From all the above discussion it seems like Oath of Nissa might be able to open a completely new direction for the deck to take.
It helps dig for threats, and it helps dig for additional mana-disruption (Ghost Quarter, Tectonic Edge). And as with the Domri Rade example, it could potentially leverage the use of Planeswalkers. Now, I am not a particular fan of Domri Rade, simply because the reliance on Oath of Nissa is a bit too risky. But I feel like Nissa, Voice of Zendikar might actually make a good fit as a 1-of in the deck. The +1 ability isn't so amazing, but an immediate Gavony activation upon resolution seems sweet. Or better yet, Elspeth, Knight-Errant!
While for now I believe that the stock Hatebears list in the style of Craig Wescoe is the most robust (not talking about the sideboard though), I am very much excited by all the new possibilities the recent shake-ups bring to the table.
After much deliberation, I've decided to say **** it and pre-order a playset of Oath of Nissa before it spikes. Five Dollars a pop ain't so bad.
The question is, my list is a Collected Company list, and I'm unsure what I should cut for the Oaths. I'm thinking of the Co-Cos, but I've really grown to love them and how far they can set me ahead.
On Oath vs Coco: I've been watching a lot of Craig's matches and other Hatebear matches online. I don't get a chance to play too often so this is how I can do some research. What I've noticed is that in a lot of games the Hatebears deck does not have a lot of land in play - Craig really relies on his Aether Vials for mana. Because of that he can aggressively use his Horizon Canopies, Ghost Quarters and Edges as more spells. I've also noticed how ridiculously fast the format is. I really like Oath of Nissa because it's a Turn 1 play for 1 mana. It gets you that turn two Kataki or Teeg or Forgetender or Cannonist or Spellskite or Voice or Thalia or whatever specific hate card you need RIGHT AWAY. The impact of any particular hatebear is in direct relation to their timing against the opponent's strategy. An Arbiter off of a Vial, responding to a Fetch trigger is much better than a hard-cast Arbiter for instance. Turn 2 Spellskite against Infect is 100% better than a turn 3 or 4 Skite. The sense I have is that it's more important to have specific cards in play sooner rather than have mana and board advantage later. I would suggest that Oath is the correct main-deck choice (with Aether Vial) and that CoCo can appear in the SB for the longer games, mid-range and control games. Maybe CoCo is better with more dorks and no Vials.
And yes Domri is played through Oath. It's a gamble but nice upside. Oath does open up a new card type for us. No one is removing Oath once it's down. Sorin, Solemn Visitor also seems great.
A bit of a stretch but Oath also opens up the possibility of Green devotion (specifically Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx) a bit alongside Hierarch, Leige, Finks and all the GW dudes. It adds up quickly.
Suppression Field. Has anyone tried this in the board? Seems like a 3-4 of to me with broad application: Lantern Control, slows down Griselbrand, hoses Fetches, Activated ability combos (Redcap, Kiki-Jiki), Affinity, Jace, Vryn's Prodigy, Liliana of the Veil etc. Yes it slows down Ghost Quarter but we can more easily play around it, especially with Hierarch. I'd likely sub-out Vials for it. I suspect it really helps buy time against the linear combo decks.
I'm probably biased because I've never liked Collected Company all that much in this deck and would drop them for Oath of Nissa in a heartbeat.
I can't agree with or emphasize this statement from Caspian more:
"The impact of any particular hatebear is in direct relation to their timing against the opponent's strategy."
CoCo gets you (up to) two creatures instantly but it forces some deck choices around it and you may not find the right bear early enough to make an impact. The 2 CMC slot is critical for the deck to function as most of the early game high impact bears are there and Oath of Nissa helps ensure I'll be able to find that bear if I dont have it in my opener or find the land to cast if I do. Late game it is gas to filter out junk and capitalize on our board state. Even if we have Thalia, Guardian of Thraben on board its still very playable, whereas Collected Company gets that much more difficult to cast due to our liberal use of lands-as-spells. Finally, its static ability could open up some nice flexibility which leads me to...
If we're considering Domri Rade as playable in an Oath of Nissa deck (and I think it is) then we should explore all planeswalkers and what they can bring. This ability essentially breaks the color identity of green-white and would allow us to have any of the below in the 75.
