Deck history:
This list was brought about by a desire to try out a mono colored strategy in EDH. I was first inspired to try something monocolored after reading splashingblack’s excellent monored thread found here. I was able to play against him on MTGO and after some discussion on monocolored decks and the challenge of trying to develop decks that lie outside of obvious norms, we arrived at monogreen. While I feel I’ve put my own spin on Yeva, Sanity’s_Eclipse and Zephynoir’s lists and discussion were both instrumental in helping me develop the current iteration of this deck.
Deck goals:
The general strategy is to utilize many of green’s ETB creatures for value and to incorporate various bounce or blink elements as a force multiplier. Yeva further enables this strategy by making each of these ETB effects reactionary as well as providing pseudo-haste for many of green’s threats. This is a creature heavy deck, so you might enjoy this list if you like big, quick green creatures that provide value when they come down.
Key components:
*Note that at the time of this writing, most of these sections are in flux as I attempt to tweak the number of cards devoted to each component of the deck.
Card Draw/Filtering:
One of the reasons I have initially kept the bounce package relatively small is through the multitude of green card draw available and included in the deck. Most of these are either ETB effects attached to creatures, or trigger when creatures enter the battlefield. Cards in this section include Elvish Visionary, Regal Force, Mirri’s Guile, Soul of the Harvest, et al.
The rest:
The remainder of the deck is comprised of typical green staples. Oracle of Mul Daya handles ramp, while a similar card in Garruk’s Horde facilitates the large number of creature permanents. Premium threats include Primordial Hydra and Avenger of Zendikar, both of which are very deadly when flashed in at the end of your opponent’s turn. Night Soil is the deck’s only form of graveyard denial, Clinging Mists allows the deck to stall, and Hall of Gemstone provides colored mana denial to multicolored opponents.
Key cards, interactions, and combo potential:
As of 1/18/2013 I have removed Aluren from the list. With no ability to tutor for the combo components, it was too difficult to create a game state where Aluren helped me more than it helped my opponents, and as such it was a dead draw more often than it was helpful. I will keep the below list of potential combos for anyone interested.
This deck has a few opportunities for combo centered on the interaction between Aluren and Cloustone Curio and any two ETB creatures of CMC 3 or less. The following creatures, when paired with another will provide the benefits listed:
Additionally, if you add Earthcraft to any combination of the above, you can produce infinite green mana.
An interesting interaction also lies between Yeva and Arboria. Provided you do not play a land, and only draw and pass the turn, Arboria ensures that you cannot be attacked by your opponents. Yeva circumvents Arboria’s downside by allowing you to play your creatures on your opponent’s turn (which you want to be doing anyway).
Card considerations and omissions:
One thing I’m missing is the ability to sweep the board. Typically, green’s threats are bigger, meaner, and trample, and ground clutter is less of an issue. In my initial testing, it seems more of an issue in this deck that it is for other green decks. Possible solutions include adding artifact based sweepers (Oblivion Stone, Nevinryl’s Disk), adding Overrun effects, or adding more token generation and support.
Final thoughts:
I make no case for being a good deck builder, good magic player, snazzy dresser, and any other glowing character trait you might think of. If anything I’m good at taking feedback to heart, so I would certainly welcome any outside perspective. If you’ve read this far, thanks for taking the time, and I hope this helps you in the same way I was helped in creating it.
This makes the 4th Yeva list on the site, I think. lol ^^
Do note that Yeva's ability only works on Green creatures; I made that mistake with that uncommon Eldrazi reanimater. Only one I see is Duplicant, so just make a note of that.
Perhaps instead of the twin pairs of boots (Greaves and Literal Boots, lol), consider Asceticism. Mass Hexproof for your dudes seems a touch better than protection for just two of them.
Stunted Growth and those kinda cards seem a lot better in 1v1 than multiplayer, unless you're playing Riku.
I'm not a personal fan of Wall of Blossoms, Nightshade Peddler, and Deadwood Treefolk. At least Elvish Visionary can be a relevant creature, considering the whole elf thing lol. Peddler's just a combat trick, and in that case, why not just slam down some fat instead? DwTf is a wonky E. Witness. /shrug
My initial thoughts about your deck and I'm a not a fan of all the spoilers either, but that's your initiative (or not)
Birthing Pod belongs in any green creature based deck. Especially if it has an ETB theme!
Also Spike Weaver seems much better than haze frog and Scavenging Ooze is probably better than Nightsoil (though I understand if it's a budget issue).
Keep in mind that deadwood treefolk has two triggers, and the second one is a "leaves play" as opposed to a "dies", so it triggers even if you exile it. I think its an excellent card.
In addition to birthing pod, try citanul flute. Its also very underrated.
Finally, always top your green creature curve with craterhoof behemoth for the win.
Back from the holidays and with a few games under my belt. First of all, thanks for the feedback!
The biggest worry I have currently is that I don't really have enough to do in the early turns (thus my inclusion of things like Nightshade Peddler), so I'm definitely looking at things like Sakura-Tribe Elder.
