I may be missing something but is the combo with Saheeli + Golden Guardian to just use Saheeli's minus to flip to the forge without card disadvantage? It won't let you get multiple forges. I mean, Gold-forge Garrison is an insane card and makes it worth running in a Saheeli deck anyhow, but is there a greater combo that eludes me?
Golden Guardian is situated really well on the curve to protect Saheeli Rai. It's also a strong ramp play. Looking at the format, there aren't very many solutions in the format to a string of 4/4's. Popular sweepers may only deal 3: Sweltering Suns, Yahenni's Expertise.
Similarly, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship deals 3, Glorybringer has to exert, Field of Ruin can be preemptively destroyed by your own copy. You do need to dodge Abrade, and The Locust God probably out races.
In comparison, while Timestream Navigator is the flashy play, Golden Guardian is the value play.
This idea had also crossed my mind, and I put a deck together last week. You can reinforce with Mirage Mirror, Vizier of Many Faces, and Saheeli's Artistry. Animation Module seems narrow, but could be supplemented with Vizier of Tumbling Sands, but that's 10 mana. Timestream Navigator requires the city's blessing, so you're probably looking at it as a backup plan. If it becomes the focus of the plan, it is easy for your opponent to disrupt.
I think that the stronger combo with Saheeli Rai is Golden Guardian.
I think that a lot more excitement could have been generated if the card pool for the Brawl format combined recent Commander products + Standard. With this structure, R&D would not be required to maintain the skeleton of the Brawl format with new set releases - particularly noteworthy as rotation occurs. Freed from this potential shackling, new sets could be designed to primarily address "four - of" constructed formats (as usual), while tossing plants to Commander/Brawl.
Also, Brawl should be pushed as a tournament 1v1 format with the goal to pull "the competitive crowd" away from "EDH", giving cEDH a true home.
I just wanted to chime in on Tidespout Tyrant. With the mana ramp artifacts, you can get unlimited mana. Furthermore, I believe that you can continue to bounce and replay Kess, Dissident Mage, which creates a different instance each time, and this would enable an additional card to be cast from the graveyard for each instance.
I am going to give Carrier Thrall a try tonight at FNM. It's a vampire, which plays well with Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet. Also, it leaves behind a scion token when it chumps or is swept, which can help the deck to ramp into its bigger spells.
Has anyone updated this archetype with any of the embalm creatures from Amonkhet?: Vizier of Many Faces and Heart-Piercer Manticore.
Heart-Piercer Manticore looks to provide the deck with some extra reach, but the embalm cost (5R) seems a bit high for what will usually amount to 3 damage. I have noted that in playing this deck, I am finding that I am often capping myself at 5 lands in order to feed the Stitchwing activations (using land cards in-hand to power those activations) while 5 mana also maintains the capability to activate Wandering Fumarole. The 3-toughness does seem a bit weak to Mardu, and I don't think that the 4-power puts enough pressure on Aetherworks Marvel or B/G Delirium.
Vizier of Many Faces has a much more appealing embalm cost (3UU), but there aren't many creatures for which a copy makes this cost efficient. It would be nice to copy Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger, but I think that this is a losing race as you don't gain the advantage of the cast trigger to exile two permanents, and you are always behind by one attack. Similarly, one does not get the advantage of the cast triggers on Elder Deep-Fiend. Another good target would be Torrential Gearhulk, but there are not many appealing graveyard targets apart from Fiery Temper.
I think that the deck needs a third Fall of the Titans. When Jace, Vryn's Prodigy flips, there aren't a lot of worthy spells to play out of the graveyard in the current build.
I am also not too keen on Magmatic Insight. It seems to be a late game card, and there are three copies in the deck. It also will not enable madness.
For tempo plays against midrange decks, I am considering sideboard Volcanic Upheaval. With Pyromancer's Goggles and Jace, Telepath Unbound, it will be possible to destroy up to 4 lands - a reasonably strong mid-to-late-game play with the possibility to be back-breaking in conjunction with Thing in the Ice / Awoken Horror. Also, given the strength of Archangel Avacyn, Volcanic Upheaval can delay that card significantly.
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Triskelion. Very simple combo. Remove two counters, deal damage to targets, last counter deals damage to and kills triskelion, Mekeus brings Triskelion back, repeat.
