GR cuts you off of early black and double black -- so consistent t1-2 Fatal Push, Siphoner, and Snek won't be an option. GB splash cuts you off of Chandra and Glorybringer.
Don't over think stuff and try and get too attritioney. Speed will be more important than people think -- Greenbelt Rampager and Heart of Kiran are still fantastic magic cards.
Don't try and yank your mana too much in the initial weeks. Speedlands are great but time has shown us how poor CIPT duals are -- their mana bases need extensive tuning and you'll have clunky hands that "would've won if I just drew a land at the right time".
I've integrated a couple Sheltered Thicket to help cast Glorybringer and Chandra, Torch of Defiance more reliably. With my experience it's possible to pull off Jund, but it definitely can't be a double black card. Fatal Push isn't even a reliable turn one option with ~13 sources of black, but you often want to be using Attune with Aether or Greenbelt Rampager anyway. It's actually possible we don't need Black anymore either, but curving out two drops while still using Fatal Push has won me so many games just off that tempo.
What I'm trying to do is integrate Rhonas, the Indomitable, and Hazoret, the Fervent and turn it into an Aggro/Midrange Gods type build. The balance comes in that we need a critical mass of 4 Power creatures to turn on Rhonas immediately to defend against Aggro. Bristling Hydra becomes better in a format without Copy Cat, and feels like an inclusion. Lathnu Hellion is possible, but all my energy goes into Longtusk Cub. Longtusk Cub is still absurd when you are ahead on the boarding removal, but has a harder time reaching 4 power than 3 power. Of which Heart of Kiran is still an impressive beater in this deck, and can turn on Rhonas and be crewed even with inactive gods. I'm kind of on the feeling of dropping Cub, and going lighter on removal just to make room for the gods. Needs a ton more testing though. I've also started to feel that Blossoming Defense gets a bit of an uptick in strength given you sometimes want to keep the mana open for Censor anyway, and there's a lot of expensive mana removal out there like Cast Out that it blows out. Also can enable Rhonas in a pinch. Speaking of which, Arlinn Kord also feels like she gets a boost in a Rhonas deck, but there still needs to be a critical mass of creatures.
One deck I ran into recently that might compete with this one is what I call RG Whipping Boy. A bunch of one drops that die for value (i.e. Blisterpod) and oversized creatures from Amonkhet that come with -1/-1 counters. I'm not sure if it's actually competitive but he was dropping some jumbo creatures on turn two and three.
So, I have been brewing the new version of my deck. Speed is the name of the game. The deck has a lot of haste to keep the pressure going throughout the match. I could use some CC and I will try and update as I test more.
The deck is very creature heavy. Channeler initiate is a great mana dork and synergizes with crocodile of the crossing. Voltaic Brawler provides energy for lathnu hellion and can trample over. Lathnu Hellion I think gets better here as he does turn on rhonas the indomitable and a 4/4 for 3 is not bad. He does get chump blocked yes, but rhonas can give trample so I feel that will help his playability. Glorybringer and chandra, torch of defiance are your win cons. Glorybringer so far has been amazing, especially if he comes down turn 4. Heart of kiran is still great and helps rhonas. The tireless tracker as a 1 of is a flex spot and I am not sure what could go here. Maybe rhonas # 3 when I get one. Overall a pretty straightforward aggro/midrange deck. Sideboard is a work in progress. I am also not great at building manabases, but 20 lands feels fine with all the other ways I can get mana in the deck.
This list looks really tight and, after FNM, I have to agree that 2cmc mana dorks just aren't doing it. Sometimes they're great as the format is in flux and tapping out for 4 drops on turn 3 can be pretty good but they're just not cutting it.
I have to imagine Bristling Hydra and Rhonas are pretty good. This is similar to lists that a lot of people were drawing up but just cuts the weak mana dorks -- it's pretty strong on curve and looks resilient to the jeskai controls of the format with Hydra and Rhonas.
I have to imagine Bristling Hydra and Rhonas are pretty good.
from the guy who piloted G/W tokens (20th) at reddit:
In playing against Rhonas (and Hazoret) this weekend, I was very unimpressed. If you can turn them on they are fine, but the significant percentage of the time you can't turn them on they are a major liability in a format so defined by board presence and tempo.
while i expected Hazoret to be not so good (being hellbent or nearly so is a terrible situation in this Standard of grindy midrange decks), i was surprised in his assessment of Rhonas. but upon consideration i believe he's right.
