Stoutarm and You
Brion Stoutarm is definitely a sound Commander. A 4/4 Lifelinking guy for 2RW with a dandy ability. You and Mr. Stoutarm will get along just fine if you:
1. Like picturing him throwing enormous creatures at your opponents.
2. Enjoy mischief.
3. Take pride in stealing an opponents creature and using it against them.
4. Love plotting combos.
You will not get along if you
1. Hate being priority #1.
2. Are afraid you won't always emerge the victor.
3. Don't like Bazaar Trader.
They share a resemblance.
Stoutarm From Conception to Present
Stoutarm was my third EDH deck, and was made just after the Innistrad release. My first two being Experiment Kraj and Zur, the Enchanter, and he was made out of spite. I got him out of a Wal-Mart Triple Pack, he was the promo. There were 5 of him pulled in my playgroup. I stared at him and thought "Ya know what? He's pretty decent. C'Mere buddy." and went to work on him. When I originally set out on this deck it was budgeted, so the deck you will soon see is a massive change of what he used to be. My mindset was "Big creatures with low casting cost." The optimal strategy for throwing something. I soon found out such creatures existed in red, but had drawbacks like Ball Lightning and Ruinous Minotaur. I began to fill the deck with cards like Blood Lust, Brute Force, Threaten-esque spells, and Burn spells. I incorporated combos that I really wanted to happen but I knew would probably never go off. An example is Wall of Torches + Righteousness + Glyph of Destruction and throw. This build worked well and good for a while and then I began to fall in love with the deck and this was promptly accompanied by making it better.
Avacyn Restored release rolled around and I see Malignus. In EDH he's big, and he is a perfect cost. In Multiplayer he can kill off another player easily. Also from this set came Gisela, Blade of Goldnight. I can double damage dealt to opponents and their creatures and halve damage done to me? Yes please. Around this time the deck became quite a threat and I ran into the problem of Stoutarm being removed and becoming increasingly harder to put out. Players efficiently removing my best win condition became a problem. So I slowly modified the deck and turned it into what you see below and it can now run effectively without Stoutarm.
Through his life he has had many friends some that still fight with him and others that retired from the life of theft and murder. Now it's time for a run down of lost friends then we'll move into his current friends.
Fallen Friends
[SPOILER]Blood Lust :I really enjoyed being able to buff anything without the need to be cautious of it dying from the drawback. Screaming Fury Early in Stoutarm's life he enjoyed giving energy boosts to his friends and throwing them. Slowly though he changed his nature and dropped mana pump spells. Brute Force (See above) Fists of Anvil (See above) Firebreathing (See above) Ball Lightning Mr. Ball was a strong ally, but he was demanding. He wanted RRR just to stick around a turn, and if Stoutarm didn't have the RRR to give he whined. Ruinous Minotaur This one left because Stoutarm would never let him attack something about his lands being too precious to him. He was put on guard duty and was eventually tossed right into the enemy. Thunderblust A hard decision with this one. 7/2 Haste and Persist that if he is weaker he has trample. Stoutarm enjoyed throwing him and then swinging with him afterwards. Rage Nimbus This Cloud of Rage stood by Stoutarm and warded off flyers and provoked pesky creatures to swing When the time came it was also thrown (Hah, throwing a cloud.) Shock Good for removing small creatures but soon Stoutarm moved away from starting small fires. Galvanic Blast (See above) Browbeat Stoutarm needed a draw mechanic of some sort. Browbeat offered the ability, but in EDH it never resolved. Faithless Looting Another draw mechanic later replaced by Tibalt. Desperate Ritual In there for short mana bursts, replaced by a Sol Ring. Temporary Insanity A theft spell that was conditional and as time went on Stoutarm changed Unwilling Recruit Like Ball Lightning was demanding on colors. Yes it had a magnificent X ability, but if Stoutarm couldn't scrounge up the 3 R to cast it Recruit just sat there. Vigilance Stoutarm thought it'd be nice to be able to join his comrades in battle and be able to throw one of them after the dust settled. Then he started to be killed off and the vigilance became useless. Righteousness Stoutarm also thought that being defensive could be useful, Righteousness was the ideal card for the job. Block with a buddy pump him and send him on his way. Turn a defense into an offense. Again, when he was removed from the fight Righteousness was not an optimal card Glyph of Destruction Even more conditional than Righteousness. With the very small amount of walls I ran this was not fit for Stoutarm. Hold the Line Another Righteousness, but since Stoutarm very rarely has more than 3 creatures out it was a very bad choice. Kirtar's Wrath When things look bleak Stoutarm doesn't mind wiping down the board, this one could even creature two ghosts to hang around after the wreckage. It was eventually replaced with Planar Cleansing. Crack the Earth Stoutarm didn't like it. Lapse of Certainty Stoutarm believed that counters outside of blue are a rare commodity in EDH and believed it was a good idea to run them. Lapse of Certainty was good, but was very conditional. You better be certain that spell was worth countering. Mana Tithe Another white counter, but as the battle aged Mana Tithe got less and less useful. Wall of Torches Oh, a wall. A 4/1 wall. That's good for blocking and throwing. Also that one combo. Replaced. Slayer's Stronghold A land that can boost a creature and give it haste and vigilance. Stoutarm was a fan, but found it wasn't quite what he needed. Sunglasses of Urza Somewhat good mana fixin'. Stoutarm thought they made him look cool, he was sadly mistaken.[/SPOILER]
Defense of the Heart
You may be asking yourself questions as we move through the mind of Stoutarm like "Why does he run this?" or "What?" and I am here to maybe address some of those before you actually ask for yourself. Also to point out some of his favorites.
[SPOILER][CARD]
Fractured Powerstone[/CARD] One of the top things Stoutarm uses and people ask "Why? Just... Why?" Stoutarm personally enjoys the card and on Turn 1 when he can drop a land (preferably a Mountain) a Sol Ring and then drop this sucker down he feels good. Then turn 2 drops that 2nd mountain and plays Malignus. Skullclamp Stoutarm is always killin' off his buddies, why not benefit from their deaths? Draw two when he throws or recylce a hellspark or spark elemental. Mimic Vat Wanna recur a creature you just threw? Pay 3 and Ta-Da~ you're ready to throw. Pithing Needle Stops threats in their tracks. Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded Stoutarm made friends with arguably the worst Planeswalker thus far. He likes him because he draws cards, and if he manages to get 6 loyalty counters he can even start up an Insurrection. Stoutarm approves. Hounds of Griselbrand Double Striking Undying dog. Mans best friend right here. Stoutarm throws him and he loyaly returns stronger than before. Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker Stoutarms best friend. KJ is everyones friend. Make copies of Sublime Archangel to have a really beefy swing, another Archangel of Strife, Solemn Simulacrum and Sun Titan love this guy. Zealous Conscripts goes Infinite with him. Solemn Simulacrum Solemn Sim is a well needed commodity to a Boros deck. Card draw and mana accel. Stonehewer Giant Stonehewer can swing and search up some weapons to assist in the attack. Throw a Sword of Feast and Famine on a creature that breaks through the defenses. Moltensteel Dragon Use your life to pump this critter. Swing and Fling, You'll gain back a portion of the life you offered up. Immolating Souleater (See above) Bazaar Trader Versatile litte guy. Play politics with him. Give an opponent that much needed mana to get them started and make an ally or volunteer one of your creatures to a player for that block they need. You can also combo him with the theft spells and keep threats forever and use them in ways you see fit. Zealous Conscripts Hasting 3/3 with a theft ability. Perfect. Theft ability hits permanents so it's really fun when you can snag a planeswalker who has been left alone and is ready to bomb. Stoneforge Mystic Search up the proper gear to fit the situation. Serra Ascendant A one drop that in EDH is more than likely a 6/6 jerk. Slumbering Dragon A one drop that is good for throwin' and if you wait long enough he's just good. Charmbreaker Devils A card I feel is only good in EDH, and in Stoutarm he can return those theft spells or a much needed board wipe. His buff ability is also really useful. Hero of Oxid Ridge Stops Chumps. Sublime Archangel Gives nice buffs to the soldier that wants to go out alone. Adarkar Valkyrie Recurs thrown creatures, or creatures that died too early. Also recruits opponents creatures to your side. Stinkdrinker Daredevil Wanna drop Stonehewer for 1WW? How about the Titans for 4? Stoutarm enters for 2. Archangel of Strife Makes games pretty fun, also allows your creatures to be thrown for even more damage. Grab the Reins Theft Spell that has the pro of being an instant and can also be used as removal and damage for 7. Mass Mutiny A mini-insurrection. Seance Recurs creatures just long enough to be thrown. Deathrender Throw it on a Spark Elemental and drop a Serra Avatar or Gisela. Rings of Brighthearth Search up two lands with Arid Mesa, Throw something twice, make two copies with KJ, Search for 2 equipments, equip Sword of Feast and Famine twice! Splinter Twin A KJ-esque card. Teetering Peaks A one-shot buff land Double Strikers approve.
[/SPOILER]
Stoutarm LFG
A few things Stoutarm wants to get his hands on to see how they fit or he just needs.
-Lifegain
-Board Control
-Big Threats
-Combos
-Bazaar Trader
Weaknesses and How to Compensate
-27 Lands. Don't draw attention to yourself. Lay low try not to make mention that you are mana screwed OR make mention that you're mana screwed point out you're not a threat and convince players to attack someone else and quitely try to get your mana situation fixed. Players will be too busy trying to protect themselves they won't have time to worry about you.
-Spot Removal. Black Kills, White Exiles, Green Kills and Enchant/Artifact destruction, Red Burns, and Blue Everything. Try to bait out the removal with something lesser is my best suggestion. Better to lose a Fractured Powerstone over a Sol Ring.
