well, after checking the entire thread to see if this deck was already being discussed, and then getting over the surprise that it wasn't... lemme start off with the basic concept:
The Purpose of the Deck
cast Twinflame strived onto Axebane Guardian and Mnemonic Wall getting back Twinflame with the wall clone, and slowly making more and more mana, then casting a damage spell infinite times to kill your opponent (getting it back by making multiple copies of Mnemonic Wall each cycle)
the deck kept getting land flooded and had 0 deck thinning, so i kept finding myself NOT drawing that final combo piece i needed to win... so:
-1 Volcanic Geyser (kept drawing it, and it was useless except when i had the combo)
-1 island -1 forest -1 watery grave (too many lands, i needed 2 in my opening hand, then maybe 2 more for the rest of the game)
-1 druid's deliverance (the fog is decent, and if you have a token to populate it's great... but i needed room!)
+1 Toil // Trouble (more useful if i accidentally draw it before i am ready... draw 2 helps dig to combo, and can use trouble to kill a planeswalker maybe... but i'd rather draw two 99% of the time)
+4 Gatecreeper Vine (another 2 drop defender increasing the count to 8, making it likely i'll have one in opening hand, thins the deck, fixes mana and colors... overall great addition, also brings creature count up to 16 which i like, since i kept wiffing on Commune with the Gods which is a terrible feeling to me)
so, with 28 slots this deck can become very personal, with a wide range of win conditions (i guess it's pretty easy to think of win conditions when you have infinite mana and creatures)
i'm not sure on a sideboard as i haven't had much time to test it against other decks...
But i am pretty sure some of the following cards will be good options:
Let me know what everyone thinks, it's actually a pretty tough deck to play so far, but it seems kind of resilient to removal or disruption
so... looks like people really like this deck... not because it's the best, strongest, fastest or anything like that... but apparently because it is so customizable! rock on guys! VARIANT LISTS:
Any deck with strive should have oracle of bones, strive is not an additional cost so when you play oracle and he is not tributed, you can pay for strive as many times as you like
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If you have a budget, you shouldn't play magic competitively
After reading what you said, i had to double check... That's a pretty cool loophole haha, i like it.
But i don't think it is a good fit for this deck. oracle of bones:
1) being double red to cast is kind of tough (yes i know a strived twinflame is double red also, but plenty of times to combo off i have cast it unstrived on an axebane guardian to get enough mana to cast everything i need)
2) being tribute means that once my opponent knows what is going on, i will never get a free twinflame again, and since i don't have much removal it's hard to get through for combat damage... Generally tribute is a bad ability unless it's a win-win
I like your idea to use him with strive cards though... Perhaps a different deck... Back to brewing
If you were to overload dragonshift then you could not attack with any of the tokens, because dragonshift will remove the ability of haste given by twinflame
If you were to overload dragonshift then you could not attack with any of the tokens, because dragonshift will remove the ability of haste given by twinflame
That is what I was afraid of =(
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Would Dark Confidant still be good if he punched you in the face for 5 damage a turn?
This deck should have multiple ways to reach the goal. Archaeomancer can get the job done along with Axebane Gaurdian also, plus you will have gazillions of Archaeomancers ready to attack. Having Purphoros, God of Wars in play also wins games.
Or if you want to go with the wall route, multiple copies of Doorkeeper can be another finisher if the combo goes off, milling an opponent's entire deck in one shot.
If you were to overload dragonshift then you could not attack with any of the tokens, because dragonshift will remove the ability of haste given by twinflame[/quote]
That won't matter because dragonshift is an instant. So you could just attack and then play the spell mid combat say after blocks?
This deck should have multiple ways to reach the goal. Archaeomancer can get the job done along with Axebane Gaurdian also, plus you will have gazillions of Archaeomancers ready to attack. Having Purphoros, God of Wars in play also wins games.
Or if you want to go with the wall route, multiple copies of Doorkeeper can be another finisher if the combo goes off, milling an opponent's entire deck in one shot.
