I'm going to attack your dis-inclusion of Linvala. You don't run it to attack generals, you run it to attack everything else. It does hit relevant generals as well (namely arcum, sisay) but it's the rest of the field that Linvala is great against as a toolbox target.
I am not opposed to re-adding Linvala, as she was quite useful on some occasions. She was just the overall least useful of my tutor targets when I was looking for cards to cut.
Would you consider Drogskol Reaver? It's expensive, but good for lifegain and card draw both defensively and offensively. It is also a good target for equipment.
Would you consider Drogskol Reaver? It's expensive, but good for lifegain and card draw both defensively and offensively. It is also a good target for equipment.
Or how about Aura Thief?
I probably won't include it simply because it is very costly. Access to more lifegain would be nice to have, but at 7cc this guy has to compete with real bombs like Consecrated Sphinx and Tidespout Tyrant. Reaver just doesn't quite seem up to snuff.
Aura Thief could be kind of cute... maybe a little too narrow, but an important guy to keep on the "almost" list with the likes of Aven Mindcensor et al.
Quote from Aeas »
Would anything from the spoilers be good in here? Im thinking the new hallowed burial or the angel that prohibits lifeloss payment may be good.
Angel of Glory's Rise is very hard for me to evaluate. I really don't know if it is good or not. It is worth trying, I guess. It may be useful to compare it to Linvala, Keeper of Silence, which keeps rotating in and out of the deck.
You know, I have been seriously considering several of the Miracle spells. We have so much library manipulation that the alternative cost conditions could be met reliably. Terminus, Devastation Tide, Temporal Mastery, and Vanishment are all worth checking out. Maybe not Banishing Stroke, but I don't know yet. I will try these changes a little bit at a time just to see how it goes:
Consider stuff like Return to Dust to deal with the problematic stuff that comes up every now and then? Also, Dosu, I put together your build with a couple AVR cards added. I really like Restoration Angel in here for a number of reasons. She can flash in to stop removal, blink a Nevermaker for some silly blocking tricks during combat, blink a Karmic Guide to recover from a removal topdeck, recharge a Glen Elendra Archmage, get another flashback out of Snapcaster Mage, or synergize with quite a few other creatures in this deck. Last, I toyed around with the miracle cards, and they're very useful in set ups with stuff like Mystical Tutor.
I really like the deck, but I'm not sure I've quite got all the nuts and bolts down. Could you maybe go into the game plan with a little more detail? What I've got so far is the library manipulation and tutor for Tyrant/Sphinx/Rule of Law combo, am I missing something else?
I have made a lot of changes to this deck over the last year. Some of the changes are obvious, and some of the cards I added just because I wanted to experiment with some different card choices and see how they worked in multiplayer. I dont remember my exact decklist from the previous post, so I am going to edit the even-more-out-of-date on in the OP. Here we go!
The curve is much lower and we are better equipped to combat the blue combo menace that runs rampant in my local meta. We also have better graveyard hate in the form of Timetwister and Rest in Peace.
It is still true that if you can stick Isperia and keep swinging, it is hard to lose. I have gotten in enough games with this deck that the game plan is finally becoming clear: jam Sword of Feast and Famine and Consecrated Sphinx harder than anyone else. It is for these reasons that I want to try to squeeze in Misdirection and maybe even Foil. It is fairly common for someone to Clone your C-Sphinx, and while I haven't lost resulting countermagic war yet, it would be a good idea to be more explicitly prepared for it.
I want to continue to develop this deck as a combo breaker that is passable in 1v1 and multiplayer. These are the cards on the short list for inclusion:
Theros finally brings us a good flying dude in Medomai the Ageless. Wow is this card good! Sword of Feast and Famine was already a cornerstone of the deck, and this guy is a tutorable sword that also gets us an extra Isperia attack trigger. Sign me up! And look, we've got a cute little Sphinx trifecta forming the center of the deck now.
Sorry about the double post. But not too sorry, because this deck gets a much needed bump. Any thoughts?
I disagree. It is not worth spending an entire card to get this information. I am already playing every Peek variant, Portent, Memory Lapse, Remand, bounce spells, etc. Between those and just paying close attention to your opponents' plays, if you really need Isperia to trigger on the first hit, you should be good 90-95% of the time.
EDIT: With the number of Derevi decks migrating into the forums, I feel compelled to rename this thread so it is not incorrectly identified as one of the flock.
So Erayo got the banhammer a couple months ago, and since that was the central inspiration for this deck, I am officially retiring Isperia. I'm going to sell the cards and put the money toward something useful, like an engagement ring for my future spouse. Thanks for the input over the years. Wish me luck!
