Got a spicy Naya variation in the works that so far tests really smoothly. I’ve made room for 4 Lightning Strike and 2 Hazoret main, plus appropriate lands, and it feels like it has gained extra ability to close things out. Still a WIP (sideboard is still a question mark) but I figured I would share.
So after a poor showing at FNM last week, and then a bunch of testing games this week, I'm taking a break from this for a while to think over card choices. my version of the deck lives and dies based on having both appeal to authority and adorned pouncer. The games when you crack someone for 10 on turn 3 and win on t4 are awesome. The games where you run multiple lines and win a close one on turn 7/8 are also fun. The games where you never see an appeal to authority against a midrange deck are brutal Wars of attrition you end up losing. mh thoughts right now are you can win out of nowhere, literally from t4 on with appeal. Which is awesome. But games where you never see an appeal are very difficult to win. Gonna reconfigure and try out the other builds on the thread with oketra or Rhonas monument, perhaps lifecrafter bestiary in the main or just work it from pure aggro to a midrange with a better plan for removing the opponents threats than beat down. Good luck all, hope others are doing well!
Hopefully you'll find something that works for you! If you haven't yet tried building with an energy shell, I'd encourage you to give it a shot. My current build is on Naya and feels really consistent. NOTE that I would not recommend trying to go 3 colours outside of energy.
Thrashing Brontodon feels like it could be strong all-round. Good stats and an ability that's fairly relevant.
Hadana's Climb could tempt me into Bant instead of Naya, but it sounds like Sultai Energy might want it too and they are better potitioned to abuse it. Still gonna goldfish with it at least. (I can't say that this would be viable in non-energy lists tho.)
Gonna jam some Siegehorn Ceratops in and see if they can be made to do something.
Honourable mentions and things I'm not sure about:
Skymarcher Aspirant seems like a nice aggressive 1-drop. Dunno that I can fit it in as I am heavily green, but for more balanced lists maybe?
I really like Jadelight Ranger over [card]Merefolk Branchwalker[/card. Branchwalker was my "I don't mind playing this, but wish I could do something else" on turn three after getting out an Adorned or Adonto. Jadelight Ranger filters land, scry's twice (potentially) or gets pumped.
Blazing Hope - I like it for the late game against energy/Hazorat. Nice sideboard option. Path of Discovery - Seems very interesting for the later game. Kind of like a Search for Azcanta for G/W Aggro. Guessing it is too slow though. Will try it though. Paladin of Atonement - It's another creature they will feel like they need to remove, and if not will continue to get larger. Being able to give it trample would be nice. Huatli, Radiant Champion - Seems like the biggest win though. G/W got a planeswalker that likes creatures, pumps up creatures, and draws for the late game.
Not much to work with in my eyes. The creatures' payoff in the set revolve around their tribe 85% of the time, and when they don't they don't compare to what the deck already uses. I don't think Ascend is very attainable with this deck.
I'm torn on the new Huatli. It seems like she wants to be in a go-wide shell where she can ult the turn after being played; whereas we (at least from my own experience) are more focused on valuing out with a couple dudes at a time. Of course I could simply be misplaying here :). In any case I should at least add her to my testing pile. Really wish her -1 came with trample or vigilance tho.
On Rhonas's Monument, having used it my feeling was that it is kinda "win more", not to mention a terrible top deck on an empty hand/board. Kinda why I rebuilt: minimize bad draws and enable me to play with dudes sandbagged against removal.
When I first saw Siegehorn Ceratops I was like, boy did GW get hosed in this set but the more I think about it the more I like it. It is a MUST andwer when pumped by khenra/appeal and adds TONS of value to having Blossoming Defense in our hand. Ill be grabbing 4 as soon as I can to test. The question is, who does it replace?
Welp, losing Attune sucks for my particular variant, but I'm going to keep at it for a week or two just to see if 3 colours is still viable. My gut says prolly not, but I'm a sucker for punishment. The only change I'll need to make is adding 3-4 lands in place of the Attunes - either 1 of each basic, or a forest plus 1 each G/x cycling land. In both cases maybe an Evolving Wilds makes it as well. Gotta see if I can make it on 22 before I go to 23. My curve is still pretty low.
Hmmm... I'll definitely put that idea on the list! I'd looked at Greenwheel when I started out trying to build a mono-G stompy list. Definitely worth revisiting with Map in mind.
Played against Naya Dinos in rounds 1 and 3 (win 2-0 and 2-1), Sultai Constrictor in the second (loss 1-2) and finally UG Merfolk (won 2-1). I didn't see all the other matches but I caught the tail end of a Grixis aggro and Mardu Blue face-off.
The main felt really strong despite more mulligans than I'd have liked, with the exception of the Sultai match where it crapped out badly in both losses and only just pulled out the one win. Miners continue to be amazing, especially with the loss of Attune. Attunes straight across turned into lands. I removed one of my Hydras due to the lower energy generation of the deck, bringing in the third Appeal. I don't think I want to anything to the main at this point as this was only the first outing.
Not getting into match specifics (mostly because I don't remember much!), but I definitely discovered the need for more ways to interact with large dudes and swarms out of the board. Based on what I faced and saw, and considering swaps for only the cards that never got boarded in, I think I can be safe in taking out the Bestiaries and the Defeats. Landings stay for now in case control was out there and I missed it, and similarly the Field probably deserves to have an opportunity to be played before I make a decision on that. (I might be wrong there tho.)
