- skip430
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Last active Tue, May, 8 2018 13:29:21
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Mar 27, 2010skip430 posted a message on Wild Allies (a.k.a Naya Allies)out of curiosity, why do you only have 2 blademasters, which seems to be one of the superior allies? And how much do the planeswalkers help you in this deck? Are they of substantial help, or do you think substituting them out for 2 more blademasters, a scute mob, and buschwhacker would be alright?Posted in: Blad01's blog
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@Argus Panoptes: I knew rallier would trigger at end step when he returned from exile, but I wasn't sure if rallier's first instance would trigger. It would not. Thank you for answering in such detail!
EDIT: also, same question but for flip cards such as soul seizer (although I don't think that would work)
Pulse of the fields
Cons:
costs 3 mana and double white
requires six mana to gain as much life as rest for the weary
not as good in multiples
Pros:
plays around skullcrack and flames of the blood hand
possibility of gaining more than 8 life (at the cost of 9+ mana)
Rest for the weary
Pros:
costs two mana, one white
gains 8 life immediately
better in multiples
Cons:
completely negated by skullcrack and flames of the blood hand
Currently I'm thinking 2 pulse of the fields, as a single copy can go very far and getting around skullcrack is a real thing. However, costing 3 mana every turn greatly hampers my ability to play anything else and win a race, which makes pulse of the fields much worse than rest for the weary against a creature heavy draw from burn. Because of that I can see a 1/1 split, but I still think pulse is just better. Thoughts? Here's my list reference:
4 verdant catacomb
4 windswept heath
1 bloodstained mire
2 razorverge thicket
1 overgrown tomb
1 temple garden
1 godless shrine
1 stomping ground
3 forest
1 swamp
1 plains
3 gavony township
Spells: 6
3 thoughtseize
3 abrupt decay
Artifacts: 4
4 birthing pod
4 birds of paradise
2 noble hierarch
3 wall of roots
2 voice of resurgence
1 scavenging ooze
2 kitchen finks
1 eternal witness
1 reclamation sage
1 sin collector
1 orzhov pontiff
4 siege rhino
1 linvala, keeper of silence
1 murderous redcap
1 shriekmaw
1 archangel of thune
1 thragtusk
1 thoughtseize
2 path to exile
3 lingering souls
3 slaughter games
2 fracturing gust
1 qasali pridemage
1 spellskite
2 pulse of the fields/rest for the weary
The other option I'm going to play test is a 4th voice of resurgence instead (possibly instead of the scavenging ooze but probably just down to 2 finks instead), because I feel like with the increase in the number of 4 and 5 drops in pod, the deck is much weaker to counter spells ( a la scapeshift). Voice really helps making sure those siege rhinos and archangels I've put in my deck resolve, so I think having an increased way to beat counter spells is worth it.
Oh, and I've dropped spike feeder, even with the second archangel. Ya know why? Because I never combo off. Ever. The MU's I'm going to lose bc the opponent's deck is faster/playing in a way I can't deal with I almost never have the time/ability to combo off anyway (without chord now), and I've never looked back. Granted I'm also running 2 thoughtseize MB, which I think does more to improve EVERY mu than the 1 in 200 times I combo off.
Also, I don't understand why pod decks are playing eidolon of rhetoric MB. It stops storm and cascade shenanigans, along with snapcaster mage (probably the cards best general use imo), but as a pod player I don't understand how that is worth a MD slot.
Thoughts?
I have birthing pod in play with 4 lands. I play a qasali pridemage. I'm fairly certain I can hold priority and sacrifice the pridgemage to birthing pod before my opponent has a chance to kill it with bolt or path. Is this correct?
Assuming the above is true, what about if I play a creature with an etb ability that goes on the stack? If I play a kitchen fink, its ability goes on the stack, can I still hold priority and sacrifice the kitchen finks, and not let my opponent respond with a path? If I play a kitchen finks and say "gain two life," does that equate to passing priority and my opponent then does have the ability to path my finks? Also, If I hold priority and sacrifice the finks, when does the first instance of life gain trigger?
