Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Sinister
Hi again Stairc
Thanks a lot for the snow deck. Im very grateful for your help, but its not really what I was looking for. Its pretty "snowy" and all, but I'm afraid its not strong enough to compete against my friends. Furthermore I'm not much for mono-blue decks and too much countermagic.
My only problem with the deck is, that it might not be strong enough to compete with the decks of my friends. Is it possible to improve it? I would really appreciate it if you could find the time to try.
Why don't we start with you giving us an idea of your friends' decklists?
Good idea, here it comes:
My friends have 15+ decks each, so I play against lots of different decks. Its mostly aggro/aggro-control, with a bit of control and combo every now and then. I'll add a couple of my other decks, since their power level fits the meta quite well:
I know that StairC gave some really neat ideas so far, but I want to share with you guys a different final version of my deck with the March, while also providing a handy breakdown for those who may want to make a deck like it.
Things to notice about Bloodbond March:
1) It affects all players- so bear in mind all CIP effects, especially taking note on your opponent's
2) It requires the casting of a creature- so you need one in your hand or find a cheap way to "cast" from the grave.
3) It is an enchantment- and with any deck I make, it is key to note this since it draws out any artifact or enchantment hate in your meta.
4) It has a CMC of 4- Ideally you want to have some board position at this point to avoid getting killed by those pesky aggro decks
So let's figure out how to win with this deck, since the key thing to note is that this deck will require 2 main goals.
1) Get things in graveyard that you can win with then they hit play. 2) Cast said things which is more difficult than it sounds since it's going to take a big creature to win the games offhand.
Ever since I was repeatedly curb stomped by a friend's Kokusho, the Evening Star multiplayer deck, I have loved the card and since getting 4 of them out at once is absolutely bonkers, I think we will work with them today.
So, hexproof is it? Sounds fun. Let's start off with some things to note...
Hexproof isn't a strategy.
Hexproof guys don't benefit from having more hexproof guys the way that elves benefit from having more elves. If we're playing all hexproof, there needs to be a reason.
It blanks all targeted removal.
Here's the reason. If you play against opponents with lots of Terminate, Doom Blade, Path to Exile or Maelstrom Pulse playing all hexproof is going to make it impossible for them to target anything of yours... turning all the removal they draw into 'blanks'. This generates virtual card advantage for you, since every now and then they draw a card that doesn't do anything for them at all.
It makes auras not suck.
Ben Bleweiss' well-known "Five Rules for Better Deckbuilding" has, "Don't Run Auras" as his 5th rule. Auras, at least ones that enchant your own creatures are begging to give your opponent card advantage - all they need to do is aim a Terminate at your guy... Only with Hexproof, they can't. Many of the only strong auras are in the vein of Rancor - auras that go back to your hand even if the creature in question dies. Of course if your creature trades for theirs, you've still lost two cards. Unless you're running Griffon Guide.
It makes equipment fantastic
Equipment has always loved giving guys a boost and then giving them shroud... But since you have to put shroud on last (otherwise you can't equip the creature) it's always been clunky. Now your creatures come with something better than shroud - hexproof! Try dropping a Loxodon Warhammer on a Dungrove Elder and let yourself feel the love.
So let's take a look at what good creatures have hexproof!
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Alright, these seem to be the serviciable critters with hexproof. The ledgewalker just barely makes the cut because it has evasion and is low on the mana curve.
What strikes us right away about these critters?
They're all green. In fact, only Uril isn't monogreen... And Dungrove Elder cares about being monogreen.
This is a delicate step here, your color choice. Monogreen can give you a solid landbase and the powerful Dungrove Elder. However, it also restricts you to only green auras (barring artifact mana-fixing). Blanchwood Armor is cool, but there aren't that many other good ones that are strong in this situation. You'll want things like Angelic Destiny, not Gigantiform.
However, it's entirely up to you. I reccomend going to...
It's an amazing search engine. Search for mono-green auras in the modern format and see what's available. Then if it doesn't look too exciting, take a look at the other colors.
It's also worth noting that green doesn't get much good removal. In fact, it's tied with blue for being the worst at permanent creature removal (and blue at least has counterspells). You'll need to use artifacts to kill your opponent's creatures. And of course, a great deal of colorless equipment is available if you're so inclined. However, as Auras have steadily crept up in power as the designers try to fight against the card disadvantage and a hexproof deck is in a position to take advantage of this - the auras will be very cool if you can get the mana to work. You might wish to run the best green auras and the best colorless equipment for effects you can't find in green. Or, just go multicolor and trade out Dungrove for Uril.
This could be a really simply request or a tough one...I am picking up a playset of Stoneforge Mystics and am flip flopping between making a casual Caw-Blade deck, an equipment deck, or using shadow guys and equipping them. I was hoping you might have an interesting path to take that would work well in an environment with more than one opponent such as 2 headed or free for all, star, etc..
Would like budget ideas also. I do have the standard legal swords and a batterskull to work with though.
Ha you made regret investing like 20 dollars on a few auras now. lol. so would you recommend adding a few equipment? I have gone to the gatherer and few auras pop out to me. gah i wish wizards would make some more cost effective auras that are more playable outside of casual.
This could be a really simply request or a tough one...I am picking up a playset of Stoneforge Mystics and am flip flopping between making a casual Caw-Blade deck, an equipment deck, or using shadow guys and equipping them. I was hoping you might have an interesting path to take that would work well in an environment with more than one opponent such as 2 headed or free for all, star, etc..
Would like budget ideas also. I do have the standard legal swords and a batterskull to work with though.
Oh, you just made my day!
Stoneforge Mystic is one of my favorite cards - I bought playsets of them when they were two dollars because I loved their effect so much. They're sweet, sweet card advantage, help you slip past counterspells and are just fun cards to play with.
Let's dig in.
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Aside from tutoring up a Batterskull (which you will be using in this deck), Stoneforge Mystic is great at winning in lots of different ways. Her ability to cheat equipments out past control is fantastic, and we'll be making full use of that.
Now, if you want to be good for multiplayer - you'll need a repeatable way to gain card advantage and a relaible way to kill all the nasty creatures that show up there.
Giving Cunning Sparkmage deathtouch and lifelink lets it tap to kill any creature and gain you 1 life doing it. This is brutal in duels, insane in multiplayer and wicked in star. The fact the sparkmage has haste makes things even nastier, as you can drop the mage and equip it, then tap to kill something all in the same turn - leaving your opponent no time to react. Haste is one of the most heavily underrated abilities in multiplayer - when you have a full table of opponents someone is bound to have an answer waiting for you. However, if your guy has haste there's a good chance you'll get at least one strike in before they mess with you.
