Well, Stroke has the advantage that it can hit almost any threat capable of winning the game. I bring in Stroke vs. Control decks because with the exception of Ashiok, they really don't have any win conditions I can't stop with Stroke. And if they can't resolve a win condition, I can topdeck into more gas and get back into the game. Now, Negate stops a lot of their win conditions but not all of them. Specifically it doesn't stop any creature-based win conditions like Pearl Lake Ancient or Prognostic Sphinx, both of which are pretty hard to permanently get rid of.
The way I see it, I'll happily let the control player trade removals for my threats one for one, Stroke or Thoughtseize their threats, and just win with whatever I have sitting around when they finally draw too many blanks in a row. It helps that with the exception of Anger, Stroke also stops all the good sweepers.
I recently switched back to the pure Sultai build and I just want to give kudos to whoever it was in this thread who said to MB Thassa. It has been the trump for me in the mirror, allowing me to alpha in games I had no business winning. The board obviously tends to get gummed up plus it makes so your Sidisi can continue to swing in the face of fatties. I suppose I'm choosing to run it over Pharika. Also, much like Nelson/Vanmeter/Merriem and etc., who're running Abzan Whip at SCGINVI, I've adopted Reclamation Sage MB. I think they're all actually running 3 MB but I don't think they have the same card selection I do. Aside from UB Control and Mono Red, it has relevant targets in every match-up, especially the mirror.
I'm still running Aetherspouts because of how often I see Heroic online and how much of a blow-out it can be. I'm also expecting an uptick in control soon with all the whip running around.
I recently switched back to the pure Sultai build and I just want to give kudos to whoever it was in this thread who said to MB Thassa. It has been the trump for me in the mirror, allowing me to alpha in games I had no business winning.
I thought Thassa was meant more for the lists with Nighthowler and Nemesis? Seems pretty nonbo with Hornet Queen. I mean, with fewer beatsticks needing Thassa's help to punch through, doesn't this detract a lot from Thassa's value? She needs to be more than just Think Tank.
The board obviously tends to get gummed up plus it makes so your Sidisi can continue to swing in the face of fatties. I suppose I'm choosing to run it over Pharika. Also, much like Nelson/Vanmeter/Merriem and etc., who're running Abzan Whip at SCGINVI, I've adopted Reclamation Sage MB. I think they're all actually running 3 MB but I don't think they have the same card selection I do. Aside from UB Control and Mono Red, it has relevant targets in every match-up, especially the mirror.
This I agree with, though I'm struggling to find room for the Sage MD. I'm not willing to give up Pharika, the difficulty of removing her and the power she gives not only to make insects for us but also to hate out opposing whip decks, is just too good to pass up.
Also, what do you bring in the Charm and/or Vess against? And a fourth Whip? Doesn't that seem a little overkill to you??
Been having a hard time against turn 2 savage knuckleblades, t3 polukranos against temur, how have your match ups been with them?
What would you sideboard in and out if lets say you already maindeck 3cuts 2 downfalls. Would you side in thoughtseizes too? What would you take out for them if lets say for example we're running the cookie cutter sidisi whip deck.
Would you ever cut caryatids or coursers?
Both Caryatid and Courser are generally poor against Agressive Midrange builds while Courser is at least serviceable in the more grindy match ups. You should be fine trimming some number of them but really that would depend on your 75.
Against Agressive GRx lists the game is usually all about resolving a Whip as quickly as possible as the match up can feel lopsided either way depending on whether you have a Whip or not.
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Personally i find it luck of the draw and what decks you face up to the point of top8.
In my recent PPTQ a 4c reanimator with sidisi and rhinos won. He never played against a single midrange deck, just aggro all day until top 8 where he played against midrange and control and had super close and grindy games.
In a GPT, the same 4c reanimator dropped after going 0-3, being matched up against abzan and temur midrange.
I recently switched back to the pure Sultai build and I just want to give kudos to whoever it was in this thread who said to MB Thassa. It has been the trump for me in the mirror, allowing me to alpha in games I had no business winning.
