Hello all and welcome to the new Naya Midrange Primer! Here you will find a thorough discussion of the archetype, an in depth discussion of how the deck functions and discussions of the key creature cards, planeswalkers and utility cards needed to compete against the top decks in the format post Dragon Maze. Please note that this Primer will be updated as the Standard season evolves and hopefully I will be on hand to edit the primer as M14 and Theros block comes around the corner and shakes everything up.
Before we start discussing specifically how the deck functions, it is important to think about what sort of play style and tempo you would like the deck to take on. Traditionally, the deck focuses on ramp style play, building up threats to a critical mass at which point your opponent cannot deal with the constant pressure and is put into an unwinnable position. This can be done via two different Naya Midrange decks in the current Standard environment.
The more traditional midrange deck is The ‘Big’ Naya ramp style that utilize the holy trinity of Thragtusk, Huntmaster of the Fells, and Restoration Angel. The other version was put forward by noted deck designer Tomoharu Saito which couples the explosive starts enabled by Burning-Tree Emissary at the cost of the long game resiliency. Both decks will be touched on throughout the Primer but the key differences are there effective resiliency and speed. The Saito Naya variant is extremely beatdown oriented at the cost of late game options, while the typical Naya Midrange deck is able to perform admirably in the long drawn out games against control or other green based midrange decks.
How the deck functions:
The essential truth of all midrange decks is that they win by creating a critical mass of threats (or in some cases a threat) that must be answered by your opponent. The colloquial term is known as a ‘2 for 1’ i.e. the use of 2 (or perhaps more) cards to answer any given card you play. Midrange decks therefore attempt to play these ‘2 for 1’ threats consistently in order to negate the impact of their opponent’s cards and eventually they will land upon a series of threats (or a threat) that cannot be answered in the short term, setting the game up in an extremely favorable state for the midrange player.
Jund Midrange creates these boardstates through proactive spells such as Rakdos’s Return and their own specialty creatures like Sire of Insanity and Olivia Voldaren. Junk Reanimator similarly creates ‘2 for 1’ card advantage through Grisly Salvage finding extremely resilient creatures and cheating Angel of Serenityinto play via Unburial Rites. Naya Midrange does the same thing but with a constant stream of resilient creatures that typically require multiple cards actions in order for the opponent to deal with them effectively and efficiently.
While not as removal heavy as a Jund list nor graveyard based like Reanimator, the typical Naya Midrange list uses creatures with powerful ‘enter the battlefield’ (ETB) effects. I mentioned in the introduction that the core of the traditional Naya Midrange consistes of Thragtusk , Huntmaster of the Fells and Restoration Angel. The reason these collection of creatures are so powerful is due to the need for your opponent to actively combat the health gain, creature token generation and the creature itself of the former two cards, while also being extremely wary of Restoration Angel repeating the ETB effects. The Naya player’s victory condition is to eventually land a threat that simply reaches that critical mass of board presence or card advantage that will lead you on the path to victory. Cards such as Thundermaw Hellkite and Aurelia, the Warleader serve as excellent finishers that will put the game to bed after your opponent has exhausted all his/her resources combating your early value creatures.
The Key Creatures:
1 CMC:
Avacyn’s Pilgrim – The premier mana dork of choice for the traditional Naya Midrange deck list. As Naya is more or less a ramp deck in style and function, this guy accelerates us into Turn 2 Boros Reckoners and Turn 3 four CMC cards like Huntmaster of the Fells, Garruk Relentless and Restoration Angel. He also provides precious white mana in what is primarily a green/red deck.
Arbor Elf- Another mana dork like Avacayn’s Pilgrim but more limited as he requires Forests to untap in order to accelerate the deck. As Naya is a three color deck which also likes to run colorless utility lands like Kessig Wolf Run, Slayers’ Stronghold and Cavern of Souls there may not be a high enough Forest count in your decklist to reliably cast him on turn 1. If you choose to go into an all in ramp into seven drops version of the deck, some copies of Arbor Elf are certainly useful.
Dryad Militant- A potentially powerful tool against Reanimator, exiling Unburial Rites and shutting off Lingering Souls. Also has a proactive interaction against decks utilizing Think Twice and Snapcaster Mage. Perhaps a little narrow in her roles but a fine card when you need to stop recurring spells.
2 CMC:
Voice of Resurgence- A new card printed in Dragon’s Maze and boy is it a house. Hoses both aggro and control by creating an elemental token whenever it dies or your opponent casts a spell on your turn. Better yet, the elemental token grows as you put more creatures into the field and can become a late game threat all on its own. Perhaps a little soft against other midrange decks, but certainly a value filled creature that creates that all important ‘2 for 1’ we look for in a Naya deck.
Gyre Sage- Standards very own Tarmogoyf, Gyre Sage is a staple of Saito Naya and can act an aggressive creature which grows into a large threat as the game progress from Turn 3 onwards. The mana generation is something of an auxiliary benefit, but powering out Thundermaw Hellkite and a huge Bonfire of the Damned is nothing to sniff at. It should be noted that Gyre Sage is significantly worse on the draw than on the play, as it just lags behind a turn while opposing creature decks simply outclass it before it can get truly threatening.
Strangleroot Giest - A 2/2 haste with undying makes this both a great attacker on turn 2 and an incredible blocker against the aggro decks. The issue here is the double green casting cost which makes it difficult for it to be played consistently on turn 2. Also doesn’t have the smooth interactions with Gyre Sage and Burning-Tree Emissary that Flinthoof Boar does.
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben- I have seen some discussion of Thalia over in the Naya Deck Construction forum, so I thought I should mention her here. While she has a powerful effect, it effects our own non-creature spells and our planeswalkers too. Being unable to Farseek for 2 mana makes this unplayable in Naya Midrange and turning Domri Rade and Garruk Relentless into 4 and 5 drops respectively similarly makes this unattractive in Saito Naya lists too.
3 CMC:
Boros Reckoner- Boros Reckoner is exactly the type of card that Naya lists of all stripes should run. Actively punishes the opposition for dealing damage of any kind to Boros Reckoner and has the added bonus of crushing opposing Thragtusk efficiently. With the printing of Unflinching Courage, it is possible to set up an infinite life gain combo with Boros Charm for a cute, possible game ending interaction.
Loxodon Smiter- A resilient 4/4 that will often stonewall most aggro decks. Uncounterablity is a nice bonus, and Smiter isn’t the worst top deck end game. Saito Naya lists typically run these in conjunction with the Boros Reckoner.
Somberwald Sage- For the Brad Nelson fans out there, the sage can reliably powerout Angel of Serenity and Craterhoof Behemoth on turn 4 which is pretty insane. A perfect fit for those who would like to play with 'all-in' ramp decks, but this card is very vulnerable to removal. As such build your deck to compensate for Sage's low toughness.
Ghor-Clan Rampager- A powerful creature in his own right and an uncounterable pump spell which punishes your opponents blocks is always useful. Takes the place of Huntmaster of the Fells in the more aggressive Saito Naya decks.
Restoration Angel- A sensational creature in both Naya Midrange and Saito Naya, this allows you to abuse the ETB effects of Thragtusk, Huntmaster of the Fells and Thundermaw Hellkite. Also allows the lowliest creature to become an unstoppable blocker if you flash her into combat before damage is resolved. I do want to take this opportunity to say that you should treat Restoration Angel as a 4 drop, not a 6 drop. Far too often I have seen Naya players succumb to aggro decks holding onto a fist full of Restoration Angel but unwilling to play them without a Thragtusk to flash back into the game. Don’t die because you are too timid when playing your creatures.
5 CMC:
Thragtusk- Comes into play gaining you 5 life plus a big 5/3 body that is good on defense and offense. When it leaves the battlefield you are still left with a 3/3 body, which makes its interaction with Restoration Angel just that much more broken.
Thundermaw Hellkite- If resolved, he is almost always a guaranteed 5 damage which makes him a fine finisher. A huge answer to opposing planeswalkers as well, knocking off Jace’s and Tamiyo’s like Floyd Mayweather Jr. Coupled with Restoration Angel can lead to an unanswered 10 points of damage over 2 turns which will more than likely end the game.