@ Sanity: Skyshroud is probably better in the long run and it lowers the curve, so I'll be looking to pick one up. Asceticism's absence from the list was a mental vacation on my part and will certainly find its way into the pile.
Stunted Growth is there because I do play this list 1v1 often enough that it warrants a spot (at least for the time being), and Duplicant is in there because sometimes you just need a Duplicant. The ability to reuse it doesn't hurt either.
@ Volango: Spike Weaver is much better than Haze Frog, so that's an easy swap to make. As to Birthing Pod, I have one sitting in my collection, so I'll give it a spin and see how I like it. Finally, Night Soil is sadly a budgetary choice. Perhaps I'll make the investment if I decide to take the list to the physical realm.
I'll run the list again tonight and then make a few updates and see how she flies. As for now, I'm definitely winning on the back of flashing in big creatures at EoT, but I've gotten the bounce going a few times and it is really nice in grindier games. Haven't managed a combo yet, but its still there.
OK, I hate to gush, but this I had to share. My first game after implementing the above changes, I flashed in Avenger of Zendikar followed by Regal Force at EoT. I put 15 plant tokens into play, drew 17 cards and put a ton of land fetchers into play on my turn for the win.
If this deck has taught me one thing, its that my Timmy side accounts for a larger portion of my playstyle than I originally realized. As I've gotten more games in with this deck I find I care less and less about the combo possibilities, and more about flashing in giant beaters at EOT. I still highly enjoy the value engines (Erratic Portal, Conjuror's Closet, et al), but any time I've seen Aluren I've been less than impressed.
For the time being, I've sided out Aluren on my MTGO version of the deck for Thragtusk, but I'm not sure what the final swap will be. In all honesty, I will probably just wait and see how things shake out in Gatecrash. Sylvan Primordial will certainly be making himself at home here, after all.
How could you forget Timbermare with a bounce effect to reccur it back to your hand every turn. Thus win the game.
Thanks for the feedback, mad_hatter
The main issue I find with Timbermare is in a multiplayer setting. I will be able to get in for 5 damage, but then 3 other players get to untap, while I'm left with a tapped board. Now, the thing that might be interesting is the political implications and how this leaves the other players in a position they may not be ready for.
If I Timbermare with Yeva on the field and pass with open mana, I have the potential to flash in anything. This may deter the player to my left from attacking me and instead get them to focus on the two other players. I'll think on this, but for now I want to see if Thragtusk works out with the bounce effects.
Speaking of lousy, Burgeoning never did very well for me. Either I had the Burgeoning + 3-4 lands in the opener and I prayed for a topdeck to utilize my fast mana (while simultaneously drawing the ire of the table), or I drew it late game and cursed. Sylvan Library is a card that should have already been in the deck, and its already vastly outperformed Burgeoning.
EDIT: I forgot to mention I swapped Deadwood Treefolk for Bellowing Tanglewurm. I noted that the evasion from Champion of Lambholt tended to win games fairly quickly, and I decided I wanted another way to make my team unblockable.
I've never been a fan of Burgeoning, despite all the times that someone in my group manages to drop it on turn one. Without a steady stream of card draw to give you additional lands, it's really only good on turn one, and steadily worse every turn after that. I've been playing Gaea's Touch in my list, and it's been a little better, although you're probably right about Sylvan Library being superior to both. At least you can sacrifice Gaea's Touch after it has done its work.
What about Nim-Deathmantle? I don't play it in most decks because keeping four mana open is rather difficult most of the times but if everything has flash and you can keep all your mana open nearly all of the time I imagine it to be really strong (especially with mana ETB creatures).
What about Nim-Deathmantle? I don't play it in most decks because keeping four mana open is rather difficult most of the times but if everything has flash and you can keep all your mana open nearly all of the time I imagine it to be really strong (especially with mana ETB creatures).
That's a suggestion worth testing, thanks Volango. Now, the eternal question of what to swap out. I think I'll wait until I have a few more games with the current iteration of the deck so I have a better idea where the weakest link is.
One of the aspects that have gone beyond my expectations are the fog effects with Constant Mists and Spike Weaver. I've been quite surprised at how many times my opponents just don't have an answer to repeatable fogs (particularly when I can often bounce the weaver to avoid removal). It gives me time to build up my board and punch through with trample damage or unblockables.
as well as a Silklash Spider which will soon arrive in the mail.
Many of those do stuff like carddraw and non-creature removal which I often want to tutor. Stampeding Wildebeests is also strictly better than Roaring Primadox.
Running a Beast tracker and Wildebeests alongside Primadox will greatly improve your chances of getting a bounce engine.
For the Beast tracker I would cut Mold Shambler, since the former can tutor up Slime and Primordial which basically do the same and for Wildebeests I would maybe cut Masked Admireres. They have the same cmc and a similiar function in creating CA.
I would also cut Bellowing Tangelwurm for Timbermare which can do the same as the wurm by flashing it in EOT, tapping out all opponents and go for the kill, but is much more versatile in what else it can do.