With Stoneforge Mystic to find the Basilisk Collar the deck is going to have reliable ways to give everything deathtouch... So let's exploit that.
Here's a dirty secret, Kazandu Blademaster with Basilisk Collar on is the best ground defensive creature in the game. First-strike and deathtouch are bad enough (instant killing any two creatures it enters combat with before they have a chance to hit back), but add lifelink in so its gaining life each time and vigilance so it can attack to gain 2 each turn while still open to block? That's insane! It'll gain you 4+ life a turn if your opponent is attacking, 2 when it attacks, 2 when it blocks plus preventing the damage from the creature it blocked. And even on its own the card is great, a 2/2 for 2 with first-strike and vigilance... Plus it can get bigger if you drop another blademaster. This is incredible defense and will discourage anyone from attacking you - multiplayer or otherwise.
Knight of the White Orchid is a fantastic beastie here too, another cheap first-striker (good on defense with the collar) and this one ramps you up to higher mana if an opponent has more lands than you. This is good in duels and fantastic in multiplayer. Someone is bound to have more lands out than you.
Goblin Artillery is a surprisingly powerful card, one of the best actually. A 1/3 blocker stops quite a bit of cheap beatdown creatures (who usually have 2 power or less) and tapping to deal 2 damage is huge, well worth the damage to you. But the real thing is with a basilisk collar, he becomes nuts. The damage he deals to you is ALSO lifelinked after all, so it deals a total of 5 damage each time it taps (2 to something and 3 to you) - gaining you 5 life. That means even after you take the 3 damage from its ability it will still be tapping to deal 2 deathtouched damage to something and gaining you 2 life to boot. Plus, it can block something as well. Great defense that can tap to kill anything and gain you life as well? Nice card!
And of course, there's Goblin Sharpshooter. Frankly, this card is just unfair here. With deathtouch and lifelink... Are you serious? No, unfair card alert!
Frankly, if I was building this deck for my playgroup, I wouldn't even run the sharpshooter here. It's just too, too, too mean... And it'll probably never live long enough to tap for its effect anyway. Unless you gave it haste with Lightning Greaves or Swiftfoot Boots... No! Evil, evil! Some lines should not be crossed.
We'll definitely want Batterskull in too as well as Quietus Spike. Batterskull is amazing defense, can create constant card advantage by returning to your hand and dropping back on the board and can turn all our little guys into win conditions. Quietus Spike can kill an opponent in a few hits even when equipped to a 1/2 and for some reason most players don't consider this devilish card a threat (meaning it's unlikely they'll use their artifact destruction on it in multiplayer, or even duels). Also, as it grants deathtouch it can help your pingers out as well.
Additionally, it's worth noting that this deck will be surprisingly resilient to boardsweepers - as so much of it is based on equipment. Equipment doesn't fall to Wrath of God, letting you rebuild faster than your opponents. This will be especially true if you have a copy or two of Elspeth, Knight Errant to slip in. Making 1/1 soldiers to carry your equipment if need be is great, the +3/+3 and flying is huge damage and the indestructible ultimate is nuts in any format you play in (whether duels or multiplayer).
Before I go on, does this deck sound cool to you? I know it does to me, but every player has differing tastes.
Ha you made regret investing like 20 dollars on a few auras now. lol. so would you recommend adding a few equipment? I have gone to the gatherer and few auras pop out to me. gah i wish wizards would make some more cost effective auras that are more playable outside of casual.
Lol, think of it this way. I saved you from investing even more into auras.
Wizards tends not to make standard-level auras because they warp the game. The card disadvantage of losing 2 cards (the creature and the aura) for the opponent's removal spell is so painful that the aura in question needs to be absolutely game-ending in order to be playable. If they did make an aura that strong, it would warp the format entirely - with the players running it either winning or losing the game depending on whether the opponent has a removal spell right then and there. Even Auras that negate the card disadvantage in some way (like Umbras or Rancor) often aren't tournament playable because the opponent can kill your creature in response to the Aura being cast - taking away the Aura's target, which results in the Aura being countered and put into your grave. This is why they made equipment, which have always been popular. It has none of the card disadvantage problems of auras.
That said - there is one way (though not hexproof) to take advantage of certain auras... And it's extraordinarily fun. Also, it's close to my heart as I was on the design team for the original deck before it started tearing up tournaments.
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Now, this card is fun! For six mana you can search out the best aura in your deck (in standard we ran Gigantiform and Celestial Mantle before Eldrazi Conscription came out... Then we ran that and the deck became the terror known as Mythic Conscription). Because you get a creature that can do this every turn in the mix and the aura comes out free, there is no card disadvantage problem and you get a huge blocker and a big threat... Plus your Sovereigns will do it again the very next turn with a different creature!
Sadly, it's not hexproof - but boy is it powerful and fun. There are few better ways to make use of auras in the game, and since this one rewards you for playing the biggest and coolest auras you can find... That's pretty sweet.
Another way to try countering the card disadvantage inherent in running auras is Three Dreams. A 3 for 1 is always welcome, and this lets you search out whatever auras you need for the job. At 5cmc it isn't strong enough for tournament play (cards that cost 5cmc have to basically win the game for you in tournaments) but in a slower casual enviornment it's definitely a very powerful and cool card.
Now, if you want to stay pure hexproof - I'd definitely recommend running some equipment to make your guys huge. And the best auras you can find too. If Sovereigns interests you though, let me know. I absolutely love that deck, and being able to build it for anything in modern instead of just the standard card pool we had back then promises to be fun.
Oh never saw a ninja deck before!! Any idea how to enhance it? ;D
Thanks!
I've had this ninja-deck since Betrayers of Kamigawa was released and I've modified it many times. I think the current build is quite strong. Distortion Strike was the card I'd been waiting for, and it made the deck ten times better. You might want to go mono-U, since there's so few black cards in the deck. I chose to keep Throatslitter because it's one of my favorite ninjas, and Cavern Harpy is very cool with ninjas, bouncing them again and again for more shots of ninjitsu and acting as a small, flying ninjitsu-enabler. Spellstutter Sprite works as a repeatable Daze/Miscalculation and with Mana Leak, Echoing Truth, Mistblade Shinobi and Throatslitter you get a strong control-engine, especially again aggro decks.
I am not sure if I am sold on the Goblin Artillery and Goblin Sharpshooter though. I definitely think they are a neat idea, but I think the Cunning Sparkmages with deathtouch will take care of the creatures in my meta without the need for more creature removal. Additional removal or pingers may be too slow to take down the game.
I do have the Elspeths to add. I like the Quietus Spike and don't use it just because I get confused in 2HG. If I attack and damage a player in 2HG, how much damage do they lose? Half of a half of their combined life?
