Naya Humans has the potential to be the best deck in Standard. White, Green and Red have the best Humans in print and these 3 colors give you answers to everything. Now with Cavern of Souls, Tribal Humans is more appealing than ever. Another huge incentive to playing Naya is having access to blowout cards like Ancient Grudge and Ray of Revelation.
Deck Lists:
Here are some rough sketches of what a Naya Humans Deck could look like. (If and when Naya Humans Top 8 an Event I will update accordingly).
Although not entirely Human, 20 of the 28 creatures are human. Undoubtedly Cavern of Souls was used to name Humans the majority of the time. This is a Block deck, but I think a lot can be learned and built from this deck.
About the non human inclusions: I think Restoration Angel might have a place in standard human decks because of all the combat tricks she presents (Seems great with Silverblade Paladin.
Wolfir Silverheart I'm less sure of. He is much better in block where the removal is scarce. In standard, while good, he is far less threatening.
Right off the bat I would say -4 Garruk Relentless +4 Hero of Bladehold. Scorned Villager probably gets the boot as well, but it's debatable. Cho referenced the importance to get to 4/5 mana asap in this video.
-Avacyn's Pilgrim: The Pilgrim is nice for mana fixing as well as acceleration. He also can be used a turn 2 beater enabling Stormblood Berserker.
-Champion of the Parish: Champion is the best one drop in the deck. Since we play nothing but humans, every creature we drop is going to pump this guy.
-Ulvenwald Tracker: The Tracker is good in late game stalemates as well as aggro mirrors. The ability to remove one of your opponents creatures every turn is very appealing.
-Wolfbitten Captive: I definitely want to test this card out. Right now I think I want to be spending my mana on more creatures not pumping this guy, but the jury's still out on this card.
-Thalia, Guardian of Thraben: Great vs any deck not relying on creatures. Slows wraths and all other removal spells. The only question is How many spells should we play along side her, without hurting ourselves?
-Fervent Cathar: This is a Human and he seems ok vs control decks or decks that play a low amount of creatures. Drop him and swing for the win. He might not make the cut though with all the options in the 3 hole.
-Phyrexian Metamorph: Versatile card that can copy any creature as well as any artifact.
-Kessig Malcontents: With a bunch of Humans, might be something to consider.
-Increasing Devotion: Not a creature, but puts five 1/1 Humans on the board. Has good synergy with the rest of the deck.
-Zealous Conscripts: I love this card. Act of Treason on a 3/3 hasty stick! It costs two more mana, but you get to target any permanent, not just a creature.
Planeswalkers:
Although this is a Human Tribal deck. We still have access to Planeswalkers. Whether it be for main deck or sideboard, they should still be mentioned.
-Ray of Revelation: This card is money in the bank. A great 2 for 1 against any enchantment heavy deck (UW Humans, Tokens). Start with 2 in the Side Board.
Green:
-Beast Within: Good all around removal, but the 3/3 Beast might hurt more than help.
-Corrosive Gale: Possible Side Board material vs Delver Spirits and BW Tokens.
Red:
-Ancient Grudge: Artifact hate at it's finest. This card is great vs Tempered Steel, Equipment and any other deck relying on Artifacts. Run 2 in the Side Board.
-Arc Trail: Nice 2 for 1 card. Great vs Tokens and mana dorks.
-Bonfire of the Damned: A bit mana intensive, but very powerful vs creature strategies. I could see this as a 2 of in the sideboard.
-Sword of Feast and Famine: Both swords are great and this is just another direction this deck could go.
-Sword of War and Peace: Both swords are great and this is just another direction this deck could go.
Enchantments:
White:
-Angelic Destiny: Goes great with any creature as a finisher. Leaves you very vulnerable to a 2 for 1 though.
-Bonds of Faith: I know, this is a Limited card. In a deck with all humans though, it could be a pump or removal spell all in one. Might not make it, but it's an interesting card for this deck.
-True Conviction: 6 mana is a lot in a deck with only 24 lands so this card probably won't see play. Although, it might be useful as a 1 of Overrun effect.
Green:
-Druids' Repository: Interesting card and could possibly enable a deck like this to run a few 6+ drops. I will be keeping my eye on this card.
-Descendants' Path: In a deck with all Humans, this card could give us a free creature every turn.
-Faith's Shield: Could be used as a 1 or 2 of to get the extra points of damage through or in response to a removal spell.
-Gather the Townsfolk: Not a Human or Creature, but it does put 2 Human Creatures on the board. Much like Increasing Devotion, it has synergy with a Human themed deck.
-Rally the Peasants: Instant speed pump with flashback. A dangerous closer for only 3 mana.
-Timely Reinforcements: Although we are the aggro deck, sometimes you will find yourself behind in the race. A card like timely is devastating to opposing aggro decks.
-Green Sun's Zenith: GSZ might be included depending on how many Green creatures are being played. GSZ also allows us to play less of any single creature and more different ones.
