Do you like durdling around and drawing cards? Do you enjoy trips to value town? Do you like to see the spark of hope slowly drain out of your opponent's eyes as they realise the situation is hopeless five turns before you finally put them out of their misery?
I was personally wrecked by this deck in a competitive league. I thought the decklist on mtggoldfish looked pretty sweet. The deck is also getting a little hype over on CFB. I took it for a spin in a friendly league and it felt pretty sweet. A 5-0 finish where it always felt like the deck had an answer available for what the opponent was doing.
WHAT'S THE PLAN?
ABC: Always Be Cycling. You want to cycle aggressively in the early turns to set yourself up to turn the corner.
Don't die. Censor is your main early interaction. You may also want to fire off an early Djeru's Renunciation if something crazy happens or if your mana is going to be booked up for turns 3-4.
Stabilize. This typically happens on turn four or five through some combination of drakes, sweepers, and Cast Out. Curator of Mysteries can also be an effective blocker.
Assert your dominance over the game. This can involve infinite drakes or infinite value. You know how they say Dredge plays with the graveyard as its hand? With Abandoned Sarcophagus this is literally true. The Sarcophagus is sweetest as a late game play so that you can play your cards normally and then rebuy them later.
Put the opponent out of their misery with your fliers. This can happen quicker than you'd think.
CARD CHOICES:Land:
23 lands is a little low for a control deck. However, with all of the cyclers this definitely plays more like a 26 land deck.
Similarly, the 16 blue sources feel more like 17-18 and the 14 white sources feel more like 15-16. On the other hand, the Irrigated Farmlands help mitigate flooding a bit.
There's a minor utility package of deserts. You are so rarely going to be using the Scavenger Grounds that it might be better as a Field of Ruin, to be honest. The Shefet Dunes can help your drakes close things out one turn early while the Ipnu Rivulet occasionally provides self-milling value.
Cyclers:
Censor is an all star. Key early game interaction and cycles for a low price.
Djeru's Renunciation is not a typo. I know, I know. It's kind of the Deadshot Minotaur of this deck in that a big argument for its inclusion is the on color one mana cycling, but it is surprisingly fog like. Besides helping us not die (not dying is one of my favorite things in magic) it can also nudge annoying blockers out of the way if need be.
Hieroglyphic Illumination is sweet in the control matchup. Usually your first choice to cycle early, then you get to bring it back with the Sarcophagus late. Who doesn't like drawing cards?
Cast Out is a handy all purpose answer. The Sarcophagus lets you cycle it guilt free and then cast it out of the yard when you need it.
Curator of Mysteries is your one creature and it's a doozy. The scries really add up over time. Can be cast from the graveyard with Sarcophagus. Note that one reason to hold your Sarcophagus is so you can play out Curator and have it go to the yard if it gets countered or killed, allowing it to be recast with Sarcophagus.
Renewed Faith is a two mana cycler that is a borderline pre-sideboard for aggro matchups. I'm not completely sold on it as a main deck four of.
Countervailing Winds is very nearly a hard counter in this deck. If you play it before you drop a Sarcophagus you get to rebuy a counterspell from your yard, which is just sick. Arguably ought to be a 2/2 split with Renewed Faith in the main deck. It seems like it's generally useful and it gives us a chance in game one against approach decks.
Forsake the Worldly probably merits sideboard consideration. The deck is naturally set up to be strong against decks that rely on artifacts, though.
Irrigated Farmland is a land when you need one and cycles when you don't. Good times.
The overpriced cycling creatures (e.g. Winged Shepherd) don't make the deck since we aren't able to cheat them into play.
Sweepers:
Settle the Wreckage ranges from a gigantic blowout to a total blank. It's not perfect but there are plenty of situations where it's our only out.
Fumigate is pretty solid right now. It's underwhelming against Hazoret decks but very strong against Temur Energy.
It's worth noting that while we only have four sweepers in the deck, the speed at which we churn through our deck means we'll usually see one of them game one.
The Value Plan:
Search for Azcanta slots very nicely into the cycling plan. We can flip it quickly and it tutors for our best cards. We might even want one or two in the sideboard for control matchups.