I expect you may add some Puresteel Paladins to decrease equipment costs also? I am interested to see where this can go with my feedback.
To NotStiffler: The Quietus Spike will deal exactly that player's team's life total. Or in the case of odd numbers, rounded up. Because while yes, they are acting as a team, they are still technically two players, yet you are attacking them (2) as a whole. Its the weirdest thinking ever. Thats why i prefer generals. (Or whatever the 3v3 is. I should remember it before I EVER think about taking the DCI test for judges)
Anyway, I saw how evil the Melira+Persist idea could be, so here is my rendition of it:
Ok so I could not find another good blue for the deck, but the Archmage saves Melira from a LOT of creature removal (except for "sniping" people like Cunning Sparkmage)
Now then, let's dig into the depths of reanimation.
In order for a reanimation strategy to work, you need to fulfill several steps.
1) You must get the creature into your graveyard
2) You must return the creature to play
3) You must be able to find the pieces to do the above two things.
There are several ways to do this, but the best two are variations of the following.
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The first way is to cast a spell like Entomb which searches out a creature from your deck to slip in your grave. This is very, very nasty. The second is slower but more versatile - effects that let you draw cards as well as discard them. You get to draw for your reanimation spells as well as your beasties and discard any beasties still in your hand. Can you say, catch-all?
Buried Alive is your Entomb effect, but you don't have any Merfolk Looters yet. We're definitely going to want some of those cards. Drawing what you need, discarding what you don't? Yes please.
Now, Buried Alive is kind of overkill in that it grabs three creatures. That requires three reanimation spells to bring back (barring Sun Titan + Phantasmal Image schenanigans, Karmic Guide or similar).
Now between all of those, you're quite well off indeed. Massacre Wurm will save you from any swarm of creatures your opponent's have out (this could also be Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite) if you have it. Between them and three buried alive that's 8 chances to draw a big target. With the six Merfok Looters you'll be drawing far more cards than normal. And of course, you'll play Preordain - for even more chances.
Ah, who cares? It's a wicked cool card - plus it can discard itself from your hand. And that's nice.
Naurally, the non-artisan reanimation targets can be changed up. Personally, I'd say Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is a good target. Simic Sky Swallower and similar are also great against control... And if you have an Akroma, well smile. With the right selection of creatures, you can shut down any strategy. Also, running 4 Buried Alive is better than 3, but I'm assuming you only have 3 available. This also works with Golgari Grave Troll and similar if you really want to fill that grave.
Now, we'll want early defense against creatures too, and we have exactly 9 slots left in the deck (assuming a healthy 24 land count).
Drift of Phantasms is a great blocker, plus it can find you a Recurring Nightmare or Necromancy if you're in a pinch. Seems like a good idea.
Whew... Look at that. 8 reanimation spells and 4 phantasms to fetch them, plus preordain and merfolk looter to dig through your deck... Lots of finishers, plus one that can put itself in the grave and several that bring others back with them whenever they hit the field.
Just add lands.
We can certainly handle this any way you like. And yep, Verduran Enchantress and Mesa Enchantress would be the name of the enchantment game. If you just want domain, now that's fine too. So pick your favorite deck and let me know what you have in mind, and I'll help you build it when I get around to it.
Awesome! I love blink decks. I can definitely help, I'll churn up some ideas right quick. To the deckbuilding cave!
Loved it, but I have 1 question, wouldn't it be good to add Reya to this deck?
I know that StairC gave some really neat ideas so far, but I want to share with you guys a different final version of my deck with the March, while also providing a handy breakdown for those who may want to make a deck like it.
Things to notice about Bloodbond March:
1) It affects all players- so bear in mind all CIP effects, especially taking note on your opponent's
2) It requires the casting of a creature- so you need one in your hand or find a cheap way to "cast" from the grave.
3) It is an enchantment- and with any deck I make, it is key to note this since it draws out any artifact or enchantment hate in your meta.
4) It has a CMC of 4- Ideally you want to have some board position at this point to avoid getting killed by those pesky aggro decks
So let's figure out how to win with this deck, since the key thing to note is that this deck will require 2 main goals.
1) Get things in graveyard that you can win with then they hit play. 2) Cast said things which is more difficult than it sounds since it's going to take a big creature to win the games offhand.
Ever since I was repeatedly curb stomped by a friend's Kokusho, the Evening Star multiplayer deck, I have loved the card and since getting 4 of them out at once is absolutely bonkers, I think we will work with them today.
Looks sweet. Being able to use the 1/1s as indestructible fliers, Blinkmoth pumping the infect inkmoths, gives you lots of mileage without you ever needing to play a spell. Provided you don't mind getting playsets of those lands (the moths are rather pricey) then this interaction like a ton of fun.
The only sad thing is that you can't use the worldwake lands in here (too color-hungry considering the 8 colorless lands) - but considering how good the moths are here that hardly seems like a loss.
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Seems like fun to me, if you have access to the playsets of the Inkmoth and Blinkmoth - not to mention the factory (and if so, awesome - those cards are sweet!)
One thing I should mention though, is that the manabase is WAY white-light. You've got Tempered Steel out there for 1WW in a deck with 10 white sources and that's asking for trouble. Also, since you have no ramp spells, I doubt Urza's Factory is really worth the slot. You might want to find some cards that can, for colorless mana, help you fix your colors. A signet (like Azorious Signet) or something like Sanctum Plowbeast perhaps.
Now, what I like most about the deck is its resilience to various strategies. If you run extra mass removal/defense you'll have a great game against aggro. As you do everything with man-lands you have a great game against control. If you could slip some counterspells into the main or black disruption (like memoricide) you could hate on combo too and make it complete.
In short, nice work Magicprofessor - there's a ton of cool potential here.
Edit - On another note, isn't anyone going to request a Melira deck? Look at the lady!
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There are so many amazing combos you can pull off with her, she'd be great even if all she was was a 0/2 for 2G who only provided the, "creatures you control can't have -1/-1 counters placed on them" ability!
And right now she's going at bulk rare prices, with the foil at $2.50 on channelfireball. Pick up your copies now guys, because she can't get much cheaper and she might well become a loved johnny gem eventually.
I mean, come on, combine her with Glen Elendra Archmage to counter every non-creature spell your opponents play (keeps coming back as a 2/2 each time with no -1/-1 counter!), or with Aerie Ouphes to deal infinite damage to creatures with flying, or with Kitchen Finks/Murderous Redcap/Woodfall Primus + Spawning Pit/Ashnod's Altar/Altar of Dementia to gain infinite life, deal infinite damage or destroy infinite non-creature permanents (including lands and plainswalkers)... All while making infinite charge counters for 2/2s, infinite mana, or milling for infinite cards.
