MTG Salvation

Intro: I first built this deck way back in July of 2012. Although built independently from the Animar primer, it is quite similar, mainly because Animar really has one real goal: play lots of creatures as much as you can. Because there's lots of overlap and gelf does a much better job, I won't get into detail about the deck. If you have any questions about some of the specific cards, feel free to ask.

The goal of the deck is to get a turn 2 Animar and start accumulating counters, thereby drawing your deck. There are a number of wincons available, which makes the deck resilient but also somewhat less consistent.

Decklist updated.

Minion Reflector is an interesting choice.

I've been thinking about Strionic Resonator, but it's once per turn limit is a major draw back. Minion Reflector probably has the same effect most of the time and gives extra bodies and multiple uses per turn. Interesting tech.

Do you have a way to abuse Cowardice? Or is it simply a matter of not caring that your things bounce?

Quote from gelf

Do you have a way to abuse Cowardice? Or is it simply a matter of not caring that your things bounce?

To be perfectly honest, I don't remember. I haven't seriously played this deck in a while. It should probably come out, since I don't have a way to freely target my opponent's dudes. It's a nice way to prevent opponents from being able to suit up their dudes, but at the same time, it can stop Animar from keeping counters.

Why no Tidespout Tyrant?

Quote from TeaLobster

Why no Tidespout Tyrant?

Because I don't own one. I also want to get Glimpse of Nature and Kozi for the deck. Sadly, those are outside my single card budget right now and this is one of my lesser-focused decks.

Decklist updated. It is currently semi-retired because I've taken cards out for other decks, but I've decided to use placeholders so that I can swap between decks. Going to test the current configuration at my league next week. Still looking to make it faster and more aggressive.

Decklist updated (again). It did its job in my league and can consistently pull a T5/6 win, to the point where other players asked me to not play it again. So I've decided to record the list and pull cards for other decks.

I like that you've pretty much reduced the deck to a bunch of creatures that either cantrip or ramp with few win conditions (storm, overrun, Animar smash, Ulamog loop, spell lock down, Kessig Wolfrun smash are the ones I spotted).

Certainly some interesting choices I assume are based on your meta. Cowardice doesn't hurt you much but affects others' voltron strategies. Last word seems inefficient, but I guess it wins counter wars.

Llanowar Reborn seems like a really good first or second turn land drop, letting you get that all important first counter on Animar (I may have to steal this idea for my deck!)

I also understand why you would retire it. I too rarely play my Animar deck these days simply because it wins early but tends to have lengthy turns before it wins. It is versatile against a lot of decks and can pursue multiple paths to victory by grinding out incremental advantage and then bursting onto the field for the win. I love the deck, but it tends to become oppressive if pulled out too often.

Quote from gelf

Llanowar Reborn seems like a really good first or second turn land drop, letting you get that all important first counter on Animar (I may have to steal this idea for my deck!)

My first version of Animar was running the land, but then it gets removed for the simple fact it don't allows for a turn 2 Animar and add only one color. And you always want to cast your general T2 when it's possible, and you don't want to stuck without mana of another color to cast your spells. Maybe a slower version of the deck can profit from this land, though.

Quote from gelf

I like that you've pretty much reduced the deck to a bunch of creatures that either cantrip or ramp with few win conditions (storm, overrun, Animar smash, Ulamog loop, spell lock down, Kessig Wolfrun smash are the ones I spotted).

Certainly some interesting choices I assume are based on your meta. Cowardice doesn't hurt you much but affects others' voltron strategies. Last word seems inefficient, but I guess it wins counter wars.

Llanowar Reborn seems like a really good first or second turn land drop, letting you get that all important first counter on Animar (I may have to steal this idea for my deck!)

I also understand why you would retire it. I too rarely play my Animar deck these days simply because it wins early but tends to have lengthy turns before it wins. It is versatile against a lot of decks and can pursue multiple paths to victory by grinding out incremental advantage and then bursting onto the field for the win. I love the deck, but it tends to become oppressive if pulled out too often.

The only meta choice is Greater Gargon (to get a point for having the least amount of lands in play). Cowardice is good to mess over opponents as well as protect my guys against removal, and Lightning Greaves makes it awesome.

The other wincon you missed is infinite Palinchron tokens with Minion Reflector (with nine mana it doubles as an infinite mana even without Animar), this is also why I added Urabrask, to give them haste.

Last Word is in there as the sole counterspell because I'm never going to win a counter war if someone wants to stop me from digging for my wincon when I'm ready to go off, but I can at least stop them from countering my Overwhelming Stampede or whatever.

Quote from cryogen

The only meta choice is Greater Gargon (to get a point for having the least amount of lands in play). Cowardice is good to mess over opponents as well as protect my guys against removal, and Lightning Greaves makes it awesome.

The other wincon you missed is infinite Palinchron tokens with Minion Reflector (with nine mana it doubles as an infinite mana even without Animar), this is also why I added Urabrask, to give them haste.

Last Word is in there as the sole counterspell because I'm never going to win a counter war if someone wants to stop me from digging for my wincon when I'm ready to go off, but I can at least stop them from countering my Overwhelming Stampede or whatever.