Smashed FNM 4-0 against GB Constrictor, WB Zombies, Mono-Black Aggro, and UR Control. Hazoret overperformed as a one of compared to my expectations as a hellbent card that's difficult to deal with later in any game. All the five drops feel like they turn around a game incredibly quick by being additional removal in a deck with 8 mainboard answers and the ability to go up to 12 or more, and serve as answers themselves to decks as they transform into planeswalkers. In the more grindy meta that lacks Copy Cat the Tireless Trackers were the winners. As answers have to be thrown at Heart of Kiran, Longtusk Cub, Greenbelt Rampager, Scrapheap Scrounger, and Voltaic Brawler it feels like they run out of answers for a Turn 4 Tracker with a clue which if left alone for any longer than that ends the games with that drowning card advantage. Chandra still felt amazing with the versatility and incremental advantage. I managed to pop Heart of Kiran out of her extra mana twice, and even the time it was hit with Never // Return it felt like a victory. The removal really feels like it can be tweaked based on the expected meta and still gives Jund a strong way to deal with opposing decks.
Needs plenty more testing especially when the Mardu players show up and I will be trying an RG Gods variant, but two-drop focused Jund Energy has continued to treat me well. My sideboard feels like a scattered mess, but I managed to use most of it.
With many Mardu Vehicles surrounding the metagame, is it wise to play Shock / Magma Spray in the main ? Killing both Toolcraft Exemplar and Scrapheap Scrounger are essential to prevent Heart of Kiran to take the air advantage, and is mana efficient. Not only that, those burn also get rid of pesky chump blockers and dealing maximum damage.
On Rhonas and Hazoret, I have the same feeling as well. Sure Rhonas gets online easy and maybe it just haven't find the right fit in a deck, and Hazoret is just poor to go hellbent. I fit Rhonas surrounded by 4 power creatures all the way, supported by Fling / Heart-Piercer Manticore to close up the game.
I'm not 100% sure about his assessment of Rhonas. I wished he went into a bit of detail about what decks he played against that had Rhonas the Indomitable. I've seen decks with Rhonas that had no business running him (Example: decks without 4 power creatures, or running 4 in a list), and decks that can turn him on very easily (Example: Mac Bower's G/R Energy List).
Karl Tashjian did good at the event, but I would maybe take what he said with a grain of salt. Not to say anything about his ability say a player, but for example, If Brain Kibler (someone who has more experience and is in the HoF) said that Rhonas the Indomitable was a bad card, then yeah I would listen to what he would have to say. Also Karl did say in the same reddit post "It's worth testing".
This list looks really tight and, after FNM, I have to agree that 2cmc mana dorks just aren't doing it. Sometimes they're great as the format is in flux and tapping out for 4 drops on turn 3 can be pretty good but they're just not cutting it.
I have to imagine Bristling Hydra and Rhonas are pretty good. This is similar to lists that a lot of people were drawing up but just cuts the weak mana dorks -- it's pretty strong on curve and looks resilient to the jeskai controls of the format with Hydra and Rhonas.
I'm still on "looking around for best Rhonas deck". I think a lot of people have just been inputting him into lists, which is probably wrong.
Notably, I left out Glorybringer, which is think is relevant. Once you get past 5 mana, you just want to untap and start Kessiging your opponent and see if they can survive. You've got hyperefficient -- if sorcery speed -- removal in Prey Upon. Glorybringer is great but maybe is a hinderance in some spots. Maybe he belongs but I want a bunch of bodies that I can protect with Defense and use with prey upon.
This is a "build around Rhonas" list, so a lot of the options are bad but I think Rhonas is a good enough card to warrant finding synergies where you can. None of your crap dies to on-board Ballista where x=2 -- which I think is super relevant -- although sometimes you'll have a naked cub.
Despite Fatal Push and Ballista existing in the format, cards like Unlicensed Disintegration push us into small ball. Even just being naked to Nahiri is garbage.
I'm not 100% sure about his assessment of Rhonas. I wished he went into a bit of detail about what decks he played against that had Rhonas the Indomitable. I've seen decks with Rhonas that had no business running him (Example: decks without 4 power creatures, or running 4 in a list), and decks that can turn him on very easily (Example: Mac Bower's G/R Energy List).
Karl Tashjian did good at the event, but I would maybe take what he said with a grain of salt. Not to say anything about his ability say a player, but for example, If Brain Kibler (someone who has more experience and is in the HoF) said that Rhonas the Indomitable was a bad card, then yeah I would listen to what he would have to say. Also Karl did say in the same reddit post "It's worth testing".
i do hope Rhonas is ultimately a good card.
i haven't playtested with it yet, though. Amonkhet cards are relatively scarce here. i hope to pick up a couple at FNM.
