MTG Salvation

Quote from megatog201

I think maybe the meaning of my post was lost due to translation. Cripple - Causing something to move improperly.
You are saying that the deck performs better without duels. That is just silly. You have too many lands that slow servitude. You could run a green and black or white one rather than a forest to gain the % in being able to cast the needed spells. A white black duel could take the place of a swamp so you can reward slightly better. These changes help you rather than cripple you. Only slightly though. It's better than having to play a wilds to fetch the correct color. Due to having it come into play tapped. If you already have the color you need then you can play a basic or whatever. Allowing you to go off a turn faster. Or actually having the mana when they sweep your board. Idk how many times it happens when you need that 4th mana and you still need to color fix. It's safer to run a few duels than not doing so.

Alright, my bad for misunderstanding your intention. But I don't feel the deck runs "improperly" either. I find it's remarkably consistent considering how bad the mana base looks (believe me, I know).

Due to Abundant Growth, I've never actually had the issue where I can't cast Servitude/Reward when I need to. Wilds' land ETBing tapped isn't really a problem, since I rarely crack more than one wilds a game after the first turn. I usually save them for Rewards in order to thin more, and just slap a growth on them or quarters (due to my meta, I prefer to use my quarters as strip mines, and put the abundant growth on the wilds).

I'll concede it might be 'safer' to run a shock or two. But I feel like, at the margin, it's hurting rather than helping. It's either shocking me, or ETBing tapped, and I can't fetch it, since no farseek, and I can't ramp off it, since no arbor elf. I haven't had any issue with casting servitude or reward.

The only time I've had issues with colour, is not having enough of a colour to activate guildmage abilities repeatedly (which is rarely a thing I want to do anyway).

I can see the scenario where I hit no wilds or growths, and would love shocks, but I've probably already lost that game by then, so I feel it's a moot point.

Quote from Helios

If this helps anyone:

1) Elvish Visionary looks key, and/or the blue version of him; that being said, could they be run without supporting the color of mana needed to play them, just to make your lands better?

2) Faithless looting seems very necessary, lots of lists in aren't running it for some reason.

3) Blood Artist wincon > Lab Maniac. Because if you can draw your deck (By the time you go off, say, generously, ~30 cards?) then you can just kill them with one blood artist.

4) This deck looks hilariously fun.

5) Correct me if I'm wrong, but Flayer of the Hatebound is just bad, right? I mean, there is no situation in which you don't have to pay 6 for it. Do you really want to spend a turn playing it? Winning seems like a better plan.

1) Yes. Visionary/Apprentice are VERY key. I suppose you cut run a WBR version, and get all your cantrips out of prophetic prism/trading post, but I prefer the constant digging provided the creatures. You could easily cut U, but Visionary/Abundant Growth is really good in this deck.

2) I don't run it because it does nothing for the Faith's Reward, and I'm more in the WBG than the UR. I run the one-of Nivix, and rarely loot with it. I feel that straight digging > looting.

3) Definetly true. Blood artist is easily the best wincon. It's so good that is makes Viskopa Guildmage amazing too.

4) It REALLY is.

5) I personally have my one-of Flayer on the chopping block, along with Nivix Guildmage & the two Gatecreepers. I'm really starting to lean towards changing the Flayer for a single maindeck War Priest of Thune instead, since at six, it's not worth the mana to play it, and it doesn't work with servitude (well, it does... but it doesn't come back with it), and you can get the win out of blood artist or viskopa guildmage way easier/earlier than working your plays around the flayer.

Quote from mayandisaster

travis woo started building a version tonight!! getting the word of standard eggs out there.

Does anyone have an updated list that he brewed up?

Has anybody tried Duskmantle Seer yet? I've found him quite decent as a 1 or 2 of, and it helps us go off before our opponent can take advantage of their card draw.