I had considered the Beast Tracker before, but dismissed it due to not wanting to give up a draw step. After having played the deck a bit and your reintroducing it to me, I think you may be correct here. I'll give it a whirl tonight.
As to the Wildebeests, I blame laziness on my part: I knew it was better but I had the Primadox in hand. I'll see if the LGS has one for an even swap, as I'm finding evasion to be worth more and more as I get games under my belt with this deck. On the other hand, I might just go ahead and test having the additional bounce outlet. Decisions, decisions.
Thanks for the suggestions, Volango! I'm headed over to your thread now to see your spin on the concept
I tried Beast Tracker and Elvish Harbinger in my initial list, but I hated them. I posted a similar response in another Yeva thread, but for me there's a huge difference between putting something on top of your deck and waiting vs putting into your hand and then presumably playing it right away. The whole point of playing Yeva over other green commanders is the surprise factor and being able to remove the restriction of playing creatures during certain limited windows of time (a.k.a. on your turn only).
I haven't yet been able to claim my DotP Scavenging Ooze due to equal parts work and my new LGS giving me the run around, but I did manage a few updates.
Though I wasn't really interested in him during spoiler season, I opened a Garruk, Caller of Beasts and decided I'd give him a try. I really don't expect he'll stay, but given I didn't have to spend the $15 or so dollars on him, I'll give him an audition for a permanent spot. I'm running 37 creatures here, I should suspect that would be enough.
I picked up 3 Strionic Resonators, knowing that I'd find homes for them somewhere. My Jenara list took one, Grimgrin took another, and the last one landed here. With the amount of ETB value I'm trying to get out of this list, the Resonator seemed a natural fit. Copying a Avenger of Zendikar or Regal Force trigger seems like a good way to lose friends.
Speaking of which, that is precisely why I chose to cut Hall of Gemstone from the list. Most of my playgroup plays multicolor, and each time the Hall came out it both slowed my game plan (no one picking G on their turn), and made me public enemy #1. My last cut was the Elvish Pioneer, which was a miserable draw in any save the opening 7.
New Garruk seems very unimpressive on paper.
- Lead the Stampede wouldn't make it into my deck by itself, so the first ability seems pretty lame.
- The second ability is also kinda meh, since the average creature in my list costs less than 6 mana, so paying new Garruk's 6cc just to put a creature into play without fear of counters also doesn't really feel broken enough (not to mention the fact that Yeva's flash ability should allow you to time your creatures around the counterspells already).
- As for his ultimate...I never really factor that into the equation as any planeswalker ultimate is really just wishful thinking, unless you cheat it in with proliferate or Doubling Season or the like.
So, yeah, not exactly looking forward to new Garruk. His predecessor Garruk, Primal Hunter is insane and one of my favorite cards in my list.
EDIT: Noticed Triumph of Ferocity in your list...how well is that working for you? Seems like it has the upside of a Phyrexian Arena, but also the downside of being a dead card. I tried Drumhunter for awhile, but eventually cut him for Harmonize because I wanted the gas right away.
I think his Lead the Stampede ability is better than you give it credit for. Lead the Stampede may not be good enough as a one-shot effect, but what if it had flashback? You're not just doing it once; you're doing it, and if nobody spends ~1 card to stop you, you're doing it again. Not every CMC6 thing gets answered immediately.
EDIT: The second ability is a little lame on the turn you deploy him, but if you squeeze him for creature card advantage until you get swept, you can use the second ability then to re-deploy quickly.
Oh, you think the losers' bracket is your ally, but you merely adopted the scrub tier. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn’t 4-0 an FNM until I was already a man; by then, it was nothing to me but an extra pack to sell for store credit!
The name "Garruk" has some pretty high standards to live up to. I'd still rather have both of Garruk, Primal Hunter's abilities before either of new Garruk's abilities, and probably both of Garruk Wildspeaker's as well. I forget if Garruk Relentless is considered a Golgari card, but if he's legal in mono-green, he's pretty good as well.
The biggest thing I don't like about new Garruk is the price. Six mana is an awful lot, even for EDH, and paying that much to draw two or three cards (on average) or cheat one creature into play seems underwhelming.
I think the key is whether or not he gets to stick around a couple of turns. In a Yeva list, I'm not sure how often I'd use the second ability, as I'd much rather flash in my creatures whenever it is most advantageous to do so. The thing that kills new Garruk most for me in the context of Yeva is the "reveal" part of his +1. I want to surprise folks with my creatures, and while I'm getting card advantage from Garruk's +1, I'm trading away information to get it. Like I said, the main reason he's getting a shot is because I lucked into one. I suspect he's only passing through, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for a few games.
EDIT: Noticed Triumph of Ferocity in your list...how well is that working for you? Seems like it has the upside of a Phyrexian Arena, but also the downside of being a dead card. I tried Drumhunter for awhile, but eventually cut him for Harmonize because I wanted the gas right away.
