Your thoughts aren't unusual. I tried Goblin Guide once and hated it.
I echo these thoughts on maxing out Chain Lightning before Helix and looking into maxing out the Lavamancers (maybe decrease to 3 Pridemages). If you take out the Guides, I'd suggest looking into Scavenging Oozes.
Lastly, I agree that the side is pretty weak against combo (Storm, Sneak/Show, and Reanimator), but if you don't expect it don't waste the sideboard space.
I have tested Guides again and was disapointed again. It usually deals 4 damage before it will be removed or get blocked, but I hate his downside, does not like to give my opponent extra lands. I think I should cut him and use this space for extra Lavamancers.
I have only one Ozze, think about using GSZ toolbox for silver bullets (Ozze, Teeg, Vexing Shusher). What do you think?
I dont know about combo decks in my meta, but can meet someone. Can you suggest sideboard strategy against combo?
I expect Maverick and Miracles at the tournament and a few Goblins, Merfolks and UBW decks. I need your comments and suggestions, espetially for sideboard.
I'm new to combo elves, and dont understand how do you increase your chances to get Emmy in your hand. Mulligan? Or hope to draw him while draw/cast with Glimpse? Is Fierce Empath useful in this deck?
cuts
signets and ingot(you are playing green, i would just use green ramp)
BoP
chorus of the conclave(seems super slow)
the cycling lands(i dont think its worth it in 3 color decks without life from the loam)
adds
wood elves/farhaven elf
maybe some more of the CIPT two colored lands
sun titan and primeval titan
reveillark and karmic guide and eternal witness
Signets and Ingot were both in precon and I deicide to stay with them for stabilization. Thanks for pointing to prefer green ramp.
I love EDH and Ghave, Guru of Spores. I bought Counterpunch precon and now I'm working on it. I like saproling tokens theme and combos around it with Doubling Season, Ashnod's Altar and other token triggered enchantments.
I have filled my deck with cards which works with Ghave. Also I have included Ranger of Eos because there are good targets for him.
Can you suggest something? Do you see deck has something useless or extremely needs any other cards?
And help me with mana base, please. Is is solid? Should I use more fetch lands?
So far it has been interesting..
Turn one: Forest Llanowar
Turn two: Forest Elvish Archdruid
Turn three: Forest, hard cast summoning trap and got Emrakul out.
Still pretty new as a player though and looking for advice.
I like you idea to run Eldrazi annihilators, but I think 4 is not enough. If you want to get them with Summoning Trap, it is only 50% change to get them on turn 4. I think you need more ways to put them, maybe Elvish Piper to put them from your hand? But you have to protect your guys, so you need more Vines. And do not forget abot classic syntax against Jund or somethins else with tons of removal:
T1: Forest, Dork <- bolted and slowed
or:
T1: Forest, Dork
T2: Forest, Druid <- bolted/terminated... sad
I have gone down on the Vines myself, floating a singleton right now, possibly taking it out. Have you tested any reworkings of Misty Monument yet Satyrius?
Give me the list and I will try it ;-) But today I want to try my own changes:
I think we should cut Vines of Vastwood[/CARD. We want to play early Eldrazi Monument so it will protect our creatures. We have to care about our enchantments and artifacts and play more counterspells to negate their destruction.
I have tested exactly your list yesterday. I was playing against my friend, who is strong Jund player. This deck seems mach more hate-proof than mono green, because of removal. Removal and Pulse/Naturalize to the Monument is always problems for me in mono green version, but Negate/Flashfreeze fix this problem. You play dork, then Awakening Zone, them Monument, and it seems like a two steps to win if you have counter spells in your hand. But there was some problems, I want to list them.
First problem (as always) is removing T1 dork, it slow down the deck because the only plan for T2 will be to play another dorks. But if opponent will remove another one it will be suck!
Second problem appears when I want to play Wolfbriar Elemental kicked more times but if there is no Garruk on the field I cannot get enough green mana. The common syntax is a few blue mana source, 4 green mana source and a few Spawns. So I can get only 2 or 3 wolves maximum.
Third. I need a lot of turns to get beaters to win. It seems like a huge barricade. It is ok if I can overrun with Garruk, otherwise I have to ping him. And It is often when I topdeking dorks instead of big dudes. Maybe we need to run Leatherback Baloth.
Resume. Have to fix mana curve and more ramp and stabilization.
Have you tested your deck against Miracles?
I have tested Guides again and was disapointed again. It usually deals 4 damage before it will be removed or get blocked, but I hate his downside, does not like to give my opponent extra lands. I think I should cut him and use this space for extra Lavamancers.
I have only one Ozze, think about using GSZ toolbox for silver bullets (Ozze, Teeg, Vexing Shusher). What do you think?
I dont know about combo decks in my meta, but can meet someone. Can you suggest sideboard strategy against combo?
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Goblin Guide
4 Kird Ape
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Qasali Pridemage
4 Knight of the Reliquary
Spells 18
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Path to Exile
2 Chain Lightning
2 Price of Progress
2 Sylvan Library
4 Arid Mesa
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Plateau
2 Taiga
1 Savannah
1 Forest
1 Mountain
1 Plains
2 Gaddock Teeg
2 Pyroblast
2 Null Rod
2 Tormod's Crypt
2 Red Elemental Blast
3 Krosan Grip
2 Vexing Shusher
I expect Maverick and Miracles at the tournament and a few Goblins, Merfolks and UBW decks. I need your comments and suggestions, espetially for sideboard.
NOTE: No Goyfs, because I dont have them.
Martyr of Sands can gain a lot.
Is Chalice of Life will be good for you?
Creakwood Liege and Earthcraft will be mine tomorrow
Does Avenger of Zendikar works fine?