Drake Haven stalls out opposing attacks (dodging the big falter effects and exert triggers) and also cranks out evasive attackers to close out the game. It rewards us for playing one mana cyclers and synergizes nicely with Curator of Mysteries for some silly cycle chains.
Abandoned Sarcophagus is just absurd. There are only three in the deck because it doesn't get better in multiples and we don't really need it until turn six or so. Once it's down and you get to untap the value is unreal. You do want to be a little careful about cycling cards you might need to cast if you suspect your opponent can deal with it, but for the most part this just turns your cyclers into cantrips. It's as fun as it sounds.
If you like playing durdly UW decks and you're tired of losing post-sideboarded games, try putting the Approach of the Second Sun on the shelf for a little while and break out the Dracophagus. I think you'll enjoy it.
One thing about playing with this deck that I've found is that it isn't quite as durdly as I thought it was. Once you start cranking out drakes you can turn the corner surprisingly quickly. You'll win more games if you keep a sharp eye out for when you can start making profitable attacks.
I'm considering trying this deck out and also thinking about Lost Legacy. Would a sideboard plan of something like 2 Torrential Gearhulk, 1 Scarab God, 2 Approach of the Second Sun work? From playing UW Approach for a while I know that we have to diversify our win-conditions in Game 2 / Game 3, and having not played this deck yet I'm not sure exactly what would work, but those seem fairly decent finishers if the Drake Havens are removed
You do have Curator of Mysteries in there already. It's a legit wincon, especially after sideboarding when your opponent has taken out some amount of removal. If you want a bonus wincon I would look at Glyph Keeper to go with the persistent flying theme. Remember that you are flying through your deck so you will draw your one and two ofs more than you would think.
Fair point about all the cycling through - having not played the deck it's easy to forget that when you cycle you aren't just creating a drake, you're drawing into so many more cards. I watched some MTGO gameplay last night and was surprised at just how few cards were left in the library after a long-ish game. It certainly seems an effective strategy and I can't wait to give it a go at FNM
Is anyone else playing this deck? My list is slightly different than the OP, but I have been having great success against everything I match up with. Namely Engery and Grixis control decks. The deck can be grindy at times. And I have grinded out tough wins. And came back from the brink even.
Gideon of the Trials has been great in this deck. The drakes offer protection.
This deck has been really fun to play. And has game against all other decks.
I've been on this deck about 6-7 weeks, now, since my first post in this thread. I came 3rd at Store Championship and regularly makein the top 2/3 of other local events - nothing spectacular (due to my play more than anything, probably), but certainly a consistently good deck vs. the local meta (most players are on "Tier 1" decks like RR and Temur).
I'm surprised to see so little action on this thread, given how smooth this deck plays out.
I do sideboard into 2x Approach and 2x Torrential Gearhulk when I'm playing against a deck that might cast Lost Legacy against me in Game 2. I find that the Ramunap Game 1 is pretty tough, but post-board not such a bad matchup. I use 2x Impeccable Timing in the main to help in this matchup - it's good early on against most decks, and if we don't need it I can discard it to the Aftermath side of Farm to Market (which I also play 2 of). I'm not sure my choices are perfect (no Curator of Mysteries in the 75, either).
I'm be intrested to see current decklists from anyone else running this, for comparison.
ManaDork, please post your list. Yes Ram Red is the hardest match for this deck. However, I have not had much problem with mono black aggro. My suggest against Ram Red, and I have not tested this yet as I rarely come up against RR, is use Djeru's Renunciation and Slash of Talons. These are probably slightly better options over Impeccable Timing
Again, Gideon continues to prove to be strong in this line up.
In addition, this deck does not care how big creatures are. As we have disposable blockers.
I have been able to come back from overwhelming board states with only one card in hand
I'd be interested to hear your opinion of this and discuss it a little - it's (certainly) not perfect and I think I've tweaked it a few times too many to the point where it's actually slightly worse now than my first build! I'm thinking of going back up to 2 Abandoned Sarcophagus (not great in multiples but a total killer when you do cast it); I might lose the Impeccable Timing for Djeru's Renunciation (which I have tried as a x2, but wasn't totally enamoured by). Farm / Market has been pretty good - draw 2, discard 2 triggering a Drake Haven (or several) can be great, albeit at sorcery speed.