Sorry, I just noticed your edit. The most honest answer is, while it can be (and has been) a dead card, its Phyrexian Arena far more often than it is a blank. If anything can pull it off, its mono-G, and that goes especially for Yeva. Triumph of Ferocity can be particularly bad after a board wipe, but when you're able to flash in a 4/4 body right before your turn, you can mitigate that downside a bit. The biggest tic in the con column is when you're most desperate for the card draw (hopelessly behind on board) is when its going to be dead. It sucks when this happens, but it hasn't happened often enough to outweigh the times when it was as awesome as you'd think.
Admittedly, new Garruk didn't get the best sampling, but I had the good fortune to pick up a Garruk, Primal Hunter in trade, so I went ahead and swapped the planeswalker out for my preferred incarnation. In the games I've played since adding Garruk, CoB, I've happened across him twice. The first time, I felt he showed promise in helping me recover a bit after a sweeper by cheating in a creature (he died to combat the following turn). The second time, I almost got him into ultimate territory before he ate an O-ring, and my opponents played around the creatures they knew I had. Not a terrible showing, but I don't think new Garruk is congruent with the goal of the deck.
Other than that, I finally managed to find a (not so)LGS that had Steam DotP promos left and picked up my Scavenging Ooze. I swapped out the Night Soil, as it was meant to be an Ooze all along.
I had the opportunity to pick up a Primeval Bounty in trade and decided to give it a whirl in Yeva. This list is getting increasingly hard to make cuts for, but I felt I have enough non-creature destruction to warrant Mold Shambler getting the nod. I haven't had much opportunity to play this deck this summer, as its been a bit hectic at work and my LGS closing, but I have a game session planned this weekend with some friend. Hopefully I'll have an interesting game report to pass along on Monday.
Deck history:
This list was brought about by a desire to try out a mono colored strategy in EDH. I was first inspired to try something monocolored after reading splashingblack’s excellent monored thread found here. I was able to play against him on MTGO and after some discussion on monocolored decks and the challenge of trying to develop decks that lie outside of obvious norms, we arrived at monogreen. While I feel I’ve put my own spin on Yeva, Sanity’s_Eclipse and Zephynoir’s lists and discussion were both instrumental in helping me develop the current iteration of this deck.
Deck goals:
The general strategy is to utilize many of green’s ETB creatures for value and to incorporate various bounce or blink elements as a force multiplier. Yeva further enables this strategy by making each of these ETB effects reactionary as well as providing pseudo-haste for many of green’s threats. This is a creature heavy deck, so you might enjoy this list if you like big, quick green creatures that provide value when they come down.
Current decklist:
1 Yeva, Nature's Herald
Creatures
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Ulvenwald Tracker
1 Elvish Visionary
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Nightshade Peddler
1 Primordial Hydra
1 Wall of Blossoms
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Champion of Lambholt
1 Eternal Witness
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Fierce Empath
1 Viridian Corrupter
1 Wood Elves
1 Yavimaya Dryad
1 Nylea, God of the Hunt
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Roaring Primadox
1 Spike Weaver
1 Acidic Slime
1 Garruk's Packleader
1 Thragtusk
1 Seedborn Muse
1 Brutalizer Exarch
1 Bellowing Tanglewurm
1 Bane of Progress
1 Duplicant
1 Primordial Sage
1 Soul of the Harvest
1 Avenger of Zendikar
1 Garruk's Horde
1 Regal Force
1 Woodfall Primus
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Mirri's Guile
1 Earthcraft
1 Lignify
1 Arboria
1 Greater Good
1 Asceticism
1 Lurking Predators
1 Primeval Bounty
1 Sylvan Library
Artifacts
1 Sol Ring
1 Strionic Resonator
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Cloudstone Curio
1 Druidic Satchel
1 Erratic Portal
1 Conjurer's Closet
1 Caged Sun
Planeswalkers
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
Instants and Sorceries
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Constant Mists
1 Unravel the Æther
1 Creeping Renaissance
1 Cultivate
1 Krosan Grip
1 Skyshroud Claim
1 Rain of Thorns
1 Beast Within
30 Forest
1 Homeward Path
1 Mosswort Bridge
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Tranquil Thicket
Key components:
*Note that at the time of this writing, most of these sections are in flux as I attempt to tweak the number of cards devoted to each component of the deck.
One of the ways in which this deck generates card advantage is through the recycling of ETB effects. Erratic Portal, Cloudstone Curio, Conjurer’s Closet, and Roaring Primadox round out this section.
Card Draw/Filtering:
One of the reasons I have initially kept the bounce package relatively small is through the multitude of green card draw available and included in the deck. Most of these are either ETB effects attached to creatures, or trigger when creatures enter the battlefield. Cards in this section include Elvish Visionary, Regal Force, Mirri’s Guile, Soul of the Harvest, et al.
