has a slow start. Eventually I get him down to 7, with the ability to pump Wolfbriar. Rather than pump Wolfbriar for 2 more from elves, I attack face with them to bring him to 5. He then plays Wurmcoil Engine, and attacking him the next turn brings him down to 1, the extra wolves would have sealed the game. He Ugin's me next turn.
Game 3: He leads on a temple garden again. I go Arbor Elf, Birds, BTE, BTE, Primetime. Kessig Wolf Run gets there for the win.
Round 2 - KCI Eggs/Tron (2-0)
He's playing some mashup of eggs and Tron, seems pretty cool.
Game 1: We both mull to 5, and I BTE/Craterhoof him down pretty quick after he stumbles.
Game 2: I got beatdowns while he is assembling Tron/KCI. The turn before I have lethal, I pact for a Scavenging Ooze to hedge against Egg shenanigans. Unfortunately he doesn't, and I Craterhoof him the next turn.
Round 3 - Grixis Delver/Midrange (2-0)
Game 1: I can tell he's on Delver, but doesn't ever one, so he's not putting on any pressure. I probe for his counterspells by slow rolling BTE's and Courser until I can establish a solid board. I end up casting Wild Pair, into Polukranos, into Craterhoof for lethal
Game 2: Turn 1 I lead with utopia sprawl, rather than Arbor Elf, figuring he'll probably just bolt it. I have a Choke in hand so I have salivating at this point. He drops a land and says go, holding up Mana Leak for sure. Rather than slam Choke into that nonsense, I simply play my elf and pass. Turn 3 he plays a tap land and passes. My Turn 3 I play a land, having exactly 6 mana at this point. Here's where I committed an uh-oh :/ I tapped sprawl and elf for 4 mana to play Choke, however I didn't actually announce the extra floating mana that I had leftover. He leaks it, seeing my only two remaining lands, which I promptly tap to pay. At this point he tilts and concedes, and I felt really bad about it. I didn't do it maliciously and I wasn't quite sure what the proper etiquette was for that. Normally I announce my floating mana when I'm casting a bunch of stuff, to keep track, but in this case I only had the one play, so I didn't bother. I dunno, I felt really dirty afterwards, I'll have to be clearer in the future.
Round 4 - Merfolk (2-1)
Game 1: Through Vapor Snags and Spreading Seas, I assemble and winning board and ult Garruk for overrun lethal.
Game 2: He keeps bouncing my elves and spreading my seas, so I can't get a stable board at any point. Top amount of mana available was 5...blah
Game 3: BTE, Pact, BTE, Wolfrbiar Elemental kicked 8 times. Next turn Wolfbriar Elemental kicked 10 times You get the picture!
Overall I was happy with how it performed. Unfortunately I sided out Wild Pair a lot, as we have a pretty heavy control meta...it didn't really do much for me. I sided Choke, Beast Within, and Stone Rain pretty much every game, I was happy with how useful they were. Also I've really come around with Oath of Nissa. I used to not run them, since I figured Genesis Hydra was okay for looking for dudes...but Oath really helps smooth things out and find any extra lands you might be missing. Next week I'll be messing with my Primal Surge deck, so this one will take a breather for a moment.
I used to play a Tooth/Xenagos build but I switched to NyxWave Midrange since it seems like it has more game when the mana isn't online yet. Also a Wave for 4 gets all my permanents preboard whereas un-Entwined TNN doesn't impact the board.
List I'm currently testing. Bees, Hunter and Nylea are all negotiable, though Nylea is often a game changer. Trample on all my guys and Indestructible on her for blocking are big. I had a match tonight where I Turn 2'd out a Sarkhan both games and made 5 dragons on Turn 4, that was fun. Sarkhan is also pretty sweet when you get the Wave going: http://i.imgur.com/QSYotWA.jpg
I haven't felt the lack of Primal Command or Harmonize but it might be nice to have some. Also I have no clue what should be in the sideboard so I just have some Affinity and Burn hate cards and Ulamog for late game.
I used to play a Tooth/Xenagos build but I switched to NyxWave Midrange since it seems like it has more game when the mana isn't online yet. Also a Wave for 4 gets all my permanents preboard whereas un-Entwined TNN doesn't impact the board.
List I'm currently testing. Bees, Hunter and Nylea are all negotiable, though Nylea is often a game changer. Trample on all my guys and Indestructible on her for blocking are big. I had a match tonight where I Turn 2'd out a Sarkhan both games and made 5 dragons on Turn 4, that was fun. Sarkhan is also pretty sweet when you get the Wave going: http://i.imgur.com/QSYotWA.jpg
I haven't felt the lack of Primal Command or Harmonize but it might be nice to have some. Also I have no clue what should be in the sideboard so I just have some Affinity and Burn hate cards and Ulamog for late game.
