I think the biggest question is what your deck does when Arcades is NOT on the battlefield. I think counterspells and protections are needed to keep Arcades alive since his direction is obvious, or at least have secondary plan like Assault Formation as you noted.
But is there more we could do beyond combat? I wonder if we could add a Clergy or Wizard sub theme that could do tricks behind the walls, like gain life via Angelic Chorus etc and seek Test of Endurance or Felidar Sovereign?
These options in mind, you can play the deck as an aggro deck that has a combo backup plan should things go sour.
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My Commander decks:
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
My friend made a Doran, the Siege Tower for a competitive environment, and it morphed over the years from an aggro deck (losing strategy most of the time) to become a combo deck (had more success), that had little to do with Doran, the Siege Tower in the end. Doran ability was like a Plan D, if all else failed, you might be able to get some attacks in to finish people off.
Even after morphing into a more competitive combo deck, it still got dismantled in the end.
So I fear the same is true for Arcades, the Strategist. The contents of a deck with walls, is beyond weak without Arcades in play.
The other problem is that even in casual environments, because Arcades threatens damage to opponents (via the walls as well), then he will become a target, even if he is the actually the weakest commander at the table. It's the unfortunate laws of the human psyche. Attacking gives opponents an excuse to target what you're doing.
So I agree, you have to come up with a shell that doesn't involve Arcades, the Strategist, but can still function with much of the content being walls.
What are walls good at? Well blocking creatures. So it might be that you can run a number of planewalkers so that your walls are useful for protecting them.
Often the Ajani, Elspeth, Garruk, Nissa, planeswalkers have at least one ability each which involves creature(s) you control, which often goes unused in pure Super Friends decks, as they are mostly creatureless. So I see this is an advantage in a deck that does contain creatures.
So rather than being an offensive deck you can be defensive through the first part of the game. Once your walls are threatening to kill anything they block, then it's hard for your opponents to simply attack without consequence.
But it would have this nice position where you could turn the tables and crunch in for massive damage at some stage.
[EDIT]
I went through the defenders and made a personal list of what I consider playable for a more defensive deck with planewalkers being the secondary theme.
Arcades, Aluren, Cloudstone Curio, Wall of Omens and Wall of Blossoms. Essentially draw your entire deck, respond to one of the draw triggers by casting Mystical Turor for Brain Freeze for the storm count. If you're afraid of decking out, Pursuit of Knowledge or Abundance. No reason to enter combat with this, just turtle and combo out asap.
I guess you could run Rafiq of the Many if you're a fan of the combat step, one of your walls would hit for a ton.
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The "Crazy One", playing casual magic and occasionally dipping his toes into regular play since 1994.
Currently focusing on Pre-Modern (Mono-Black Discard Control) and Modern (Azorious Control, Temur Rhinos).
Find me at the Wizard's Tower in Ottawa every second Saturday afternoons.
Arcades, Aluren, Cloudstone Curio, Wall of Omens and Wall of Blossoms. Essentially draw your entire deck, respond to one of the draw triggers by casting Mystical Turor for Brain Freeze for the storm count. If you're afraid of decking out, Pursuit of Knowledge or Abundance. No reason to enter combat with this, just turtle and combo out asap.
I guess you could run Rafiq of the Many if you're a fan of the combat step, one of your walls would hit for a ton.
I guess the question is why Arcades is needed there? The combo works just fine without him.
OT: #1 Protection. Privileged Position, Asceticism. Things of that nature. Greaves and Boots and Darksteel Plate are solid includes as well. Counters is a secondary option.
#2: Engine. Wall of Omens, Wall of Blossoms, Axebane and Overgrown and Sylvan for crazy mana gen. Fathom Mage is a solid include. Anything that gives your board Vigilence goes a long way. Edric maybe?
#3 Win Con. Turbo beats is a solid plan. You can also throw in a variety of nasty combos.
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Level 1 Judge
"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
You don't call "dying to removal" if the removal is more expensive in resources than the creature. If you have to spend BG (Abrupt Decay), or W + basic land (PtE) to remove a 1G, that is not "dying to removal". Strictly speaking Goyf dies to removal, but actually your removal is dying to Goyf.
Bant Birthing Pod etb with walls instead at the low cmc.
Trading one wall for another wall isn't really worth a Birthing Pod activation since you're not creating a much value in the tutor + tinker from the pod.
My friend made a Doran, the Siege Tower for a competitive environment, and it morphed over the years from an aggro deck (losing strategy most of the time) to become a combo deck (had more success), that had little to do with Doran, the Siege Tower in the end. Doran ability was like a Plan D, if all else failed, you might be able to get some attacks in to finish people off.