Of those I like the idea of Ob Nixilis Reignited, Sorin, Solemn Visitor , Ajani Vengeant, and Chandra, Pyromaster the most. They're high impact cards that give us abilities that GW realy can't get such as card draw and targeted removal while being Abrupt Decay proof and entering with a high starting loyalty. Their CMC doesn't conflict with the core of the deck and allows you time to set up the board and get an Oath of Nissa in play - not only allowing you to cast them but finding them in the process.
Unless my testing proves way better than anticipated I'm currently looking at this approach as sideboard "surprise" slots for grindy or control type decks. I'll let you know how it works out.
It seems to me that Thalia, Guardian of Thraben just makes Oath of Nissa bad after turn 1. Oath also lowers your threat density, and it makes it much harder to mulligan the way Manamorphose makes it hard to mulligan. I have to say I'm not a fan. Wouldn't you rather just drop a Noble Hierarch on T1?
It seems to me that Thalia, Guardian of Thraben just makes Oath of Nissa bad after turn 1. Oath also lowers your threat density, and it makes it much harder to mulligan the way Manamorphose makes it hard to mulligan. I have to say I'm not a fan. Wouldn't you rather just drop a Noble Hierarch on T1?
It gives you two good turn one plays between Oath of Nissa and Noble Hierarch. If I have both in hand 9/10 times I would play the Noble first and use the Oath later to "refill" or find a threat. I have to disagree on the impact of Thalia to it as well. Going from 1 to 2 isn't a huge deal given the effect and is much different in going from 4 to 5 in the case of CoCo. I would say that like with many new cards you have to try it to appreciate it.
Ajani Vengeant and Chandra, Pyromancer seems extra spicy. I worry about Ob costing 5. I fiddle around and see if they make a dfiference. Pretty cool SB plan!
I'm sorry if this sounds really negative, but do you guys realize that there isn't a deck that plays Venser or Ob Nixilis in Modern? Why would Hatebears play those things just because we can now play Oath of Nissa?
I did the math for Collected Company some time ago:
I don't know if anyone is interested, but the odds of hitting some specific Hatebear (4-of) with CoCO in turn 4 (50 cards in the deck) is 34.5%, and you get at least 2 non Hierarch dudes 90% of the times.
So I will make the same for Oath of Nissa in 2 situations: You need to get a specific 4-of bear by turn 2 (like Arbiter), or something that's a 3-of by turn 2 (like Thalia in most lists).
You will draw Arbiter on your opening hand ~40% on the play and ~45% on the draw, and Thalia ~32% on the play and ~35% on the draw (not accounting mulligans). Assuming you didn't draw the needed card, you drop Oath of Nissa on turn 1 to look for it bacause you somehow know that you are playing against either Tron or Storm, just to name something. You effectively get to look at 4 cards, 3 from the enchantment and 1 for the turn 2 draw. On the play you will get your Arbiter from Oath of Nissa in ~28% of the situations you didn't get it in your first 7 (28% of the 60% opening hands on the play that doesn't contain an Arbiter, that's roughly 17 out of those 60 non-Arbiter hands). So, if I'm not mistaken, you will get the Arbiter after Nissa's help for your turn 2 on the play in 57 out of 100 games. The numbers for all the situations are:
-Arbiter on turn 2 on the play: 45%
-Arbiter on turn 2 on the play with Oath of Nissa: 57%
-Arbiter on turn 2 on the draw: 49%
-Arbiter on turn 2 on the draw with Oath of Nissa: 60%
-Thalia on turn 2 on the play: 35%
-Thalia on turn 2 on the play with Oath of Nissa: 46%
-Thalia on turn 2 on the draw: 40%
-Thalia on turn 2 on the draw with Oath of Nissa: 49%
This is not accounting mulligans and assuming you got an Oath of Nissa in hand, just because it's already too long to do it without it. Roughly, you will:
-Draw Arbiter and Oath on 16%, it doesn't matter
-Draw Arbiter and no Oath on 24%, it doesn't matter either
-Draw no Arbiter but you have Oath on 24%, the situation I analyzed before
-No Arbiter and no Oath 36%, the game is lost
Oath of Nissa does a lot more than just getting (or not getting) an specific bear, it can algo get you a land... but that's for another time
I believe WoTC's new policy is to make sure that every color can enjoy the exciting gameplay mechanic of making undercosted dudes and then turning them sideways. Clearly the future of magic.