I thought Thassa was meant more for the lists with Nighthowler and Nemesis? Seems pretty nonbo with Hornet Queen. I mean, with fewer beatsticks needing Thassa's help to punch through, doesn't this detract a lot from Thassa's value? She needs to be more than just Think Tank.
There are just too many games where you and your opponent reach board parity and you need something to break through. Even Hornet Queen and her followers need help getting through opposing Hornet Queens. I can recall a recent game where my opponent stablized at 5 life (Queen) and I only had a Sidisi/Courser in play with no cards in hand and a boatload of mana. Thassa was my only out and I drew her.
This I agree with, though I'm struggling to find room for the Sage MD. I'm not willing to give up Pharika, the difficulty of removing her and the power she gives not only to make insects for us but also to hate out opposing whip decks, is just too good to pass up.
Also, what do you bring in the Charm and/or Vess against? And a fourth Whip? Doesn't that seem a little overkill to you??
I was bringing Charm in vs. G/x Devotion, the mirror, vs. Jeskai tokens and etc.; essentially anywhere it's relevant. The ability to smooth out top heavy draws, hit a creature/enchantment is really amazing IMO, it's super versatile. I'm trying to include 1 MB because it's almost never dead. Vess is for any attrition based match-up, sometimes acting as Whip #5. You ask if 4 Whips is too much but until people start attacking the graveyard more aggressively instead of simply running enchantment removal I'm going to run as many as possible in my 75. The way games are playing out you can't draw into too many Whip.
Sideboarding is something that comes with experience playing the deck. You need to just play a lot and bring in cards accordingly, there aren't any clear cut "guides" for sideboarding. Obvious choices for swaps are there.
HEllo
Im a bit tired of playing Abzan Midrange and I want to try Sultai Reanimator...I wanna try BRad winning deck from yesterday (see below). Anyone knows a good sideboard strategy article? I suck at sideboarding.
Any help with the cards that go out vs archetypes is great...or link to any article!!
It's pretty straightforward with most of those card.
Disdainful Strokes are for other midrange decks, including the Sultai Mirror, Abzan, or Mardu.
I've never played with any decks with Kiora, so I really have no idea where she shines or doesn't. I'd assume you'd want her against other midrange decks, and potentially against control decks as an alternate win con.
Bile Blight is good against aggressive decks and decks that heavily use tokens as important cards.
Drown In Sorrow is good also against aggressive decks.
Hero's Downfall is good against Planeswalker heavy decks, and midrange decks that play fewer creatures, that are larger in size, like Mardu and Abzan.
Ashiok is good against creature heavy decks, with creatures that are competent by themselves. This mostly applies to other green decks, including the Sultai mirror, Green devotion decks, and G/R/x Monster decks, like Temur.
Reclamation Sage is good against decks that have enchanments that are important to their strategy, like Jeskai Ascendancy decks, Heroic based decks, and other Whip of Erebos based decks.
Combining those pieces of information should help you construct what you need to board in for each matchup. What you take out is far more depending on whether you're playing/drawing first, and how specifically your opponent's deck is configured. Try to take out cards that are useless or ineffective.
HEllo
Im a bit tired of playing Abzan Midrange and I want to try Sultai Reanimator...I wanna try BRad winning deck from yesterday (see below). Anyone knows a good sideboard strategy article? I suck at sideboarding.
Any help with the cards that go out vs archetypes is great...or link to any article!!
I've never played with any decks with Kiora, so I really have no idea where she shines or doesn't. I'd assume you'd want her against other midrange decks, and potentially against control decks as an alternate win con.
It's also good against Heroic if you can keep the board relatively stabilized.
HEllo
Im a bit tired of playing Abzan Midrange and I want to try Sultai Reanimator...I wanna try BRad winning deck from yesterday (see below). Anyone knows a good sideboard strategy article? I suck at sideboarding.
Any help with the cards that go out vs archetypes is great...or link to any article!!
I've never played with any decks with Kiora, so I really have no idea where she shines or doesn't. I'd assume you'd want her against other midrange decks, and potentially against control decks as an alternate win con.
It's also good against Heroic if you can keep the board relatively stabilized.