Even after morphing into a more competitive combo deck, it still got dismantled in the end.
So I fear the same is true for Arcades, the Strategist. The contents of a deck with walls, is beyond weak without Arcades in play.
The other problem is that even in casual environments, because Arcades threatens damage to opponents (via the walls as well), then he will become a target, even if he is the actually the weakest commander at the table. It's the unfortunate laws of the human psyche. Attacking gives opponents an excuse to target what you're doing.
So I agree, you have to come up with a shell that doesn't involve Arcades, the Strategist, but can still function with much of the content being walls.
What are walls good at? Well blocking creatures. So it might be that you can run a number of planewalkers so that your walls are useful for protecting them.
Often the Ajani, Elspeth, Garruk, Nissa, planeswalkers have at least one ability each which involves creature(s) you control, which often goes unused in pure Super Friends decks, as they are mostly creatureless. So I see this is an advantage in a deck that does contain creatures.
So rather than being an offensive deck you can be defensive through the first part of the game. Once your walls are threatening to kill anything they block, then it's hard for your opponents to simply attack without consequence.
But it would have this nice position where you could turn the tables and crunch in for massive damage at some stage.
[EDIT]
I went through the defenders and made a personal list of what I consider playable for a more defensive deck with planewalkers being the secondary theme.
Bant is an ideal shard for long, grindy, battlecruiser games. Arcades is a quirky way to build a for that type of game. Planeswalkers are the way the go when it comes to that.
or the blue one from Dominaria that does the same thing.
I do believe you mean Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive... But she does have the problem of not being consistently useful with all the creatures Arcades want to use. Not all Defenders have that low a power.
True, but in the terms of walls, most do.
You may also want to look into Seedborn Muse and Awakening to untap your walls. You do damage and then you have big blockers. I am fr less likely to attack a guy with an 8/8 flying blocker as opposed to someone who does not have one.
of course, at the same time. i am also far less likely to attack when someone has an 8/8 flying offender when i need to protect myself.
The Aluren and Cloudstone Curio is a good one for sure. They work nicely independently of each other in this type of deck, and together you can draw your deck with Arcades and any two defenders.
Wall of Kelp price has increased 8 fold since Arcades was spoiled. It is now official the most expensive card from Homelands set, lol.
I think Wall of Kelp is overrated. It has poor stats and it makes walls with worse stats and it has a costly ability and manacost (double uu is no joke in a 3 color deck).
The Aluren and Cloudstone Curio is a good one for sure. They work nicely independently of each other in this type of deck, and together you can draw your deck with Arcades and any two defenders.
Wall of Kelp price has increased 8 fold since Arcades was spoiled. It is now official the most expensive card from Homelands set, lol.
I think Wall of Kelp is overrated. It has poor stats and it makes walls with worse stats and it has a costly ability and manacost (double uu is no joke in a 3 color deck).
I would really not wan to play shield shield sphere first turn. I would want to play it the turn before i play Arcades. that way i have a nice fresh 6/6 or at last a 5/5
Intruder Alarm is also fairly thematic; after you've been attacking with your walls, some intruder showing up makes them alert and ready to defend your territory again.
For bonus points, Drift of Phantasms can search for Intruder Alarm or Axebane Guardian, and is a defender.
Have you guys tried out Wild Pair? I think it's pretty great because lot of walls just have similar stats (mostly 0/4). Using Wall of Blossoms tutor up Wall of Omens lets you draw essentially 5 cards in addition having two under costed beaters.
Angelic Shield has been awesome in in my testing. It's like a seal of removal and a crusade for only UW. It's so flexible.
Slagwurm armor turns any wall in to a behemoth.
Eerie interlude and ghostway can save your team from opposing wrath's and reuse ETB triggers.
Wall of Kelp is decent. It get's better with wall of mulch or seedborne muse effects. The tokens are mostly chumpblockers, but sometimes they get there with Tower Defense.
Wall of Junk is a huge beater for it's cost and can deter many attackers since it kills most creatures it blocks and draws an card with Arcades out.
This deck is just so much fun!
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“I once had an entire race killed just to listen to the rattling of their dried bones as I waded through them.” —Volrath
What's your plan for when arcades isn't out? and I think it also comes down to how hard are you going and your own meta. I'm looking at both the chariot and rolling stones to go into a voltron just so I can pile equipment on wall of junk and attack with it.
What's your plan for when arcades isn't out? and I think it also comes down to how hard are you going and your own meta. I'm looking at both the chariot and rolling stones to go into a voltron just so I can pile equipment on wall of junk and attack with it.