Ok. So in general, this is an aggro deck that wants to win asap. You want to curve out turn 1, 2, 3, and 4; Dropping a creature each turn. With only playing 24 lands though hitting your 4th land drop on turn 4 is something like 60%. Something to keep in mind.
Obviously your strategy will change depending on what deck your opponent is playing. For example:
If you playing against UB/BR Zombies, RDW, R/G Aggro, etc... You can just spew your creatures out 1 by 1. You don't need to worry about a board sweeper, generally. Most of the time vs these aggro deck we are the control deck, so preserve your life total as much as you can. Take trades with their creatures if offered and just plan on going over the top with Hero of Bladehold and Huntmaster of the Fells. These 2 creatures will take over the game vs most aggro decks.
On the other hand, if your playing against Esper Control, UB Control, etc... you'll have to be cautious about how you play your hand. These type of decks always have Main Deck sweepers. You do not want to dump everything on the board only to lose all of your creatures on turn 4 or 5 to a Day of Judgment effect. You want to play your control match ups much closer to the vest and only drop a few creatures at a time. Enough to pressure your opponent, but not dumping your whole hand. Leave something in your hand that can act as a second wave of attackers.
With all the Synergy this deck has, you can easily have 2-3 creatures on the board that create a very quick clock.
Thing is, this is one of the few decks that might benefit from it. Practically every creature in the deck is a Human, so unless it gets removed, you're almost guaranteed to get something out of Descendants' Path each turn unless you reveal a land.
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there is better things you can be doing with 4 mana
i wouldn't run it. Its not like your running major bombs that should be cheated out. I'd rather run like Brimstone Volley or some sort of burn for reach
there is better things you can be doing with 4 mana
i wouldn't run it. Its not like your running major bombs that should be cheated out. I'd rather run like Brimstone Volley or some sort of burn for reach
Descendants Path costs 3 mana. It may or may not make the deck, but the point of this thread is to evolve the deck into something formidable. Whether or not that includes Descendants Path is yet to be seen.
In a Naya colored deck you could easily run ALL Humans without skimping on creature quality. There are a lot of good Humans in these 3 colors. With that said I think Descendants Path is something that should be tested.
I'm not sure i like it with Thalia and the Lands going to the bottom of my deck might suck, but I wouldn't dismiss it so soon.
Where's Ryansolid at? I'm going to be counting on you to get my mana right and I know you like these 3 colors. You could add a lot to this thread with your opinions.
Decks I have in my bag of tricks- Needless to say, someone who wants to play will probably have a deck UB/x Faeries UR Storm XURWB Affinity G Elves UW control
This seems to be the only thread close to what I am running so this is where i'll attempt to throw some headway.
Reasons for a few of my non human cards:
Birds of Paradise: 3 color deck, eats early removal, flys, can " attack" to pump repository Llanowar elves: sometimes you just really need double G on t2 with this deck Stranglefoot Giest: 2/1 haste, early pressure, requires double removal unless vs red with pillar wolifir silverheart: adding 12 power to the board for 5 mana is just retarded. Vorapede: 5/4 undying, vigilance, trample... what more needs to be said other than it survives the DoJ check.
other reasons for other things:
This deck started as kibler naya pod, i never liked birthing pod. SO i evolved the deck a bit with the new set.
with more play testing i realized that the deck needed a little bit of reach on top of the 4 huntmaster of the fells, so i added something with RX, at first it was devils play. I eventually went with red suns because it exiles creatures if i need it to, otherwise it gets used as planeswalker burn ( meta choice, LGS has 3-4 PW control decks running around in different forms so this is relevant to me ).
1/1 split of the garruks are purely for testing, thus far i have seen more use out of the primal hunter than relentless, the 3/3 beasts are relevant as is being able to draw cards even if just for 3, this deck doesn't need much help to get going.
1 of Borderland ranger: i did not want to run solemn because he cannot be pulled up using green sun, this guy has the same 2/2 body for 1 less and doesn't put the land into play. unless I am mana flooded already this is never relevent because i can normally drop the land now or next turn.
I have not decided if i want to go more aggro or more resilient yet, also I don't have any in my possession as of yet:
Differences:
-3 stranglefoot giest
+3 lightning mauler
This change would almost be required for me to put my t2 play as a human with cavern, yes there are good human 2 drops no doubt however they do not provide the extra resiliency. SO that leaves me at a crossroads. This also diminishes the good low (3 and lower ) cards to pull up via GSZ.
Yeah.. I was reading Craig's article. It seemed really strange in that he was talking about all the decks strengths and then went on to mention he was 0-6 against Delver and 4-6 against Wolf Run while splitting pretty much with GR Aggro and Zombies. I can easily see how he was beating most Naya Pod, and some other matchups just off the strength of Bonfire alone. Although I wonder how his deck would work if the opponents were packing the same Bonfires back at him.