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I'm sorry if this sounds really negative, but do you guys realize that there isn't a deck that plays Venser or Ob Nixilis in Modern? Why would Hatebears play those things just because we can now play Oath of Nissa?
I agree that I wouldn't play Venser, the Sojourner but that's because blinking isn't my thing more than no deck plays it. Until a few weeks ago, no decks played Eldrazi Temple, either. I think if you look at my posts on this thread you'll see I'm open to trying things out if I can make a logical case to do so. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't but I refuse to not play something just because no one else does.
I know you're being the Devil's Advocate and I'm not offended by it or anything: I just wanted to state where I'm coming from. The fact that a card I plan on playing as a four of in my build allows for really weird inclusions regarding planeswalkers in my sideboard to give my color pairing abilities it doesn't normally have certainly warrants testing.
Thanks for some math on the numbers with Oath of Nissa, it seems to support what I've been seeing. The ability to improve chances of getting whatever is critical on turn two -or- being able to find a second land to play that critical bear in hand is incredibly powerful.
@CosmoKramer: I've read your post 3 times and I still barely follow it. Though I did extract this: you will get the T2 Arbiter after Nissa's help for your turn 2 on the play in 57 out of 100 games. That is in comparison to to how many games out of 100 without Oath? I'm not good at understand numbers.
Can you run a similar scenario for a 2-of? Say you bring in Gaddock Teeg from the board and need him turn 2. What are you chances with and without Oath?
EDIT: and THANK-YOU! for writing that post. And thank-you for all the time that went into learning the skills so that you could write that post!
And I'm with dcovino: Don't run planeswalkers just 'cuz you can. The list of possible inclusions is A LOT longer than a list of actual or even likely inclusions. My short-list is currently: Domri Rade, Ajani Vengeant, Sorin, Solemn Visitor and Chandra Pyromancer. But this is all in the realm of maybe.
NP men, it's just Hypergeometric distribution (sounds fancy, but it's quite simple). The chances of a 4-of are:
-Arbiter on turn 2 on the play: 45%
-Arbiter on turn 2 on the play with Oath of Nissa: 57%
-Arbiter on turn 2 on the draw: 49%
-Arbiter on turn 2 on the draw with Oath of Nissa: 60%
edit: to really answer your question, without Oath of Nissa it's 45 out of 100 on the play and 49 out of 100 on the draw.
One could say that Oath of Nissa increases the numbers by ~10% in all the cases, and I'm tempted to say the same for a 2-of I'm going do do a quick calculation for those 2 Gaddock Teeg on the play:
-Gaddock Teeg on the play by turn 2, without playing Oath of Nissa: 25%
-Same, but with the help of Oath of Nissa: 36%
And just because I'm not the Devil's advocate but the Devil itself , the chances of getting zero Oath of Nissa after 4 draw steps (that's turn 5 on the play, turn 4 on the draw) are 43% Jokes aside, I think that a good exercise would be to imagine any PW as a GW card and ask ourselves if it's good for the deck
@dcovino you are one of the main contributors of this thread, you have my respect.
I believe WoTC's new policy is to make sure that every color can enjoy the exciting gameplay mechanic of making undercosted dudes and then turning them sideways. Clearly the future of magic.
Quote from "Kakaroto" »
Quote from "Disco Stu" »
Podríamos hacer un topic donde marquemos los peores horrores de ortografía.
If we're already talking about Planeswalkers we can't cast without oath, why not play Liliana of the Veil? You know, the best 3mana planeswalker? Our hand empties out pretty quickly so that seems decent.
Still brainstorming:
I was considering what I would want in a Planeswalker (PW) for this deck.I want, in this order: card draw, removal and a way to race.
Liliana: I don't think her +1 can count as card advantage for us, as it's only good on a board where we are already doing well. I'd prefer to draw cards so I can tighten the noose or dig out of a bad board state. Other decks are much better able to make use of her (ie. Lingering Souls) ; her +1 may be a liability. She has removal but it's doesn't deal with specific guys like Dark Confidant or Eidolon of the Great Revel but likely eats a token or some lame chumper. She certainly doesn't help the race.
