My list has been getting developed lately. I think green is honestly the only color scheme until Gatecrash that has any sort of value-to-power benefits.
Guys, Tamiyo, the Moon Sage and Sphinx of the Chimes are pretty cool together. I just played two separate game 1's that I was able to use her to an Emblem and start drawing infinite cards.
I'm not sure if you need Cavern of Souls in this list. It might help you more to turn those into basics honestly.
I'm guessing the idea behind New Prahv Guildmage is to get where you can start using the detain ability. Do your games actually going long enough to do that?
How consistently can Sphinx of the Chimes go off absent a Tamiyo emblem? Or is that in there totally to work off Tamiyo emblems?
What's up with Safe Passage? Unless you're expecting it to save your creatures from burn a lot, I'd go for Feeling of Dread to give you better "fog" against creatures. If you're going more for the Bonfire of the Damned counter, I'd switch to Dissipate since that can answer a lot of things, especially once you're outside the zombies matchup. I have a similar sentiment about Cyclonic Rift; seven mana is a lot, and the targeted version won't get you that far in a lot of games; I'd just as soon see that turn into a cantrip like Inaction Injunction or Crippling Chill (although that may be controversial) or some copies of Feeling of Dread.
I see your Evolving Wilds, and I just gotta ask whether you need the extra mana fixing. I've ran two duals for a long time and have had basically no problems.
Thanks for the feedback. This list is just a tentative 60 built last night, so no testing has happened (aka I don't know how long a game will go on). I actually hadn't even thought about the length of games. The Guildmage is there to have a small creature that can potentially lock planeswalkers and creatures, though I understand I'll barely ever activate it. I feel like it could be good.
I was thinking about the amount of times Sphinx of Chimes would actually work, and with all the 4-ofs, I can't imagine there isn't a time it won't work, even off basic lands, etc. You touched on Cyclonic Rift. I think it's a really, really strong card and I also believe that 7 mana can't be that hard to work up to with Keyrunes too... Is Feeling of Dread better than bouncing a problem permanent?
The Safe Passage is there for Bonfire of the Damned, yes, and I was thinking it would be good. I guess it's hard to prepare for a Bonfire if not every deck is playing Bonfires.
Evolving Wilds is there for land grabbing, that whole story. They can easily be cut for more basics to work with Sphinx.
And how many of those wins were helped by the lands that PT fetched you? This is what people have a hard time accepting: he's not the win, he's the enabler.
They're completely unrelated when one is an easy lock out with most any creature these days.
Deadeye Navigator is much worse than Primeval Titan for this format. I say this because I play UG and rarely get wins off Primeval. Many of my wins come from stupidly degenerate pairings with Deadeye. It's kinda too much.
Mono black all but requires Sorin Markov, for the game ending swings. also Necrotic Ooze but not Pili-Pala/Palladium Myr infinite colored mana shenanigans? Cast your Exsanguinate for ∞, win the game?
I mean there's obviously got to be great mana for this deck to work. So, we need to either play a green-based mostly basic land/M10s/triples or play a deck with as many duals/shocks/fetches as possible so you're almost always in all 4 colors super quick, though at the expense of money and life total.
I like the first one, since I made Witch-Maw Nephilim that way. M ramp package was:
Playing too many Sol Ring-type effects that don't give colored mana is a very bad thing, and you'll even benefit from running Gem of Becoming.
Remember, your mana is the most important part of the deck
As for cards to go in the deck, Survival of the Fittest kinda belongs in here, fetching you value cards and even retrieving your general from a tuck. I'd also play both Deadeye Navigator and Havengul Lich with Eternal Witness. Your colors are all about constant 2-for-1's.
I want to address Desperate Ravings. With all the flashback/graveyard play I have, I actually believe netting raw card advantage at instant speed is better than lining up plays ala Ponder. The deck has 26 lands, about 8 (effectively 14) loot-type effects and a good ability to flashback spells which lead me to my decision that Desperate Ravings was actually insane for the archetype.
I've actually been considering cutting Restoration Angel, but I've been having a hard time. Restoration Angel does a lot for this deck which seems strange but... She is an instant, which lets the deck keep mana open, which it wants. She flies, has an admirable P/T and a good CMC. She also blinks Snapcaster Mage for addition use/saving and she can save ConSphinx. Out of the board, she interacts with Zealous Conscripts as well.
