I have Kessig because it's the best nongreen producing land in R/G and I can afford to have 1. Everything in the deck is more essential than Titan, so I opt to omit him even though he WOULD be great in the deck.
Garruk Relentless could be in there, unfortunately his tutor ability is a slower and harder to turn on than I'd like for this deck. it's still a great option, maybe even a sideboard card.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Always wear protection kids, sleeve up your deck.
LEGACY: Soldier Stompy WW // Blue Stompy UU // Fit Variants BGRW // Sol Land Brews BGRUWC MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
So this is my Devoted Vizier w/ Chord list with a little more Card Advantage. Basically I just removed Ruric Thar maindeck, since I have a better sideboard plan against storm then the other devotion decks - plus with the combo we have a better chance of racing storm than the other version - and added 3 Coursers. Not much difference, but definitely will effect match results.
LEGACY: Soldier Stompy WW // Blue Stompy UU // Fit Variants BGRW // Sol Land Brews BGRUWC MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
So this is my Devoted Vizier w/ Chord list with a little more Card Advantage. Basically I just removed Ruric Thar maindeck, since I have a better sideboard plan against storm then the other devotion decks - plus with the combo we have a better chance of racing storm than the other version - and added 3 Coursers. Not much difference, but definitely will effect match results.
I like it! If Courser ends up better than Nissa I could possibly see switching.
I’ve liked having a 5,6,7 & 8 drop. It helps make Chord be amazing. I also like that at 3 & 6 getvthe Chord back (Witness and Bellower for Witness). Bellower could just become another Whisperwood; but that will take testing.
Courser was always mediocre for me, but it was never bad. I'd vastly prefer it to Visionary every time, though. I had three in my original build. It generally nets 1-2 cards over a longer game, and makes Burn, Goblins, and the like go from slightly in our favor to overwhelmingly so.
Edit: Addendum: Whisperwood Elemental looks pretty good. It's hard to shake the worry that I might lose Commands and Craterhoof to it, but it does serve up some card advantage, extra creatures to go wide (not much off the mark from Wolfbriar), and anti-Wrath capability. Temur Sabertooth could overcome the rare occasions when this matters. Really, it's about finding space. The deck is pretty tight.
Am playing variations of the Mirrorweave build with a control WB lifegain deck with Serra Ascendant and forecast for recursion of tech spells.
If he tries to build an insurmountable life, chances are I can hardcast a Primalcrux or Worldspine Wurm and Mirrorowaave it before it gets Path to Exiled, and have the remaining walls and dorks become Primalcruxen attacking the turn for lethal. This is God draw, where he lets my walls stick around and waits to nuke my Fatty.
The deck stalls nastily if I get board wiped and he has his tech creatures that recur each turn to fog combat damage. He uses the forecast ability to draw and not attack to goldfish for a fog creature or for a Wrath of God. With a huge life as cushion it gets harder to go lethal once Wrath resolves.
Ascetiscism is an all star in the deck versus Day of Judgement and spot removal. So is Banefire when you can generate lethal mana from a devotion flooded board state.
The thing with control is you have to build a board state for devotion to go off, so we are extremely vulnerable to board wipe. If my opponent were not built around lifegain, I would have an equal chance with midrange beats like Polukranos swinging for lethal in 2 to 3 turns.
How do you guys play against control with board wipe heavy spells like DoJ and Wrath of God? Ideally one must assemble more threats and swing for as close to lethal as one can. Also if I had a playset of Walking Ballista, there would be absolutely no matchup problems.
I'm trying out Leyline of Vitality too as an early game devotion enabler that makes the Overgrown Battlement harder to kill and makes the Axebane Guardian capable of blocking 2/2's. What man-lands do you recommend, given that a boardwipe heavy opponent is vulnerable for an online Kessig plus Overgrowth enchanted forests?
Am playing variations of the Mirrorweave build with a control WB lifegain deck with Serra Ascendant and forecast for recursion of tech spells.
If he tries to build an insurmountable life, chances are I can hardcast a Primalcrux or Worldspine Wurm and Mirrorowaave it before it gets Path to Exiled, and have the remaining walls and dorks become Primalcruxen attacking the turn for lethal. This is God draw, where he lets my walls stick around and waits to nuke my Fatty.
