The recent release of the Archenemy product themed around Nicol Bolas seemed really exciting, and I do love the concept. Unfortunately, the pre-built decks are fair to awful, especially the three Gatewatch decks. I would love thoughts and advice on editing/recreating the decks to make it more dynamic and fun while still keeping it on-theme. The biggest difference from typical FFA formats is that Bolas will almost always have three opponents, and the Gatewatch should (in theory) be able to help each other out. I've already made some changes to Bolas' deck, though it probably still needs some work. Any thoughts on it and/or the other decks would be most welcomed.
Nicol Bolas - The original deck doesn't need a lot of help, but some cards are fairly anemic. There are also new cards in HOU that fit nicely into the theme that are worth adding. A link to his Schemes.
Gideon - The first altered deck for Gideon just wasn't having enough of an impact on the game. Most creatures didn't survive to do anything until the next turn and even when they did, most couldn't actually swing through Bolas' defenses. This current version focused a bit more on +1/+1 counter synergy, something that Nissa's new deck will also work with. The hope is that Nissa and Gideon combined will continually grow their forces as Chandra picks off the early to mid-game threats. I'm a bit worried the deck isn't focused on the right things at the moment. Time will tell!
Man, this deck is a mess. There's a fairly even split between aggressive creatures and straight up burn, to the point that I think the deck is weakened. I've thought about throwing in Lovisa Coldeyes and just going with a warrior tribal (with each other Gatewatch deck running a warrior sub-theme), as her universal, tribal boost could work really well in Archenemy. Not sure where to go with this one yet. I would love to make it a RB deck just to add the Kaladesh version of Diabolic Tutor, but I don't know if making the deck two colors is worth it.
I have rebuilt this deck very nearly from scratch, based on a sample deck Prid3 posted in his red multiplayer guide. The biggest changes from that template deck were for Chandra's theme (but it's built around her goggles, come on!) and slightly dialing back the amount of damage you'll be doing to your teammates.
Latest thoughts: The toolkit nature of the deck makes piloting it a bit tricky if you're not familiar with it. Chandra did the least last time around, so I'm waiting to test it a few more times before making any changes.
Nissa - Nissa's land-based strategy proved to be too convoluted for the beginner crowd I was playtesting with, and it was just too slow to keep pace with Bolas. I'm updating it to a support and +1/+1 counter based deck both to synergize with Gideon and to keep the team moving forward. Again, this deck might not be focused enough yet, but time will tell.
Thanks for the great post. Its off to a solid start.
I played the original box set twice now. My first play was as Nicol Bolas, and I kept a hand with 3 lands and 5 cards. I never found a red mana source until about turn 7, which was enough to trip me up and the Gatewatch players got me. In my 2nd play, I took the role of Nissa, and the Nicol Bolas player had all their land colors on turn 2, and entirely wrecked us.
When I laid the decks out, I decided that I didnt want to have the Gatewatch rely on Nicolas Bolas stumble on lands in order to have a shot at winning. So I did make a couple of changes to the Nicol Bolas deck (swapped out the dual tapped lands for dual tapped lands +1 life, and added Desecration Demon, which I think is a cool theme and challenge for the Gatewatch), but I swapped out about 12 cards for all 3 Gatewatch decks. I didnt necessarily make them "more powerful" but I made an attempt to make the decks perform more in agreement with what they are trying to do, and what their colors typically lend themselves to. I wanted to add enchantment based control to white (Banishing Light and Faiths Fetters), but Nicol Bolas doesnt really have a way to deal with that, and I didnt want to add enchantment destruction effects to his deck.
I will develop those deck lists, and then post my revisions. My Chandra deck is SOOOOO much better than the stock one, as she now has fast creatures with more low cost burn.