Would Cut // Ribbons be on ok addition to the G/R energy deck, even if we can't always use the Ribbons side? ( Aether Hub can help with making Black Mana)
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Standard Decks:
Dinosaurs
Aggro Retired
Aggro Retired
Tokens Retired
Temur White Retired
Dragons Retired
Monsters Retired
Aggro Retired
Midrange Retired
Zombies Retired
You aren't casting Ribbons with only 4 sources. I'd been considering putting it into my Jund version though since it runs 13 sources and needs to be only cast very late.
As for whether Cut alone is worth it I wouldn't really be sure. Harnessed Lightning is vastly superior, and for other red options there are Shock, Incendiary Flow, and Magma Spray. Really depends on how much you need to deal 4 damage outside of Harnessed Lightning. Nature's Way is an underrated option as well if you are looking at sorcery speed removal and have enough 3-4 power creatures. Personally once I splashed black I couldn't imagine going back.
This list looks really tight and, after FNM, I have to agree that 2cmc mana dorks just aren't doing it. Sometimes they're great as the format is in flux and tapping out for 4 drops on turn 3 can be pretty good but they're just not cutting it.
I have to imagine Bristling Hydra and Rhonas are pretty good. This is similar to lists that a lot of people were drawing up but just cuts the weak mana dorks -- it's pretty strong on curve and looks resilient to the jeskai controls of the format with Hydra and Rhonas.
I like this list as well but I'm rather worried about having point 4 Harnessed Lightning for removal. Was that never an issue for the decks pilot? Also why is there Nissa and Skysovereign in the SB if there's already 4 Glorybringers in the MB???
Also I disagree on the 2 cmc mana dorks not cutting it. I think they are actually quite needed. After testing a similar build myself, getting Bristling Hydra or Glorybringer a turn early is HUGE. I think that is especially true for a deck running Rhonas. Rhonas' key weakness is that 4 powered creatures are hard to come by. Often times you'll be tapping out for your 4 powered creature and then having it die by removal, promptly turning off Rhonas. With mana dorks, you can get your 4 powered creature out quicker and potentially leave a mana open for Blossoming Defense.
the base strategy is to trade with early creatures or use removal as necessary to push damage. the real threats are the Bristling Hydras and Glorybringers. of course, post-board it changes depending on the matchup.
Round 1 vs G/B Energy - Win. in both games i just went over the top with Bristling Hydras and Glorybringers.
+ 2 Manglehorn (for the Walking Ballista and Verdurous Gearhulk)
- 2 Longtusk Cub (it doesn't trade with their x/3's without energy)
Round 2 vs Temur Tower - Win. well that was a tough match. in one game i conceded because i was down to 1 card and he just cast a Pull From Tomorrow for 8. i eventually beat him in 3 games. the heroes? Prowling Serpopard and Bristling Hydra. i just lowered my curve post board and attacked with aggressive creatures
+ 4 Lathnu Hellion
+ 3 Manglehorn
+ 2 Release the Gremlins
- 4 Glorybringer
- 4 Incendiary Flow
- 1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Round 3 vs Temur Tower - Win. again, a tough match. in the deciding round, i mulliganed to 4, i thought i was going to lose, but i just played on. at one point, he has a Whirler Virtuoso in play with 5 energy as well as Torrential Gearhulk. he cast Heaven//Earth Heaven for 0 and Earth for 4 to wipe out my board (he created a Thopter token with the Virtuoso before the Earth killed it). on my turn, i topdecked a Release the Gremlins so i cast it for to destroy his two artifacts and get me 2 Gremlin tokens to beat him down to zero.
Round 4 vs Mardu vehicles - Intentional Draw. i honestly do not want to face such a deck with so much varied, overpowered, unfair threats, so i was glad he agreed to a draw. i playtested with him, and without sideboard i was helpless.
i think without Servants of the Conduit as another energy source, Longtusk Cub went worse. i dunno if i have to replace them.
now, you might be asking "why is your deck without Rhonas?" it's because it's expensive as heck and i am not convinced of its power and today's FNM showed me i could win without that. the opponents i faced were no pushovers, they were among the best players in the LGS. still, i could imagine 3 of those instead of Serpopards in my deck and the deck might be more formidable. since my deck's working well enough without it, i have decided to wait for the Pro Tour and see if anyone could make a PT-level G/R deck and whether or not is has Rhonas or Hazoret.
that's it for my FNM Report today. how did your FNM go?
on a side note, there's a guy at FNM did have Hazoret, Rhonas and Heart of Kiran in his deck but went 2-2 i think.
the base strategy is to trade with early creatures or use removal as necessary to push damage. the real threats are the Bristling Hydras and Glorybringers. of course, post-board it changes depending on the matchup.
Round 1 vs G/B Energy - Win. in both games i just went over the top with Bristling Hydras and Glorybringers.
