the idea of markov+Guile, Authority, and Giant Growth to protect it is awesome. You even have 2 forests to make sure you don't get color screwed with the growths and GCR, I like it.
I ran this deck at a local store's Monday Night Magic (we have it on Mondays and Fridays for standard) and it got its face kicked in by Esper Control and a RWB aggro deck. I feel like it doesn't pack enough of a punch. I like Burning-Tree Emissary because of its synergy with Lightning Mauler and Flinthoof Boar on turn 2, but I feel like after turn 2, it's essentially useless.
Honestly if you have the mana base/desire to run white, I see no reason NOT to run Naya Blitz. That list is explosive and awesome. You lose: Ash Zealot, Wolf Run, Rancor, and a few other things to gain a lot of powerful speed, Boros+Selesnya Charm, Nearheath Pilgrim, THALIA, Pacifism, etc.
if i played a deck that played out like that id side in my electrickeries
that being said you drew near to the nuts so i wouldnt really consider that to be the typical play.
also the definition of versatile is useful in different situations.
I guess I meant he exceeded my expectations. I was thking he'd be an awful top deck which is why I am only running 3, but he turned out to be a better topdeck than noble ever is.
I understand the idea, and I like it a lot, however I think you need more creatures and less spells overall. I think you're leaning too hard on the "eggs all in one basket" approach. Even with alpha authority and ranger's guile in the deck I feel like overall the deck is very weak to spot removal like azorius charm and abrupt decay.
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Big thanks to DarkNightCavalier from heroes of the planes studios for the sig!
Strike is a one trick pony that takes two turns to come on line-same as Wolf. The Wolf is resillient at least imo. There's two many good 2 drops already for our deck, but maybe I'm just being too critical.
I think you are being too critical. Most decks always have two creatures on turn 4 when wolf can be of any use, and chances are one of those creatures is a reckoner. Wolf will never get double blocked, and any t1-t2 creature we have will not kill a reckoner. Firefist allows you to get around reckoner.
Pillars on the side seems to be the right call, the past weekend they were the first thing I sided out in every matchup. Legion loyalist giving first strike on t3 is the same thing as have to pillar someone to get damage through. Until zombies become a thing again, Pillar is not that effective.
With a higher threat density and domri rade being brought in against control, we can have less fear of an augur and reckoner/angel as well as supreme verdict. Chances are every +1 to domri will be a creature.
Strike is a one trick pony that takes two turns to come on line-same as Wolf. The Wolf is resillient at least imo. There's two many good 2 drops already for our deck, but maybe I'm just being too critical.
The thing about Striker is that he comes one turn earlier than Wolf. That's a big deal when most decks will be playing a blocker on turn two and almost assuredly on turn three which is nice when we're on the draw.
I think you are being too critical. Most decks always have two creatures on turn 4 when wolf can be of any use, and chances are one of those creatures is a reckoner. Wolf will never get double blocked, and any t1-t2 creature we have will not kill a reckoner. Firefist allows you to get around reckoner.
Pillars on the side seems to be the right call, the past weekend they were the first thing I sided out in every matchup. Legion loyalist giving first strike on t3 is the same thing as have to pillar someone to get damage through. Until zombies become a thing again, Pillar is not that effective.
With a higher threat density and domri rade being brought in against control, we can have less fear of an augur and reckoner/angel as well as supreme verdict. Chances are every +1 to domri will be a creature.
I don't like Pillar in the side because I feel like it fills a role for Emissary chains. Sometimes it's nice to play an Emissary then use the green mana for Rancor and the red mana to Pillar a mana dork or some other threatening creature. At worst, it can be used as burn to the face so it's never a dead draw like it would be in a deck with a higher curve and mana sinks that Gruul sligh doesn't have.
That said, if more one drops are run in place of Pillar, this seems like a better idea.
As for Domri, to be exact, chances are that every OTHER +1 to Domri will be a creature, and that's if we're running ~30 creatures.