The deck stalls nastily if I get board wiped and he has his tech creatures that recur each turn to fog combat damage. He uses the forecast ability to draw and not attack to goldfish for a fog creature or for a Wrath of God. With a huge life as cushion it gets harder to go lethal once Wrath resolves.
Ascetiscism is an all star in the deck versus Day of Judgement and spot removal. So is Banefire when you can generate lethal mana from a devotion flooded board state.
The thing with control is you have to build a board state for devotion to go off, so we are extremely vulnerable to board wipe. If my opponent were not built around lifegain, I would have an equal chance with midrange beats like Polukranos swinging for lethal in 2 to 3 turns.
How do you guys play against control with board wipe heavy spells like DoJ and Wrath of God? Ideally one must assemble more threats and swing for as close to lethal as one can. Also if I had a playset of Walking Ballista, there would be absolutely no matchup problems.
I'm trying out Leyline of Vitality too as an early game devotion enabler that makes the Overgrown Battlement harder to kill and makes the Axebane Guardian capable of blocking 2/2's. What man-lands do you recommend, given that a boardwipe heavy opponent is vulnerable for an online Kessig plus Overgrowth enchanted forests?
Trying to parse this out. It sounds like you're primarily testing against some low-quality WB variant of Martyr-Proc.
First, there really is no "insurmountable life total" for most versions of our builds. We can usually punch through for vast amounts of damage (I've managed hundreds on turn 4). IF they have an infinite life loop though (like Melira-Seer-Finks combo), then we need our own infinite loop of damage to do it (like Druid+Vizier+Ballista).
I'm surprised that they let you pre-empt them with Mirrorweave though. That seems like a bad play. If they have that much life that you can't eat through it, they should just save up their PtEs to respond to Mirrorweave, since you have to act. Maybe your opponent is bad?
Recurring Fog can be a problem. Often this uses something like Kami of Lost Hope. The best answer to this is Walking Ballista to kill it on your terms.
Asceticism may be an all-star versus DoJ and spot-removal, but it is awful against actually good decks, because those decks use Wrath of God or Damnation.
Wipes aren't so bad, especially if you pack some persistent threats like Kessig Wolf Run, Treetop Villages, Nylea, or Rhonas. They turn mana into-damage in a way that survives Wraths. Otherwise, a single threat at a time is usually enough, so avoid committing many more creatures than they do.
Treetop is the most efficient man-land. I run two, in order to fetch both with my first Titan.
VS mass removal, I like using recurring threats like Strangleroot Geist an/or Kitchen Finks. They wipe, next turn you still attack and have some green mana symbols on board. Does not work vs exile effects like Anger of the Gods though...
Also, an advantage is enough. It does not need to be a win with leaps and bounds. Try to keep back as much as possible. Replacable tokens from Planeswalker help out for example.
Craterhoof Behemoth with 10 other creatures on board for example. My first vesions of the deck did this very well with hasty creatures (Strangleroot Geist) to be able to swing the same turn they come into play. And if you are inclined to do so, the deck can be build in such a way that you have infinite mana coupled with infinite bounces of Temur Sabretooth, which allows you to cast the Hoof many many times. Or make a gazillion/gazillion Ballista.
If you often play vs high life or even infinite, it can be answered by going infinite yourself which this deck is very capable of.
This is correct. About 2 weeks ago (before adding Druid & Vizier), I had a situation where I dealt somewhere over 200 damage with an attack. The opponent was playing blue-green so Damnation and Wrath were not worries, leaving me free to commit to the board. My draw was explosive: multiple mana-producers, BTEs, and Nykthos, leading into Titan (fetching double-Treetop), Hornet Queen, and topped off with Craterhoof.
Hey guys, small update from my side with a small double tournament report!
I played in a FNM last friday that had only a few players, but we did manage to get 3 rounds of Modern done. Ended up 3-0 after a bit of good topdecking.
Round 1 I faced one of our best local players playing his Bant Knightfall deck. Game 1 went quickly, dropped 2 Titans with a T&N on turn 3. Had enough pressure to seal the game. I got Reflector mage'ed game 2, and managed to do a turn 2 Blood Moon into turn 3 Anger of the Gods to steal game 3.