ETB Effects:
In addition to the aforementioned card draw, there are ETB creatures that cover a wide array of utility. There is removal for noncreature permanents (Acidic Slime, Woodfall Primus), mana ramp (Wood Elves, Yavimaya Dryad), and various utility (Spike Weaver, Llanowar Empath).
The rest:
The remainder of the deck is comprised of typical green staples. Oracle of Mul Daya handles ramp, while a similar card in Garruk’s Horde facilitates the large number of creature permanents. Premium threats include Primordial Hydra and Avenger of Zendikar, both of which are very deadly when flashed in at the end of your opponent’s turn. Night Soil is the deck’s only form of graveyard denial, Clinging Mists allows the deck to stall, and Hall of Gemstone provides colored mana denial to multicolored opponents.
Key cards, interactions, and combo potential:
As of 1/18/2013 I have removed Aluren from the list. With no ability to tutor for the combo components, it was too difficult to create a game state where Aluren helped me more than it helped my opponents, and as such it was a dead draw more often than it was helpful. I will keep the below list of potential combos for anyone interested.
This deck has a few opportunities for combo centered on the interaction between Aluren and Cloustone Curio and any two ETB creatures of CMC 3 or less. The following creatures, when paired with another will provide the benefits listed:
- Elvish Visionary/Wall of Blossoms – Draw your entire library (or at least enough to find the answer you need)
- Eternal Witness – Return your graveyard to your hand
- Wood Elves/Yavimaya Dryad/Farhaven Elf – Put all of your basic lands into play
- Viridian Corrupter – Destroy all [target] artifacts
- Fierce Empath – Tutor all creatures of CMC 6+
Additionally, if you add Earthcraft to any combination of the above, you can produce infinite green mana.An interesting interaction also lies between Yeva and Arboria. Provided you do not play a land, and only draw and pass the turn, Arboria ensures that you cannot be attacked by your opponents. Yeva circumvents Arboria’s downside by allowing you to play your creatures on your opponent’s turn (which you want to be doing anyway).
Card considerations and omissions:
One thing I’m missing is the ability to sweep the board. Typically, green’s threats are bigger, meaner, and trample, and ground clutter is less of an issue. In my initial testing, it seems more of an issue in this deck that it is for other green decks. Possible solutions include adding artifact based sweepers (Oblivion Stone, Nevinryl’s Disk), adding Overrun effects, or adding more token generation and support.
Final thoughts:
Changelog:
12/27/2012
-Haze Frog
-Lightning Greaves
-Gilded Lotus
-Kodama's Reach
+Sakura-Tribe Elder
+Skyshroud Claim
+Asceticism
+Spike Weaver
1/18/2013
-Aluren
+Thragtusk
2/4/2013
-Thicket Elemental
-Burgeoning
-Deadwood Treefolk
+Bellowing Tanglewurm
+Sylvan Primordial
+Sylvan Library
7/24/2013
-Elvish Pioneer
-Hall of Gemstone
+Strionic Resonator
+Garruk, Caller of Beasts
8/1/2013
-Night Soil
-Garruk, Caller of Beasts
+Scavenging Ooze
+Garruk, Primal Hunter
8/29/2013
-Mold Shambler
+Primeval Bounty
10/1/2013
-Llanowar Empath
-Temple of the False God
+Nylea, God of the Hunt
+Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
11/6/2013
-Forest
-Forest
-Masked Admirers
+Homeward Path
+Mosswort Bridge
+Bane of Progress
01/30/2014
-Triumph of Ferocity
+Lignify
02/11/2014
-Sylvan Primordial
+Unravel the Æther
WGU - Jenara, Asura of War - Bant Counters
WUB - Sen Triplets - Blink Control
RWU - Ruhan of the Fomori - Combat Control
WB - Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts - Orzhov Knights
UB - Grimgrin, Corpse-Born - Tribal Combo
G - Yeva, Nature's Herald - Yo-Yo Champion
Do note that Yeva's ability only works on Green creatures; I made that mistake with that uncommon Eldrazi reanimater. Only one I see is Duplicant, so just make a note of that.
Perhaps instead of the twin pairs of boots (Greaves and Literal Boots, lol), consider Asceticism. Mass Hexproof for your dudes seems a touch better than protection for just two of them.
Instead of Gilded Lotus, consider Skyshroud Claim. Unless your meta is Land-o happy I guess.
Stunted Growth and those kinda cards seem a lot better in 1v1 than multiplayer, unless you're playing Riku.
I'm not a personal fan of Wall of Blossoms, Nightshade Peddler, and Deadwood Treefolk. At least Elvish Visionary can be a relevant creature, considering the whole elf thing lol. Peddler's just a combat trick, and in that case, why not just slam down some fat instead? DwTf is a wonky E. Witness. /shrug
My initial thoughts about your deck
--- Meren of Clan Nel Toth --- Jhoira of the Ghitu --- Prime Speaker Zegana ---
--- Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief --- Ghoulcaller Gisa --- Akroma, Angel of Fury --- Titania, Protector of Argoth ---
Also Spike Weaver seems much better than haze frog and Scavenging Ooze is probably better than Nightsoil (though I understand if it's a budget issue).