I think you are being too critical. Most decks always have two creatures on turn 4 when wolf can be of any use, and chances are one of those creatures is a reckoner. Wolf will never get double blocked, and any t1-t2 creature we have will not kill a reckoner. Firefist allows you to get around reckoner.
Pillars on the side seems to be the right call, the past weekend they were the first thing I sided out in every matchup. Legion loyalist giving first strike on t3 is the same thing as have to pillar someone to get damage through. Until zombies become a thing again, Pillar is not that effective.
With a higher threat density and domri rade being brought in against control, we can have less fear of an augur and reckoner/angel as well as supreme verdict. Chances are every +1 to domri will be a creature.
Maybe. Vala makes a good point about him being great on the draw to get through, but his x/1 just makes me cringe.
I mean what sort of decks have blockers you want to get around? Naya? Bonfire for 1, lol u striker. Jund? Same thing.
Flames of the Firebrand destroy him too...
Its probably a local meta call, tbh.
I just don't like sacrificing speed in my meta (I'm not running wolves either, but there aren't any Junds in my local meta so he's less useful). To many lingering souls/control players/brews that combo off.
I guess if you're up against a lot of mirrors running Reckoners or UWR (but I feel he's too slow for this match-up as well) Strikers are better.
I understand the idea, and I like it a lot, however I think you need more creatures and less spells overall. I think you're leaning too hard on the "eggs all in one basket" approach. Even with alpha authority and ranger's guile in the deck I feel like overall the deck is very weak to spot removal like azorius charm and abrupt decay.
I think you're right, so I've put a few SB cards into the main, hoping to up the "basket" count. Ash Zealot is troublesome though, since RR can be tough... and yes I realize how funny that is to say. I pushed both Giant Growths to the side, and brought another Ranger's Guile main. Also threw one of the Madcaps into the side.
I actually just beat a Bant Control player with only one land in play. T1 Noble. T2 Noble. T3 Pillar. T4 Loyalist. T5 Pillar. Just silly.
Also, I won G2 off of a well-timed Skullcrack, which in this deck is just amazing. "No, I do not think I'll let you just have that Revelation."
this is what i am currently testing, and its working rather well:
4 Ash Zealot
3 Boros Reckoner
4 Flinthoof Boar
3 Ghor-Clan Rampager
3 Hound of Griselbrand
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Stromkirk Noble
4 Rancor
4 Searing Spear
4 Pillar of Flame
2 Temple Garden
4 Stomping Ground
4 Rootbound Crag
2 Kessig Wolf Run
11 Mountain
I know some of the cards choices are unorthodox, but its working really well so far
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Be a lemming hunter. Don't be a lemming. Really, all you had to do was explain to him the popularity metric, not give him the lemming hunter manifesto...
Looks like the basic build. The only unorthodox cards in thereare the temple gardens which are in there I assume to cast boar and reckoner. Main boarding hound over hellrider is also unorthodox but it's a rather staple sideboard. Out of curiosity, is the choice a meta call or budget?
Not my list you are talking about, but I am firm believer in the 2x temple gardens.
Last night temple gardens was relevant 4 times for me being my only green source, one of those times it cast a reckoner on turn 3 proving to be better than a forest and only once did it potentially screw me making me mulligan a one land hand that probably would have been sipped anyways.
Temple gardens is the real deal if you aren't comfortable with only 8 green sources.
Looks like the basic build. The only unorthodox cards in thereare the temple gardens which are in there I assume to cast boar and reckoner. Main boarding hound over hellrider is also unorthodox but it's a rather staple sideboard. Out of curiosity, is the choice a meta call or budget?
