I don't typically like to post decklist threads. I feel as though these forums are already plagued with low quality decks to begin with, and I'd hate to be a part of that problem especially since I haven't even played with this deck before. Still, given the relatively low population of this sub-forum, I figured there wouldn't be much harm in posting anyway. Who knows? Maybe someone will learn something from this or vice-versa. Below are some notes I thought others might consider pertinent.
Nissa, Vital Force struck me as an interesting commander for several reasons. 1.) She's a planeswalker. I've never gotten to play with a planeswalker as a commander before, and that prospect interests me. I'd like to see how that turns out. 2.) None of my decks are green at the moment, and building a mono-color deck would be a lot easier for me to figure out due to having to wade through significantly less cards. 3.) Activating Nissa's ultimate and then recasting her from the command zone over and over again really entices me. Having multiple Horn of Greed emblems would ensure I never run out of gas in the lategame as playing one land would likely chain into drawing others. Not to mention it sounds like a heck of a lot of fun. 4.) Nissa is a powerful card in her own right. She attacks for five, and her ability to regrow permanents will never fall out of style. Even if I can't ult her again and again for some reason, she'll always be a useful part of the deck.
One of my concerns with Brawl in general at the moment is that the format doesn't appear deep enough to build very creative decks since the format is limited to only standard legal cards. This isn't a bad thing per se, as even simple archetypes can create compelling gameplay. Decks like this one just probably won't be all that interesting to look/hear about as a result.
Not having ways to protect my boardstate really irks me. I can't play countermagic since I'm not blue, so that basically just leaves Heroic Intervention as the only good way to stop my opponents from dismantling my hard work. Even then, that still won't stop things like Urza's Ruinous Blast. From my perspective, the only way for me to "defend" my boardstate is basically for me to just recover quickly. If I'm able to rebuild my board immediately after all my cards get swept up, that will go a long ways towards rendering sweepers ineffective against me. That isn't exactly easy to do though, and I think the best way for me to accomplish this is by playing lots of card draw to ensure that I never run out of monsters to play (and mana ramp to ensure I can cast said monsters), so that explains why I'm playing so many cards that reload beyond my commander.
Come Dominaria, I'll probably be cutting every non-basic aside from Field of Ruin — that card is important for handling all sorts of transform lands in the format — because the utility lands in Standard right now seem extremely ineffectual in Brawl, and I'd rather not risk missing out on a turn three Steel Leaf Champion just because I couldn't produce triple green in my mono-green deck. Speaking of which, this deck hasn't taken Dominaria into account since the set isn't out yet. Once it is, Steel Leaf Champion and Llanowar Elves will certainly make their way into the deck. There might be other cards to look out for as well. I'll just have to wait and see.
Playing Commencement of Festivities over Haze of Pollen is tantalizing given the number of enrage dinos in the deck. Because my commander is a planeswalker though, and one whose ultimate is of the utmost importance albeit, I don't want to risk letting anything through to hit Nissa. As such, I've opted for Haze of Pollen instead.
Verdant Sun's Avatar and Uncage the Menagerie might be surprising inclusions for some. In the case of the avatar, I hate not having ways to gain life in whatever I'm playing. Verdant Sun's Avatar seems particularly good at gaining life, and the fact that it's a dinosaur doesn't hurt either. As for Uncage the Menagerie, the card is always going to be cast for X = 3. Spending five mana to draw three 3-drops of my choice seems like mana well spent to me.
I'm not sure how good cards like Prowling Serpopard, Carnage Tyrant, and Ghalta, Primal Hunger are. Basically, these cards are big idiots; they don't provide anything aside from cost efficient bodies. Some cards have rates too good to not play though (like Steel Leaf Champion), and I think Verdurous Gearhulk might be in that camp which is why I'm playing him. (The fact that he synergizes nicely with cards like Ranging Raptors is a nice bonus.) I'm unconvinced that being resilient against counterspells will ever be worth investing mana into though.
It may be possible that I'm playing too few land cards. Given the number of cards that function as possible mana ramp though, I've decided I'm going to start testing at 22 and adjust accordingly.
I was going to go through an extremely lengthy elaboration detailing all of my changes. Then I realized my inability to publish all of that information quickly enough was causing me stress, so... nah. Here it is. No further commentary.
Your mana curve seems a bit high. Are there no good one mana, two mana ramp spells?
Pretty much. Here's an excerpt of what I was writing before I decided to scrap my post.
The Elephant in the Room: No Llanowar Elves?
Llanowar Elves, alongside Steel Leaf Champion, are two notable exclusions. One of the most valuable lessons I've learned playing many games of Brawl is that sweepers are still disgustingly powerful. If anything, the sweepers in Brawl are as good as they've ever been while the threats that contend with them are significantly worse than Commander's. As such, for a creature to be worthwhile playing in Brawl, it really needs to be resilient, or it needs to generate some kind of tangible benefit when it comes into play. Llanowar Elves and Steel Leaf Champion do neither of those two things. Their rates may be good, but that doesn't matter. They just end up getting swept under the rug alongside everything else in this format without ever leaving any kind of lasting impact.