Regarding the sideboard - It's a little bit of a mess. Again, I've tweaked it fairly regularly and I think I need to settle on a solid sideboard strategy and build it. I play players that bring Lost Legacy out of the side on a pretty regular basis, so post-board I'll sometimes go almost totally to a UW Approach list with Gearhulks.
I've never seen Lay Claim in any other list but it has been an all-star in some games - being able to cast it from the graveyard late-on and just take a Planeswalker or big creature is pretty good. I'm unconvinced by the Regal Caracals.
My most-played matchups in the top players at my LGS are Ramunap Red (x2), R/B Aggro, U/B Pummeler, Temur Energy x2, 4c Energy, and a few other weirdo decks like UB Treasures, Dinosuars, UW Servos and U/W/G Approach.
Another list with Curator of Mysteries, which I dropped. I found I was almost never casting it (very occasionally from the GY), just using it as a 1-mana cycler, and there may be better cards to take that slot. Perhaps I'm wrong, but again, any opinions on this card would be appreciated. Perhaps I undervalue it.
I've been playing some hybrid of the lists put up on CFB by Corey Burkhart and Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa. I'm still a little unsure about my sideboard, but I think the main deck is pretty tight as is. This is my list:
I'm really struggling with Ramunap Red. There are a few people at my LGS who play it. Anyone have tips for how to survive longer against them? Ferocidon is especially problematic when I don't draw Fumigate or Cast Out. Otherwise I'm tearing through the meta. Temur Energy really struggles against this deck and when 4 Color doesn't draw 2 Scarab Gods in the same game I usually pull it out there as well.
The way I see it, I have seen aggro decks use their removal on their own creatures (to prevent more life gain from Fumigate, or to keep a creature from being exiled from Cast about) if they are fairly certain you aren’t running creatures in the main deck. By running even a few creatures in the main, these kinds of plays turn into theoretical minuses for your opponent, instead of simply removing a dead card in hand to mitigate the effect of your removal. If you can at least show you are running some creatures main deck, you can force the opponent to make a decision as to whether it’s OK for them to kill their own guy or hold their removal to deal with your potential creature.
My question is the inclusion of Renewed Faith in the deck. It does nothing against controlling decks like Approach and doesn’t seem to do enough against aggro decks since it takes two mana to cycle and only gains you two life when you do. Given that the first three turns are critical against aggro, I really don’t like spending two mana on cycling this in the early game. It’s nice to have in the grave with Sarcophagus in play or in your hand after you stabilize as it will put you out of burn range, but drawing it early just seems like it doesn’t do enough against aggro, which is the only matchup it seems to be needed in. I have seen a drop in the use of Djeru’s Renunciationin this archetype, which seems like it would be more useful in the early game vs. aggro than Renewed Faith. It will gain you more life by preventing two attacks from hitting and can also cycle for cheaper than Renewed Faith.
For those running Farm // Market what do you do with it if you go up against a control deck? If they have no creatures it gets stuck in your hand and there’s no way to easily get it into the grave where the aftermath would be useful. Or is this card just not played anymore in this deck?
Curator of Mysteries did not do much for me either. Other than die right after tapping out four mana main phase.
Gideon of the Trials protects you and himself with his +1 "Prevent all damage target permanent would deal" He can be a big distraction at times. He has a low casting cost. And he can swing out for 4 after a Fumigate.
Djeru's Renunciation is interesting choice over Renewed Faith. And I will certainly test this. However, cycling a turn 2 Faith fogs an attack from a 2 power creature putting you back to 20 to draw into something better.
Search for Azcanta should be a mandatory minimum 2x. Having one flipped and then dropping a second to continually scry will create an insurmountable lead.