This is a pretty sweet list. I see a lot of 3-drops, I think Woodland Bellower could be something to look at for this. Also, get your hands on some Beast Within's. They are so versatile, they deserve a spot in your sideboard. Also, since you're playing Genesis Wave, you might consider permanent-based artifact/enchantment removal, for instance Acidic Slime.
Been in the mountains all winter so no deckbuilding in a while.. but those spoilers bring good stuff ! Especially Locket of Myths can't wait to playtest it.
Agree with Curdbros on Heroic Intervention, great add to sideboard (but I'm never having them maindeck).
Green Expertise is quite difficult to evaluate, probably good for combo decks like Curdbros', otherwise too expensive for something that can "miss". Even though casting a free Primal Command out of this sounds dreamy.
But at 6 mana in Modern I'm ok to risk Deploy the Gatewatch and likes but nothing under that power level Too bad it says 5CMC and not 6 but maybe it would be too pushed. Dunno, needs testing.
Hey Gm13p!! Great to have you back. GM was a very active member for a long period with some great insight. I wouldn't have passed up an adventure in the mountains either, but it's great to hear from you again!
3x oath of nissa
4x utopia sprawl
4x garruk wildspeaker
4x primal command
20x land
i have a doubt about the side.. what do you think about this?
2x Reclamation Sage
1x Gaea's Revenge
2x choke
1x hornet queen
4x beast within
4x fog
1x genesis hydra/Primal Command
and what do you side in/out generally?
How did the tourney go? The list looks solid. As for siding out, it mostly depends. Choke has been an all-star against control, honestly I might keep it as my only control tech, it's that good! Aggro will include Obstinate Baloth, and perhaps Fog against all-in decks. Land destruction is useful against Tron and slower matchups.
This tourney was only a 12-man, so take it with a grain of salt
Round 1 - GW Tron (2-1)
Game 1: I keep a hand of BTEs, courser, and no payoff. He leads on temple garden, so I have a little breathing room. I go BTE/courser beatdowns into Acidic Slime on his tower to seal the game.
Game 2: Close game, which I threw! I'm drawing mostly lands and elves, but he also has a slow start. Eventually I get him down to 7, with the ability to pump Wolfbriar. Rather than pump Wolfbriar for 2 more from elves, I attack face with them to bring him to 5. He then plays Wurmcoil Engine, and attacking him the next turn brings him down to 1, the extra wolves would have sealed the game. He Ugin's me next turn.
Game 3: He leads on a temple garden again. I go Arbor Elf, Birds, BTE, BTE, Primetime. Kessig Wolf Run gets there for the win.
Round 2 - KCI Eggs/Tron (2-0)
He's playing some mashup of eggs and Tron, seems pretty cool.
Game 1: We both mull to 5, and I BTE/Craterhoof him down pretty quick after he stumbles.
Game 2: I got beatdowns while he is assembling Tron/KCI. The turn before I have lethal, I pact for a Scavenging Ooze to hedge against Egg shenanigans. Unfortunately he doesn't, and I Craterhoof him the next turn.
Round 3 - Grixis Delver/Midrange (2-0)
Game 1: I can tell he's on Delver, but doesn't ever one, so he's not putting on any pressure. I probe for his counterspells by slow rolling BTE's and Courser until I can establish a solid board. I end up casting Wild Pair, into Polukranos, into Craterhoof for lethal
Game 2: Turn 1 I lead with utopia sprawl, rather than Arbor Elf, figuring he'll probably just bolt it. I have a Choke in hand so I have salivating at this point. He drops a land and says go, holding up Mana Leak for sure. Rather than slam Choke into that nonsense, I simply play my elf and pass. Turn 3 he plays a tap land and passes. My Turn 3 I play a land, having exactly 6 mana at this point. Here's where I committed an uh-oh :/ I tapped sprawl and elf for 4 mana to play Choke, however I didn't actually announce the extra floating mana that I had leftover. He leaks it, seeing my only two remaining lands, which I promptly tap to pay. At this point he tilts and concedes, and I felt really bad about it. I didn't do it maliciously and I wasn't quite sure what the proper etiquette was for that. Normally I announce my floating mana when I'm casting a bunch of stuff, to keep track, but in this case I only had the one play, so I didn't bother. I dunno, I felt really dirty afterwards, I'll have to be clearer in the future.
Round 4 - Merfolk (2-1)
Game 1: Through Vapor Snags and Spreading Seas, I assemble and winning board and ult Garruk for overrun lethal.