The Match Begins - Multiplayer
When I begin a match with this deck I always remember I'm running 27 lands. Yep, 27. Brief history note: It didn't start this way. It was originally 33 and when I needed to add stuff I couldn't find room and took out lands. This surprisingly runs quite nicely. Since the deck has an average CMC of around 3-4 keeping a 2 land hand is usually pretty good. Early on you kinda just wanna build mana a little bit, if you had a good hand this should happen around turn 2 or 3. In multiplayer you can play to your style a little bit. If you like sitting back and watching your enemies beat each other while you play the pacifist and play low aggression cards and plot a strategy. If you like being aggressive go for it, Stoutarm can handle being aggressive. So around Turn 5 you should be able to drop Malignus, a Titan. Also around turn 5 you should be in the prime position for going infinite with Kiki Jiki, Mirror Breaker or Splinter Twin and Zealous Conscripts. Bazaar Trader and Theft spells are you friends. If you're struggling to get some of your creatures out you can operate this combo on 3 mana. Another way to go is use A theft spell and Path to Exile the creature and fetch up a land to move you along. Be smart about your playing, don't be overly aggressive and run dry of options. Gaining allies can give you the time to build up some resources and threats of your own. Be wary though just because they might be your ally now doesn't mean they will be when you get Serra Avatar out.
The Match Begins - 1v1
The first thing to mention before starting a 1v1 is that you should remove Mass Mutiny and replace it with something in the sideboard. Mass Mutiny is just too expensive and lackluster. Double Cleave is a sound replacement. Your opening hand should look a little different compared to multiplayer. I'd say 3 lands is optimal with a creature and it's definitely keepable. Play the game aggressively, there's only one person you need to worry about so you can't play politics to buy yourself the time needed to get a stable board position. Pressure your opponent and you should do just fine and that match will be interesting.
The Cutting Board
Here is where I will question the loyalty of cards who aren't living up to expectation. I will elaborate on their disappointments and would kindly ask for your input on these cards. It could be your verdict that decides their fate.
This section will keep track of any deck changes I make in Stoutarm's life. My previous method of doin' this looked a bit tacky and it got a little confusing to myself as well so Imma make it look a little plainer and definitely easier to follow.
Just random stats on Average CMC, and other things. Primarily for me, but some people like to know.
[SPOILER]
Average CMC of the deck excluding Stoutarm and Lands: 3.48.
Average CMC of the deck: 2.71.
# of Cards with a CMC of 0: 1
# of Cards with a CMC of 1: 10
# of Cards with a CMC of 2: 12
# of Cards with a CMC of 3: 17
# of Cards with a CMC of 4: 12
# of Cards with a CMC of 5: 9
# of Cards with a CMC of 6: 8
# of Cards with a CMC of 7: 2
# of Cards with a CMC of 8: 1
# of Cards with a CMC of 9: 1
# of Mono Red Cards: 33
# of Mono White Cards: 22
# of Multicolored Cards: 1
# of Colorless Cards: 18[/SPOILER]
Background Info
I started playing Magic in the Zendikar block, which isn't as long as most of the players. I started out playing Standard and found I didn't like the constraints it put on cards and branched into casual vintage magic. I saw EDH being played at a local store and wanted to give it a shot. It is my favorite format and the deck building in this specific format is a lot of fun. I'm also attempting to become a judge at some point in time. That test is treacherous.
In my brion deck, I liked Homura, Human Ascendant a lot. Not only does he really like to be thrown, he also gives all your dudes evasion, makes them harder to kill, and makes them more deadly (both by firebreathing and by the direct power boost).
All that combined is really great. You can attack with guys who are then less likely to be blocked, to die, AND deal more damage. Throwing them becomes more efficient too, since all guys have a higher power. And if you attack, and pump a guy with firebreathing, and throw him afterwards, the firebreathing was basically twice as effective.
While your deck looks quite good, I myself try to avoid mana rocks (save for the very very powerful ones), since they are likely to get destroyed anyway, and are thus just a temporary mana boost, unlike real land fetchers. Not to mention that land fetchers in form of creatures are twice as useful in this deck, being also fodder for brion.
At the same time, I'm never a fan of oblivion ring in commander. The stuff always comes back at the worst moments. Especially when someone plays mass removal, and the only permanent left is the one you actually wanted to get rid of.
Yeah I've looked at Homura before while making a deck for a friend of mine. Completely forgot about him. He is really is a odd legendary, a red creature/enchantment that gives everything flying. If I come across him I will definitely find a place to run him.
In my playgroup there isn't a lot of artifact destruction, so the stones are definitely conditional on your group. Just to bring up something about my sideboard: The Red Elemental Blast and Active Volcano are main decked for me, but that is because in my playgroup someone is always playing blue. Since that is not the case for everyone I put them in the sideboard.
I like O Ring since it can hit any nonland permanent and I generally use it for Commander removal. Though from time to time I do O Ring or Journey to Nowhere my own things the turn before I Planar Cleanse.
Alright then, thanks for your input. I realize my reasonings may be a little narrowsighted and I apologize for that, trying to get out of that stance.
Adding Homura and Spinerock Knoll to LFG.
Was contemplating Mox Opal a little while ago and forgot to put it on LFG. I'm trying to see what I would take out for it, and I'm thinking Fractured Powerstone. Any suggestions?
Here's the thought that struck my mind: Amazing opening hand of A land, sol ring, Mox Opal, Fractured Powerstone/Boros Signet. Turn 1 you can have 2 colored mana to use and on Turn 2 you have 5 mana without another land.
I dunno, maybe I'm too focused on early game mana and this isn't a great idea, but I'd definitely like to test it out.
Got a something new for the Boss today, Heat Shimmer. Another Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker-esque card. That replaced Archangel of Strife for now until I find a more permanent spot for it. I also came across a couple things in binders that I'd like to test out. Chrome Mox and Ajani, Caller of the Pride.
[CARD]
Immolating Souleater[/CARD] proved his worth again today. I was at 39 life with the Boss out. One player had played Gisela, Blade of Goldnight and another player had used a Mind Control -esque card on it. On my turn I pumped Immolating with all but one of my life and I tossed him at the owner of Gisela dealing 40 damage putting me at 41 and removing Gisela from the game.
Got some play with an Angel of Serenity. It wasn't in my deck, but I wrath'd the board and imprinted my opponents onto Mimic Vat. This was a 1v1 and it didn't go well after that. I was able to bounce any threats every turn and take anything I wanted because I had a Bazaar Trader out with Charmbreaker Devils. The match did go on for a good while though, Stoutarm was targeted early on and was expensive to play and my opponent had 224 life. Charmbreaker with the help of many instants and sorceries as well as 2 Sublime Archangels (1 was mine 1 was thefted) was able to hit for about 1/3 of that in one turn. Angel of Serendipity (see what I did there?) will definitely be an amazing addition once I get my hands on one... hopefully a foil one so I don't have to trade for one.
Oh right, I'm foiling this deck. A good bit of it is foiled, mainly low priced cards so I still have a long way to go on that. Maybe I'll post a list of that just so ya'll can take a gander.
Found a new card while organizing my cousin's collection that I want to try out. Shivan Wumpus. 6/6 Trampler for 3R is pretty awesome, and if someone doesn't want you to have him they have to sac a land and he just plops back on top of your library.
Also gonna give Past in Flames a shot. It could definitely be useful givin' everything in my grave flashback for a turn.
Also got an Evangelize to test out and I reacquired my Scythe of the Wretched from a friend. Time to give both some testing and see how they fit. Swaps are noted in the original post.
EDIT: Also got a Reiterate today. Good day for Stoutarm. I've decided it's kinda late and I'm pretty tired. (Holy balls it's actually 3AM where I am) So Imma catch some sleep. I'll spruce up the Original Post in the morning a.k.a. when I wake up.
Alright, the original post is updated and hopefully looks a little better than it did. There was something else I got in addition to the other things I listed in the previous post. Ah right, Rise of the Hobgoblins, Glory of Warfare, and Argentum Armor. I feel the two enchantments could be really nice to main deck and they will definitely have their chance. I think Rise of the Hobgoblins will be a really nice defense mechanism if I'm being flooded by creatures and don't have a board wipe handy.
Argentum Armor is an insanely awesome equipment in my opinion and has earned its place in the main deck. Nothing quite like swinging with a decked out Serra Ascendant and blowing up blockers/threats. Stonehewer Giant makes Argentum so much cheaper to play.
Also I forgot in the previous post to tag this card so I'll do it now. Reiterate
Spirit Loop, double lifelink for brion, also comes back to hand when brion dies.
I used to run it in my original build. Nowadays though Stoutarm doesn't get played by me as often as he used to. Due to being removed constantly the deck doesn't have as large a focus on him.
Your input is definitely appreciated. Lets me know people are looking at it.
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Reiterate has thus far proven its worth in the deck. With a Ruby Medallion out and this and Seething Song in my hand I can build an infinite storm count, which is cool except I'm not running any storm cards. I really only considered copying kill spells with Reiterate but I ended up reiterating Distant Memories and Ponder which proved to be very useful.
Rise of the Hobgoblins got a use and it saved me from death at first, but I still ended up losing so it needs to get some more testing. The death wasn't due to the enchantment it was due to a much needed Planar Cleansing. I had just killed one player and my final opponent (my brother) had a beefed out Hexplate Golem with all types of equipments and a Golem Artisan out. I couldn't block flying so wiping the board was my only option to stall the game a little bit. Held on for a while but I couldn't get the win, ah well.
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This Friday my local store is having an EDH Tournament so I'll post how I do and post the play-by-play for a couple matches. It'll be a 1v1 tournament so no multiplayer stuff, but I'm sure we'll play some casual multiplayer in between rounds or after the tournament.
27 lands is far too few. You should at AT LEAST 10 more lands if you want to consistently hit your 4th land drop.
Yeah that's what I hear, but I have to argue this point. Stoutarm runs exceptionally well with this amount of lands. I would normally run 33, every other EDH I have runs 33-35 lands but not this one. I won't deny that sometimes I am mana screwed, but I'm not a play-to-win player so it doesn't bother me. When I cut lands it was usually okay to cut it like in the instance of Sol Ring. Drop a land for Sol Ring was a perfectly sound decision in my opinion. Ruby Medallion was another one of those decisions, which it was a less plausible one, but I roll with it.
However, Fremen, I challenge you. Find 10 things you would drop for lands, I will consider your decisions and stand by my deck and support my decision, if I cannot completely justify my reasonings for this mana base I will drop the cards in question and add lands. In doing this you WILL alter the shape and feel of my favorite deck I've ever built, but who knows maybe you will alter it in such a way that it will be even better.
The challenge stands, Fremen. It is your decision to accept it. I hope to see a response in the near future.
Fun Fact boys and girls: Stoutarm is running 26 lands. I thought it was 27, but no it's 26. I was very very bored today so I decided to Organize my deck by CMC, Color, and decide on what I could cut and if I would cut it. 26 lands. When did this happen? I have not a clue, but it did and that's what matters.
