I posted a version of this deck in a different thread, and it looks like it can be budgetized without a significant drop in power. So, I figured I'd put it together for the budget community. Budget players unite! This deck is about $40.
Now it's clear right away that both Emeria Shepherd and Vessel of Nascency work best with permanents. That's why the removal is Sinister Concoction and Suppression Bonds. Also, since Vessel is going to fill the GY, it makes since to have some Delirium cards in there. It's also important to note that the 4 "finishers" could be anything. I chose 2 tramplers, 1 to give me some life cushion and 1 to get back my Shepherds should I lose both of them.
The deck plays pretty straight forward. In the early turns, you want to accelerate up to 6 mana (so you can cast Shepherd), use Vessel to sift through your deck, and basically survive until you can get the Shepherd engine going. You know, standard control deck play. After you get Shepherd going, your land plays can replay your enchantment based removal giving you 2nd and 3rd uses. If at all possible, it's best to have a Shepherd in play and one in the hand, that way they can replace each other as needed.
You should be able to hit delirium pretty easily making Moldgraf Scavenger a much better blocker. It will also let you get your Shepherds from your deck much easier with Traverse the Ulvenwald.
It's important to note that you don't necessarily have to have creatures in the 'finishers' spots. Shepherd gets back permanents and you could technically have enchantments that would turn shepherd into a decent finisher. I can imagine a scenario where it's ok to have those aura's early to help you survive and then getting to pull them out of the GY to use them again. Auras like Iona's Blessing and Battle Mastery.
At any rate, that's the start of the deck. Feel free to run with it. I probably won't playtest this deck. I have limited play time and a couple of decks in front of it, but I really like the start of this deck. I feel like it could be something fun.
I'm bored at work, so I actually have been working on this deck. All theoretical of course.
From pulling some simulated hands/draws on that first list, I'm finding the deck is really missing out on blockers in the beginning. So it definitely needs access to more creatures that can come down in the first few turns.
Also, Descend Upon the Sinful really hurts if you have to play it while you have your Emeria Shepherd out. I think Languish is better, but Shepherd will need a boost to survive. It seems prudent to go the aura/equipment route to make the shepherd into a finisher that can survive a Languish.
I'm also finding that having 1 ramp source in the deck isn't really ramping all that much. I think that with this heavy emphasis on control, I can probably rely on laying lands down each turn to keep things steady. With Traverse the Ulvenwald and Vessel of Nascency I can rely on a steady low of lands. I'm going to try Merciless Resolve in place of Natural Connection for some more card draw.
Finally, I decided to add in more removal in the form of creatures. Moldgraf Scavenger just doesn't do enough.
So, Kindly Stranger/Demon-Possessed Witch and Bearer of Silence double as early blockers/mid-late game removal. Unlike when I had "finishers" in the deck, if I draw Iona's Blessing or Sword of the Animist early on, I can use it on an early creature to increase my survivability. I'm not completely sold on the Sword, but it is a landfall enabler, so we'll see.
I kept Linvala, the Preserver in because I can't think of a better way to gain life. Sadly, there aren't any auras or equipments that gain life (or at least I can't find them).
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I posted a version of this deck in a different thread, and it looks like it can be budgetized without a significant drop in power. So, I figured I'd put it together for the budget community. Budget players unite! This deck is about $40.
2 Emeria Shepherd
4 Moldgraf Scavenger
1 Eldrazi Devastator
1 Greenwarden of Murasa
1 Linvala, the Preserver
1 Plated Crusher
4 Descend Upon the Sinful
4 Traverse the Ulvenwald
Instants 4
4 Natural Connection
Enchantments 12
4 Sinister Concoction
4 Suppression Bonds
4 Vessel of Nascency
26 Lands
Now it's clear right away that both Emeria Shepherd and Vessel of Nascency work best with permanents. That's why the removal is Sinister Concoction and Suppression Bonds. Also, since Vessel is going to fill the GY, it makes since to have some Delirium cards in there. It's also important to note that the 4 "finishers" could be anything. I chose 2 tramplers, 1 to give me some life cushion and 1 to get back my Shepherds should I lose both of them.
The deck plays pretty straight forward. In the early turns, you want to accelerate up to 6 mana (so you can cast Shepherd), use Vessel to sift through your deck, and basically survive until you can get the Shepherd engine going. You know, standard control deck play. After you get Shepherd going, your land plays can replay your enchantment based removal giving you 2nd and 3rd uses. If at all possible, it's best to have a Shepherd in play and one in the hand, that way they can replace each other as needed.
You should be able to hit delirium pretty easily making Moldgraf Scavenger a much better blocker. It will also let you get your Shepherds from your deck much easier with Traverse the Ulvenwald.
It's important to note that you don't necessarily have to have creatures in the 'finishers' spots. Shepherd gets back permanents and you could technically have enchantments that would turn shepherd into a decent finisher. I can imagine a scenario where it's ok to have those aura's early to help you survive and then getting to pull them out of the GY to use them again. Auras like Iona's Blessing and Battle Mastery.
At any rate, that's the start of the deck. Feel free to run with it. I probably won't playtest this deck. I have limited play time and a couple of decks in front of it, but I really like the start of this deck. I feel like it could be something fun.
From pulling some simulated hands/draws on that first list, I'm finding the deck is really missing out on blockers in the beginning. So it definitely needs access to more creatures that can come down in the first few turns.
Also, Descend Upon the Sinful really hurts if you have to play it while you have your Emeria Shepherd out. I think Languish is better, but Shepherd will need a boost to survive. It seems prudent to go the aura/equipment route to make the shepherd into a finisher that can survive a Languish.
I'm also finding that having 1 ramp source in the deck isn't really ramping all that much. I think that with this heavy emphasis on control, I can probably rely on laying lands down each turn to keep things steady. With Traverse the Ulvenwald and Vessel of Nascency I can rely on a steady low of lands. I'm going to try Merciless Resolve in place of Natural Connection for some more card draw.
Finally, I decided to add in more removal in the form of creatures. Moldgraf Scavenger just doesn't do enough.
2 Emeria Shepherd
4 Kindly Stranger
4 Bearer of Silence
1 Linvala, The Preserver
Sorceries 8
4 Languish
4 Traverse the Ulvenwald
4 Merciless Resolve
Enchantments 10
2 Iona's Blessing
4 Suppression Bonds
4 Vessel of Nascency
Artifact 1
1 Sword of the Animist
Lands 26
4 Canopy Vista
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Evolving Wilds
4 Forest
4 Llanowar Wastes
2 Plains
4 Swamp
So, Kindly Stranger/Demon-Possessed Witch and Bearer of Silence double as early blockers/mid-late game removal. Unlike when I had "finishers" in the deck, if I draw Iona's Blessing or Sword of the Animist early on, I can use it on an early creature to increase my survivability. I'm not completely sold on the Sword, but it is a landfall enabler, so we'll see.
I kept Linvala, the Preserver in because I can't think of a better way to gain life. Sadly, there aren't any auras or equipments that gain life (or at least I can't find them).