There are a lot of cards that can take the place of the toil // trouble but it seemed like the only one that wasn't a dead draw if i wasn't ready at the time... In fact it helps me get the combo a little
The Archaeomancer is a solid card, and it could act as mnemonic wall 5-6 although it has it's drawback of not being a defender to add mana to axebane which is critical sometimes... I do like that i can use him to swing for the win though and he costs 1 less mana to cast... So perhaps 1-2 of them wouldn't be bad. Ideas on what to cut?
The other combos you suggested would just make this into a different deck, and i'm not interested in making an almost the same deck
I was just talking this over last night,Ilove it! we need to borrow from the old defender combo thread though I think, mill then to death. mind grind is what I'm looking at
That won't matter because dragonshift is an instant. So you could just attack and then play the spell mid combat say after blocks?
unfortunately cannot attack first because everything has defender and cannot be declared as attackers
Doesn't matter, tap the last axebane for an absurd amount of mana, overload dragonshift, then recast twinflame and copy all the dragonshifted creatures. You now have a metric ton of dragonshifted creatures that DO have haste, and can attack for lethal.
That won't matter because dragonshift is an instant. So you could just attack and then play the spell mid combat say after blocks?
unfortunately cannot attack first because everything has defender and cannot be declared as attackers
Doesn't matter, tap the last axebane for an absurd amount of mana, overload dragonshift, then recast twinflame and copy all the dragonshifted creatures. You now have a metric ton of dragonshifted creatures that DO have haste, and can attack for lethal.
I'm not sure if I'm misunderstanding you or not, but that won't work. If you copy a creature that has been Dragonshifted, it'll become a copy of whatever it was originally. The "Dragonshiftedness" doesn't write over to the copy.
not really sure what any of these suggested win conditions have over the original one?
dragonshift is pretty much a dead card unless i have already assembled the combo... and attacking with creatures is susceptible to fog effects, cyclonic rift overload, or a quickened supreme verdict / mizzium mortars... not to mention if i don't have the combo it is hard for me to cast since i can only produce red from tapping my defenders
Nivix Cyclops is a little more interesting since i can technically just chip away at my opponent's life total over a few turns if i don't have the combo, and i can even surprise block, pump, kill stuff... but again hard to cast unless i already had a defender out because of the red, also if i want to chip away an opponent i'd have to run more than 1 (most likely 4) and i dunno what i'd be able to take out... not to mention if he dies, i have no way of getting him back when i finally AM ready to combo off
Archaeomancer seems like a decent fit for the deck, since he copies an already needed ability (though in a non defender form) and if the combo is going off, he can be cloned infinite times and attack instead of burning for the win (in the event the opponent is hexproof or shrouded or something? i don't think there is currently any threat of this though, and Aegis of the Gods is easily killed with infinite golgari charms)
Toil // Trouble lets you draw cards if you get it accidentally before you are ready, and as long as your opponent has even 1 card in hand, just cast it infinite times to kill them... or if they have no cards, then give them 2 cards and cast it 8 more times to kill them
How do you win if don't draw Toil // Trouble? What if a Nightveil Specter gets your Toil // Trouble? I suppose you'd have to start using swan song to counter your own spells and give yourself 2/2 fliers to attack with.
In a similar vein, what if you don't draw Twinflame? I suppose maybe you manage to mill it into your gy using Commune or Grisly Salvage?
I like the idea of having Archaeomancer in your deck. With 8 ways to return an instant from your graveyard to your hand, you've got a more consistent combo, and Archaeomancer is a wincon - unless they fog you, but then you can still kill them next turn.
There are at least 4 creatures with defender that, given you're going infinite scenario, would result in a win without turning into an attacker. Basilica Guards, Doorkeeper, Hired Torturer, Lobber Crew. Doorkeeper can even be used to mill yourself if you've got a Archaeomancer in your hand but can't seem to find your Twinflame.