+ 2 Manglehorn (for the Walking Ballista and Verdurous Gearhulk)
- 2 Longtusk Cub (it doesn't trade with their x/3's without energy)
Round 2 vs Temur Tower - Win. well that was a tough match. in one game i conceded because i was down to 1 card and he just cast a Pull From Tomorrow for 8. i eventually beat him in 3 games. the heroes? Prowling Serpopard and Bristling Hydra. i just lowered my curve post board and attacked with aggressive creatures
+ 4 Lathnu Hellion
+ 3 Manglehorn
+ 2 Release the Gremlins
- 4 Glorybringer
- 4 Incendiary Flow
- 1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Round 3 vs Temur Tower - Win. again, a tough match. in the deciding round, i mulliganed to 4, i thought i was going to lose, but i just played on. at one point, he has a Whirler Virtuoso in play with 5 energy as well as Torrential Gearhulk. he cast Heaven//Earth Heaven for 0 and Earth for 4 to wipe out my board (he created a Thopter token with the Virtuoso before the Earth killed it). on my turn, i topdecked a Release the Gremlins so i cast it for to destroy his two artifacts and get me 2 Gremlin tokens to beat him down to zero.
Round 4 vs Mardu vehicles - Intentional Draw. i honestly do not want to face such a deck with so much varied, overpowered, unfair threats, so i was glad he agreed to a draw. i playtested with him, and without sideboard i was helpless.
i think without Servants of the Conduit as another energy source, Longtusk Cub went worse. i dunno if i have to replace them.
now, you might be asking "why is your deck without Rhonas?" it's because it's expensive as heck and i am not convinced of its power and today's FNM showed me i could win without that. the opponents i faced were no pushovers, they were among the best players in the LGS. still, i could imagine 3 of those instead of Serpopards in my deck and the deck might be more formidable. since my deck's working well enough without it, i have decided to wait for the Pro Tour and see if anyone could make a PT-level G/R deck and whether or not is has Rhonas or Hazoret.
that's it for my FNM Report today. how did your FNM go?
on a side note, there's a guy at FNM did have Hazoret, Rhonas and Heart of Kiran in his deck but went 2-2 i think.
Do you find it necessary to run 3 Prowling Serpopard in main? If your opponent isn't playing control, then it's just a vanilla 4/3 creature for 3; granted that's still pretty good but it'd be a vanilla creature nonetheless; idk it just doesn't seem very efficient.
I agree that servant of the conduit is a must have. A source of energy and a mana ramp. I've been experimenting with energy builds myself and I can say that getting to play Bristling Hydra on Turn 3 or Glorybringer on Turn 4 is huge. However I don't know if I like the 4x Lathnu Hellion; I've found that it does end up being quite energy intensive to maintain which is why I've never played more than 2 and would keep 1 on the field at a time. It gets really troublesome when Hellion starts to compete with Hydra for energy.
Do you find it necessary to run 3 Prowling Serpopard in main? If your opponent isn't playing control, then it's just a vanilla 4/3 creature for 3; granted that's still pretty good but it'd be a vanilla creature nonetheless; idk it just doesn't seem very efficient.
I agree that servant of the conduit is a must have. A source of energy and a mana ramp. I've been experimenting with energy builds myself and I can say that getting to play Bristling Hydra on Turn 3 or Glorybringer on Turn 4 is huge. However I don't know if I like the 4x Lathnu Hellion; I've found that it does end up being quite energy intensive to maintain which is why I've never played more than 2 and would keep 1 on the field at a time. It gets really troublesome when Hellion starts to compete with Hydra for energy.
Prowling Serpopard's not necessary to be in the main. however, i can't think of another 3 drop that i own to put there, so the 4-power Serpopard made it to the main. the deck's aim is to trade with early creatures to exhaust the opponent's blockers and removal before Bristling Hydra and Glorybringer goes in for the kill. and opponents really have to block or kill those early creatures because they cause quite a lot of damage.
during my testing, Servant of the Conduit had been lackluster. they don't attack or block well. a T4 Glorybringer's nice, but highly inconsistent because the opponent's gonna kill the servant or Glorybringer anyway. it aims to grind. it's ok not to have ramp.
Lathnu Hellion did a lot of work for me against my matchups vs control (in my case, Dynavolt Tower). as you know, Dynavolt Tower only deals 3 damage, so Lathnu Hellion's safe from a single shot of the tower. it's also hasty, so the opponent can be taken by surprise. two attacks from it, if they connect, is good enough for me. as for their Energy cost, a control player won't let them live long anyway, so wither they die to removal or i allow them to by not paying Energy.
Do you find it necessary to run 3 Prowling Serpopard in main? If your opponent isn't playing control, then it's just a vanilla 4/3 creature for 3; granted that's still pretty good but it'd be a vanilla creature nonetheless; idk it just doesn't seem very efficient.