While the combo might be straightforward, it doesn't quite work in the way that you have described. Just letting you know in case you have a rules-stickler at your table. Don't forget that your non-humans gain +1/+1.
I was looking for ways to really push Inexorable Tide with Planeswalkers, and I found a nice interaction through Narset, Enlightened Master. In trying to really get Narset into play as quickly as possible, I experimented with Lotus Petal and Pentad Prism. I was noticing that with the combination of Tamiyo, the Moon Sage and Inexorable Tide, it was possible within a turn to activate the ultimate ability of Tamiyo. At that point, Lotus Petal was combining with Inexorable Tide to complete an engine for producing infinite loyalty for Planeswalkers and infinite tokens for Pentad Prism. As another example for exploiting Planeswalkers, Inexorable Tide pushes Ral Zarek to its ultimate ability almost every turn...Jace, the Mind Sculptor as well.
As you might imagine, this deck is not very fun to play against, so play it judiciously. As a challenge, try to get the win with Sphinx-Bone Wand, lol.
Put Worldgoroger Dragon ETB on the stack. Flameshadow Conjuring triggers. Pay R to copy Worldgorger Dragon. Put a Worldgorger Dragon token ETB on the stack and let it resolve to remove all of your permanents other than the Worldgorger Dragon token from the game. Now resolve the trigger of the original World Gorger Dragon ETB to remove the Worldgorger Dragon token from the game. Return all of your permanents to the battlefield (untapped). Repeat this process.
This card also promotes the landfall strategy - with the option to activate as an instant. Emeria Shepherd is really bonkers when you can control the timing when playing out lands.
This is a 2-3 of card to run an effective strategy. The card is excellent, and priority is currently low. For now, the tension for me is not drafting the card too early; I consider it the best black common of the format, and it consistently falls to mid-pick levels. Lots of decks try to set up for big bombs, and this card is a trump.
This system could be a good way for banning oppressive combinations without banning any individual cards. For example, if Deadeye Navigator and Palinchron are both worth 4 points, then the combo would be illegal to build into a deck.
Also, I think that this system becomes an effective way for instituting the "watchlist" that has been referenced by the ruling committee in the past.
Lastly, there is a possibility that most of the currently banned cards could be introduced into the card pool.
Golden Guardian is situated really well on the curve to protect Saheeli Rai. It's also a strong ramp play. Looking at the format, there aren't very many solutions in the format to a string of 4/4's. Popular sweepers may only deal 3: Sweltering Suns, Yahenni's Expertise.
Similarly, Skysovereign, Consul Flagship deals 3, Glorybringer has to exert, Field of Ruin can be preemptively destroyed by your own copy. You do need to dodge Abrade, and The Locust God probably out races.
In comparison, while Timestream Navigator is the flashy play, Golden Guardian is the value play.
I think that the stronger combo with Saheeli Rai is Golden Guardian.
Also, Brawl should be pushed as a tournament 1v1 format with the goal to pull "the competitive crowd" away from "EDH", giving cEDH a true home.
Heart-Piercer Manticore looks to provide the deck with some extra reach, but the embalm cost (5R) seems a bit high for what will usually amount to 3 damage. I have noted that in playing this deck, I am finding that I am often capping myself at 5 lands in order to feed the Stitchwing activations (using land cards in-hand to power those activations) while 5 mana also maintains the capability to activate Wandering Fumarole. The 3-toughness does seem a bit weak to Mardu, and I don't think that the 4-power puts enough pressure on Aetherworks Marvel or B/G Delirium.
Vizier of Many Faces has a much more appealing embalm cost (3UU), but there aren't many creatures for which a copy makes this cost efficient. It would be nice to copy Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger, but I think that this is a losing race as you don't gain the advantage of the cast trigger to exile two permanents, and you are always behind by one attack. Similarly, one does not get the advantage of the cast triggers on Elder Deep-Fiend. Another good target would be Torrential Gearhulk, but there are not many appealing graveyard targets apart from Fiery Temper.
This is an unbanning that I didn't see coming, and I fear that it's only a matter of time before the Hulk becomes banned again ... for good
I am also not too keen on Magmatic Insight. It seems to be a late game card, and there are three copies in the deck. It also will not enable madness.