If the deck can't beat Delver I think it has some serious issues. He boards into a Pod plan without the creatures that make Pod work. I respect he's trying to make something work but it seems like just a worse version of something else. He's basically recognizing the power of these other strategies and trying to sandwich them in without doing something in itself all that impressive. I've been guilty of that recently but this looks almost stubbornly ignoring that the deck is mediocre at best against the best and most popular decks in the format (except a deck designed to beat the most popular decks). It's like hedging on the fact that the other Naya deck is good and this should beat it.
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Yea you're right, going 0-6 vs Delver and 4-6 vs WRR isn't going to net you many Tourney wins. Something definitely has to be done about that.
Craig does mention adding Thalia for Delver, which I think is an obvious addition. Although the negative synergy with Bonfire is there, it's also there with any removal/planeswalker when running Thalia. We just have to find the Correct balance.
For the WRR match up I think Zealous Conscripts and/or Restoration Angel is the answer.
NAYA is the best color combination IMO and whether it's all Humans or a mishmash of creature types, it's going to be good...and I'll be playing it.
My busy and I built him a very successful WRG human deck and cards that shine have been mayor, hunt master, zealous conscripts, and then just a swarm of humans.
Very fast but little to no lategame, if hero gets killed I find that hunt master sometimes can't turn the game around vs control and WWR
I've been working on a deck like this for a bit now, trying to figure out how I want it to run. I've stumped myself with two different options and I haven't been able to really figure out which of them I want. I figured this would be the best place to ask for some input on the matter, so...
And Version 2. Here I'm considering Sideboarding Thalia and cutting out the Mayors to run a full set of Bladehold and Huntmaster, and I'd like to get Thundermaw in somewhere...I'm also not opposed to cutting the Overseer.
My main...conundrum, I suppose is with Green Sun's, and the number of Swords. I run them more for their boost/protective effects than their secondary ones, and my local Meta has quite a bit of Blue/Green (which is why I even bother with Body-Mind).
So if anyone has any sort of suggestion regarding these...something that...puts them together (?) in a way, I'd really appreciate it. I've wracked my brain all...day? Two days? And I just haven't gotten anywhere. And it's taking my focus from work, which I need to be able to afford my MtG habit/addiction. It's insane how much $ you can drop on cards. It's like a secret Nerd Tax...
Moving on, any sort of suggestions would be well appreciated.
-1 Plains
-2 Kessig Wolf Run
-2 Sunpetal Grove
-4 Rootbound Crag
+4 Copperline Gorge
+4 Razorverge Thicket
+1 Cavern of Souls or Clifftop Retreat
With Avacyn's Pilgrim and Birds of Paradise, the Scars lands will likely be more useful to you than the M13 duals. M13 duals require you to have more basic lands, which you don't, so more often than not they'll end up entering the battlefield tapped. Scars duals will do the same thing, but usually only after you've got one or two on the board along with a mana dork or two, so your mana base is already set up.
If you're trying to avoid getting Scars duals since they'll rotate out soon, then don't get them; I'd suggest the following in that case:
-2 Kessig Wolf Run
-2 Gavony Township
-1 Rootbound Crag
+1 Sunpetal Grove
+1 Cavern of Souls or Clifftop Retreat
+2 Plains
+1 Forest
As for your sideboard, I recommend swapping out Naturalize for Revoke Existence if Rancor's seeing a lot of play in your area. Thundermaw Hellkite is pretty expensive in terms of mana (the :symr::symr: really hurts); if you need a way to deal with flyers, I'd go with Corrosive Gale instead. You might also want at least 2 Oblivion Ring in there.
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Introduction:
Humans' Path: Creature Removal Version
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Gideon's Lawkeeper
2 Ulvenwald Tracker
4 Stormblood Berserker
2 Lightning Mauler
3 Champion of Lambholt
2 Fiend Hunter
1 Silverblade Paladin
4 Hero of Bladehold
4 Huntmaster of the Fells
2 Geist-Honored Monk
24 Land
Since this is a all creature no removal deck, we have to rely on our creatures to do the removing for us. Gideon's Lawkeeper, Ulvenwald Tracker, Fiend Hunter and Huntmaster of the Fells all do excellent jobs at this. Utilizing 4 Descendants' Paths, we have a good shot at getting a free creature every turn.
Rally the Humans: Token Version
4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
4 Gather the Townsfolk
3 Mayor of Avabruck
3 Champion of Lambholt
4 Thatcher Revolt
4 Hero of Bladehold
2 Huntmaster of the Fells
2 Increasing Devotion
4 Oblivion Ring
2 Rally the Peasants
24 Land
This version relies on Human Token makers like Increasing Devotion, Gather the Townsfolk and Thatcher Revolt. We also have Hero of Bladehold and Huntmaster of the Fells that make tokens, but not Humans.
Mayor of Avabruck pumps our Human army while Champion of Lambholt and Champion of the Parish get bigger and bigger with all the Humans coming into play each turn. To top it all off we have 2 Rally the Peasants for additional pumps. This deck is meant to be very fast and aggressive.