I agree that servant of the conduit is a must have. A source of energy and a mana ramp. I've been experimenting with energy builds myself and I can say that getting to play Bristling Hydra on Turn 3 or Glorybringer on Turn 4 is huge. However I don't know if I like the 4x Lathnu Hellion; I've found that it does end up being quite energy intensive to maintain which is why I've never played more than 2 and would keep 1 on the field at a time. It gets really troublesome when Hellion starts to compete with Hydra for energy.
Prowling Serpopard's not necessary to be in the main. however, i can't think of another 3 drop that i own to put there, so the 4-power Serpopard made it to the main. the deck's aim is to trade with early creatures to exhaust the opponent's blockers and removal before Bristling Hydra and Glorybringer goes in for the kill. and opponents really have to block or kill those early creatures because they cause quite a lot of damage.
during my testing, Servant of the Conduit had been lackluster. they don't attack or block well. a T4 Glorybringer's nice, but highly inconsistent because the opponent's gonna kill the servant or Glorybringer anyway. it aims to grind. it's ok not to have ramp.
Lathnu Hellion did a lot of work for me against my matchups vs control (in my case, Dynavolt Tower). as you know, Dynavolt Tower only deals 3 damage, so Lathnu Hellion's safe from a single shot of the tower. it's also hasty, so the opponent can be taken by surprise. two attacks from it, if they connect, is good enough for me. as for their Energy cost, a control player won't let them live long anyway, so wither they die to removal or i allow them to by not paying Energy.
In that case why not just mainboard Hellion? If your default strategy is beatdown, then Hellion is perfect. The cat snake is only good against Control.
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GR splash for Unlicensed Disintegration. Or GB splash for Unlicensed Disintegration.
GR cuts you off of early black and double black -- so consistent t1-2 Fatal Push, Siphoner, and Snek won't be an option. GB splash cuts you off of Chandra and Glorybringer.
Don't over think stuff and try and get too attritioney. Speed will be more important than people think -- Greenbelt Rampager and Heart of Kiran are still fantastic magic cards.
Don't try and yank your mana too much in the initial weeks. Speedlands are great but time has shown us how poor CIPT duals are -- their mana bases need extensive tuning and you'll have clunky hands that "would've won if I just drew a land at the right time".
With your mana bases week 1 -- be kind; don't try and play Ruinous Path, Greenbelt Rampager, and Chandra, Torch of Defiance in the same deck.
What I'm trying to do is integrate Rhonas, the Indomitable, and Hazoret, the Fervent and turn it into an Aggro/Midrange Gods type build. The balance comes in that we need a critical mass of 4 Power creatures to turn on Rhonas immediately to defend against Aggro. Bristling Hydra becomes better in a format without Copy Cat, and feels like an inclusion. Lathnu Hellion is possible, but all my energy goes into Longtusk Cub. Longtusk Cub is still absurd when you are ahead on the boarding removal, but has a harder time reaching 4 power than 3 power. Of which Heart of Kiran is still an impressive beater in this deck, and can turn on Rhonas and be crewed even with inactive gods. I'm kind of on the feeling of dropping Cub, and going lighter on removal just to make room for the gods. Needs a ton more testing though. I've also started to feel that Blossoming Defense gets a bit of an uptick in strength given you sometimes want to keep the mana open for Censor anyway, and there's a lot of expensive mana removal out there like Cast Out that it blows out. Also can enable Rhonas in a pinch. Speaking of which, Arlinn Kord also feels like she gets a boost in a Rhonas deck, but there still needs to be a critical mass of creatures.
4x channeler initiate
4x voltaic brawler
4x lathnu hellion
4x crocodile of the crossing
4x glorybringer
2x rhonas the indomitable
1x tireless tracker
4x harnessed lightning
2x chandra, torch of defiance
3x heart of kiran
4x game trail
4x aether hub
2x cinder glade
2x sheltered thicket
4x forest
4x mountain
The deck is very creature heavy. Channeler initiate is a great mana dork and synergizes with crocodile of the crossing.
Voltaic Brawler provides energy for lathnu hellion and can trample over. Lathnu Hellion I think gets better here as he does turn on rhonas the indomitable and a 4/4 for 3 is not bad. He does get chump blocked yes, but rhonas can give trample so I feel that will help his playability. Glorybringer and chandra, torch of defiance are your win cons. Glorybringer so far has been amazing, especially if he comes down turn 4. Heart of kiran is still great and helps rhonas. The tireless tracker as a 1 of is a flex spot and I am not sure what could go here. Maybe rhonas # 3 when I get one. Overall a pretty straightforward aggro/midrange deck. Sideboard is a work in progress. I am also not great at building manabases, but 20 lands feels fine with all the other ways I can get mana in the deck.