Round 2 I was playing against Eldrazi and Taxes. Very annoying deck to play against, but with some lucky topdecks in game 1 and 3 I managed to snatch away the victory. Round 3 I got paired against a UW control deck. He had double bad draws in both games and I won 2-0 from him.
Fast forward a few hours, and we are back at our LGS for a Modern PPTQ. We started the day with 38 players and things didn't work out as good as I had hoped...
Round 1: Burn.
Game 1: Turn 1 Goblin Guide into Turn 2 Goblin Guide gave a LOT of pressure. He also managed to not flip a single land from the triggers. Ended up quickly losing the game.
Game 2: See Game 1. A bit akward, but I just had an allround bad start and mostly lost to my own deck.
Round 2: RW Prison.
Game 1: Turn 2 Ensnaring Bridge is bad for our deck. Scooped after a few turns since he was quickly out of cards.
Game 2: Mulligan to 4 and still screwed on lands.
A bad matchup combined with losing from my own deck. Things where not starting the way I had hoped.
Round 3: Soul Sisters
Game 1: I won the die roll and managed to ramp up nicely. He played some small critters and gained some life. Not enough to stop the 30 from Emrakul in turn 4.
Game 2: Mostly the same as game 1, except that I was on the draw. Combo'ed on turn 4 before his life was out of reach.
Round 4: Abzan combo
Game 1: Opponent Mulligans to 3, I combo on turn 3.
Game 2: Get stomped by a Mirran Crusader and my only answer (Bonfire that I already had in hand) was removed by a Sin collector.
Game 3: Pretty close game where, close to the end, I had the choice of resolving a Titan or keeping mana up to distrupt the combo with a Beast Within. Chose the last option and removed his combo piece when he went to get the other piece. Sadly for me my opponent just picked up a Eternal Witness and proceeded to combo off.
From there I dropped with a sad 1-3 drop record. Definitly not what I was expecting, but the deck just didnt want to work. Lots of moments where I had all the payoffs but no mana, and the other way around.
Pretty close to the last time I posted a list. The biggest difference is dropping 1 Nykthos for a Inkmoth. I was hoping to get some people by surprise with it. But that sadly didnt happen. Not sure if I will keep on playing it. Next Friday there is another Modern FNM, but I think i`ll go for a more devotion heavy build then (possibly dropping T&N). Might put in that list later here for you guys to check out.
As always, if you got any questions just post them here and i`ll see if I can respond.
Nice report. Also a good demonstration of TnN's strengths and weaknesses.
So yeah, I'm going to take this deck to the SCG Open, even though I probably should play the other deck I'm considering to play, which is Naya Counters Company, but I've been working on Green Devotion for a while and would really like to put up a good result a big tourny. The deck has performed well, but as with any Magic tournament, I will need a bit of luck on my side in order to do well.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Always wear protection kids, sleeve up your deck.
LEGACY: Soldier Stompy WW // Blue Stompy UU // Fit Variants BGRW // Sol Land Brews BGRUWC MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
LEGACY: Soldier Stompy WW // Blue Stompy UU // Fit Variants BGRW // Sol Land Brews BGRUWC MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
swap Leyline of Sanctity for Gideon's Intervention
+1 Township MD
-1 Nykthos MD
-
-1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar MD
+1 Garruk Relentless MD
-
-1 Grafdigger's Cage SD
+1 Relic SD
-
+1 Chord of Calling SD
I actually like what you've done with the board. The way the deck functions; you often ONLY want to side in super hosers (and remove the few walkers that may not be great in the match up). Looks good. The deck has a surprising amount of interaction main (most people don't realize that between Elspeth Tirel, Gideon Jura, and Garruk Relentless are really interactive) between the walkers and Ballista; you don't really have to side in "normal" interaction (can go straight for hosers)
The thing I've liked about the Walker decks is that currently in Modern there just aren't any good/efficient answers for any Planeswalker over 3-CMC. Maelstrom Pulse and some enchantments do; but even those cost the opponents 3+ mana and will still be a 1-for-2 at the fastest (as we will get an activation with the Walker). Because so many of the walkers immediately create a token; the board gets out of hand quite quickly. That, and the opponent never really knows whether they should be attacking us or the Walkers....it is just so different than most of the decks they play against that the unknown.