Ghost Quarter is just so hard to swallow sometimes. Your manabase becomes absolutely atrocious (especially if you're running 4 colors), but the upside of Verdant Haven or Abundant Growth is just delicious when you can pull it off... I've managed infinite combos before with it. I'm very conflicted.

Well another way to "draw" cards is Domri rade he is low mana cost the fighting isn't great but you don't care if your guy dies.

Loleth troll is quiet a powerful two drop can can really make your servitude better but doesn't help the combo.

I might have a go at a "jund agro" version.

I haven't tried seer he isn't going to hurt us much so I guess that is a good thing.

I have a question, if I cast Faith's reward to bring Flayer of Hatebound and some other creatures back , how many creatures will trigger flayer's ability?

Quote from tifo86

I have a question, if I cast Faith's reward to bring Flayer of Hatebound and some other creatures back , how many creatures will trigger flayer's ability?

All of them I believe

Travis Woo's version with Garruk Primal Hunter seems very good actually.

The combo is way more consistent than the early versions.

1. just curious, why would him put 2 Hellraiser Goblin in this deck? I can't understand his game plan
2. why wouldn't he use wolf run ,rather than township ?

I don't really think the Township belongs in the deck msyelf. It seems like a bad idea. Though it does hedge against the combo not going off, township aggro is a fallback.

There is this deck... it isn't running faiths reward but it is winning the game with the same method as the faiths reward version.

http://www.starcitygames.com/events/coverage/deck_tech_servitude_combo_with.html

Quote from Narvuntien

There is this deck... it isn't running faiths reward but it is winning the game with the same method as the faiths reward version.

http://www.starcitygames.com/events/coverage/deck_tech_servitude_combo_with.html

WOW, first place at an SCGO....

Quote from Rjl

WOW, first place at an SCGO....

it isn't they just don't have the decklists up yet.. it will be put in its real place once that is up

I am liking the altars reap in his deck card draw is so important

348th.....haha not great

Quote from Narvuntien

it isn't they just don't have the decklists up yet.. it will be put in its real place once that is up

I am liking the altars reap in his deck card draw is so important

348th.....haha not great

its kinda close to the BUG servitude deck I'm running, although I did not consider Altar's Reap or Fog Bank. I feel like just not running Mulch or Grisly Salvage can cause problems for consistency.

I love watching Travis Woo play the eggs deck against that UB deck. Almost went to time

i think its easier and almost better just to not go infinite with it

I still prefer aristocrat route, use blood artist as win con.


I tuned it for local meta which naya blitz and aggro are popular.
Guildmage really sux in early game , but it's great in late game , so that's a tough call to keep it or not....

have you considered High priest of penance?.. in a deck that can recur it it will be a massive road block for aggro.

Quote from Narvuntien

have you considered High priest of penance?.. in a deck that can recur it it will be a massive road block for aggro.

But so will any random creature they throw in that slot. Ravenous Rats is probably more valuable just for eating their gas/land if they deck can already weather the storm.

I liked the fog bank idea.

well ive been testing a list with grisley salvage and mulch and using servitude and its been working out pretty well.

So taking inspiration from Woo's "Green Eggs and Spam", I think I've finally found a winner of a decklist. I present to you... Green Eyeballs and Spam!



The beauty of this list is that it can function quite well as a traditional elf-ball deck with occasional T4/T5 nut draw. Meanwhile, you get the crazy Ghost Quarter and Abundant Growth plays, a ton of death triggers put to use (including the much-maligned Jar of Eyeballs to find whatever combo piece you need), and multiple win conditions to help improve resilience.

Notable Inclusions:
Jar of Eyeballs: Dig, dig, and dig some more. Your combo will almost never stall again if you take the time to include this, though it's not as fast. As Increasing Ambition is to Omniscience decks, this card is to Eggs, since your creatures die so often that rarely will you fail to find something to give you the win... and even if you do, you're another 16 or so cards closer to finding it. It's better in builds that rely on Immortal Servitude more, but I liked it enough to include here as well.