So here's some random facts about Stoutarm that I will add to the original post. I'll also add "The Cutting Board" as a sub-heading. In it I will list each card that isn't quite living up to expectation and why I am considering it being cut. The final verdict on the card will be represented in the Main Decklist and "Stoutarm Over Time" sub-heading.
Average CMC of the deck excluding Stoutarm and Lands: 3.48.
Average CMC of the deck: 2.71.
# of Cards with a CMC of 0: 1
# of Cards with a CMC of 1: 10
# of Cards with a CMC of 2: 12
# of Cards with a CMC of 3: 17
# of Cards with a CMC of 4: 12
# of Cards with a CMC of 5: 9
# of Cards with a CMC of 6: 8
# of Cards with a CMC of 7: 2
# of Cards with a CMC of 8: 1
# of Cards with a CMC of 9: 1
# of Mono Red Cards: 35
# of Mono White Cards: 20
# of Multicolored Cards: 1
# of Colorless Cards: 18
Well that's all for now. I'll post more random stats in the main post under a new sub-heading.
Edit: Also in doing this I see my difference between red and white cards and that will allow me to adjust my mana base accordingly.
I'll pick up the challenge, if you don't mind. I see your points about the casual setting and part of the nostalgia factor, but I also think that a better land base accounts for a better gaming experience (imo).
Enchantment-based removal is not at its best in EDH because of mass sweepers (like your own Planar Cleansing). Likewise, Pithing Needle is a temporary (and not always ideal) answer which doesn't accomplish much (imho). Mox Opal is kind of risky with only 18 artifacts and won't reliably get you any mana before turn 4 or 5 at best, so I'd rather play a land (which is also sweeper-proof). Rituals are very bad topdecks and are only useful in the very first turns of the game; in EDH however games last much longer and their effectiveness is reduced. Reverberate is a fine card but you already have Reiterate and Wild Ricochet, and imo it's too much redundancy. Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded is a terrible topdeck and very rarely will get to his ultimate, and I don't feel he's worth a deck slot. Dynacharge is a bad Lightning Helix if you use it to pump a fling target or a bad pump spell in general. Doesn't seem EDH-worthy to me.
I'd also reconsider some of the "power" cards you're playing. Sun Titan for example will often miss, since you haven't got that many targets for its ability (you may consider more fetches or things like Soul Snare). I know it's not easy (I know I should cut Yawgmoth's Will from my Jarad deck but I just can't) but playing the best or favorite cards you have doesn't necessarily means a more fun deck to play.
Hope this helps,
SengirVampire
Of course, the challenge is open to anybody. Yesterday while doing my boredom organization I highlighted 5 cards I think I could drop. They were Journey to Nowhere, Tibby, Mox Opal, Dynacharge, and Annihilating Fire. These are things I think I could drop. I will support my deck though and will give insight on to what will happen.
Journey to Nowhere/Oblivion Ring: These two are primarily Commander Removal. So even in the event of a planar cleanse they probably won't get back their Commander, unless they knew they could get rid of the enchantment. So if I would drop either of these it would be Journey, even though it is cheaper to play it isn't as versatile if I do need it to remove something else, even if only temporary. Journey will probably be cut.
Annihilating Fire: Honestly I prefer this over Lightning Bolt which I know sounds stupid, but if I can remove a pesky creature from the game it's worth it. I'm also not a burn player so even the smallest amount of burn like this or Lightning Bolt isn't something I particularly like. I've considered dropping both.
Mox Opal: This was added recently and is being tested, and I do plan to add a few more artifacts, mainly some equips. I'm still going to run this for now until: 1) It proves its worth when I attain those equips or 2) I get a Sacred Foundry. When I get a Foundry or even a Plateau it will take Opal's place.
Pithing Needle: This was in the sideboard, but then I was like "Oh neat! It stops Planeswalker abilities, and Jhoira of the Ghitu!" Jhoira was really the main factor. A friend of mine has a wicked cool Jhoira deck, but if you can shut Jhoira down early on you get time to build up. Like I could drop it, but it comes in handy in my playgroup which doesn't run a lot of artifact removal. The Jhoira deck runs Fury Charm and Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre, though I don't see Ulamog's casting bonus targeting a Pithing Needle. I could go more in depth on this, but I will wait.
Pyretic Ritual: The support for Seething Song and this will be separate. Pyrit usually the first thing people I know attack, so I was prepared for this one. I run it because sometimes that one mana is all you need to get rolling. Also if you -2 Chandra, the Firebrand you get 6 mana at the cost of 2, which is a nice bonus. I could drop it but at the moment it has helped me way too often. Maybe once the mana base gets a little more balanced I could drop it, but for now it stays put.
Seething Song: Better than Pyrit, easily. Again a -2 on Firebrand is an impressive burst of mana. I also came across the infinite storm combo Stoutarm has the other day. While a Ruby Medallion was in play I was holding a Seething Song and Reiterate. With 7 mana you can conintously reiterate the Song over and over. You're right, audience, I don't run any storm cards. I may run some in the future. Seething Song also creates a 3 mana Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker , Zealous Conscripts, Word of Seizing, a played and equipped Sword of Feast and Famine, and various other things. Things that pyrit could not do. Seething Song will more than likely never be removed.
Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded: Ah yes, the worst planeswalker in existence at this point in time. Yeah his draw engine is pretty bad. When he's out I'm not constantly +1ing him to draw an extra card. I usually play him, let him sit. If he becomes a lightning rod for a turn its awesome because they might waste an attack killing him, or a spell. When I am desperately trying to draw a specific card I give him a +1. Trying to draw one card in EDH is pretty hard I'll give you that. In multiplayer games people see Tibalt, laugh, and forget about him. That's how it is in my experience anyway. He could be replaced.
Reverberate: Yeah I'm actually not sure how this got into the main deck. I know it was in the sideboard and it appeared in the main deck one day. I could easily put this back in the sideboard. The only reason I could see this being main decked is because of Jhoira. Running many many Time Warp spells. Yeah, I could see me dropping this out.
Dynacharge: I like this card, throwing it on a double-striker is nice. I don't run as many Strikers as I could, so it is a little lackluster. Yeah it could be dropped.
So in short:
Sitting on "The Cutting Board": Journey to Nowhere, Lightning Bolt, Annihilating Fire, Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded, Reverberate, Dynacharge, and Mox Opal (after some more testing).
Whoo! Alright so Sun Titan may have found a home in the Main Deck. With the addition of Angelic Renewal and Ajani, Caller of the Pride. Two things that he can recur, and one that recur him. I'll update the main post tomorrow when I wake up, but for nows-ies I'll just shoot off some happenings.
Obtained: Angel of Serenity
Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Angelic Renewal
Ajani, Caller of the Pride replaced Lightning Bolt (yep)
Angelic Renewal replaced Reverberate
Angel of Serenity replaced Hero of Oxid Ridge in the side deck. Was end of the night and didn't feel like searching for a main deck spot for it.
Alright cut the things I said I would, unfortunately not for the reasons I said I would. Lands haven't filled their positions yet, but lands will be added.
Evangelize is a much better card than I originally thought. I thought it was just a white more expensive Threaten with the control effect terminating at the end of the turn. Nope, that control spell has no duration, which is awesome. Yeah it's a bit expensive + its buyback cost. Though if I have 9 mana available it could be awesome.
Scythe of the Wretched is on The Cutting Board now. It is a really neat equipment but... it hasn't been doing much of anything when I play it, even Stonehewer Giant doesn't make good use for it since there are better equips I can search up. I also want to recycle this card into the Child of Alara deck I'm making. I personally want to replace the Scythe with a Sword of blah and blah, but I should prolly make this one of my land slots.
Lands are in. 5 more of them. I'll update the main post again tomorrow, as per the usual.
I said I'd do a couple play-by-plays from my matches at the tournament, but it was single elimination one match is the victor. I got wrecked a little harder than I thought I would, I was unprepared to face a straight milling EDH.
After the dust settled in the main tournament (went by quick actually, stompings all around) we played a 3v3 Emperor game. Rolled for teams 3 highest rolls vs 3 lowest. I was the Empy, Stoutarm is REALLY good at being the emperor. He just tosses stuff at the knights. Around turn 6 I tossed a Serra Avatar for 60 at one of the knights, and the other teams Emperor scooped.
After that a 7 person Free-For-All. I had the opportunity to kill somebody on the 3rd turn of the game, but I kinda rolled a die to see who I would kill. That person had a Pongify (love this card). So essentially for this it went:
Turn 1: Plains, pass
Turn 2: Plains, Immolating Souleater, pass
Turn 3: Mountain, Ajani, Caller of the Pride.
The idea was to -3 Ajani give Souleater flying and double strike, pump him 19 times with my life and swing at some poor soul. The poor soul had an adequate response except he killed it before I even bothered to pump.
Later on another player used Bribery on me and searched up my Serra Avatar. At this time I have a Hounds of Griselbrand and Angelic Renewal on my side of the field. His turn comes 'round again and he plays Ajani Vengeant. Using his -2 to helix Hounds, who undies. Then he uses Mortify on Hounds and I sac Angelic Renewal to bring him back and say "I wonder how many kill spells he'll waste on this." He swings, I block, Hounds undies. Hounds retaliates with a Sword of Feast and Famine equipped next turn. Good Boy.
Turns come and go and I get some death combos set up but before they go off something goes wrong, from board wipes to removal of a Sword of Feast and Famine to Phelddagrif giving Hippos. I'm the first to die, followed by the guy to my right who proclaims "I can win on my next turn." when there are 5 people left to go 'round. The game ends and someone emerges victorious.
This game took only 1 1/2 hours, surprisingly. This prolly has better positioning at the start of this story but, whatever. It was Stoutarm v. Scion of the Ur-Dragon v. Phelddagrif v. Cromat v. Szadek, Lord of Secrets v. Momir Vig, Simic Visionary v. I forget, he actually never played his general.
So: Ajani, Caller of the Pride, Angelic Renewal have both earned my appreciation. The main post will be updated tomorrow at some point in time.
I was reading over Arthanuse's Stoutarm Primer out of curiosity. We seem to have different styles for our decks. Our decks have similar set ups. We share big Serra Avatar, our recursion is the same. His seems to focus on flinging his biggies where I have started to move away from that. I still love throwing my creatures, as well as my opponent's. Reading his primer though has given me some ideas for my deck here.