I would be very interested to see how it stacks up! I remember having few issues with the top of the meta. With the amount you've played/tuned the deck, I could see you doing VERY well with the deck.
I was wondering why everyone seems so down on including Garruk Primal hunter, the massive devotion boost, and token production seems really good. Even though you can -3 him right away which I’d rather wait a turn to do so it all seems powerful enough to warrant an inclusion, also I know most people will say it’s a super timmy ult, but a ton of 6/6 wurms aren’t anything to scoff at.granted no evasion or haste, anything really other then a board wipe will let you out muscle your opponent.
So yeah, I'm going to take this deck to the SCG Open, even though I probably should play the other deck I'm considering to play, which is Naya Counters Company, but I've been working on Green Devotion for a while and would really like to put up a good result a big tourny. The deck has performed well, but as with any Magic tournament, I will need a bit of luck on my side in order to do well.
Whichever version you take, I wish you luck. I think we're well-positioned. It always takes luck to win, but this is the right sort of luck to hope for: not good draws in each match, but for a certain type of field. I'm sure you'll do well.
No 2 drops at all? That will be pretty rough if they 'bolt the bird'. It will cost a lot of tempo doing nothing at all T2. I assume the Finks are there for fast decks, but maybe Strangleroot Geist does the same and saves the life by coming down a turn earlier. It sure would improve the curve.
Or maybe always have T2 to 1 drops, that helps as well. Downside is that it increases the all mana, no gas issue. Either way, it does seem like a fun deck to play.
Oh, no Gideon emblem? Gideon of the Trials seems to play well into the deck's strategy. Protecting permanents, buying time to go over the top with value.
I can totally understand the concern regarding 2-drops, because I had the same thought early on. What I discovered is that the best answer to "bolt the bird" is not to run decent 2-drops (like Geist), but more great 1-drops that you can play out on turn 2. Turn 1 "Bolt the Bird" is a lot less effective at stopping turn-3 Garruks and Polukranos when you respond with, "Turn 2, Bird #2 and Oath of Nissa."
Gideon is an amazing effect, but it doesn't add to the primary game plan. It also calls for WW, which is not always easy.
I was wondering why everyone seems so down on including Garruk Primal hunter, the massive devotion boost, and token production seems really good. Even though you can -3 him right away which I’d rather wait a turn to do so it all seems powerful enough to warrant an inclusion, also I know most people will say it’s a super timmy ult, but a ton of 6/6 wurms aren’t anything to scoff at.granted no evasion or haste, anything really other then a board wipe will let you out muscle your opponent.
Thoughts?
It's not that he's bad. It's that he's competing with better versions of himself. WS can accelerate your mana and create overruns. CoB creates immense card advantage and cheats ridiculous things into play. Relentless and AP can take out opposing permanents. PH is a reasonable source of small creatures and a conditional burst of cards. Timmy ult doesn't mean bad; it's that he's not good enough along the way to justify it. Good, but it just doesn't measure up.
Finks' Persist comboes with with the counter producers; Nissa and and Ajani, Undying does not.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Always wear protection kids, sleeve up your deck.
LEGACY: Soldier Stompy WW // Blue Stompy UU // Fit Variants BGRW // Sol Land Brews BGRUWC MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
I was wondering why everyone seems so down on including Garruk Primal hunter, the massive devotion boost, and token production seems really good. Even though you can -3 him right away which I’d rather wait a turn to do so it all seems powerful enough to warrant an inclusion, also I know most people will say it’s a super timmy ult, but a ton of 6/6 wurms aren’t anything to scoff at.granted no evasion or haste, anything really other then a board wipe will let you out muscle your opponent.
Thoughts?
I brewed with Primal Hunter for some time. I really liked the synergy between him and Genesis Hydra/Reverent Hunter. The problem here is that you are playing cards just to make Garruk PH more powerful. There is nothing wrong with this in theory; but the sum of the synergy between the cards will have to make up for the individual downsides.