I've found that hound is more of a personal choice than hellrider. He may take a turn longer to attack than hellrider, but I've noticed that he is more difficult to get rid of for the opponent, and creates major headaches when you rancor on him or wolf run down
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Be a lemming hunter. Don't be a lemming. Really, all you had to do was explain to him the popularity metric, not give him the lemming hunter manifesto...
this is what i am currently testing, and its working rather well:
4 Ash Zealot
3 Boros Reckoner
4 Flinthoof Boar
3 Ghor-Clan Rampager
3 Hound of Griselbrand
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Stromkirk Noble
4 Rancor
4 Searing Spear
4 Pillar of Flame
2 Temple Garden
4 Stomping Ground
4 Rootbound Crag
2 Kessig Wolf Run
11 Mountain
I know some of the cards choices are unorthodox, but its working really well so far
Might I suggest -4 Pillar of Flame
+2 Temple Garden
+2 Wolfir Silvir hearts?
Your list doesnt' have BTE, so casting Rancor and Pillar off of one isn't an option. Since you're going for the "bigger, stronger" version of gruul, I think topping out at 5 would be nice.
Plus T4 Hound-> T5 Soulbound Silvirheart, swing huge while having on 8/8 on defense? Seems better than 4 pillars removing things your Zealots already could. Swinging with Kessig/Rancor the next turn is definitely game.
Trust me, with only 8 sources of green you'll be kicking yourself when you're forced to cast a GG off an emissary just tomake it not a dead card in your hand.
Rancor is better all around for our kind of deck against more match-ups.
GG is good against Searing spears and stuff...
Maybe run a 2/2 split and cut 1 Reckoner?
Reckoner with Rancor is insane too if you have to run him.
I've been working on a more midrangey version of Rg Aggro, trying to prepare for my local meta which is becoming increasingly either blitz strategies, or prepared for swarm and weenie strategies (more and more semi-control decks with Loxodon Smiter and Boros Reckoner). Essentially, I'm looking at building something that can hold the ground against swarms, and explode with evasive fatties, and still has enough punch and resiliency to face controllish strategies. Essentially, the deck would try to slow down a bit, deal a few damage here and there, and close out the game on turns 5 and 6.
I was unsure of which (if any) one-drops I should include in the deck. I've grown disssatisfied with the traditional Noble/Cackler package, and was wondering if only including a playset of Stonewright could be an option, considering the land density of such a deck?
As well, I was debating the worth of Hellrider and Thundermaw Hellkite (hence the blank five-drop slot) since every other deck, in my meta, plays Blind Obedience main deck. Sure, Hellrider still has his damage triggers, but I'm not trying to swarm, so he could emd up slightly underwhelming. I could put in Zealous Conscript, but again, either I'm playing a deck with underwhelming targets (at most, a 3/3) or a deck against which I can't rely on his haste being relevant.
As such, the five-drop I was considering was Wrecking Ogre. Hardcast, it is a monster with Rancor, Stonewright, Rampagers, or Wolf Runs, and bloodrushed, it turns Rampager or any Rancored creature into a finishing blow. Could it be a decent option?
Quite a few other spots are still up for grabs - I'm just unsure of which threats I should run! What do you guys think? Any suggestions, input, thoughts? Maybe RG is not the best shell for what I'm trying to accomplish, yet I feel it has the tools for it!
Be a lemming hunter. Don't be a lemming. Really, all you had to do was explain to him the popularity metric, not give him the lemming hunter manifesto...
"This deck doesn't have as aggressive of a start as other aggro decks. It doesn't even have stand-alone finishers like Falkenrath Aristocrat. What it does have is consistency, which is the most important thing for an aggressive deck right now. Everyone has realized how fast this format can really be (*cough* Naya Blitz *cough*) and have been making adjustments.
This means Pillar of Flame and Tragic Slip are getting the love they deserve. It's not like these cards aren't good against this deck, but there just isn't a good reason to sacrifice consistency for raw power in an aggressive deck when people are packing tools to deal with both. It is time to go back to simpler times and make sure you always have the ability to cast your spells."
I'd go up to 4 rampager before I even got close to Giant Growth. I'd also probably go for Ranger's Guile before I touched it because dodging removal and getting a bit bigger seems more relevant.