It's possible I want to cut a few 4 drops for more early game creatures. It's also possible Intangible Virtue belongs in this list.
Druids' Wave: Human Ramp Version
4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
3 Lightning Mauler
4 Borderland Ranger
2 Fervent Cathar
2 Champion of Lambholt
4 Hero of Oxid Ridge
4 Zealous Conscripts
4 Druids' Repository
2 Genesis Wave
3 Devil's Play
24 Land
This deck is all about Haste! We are using Lightning Mauler, Fervent Cathar, Hero of Oxid Ridge and Zealous Conscripts. All of which have Haste. This will enable us to attack as soon as we drop our creatures and pump Druids' Repository up quickly. We can then use the counters on Repository to Genesis Wave for a bunch of Hasty beaters or Devil's Play our opponent out. Also included is a full set of Borderland Rangers, he will ensure we have all the mana we need and don't get stuck on 3 or 4.
Latest Deck I've been testing
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Stormblood Berserker
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Lightning Mauler
2 Champion of Lambholt
4 Silverblade Paladin
4 Hero of Bladehold
4 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Zealous Conscripts
3 Oblivion Ring
2 Incinerate
4 Razorverge Thicket
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Plains
3 Forest
2 Mountain
3 Gavony Township
2 Pillar of Flame
2 Celestial Purge
2 Zealous Conscripts
2 Daybreak Ranger
2 Manabarbs
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Ray of Revaltion
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
Like I said, these are rough sketches and being 3 color gives us tons of options, so here we go...
***UPDATE***
Joshua Cho
Pro Tour Avacyn Restored Top 8 - Innistrad/Avacyn Restored Block Constructed
3 Clifftop Retreat
4 Evolving Wilds
8 Forest
3 Gavony Township
1 Mountain
2 Plains
4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
3 Borderland Ranger
3 Fiend Hunter
4 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch
4 Restoration Angel
4 Scorned Villager
1 Ulvenwald Tracker
4 Wolfir Silverheart
4 Garruk Relentless
4 planeswalkers
2 Brimstone Volley
1 Grafdigger's Cage
3 Nevermore
3 Sigarda, Host of Herons
1 Slayer of the Wicked
2 Tree of Redemption
1 Ulvenwald Tracker
2 Zealous Conscripts
Although not entirely Human, 20 of the 28 creatures are human. Undoubtedly Cavern of Souls was used to name Humans the majority of the time. This is a Block deck, but I think a lot can be learned and built from this deck.
About the non human inclusions: I think Restoration Angel might have a place in standard human decks because of all the combat tricks she presents (Seems great with Silverblade Paladin.
Wolfir Silverheart I'm less sure of. He is much better in block where the removal is scarce. In standard, while good, he is far less threatening.
Right off the bat I would say -4 Garruk Relentless +4 Hero of Bladehold. Scorned Villager probably gets the boot as well, but it's debatable. Cho referenced the importance to get to 4/5 mana asap in this video.
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/eventcoverage/ptavr12/videodt6
And Scorned Villager played a big part in that. If I dropped the Villagers I would also cut Wolfir Silverheart in favor of Silverblade Paladin.
***UPDATE***
MTGO Standard Daily (4-0) - Week of 5/28/12 by Scarmaker
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Hamlet Captain
4 Hero of Bladehold
4 Kruin Striker
4 Mayor of Avabruck
3 Arc Trail
4 Gather the Townsfolk
1 Red Sun's Zenith
4 Thatcher Revolt
4 Clifftop Retreat
4 Copperline Gorge
3 Mountain
5 Plains
4 Razorverge Thicket
3 Celestial Purge
3 Manic Vandal
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Ray of Revelation
2 Reverberate
2 Timely Reinforcements
1 Zealous Conscripts
***UPDATE***
Naya Humans by Craig Wescoe
4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
4 Blade Splicer
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Grand Abolisher
4 Hero of Bladehold
4 Lightning Mauler
3 Silverblade Paladin
4 Bonfire of the Damned
2 Dismember
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
4 Clifftop Retreat
4 Copperline Gorge
2 Mountain
4 Plains
4 Razorverge Thicket
2 Slayers' Stronghold
2 Birthing Pod
1 Celestial Purge
1 Dismember
1 Fiend Hunter
1 Hero of Oxid Ridge
1 Kessig Cagebreakers
2 Oblivion Ring
1 Restoration Angel
1 Slayers' Stronghold
2 Spellskite
1 Sun Titan
1 Zealous Conscripts
You can read more about this deck here: http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=10501
Creatures:
One Drops:
-Champion of the Parish: Champion is the best one drop in the deck. Since we play nothing but humans, every creature we drop is going to pump this guy.
-Ulvenwald Tracker: The Tracker is good in late game stalemates as well as aggro mirrors. The ability to remove one of your opponents creatures every turn is very appealing.
-Doomed Traveler: Descent, but only really shines along side Honor of the Pure.