I actually made a pretty fun deck that was somewhat of a "combo" deck (because of the card draw) that played both Garruk Wildspeaker and Garruk Primal Hunter along with Genesis Hydra, Reverent Hunter, Walking Ballista, and Bioshift. Essentially you would draw a million cards and make a million mana and then could move all of the +1/+1 counters from Hunter or Hydra over to a Ballista for the same-turn kill...
You don't have to do anything this crazy; but you really do want to take advantage of Primal Hunter's draw ability. I really do wish they would have started Primal Hunter at 4 Loyalty. He should not "kill himself" with a single negative trigger. That is a design flaw in my opinion. It's not his ultimate; so why does it remove him right away? It's not straight card draw (it requires a creature) so it is not too OP. That, however, is neither here nor there (my opinion on it isn't worth a hill of beans...).
You are absolutely right that Primal Hunter is a high enough power level to see play (and adds HEAPS of devotion). I think the only reason more decks don't play it is simply because it is very much a "build around me" card (rather than one that can just be placed in any Devotion deck. You really do want a good amount of large creatures and/or a way to keep him alive even if you trigger his negative ability when he first hits the board. I think a deck is out there that can take advantage of him. We just haven't made it yet.
I have Kessig because it's the best nongreen producing land in R/G and I can afford to have 1. Everything in the deck is more essential than Titan, so I opt to omit him even though he WOULD be great in the deck.
Garruk Relentless could be in there, unfortunately his tutor ability is a slower and harder to turn on than I'd like for this deck. it's still a great option, maybe even a sideboard card.
MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
6 Forest
1 Kessig Wolf Run
3 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
2 Treetop Village
2 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
Mana Boosts (21)
4 Arbor Elf
3 Birds of Paradise
4 Devoted Druid
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
2 Oath of Nissa
4 Utopia Sprawl
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
2 Eternal Witness
1 Hornet Queen
2 Polukranos, World Eater
4 Primal Command
2 Primeval Titan
1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
1 Vizier of Remedies
4 Walking Ballista
4 Beast Within
1 Chameleon Colossus
1 Obstinate Baloth
4 Path to Exile
2 Rest in Peace
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Temur Sabertooth
1 Thragtusk
Modern: Merfolk UU // Green Devotion GG // SkRed Red RR
Legacy: Death & Taxes WW // Burn RR // Death's Shadow Delver UB
Commander: Brago UW // Karlov WB
Do you think Surrak, Hunt Callerwould make a decent fit possibly as a one of in the deck to enable like Prime time/Ruric/Polukranos
Not with that exact list, though with something EXTREMELY close. Results were excellent; I discussed them in the past few pages.
Haste doesn't much matter to how I play, but I don't think fitting in a Surrak would hurt. Don't know what I'd replace for it.
Modern: Merfolk UU // Green Devotion GG // SkRed Red RR
Legacy: Death & Taxes WW // Burn RR // Death's Shadow Delver UB
Commander: Brago UW // Karlov WB
// 60 Maindeck
// 24 Creature
4 Arbor Elf
2 Birds of Paradise
4 Devoted Druid
4 Walking Ballista
3 Courser of Kruphix
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Hornet Queen
1 Wolfbriar Elemental
1 Vizier of Remedies
1 Whisperwood Elemental
1 Eternal Witness
4 Utopia Sprawl
3 Oath of Nissa
// 4 Instant
4 Chord of Calling
// 21 Land
4 Forest
2 Stomping Ground
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Kessig Wolf Run
2 Wooded Foothills
2 Windswept Heath
2 Verdant Catacombs
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Temple Garden
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
1 Whisperwood Elemental
2 Obstinate Baloth
1 Eidolon of Rhetoric
2 Blood Moon
2 Abrade
1 Primal Command
2 Bonfire of the Damned
1 Creeping Corrosion
MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
I like it! If Courser ends up better than Nissa I could possibly see switching.
I’ve liked having a 5,6,7 & 8 drop. It helps make Chord be amazing. I also like that at 3 & 6 getvthe Chord back (Witness and Bellower for Witness). Bellower could just become another Whisperwood; but that will take testing.
yeah i'd like to squeeze him in also, but im still trying to make room for Visionaries.
