My friends and I recently started playing Frontier Brawl and I could use some help with deck construction.
I'm a fairly casual player and not the best deck-builder. Previously we played constructed modern exclusively and this was fine because there are endless amounts of Modern decks online, both competitive and budget friendly so I never really had to challenge myself that hard to build a decent deck, but Frontier Brawl is a whole different beast. Seeing as Frontier Brawl isn't a super common format I can't really find an online resource of decks in the format, and that's why I thought I'd come to you folks for guidance.
I'm currently working on two different decks, one is something I put together myself and the other is a legal Brawl deck I found online that I'm trying to edit using Frontier's entire card pool. I could use assistance with both.
The first deck is a Nicol Bolas, the Ravager Deck that I found online for regular brawl that I've made some changes to and think it needs some work. The deck still plays mainly cards in standard and I feel like there are better options available in Frontier, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what comes out, and what goes in.
The second deck I made myself, but would still like some input on. It's an artifact themed deck with Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain as the commander. I also wouldn't mind going for a more Historic approach with more legends and Blackblade Reforged. Also thought Chaos Wand looked pretty fun to play in the deck.
Thank you for the suggestions! I definitely felt like In Bolas's Clutches and River's Rebuke could come out, but was having a hard time figuring out what went in, and I really like the extra discard effects. Fits the Bolas theme well. Building control is not my strong suit especially in a singleton format like Frontier Brawl.
Any general advice for building control in singleton? How many counterspells, removal/burn, hand disruption, card draw?
Any general advice for building control in singleton? How many counterspells, removal/burn, hand disruption, card draw?
The most important thing to focus on in these types of formats is overall card quality. After all, I could say something like "play 4 counterspells" but if your options are unplayable jank then you're not going to win many games following that advice. Would I like to see 4 counterspells in this deck? Sure, but you don't have have access to many good ones. That being said you do have access to fantastic discard (think Arterial Flow) which wins out over bad permission.
For example, other great cards for this deck would be things like Painful Truths and Radiant Flames. Not because you need more card draw or mass removal but because they're objectively powerful cards that will typically meet or exceed your needs.
Any general advice for building control in singleton? How many counterspells, removal/burn, hand disruption, card draw?
The most important thing to focus on in these types of formats is overall card quality. After all, I could say something like "play 4 counterspells" but if your options are unplayable jank then you're not going to win many games following that advice. Would I like to see 4 counterspells in this deck? Sure, but you don't have have access to many good ones. That being said you do have access to fantastic discard (think Arterial Flow) which wins out over bad permission.
For example, other great cards for this deck would be things like Painful Truths and Radiant Flames. Not because you need more card draw or mass removal but because they're objectively powerful cards that will typically meet or exceed your needs.
Thank you. That's actually really helpful. I'm not the best when it comes to identifying a cards individual power, but I think I'm getting better at with time. I realize Frontier Brawl is pretty limiting, but I think that just means I need to redefine what is good as my friends will be playing with the same available card pool therefore our individual decks power should come down to who has built the better deck and who is the better pilot of said deck.
I've kind of started over with my Bolas deck trying to go for as much of a Bolas theme with a discard sub-theme as I can while also choosing powerful cards. I've already included some of your suggestions and now I'm just trying to round out the deck. Think I have 9 slots left and there are a few cards in War of the Spark that I think could have a place in this deck.
That's a bummer about Fell Specterand Raiders' Wake, as there aren't a ton of effects like Liliana's Caress in frontier which is basically what I was going for. I like the other changes as well. Waste Not is fantastic and cutting Gilded Lotus, and Pyramid of the Pantheon helps a lot. I didn't know how crucial a little extra ramp from mana-rocks would be, but this frees up some slots.
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I'm a fairly casual player and not the best deck-builder. Previously we played constructed modern exclusively and this was fine because there are endless amounts of Modern decks online, both competitive and budget friendly so I never really had to challenge myself that hard to build a decent deck, but Frontier Brawl is a whole different beast. Seeing as Frontier Brawl isn't a super common format I can't really find an online resource of decks in the format, and that's why I thought I'd come to you folks for guidance.