Does that sound fun?
Well, it should!
I just pulled this card today! soooo could you maybe post a sample decklist? =pp
ummm...how do u summon 4 copies of a legendary creature? cant u only have 1 copy on the field at a time? or did that rule change?
Exactly! The legendary rule is what we use to our advantage here.
Through the use of Bloodbond March, you can get up to 4 Kokusho, the Evening Stars onto the battlefield at once from your graveyard. They all die to the legend rule and each opponent loses 20 life and you gain that much life. Repeat ad nauseum when you return a Kokusho from your graveyard to hand with cards like Evolution Charm and Disturbed Burial.
thanks so much for the ideas. i do like playing things that are under powered. do you think it will be able to be played in modern? i already have enough casual decks. i want to start getting somewhat competitive. if your idea isn't going too much for my budget and somewhat viable in competitive then i would love to see it and buiild.
Exactly! The legendary rule is what we use to our advantage here.
Through the use of Bloodbond March, you can get up to 4 Kokusho, the Evening Stars onto the battlefield at once from your graveyard. They all die to the legend rule and each opponent loses 20 life and you gain that much life. Repeat ad nauseum when you return a Kokusho from your graveyard to hand with cards like Evolution Charm and Disturbed Burial.
ooookkkk, my bad that makes sense, so its an insta-kill!
Loved it, but I have 1 question, wouldn't it be good to add Reya to this deck?
You sure can do that, any big creature is going to be fun.
I tend to favor creatures that instantly win the game though, and reya takes several turns (plus requires more creatures in your grave) to win you the game. Jin-Gitaxis though generates so much card advantage that it's basically an instant win. Scion of Darkness is likely the weakest link there, bu the fact it can cycle itself (putting itself in the grave) to draw for a reanimation spell is very nice. You can try anything you like in these slots though, that's one of the fun things about decks like reanimator and tooth and nail. You get to play with lots of fun cards, just throw em in and slide out some of the other big targets - trying them till you find which one you like best.
thanks so much for the ideas. i do like playing things that are under powered. do you think it will be able to be played in modern? i already have enough casual decks. i want to start getting somewhat competitive. if your idea isn't going too much for my budget and somewhat viable in competitive then i would love to see it and buiild.
Since we don't know what the major decks in modern are yet, it's impossible to tell what decks will be viable. Sovereigns of Lost Alara was devestating in standard, we broke the FNM circuit for a while (those who were running the deck at least). However, I'm not sure it'll be fast enough for Modern. Modern is going to be trying for turn 4 kills, even earlier... Though actually a Sovereigns deck could probably power that out. A turn 2 Rampant Growth effect, turn 3 Solemn Simulacrum, turn 4 sovereigns and attack with the simulacrum to fetch up an Eldrazi Conscription... That's pretty powerful. Not sure if it'll be able to handle the heat Modern will be packing though.
A hexproof strategy will be great if the other decks are running tons and tons of removal (since many of their cards are basically blanked). I'm guessing lots of removal will be floating around, so that's valuable. However, you couldn't run mono-green - you won't have enough tools to interact with other strategies. You won't have anything to fight the insane combo decks that will be running around.
Frankly, I can't offer any real advice for Modern, since we don't know what it'll look like yet. Sure, people are going to try affinity, gifts ungiven, zoo and all the other classics that are now playable - but we don't know everything we need to about how those decks are going to work against each other. However, running mono-green hexproof will certainly stumble as it just doesn't have enough tools to interact with the opponent. Sovereigns is incredible, but it might not be a strong enough threat... Difficult to tell.
However, the Sovereigns deck won't be too expensive to build (though lands might run you money). Its main pieces are very solid and either inexpensive (like the sovereigns) or staples of many decks (like the lands and birds of paradise), ensuring you can use them in other decks or trade them if want to. At the very least you'll get a cool casual deck. At the best, you'll be playing some modern tournaments.
To practice for tournament play, I recommend doing some drafts or sealed deck. Read up on Limited Information on dailymtg.com. Sure, it isn't constructed but limited tournaments give you the basic feel of playing competitive magic - and give you a chance to win lots of free cards to build your constructed decks too.
Ok so I could not find another good blue for the deck, but the Archmage saves Melira from a LOT of creature removal (except for "sniping" people like Cunning Sparkmage)
*grins* At last, another embraces the beauty that is Melira.
There's another very, very good blue persist creature... One that's a card draw engine (particularly in multiplayer) and here will easily draw you a great many cards.
This card looks weak but it is not. I've used it in many, many decks - even competitive ones, and it never disappointing. It's a 3 for 1 simply by playing it most times; trading with one creature or removal spell, drawing you a card when it comes back, then trading with another card of the opponent's. When other creatures you have are persisting back, like the faerie archmage or... Well... All of the deck's other critters... You'll can easily get a 4 or 5 for 1. And all the while having a solid blocker.
And of course, in multiplayer the card gets even better.
oh alright. i am actually going to make the decklist anyways. will post it here if you still want to make some revisions. not having rancor or armadillo cloak is certainly unfortunate. i play tested against a friend already and it seems to do well if i don't draw too many umbra 1 drops. it's just very difficult finding solid auras that are 2 or 3 drops. angelic destiny is okay for 4 but i really want 3 mana auras.
oh alright. i am actually going to make the decklist anyways. will post it here if you still want to make some revisions. not having rancor or armadillo cloak is certainly unfortunate. i play tested against a friend already and it seems to do well if i don't draw too many umbra 1 drops. it's just very difficult finding solid auras that are 2 or 3 drops. angelic destiny is okay for 4 but i really want 3 mana auras.
Sounds good. And I want to say, I think the deck will be sweet either way. It's just that Modern is a very vicious beast, it'll be full of all the nastiest (not-bannded) aggression, control and combos since mirrodin! I'll definitely be brewing up decks for it when it comes, but since we don't know what it looks like yet it's hard to judge what'll work.
If you post your deck idea, I'll be happy to take a look at it. You might want to consider Angelic Destiny too actually. Most of the best hexproof creatures cost 3-4 mana - so more expensive auras make sense too.
Could you give me ideas for an Artifacts deck based on the Sphinxes? I was planning to use the Steel Wind as main card, and I wanted some fun ideas to build it, the budget is not high but not too low either, also the deck would be BUW, because of the sphinxes. thx in advance, you are doing an awesome job here.:)
Could you give me ideas for an Artifacts deck based on the Sphinxes? I was planning to use the Steel Wind as main card, and I wanted some fun ideas to build it, the budget is not high but not too low either, also the deck would be BUW, because of the sphinxes. thx in advance, you are doing an awesome job here.:)
Thanks for the thankyou.