-Elite Vanguard: Not terrible, but the 2/1 body is weak and offers no other benefit other than beating down.
-Grim Lavamancer: Could be used as creature removal.
-Gideon's Lawkeeper: Tumble Magnet on a stick.
-Reckless Waif: Too slow and inconsistent.
-Wolfbitten Captive: I definitely want to test this card out. Right now I think I want to be spending my mana on more creatures not pumping this guy, but the jury's still out on this card.
-Cathedral Sanctifier: Possible Sideboard card vs Zombies or RDW.
Two Drops:
-Stormblood Berserker: This card is great. Amazing beatdown for two mana.
-Mayor of Avabruck: A bit of a question mark for the deck. Mayor does give all Humans +1/+1 on his day side, but his 1/1 frame is very fragile.
-Deranged Outcast: IDK about this guy. His ability is a little mana intensive, but if there are Humans that want to be sacrificed, he might be useful.
-Elite inquisitor: Right now it's probably a bench warmer, but if tribes start seeing more play, this card could be in the main deck.
-Hamlet Captain: Does he do enough? Right now I'm not impressed, but with a deck full of Humans he might squeeze his way in.
-Loyal Cathar: The flip side isn't a Human, but it's still a 2 for 1 on most removal spells.
-Mikaeus, the Lunarch: Gavony Township in creature form.
-Grand Abolisher: Definitely a good card and worth a look.
-Lightning Mauler: Seems really good. I want to squeeze this guy in somewhere. A Hasty Hero of Bladehold?
-Skinshifter: Probably too mana intensive for what he does, but still worth a look.
Three Drops:
-Blade Splicer: Great 2 for 1 card.
-Daybreak Ranger: Most likely a Side Board option vs Delver.
-Borderland Ranger: With only 24 lands, it might be worth running a couple of these to keep up with your land drops and thin your deck
-Fiend Hunter: Great creature removal. I think I want at least one in the deck.
-Adaptive Automaton: Could be used as a lord if Mayor doesn't pan out. Bigger body, but also comes down a turn later.
-Manic Vandal: Probably won't see play since Ancient Grudge is amazing, but it's worth a mention. Especially if the deck goes a Thalia route.
-Mirran Crusader: This guy is a beast, especially vs Green and Black. If he can't fit Main, he will definitely be in the board.
-Thraben Doomsayer: Interesting card with all the Humans. This guy makes 1 a turn. Might be a little too slow though.
-Devout Chaplain: Might be a little too slow, but maybe worth a look.
-Silverblade Paladin: Seems good on paper, testing will have to be done.
-Fervent Cathar: This is a Human and he seems ok vs control decks or decks that play a low amount of creatures. Drop him and swing for the win. He might not make the cut though with all the options in the 3 hole.
-Phyrexian Metamorph: Versatile card that can copy any creature as well as any artifact.
-Kessig Malcontents: With a bunch of Humans, might be something to consider.
-Riot Ringleader: Similar to Hamlet Captain with the pump when attacking.
-Somberwald Sage: Too weak and slow for what this deck is trying to do.
Four Drops:
-Huntmaster of the Fells: Huntmaster is just pure value. With so many cheap spells in our deck we can flip him at will.
-Hero of Oxid Ridge: Nice card, but the 4/2 body is easily removed. I'm not sure he offers enough.
-Riders of Gavony: Seems intersting, but not as good as Bladehold or Huntmaster.
-Mad Prophet: Weak 2/2 body for a 4 drop, but gives us some valuable looting.
Five Drops:
-Geist-Honored Monk : Three bodies for the price of one.
-Increasing Devotion: Not a creature, but puts five 1/1 Humans on the board. Has good synergy with the rest of the deck.
-Zealous Conscripts: I love this card. Act of Treason on a 3/3 hasty stick! It costs two more mana, but you get to target any permanent, not just a creature.
Planeswalkers:
Although this is a Human Tribal deck. We still have access to Planeswalkers. Whether it be for main deck or sideboard, they should still be mentioned.
-Garruk Relentless:
-Garruk, Primal Hunter:
-Gideon Jura:
Removal:
White:
-Celestial Purge: Amazing Side Board card.
-Ray of Revelation: This card is money in the bank. A great 2 for 1 against any enchantment heavy deck (UW Humans, Tokens). Start with 2 in the Side Board.
Green:
-Corrosive Gale: Possible Side Board material vs Delver Spirits and BW Tokens.
Red:
-Arc Trail: Nice 2 for 1 card. Great vs Tokens and mana dorks.
-Bonfire of the Damned: A bit mana intensive, but very powerful vs creature strategies. I could see this as a 2 of in the sideboard.
-Brimstone Volley: Good aggressive burn spell.
-Combust: Great in the Side Board against any deck running UW creatures.
-Volt Charge: 3 damage for 3 mana, but also has proliferate tacked on. This has synergy with any card utilizing counters: Champion of the Parish, Stormblood Berserker, Deranged Outcast, Mikaeus, the Lunarch, Champion of Lambholt, Druids' Repository and Planeswalkers. That's a pretty healthy list.