I'm currently working on two different decks, one is something I put together myself and the other is a legal Brawl deck I found online that I'm trying to edit using Frontier's entire card pool. I could use assistance with both.
The first deck is a Nicol Bolas, the Ravager Deck that I found online for regular brawl that I've made some changes to and think it needs some work. The deck still plays mainly cards in standard and I feel like there are better options available in Frontier, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what comes out, and what goes in.
1x Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Creatures
1x Kitesail Freebooter
1x Plaguecrafter
1x Hostage Taker
1x Ravenous Chupacabra
1x Doom Whisperer
Instants
1x Syncopate
1x Abrade
1x Cast Down
1x Disdainful Stroke
1x Essence Scatter
1x Mission Briefing
1x Moment of Craving
1x Negate
1x Bedevil
1x Disallow
1x Ionize
1x Chemister's Insight
1x Price of Fame
1x Vraska's Contempt
1x Duress
1x Thought Erasure
1x Cry of the Carnarium
1x Ritual of Soot
1x Hour of Devastation
1x River's Rebuke
Enchantments
1x Search for Azcanta
1x The Eldest Reborn
1x In Bolas's Clutches
Planeswalkers
1x Nicol Bolas, the Deceiver
1x Angrath, the Flame-chained
1x Tezzeret, Artifice Master
1x Ral, Izzet Viceroy
1x Treasure Map
1x Chromatic Lantern
24 Lands
The second deck I made myself, but would still like some input on. It's an artifact themed deck with Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain as the commander. I also wouldn't mind going for a more Historic approach with more legends and Blackblade Reforged. Also thought Chaos Wand looked pretty fun to play in the deck.
1x Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain
Creatures
1x Ornithopter
1x Artificer's Assistant
1x Chief Engineer
1x Reckless Fireweaver
1x Sage of Lat-Nam
1x Foundry Inspector
1x Quicksmith Genius
1x Sai, Master Thopterist
1x Scrap Trawler
1x Thopter Engineer
1x Trophy Mage
1x Jhoira's Familiar
1x Padeem, Consul of Innovation
1x Pia and Kiran Nalaar
1x Traxos, Scourge of Kroog
1x Mishra's Self-Replicator
1x Metalwork Colossus
1x Dramatic Reversal
1x Negate
1x Whir of Invention
1x Paradoxical Outcome
Sorceries
1x Reverse Engineer
Enchantments
1x The Antiquities War
Planeswalkers
1x Saheeli Rai
1x Karn, Scion of Urza
1x Tezzeret, Artifice Master
Artifacts
1x Mox Amber
1x Explosive Apparatus
1x Navigator's Compass
1x Traveler's Amulet
1x Prophetic Prism
1x Inspiring Statuary
1x Izzet Locket
1x Aetherflux Reservoir
1x Gilded Lotus
1x Paradox Engine
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
- Duress, Syncopate, Moment of Craving, Kitesail Freebooter, Thought Erasure, Price of Fame, Tezzeret, Artifice Master, In Bolas's Clutches, River's Rebuke,
Guilds of Ravnica - Commander 2018 - Core 2019 - Battlebond - Dominaria - Rivals of Ixalan - Ixalan - Commander 2017 - Hour of Devastation - Amonket - Aether Revolt - Commander 2016 - Kaladesh - Conspiracy 2 - Eldritch Moon - Shadows Over Innistrad - Oath of the Gatewatch - Commander 2015 - Battle for Zendikar - Magic Origins - Dragons of Tarkir
Green - Blue - Red - White - Gold
Thank you for the suggestions! I definitely felt like In Bolas's Clutches and River's Rebuke could come out, but was having a hard time figuring out what went in, and I really like the extra discard effects. Fits the Bolas theme well. Building control is not my strong suit especially in a singleton format like Frontier Brawl.
Any general advice for building control in singleton? How many counterspells, removal/burn, hand disruption, card draw?
