I have a request, because my brain is kind of hurting right now. I would like to know who has the ingenuity and creativity to turn my current Mill deck into a BDC15 deck.
I will see what i can do to change this around to fit within the BDC15 budget.
If anyone gets ideas i would love to see it!
PS, if anyone wants to use this build at FNM, feel free. In 4 rounds i have gone 3-1 with it. sideboard is specifically hate towards reanimate decks....
The big money sinks here are the dual lands. The Watery Graves along are $26. The Drowned Catacombs are another $5 and change. That brings you down to a little less than $21.
The next most expensive is the single Mutilate and the Consuming Aberrations, both clocking in at just over $1. You could cut the Mutilate, I guess, but the Aberrations seem pretty critical.
The rest of the deck consists of a lot of $.25-ish cards, which add up pretty quickly. It might come down to swapping things out for cheaper, but functionally similar cards.
If izzet chronarch is good enough for the izzet section, wouldn't archeomancer be good enough for the much bigger blue section, or is the one power too much of an issue?
I'm guessing the issue is the double blue. And the 4 mana section is probably to tight to justify it.
The main reason I like Ethereal Armor is the explosiveness it can provide when paired with other auras, such as Rancor. When I can consistently swing for 5 (Invisible Stalker) or 10 (with Fencing Ace) on Turn 3, it seems pretty solid to use the armor.
I played 2x Selesnya Charm for a while, but it never quite worked out as well as I wanted it to.
Azorius Charm seems okay in this deck, but I haven't been overly excited about Feeling of Dread outside of limited. I think I'd rather play something that provided a more lasting solution to a difficult creature.
One card I have considered for the mirror match is Ray of Revelation. It's in color and would allow me to knock out two of my opponent's auras.
You know, I haven't looked at Quirion Ranger in a while, but it seems like she has some good interactions. Landfall, "protecting" against discard, keeping cards in hand for Empyrial Armor/Okina Nightwatch-like effects... Hmm. In fact, even though she can be played as such, I'm not sure I'd consider her a mana dork.
I haven't seen your list yet. Maybe post it so that I can give some input about what I'd change?
- Hiss.
Certainly! I'd love to have your input.
In keeping with the forum, it's pretty much a budget deck. I'm trying to improve the mana base a little at a time, but it's slow going. Geist has proven to be waaaay out of my price range, even for trades, so I'm just using the one I was lucky enough to open in a pack, with Lawmage picking up the other three spots.
I suppose if I was to cut something, it would be 1 or 2 Spectral Flight.
why would you run all the llanowar clones over arbor elf
For constancy, mostly. I know I can always get a green out of them.
Arbor Elf, as Lyan pointed out, is just a 1/1 if you don't have a Forest. Granted, that situation isn't exceptionally common, but I too have been in the situation where I've cast it off a non-Forest green source and been stuck. (And in Standard no less, where I was able to fully tailor the deck, not just use whatever I happen to draft. :()
This deck is more experimental than the typical Bant version. It plays a little slower, but it has good staying power. Curiosity and Righteous Authority help ensure that you don't run out of gas. Boros Charm is a workhorse, protecting against sweepers and giving us some extra reach.
The deck could really benefit from a better mana base, but given the budget, this works well enough.
There is a cute interaction in the sideboard between Curse of Exhaustion and Possibility Storm, which more or less locks your opponent out of the game. Also in the sideboard is Sphere of Safety, which is rather effective here due to the abundance of enchantments.
About the only thing that would get the price down to $10 would be finding replacements for Invisible Stalker and Boros Charm. Both are important to the deck, so I guess we just deal with being in the $15 budget range.
Hello, all. I have two decks to submit. Pardon me if I get the formatting wrong.
Both decks are based on the popular Hexproof Auras archetype. The formula for the archetype is really straight forward. Take 8-ish Hexproof creatures, 8 other creatures, 16 auras, and 4 utility spells. The balance between Auras and creatures is pretty important. Sideboard varies, but typically includes ways to protect your creatures from board wipes or deal with specific decks common to the player's metagame.
First up is...
Budget Bant Auras
TIMESTAMP: June 12, 2013 at 2345 Eastern time
TYPE: BDC15 ($15.00 LIMIT)
CURRENT COST: $13.89
REMAINING BUDGET: $1.11
I decided to go with Greenside Watcher over the usual Avacyn's Pilgrim. Greenside Watcher makes the deck's gates more playable, has power 2, and trades better later in the game. Since both allow you to cast an Ascended Lawmage on turn 3,Watcher seemed like the obvious choice.
Invisible Stalker and Rancor are keeping the price of the deck up, but they're important, so $15 budget it is.
May I suggest running a singleton Righteous Authority? That card is absolutely bonkers and allows you to draw into more fuel in longer games.
- Hiss.
