MTG Salvation

This is a casual budget deck that I like to pull out every once in a long time...

As funny as it looks, it has managed to take away a win here and there or create a very difficult situation for the players that generally win in my playgroup. After turn 6, he comes very fun to pilot, as you can blow him up instantly at any point, even if he is being targeted.



Just thought id share in case anyone else has any other ideas!

What Ive found works best with playing Ashling is not spending too much mana on other spells cuz you want to constantly be putting 2 counters on her. During your turn during other players turns. always have 6 mana available to blow up the board. Unless the card is making a big splash, I stick to spells that cost 3 or less.

For example Caged Sun & Gauntlet of Power could maybe be Heartstone & Mana Flare or Extraplanar lens (not exactly budget tho)

Other cards I would highly recommend that are still budget:

Opal Palace helps you regain some counters if Ashling keeps dyin.

Loxodon Warhammer the cheapest of all equipment that synergize well with Ashling. But theres a handful that go really well with Ashling. Also get a Godo, Bandit Warlord to tutor them up and onto the battlefield.

Warp World - Best way to board wipe Ive found. We never have much to lose. Deals with indestructible creatures we cant damage with Ashling and deals with pesky artifacts and enchantments

Chandra's Ignition & then blow up Ashling is the best way to win a game ever

you could also run Fork to either copy an opponents tutor spell since we don't have lots of good tutors in red or well... fork Chandra's Ignition

wow great suggestions!! i am going to have to use a lot of these...
if you have a list i would be happy to look at it.

I originally was just gonna keep the mountains around 95, but i think it would make a lot more sense to lower it just a bit to get these value cards.

I also want to test Koth of the Hammer and Soulbright Flamekin

here's my list:

https://deckbox.org/sets/1017616



No so much budget but its def not a $1000 deck. One thing Ive learned about running ashling is that you really don't want to spend too much mana on other spells. you want to keep pumping her as much as possible. Everyone else at the table will leave you alone once they realize you have your finger on the blow everything up button. Sit back and watch others beat each other up. swing in at someone with poor defenses every now and then. I always mulligan into a mana doubler / hearthstone. I want to be able to have enough mana to blow the board up as early as turn 5. The notes on the deck there aren't current but it gives you a good idea how to play this mana hungry mama.

This is my current Ashling, the Pilgrim deck

Decklist

I haven't gotten many games in with it yet, but its pretty fun so far!

Quote from jdow30 »

This is my current Ashling, the Pilgrim deck

Decklist

I haven't gotten many games in with it yet, but its pretty fun so far!

Thanks for the list, I always enjoy looking at others work for new ideas and strategies. I would also like to get more games in with her but I have been pretty busy lately. There are a lot of good cards that work well with Ashling.

because of this new spoiled card, I'm finally buying a Mikokoro, center of the sea also. good ways for us to loot thru all those mountains and get to our key spells will also having mana available to pump ashling

That looks like a very strong card that will see play in a lot of decks-- i hope i can manage to pull one! It deserves a slot in here no question. I also like the other land spoiled that gives haste, regardless of the transform ability. I've been thinking about throwing in Flamekin Village, and this new land is more consistency.

I've found that haste is usually not important. I've been playin this deck a lot and most of my wins have come from the direct damage ashling does + lifelink equipment. later on in the game if you're re-casting ashling after a blow up and the board is empty you have a turn to build her up again pretty fast (2 counters per turn if you have the mana) while your opponents are scrambling to try an re-establish a board presence. I've only won maybe 3 out of 100 games with actually commander damage from swinging with ashling.

Quote from JamesTheIV »

I've found that haste is usually not important. I've been playin this deck a lot and most of my wins have come from the direct damage ashling does + lifelink equipment. later on in the game if you're re-casting ashling after a blow up and the board is empty you have a turn to build her up again pretty fast (2 counters per turn if you have the mana) while your opponents are scrambling to try an re-establish a board presence. I've only won maybe 3 out of 100 games with actually commander damage from swinging with ashling.