And sure, an early enough Llanowar Elves would be incredibly useful. If I could get Nissa into play a turn sooner, that would practically guarantee an ultimate. That alone doesn't make Llanowar Elves worth the slot though. It's just too terrible during all other stages of the game, and ulting Nissa has proven to be not that important. Her ability is bonkers, sure, but I've never struggled to generate massive card advantage without her Horn of Greed.
And in all fairness, it's not just Llanowar Elves that has this problem. It is extremely difficult to find inexpensive cards of any kind in this format that promise to provide some sort of lasting value when they're played. Most cards just get destroyed and forgotten. I guess, in a way, that's sort of what appealed to me about Nissa in the first place. If I can get her to ultimate (and that's really not that hard to do), she promises limitless card draw, no matter what the board looks like. That's something the Tatyova can't promise. She may look similar, but she isn't an emblem, and that's something no one can take from me.
So, yeah. Almost all of the inexpensive ramp in the format is in creature form. And in my experience, it's extremely difficult to find any sort of inexpensive card that can provide some kind of meaningful impact during the game. 30 point life totals, while certainly lower than 40, still isn't enough to make most inexpensive cards worthwhile. Board wipes are still just too strong of a deterrent, so much so that Cultivator's Caravan is probably next on the chopping block.
Believe me, if there was any decent ramp available, I would play it in a heartbeat.
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I can see not running Steel Leaf, but being afraid of losing a mana dork to a wrath is kind of silly. I've been running dorks in Huatli and, yeah, sometimes a board wipe kills them, but if I get even one or two turns of ramp out of them before somebody dumps a wrath, I still feel I got value from them. Opening with ramp to get a walker commander out a turn or two earlier is huge, people can't remove emblems once they happen.
Maybe it would be helpful to explain my stance this way:
At its core, I believe Llanowar Elves is exactly the same kind of card as Drover of the Mighty or Channeler Initiate, two cards I already have experience playing with in Brawl. Llanowar Elves is there to make mana, preferably in the early game, and the fact that Llanowar Elves costs one mana is not all that relevant to me. Yes, being able to come down on turn one allows me to curve out into three-four-five drops, and that's something the two mana elves can't do, but that exact kind of situation will be exceedingly rare in my deck. Ultimately, Llanowar Elves is just there to help me reach my expensive cards faster, something the two mana dorks similarly do.
My experience so far with both Drover of the Mighty and Channeler Initiate has been exceedingly negative. They tend to come down, generate mana for a few turns, and then meet an untimely end at the hands of some sweeper. And the fact that these cards generated tempo for a few turns isn't always that relevant since 1.) that tempo isn't free; it cost me a card 2.) I can't always take advantage of the fact that I have a card in play a turn earlier than normal, and 3.) the tempo generated was in creature form and therefore subsequently swept away with the rest of the mana dorks anyway.
The trouble with Llanowar Elves (and other mana elves) is further compounded by the fact that its relevance significantly tapers off in the mid and late stages of the game. At those times, mana generation won't be as important since I will already have a trove of lands from which to cast spells, and the card will be much more prone to being destroyed since other players will also have access to mana. And it's body is less relevant than its competitors' too. If I could ensure drawing a Llanowar Elves in my opening hand every game, I would take the card up in a heartbeat, but the only way to realistically do that is for me to jam my deck full of mana dorks to ensure I consistently draw one, and the advantage generated by those cards in the early game isn't worth the consequence they produce in the late game.
Now, granted, there are a few reasons why I might still want to play a Llanowar Elves anyway. With the recent changes I've made to my deck, it's begun to feel the tiniest smidgen too creature-lite.
Generally though, my preferred mana dork is named Forest. It can't typically accelerate my mana curve, but it is virtually immune to destruction, and that's something I've found to increasingly matter in a format where games go for hours on end. The format, in my experience, is slow. I've already played two separate games where every land in my deck has literally made it onto the battlefield. The tempo generated by Llanowar Elves and co doesn't matter nearly as much as I thought it would since games go on for so long, but the fact that they can be easily erased by popular cards in the metagame without making any kind of significant contribution has mattered a lot to me.
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Kamahl's Druidic VowXGG — Genesis Wave this is not. Man, was Kamahl's Druidic Vow bad. Not only did I find it more difficult to cast than I would have liked, but the payoff was terrible. Sure, getting a legend or two into play is nice, but when you don't hit a pocket of lands, this card is nowhere near worth its cost. I'm glad I tried it, but no more.
Sandwurm Convergence6GG — Eight mana proved to be too much. By the time I could cast the Convergence, I usually had better things to do with my mana. Shutting down fliers was initially important, but since I've supplemented my deck with cards like Weatherlight, Icy Manipulator, and Thaumatic Compass that attribute has become less important. As such, Sandwurm Convergence isn't nearly as valuable as it once was.
Crushing Canopy2G — If this card were Crushing Vines, it would probably still be in the deck. The fact that it can't hit artifacts though is a serious detriment. Enchantments, while sometimes powerful, aren't nearly as ubiquitous as artifacts, and often there isn't an enchantment or flier around worth spending three mana on to destroy. I constantly find myself just wishing this were a creature.