Weathered Wayfarer: This is something I think I could use, if I revert back to my 26-27 land set up this could be very useful. If I stay the same with my new land base this just replaces something I really don't want to drop. It lets me search for any land too and if I have a Rings of Brighthearth out... well you get the idea.
Umezawa's Jitte: I've been looking at this equipment for a while now. Ever since I drafted it in a Cube Draft. It's a really versatile equipment. Buff my creatures for a heavier swing (and possibly a throw if I've played Stoutarm.) Removal and Lifegain also. The latter two can be used even if the Jitte isn't equipped.
Rootborn Defenses: Arthanuse made mention of this. While the populate probably won't do much for me the very cheap mass-indestructibility is great. Also he mentions it can be searched up by Sunforger, which is magnificent.
Mistveil Plains: It's a Plains so it can be searched up with Arid Mesa. As Arth made mention it can put sunforger targets back into my deck. It can also put equipments that I've discarded (thanks to the deck my cousin has made). As well as put Zealous Conscripts back into the deck if he dies before he combos out. I should have one of these around.
Sneak Attack : This card is absolutely awesome. I don't think I'll add it to the deck though. Even writing this post I'm torn on whether I would run it or not. It has an undeniable amount of use. A four mana enchantment that on my next turn could ignite the Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker + Zealous Conscripts combo off just RR. Hmmm... we'll see.
Skip ahead to turn 4. The Mimeoplasm has some fantastic board position, or so it seems. Alara is amassing nothing but lands, Momir is hanging back, and I have Stoutarm played and Immolating Souleater on the field.
The past few turns Mimeo has been beating into Alara and has been keeping one guy back as a blocker. My turn rolls around I drop the Sejiri Steppe I've been holding onto because I didn't want to kill anybody really early on, even though I could have. I call pro-blue on my souleater so I can swing past Mimeo's Treasure Mage. I use 38 life to pump him 19 times. It connects and I lob the souleater at him for the 40th damage. Putting me at 22.
Turns pass and Alara wipes twice. I play Stoneforge Mystic and fetch up a Sword of Feast and Famine (my next card...) and pass. Next turn I drop Zealous Conscripts snag a Sol Ring and drop the sword and neglecting to equip and swing.
On my follow up turn Alara is tapped out and Momir has an Island untapped. Since I'm familiar with the Momir deck I hesitate playing Splinter Twin on Zealous Conscripts to ignite the Infinite combo. The Island could be a Pongify just waiting for a threat. I play Splinter no response and I emerge the victor.
A couple hours later after the draft is over I play another 4 player games against Alara again, Damia, Sage of Stone, and Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind. I get flooded with mana. I took a hand with 4 and draw into a lot. Luckily I had a Sensei's Divining Top, which made me sad every time I saw 3 lands coming up. I played Stoutarm as soon as I was able because it was really my best move. I draw into a Moltensteel Dragon and eye up Alara. On Alara's turn he gains 6 life putting him up to 46, I top and see a Rings of Brighthearth. I sigh and pray everyone taps out and let's me kill him. I make it to my turn and Niv-Mizzet is completely untapped. I play Rings pump Moltensteel 19 times and and throw him twice with Rings. I successfully gain 8 life off the throw and eliminate Alara. I feel bad usually when doing this it feels kind of cheap even though I am very vulnerable when I drop my life total that far. So I offer the ultimatum of "If I get another Phyrexian Breather I'll kill myself with it." I get my Moltensteel reanimated and off myself.
Enemy time: Alara says "That's why I hate combos in EDH. You're now my permanent target no matter what." I kinda titled my head a little at this. It didn't make too much sense to me, if anyone is able to elaborate on this it would be even more appreciated then deck critique. From what I see Combos are a big part of EDH. Stoutarm has a lot of combos, and most, if not all, are easy to deter.
From what I can deduce from my Stoutarm deck: It plays combos that can one-shot people. It has a Voltron aspect, and that's assuming my knowledge of what a Voltron deck is is correct. A deck the gears up a creature and beats in. That seems like a combo deck too in a way. Which.. the Alara deck had. Mirran Crusader suited up with Sword of Fire and Ice and Sword of Light and Shadow
Need to update OP with past stuff, but also need to add Restoration Angel to LFG. I looked at Restoration Angel. Had an ephiphany. It goes Infinite with Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker. It also can be used as a counter in some situations. It has versatility. I think I will definitely run this.
Thought I would offer some thoughts up on your deck since you were kind enough to check out my list.
First of all, you are going a very different (and more competitively viable) direction with your list. From the looks of things you have been removing the emphasis on Brion over time in order to focus on tricked out attacks backed by flings for value. I like how it looks so far, but there are definitely some rough spots that could be fixed fairly easily. I'll list what I think below.
Transcendent Master: There are so many creatures that are better than him available that I just don't see any reason to use him. Personally, I think you should replace him with Figure of Destiny. Some other possible inclusions are Baneslayer Angel or Battlegrace Angel. Chandra Ablaze: A good card but just not worth it in EDH. The +1 is for her strips much needed cards from your hand while her mini-wheel effect off the -2 is just not worth it, the ultimate is irrelevant. I would recommend replacing her with a real wheel effect (Wheel of Fortune or Reforge the Soul). Temple of the False God: This land is just not overly useable in any non-green deck. You are almost never going to be able to use this until turn 5, which means that if you get it in your early turns it leaves you consistently a land behind until it turns on. As to what to replace it with, that is purely on you, land choices tend to be to personal preference.
Rituals (Seething Song, Pyretic Ritual): Replace these both with lands. I don't see anything in your deck that actually warrants the use of rituals (no massive X spells, no storm and no significant mana sinks). Extra lands will grant you more consistent performance from your deck over time while the rituals lend themselves to infrequent luck shots such as T1: Land, Sol Ring; T2: Land, Seething Song, Inferno Titan.
That is all I have for specific card critiques, but I still do have a few suggestions. First, consider adding in Magnetic Theft. It works with Bazaar Trader to permanently take equipment from opponents as well as serves as a great pseudo-threaten effect when you are swinging for a kill. Next, contemplate replacing Sejiri Refuge and Teetering Peaks with other lands that don't ETB tapped. The effects on each of those lands are nice but they encourage you to hoard them until you can get the best results from them, which could be to a detriment at times. My last suggestion is to switch up the removal a bit. Remove Condemn and Mizzium Mortars to add Chaos Warp/Oblation, Afterlife and/or Crib Swap.
PS: Voltron refers to a strategy where the deck is built around powering up your commander for large attacks, winning through commander based damage. Your deck is an aggro deck that leverages the power of R/W combat tricks.
Thought I would offer some thoughts up on your deck since you were kind enough to check out my list.
First of all, you are going a very different (and more competitively viable) direction with your list. From the looks of things you have been removing the emphasis on Brion over time in order to focus on tricked out attacks backed by flings for value. I like how it looks so far, but there are definitely some rough spots that could be fixed fairly easily. I'll list what I think below.
Transcendent Master: There are so many creatures that are better than him available that I just don't see any reason to use him. Personally, I think you should replace him with Figure of Destiny. Some other possible inclusions are Baneslayer Angel or Battlegrace Angel. Chandra Ablaze: A good card but just not worth it in EDH. The +1 is for her strips much needed cards from your hand while her mini-wheel effect off the -2 is just not worth it, the ultimate is irrelevant. I would recommend replacing her with a real wheel effect (Wheel of Fortune or Reforge the Soul). Temple of the False God: This land is just not overly useable in any non-green deck. You are almost never going to be able to use this until turn 5, which means that if you get it in your early turns it leaves you consistently a land behind until it turns on. As to what to replace it with, that is purely on you, land choices tend to be to personal preference.
Rituals (Seething Song, Pyretic Ritual): Replace these both with lands. I don't see anything in your deck that actually warrants the use of rituals (no massive X spells, no storm and no significant mana sinks). Extra lands will grant you more consistent performance from your deck over time while the rituals lend themselves to infrequent luck shots such as T1: Land, Sol Ring; T2: Land, Seething Song, Inferno Titan.
That is all I have for specific card critiques, but I still do have a few suggestions. First, consider adding in Magnetic Theft. It works with Bazaar Trader to permanently take equipment from opponents as well as serves as a great pseudo-threaten effect when you are swinging for a kill. Next, contemplate replacing Sejiri Refuge and Teetering Peaks with other lands that don't ETB tapped. The effects on each of those lands are nice but they encourage you to hoard them until you can get the best results from them, which could be to a detriment at times. My last suggestion is to switch up the removal a bit. Remove Condemn and Mizzium Mortars to add Chaos Warp/Oblation, Afterlife and/or Crib Swap.
PS: Voltron refers to a strategy where the deck is built around powering up your commander for large attacks, winning through commander based damage. Your deck is an aggro deck that leverages the power of R/W combat tricks.
Thanks for the input. Transcendent Master : Yeah I've liked him he's fun to use, but I've definitely been looking to replace 'em and Restoration Angel is prolly going to replace 'em.
Chandra Ablaze: I can definitely see myself replacing her. I've used her bomb a few times early in Stoutarm's life but now she's a threat, and usually dies, as soon as she enters. I might make her a land spot, or something else. I'm not too interested in Reforge the Soul or Wheel of Fortune. So it'll be a land slot or maybe another equipment.
Rits: These always get attacked. I think right now I could replace the Pyrit. I just enjoy their presence all to much. I thought about maybe replacing Pyrit with Priest of Urabrask. It pays for itself and it's a blocker.
Temple of the False God: I don't draw this, at all. This card hasn't been attacked yet, and I have never really thought about it until you mentioned it. So thanks for that. I'd rather have a City of Brass in this spot or an Ancient Tomb.
I really like Magnetic Theft, that's really cool. Unless I'm missing something, Bazaar Trader can't snag the equipment for good. It says "Attach target Equipment to target creature (Control of the equipment doesn't change.)"
I don't mind hoarding lands too much, like I mention the deck is meant to be casual-ish. Winning is fun, but it is in no way my priority.
Imma keep Mizzium Mortars around, but I could drop Condemn. The two I liked the best from your options are Chaos Warp and Crib Swap. All of your options are Instants and are Sunforger-able.