If you divide damage evenly, each deck needs to be able to contribute to about 14 damage to Nicol Bolas each game. Nissa has some big fatties with trample stuff, so with her ramp, thats possible. If you get Gideon, then he can help, but doesnt have a whole lot of other solid options to get him there. The Chandra deck was just too slow in my opinion to get there.
Now I have to playtest the modifications to see how it performs. I kept all of the original cards in their respective boxes (unsleeved) just in case people want to play the original product.
Fun concept, I just dont think it was playtested well enough, and they could have went with more color representative selections, and synergistic cards for the Gatewatch players.
Yeah, the mana base for Nicol is pretty horrible. I'm definitely going to tweak that with whatever I have to improve it. Nothing like playing the ultimate Magic villain and just ending up mana screwed to death. Desecration Demon seems like a fun, casual addition but it might be too easy for the Gatewatch to keep tapped down indefinitely. I've also thought of adding Pyrohemia to his deck as a nice way to control the very creature-heavy opponents he'll be facing.
I'm currently tweaking a deck listed by Prid3 under his red multiplayer guide, "Goggles Control." It definitely needs some tweaks to not also wipe out the other Gatewatch players' (not usually a concern in multiplayer)... and I'm also trying to tweak it a bit more to keep the Chandra theme at the forefront. Haste enablers that can apply to any creature (not just your own) seems strong (Flamekin Village, Hanweir Battlements).
I look forward to seeing what you (and anyone else) has come up with!
Now that I added my decks to tappedout.net, I see some areas that I still need to tweak. This is the first iteration, and I have some plans for adjusting things in the next week or two. However, this is what I am working with right now.
Nicol Bolas (not sure about Thing In The Ice, and need to tweak the lands just a bit more)
Now that I added my decks to tappedout.net, I see some areas that I still need to tweak. This is the first iteration, and I have some plans for adjusting things in the next week or two. However, this is what I am working with right now.
Nicol Bolas (not sure about Thing In The Ice, and need to tweak the lands just a bit more)
As you tweak these decks, my recommendation would be to really focus on what each deck's role is in the fight to defeat Bolas. That's what I'm trying to do anyway. For example, a single counterspell in Nissa's deck is a) unreliable, b) harder to cast UU . Either double down on her deck to include counters or don't have them at all (I'd opt for the latter). For Bolas' deck, you can probably get away with just jamming "Grixis good stuff" as you have done since you'll be aided by the schemes, but I would still recommend focusing his deck a bit. Each spell should have instant board presence. Three players take a turn after you, so if you have to wait to untap for a spell to be effective it is too slow.
Gideon - Going with protection over indestructibility seems like a small flavor miss, but is fine otherwise. Definitely field more Mother of Runes over the one-and-done spells if you can. If you want to keep combat tricks, I would look for spells that say "targetcreature" or "attackingcreatures" rather than "creatures you control." Remember, your board might be wiped, but your teammates might be in a position to attack anyway. In general, modalspells are also really good to have, allowing you (and your team) to adapt a little to Bolas' game-breaking spells.
Nissa - I still feel the UG combination isn't strong enough as is to warrant splashing U. It's a powerful combination of colors, but it's not shining through in the precon or in your current adaptation. In general, I would take a gander at Prid3's Multicolor guide and look at the section for Simic cards. If you want to keep both the Landfall/Land-matters cards and the UG mana base, I would field more cards that helped with manaacceleration and less on marginal control spells and combat tricks. Edric, Spymaster of Trest would be a great boost to your entire team. I cannot see skipping this card if you stick with the Simic colors.
Chandra - I still think this deck is too split between combat damage and burn. I would recommend focusing on burn since you have two meatshields, er.. teammates blocking for you. Again, that's the direction I'm going, but if you want to run a third creature-based deck, I would drop the spells-matter creatures in favor of moreaggressivethreats.
I havent playtested any of the changes so far, so not really sure how its all going to work out yet. I am a little concerned about making the player decks too powerful. Nicol Bolas should feel like a challenge, but a manageable challenge I also want to make the player decks fun, and have some flexibility.