Now, let's fly off to Steel Sphinx Land and ride the silver winds of Esper!
First, let's look at the Sphinxes (Sphinxi?). A quick search of gatherer shows several powerhouses.
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Nice, nice cards. Sphinx Summoner and find you any artifact creature while soaring as a 3/3 flier. Sharumn can grab any huge artifact from your graveyard to make a 2-for-1 the moment he hits play. And Sphinx of the Steel Wind? Well... If Akroma went heavy metal, she might be jammin' something like this.
Now, these aren't the cheapest spells to cast. Whenever you're dealing with such huge creatures you have to figure out how you're going to get them in play before you're dead. Some possible answers are...
It's a Control Deck Silly
Control decks plan to slow the game to a crawl, preventing their opponent from winning long enough for them to power out a huge advantage. Control decks often run a few big finishers to mop things up, outclassing anything the other deck is running. However, since this would really just be a shoe-in for the sphinx (just a big creature in a control deck) it wouldn't embrace the sphinx-filled flavor as much as some of the other options. Certainly would work though.
Step on the Gas
Mana acceleration is another way to go. By running lots of acceleration, you can drop a big guy faster than otherwise, and still not be dead. Artifacts have lots of acceleration, but not quite as reliably as I'd like... And it's a rather simple deck to build. You could certainly go this route, but I think the final option will capture the full flavor of the Sphinxes.
When in doubt, Cheat!
Cheating big creatures into play is a fail-safe way to have fun. I've already written about reanimator in this thread, so let's go for something uniquely Esper...
And it gets better. Let's buy the lovely lady a drink, that's sure to warm her up. But what would the steel gal like best?
snip
Thousand-Year Elixir takes the Transmuter's awesomeness and ratchets it all the way up to eleven. With the Tranmuter being able to use her abilities as if she had haste truly unfair things can happen. Not only can she use it the same turn she comes down, she can also use her ability on herself to return herself to her hand and put herself back into play right away - niftilly doging any enemy's removal. And since she has the elixir powering her, she can do this again and again and again - so long as you have blue mana to power her. The elixir's untap ability just makes things even more degenerate.
So, does this sound like a deck you'd be interested in trying? If so - let me know and I'll get brewing it up.
So I want to make a deck with Ruhan of the Fomori being one of the main creatures because 4 mana for 7/7 that attacks every turn is awesome the only problem is I have no idea where I would take this deck all i know is that i want to use Ruhan and Loxodon Warhammer. Anyone here got any ideas for such a deck nothing too expensive (cards worth more then $5ish will go over depending on the card) this is strictly casual
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I will be typing up deck lists as soon as I an be bothered, I really only play EDH:
'Course it does man, what else could be more fun than cheating the big guys into play? The transmuter is so freaking awesome that it's almost unfair, ALMOST, I have 2 and used to use them with Memnarch, but decided to run with the Sphinxes(Sphinxi), also I have no problem with getting more Transmuters so if you think there should be more than 2 in the deck that's perfectly fine, so green lights to this idea, loved it. Thx again, you rule dude.:)
Ok so I though of a really interesting combo that I saw. But I could never get it to work for me. But the combo is: Kill Switch + Mycosynth Lattice +Unwinding Clock. Anyone want to help me fill in the other blank card slots?
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Why care about the past, when the present can smack you in the face?:halo:
Good idea, here it comes:
My friends have 15+ decks each, so I play against lots of different decks. Its mostly aggro/aggro-control, with a bit of control and combo every now and then. I'll add a couple of my other decks, since their power level fits the meta quite well:
Bant:
4x Jhessian Infiltrator
4x Knight of New Alara
3x Rafiq of the Many
4x Rhox War Monk
4x Shorecrasher Mimic
3x Trygon Predator
2x Bant Charm
4x Emerge Unscathed
4x Path to Exile
4x Temporal Spring
Lands (24):
6x Forest
5x Island
5x Plains
4x Seaside Citadel
4x Vivid Creek
Enchanter
4x Argothian Enchantress
4x Aura Gnarlid
Enchantments (36):
2x Ancestral Mask
4x Confiscate
4x Eladamri’s Vineyard
4x Enchantress’ Presence
4x Energy Field
4x Narcolepsy
4x Treachery
4x Utopia Sprawl
4x Wild Growth
12x Forest
6x Island
Zombie Zuiside
4x Carnophage
2x Carrion Feeder
2x Festering Goblin
4x Gempalm Polluter
4x Sherpherd of Rot
4x Cemetery Reaper
4x Bad Moon
1x Necropotence
4x Sarcomancy
Spells (11):
4x Dark Ritual
4x Doom Blade
3x Kaerveks Spite
1x Strip Mine
19x Swamp
Molten Dreams
4x Kederekt Parasite
Artifacts & enchantments (16):
4x Howling Mine
4x Font of Mythos
4x Veinfire Borderpost
4x Seal of Fire
4x Dark Ritual
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Molten Psyche
4x Runeflare Trap
4x Terminate
2x Winds of Change
4x Graven Cairns
4x Great Furnace
4x Mountain
2x Swamp
4x Vault of Whispers
Ninjas
2x Cavern Harpy
2x Higure, the Still Wind
4x Mistblade Shinobi
4x Ninja of the Deep Hours
4x Ornithopter
4x Spellstutter Sprite
4x Throat Slitter
4x Zephyr Sprite
4x Distortion Strike
2x Echoing Truth
4x Mana Leak
Lands (22):
12x Island
1x Minamo, School at Waters Edge
9x Swamp
Kithkins
4x Goldmeadow Harrier
4x Goldmeadow Stalwart
4x Kinsbaile Borderguard
4x Knight of Meadowgrain
4x Preeminent Captain
4x Wizened Cenn
4x Honor of the Pure
3x Oblivion Ring
3x Militia’s Pride/Mirror Entity
Spells (4):
4x Brave the Elements
18x Plains
4x Rustic Clachan
Does that help?
Oh never saw a ninja deck before!! Any idea how to enhance it? ;D
Thanks!
Things to notice about Bloodbond March:
1) It affects all players- so bear in mind all CIP effects, especially taking note on your opponent's
2) It requires the casting of a creature- so you need one in your hand or find a cheap way to "cast" from the grave.
3) It is an enchantment- and with any deck I make, it is key to note this since it draws out any artifact or enchantment hate in your meta.
4) It has a CMC of 4- Ideally you want to have some board position at this point to avoid getting killed by those pesky aggro decks
1) Get things in graveyard that you can win with then they hit play.
2) Cast said things which is more difficult than it sounds since it's going to take a big creature to win the games offhand.
Step 1: Decide on your base.