PS: Thank you for clearing that up.
Cutting Board and LFG will be updated. Thanks yet again Arthanuse.
Stoutarm and You
Brion Stoutarm is definitely a sound Commander. A 4/4 Lifelinking guy for 2RW with a dandy ability. You and Mr. Stoutarm will get along just fine if you:
1. Like picturing him throwing enormous creatures at your opponents.
2. Enjoy mischief.
3. Take pride in stealing an opponents creature and using it against them.
4. Love plotting combos.
You will not get along if you
1. Hate being priority #1.
2. Are afraid you won't always emerge the victor.
3. Don't like Bazaar Trader.
They share a resemblance.
Stoutarm was my third EDH deck, and was made just after the Innistrad release. My first two being Experiment Kraj and Zur, the Enchanter, and he was made out of spite. I got him out of a Wal-Mart Triple Pack, he was the promo. There were 5 of him pulled in my playgroup. I stared at him and thought "Ya know what? He's pretty decent. C'Mere buddy." and went to work on him. When I originally set out on this deck it was budgeted, so the deck you will soon see is a massive change of what he used to be. My mindset was "Big creatures with low casting cost." The optimal strategy for throwing something. I soon found out such creatures existed in red, but had drawbacks like Ball Lightning and Ruinous Minotaur. I began to fill the deck with cards like Blood Lust, Brute Force, Threaten-esque spells, and Burn spells. I incorporated combos that I really wanted to happen but I knew would probably never go off. An example is Wall of Torches + Righteousness + Glyph of Destruction and throw. This build worked well and good for a while and then I began to fall in love with the deck and this was promptly accompanied by making it better.
Avacyn Restored release rolled around and I see Malignus. In EDH he's big, and he is a perfect cost. In Multiplayer he can kill off another player easily. Also from this set came Gisela, Blade of Goldnight. I can double damage dealt to opponents and their creatures and halve damage done to me? Yes please. Around this time the deck became quite a threat and I ran into the problem of Stoutarm being removed and becoming increasingly harder to put out. Players efficiently removing my best win condition became a problem. So I slowly modified the deck and turned it into what you see below and it can now run effectively without Stoutarm.
[SPOILER]
1 Brion Stoutarm
Creatures
1 Anger
1 Adarkar Valkyrie
1 Angel of Serenity
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Bazaar Trader
1 Charmbreaker Devils (Foil)
1 Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
1 Grand Abolisher
1 Hoarding Dragon
1 Hounds of Griselbrand
1 Immolating Souleater (Foil)
1 Inferno Titan (Foil)
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker (FTV:L Foil)
1 Malignus (Japanese Foil)
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Moltensteel Dragon (Foil)
1 Priest of Urabrask
1 Reveillark
1 Serra Ascendant
1 Serra Avatar (DotP Promo)
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Stinkdrinker Daredevil
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Stonehewer Giant
1 Sublime Archangel
1 Sun Titan (DotP Foil Promo)
1 Transcendent Master
1 Zealous Conscripts
1 Act of Aggression
1 Grab the Reins
1 Oblation
1 Path to Exile (WPN Foil Promo)
1 Reiterate
1 Rootborn Defenses
1 Seething Song
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Wild Ricochet
1 Word of Seizing (Foil)
Sorceries
1 Act of Treason
1 Blasphemous Act (Foil)
1 Day of Judgment
1 Heat Shimmer
1 Insurrection
1 Mark of Mutiny
1 Mizzium Mortars (Foil)
1 Planar Cleansing (Foil)
1 Threaten
1 Traitorous Blood
1 Traitorous Instinct
1 Angelic Renewal
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Seance (Foil)
1 Splinter Twin
Artifacts
1 Argentum Armor
1 Banshee's Blade
1 Boros Signet
1 Deathrender (Foil)
1 Mimic Vat
1 Sunforger
1 Rings of Brighthearth
1 Ruby Medallion
1 Sculpting Steel
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Skullclamp (Foil)
1 Sol Ring
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Vengeance
1 Sword of War and Peace
Planeswalkers
1 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
1 Chandra, the Firebrand
Land
1 Ancient Amphitheater
1 Arid Mesa
1 Battlefield Forge
1 Boros Garrison (Foil)
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Exotic Orchard
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Rugged Prairie
1 Spinerock Knoll
1 Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion (Foil)
1 Teetering Peaks (Foil)
9 Plains (Foil)
7 Mountain (Foil)
1 Active Volcano
1 Double Cleave]
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Mass Mutiny
1 Past in Flames
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Rise of the Hobgoblins
1 Mox Opal
1 Pithing Needle
1 Scythe of the Wretched
[SPOILER]
1 Condemn
1 Path to Exile
1 Grab the Reins
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Argentum Armor
1 Archon of Justice
1 Heat Shimmer (Legendary Removal)
1 Angel of Serenity
Board Wipe:
1 Blasphemous Act
1 Day of Judgment
1 Planar Cleansing
1 Mizzium Mortars
Mana Rocks:
1 Sol Ring
1 Boros Signet
1 Ruby Medallion
Mana Bursts:
1 Pyretic Ritual
1 Seething Song
1 Argentum Armor
1 Sword of Vengeance
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Deathrender
1 Sunforger
1 Skullclamp
Tutors:
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Stonehewer Giant
1 Sunforger
Thievery:
1 Act of Treason
1 Act of Aggression
1 Threaten
1 Mark of Mutiny
1 Traitorous Blood
1 Traitorous Instinct
1 Insurrection
1 Grab the Reins
1 Zealous Conscripts
1 Grab the Reins
1 Skullclamp
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Chandra Ablaze
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Reiterate
1 Wild Ricochet
1 Chandra, the Firebrand
1 Rings of Brighthearth
1 Heat Shimmer
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Splinter Twin
Recursion:
1 Mimic Vat
1 Sun Titan
1 Reveillark
1 Seance
1 Charmbreaker Devils
1 Adarkar Valkyrie
Through his life he has had many friends some that still fight with him and others that retired from the life of theft and murder. Now it's time for a run down of lost friends then we'll move into his current friends.
Fallen Friends
[SPOILER]Blood Lust :I really enjoyed being able to buff anything without the need to be cautious of it dying from the drawback.
Screaming Fury Early in Stoutarm's life he enjoyed giving energy boosts to his friends and throwing them. Slowly though he changed his nature and dropped mana pump spells.
Brute Force (See above)
Fists of Anvil (See above)
Firebreathing (See above)
Ball Lightning Mr. Ball was a strong ally, but he was demanding. He wanted RRR just to stick around a turn, and if Stoutarm didn't have the RRR to give he whined.
Ruinous Minotaur This one left because Stoutarm would never let him attack something about his lands being too precious to him. He was put on guard duty and was eventually tossed right into the enemy.
Thunderblust A hard decision with this one. 7/2 Haste and Persist that if he is weaker he has trample. Stoutarm enjoyed throwing him and then swinging with him afterwards.
Rage Nimbus This Cloud of Rage stood by Stoutarm and warded off flyers and provoked pesky creatures to swing When the time came it was also thrown (Hah, throwing a cloud.)
Shock Good for removing small creatures but soon Stoutarm moved away from starting small fires.
Galvanic Blast (See above)
Browbeat Stoutarm needed a draw mechanic of some sort. Browbeat offered the ability, but in EDH it never resolved.
Faithless Looting Another draw mechanic later replaced by Tibalt.
Desperate Ritual In there for short mana bursts, replaced by a Sol Ring.
Temporary Insanity A theft spell that was conditional and as time went on Stoutarm changed
Unwilling Recruit Like Ball Lightning was demanding on colors. Yes it had a magnificent X ability, but if Stoutarm couldn't scrounge up the 3 R to cast it Recruit just sat there.
Vigilance Stoutarm thought it'd be nice to be able to join his comrades in battle and be able to throw one of them after the dust settled. Then he started to be killed off and the vigilance became useless.
Righteousness Stoutarm also thought that being defensive could be useful, Righteousness was the ideal card for the job. Block with a buddy pump him and send him on his way. Turn a defense into an offense. Again, when he was removed from the fight Righteousness was not an optimal card
Glyph of Destruction Even more conditional than Righteousness. With the very small amount of walls I ran this was not fit for Stoutarm.
Hold the Line Another Righteousness, but since Stoutarm very rarely has more than 3 creatures out it was a very bad choice.
Kirtar's Wrath When things look bleak Stoutarm doesn't mind wiping down the board, this one could even creature two ghosts to hang around after the wreckage. It was eventually replaced with Planar Cleansing.
Crack the Earth Stoutarm didn't like it.
Lapse of Certainty Stoutarm believed that counters outside of blue are a rare commodity in EDH and believed it was a good idea to run them. Lapse of Certainty was good, but was very conditional. You better be certain that spell was worth countering.
Mana Tithe Another white counter, but as the battle aged Mana Tithe got less and less useful.
Wall of Torches Oh, a wall. A 4/1 wall. That's good for blocking and throwing. Also that one combo. Replaced.
Slayer's Stronghold A land that can boost a creature and give it haste and vigilance. Stoutarm was a fan, but found it wasn't quite what he needed.
Sunglasses of Urza Somewhat good mana fixin'. Stoutarm thought they made him look cool, he was sadly mistaken.[/SPOILER]
Defense of the Heart
You may be asking yourself questions as we move through the mind of Stoutarm like "Why does he run this?" or "What?" and I am here to maybe address some of those before you actually ask for yourself. Also to point out some of his favorites.
[SPOILER][CARD]
Fractured Powerstone[/CARD] One of the top things Stoutarm uses and people ask "Why? Just... Why?" Stoutarm personally enjoys the card and on Turn 1 when he can drop a land (preferably a Mountain) a Sol Ring and then drop this sucker down he feels good. Then turn 2 drops that 2nd mountain and plays Malignus.
Skullclamp Stoutarm is always killin' off his buddies, why not benefit from their deaths? Draw two when he throws or recylce a hellspark or spark elemental.
Mimic Vat Wanna recur a creature you just threw? Pay 3 and Ta-Da~ you're ready to throw.
Pithing Needle Stops threats in their tracks.
Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded Stoutarm made friends with arguably the worst Planeswalker thus far. He likes him because he draws cards, and if he manages to get 6 loyalty counters he can even start up an Insurrection. Stoutarm approves.