I'm leaning on Domri Rade as a 1-of in the main and a Chandra, Pyromancer in the side. Domri is very flexible and can help dig a bit in a deck with 26+ creatures. Loxodon/Liege/Voice fight like champs as do Exalted guys. He doesn't race but I think he's good enough for the maindeck for his utility. Playing with Domri brings Courser of Kruphix to mind as a possibility.
Chandra, Pyromancer's 0 ability is as good as drawing a card most of the time. The +1 ability seems a little weak at first look, only 1 damage. But the clause about not blocking means racing gets easier and 1 damage a turn will add up. I'd love a way to kill spirit tokens and other annoying X/1s as well as challenge walkers. Again, Courser seems good with her.
Ajani Vengeant does the racing and the removal really well but no card draw. I love that he reinforces the mana denial plan. Does he have enough impact on matches where we would want him though?
Sorin, Solemn Visitor does the racing like a boss but no draw, no removal. He's really great at the mid-range/aggro fights though so he fills that specific role well.
I don't think it's worth considering on colour planeswalker at this time because...they have never made the cut in the past. Does the banning of Twin change that?
This version tries to maximize the possible # of Ghost Quarter/Arbiter activations by drawing more. I suppose to that end it could use a Mindcensor. I'm liking how much card draw/selection is baked into the pie here between Oath, Courser, Domri and Canopies. Nylea is a bit of a gamble but seems quite strong with Oath and all the green mana symbols. She breaks stalled boards and can make use of extra mana and turns top-decked birds into threats. She gives those Exalted guys super reach. I like Heliod better because on a empty or behind board state he can generate dudes and blanket vigilance to all our guys is strong for racing. Not sure I can get to 5 white mana pips reliably though. I'm not too happy to cut Vials but 6 t1 dorks have their own advantages, t2 Strip mine being the best one.
I expect to see a lot of Blood Moon, Fulminator Mages and Ghost Quarters as people try to fight Tron and Eldrazi with the same hate. So 5 basics and a Crucible in the board. Crucible also serves in the mirror as well as in mid-range games for more LD or card draw.
Missing Stirring Wildwood but not sure how to squeeze it in and still have enough sources for the t1 mana dork.
Too bad oath doesn't pull vials or I would snap stick 4x each in a list. Question with the gods is: would I play an enchantment with this effect? I know I wouldn't.
Would you play an indestructible 6/6 that gives the team trample? Just going to 3 Wilt-Leaf Lieges is probably better but this is the fun of a new set and bannings! Brewers paradise!
Was only able to find 3 copies of Oath of Nissa so I hope someone at my local FNM has one for trade when I get there. This is the list I'm going to be using, expecting to see Tokens and Affinity for sure.
Oath and planeswalkers make collected company significantly worse, so I'm wondering what matchup you guys feel we really need planeswalkers in as an aggro deck? CC refills the board against removal heavy decks like BGx or control variants, and let's us force them to tap on their own turn against counters. Planeswalkers improve which matchups for us?
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EDH - GU Kruphix, God of Horizons, WB Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts, GUR Surrak Dragonclaw, WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores, R Purphoros, God of the Forge, RW Archangel Avacyn
It helps dig for threats, and it helps dig for additional mana-disruption (Ghost Quarter, Tectonic Edge). And as with the Domri Rade example, it could potentially leverage the use of Planeswalkers. Now, I am not a particular fan of Domri Rade, simply because the reliance on Oath of Nissa is a bit too risky. But I feel like Nissa, Voice of Zendikar might actually make a good fit as a 1-of in the deck. The +1 ability isn't so amazing, but an immediate Gavony activation upon resolution seems sweet. Or better yet, Elspeth, Knight-Errant!
While for now I believe that the stock Hatebears list in the style of Craig Wescoe is the most robust (not talking about the sideboard though), I am very much excited by all the new possibilities the recent shake-ups bring to the table.
The question is, my list is a Collected Company list, and I'm unsure what I should cut for the Oaths. I'm thinking of the Co-Cos, but I've really grown to love them and how far they can set me ahead.