Kind of expensive, but I love Empyrial Armor-like effects. And it can help refill your hand over time... Still, I'm not sure what I'd want to replace. The balance between creatures and Auras seems critical. What would you suggest replacing for Righteous Authority? Or are you thinking this is a sideboard card?
It's worth noting that unlike the other mana elves, Arbor Elf can let you cast Imperiosaur a turn ahead. I currently play 5 mana dorks which is enough and sometimes feels like too many, and will be replacing Boreal Druid with the new Elvish Mystic on its release, and cutting Avacyn's Pilgrim if that is too many dorks. I also have Zhur-Taa Druid in my Gruul section, for what that's worth.
That's a lot of dorks, though I almost don't count Zhur-Taa Druid since he pings. He's kind of like the anti-Pristine Talisman. Tap him if you need mana or just feel like knocking your opponent down a point.
Keeping Arbor Elf in order to get one turn ahead on Imperiosaur seems like a really niche case to me. It's a nice interaction, but not something you can really count on.
As Lyan said, you can also get some great mileage out of Arbor Elf + Utopia Sprawl, but it's one of those things you can't really assume you're going to be able to make work.
For my money, I'd say the power level order is Llanowar clones > Arbor Elf > multicolor dorks => Boreal Druid. Boreal Druid probably should be first on the chopping block, but the multicolor dorks are not far behind due to constraints on multicolor sections.
I know M14 is not out yet, but what's the consensus on Llanowar Elves and his buddies? Do we add as many as possible?(Elvish Mystic...)
It's getting really tight in green for me. I currently have three of the green producing elves, I've cut Avacyn's Pilgrim on account of color identity.
But really, how many elves are too many elves?
I'm leaning toward Llanowar Elves, Fyndhorn Elves, and Elvish Mystic. Arbor Elf is a likely include as well, but I haven't decided for sure. I think a lot of the little Green aggro critters are on the way out, which will make space for other stuff.
Avacyn's Pilgrim and Elves of Deep Shadow are both interesting, but since I'm fairly strict abut color identity, I don't know if I can justify either one. Well, maybe the Elves of Deep Shadow. Maybe. Golgari is really kind of unexciting in Pauper.
So in 360 if I doubled up on guildgates would those citp 2/4 dudes from dragon's maze be good?
I don't feel like there are enough Gates to make it Cube viable. If you go that route and don't get there, then what? You've picked 1-5 Pillarfield Oxen and gotten some mediocre color fixing out of it. If you double up on the gates, then you're breaking out of one of the core concepts of Cube, aren't you?.
I strongly recommend maximizing your Hexproof creatures.
Spire Tracer is not good. He's tiny, not hexproof, and a terrible card to not have in your opening hand.
Ascended Lawmage is your budget Geist of Saint Traft. He is nowhere near Geist's power level, but Lawmage is in the right colors, is naturally evasive, and is quite hard to deal with for most decks.
Alpha Authority is a poor substitute for innate Hexproof. You're better of with Spectral Flight. And don't get hung up about putting it on Lawmage or Stalker. Think "yay, +2/+2 bonus!" not "but he's already evasive..."
The big money sinks here are the dual lands. The Watery Graves along are $26. The Drowned Catacombs are another $5 and change. That brings you down to a little less than $21.
The next most expensive is the single Mutilate and the Consuming Aberrations, both clocking in at just over $1. You could cut the Mutilate, I guess, but the Aberrations seem pretty critical.
The rest of the deck consists of a lot of $.25-ish cards, which add up pretty quickly. It might come down to swapping things out for cheaper, but functionally similar cards.
Sorry, but this is a terrible idea.
You know, it's okay for cards to be terrible in Cube, especially when they've helped
definewarp other formats. Just let these sorts of cards go.I'm guessing the issue is the double blue. And the 4 mana section is probably to tight to justify it.
I played 2x Selesnya Charm for a while, but it never quite worked out as well as I wanted it to.
Azorius Charm seems okay in this deck, but I haven't been overly excited about Feeling of Dread outside of limited. I think I'd rather play something that provided a more lasting solution to a difficult creature.
One card I have considered for the mirror match is Ray of Revelation. It's in color and would allow me to knock out two of my opponent's auras.
Certainly! I'd love to have your input.
In keeping with the forum, it's pretty much a budget deck. I'm trying to improve the mana base a little at a time, but it's slow going. Geist has proven to be waaaay out of my price range, even for trades, so I'm just using the one I was lucky enough to open in a pack, with Lawmage picking up the other three spots.
I suppose if I was to cut something, it would be 1 or 2 Spectral Flight.
3 Glacial Fortress
1 Hallowed Fountain
3 Sunpetal Grove
1 Temple Garden
4 Hinterland Harbor
4 Forest
3 Island
5 Plains
Creatures (16)
1 Geist of Saint Traft
3 Ascended Lawmage
4 Fencing Ace
4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
4 Invisible Stalker
4 Ethereal Armor
4 Rancor
4 Spectral Flight
4 Unflinching Courage
Other Spells (4)
4 Simic Charm
3 Ground Seal
4 Nearheath Pilgrim
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Rootborn Defenses
For constancy, mostly. I know I can always get a green out of them.