Wolfir Silverheart- A massive stonewall against aggro but overly vulnerable to sweepers. Slower than Thundermaw Hellkite, but it’s a card I have seen dominate in the mirror match. The popularity of Jund makes me pause as to Silverheart’s viability, but G/R aggro lists seem to use him very successfully.
Sigarda, Host of Herons- A trump against removal heavy decks with no sweeper and makes Lilliana of the Veil pretty much useless. A powerful card out of the sideboard that can turn the tide against control and Jund decks.
Zhur-Taa Ancient- The idea of almost unlimited mana is appealing. Having almost unlimited mana for my opponents as well makes me wary. Depending on the opposing deck I can see Zhur-Taa Ancient coming up trumps, but as you have to play against a wide field I wouldn’t sleeve this guy up anytime soon.
6 CMC:
Armada Wurm- Another creature with a powerful ETB effect. Used to be a pillar of the old G/W midrange deck back in October but has somewhat fallen off the map. The lack of speed to close out the game hurts while it also competes with other powerful 6 drops in Aurelia, the Warleader and Ruric Thar, the Unbowed.
Aurelia, the Warleader- The ability to have two combat phases is insane and she is incredible at turning even mana dorks into the damage you need to push you over the edge. My problem with her stems from her relatively fragile 3/4 body which is blanked effectively by a flashed in Restoration Angel. While certainly powerful, I think I would rather run a full 4 Thundermaw Hellkite rather than a 2/2 split with Aurelia, the Warleader but many people have had great success with her.
Ruric Thar, the Unbowed- Ruric has been insane in my testing, able to punish control and flash decks mercilessly and he has the strength to tangle with all the big fatties in Standard currently. Even his need to attack every turn isn’t terrible since he has vigilance and when you drop him you are trying to go for the throat anyway. I personally use him the sideboard against decks where I know the game will go long but a decklist like Sasky’s where Ruric Thar, the Unbowed is maindecked seem quite competitive to me.
7 CMC:
Angel of Serenity- Everyone knows how insanely powerful Angel of Serenity is, which totally goes over the top any midrange deck that is not Junk Rites. The issue here is that even with our ramp do you want to be stuck with 2 Angel of Serenity in your opening hand, especially against a deck like Reanimator, which can regularly get it into play before you while destroying your mana base at the same time? I have tried her and have been impressed, but I have also rued having her in my hand as I watch all my creatures get sweeped by an opposing Angel or Bonfire.
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight- A total bomb against control decks and a must answer threat because if she stays around for a turn or two the game is pretty much yours. Something of a meta-game call because any Aristocrats or R/G aggro player will be siding in Mark of Mutiny and Zealous Conscripts will turn your game ending bomb against you.
8 CMC:
Craterhoof Behemoth- A game ending threat like Gisela, Blade of Goldnight but with haste and the added benefit of turning all your mana dorks and lower powered creatures into potentially lethal damage. Unfortunately due to its extremely high mana cost, it is really only viable in decks utilizing Somberwald Sage in order to cast Craterhoof Behemoth asap.
The Planeswalkers
Having access to green,red and white gives Naya players 3 of the best planeswalkers (and 2 fun role players) in Standard. Many successful Naya lists run no planeswalkers but I am personally a big fan of 4 of the viable planeswalkers and try to incorporate them in any deck lists I make. Below I shall list each Planeswalker along with a description of his uses within the archetype.
Domri Rade- A powerful 3 CMC planeswalker that has even made an impact in the notoriously insular modern scene. His +1 ability encourages deck list to be creature dense with upwards of 28+ creatures in order to consistently draw cards. However, even in Naya lists with more spells Domri Rade is still effective thanks to his -2 fight ability which allows for repeatable source of removal which is something of an Achilles's Heel for Naya Midrange.
While you may miss drawing cards as often when compared to the creature dense Naya decks fueling your ability to fight threats with a Boros Reckoner or Thundermaw Hellkite is real value. It should go without saying that the ultimate ability is pretty much game over for most if not all decks, and is actually a frequent occurrence against control decks if you can get Domri in play during the early phases of the game.
Garruk Relentless- Much like Domri Rade, Garruk Relentless ability to remove 3 toughness creatures through his fight ability is welcomed in a removal light deck like Naya. His transformed version, Garruk, Veil-Cursed lets you tutor up a stream of Thragtusk and Thundermaw Hellkite to grind you opponents down at the cost of your less important creatures as the game progresses into mid/late game.
Due to the dual nature of Garruk Relentless abilities, he is much worse on the draw than on the play. Being able to play him on turn 3 and then tutoring as soon as turn 4 is much useful than having to wait that extra turn which dilutes much of what makes Garruk Relentless special.
Ajani, Caller of the Pride- Always has been a popular card with some viable "White-Weenie" lists, this card has some powerful abilities that simply do not mesh with the typical Naya card types. His +1 is ably replaced with Gavony Township and his -3 isn't particularly relevant since Naya decks usually win thanks to flyers anyway. Perhaps the biggest drawback is the double W in his casting cost. This is mostly a green deck, and white mana is something of a premium.
Gideon, Champion of Justice- A card that vacillates from wonderful to woeful depending on the board state. After a boardwipe like Terminus or perhaps even Rolling Temblor, Gideon has the ability to totally take over a game. Coupled with a Kessig Wolf Run turns him into a source of inevitability too. The problem is that there are many deck is the format that can chump block for days rendering Gideon obsolete. Also, Naya lists struggle having enough removal to keep your opponents board clear. I am very fond of Gideon, Champion of Justice but perhaps Naya is not the right shell for him...
Garruk, Primal Hunter- The green Sphinx's Revelation. After a potentially deflating Supreme Verdict, landing Garruk as a follow up is terrifying for the control player and lets you fight their card draw on your terms. Typically the cards you draw are far more powerful than the control players which means they have to consistently find answers to Thundermaw Hellkites and Aurelia, The Warleaders are being drawn from Garruk's -3 activations. The only drawback is his somewhat restrictive triple G cost and the preponderance of 5 drops in Naya Midrange. Firstly, this forces you to Farseek for Forests when you may prefer searching for Sacred Foundry. Secondly, holding an opening hand of Thundermaw Hellkite, Thragtusk and Garruk, Primal Hunter can potentially lose you a game before its even begun.
The Removal
The Naya colors allow for a diverse suite of removal ranging from exiling effects, to fight effects and simple fireballs. Below is a list of viable removal organized by CMC.
1 CMC
Pillar of Flame- Extremely efficient against Zombies (although it isn't a popular archetype atm) and deals with Voice of Resurgence without giving up card parity. Also useful in stopping other decks accelerate, but since we are a very ramp focused deck spending a turn not ramping or casting a creature early game is not ideal. This card's stock goes up and down based on the metagame.
Searing Spear- I find it immensely amusing that the premier removal in Standard is really a poor man's Lightning Bolt. Does exactly what it says on the tin with the added benefit of burning a player for those last few points of damage.
Selesnya Charm- Incredibly versatile in a world of midrange mirrors. Being able to sandbag Selesnya Charm to deal with Sire of Insanity or Angel of Serenity with their triggers on the stack is game changing. Also ensures that Oliva Voldaren doesn't take over the game by herself by limiting the amount she can ping creatures. Effective against aggro by creating a surprise block or charming that bloodrushed Flinthoof Boar. I strongly recommend having a few in your 75.
Gruul Charm- A super-niche removal spell that is more at home in Saito Naya brews than traditional Naya Midrange. Acts as a wrath against low cost fliers like Vampire Nighthawk with added benefit of allowing you to swing that one last time unimpeded.
Mizzium Mortars- An excellent kill spell that takes out all the 4 toughness creatures in the format with the flexibility to become an excellent sweeper mid to late game with its Overload ability. Perhaps the sweeper of choice when compared to Bonfire of the Damned simply because we would rather be casting more creatures than sitting back and using spot removal like Jund Midrange does. As the overload asks for triple R be mindful of your early Farseeks in order to get Overloaded Mortars online asap.