Yap, this is a good card. I'm looking for it in my local tradelists.
I have filled my deck with cards which works with Ghave. Also I have included Ranger of Eos because there are good targets for him.
Can you suggest something? Do you see deck has something useless or extremely needs any other cards?
And help me with mana base, please. Is is solid? Should I use more fetch lands?
1x Ghave, Guru of Spores
Enchantments
1x Aura Shards
1x Awakening Zone
1x Beastmaster Ascension
1x Doubling Season
1x Fecundity
1x Glare of Subdual
1x Grave Pact
1x Luminarch Ascension
1x Mana Reflection
1x Martyr's Bond
1x Necrogenesis
1x Perilous Forays
1x Phyrexian Reclamation
1x Bitterblossom
Artifacts
1x Ashnod's Altar
1x Blade of the Bloodchief
1x Darksteel Ingot
1x Eldrazi Monument
1x Golgari Signet
1x Orzhov Signet
1x Selesnya Signet
1x Sol Ring
1x Lightning Greaves
1x Skullclamp
Creatures
1x Birds of Paradise
1x Golgari Guildmage
1x Selesnya Guildmage
1x Mycoloth
1x Yavimaya Elder
1x Juniper Order Ranger
1x Ranger of Eos
1x Hornet Queen
1x Scute Mob
1x Sadistic Hypnotist
1x Scavenging Ooze
1x Phytohydra
1x Sigil Captain
1x Sakura-Tribe Elder
1x Seedborn Muse
1x Twilight Drover
1x Butcher of Malakir
1x Soul Warden
1x Forgotten Ancient
1x Chorus of the Conclave
1x Rhys the Redeemed
1x Tolsimir Wolfblood
1x Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1x Garruk Wildspeaker
Spells
1x Eladamri's Call
1x Enlightened Tutor
1x Mortify
1x Path to Exile
1x Putrefy
1x Swords to Plowshares
1x Cultivate
1x Diabolic Tutor
1x Harmonize
1x Identity Crisis
1x Idyllic Tutor
1x Saproling Symbiosis
1x Kodama's Reach
Land
7x Forest
6x Plains
6x Swamp
1x Barren Moor
1x Command Tower
1x Evolving Wilds
1x Golgari Rot Farm
1x Marsh Flats
1x Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1x Orzhov Basilica
1x Razorverge Thicket
1x Rupture Spire
1x Secluded Steppe
1x Selesnya Sanctuary
1x Sunpetal Grove
1x Temple of the False God
1x Terramorphic Expanse
1x Tranquil Thicket
1x Verdant Catacombs
1x Vivid Grove
1x Vivid Marsh
1x Vivid Meadow
I like you idea to run Eldrazi annihilators, but I think 4 is not enough. If you want to get them with Summoning Trap, it is only 50% change to get them on turn 4. I think you need more ways to put them, maybe Elvish Piper to put them from your hand? But you have to protect your guys, so you need more Vines. And do not forget abot classic syntax against Jund or somethins else with tons of removal:
T1: Forest, Dork <- bolted and slowed
or:
T1: Forest, Dork
T2: Forest, Druid <- bolted/terminated... sad
You have to keep a backup plan.
Give me the list and I will try it ;-) But today I want to try my own changes:
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Birds of Paradise
3 Leatherback Baloth
3 Master of the Wild Hunt
3 Wolfbriar Elemental
2 Mycoloth
Spells
4 Awakening Zone
3 Eldrazi Monument
2 Garruk Wildspeaker
2 Rite of Replication
4 Negate
Land
12 Forest
4 Island
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
2 Halimar Depths
2 Acidic Slime
3 Fog
3 Flashfreeze
1 Tectonic Edge
2 Unified Will
2 Spreading Seas
2 Windstorm
I have no solid sideboard plan and it is just from another decklist.
A few notes about MD. I want to use Leatherback Baloth as the main beater. I aslo want to try Mycoloth in this build, because we have tokens do devour and Oran-Rief, the Vastwood to add extra counter. I think it will be awesome under Eldrazi Monument. I cut Acidic Slime MD and extra mana dorks to fit Mycoloth and Leatherback Baloth. The Vines of the Vastwood was cut too to run 4 Negate, counterspell are much important for this deck, we have to save our AZ and Monument on the field to dominate the game.
My opponent will be Jund player.
I think we should cut Vines of Vastwood[/CARD. We want to play early Eldrazi Monument so it will protect our creatures. We have to care about our enchantments and artifacts and play more counterspells to negate their destruction.
I have tested exactly your list yesterday. I was playing against my friend, who is strong Jund player. This deck seems mach more hate-proof than mono green, because of removal. Removal and Pulse/Naturalize to the Monument is always problems for me in mono green version, but Negate/Flashfreeze fix this problem. You play dork, then Awakening Zone, them Monument, and it seems like a two steps to win if you have counter spells in your hand. But there was some problems, I want to list them.
First problem (as always) is removing T1 dork, it slow down the deck because the only plan for T2 will be to play another dorks. But if opponent will remove another one it will be suck!
Second problem appears when I want to play Wolfbriar Elemental kicked more times but if there is no Garruk on the field I cannot get enough green mana. The common syntax is a few blue mana source, 4 green mana source and a few Spawns. So I can get only 2 or 3 wolves maximum.
Third. I need a lot of turns to get beaters to win. It seems like a huge barricade. It is ok if I can overrun with Garruk, otherwise I have to ping him. And It is often when I topdeking dorks instead of big dudes. Maybe we need to run Leatherback Baloth.
Resume. Have to fix mana curve and more ramp and stabilization.
I really like Mysty Monument, G/U is awesome.