Game 2: He keeps bouncing my elves and spreading my seas, so I can't get a stable board at any point. Top amount of mana available was 5...blah
Game 3: BTE, Pact, BTE, Wolfrbiar Elemental kicked 8 times. Next turn Wolfbriar Elemental kicked 10 times You get the picture!
Overall I was happy with how it performed. Unfortunately I sided out Wild Pair a lot, as we have a pretty heavy control meta...it didn't really do much for me. I sided Choke, Beast Within, and Stone Rain pretty much every game, I was happy with how useful they were. Also I've really come around with Oath of Nissa. I used to not run them, since I figured Genesis Hydra was okay for looking for dudes...but Oath really helps smooth things out and find any extra lands you might be missing. Next week I'll be messing with my Primal Surge deck, so this one will take a breather for a moment.
Cheers all!
First...I LOVE Wild Pair, into Polukranos, into Hoof!!! I know it is more of a "fun" play than a necessary thing; but it is great nonetheless.
4-0 is great! Thank you for posting your in-game analysis. It helps everyone get a feel for what worked and what was not as strong. It did make me wish I played Burning-Tree Emissary that's for sure.
finished 2nd yesterday (3-1-0, lost the final). here a quick report:
round 1: affinity (2-0)
g1: he kept a fairly slow hand. i won turn 5 with Wolfbriar Elemental + 5 token.
g2: i had a really good hand. turn 2 destroyed his cranial plating and turn 4 behemoth closed the game.
round 2: u/b mill (2-0)
my opp both games kept quite questionable hands so it was quite easy.
round 3: dredge (2-1)
g1: it was a very tight game but thanks to primal command that shuffles his graveyard i could buy some time and turn 6 i won with behemoth.
g2: i lost it very quickly. turn 2 cathartic reunion with triple golgari + conflagrate to kill my mana dorks.
g3: he had a really slow start and i win with titan.
Top 4: naya burn (2-0)
MVP of both games primal command
g1: turn 4 he tap out and send me to 3 but with primal command+eternal witness I managed to stabilize.
g2: very similar to g1 a turn 4 primal command helped me to stabilize and next turn i closed the game with behemoth
final: jund (0-2)
g1: i lost this game cause i misplayed with garruk. he had liliana and i didn't create a token but untapped 2 land and next turn i had to cast primeval titan.
g2: I have been a bit 'unlucky. turn 3 i had 5 mana with a titan in hand. in 5 turns i couldn't find another land or mana dork to cast it xd. instead he had 2 dark confidant and buried me in card advantage.
overall the deck is really funny to play. it can be modified as you prefer and i really like this thing.
probably Tuesday i ll play another tourney. I will let you know how it goes
nice, Command + Witness looping has won me so many games as well, to the point that I've gone back up to 4 Witnesses and 3 Commands. Could you post your deck?
Currently playing Lunik's UG Wave deck with slight modifications (- 1 oath, - 1 Selkie, - 1 Genesis Wave, - 1 Bird, + 2 Primeval Titans, + 2 Commands) and it's really consistent. The deck explodes at turn 3 with a good hand and at turn 4 with an average hand.
I'm a big fan of Sarkhan Vol. One of the best haste enablers we have.
He also ult's way more often than most walkers do. It only takes two +1 triggers (or one and a Maulfist Recruiter trigger).
It's part of what makes Garruk Wildspeaker and Nissa, Vital Source as well. Quick ults can win a game; but they also allow you to get value out of multiples.
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I wonder if a deck built around Garruk, Nissa Voice of Zendikar (the 3-drop), Xenagos, and Sarkhan Vol would be good with Maulfist Recruiter...lots of tokens, lots of counters, lots of haste...Since the cancer that is Simian Spirit Guide is still in the format; you could play it and BTE as well. Just load up the board and overrun it it with haste. Could be fun
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I've been testing since the spoilers...currently still trying:
Ballista is pretty stellar. Being able to turn mana into direct damage is something we've not been able to do with ease. 1-2 will be in my 75 in just about every deck (and is currently in my main deck).
Maulfist Revolutionary is probably only good in Walker decks (especially the combo versions with Curio) but in those builds she is vwry good.
Renegade Rallier is actually really crazy. Returning any of our dorks, an Oath, Visionary, and/ more importantly lands (in particular in a deck with Horizon Canopy, Nissa VF emblems, Tireless Tracker, erc.) gets out of hand VERY quickly. It is pretty incredible when it brings a Nykthos back too. I have had many games where I played a Nykthos after "triggering" my Nykthos already on board; blowing it up only to play Rallier to return it (after triggering the second Nykthos of course)....he allows for turns where you are able to Trigger Nykthos 3 times before the aid of any planeswalkers.