3 CMC
Brimstone Volley- A powerful Morbid trigger effect but something that feels more suited to burning out your opponents for the last few points of damage. Not really what the traditional Naya Midrange decks need but may be an option for the faster Saito Naya versions.
Annihilating Fire- Another 3 damage spell like Brimstone Volley but with an exile effect stapled on to it. Given the dominance of Reanimator its actually not a terrible option when dealing with their Thragtusk in order to stop an interminable cycle of life gain. I do feel like Selesnya Charm performs this function admirably by itself.
Rolling Temblor- A Pyroclasm effect in Standard is pretty welcome, even if it can come at the costs of your Avacyn's Pilgrim and Arbor Elf. There have been several times I wished I had this card in hand again a chain of Burning-Tree Emissary. Perhaps a solid sideboard option against the aggro decks.
[CARD]Oblivion Ring-A great answer to dealing with problematic planeswalkers, creatures and enchantments. Pretty self explanatory.
4 CMC
Warleader's Helix- A more fairly costed Lightening Helix this provides a fair amount of damage and a relevant amount of life gain. However this doesn't fill any areas that our creatures don't do at a much better cost.
X CMC
Bonfire of the Damned- An incredibly effective one sided sweeper that has the ability to end games with a lucky top deck. Our mana acceleration is also very good which allows Bonfire of the Damned to be hardcast for reasonable values in short order. Interestingly, Bonfire of the Damned is actually a much better card in Jund Midrange since we want to be casting more creatures not spending our mana for removal. Still in the midrange mirror a top-decked Bonfire more or less acts like Plague Wind which is pretty insane.
Clan Defiance- A fixed Bonfire of the Damned which means its pretty much inferior to it in every single way. Something to look back on once rotation occurs.
Aurelia's Fury- A card with a lot of powerful effects but not particularly efficient on the mana to do everything you may want it to do. I have seen it work wonders in conjunction with Gideon, Champion of Justice for devastating alpha strikes against control and midrange alike. Probably another card to look at once Bonfire of the Damned rotates out of Standard.
UPDATE 1 05/2013- Added a few more creatures and started discussion about usable Planeswalkers. UPDATE 2 05/18/2013- Finished Planeswalker discussion and started work on the Removal section. Added Spoiler tags for readability. Update 3- Finished Removal Section and will start Utility section
To be continued with sections on Planeswalkers, Non-Creature Spells, Decklists and Versus discussion! Please leave comments if you would like me to add or edit anything.
Thanks for starting this primer; I think it will help many people.
Couple of comment:
1 CMC:
I would add:
Dryad Militant; this cards is really strong against control decks. also hurts the reanimator decks, and often a nice early defense against fast aggro.
2 CMC:
I feel like cards like Burning Tree, Stangleroot Geist as well as Flinhoof Board do not really belong to a midrange deck; they have a much better place in a Naya Aggro deck than in a Naya midrange deck.
8 CMC:
Craterhoof Behemoth Even though its CMC is high; if his guy land with few creatures in play; it's almost a guaranteed win. I wouldn't play it unless you play Gyre which gives you more chance to bring him out.
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EDH Deck: UB Lazavm Dimir Mastermind BU GW Rhys the RedeemedWG WUG Derevi, Epyrial Tactitian GUW WUG Roon of the Hidden RealmGUW WBR Kaliaa of the VastRBW WUB Sydri, Galvanic Genius BUW
So, this deck could still use some work, but I went completely undefeated at FNM with it (4 rounds then split). That's right, not only did I not lose a round, but didn't lose a single game. The game plan is kinda simple: ramp into a game ender. Mwonvuli offers a the use of a solid tutor package. Because you're looking to end the game pretty fast after the ramp without necessarily combo-ing, it means you choose a slightly different set of creatures. All the creatues that don't make the cut for other decks because they lack synergy end up being amazing here because they're the best independent plays. More than anything, it was just a blast to play and even more so because it did well.
The sideboard looks kinda funky, but it's kinda specifically targeted. Tremblor & Thrag for Aggro; Rest & Angel for Reanimator; Slime and Wurm for Control (Wurm has that wonderful anti-mill clause)
There are a ton of different creatures and strategies with the deck I wanted to try and didn't get to. I chose creature heave for Domri and Ruric, but Jund with Sire of Insanty and Rakdos's Return looks good as does a spell heavy rug build with Clan Defiance. I'd love to see more testing on all 3 varieties. For what was my week 1 with the new stuff, I decided to start out with the most proactive method as the safest way to play. Early in a format you're always better asking the questions than trying to answer them.
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Thanks for starting this primer; I think it will help many people.
Couple of comment:
1 CMC:
I would add:
Dryad Militant; this cards is really strong against control decks. also hurts the reanimator decks, and often a nice early defense against fast aggro.
2 CMC:
I feel like cards like Burning Tree, Stangleroot Geist as well as Flinhoof Board do not really belong to a midrange deck; they have a much better place in a Naya Aggro deck than in a Naya midrange deck.
8 CMC:
Craterhoof Behemoth Even though its CMC is high; if his guy land with few creatures in play; it's almost a guaranteed win. I wouldn't play it unless you play Gyre which gives you more chance to bring him out.
Yep thanks for the suggestions, I added them into the primer.
As for your suggestion about not having cards like Burning-Tree Emissary, I feel any deck that curves out into 5 drops is pretty midrange-y and I think it would be a viable service to at least describe the tenants of a deck that did reach the semi-final of a Pro-Tour (although the appearance of Cedric Phillips's Jund Aggro list has taken some of its thunder away....).
So, this deck could still use some work, but I went completely undefeated at FNM with it (4 rounds then split). That's right, not only did I not lose a round, but didn't lose a single game. The game plan is kinda simple: ramp into a game ender. Mwonvuli offers a the use of a solid tutor package. Because you're looking to end the game pretty fast after the ramp without necessarily combo-ing, it means you choose a slightly different set of creatures. All the creatues that don't make the cut for other decks because they lack synergy end up being amazing here because they're the best independent plays. More than anything, it was just a blast to play and even more so because it did well.
The sideboard looks kinda funky, but it's kinda specifically targeted. Tremblor & Thrag for Aggro; Rest & Angel for Reanimator; Slime and Wurm for Control (Wurm has that wonderful anti-mill clause)
There are a ton of different creatures and strategies with the deck I wanted to try and didn't get to. I chose creature heave for Domri and Ruric, but Jund with Sire of Insanty and Rakdos's Return looks good as does a spell heavy rug build with Clan Defiance. I'd love to see more testing on all 3 varieties. For what was my week 1 with the new stuff, I decided to start out with the most proactive method as the safest way to play. Early in a format you're always better asking the questions than trying to answer them.
I really like this decklist and how you have worked in Zhur-Tar Ancient to go into an all in ramp style deck. I noticed you said you put in Temblor and Thragtusk against the aggressive decks but you have a high chance of killing your own ramp engine by doing so.
The addition of so many high end threats makes the Ancient probably more beneficial to you rather than your opponent but I feel like you are letting the Revelation decks into the game a little bit. What are you matches like against Esper or UWr control?
Yep thanks for the suggestions, I added them into the primer.
As for your suggestion about not having cards like Burning-Tree Emissary, I feel any deck that curves out into 5 drops is pretty midrange-y and I think it would be a viable service to at least describe the tenants of a deck that did reach the semi-final of a Pro-Tour (although the appearance of Cedric Phillips's Jund Aggro list has taken some of its thunder away....).
Thanks!
Regarding burning tree; I feel like the card is more 'dumping-hand' aggro-style...
You almost never want to play her alone otherwise you loose all of her advantage and end up with just a bear.
In a mid-range deck, she's often going to occupy a spot waiting to do something good - aka a semi-dead card.
Furthermore, mid/late game she's not that good. She really shines when you can dump 2 or 3 creatures on turn 2 and start pressuring your opponent on turn 3 and so on.
She suit the early aggro style deck way better. I don't think she's good in a midrange deck.