Ram Red is the worst enemy as of right now. Ferocidon is can be nightmare since we do not run removal other than board sweepers. Perhaps the answer is Essence Scatter from the sideboard.... but probably not
Skywhaler's Shot is a pricey somewhat narrow remover. But does not require creatures to be attacking. It's single white with scry
There is also the option of splashing red for Lightning strike or Abrade. And there is Sweltering Suns (remember this cycler?). Double red is possible. But unlikely until after turn four most times. I ran UWR Approach with lots of red spells including Glorybringer in the side board. The mana was smooth. Not sure how it would work in this type of deck.
holy smokes I completely forgot that sanctuary triggers from discard. Tomb Robber triggers it! 2 mana for an explore and a 2/2 flying drake? Per activation? It helps put stuff in the yard, gets bigger or pulls lands out of the way, it seems like a good fit.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
holy smokes I completely forgot that sanctuary triggers from discard. Tomb Robber triggers it! 2 mana for an explore and a 2/2 flying drake? Per activation? It helps put stuff in the yard, gets bigger or pulls lands out of the way, it seems like a good fit.
I think you'd have to change the shell entirely for that card to work in the deck, probably changing it to UB. Anyways, paying 2 for a drake without any guaranteed card draw seems pretty uninspiring, especially since it's so fragile. I like the consistency of the deck as it currently exists a lot more.
holy smokes I completely forgot that sanctuary triggers from discard. Tomb Robber triggers it! 2 mana for an explore and a 2/2 flying drake? Per activation? It helps put stuff in the yard, gets bigger or pulls lands out of the way, it seems like a good fit.
I think you'd have to change the shell entirely for that card to work in the deck, probably changing it to UB. Anyways, paying 2 for a drake without any guaranteed card draw seems pretty uninspiring, especially since it's so fragile. I like the consistency of the deck as it currently exists a lot more.
The deck I'm working on is a temur explore build. It's far stronger than it looks and even though it is a 1/1, the chance someone is going to want to waste removal on it game 1 is pretty unlikely. It's "uninspiring" after all.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I kind of don't understand the lack of hype surrounding this deck. It has a good matchup against Energy, a winnable one against RDW, and will absolutely wreck all the attempts at tribal decks that people are brewing. Negate and Spell Pierce make its life a little bit difficult, but I always bring in my own to deal with them. It's super easy to get a sweeper by the time your opponent is doing dangerous things, usually even on the draw. What's the deal, fellow cyclers?
I kind of don't understand the lack of hype surrounding this deck. It has a good matchup against Energy, a winnable one against RDW, and will absolutely wreck all the attempts at tribal decks that people are brewing. Negate and Spell Pierce make its life a little bit difficult, but I always bring in my own to deal with them. It's super easy to get a sweeper by the time your opponent is doing dangerous things, usually even on the draw. What's the deal, fellow cyclers?
I kind of don't understand the lack of hype surrounding this deck. It has a good matchup against Energy, a winnable one against RDW, and will absolutely wreck all the attempts at tribal decks that people are brewing. Negate and Spell Pierce make its life a little bit difficult, but I always bring in my own to deal with them. It's super easy to get a sweeper by the time your opponent is doing dangerous things, usually even on the draw. What's the deal, fellow cyclers?
What is your strategy vs Ram Red
Right now I side in 4 Authority and the 3 life-gain kitties and pray to god I can get a T1 Authority without mulling below 6. That being said, I haven't played against any red-based aggro since the banning, and Ferocidon was EASILY the most difficult thing that deck had to deal with. I probably need to find something better than the Caracals to deal with aggro decks, I'm thinking Baffling End is a nice fit atm, but without its namesake or that annoying dino I feel a lot better about the matchup.
So I have been messing around with both UW Cycling and UR Enigma Drake decks for a little while now. I think both Enigma Drake and Drake Haven play very well together.
I think separately both decks have a few big holes. UW Cycle doesn't have any early interaction and suffers against the fast starts of RW Aggro and Mardu Vehicles. Furthermore it's only real win-con is typically Haven or Gideon of the Trials, if it's even included. This open it up for a lot of problems, a single Lost Legacy or Ixalan's Binding on Haven could mean game.
UR Enigma Drake has a tough time against any resolved God and reoccurring creatures. While UR has a better game against aggro, it still suffers. Lastly UR also is light on threats and can easily be shut down with the right cards.
By combing the two deck ideas we fill a lot of those holes. Between Red's early removal and White's lifegain, we improve our game against aggro. By combing Enigma Drake, Drake Haven, Cryptic Serpent, and planeswalkers we increase the threat density a lot! Lastly using White's exile effects we can now efficiently handle resolved Gods.