We were given Bloodbond March as our base.
+4 Bloodbond March
Step 2: Decide what you want to win with.
Ever since I was repeatedly curb stomped by a friend's Kokusho, the Evening Star multiplayer deck, I have loved the card and since getting 4 of them out at once is absolutely bonkers, I think we will work with them today.
+4 Kokusho, the Evening Star
Step 3: Get these cards into the graveyard
+4 Buried Alive
+4 Corpse Connoisseur
Step 4: Bring creatures to your hand to cast
+4 Evolution Charm
+2 Disturbed Burial
Step 5: Some Board wipe for stopping interferance
+2 Damnation (Yes it is expensive... if your budget doesn't permit these, run Plague Wind)
Step 6: Some Removal for opposing beaters and threats
+4 Go for the Throat
+2 Krosan Grip
Step 7: And alternate win conditions that also help lower opponent's lives- especially those annoying lifegainers
+2 Sorin Markov
Step 8: Some Mana Ramp/Versitile Search
+3 Cultivate
+2 Diabolic Tutor
Step 9: Add some lands!
+2 Verdant Catacombs (These are in the new Vampire Event Decks)
+3 Twilight Mire
+4 Evolving Wilds
+7 Forest
+7 Swamp
And Voila!
2 Verdant Catacombs
4 Evolving Wilds
3 Twilight Mire
7 Swamp
7 Forest
4 Corpse Connoisseur
4 Bloodbond March
4 Buried Alive
4 Evolution Charm
2 Disturbed Burial
4 Go for the Throat
2 Krosan Grip
3 Cultivate
2 Diabolic Tutor
2 Damnation
2 Sorin Markov
And there you have it! Another deck down! Maybe something special tomorrow depending on my mood!
Regards,
MagicProfessor28
Alright, let's get brewing!
So, hexproof is it? Sounds fun. Let's start off with some things to note...
Hexproof isn't a strategy.
Hexproof guys don't benefit from having more hexproof guys the way that elves benefit from having more elves. If we're playing all hexproof, there needs to be a reason.
It blanks all targeted removal.
Here's the reason. If you play against opponents with lots of Terminate, Doom Blade, Path to Exile or Maelstrom Pulse playing all hexproof is going to make it impossible for them to target anything of yours... turning all the removal they draw into 'blanks'. This generates virtual card advantage for you, since every now and then they draw a card that doesn't do anything for them at all.
It makes auras not suck.
Ben Bleweiss' well-known "Five Rules for Better Deckbuilding" has, "Don't Run Auras" as his 5th rule. Auras, at least ones that enchant your own creatures are begging to give your opponent card advantage - all they need to do is aim a Terminate at your guy... Only with Hexproof, they can't. Many of the only strong auras are in the vein of Rancor - auras that go back to your hand even if the creature in question dies. Of course if your creature trades for theirs, you've still lost two cards. Unless you're running Griffon Guide.
It makes equipment fantastic
Equipment has always loved giving guys a boost and then giving them shroud... But since you have to put shroud on last (otherwise you can't equip the creature) it's always been clunky. Now your creatures come with something better than shroud - hexproof! Try dropping a Loxodon Warhammer on a Dungrove Elder and let yourself feel the love.
So let's take a look at what good creatures have hexproof!
Alright, these seem to be the serviciable critters with hexproof. The ledgewalker just barely makes the cut because it has evasion and is low on the mana curve.
What strikes us right away about these critters?
They're all green. In fact, only Uril isn't monogreen... And Dungrove Elder cares about being monogreen.
This is a delicate step here, your color choice. Monogreen can give you a solid landbase and the powerful Dungrove Elder. However, it also restricts you to only green auras (barring artifact mana-fixing). Blanchwood Armor is cool, but there aren't that many other good ones that are strong in this situation. You'll want things like Angelic Destiny, not Gigantiform.
However, it's entirely up to you. I reccomend going to...
The Gatherer
http://gatherer.wizards.com/
It's an amazing search engine. Search for mono-green auras in the modern format and see what's available. Then if it doesn't look too exciting, take a look at the other colors.
It's also worth noting that green doesn't get much good removal. In fact, it's tied with blue for being the worst at permanent creature removal (and blue at least has counterspells). You'll need to use artifacts to kill your opponent's creatures. And of course, a great deal of colorless equipment is available if you're so inclined. However, as Auras have steadily crept up in power as the designers try to fight against the card disadvantage and a hexproof deck is in a position to take advantage of this - the auras will be very cool if you can get the mana to work. You might wish to run the best green auras and the best colorless equipment for effects you can't find in green. Or, just go multicolor and trade out Dungrove for Uril.
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Would like budget ideas also. I do have the standard legal swords and a batterskull to work with though.
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Sexy Sig by mchief111 @ Rising Studios
EDH
G Isao
Oh, you just made my day!
Stoneforge Mystic is one of my favorite cards - I bought playsets of them when they were two dollars because I loved their effect so much. They're sweet, sweet card advantage, help you slip past counterspells and are just fun cards to play with.
Let's dig in.
Aside from tutoring up a Batterskull (which you will be using in this deck), Stoneforge Mystic is great at winning in lots of different ways. Her ability to cheat equipments out past control is fantastic, and we'll be making full use of that.
Now, if you want to be good for multiplayer - you'll need a repeatable way to gain card advantage and a relaible way to kill all the nasty creatures that show up there.
Hello Cunning Sparkmage and Basilisk Collar.
With Stoneforge Mystic to find the Basilisk Collar the deck is going to have reliable ways to give everything deathtouch... So let's exploit that.
Kazandu Blademaster, Knight of the White Orchid, Goblin Artillery, Goblin Sharpshooter.
Here's a dirty secret, Kazandu Blademaster with Basilisk Collar on is the best ground defensive creature in the game. First-strike and deathtouch are bad enough (instant killing any two creatures it enters combat with before they have a chance to hit back), but add lifelink in so its gaining life each time and vigilance so it can attack to gain 2 each turn while still open to block? That's insane! It'll gain you 4+ life a turn if your opponent is attacking, 2 when it attacks, 2 when it blocks plus preventing the damage from the creature it blocked. And even on its own the card is great, a 2/2 for 2 with first-strike and vigilance... Plus it can get bigger if you drop another blademaster. This is incredible defense and will discourage anyone from attacking you - multiplayer or otherwise.
Knight of the White Orchid is a fantastic beastie here too, another cheap first-striker (good on defense with the collar) and this one ramps you up to higher mana if an opponent has more lands than you. This is good in duels and fantastic in multiplayer. Someone is bound to have more lands out than you.