Thanks for the explanations

Quote from Gabgabdevo

My first version of Animar was running the land, but then it gets removed for the simple fact it don't allows for a turn 2 Animar and add only one color. And you always want to cast your general T2 when it's possible, and you don't want to stuck without mana of another color to cast your spells. Maybe a slower version of the deck can profit from this land, though.

My build can't cast a turn 2 Animar anyway, so I'm not so worried about that.

That's a good point about a T2 Animar. I'll have to remove that land then.

Quote from cryogen

That's a good point about a T2 Animar. I'll have to remove that land then.

Yeah, in my opinion you have to. But only if you add all the cards that i listed the last time on gelf's thread. Otherwise, you probably don't have mana fast enough to cast your general T2-

Out: Dryad Arbor, Mountain
In: Exotic Orchard, Shivan Reef

Is this a paper list? Why don't I see you run this on modo I would gave fun against this one it actually looks fast and not durdle fest! Only a few cards i wonder about like the crab seems slow but if you own a copy of this on mtgo we should load up

Quote from moxnix

Is this a paper list? Why don't I see you run this on modo I would gave fun against this one it actually looks fast and not durdle fest! Only a few cards i wonder about like the crab seems slow but if you own a copy of this on mtgo we should load up

Yes, it's a paper deck. I used to run a similar deck on MTGO but it was way too annoying to deal with all the triggers when it goes off. Cromeshell Crab can be cast as a morph creature, so it goes infinite with Cloudstone Curio, in addition to its morph ability.

Ah makes sense

Quote from cryogen

Out: Dryad Arbor, Mountain
In: Exotic Orchard, Shivan Reef

Given that you've cut Dryad Arbor, would it be worth replacing Green Sun's Zenith with Chord of Calling?

For an extra 2 green (that can be easily offset by tapping creatures) you can get any creature instead of only a green one and at instant speed instead of sorcery speed.

Personally I think the only advantage to Green Sun's Zenith is that it can act as a turn one Rampant Growth with Dryad Arbor, and without the Arbor it loses a lot of appeal.

Quote from gelf

Given that you've cut Dryad Arbor, would it be worth replacing Green Sun's Zenith with Chord of Calling?

For an extra 2 green (that can be easily offset by tapping creatures) you can get any creature instead of only a green one and at instant speed instead of sorcery speed.

Personally I think the only advantage to Green Sun's Zenith is that it can act as a turn one Rampant Growth with Dryad Arbor, and without the Arbor it loses a lot of appeal.

Oh yeah.... that's why I ran Dryad Arbor. I think since that one night at my league I set the deck aside and forgot about it. I'm in the process now of getting more copies of everything that I had removed for other decks, and got those two lands to round out the manabase. I knew there was a reason I was running DA, but didn't remember.

Anyway, I like that Chord is instant speed, but don't you think it'll be hard to get the triple green early on? Or do you think that Arbor is better to keep? He doesn't do much unless I have GSZ in my opening hand, since he doesn't work with Animar . It's easy enough to swap out a Forest to put DA back in the deck.

Earthcraft is very good in this one

Shrieking Drake + Earthcraft = super big animar
Shrieking Drake + Earthcraft + Tidespout Tyrant = all permanents back to opponents hands

..

I've often debated TST, but not so much Earthcraft. It's a good card and I could make some good use of it, but I need an outlet for all that mana.

Quote from cryogen

Oh yeah.... that's why I ran Dryad Arbor. I think since that one night at my league I set the deck aside and forgot about it. I'm in the process now of getting more copies of everything that I had removed for other decks, and got those two lands to round out the manabase. I knew there was a reason I was running DA, but didn't remember.

Anyway, I like that Chord is instant speed, but don't you think it'll be hard to get the triple green early on? Or do you think that Arbor is better to keep? He doesn't do much unless I have GSZ in my opening hand, since he doesn't work with Animar . It's easy enough to swap out a Forest to put DA back in the deck.

My deck is slower than yours, and I haven't had much trouble casting Chord because of convoke, that said if you're winning on turn 4 or 5 it may not be worth the risk.

If you're running Green Sun's Zenith then include Dryad Arbor. Green Sun's Zenith is good anyway, but it is best when you're using it to enable a turn two Animar.

Regarding Earthcraft, it can potentially let you go off a turn earlier by extending your ability to keep casting creatures that draw you cards. It's really good provided you have the basic lands and card draw to support it and lets you do something with creatures that have summoning sickness (it is also really good with Glen Elendra Archmage!)

Quote from gelf

My deck is slower than yours, and I haven't had much trouble casting Chord because of convoke, that said if you're winning on turn 4 or 5 it may not be worth the risk.

If you're running Green Sun's Zenith then include Dryad Arbor. Green Sun's Zenith is good anyway, but it is best when you're using it to enable a turn two Animar.

Regarding Earthcraft, it can potentially let you go off a turn earlier by extending your ability to keep casting creatures than draw you cards. It's really good provided you have the basic lands to support it and lets you do something with creatures that have summoning sickness (it is really good with Glen Elendra Archmage!)

That's a good point. I was looking at it needing a Cloudstone Curio standpoint or needing a mana-sink, but even just being able to tap the creature I just cast for extra mana can be valuable. In the past I added Amulet of Vigor for a similar reason, so I can see the utility benefit of it.

Out: Greater Gargon, Llanowar Empath, Green Sun's Zenith
In: Avalanche Riders, Wickerbough Elder, Zealous Conscripts