So I have been messing around with both UW Cycling and UR Enigma Drake decks for a little while now. I think both Enigma Drake and Drake Haven play very well together.
I think separately both decks have a few big holes. UW Cycle doesn't have any early interaction and suffers against the fast starts of RW Aggro and Mardu Vehicles. Furthermore it's only real win-con is typically Haven or Gideon of the Trials, if it's even included. This open it up for a lot of problems, a single Lost Legacy or Ixalan's Binding on Haven could mean game.
UR Enigma Drake has a tough time against any resolved God and reoccurring creatures. While UR has a better game against aggro, it still suffers. Lastly UR also is light on threats and can easily be shut down with the right cards.
By combing the two deck ideas we fill a lot of those holes. Between Red's early removal and White's lifegain, we improve our game against aggro. By combing Enigma Drake, Drake Haven, Cryptic Serpent, and planeswalkers we increase the threat density a lot! Lastly using White's exile effects we can now efficiently handle resolved Gods.
I completely agree with your assessment of UW Haven's holes. I'm genuinely not sure that there's a good sideboard the deck can have which addresses its deficiencies against faster decks and also lets it beef up against control match ups. I'm not entirely sure that Jeskai "Enigma Haven" is the answer though. The biggest strength of Drake Haven, I've found, is its ability to stabilize so consistently by digging into sweepers. I actually think that post-board it has at least an even chance against Hazoret-based creature aggro decks. The match up that I think is going to be the bigger problem is vehicles, and I'm not entirely convinced that combining it with the Enigma Drake shell makes that much of a difference, especially if you're not playing Abrade anywhere in your list. I would replace the 2 Obstructionists in your SB with Torrential Gearhulks and then find room for some number of Fragmentize and Abrade between the 4 Lightning Strike and 3 Forsake the Worldly in your SB. With more sweepers I haven't had any trouble against Gift decks, and I don't think the "exile" part of Forsake the Worldly is that relevant against Vehicles. There might be a hybrid that exists here, but I think that hybrid is based more on the Drake Haven deck than the Enigma Drake deck. I also think it would be wise to replace most of the creatures in your list with sweepers, at least going up to 4 Settle. Settle the Wreckage is too good for any control deck like this to be running less than 4.
Do you like durdling around and drawing cards? Do you enjoy trips to value town? Do you like to see the spark of hope slowly drain out of your opponent's eyes as they realise the situation is hopeless five turns before you finally put them out of their misery?
Have I got a deck for you...
The deck:
2 Ipnu Rivulet
4 Irrigated Farmland
6 Island
4 Plains
1 Scavenger Grounds
2 Shefet Dunes
4 Curator of Mysteries
4 Censor
4 Djeru's Renunciation
4 Renewed Faith
4 Hieroglyphic Illumination
2 Settle the Wreckage
2 Fumigate
2 Search for Azcanta
4 Drake Haven
4 Cast Out
4 Authority of the Consuls
2 Negate
4 Countervailing Winds
4 Sunscourge Champion
1 Hour of Revelation
WHAT'S THE PLAN?
CARD CHOICES:
Land:
The deck is very nearly pre-sideboarded against Temur Energy. The sideboard is neatly split between anti-Hazoret aggro tech (Sunscourge Champion, Authority of the Consuls) and anti-Control tech (Countervailing Winds, Negate). The Hour of Revelation is kind of a nonbo with Cast Out but it does have some haymaker potential against tokens and gift decks.
If you like playing durdly UW decks and you're tired of losing post-sideboarded games, try putting the Approach of the Second Sun on the shelf for a little while and break out the Dracophagus. I think you'll enjoy it.
I tried it MTGO and its really fun. I plan to bring one in a big tournanment at my store in two weeks.
2 Abandoned Sarcophagus
4 Cast Out
4 Censor
2 Countervailing Winds
1 Djeru's Renunciation
4 Drake Haven
3 Farm // Market
1 Forsake the Worldly
3 Fumigate
4 Hieroglyphic Illumination
4 Renewed Faith
3 Settle the Wreckage
2 Fetid Pools
4 Glacial Fortress
3 Irrigated Farmland
3 Island
8 Plains
2 Search for Azcanta
1 Shefet Dunes
4 Authority of the Consuls
1 Duress
1 Fumigate
2 Ixalan's Binding
1 Negate
4 Sunscourge Champion
2 The Scarab God
Needs moar Delver.