GWKarametra - The MistveiledGW
GWR Marath - The Egg-laying Wool-Milk-Pig GWR
RBGrenzo - Restrained RakdosRB
UWRGBHorde of NotionsUWRGB
Retired: Karador, Ghost Chieftain | Rafiq of the Many | Animar, Soul of Elements | Maelstrom Wanderer
In addition to birthing pod, try citanul flute. Its also very underrated.
Finally, always top your green creature curve with craterhoof behemoth for the win.
The biggest worry I have currently is that I don't really have enough to do in the early turns (thus my inclusion of things like Nightshade Peddler), so I'm definitely looking at things like Sakura-Tribe Elder.
@ Sanity: Skyshroud is probably better in the long run and it lowers the curve, so I'll be looking to pick one up. Asceticism's absence from the list was a mental vacation on my part and will certainly find its way into the pile.
Stunted Growth is there because I do play this list 1v1 often enough that it warrants a spot (at least for the time being), and Duplicant is in there because sometimes you just need a Duplicant. The ability to reuse it doesn't hurt either.
@ Volango: Spike Weaver is much better than Haze Frog, so that's an easy swap to make. As to Birthing Pod, I have one sitting in my collection, so I'll give it a spin and see how I like it. Finally, Night Soil is sadly a budgetary choice. Perhaps I'll make the investment if I decide to take the list to the physical realm.
I'll run the list again tonight and then make a few updates and see how she flies. As for now, I'm definitely winning on the back of flashing in big creatures at EoT, but I've gotten the bounce going a few times and it is really nice in grindier games. Haven't managed a combo yet, but its still there.
EDIT: First round of cuts added
WGU - Jenara, Asura of War - Bant Counters
WUB - Sen Triplets - Blink Control
RWU - Ruhan of the Fomori - Combat Control
WB - Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts - Orzhov Knights
UB - Grimgrin, Corpse-Born - Tribal Combo
G - Yeva, Nature's Herald - Yo-Yo Champion
The bounce package was an allstar this game, with Roaring Primadox and Farhaven Elf ramping me each turn and even reusing Woodfall Primus several times for value.
WGU - Jenara, Asura of War - Bant Counters
WUB - Sen Triplets - Blink Control
RWU - Ruhan of the Fomori - Combat Control
WB - Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts - Orzhov Knights
UB - Grimgrin, Corpse-Born - Tribal Combo
G - Yeva, Nature's Herald - Yo-Yo Champion
For the time being, I've sided out Aluren on my MTGO version of the deck for Thragtusk, but I'm not sure what the final swap will be. In all honesty, I will probably just wait and see how things shake out in Gatecrash. Sylvan Primordial will certainly be making himself at home here, after all.
WGU - Jenara, Asura of War - Bant Counters
WUB - Sen Triplets - Blink Control
RWU - Ruhan of the Fomori - Combat Control
WB - Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts - Orzhov Knights
UB - Grimgrin, Corpse-Born - Tribal Combo
G - Yeva, Nature's Herald - Yo-Yo Champion
Mono
Guilds
Shards WUB Oloro|GWU Roon|RGW Jurassic Park|UBR Nekusar|BRG Kresh|
Clans RWU Narset|WBR Vampires|BGW Doran|UBG Muldrotha|URG Animar|
4-Colors GWUB Atraxa|BRGWSaskia|RGWU Hydra Hug| UBRGYidris|WUBRBreya|
5-Color WUBRG Super Friends
Extra Decks
Thanks for the feedback, mad_hatter
The main issue I find with Timbermare is in a multiplayer setting. I will be able to get in for 5 damage, but then 3 other players get to untap, while I'm left with a tapped board. Now, the thing that might be interesting is the political implications and how this leaves the other players in a position they may not be ready for.
If I Timbermare with Yeva on the field and pass with open mana, I have the potential to flash in anything. This may deter the player to my left from attacking me and instead get them to focus on the two other players. I'll think on this, but for now I want to see if Thragtusk works out with the bounce effects.
WGU - Jenara, Asura of War - Bant Counters
WUB - Sen Triplets - Blink Control
RWU - Ruhan of the Fomori - Combat Control
WB - Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts - Orzhov Knights
UB - Grimgrin, Corpse-Born - Tribal Combo
G - Yeva, Nature's Herald - Yo-Yo Champion
I swapped Thicket Elemental for the new Sylvan Primordial. The elemental was already a 7 drop more often than not, and was a pretty lousy Lurking Predators flip.
Speaking of lousy, Burgeoning never did very well for me. Either I had the Burgeoning + 3-4 lands in the opener and I prayed for a topdeck to utilize my fast mana (while simultaneously drawing the ire of the table), or I drew it late game and cursed. Sylvan Library is a card that should have already been in the deck, and its already vastly outperformed Burgeoning.
EDIT: I forgot to mention I swapped Deadwood Treefolk for Bellowing Tanglewurm. I noted that the evasion from Champion of Lambholt tended to win games fairly quickly, and I decided I wanted another way to make my team unblockable.