Edit: Addendum: Whisperwood Elemental looks pretty good. It's hard to shake the worry that I might lose Commands and Craterhoof to it, but it does serve up some card advantage, extra creatures to go wide (not much off the mark from Wolfbriar), and anti-Wrath capability. Temur Sabertooth could overcome the rare occasions when this matters. Really, it's about finding space. The deck is pretty tight.
Modern: Merfolk UU // Green Devotion GG // SkRed Red RR
Legacy: Death & Taxes WW // Burn RR // Death's Shadow Delver UB
Commander: Brago UW // Karlov WB
Am playing variations of the Mirrorweave build with a control WB lifegain deck with Serra Ascendant and forecast for recursion of tech spells.
If he tries to build an insurmountable life, chances are I can hardcast a Primalcrux or Worldspine Wurm and Mirrorowaave it before it gets Path to Exiled, and have the remaining walls and dorks become Primalcruxen attacking the turn for lethal. This is God draw, where he lets my walls stick around and waits to nuke my Fatty.
The deck stalls nastily if I get board wiped and he has his tech creatures that recur each turn to fog combat damage. He uses the forecast ability to draw and not attack to goldfish for a fog creature or for a Wrath of God. With a huge life as cushion it gets harder to go lethal once Wrath resolves.
Ascetiscism is an all star in the deck versus Day of Judgement and spot removal. So is Banefire when you can generate lethal mana from a devotion flooded board state.
The thing with control is you have to build a board state for devotion to go off, so we are extremely vulnerable to board wipe. If my opponent were not built around lifegain, I would have an equal chance with midrange beats like Polukranos swinging for lethal in 2 to 3 turns.
How do you guys play against control with board wipe heavy spells like DoJ and Wrath of God? Ideally one must assemble more threats and swing for as close to lethal as one can. Also if I had a playset of Walking Ballista, there would be absolutely no matchup problems.
I'm trying out Leyline of Vitality too as an early game devotion enabler that makes the Overgrown Battlement harder to kill and makes the Axebane Guardian capable of blocking 2/2's. What man-lands do you recommend, given that a boardwipe heavy opponent is vulnerable for an online Kessig plus Overgrowth enchanted forests?
First, there really is no "insurmountable life total" for most versions of our builds. We can usually punch through for vast amounts of damage (I've managed hundreds on turn 4). IF they have an infinite life loop though (like Melira-Seer-Finks combo), then we need our own infinite loop of damage to do it (like Druid+Vizier+Ballista).
I'm surprised that they let you pre-empt them with Mirrorweave though. That seems like a bad play. If they have that much life that you can't eat through it, they should just save up their PtEs to respond to Mirrorweave, since you have to act. Maybe your opponent is bad?
Recurring Fog can be a problem. Often this uses something like Kami of Lost Hope. The best answer to this is Walking Ballista to kill it on your terms.
Asceticism may be an all-star versus DoJ and spot-removal, but it is awful against actually good decks, because those decks use Wrath of God or Damnation.
Wipes aren't so bad, especially if you pack some persistent threats like Kessig Wolf Run, Treetop Villages, Nylea, or Rhonas. They turn mana into-damage in a way that survives Wraths. Otherwise, a single threat at a time is usually enough, so avoid committing many more creatures than they do.
Treetop is the most efficient man-land. I run two, in order to fetch both with my first Titan.
This is also good advice.
Modern: Merfolk UU // Green Devotion GG // SkRed Red RR
Legacy: Death & Taxes WW // Burn RR // Death's Shadow Delver UB
Commander: Brago UW // Karlov WB
Nice report. Also a good demonstration of TnN's strengths and weaknesses.
Modern: Merfolk UU // Green Devotion GG // SkRed Red RR
Legacy: Death & Taxes WW // Burn RR // Death's Shadow Delver UB
Commander: Brago UW // Karlov WB
MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
So I'm also strongly considering taking G/W Walker Devotion. I started playing it again, and modified the sideboard slightly and it's really crushing.