Any advice is welcome.
4 Bristling Hydra
4 Glorybringer
4 Greenbelt Rampager
4 Longtusk Cub
4 Tireless Tracker
4 Voltaic Brawler
2 Rhonas the Indomitable
Spells (10)
2 Blossoming Defense
4 Harnessed Lightning
4 Attune with Aether
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Lands (22)
8 Forest
2 Mountain
4 Aether Hub
4 Game Trail
4 Sheltered Thicket
2 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
2 Heroic Intervention
4 Magma Spray
1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Nissa, Vital Force
2 Release the Gremlins
Standard Decks:
Dinosaurs
Aggro Retired
Aggro Retired
Tokens Retired
Temur White Retired
Dragons Retired
Monsters Retired
Aggro Retired
Midrange Retired
Zombies Retired
This list looks really tight and, after FNM, I have to agree that 2cmc mana dorks just aren't doing it. Sometimes they're great as the format is in flux and tapping out for 4 drops on turn 3 can be pretty good but they're just not cutting it.
I have to imagine Bristling Hydra and Rhonas are pretty good. This is similar to lists that a lot of people were drawing up but just cuts the weak mana dorks -- it's pretty strong on curve and looks resilient to the jeskai controls of the format with Hydra and Rhonas.
I wonder if this list could cut some pieces for Scroungers and Unlicensed Disintegration.
from the guy who piloted G/W tokens (20th) at reddit:
while i expected Hazoret to be not so good (being hellbent or nearly so is a terrible situation in this Standard of grindy midrange decks), i was surprised in his assessment of Rhonas. but upon consideration i believe he's right.
4 Aether Hub
4 Blooming Marsh
4 Forest
4 Game Trail
2 Mountain
2 Sheltered Thicket
1 Swamp
//Spells
4 Attune with Aether
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
3 Fatal Push
3 Harnessed Lightning
3 Heart of Kiran
1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
2 Unlicensed Disintegration
2 Glorybringer
4 Greenbelt Rampager
1 Hazoret the Fervent
4 Longtusk Cub
4 Scrapheap Scrounger
2 Tireless Tracker
4 Voltaic Brawler
1 Fatal Push
2 Unlicensed Disintegration
1 Harnessed Lightning
1 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Dissenter's Deliverance
1 Root Out
1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
2 Tireless Tracker
2 Magma Spray
1 Verdurous Gearhulk
Needs plenty more testing especially when the Mardu players show up and I will be trying an RG Gods variant, but two-drop focused Jund Energy has continued to treat me well. My sideboard feels like a scattered mess, but I managed to use most of it.
On Rhonas and Hazoret, I have the same feeling as well. Sure Rhonas gets online easy and maybe it just haven't find the right fit in a deck, and Hazoret is just poor to go hellbent. I fit Rhonas surrounded by 4 power creatures all the way, supported by Fling / Heart-Piercer Manticore to close up the game.
Modern : RG Titan Shift RG | RG Revolt Zoo RG | RG Ponza RG | RGW Naya Burn RGW
Legacy : RG Belcher RG
Karl Tashjian did good at the event, but I would maybe take what he said with a grain of salt. Not to say anything about his ability say a player, but for example, If Brain Kibler (someone who has more experience and is in the HoF) said that Rhonas the Indomitable was a bad card, then yeah I would listen to what he would have to say. Also Karl did say in the same reddit post "It's worth testing".
Standard Decks:
Dinosaurs
Aggro Retired
Aggro Retired
Tokens Retired
Temur White Retired
Dragons Retired
Monsters Retired
Aggro Retired
Midrange Retired
Zombies Retired
I 100% agree with everything you said Lugger. I wonder if Heart of Kiran and Incendiary Flow would be good addictions to this deck? (maybe Incendiary Flow over Blossoming Defense if you want removal)
Standard Decks:
Dinosaurs
Aggro Retired
Aggro Retired
Tokens Retired
Temur White Retired
Dragons Retired
Monsters Retired
Aggro Retired
Midrange Retired
Zombies Retired
4x Longtusk Cub
4x Lambholt Pacifist
3x Heart of Kiran
4x Rhonas the Indomitable
4x Tireless Tracker
4x Bristling Hydra
4x Prey Upon
3x Attune with Aether
2x Blossoming Defense
4x Game Trail
4x Aether Hub
2x Cinder Glade
7x Forest
3x Mountain
I'm still on "looking around for best Rhonas deck". I think a lot of people have just been inputting him into lists, which is probably wrong.