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EDH Deck: UB Lazavm Dimir Mastermind BU GW Rhys the RedeemedWG WUG Derevi, Epyrial Tactitian GUW WUG Roon of the Hidden RealmGUW WBR Kaliaa of the VastRBW WUB Sydri, Galvanic Genius BUW
I really like this decklist and how you have worked in Zhur-Tar Ancient to go into an all in ramp style deck. I noticed you said you put in Temblor and Thragtusk against the aggressive decks but you have a high chance of killing your own ramp engine by doing so.
The addition of so many high end threats makes the Ancient probably more beneficial to you rather than your opponent but I feel like you are letting the Revelation decks into the game a little bit. What are you matches like against Esper or UWr control?
I didn't have an opportunity to play against control, but the game-plan seems solid. you probably just board out ancient in those games... there's no need for him in that situation and for game 1 you just play smart. Don't throw him down without flash and a win. If you can't flash him in and win (even through a Revelation, which means you need craterhoof) don't play him. Fortunately, in that matchup, it's going to be slow, so you'll have plenty of opportunities. Most decks you don't have to think too much about when to drop him though. If they're not playing a ton of removal I don't even wait for flash because others can't capitalize on him enough to make the difference. If they are heavy removal, then only play him flashed. That said, the list is for those who want to win big or go home early. It's a high-risk high-reward strategy, so, you're playing for first or nothing, which isn't always a bad strategy. No one wants to consistently finish 9th. There was a lot of discussion on that before.
As for losing the mana dorks if I tremblor, it's not a huge loss... I can still stabilize, whereas I just wiped out my opponent's whole game plan. So, it tends to be worth it. Or you can always take out a dork or 2 if you're going that route. I like having both options because the ramp can get you there sometimes without the burn and otherwise you have the burn to take over. When I put the list together it was all about side strategies and alternate game plans. I didn't want to have 1 path to victory, so I built the deck in a way to offer as many paths to a win as possible.
Has Advent of the Wurm been considered? A 5/5 trample creature at Instant speed is always cool and curving out into Thragtusk or Garruk, Primal Hunter is a pretty feel good moment. The GG can be a bit problematic at times but I think it's worth it. GG also sets you on the path to GGG, making that sweet Garruk play of drawing five cards a bit easier.
There's a pretty standard core of Naya mid, Reckoner, Smiter, Huntmaster, Angel, Thragtusk.
From there the main difference is mostly how much removal do you run. Check out some of the top 8s from states and you'll see mostly the same list.
I know it could be better but it's all I have for it at the moment. Otherwise it would probably feature another Garruk PH and couple more bonfire of the damned.
The deck seemed to goldfish pretty well last night after I built it.
It's a really solid list. I ran pretty much the exact same one the past couple weeks at FNM and took first/second. Only difference really is I have the walkers in the board for another pilgrim and Ruric Thar/Bonfire.
I'm going to test it at a friends house tonight to make sure I'm not handing her a dud list.
I would have made FNM tonight but I got kept over at work...Oh well testing will do.
I will post test results later tonight.
This is the decklist for Naya Midrange I have been working on for awhile. I haven't play tested much with it as of yet, but from what I have played it has good synergies. I was trying to figure out how to get removal in while still using Farseek, Domri, and keeping the Voice's effective by having over 26 creatures in the deck, which IMO is a necessity to run Domri effectively. I think I found that with the Avenger. The Avenger is also helped by Legion's Initiative which takes it out of spear range which has been a large downside of playing it in the past. The Initiative is helpful to every creature in the main, except Pilgrim. I love Restoration Angel, but it doesn't serve much purpose in is build. I like the removal of Avenger more than Huntmaster at this point and it is better with Initiative. Aurelia, also has obvious synergies with Initiative. I admit, the sideboard probably needs to be tweaked, but in all it has done ok so far. Thoughts?
So testing went rather well last night. Playing the list I posted above I went undefeated in 4 or 5 games against a RUG control/ midrange deck. I also won 3/4 games against a Selesnya Fatties deck.
The fatties deck made me think about putting in AoS. If only to remove problematic creatures. Otherwise I don't think I could be happier with the list I made, and I don't think my girlfriend could be happier playing anything different.
The deck feels very solid with no real weak points just yet. I even commented
on How I might play it at a local tournament sometime. I am a dedicated Jund player at this point but I would defintely pick this deck up if I wanted to be a bit more aggressive in the games.
I prefer Rest in Peace because after reanimator plays their Acidic Slime, their graveyard is still exiled whereas with Ground Seal, its still there. Also, I have a lot of card draw/card advantage type effects in my deck with Domri, Garruk, and mainboarded Acid Slimes. Typically, I don't feel the lack of a card, but if you do then maybe Ground Seal is better.
Also, consider your colors. If you're Naya midrange then it shouldn't matter, but if you happen to lean towards something like Garruk, Primal Hunter with tripple green and have like Predator Oozes or something then Ground Seal is better.
So what do you guys prefer for graveyard hate? Rest in Peace or Ground Seal?
Well depends on what you expect to fact.
Between the two, if you don't need your graveyard, RIP is clearly better, however, due to its can-trip effect Ground Steal is actually mainboardable.
That said; as mentioned, purify the grave is also a nice option as it will take your opponent by surprise (unless it's in your graveyard... :P)
The other one I like is: Dryad Militant; it hoses snapcaster big time.
Also hurts the reanimator decks and offer a good early defense/offense.
Basically:
- against Zombie (if they still alive): RIP is a really good choice.
- against Non-Human Reanimator: Purify the grave is a better option as they have no answers for it. A well timed RIP is also good.
- against Human Reanimator: RIP is the only real anwers
- against Scavenge deck (if u face them in ur meta): RIP does wonder
- against Control (snappy/flashback): Dryad Militant is my choice of predilection. Aside that, RIP is slightly better than Ground Seal and Purify as it get rid of flashback cards.
- the only two main-boardable graveyard hates are: Dryad and Ground Seal (unless ur meta is 80%+ composed of graveyard abuse decks :-))
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EDH Deck: UB Lazavm Dimir Mastermind BU GW Rhys the RedeemedWG WUG Derevi, Epyrial Tactitian GUW WUG Roon of the Hidden RealmGUW WBR Kaliaa of the VastRBW WUB Sydri, Galvanic Genius BUW
Took 2nd last night at FNM. The local meta has been hugely and disproportionally Aggro, so I went in prepared for it. Much to my chagrin, out of 20 players, there were only a handful of Aggro decks, and I played against none of the traditional ones. I did play Aristocrats and UWR Auras, but those don't play the same way.
purify the grave is weak because of sin collector and having to keep mana open is troublesome for a sorcery speed deck like naya.
Tormod's crypt is underrated imo, it pretty much needs to be removed too like RIP before wanting to use rites and also exiles the grave as it goes out basically. It has pretty much the same functionality as RIP against reanimator now when it comes to battling rites but it costs no tempo which is a huge loss with rites.
Of course all options are still dealt with by acidic slime / abrupt decay, ground seal at least cantrips but immediately let's them play rites afterwards, RIP/tormod's crypt delay the rites much more effectively by actually forcing them to fill the grave afterwards.
Personally I think a mix of crypt and ground seal is best, that way you got plenty of hate but don't suffer much when you draw too much hate against no rites since reanimator is still quite a solid midrange deck without the rites. Dryad militant is obviously fine hate too but you only want that maindeck in an aggressive experiment one shell.
Purify the grave is interesting in a domri rade list though because they are very likely to side out sin collector.
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Hello all and welcome to the new Naya Midrange Primer! Here you will find a thorough discussion of the archetype, an in depth discussion of how the deck functions and discussions of the key creature cards, planeswalkers and utility cards needed to compete against the top decks in the format post Dragon Maze. Please note that this Primer will be updated as the Standard season evolves and hopefully I will be on hand to edit the primer as M14 and Theros block comes around the corner and shakes everything up.
Before we start discussing specifically how the deck functions, it is important to think about what sort of play style and tempo you would like the deck to take on. Traditionally, the deck focuses on ramp style play, building up threats to a critical mass at which point your opponent cannot deal with the constant pressure and is put into an unwinnable position. This can be done via two different Naya Midrange decks in the current Standard environment.