Anyway... I would drop the Druid's Deliverance, the Volcanic Geyser, the Fated Infatuations and 2 swan songs for
+4 Archaeomancer
+4 Doorkeeper
How do you win if don't draw Toil // Trouble? What if a Nightveil Specter gets your Toil // Trouble? I suppose you'd have to start using swan song to counter your own spells and give yourself 2/2 fliers to attack with.
exactly, in the event Toil // Trouble gets exiled you would end up making swan tokens, then cloning them to give em haste, and attacking for the win
i have actually just updated the main post to point out the single cards that will mess with the strategy the most (though, in my limited testing, one of the biggest problems is just dying to attackers before i am ready to combo off)
I like the idea of having Archaeomancer in your deck. With 8 ways to return an instant from your graveyard to your hand, you've got a more consistent combo, and Archaeomancer is a wincon - unless they fog you, but then you can still kill them next turn.
There are at least 4 creatures with defender that, given you're going infinite scenario, would result in a win without turning into an attacker. Basilica Guards, Doorkeeper, Hired Torturer, Lobber Crew. Doorkeeper can even be used to mill yourself if you've got a Archaeomancer in your hand but can't seem to find your Twinflame.
Anyway... I would drop the Druid's Deliverance, the Volcanic Geyser, the Fated Infatuations and 2 swan songs for
+4 Archaeomancer
+4 Doorkeeper
looks like you're working off the original version, and i like the changes you propose to it. i've actually cut some lands from it since it tends to get flooded, which makes a lot more room.
The combo is susceptible to disruption at the very beginning, and not having a Swan Song when i am trying to go off is always scary heh, but the changes do seem like something that can use testing.
Instead of casting an X damage spell, you can mill them out with Doorkeeper or Phenax. With infinite mana you can make arbitrarily many copies of Mnemonic Wall to cast Commune with Gods or Grisly Salvage over and over until you find Phenax or Doorkeeper FTW. Planeswalkers help you stall and/or dig and/or serve as an alternate win condition with walls. You can also just straight up mill them out without the combo.
EDIT: Swan Song may be necessary if facing heavy disruption on the combo.
This in my RUG list, need some tweaking, but mancer returning Twinflame is redic. I decided to go a prophet of kruphix route to take advantage of untapping manadorks on their turn. Niv is my wincon with collosus second winconn. Id like to text Kruphix as well as an alt wincon
Leaving this because I'm still trying to figure out what to say to him.
I'd like to TEST him in this deck too though.
Underworld Coinsmith and Scholar of Athreos have abilities which could be used as finishers, but in weird colors to the core. course caryatid and axebane are color friendly...
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Colossus of Akros plus Blood (Akros 20/20 trample, turn 6). Archeomancer to retrieve. can cast Flesh too, if Colossus is in the yard, for 10 counters on nightveil. from my expeience with Blood in GR Monsters, it can devastate. it is spot removal too in certain cases
I've had my eye on the Twinflame combo since the card was spoiled, although my plan was to use Archaeomancer over Mnemonic Wall since it allows for infinite attackers.
I also wanted some back-up plans for the deck, so I was thinking about running some copies of Clan Defiance and some big creatures that went well with Twinflame since I'd be running a fair bit of ramp that could get them out. Creatures like Kalonian Hydra and/or Sylvan Primordial were the first ones that came to mind.
One nice detail is that as long as you have even one Axebane Guardian available to tap, Twinflame can act as a ritual, costing 2 mana to net you 3+.
I've had my eye on the Twinflame combo since the card was spoiled, although my plan was to use Archaeomancer over Mnemonic Wall since it allows for infinite attackers.
I also wanted some back-up plans for the deck, so I was thinking about running some copies of Clan Defiance and some big creatures that went well with Twinflame since I'd be running a fair bit of ramp that could get them out. Creatures like Kalonian Hydra and/or Sylvan Primordial were the first ones that came to mind.
One nice detail is that as long as you have even one Axebane Guardian available to tap, Twinflame can act as a ritual, costing 2 mana to net you 3+.