Yeah, I guess I'd amend my rule of thumb to it being good against decks that want to play a few big creatures rather than a bunch of small ones. If Heroic's "battlecruiser magic" works out, then they also join the ranks of decks like Mardu and Abzan midrange.
Has anyone tested Treasure Cruise over Thoughtseize main? I've sort of been switching between Caleb's CFB version with Cruise and various worlds/SCG lists and am currently strongly considering cutting Thoughtseize from the main entirely in favor of Cruise. Basically my question is how important are those discard spells at this point?
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In my dream, the world had suffered a terrible disaster. A black haze shut out the sun, and the darkness was alive with the moans and screams of wounded people. Suddenly, a small light glowed. A candle flickered into life, symbol of hope for millions. A single tiny candle, shining in the ugly dark. I laughed and blew it out.
Many thanks to HotP Studios. Special thanks to DNC for this great sig.
I figured that these Whip decks are all really just G/B Midrange splashing for either Blue or White, but that the splash was easy.
If I could splash for 4 Blue cards maindeck, how hard would it be for 4 White card in the main.
Tonight, I found out.
Round 1 vs Temur Midrange: 2-0
Round 2 vs Jeskai Aggro( not tokens): 2-1
Round 3 vs B/U Chevy Control (adrian sullivan version): 2-1
Round 4 vs Mono Red Devotion (go figure): 2-0
Looking ahead to FRF, has anyone seen any cards that would be good for us? I think Sudden Reclamation could be really great - four mana is a bit pricey, but getting the equivalent of a Commune with the Gods and a Satyr Wayfinder put together at instant speed is pretty powerful, especially if we have Sidisi out and can get a trigger off her as well.
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EDH: WUBRG Chromanticore/Karona, False God (Allies/Maze's End) - WB Teysa, Orzhov Scion (Stax) - GW Karametra, God of Harvests (Landfall & Goodstuff) - W Kytheon, Hero of Akros (Aggro Voltron)
I will be doing a huge oVerhaul on the op tonight along with my thoughts on cards coming out of frf. I think we got some awesome tools, some potentials, and then some Idk maybes? Can't wait to get some play testing in. We didn't get cards to make the most powerful deck ever but we got some love. Enough at least that we will most likely stay a top deck.
Here is my current list. Super happy with the Dead Drops right now. I also started streaming Sultai decks on twitch.tv/princeabubbu so follow me there if you want to discuss and help make this deck better.
Tasigur is being bought out by the Japanese so my gut tells me they know something I don't. Either way getting Siege Rhino stats at a discounted price with non irrelevant text on top of it is nothing to scoff at. Hooting Mandrills this is not.
Soulflayer seems like hot garbage as while his text is very much the reason you're playing the card, his stats are just inherently poor and any ability you give him is rather redundant unless it has hexproof or indestructibility to go with it. Was Carin Wanderer a powerful constructed card?
Torrent Elemental seems like it has a shot. It's slow, ill give you that, but it completely breaks open nearly any board stall and that's not something I'm about to overlook just yet, and that's without its synergy with Whip.
I agree with the other guy here that soulflayer is probably not good. I just think he's cool and am going to try and play him. There's always a chance! Running a one of chromanticore is very not worth it.
This is what I am thinking right now. I don't know how good sudden reclamation is going to be but a 4 mana instant speed draw two specific cards is good. The other thing I am not sure about is taking courser of kruphix out of the main vs merciless executioner. I think the card can be good and am willing to try, whipping it back is good value. I like silumgar, the drifting death a lot and think it has a lot of potential in our deck. Hornet Queen is not as good as it was earlier this season but still has it's spot in the sideboard for particular MUs.
I think the decks that got stronger this set is UW herioc, UB/UW Control, Jeskai Ascendency, and Mardu/RB aggro.
FRF didn't have support for whip? what are you guys smoking? Merciless Executioner absolutely HOSES uw heroic from the SB, and heroic is prolly deck's toughest MU. Torrent Elemental is also very intriguing. It may not make a huge impact but it certainly adds a new dimension to the deck.
Soulflayer is pretty much unplayable in this iteration of whip/graveyard decks. Tasigur feels much more at home, and even he feels somewhat underwhelming on paper.