WGU - Jenara, Asura of War - Bant Counters
WUB - Sen Triplets - Blink Control
RWU - Ruhan of the Fomori - Combat Control
WB - Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts - Orzhov Knights
UB - Grimgrin, Corpse-Born - Tribal Combo
G - Yeva, Nature's Herald - Yo-Yo Champion
GWKarametra - The MistveiledGW
GWR Marath - The Egg-laying Wool-Milk-Pig GWR
RBGrenzo - Restrained RakdosRB
UWRGBHorde of NotionsUWRGB
Retired: Karador, Ghost Chieftain | Rafiq of the Many | Animar, Soul of Elements | Maelstrom Wanderer
That's a suggestion worth testing, thanks Volango. Now, the eternal question of what to swap out. I think I'll wait until I have a few more games with the current iteration of the deck so I have a better idea where the weakest link is.
One of the aspects that have gone beyond my expectations are the fog effects with Constant Mists and Spike Weaver. I've been quite surprised at how many times my opponents just don't have an answer to repeatable fogs (particularly when I can often bounce the weaver to avoid removal). It gives me time to build up my board and punch through with trample damage or unblockables.
WGU - Jenara, Asura of War - Bant Counters
WUB - Sen Triplets - Blink Control
RWU - Ruhan of the Fomori - Combat Control
WB - Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts - Orzhov Knights
UB - Grimgrin, Corpse-Born - Tribal Combo
G - Yeva, Nature's Herald - Yo-Yo Champion
I run a Mwonvuli Beast Tracker in my list he can get
as well as a Silklash Spider which will soon arrive in the mail.
Many of those do stuff like carddraw and non-creature removal which I often want to tutor.
Stampeding Wildebeests is also strictly better than Roaring Primadox.
Running a Beast tracker and Wildebeests alongside Primadox will greatly improve your chances of getting a bounce engine.
For the Beast tracker I would cut Mold Shambler, since the former can tutor up Slime and Primordial which basically do the same and for Wildebeests I would maybe cut Masked Admireres. They have the same cmc and a similiar function in creating CA.
I would also cut Bellowing Tangelwurm for Timbermare which can do the same as the wurm by flashing it in EOT, tapping out all opponents and go for the kill, but is much more versatile in what else it can do.
To the question what to cut for Nim-Deathmantle I would say Druidic Satchel.
GWKarametra - The MistveiledGW
GWR Marath - The Egg-laying Wool-Milk-Pig GWR
RBGrenzo - Restrained RakdosRB
UWRGBHorde of NotionsUWRGB
Retired: Karador, Ghost Chieftain | Rafiq of the Many | Animar, Soul of Elements | Maelstrom Wanderer
As to the Wildebeests, I blame laziness on my part: I knew it was better but I had the Primadox in hand. I'll see if the LGS has one for an even swap, as I'm finding evasion to be worth more and more as I get games under my belt with this deck. On the other hand, I might just go ahead and test having the additional bounce outlet. Decisions, decisions.
Thanks for the suggestions, Volango! I'm headed over to your thread now to see your spin on the concept
WGU - Jenara, Asura of War - Bant Counters
WUB - Sen Triplets - Blink Control
RWU - Ruhan of the Fomori - Combat Control
WB - Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts - Orzhov Knights
UB - Grimgrin, Corpse-Born - Tribal Combo
G - Yeva, Nature's Herald - Yo-Yo Champion
I haven't yet been able to claim my DotP Scavenging Ooze due to equal parts work and my new LGS giving me the run around, but I did manage a few updates.
Though I wasn't really interested in him during spoiler season, I opened a Garruk, Caller of Beasts and decided I'd give him a try. I really don't expect he'll stay, but given I didn't have to spend the $15 or so dollars on him, I'll give him an audition for a permanent spot. I'm running 37 creatures here, I should suspect that would be enough.
I picked up 3 Strionic Resonators, knowing that I'd find homes for them somewhere. My Jenara list took one, Grimgrin took another, and the last one landed here. With the amount of ETB value I'm trying to get out of this list, the Resonator seemed a natural fit. Copying a Avenger of Zendikar or Regal Force trigger seems like a good way to lose friends.
Speaking of which, that is precisely why I chose to cut Hall of Gemstone from the list. Most of my playgroup plays multicolor, and each time the Hall came out it both slowed my game plan (no one picking G on their turn), and made me public enemy #1. My last cut was the Elvish Pioneer, which was a miserable draw in any save the opening 7.
WGU - Jenara, Asura of War - Bant Counters
WUB - Sen Triplets - Blink Control
RWU - Ruhan of the Fomori - Combat Control
WB - Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts - Orzhov Knights
UB - Grimgrin, Corpse-Born - Tribal Combo
G - Yeva, Nature's Herald - Yo-Yo Champion
- Lead the Stampede wouldn't make it into my deck by itself, so the first ability seems pretty lame.