I will play it again in August, then evaluate how the decks are performing, and make alterations at that point.
Gideon - I think he will become impossible to handle if I ramped up indestructibility. I would need to then edit Nicol Bolas deck in order to deal with that mechanic, which I dont think he can right now.
Nissa - It seems as though her lands and ramp are pretty solid, but I think my build might be a little slow with the larger creatures. I was thinking she can be support until she has the lands to conjure the, big fatties.
Chandra - I like the combination of burn and creatures, Honestly, going all out burn isnt something that Nicol Bolas can handle, and I bet Chandra would be able to do about 30 damage too quickly. Some turns, Nicol Bolas isnt doing much, and to have Chandra casting 1-3 cmc cards, she would put a huge dent in his life total by turn 5, which is when Nicol Bolas really starts upping his game.
This is fun to tweak, and I think making initial changes improves the default setup in the box.
Let me know how your deck comes along (I have made a couple of tweaks since the last update, lol).
Well, it took almost a year to get everyone together to playtest these decks. The verdict is in and... the Gatewatch didn't stand a chance. It didn't help that I was able to (using one of the schemes) play both Gideon and Jaya on turn two, but overall it seems like the Gatewatch didn't have enough gas. By the time their decks were coming online, the schemes had catapulted Nicol Bolas into a position where I was able to cast a ludicrous Torment of Hailfire that killed the entire team. Needless to say, the Gatewatch needs some help. My thoughts are to work U back into Nissa's deck and make her the support role. Gideon is also just a little too average and needs to be beefed up to handle the threats Bolas tosses out with ease. Chandra's deck seems fine for the moment, though I'm definitely swapping out Browbeat for Risk Factor as soon as I can get my hands on a copy. Any thoughts on the current set up and what could be done to help the Gatewatch out?
You can find the decklists here : http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/archenemy-nicol-bolas-preview-2017-06-05
Nicol Bolas - The original deck doesn't need a lot of help, but some cards are fairly anemic. There are also new cards in HOU that fit nicely into the theme that are worth adding. A link to his Schemes.
1x Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh
1x Nicol Bolas, the Deceiver
Creatures (19)
1x Baleful Strix
3x Abyssal Gatekeeper
1x Thief of Sanity
1x Solemn Simulacrum
1x Flametongue Kavu
1x Disciple of Bolas
1x Profaner of the Dead
1x Archfiend of Depravity
1x Consuming Aberration
1x Night Incarnate
1x Glorybringer
1x Harvester of Souls
1x Kokusho, the Evening Star
1x Sepulchral Primordial
1x Molten Primordial
1x Overseer of the Damned
3x Innocent Blood
1x Dreadbore
1x Torment of Hailfire
1x Exsanguinate
1x Hour of Devastation
1x Dark Intimations
1x Cruel Ultimatum
1x Blasphemous Act
Artifact (4)
1x Sol Ring
1x Talisman of Indulgence
1x Talisman of Dominance
1x God-Pharaoh's Gift
Enchantment (3)
1x Pyrohemia
1x The Eldest Reborn
1x In Bolas's Clutches
4x Crumbling Necropolis
1x Shadowblood Ridge
1x Darkwater Catacombs
1x Drowned Catacomb
1x Dragonskull Summit
4x Mountain
7x Swamp
4x Island
1x Evolving Wilds
-1 Nightveil Specter
+1 Thief of Sanity
1x Gideon Jura
1x Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants
Creatures (22)
3x Gideon's Lawkeeper
1x Jötun Grunt
2x Oreskos Explorer
2x Ainok Bond-Kin
2x Gideon's Avenger
3x Fiend Hunter
1x Mentor of the Meek
2x Abzan Falconer
2x Abzan Battle Priest
1x Odric, Master Tactician
1x Akroan Horse
1x Lightwielder Paladin
1x Sun Titan
3x Blessed Alliance
3x Valorous Stance
Sorcery (3)
1x Collective Effort
1x Regna's Sanction
1x Tragic Arrogance
Enchantment (3)
1x Together Forever
1x Duelist's Heritage
1x Cathars' Crusade
20x Plains
3x Mistveil Plains
1x Emeria, the Sky Ruin
Latest thoughts: The toolkit nature of the deck makes piloting it a bit tricky if you're not familiar with it. Chandra did the least last time around, so I'm waiting to test it a few more times before making any changes.
