Pete put together an interesting Birthing Pod combo deck with Rith, the Awakener as his general. The deck protects itself by running some vicious creatures and preventing opponents from searching and tutoring for responses to his board. Because of the combo with Birthing Pod, his creatures ramp well from one to the next and he uses some key cards to put creatures back into to his deck, in case he needs to start the process over again.
This deck does what a mono-blue deck is supposed to do...control the board. It has a wealth of counterspells and plenty of means to get them back. The deck is designed to have multiple win conditions. It can go infinite with turns by casting Time Stretch and getting the card back by bouncing Archaeomancer with either Crystal Shard or Erratic Portal. By utilizing Elite Arcanist and Time Stop, it can stop an opponent's turn before it even starts. Combine that with enchantments and creatures that untap creatures and the combo works great at a multi-player table. Copy effects such as Clone, Phyrexian Metamorph, etc allow for multiple Elite Arcanist's or artifacts depending on what win the pilot is going for.
Brugan ran an aggressive build centered around large creatures punching you in the face. He had some removal spells and creatures that had destruction as an ETB trigger. After playing the match, Brugan determined that more play testing was needed and he would have run more creatures and he would have removed the swords.
A group of EDH players, myself included, at my local shop have been struggling with our decks recently. Not in the build sense, but in the "where do we go from here" sense. Last Monday, it occurred to us that a weekly build challenge could add some fun and, as the name suggest, challenge our deckbuilding skills. So, that being said the four of us, Brugan, Dollars, Pete, and I (thewookiee23), put down some ground rules and issued the first challenge.
Here are the rules:
- Every (or every other) Monday will be the reveal of the previous week's challenge and the issuance of the new challenge.
- As a group we pick either a general or a mechanic for each other. For each player, the other three decide the challenge.
- In addition, each player gets to pick one card to be in the other's decks.
- We get the rest of the week (or 2) to build and playtest.
- The reveal is done via a four-player match.
- After the match, we will discuss and issue the next challenge
Supplemental Rules are:
- If we pick a general for one challenge, the next challenge will be a mechanic.
- Cards picked must be legal for the color identity of the general.
- If the challenge is mechanic-based, there is a two week build period and cards will not be picked because we will not know which general we will be using at the time we decide the challenge.
After the challenge as been decided, I will post a new thread similar to this thread describing the new challenge. I will reserve the first five reply spots, one for each of the deck lists and the last for the results of the challenge and match, So with the idea explained, let's get to the challenge.
For our first challenge, we decided to go with generals. We also wanted to do generals with a color identity that was outside of each player's wheelhouse. The assignments were as followed.
Edits
Now that we have done one challenge, we have determined that mechanic is very limiting and sometimes overpowering. So instead of mechanic, we will be using the word theme. We believe this allows us more freedom and creativity with the decks and does not pigeon-hole any one player.
In my particular play group, we have a lot of very solemn players. People who take the game, their decks, and themselves very seriously. That is not a bad thing, I have quite a few competitive decks, but every now and then I get the urge to use cards no one in their right mind would use. To use those cards to build a deck that you can't help but smile at when you lose or win. This is one of those decks. It is a straight forward mono-green token deck with a few tricks to keep me interested while playing it.
The idea is to create as many squirrels as possible, obviously, but there are a lot different ways to do this. Earthcraft and Squirrel's Nest is an infinite combo, but I usually put a cap on it, just to make the math easier. Tons of artifact and spell mana ramp get this deck off the ground quickly. And cards like Crucible of Worlds and Eternal Witness allow you to replay cards over and over again. Umbilicus, Conjurer's Closet, and Erratic Portal allow you to get maximum benefit from ETB Triggers.