Hounds of Griselbrand Double Striking Undying dog. Mans best friend right here. Stoutarm throws him and he loyaly returns stronger than before.
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker Stoutarms best friend. KJ is everyones friend. Make copies of Sublime Archangel to have a really beefy swing, another Archangel of Strife, Solemn Simulacrum and Sun Titan love this guy. Zealous Conscripts goes Infinite with him.
Solemn Simulacrum Solemn Sim is a well needed commodity to a Boros deck. Card draw and mana accel.
Stonehewer Giant Stonehewer can swing and search up some weapons to assist in the attack. Throw a Sword of Feast and Famine on a creature that breaks through the defenses.
Moltensteel Dragon Use your life to pump this critter. Swing and Fling, You'll gain back a portion of the life you offered up.
Immolating Souleater (See above)
Bazaar Trader Versatile litte guy. Play politics with him. Give an opponent that much needed mana to get them started and make an ally or volunteer one of your creatures to a player for that block they need. You can also combo him with the theft spells and keep threats forever and use them in ways you see fit.
Zealous Conscripts Hasting 3/3 with a theft ability. Perfect. Theft ability hits permanents so it's really fun when you can snag a planeswalker who has been left alone and is ready to bomb.
Stoneforge Mystic Search up the proper gear to fit the situation.
Serra Ascendant A one drop that in EDH is more than likely a 6/6 jerk.
Slumbering Dragon A one drop that is good for throwin' and if you wait long enough he's just good.
Charmbreaker Devils A card I feel is only good in EDH, and in Stoutarm he can return those theft spells or a much needed board wipe. His buff ability is also really useful.
Hero of Oxid Ridge Stops Chumps.
Sublime Archangel Gives nice buffs to the soldier that wants to go out alone.
Adarkar Valkyrie Recurs thrown creatures, or creatures that died too early. Also recruits opponents creatures to your side.
Stinkdrinker Daredevil Wanna drop Stonehewer for 1WW? How about the Titans for 4? Stoutarm enters for 2.
Archangel of Strife Makes games pretty fun, also allows your creatures to be thrown for even more damage.
Grab the Reins Theft Spell that has the pro of being an instant and can also be used as removal and damage for 7.
Mass Mutiny A mini-insurrection.
Seance Recurs creatures just long enough to be thrown.
Deathrender Throw it on a Spark Elemental and drop a Serra Avatar or Gisela.
Rings of Brighthearth Search up two lands with Arid Mesa, Throw something twice, make two copies with KJ, Search for 2 equipments, equip Sword of Feast and Famine twice!
Splinter Twin A KJ-esque card.
Teetering Peaks A one-shot buff land Double Strikers approve.
[/SPOILER]
A few things Stoutarm wants to get his hands on to see how they fit or he just needs.
[SPOILER]Sacred Foundry and Plateau
Sword of Light and Shadow
Pearl Medallion
Homura, Human Ascendant
Chrome Mox
Mistveil Plains
Sneak Attack
Umezawa's Jitte
Weathered Wayfarer
Restoration Angel
City of Brass / Ancient Tomb
Chaos Warp
Crib Swap
[/SPOILER]
-Lifegain
-Board Control
-Big Threats
-Combos
-Bazaar Trader
-27 Lands. Don't draw attention to yourself. Lay low try not to make mention that you are mana screwed OR make mention that you're mana screwed point out you're not a threat and convince players to attack someone else and quitely try to get your mana situation fixed. Players will be too busy trying to protect themselves they won't have time to worry about you.
-Spot Removal. Black Kills, White Exiles, Green Kills and Enchant/Artifact destruction, Red Burns, and Blue Everything. Try to bait out the removal with something lesser is my best suggestion. Better to lose a Fractured Powerstone over a Sol Ring.
When I begin a match with this deck I always remember I'm running 27 lands. Yep, 27. Brief history note: It didn't start this way. It was originally 33 and when I needed to add stuff I couldn't find room and took out lands. This surprisingly runs quite nicely. Since the deck has an average CMC of around 3-4 keeping a 2 land hand is usually pretty good. Early on you kinda just wanna build mana a little bit, if you had a good hand this should happen around turn 2 or 3. In multiplayer you can play to your style a little bit. If you like sitting back and watching your enemies beat each other while you play the pacifist and play low aggression cards and plot a strategy. If you like being aggressive go for it, Stoutarm can handle being aggressive. So around Turn 5 you should be able to drop Malignus, a Titan. Also around turn 5 you should be in the prime position for going infinite with Kiki Jiki, Mirror Breaker or Splinter Twin and Zealous Conscripts. Bazaar Trader and Theft spells are you friends. If you're struggling to get some of your creatures out you can operate this combo on 3 mana. Another way to go is use A theft spell and Path to Exile the creature and fetch up a land to move you along. Be smart about your playing, don't be overly aggressive and run dry of options. Gaining allies can give you the time to build up some resources and threats of your own. Be wary though just because they might be your ally now doesn't mean they will be when you get Serra Avatar out.
The first thing to mention before starting a 1v1 is that you should remove Mass Mutiny and replace it with something in the sideboard. Mass Mutiny is just too expensive and lackluster. Double Cleave is a sound replacement. Your opening hand should look a little different compared to multiplayer. I'd say 3 lands is optimal with a creature and it's definitely keepable. Play the game aggressively, there's only one person you need to worry about so you can't play politics to buy yourself the time needed to get a stable board position. Pressure your opponent and you should do just fine and that match will be interesting.
Here is where I will question the loyalty of cards who aren't living up to expectation. I will elaborate on their disappointments and would kindly ask for your input on these cards. It could be your verdict that decides their fate.
[SPOILER]
These 6 cards are on trial on Page 2
Journey to Nowhere CUT
Lightning Bolt CUT
Annihilating Fire CUT
Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded CUT
Reverberate CUT
Dynacharge CUT[/SPOILER]
[SPOILER]
Scythe of the Wretched CUT: It's a nice equipment, but when I've had it on the field it hasn't done much of anything. So I think I'll drop it and run something different.
Temple of the False God CUT
Condemn CUT
Chandra Ablaze CUT
Transcendent Master
This section will keep track of any deck changes I make in Stoutarm's life. My previous method of doin' this looked a bit tacky and it got a little confusing to myself as well so Imma make it look a little plainer and definitely easier to follow.
MAIN DECK Changes
Mox Opal replaced Fractured Powerstone
Heat Shimmer replaced Archangel of Strife
Reiterate replaced Slumbering Dragon
Scythe of the Wretched replaced Hellspark Elemental
Reveillark replaced Spark Elemental
Argentum Armor replaced Transcendent Master
Reverberate replaced Mass Mutiny
Transcendent Master replaced Hero of Oxid Ridge
Forbidden Orchard replaced Exotic Orchard
Ajani, Caller of the Pride replaced Lightning Bolt
Angelic Renewal replaced Reverberate
Shivan Wumpus replaced Dynacharge
Evangelize replaced Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded
Angel of Serenity replaced Journey to Nowhere
Mountain replaced [CARD]Mox Opal
Mountain replaced Pithing Needle
Plains replaced Scythe of the Wretched
Plains replaced Annihilating Fire
Plains replaced
Rootborn Defenses replaced Chandra Ablaze
Spinerock Knoll replaced Windbrisk Heights
Scythe of the Wretched replaced Glory of Warfare
Sculpting Steel replaced Sejiri Steppe
Sword of War and Peace replaced Temple of the False God
Sword of Body and Mind replaced Mountain
Priest of Urabrask replaced Pyretic Ritual
Ancient Amphitheater replaced Mountain
Oblation replaced Condemn
Baneslayer Angel replaced Archon of Justice
Banshee's Blade replaced Sword of Body and Mind
SIDEBOARD Changes
Transcendent Master replaced Grappling Hook
Rise of the Hobgoblins replaced Worldslayer
Mass Mutiny replaced Reverberate
Evangelize replaced Bloodcrazed Neonate
Glory of Warfare replaced Moonsilver Spear
Shivan Wumpus replaced Aegis Angel
Past in Flames replaced Archangel of Strife
Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded replaced Evangelize
Dynacharge replaced Shivan Wumpus
Angel of Serenity replaced Hero of Oxid Ridge
Journey to Nowhere replaced Angel of Serenity
Mox Opal replaced Dynacharge
Pithing Needle replaced Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded
Just random stats on Average CMC, and other things. Primarily for me, but some people like to know.
[SPOILER]
Average CMC of the deck excluding Stoutarm and Lands: 3.48.
Average CMC of the deck: 2.71.
# of Cards with a CMC of 0: 1
# of Cards with a CMC of 1: 10
# of Cards with a CMC of 2: 12
# of Cards with a CMC of 3: 17
# of Cards with a CMC of 4: 12
# of Cards with a CMC of 5: 9
# of Cards with a CMC of 6: 8
# of Cards with a CMC of 7: 2
# of Cards with a CMC of 8: 1
# of Cards with a CMC of 9: 1
# of Mono Red Cards: 33
# of Mono White Cards: 22
# of Multicolored Cards: 1
# of Colorless Cards: 18[/SPOILER]
Background Info
I started playing Magic in the Zendikar block, which isn't as long as most of the players. I started out playing Standard and found I didn't like the constraints it put on cards and branched into casual vintage magic. I saw EDH being played at a local store and wanted to give it a shot. It is my favorite format and the deck building in this specific format is a lot of fun. I'm also attempting to become a judge at some point in time. That test is treacherous.
Yeah I've looked at Homura before while making a deck for a friend of mine. Completely forgot about him. He is really is a odd legendary, a red creature/enchantment that gives everything flying. If I come across him I will definitely find a place to run him.
In my playgroup there isn't a lot of artifact destruction, so the stones are definitely conditional on your group. Just to bring up something about my sideboard: The Red Elemental Blast and Active Volcano are main decked for me, but that is because in my playgroup someone is always playing blue. Since that is not the case for everyone I put them in the sideboard.
I like O Ring since it can hit any nonland permanent and I generally use it for Commander removal. Though from time to time I do O Ring or Journey to Nowhere my own things the turn before I Planar Cleanse.
Alright then, thanks for your input. I realize my reasonings may be a little narrowsighted and I apologize for that, trying to get out of that stance.
Adding Homura and Spinerock Knoll to LFG.