Goblin Artillery is a surprisingly powerful card, one of the best actually. A 1/3 blocker stops quite a bit of cheap beatdown creatures (who usually have 2 power or less) and tapping to deal 2 damage is huge, well worth the damage to you. But the real thing is with a basilisk collar, he becomes nuts. The damage he deals to you is ALSO lifelinked after all, so it deals a total of 5 damage each time it taps (2 to something and 3 to you) - gaining you 5 life. That means even after you take the 3 damage from its ability it will still be tapping to deal 2 deathtouched damage to something and gaining you 2 life to boot. Plus, it can block something as well. Great defense that can tap to kill anything and gain you life as well? Nice card!
And of course, there's Goblin Sharpshooter. Frankly, this card is just unfair here. With deathtouch and lifelink... Are you serious? No, unfair card alert!
Frankly, if I was building this deck for my playgroup, I wouldn't even run the sharpshooter here. It's just too, too, too mean... And it'll probably never live long enough to tap for its effect anyway. Unless you gave it haste with Lightning Greaves or Swiftfoot Boots... No! Evil, evil! Some lines should not be crossed.
We'll definitely want Batterskull in too as well as Quietus Spike. Batterskull is amazing defense, can create constant card advantage by returning to your hand and dropping back on the board and can turn all our little guys into win conditions. Quietus Spike can kill an opponent in a few hits even when equipped to a 1/2 and for some reason most players don't consider this devilish card a threat (meaning it's unlikely they'll use their artifact destruction on it in multiplayer, or even duels). Also, as it grants deathtouch it can help your pingers out as well.
Additionally, it's worth noting that this deck will be surprisingly resilient to boardsweepers - as so much of it is based on equipment. Equipment doesn't fall to Wrath of God, letting you rebuild faster than your opponents. This will be especially true if you have a copy or two of Elspeth, Knight Errant to slip in. Making 1/1 soldiers to carry your equipment if need be is great, the +3/+3 and flying is huge damage and the indestructible ultimate is nuts in any format you play in (whether duels or multiplayer).
Before I go on, does this deck sound cool to you? I know it does to me, but every player has differing tastes.
Lol, think of it this way. I saved you from investing even more into auras.
Wizards tends not to make standard-level auras because they warp the game. The card disadvantage of losing 2 cards (the creature and the aura) for the opponent's removal spell is so painful that the aura in question needs to be absolutely game-ending in order to be playable. If they did make an aura that strong, it would warp the format entirely - with the players running it either winning or losing the game depending on whether the opponent has a removal spell right then and there. Even Auras that negate the card disadvantage in some way (like Umbras or Rancor) often aren't tournament playable because the opponent can kill your creature in response to the Aura being cast - taking away the Aura's target, which results in the Aura being countered and put into your grave. This is why they made equipment, which have always been popular. It has none of the card disadvantage problems of auras.
That said - there is one way (though not hexproof) to take advantage of certain auras... And it's extraordinarily fun. Also, it's close to my heart as I was on the design team for the original deck before it started tearing up tournaments.
Now, this card is fun! For six mana you can search out the best aura in your deck (in standard we ran Gigantiform and Celestial Mantle before Eldrazi Conscription came out... Then we ran that and the deck became the terror known as Mythic Conscription). Because you get a creature that can do this every turn in the mix and the aura comes out free, there is no card disadvantage problem and you get a huge blocker and a big threat... Plus your Sovereigns will do it again the very next turn with a different creature!
Sadly, it's not hexproof - but boy is it powerful and fun. There are few better ways to make use of auras in the game, and since this one rewards you for playing the biggest and coolest auras you can find... That's pretty sweet.
Another way to try countering the card disadvantage inherent in running auras is Three Dreams. A 3 for 1 is always welcome, and this lets you search out whatever auras you need for the job. At 5cmc it isn't strong enough for tournament play (cards that cost 5cmc have to basically win the game for you in tournaments) but in a slower casual enviornment it's definitely a very powerful and cool card.
Now, if you want to stay pure hexproof - I'd definitely recommend running some equipment to make your guys huge. And the best auras you can find too. If Sovereigns interests you though, let me know. I absolutely love that deck, and being able to build it for anything in modern instead of just the standard card pool we had back then promises to be fun.
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I've had this ninja-deck since Betrayers of Kamigawa was released and I've modified it many times. I think the current build is quite strong. Distortion Strike was the card I'd been waiting for, and it made the deck ten times better. You might want to go mono-U, since there's so few black cards in the deck. I chose to keep Throatslitter because it's one of my favorite ninjas, and Cavern Harpy is very cool with ninjas, bouncing them again and again for more shots of ninjitsu and acting as a small, flying ninjitsu-enabler. Spellstutter Sprite works as a repeatable Daze/Miscalculation and with Mana Leak, Echoing Truth, Mistblade Shinobi and Throatslitter you get a strong control-engine, especially again aggro decks.
I do like the Cunning Sparkmage + Basilisk Collar combo idea, plus I have 4 of the collars already, so score for me.
I am not sure if I am sold on the Goblin Artillery and Goblin Sharpshooter though. I definitely think they are a neat idea, but I think the Cunning Sparkmages with deathtouch will take care of the creatures in my meta without the need for more creature removal. Additional removal or pingers may be too slow to take down the game.
I do have the Elspeths to add. I like the Quietus Spike and don't use it just because I get confused in 2HG. If I attack and damage a player in 2HG, how much damage do they lose? Half of a half of their combined life?
I expect you may add some Puresteel Paladins to decrease equipment costs also? I am interested to see where this can go with my feedback.
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Anyway, I saw how evil the Melira+Persist idea could be, so here is my rendition of it:
4x Glen Elendra Archmage
4x Kitchen Finks
4x Safehold Elite
2x Green Sun's Zentih
4x Worldly Tutor
3x Ashnod's Altar
4x Altar of Dementia
4x Spawning Pit
4x Blasting Station
12x Forest
4x Island
Ok so I could not find another good blue for the deck, but the Archmage saves Melira from a LOT of creature removal (except for "sniping" people like Cunning Sparkmage)
Loved it, but I have 1 question, wouldn't it be good to add Reya to this deck?
ummm...how do u summon 4 copies of a legendary creature? cant u only have 1 copy on the field at a time? or did that rule change?
I just pulled this card today! soooo could you maybe post a sample decklist? =pp
Exactly! The legendary rule is what we use to our advantage here.
Through the use of Bloodbond March, you can get up to 4 Kokusho, the Evening Stars onto the battlefield at once from your graveyard. They all die to the legend rule and each opponent loses 20 life and you gain that much life. Repeat ad nauseum when you return a Kokusho from your graveyard to hand with cards like Evolution Charm and Disturbed Burial.