3 Faith's Reward and 1 Immortal Servitude: Faith's Reward is a winner, but you never want to be stuck with too many in your opening hand, and you have plenty of dig. Immortal Servitude serves as a failsafe here: if your combo fails (due to a sweeper or running out of gas), it's your ticket back into the game. If a game goes late, you can often find salvage in the graveyard for a Blood Artist instakill.

Snapcaster Mage- The last card to make it in. There's not a ton of targets for it, but you'll be very appreciative when you find that you can double up on Faith's Reward to put the game away. You find yourself casting Reward more often than you'd think simply for value as well, so getting one back is quite a nice perk.

Tragic Slip- A catch-all answer for the fatties we can't ignore (such as a T3 Olivia). It's also a nice little Snapcaster target as well for when he's otherwise just a 2/1 Flash. Having such dig really helps this card out as well.

Garruk, Primal Hunter- Your control trump. It's a nutty draw engine with Bloodthrone Vampire as well, so prepare to win quickly if you can ever get them out together.

Notable Omissions:
-Burning-Tree Emissary: Too hard on the mana, and was never threatening enough beyond more than a simple combo piece.

-Soul of the Harvest: Great in decks where you can give dorks haste and combo off, but here we aren't running any haste and have a much higher noncreature content. We have other ways to combo, so look elsewhere for a wincon.

-Verdant Haven: Tough decision here, but ultimately ramping with elves was more cohesive even without the ability to go infinite, and this deck needed a few more creatures.

-Red spells: This deck can't handle a full 5 color load, and it's all in on the combo-ramp plan, so red's the odd color out. You lose the hastier options, but we have other win conditions that we can dig for.

If you are running a Travis Woo variant:
+1 Fling

You're welcome. =P

Has anyone thought of ravenous rats or black cat as ways in the main to combat controlish decks? They come back via servitude/faiths reward and its already a 2-for-1 in value, even more if you have visionaries/alch apprentices coming back alongside them

Quote from Gameshark2k2

Has anyone thought of ravenous rats or black cat as ways in the main to combat controlish decks? They come back via servitude/faiths reward and its already a 2-for-1 in value, even more if you have visionaries/alch apprentices coming back alongside them

I've tried it, but unless you're running a full-on discard strategy, I've found it doesn't do enough. In this meta, you're likely to hit:

-Loxodon Smiter, which is a huge tempo loss for you and will probably kill you in a hurry.

-A reanimation target, which actively helps them most of the time.

-Something with flashback (say, Lingering Souls), which only gets you half value.

-An extra land, which doesn't stop the assault while Naya Blitz kills you and your puny 1/1 blockers.

-A card that control either doesn't need or can recast with Snapcaster Mage later.


Unless you plan to make it a dedicated deck strategy, you're better off running solid removal or something that accelerates your combo.

I was teetering with rats or dawntreader but in testing rats seems pretty good. Might move him to the board and main dawntreader elk

Beck is so good for this deck!



I am still working on it obviously the deck is really complicated.
DGM cards!
1. Beck//Call. The mass card draw spell we needed works very well with faith's reward and immortal servitude to draw you a ton of cards.. not to meantion burning tree. If you top deck it late it can be an easy draw 4 to get you running agian.
2. Voice of resurgance... good hate bear is good.. we have a ton of little creatures so that token can be very big. also makes a new token each time we run the voice through the loop.
3. Deapty of aquitals with enough mana it allows us to re buy elvish visonaries and burning tree's when it is returned to the battlefield we can get yet more use out of ETB effects. Also can save our guys from horrible fates.


4. Blood scrievner... is realy good if you run out of cards and he is being considered as an option. we can drop our hand fast in the right sircumstances its only good when you are probably already losing but beck + visonary = 3 cards - 1 life is really good. not sure there is room atm.
I can now draw a ton more cards than before. perhaps there is another version of the deck that makes better use of it. with wheels.
5. Zur taa druid.... two mana mana dork.. seems good but in a red version of the deck.