Cultivator's Caravan3 — I've long hated three mana rocks in Commander. For one mana less, you can typically get a rock that makes just as much. Granted, it might be colorless, but usually players can rely on their lands to fix whatever colors they need; spending an extra point for color is usually just a waste, so three mana rocks have usually got to provide something else to really make themselves worthwhile. In the Caravan's case, it's sometimes a 5/5 body. That hasn't been enough for me. While I've enjoyed the card's resiliency to sweepers, the dearth of actual creatures in my deck has got me looking for cards to replace, and this is one that I believe was underperforming.
Harvest Season2G — Man, I really wish I could have made this work. Early in the game, I just don't have the creatures often enough to make this card be anything more than dead weight. Sure, once Nissa has ulted I can overcrew my vehicles and cast this card to crazy effect, but Harvest Season is a card I'm finding to be clunky with too much regularity. If I can find a way to make this work in the future, I'll definitely reconsider it. For now, I'm going to try something else.
Two Forests — Just making room for a couple non-basics. I'm a tiny bit concerned that I'm not playing enough land in this deck, but the new additions will hopefully balance that out.
- IN -
Mirage Mirror3 — I believe this card needs little introduction. After I learned how crazy this card was, I knew I had to make room for it.
Llanowar ElvesG — As much as I lambasted mana dorks in my previous posts, I've noticed a few aspects of my deck that has made me reconsider them. For one, my deck wasn't making mana reliably enough. I believe this to be in part because I'm still not playing as many lands as I think I should be. For two, my deck is feeling a little slower than I would like. Generally, my deck doesn't really get cooking until turns six or seven, and I could really use a few more early plays to help alleviate that. And finally, I felt my deck was too creature-lite. Creatures are necessary for all sorts of things. Blocking for one, but also for vehicles, Growing Rites, and Ghalta. As it so happens, Llanowar Elves fulfills all of these problems swimmingly. I don't think it's the ideal solution to my problems, but I don't think I'll be unhappy with the card's inclusion either, especially since I should be able to utilize the the elves' tempo a bit better now due to my curve taking a dip.
Drover of the Mighty1G — I made one additional spot for this sort of effect, and I believe Drover here is the best of the other dorks available. I happen to run a non-insignificant amount of dinosaurs by coincidence, and being a 3/3 allows Drover to crew vehicles readily when he doesn't need to make mana. Debatable whether this is a better inclusion than Thunderherd Migration, but I suspect it is. Too many synergies and not enough dinosaurs to justify the alternative me thinks.
Treasure Map2 — It's hard for me to like Treasure Map. At the same time, it's hard for me to dislike Treasure Map either. Having played with the card a bit already, Treasure Map very much feels like a WD-40 card; it makes the deck play smooth. It isn't sexy, but putting Treasure Map back into the deck just "feels" right.
Ramunap Excavator2G — Crucible of Worlds is a pretty good card. Is it always a good card though? I wasn't so sure, which I why I forwent including it in earlier versions; I didn't think I would have enough ways to support it. Well, as I've learned more and more about my deck, the more I find myself wanting to give this guy a shot. Being a creature that can come down early but also provide meaningful value throughout the game no matter when I draw it is a pretty big pull for me, and recycling Field of Ruins over and over to get rid of pesky transform lands is especially appealing. I'll have to see how it plays out.
Zhalfirin Void — When I first started playing Brawl, one of the things I noticed was how terrible it felt when I failed to cast cards like Thrashing Brontodon on turn three simply because I didn't draw enough basic Forests. Well, that's still true, but I was also playing too few lands at the time. In addition, nearly a quarter of my lands produced colorless. With the adjustments I've since made to the mana base, I don't think Zhalfirin Void's inclusion will cause any problems. Typically, I hate playing non-basic lands that don't provide much of a tangible impact, but the scry 1 ability is just enough to make me want to play it. I probably wouldn't consider Zhalfirin Void for a two-color deck, but here I think it will be fine.
Evolving Wilds — One of my fears with Ramunap Excavator is that I won't have enough cards to support it. Evolving Wilds here is just hedging my bets. I expect to be annoyed by this card in the future (I hate lands that enter the battlefield tapped), but being able to play Evolving Wilds from my graveyard each turn will hopefully more than make up for the times it causes me headaches.
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Looks like activity in this Brawl subforum has dropped precipitously. Can't say I'm too surprised. Reception to Brawl at my LGS was generally poor. People seemed like they really didn't even want to give it a try. Anywho, I'm committed to seeing this out. Once rotation happens, I'll be expanding this deck to meet the 99 card Commander requirement. Whether I'll be creating a new deck come Guilds of Ravnica has yet to be determined.
Here are the changes I've made for Core Set 2019:
- OUT -
World Shaper3G — World Shaper made for some good stories. After discarding land-chocked hands on multiple occasions, Splendid Reclamation very much becomes Boundless Realms. Unfortunately, I don't need both World Shaper and The Mending of Dominaria, and the Mending takes priority for several reasons, namely for its ability to recycle my graveyard and go "infinite" with Nissa's second ability.
Ramunap Excavator2G — I've always hated Crucible of Worlds. It's a grossly overhyped card for reasons I won't get into here. As a means of accruing card advantage though, I thought it might be worth exploring in Brawl, especially given how useful a 2/3 blocker would be for this deck in particular. Suffice to say, I was not impressed with this card. It was clunky and inconsistent.