Arbor Elf, as Lyan pointed out, is just a 1/1 if you don't have a Forest. Granted, that situation isn't exceptionally common, but I too have been in the situation where I've cast it off a non-Forest green source and been stuck. (And in Standard no less, where I was able to fully tailor the deck, not just use whatever I happen to draft. :()
Next up is...
Budget American Auras
TIMESTAMP: June 12, 2013 at 2345 Eastern time
TYPE: BDC15 ($15.00 LIMIT)
CURRENT COST: $11.23
REMAINING BUDGET: $3.77
4 Azorius Guildgate
4 Boros Guildgate
4 Island
4 Izzet Guildgate
4 Mountain
4 Plains
Creatures (16)
4 Ascended Lawmage
4 Fencing Ace
4 Invisible Stalker
4 Nearheath Pilgrim
4 Ethereal Armor
4 Madcap Skills
2 Righteous Authority
4 Spectral Flight
2 Curiosity
Other Spells (4)
4 Boros Charm
4 Curse of Exhaustion
4 Possibility Storm
4 Sphere of Safety
3 Volcanic Strength
Notes
Both decks are based on the popular Hexproof Auras archetype. The formula for the archetype is really straight forward. Take 8-ish Hexproof creatures, 8 other creatures, 16 auras, and 4 utility spells. The balance between Auras and creatures is pretty important. Sideboard varies, but typically includes ways to protect your creatures from board wipes or deal with specific decks common to the player's metagame.
First up is...
Budget Bant Auras
TIMESTAMP: June 12, 2013 at 2345 Eastern time
TYPE: BDC15 ($15.00 LIMIT)
CURRENT COST: $13.89
REMAINING BUDGET: $1.11
4 Azorius Guildgate
4 Forest
4 Island
4 Plains
4 Selesnya Guildgate
4 Simic Guildgate
Creatures (16)
4 Ascended Lawmage
4 Fencing Ace
4 Greenside Watcher
4 Invisible Stalker
4 Ethereal Armor
4 Rancor
4 Spectral Flight
4 Unflinching Courage
Other Spells (4)
4 Simic Charm
3 Ground Seal
4 Nearheath Pilgrim
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Rootborn Defenses
Notes
Kind of expensive, but I love Empyrial Armor-like effects. And it can help refill your hand over time... Still, I'm not sure what I'd want to replace. The balance between creatures and Auras seems critical. What would you suggest replacing for Righteous Authority? Or are you thinking this is a sideboard card?
That's a lot of dorks, though I almost don't count Zhur-Taa Druid since he pings. He's kind of like the anti-Pristine Talisman. Tap him if you need mana or just feel like knocking your opponent down a point.
Keeping Arbor Elf in order to get one turn ahead on Imperiosaur seems like a really niche case to me. It's a nice interaction, but not something you can really count on.
As Lyan said, you can also get some great mileage out of Arbor Elf + Utopia Sprawl, but it's one of those things you can't really assume you're going to be able to make work.
For my money, I'd say the power level order is Llanowar clones > Arbor Elf > multicolor dorks => Boreal Druid. Boreal Druid probably should be first on the chopping block, but the multicolor dorks are not far behind due to constraints on multicolor sections.
I'm leaning toward Llanowar Elves, Fyndhorn Elves, and Elvish Mystic. Arbor Elf is a likely include as well, but I haven't decided for sure. I think a lot of the little Green aggro critters are on the way out, which will make space for other stuff.
Avacyn's Pilgrim and Elves of Deep Shadow are both interesting, but since I'm fairly strict abut color identity, I don't know if I can justify either one. Well, maybe the Elves of Deep Shadow. Maybe. Golgari is really kind of unexciting in Pauper.
Boreal Druid is not interesting to me at all.
I don't feel like there are enough Gates to make it Cube viable. If you go that route and don't get there, then what? You've picked 1-5 Pillarfield Oxen and gotten some mediocre color fixing out of it. If you double up on the gates, then you're breaking out of one of the core concepts of Cube, aren't you?.
My $.02
Spire Tracer is not good. He's tiny, not hexproof, and a terrible card to not have in your opening hand.
Ascended Lawmage is your budget Geist of Saint Traft. He is nowhere near Geist's power level, but Lawmage is in the right colors, is naturally evasive, and is quite hard to deal with for most decks.
Alpha Authority is a poor substitute for innate Hexproof. You're better of with Spectral Flight. And don't get hung up about putting it on Lawmage or Stalker. Think "yay, +2/+2 bonus!" not "but he's already evasive..."
-4 Spire Tracer
+4 Ascended Lawmage
-2 Alpha Authority
+2 Spectral Flight