I run Assault Formation as my backup and a gazillion ways of protecting Arcades. In multiplayer you should be able to cast Arcades a time or three and that should be enough.
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“I once had an entire race killed just to listen to the rattling of their dried bones as I waded through them.” —Volrath
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And he's overthrowns Doran, Seige tower for four reasons
1. Unlike any other this one can allow defenders/walls to attack without something like assault formation
2. Blue has better and more defenders/walls than black has
3. And it's not a group hug version of "deals damage equal to toughness rather than power"
4. Every time a defender pops out on to your battlefield with Arcades out you get to draw a card
So with that out of way what can we do to make this wall tribal to maximum levels
Oh flicker can be a subtheme for the consistant draw trigger
But is there more we could do beyond combat? I wonder if we could add a Clergy or Wizard sub theme that could do tricks behind the walls, like gain life via Angelic Chorus etc and seek Test of Endurance or Felidar Sovereign?
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest WUR Voltron Control
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun WU Unblockable Mirror Trickery
Ra's al Ghul (Sidar Kondo) and Face-Down Ninjas
Brudiclad, Token Engineer
Vaevictis (VV2) the Dire Lantern
Rona, Disciple of Gix
Tiana the Auror
Hallar
Ulrich the Politician
Zur the Rebel
Scorpion, Locust, Scarab, Egyptian Gods
O-Kagachi, Mathas, Mairsil
"Non-Tribal" Tribal Generals, Eggs
Alternately, you also have Mnemonic Wall, which opens up Ghostly Flicker shenanigans.
These options in mind, you can play the deck as an aggro deck that has a combo backup plan should things go sour.
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
Jalira, Master Polymorphist | Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder | Bosh, Iron Golem | Ezuri, Renegade Leader
Brago, King Eternal | Oona, Queen of the Fae | Wort, Boggart Auntie | Wort, the Raidmother
Captain Sisay | Rhys, the Redeemed | Trostani, Selesnya's Voice | Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight | Obzedat, Ghost Council | Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind | Vorel of the Hull Clade
Uril, the Miststalker | Prossh, Skyraider of Kher | Nicol Bolas | Progenitus
Ghave, Guru of Spores | Zedruu the Greathearted | Damia, Sage of Stone | Riku of Two Reflections
Even after morphing into a more competitive combo deck, it still got dismantled in the end.
So I fear the same is true for Arcades, the Strategist. The contents of a deck with walls, is beyond weak without Arcades in play.
The other problem is that even in casual environments, because Arcades threatens damage to opponents (via the walls as well), then he will become a target, even if he is the actually the weakest commander at the table. It's the unfortunate laws of the human psyche. Attacking gives opponents an excuse to target what you're doing.
So I agree, you have to come up with a shell that doesn't involve Arcades, the Strategist, but can still function with much of the content being walls.
What are walls good at? Well blocking creatures. So it might be that you can run a number of planewalkers so that your walls are useful for protecting them.
Often the Ajani, Elspeth, Garruk, Nissa, planeswalkers have at least one ability each which involves creature(s) you control, which often goes unused in pure Super Friends decks, as they are mostly creatureless. So I see this is an advantage in a deck that does contain creatures.
So rather than being an offensive deck you can be defensive through the first part of the game. Once your walls are threatening to kill anything they block, then it's hard for your opponents to simply attack without consequence.
But it would have this nice position where you could turn the tables and crunch in for massive damage at some stage.
[EDIT]
I went through the defenders and made a personal list of what I consider playable for a more defensive deck with planewalkers being the secondary theme.
This is 25 defenders so 25% of the deck. Which I feel is probably a healthy number for a deck not looking to go all in.
Second-tier walls that could be played.
This is the list of planewalkers I think best suite the theme of deck.
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
Feather, the Redeemed
Estrid, the Masked
Teshar
Tymna/Ravos
Najeela, Blade-Blossom
Firesong & Sunspeaker
Zur the Enchanter
Lazav, the Multifarious
Ishai+Reyhan
Click images for decks->
-Prime Speaker Vannifar
---------------------Will & Rowan Kenrith
I guess you could run Rafiq of the Many if you're a fan of the combat step, one of your walls would hit for a ton.
Currently focusing on Pre-Modern (Mono-Black Discard Control) and Modern (Azorious Control, Temur Rhinos).
Find me at the Wizard's Tower in Ottawa every second Saturday afternoons.
I guess the question is why Arcades is needed there? The combo works just fine without him.
OT: #1 Protection. Privileged Position, Asceticism. Things of that nature. Greaves and Boots and Darksteel Plate are solid includes as well. Counters is a secondary option.