Skysovereign, Consul Flagship5 — Skysovereign played an important role in earlier versions of this deck, serving as removal and allowing me to mitigate potential harm from opposing fliers. With the release of Dominaria and Core 2019 though, other cards have stepped in to replace it. I no longer need the 6/5 body anymore, and five drops in this deck have become increasingly hard to justify since I usually want to cast Nissa as soon as I possibly can.
The Immortal Sun6 — The Immortal Sun is powerful. It's also extremely awkward since my commander is a planeswalker. I was still willing to play with the card from time to time, but with the inclusion of Vivien, I'm now playing one too many planeswalkers for me to be comfortable with also playing The Immortal Sun. Sad to see it go, but it's likely for the best.
Drover of the Mighty1G — This was actually a reasonable two drop and could very well see himself back in at some point. For now, I'm exploring Elvish Rejuvenator in his place.
Evolving Wilds — Without Ramunap Excavator, this card loses its purpose. Perhaps it was dumb of me to include it in the first place, but if I was going to make Crucible of Worlds work, I needed some kind of support for it.
Reclamation Sage2G — With the second best Naturalize effect in green being literal Naturalize, Reclamation Sage is a welcome addition. The 2/2 body, while not terribly important, does get quite a lot of mileage out of other cards like Growing Rites and Ghalta though.
Runic Armasaur1GG — One of the bigger flaws with my deck is that it often struggles to defend itself during the first few turns. Little to no development happens on turns one and two, and whatever card I do happen to play by the third turn may not help that much. (Rhonas and Wayward Swordtooth can't block, Manglehorn doesn't always want to be cast by turn 3, etc.) Armasaur helps alleviate that problem with his grossly statted body. The incidental card advantage he generates is also one of my favorite ways to accrue card advantage: by never lifting a finger. I'm not sure how often he'll trigger, — certainly more in Commander than in Brawl — but I'm optimistic.
Transmogrifying Wand4 — The value of repeated removal, especially in a color with little access to quality kill spells, can't be understated. The card is cost efficient, only demanding a single mana whenever something troublesome emerges, and the 2/4 body it leaves behind is of little concern. I imagine that one of the greatest aspects of this card is that it forecasts to my opponents that I have removal on board ready to take down whatever precious card they need to play, effectively suppressing my opponents from playing valuable creatures, at least until they find some way to destroy the Wand.
Vivien Reid3GG — As a planeswalker, Vivien's taken a lot of ***** from the community. Personally, I like her design though. She isn't exciting, but she is quite pragmatic. Her first ability helps provide this deck with another much needed way to generate card advantage in the absence of Nissa's emblem. Her second ability also provides further redundancy in the Naturalize/Plummet department which is also quite welcome. And her ultimate? Quite good. I don't expect to get it often, but when I do I'll be pretty excited about it.
Elvish Rejuvenator2G — I've never been a fan of Farhaven Elf, and this card is even worse than that. Detatching the mana ability from the dork's body makes it so much better though. I won't have to worry about sweepers setting me back so hard, and the body still provides useful utility by chump blocking and by feeding other cards like Growing Rites of Itlimoc.
Scavenger Grounds — I'm going to give this card another whirl. The opportunity cost to playing the Grounds is low, but I previously found the utility it provided to be both unnecessary and frequently counterproductive. Still, the card is undoubtedly powerful, and I've been convinced to give it a second chance. This Ground's effectiveness will likely improve once this deck ports over to Commander.
Hashep Oasis — A strictly worse Forest. This card's ability will never activate in my lifetime. It is a desert for Scavenger Grounds though, and since it produces G at no tempo loss as well as C at no life loss, there's little disadvantage to playing the card.