For tempo plays against midrange decks, I am considering sideboard Volcanic Upheaval. With Pyromancer's Goggles and Jace, Telepath Unbound, it will be possible to destroy up to 4 lands - a reasonably strong mid-to-late-game play with the possibility to be back-breaking in conjunction with Thing in the Ice / Awoken Horror. Also, given the strength of Archangel Avacyn, Volcanic Upheaval can delay that card significantly.
While the combo might be straightforward, it doesn't quite work in the way that you have described. Just letting you know in case you have a rules-stickler at your table. Don't forget that your non-humans gain +1/+1.
1 Time Stretch
1 Time Warp
1 Walk the Aeons
1 Beacon of Tomorrows
1 Waves of Aggression
1 Bribery
1 Call the Skybreaker
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Rout
1 Mind's Desire
1 Ponder
1 Preordain
1 Fabricate
1 Personal Tutor
1 Feat of Resistance
1 Abeyance
1 Unexpectedly Absent
1 Boros Charm
1 Reins of Power
1 Turnabout
1 Capsize
1 Long-Term Plans
1 Brainstorm
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Reiterate
1 Wild Ricochet
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Jeskai Charm
1 Cryptic Command
1 Ral Zarek
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Aura of Silence
1 Parallax Wave
1 Worship
1 Inexorable Tide
1 Hammer of Purphoros
1 Sunforger
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Sword of Body and Mind
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Sphinx-Bone Wand
1 Strionic Resonator
1 Expedition Map
1 Proteus Staff
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Scroll Rack
1 Cursed Totem
1 Lotus Petal
1 Pentad Prism
1 Sol Ring
1 Izzet Signet
1 Azorius Signet
1 Boros Signet
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Grim Monolith
1 Coalition Relic
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Command Tower
1 Mystic Monastery
1 City of Brass
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Flooded Strand
1 Tundra
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Adarkar Wastes
1 Mystic Gate
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Volcanic Island
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Cascade Bluffs
1 Shivan Reef
1 Steam Vents
1 Arid Mesa
1 Plateau
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Battlefield Forge
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Tolaria West
1 Mirrorpool
1 Kher Keep
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Crystal Vein
1 Ruins of Trokair
1 Svyelunite Temple
1 Dwarven Ruins
2 Plains
2 Island
2 Mountain
I was looking for ways to really push Inexorable Tide with Planeswalkers, and I found a nice interaction through Narset, Enlightened Master. In trying to really get Narset into play as quickly as possible, I experimented with Lotus Petal and Pentad Prism. I was noticing that with the combination of Tamiyo, the Moon Sage and Inexorable Tide, it was possible within a turn to activate the ultimate ability of Tamiyo. At that point, Lotus Petal was combining with Inexorable Tide to complete an engine for producing infinite loyalty for Planeswalkers and infinite tokens for Pentad Prism. As another example for exploiting Planeswalkers, Inexorable Tide pushes Ral Zarek to its ultimate ability almost every turn...Jace, the Mind Sculptor as well.
As you might imagine, this deck is not very fun to play against, so play it judiciously. As a challenge, try to get the win with Sphinx-Bone Wand, lol.
Also, it will be tougher to exploit madness (mana-wise) on the turn it enters play.
Worldgorger Dragon + Flameshadow Conjuring is another option.
Put Worldgoroger Dragon ETB on the stack. Flameshadow Conjuring triggers. Pay R to copy Worldgorger Dragon. Put a Worldgorger Dragon token ETB on the stack and let it resolve to remove all of your permanents other than the Worldgorger Dragon token from the game. Now resolve the trigger of the original World Gorger Dragon ETB to remove the Worldgorger Dragon token from the game. Return all of your permanents to the battlefield (untapped). Repeat this process.
1) Temur Sabertooth
This card has been a reasonable threat for me. The interactions with Reveillark, Karmic Guide, Wood Elves, and Reclamation Sage are particularly notable.
2) Scryb Ranger
Not only does this untap Trostani, Selesnya's Voice, but it also provides an outlet for sustaining landfall triggers - Emeria Shepherd and Rampaging Baloths in particular.
3) Thawing Glaciers
This card also promotes the landfall strategy - with the option to activate as an instant. Emeria Shepherd is really bonkers when you can control the timing when playing out lands.
The card is effectively a 3-for-1 !
Also, I think that this system becomes an effective way for instituting the "watchlist" that has been referenced by the ruling committee in the past.
Lastly, there is a possibility that most of the currently banned cards could be introduced into the card pool.