2 Aven Mindcensor
4 Leonin Arbiter
4 Loxodon Smiter
4 Noble Hierarch
2 Qasali Pridemage
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Voice of Resurgence
2 Wilt-Leaf Liege
3 Kitchen Finks
Non-Creature Spells
3 Collected Company
2 Dromoka's Command
4 Path to Exile
1 Brushland
1 Gavony Township
2 Forest
4 Ghost Quarter
2 Horizon Canopy
2 Plains
4 Razorverge Thicket
2 Stirring Wildwood
2 Tectonic Edge
4 Temple Garden
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Mirran Crusader
2 Kor Firewalker
2 Spellskite
1 Gadock Teeg
1 Hushwing Gryff
2 Choke
2 Rest in Peace
2 Stony Silence
1 Dromoka's Command
RWGisela, Blade of Explosions
And yes Domri is played through Oath. It's a gamble but nice upside. Oath does open up a new card type for us. No one is removing Oath once it's down. Sorin, Solemn Visitor also seems great.
A bit of a stretch but Oath also opens up the possibility of Green devotion (specifically Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx) a bit alongside Hierarch, Leige, Finks and all the GW dudes. It adds up quickly.
Suppression Field. Has anyone tried this in the board? Seems like a 3-4 of to me with broad application: Lantern Control, slows down Griselbrand, hoses Fetches, Activated ability combos (Redcap, Kiki-Jiki), Affinity, Jace, Vryn's Prodigy, Liliana of the Veil etc. Yes it slows down Ghost Quarter but we can more easily play around it, especially with Hierarch. I'd likely sub-out Vials for it. I suspect it really helps buy time against the linear combo decks.
I can't agree with or emphasize this statement from Caspian more: CoCo gets you (up to) two creatures instantly but it forces some deck choices around it and you may not find the right bear early enough to make an impact. The 2 CMC slot is critical for the deck to function as most of the early game high impact bears are there and Oath of Nissa helps ensure I'll be able to find that bear if I dont have it in my opener or find the land to cast if I do. Late game it is gas to filter out junk and capitalize on our board state. Even if we have Thalia, Guardian of Thraben on board its still very playable, whereas Collected Company gets that much more difficult to cast due to our liberal use of lands-as-spells. Finally, its static ability could open up some nice flexibility which leads me to...
If we're considering Domri Rade as playable in an Oath of Nissa deck (and I think it is) then we should explore all planeswalkers and what they can bring. This ability essentially breaks the color identity of green-white and would allow us to have any of the below in the 75.
Planeswalker Considerations
Of those I like the idea of Ob Nixilis Reignited, Sorin, Solemn Visitor , Ajani Vengeant, and Chandra, Pyromaster the most. They're high impact cards that give us abilities that GW realy can't get such as card draw and targeted removal while being Abrupt Decay proof and entering with a high starting loyalty. Their CMC doesn't conflict with the core of the deck and allows you time to set up the board and get an Oath of Nissa in play - not only allowing you to cast them but finding them in the process.
Unless my testing proves way better than anticipated I'm currently looking at this approach as sideboard "surprise" slots for grindy or control type decks. I'll let you know how it works out.
EDH - GU Kruphix, God of Horizons, WB Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts, GUR Surrak Dragonclaw, WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores, R Purphoros, God of the Forge, RW Archangel Avacyn
It gives you two good turn one plays between Oath of Nissa and Noble Hierarch. If I have both in hand 9/10 times I would play the Noble first and use the Oath later to "refill" or find a threat. I have to disagree on the impact of Thalia to it as well. Going from 1 to 2 isn't a huge deal given the effect and is much different in going from 4 to 5 in the case of CoCo. I would say that like with many new cards you have to try it to appreciate it.
I did the math for Collected Company some time ago:
So I will make the same for Oath of Nissa in 2 situations: You need to get a specific 4-of bear by turn 2 (like Arbiter), or something that's a 3-of by turn 2 (like Thalia in most lists).
