MTG Salvation

Titania, Protector of Argoth

Rewriting the Argothian War

Why play Titania, Protector of Argoth as your Green Commander?
Mono-green Commander is quite a well-known field, there are the infamous Azusa, Lost but Seeking and Omnath, Locus of Mana decks that seemingly stand above the rest and other effective, but arguably less consistent and less ubiquitous, such as Ezuri, Renegade Leader and Thrun, the Last Troll. If not playing a deck that provides assistance to mana ramp as significantly as Azusa or Omnath, which enables many strategies barring perhaps voltron in the case of Azusa, other green commanders are by necessity more highly specialized in their focus.

Titania, Protector of Argoth is exceptional in providing an explosive ability that rewards you just for using certain lands and abilities that destroy your lands as part of the cost and recurring one of those lands each time she is cast. This makes Titania able to generate a substantial force quickly and able to enable considerable life swings without doing too much, let alone with preparation. As a result she is useful as a stax commander, for creating her own army to sustain you and as a strong aggressive commander who makes her own army. This deck pursuant to the ideas of HardCasting of what is preferable for this commander, is focused on Stax, but is none the less very aggressive and can play in several modes. If you like either of these modes of play, Titania is a highly recommended commander, and as a worthy alternative to Azusa and Omnath.

Commander 2014 offered Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury as the poster child of the green deck, but the elf tribal deck is in my opinion highly lackluster and Freyalise is lacking as a general. Titania is the stronger general of the pre-constructed deck and arguably one of the best, if not the best new commander from Commander 2014 for the interesting interactions and powerful plays she enables.

Due to my inexperience, I have started with and decided to model my deck's advancement off HardCasting's excellent list, but provide my own choices as I learnt it more. Until it is substantially different, I will recognise this list is more or less like his and that this is as much for my personal records, as promoting my idea of what the stax Titania build should be.

Who is Titania, Protector of Argoth?
Now for a small vorthos (flavour focused) aside on this commander. Titania was the guardian elemental of the island of Argoth that was the final battleground of the brothers Urza and Mishra during the Brother's War. The rest of the world had been scoured dry of resources in their long war and once Urza's son discovered the island of Argoth it was rapidly invaded and despoiled, ultimately being destroyed.

This is a descriptive extract from the Bother's War novel describing Urza's son, Harbin meeting her incarnation for the first time.

"At the end of the processional was a great dais, its steps rising to a white marble platform that ended in a throne as green as the heart of the forest. Seated on the throne was the queen herself.
Her beauty was unearthly. No, Harbin realised; her very being was unearthly. Her face seemed like a jade mask, narrow and pointed at the chin. Her form was lithe and lean and, if she were to stand, she would be taller than Harbin. She was decked in tendrils and vines, the brilliant yellow-green of new shoots, but her eyes were deep, old and unfathomable...Then it occurred to him. Queen Titania was not truly present in this great hall. The beautiful creature before him was a mannequin, a puppet operated from afar. It looked truly alive, but it was nothing but vines and wood." (Grubb, The Brother's War, Wizards of the Coast, 1998, pp. 366-368).

What is the Deck Strategy Summarized?

This part will require depth when I have time, but succinctly, ramp quickly, get Titania down, destroy land and control the field. The method changes on the ability and position of your opponents.


Note: If forced to remove Sol Ring due to a specialised ban list, a Snow-Covered Forest or mana ramp spell, such as Explosive Vegetation would be suitable replacements.

Change List

I still need to play this more, as it took a while to make, but I've been meaning to post for a while. I understand I am not best authority on this style for the deck at present, but I hope you like my take on the build and can offer advice on the way it should go from here.

Considering: Rude Awakening, Nylea, God of the Hunt, Harmonize, Momentous Fall, and Worldslayer.

Interesting deck.

You considered the Panoramas? Bant Panorama Jund Panorama Naya Panorama

Worldslayer would most likely be game if it connected with Titania out.

Possessed Portal could be favorable

Chain of Acid on your own lands and keep coping it

Ambush Commander

Arcane Spyglass drawing cards

Gaea's Balance makes 5 tokens for 4 land

Lodestone Bauble get lands back

groundskeeper same

Perilous Forays could combo with stuff that turns lands into creatures like ambush commander

Verdant Succession same

Primal Growth same

Conjurer's Closet Blink the commander to get a land back

Tawnos's Coffin can save from removal and blink commander on upkeep

It's sad but also a relief that Titania isn't a Red and Green Commander.

Hope this list helped.

Not quite certain on a few of your calls.