The more traditional midrange deck is The ‘Big’ Naya ramp style that utilize the holy trinity of Thragtusk, Huntmaster of the Fells, and Restoration Angel. The other version was put forward by noted deck designer Tomoharu Saito which couples the explosive starts enabled by Burning-Tree Emissary at the cost of the long game resiliency. Both decks will be touched on throughout the Primer but the key differences are there effective resiliency and speed. The Saito Naya variant is extremely beatdown oriented at the cost of late game options, while the typical Naya Midrange deck is able to perform admirably in the long drawn out games against control or other green based midrange decks.
How the deck functions:
The essential truth of all midrange decks is that they win by creating a critical mass of threats (or in some cases a threat) that must be answered by your opponent. The colloquial term is known as a ‘2 for 1’ i.e. the use of 2 (or perhaps more) cards to answer any given card you play. Midrange decks therefore attempt to play these ‘2 for 1’ threats consistently in order to negate the impact of their opponent’s cards and eventually they will land upon a series of threats (or a threat) that cannot be answered in the short term, setting the game up in an extremely favorable state for the midrange player.
Jund Midrange creates these boardstates through proactive spells such as Rakdos’s Return and their own specialty creatures like Sire of Insanity and Olivia Voldaren. Junk Reanimator similarly creates ‘2 for 1’ card advantage through Grisly Salvage finding extremely resilient creatures and cheating Angel of Serenityinto play via Unburial Rites. Naya Midrange does the same thing but with a constant stream of resilient creatures that typically require multiple cards actions in order for the opponent to deal with them effectively and efficiently.
While not as removal heavy as a Jund list nor graveyard based like Reanimator, the typical Naya Midrange list uses creatures with powerful ‘enter the battlefield’ (ETB) effects. I mentioned in the introduction that the core of the traditional Naya Midrange consistes of Thragtusk , Huntmaster of the Fells and Restoration Angel. The reason these collection of creatures are so powerful is due to the need for your opponent to actively combat the health gain, creature token generation and the creature itself of the former two cards, while also being extremely wary of Restoration Angel repeating the ETB effects. The Naya player’s victory condition is to eventually land a threat that simply reaches that critical mass of board presence or card advantage that will lead you on the path to victory. Cards such as Thundermaw Hellkite and Aurelia, the Warleader serve as excellent finishers that will put the game to bed after your opponent has exhausted all his/her resources combating your early value creatures.
The Key Creatures:
1 CMC:
Avacyn’s Pilgrim – The premier mana dork of choice for the traditional Naya Midrange deck list. As Naya is more or less a ramp deck in style and function, this guy accelerates us into Turn 2 Boros Reckoners and Turn 3 four CMC cards like Huntmaster of the Fells, Garruk Relentless and Restoration Angel. He also provides precious white mana in what is primarily a green/red deck.
Arbor Elf- Another mana dork like Avacayn’s Pilgrim but more limited as he requires Forests to untap in order to accelerate the deck. As Naya is a three color deck which also likes to run colorless utility lands like Kessig Wolf Run, Slayers’ Stronghold and Cavern of Souls there may not be a high enough Forest count in your decklist to reliably cast him on turn 1. If you choose to go into an all in ramp into seven drops version of the deck, some copies of Arbor Elf are certainly useful.
Dryad Militant- A potentially powerful tool against Reanimator, exiling Unburial Rites and shutting off Lingering Souls. Also has a proactive interaction against decks utilizing Think Twice and Snapcaster Mage. Perhaps a little narrow in her roles but a fine card when you need to stop recurring spells.
2 CMC:
Voice of Resurgence- A new card printed in Dragon’s Maze and boy is it a house. Hoses both aggro and control by creating an elemental token whenever it dies or your opponent casts a spell on your turn. Better yet, the elemental token grows as you put more creatures into the field and can become a late game threat all on its own. Perhaps a little soft against other midrange decks, but certainly a value filled creature that creates that all important ‘2 for 1’ we look for in a Naya deck.
Gyre Sage- Standards very own Tarmogoyf, Gyre Sage is a staple of Saito Naya and can act an aggressive creature which grows into a large threat as the game progress from Turn 3 onwards. The mana generation is something of an auxiliary benefit, but powering out Thundermaw Hellkite and a huge Bonfire of the Damned is nothing to sniff at. It should be noted that Gyre Sage is significantly worse on the draw than on the play, as it just lags behind a turn while opposing creature decks simply outclass it before it can get truly threatening.
Burning-Tree Emissary- The card that put aggro on the map is also part of the crucial engine that powers the Saito Naya deck. Chaining Burning-Tree Emissary into Flinthoof Boar also has the added benefit of triggering evolve on Gyre Sage twice leaving you with a possible 8 power on the board on turn 3 with a possible Thundermaw Hellkite next turn. The ability to chain Burning-Tree Emissary into other Burning-Tree Emissary or removal such as Searing Spear or Mizzium Mortars can break the backs of many decks in the format. Also has a nice interaction with Restoration Angel as well.
Flinhoof Boar- A possible 3/3 for 2 mana is already great value, but this guy just has a great interaction with Burning-Tree Emissary and Gyre Sage where he will very often be a free 3/3 who triggers evolve. I previously stated that Thragtusk, Huntmaster of the Fells and Restoration Angel formed the holy trinity of the Naya Midrange. Surely Flinthoof Boar completes the holy trinity of Saito Naya.
Strangleroot Giest - A 2/2 haste with undying makes this both a great attacker on turn 2 and an incredible blocker against the aggro decks. The issue here is the double green casting cost which makes it difficult for it to be played consistently on turn 2. Also doesn’t have the smooth interactions with Gyre Sage and Burning-Tree Emissary that Flinthoof Boar does.
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben- I have seen some discussion of Thalia over in the Naya Deck Construction forum, so I thought I should mention her here. While she has a powerful effect, it effects our own non-creature spells and our planeswalkers too. Being unable to Farseek for 2 mana makes this unplayable in Naya Midrange and turning Domri Rade and Garruk Relentless into 4 and 5 drops respectively similarly makes this unattractive in Saito Naya lists too.
3 CMC:
Boros Reckoner- Boros Reckoner is exactly the type of card that Naya lists of all stripes should run. Actively punishes the opposition for dealing damage of any kind to Boros Reckoner and has the added bonus of crushing opposing Thragtusk efficiently. With the printing of Unflinching Courage, it is possible to set up an infinite life gain combo with Boros Charm for a cute, possible game ending interaction.
Loxodon Smiter- A resilient 4/4 that will often stonewall most aggro decks. Uncounterablity is a nice bonus, and Smiter isn’t the worst top deck end game. Saito Naya lists typically run these in conjunction with the Boros Reckoner.
Somberwald Sage- For the Brad Nelson fans out there, the sage can reliably powerout Angel of Serenity and Craterhoof Behemoth on turn 4 which is pretty insane. A perfect fit for those who would like to play with 'all-in' ramp decks, but this card is very vulnerable to removal. As such build your deck to compensate for Sage's low toughness.
4 CMC:
Huntmaster of the Fells- Insanely powerful on turn 3, Huntmaster of the Fells gives both aggro and control decks of all stripes fits. Against aggro, he provides two relevant bodies and acts as removal on a stick when he transforms into his awesome Ravager of the Fells form. Coupled with Voice of Resurgence, you can transform him on you terms without fear of not getting any value. Restoration Angel allows you to transform him back into Huntmaster of the Fells at you leisure as well.
Ghor-Clan Rampager- A powerful creature in his own right and an uncounterable pump spell which punishes your opponents blocks is always useful. Takes the place of Huntmaster of the Fells in the more aggressive Saito Naya decks.
Restoration Angel- A sensational creature in both Naya Midrange and Saito Naya, this allows you to abuse the ETB effects of Thragtusk, Huntmaster of the Fells and Thundermaw Hellkite. Also allows the lowliest creature to become an unstoppable blocker if you flash her into combat before damage is resolved. I do want to take this opportunity to say that you should treat Restoration Angel as a 4 drop, not a 6 drop. Far too often I have seen Naya players succumb to aggro decks holding onto a fist full of Restoration Angel but unwilling to play them without a Thragtusk to flash back into the game. Don’t die because you are too timid when playing your creatures.