Of course, with Cloudstone Curio they all become pieces of infinite combos; but it is important they are powerful outside of their combo potential.
That's awesome about the Ballista and Rallier Curdbros. What does your deck look like with those two? I'm really liking the mana-sink potential of Ballista myself.
Sarkhan is great, he breaks board stalls or just wins on the spot with his +1, he steals troublesome blockers like Wurmcoil or Kalitas, and his ultimate is a really fast clock.
That said, he's not usually the first thing you want to ramp into, so I wouldn't ever run more than 2.
I had totally missed it but I am very interested in walking ballista for tooth and nail version. In particular this deck has felt helpless against hatebears. Balista wipes thalia/flickerwisp and with some work eats leonin arbiter too. And just as another mana sink that isn't unreasonable early sounds quite good. I tried wolfbriar elemental for a while but it never felt right and polukranos I just got blown out every single time I tried to monstrous it. Balista sounds like very good flexibility
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Modern
* Esper Draw-Go
* Tezzeret Whir
* Blue Tron
Renegade Rallier is actually really crazy. Returning any of our dorks, an Oath, Visionary, and/ more importantly lands (in particular in a deck with Horizon Canopy, Nissa VF emblems, Tireless Tracker, erc.) gets out of hand VERY quickly. It is pretty incredible when it brings a Nykthos back too. I have had many games where I played a Nykthos after "triggering" my Nykthos already on board; blowing it up only to play Rallier to return it (after triggering the second Nykthos of course)....he allows for turns where you are able to Trigger Nykthos 3 times before the aid of any planeswalkers.
I look at it as part of my job as OP to test out cards that may have potential in Gree. Devotion and at minimum point out a few cool interactions I can find in testing.
I don't think I've made the most out of Renegade Rallier or Maulfist Revolutionary yet; but both have GREAT potential. One can bring back Nykthos for multiple triggers a turn (not to mention many other permanents) and the other allows for same-turn ults of Garruk, Nissa VF, and next turn ults of other walkers.
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I have also been fooling around with two slightly different idea for the Walker deck...both came about due to the fact that the combo of Kiora, Oath, Command, and Duskwatch make it VERY easy to get to any creature you want. I won't get too in depth into the first idea (as I haven't tested it enough); but I've been testing The second idea today and will try to see how viable it is by days end.
The two ideas are:
1. Play Tidespout Tyrant in the place of Cloudstone Curio. I know that seems crazy; but there are VERY significant pros (the combo requires only a Walker and any other permanent once Tyrant hits, all of our cards tutor for it, it's extremely powerful even without an infinite combo, etc.). It is, however, heavy blue (so you can't really play a third color), killable, and 8-CMC...so it would take a LOT of testing before I knew if the change was good. I've done it in the past and it was good; but Duskwatch Recruiter does make it a good option.
This one is the one I've been focusing on yesterday and today. The reasons are:
- We can easily dig/tutor for both (between Command, Duskwatch, Bellower, Oath, etc).
- Walking Ballista changes the combo to infinite damage. Even if they have some way to stop you from attacking; they still die.
- Both are not bad just in the deck in general.
I will provide a list and findings later this afternoon and early evening (along with the Curio list). I hope everyone elses's brewing and playing is going great!
Hello Guys, i' m a casual player from Europe and i enjoy this fred since Page 10. I play a GU-Devotion List with Garruk WS, Kiora and Woodland Bellower. It might not be relevant for high lvl play but here are my thoughts:
With the spoiler of Renegade Rallier i instantly move Temur Sabertooth back in my Main. The interaction between Temur Sabertooth + Renegade Rallier + Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx + another Nykthos in Hand or GY is amazing and can lead to ridicolous amounts of Mana very often (as Curdsbros mentioned above). Thanks to -2 from Kiora, Master of the Depths i can put Nykthos in the GY and also can get a rallier simultaneously. But sometimes it becomes hard to choose what to pick with her -2 Ability. Only the white Mana for Rallier is hard to get to cast it twice in one turn (i'm using Duals and Fertile Ground for it).
I have abused Temur Sabertooth with the already discussed infinite Combo with Garruk WS + Temur Sabertooth + Eternal Witness and another Garruk WS and i 've been impressed with his interaction with Renegade Rallier. It's cool that Woodland Bellower can also search for the Rallier (as Sabertooth can return both in lategame ;] ).
I'm looking forward to see more synergy effects with Rallier in Green Devotion.
I love the Devotion mechanic and i love the effort from all guys in here to make it work on competitive Level. So many ideas to work with and such a great community. Keep up the good work.
PS: Sorry for my bad english, haven't used it since school.