Sexy Sig by mchief111 @ Rising Studios
EDH
G Isao
ooookkkk, my bad that makes sense, so its an insta-kill!
You sure can do that, any big creature is going to be fun.
I tend to favor creatures that instantly win the game though, and reya takes several turns (plus requires more creatures in your grave) to win you the game. Jin-Gitaxis though generates so much card advantage that it's basically an instant win. Scion of Darkness is likely the weakest link there, bu the fact it can cycle itself (putting itself in the grave) to draw for a reanimation spell is very nice. You can try anything you like in these slots though, that's one of the fun things about decks like reanimator and tooth and nail. You get to play with lots of fun cards, just throw em in and slide out some of the other big targets - trying them till you find which one you like best.
Since we don't know what the major decks in modern are yet, it's impossible to tell what decks will be viable. Sovereigns of Lost Alara was devestating in standard, we broke the FNM circuit for a while (those who were running the deck at least). However, I'm not sure it'll be fast enough for Modern. Modern is going to be trying for turn 4 kills, even earlier... Though actually a Sovereigns deck could probably power that out. A turn 2 Rampant Growth effect, turn 3 Solemn Simulacrum, turn 4 sovereigns and attack with the simulacrum to fetch up an Eldrazi Conscription... That's pretty powerful. Not sure if it'll be able to handle the heat Modern will be packing though.
A hexproof strategy will be great if the other decks are running tons and tons of removal (since many of their cards are basically blanked). I'm guessing lots of removal will be floating around, so that's valuable. However, you couldn't run mono-green - you won't have enough tools to interact with other strategies. You won't have anything to fight the insane combo decks that will be running around.
Frankly, I can't offer any real advice for Modern, since we don't know what it'll look like yet. Sure, people are going to try affinity, gifts ungiven, zoo and all the other classics that are now playable - but we don't know everything we need to about how those decks are going to work against each other. However, running mono-green hexproof will certainly stumble as it just doesn't have enough tools to interact with the opponent. Sovereigns is incredible, but it might not be a strong enough threat... Difficult to tell.
However, the Sovereigns deck won't be too expensive to build (though lands might run you money). Its main pieces are very solid and either inexpensive (like the sovereigns) or staples of many decks (like the lands and birds of paradise), ensuring you can use them in other decks or trade them if want to. At the very least you'll get a cool casual deck. At the best, you'll be playing some modern tournaments.
To practice for tournament play, I recommend doing some drafts or sealed deck. Read up on Limited Information on dailymtg.com. Sure, it isn't constructed but limited tournaments give you the basic feel of playing competitive magic - and give you a chance to win lots of free cards to build your constructed decks too.
*grins* At last, another embraces the beauty that is Melira.
There's another very, very good blue persist creature... One that's a card draw engine (particularly in multiplayer) and here will easily draw you a great many cards.
River Kelpie
This card looks weak but it is not. I've used it in many, many decks - even competitive ones, and it never disappointing. It's a 3 for 1 simply by playing it most times; trading with one creature or removal spell, drawing you a card when it comes back, then trading with another card of the opponent's. When other creatures you have are persisting back, like the faerie archmage or... Well... All of the deck's other critters... You'll can easily get a 4 or 5 for 1. And all the while having a solid blocker.
And of course, in multiplayer the card gets even better.
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Sexy Sig by mchief111 @ Rising Studios
EDH
G Isao
Sounds good. And I want to say, I think the deck will be sweet either way. It's just that Modern is a very vicious beast, it'll be full of all the nastiest (not-bannded) aggression, control and combos since mirrodin! I'll definitely be brewing up decks for it when it comes, but since we don't know what it looks like yet it's hard to judge what'll work.
If you post your deck idea, I'll be happy to take a look at it. You might want to consider Angelic Destiny too actually. Most of the best hexproof creatures cost 3-4 mana - so more expensive auras make sense too.
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Thanks for the thankyou.
Now, let's fly off to Steel Sphinx Land and ride the silver winds of Esper!
First, let's look at the Sphinxes (Sphinxi?). A quick search of gatherer shows several powerhouses.
snip
Nice, nice cards. Sphinx Summoner and find you any artifact creature while soaring as a 3/3 flier. Sharumn can grab any huge artifact from your graveyard to make a 2-for-1 the moment he hits play. And Sphinx of the Steel Wind? Well... If Akroma went heavy metal, she might be jammin' something like this.
Now, these aren't the cheapest spells to cast. Whenever you're dealing with such huge creatures you have to figure out how you're going to get them in play before you're dead. Some possible answers are...
It's a Control Deck Silly
Control decks plan to slow the game to a crawl, preventing their opponent from winning long enough for them to power out a huge advantage. Control decks often run a few big finishers to mop things up, outclassing anything the other deck is running. However, since this would really just be a shoe-in for the sphinx (just a big creature in a control deck) it wouldn't embrace the sphinx-filled flavor as much as some of the other options. Certainly would work though.
Step on the Gas
Mana acceleration is another way to go. By running lots of acceleration, you can drop a big guy faster than otherwise, and still not be dead. Artifacts have lots of acceleration, but not quite as reliably as I'd like... And it's a rather simple deck to build. You could certainly go this route, but I think the final option will capture the full flavor of the Sphinxes.
When in doubt, Cheat!
Cheating big creatures into play is a fail-safe way to have fun. I've already written about reanimator in this thread, so let's go for something uniquely Esper...
Boom.
Master Transmuter is absolutely nuts. For a single blue mana she can trade out your Prophetic Prism for a Sphinx of the Steel Wind. At instant speed!
Yeah, that's insane. Far, far too insane.
And it gets better. Let's buy the lovely lady a drink, that's sure to warm her up. But what would the steel gal like best?
snip
Thousand-Year Elixir takes the Transmuter's awesomeness and ratchets it all the way up to eleven. With the Tranmuter being able to use her abilities as if she had haste truly unfair things can happen. Not only can she use it the same turn she comes down, she can also use her ability on herself to return herself to her hand and put herself back into play right away - niftilly doging any enemy's removal. And since she has the elixir powering her, she can do this again and again and again - so long as you have blue mana to power her. The elixir's untap ability just makes things even more degenerate.
So, does this sound like a deck you'd be interested in trying? If so - let me know and I'll get brewing it up.
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Thraximundar Control voltron
Darien, King of Dudes The swarm
Karador, Ghost ChieftainJunk graveyard
Erebos, God of the DeadMy BIG BLACK.......deck
Zedruu the kindhearted My take on Pristaxcontrombmodruu!
Roon of the Hidden Realm Bounce house
What about using Sundial of the Infinite? I love this card and am looking forward to any ideas you may have.
For a change from other decks that have been made with this card, please focus on multiplayer.
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