Unless they have some magical first striking creature Rancor makes every creature a painful threat to consider in combat. It's also a free shock for every combat because it either lets you trade with something bigger in combat or deals damage, while returning to your hand after.
I've been running this for the last few weeks and it does a LOT of work. If I don't flood out on lands during the early stages of the game I've won every game on the play and still had a lot of wins on the draw when the Ghor-Clan Rampager package tends to come in.
Fires (R/G)f Salvation
Gruul to the end. "If it doesn't break... hit harder."
Honestly if you have the mana base/desire to run white, I see no reason NOT to run Naya Blitz. That list is explosive and awesome. You lose: Ash Zealot, Wolf Run, Rancor, and a few other things to gain a lot of powerful speed, Boros+Selesnya Charm, Nearheath Pilgrim, THALIA, Pacifism, etc.
Fires (R/G)f Salvation
Gruul to the end. "If it doesn't break... hit harder."
I top deck'd him T2 and groaned... but then I actually thought about it.
I played him instead of an Ash Zealot and pillar'd something.
Mirror swung in with boar for 3.
T3 I hit drew a LM, played LM+Cackler Swung for 7. Now I was outracing.
T4 Drew another denizen, played him with the ash zealot swung for 9. He's a 3/1 very often, and is often ignored.
I'm going to take him out on the draw, mainly because if they run Flames of Firebrand/Bonfire he'll be blown out I think.
Fires (R/G)f Salvation
Gruul to the end. "If it doesn't break... hit harder."
that being said you drew near to the nuts so i wouldnt really consider that to be the typical play.
also the definition of versatile is useful in different situations.
Fires (R/G)f Salvation
Gruul to the end. "If it doesn't break... hit harder."
4 Cackler
3 Legion Loyalist
4 Ash Zealot
4 BTE
4 Firefist Striker
4 Flinthoof Boar
3 Lightning Mauler
4 Boros Reckoner
4 Searing Spear
11 Mountain
4 Stomping Ground
4 Rootbound Crag
4 Pillar of Flame
4 Mizzium Mortars
3 Domri Rade
4 Forge Devil
I understand the idea, and I like it a lot, however I think you need more creatures and less spells overall. I think you're leaning too hard on the "eggs all in one basket" approach. Even with alpha authority and ranger's guile in the deck I feel like overall the deck is very weak to spot removal like azorius charm and abrupt decay.
Modern:
Twinning End
Commander:
Mayael the Anema
Glad to see someone catching onto Firefist Striker. The threat density of this deck is scary. Is Forge Devil that good of sideboard tech.?
Firefist striker over Wolf? Meh.
Strike is a one trick pony that takes two turns to come on line-same as Wolf. The Wolf is resillient at least imo. There's two many good 2 drops already for our deck, but maybe I'm just being too critical.
Fires (R/G)f Salvation
Gruul to the end. "If it doesn't break... hit harder."
Pillars on the side seems to be the right call, the past weekend they were the first thing I sided out in every matchup. Legion loyalist giving first strike on t3 is the same thing as have to pillar someone to get damage through. Until zombies become a thing again, Pillar is not that effective.
With a higher threat density and domri rade being brought in against control, we can have less fear of an augur and reckoner/angel as well as supreme verdict. Chances are every +1 to domri will be a creature.
The thing about Striker is that he comes one turn earlier than Wolf. That's a big deal when most decks will be playing a blocker on turn two and almost assuredly on turn three which is nice when we're on the draw.
I don't like Pillar in the side because I feel like it fills a role for Emissary chains. Sometimes it's nice to play an Emissary then use the green mana for Rancor and the red mana to Pillar a mana dork or some other threatening creature. At worst, it can be used as burn to the face so it's never a dead draw like it would be in a deck with a higher curve and mana sinks that Gruul sligh doesn't have.
That said, if more one drops are run in place of Pillar, this seems like a better idea.