The most important thing to focus on in these types of formats is overall card quality. After all, I could say something like "play 4 counterspells" but if your options are unplayable jank then you're not going to win many games following that advice. Would I like to see 4 counterspells in this deck? Sure, but you don't have have access to many good ones. That being said you do have access to fantastic discard (think Arterial Flow) which wins out over bad permission.
For example, other great cards for this deck would be things like Painful Truths and Radiant Flames. Not because you need more card draw or mass removal but because they're objectively powerful cards that will typically meet or exceed your needs.
Guilds of Ravnica - Commander 2018 - Core 2019 - Battlebond - Dominaria - Rivals of Ixalan - Ixalan - Commander 2017 - Hour of Devastation - Amonket - Aether Revolt - Commander 2016 - Kaladesh - Conspiracy 2 - Eldritch Moon - Shadows Over Innistrad - Oath of the Gatewatch - Commander 2015 - Battle for Zendikar - Magic Origins - Dragons of Tarkir
Green - Blue - Red - White - Gold
Thank you. That's actually really helpful. I'm not the best when it comes to identifying a cards individual power, but I think I'm getting better at with time. I realize Frontier Brawl is pretty limiting, but I think that just means I need to redefine what is good as my friends will be playing with the same available card pool therefore our individual decks power should come down to who has built the better deck and who is the better pilot of said deck.
I've kind of started over with my Bolas deck trying to go for as much of a Bolas theme with a discard sub-theme as I can while also choosing powerful cards. I've already included some of your suggestions and now I'm just trying to round out the deck. Think I have 9 slots left and there are a few cards in War of the Spark that I think could have a place in this deck.
1 Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
1 Fell Specter
1 Nicol Bolas, the Deceiver
1 Chromatic Lantern
1 Hour of Devastation
1 Burglar Rat
1 Pyramid of the Pantheon
1 Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh
1 Dark Intimations
1 Radiant Flames
1 Visage of Bolas
1 The Eldest Reborn
1 Vicious Rumors
1 Raiders' Wake
1 Dreamstealer
1 Plaguecrafter
1 Champion of Wits
1 Supreme Will
1 Abrade
1 Nimble Obstructionist
1 Hostage Taker
1 Ionize
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Bedevil
1 Cast Down
1 Torment of Hailfire
1 Pull from Tomorrow
1 Thought Erasure
1 Blood Crypt
1 Fetid Pools
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
1 Smoldering Marsh
1 Dragonskull Summit
1 Evolving Wilds
3 Mountain
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Sunken Hollow
1 Crypt of the Eternals
3 Swamp
1 Canyon Slough
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Steam Vents
1 Watery Grave
3 Island
Maybeboard
1 Arterial Flow
1 Waste Not
1 Cut // Ribbons
1 Gate to the Afterlife
1 The Scorpion God
1 The Locust God
1 Fraying Omnipotence
1 Patient Rebuilding
1 God-Pharaoh's Gift
1 Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
1 The Scarab God
1 In Bolas's Clutches
1 Bolas's Citadel
1 Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God
1 Commence the Endgame
1 Deliver unto Evil
1 Liliana's Triumph
1 Augur of Bolas
1 Tyrant's Scorn
1 Dreadhorde Invasion
1 Liliana, Dreadhorde General
1 Massacre Girl
1 Neheb, Dreadhorde Champion
Pyramid of the Pantheon is extremely weak and should be cut for Waste Not. That card is busted and needs to be in the maindeck.
Diabolic Tutor is weaker that good draw such as Painful Truths and Chemister's Insight. I would cut Pull from Tomorrow as well to add these back in.
Not a fan of Ionize. I like Disdainful Stroke and Negate though.
Gilded Lotus is better when you have 8+ drops and Nimble Obstructionist isn't great.
Guilds of Ravnica - Commander 2018 - Core 2019 - Battlebond - Dominaria - Rivals of Ixalan - Ixalan - Commander 2017 - Hour of Devastation - Amonket - Aether Revolt - Commander 2016 - Kaladesh - Conspiracy 2 - Eldritch Moon - Shadows Over Innistrad - Oath of the Gatewatch - Commander 2015 - Battle for Zendikar - Magic Origins - Dragons of Tarkir
Green - Blue - Red - White - Gold