1x Chandra, Pyromaster
1x Jaya Ballard
Creatures (11)
1x Grim Lavamancer
2x Young Pyromancer
1x Dualcaster Mage
1x Guttersnipe
1x Chandra's Phoenix
3x Goblin Dark-Dwellers
1x Charmbreaker Devils
1x Inferno Titan
3x Wild Guess
3x Tormenting Voice
2x Cathartic Reunion
1x Pyroclasm
1x Incendiary Flow
1x Impact Resonance
1x Reverberate
1x Increasing Vengeance
1x Collective Defiance
1x Bonus Round
1x Exquisite Firecraft
1x Savage Alliance
1x Risk Factor
1x Heat Shimmer
1x Past in Flames
3x Pyromancer's Goggles
19x Mountain
3x Myriad Landscape
2x Smoldering Spires
-Browbeat
+Risk Factor
1x Nissa, Steward of Elements
1x Jace Beleren
Creatures (21)
2x Zameck Guildmage
2x Fertilid
1x Rhonas the Indomitable
1x Generous Patron
3x Chasm Skulker
1x Pir, Imaginative Rascal
1x Toothy, Imaginary Friend
1x Bramble Sovereign
1x Master Biomancer
2x Forgotten Ancient
2x Herald of Secret Streams
1x Kalonian Hydra
1x Deepglow Skate
1x Prime Speaker Zegana
1x Gladehart Cavalry
2x Vision Skeins
Sorceries (8)
2x The Crowd Goes Wild
2x Open Into Wonder
2x Combo Attack
1x Pir's Whim
1x Nissa's Judgment
Enchantments (3)
1x Hardened Scales
1x Hadana's Climb
1x Curse of Predation
Land (24)
10x Forest
8x Island
2x Simic Growth Chamber
2x Myriad Landscape
1x Novijen, Heart of Progress
1x Reliquary Tower
Archenemy: Nicol Bolas Upgrades
I played the original box set twice now. My first play was as Nicol Bolas, and I kept a hand with 3 lands and 5 cards. I never found a red mana source until about turn 7, which was enough to trip me up and the Gatewatch players got me. In my 2nd play, I took the role of Nissa, and the Nicol Bolas player had all their land colors on turn 2, and entirely wrecked us.
When I laid the decks out, I decided that I didnt want to have the Gatewatch rely on Nicolas Bolas stumble on lands in order to have a shot at winning. So I did make a couple of changes to the Nicol Bolas deck (swapped out the dual tapped lands for dual tapped lands +1 life, and added Desecration Demon, which I think is a cool theme and challenge for the Gatewatch), but I swapped out about 12 cards for all 3 Gatewatch decks. I didnt necessarily make them "more powerful" but I made an attempt to make the decks perform more in agreement with what they are trying to do, and what their colors typically lend themselves to. I wanted to add enchantment based control to white (Banishing Light and Faiths Fetters), but Nicol Bolas doesnt really have a way to deal with that, and I didnt want to add enchantment destruction effects to his deck.
I will develop those deck lists, and then post my revisions. My Chandra deck is SOOOOO much better than the stock one, as she now has fast creatures with more low cost burn.
If you divide damage evenly, each deck needs to be able to contribute to about 14 damage to Nicol Bolas each game. Nissa has some big fatties with trample stuff, so with her ramp, thats possible. If you get Gideon, then he can help, but doesnt have a whole lot of other solid options to get him there. The Chandra deck was just too slow in my opinion to get there.