I am not opposed to re-adding Linvala, as she was quite useful on some occasions. She was just the overall least useful of my tutor targets when I was looking for cards to cut.
If I were to re-add Linvala in the future, what do you think should get the axe? Mirrorweave? Rite of Replication?
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Or how about Aura Thief?
I probably won't include it simply because it is very costly. Access to more lifegain would be nice to have, but at 7cc this guy has to compete with real bombs like Consecrated Sphinx and Tidespout Tyrant. Reaver just doesn't quite seem up to snuff.
Aura Thief could be kind of cute... maybe a little too narrow, but an important guy to keep on the "almost" list with the likes of Aven Mindcensor et al.
Angel of Glory's Rise is very hard for me to evaluate. I really don't know if it is good or not. It is worth trying, I guess. It may be useful to compare it to Linvala, Keeper of Silence, which keeps rotating in and out of the deck.
You know, I have been seriously considering several of the Miracle spells. We have so much library manipulation that the alternative cost conditions could be met reliably. Terminus, Devastation Tide, Temporal Mastery, and Vanishment are all worth checking out. Maybe not Banishing Stroke, but I don't know yet. I will try these changes a little bit at a time just to see how it goes:
Hallowed Burial --> Terminus
Into the Roil --> Vanishment
Wash Out --> Devastation Tide
Mulldrifter (how good is Divination, btw?) --> Temporal Mastery
I don't know what will happen, but it will be exciting to find out in any case!
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I really like the deck, but I'm not sure I've quite got all the nuts and bolts down. Could you maybe go into the game plan with a little more detail? What I've got so far is the library manipulation and tutor for Tyrant/Sphinx/Rule of Law combo, am I missing something else?
If you suggest a card to add to a deck, suggest one to take out as well.
-Nevermaker
-Stonecloaker
-Capsize
-Evacuation
-Lapse of Certainty
-Mirrorweave
-Submerge (very little green in my meta. At least, green with Forests)
-Hallowed Burial
-Rite of Replication
-Wash Out
-Scroll Rack
-Equilibrium
-Rule of Law
+Aven Mindcensor
+Linvala, Keeper of Silence
+Wipe Away
+Cyclonic Rift
+Terminus
+Spell Pierce
+Spell Snare (lol)
+Mental Misstep (LOL)
+Force of Will
+Trickbind
+Rest in Peace
+Timetwister
+Arcane Laboratory (better than Rule of Law b/c it is blue for FoW)
The curve is much lower and we are better equipped to combat the blue combo menace that runs rampant in my local meta. We also have better graveyard hate in the form of Timetwister and Rest in Peace.
It is still true that if you can stick Isperia and keep swinging, it is hard to lose. I have gotten in enough games with this deck that the game plan is finally becoming clear: jam Sword of Feast and Famine and Consecrated Sphinx harder than anyone else. It is for these reasons that I want to try to squeeze in Misdirection and maybe even Foil. It is fairly common for someone to Clone your C-Sphinx, and while I haven't lost resulting countermagic war yet, it would be a good idea to be more explicitly prepared for it.
I want to continue to develop this deck as a combo breaker that is passable in 1v1 and multiplayer. These are the cards on the short list for inclusion:
Misdirection
Foil
Render Silent
Restoration Angel (for the reasons Captain Salty mentioned)
Draft my Mono-Blue Cube!
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Theros finally brings us a good flying dude in Medomai the Ageless. Wow is this card good! Sword of Feast and Famine was already a cornerstone of the deck, and this guy is a tutorable sword that also gets us an extra Isperia attack trigger. Sign me up! And look, we've got a cute little Sphinx trifecta forming the center of the deck now.
Sorry about the double post. But not too sorry, because this deck gets a much needed bump. Any thoughts?
Draft my Mono-Blue Cube!
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Its sort of a bird. A man-bird. Or Lady Bird.
Draft my Mono-Blue Cube!
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I disagree. It is not worth spending an entire card to get this information. I am already playing every Peek variant, Portent, Memory Lapse, Remand, bounce spells, etc. Between those and just paying close attention to your opponents' plays, if you really need Isperia to trigger on the first hit, you should be good 90-95% of the time.
EDIT: With the number of Derevi decks migrating into the forums, I feel compelled to rename this thread so it is not incorrectly identified as one of the flock.
Draft my Mono-Blue Cube!
lichess.org | chess.com
Draft my Mono-Blue Cube!
lichess.org | chess.com