Avenger of Zendikar & Craterhoof Behemoth aren't as powerful here as in other decks. You're trying to bin your lands, so Avenger is weakened, and your token production is less than normal for Craterhoof.

Encroaching Wastes while in the right theme, is likely too costly, 5 and a sac isn't worth it in my mind.

Scrying sheets don't have much snow lands to trigger off of. Just go with a solid draw spell and be done with it.

Squirrel Wrangler Is pretty weak with the mana investment.

I like Omen613's suggestions of Worldslayer, Groundskeeper and maybe Primal Growth and Possessed Portal.

I'm just concerned about what happens to your gameplan once Titania goes away for a long time... (Hindered, etc) Kamahl and Rampaging Baloths seem the next most solid win, as I'm not certain what kind of power Avenger/Craterhoof will power out with this deck.

Look at Jolrael, Empress of Beasts as an option. If Titania is out, even a blocking opponent has a lot to worry about. Take a horde of 3/3's, or a horde of 5/3's next turn.

Quote from Omen613 »

Interesting deck.

You considered the Panoramas? Bant Panorama Jund Panorama Naya Panorama

Worldslayer would most likely be game if it connected with Titania out.

Possessed Portal could be favorable

Chain of Acid on your own lands and keep coping it

Ambush Commander

Arcane Spyglass drawing cards

Gaea's Balance makes 5 tokens for 4 land

Lodestone Bauble get lands back

groundskeeper same

Perilous Forays could combo with stuff that turns lands into creatures like ambush commander

Verdant Succession same

Primal Growth same

Conjurer's Closet Blink the commander to get a land back

Tawnos's Coffin can save from removal and blink commander on upkeep

It's sad but also a relief that Titania isn't a Red and Green Commander.

Hope this list helped.

That's quite a few cards you recommended. I'll see how some of them fare, although the most appropriate that I should be running but aren't at present are the panoramas.

Spyglass seems too inefficient for my goals straight up though, the deck should be able to function without Titania being out, even if she is the life of the deck. For a similar reason's Gaea's Balance is a bit of a risk, LDing myself will allow big swings, but will stop certain plays later on if the ramp is lacking in the early game and it is too severe on my part. Thank you though!

@KokoroKishin I will reply later today hopefully, but I agree with you on a few things, but are being optimistic in some of those card choices. I am also going on the word of another deck that Wastes is fitting, but I agree offhand that it seems very inefficient.

So, my issue is it sometimes does great things, but other times ramps and does nothing else. I'm now playing Summoner's Pact over Khalni Heart Expedition to try get more ramp and I am seriously debating the trample archetype. Put bluntly, I'm losing faith in stax to be consistent, so a more aggro rush seems desirable.

What about adding Gilt-Leaf Archdruid and druid-based ramp? Then Zuran Orb, just because?

Also, Root Maze, Hall of Gemstone, and Ritual of Subdual are kind of stax-y, especially the latter alongside the druids that GLA would demand. Check out the retired Thrun primer for more control ideas.

The above would mean massive retooling of your deck, but is an option, I feel. Methinks the assorted Seton decks may provide some ideas.

Cheers!

Quote from krichaiushii »

What about adding Gilt-Leaf Archdruid and druid-based ramp? Then Zuran Orb, just because?

Also, Root Maze, Hall of Gemstone, and Ritual of Subdual are kind of stax-y, especially the latter alongside the druids that GLA would demand. Check out the retired Thrun primer for more control ideas.

The above would mean massive retooling of your deck, but is an option, I feel. Methinks the assorted Seton decks may provide some ideas.

Cheers!

Not sure I liked the idea of a total retooling, but I will take a look at your decklist and consider those other two options. Thanks . I suppose Root Maze and Hall of Gemstone do have good points worth considering too, but not sold on ritual right now.

So, my deck is still not the best example of this deck, but after some experience, I now know Scrying Sheets does not do enough a Snow-Covered Forest would be a better choice, as my current build generally runs out of forests. Encroaching Wastes also came out as due to above suggestions, it was just too inefficient and tied up a turn basically. I am also trialing Elvish Spirit Guide to accelerate a turn, as speed is quite useful and in groups where they don't win before turn 5 regularly, it can make a difference.

I really like the stax elements in your deck. I think that a lot of people play Titania as an all or nothing strategy where you need to win at the first possible moment, but I don't think that maximizes Titania's potential. Stax definitely allows you to play a longer game.

How has Ward of Bones been for you? I'm always intrigued by it for my own list, but feel like once I get the mana for it it becomes less relevant. Do you usually power it out early and then sac all your lands?

Also, how are Lotus Vale and Scorched Ruin for you?