Because as a 4/4 it just isn't all that threatening a body, and requires a very specific subset of abilities to present a threat. That and there just aren't that many targets in the CURRENT successful iterations of the deck to make him worth more than a miser copy. Delving away Hornet just seems dreadful as again, even as a 4/4 flying/death touch, he doesn't match up to the other threats in the format. Even if you were to delve away say, Pharika, a card with very little Whip value, all you'd get is a indestructible 4/4 and that gets chomped by Rhino and tokens for days.
I see Soulflayer more as a build around card in quite different lists than we're currently used to, possibly reminiscent of the more aggressive Strength of the Fallen lists with enablers such as Grave Strentgh and a much lower curve in general. Think Gurmag Swiftwing, Herald of Torment, Hooting Mandrils, Siege Rhino etc. Someone more clever or dedicated to the idea than I am atm could very well brew a powerful list with Soulflayer as the lynchpin but he just seems a subpar addition to the stock lists seeing play right now.
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I'm intrigued as to why you think Soulflayer is unplayable in this version of the deck? If you're casting it from your hand there are a variety of targets (not including the goodies from FRF). I admit its not the most exciting whip target but its provides another avenue of attack for when whips are being targeted.
What are you gonna delve away? the only sensible target is Sylvan Caryatid, which only grants Hexproof and that's not good enough. We live in a world of Siege Rhinos and being a mere 4/4 is a HUGE disadvantage. If you start to cannibalize your own graveyard, then you can get stuff like flying & deathtouch (hornet queen) and Indestructible (Pharika). The thing is that Hornet Queen is a prime whip target and the main avenue to victory for this deck. Pharika is also a strong card in the right MUs and you definitely want to return those to your hand with Soul of Innistrad in many games. The big problem is, of course, that in order to give these traits to Soulflayer consistently you would have to start maindecking more Pharikas and Hornet Queens and that's not a good thing. Both are powerful but very slow cards.
IF you can get all those abilities - Flying, Hexproof, Deathtouch, Indestructible - then it gets really really good. But that's a lot of hoops to jump. This kind of tactic might work for some time, but it can easily be attacked with stuff like Mardu Woe-Reaper and the kin.
We do live in stange timesSudden Reclamation is in my opptinion the best typ of drawing spell in current Standard. And this spell is green, this is insanity. But i guess this card feels slightly more home in the 4c-Soul deck typish deck. Or just some Versions of sidis whip with stupid Siege Rhino.
Sudden Reclamation seems kinda unplayable to me. You're effectively getting only 1 real card out of it, and the instant speed doesn't help much 'coz this card costs FOUR damned mana. I would never, ever pay four mana for one (albeit good) draw. Just play Treasure Cruise or Dig Through Time.
I would like to focus more on the problems the deck currently has than to speculate about possible FRF additions.
Personally, I can't shake the feeling that the deck lacks some early punch and/or survivability. Sitting there and praying that I don't die until I can stabilize with Sidisi and/or Whip just isn't that good of a feeling.
Wouldn't Siege Rhino currently be the best card to fit into this role? Comes down T3/T4 and has a very good synergy with Whip that keeps us alive much longer as well as pushes through damage in case of board stalls.
The manabase seems absolutely manageable, especially with Wayfinder, Caryatid and Courser.
I'd really appreciate some comments.
that's a different deck, but i'm not faulting anyone for wanting to play 4c soul of theros.
generally a strong long-game means you're gonna stumble a but in the early game. if a deck was superior both in early and late game, it would brake the format.
The way I see it, I'll happily let the control player trade removals for my threats one for one, Stroke or Thoughtseize their threats, and just win with whatever I have sitting around when they finally draw too many blanks in a row. It helps that with the exception of Anger, Stroke also stops all the good sweepers.
--Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., who is up in Heaven now. EDH WUBRG Child of Alara WUBRG BGW Karador, Ghost Chieftain BGW RGW Mayael the Anima RGW WUB Sharuum the Hegemon WUB RWU Zedruu the Greathearted RWU
WB Ghost Council of Orzhova WB RG Ulasht, the Hate Seed RG B Korlash, Heir to Blackblade B G Molimo, Maro-Sorcerer G *click the general's name to see my list!*
--Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., who is up in Heaven now. EDH WUBRG Child of Alara WUBRG BGW Karador, Ghost Chieftain BGW RGW Mayael the Anima RGW WUB Sharuum the Hegemon WUB RWU Zedruu the Greathearted RWU
WB Ghost Council of Orzhova WB RG Ulasht, the Hate Seed RG B Korlash, Heir to Blackblade B G Molimo, Maro-Sorcerer G *click the general's name to see my list!*
4 Satyr Wayfinder
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Courser of Kruphix
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Thassa, God of the Sea
4 Sidisi, Brood Tyrant
2 Doomwake Giant
2 Soul of Innistrad
3 Hornet Queen
Other (12)
3 Thoughtseize
3 Hero's Downfall
3 Whip of Erebos
3 Murderous Cut
4 Opulent Palace
4 Llanowar Wastes
2 Yavimaya Coast
2 Temple of Malady
1 Temple of Mystery
2 Polluted Delta
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Mana Confluence
3 Forests
2 Swamps
1 Island
3 Disdainful Stroke
3 Drown in Sorrow
3 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
2 Aetherspots
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Sultai Charm
1 Whip of Erebos
1 Liliana Vess
I'm still running Aetherspouts because of how often I see Heroic online and how much of a blow-out it can be. I'm also expecting an uptick in control soon with all the whip running around.
I thought Thassa was meant more for the lists with Nighthowler and Nemesis? Seems pretty nonbo with Hornet Queen. I mean, with fewer beatsticks needing Thassa's help to punch through, doesn't this detract a lot from Thassa's value? She needs to be more than just Think Tank.
This I agree with, though I'm struggling to find room for the Sage MD. I'm not willing to give up Pharika, the difficulty of removing her and the power she gives not only to make insects for us but also to hate out opposing whip decks, is just too good to pass up.
Also, what do you bring in the Charm and/or Vess against? And a fourth Whip? Doesn't that seem a little overkill to you??
--Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., who is up in Heaven now. EDH WUBRG Child of Alara WUBRG BGW Karador, Ghost Chieftain BGW RGW Mayael the Anima RGW WUB Sharuum the Hegemon WUB RWU Zedruu the Greathearted RWU
WB Ghost Council of Orzhova WB RG Ulasht, the Hate Seed RG B Korlash, Heir to Blackblade B G Molimo, Maro-Sorcerer G *click the general's name to see my list!*
What would you sideboard in and out if lets say you already maindeck 3cuts 2 downfalls. Would you side in thoughtseizes too? What would you take out for them if lets say for example we're running the cookie cutter sidisi whip deck.
Would you ever cut caryatids or coursers?
Against Agressive GRx lists the game is usually all about resolving a Whip as quickly as possible as the match up can feel lopsided either way depending on whether you have a Whip or not.
In my recent PPTQ a 4c reanimator with sidisi and rhinos won. He never played against a single midrange deck, just aggro all day until top 8 where he played against midrange and control and had super close and grindy games.
In a GPT, the same 4c reanimator dropped after going 0-3, being matched up against abzan and temur midrange.
There are just too many games where you and your opponent reach board parity and you need something to break through. Even Hornet Queen and her followers need help getting through opposing Hornet Queens. I can recall a recent game where my opponent stablized at 5 life (Queen) and I only had a Sidisi/Courser in play with no cards in hand and a boatload of mana. Thassa was my only out and I drew her.
I was bringing Charm in vs. G/x Devotion, the mirror, vs. Jeskai tokens and etc.; essentially anywhere it's relevant. The ability to smooth out top heavy draws, hit a creature/enchantment is really amazing IMO, it's super versatile. I'm trying to include 1 MB because it's almost never dead. Vess is for any attrition based match-up, sometimes acting as Whip #5. You ask if 4 Whips is too much but until people start attacking the graveyard more aggressively instead of simply running enchantment removal I'm going to run as many as possible in my 75. The way games are playing out you can't draw into too many Whip.