-Pillar of Flame: Huge game vs undying. Sorcery slows it down a bit, but this is still a great card for this deck.
-Incinerate: 3 damage can take out most creatures in the early to mid game.
-Devil's Play: Strong finisher with flashback, but also requires a good amount of mana.
-Galvanic Blast: Cheap efficient burn spell.
-Shock: Cheap efficient burn spell.
-Red Sun's Zenith: The exile and shuffle ability of this card might make it worth a slot.
-Wrack with Madness: Niche card. Good vs Titans and Zombies, but probably not good enough to make it.
Artifacts, Enchantments and Other:
Artifacts:
-Grafdigger's Cage: If your not using any undying creatures or Green Sun's Zenith, the cage is a useful Side Board card vs Frites and Zombies.
-Ratchet Bomb: Side Board vs Tokens.
-Shrine of Burning Rage: Depending on how much Red you run. You might want this as a Side Board option vs control.
-Shrine of Loyal legions: Same as above. Good vs control in the board.
-Sword of Feast and Famine: Both swords are great and this is just another direction this deck could go.
-Sword of War and Peace: Both swords are great and this is just another direction this deck could go.
Enchantments:
White:
-Bonds of Faith: I know, this is a Limited card. In a deck with all humans though, it could be a pump or removal spell all in one. Might not make it, but it's an interesting card for this deck.
-True Conviction: 6 mana is a lot in a deck with only 24 lands so this card probably won't see play. Although, it might be useful as a 1 of Overrun effect.
Green:
-Descendants' Path: In a deck with all Humans, this card could give us a free creature every turn.
Red:
Other:
White:
-Gather the Townsfolk: Not a Human or Creature, but it does put 2 Human Creatures on the board. Much like Increasing Devotion, it has synergy with a Human themed deck.
-Rally the Peasants: Instant speed pump with flashback. A dangerous closer for only 3 mana.
-Timely Reinforcements: Although we are the aggro deck, sometimes you will find yourself behind in the race. A card like timely is devastating to opposing aggro decks.
Green:
-Creeping Renaissance: 1 or 2 main deck might not be bad in a deck running 25+ creatures.
-Fresh Meat: Wrath recovery.
-Green Sun's Zenith: GSZ might be included depending on how many Green creatures are being played. GSZ also allows us to play less of any single creature and more different ones.
-Lead the Stampede: Similar effect as Descendants' Path, but since we are all Humans, probably not worth it.
-Lair Delve: Possible card advantage in an all creature deck.
-Overrun: Used as a finisher. 1 or 2 max.
Red:
-Thatcher Revolt: Another spell that creates Humans. Works well with Champion of the Parish and Champion of Lambholt. I can see this card making the deck.
Ok. So in general, this is an aggro deck that wants to win asap. You want to curve out turn 1, 2, 3, and 4; Dropping a creature each turn. With only playing 24 lands though hitting your 4th land drop on turn 4 is something like 60%. Something to keep in mind.
Obviously your strategy will change depending on what deck your opponent is playing. For example:
If you playing against UB/BR Zombies, RDW, R/G Aggro, etc... You can just spew your creatures out 1 by 1. You don't need to worry about a board sweeper, generally. Most of the time vs these aggro deck we are the control deck, so preserve your life total as much as you can. Take trades with their creatures if offered and just plan on going over the top with Hero of Bladehold and Huntmaster of the Fells. These 2 creatures will take over the game vs most aggro decks.
On the other hand, if your playing against Esper Control, UB Control, etc... you'll have to be cautious about how you play your hand. These type of decks always have Main Deck sweepers. You do not want to dump everything on the board only to lose all of your creatures on turn 4 or 5 to a Day of Judgment effect. You want to play your control match ups much closer to the vest and only drop a few creatures at a time. Enough to pressure your opponent, but not dumping your whole hand. Leave something in your hand that can act as a second wave of attackers.
With all the Synergy this deck has, you can easily have 2-3 creatures on the board that create a very quick clock.
Under Construction...
Avacyn's Pilgrim? seems kinda greedy...but ok i can see why
Thanks Hero's of the Plane
Modern
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xRxAffinityxRx
Thing is, this is one of the few decks that might benefit from it. Practically every creature in the deck is a Human, so unless it gets removed, you're almost guaranteed to get something out of Descendants' Path each turn unless you reveal a land.
i wouldn't run it. Its not like your running major bombs that should be cheated out. I'd rather run like Brimstone Volley or some sort of burn for reach
Thanks Hero's of the Plane
Modern
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xRxAffinityxRx
Descendants Path costs 3 mana. It may or may not make the deck, but the point of this thread is to evolve the deck into something formidable. Whether or not that includes Descendants Path is yet to be seen.
In a Naya colored deck you could easily run ALL Humans without skimping on creature quality. There are a lot of good Humans in these 3 colors. With that said I think Descendants Path is something that should be tested.