#2: Engine. Wall of Omens, Wall of Blossoms, Axebane and Overgrown and Sylvan for crazy mana gen. Fathom Mage is a solid include. Anything that gives your board Vigilence goes a long way. Edric maybe?
#3 Win Con. Turbo beats is a solid plan. You can also throw in a variety of nasty combos.
"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
Trading one wall for another wall isn't really worth a Birthing Pod activation since you're not creating a much value in the tutor + tinker from the pod.
Bant is an ideal shard for long, grindy, battlecruiser games. Arcades is a quirky way to build a for that type of game. Planeswalkers are the way the go when it comes to that.
True, but in the terms of walls, most do.
You may also want to look into Seedborn Muse and Awakening to untap your walls. You do damage and then you have big blockers. I am fr less likely to attack a guy with an 8/8 flying blocker as opposed to someone who does not have one.
of course, at the same time. i am also far less likely to attack when someone has an 8/8 flying offender when i need to protect myself.
UB Vela the Night-Clad BUDecklist
WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores GBW
WUBRGThe Ur-DragonWUBRGDecklist
Wall of Kelp price has increased 8 fold since Arcades was spoiled. It is now official the most expensive card from Homelands set, lol.
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
Feather, the Redeemed
Estrid, the Masked
Teshar
Tymna/Ravos
Najeela, Blade-Blossom
Firesong & Sunspeaker
Zur the Enchanter
Lazav, the Multifarious
Ishai+Reyhan
Click images for decks->
-Prime Speaker Vannifar
---------------------Will & Rowan Kenrith
Now Shield Sphere on the other hand...
You really like cloudstone curio don't you.
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WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores GBW
WUBRGThe Ur-DragonWUBRGDecklist
I would really not wan to play shield shield sphere first turn. I would want to play it the turn before i play Arcades. that way i have a nice fresh 6/6 or at last a 5/5
UB Vela the Night-Clad BUDecklist
WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores GBW
WUBRGThe Ur-DragonWUBRGDecklist
Intruder Alarm is also fairly thematic; after you've been attacking with your walls, some intruder showing up makes them alert and ready to defend your territory again.
For bonus points, Drift of Phantasms can search for Intruder Alarm or Axebane Guardian, and is a defender.
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
(Image by totallynotabrony)
On that note I feel like Cowardice could be utilized. You can make this better by using lands that target like, Endless Sands, Yavimaya Hollow, Tower of the Magistrate
It's possible that Crystal Shard and Erratic Portal are options for the deck as well.
Graveyard recursion:
Return to the Ranks
Dusk // Dawn
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
Feather, the Redeemed
Estrid, the Masked
Teshar
Tymna/Ravos
Najeela, Blade-Blossom
Firesong & Sunspeaker
Zur the Enchanter
Lazav, the Multifarious
Ishai+Reyhan
Click images for decks->
-Prime Speaker Vannifar
---------------------Will & Rowan Kenrith
For me, I am brewing something on the lines of infinite mana + walking ballista with combat as plan D.
Modern : Huh?
EDH : UBGW Thrasios / Tymna Combo UBGW // GRW Mayael Big Stuff GRW // GU Edric Timewalkers GU
I really like the return to the ranks suggestion.
I second Drift of phantasms into numerous walls such as wall of denial or cards like eternal witness, eerie interlude, rhystic study,aura shards or spellseeker which can obviously get cyclonic rift, return to the ranksor other removal cards.
Slagwurm armor turns any wall in to a behemoth.
Eerie interlude and ghostway can save your team from opposing wrath's and reuse ETB triggers.
Wall of Kelp is decent. It get's better with wall of mulch or seedborne muse effects. The tokens are mostly chumpblockers, but sometimes they get there with Tower Defense.
Wall of Junk is a huge beater for it's cost and can deter many attackers since it kills most creatures it blocks and draws an card with Arcades out.
This deck is just so much fun!
“I once had an entire race killed just to listen to the rattling of their dried bones as I waded through them.”
—Volrath
And Wakestone Gargoyle
UB Vela the Night-Clad BUDecklist
WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores GBW
WUBRGThe Ur-DragonWUBRGDecklist
All of these are pretty bad.
What's your plan for when arcades isn't out? and I think it also comes down to how hard are you going and your own meta. I'm looking at both the chariot and rolling stones to go into a voltron just so I can pile equipment on wall of junk and attack with it.
There's also an odd combo if i understand correctly between Wall of Caltrops and Wall of Glare
I run Assault Formation as my backup and a gazillion ways of protecting Arcades. In multiplayer you should be able to cast Arcades a time or three and that should be enough.
“I once had an entire race killed just to listen to the rattling of their dried bones as I waded through them.”
—Volrath