0 Arch of Orazca
0 Endless Sands
0 Field of Ruin
0 Hashep Oasis
0 Memorial to Unity
0 Scavenger Grounds
0 Zhalfirin Void
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
5 Nissa, Vital Force
Creature (14)
0 Walking Ballista
1 Llanowar Elves
3 Elvish Rejuvenator
3 Manglehorn
3 Reclamation Sage
3 Runic Armasaur
3 Rhonas the Indomitable
3 Thrashing Brontodon
3 Wayward Swordtooth
5 Tendershoot Dryad
6 Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar
7 Verdant Sun's Avatar
8 Polyraptor
12 Ghalta, Primal Hunger
Artifact (9)
2 Thaumatic Compass
2 Treasure Map
3 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
3 Mirage Mirror
4 Helm of the Host
4 Icy Manipulator
4 Transmogrifying Wand
4 Weatherlight
5 Gilded Lotus
3 Growing Rites of Itlimoc
5 The Mending of Dominaria
Instant (4)
1 Blossoming Defense
2 Ancient Animus
2 Haze of Pollen
2 Heroic Intervention
Sorcery (2)
6 Rishkar's Expertise
7 Mouth // Feed
Planeswalker (2)
4 Karn, Scion of Urza
5 Vivien Reid
0 Arch of Orazca
0 Endless Sands
0 Field of Ruin
0 Grasping Dunes
0 Scavenger Grounds
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
5 Nissa, Vital Force
Creature (20)
2 Channeler Initiate
2 Drover of the Mighty
2 Longtusk Cub
2 Merfolk Branchwalker
3 Jadelight Ranger
3 Manglehorn
3 Ranging Raptors
3 Rhonas the Indomitable
3 Rishkar, Peema Renegade
3 Thrashing Brontodon
3 Wayward Swordtooth
4 Golden Guardian
4 Ripjaw Raptor
4 Vizier of the Menagerie
5 Cultivator of Blades
5 Tendershoot Dryad
5 Verdurous Gearhulk
6 Shefet Monitor
7 Verdant Sun's Avatar
8 Polyraptor
2 Treasure Map
3 Cultivator's Caravan
3 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
3 Rhonas's Monument
5 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
Enchantment (2)
3 Growing Rites of Itlimoc
8 Sandwurm Convergence
Instant (4)
1 Blossoming Defense
2 Haze of Pollen
2 Heroic Intervention
2 Pounce
Sorcery (6)
1 Prey Upon
3 Harvest Season
3 Savage Stomp
5 Uncage the Menagerie
6 Rishkar's Expertise
7 Mouth // Feed
I don't typically like to post decklist threads. I feel as though these forums are already plagued with low quality decks to begin with, and I'd hate to be a part of that problem especially since I haven't even played with this deck before. Still, given the relatively low population of this sub-forum, I figured there wouldn't be much harm in posting anyway. Who knows? Maybe someone will learn something from this or vice-versa. Below are some notes I thought others might consider pertinent.
Nissa, Vital Force struck me as an interesting commander for several reasons. 1.) She's a planeswalker. I've never gotten to play with a planeswalker as a commander before, and that prospect interests me. I'd like to see how that turns out. 2.) None of my decks are green at the moment, and building a mono-color deck would be a lot easier for me to figure out due to having to wade through significantly less cards. 3.) Activating Nissa's ultimate and then recasting her from the command zone over and over again really entices me. Having multiple Horn of Greed emblems would ensure I never run out of gas in the lategame as playing one land would likely chain into drawing others. Not to mention it sounds like a heck of a lot of fun. 4.) Nissa is a powerful card in her own right. She attacks for five, and her ability to regrow permanents will never fall out of style. Even if I can't ult her again and again for some reason, she'll always be a useful part of the deck.
One of my concerns with Brawl in general at the moment is that the format doesn't appear deep enough to build very creative decks since the format is limited to only standard legal cards. This isn't a bad thing per se, as even simple archetypes can create compelling gameplay. Decks like this one just probably won't be all that interesting to look/hear about as a result.
Not having ways to protect my boardstate really irks me. I can't play countermagic since I'm not blue, so that basically just leaves Heroic Intervention as the only good way to stop my opponents from dismantling my hard work. Even then, that still won't stop things like Urza's Ruinous Blast. From my perspective, the only way for me to "defend" my boardstate is basically for me to just recover quickly. If I'm able to rebuild my board immediately after all my cards get swept up, that will go a long ways towards rendering sweepers ineffective against me. That isn't exactly easy to do though, and I think the best way for me to accomplish this is by playing lots of card draw to ensure that I never run out of monsters to play (and mana ramp to ensure I can cast said monsters), so that explains why I'm playing so many cards that reload beyond my commander.
Come Dominaria, I'll probably be cutting every non-basic aside from Field of Ruin — that card is important for handling all sorts of transform lands in the format — because the utility lands in Standard right now seem extremely ineffectual in Brawl, and I'd rather not risk missing out on a turn three Steel Leaf Champion just because I couldn't produce triple green in my mono-green deck. Speaking of which, this deck hasn't taken Dominaria into account since the set isn't out yet. Once it is, Steel Leaf Champion and Llanowar Elves will certainly make their way into the deck. There might be other cards to look out for as well. I'll just have to wait and see.
Playing Commencement of Festivities over Haze of Pollen is tantalizing given the number of enrage dinos in the deck. Because my commander is a planeswalker though, and one whose ultimate is of the utmost importance albeit, I don't want to risk letting anything through to hit Nissa. As such, I've opted for Haze of Pollen instead.
Verdant Sun's Avatar and Uncage the Menagerie might be surprising inclusions for some. In the case of the avatar, I hate not having ways to gain life in whatever I'm playing. Verdant Sun's Avatar seems particularly good at gaining life, and the fact that it's a dinosaur doesn't hurt either. As for Uncage the Menagerie, the card is always going to be cast for X = 3. Spending five mana to draw three 3-drops of my choice seems like mana well spent to me.
I'm not sure how good cards like Prowling Serpopard, Carnage Tyrant, and Ghalta, Primal Hunger are. Basically, these cards are big idiots; they don't provide anything aside from cost efficient bodies. Some cards have rates too good to not play though (like Steel Leaf Champion), and I think Verdurous Gearhulk might be in that camp which is why I'm playing him. (The fact that he synergizes nicely with cards like Ranging Raptors is a nice bonus.) I'm unconvinced that being resilient against counterspells will ever be worth investing mana into though.