5 CMC:
Thragtusk- Comes into play gaining you 5 life plus a big 5/3 body that is good on defense and offense. When it leaves the battlefield you are still left with a 3/3 body, which makes its interaction with Restoration Angel just that much more broken.
Thundermaw Hellkite- If resolved, he is almost always a guaranteed 5 damage which makes him a fine finisher. A huge answer to opposing planeswalkers as well, knocking off Jace’s and Tamiyo’s like Floyd Mayweather Jr. Coupled with Restoration Angel can lead to an unanswered 10 points of damage over 2 turns which will more than likely end the game.
Wolfir Silverheart- A massive stonewall against aggro but overly vulnerable to sweepers. Slower than Thundermaw Hellkite, but it’s a card I have seen dominate in the mirror match. The popularity of Jund makes me pause as to Silverheart’s viability, but G/R aggro lists seem to use him very successfully.
Sigarda, Host of Herons- A trump against removal heavy decks with no sweeper and makes Lilliana of the Veil pretty much useless. A powerful card out of the sideboard that can turn the tide against control and Jund decks.
Zhur-Taa Ancient- The idea of almost unlimited mana is appealing. Having almost unlimited mana for my opponents as well makes me wary. Depending on the opposing deck I can see Zhur-Taa Ancient coming up trumps, but as you have to play against a wide field I wouldn’t sleeve this guy up anytime soon.
6 CMC:
Armada Wurm- Another creature with a powerful ETB effect. Used to be a pillar of the old G/W midrange deck back in October but has somewhat fallen off the map. The lack of speed to close out the game hurts while it also competes with other powerful 6 drops in Aurelia, the Warleader and Ruric Thar, the Unbowed.
Aurelia, the Warleader- The ability to have two combat phases is insane and she is incredible at turning even mana dorks into the damage you need to push you over the edge. My problem with her stems from her relatively fragile 3/4 body which is blanked effectively by a flashed in Restoration Angel. While certainly powerful, I think I would rather run a full 4 Thundermaw Hellkite rather than a 2/2 split with Aurelia, the Warleader but many people have had great success with her.
Ruric Thar, the Unbowed- Ruric has been insane in my testing, able to punish control and flash decks mercilessly and he has the strength to tangle with all the big fatties in Standard currently. Even his need to attack every turn isn’t terrible since he has vigilance and when you drop him you are trying to go for the throat anyway. I personally use him the sideboard against decks where I know the game will go long but a decklist like Sasky’s where Ruric Thar, the Unbowed is maindecked seem quite competitive to me.
7 CMC:
Angel of Serenity- Everyone knows how insanely powerful Angel of Serenity is, which totally goes over the top any midrange deck that is not Junk Rites. The issue here is that even with our ramp do you want to be stuck with 2 Angel of Serenity in your opening hand, especially against a deck like Reanimator, which can regularly get it into play before you while destroying your mana base at the same time? I have tried her and have been impressed, but I have also rued having her in my hand as I watch all my creatures get sweeped by an opposing Angel or Bonfire.
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight- A total bomb against control decks and a must answer threat because if she stays around for a turn or two the game is pretty much yours. Something of a meta-game call because any Aristocrats or R/G aggro player will be siding in Mark of Mutiny and Zealous Conscripts will turn your game ending bomb against you.
8 CMC:
Craterhoof Behemoth- A game ending threat like Gisela, Blade of Goldnight but with haste and the added benefit of turning all your mana dorks and lower powered creatures into potentially lethal damage. Unfortunately due to its extremely high mana cost, it is really only viable in decks utilizing Somberwald Sage in order to cast Craterhoof Behemoth asap.
The Planeswalkers
Having access to green,red and white gives Naya players 3 of the best planeswalkers (and 2 fun role players) in Standard. Many successful Naya lists run no planeswalkers but I am personally a big fan of 4 of the viable planeswalkers and try to incorporate them in any deck lists I make. Below I shall list each Planeswalker along with a description of his uses within the archetype.
Domri Rade- A powerful 3 CMC planeswalker that has even made an impact in the notoriously insular modern scene. His +1 ability encourages deck list to be creature dense with upwards of 28+ creatures in order to consistently draw cards. However, even in Naya lists with more spells Domri Rade is still effective thanks to his -2 fight ability which allows for repeatable source of removal which is something of an Achilles's Heel for Naya Midrange.
While you may miss drawing cards as often when compared to the creature dense Naya decks fueling your ability to fight threats with a Boros Reckoner or Thundermaw Hellkite is real value. It should go without saying that the ultimate ability is pretty much game over for most if not all decks, and is actually a frequent occurrence against control decks if you can get Domri in play during the early phases of the game.
Garruk Relentless- Much like Domri Rade, Garruk Relentless ability to remove 3 toughness creatures through his fight ability is welcomed in a removal light deck like Naya. His transformed version, Garruk, Veil-Cursed lets you tutor up a stream of Thragtusk and Thundermaw Hellkite to grind you opponents down at the cost of your less important creatures as the game progresses into mid/late game.
Due to the dual nature of Garruk Relentless abilities, he is much worse on the draw than on the play. Being able to play him on turn 3 and then tutoring as soon as turn 4 is much useful than having to wait that extra turn which dilutes much of what makes Garruk Relentless special.
Ajani, Caller of the Pride- Always has been a popular card with some viable "White-Weenie" lists, this card has some powerful abilities that simply do not mesh with the typical Naya card types. His +1 is ably replaced with Gavony Township and his -3 isn't particularly relevant since Naya decks usually win thanks to flyers anyway. Perhaps the biggest drawback is the double W in his casting cost. This is mostly a green deck, and white mana is something of a premium.
Gideon, Champion of Justice- A card that vacillates from wonderful to woeful depending on the board state. After a boardwipe like Terminus or perhaps even Rolling Temblor, Gideon has the ability to totally take over a game. Coupled with a Kessig Wolf Run turns him into a source of inevitability too. The problem is that there are many deck is the format that can chump block for days rendering Gideon obsolete. Also, Naya lists struggle having enough removal to keep your opponents board clear. I am very fond of Gideon, Champion of Justice but perhaps Naya is not the right shell for him...
Garruk, Primal Hunter- The green Sphinx's Revelation. After a potentially deflating Supreme Verdict, landing Garruk as a follow up is terrifying for the control player and lets you fight their card draw on your terms. Typically the cards you draw are far more powerful than the control players which means they have to consistently find answers to Thundermaw Hellkites and Aurelia, The Warleaders are being drawn from Garruk's -3 activations. The only drawback is his somewhat restrictive triple G cost and the preponderance of 5 drops in Naya Midrange. Firstly, this forces you to Farseek for Forests when you may prefer searching for Sacred Foundry. Secondly, holding an opening hand of Thundermaw Hellkite, Thragtusk and Garruk, Primal Hunter can potentially lose you a game before its even begun.
The Removal
The Naya colors allow for a diverse suite of removal ranging from exiling effects, to fight effects and simple fireballs. Below is a list of viable removal organized by CMC.
1 CMC
Pillar of Flame- Extremely efficient against Zombies (although it isn't a popular archetype atm) and deals with Voice of Resurgence without giving up card parity. Also useful in stopping other decks accelerate, but since we are a very ramp focused deck spending a turn not ramping or casting a creature early game is not ideal. This card's stock goes up and down based on the metagame.
Prey Upon- We cast big creatures and Prey Upon lets us abuse that fact. However, Domri Rade and Garruk Relentless already provide powerful fight effects that don't cost a card.
2 CMC
Searing Spear- I find it immensely amusing that the premier removal in Standard is really a poor man's Lightning Bolt. Does exactly what it says on the tin with the added benefit of burning a player for those last few points of damage.
Selesnya Charm- Incredibly versatile in a world of midrange mirrors. Being able to sandbag Selesnya Charm to deal with Sire of Insanity or Angel of Serenity with their triggers on the stack is game changing. Also ensures that Oliva Voldaren doesn't take over the game by herself by limiting the amount she can ping creatures. Effective against aggro by creating a surprise block or charming that bloodrushed Flinthoof Boar. I strongly recommend having a few in your 75.
