Here is my list with more of a token focus and aiming to have a faster clock. Probably better to run lingering souls over spectral procession but the mana base would be rather costly. Pride of the Clouds has been rather nice. Overpowers almost any creature after a spectral procession and forces the opponent to keep in some of their removal spells which this deck is also likely to turn into dead draws.
Any thoughts on Pride of the Clouds or Sky Hussar? Pride of the clouds would work well with all the protection effects and sky hussar can be a powerful draw engine off all the 1/1s.
Personally I found playing with split piles of lands and spells makes the game feel soooo much better. Having players regulated to 20 lands and 40 spell cards and allowing them to pick which pile they draw from. Otherwise I find land draws influence the outcome of every game which none of us could stand.
How do you not have people just take complete advantage of that? This common "solution" seems to usually end with more unnecessary house rules to get the other house rules to work.
We do use 25 starting life because that rule does greatly benefit aggro. Otherwise it is mostly the mentality our group shares where winning isn't the biggest priority. All programmers and game designers so we don't mind playing around with what cards work or not.
Personally I found playing with split piles of lands and spells makes the game feel soooo much better. Having players regulated to 20 lands and 40 spell cards and allowing them to pick which pile they draw from. Otherwise I find land draws influence the outcome of every game which none of us could stand.
Personally I like silkwrap over suspension/last breath,
Basically hits everything but rhinos, tasigur, stormbreath and whisperwood which is very good coverage.
Also I like running more creatures in the mainboard, they are much less specific than most of the spells available. Sideboard then lets me turn into a more controlling strategy with more tailored answers if the opponents deck is really low to the ground. Otherwise feels very well positioned against the other mid range decks being moderately fast and evasive with a whole lot of card advantage.
That is what I have been working with. Not hinging so much on ojutai as a win con with less vigilance enablers but has lots of card advantage and evasion.
I am finding Mother of Runes to be a better replacement for island sanctuary or something like solitary confinement. Mom does the same thing, winning combat while also protecting against targeted removal. Much less of a draw back as well.
I would say Jitte is pretty important. An active Jitte can lock a number of decks out of the game or greatly increase the clock. 1/1s on their own are too slow. Basically the deck needs a way to turn those small creatures into threats. Jitte is one of the stronger options for that role.
Now brainstorm and fetches is great for fixing card draw. Though I have noticed a couple merfolk decks have opted not to use brainstorm and function just as well without it. Fixing is great at finding reactive cards but I find birds are more of a critical mass deck similar to merfolk where it is less about finding specific cards and more about having each card being an offensive threat or have a wide range of applications. I can see brainstorm being a big help post sideboard when searching for more disruption to combo decks though. I can't say I have tested it as I am not sure where in my list I would fit it in.
I would lean more towards creating a new concept as opposed to just printing cards. Printing cards hurts the existing player base while helping create a newer player base. Personally I think this would still be a net gain for the format but there are better approaches. I would lean towards something like tournament legal judges proxies that can be ordered from wizards and only function as rentable cards for tournaments. This way more casual players can still go to tournaments but may have to pay an extra $10 per tournament to get a couple staples. Prices would probably stay similar so collections dont lose value as the interest in the format would rise.
The mainboard I find to be quite solid against fair decks. Really Mother of runes fills a similar role as island sanctuary except when facing elves plus it helps against removal and doesn't carry a large drawback. Toughest matchups are probably painter and elves but they aren't unwinnable by any means. Before sideboard any combo deck can be quite difficult unless they end up getting slower draws and you can get a turn 4 or 5 kill. Cloudfins definitely play a large part in the speed of the deck but I could see them being a potential flex spot for more mainboard combo hate.
Needs a lot more action. Have to be able to reasonably top deck into something relevant and frequently enough a player finding 2-3 removal spells doesn't blow out the game. Only Kiora and 6 of your creatures are going to do much work towards ending the game. I would say that should be a combination of at least 20 relevant cards / cards that can protect those cards to not get blown out easily.
Been trying out mother of runes in the mainboard. They seem to help a lot when it comes to keeping equipment on a creature and for the sideboard games where your trying to protect a couple hatebears like meddling mage. Plus damage can get out of hand quickly if it isn't disrupted.