You will draw Arbiter on your opening hand ~40% on the play and ~45% on the draw, and Thalia ~32% on the play and ~35% on the draw (not accounting mulligans). Assuming you didn't draw the needed card, you drop Oath of Nissa on turn 1 to look for it bacause you somehow know that you are playing against either Tron or Storm, just to name something. You effectively get to look at 4 cards, 3 from the enchantment and 1 for the turn 2 draw. On the play you will get your Arbiter from Oath of Nissa in ~28% of the situations you didn't get it in your first 7 (28% of the 60% opening hands on the play that doesn't contain an Arbiter, that's roughly 17 out of those 60 non-Arbiter hands). So, if I'm not mistaken, you will get the Arbiter after Nissa's help for your turn 2 on the play in 57 out of 100 games. The numbers for all the situations are:
-Arbiter on turn 2 on the play: 45%
-Arbiter on turn 2 on the play with Oath of Nissa: 57%
-Arbiter on turn 2 on the draw: 49%
-Arbiter on turn 2 on the draw with Oath of Nissa: 60%
-Thalia on turn 2 on the play: 35%
-Thalia on turn 2 on the play with Oath of Nissa: 46%
-Thalia on turn 2 on the draw: 40%
-Thalia on turn 2 on the draw with Oath of Nissa: 49%
This is not accounting mulligans and assuming you got an Oath of Nissa in hand, just because it's already too long to do it without it. Roughly, you will:
-Draw Arbiter and Oath on 16%, it doesn't matter
-Draw Arbiter and no Oath on 24%, it doesn't matter either
-Draw no Arbiter but you have Oath on 24%, the situation I analyzed before
-No Arbiter and no Oath 36%, the game is lost
Oath of Nissa does a lot more than just getting (or not getting) an specific bear, it can algo get you a land... but that's for another time
I hope that the math is not as bad as my English
I agree that I wouldn't play Venser, the Sojourner but that's because blinking isn't my thing more than no deck plays it. Until a few weeks ago, no decks played Eldrazi Temple, either. I think if you look at my posts on this thread you'll see I'm open to trying things out if I can make a logical case to do so. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't but I refuse to not play something just because no one else does.
I know you're being the Devil's Advocate and I'm not offended by it or anything: I just wanted to state where I'm coming from. The fact that a card I plan on playing as a four of in my build allows for really weird inclusions regarding planeswalkers in my sideboard to give my color pairing abilities it doesn't normally have certainly warrants testing.
Thanks for some math on the numbers with Oath of Nissa, it seems to support what I've been seeing. The ability to improve chances of getting whatever is critical on turn two -or- being able to find a second land to play that critical bear in hand is incredibly powerful.
Can you run a similar scenario for a 2-of? Say you bring in Gaddock Teeg from the board and need him turn 2. What are you chances with and without Oath?
EDIT: and THANK-YOU! for writing that post. And thank-you for all the time that went into learning the skills so that you could write that post!
And I'm with dcovino: Don't run planeswalkers just 'cuz you can. The list of possible inclusions is A LOT longer than a list of actual or even likely inclusions. My short-list is currently: Domri Rade, Ajani Vengeant, Sorin, Solemn Visitor and Chandra Pyromancer. But this is all in the realm of maybe.
-Arbiter on turn 2 on the play with Oath of Nissa: 57%
-Arbiter on turn 2 on the draw: 49%
-Arbiter on turn 2 on the draw with Oath of Nissa: 60%
edit: to really answer your question, without Oath of Nissa it's 45 out of 100 on the play and 49 out of 100 on the draw.
One could say that Oath of Nissa increases the numbers by ~10% in all the cases, and I'm tempted to say the same for a 2-of I'm going do do a quick calculation for those 2 Gaddock Teeg on the play:
-Gaddock Teeg on the play by turn 2, without playing Oath of Nissa: 25%
-Same, but with the help of Oath of Nissa: 36%
And just because I'm not the Devil's advocate but the Devil itself , the chances of getting zero Oath of Nissa after 4 draw steps (that's turn 5 on the play, turn 4 on the draw) are 43% Jokes aside, I think that a good exercise would be to imagine any PW as a GW card and ask ourselves if it's good for the deck
@dcovino you are one of the main contributors of this thread, you have my respect.
EDH - GU Kruphix, God of Horizons, WB Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts, GUR Surrak Dragonclaw, WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores, R Purphoros, God of the Forge, RW Archangel Avacyn
I was considering what I would want in a Planeswalker (PW) for this deck.I want, in this order: card draw, removal and a way to race.