**Add two or three Approach of the Second Sun main deck as an alt win con**
Still wondering if Approach is worth 2 slots to help with those long games. Right now I have been testing with 2x Kefnet the Mindful.
2 Search for Azcanta
4 censor
2 Abandoned Sarcophagus
4 Countervailing Winds
4 Renewed Faith
4 Drake Haven
4 Cast Out
4 Hieroglyphic Illumination
3 Settle the Wreckage
3 Fumigate
2 Kefnet the Mindful
Land 24
4 Irrigated Farmland
4 Glacial Fortress
8 Island
8 Plains
C Long Live Eldrazi C
This deck has been really fun to play. And has game against all other decks.
C Long Live Eldrazi C
I'm surprised to see so little action on this thread, given how smooth this deck plays out.
I do sideboard into 2x Approach and 2x Torrential Gearhulk when I'm playing against a deck that might cast Lost Legacy against me in Game 2. I find that the Ramunap Game 1 is pretty tough, but post-board not such a bad matchup. I use 2x Impeccable Timing in the main to help in this matchup - it's good early on against most decks, and if we don't need it I can discard it to the Aftermath side of Farm to Market (which I also play 2 of). I'm not sure my choices are perfect (no Curator of Mysteries in the 75, either).
I'm be intrested to see current decklists from anyone else running this, for comparison.
2 Search for Azcanta
4 censor
2 Abandoned Sarcophagus
4 Countervailing Winds
4 Renewed Faith
4 Drake Haven
4 Cast Out
4 Hieroglyphic Illumination
3 Settle the Wreckage
3 Fumigate
2 Gideon of the Trials
Land 24
4 Irrigated Farmland
4 Glacial Fortress
8 Island
8 Plains
Again, Gideon continues to prove to be strong in this line up.
In addition, this deck does not care how big creatures are. As we have disposable blockers.
I have been able to come back from overwhelming board states with only one card in hand
C Long Live Eldrazi C
1 Abandoned Sarcophagus
4 Cast Out
4 Censor
4 Countervailing Winds
2 Impeccable Timing
4 Drake Haven
2 Farm // Market
3 Fumigate
4 Hieroglyphic Illumination
4 Renewed Faith
1 Search for Azcanta
3 Settle the Wreckage
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Irrigated Farmland
6 Island
7 Plains
1 Shefet Dunes
2 Field of Ruin
2 Torrential Gearhulk
2 Approach of the Second Sun
2 Authority of the Consuls
1 Ixalan's Binding
4 Regal Caracal
1 Lay Claim
1 Settle the Wreckage
1 Negate
1 Abandoned Sarcophagus
I'd be interested to hear your opinion of this and discuss it a little - it's (certainly) not perfect and I think I've tweaked it a few times too many to the point where it's actually slightly worse now than my first build! I'm thinking of going back up to 2 Abandoned Sarcophagus (not great in multiples but a total killer when you do cast it); I might lose the Impeccable Timing for Djeru's Renunciation (which I have tried as a x2, but wasn't totally enamoured by). Farm / Market has been pretty good - draw 2, discard 2 triggering a Drake Haven (or several) can be great, albeit at sorcery speed.
Regarding the sideboard - It's a little bit of a mess. Again, I've tweaked it fairly regularly and I think I need to settle on a solid sideboard strategy and build it. I play players that bring Lost Legacy out of the side on a pretty regular basis, so post-board I'll sometimes go almost totally to a UW Approach list with Gearhulks.
I've never seen Lay Claim in any other list but it has been an all-star in some games - being able to cast it from the graveyard late-on and just take a Planeswalker or big creature is pretty good. I'm unconvinced by the Regal Caracals.
My most-played matchups in the top players at my LGS are Ramunap Red (x2), R/B Aggro, U/B Pummeler, Temur Energy x2, 4c Energy, and a few other weirdo decks like UB Treasures, Dinosuars, UW Servos and U/W/G Approach.