To me angry birds seems like a hybrid of merfolk and D&T. Not quite as much hate as D&T, especially in terms of mana denial because of two colours but a lot more evasion, faster damage and tempo. Quite reasonable trade offs if you ask me.
Well the local game shops here have stopped hosting monthly legacy due to poor turn out. A lot of people I have talked to enjoy the format but outside playing with proxies cannot even come close to affording it.
Now with the analogy comparing mtg to a cruise they simply do not compare. Its about turn around, how much does it cost to run a cruise as opposed to printing a couple cards?
Congrats on getting your post pinned. Hopefully a lot more people see it as it definitely has potential.
For using Soulcatchers' Aerie it would be hard to say if you will find it as great in your list without the bird density. But I like your list in that it has more interaction in the mainboard. Skyknight is definitely nice against show and tell as well as the faerie counter spells. And you always have the removal from swords to plowshares which goes well with island sanctuary in picking off the more limited number of threats.
For myself I rely more on overwhelming the field with creatures and setting up a combination of aven mimeomancer + jitte to kill a creature on upkeep or keeper of the nine gales + 2 birds to bounce something as my form of removal. Or simply just outracing an opponent as mimeomancer can create a really short clock with a couple other creatures on the field.
Ephara, God of the Polis I have tried a bit. She is definitely useful in longer games with the card draw but probably not more so than Ajani Goldmane or sword of fire and ice, the creature aspect usually is not relevant. I saw her as a decent way to make use of spirit of the labyrinth as the card draw is on your opponents turn though I am not sure about spirit either.
For your list I would recommend trying out a couple AEther vials. Very useful in getting stoneforge out without worrying about counter spells and flashing in skyknight against sneak attack. Also Manriki-Gusari is a great card for the sideboard if your running a couple stoneforge mystics. Karakas is also something available for a less budget deck that is very effective.
Soulcatcher's Aerie was the reason I won a number of game. Easily the reason I won both games against pox. Worked quite well against jund and delver decks with jitte as well, probably would have been locked out by jitte's -1/-1 without it and makes jund trading cards less efficient. Won me a game against reanimator as well. Grand cenobite -2/-2 killed two birds while an aerie was out allowing me to play a keeper of the nine gales, bump the cenobite the next turn after playing a judge's and mimeomancer and then swing in for lethal the turn after. There is also a lot of mass -1/-1 in the form of golgari charms, engineered plague and the like to deal with true name nemesis which are also good cards against birds. Soulcatcher's Aerie helps to negate the value of those cards if not flip them in our favor. The -1/-1 is also a reason I like cloudfin, quickly hits 1/2 to avoid dying and having a creature with flying stick means pride doesn't go away as well.
Personally I feel safe enough against most the creature based decks I don't feel a need for island sanctuary. The only decks I imagine I would be put into a position I need to rely on island sanctuary would be against combo elves or goblins. Honestly true-name nemesis isn't that much of an issue with all the evasion birds have. He is really easy to out race especially post sideboard with manriki-gusari to destroy his equipment.
The biggest problem I found was against combo decks. There is some potential to soft lock certain decks out with keeper of nine gales or mimeomancer + jitte if they get going a bit late. Not 100% sure on what side board pieces I would need to deal with the range of combo decks. Show and tell and reanimator were the only ones I ran into and think out of about 60 something people there was only 1 or 2 storm decks. There were probably some lands decks with dark depths but that deck seems like mimeomancer could handle and hopefully get a soulcatcher's aerie to protect against punishing fire.
This is a similar list to one that I went 3-3 with though the actual list I ran was much more budget missing a number of cards in the sideboard, the more expensive lands, a 3rd stoneforge and the aethervials.
Lost 2 games to show and tell and one to reanimator. Didn't have oblivion rings or any graveyard hate in my sideboard at the time. Wins were against pox a budget delver deck and jund which seemed in my favor. Reanimator also seemed winnable, won the first game and lost the second due to poor land colours such that I couldn't get out a turn 3 keeper of nine gales.