Now I have to playtest the modifications to see how it performs. I kept all of the original cards in their respective boxes (unsleeved) just in case people want to play the original product.
Fun concept, I just dont think it was playtested well enough, and they could have went with more color representative selections, and synergistic cards for the Gatewatch players.
I'm currently tweaking a deck listed by Prid3 under his red multiplayer guide, "Goggles Control." It definitely needs some tweaks to not also wipe out the other Gatewatch players' (not usually a concern in multiplayer)... and I'm also trying to tweak it a bit more to keep the Chandra theme at the forefront. Haste enablers that can apply to any creature (not just your own) seems strong (Flamekin Village, Hanweir Battlements).
I look forward to seeing what you (and anyone else) has come up with!
Archenemy: Nicol Bolas Upgrades
Now that I added my decks to tappedout.net, I see some areas that I still need to tweak. This is the first iteration, and I have some plans for adjusting things in the next week or two. However, this is what I am working with right now.
Nicol Bolas (not sure about Thing In The Ice, and need to tweak the lands just a bit more)
1x Archfiend of Depravity
1x Baleful Strix
1x Blood Tyrant
2x Bone Picker
1x Deathbringer Regent
1x Desecration Demon
1x Icefall Regent
1x Indulgent Tormentor
1x Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge
1x Keranos, God of Storms
1x Nekusar, the Mindrazer
2x Nightscape Familiar
1x Prognostic Sphinx
1x Scuttling Doom Engine
2x Vampire Nighthawk
1x Bloodfell Caves
4x Crumbling Necropolis
1x Dismal Backwater
1x Dragonskull Summit
1x Drowned Catacomb
1x Evolving Wilds
5x Island
2x Mortuary Mire
3x Mountain
1x Sulfur Falls
5x Swamp
1x Swiftwater Cliffs
Sorcery (6)
1x Cruel Ultimatum
1x Dreadbore
1x Ever After
1x Extract from Darkness
1x Slave of Bolas
1x Sudden Demise
2x Doom Blade
1x Kolaghan's Command
2x Lightning Bolt
2x Reckless Spite
Artifact (2)
2x Obelisk of Grixis
Planeswalker (1)
1x Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
Gideon Jura(This deck is coming together. Not sure if Banishing Priest is going to be too good, and I might have one too many 6 drops).
1x Aegis Angel
2x Aerial Responder
2x Banisher Priest
1x Brimaz, King of Oreskos
1x Fiendslayer Paladin
1x Flickerwisp
2x Gideon's Lawkeeper
1x Grand Abolisher
1x Guardian of the Gateless
1x Imposing Sovereign
1x Jareth, Leonine Titan
1x Lightwielder Paladin
1x Mother of Runes
1x Odric, Master Tactician
1x Precinct Captain
1x Relief Captain
2x Seeker of the Way
1x Sun Titan
1x Suture Priest
1x Vizier of Deferment
1x Brave the Elements
1x Emerge Unscathed
2x Gods Willing
2x Kill Shot
2x Moment of Heroism
Enchantment (2)
1x Grasp of the Hieromancer
1x Honor of the Pure
Planeswalker (1)
1x Gideon Jura
Land (25)
25x Plains
Nissa Revane(Her lands are better now, as well as her ramp, and a few creatures)
1x Forgotten Ancient
1x Greater Sandwurm
1x Horizon Chimera
1x Initiate's Companion
1x Rampaging Baloths
1x Scaled Behemoth
1x Scute Mob
1x Stingerfling Spider
2x Strangleroot Geist
1x Thragtusk
2x Turntimber Basilisk
2x Windrider Eel
1x Woodborn Behemoth
1x Dissolve
1x Press the Advantage
1x Snakeform
2x Sylvan Bounty
1x Vines of the Recluse
2x Vision Skeins
1x Whisk Away
Land (24)
13x Forest
4x Hinterland Harbor
7x Island
Planeswalker (1)
1x Nissa, Worldwaker
1x Cultivate
1x Distortion Strike
1x Explore
1x Hunter's Prowess
1x Kodama's Reach
Enchantment (4)
1x Aqueous Form
1x Burgeoning
1x Dictate of Kruphix
1x Vastwood Zendikon
Artifact (1)
1x Sword of the Animist
Chandra Nalaar(I like where this deck is going. Its designed with a few less lands, a lower mana curve for sure, and more of what red wants to do.)