Welcome! Your English is great.
I too have been brewing quite a bit and think I found a "fix" for our "need white mana" problem....Lotus Cobra...every time the land enters; Cobra makes a white mana (any color) allowing us to continue to cast Renegade Rallier Again and again.
I've been working on a list with them both with Cloudstone Curio but it may just be better with Temur Sabertooth as creatures are easier to Tutor for in green.
I'm excited to see if this can be a viable thing (as it's always nice when a combo is built with outherwize good cards to begin with)...may be too cute; but definitely worth testing!
You're more inspired than ever Curdbros ! Awesome job turning the Thune-Feeder combo into lethal damage.
Btw Renegade and Maulfist are definitely brewer's paradise. Especially Renegade as I've always loved playing with blinking effects. I think there's many infinite combos waiting in the dark depths
You're more inspired than ever Curdbros ! Awesome job turning the Thune-Feeder combo into lethal damage.
Btw Renegade and Maulfist are definitely brewer's paradise. Especially Renegade as I've always loved playing with blinking effects. I think there's many infinite combos waiting in the dark depths
Well I've been testing quite a bit and have some really fun interactions and combos found we can make use of...but the card I keep getting the most out of is Walking Ballista....it is just so darn powerful. Having the ability to turn mana into direct damage on a permanent (and a creature at that) is truly powerful.
It led me as far as thinking I may finally be able to make enough use out of Ancient Stirrings. It's a card I've tried a few times in the past in the Curio build (as it had both Cloudstone Curio and Karn Liberated along with Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx and other important lands...) but having another 1-2 colorless options (especially one as good as Ballista) may finally make it work.
I'll post the list I end up with tonight; but I'd love to hear if anyone else has been brewing with any of our new options...between Rallier, Maulfist, Rishkar's Expertise, and Ballista (and a few others); we have a few new cards that can help build some new devotion brews
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Aside from the above; I'd love to hear more about those currently playing Green Devotion. It doesn't have to have a single new card in it. I've said it before; but Traditional Devotion (and Prime Time decks) don't really need improvement! They are awesome and viable just as they are. Shaun Mclaren helped prove this. And Tooth and Nail decks are always a good option in multiple metas as they go-to big mana deck. We have the luxury of being able to brew; but also having some great lists already playable in competitive leagues. Please don't hesitate to post your experiences. They go SOOOOO far into helping us all improve.
Since no one is answering in the casual part of this forum, I'm trying my luck here. I hope I don't break any rules by doing so.
I want to remodel/redesign some of my decks and one of them is going to be Green Devotion. I know my deck is not modern legal, but this forum seems to be the best starting point, apart from the casual section.
What do you guys think? Anything you'd change, add or remove? Most of our decks are like $100-200, so I'm not sure about Craterhoof Behemoth and some other powerful cards.
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I'm pretty certain in my Core for the "Value Walker Combo" deck (I think a value version is a little stronger than the "all-in" version in the upcoming meta); but The only decision remaining is whether to play a Woodland Bellower Package or a Rishkar's Expertise package at the top end. Testing will tell.
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Walking Ballista has been VERY strong. I would advise even those not adding anything from AER to try it out and see if there is a spot in your 75 for it. Even just as a sink it is a great way to deal with wide decks. It can be brought back with Witness after it's used up all its counters...is great with Nissa, Voice of Zendikar or anything that does +1/+1 counters for that matter...I think this is one card that fits in many (possibly a majority) of Green Devotion decks.
I thought about also replacing Polukranos with a second copy of Ballista; but they are good in slightly different scenarios; so I'm going to try one of each for now.
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Given the cards that have seemed to fit best (as Rishkar's expertise requires the deck playing a little different); here is what I am testing today:
4x Arbor Elf
4x Birds of Paradise
2x Elvish Visionary
2x Eternal Witness
1x Duskwatch Recruiter
1x Maulfist Revolutionary
3x Woodland Bellower
3x Genesis Hydra
Walker
2x Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
4x Garruk Wildspeaker
3x Kiora, Master if the Depths
4x Utopia Sprawl
3x Oath of Nissa
2x Cloudstone Curio
Instant/Sorcery
1x Primal Command
Land
6x Forest
7x Green Fetch
4x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1x Breeding Pool
1x Temple Garden
1x Horizon Canopy
2x Spreading Seas
2x Gideon Jura
2x Primal Command
1x Reclamation Sage
1x Kitchen Finks
3x Leyline of Lifeforce
1x Fracturing Gust
1x Creeping Corrosion
1x Reverent Hunter
1x Polukranos, World Eater
I've gone back and forth on the use of Renegade Rallier. I do have 7 fetches and Curio (so it's not hard to trigger Revolt) and once it's on it's on...it's a big deal that he can keep re-buying Nykthos's...if I did add him, I'd probably have to remove a Bellower (to go down to 2 copies)...so we'll see.