What do you think of Colossus of Akros plus blood as a wincon? Ive swung with 20/20 Colossus on turn six before too. Plus its a defender, and keeps its defender status even once it can attack
What do you think of Colossus of Akros plus blood as a wincon? Ive swung with 20/20 Colossus on turn six before too. Plus its a defender, and keeps its defender status even once it can attack
I'd say it depends what direction you want to take the deck in. You can go heavily for the defender deck design, in which case the Colossus fits in quite well. I was looking more at a ramp deck with some cool Twinflame tricks built in, and Colossus is a bad fit for that because duplicating it with Twinflame just gives you another defender.
What do you think of Colossus of Akros plus blood as a wincon? Ive swung with 20/20 Colossus on turn six before too. Plus its a defender, and keeps its defender status even once it can attack
I'd say it depends what direction you want to take the deck in. You can go heavily for the defender deck design, in which case the Colossus fits in quite well. I was looking more at a ramp deck with some cool Twinflame tricks built in, and Colossus is a bad fit for that because duplicating it with Twinflame just gives you another defender.
If you look at my list I only have 11 defenders, and 11 non-defenders. Copying Colossus and "just getting another defender" isnt horrible, because it makes your axebane tap for even more- not to mention multiple axebanes. Then flesh // blood..... it is common to have 2 in hand, and dealing 20 damage for rrgg is flat out awesome. Even more if Colossus is Monstrous Archeomancer returns Blood to hand too. Hydra is great for copying for sure, as is Sylvan Primordial (id be down for 1of Primordial), but Akros fits the theme, can swing for 20 trample on turn six, and can win with Blood. Best thing about Defender Combo is that it can go so many ways
Nightveil Specter is great too, because we can cast anything he steals with our multi-colored mana options.
Oh also in a pinch we can use Flesh from Flesh // Blood to Scavenge Colossus for 10 counters on something. I like that Colossus has indestructible and isnt a god (screw you Deicide!!). Makes him resilient to Monoblack's common removal
Had the infinite archeomancer combo happen on turn 4. was sweet
What about battlefield thurmaturge and barage of expendables? Since this creates infinite mana... he makes twinflame cost 1RR instead of 3RR.
I think a turbo fog version of this could work.
Edit
Purphuros could work... or this could give us a reason to abuse beck//call. Maybe with borborygmos?
The Purpose of the Deck
cast Twinflame strived onto Axebane Guardian and Mnemonic Wall getting back Twinflame with the wall clone, and slowly making more and more mana, then casting a damage spell infinite times to kill your opponent (getting it back by making multiple copies of Mnemonic Wall each cycle)
4 Axebane Guardian
4 Mnemonic Wall
4 Sylvan Caryatid
instants - 16
4 Swan Song
4 Grisly Salvage
1 Volcanic Geyser
3 Druid's Deliverance
2 Fated Infatuation
2 Golgari Charm
4 Twinflame
4 Commune with the Gods
lands - 24
3 Island
4 Forest
1 Swamp
3 Temple of Deceit
2 Temple of Malady
4 Temple of Mystery
4 Breeding Pool
1 Overgrown Tomb
2 Watery Grave
the deck kept getting land flooded and had 0 deck thinning, so i kept finding myself NOT drawing that final combo piece i needed to win... so:
-1 Volcanic Geyser (kept drawing it, and it was useless except when i had the combo)
-1 island -1 forest -1 watery grave (too many lands, i needed 2 in my opening hand, then maybe 2 more for the rest of the game)
-1 druid's deliverance (the fog is decent, and if you have a token to populate it's great... but i needed room!)