It's pretty straightforward with most of those card.
Disdainful Strokes are for other midrange decks, including the Sultai Mirror, Abzan, or Mardu.
I've never played with any decks with Kiora, so I really have no idea where she shines or doesn't. I'd assume you'd want her against other midrange decks, and potentially against control decks as an alternate win con.
Bile Blight is good against aggressive decks and decks that heavily use tokens as important cards.
Drown In Sorrow is good also against aggressive decks.
Hero's Downfall is good against Planeswalker heavy decks, and midrange decks that play fewer creatures, that are larger in size, like Mardu and Abzan.
Ashiok is good against creature heavy decks, with creatures that are competent by themselves. This mostly applies to other green decks, including the Sultai mirror, Green devotion decks, and G/R/x Monster decks, like Temur.
Reclamation Sage is good against decks that have enchanments that are important to their strategy, like Jeskai Ascendancy decks, Heroic based decks, and other Whip of Erebos based decks.
Combining those pieces of information should help you construct what you need to board in for each matchup. What you take out is far more depending on whether you're playing/drawing first, and how specifically your opponent's deck is configured. Try to take out cards that are useless or ineffective.
It's also good against Heroic if you can keep the board relatively stabilized.
Yeah, I guess I'd amend my rule of thumb to it being good against decks that want to play a few big creatures rather than a bunch of small ones. If Heroic's "battlecruiser magic" works out, then they also join the ranks of decks like Mardu and Abzan midrange.
Many thanks to HotP Studios. Special thanks to DNC for this great sig.
4x Courser of Kruphix
2x Doomwake Giant
2x Hornet Queen
1x Pharika, God of Affliction
4x Satyr Wayfinder
4x Sidisi, Brood Tyrant
4x Siege Rhino
1x Soul of Innistrad
4x Sylvan Caryatid
Spells
2x Hero's Downfall
4x Murderous Cut
1x Treasure Cruise
3x Whip of Erebos
2x Caves of Koilos
3x Forest
1x Island
4x Llanowar Wastes
4x Opulent Palace
4x Sandsteppe Citadel
1x Swamp
1x Temple of Mystery
1x Temple of Silence
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2x Yavimaya Coast
3x Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
3x Bile Blight
2x Disdainful Stroke
2x Hero's Downfall
1x Kiora, the Crashing Wave
3x Reclamation Sage
1x Utter End
I figured that these Whip decks are all really just G/B Midrange splashing for either Blue or White, but that the splash was easy.
If I could splash for 4 Blue cards maindeck, how hard would it be for 4 White card in the main.
Tonight, I found out.
Round 2 vs Jeskai Aggro( not tokens): 2-1
Round 3 vs B/U Chevy Control (adrian sullivan version): 2-1
Round 4 vs Mono Red Devotion (go figure): 2-0
4 Sidisi, Brood Tyrant
4 Satyr Wayfinder
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Courser of Kruphix
1 Reclamation Sage
2 Doomwake Giant
2 Hornet Queen
1 Soul of Innistrad
Spells (14)
3 Whip of Erebos
3 Murderous Cut
3 Hero's Downfall
3 Thoughtseize
1 Commune with the Gods
1 Dead Drop
3 Forest
1 Island
4 Llanowar Wastes
4 Opulent Palace
2 Polluted Delta
2 Swamp
2 Temple of Malady
1 Wooded Foothills
2 Yavimaya Coast
1 Temple of Mystery
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Evolving Wilds
2 Disdainful Stroke
2 Dark Betrayal
1 Thoughtseize
2 Drown in Sorrow
1 Dictate of Erebos
1 Dead Drop
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Sultai Charm
2 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
2 Kiora, the Crashing Wave
Here is my current list. Super happy with the Dead Drops right now. I also started streaming Sultai decks on twitch.tv/princeabubbu so follow me there if you want to discuss and help make this deck better.
Cards I think could potentially be played in a new version of the deck/ Sideboard
I think an aggro deck with nighthowler, grave strength, soulflayer, Herald of Torment, and Strength from the Fallen could be super interesting. Not sure what all else would be in it but I am going to be working on this deck as soon as I get the cards.