Notably, I left out Glorybringer, which is think is relevant. Once you get past 5 mana, you just want to untap and start Kessiging your opponent and see if they can survive. You've got hyperefficient -- if sorcery speed -- removal in Prey Upon. Glorybringer is great but maybe is a hinderance in some spots. Maybe he belongs but I want a bunch of bodies that I can protect with Defense and use with prey upon.
This is a "build around Rhonas" list, so a lot of the options are bad but I think Rhonas is a good enough card to warrant finding synergies where you can. None of your crap dies to on-board Ballista where x=2 -- which I think is super relevant -- although sometimes you'll have a naked cub.
Despite Fatal Push and Ballista existing in the format, cards like Unlicensed Disintegration push us into small ball. Even just being naked to Nahiri is garbage.
Sideboard gives us some interactive tech. Magma Spray is most relevant. After that, Heroic Intervention, Arlinn Kord, Dissenter's Deliverance, Nissa, Vital Force, Glorybringer etc.
3 Channeler Initiate
4 Glorybringer
2 Hazoret the Fervent
4 Lathnu Hellion
2 Rhonas the Indomitable
4 Servant of the Conduit
4 Voltaic Brawler
Planeswalker (2)
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
4 Attune with Aether
2 Blossoming Defense
4 Harnessed Lightning
1 Shock
Land (24)
4 Aether Hub
8 Forest
4 Game Trail
4 Mountain
4 Sheltered Thicket
1 Blossoming Defense
4 Bristling Hydra
3 Magma Spray
4 Manglehorn
How relevant is Blossoming Defense ? Mainly for protection, or for pump ? I feel like I would prefer removal in that spot. My minor change would be:
-2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
-2 Blossoming Defense
+1 Channeler Initiate
+1 Chandra, Flamecaller
+2 Cut // Ribbons
Modern : RG Titan Shift RG | RG Revolt Zoo RG | RG Ponza RG | RGW Naya Burn RGW
Legacy : RG Belcher RG
i do hope Rhonas is ultimately a good card.
i haven't playtested with it yet, though. Amonkhet cards are relatively scarce here. i hope to pick up a couple at FNM.
Standard Decks:
Dinosaurs
Aggro Retired
Aggro Retired
Tokens Retired
Temur White Retired
Dragons Retired
Monsters Retired
Aggro Retired
Midrange Retired
Zombies Retired
As for whether Cut alone is worth it I wouldn't really be sure. Harnessed Lightning is vastly superior, and for other red options there are Shock, Incendiary Flow, and Magma Spray. Really depends on how much you need to deal 4 damage outside of Harnessed Lightning. Nature's Way is an underrated option as well if you are looking at sorcery speed removal and have enough 3-4 power creatures. Personally once I splashed black I couldn't imagine going back.
4 Greenbelt Rampager
4 Longtusk Cub
4 Scrapheap Scrounger
4 Voltaic Brawler
2 Rhonas the Indomitable
2 Tireless Tracker
4 Glorybringer
4 Attune with Aether
4 Harnessed Lightning
4 Unlicensed Disintegration
Artifacts (2)
2 Heart of Kiran
Lands (22)
4 Aether Hub
4 Blooming Marsh
1 Foreboding Ruins
4 Forest
4 Game Trail
4 Mountain
1 Swamp
I would like everyone's feedback. I'm still working on the sideboard.
Standard Decks:
Dinosaurs
Aggro Retired
Aggro Retired
Tokens Retired
Temur White Retired
Dragons Retired
Monsters Retired
Aggro Retired
Midrange Retired
Zombies Retired
I like this list as well but I'm rather worried about having point 4 Harnessed Lightning for removal. Was that never an issue for the decks pilot? Also why is there Nissa and Skysovereign in the SB if there's already 4 Glorybringers in the MB???
Also I disagree on the 2 cmc mana dorks not cutting it. I think they are actually quite needed. After testing a similar build myself, getting Bristling Hydra or Glorybringer a turn early is HUGE. I think that is especially true for a deck running Rhonas. Rhonas' key weakness is that 4 powered creatures are hard to come by. Often times you'll be tapping out for your 4 powered creature and then having it die by removal, promptly turning off Rhonas. With mana dorks, you can get your 4 powered creature out quicker and potentially leave a mana open for Blossoming Defense.
2 magma spray or incendiary flow and 2 sweltering suns in the side have been doing the trick for me.