Abolish the Guilds- Something of a nod to the Bant Hexproof decks with a much needed edict effect to deal with Geist of St. Traft and Unflinching Courage. Also acts as more insurance against Sire of Insanity, Obzedat, Ghost Council and Olivia Voldaren.
Gruul Charm- A super-niche removal spell that is more at home in Saito Naya brews than traditional Naya Midrange. Acts as a wrath against low cost fliers like Vampire Nighthawk with added benefit of allowing you to swing that one last time unimpeded.
Mizzium Mortars- An excellent kill spell that takes out all the 4 toughness creatures in the format with the flexibility to become an excellent sweeper mid to late game with its Overload ability. Perhaps the sweeper of choice when compared to Bonfire of the Damned simply because we would rather be casting more creatures than sitting back and using spot removal like Jund Midrange does. As the overload asks for triple R be mindful of your early Farseeks in order to get Overloaded Mortars online asap.
3 CMC
Brimstone Volley- A powerful Morbid trigger effect but something that feels more suited to burning out your opponents for the last few points of damage. Not really what the traditional Naya Midrange decks need but may be an option for the faster Saito Naya versions.
Annihilating Fire- Another 3 damage spell like Brimstone Volley but with an exile effect stapled on to it. Given the dominance of Reanimator its actually not a terrible option when dealing with their Thragtusk in order to stop an interminable cycle of life gain. I do feel like Selesnya Charm performs this function admirably by itself.
Rolling Temblor- A Pyroclasm effect in Standard is pretty welcome, even if it can come at the costs of your Avacyn's Pilgrim and Arbor Elf. There have been several times I wished I had this card in hand again a chain of Burning-Tree Emissary. Perhaps a solid sideboard option against the aggro decks.
[CARD]Oblivion Ring-A great answer to dealing with problematic planeswalkers, creatures and enchantments. Pretty self explanatory.
4 CMC
Warleader's Helix- A more fairly costed Lightening Helix this provides a fair amount of damage and a relevant amount of life gain. However this doesn't fill any areas that our creatures don't do at a much better cost.
X CMC
Bonfire of the Damned- An incredibly effective one sided sweeper that has the ability to end games with a lucky top deck. Our mana acceleration is also very good which allows Bonfire of the Damned to be hardcast for reasonable values in short order. Interestingly, Bonfire of the Damned is actually a much better card in Jund Midrange since we want to be casting more creatures not spending our mana for removal. Still in the midrange mirror a top-decked Bonfire more or less acts like Plague Wind which is pretty insane.
Clan Defiance- A fixed Bonfire of the Damned which means its pretty much inferior to it in every single way. Something to look back on once rotation occurs.
Aurelia's Fury- A card with a lot of powerful effects but not particularly efficient on the mana to do everything you may want it to do. I have seen it work wonders in conjunction with Gideon, Champion of Justice for devastating alpha strikes against control and midrange alike. Probably another card to look at once Bonfire of the Damned rotates out of Standard.
UPDATE 1 05/2013- Added a few more creatures and started discussion about usable Planeswalkers.
UPDATE 2 05/18/2013- Finished Planeswalker discussion and started work on the Removal section. Added Spoiler tags for readability.
Update 3- Finished Removal Section and will start Utility section
To be continued with sections on Planeswalkers, Non-Creature Spells, Decklists and Versus discussion! Please leave comments if you would like me to add or edit anything.
Couple of comment:
1 CMC:
I would add:
Dryad Militant; this cards is really strong against control decks. also hurts the reanimator decks, and often a nice early defense against fast aggro.
2 CMC:
I feel like cards like Burning Tree, Stangleroot Geist as well as Flinhoof Board do not really belong to a midrange deck; they have a much better place in a Naya Aggro deck than in a Naya midrange deck.
8 CMC:
Craterhoof Behemoth Even though its CMC is high; if his guy land with few creatures in play; it's almost a guaranteed win. I wouldn't play it unless you play Gyre which gives you more chance to bring him out.
UB Lazavm Dimir Mastermind BU
GW Rhys the RedeemedWG
WUG Derevi, Epyrial Tactitian GUW
WUG Roon of the Hidden RealmGUW
WBR Kaliaa of the VastRBW
WUB Sydri, Galvanic Genius BUW
Casual decks:
UB Ninja v2.1 BU
GU Simic's Fathom v0.9 UG
RGW Sarkhan's Seasoning v0.80 WGR
WR Chandra's Rebirth v0.3 RW
Modern: Jund Legacy: RUG Delver EDH: Captain Sisay
Yeah thats sounds awesome.
dont forgot noncreature stuff like Legion's Initiative
I buy HP and Damaged cards!
Only EDH:
Sigarda, Host of Herons: Enchantress' Enchantments
Jenara, Asura of War: ETB Value Town
Purphoros, God of the Forge: Global Punishment
Xenagos, God of Revels: Ramp, Sneak, & Heavy Hitters
Ghave, Guru of Spores: Dies_to_Doom_Blade's stax list
Edric, Spymaster of Trest: Donald's list
4 Arbor elf
3 Avacyn's Pilgrim
3 Mwonvuli Beast Tracker
3 Yeva Nature's Herald
2 Restoration Angel
1 Ghor-Clan rampager
2 Acidic Slime
3 Zhur-Taa Ancient
1 Sigarda, Host of Herons
2 Armada Wurm
2 Ruric Thar, The Unbowed
3 Craterhoof Behemoth
3 Domri Rade
Spells:
4 Farseek
Land:
4 Temple Garden
4 Sunpetal Grove
4 Stomping Ground
4 Rootbound Crag
2 Sacred Foundry
1 Clifftop Retreat
2 Forest
3 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Slayers' Stronghold
3 Rolling Tremblor
3 Thragtusk
2 Rest in Peace
2 Angel of Serenity
2 Acidic Slime
2 Worldspine Wurm
The sideboard looks kinda funky, but it's kinda specifically targeted. Tremblor & Thrag for Aggro; Rest & Angel for Reanimator; Slime and Wurm for Control (Wurm has that wonderful anti-mill clause)
There are a ton of different creatures and strategies with the deck I wanted to try and didn't get to. I chose creature heave for Domri and Ruric, but Jund with Sire of Insanty and Rakdos's Return looks good as does a spell heavy rug build with Clan Defiance. I'd love to see more testing on all 3 varieties. For what was my week 1 with the new stuff, I decided to start out with the most proactive method as the safest way to play. Early in a format you're always better asking the questions than trying to answer them.
If you hate the deck, I'm probably playing it!
Yep thanks for the suggestions, I added them into the primer.
As for your suggestion about not having cards like Burning-Tree Emissary, I feel any deck that curves out into 5 drops is pretty midrange-y and I think it would be a viable service to at least describe the tenants of a deck that did reach the semi-final of a Pro-Tour (although the appearance of Cedric Phillips's Jund Aggro list has taken some of its thunder away....).
I really like this decklist and how you have worked in Zhur-Tar Ancient to go into an all in ramp style deck. I noticed you said you put in Temblor and Thragtusk against the aggressive decks but you have a high chance of killing your own ramp engine by doing so.
The addition of so many high end threats makes the Ancient probably more beneficial to you rather than your opponent but I feel like you are letting the Revelation decks into the game a little bit. What are you matches like against Esper or UWr control?
Thanks!
Regarding burning tree; I feel like the card is more 'dumping-hand' aggro-style...
You almost never want to play her alone otherwise you loose all of her advantage and end up with just a bear.
In a mid-range deck, she's often going to occupy a spot waiting to do something good - aka a semi-dead card.
Furthermore, mid/late game she's not that good. She really shines when you can dump 2 or 3 creatures on turn 2 and start pressuring your opponent on turn 3 and so on.
She suit the early aggro style deck way better. I don't think she's good in a midrange deck.