If Restoration Angel goes, there needs to be something significant to fill its slot.
I don't mean to sound resistant to any of the advice people give, I'm just merely shooting ideas around since it's never good to just change cards without a proper discussion before :>
4x Desecration Demon
4x Thragtusk
4x Wolfir Silverheart
3x Orchard Spirit
3x Bloodline Keeper
3x Bloodgift Demon
2x Acidic Slime
Spells - 7
3x Abrupt Decay
2x Duress
2x Prey Upon
4x Heartless Summoning
Planeswalkers - 2
2x Garruk, Primal Hunter
Lands - 24
8x Forest
6x Swamp
4x Overgrown Tomb
4x Woodland Cemetery
2x Grim Backwoods
12x ~
2x Golgari Charm
1x Duress
Tell me what you think yall!
Thanks for the feedback. This list is just a tentative 60 built last night, so no testing has happened (aka I don't know how long a game will go on). I actually hadn't even thought about the length of games. The Guildmage is there to have a small creature that can potentially lock planeswalkers and creatures, though I understand I'll barely ever activate it. I feel like it could be good.
I was thinking about the amount of times Sphinx of Chimes would actually work, and with all the 4-ofs, I can't imagine there isn't a time it won't work, even off basic lands, etc. You touched on Cyclonic Rift. I think it's a really, really strong card and I also believe that 7 mana can't be that hard to work up to with Keyrunes too... Is Feeling of Dread better than bouncing a problem permanent?
The Safe Passage is there for Bonfire of the Damned, yes, and I was thinking it would be good. I guess it's hard to prepare for a Bonfire if not every deck is playing Bonfires.
Evolving Wilds is there for land grabbing, that whole story. They can easily be cut for more basics to work with Sphinx.
4x New Prahv Guildmage
3x Sphinx of the Chimes
2x Snapcaster Mage
Spells - 27
4x Azorius Charm
4x Cyclonic Rift
4x Azorius Keyrune
3x Negate
3x Detention Sphere
3x Terminus
2x Oblivion Ring
2x Safe Passage
2x Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
4x Hallowed Fountain
4x Glacial Fortress
5x Plains
3x Island
3x Cavern of Souls
3x Evolving Wilds
2x Reliquary Tower
This is my initial and tentative list. I just want to use Sphinx of the Chimes to get lots of CA.
This was my thought exactly when coming into this thread...
Seriously people even draw that connection? Couldn't it be like "This is either a 4/x or a kicked burst lightning for 1 mana"?
They're completely unrelated when one is an easy lock out with most any creature these days.
I like the first one, since I made Witch-Maw Nephilim that way. M ramp package was:
Playing too many Sol Ring-type effects that don't give colored mana is a very bad thing, and you'll even benefit from running Gem of Becoming.
Remember, your mana is the most important part of the deck
As for cards to go in the deck, Survival of the Fittest kinda belongs in here, fetching you value cards and even retrieving your general from a tuck. I'd also play both Deadeye Navigator and Havengul Lich with Eternal Witness. Your colors are all about constant 2-for-1's.
This was my last list I made:
4x Memnite
4x Vault Skirge
4x Hellrider
3x Signal Pest
Spells - 22
4x Galvanic Blast
4x Mortarpod
4x Gather the Townsfolk
4x Lingering Souls
4x Midnight Haunting
2x Rally the Peasants
6x Plains
3x Mountain
4x Isolated Chapel
4x Clifftop Retreat
4x Blackcleave Cliffs
2x Vault of the Archangel
I've actually been considering cutting Restoration Angel, but I've been having a hard time. Restoration Angel does a lot for this deck which seems strange but... She is an instant, which lets the deck keep mana open, which it wants. She flies, has an admirable P/T and a good CMC. She also blinks Snapcaster Mage for addition use/saving and she can save ConSphinx. Out of the board, she interacts with Zealous Conscripts as well.
If Restoration Angel goes, there needs to be something significant to fill its slot.
I don't mean to sound resistant to any of the advice people give, I'm just merely shooting ideas around since it's never good to just change cards without a proper discussion before :>