With those 4 slots I will move to a pair of Sweltering Suns (merfolk go wide fast but they aren't that big), and one more each of Ixalan's Binding and Baffling End to help with the big creature matches.
Anyone else still doing anything in non-tribal GW/x aggro?
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4 Aether Hub
4 Forest
1 Mountain
2 Plains
4 Rootbound Crag
4 Sunpetal Grove
Instants:
4 Blossoming Defense
4 Lightning Strike
Sorceries:
2 Appeal // Authority
4 Attune with Aether
4 Adorned Pouncer
3 Aethergeode Miner
4 Bristling Hydra
2 Hazoret the Fervent
4 Longtusk Cub
4 Narnam Renegade
4 Resilient Khenra
2 Rhonas the Indomitable
3 Deathgorge Scavenger
3 Glorybringer
2 Huatli, Warrior Poet
1 Inspiring Vantage
1 Ixalan's Binding
2 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
3 TBD
Honourable mentions and things I'm not sure about:
Did I miss anything else that you guys are thinking of? Am I off-base with any of my thoughts? Inquiring minds want to know!
Blazing Hope - I like it for the late game against energy/Hazorat. Nice sideboard option.
Path of Discovery - Seems very interesting for the later game. Kind of like a Search for Azcanta for G/W Aggro. Guessing it is too slow though. Will try it though.
Paladin of Atonement - It's another creature they will feel like they need to remove, and if not will continue to get larger. Being able to give it trample would be nice.
Huatli, Radiant Champion - Seems like the biggest win though. G/W got a planeswalker that likes creatures, pumps up creatures, and draws for the late game.
Not much to work with in my eyes. The creatures' payoff in the set revolve around their tribe 85% of the time, and when they don't they don't compare to what the deck already uses. I don't think Ascend is very attainable with this deck.
4x Adanto Vanguard
4x Adorned Pouncer
3x Jadelight Ranger
2x Kinjalli's Sunwing
4x Narnam Renegade
4x Paladin of Atonement
4x Resilient Khenra
Artifact (2)
2x Rhonas's Monument
3x Hashep Oasis
7x Plains
3x Shefet Dunes
4x Sunpetal Grove
Instant (4)
4x Blossoming Defense
4x Appeal // Authority
Planeswalker (2)
2x Huatli, Radiant Champion
2x Legion's Landing
3x Cast Out
3x Glory-Bound Initiate
2x Heroic Intervention
3x Nature's Way
2x Settle the Wreckage
2x Solemnity
I want to make Rhona's Monument so badly, but it would be the first to go if it doesn't work and try Path of Discovery.
On Rhonas's Monument, having used it my feeling was that it is kinda "win more", not to mention a terrible top deck on an empty hand/board. Kinda why I rebuilt: minimize bad draws and enable me to play with dudes sandbagged against removal.
I don't think that Paladin of Atonement is really worth it, the ability is inconsistent and it is really small to begin with.
Maybe Siegehorn Ceratops is playable though it probably needs to be in Naya for better support
(Tilonalli's Crown, Rile, Raging Regisaur) besides Savage Stomp or cards like Pounce/Prey Upon.
only Thing I changed was Skymarcher Aspirant s for sacred cats
4 Aether Hub
1 Evolving Wilds
4 Forest
2 Mountain
2 Plains
4 Rootbound Crag
1 Scattered Groves
1 Sheltered Thicket
4 Sunpetal Grove
Instants:
4 Blossoming Defense
4 Lightning Strike
3 Appeal // Authority
Creatures:
4 Adorned Pouncer
3 Aethergeode Miner
3 Bristling Hydra
2 Hazoret the Fervent
4 Longtusk Cub
4 Narnam Renegade
4 Resilient Khenra
2 Rhonas the Indomitable
1 Baffling End
2 Chandra's Defeat
1 Field of Ruin
1 Forsake the Worldly
2 Harnessed Lightning
2 Deathgorge Scavenger
1 Huatli, Warrior Poet
1 Ixalan's Binding
2 Legion's Landing
2 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
Played against Naya Dinos in rounds 1 and 3 (win 2-0 and 2-1), Sultai Constrictor in the second (loss 1-2) and finally UG Merfolk (won 2-1). I didn't see all the other matches but I caught the tail end of a Grixis aggro and Mardu Blue face-off.
The main felt really strong despite more mulligans than I'd have liked, with the exception of the Sultai match where it crapped out badly in both losses and only just pulled out the one win. Miners continue to be amazing, especially with the loss of Attune. Attunes straight across turned into lands. I removed one of my Hydras due to the lower energy generation of the deck, bringing in the third Appeal. I don't think I want to anything to the main at this point as this was only the first outing.
Not getting into match specifics (mostly because I don't remember much!), but I definitely discovered the need for more ways to interact with large dudes and swarms out of the board. Based on what I faced and saw, and considering swaps for only the cards that never got boarded in, I think I can be safe in taking out the Bestiaries and the Defeats. Landings stay for now in case control was out there and I missed it, and similarly the Field probably deserves to have an opportunity to be played before I make a decision on that. (I might be wrong there tho.)
With those 4 slots I will move to a pair of Sweltering Suns (merfolk go wide fast but they aren't that big), and one more each of Ixalan's Binding and Baffling End to help with the big creature matches.
Anyone else still doing anything in non-tribal GW/x aggro?