+1 Toil // Trouble (more useful if i accidentally draw it before i am ready... draw 2 helps dig to combo, and can use trouble to kill a planeswalker maybe... but i'd rather draw two 99% of the time)
+4 Gatecreeper Vine (another 2 drop defender increasing the count to 8, making it likely i'll have one in opening hand, thins the deck, fixes mana and colors... overall great addition, also brings creature count up to 16 which i like, since i kept wiffing on Commune with the Gods which is a terrible feeling to me)
4 Mnemonic Wall
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Axebane Guardian
4 Gatecreeper Vine
Instants - 14
2 Druid's Deliverance
2 Fated Infatuation
2 Golgari Charm
4 Grisly Salvage
4 Swan Song
4 Commune with the Gods
1 Toil // Trouble
4 Twinflame
Lands - 21
4 Breeding Pool
3 Forest
2 Island
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Swamp
2 Temple of Deceit
2 Temple of Malady
4 Temple of Mystery
1 Watery Grave
this version has so far been a lot more consistent, at least gold fishing, and random games.
the deck is actually really flexible, in that it has lots of room for customization:
4 Mnemonic Wall
4 Axebane Guardian
4 Twinflame
10 forest
10 island
so, with 28 slots this deck can become very personal, with a wide range of win conditions (i guess it's pretty easy to think of win conditions when you have infinite mana and creatures)
i'm not sure on a sideboard as i haven't had much time to test it against other decks...
But i am pretty sure some of the following cards will be good options:
most of these cards are dealt with via either Golgari Charm or Swan Song and the ones that aren't seem to be dealt with via Abrupt Decay and Pithing Needle, so we aren't totally screwed (except for Slaughter Games that is)
Let me know what everyone thinks, it's actually a pretty tough deck to play so far, but it seems kind of resilient to removal or disruption
so... looks like people really like this deck... not because it's the best, strongest, fastest or anything like that... but apparently because it is so customizable! rock on guys!
VARIANT LISTS:
BW Haakon, Stromgald Scourge: Tribal Knights BW
UWG Roon Astral Slide: Cycling and Sliding Based Deck UWG
If you have a budget, you shouldn't play magic competitively
Main Deck: What's left
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/standard-type-2/standard-deck-creation/602378-kolaghan-dragons
trade me:
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/trading-post/details/1277-almost-done
But i don't think it is a good fit for this deck. oracle of bones:
1) being double red to cast is kind of tough (yes i know a strived twinflame is double red also, but plenty of times to combo off i have cast it unstrived on an axebane guardian to get enough mana to cast everything i need)
2) being tribute means that once my opponent knows what is going on, i will never get a free twinflame again, and since i don't have much removal it's hard to get through for combat damage... Generally tribute is a bad ability unless it's a win-win
I like your idea to use him with strive cards though... Perhaps a different deck... Back to brewing
BW Haakon, Stromgald Scourge: Tribal Knights BW
UWG Roon Astral Slide: Cycling and Sliding Based Deck UWG
BW Haakon, Stromgald Scourge: Tribal Knights BW
UWG Roon Astral Slide: Cycling and Sliding Based Deck UWG
That is what I was afraid of =(
Or if you want to go with the wall route, multiple copies of Doorkeeper can be another finisher if the combo goes off, milling an opponent's entire deck in one shot.
Another infinite mana option is Kiora's Follower/Voyaging Satyr + multiple Verdant Haven/Market Festival on a land (producing at least 6 mana) + Archaeomancer/Mnemonic Wall + Twinflame.
That won't matter because dragonshift is an instant. So you could just attack and then play the spell mid combat say after blocks?
I would kill it with a golgari charm either by destroying an enchantment, or giving everything -1/-1
unfortunately cannot attack first because everything has defender and cannot be declared as attackers
BW Haakon, Stromgald Scourge: Tribal Knights BW
UWG Roon Astral Slide: Cycling and Sliding Based Deck UWG
There are a lot of cards that can take the place of the toil // trouble but it seemed like the only one that wasn't a dead draw if i wasn't ready at the time... In fact it helps me get the combo a little
The Archaeomancer is a solid card, and it could act as mnemonic wall 5-6 although it has it's drawback of not being a defender to add mana to axebane which is critical sometimes... I do like that i can use him to swing for the win though and he costs 1 less mana to cast... So perhaps 1-2 of them wouldn't be bad. Ideas on what to cut?