As for Domri, to be exact, chances are that every OTHER +1 to Domri will be a creature, and that's if we're running ~30 creatures.
Maybe. Vala makes a good point about him being great on the draw to get through, but his x/1 just makes me cringe.
I mean what sort of decks have blockers you want to get around? Naya? Bonfire for 1, lol u striker. Jund? Same thing.
Flames of the Firebrand destroy him too...
Its probably a local meta call, tbh.
I just don't like sacrificing speed in my meta (I'm not running wolves either, but there aren't any Junds in my local meta so he's less useful). To many lingering souls/control players/brews that combo off.
I guess if you're up against a lot of mirrors running Reckoners or UWR (but I feel he's too slow for this match-up as well) Strikers are better.
Fires (R/G)f Salvation
Gruul to the end. "If it doesn't break... hit harder."
I think you're right, so I've put a few SB cards into the main, hoping to up the "basket" count. Ash Zealot is troublesome though, since RR can be tough... and yes I realize how funny that is to say. I pushed both Giant Growths to the side, and brought another Ranger's Guile main. Also threw one of the Madcaps into the side.
I actually just beat a Bant Control player with only one land in play. T1 Noble. T2 Noble. T3 Pillar. T4 Loyalist. T5 Pillar. Just silly.
Also, I won G2 off of a well-timed Skullcrack, which in this deck is just amazing. "No, I do not think I'll let you just have that Revelation."
It also gets through Gloom Surgeon, Fog, Fog Bank, etc.
Currently Working On: Jund Ramp (RTR Block)
GR My Blog RG (Std)
4 Ash Zealot
3 Boros Reckoner
4 Flinthoof Boar
3 Ghor-Clan Rampager
3 Hound of Griselbrand
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Stromkirk Noble
4 Rancor
4 Searing Spear
4 Pillar of Flame
2 Temple Garden
4 Stomping Ground
4 Rootbound Crag
2 Kessig Wolf Run
11 Mountain
I know some of the cards choices are unorthodox, but its working really well so far
Be a lemming hunter. Don't be a lemming.
Really, all you had to do was explain to him the popularity metric, not give him the lemming hunter manifesto...
Originally posted by MemoryLapse and DotMatrix
Last night temple gardens was relevant 4 times for me being my only green source, one of those times it cast a reckoner on turn 3 proving to be better than a forest and only once did it potentially screw me making me mulligan a one land hand that probably would have been sipped anyways.
Temple gardens is the real deal if you aren't comfortable with only 8 green sources.
RGStandard Gruul AggroRG
My posts have the power of invisiblity and only a few people can read it!
I've found that hound is more of a personal choice than hellrider. He may take a turn longer to attack than hellrider, but I've noticed that he is more difficult to get rid of for the opponent, and creates major headaches when you rancor on him or wolf run down
Be a lemming hunter. Don't be a lemming.
Really, all you had to do was explain to him the popularity metric, not give him the lemming hunter manifesto...
Originally posted by MemoryLapse and DotMatrix
Might I suggest -4 Pillar of Flame
+2 Temple Garden
+2 Wolfir Silvir hearts?
Your list doesnt' have BTE, so casting Rancor and Pillar off of one isn't an option. Since you're going for the "bigger, stronger" version of gruul, I think topping out at 5 would be nice.
Plus T4 Hound-> T5 Soulbound Silvirheart, swing huge while having on 8/8 on defense? Seems better than 4 pillars removing things your Zealots already could. Swinging with Kessig/Rancor the next turn is definitely game.
What's your sideboard look like?
Fires (R/G)f Salvation
Gruul to the end. "If it doesn't break... hit harder."
RGStandard Gruul AggroRG
Rancor is better all around for our kind of deck against more match-ups.
GG is good against Searing spears and stuff...
Maybe run a 2/2 split and cut 1 Reckoner?
Reckoner with Rancor is insane too if you have to run him.
Fires (R/G)f Salvation
Gruul to the end. "If it doesn't break... hit harder."