It may be possible that I'm playing too few land cards. Given the number of cards that function as possible mana ramp though, I've decided I'm going to start testing at 22 and adjust accordingly.
Trap your friends in an endless game with this 23-card combo!
I was going to go through an extremely lengthy elaboration detailing all of my changes. Then I realized my inability to publish all of that information quickly enough was causing me stress, so... nah. Here it is. No further commentary.
0 Arch of Orazca
0 Endless Sands
0 Field of Ruin
0 Memorial to Unity
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
0 Forest
5 Nissa, Vital Force
Creature (11)
0 Walking Ballista
3 Manglehorn
3 Rhonas the Indomitable
3 Thrashing Brontodon
3 Wayward Swordtooth
4 World Shaper
5 Tendershoot Dryad
6 Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar
7 Verdant Sun's Avatar
8 Polyraptor
12 Ghalta, Primal Hunger
Artifact (10)
2 Sorcerous Spyglass
2 Thaumatic Compass
3 Cultivator's Caravan
3 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
4 Helm of the Host
4 Icy Manipulator
4 Weatherlight
5 Gilded Lotus
5 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
6 The Immortal Sun
3 Growing Rites of Itlimoc
5 The Mending of Dominaria
8 Sandwurm Convergence
Instant (5)
1 Blossoming Defense
2 Ancient Animus
2 Haze of Pollen
2 Heroic Intervention
3 Crushing Canopy
Sorcery (4)
2 Kamahl's Druidic Vow
3 Harvest Season
6 Rishkar's Expertise
7 Mouth // Feed
Planeswalker (1)
4 Karn, Scion of Urza
Trap your friends in an endless game with this 23-card combo!
Llanowar Elves, alongside Steel Leaf Champion, are two notable exclusions. One of the most valuable lessons I've learned playing many games of Brawl is that sweepers are still disgustingly powerful. If anything, the sweepers in Brawl are as good as they've ever been while the threats that contend with them are significantly worse than Commander's. As such, for a creature to be worthwhile playing in Brawl, it really needs to be resilient, or it needs to generate some kind of tangible benefit when it comes into play. Llanowar Elves and Steel Leaf Champion do neither of those two things. Their rates may be good, but that doesn't matter. They just end up getting swept under the rug alongside everything else in this format without ever leaving any kind of lasting impact.
And sure, an early enough Llanowar Elves would be incredibly useful. If I could get Nissa into play a turn sooner, that would practically guarantee an ultimate. That alone doesn't make Llanowar Elves worth the slot though. It's just too terrible during all other stages of the game, and ulting Nissa has proven to be not that important. Her ability is bonkers, sure, but I've never struggled to generate massive card advantage without her Horn of Greed.
And in all fairness, it's not just Llanowar Elves that has this problem. It is extremely difficult to find inexpensive cards of any kind in this format that promise to provide some sort of lasting value when they're played. Most cards just get destroyed and forgotten. I guess, in a way, that's sort of what appealed to me about Nissa in the first place. If I can get her to ultimate (and that's really not that hard to do), she promises limitless card draw, no matter what the board looks like. That's something the Tatyova can't promise. She may look similar, but she isn't an emblem, and that's something no one can take from me.
So, yeah. Almost all of the inexpensive ramp in the format is in creature form. And in my experience, it's extremely difficult to find any sort of inexpensive card that can provide some kind of meaningful impact during the game. 30 point life totals, while certainly lower than 40, still isn't enough to make most inexpensive cards worthwhile. Board wipes are still just too strong of a deterrent, so much so that Cultivator's Caravan is probably next on the chopping block.
Believe me, if there was any decent ramp available, I would play it in a heartbeat.
Trap your friends in an endless game with this 23-card combo!
At its core, I believe Llanowar Elves is exactly the same kind of card as Drover of the Mighty or Channeler Initiate, two cards I already have experience playing with in Brawl. Llanowar Elves is there to make mana, preferably in the early game, and the fact that Llanowar Elves costs one mana is not all that relevant to me. Yes, being able to come down on turn one allows me to curve out into three-four-five drops, and that's something the two mana elves can't do, but that exact kind of situation will be exceedingly rare in my deck. Ultimately, Llanowar Elves is just there to help me reach my expensive cards faster, something the two mana dorks similarly do.
My experience so far with both Drover of the Mighty and Channeler Initiate has been exceedingly negative. They tend to come down, generate mana for a few turns, and then meet an untimely end at the hands of some sweeper. And the fact that these cards generated tempo for a few turns isn't always that relevant since 1.) that tempo isn't free; it cost me a card 2.) I can't always take advantage of the fact that I have a card in play a turn earlier than normal, and 3.) the tempo generated was in creature form and therefore subsequently swept away with the rest of the mana dorks anyway.
The trouble with Llanowar Elves (and other mana elves) is further compounded by the fact that its relevance significantly tapers off in the mid and late stages of the game. At those times, mana generation won't be as important since I will already have a trove of lands from which to cast spells, and the card will be much more prone to being destroyed since other players will also have access to mana. And it's body is less relevant than its competitors' too. If I could ensure drawing a Llanowar Elves in my opening hand every game, I would take the card up in a heartbeat, but the only way to realistically do that is for me to jam my deck full of mana dorks to ensure I consistently draw one, and the advantage generated by those cards in the early game isn't worth the consequence they produce in the late game.