1 Rith, the Awakener
Creatures
1 Veteran Explorer
1 Goblin Welder
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Vexing Shusher
1 Leonin Relic-Warder
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Nearheath Pilgrim
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Viashino Heretic
1 Harmonic Sliver
1 Eternal Witness
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Fiend Hunter
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
1 Kinsbaile Balloonist
1 Anger
1 Brawn
1 Academy Rector
1 Restoration Angel
1 Vengevine
1 Urabrask the Hidden
1 Kiki-jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Zealous Conscripts
1 Endless Wurm
1 Thragtusk
1 Seedguide Ash
1 Ingot Chewer
1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
1 Soul of the Harvest
1 Duplicant
1 Woodfall Primus
1 Terastodon
1 Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger
1 Perilous Forays
1 Food Chain
1 Greater Good
1 Fecundity
1 Wheel of Sun and Moon
1 Defense of the Heart
1 Druids' Repository
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Vicious Shadows
1 Proper Burial
1 Stranglehold
Artifacts
1 Birthing Pod
1 Crucible of Worlds
Sorceries
1 Life from the Loam
1 Cultivate
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Skyshroud Claim
1 Three Visits
1 Nature's Lore
Instants
1 Unravel the Æther
1 Momentous Fall
Lands
1 Command Tower
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Jungle Shrine
1 Temple Garden
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Stomping Ground
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Rootbound Crag
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Treetop Village
1 Diamond Valley
1 City of Shadows
1 High Market
1 Gavony Township
7 Forest
7 Mountain
7 Plains
1 Azami, Lady of Scrolls
Lands
35 Island
1 Reliquary Tower
Creatures
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Arbiter of the Ideal
1 Misthollow Griffin
1 Clone
1 Archaeomancer
1 Thassa, God of the Sea
1 Laboratory Maniac
1 Tidal Force
1 Great Whale
1 Elite Arcanist
1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
1 Invisible Stalker
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Puppeteer
1 Aphetto Alchemist
1 Fatespinner
1 Æther Adept
Artifacts
1 Conjurer's Closet
1 Crawlspace
1 Erratic Portal
1 Vedalken Orrery
1 Crystal Shard
1 Illusionist's Bracers
1 Spellbook
1 Extraplanar Lens
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Caged Sun
1 Venser's Journal
1 Puppet Strings
1 Unwinding Clock
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Propaganda
1 Soothsaying
1 Leyline of Anticipation
1 Psychic Battle
1 Copy Artifact
1 Copy Enchantment
1 Counterbalance
1 Pemmin's Aura
1 Freed from the Real
1 Aura of Dominion
1 Crab Umbra
Instants
1 Ætherize
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Spell Crumple
1 Hinder
1 Counterspell
1 Mana Drain
1 Dissolve
1 Dissipate
1 Wipe Away
1 Cackling Counterpart
1 Trickbind
1 Cancel
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Stifle
1 Time Stop
1 Evacuation
1 Personal Tutor
1 Stolen Identity
1 Time Stretch
1 Xenagos, God of Revels
Lands
1 Strip Mine
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Sorrow's Path
1 Taiga
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Stomping Ground
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Windswept Heath
1 Command Tower
1 Wasteland
12 Forest
11 Mountain
1 Homeward Path
1 Arid Mesa
1 Reflecting Pool
Creatures
1 Zhur-Taa Druid
1 Spellbreaker Behemoth
1 Eternal Witness
1 Forgotten Ancient
1 Chameleon Colossus
1 Viashino Heretic
1 Taurean Mauler
1 Savageborn Hydra
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Viridian Zealot
1 Vexing Shusher
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Ulvenwald Tracker
1 Wilderness Elemental
1 Malignus
1 Valleymaker
1 Tephraderm
1 Zodiac Dragon
1 Primordial Hydra
1 Vigor
1 Wickerbough Elder
1 Nylea, God of the Hunt
1 Ghor-Clan Rampager
1 Heroes' Bane
1 Firewing Phoenix
1 Hoard-Smelter Dragon
1 Archetype of Aggression
1 Hydra Omnivore
1 Genesis
1 Wolfir Silverheart
1 Strionic Resonator
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Flying Carpet
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Mind's Eye
1 Mage Slayer
1 Mimic Vat
1 Bow of Nylea
1 Crucible of Worlds
Enchantments
1 Sneak Attack
1 Gratuitous Violence
1 Aggravated Assault
1 Nature's WIll
1 Survival of the Fittest
Instants
1 Chaos Warp
1 Berserk
1 Soul's Fire
1 Beast Within
1 Fling
1 Momentous Fall
Sorceries
1 Rampant Growth
1 Sangrite Surge
1 Farseek
1 Riding the Dilu Horse
1 Natural Order
1 Three Visits
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Nature's Lore
Here are the rules:
- Every (or every other) Monday will be the reveal of the previous week's challenge and the issuance of the new challenge.
- As a group we pick either a general or a mechanic for each other. For each player, the other three decide the challenge.
- In addition, each player gets to pick one card to be in the other's decks.
- We get the rest of the week (or 2) to build and playtest.
- The reveal is done via a four-player match.
- After the match, we will discuss and issue the next challenge
Supplemental Rules are:
- If we pick a general for one challenge, the next challenge will be a mechanic.