New addition to sideboard of Leyline of Lifeforce is due to rise in Control, Grixis, and recent rise in Chalice of the Void decks coming in the "new Meta".
4 Arbor Elf
3 Birds of Paradise
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Courser of Kruphix
1 Eternal Witness
1 Polukranos, World Eater
2 Wolfbriar Elemental
1 Acidic Slime
3 Primeval Titan
1 Crafterhoof Behemoth
1 Hornet Queen
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
Utility
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Oath of Nissa
2 Wild Pair
2 Summoner's Pact
Lands
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4 Wooded Foothills
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Stomping Ground
10 Forest
2 Choke
2 Obstinate Baloth
2 Beast Within
2 Stone Rain
2 Sudden Shock
1 Creeping Corrosion
1 Gaea's Revenge
3 Fog
This tourney was only a 12-man, so take it with a grain of salt
Round 1 - GW Tron (2-1)
Game 1: I keep a hand of BTEs, courser, and no payoff. He leads on temple garden, so I have a little breathing room. I go BTE/courser beatdowns into Acidic Slime on his tower to seal the game.
Game 2: Close game, which I threw! I'm drawing mostly lands and elves, but he also has a slow start. Eventually I get him down to 7, with the ability to pump Wolfbriar. Rather than pump Wolfbriar for 2 more from elves, I attack face with them to bring him to 5. He then plays Wurmcoil Engine, and attacking him the next turn brings him down to 1, the extra wolves would have sealed the game. He Ugin's me next turn.
Game 3: He leads on a temple garden again. I go Arbor Elf, Birds, BTE, BTE, Primetime. Kessig Wolf Run gets there for the win.
Round 2 - KCI Eggs/Tron (2-0)
He's playing some mashup of eggs and Tron, seems pretty cool.
Game 1: We both mull to 5, and I BTE/Craterhoof him down pretty quick after he stumbles.
Game 2: I got beatdowns while he is assembling Tron/KCI. The turn before I have lethal, I pact for a Scavenging Ooze to hedge against Egg shenanigans. Unfortunately he doesn't, and I Craterhoof him the next turn.
Round 3 - Grixis Delver/Midrange (2-0)
Game 1: I can tell he's on Delver, but doesn't ever one, so he's not putting on any pressure. I probe for his counterspells by slow rolling BTE's and Courser until I can establish a solid board. I end up casting Wild Pair, into Polukranos, into Craterhoof for lethal
Game 2: Turn 1 I lead with utopia sprawl, rather than Arbor Elf, figuring he'll probably just bolt it. I have a Choke in hand so I have salivating at this point. He drops a land and says go, holding up Mana Leak for sure. Rather than slam Choke into that nonsense, I simply play my elf and pass. Turn 3 he plays a tap land and passes. My Turn 3 I play a land, having exactly 6 mana at this point. Here's where I committed an uh-oh :/ I tapped sprawl and elf for 4 mana to play Choke, however I didn't actually announce the extra floating mana that I had leftover. He leaks it, seeing my only two remaining lands, which I promptly tap to pay. At this point he tilts and concedes, and I felt really bad about it. I didn't do it maliciously and I wasn't quite sure what the proper etiquette was for that. Normally I announce my floating mana when I'm casting a bunch of stuff, to keep track, but in this case I only had the one play, so I didn't bother. I dunno, I felt really dirty afterwards, I'll have to be clearer in the future.
Round 4 - Merfolk (2-1)
Game 1: Through Vapor Snags and Spreading Seas, I assemble and winning board and ult Garruk for overrun lethal.
Game 2: He keeps bouncing my elves and spreading my seas, so I can't get a stable board at any point. Top amount of mana available was 5...blah
Game 3: BTE, Pact, BTE, Wolfrbiar Elemental kicked 8 times. Next turn Wolfbriar Elemental kicked 10 times You get the picture!
Overall I was happy with how it performed. Unfortunately I sided out Wild Pair a lot, as we have a pretty heavy control meta...it didn't really do much for me. I sided Choke, Beast Within, and Stone Rain pretty much every game, I was happy with how useful they were. Also I've really come around with Oath of Nissa. I used to not run them, since I figured Genesis Hydra was okay for looking for dudes...but Oath really helps smooth things out and find any extra lands you might be missing. Next week I'll be messing with my Primal Surge deck, so this one will take a breather for a moment.
Cheers all!