/ Edited because of my bad English
2 Curator of Mysteries
Sorcery (3)
3 Fumigate
Instant (19)
4 Censor
4 Hieroglyphic Illumination
3 Settle the Wreckage
4 Countervailing Winds
4 Renewed Faith
Artifact (2)
2 Abandoned Sarcophagus
4 Cast Out
4 Drake Haven
2 Search for Azcanta
Land (24)
1 Shefet Dunes
7 Island
8 Plains
4 Irrigated Farmland
4 Glacial Fortress
1 Settle the Wreckage
1 Spell Pierce
2 Negate
1 Ixalan's Binding
4 Authority of the Consuls
2 Torrential Gearhulk
1 Jace's Defeat
3 Regal Caracal
Another list with Curator of Mysteries, which I dropped. I found I was almost never casting it (very occasionally from the GY), just using it as a 1-mana cycler, and there may be better cards to take that slot. Perhaps I'm wrong, but again, any opinions on this card would be appreciated. Perhaps I undervalue it.
1 Curator of Mysteries
Sorcery (3)
3 Fumigate
Instant (20)
4 Censor
4 Renewed Faith
4 Hieroglyphic Illumination
4 Settle the Wreckage
Artifact (1)
1 Abandoned Sarcophagus
Enchantment (11)
3 Search for Azcanta
4 Drake Haven
4 Cast Out
8 Plains
6 Island
4 Irrigated Farmland
4 Glacial Fortress
1 Shefet Dunes
1 Ipnu Rivulet
4 Authority of the Consuls
1 Spell Pierce
2 Negate
1 Jace's Defeat
1 Nimble Obstructionist
1 Ixalan's Binding
3 Regal Caracal
2 Torrential Gearhulk
I'm really struggling with Ramunap Red. There are a few people at my LGS who play it. Anyone have tips for how to survive longer against them? Ferocidon is especially problematic when I don't draw Fumigate or Cast Out. Otherwise I'm tearing through the meta. Temur Energy really struggles against this deck and when 4 Color doesn't draw 2 Scarab Gods in the same game I usually pull it out there as well.
UW Approach UW
EDH
U Azami, Lady of Scrolls U
My question is the inclusion of Renewed Faith in the deck. It does nothing against controlling decks like Approach and doesn’t seem to do enough against aggro decks since it takes two mana to cycle and only gains you two life when you do. Given that the first three turns are critical against aggro, I really don’t like spending two mana on cycling this in the early game. It’s nice to have in the grave with Sarcophagus in play or in your hand after you stabilize as it will put you out of burn range, but drawing it early just seems like it doesn’t do enough against aggro, which is the only matchup it seems to be needed in. I have seen a drop in the use of Djeru’s Renunciationin this archetype, which seems like it would be more useful in the early game vs. aggro than Renewed Faith. It will gain you more life by preventing two attacks from hitting and can also cycle for cheaper than Renewed Faith.
For those running Farm // Market what do you do with it if you go up against a control deck? If they have no creatures it gets stuck in your hand and there’s no way to easily get it into the grave where the aftermath would be useful. Or is this card just not played anymore in this deck?
Gideon of the Trials protects you and himself with his +1 "Prevent all damage target permanent would deal" He can be a big distraction at times. He has a low casting cost. And he can swing out for 4 after a Fumigate.
Djeru's Renunciation is interesting choice over Renewed Faith. And I will certainly test this. However, cycling a turn 2 Faith fogs an attack from a 2 power creature putting you back to 20 to draw into something better.
Search for Azcanta should be a mandatory minimum 2x. Having one flipped and then dropping a second to continually scry will create an insurmountable lead.
Ram Red is the worst enemy as of right now. Ferocidon is can be nightmare since we do not run removal other than board sweepers. Perhaps the answer is Essence Scatter from the sideboard.... but probably not
Skywhaler's Shot is a pricey somewhat narrow remover. But does not require creatures to be attacking. It's single white with scry
There is also the option of splashing red for Lightning strike or Abrade. And there is Sweltering Suns (remember this cycler?). Double red is possible. But unlikely until after turn four most times. I ran UWR Approach with lots of red spells including Glorybringer in the side board. The mana was smooth. Not sure how it would work in this type of deck.