So far, my core cards are shaping up like this :
4 Ash Zealot
4 Flinthoof Boar
4 Hound of Griselbrand
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
3-4 (Insert Five-Drop here)
3-4 Rancor
3-4 Mizzium Mortars
2 Kessig Wolf Run
22-23 Other Lands
I was unsure of which (if any) one-drops I should include in the deck. I've grown disssatisfied with the traditional Noble/Cackler package, and was wondering if only including a playset of Stonewright could be an option, considering the land density of such a deck?
As well, I was debating the worth of Hellrider and Thundermaw Hellkite (hence the blank five-drop slot) since every other deck, in my meta, plays Blind Obedience main deck. Sure, Hellrider still has his damage triggers, but I'm not trying to swarm, so he could emd up slightly underwhelming. I could put in Zealous Conscript, but again, either I'm playing a deck with underwhelming targets (at most, a 3/3) or a deck against which I can't rely on his haste being relevant.
As such, the five-drop I was considering was Wrecking Ogre. Hardcast, it is a monster with Rancor, Stonewright, Rampagers, or Wolf Runs, and bloodrushed, it turns Rampager or any Rancored creature into a finishing blow. Could it be a decent option?
Quite a few other spots are still up for grabs - I'm just unsure of which threats I should run! What do you guys think? Any suggestions, input, thoughts? Maybe RG is not the best shell for what I'm trying to accomplish, yet I feel it has the tools for it!
STANDARD - Nothing
MODERN - Dredgevine
Be a lemming hunter. Don't be a lemming.
Really, all you had to do was explain to him the popularity metric, not give him the lemming hunter manifesto...
Originally posted by MemoryLapse and DotMatrix
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Flinthoof Boar
3 Ghor-Clan Rampager
4 Hellrider
4 Lightning Mauler
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Stromkirk Noble
4 Rootbound Crag
4 Stomping Ground
3 Temple Garden
4 Rancor
4 Searing Spear
1 Ghor-Clan Rampager
4 Pyreheart Wolf
3 Domri Rade
2 Blasphemous Act
3 Mizzium Mortars
"This deck doesn't have as aggressive of a start as other aggro decks. It doesn't even have stand-alone finishers like Falkenrath Aristocrat. What it does have is consistency, which is the most important thing for an aggressive deck right now. Everyone has realized how fast this format can really be (*cough* Naya Blitz *cough*) and have been making adjustments.
This means Pillar of Flame and Tragic Slip are getting the love they deserve. It's not like these cards aren't good against this deck, but there just isn't a good reason to sacrifice consistency for raw power in an aggressive deck when people are packing tools to deal with both. It is time to go back to simpler times and make sure you always have the ability to cast your spells."
I'd go up to 4 rampager before I even got close to Giant Growth. I'd also probably go for Ranger's Guile before I touched it because dodging removal and getting a bit bigger seems more relevant.
Unless they have some magical first striking creature Rancor makes every creature a painful threat to consider in combat. It's also a free shock for every combat because it either lets you trade with something bigger in combat or deals damage, while returning to your hand after.
I've been running this for the last few weeks and it does a LOT of work. If I don't flood out on lands during the early stages of the game I've won every game on the play and still had a lot of wins on the draw when the Ghor-Clan Rampager package tends to come in.
01 Legion Loyalist
04 Rakdos Cackler
04 Stromkirk Noble
Two Drops (16)
04 Burning Tree Emissary
04 Ash Zealot
04 Lightning Maulter
04 Flinthoof Boar
04 Boros Reckoner
Enchantments (7)
04 Madcap Skills
03 Rancor
Reach (6)
04 Pillar of Flame
02 Searing Spear
Land (18)
04 Stomping Ground
04 Rootbound Craig
10 Mountain
03 Ghor-Clan Rampager
01 Searing Spear
01 Legion Loyalist
04 Reckless Waif
04 Volcanic Strength
02 Mizzium Mortars