2x Altac Bloodseeker
1x Avatar of Fury
3x Chandra's Phoenix
1x Dualcaster Mage
1x Grim Lavamancer
2x Guttersnipe
1x Inferno Titan
1x Paragon of Fierce Defiance
2x Pathmaker Initiate
2x Prophetic Flamespeaker
1x Spikeshot Elder
2x Vexing Devil
1x Brute Strength
2x Chandra's Outrage
2x Coordinated Assault
1x Fated Conflagration
2x Magma Jet
1x Searing Blood
2x Searing Spear
Planeswalker (1)
1x Chandra, Pyromaster
Sorcery (3)
1x Crater's Claws
1x Harness by Force
1x Tormenting Voice
21x Mountain
2x Smoldering Spires
Enchantment (2)
2x Hammerhand
Artifact (1)
1x Dragon's Claw
Gideon - Going with protection over indestructibility seems like a small flavor miss, but is fine otherwise. Definitely field more Mother of Runes over the one-and-done spells if you can. If you want to keep combat tricks, I would look for spells that say "target creature" or "attacking creatures" rather than "creatures you control." Remember, your board might be wiped, but your teammates might be in a position to attack anyway. In general, modal spells are also really good to have, allowing you (and your team) to adapt a little to Bolas' game-breaking spells.
1x Suture Priest
1x Guardian of the Gateless
2x Kill Shot
1x Horizon Chimera
1x Initiate's Companion
1x Scaled Behemoth
2x Strangleroot Geist
1x Dissolve
1x Press the Advantage
1x Snakeform
1x Vines of the Recluse
2x Vision Skeins
1x Whisk Away
1x Distortion Strike
1x Aqueous Form
1x Vastwood Zendikon
1x Paragon of Fierce Defiance
2x Pathmaker Initiate
2x Prophetic Flamespeaker
1x Spikeshot Elder
2x Vexing Devil
1x Brute Strength
1x Crater's Claws
1x Harness by Force
1x Dragon's Claw
Archenemy: Nicol Bolas Upgrades
I havent playtested any of the changes so far, so not really sure how its all going to work out yet. I am a little concerned about making the player decks too powerful. Nicol Bolas should feel like a challenge, but a manageable challenge I also want to make the player decks fun, and have some flexibility.
I will play it again in August, then evaluate how the decks are performing, and make alterations at that point.
Gideon - I think he will become impossible to handle if I ramped up indestructibility. I would need to then edit Nicol Bolas deck in order to deal with that mechanic, which I dont think he can right now.
Nissa - It seems as though her lands and ramp are pretty solid, but I think my build might be a little slow with the larger creatures. I was thinking she can be support until she has the lands to conjure the, big fatties.
Chandra - I like the combination of burn and creatures, Honestly, going all out burn isnt something that Nicol Bolas can handle, and I bet Chandra would be able to do about 30 damage too quickly. Some turns, Nicol Bolas isnt doing much, and to have Chandra casting 1-3 cmc cards, she would put a huge dent in his life total by turn 5, which is when Nicol Bolas really starts upping his game.
This is fun to tweak, and I think making initial changes improves the default setup in the box.
Let me know how your deck comes along (I have made a couple of tweaks since the last update, lol).
Archenemy: Nicol Bolas Upgrades