G/W Walker Devotion
// 15 Creature
4 Arbor Elf
4 Walking Ballista
4 Kitchen Finks
3 Birds of Paradise
// 8 Enchantment
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Oath of Nissa
// 21 Land
3 Temple Garden
5 Forest
1 Gavony Township
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
2 Windswept Heath
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Verdant Catacombs
2 Wooded Foothills
3 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Elspeth Tirel
2 Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
1 Gideon Jura
2 Garruk Relentless
1 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Eidolon of Rhetoric
2 Sigarda, Host of Herons
2 Wheel of Sun and Moon
2 Stony Silence
3 Gideon's Intervention
1 Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
2 Creeping Corrosion
swap Leyline of Sanctity for Gideon's Intervention
+1 Township MD
-1 Nykthos MD
-
-1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar MD
+1 Garruk Relentless MD
-
-1 Grafdigger's Cage SD
+1 Relic SD
-
+1 Chord of Calling SD
MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
I actually like what you've done with the board. The way the deck functions; you often ONLY want to side in super hosers (and remove the few walkers that may not be great in the match up). Looks good. The deck has a surprising amount of interaction main (most people don't realize that between Elspeth Tirel, Gideon Jura, and Garruk Relentless are really interactive) between the walkers and Ballista; you don't really have to side in "normal" interaction (can go straight for hosers)
The thing I've liked about the Walker decks is that currently in Modern there just aren't any good/efficient answers for any Planeswalker over 3-CMC. Maelstrom Pulse and some enchantments do; but even those cost the opponents 3+ mana and will still be a 1-for-2 at the fastest (as we will get an activation with the Walker). Because so many of the walkers immediately create a token; the board gets out of hand quite quickly. That, and the opponent never really knows whether they should be attacking us or the Walkers....it is just so different than most of the decks they play against that the unknown.
I would be very interested to see how it stacks up! I remember having few issues with the top of the meta. With the amount you've played/tuned the deck, I could see you doing VERY well with the deck.
Thoughts?
Whichever version you take, I wish you luck. I think we're well-positioned. It always takes luck to win, but this is the right sort of luck to hope for: not good draws in each match, but for a certain type of field. I'm sure you'll do well.
Gideon is an amazing effect, but it doesn't add to the primary game plan. It also calls for WW, which is not always easy.
It's not that he's bad. It's that he's competing with better versions of himself. WS can accelerate your mana and create overruns. CoB creates immense card advantage and cheats ridiculous things into play. Relentless and AP can take out opposing permanents. PH is a reasonable source of small creatures and a conditional burst of cards. Timmy ult doesn't mean bad; it's that he's not good enough along the way to justify it. Good, but it just doesn't measure up.
Modern: Merfolk UU // Green Devotion GG // SkRed Red RR
Legacy: Death & Taxes WW // Burn RR // Death's Shadow Delver UB
Commander: Brago UW // Karlov WB
Finks' Persist comboes with with the counter producers; Nissa and and Ajani, Undying does not.
MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
I brewed with Primal Hunter for some time. I really liked the synergy between him and Genesis Hydra/Reverent Hunter. The problem here is that you are playing cards just to make Garruk PH more powerful. There is nothing wrong with this in theory; but the sum of the synergy between the cards will have to make up for the individual downsides.
I actually made a pretty fun deck that was somewhat of a "combo" deck (because of the card draw) that played both Garruk Wildspeaker and Garruk Primal Hunter along with Genesis Hydra, Reverent Hunter, Walking Ballista, and Bioshift. Essentially you would draw a million cards and make a million mana and then could move all of the +1/+1 counters from Hunter or Hydra over to a Ballista for the same-turn kill...
You don't have to do anything this crazy; but you really do want to take advantage of Primal Hunter's draw ability. I really do wish they would have started Primal Hunter at 4 Loyalty. He should not "kill himself" with a single negative trigger. That is a design flaw in my opinion. It's not his ultimate; so why does it remove him right away? It's not straight card draw (it requires a creature) so it is not too OP. That, however, is neither here nor there (my opinion on it isn't worth a hill of beans...).
You are absolutely right that Primal Hunter is a high enough power level to see play (and adds HEAPS of devotion). I think the only reason more decks don't play it is simply because it is very much a "build around me" card (rather than one that can just be placed in any Devotion deck. You really do want a good amount of large creatures and/or a way to keep him alive even if you trigger his negative ability when he first hits the board. I think a deck is out there that can take advantage of him. We just haven't made it yet.