I am tempted to give ephara, god of the polis and Spirit of the labyrinth a try as well. I find going more the counter route important with all the -1/-1 going around to deal with true-named nemesis. It definitely worked, swinging in with 3 or so 4/4s. Or there is always the 7/5 flying batterskull.
4 Drogskol Captain
1 Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit
3 Pride of the Clouds
4 Selfless Spirit
4 Mausoleum Wanderer
3 Rattlechains
1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
4 Spell Queller
2 Sky Hussar
Spells 13
4 Path to Exile
3 AEther Vial
2 Favorable Winds
4 Spectral Procession
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Mutavault
2 Moorland Haunt
4 Flooded Strand
4 Seachrome Coast
3 Hallowed Fountain
3 Plains
1 Mystic Gate
2 Island
2 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Rest in Peace
1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
2 Supreme Verdict
2 Deprive
2 Eidolon of Rhetoric
2 Engineered Explosives
2 Blessed Alliance
We do use 25 starting life because that rule does greatly benefit aggro. Otherwise it is mostly the mentality our group shares where winning isn't the biggest priority. All programmers and game designers so we don't mind playing around with what cards work or not.
Basically hits everything but rhinos, tasigur, stormbreath and whisperwood which is very good coverage.
Also I like running more creatures in the mainboard, they are much less specific than most of the spells available. Sideboard then lets me turn into a more controlling strategy with more tailored answers if the opponents deck is really low to the ground. Otherwise feels very well positioned against the other mid range decks being moderately fast and evasive with a whole lot of card advantage.
1 Icefall Regent
3 High Sentinels of Arashin
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
1 Daxos of Meletis
3 Cloudform
2 Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit
3 Hidden Dragonslayer
4 Stratus Dancer
1 Ephara, God of the Polis
1 Return to the Ranks
2 Citadel Siege
1 Ajani Steadfast
3 Valorous Stance
1 Mastery of the Unseen
2 Ojutai's Command
2 Banishing Light
1 Bident of Thassa
2 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4 Flooded Strand
4 Temple of Enlightenment
6 Island
8 Plains
1 Return to the Ranks
2 Last Breath
2 Erase
2 Disdainful Stroke
2 Negate
2 AEtherspouts
1 End Hostilities
1 Clever Impersonator
2 Encase in Ice
That is what I have been working with. Not hinging so much on ojutai as a win con with less vigilance enablers but has lots of card advantage and evasion.
I would say Jitte is pretty important. An active Jitte can lock a number of decks out of the game or greatly increase the clock. 1/1s on their own are too slow. Basically the deck needs a way to turn those small creatures into threats. Jitte is one of the stronger options for that role.
Now brainstorm and fetches is great for fixing card draw. Though I have noticed a couple merfolk decks have opted not to use brainstorm and function just as well without it. Fixing is great at finding reactive cards but I find birds are more of a critical mass deck similar to merfolk where it is less about finding specific cards and more about having each card being an offensive threat or have a wide range of applications. I can see brainstorm being a big help post sideboard when searching for more disruption to combo decks though. I can't say I have tested it as I am not sure where in my list I would fit it in.
4 Aven Mimeomancer
3 Cloudfin Raptor
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Judge's Familiar
3 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Pride of the Clouds
2 Sky Hussar
2 Aven Mindcensor
3 Mother of Runes
Artifacts and Enchantments 11
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
2 Honor of the Pure
1 Standstill
1 Batterskull
3 AEther Vial
2 Soulcatchers' Aerie
1 Umezawa's Jitte
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Hallowed Fountain
2 Karakas
2 Mutavault
2 Cavern of Souls
3 Island
3 Plains
4 Meddling Mage
3 Oblivion Ring
2 Rest in Peace
1 Manriki-Gusari
2 Phyrexian Revoker
3 Swan Song
The mainboard I find to be quite solid against fair decks. Really Mother of runes fills a similar role as island sanctuary except when facing elves plus it helps against removal and doesn't carry a large drawback. Toughest matchups are probably painter and elves but they aren't unwinnable by any means. Before sideboard any combo deck can be quite difficult unless they end up getting slower draws and you can get a turn 4 or 5 kill. Cloudfins definitely play a large part in the speed of the deck but I could see them being a potential flex spot for more mainboard combo hate.