I'm not sure i like it with Thalia and the Lands going to the bottom of my deck might suck, but I wouldn't dismiss it so soon.
Where's Ryansolid at? I'm going to be counting on you to get my mana right and I know you like these 3 colors.
UB/x Faeries
UR Storm
XURWB Affinity
G Elves
UW control
Indeed he does. Ryansolid is a hell of a writer and I respect his magic knowledge immensely. I have read over his Primer and it is very well written.
Although these 2 Primers share colors and creatures, this Primer is for a more all-in Human approach.
5 forest
1 plains
2 mountain
4 razorvirge thicket
4 copperline gorge
3 sunpetal grove
2 rootbound crag
3 gavony township
Creatures:
4 Birds of paradise
1 llanowar elves
1 avacyns pilgrim
3 stranglefoot giest
4 blade splicer
3 champion of lambholt
3 Hero of bladehold
4 huntmaster of the fells
1 wolfir silverheart
1 borderland ranger
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Vorapede
1 Garruk primal hunter
Spells:
1 red sun's zenith
2 green sun's zenith
Enchantments:
3 oblivion ring
2 Druids' Repository
2 Zealous Conscripts
2 Ray of Revelation
2 ancient grudge
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Hero of Bladehold
1 Sigarda, Host of Herons
5 ?????
This seems to be the only thread close to what I am running so this is where i'll attempt to throw some headway.
Reasons for a few of my non human cards:
Birds of Paradise: 3 color deck, eats early removal, flys, can " attack" to pump repository
Llanowar elves: sometimes you just really need double G on t2 with this deck
Stranglefoot Giest: 2/1 haste, early pressure, requires double removal unless vs red with pillar
wolifir silverheart: adding 12 power to the board for 5 mana is just retarded.
Vorapede: 5/4 undying, vigilance, trample... what more needs to be said other than it survives the DoJ check.
other reasons for other things:
This deck started as kibler naya pod, i never liked birthing pod. SO i evolved the deck a bit with the new set.
with more play testing i realized that the deck needed a little bit of reach on top of the 4 huntmaster of the fells, so i added something with RX, at first it was devils play. I eventually went with red suns because it exiles creatures if i need it to, otherwise it gets used as planeswalker burn ( meta choice, LGS has 3-4 PW control decks running around in different forms so this is relevant to me ).
1/1 split of the garruks are purely for testing, thus far i have seen more use out of the primal hunter than relentless, the 3/3 beasts are relevant as is being able to draw cards even if just for 3, this deck doesn't need much help to get going.
1 of Borderland ranger: i did not want to run solemn because he cannot be pulled up using green sun, this guy has the same 2/2 body for 1 less and doesn't put the land into play. unless I am mana flooded already this is never relevent because i can normally drop the land now or next turn.
2 Druids repository: this in combo with gavony township and a blade splicer and 1-2 other creatures in play is a free +1/+1 every turn.
Hero of bladehold, not much explanation required.
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Pitfalls in the deck:
almost forces a over extension unless you manage to get gavony early with enough mana to abuse it early.
Sweepers destroy the deck. so don't get overzealous and drop your hand.... even though it is horribly tempting.
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Reasons I did not include Cavern of souls
I have not decided if i want to go more aggro or more resilient yet, also I don't have any in my possession as of yet:
Differences:
-3 stranglefoot giest
+3 lightning mauler
This change would almost be required for me to put my t2 play as a human with cavern, yes there are good human 2 drops no doubt however they do not provide the extra resiliency. SO that leaves me at a crossroads. This also diminishes the good low (3 and lower ) cards to pull up via GSZ.
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Other cards I have personally wanted to consider for inclusion
White sun's zenith, Instant speed, pumps champion, combo's well with opo attempting to remove druids' repository. Also allows retarded combat tricks
essentially could be a total blow out card as a one of.
Don't use 'retarded' colloquially. ~parinoid
RWGNaya AggroGWR
UBZombiesUB
BBBFNM Mono-Black ControlBBB
If the deck can't beat Delver I think it has some serious issues. He boards into a Pod plan without the creatures that make Pod work. I respect he's trying to make something work but it seems like just a worse version of something else. He's basically recognizing the power of these other strategies and trying to sandwich them in without doing something in itself all that impressive. I've been guilty of that recently but this looks almost stubbornly ignoring that the deck is mediocre at best against the best and most popular decks in the format (except a deck designed to beat the most popular decks). It's like hedging on the fact that the other Naya deck is good and this should beat it.
GWU Knightfall Modern
UW Tempo Legacy
UGR Burning Wish Cobra Vintage
Craig does mention adding Thalia for Delver, which I think is an obvious addition. Although the negative synergy with Bonfire is there, it's also there with any removal/planeswalker when running Thalia. We just have to find the Correct balance.
For the WRR match up I think Zealous Conscripts and/or Restoration Angel is the answer.