- The second ability is also kinda meh, since the average creature in my list costs less than 6 mana, so paying new Garruk's 6cc just to put a creature into play without fear of counters also doesn't really feel broken enough (not to mention the fact that Yeva's flash ability should allow you to time your creatures around the counterspells already).
- As for his ultimate...I never really factor that into the equation as any planeswalker ultimate is really just wishful thinking, unless you cheat it in with proliferate or Doubling Season or the like.
So, yeah, not exactly looking forward to new Garruk. His predecessor Garruk, Primal Hunter is insane and one of my favorite cards in my list.
On another note, I do agree with your cuts. Hall of Gemstone seems very detrimental to what Yeva is trying to do, and Elvish Pioneer seems pretty weak. I'm excited to see what Scavenging Ooze and Strionic Resonator can do in this deck.
EDIT: Noticed Triumph of Ferocity in your list...how well is that working for you? Seems like it has the upside of a Phyrexian Arena, but also the downside of being a dead card. I tried Drumhunter for awhile, but eventually cut him for Harmonize because I wanted the gas right away.
EDIT: The second ability is a little lame on the turn you deploy him, but if you squeeze him for creature card advantage until you get swept, you can use the second ability then to re-deploy quickly.
The biggest thing I don't like about new Garruk is the price. Six mana is an awful lot, even for EDH, and paying that much to draw two or three cards (on average) or cheat one creature into play seems underwhelming.
I think the key is whether or not he gets to stick around a couple of turns. In a Yeva list, I'm not sure how often I'd use the second ability, as I'd much rather flash in my creatures whenever it is most advantageous to do so. The thing that kills new Garruk most for me in the context of Yeva is the "reveal" part of his +1. I want to surprise folks with my creatures, and while I'm getting card advantage from Garruk's +1, I'm trading away information to get it. Like I said, the main reason he's getting a shot is because I lucked into one. I suspect he's only passing through, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for a few games.
WGU - Jenara, Asura of War - Bant Counters
WUB - Sen Triplets - Blink Control
RWU - Ruhan of the Fomori - Combat Control
WB - Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts - Orzhov Knights
UB - Grimgrin, Corpse-Born - Tribal Combo
G - Yeva, Nature's Herald - Yo-Yo Champion
Sorry, I just noticed your edit. The most honest answer is, while it can be (and has been) a dead card, its Phyrexian Arena far more often than it is a blank. If anything can pull it off, its mono-G, and that goes especially for Yeva. Triumph of Ferocity can be particularly bad after a board wipe, but when you're able to flash in a 4/4 body right before your turn, you can mitigate that downside a bit. The biggest tic in the con column is when you're most desperate for the card draw (hopelessly behind on board) is when its going to be dead. It sucks when this happens, but it hasn't happened often enough to outweigh the times when it was as awesome as you'd think.
WGU - Jenara, Asura of War - Bant Counters
WUB - Sen Triplets - Blink Control
RWU - Ruhan of the Fomori - Combat Control
WB - Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts - Orzhov Knights
UB - Grimgrin, Corpse-Born - Tribal Combo
G - Yeva, Nature's Herald - Yo-Yo Champion
Admittedly, new Garruk didn't get the best sampling, but I had the good fortune to pick up a Garruk, Primal Hunter in trade, so I went ahead and swapped the planeswalker out for my preferred incarnation. In the games I've played since adding Garruk, CoB, I've happened across him twice. The first time, I felt he showed promise in helping me recover a bit after a sweeper by cheating in a creature (he died to combat the following turn). The second time, I almost got him into ultimate territory before he ate an O-ring, and my opponents played around the creatures they knew I had. Not a terrible showing, but I don't think new Garruk is congruent with the goal of the deck.
Other than that, I finally managed to find a (not so)LGS that had Steam DotP promos left and picked up my Scavenging Ooze. I swapped out the Night Soil, as it was meant to be an Ooze all along.
WGU - Jenara, Asura of War - Bant Counters
WUB - Sen Triplets - Blink Control
RWU - Ruhan of the Fomori - Combat Control
WB - Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts - Orzhov Knights
UB - Grimgrin, Corpse-Born - Tribal Combo
G - Yeva, Nature's Herald - Yo-Yo Champion
I had the opportunity to pick up a Primeval Bounty in trade and decided to give it a whirl in Yeva. This list is getting increasingly hard to make cuts for, but I felt I have enough non-creature destruction to warrant Mold Shambler getting the nod. I haven't had much opportunity to play this deck this summer, as its been a bit hectic at work and my LGS closing, but I have a game session planned this weekend with some friend. Hopefully I'll have an interesting game report to pass along on Monday.
WGU - Jenara, Asura of War - Bant Counters
WUB - Sen Triplets - Blink Control
RWU - Ruhan of the Fomori - Combat Control
WB - Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts - Orzhov Knights
UB - Grimgrin, Corpse-Born - Tribal Combo
G - Yeva, Nature's Herald - Yo-Yo Champion