To me angry birds seems like a hybrid of merfolk and D&T. Not quite as much hate as D&T, especially in terms of mana denial because of two colours but a lot more evasion, faster damage and tempo. Quite reasonable trade offs if you ask me.
Now with the analogy comparing mtg to a cruise they simply do not compare. Its about turn around, how much does it cost to run a cruise as opposed to printing a couple cards?
For using Soulcatchers' Aerie it would be hard to say if you will find it as great in your list without the bird density. But I like your list in that it has more interaction in the mainboard. Skyknight is definitely nice against show and tell as well as the faerie counter spells. And you always have the removal from swords to plowshares which goes well with island sanctuary in picking off the more limited number of threats.
For myself I rely more on overwhelming the field with creatures and setting up a combination of aven mimeomancer + jitte to kill a creature on upkeep or keeper of the nine gales + 2 birds to bounce something as my form of removal. Or simply just outracing an opponent as mimeomancer can create a really short clock with a couple other creatures on the field.
Ephara, God of the Polis I have tried a bit. She is definitely useful in longer games with the card draw but probably not more so than Ajani Goldmane or sword of fire and ice, the creature aspect usually is not relevant. I saw her as a decent way to make use of spirit of the labyrinth as the card draw is on your opponents turn though I am not sure about spirit either.
For your list I would recommend trying out a couple AEther vials. Very useful in getting stoneforge out without worrying about counter spells and flashing in skyknight against sneak attack. Also Manriki-Gusari is a great card for the sideboard if your running a couple stoneforge mystics. Karakas is also something available for a less budget deck that is very effective.
Personally I feel safe enough against most the creature based decks I don't feel a need for island sanctuary. The only decks I imagine I would be put into a position I need to rely on island sanctuary would be against combo elves or goblins. Honestly true-name nemesis isn't that much of an issue with all the evasion birds have. He is really easy to out race especially post sideboard with manriki-gusari to destroy his equipment.
The biggest problem I found was against combo decks. There is some potential to soft lock certain decks out with keeper of nine gales or mimeomancer + jitte if they get going a bit late. Not 100% sure on what side board pieces I would need to deal with the range of combo decks. Show and tell and reanimator were the only ones I ran into and think out of about 60 something people there was only 1 or 2 storm decks. There were probably some lands decks with dark depths but that deck seems like mimeomancer could handle and hopefully get a soulcatcher's aerie to protect against punishing fire.
2 Sky Hussar
1 Jötun Owl Keeper
2 Keeper of the Nine Gales
4 Pride of the Clouds
4 Aven Mimeomancer
4 Cloudfin Raptor
4 Squadron Hawk
3 Thrummingbird
3 Judge's Familiar
3 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Soulcatchers' Aerie
1 Umezawa's Jitte
2 Ajani Goldmane
1 Batterskull
2 AEther Vial
Land
4 Flooded Strand
1 Mutavault
3 Cavern of Souls
4 Glacial Fortress
3 Island
5 Plains
3 Island Sanctuary
4 Meddling Mage
2 Grafdigger's Cage
3 Oblivion Ring
1 Rest in Peace
1 Leyline of Sanctity
1 Manriki-Gusari
This is a similar list to one that I went 3-3 with though the actual list I ran was much more budget missing a number of cards in the sideboard, the more expensive lands, a 3rd stoneforge and the aethervials.
Lost 2 games to show and tell and one to reanimator. Didn't have oblivion rings or any graveyard hate in my sideboard at the time. Wins were against pox a budget delver deck and jund which seemed in my favor. Reanimator also seemed winnable, won the first game and lost the second due to poor land colours such that I couldn't get out a turn 3 keeper of nine gales.
I am tempted to give ephara, god of the polis and Spirit of the labyrinth a try as well. I find going more the counter route important with all the -1/-1 going around to deal with true-named nemesis. It definitely worked, swinging in with 3 or so 4/4s. Or there is always the 7/5 flying batterskull.