Soulflayer seems like hot garbage as while his text is very much the reason you're playing the card, his stats are just inherently poor and any ability you give him is rather redundant unless it has hexproof or indestructibility to go with it. Was Carin Wanderer a powerful constructed card?
Torrent Elemental seems like it has a shot. It's slow, ill give you that, but it completely breaks open nearly any board stall and that's not something I'm about to overlook just yet, and that's without its synergy with Whip.
4 Satyr Wayfinder
4 Sylvan caryatid
4 Sidisi, Brood Tyrant
1 Doomwake Giant
2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
1 Torrent Elemental
2 Silumgar, the Drifting Death
4 Merciless Executioner
Spells(14):
3 Whip of Erebos
3 Hero's Downfall
3 Murderous Cut
3 Thoughtseize
1 Sudden Reclamation
1 Commune with the Gods
3 Forest
1 Island
4 Llanowar Wastes
4 Opulent Palace
2 Polluted Delta
2 Swamp
2 Temple of Malady
1 Wooded Foothills
2 Yavimaya Coast
1 Temple of Mystery
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Evolving Wilds
2 Hornet Queen
1 Thoughtseize
1 Drown in Sorrow
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Dictate of Erebos
2 Crux of Fate
3 Courser of Kruphix
2 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
2 Kiora, the Crashing Wave
This is what I am thinking right now. I don't know how good sudden reclamation is going to be but a 4 mana instant speed draw two specific cards is good. The other thing I am not sure about is taking courser of kruphix out of the main vs merciless executioner. I think the card can be good and am willing to try, whipping it back is good value. I like silumgar, the drifting death a lot and think it has a lot of potential in our deck. Hornet Queen is not as good as it was earlier this season but still has it's spot in the sideboard for particular MUs.
I think the decks that got stronger this set is UW herioc, UB/UW Control, Jeskai Ascendency, and Mardu/RB aggro.
I really like the interaction between dictate of erebos and merciless executioner and will be playing around with the dictate mb potentially
Soulflayer is pretty much unplayable in this iteration of whip/graveyard decks. Tasigur feels much more at home, and even he feels somewhat underwhelming on paper.
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I see Soulflayer more as a build around card in quite different lists than we're currently used to, possibly reminiscent of the more aggressive Strength of the Fallen lists with enablers such as Grave Strentgh and a much lower curve in general. Think Gurmag Swiftwing, Herald of Torment, Hooting Mandrils, Siege Rhino etc. Someone more clever or dedicated to the idea than I am atm could very well brew a powerful list with Soulflayer as the lynchpin but he just seems a subpar addition to the stock lists seeing play right now.
What are you gonna delve away? the only sensible target is Sylvan Caryatid, which only grants Hexproof and that's not good enough. We live in a world of Siege Rhinos and being a mere 4/4 is a HUGE disadvantage. If you start to cannibalize your own graveyard, then you can get stuff like flying & deathtouch (hornet queen) and Indestructible (Pharika). The thing is that Hornet Queen is a prime whip target and the main avenue to victory for this deck. Pharika is also a strong card in the right MUs and you definitely want to return those to your hand with Soul of Innistrad in many games. The big problem is, of course, that in order to give these traits to Soulflayer consistently you would have to start maindecking more Pharikas and Hornet Queens and that's not a good thing. Both are powerful but very slow cards.
IF you can get all those abilities - Flying, Hexproof, Deathtouch, Indestructible - then it gets really really good. But that's a lot of hoops to jump. This kind of tactic might work for some time, but it can easily be attacked with stuff like Mardu Woe-Reaper and the kin.
Sudden Reclamation seems kinda unplayable to me. You're effectively getting only 1 real card out of it, and the instant speed doesn't help much 'coz this card costs FOUR damned mana. I would never, ever pay four mana for one (albeit good) draw. Just play Treasure Cruise or Dig Through Time.
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that's a different deck, but i'm not faulting anyone for wanting to play 4c soul of theros.
generally a strong long-game means you're gonna stumble a but in the early game. if a deck was superior both in early and late game, it would brake the format.
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