Now, granted, there are a few reasons why I might still want to play a Llanowar Elves anyway. With the recent changes I've made to my deck, it's begun to feel the tiniest smidgen too creature-lite.
Trap your friends in an endless game with this 23-card combo!
- OUT -
Kamahl's Druidic Vow XGG — Genesis Wave this is not. Man, was Kamahl's Druidic Vow bad. Not only did I find it more difficult to cast than I would have liked, but the payoff was terrible. Sure, getting a legend or two into play is nice, but when you don't hit a pocket of lands, this card is nowhere near worth its cost. I'm glad I tried it, but no more.
Sandwurm Convergence 6GG — Eight mana proved to be too much. By the time I could cast the Convergence, I usually had better things to do with my mana. Shutting down fliers was initially important, but since I've supplemented my deck with cards like Weatherlight, Icy Manipulator, and Thaumatic Compass that attribute has become less important. As such, Sandwurm Convergence isn't nearly as valuable as it once was.
Crushing Canopy 2G — If this card were Crushing Vines, it would probably still be in the deck. The fact that it can't hit artifacts though is a serious detriment. Enchantments, while sometimes powerful, aren't nearly as ubiquitous as artifacts, and often there isn't an enchantment or flier around worth spending three mana on to destroy. I constantly find myself just wishing this were a creature.
Cultivator's Caravan 3 — I've long hated three mana rocks in Commander. For one mana less, you can typically get a rock that makes just as much. Granted, it might be colorless, but usually players can rely on their lands to fix whatever colors they need; spending an extra point for color is usually just a waste, so three mana rocks have usually got to provide something else to really make themselves worthwhile. In the Caravan's case, it's sometimes a 5/5 body. That hasn't been enough for me. While I've enjoyed the card's resiliency to sweepers, the dearth of actual creatures in my deck has got me looking for cards to replace, and this is one that I believe was underperforming.
Harvest Season 2G — Man, I really wish I could have made this work. Early in the game, I just don't have the creatures often enough to make this card be anything more than dead weight. Sure, once Nissa has ulted I can overcrew my vehicles and cast this card to crazy effect, but Harvest Season is a card I'm finding to be clunky with too much regularity. If I can find a way to make this work in the future, I'll definitely reconsider it. For now, I'm going to try something else.
Two Forests — Just making room for a couple non-basics. I'm a tiny bit concerned that I'm not playing enough land in this deck, but the new additions will hopefully balance that out.
- IN -
Mirage Mirror 3 — I believe this card needs little introduction. After I learned how crazy this card was, I knew I had to make room for it.
Llanowar Elves G — As much as I lambasted mana dorks in my previous posts, I've noticed a few aspects of my deck that has made me reconsider them. For one, my deck wasn't making mana reliably enough. I believe this to be in part because I'm still not playing as many lands as I think I should be. For two, my deck is feeling a little slower than I would like. Generally, my deck doesn't really get cooking until turns six or seven, and I could really use a few more early plays to help alleviate that. And finally, I felt my deck was too creature-lite. Creatures are necessary for all sorts of things. Blocking for one, but also for vehicles, Growing Rites, and Ghalta. As it so happens, Llanowar Elves fulfills all of these problems swimmingly. I don't think it's the ideal solution to my problems, but I don't think I'll be unhappy with the card's inclusion either, especially since I should be able to utilize the the elves' tempo a bit better now due to my curve taking a dip.
Drover of the Mighty 1G — I made one additional spot for this sort of effect, and I believe Drover here is the best of the other dorks available. I happen to run a non-insignificant amount of dinosaurs by coincidence, and being a 3/3 allows Drover to crew vehicles readily when he doesn't need to make mana. Debatable whether this is a better inclusion than Thunderherd Migration, but I suspect it is. Too many synergies and not enough dinosaurs to justify the alternative me thinks.
Treasure Map 2 — It's hard for me to like Treasure Map. At the same time, it's hard for me to dislike Treasure Map either. Having played with the card a bit already, Treasure Map very much feels like a WD-40 card; it makes the deck play smooth. It isn't sexy, but putting Treasure Map back into the deck just "feels" right.
Ramunap Excavator 2G — Crucible of Worlds is a pretty good card. Is it always a good card though? I wasn't so sure, which I why I forwent including it in earlier versions; I didn't think I would have enough ways to support it. Well, as I've learned more and more about my deck, the more I find myself wanting to give this guy a shot. Being a creature that can come down early but also provide meaningful value throughout the game no matter when I draw it is a pretty big pull for me, and recycling Field of Ruins over and over to get rid of pesky transform lands is especially appealing. I'll have to see how it plays out.
Zhalfirin Void — When I first started playing Brawl, one of the things I noticed was how terrible it felt when I failed to cast cards like Thrashing Brontodon on turn three simply because I didn't draw enough basic Forests. Well, that's still true, but I was also playing too few lands at the time. In addition, nearly a quarter of my lands produced colorless. With the adjustments I've since made to the mana base, I don't think Zhalfirin Void's inclusion will cause any problems. Typically, I hate playing non-basic lands that don't provide much of a tangible impact, but the scry 1 ability is just enough to make me want to play it. I probably wouldn't consider Zhalfirin Void for a two-color deck, but here I think it will be fine.