Liliana: I don't think her +1 can count as card advantage for us, as it's only good on a board where we are already doing well. I'd prefer to draw cards so I can tighten the noose or dig out of a bad board state. Other decks are much better able to make use of her (ie. Lingering Souls) ; her +1 may be a liability. She has removal but it's doesn't deal with specific guys like Dark Confidant or Eidolon of the Great Revel but likely eats a token or some lame chumper. She certainly doesn't help the race.
I'm leaning on Domri Rade as a 1-of in the main and a Chandra, Pyromancer in the side. Domri is very flexible and can help dig a bit in a deck with 26+ creatures. Loxodon/Liege/Voice fight like champs as do Exalted guys. He doesn't race but I think he's good enough for the maindeck for his utility. Playing with Domri brings Courser of Kruphix to mind as a possibility.
Chandra, Pyromancer's 0 ability is as good as drawing a card most of the time. The +1 ability seems a little weak at first look, only 1 damage. But the clause about not blocking means racing gets easier and 1 damage a turn will add up. I'd love a way to kill spirit tokens and other annoying X/1s as well as challenge walkers. Again, Courser seems good with her.
Ajani Vengeant does the racing and the removal really well but no card draw. I love that he reinforces the mana denial plan. Does he have enough impact on matches where we would want him though?
Sorin, Solemn Visitor does the racing like a boss but no draw, no removal. He's really great at the mid-range/aggro fights though so he fills that specific role well.
I don't think it's worth considering on colour planeswalker at this time because...they have never made the cut in the past. Does the banning of Twin change that?
2x Birds of Paradise
2x Courser of Kruphix
4x Leonin Arbiter
4x Loxodon Smiter
4x Noble Hierarch
1x Nylea, God of the Hunt
3x Qasali Pridemage
3x Scavenging Ooze
4x Voice of Resurgence
2x Wilt-Leaf Liege
4x Path to Exile
4x Oath of Nissa
Land (22)
3x Forest
1x Gavony Township
4x Ghost Quarter
3x Horizon Canopy
2x Plains
4x Razorverge Thicket
1x Tectonic Edge
4x Temple Garden
2x Burrenton Forge-Tender
1x Chandra, Pyromaster
2x Choke
1x Ethersworn Canonist
1x Eidolon of Rhetoric
2x Gaddock Teeg
2x Spellskite
2x Sunlance
1x Sword of War and Peace
1x Crucible of Worlds
This version tries to maximize the possible # of Ghost Quarter/Arbiter activations by drawing more. I suppose to that end it could use a Mindcensor. I'm liking how much card draw/selection is baked into the pie here between Oath, Courser, Domri and Canopies. Nylea is a bit of a gamble but seems quite strong with Oath and all the green mana symbols. She breaks stalled boards and can make use of extra mana and turns top-decked birds into threats. She gives those Exalted guys super reach. I like Heliod better because on a empty or behind board state he can generate dudes and blanket vigilance to all our guys is strong for racing. Not sure I can get to 5 white mana pips reliably though. I'm not too happy to cut Vials but 6 t1 dorks have their own advantages, t2 Strip mine being the best one.
I expect to see a lot of Blood Moon, Fulminator Mages and Ghost Quarters as people try to fight Tron and Eldrazi with the same hate. So 5 basics and a Crucible in the board. Crucible also serves in the mirror as well as in mid-range games for more LD or card draw.
Missing Stirring Wildwood but not sure how to squeeze it in and still have enough sources for the t1 mana dork.
How good do people think Archangel of Tithes may be coming up?
4 Horizon Canopy
3 Temple Garden
1 Stirring Wildwood
2 Forest
2 Plains
4 Ghost Quarter
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Gavony Township
1 Sea Gate Wreckage
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Leonin Arbiter
3 Voice of Resurgence
3 Scavenging Ooze
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Qasali Pridemage
4 Loxodon Smiter
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Hushwing Gryff
3 Wilt-Leaf Liege
2 Sigarda, Host of Herons
3 Oath of Nissa
1 Collected Company
2 Gaddock Teeg
2 Hushwing Gryff
1 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Crucible of Worlds
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Stony Silence
1 Spellskite
1 Fracturing Gust
1 Creeping Corrosion
1 Ajani Vengeant
If I can get a 4th Oath it will replace the Collected Company. If I can't I'm either going to keep Company or switch it for a Dromoka's Command