List I'm currently testing. Bees, Hunter and Nylea are all negotiable, though Nylea is often a game changer. Trample on all my guys and Indestructible on her for blocking are big. I had a match tonight where I Turn 2'd out a Sarkhan both games and made 5 dragons on Turn 4, that was fun. Sarkhan is also pretty sweet when you get the Wave going: http://i.imgur.com/QSYotWA.jpg
I haven't felt the lack of Primal Command or Harmonize but it might be nice to have some. Also I have no clue what should be in the sideboard so I just have some Affinity and Burn hate cards and Ulamog for late game.
4 Arbor Elf
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Lotus Cobra
3 Courser of Kruphix
3 Eternal Witness
2 Birds of Paradise
2 Leatherback Baloth
2 Genesis Hydra
1 Reverent Hunter
1 Unyaro Bees
1 Nylea, God of the Hunt
8 Forest
1 Stomping Ground
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
3 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
Nasty Hairy Dudes
3 Garruk Wildspeaker
2 Sarkhan Vol
Not Dudes
4 Genesis Wave
4 Utopia Sprawl
Backup dudes
2 Thragtusk
1 Creeping Corrosion
1 Firespout
3 Choke
1 Reclamation Sage
2 Nature's Claim
1 Feed the Clan
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
1 Hornet Queen
1 Bramblecrush
This is a pretty sweet list. I see a lot of 3-drops, I think Woodland Bellower could be something to look at for this. Also, get your hands on some Beast Within's. They are so versatile, they deserve a spot in your sideboard. Also, since you're playing Genesis Wave, you might consider permanent-based artifact/enchantment removal, for instance Acidic Slime.
Hey Gm13p!! Great to have you back. GM was a very active member for a long period with some great insight. I wouldn't have passed up an adventure in the mountains either, but it's great to hear from you again!
How did the tourney go? The list looks solid. As for siding out, it mostly depends. Choke has been an all-star against control, honestly I might keep it as my only control tech, it's that good! Aggro will include Obstinate Baloth, and perhaps Fog against all-in decks. Land destruction is useful against Tron and slower matchups.
First...I LOVE Wild Pair, into Polukranos, into Hoof!!! I know it is more of a "fun" play than a necessary thing; but it is great nonetheless.
4-0 is great! Thank you for posting your in-game analysis. It helps everyone get a feel for what worked and what was not as strong. It did make me wish I played Burning-Tree Emissary that's for sure.
nice, Command + Witness looping has won me so many games as well, to the point that I've gone back up to 4 Witnesses and 3 Commands. Could you post your deck?
Currently playing Lunik's UG Wave deck with slight modifications (- 1 oath, - 1 Selkie, - 1 Genesis Wave, - 1 Bird, + 2 Primeval Titans, + 2 Commands) and it's really consistent. The deck explodes at turn 3 with a good hand and at turn 4 with an average hand.
Kitchen Finks is an all star
How has Sarkhan Vol been for you? I've been eyeing him for a while but didn't want to shell out the bucks for him yet.
He also ult's way more often than most walkers do. It only takes two +1 triggers (or one and a Maulfist Recruiter trigger).
It's part of what makes Garruk Wildspeaker and Nissa, Vital Source as well. Quick ults can win a game; but they also allow you to get value out of multiples.
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I wonder if a deck built around Garruk, Nissa Voice of Zendikar (the 3-drop), Xenagos, and Sarkhan Vol would be good with Maulfist Recruiter...lots of tokens, lots of counters, lots of haste...Since the cancer that is Simian Spirit Guide is still in the format; you could play it and BTE as well. Just load up the board and overrun it it with haste. Could be fun
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I've been testing since the spoilers...currently still trying:
1. Maulfist Revolutionary
2. Walking Ballista
3. Renegade Rallier
Ballista is pretty stellar. Being able to turn mana into direct damage is something we've not been able to do with ease. 1-2 will be in my 75 in just about every deck (and is currently in my main deck).
Maulfist Revolutionary is probably only good in Walker decks (especially the combo versions with Curio) but in those builds she is vwry good.
Renegade Rallier is actually really crazy. Returning any of our dorks, an Oath, Visionary, and/ more importantly lands (in particular in a deck with Horizon Canopy, Nissa VF emblems, Tireless Tracker, erc.) gets out of hand VERY quickly. It is pretty incredible when it brings a Nykthos back too. I have had many games where I played a Nykthos after "triggering" my Nykthos already on board; blowing it up only to play Rallier to return it (after triggering the second Nykthos of course)....he allows for turns where you are able to Trigger Nykthos 3 times before the aid of any planeswalkers.
Of course, with Cloudstone Curio they all become pieces of infinite combos; but it is important they are powerful outside of their combo potential.