- Cards picked must be legal for the color identity of the general.
- If the challenge is mechanic-based, there is a two week build period and cards will not be picked because we will not know which general we will be using at the time we decide the challenge.
After the challenge as been decided, I will post a new thread similar to this thread describing the new challenge. I will reserve the first five reply spots, one for each of the deck lists and the last for the results of the challenge and match, So with the idea explained, let's get to the challenge.
For our first challenge, we decided to go with generals. We also wanted to do generals with a color identity that was outside of each player's wheelhouse. The assignments were as followed.
Dollars - Red/White
General - Brion Stoutarm
Brugan's Card - Sword of the Ages
thewookiee23's Card - Zodiac Dog
Pete's Card - Figure of Destiny
Brugan - Red/Green
General - Xenagos, God of Revels
Dollars' Card - Sorrow's Path
thewookiee23's Card - Valleymaker
Pete's Card - Sangrite Surge
thewookiee23 - Blue
General - Azami, Lady of Scrolls
Dollars' Card - Psychic Battle
Brugan's Card - Stifle
Pete's Card - Misthollow Griffin
Pete - Red/White/Green
General - Rith, the Awakener
Dollars' Card - Endless Wurm
Brugan's Card - City of Shadows
thewookiee23's Card - Kinsbaile Balloonist
Edits
Now that we have done one challenge, we have determined that mechanic is very limiting and sometimes overpowering. So instead of mechanic, we will be using the word theme. We believe this allows us more freedom and creativity with the decks and does not pigeon-hole any one player.
1 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
Lands
32 Forest
1 Swarmyard
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Maze of Ith
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Temple of the False God
1 Gaea's Cradle
Creatures
1 Deranged Hermit
1 Liege of the Hollows
1 Nut Collector
1 Squirrel Wrangler
1 Krosan Beast
1 Squirrel Mob
1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
1 Eternal Witness
1 Karn, Silver Golem
1 Voltaic Construct
1 Stuffy Doll
1 Toymaker
1 Adaptive Automaton
Artifacts
1 Riptide Replicator
1 Mimic Vat
1 Minion Reflector
1 Hair-Strung Koto
1 Mirrorworks
1 Sol Ring
1 Acorn Catapult
1 Staff of Nin
1 Extraplanar Lens
1 Staff of Domination
1 Caged Sun
1 Pariah's Shield
1 Unwinding Clock
1 Altar of Dementia
1 Erratic Portal
1 Strata Scythe
1 Conjurer's Closet
1 Slate of Ancestry
1 Volrath's Laboratory
1 Coat of Arms
1 Umbilicus
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Alpha Status
1 Druid's Call
1 Squirrel Nest
1 Asceticism
1 Exploration
1 Quest for Renewal
1 Volrath's Gardens
1 Burgeoning
1 Parallel Lives
1 Doubling Season
1 Earthcraft
1 Mana Reflection
Sorcery
1 Rampant Growth
1 Three Visits
1 Explosive Vegetation
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Parallel Evolution
1 Cultivate
1 Nature's Lore
1 Ranger's Path
1 Skyshroud Claim
1 Acorn Harvest
1 Search for Tomorrow
1 Chatter of the Squirrel
The idea is to create as many squirrels as possible, obviously, but there are a lot different ways to do this. Earthcraft and Squirrel's Nest is an infinite combo, but I usually put a cap on it, just to make the math easier. Tons of artifact and spell mana ramp get this deck off the ground quickly. And cards like Crucible of Worlds and Eternal Witness allow you to replay cards over and over again. Umbilicus, Conjurer's Closet, and Erratic Portal allow you to get maximum benefit from ETB Triggers.
1 Search for Tomorrow
1 Cultivate
1 Nature's Lore
1 Ranger's Path
1 Skyshroud Claim
1 Rampant Growth
1 Three Visits
1 Explosive Vegetation
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Mana Reflection
1 Burgeoning
1 Exploration
1 Caged Sun
1 Extraplanar Lens
1 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
1 Deranged Hermit
1 Liege of the Hollows
1 Nut Collector
1 Squirrel Wrangler
1 Acorn Catapult
1 Druid's Call
1 Squirrel Nest
1 Parallel Lives
1 Doubling Season
1 Riptide Replicator
1 Volrath's Laboratory
Everything else in the deck is designed to make victory a possibility, either by overrunning my opponents with Strata Scythe or Coat of Arms or alternate win conditions such as Altar of Dementia or Hair-Strung Koto.