The other combos you suggested would just make this into a different deck, and i'm not interested in making an almost the same deck
BW Haakon, Stromgald Scourge: Tribal Knights BW
UWG Roon Astral Slide: Cycling and Sliding Based Deck UWG
If you have a budget, you shouldn't play magic competitively
Main Deck: What's left
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/standard-type-2/standard-deck-creation/602378-kolaghan-dragons
trade me:
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/trading-post/details/1277-almost-done
Doesn't matter, tap the last axebane for an absurd amount of mana, overload dragonshift, then recast twinflame and copy all the dragonshifted creatures. You now have a metric ton of dragonshifted creatures that DO have haste, and can attack for lethal.
not really sure what any of these suggested win conditions have over the original one?
dragonshift is pretty much a dead card unless i have already assembled the combo... and attacking with creatures is susceptible to fog effects, cyclonic rift overload, or a quickened supreme verdict / mizzium mortars... not to mention if i don't have the combo it is hard for me to cast since i can only produce red from tapping my defenders
Nivix Cyclops is a little more interesting since i can technically just chip away at my opponent's life total over a few turns if i don't have the combo, and i can even surprise block, pump, kill stuff... but again hard to cast unless i already had a defender out because of the red, also if i want to chip away an opponent i'd have to run more than 1 (most likely 4) and i dunno what i'd be able to take out... not to mention if he dies, i have no way of getting him back when i finally AM ready to combo off
Archaeomancer seems like a decent fit for the deck, since he copies an already needed ability (though in a non defender form) and if the combo is going off, he can be cloned infinite times and attack instead of burning for the win (in the event the opponent is hexproof or shrouded or something? i don't think there is currently any threat of this though, and Aegis of the Gods is easily killed with infinite golgari charms)
Toil // Trouble lets you draw cards if you get it accidentally before you are ready, and as long as your opponent has even 1 card in hand, just cast it infinite times to kill them... or if they have no cards, then give them 2 cards and cast it 8 more times to kill them
BW Haakon, Stromgald Scourge: Tribal Knights BW
UWG Roon Astral Slide: Cycling and Sliding Based Deck UWG
In a similar vein, what if you don't draw Twinflame? I suppose maybe you manage to mill it into your gy using Commune or Grisly Salvage?
I like the idea of having Archaeomancer in your deck. With 8 ways to return an instant from your graveyard to your hand, you've got a more consistent combo, and Archaeomancer is a wincon - unless they fog you, but then you can still kill them next turn.
There are at least 4 creatures with defender that, given you're going infinite scenario, would result in a win without turning into an attacker. Basilica Guards, Doorkeeper, Hired Torturer, Lobber Crew. Doorkeeper can even be used to mill yourself if you've got a Archaeomancer in your hand but can't seem to find your Twinflame.
Anyway... I would drop the Druid's Deliverance, the Volcanic Geyser, the Fated Infatuations and 2 swan songs for
+4 Archaeomancer
+4 Doorkeeper
exactly, in the event Toil // Trouble gets exiled you would end up making swan tokens, then cloning them to give em haste, and attacking for the win
i have actually just updated the main post to point out the single cards that will mess with the strategy the most (though, in my limited testing, one of the biggest problems is just dying to attackers before i am ready to combo off)
yes, you typically hold onto mnemonic wall and mill away your deck with Commune with the Gods and Grisly Salvage until you get to that Twinflame (often picking up another mnemonic wall in the process)
looks like you're working off the original version, and i like the changes you propose to it. i've actually cut some lands from it since it tends to get flooded, which makes a lot more room.
The combo is susceptible to disruption at the very beginning, and not having a Swan Song when i am trying to go off is always scary heh, but the changes do seem like something that can use testing.