C Long Live Eldrazi C
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I think you'd have to change the shell entirely for that card to work in the deck, probably changing it to UB. Anyways, paying 2 for a drake without any guaranteed card draw seems pretty uninspiring, especially since it's so fragile. I like the consistency of the deck as it currently exists a lot more.
UW Approach UW
EDH
U Azami, Lady of Scrolls U
The deck I'm working on is a temur explore build. It's far stronger than it looks and even though it is a 1/1, the chance someone is going to want to waste removal on it game 1 is pretty unlikely. It's "uninspiring" after all.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
UW Approach UW
EDH
U Azami, Lady of Scrolls U
C Long Live Eldrazi C
Right now I side in 4 Authority and the 3 life-gain kitties and pray to god I can get a T1 Authority without mulling below 6. That being said, I haven't played against any red-based aggro since the banning, and Ferocidon was EASILY the most difficult thing that deck had to deal with. I probably need to find something better than the Caracals to deal with aggro decks, I'm thinking Baffling End is a nice fit atm, but without its namesake or that annoying dino I feel a lot better about the matchup.
UW Approach UW
EDH
U Azami, Lady of Scrolls U
I think separately both decks have a few big holes. UW Cycle doesn't have any early interaction and suffers against the fast starts of RW Aggro and Mardu Vehicles. Furthermore it's only real win-con is typically Haven or Gideon of the Trials, if it's even included. This open it up for a lot of problems, a single Lost Legacy or Ixalan's Binding on Haven could mean game.
UR Enigma Drake has a tough time against any resolved God and reoccurring creatures. While UR has a better game against aggro, it still suffers. Lastly UR also is light on threats and can easily be shut down with the right cards.
By combing the two deck ideas we fill a lot of those holes. Between Red's early removal and White's lifegain, we improve our game against aggro. By combing Enigma Drake, Drake Haven, Cryptic Serpent, and planeswalkers we increase the threat density a lot! Lastly using White's exile effects we can now efficiently handle resolved Gods.
Here is the final decklist I have come up with:
4 Enigma Drake
3 Cryptic Serpent
Planeswalkers 2
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Enchantments 6
3 Drake Haven
3 Cast Out
Instants 24
4 Censor
4 Countervailing Winds
4 Hieroglyphic Illumination
4 Lightning Strike
3 Renewed Faith
3 Shock
2 Settle the Wreckage
4 Spirebluff Canal
4 Inspiring Vantage
4 Irrigated Farmland
3 Glacial Fortress
4 Island
2 Mountain
3 Authority of the Consuls
3 Forsake the Worldly
3 Negate
2 Nimble Obstructionist
2 Ixalan's Binding
2 Glorybringer
I would love any feedback. Thanks!
I completely agree with your assessment of UW Haven's holes. I'm genuinely not sure that there's a good sideboard the deck can have which addresses its deficiencies against faster decks and also lets it beef up against control match ups. I'm not entirely sure that Jeskai "Enigma Haven" is the answer though. The biggest strength of Drake Haven, I've found, is its ability to stabilize so consistently by digging into sweepers. I actually think that post-board it has at least an even chance against Hazoret-based creature aggro decks. The match up that I think is going to be the bigger problem is vehicles, and I'm not entirely convinced that combining it with the Enigma Drake shell makes that much of a difference, especially if you're not playing Abrade anywhere in your list. I would replace the 2 Obstructionists in your SB with Torrential Gearhulks and then find room for some number of Fragmentize and Abrade between the 4 Lightning Strike and 3 Forsake the Worldly in your SB. With more sweepers I haven't had any trouble against Gift decks, and I don't think the "exile" part of Forsake the Worldly is that relevant against Vehicles. There might be a hybrid that exists here, but I think that hybrid is based more on the Drake Haven deck than the Enigma Drake deck. I also think it would be wise to replace most of the creatures in your list with sweepers, at least going up to 4 Settle. Settle the Wreckage is too good for any control deck like this to be running less than 4.
UW Approach UW
EDH
U Azami, Lady of Scrolls U