NAYA is the best color combination IMO and whether it's all Humans or a mishmash of creature types, it's going to be good...and I'll be playing it.
Very fast but little to no lategame, if hero gets killed I find that hunt master sometimes can't turn the game around vs control and WWR
EDH
BU LazavUB
GU Momir VigUG
Version 1:
4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
2 Birds of Paradise
3 Champion of the Parish
2 Mayor of Avabruck
2 Borderland Ranger
4 Champion of Lambholt
2 Fiend Hunter
2 Silverblade Paladin
3 Hero of Bladehold
3 Huntmaster of the Fells
2 Restoration Angel
Artifacts (3)
1 Sword of Body and Mind
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of War and Peace
2 Bonfire of the Damned
2 Green Sun's Zenith
Planeswakers (2)
2 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Lands (22)
4 Cavern of Souls
2 Clifftop Retreat
3 Forest
2 Mountain
5 Plains
2 Rootbound Crag
4 Sunpetal Grove
2 Smelt
2 Naturalize
2 Fervor (or Lightning Mauler)
2 Mirran Crusader
1 Sword of Body and Mind
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Angelic Destiny
1 Garruk Relentless
1 Batterskull
2 Thundermaw Hellkite
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
And Version 2. Here I'm considering Sideboarding Thalia and cutting out the Mayors to run a full set of Bladehold and Huntmaster, and I'd like to get Thundermaw in somewhere...I'm also not opposed to cutting the Overseer.
4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
2 Birds of Paradise
3 Champion of the Parish
2 Mayor of Avabruck
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Blade Splicer
2 Borderland Ranger
4 Champion of Lambholt
2 Silverblade Paladin
3 Hero of Bladehold
3 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Odric, Master Tactician
2 Restoration Angel
1 Angelic Overseer
1 Zealous Conscripts
2 Bonfire of the Damned
Planeswalkers (2)
2 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Lands (23)
4 Cavern of Souls
2 Clifftop Retreat
3 Forest
2 Gavony Township
3 Mountain
3 Plains
2 Rootbound Crag
4 Sunpetal Grove
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Celestial Purge
2 Fervor (or Lightning Mauler)
2 Mirran Crusader
2 Oblivion Ring
1 Sword of Body and Mind
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Angelic Destiny
1 Batterskull
My main...conundrum, I suppose is with Green Sun's, and the number of Swords. I run them more for their boost/protective effects than their secondary ones, and my local Meta has quite a bit of Blue/Green (which is why I even bother with Body-Mind).
So if anyone has any sort of suggestion regarding these...something that...puts them together (?) in a way, I'd really appreciate it. I've wracked my brain all...day? Two days? And I just haven't gotten anywhere. And it's taking my focus from work, which I need to be able to afford my MtG habit/addiction. It's insane how much $ you can drop on cards. It's like a secret Nerd Tax...
Moving on, any sort of suggestions would be well appreciated.
Creatures (33)
4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
4 Birds of Paradise
3 Champion of the Parish
2 Borderland Ranger
4 Champion of Lambholt
2 Fiend Hunter
2 Silverblade Paladin
4 Hero of Bladehold
4 Huntmaster of the Fells
4 Restoration Angel
2 Angelic Destiny
Sorceries (4)
2 Bonfire of the Damned
Lands (23)
3 Cavern of Souls
3 Clifftop Retreat
3 Forest
2 Gavony Township
2 Kessig Wolf Run
4 Plains
4 Rootbound Crag
2 Sunpetal Grove
3 Naturalize
2 Mirran Crusader
2 Sword of Body and Mind
2 Sword of Feast and Famine
2 Sword of War and Peace
2 Batterskull
2 Thundermaw Hellkite
For your mana base, I'd recommend:
-1 Plains
-2 Kessig Wolf Run
-2 Sunpetal Grove
-4 Rootbound Crag
+4 Copperline Gorge
+4 Razorverge Thicket
+1 Cavern of Souls or Clifftop Retreat
With Avacyn's Pilgrim and Birds of Paradise, the Scars lands will likely be more useful to you than the M13 duals. M13 duals require you to have more basic lands, which you don't, so more often than not they'll end up entering the battlefield tapped. Scars duals will do the same thing, but usually only after you've got one or two on the board along with a mana dork or two, so your mana base is already set up.
If you're trying to avoid getting Scars duals since they'll rotate out soon, then don't get them; I'd suggest the following in that case:
-2 Kessig Wolf Run
-2 Gavony Township
-1 Rootbound Crag
+1 Sunpetal Grove
+1 Cavern of Souls or Clifftop Retreat
+2 Plains
+1 Forest
As for your sideboard, I recommend swapping out Naturalize for Revoke Existence if Rancor's seeing a lot of play in your area. Thundermaw Hellkite is pretty expensive in terms of mana (the :symr::symr: really hurts); if you need a way to deal with flyers, I'd go with Corrosive Gale instead. You might also want at least 2 Oblivion Ring in there.