BW Haakon, Stromgald Scourge: Tribal Knights BW
UWG Roon Astral Slide: Cycling and Sliding Based Deck UWG
3 Gatecreeper Vine
3 Doorkeeper
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Axebane Guardian
4 Mnemonic Wall
4 Jace, Architect of Thought
2 Kiora, the Crashing Wave
1 Phenax, God of Deception
4 Commune with the Gods
4 Grisly Salvage
3 Twinflame
Instead of casting an X damage spell, you can mill them out with Doorkeeper or Phenax. With infinite mana you can make arbitrarily many copies of Mnemonic Wall to cast Commune with Gods or Grisly Salvage over and over until you find Phenax or Doorkeeper FTW. Planeswalkers help you stall and/or dig and/or serve as an alternate win condition with walls. You can also just straight up mill them out without the combo.
EDIT: Swan Song may be necessary if facing heavy disruption on the combo.
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Axebane Guardian
3 Nightveil Specter
2 Courser of Kruphix
4 Archaeomancer
4 Prophet of Kruphix
2 Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
1 Colossus of Akros
4 Twinflame
2 Cyclonic Rift
2 Simic Charm
2 Xenagos, the Reveler
3 Domri Rade
Edit:
Leaving this because I'm still trying to figure out what to say to him.
I'd like to TEST him in this deck too though.
Underworld Coinsmith and Scholar of Athreos have abilities which could be used as finishers, but in weird colors to the core. course caryatid and axebane are color friendly...
------edit
Colossus of Akros plus Blood (Akros 20/20 trample, turn 6). Archeomancer to retrieve. can cast Flesh too, if Colossus is in the yard, for 10 counters on nightveil. from my expeience with Blood in GR Monsters, it can devastate. it is spot removal too in certain cases
new list
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Axebane Guardian
4 Nightveil Specter
4 Archaeomancer
3 Prophet of Kruphix
3 Colossus of Akros
4 Twinflame
2 Cyclonic Rift
4 Flesh // Blood
2 Xenagos, the Reveler
3 Domri Rade
Everyone can get some good thoughts from the old Defender Combo thread too
I also wanted some back-up plans for the deck, so I was thinking about running some copies of Clan Defiance and some big creatures that went well with Twinflame since I'd be running a fair bit of ramp that could get them out. Creatures like Kalonian Hydra and/or Sylvan Primordial were the first ones that came to mind.
One nice detail is that as long as you have even one Axebane Guardian available to tap, Twinflame can act as a ritual, costing 2 mana to net you 3+.
What do you think of Colossus of Akros plus blood as a wincon? Ive swung with 20/20 Colossus on turn six before too. Plus its a defender, and keeps its defender status even once it can attack
I'd say it depends what direction you want to take the deck in. You can go heavily for the defender deck design, in which case the Colossus fits in quite well. I was looking more at a ramp deck with some cool Twinflame tricks built in, and Colossus is a bad fit for that because duplicating it with Twinflame just gives you another defender.
If you look at my list I only have 11 defenders, and 11 non-defenders. Copying Colossus and "just getting another defender" isnt horrible, because it makes your axebane tap for even more- not to mention multiple axebanes. Then flesh // blood..... it is common to have 2 in hand, and dealing 20 damage for rrgg is flat out awesome. Even more if Colossus is Monstrous Archeomancer returns Blood to hand too. Hydra is great for copying for sure, as is Sylvan Primordial (id be down for 1of Primordial), but Akros fits the theme, can swing for 20 trample on turn six, and can win with Blood. Best thing about Defender Combo is that it can go so many ways
Nightveil Specter is great too, because we can cast anything he steals with our multi-colored mana options.
Oh also in a pinch we can use Flesh from Flesh // Blood to Scavenge Colossus for 10 counters on something. I like that Colossus has indestructible and isnt a god (screw you Deicide!!). Makes him resilient to Monoblack's common removal
Had the infinite archeomancer combo happen on turn 4. was sweet
I think a turbo fog version of this could work.
Edit
Purphuros could work... or this could give us a reason to abuse beck//call. Maybe with borborygmos?