Similar situation with spike feeder. Can I play spike feeder, hold priority, remove a counter to gain 2 life, keep holding priority, then sacrifice it to Pod? Or does removing a counter automatically give my opponent ability to path/bolt? Or does only actually gaining the life give my opponent the opportunity to path/bolt, so If I remove the counter and have the ability remain on the stack, I can hold priority and sacrifice the creature to pod?
Final question, if none of the above work, can I sacrifice spike feeder to pod and respond at any point by removing a counter to gain 2 life? I know sacrifice is part of the cost, so I'm pretty sure I can't
Thanks in advance for helping me understand my deck better!
4 temple of malady
4 overgrown tomb
4 llanowar waste
2 urborg, tomb of yawgmoth
5 forest
4 swamp
Creatures: 26
4 elvish mystic
3 lotleth troll
4 satyr wayfinder
4 nyx weaver
4 night howler
2 herald of torment
2 shadowborn demon
3 soul of innistrad
4 grisly salvage
2 commune with the gods
3 thoughtseize
Enchantments: 2
2 whip of erebos
3 drown in sorrow
2 golgari charm
2 lifebane zombie
2 mistcutter hydra
1 thoughtseize
1 stain the mind
1 scavenging ooze
3 ultimate price
Oh, and it makes playing with mutavault (which you want as a 4-of) much more consistent. Which is pretty big.
4 godless shrine
4 temple of silence
4 mana confluence
4 mutavault
5 plains
1 swamp
Creatures: 29
4 soldier of the pantheon
4 boros elite
3 pain seer
4 precinct captain
2 imposing sovereign
4 cartel aristocrat
4 xanthrid necromancer
4 athreos, god of passage
4 thoughtseize
3 orzhov charm
Enchantments: 2
2 spear of heliod
4 lifebane zombie
4 fiendslayer paladin
3 sin collector
2 hero’s downfall
2 revoke existence
I especially like how strong the SB options are at combating the current meta. The combination of life bane zombie, fiendslayer paladin, and sin collector hit most of the major archetypes while adding solid devotion for athreos. Also cartel aristocrat is just insane in this deck.
Despite all this, I still play GW because the individual cards have a higher power level on curve than any other deck, I just adjusted the deck for the meta. I played in SCG open Charlotte and went 7-3 playing GW with a light black splash for 4 MB thought seize and 3 blood baron, with 6 SB black removal spells, 3 sin collector, 2 golgari charm, and a 4th blood baron. You take a lot more damage from your lands, but 7 scry lands really helps in a deck with no real CA and thoughtseize is the second best card in standard (first being revelation)
Land: 24
4 temple garden
4 stomping ground
4 sacred foundry
4 temple of plenty
2 temple of abandon
4 plains
2 forest
Creatures: 25
4 soldier of the pantheon
4 voice of resurgence
4 call of the conclave
4 brimaz, king of oreskos
2 boon satyr
4 advent of the wurm
3 kalonian hydra
4 selesnya charm
3 mizzium mortars
2 boros charm
PW: 2
2 ajani, caller of the pride
1 mizzium mortars
2 glare of heresy
4 unflinching courage
3 mistcutter hydra
3 last breath
2 assemble the legion
12 shock lands makes the mana much more painful than straight GW, but 10 red sources are just enough given only a light splash of 5 red cards. I've gone between 5 and 8 temples, and six seems to be the correct number in terms of adding decent scry power without slowing the deck down too much.
It's been performing well against my friends piloting top decks (esper, uw, mono black/blue, GR Monsters). The hardest mu is mono black, as they are playing lifebane zombie instead of nightveil specter, which is fairly painful, and another reason I'm running call of the conclave. Overall though the deck has a high power level and no gaping weaknesses, along with the tools to fight the current, oppressive meta. Feel free to ask me anything about the deck before the tournament in regards to card choice, and I'll give a tournament report when I get back!