That said, he's not usually the first thing you want to ramp into, so I wouldn't ever run more than 2.
* Esper Draw-Go
* Tezzeret Whir
* Blue Tron
Awesome tech Curdbros
I look at it as part of my job as OP to test out cards that may have potential in Gree. Devotion and at minimum point out a few cool interactions I can find in testing.
I don't think I've made the most out of Renegade Rallier or Maulfist Revolutionary yet; but both have GREAT potential. One can bring back Nykthos for multiple triggers a turn (not to mention many other permanents) and the other allows for same-turn ults of Garruk, Nissa VF, and next turn ults of other walkers.
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I have also been fooling around with two slightly different idea for the Walker deck...both came about due to the fact that the combo of Kiora, Oath, Command, and Duskwatch make it VERY easy to get to any creature you want. I won't get too in depth into the first idea (as I haven't tested it enough); but I've been testing The second idea today and will try to see how viable it is by days end.
The two ideas are:
1. Play Tidespout Tyrant in the place of Cloudstone Curio. I know that seems crazy; but there are VERY significant pros (the combo requires only a Walker and any other permanent once Tyrant hits, all of our cards tutor for it, it's extremely powerful even without an infinite combo, etc.). It is, however, heavy blue (so you can't really play a third color), killable, and 8-CMC...so it would take a LOT of testing before I knew if the change was good. I've done it in the past and it was good; but Duskwatch Recruiter does make it a good option.
2. Add the Spike Feeder and Archangel of Thune to the deck instead.
This one is the one I've been focusing on yesterday and today. The reasons are:
- We can easily dig/tutor for both (between Command, Duskwatch, Bellower, Oath, etc).
- Walking Ballista changes the combo to infinite damage. Even if they have some way to stop you from attacking; they still die.
- Both are not bad just in the deck in general.
I will provide a list and findings later this afternoon and early evening (along with the Curio list). I hope everyone elses's brewing and playing is going great!
Welcome! Your English is great.
I too have been brewing quite a bit and think I found a "fix" for our "need white mana" problem....Lotus Cobra...every time the land enters; Cobra makes a white mana (any color) allowing us to continue to cast Renegade Rallier Again and again.
I've been working on a list with them both with Cloudstone Curio but it may just be better with Temur Sabertooth as creatures are easier to Tutor for in green.
I'm excited to see if this can be a viable thing (as it's always nice when a combo is built with outherwize good cards to begin with)...may be too cute; but definitely worth testing!
Btw Renegade and Maulfist are definitely brewer's paradise. Especially Renegade as I've always loved playing with blinking effects. I think there's many infinite combos waiting in the dark depths
Btw Renegade and Maulfist are definitely brewer's paradise. Especially Renegade as I've always loved playing with blinking effects. I think there's many infinite combos waiting in the dark depths
It led me as far as thinking I may finally be able to make enough use out of Ancient Stirrings. It's a card I've tried a few times in the past in the Curio build (as it had both Cloudstone Curio and Karn Liberated along with Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx and other important lands...) but having another 1-2 colorless options (especially one as good as Ballista) may finally make it work.
I'll post the list I end up with tonight; but I'd love to hear if anyone else has been brewing with any of our new options...between Rallier, Maulfist, Rishkar's Expertise, and Ballista (and a few others); we have a few new cards that can help build some new devotion brews
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Aside from the above; I'd love to hear more about those currently playing Green Devotion. It doesn't have to have a single new card in it. I've said it before; but Traditional Devotion (and Prime Time decks) don't really need improvement! They are awesome and viable just as they are. Shaun Mclaren helped prove this. And Tooth and Nail decks are always a good option in multiple metas as they go-to big mana deck. We have the luxury of being able to brew; but also having some great lists already playable in competitive leagues. Please don't hesitate to post your experiences. They go SOOOOO far into helping us all improve.
I want to remodel/redesign some of my decks and one of them is going to be Green Devotion. I know my deck is not modern legal, but this forum seems to be the best starting point, apart from the casual section.
4 Cinder Glade
12 Forest
1 Kessig Wolf Run
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
Spells (15)
1 Banefire
3 Garruk Wildspeaker
2 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Nissa, Worldwaker
4 Primal Command
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Arbor Elf
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
1 Dragonlord Atarka
1 Dryad Arbor
4 Eternal Witness
1 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
4 Llanowar Elves
1 Nylea, God of the Hunt
3 Wistful Selkie
1 Xenagos, God of Revels
What do you guys think? Anything you'd change, add or remove? Most of our decks are like $100-200, so I'm not sure about Craterhoof Behemoth and some other powerful cards.