U Merfolk U
WUBRGPeopleGRBUW
U Turbo Turns U
UB Fae BU
WBG Aristocrats GBW
went 3-0-1 (intentional draw) for a top 2 finish.
i used this deck:
4 Longtusk Cub
4 Voltaic Brawler
3 Prowling Serpopard
4 Tireless Tracker
4 Bristling Hydra
4 Glorybringer
Spells 15
4 Attune with Aether
4 Incendiary Flow
4 Harnessed Lightning
3 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
4 Game Trail
4 Sheltered Thicket
4 Aether Hub
3 Mountain
7 Forest
4 Lathnu Hellion
2 Sweltering Suns
3 Manglehorn
2 Release the Gremlins
4 Magma Spray
the base strategy is to trade with early creatures or use removal as necessary to push damage. the real threats are the Bristling Hydras and Glorybringers. of course, post-board it changes depending on the matchup.
Round 1 vs G/B Energy - Win. in both games i just went over the top with Bristling Hydras and Glorybringers.
+ 2 Manglehorn (for the Walking Ballista and Verdurous Gearhulk)
- 2 Longtusk Cub (it doesn't trade with their x/3's without energy)
Round 2 vs Temur Tower - Win. well that was a tough match. in one game i conceded because i was down to 1 card and he just cast a Pull From Tomorrow for 8. i eventually beat him in 3 games. the heroes? Prowling Serpopard and Bristling Hydra. i just lowered my curve post board and attacked with aggressive creatures
+ 4 Lathnu Hellion
+ 3 Manglehorn
+ 2 Release the Gremlins
- 4 Glorybringer
- 4 Incendiary Flow
- 1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Round 3 vs Temur Tower - Win. again, a tough match. in the deciding round, i mulliganed to 4, i thought i was going to lose, but i just played on. at one point, he has a Whirler Virtuoso in play with 5 energy as well as Torrential Gearhulk. he cast Heaven//Earth Heaven for 0 and Earth for 4 to wipe out my board (he created a Thopter token with the Virtuoso before the Earth killed it). on my turn, i topdecked a Release the Gremlins so i cast it for to destroy his two artifacts and get me 2 Gremlin tokens to beat him down to zero.
Round 4 vs Mardu vehicles - Intentional Draw. i honestly do not want to face such a deck with so much varied, overpowered, unfair threats, so i was glad he agreed to a draw. i playtested with him, and without sideboard i was helpless.
i think without Servants of the Conduit as another energy source, Longtusk Cub went worse. i dunno if i have to replace them.
now, you might be asking "why is your deck without Rhonas?" it's because it's expensive as heck and i am not convinced of its power and today's FNM showed me i could win without that. the opponents i faced were no pushovers, they were among the best players in the LGS. still, i could imagine 3 of those instead of Serpopards in my deck and the deck might be more formidable. since my deck's working well enough without it, i have decided to wait for the Pro Tour and see if anyone could make a PT-level G/R deck and whether or not is has Rhonas or Hazoret.
that's it for my FNM Report today. how did your FNM go?
on a side note, there's a guy at FNM did have Hazoret, Rhonas and Heart of Kiran in his deck but went 2-2 i think.
Do you find it necessary to run 3 Prowling Serpopard in main? If your opponent isn't playing control, then it's just a vanilla 4/3 creature for 3; granted that's still pretty good but it'd be a vanilla creature nonetheless; idk it just doesn't seem very efficient.
I agree that servant of the conduit is a must have. A source of energy and a mana ramp. I've been experimenting with energy builds myself and I can say that getting to play Bristling Hydra on Turn 3 or Glorybringer on Turn 4 is huge. However I don't know if I like the 4x Lathnu Hellion; I've found that it does end up being quite energy intensive to maintain which is why I've never played more than 2 and would keep 1 on the field at a time. It gets really troublesome when Hellion starts to compete with Hydra for energy.
Prowling Serpopard's not necessary to be in the main. however, i can't think of another 3 drop that i own to put there, so the 4-power Serpopard made it to the main. the deck's aim is to trade with early creatures to exhaust the opponent's blockers and removal before Bristling Hydra and Glorybringer goes in for the kill. and opponents really have to block or kill those early creatures because they cause quite a lot of damage.
during my testing, Servant of the Conduit had been lackluster. they don't attack or block well. a T4 Glorybringer's nice, but highly inconsistent because the opponent's gonna kill the servant or Glorybringer anyway. it aims to grind. it's ok not to have ramp.
Lathnu Hellion did a lot of work for me against my matchups vs control (in my case, Dynavolt Tower). as you know, Dynavolt Tower only deals 3 damage, so Lathnu Hellion's safe from a single shot of the tower. it's also hasty, so the opponent can be taken by surprise. two attacks from it, if they connect, is good enough for me. as for their Energy cost, a control player won't let them live long anyway, so wither they die to removal or i allow them to by not paying Energy.
In that case why not just mainboard Hellion? If your default strategy is beatdown, then Hellion is perfect. The cat snake is only good against Control.