Here's the thought that struck my mind: Amazing opening hand of A land, sol ring, Mox Opal, Fractured Powerstone/Boros Signet. Turn 1 you can have 2 colored mana to use and on Turn 2 you have 5 mana without another land.
I dunno, maybe I'm too focused on early game mana and this isn't a great idea, but I'd definitely like to test it out.
Also got a kill with a Malignus that was Traitorous Blooded then equipped with Sword of Feast and Famine swing hit 22 untap and Grab the Reins second abilify to finish him off. Fun fun.
Kinda saddens me nobody else is given me some input. It really is much apprecoated.
[CARD]
Immolating Souleater[/CARD] proved his worth again today. I was at 39 life with the Boss out. One player had played Gisela, Blade of Goldnight and another player had used a Mind Control -esque card on it. On my turn I pumped Immolating with all but one of my life and I tossed him at the owner of Gisela dealing 40 damage putting me at 41 and removing Gisela from the game.
Oh right, I'm foiling this deck. A good bit of it is foiled, mainly low priced cards so I still have a long way to go on that. Maybe I'll post a list of that just so ya'll can take a gander.
Also gonna give Past in Flames a shot. It could definitely be useful givin' everything in my grave flashback for a turn.
Also got an Evangelize to test out and I reacquired my Scythe of the Wretched from a friend. Time to give both some testing and see how they fit. Swaps are noted in the original post.
EDIT: Also got a Reiterate today. Good day for Stoutarm. I've decided it's kinda late and I'm pretty tired. (Holy balls it's actually 3AM where I am) So Imma catch some sleep. I'll spruce up the Original Post in the morning a.k.a. when I wake up.
Argentum Armor is an insanely awesome equipment in my opinion and has earned its place in the main deck. Nothing quite like swinging with a decked out Serra Ascendant and blowing up blockers/threats. Stonehewer Giant makes Argentum so much cheaper to play.
Also I forgot in the previous post to tag this card so I'll do it now. Reiterate
UWBMerieke, all of your nice things, are mineUWB
WUGJenara, doesnt look like muchWUG
UGNon-French 1v1 EdricUG
I used to run it in my original build. Nowadays though Stoutarm doesn't get played by me as often as he used to. Due to being removed constantly the deck doesn't have as large a focus on him.
Your input is definitely appreciated. Lets me know people are looking at it.
----
Reiterate has thus far proven its worth in the deck. With a Ruby Medallion out and this and Seething Song in my hand I can build an infinite storm count, which is cool except I'm not running any storm cards. I really only considered copying kill spells with Reiterate but I ended up reiterating Distant Memories and Ponder which proved to be very useful.
Rise of the Hobgoblins got a use and it saved me from death at first, but I still ended up losing so it needs to get some more testing. The death wasn't due to the enchantment it was due to a much needed Planar Cleansing. I had just killed one player and my final opponent (my brother) had a beefed out Hexplate Golem with all types of equipments and a Golem Artisan out. I couldn't block flying so wiping the board was my only option to stall the game a little bit. Held on for a while but I couldn't get the win, ah well.
----
This Friday my local store is having an EDH Tournament so I'll post how I do and post the play-by-play for a couple matches. It'll be a 1v1 tournament so no multiplayer stuff, but I'm sure we'll play some casual multiplayer in between rounds or after the tournament.
That's it for now.
Yeah that's what I hear, but I have to argue this point. Stoutarm runs exceptionally well with this amount of lands. I would normally run 33, every other EDH I have runs 33-35 lands but not this one. I won't deny that sometimes I am mana screwed, but I'm not a play-to-win player so it doesn't bother me. When I cut lands it was usually okay to cut it like in the instance of Sol Ring. Drop a land for Sol Ring was a perfectly sound decision in my opinion. Ruby Medallion was another one of those decisions, which it was a less plausible one, but I roll with it.
However, Fremen, I challenge you. Find 10 things you would drop for lands, I will consider your decisions and stand by my deck and support my decision, if I cannot completely justify my reasonings for this mana base I will drop the cards in question and add lands. In doing this you WILL alter the shape and feel of my favorite deck I've ever built, but who knows maybe you will alter it in such a way that it will be even better.
The challenge stands, Fremen. It is your decision to accept it. I hope to see a response in the near future.
I dropped Hero of Oxid Ridge from the deck, he just isn't proving his worth.
So here's some random facts about Stoutarm that I will add to the original post. I'll also add "The Cutting Board" as a sub-heading. In it I will list each card that isn't quite living up to expectation and why I am considering it being cut. The final verdict on the card will be represented in the Main Decklist and "Stoutarm Over Time" sub-heading.
Average CMC of the deck excluding Stoutarm and Lands: 3.48.
Average CMC of the deck: 2.71.
# of Cards with a CMC of 0: 1
# of Cards with a CMC of 1: 10
# of Cards with a CMC of 2: 12
# of Cards with a CMC of 3: 17
# of Cards with a CMC of 4: 12
# of Cards with a CMC of 5: 9
# of Cards with a CMC of 6: 8
# of Cards with a CMC of 7: 2
# of Cards with a CMC of 8: 1
# of Cards with a CMC of 9: 1
# of Mono Red Cards: 35
# of Mono White Cards: 20
# of Multicolored Cards: 1
# of Colorless Cards: 18
Well that's all for now. I'll post more random stats in the main post under a new sub-heading.
Edit: Also in doing this I see my difference between red and white cards and that will allow me to adjust my mana base accordingly.
Of course, the challenge is open to anybody. Yesterday while doing my boredom organization I highlighted 5 cards I think I could drop. They were Journey to Nowhere, Tibby, Mox Opal, Dynacharge, and Annihilating Fire. These are things I think I could drop. I will support my deck though and will give insight on to what will happen.
Journey to Nowhere/Oblivion Ring: These two are primarily Commander Removal. So even in the event of a planar cleanse they probably won't get back their Commander, unless they knew they could get rid of the enchantment. So if I would drop either of these it would be Journey, even though it is cheaper to play it isn't as versatile if I do need it to remove something else, even if only temporary. Journey will probably be cut.
Annihilating Fire: Honestly I prefer this over Lightning Bolt which I know sounds stupid, but if I can remove a pesky creature from the game it's worth it. I'm also not a burn player so even the smallest amount of burn like this or Lightning Bolt isn't something I particularly like. I've considered dropping both.
Mox Opal: This was added recently and is being tested, and I do plan to add a few more artifacts, mainly some equips. I'm still going to run this for now until: 1) It proves its worth when I attain those equips or 2) I get a Sacred Foundry. When I get a Foundry or even a Plateau it will take Opal's place.
Pithing Needle: This was in the sideboard, but then I was like "Oh neat! It stops Planeswalker abilities, and Jhoira of the Ghitu!" Jhoira was really the main factor. A friend of mine has a wicked cool Jhoira deck, but if you can shut Jhoira down early on you get time to build up. Like I could drop it, but it comes in handy in my playgroup which doesn't run a lot of artifact removal. The Jhoira deck runs Fury Charm and Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre, though I don't see Ulamog's casting bonus targeting a Pithing Needle. I could go more in depth on this, but I will wait.
Pyretic Ritual: The support for Seething Song and this will be separate. Pyrit usually the first thing people I know attack, so I was prepared for this one. I run it because sometimes that one mana is all you need to get rolling. Also if you -2 Chandra, the Firebrand you get 6 mana at the cost of 2, which is a nice bonus. I could drop it but at the moment it has helped me way too often. Maybe once the mana base gets a little more balanced I could drop it, but for now it stays put.
Seething Song: Better than Pyrit, easily. Again a -2 on Firebrand is an impressive burst of mana. I also came across the infinite storm combo Stoutarm has the other day. While a Ruby Medallion was in play I was holding a Seething Song and Reiterate. With 7 mana you can conintously reiterate the Song over and over. You're right, audience, I don't run any storm cards. I may run some in the future. Seething Song also creates a 3 mana Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker , Zealous Conscripts, Word of Seizing, a played and equipped Sword of Feast and Famine, and various other things. Things that pyrit could not do. Seething Song will more than likely never be removed.
Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded: Ah yes, the worst planeswalker in existence at this point in time. Yeah his draw engine is pretty bad. When he's out I'm not constantly +1ing him to draw an extra card. I usually play him, let him sit. If he becomes a lightning rod for a turn its awesome because they might waste an attack killing him, or a spell. When I am desperately trying to draw a specific card I give him a +1. Trying to draw one card in EDH is pretty hard I'll give you that. In multiplayer games people see Tibalt, laugh, and forget about him. That's how it is in my experience anyway. He could be replaced.
Reverberate: Yeah I'm actually not sure how this got into the main deck. I know it was in the sideboard and it appeared in the main deck one day. I could easily put this back in the sideboard. The only reason I could see this being main decked is because of Jhoira. Running many many Time Warp spells. Yeah, I could see me dropping this out.
Dynacharge: I like this card, throwing it on a double-striker is nice. I don't run as many Strikers as I could, so it is a little lackluster. Yeah it could be dropped.
So in short:
Sitting on "The Cutting Board": Journey to Nowhere, Lightning Bolt, Annihilating Fire, Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded, Reverberate, Dynacharge, and Mox Opal (after some more testing).
Obtained:
Angel of Serenity
Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Angelic Renewal
Ajani, Caller of the Pride replaced Lightning Bolt (yep)
Angelic Renewal replaced Reverberate
Angel of Serenity replaced Hero of Oxid Ridge in the side deck. Was end of the night and didn't feel like searching for a main deck spot for it.
Right then. Night folks.
Alright cut the things I said I would, unfortunately not for the reasons I said I would. Lands haven't filled their positions yet, but lands will be added.
I swapped an Exotic Orchard for a Forbidden Orchard. The latter guarantees a colored mana where the former does not.
Evangelize is a much better card than I originally thought. I thought it was just a white more expensive Threaten with the control effect terminating at the end of the turn. Nope, that control spell has no duration, which is awesome. Yeah it's a bit expensive + its buyback cost. Though if I have 9 mana available it could be awesome.
Scythe of the Wretched is on The Cutting Board now. It is a really neat equipment but... it hasn't been doing much of anything when I play it, even Stonehewer Giant doesn't make good use for it since there are better equips I can search up. I also want to recycle this card into the Child of Alara deck I'm making. I personally want to replace the Scythe with a Sword of blah and blah, but I should prolly make this one of my land slots.