Evolving Wilds — One of my fears with Ramunap Excavator is that I won't have enough cards to support it. Evolving Wilds here is just hedging my bets. I expect to be annoyed by this card in the future (I hate lands that enter the battlefield tapped), but being able to play Evolving Wilds from my graveyard each turn will hopefully more than make up for the times it causes me headaches.
Trap your friends in an endless game with this 23-card combo!
Here are the changes I've made for Core Set 2019:
- OUT -
World Shaper 3G — World Shaper made for some good stories. After discarding land-chocked hands on multiple occasions, Splendid Reclamation very much becomes Boundless Realms. Unfortunately, I don't need both World Shaper and The Mending of Dominaria, and the Mending takes priority for several reasons, namely for its ability to recycle my graveyard and go "infinite" with Nissa's second ability.
Ramunap Excavator 2G — I've always hated Crucible of Worlds. It's a grossly overhyped card for reasons I won't get into here. As a means of accruing card advantage though, I thought it might be worth exploring in Brawl, especially given how useful a 2/3 blocker would be for this deck in particular. Suffice to say, I was not impressed with this card. It was clunky and inconsistent.
Skysovereign, Consul Flagship 5 — Skysovereign played an important role in earlier versions of this deck, serving as removal and allowing me to mitigate potential harm from opposing fliers. With the release of Dominaria and Core 2019 though, other cards have stepped in to replace it. I no longer need the 6/5 body anymore, and five drops in this deck have become increasingly hard to justify since I usually want to cast Nissa as soon as I possibly can.
The Immortal Sun 6 — The Immortal Sun is powerful. It's also extremely awkward since my commander is a planeswalker. I was still willing to play with the card from time to time, but with the inclusion of Vivien, I'm now playing one too many planeswalkers for me to be comfortable with also playing The Immortal Sun. Sad to see it go, but it's likely for the best.
Drover of the Mighty 1G — This was actually a reasonable two drop and could very well see himself back in at some point. For now, I'm exploring Elvish Rejuvenator in his place.
Evolving Wilds — Without Ramunap Excavator, this card loses its purpose. Perhaps it was dumb of me to include it in the first place, but if I was going to make Crucible of Worlds work, I needed some kind of support for it.
Forest — This is becoming a non-basic.
- IN -
Reclamation Sage 2G — With the second best Naturalize effect in green being literal Naturalize, Reclamation Sage is a welcome addition. The 2/2 body, while not terribly important, does get quite a lot of mileage out of other cards like Growing Rites and Ghalta though.
Runic Armasaur 1GG — One of the bigger flaws with my deck is that it often struggles to defend itself during the first few turns. Little to no development happens on turns one and two, and whatever card I do happen to play by the third turn may not help that much. (Rhonas and Wayward Swordtooth can't block, Manglehorn doesn't always want to be cast by turn 3, etc.) Armasaur helps alleviate that problem with his grossly statted body. The incidental card advantage he generates is also one of my favorite ways to accrue card advantage: by never lifting a finger. I'm not sure how often he'll trigger, — certainly more in Commander than in Brawl — but I'm optimistic.
Transmogrifying Wand 4 — The value of repeated removal, especially in a color with little access to quality kill spells, can't be understated. The card is cost efficient, only demanding a single mana whenever something troublesome emerges, and the 2/4 body it leaves behind is of little concern. I imagine that one of the greatest aspects of this card is that it forecasts to my opponents that I have removal on board ready to take down whatever precious card they need to play, effectively suppressing my opponents from playing valuable creatures, at least until they find some way to destroy the Wand.
Vivien Reid 3GG — As a planeswalker, Vivien's taken a lot of ***** from the community. Personally, I like her design though. She isn't exciting, but she is quite pragmatic. Her first ability helps provide this deck with another much needed way to generate card advantage in the absence of Nissa's emblem. Her second ability also provides further redundancy in the Naturalize/Plummet department which is also quite welcome. And her ultimate? Quite good. I don't expect to get it often, but when I do I'll be pretty excited about it.
Elvish Rejuvenator 2G — I've never been a fan of Farhaven Elf, and this card is even worse than that. Detatching the mana ability from the dork's body makes it so much better though. I won't have to worry about sweepers setting me back so hard, and the body still provides useful utility by chump blocking and by feeding other cards like Growing Rites of Itlimoc.
Scavenger Grounds — I'm going to give this card another whirl. The opportunity cost to playing the Grounds is low, but I previously found the utility it provided to be both unnecessary and frequently counterproductive. Still, the card is undoubtedly powerful, and I've been convinced to give it a second chance. This Ground's effectiveness will likely improve once this deck ports over to Commander.
Hashep Oasis — A strictly worse Forest. This card's ability will never activate in my lifetime. It is a desert for Scavenger Grounds though, and since it produces G at no tempo loss as well as C at no life loss, there's little disadvantage to playing the card.
Trap your friends in an endless game with this 23-card combo!