UB Lazavm Dimir Mastermind BU
GW Rhys the RedeemedWG
WUG Derevi, Epyrial Tactitian GUW
WUG Roon of the Hidden RealmGUW
WBR Kaliaa of the VastRBW
WUB Sydri, Galvanic Genius BUW
Casual decks:
UB Ninja v2.1 BU
GU Simic's Fathom v0.9 UG
RGW Sarkhan's Seasoning v0.80 WGR
WR Chandra's Rebirth v0.3 RW
I didn't have an opportunity to play against control, but the game-plan seems solid. you probably just board out ancient in those games... there's no need for him in that situation and for game 1 you just play smart. Don't throw him down without flash and a win. If you can't flash him in and win (even through a Revelation, which means you need craterhoof) don't play him. Fortunately, in that matchup, it's going to be slow, so you'll have plenty of opportunities. Most decks you don't have to think too much about when to drop him though. If they're not playing a ton of removal I don't even wait for flash because others can't capitalize on him enough to make the difference. If they are heavy removal, then only play him flashed. That said, the list is for those who want to win big or go home early. It's a high-risk high-reward strategy, so, you're playing for first or nothing, which isn't always a bad strategy. No one wants to consistently finish 9th. There was a lot of discussion on that before.
As for losing the mana dorks if I tremblor, it's not a huge loss... I can still stabilize, whereas I just wiped out my opponent's whole game plan. So, it tends to be worth it. Or you can always take out a dork or 2 if you're going that route. I like having both options because the ramp can get you there sometimes without the burn and otherwise you have the burn to take over. When I put the list together it was all about side strategies and alternate game plans. I didn't want to have 1 path to victory, so I built the deck in a way to offer as many paths to a win as possible.
If you hate the deck, I'm probably playing it!
Focus: Omnath, Locus of Mana EDH.
From there the main difference is mostly how much removal do you run. Check out some of the top 8s from states and you'll see mostly the same list.
4 boros reckoner
3 huntmaster of the fells
4 restoration angel
4 thragtusk
2 thundermaw hellkite
1 aurelia the warleader
1 domri rade
1 garruk, primal hunter
4 farseek
3 advent of the wurm
2 selesnya charm
2 searing spear
1 bonfire of the damned
2 kessig wolfrun
4 sacred foundry
4 stomping grounds
4 rootbound crag
4 temple garden
4 sunpetal grove
I know it could be better but it's all I have for it at the moment. Otherwise it would probably feature another Garruk PH and couple more bonfire of the damned.
The deck seemed to goldfish pretty well last night after I built it.
I would have made FNM tonight but I got kept over at work...Oh well testing will do.
I will post test results later tonight.
4x Voice of Resurgence
4x Loxodon Smiter
4x Boros Reckoner
4x Firemane Avenger
3x Ghor-Clan Rampager
2x Thundermaw Hellkite
2x Aurelia, the War Leader
Other - 9
3x Legion's Initiative
4x Farseek
2x Domri Rade
4x Stomping Ground
4x Temple Garden
4x Sacred Foundry
3x Sunpetal Grove
3x Clifftop Retreat
3x Rootbound Crag
1x Kessig Wolf-Run
2x Forest
2x Ground Seal
2x Assemble the Legion
2x Acidic Slime
2x Selesnya Charm
3x Pillar of Flame
2x Garruk Relentless
This is the decklist for Naya Midrange I have been working on for awhile. I haven't play tested much with it as of yet, but from what I have played it has good synergies. I was trying to figure out how to get removal in while still using Farseek, Domri, and keeping the Voice's effective by having over 26 creatures in the deck, which IMO is a necessity to run Domri effectively. I think I found that with the Avenger. The Avenger is also helped by Legion's Initiative which takes it out of spear range which has been a large downside of playing it in the past. The Initiative is helpful to every creature in the main, except Pilgrim. I love Restoration Angel, but it doesn't serve much purpose in is build. I like the removal of Avenger more than Huntmaster at this point and it is better with Initiative. Aurelia, also has obvious synergies with Initiative. I admit, the sideboard probably needs to be tweaked, but in all it has done ok so far. Thoughts?
The fatties deck made me think about putting in AoS. If only to remove problematic creatures. Otherwise I don't think I could be happier with the list I made, and I don't think my girlfriend could be happier playing anything different.
The deck feels very solid with no real weak points just yet. I even commented
on How I might play it at a local tournament sometime. I am a dedicated Jund player at this point but I would defintely pick this deck up if I wanted to be a bit more aggressive in the games.
~Signature by Rivenor @ Miraculous Recovery Studios~
Also, consider your colors. If you're Naya midrange then it shouldn't matter, but if you happen to lean towards something like Garruk, Primal Hunter with tripple green and have like Predator Oozes or something then Ground Seal is better.
I prefer Purify the Grave. I find it far more flexible and isn't vulnerable to Reanimator's maindeck Acidic Slime
Well depends on what you expect to fact.
Between the two, if you don't need your graveyard, RIP is clearly better, however, due to its can-trip effect Ground Steal is actually mainboardable.
That said; as mentioned, purify the grave is also a nice option as it will take your opponent by surprise (unless it's in your graveyard... :P)
The other one I like is: Dryad Militant; it hoses snapcaster big time.
Also hurts the reanimator decks and offer a good early defense/offense.
Basically:
- against Zombie (if they still alive): RIP is a really good choice.
- against Non-Human Reanimator: Purify the grave is a better option as they have no answers for it. A well timed RIP is also good.
- against Human Reanimator: RIP is the only real anwers
- against Scavenge deck (if u face them in ur meta): RIP does wonder
- against Control (snappy/flashback): Dryad Militant is my choice of predilection. Aside that, RIP is slightly better than Ground Seal and Purify as it get rid of flashback cards.
- the only two main-boardable graveyard hates are: Dryad and Ground Seal (unless ur meta is 80%+ composed of graveyard abuse decks :-))
UB Lazavm Dimir Mastermind BU
GW Rhys the RedeemedWG
WUG Derevi, Epyrial Tactitian GUW
WUG Roon of the Hidden RealmGUW
WBR Kaliaa of the VastRBW
WUB Sydri, Galvanic Genius BUW
Casual decks:
UB Ninja v2.1 BU
GU Simic's Fathom v0.9 UG
RGW Sarkhan's Seasoning v0.80 WGR
WR Chandra's Rebirth v0.3 RW
Summary of the night here.
And here's the deck I was playing.
1x Clifftop Retreat
1x Forest
2x Kessig Wolf Run
1x Mountain
1x Plains
2x Rootbound Crag
3x Sacred Foundry
1x Slayers' Stronghold
4x Stomping Ground
3x Sunpetal Grove
4x Temple Garden
Creature (26)
2x Aurelia, the Warleader
3x Avacyn's Pilgrim
3x Boros Reckoner
3x Huntmaster of the Fells
4x Loxodon Smiter
3x Restoration Angel
3x Thragtusk
2x Thundermaw Hellkite
3x Voice of Resurgence
2x Advent of the Wurm
3x Searing Spear
Sorcery (6)
4x Farseek
2x Mizzium Mortars
2x Boros Charm
2x Divine Reckoning
1x Domri Rade
2x Garruk, Primal Hunter
1x Pithing Needle
1x Renounce the Guilds
2x Rest in Peace
2x Selesnya Charm
1x Trostani, Selesnya's Voice
1x Witchbane Orb
Slogging Naya Stompy Bigstuff through a field of Control wasn't easy, and I'm happy with most of my performance.
Tormod's crypt is underrated imo, it pretty much needs to be removed too like RIP before wanting to use rites and also exiles the grave as it goes out basically. It has pretty much the same functionality as RIP against reanimator now when it comes to battling rites but it costs no tempo which is a huge loss with rites.
Of course all options are still dealt with by acidic slime / abrupt decay, ground seal at least cantrips but immediately let's them play rites afterwards, RIP/tormod's crypt delay the rites much more effectively by actually forcing them to fill the grave afterwards.
Personally I think a mix of crypt and ground seal is best, that way you got plenty of hate but don't suffer much when you draw too much hate against no rites since reanimator is still quite a solid midrange deck without the rites. Dryad militant is obviously fine hate too but you only want that maindeck in an aggressive experiment one shell.
Purify the grave is interesting in a domri rade list though because they are very likely to side out sin collector.