I said I'd do a couple play-by-plays from my matches at the tournament, but it was single elimination one match is the victor. I got wrecked a little harder than I thought I would, I was unprepared to face a straight milling EDH.
After the dust settled in the main tournament (went by quick actually, stompings all around) we played a 3v3 Emperor game. Rolled for teams 3 highest rolls vs 3 lowest. I was the Empy, Stoutarm is REALLY good at being the emperor. He just tosses stuff at the knights. Around turn 6 I tossed a Serra Avatar for 60 at one of the knights, and the other teams Emperor scooped.
After that a 7 person Free-For-All. I had the opportunity to kill somebody on the 3rd turn of the game, but I kinda rolled a die to see who I would kill. That person had a Pongify (love this card). So essentially for this it went:
Turn 1: Plains, pass
Turn 2: Plains, Immolating Souleater, pass
Turn 3: Mountain, Ajani, Caller of the Pride.
The idea was to -3 Ajani give Souleater flying and double strike, pump him 19 times with my life and swing at some poor soul. The poor soul had an adequate response except he killed it before I even bothered to pump.
Later on another player used Bribery on me and searched up my Serra Avatar. At this time I have a Hounds of Griselbrand and Angelic Renewal on my side of the field. His turn comes 'round again and he plays Ajani Vengeant. Using his -2 to helix Hounds, who undies. Then he uses Mortify on Hounds and I sac Angelic Renewal to bring him back and say "I wonder how many kill spells he'll waste on this." He swings, I block, Hounds undies. Hounds retaliates with a Sword of Feast and Famine equipped next turn. Good Boy.
Turns come and go and I get some death combos set up but before they go off something goes wrong, from board wipes to removal of a Sword of Feast and Famine to Phelddagrif giving Hippos. I'm the first to die, followed by the guy to my right who proclaims "I can win on my next turn." when there are 5 people left to go 'round. The game ends and someone emerges victorious.
This game took only 1 1/2 hours, surprisingly. This prolly has better positioning at the start of this story but, whatever. It was Stoutarm v. Scion of the Ur-Dragon v. Phelddagrif v. Cromat v. Szadek, Lord of Secrets v. Momir Vig, Simic Visionary v. I forget, he actually never played his general.
So: Ajani, Caller of the Pride, Angelic Renewal have both earned my appreciation. The main post will be updated tomorrow at some point in time.
Weathered Wayfarer: This is something I think I could use, if I revert back to my 26-27 land set up this could be very useful. If I stay the same with my new land base this just replaces something I really don't want to drop. It lets me search for any land too and if I have a Rings of Brighthearth out... well you get the idea.
Umezawa's Jitte: I've been looking at this equipment for a while now. Ever since I drafted it in a Cube Draft. It's a really versatile equipment. Buff my creatures for a heavier swing (and possibly a throw if I've played Stoutarm.) Removal and Lifegain also. The latter two can be used even if the Jitte isn't equipped.
Rootborn Defenses: Arthanuse made mention of this. While the populate probably won't do much for me the very cheap mass-indestructibility is great. Also he mentions it can be searched up by Sunforger, which is magnificent.
Mistveil Plains: It's a Plains so it can be searched up with Arid Mesa. As Arth made mention it can put sunforger targets back into my deck. It can also put equipments that I've discarded (thanks to the deck my cousin has made). As well as put Zealous Conscripts back into the deck if he dies before he combos out. I should have one of these around.
Sneak Attack : This card is absolutely awesome. I don't think I'll add it to the deck though. Even writing this post I'm torn on whether I would run it or not. It has an undeniable amount of use. A four mana enchantment that on my next turn could ignite the Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker + Zealous Conscripts combo off just RR. Hmmm... we'll see.
Skip ahead to turn 4. The Mimeoplasm has some fantastic board position, or so it seems. Alara is amassing nothing but lands, Momir is hanging back, and I have Stoutarm played and Immolating Souleater on the field.
The past few turns Mimeo has been beating into Alara and has been keeping one guy back as a blocker. My turn rolls around I drop the Sejiri Steppe I've been holding onto because I didn't want to kill anybody really early on, even though I could have. I call pro-blue on my souleater so I can swing past Mimeo's Treasure Mage. I use 38 life to pump him 19 times. It connects and I lob the souleater at him for the 40th damage. Putting me at 22.
Turns pass and Alara wipes twice. I play Stoneforge Mystic and fetch up a Sword of Feast and Famine (my next card...) and pass. Next turn I drop Zealous Conscripts snag a Sol Ring and drop the sword and neglecting to equip and swing.
On my follow up turn Alara is tapped out and Momir has an Island untapped. Since I'm familiar with the Momir deck I hesitate playing Splinter Twin on Zealous Conscripts to ignite the Infinite combo. The Island could be a Pongify just waiting for a threat. I play Splinter no response and I emerge the victor.
A couple hours later after the draft is over I play another 4 player games against Alara again, Damia, Sage of Stone, and Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind. I get flooded with mana. I took a hand with 4 and draw into a lot. Luckily I had a Sensei's Divining Top, which made me sad every time I saw 3 lands coming up. I played Stoutarm as soon as I was able because it was really my best move. I draw into a Moltensteel Dragon and eye up Alara. On Alara's turn he gains 6 life putting him up to 46, I top and see a Rings of Brighthearth. I sigh and pray everyone taps out and let's me kill him. I make it to my turn and Niv-Mizzet is completely untapped. I play Rings pump Moltensteel 19 times and and throw him twice with Rings. I successfully gain 8 life off the throw and eliminate Alara. I feel bad usually when doing this it feels kind of cheap even though I am very vulnerable when I drop my life total that far. So I offer the ultimatum of "If I get another Phyrexian Breather I'll kill myself with it." I get my Moltensteel reanimated and off myself.
Enemy time: Alara says "That's why I hate combos in EDH. You're now my permanent target no matter what." I kinda titled my head a little at this. It didn't make too much sense to me, if anyone is able to elaborate on this it would be even more appreciated then deck critique. From what I see Combos are a big part of EDH. Stoutarm has a lot of combos, and most, if not all, are easy to deter.
From what I can deduce from my Stoutarm deck: It plays combos that can one-shot people. It has a Voltron aspect, and that's assuming my knowledge of what a Voltron deck is is correct. A deck the gears up a creature and beats in. That seems like a combo deck too in a way. Which.. the Alara deck had. Mirran Crusader suited up with Sword of Fire and Ice and Sword of Light and Shadow
First of all, you are going a very different (and more competitively viable) direction with your list. From the looks of things you have been removing the emphasis on Brion over time in order to focus on tricked out attacks backed by flings for value. I like how it looks so far, but there are definitely some rough spots that could be fixed fairly easily. I'll list what I think below.
Transcendent Master: There are so many creatures that are better than him available that I just don't see any reason to use him. Personally, I think you should replace him with Figure of Destiny. Some other possible inclusions are Baneslayer Angel or Battlegrace Angel.
Chandra Ablaze: A good card but just not worth it in EDH. The +1 is for her strips much needed cards from your hand while her mini-wheel effect off the -2 is just not worth it, the ultimate is irrelevant. I would recommend replacing her with a real wheel effect (Wheel of Fortune or Reforge the Soul).
Temple of the False God: This land is just not overly useable in any non-green deck. You are almost never going to be able to use this until turn 5, which means that if you get it in your early turns it leaves you consistently a land behind until it turns on. As to what to replace it with, that is purely on you, land choices tend to be to personal preference.
Rituals (Seething Song, Pyretic Ritual): Replace these both with lands. I don't see anything in your deck that actually warrants the use of rituals (no massive X spells, no storm and no significant mana sinks). Extra lands will grant you more consistent performance from your deck over time while the rituals lend themselves to infrequent luck shots such as T1: Land, Sol Ring; T2: Land, Seething Song, Inferno Titan.
That is all I have for specific card critiques, but I still do have a few suggestions. First, consider adding in Magnetic Theft. It works with Bazaar Trader to permanently take equipment from opponents as well as serves as a great pseudo-threaten effect when you are swinging for a kill. Next, contemplate replacing Sejiri Refuge and Teetering Peaks with other lands that don't ETB tapped. The effects on each of those lands are nice but they encourage you to hoard them until you can get the best results from them, which could be to a detriment at times. My last suggestion is to switch up the removal a bit. Remove Condemn and Mizzium Mortars to add Chaos Warp/Oblation, Afterlife and/or Crib Swap.
PS: Voltron refers to a strategy where the deck is built around powering up your commander for large attacks, winning through commander based damage. Your deck is an aggro deck that leverages the power of R/W combat tricks.
GW Aggro
EDH:
BUG Damia Landfall
RW [Primer] Brion Stoutarm
R Bosh's Bash
Thanks for the input.
Transcendent Master : Yeah I've liked him he's fun to use, but I've definitely been looking to replace 'em and Restoration Angel is prolly going to replace 'em.
Chandra Ablaze: I can definitely see myself replacing her. I've used her bomb a few times early in Stoutarm's life but now she's a threat, and usually dies, as soon as she enters. I might make her a land spot, or something else. I'm not too interested in Reforge the Soul or Wheel of Fortune. So it'll be a land slot or maybe another equipment.
Rits: These always get attacked. I think right now I could replace the Pyrit. I just enjoy their presence all to much. I thought about maybe replacing Pyrit with Priest of Urabrask. It pays for itself and it's a blocker.
Temple of the False God: I don't draw this, at all. This card hasn't been attacked yet, and I have never really thought about it until you mentioned it. So thanks for that. I'd rather have a City of Brass in this spot or an Ancient Tomb.
I really like Magnetic Theft, that's really cool. Unless I'm missing something, Bazaar Trader can't snag the equipment for good. It says "Attach target Equipment to target creature (Control of the equipment doesn't change.)"
I don't mind hoarding lands too much, like I mention the deck is meant to be casual-ish. Winning is fun, but it is in no way my priority.
Imma keep Mizzium Mortars around, but I could drop Condemn. The two I liked the best from your options are Chaos Warp and Crib Swap. All of your options are Instants and are Sunforger-able.
PS: Thank you for clearing that up.
Cutting Board and LFG will be updated. Thanks yet again Arthanuse.
Also dropped Windbrisk Heights for Spinerock Knoll. I find Windbrisk Heights is usually just exiling something I want because I hardly ever swing with 3+ creatures.