Oh yeah I totally agree, but I like having the added utility as they both produce mana and having the option to swing hastey can come in handy. Plus, we will never have a big board, so we can use them to haste others creatures that arent directed at us for politics

giving other's creatures haste?!? Thats brilliant!! Ok.

So, here's the list I put together:



Thoughts? Inspirations? Criticisms?

I like the inclusion of bracers & rouges passage

Braid of Fire is bad politically. Ppl will come at you for having the unfair free mana advantage.
Same with wheel of fate & Magus. Someone's not gonna want to pitch their hand and come at you before it resolves with all the cards in hand they are afraid to lose. Check out molten psyche instead as another wheel effect.

swiftfoot boots isn't really necessary. you only have to worry about 3 things with ashling:
- control magic on her before you can just blow up in response to any spell targeting her
- Pithing Needle
- indestructible creates

swiftboots only helps against pithing needle. I don't think its that necessary unless you're playgroup like to run wild with pithing needles on ppls generals

Terrain Generator & Druidic satchel are too slow and mana intensive for this deck until the late game. And 0 or 1 drop mana rocks are all I would run. Ashling is most efficient when you become a board wipe threat as early as possible. Play her turn 2 and put at least one counter on her every turn until you have the ability to produce 6 mana to blow her up. Then keep your mana open to respond to what the rest of the table might do. At the end of the turn of the opponent who goes right before your turn dump leftover mana into more counters on Ashling. Ashling is your only line of offense and defense. don't leave yourself vulnerable by tapping out to play another spell and losing the ability to board wipe instantly during the mid & late game. Extraplanar lens & mana flare are lower cmc alternatives to Caged Sun. Like you don't really want to be tapping out to play spells. you want to be dumping mana into ashling's ability to grow really large really fast and do damage to everyone at any given moment. unless its a bomb of a spell like chandra's ignition you're better off not playing it. Unless you have a mana doubler out, you really don't want to play any spells until turn 7. and even on turn 7 you would only have 1 extra mana to spend on a spell.

Quote from JamesTheIV »

I like the inclusion of bracers & rouges passage

Braid of Fire is bad politically. Ppl will come at you for having the unfair free mana advantage.
Same with wheel of fate & Magus. Someone's not gonna want to pitch their hand and come at you before it resolves with all the cards in hand they are afraid to lose. Check out molten psyche instead as another wheel effect.

swiftfoot boots isn't really necessary. you only have to worry about 3 things with ashling:
- control magic on her before you can just blow up in response to any spell targeting her
- Pithing Needle
- indestructible creates

swiftboots only helps against pithing needle. I don't think its that necessary unless you're playgroup like to run wild with pithing needles on ppls generals

Terrain Generator & Druidic satchel are too slow and mana intensive for this deck until the late game. And 0 or 1 drop mana rocks are all I would run. Ashling is most efficient when you become a board wipe threat as early as possible. Play her turn 2 and put at least one counter on her every turn until you have the ability to produce 6 mana to blow her up. Then keep your mana open to respond to what the rest of the table might do. At the end of the turn of the opponent who goes right before your turn dump leftover mana into more counters on Ashling. Ashling is your only line of offense and defense. don't leave yourself vulnerable by tapping out to play another spell and losing the ability to board wipe instantly during the mid & late game. Extraplanar lens & mana flare are lower cmc alternatives to Caged Sun. Like you don't really want to be tapping out to play spells. you want to be dumping mana into ashling's ability to grow really large really fast and do damage to everyone at any given moment. unless its a bomb of a spell like chandra's ignition you're better off not playing it. Unless you have a mana doubler out, you really don't want to play any spells until turn 7. and even on turn 7 you would only have 1 extra mana to spend on a spell.

lots of cool inclusions in your list, may have to steal some ideas for my own deck!
I agree with all of what JamesTheIV is saying.
additionally some of my other opinions on your list:
1. Not a fan of Hoarding Dragon in edh. too many exile effects, and its way too much mana to spend on a tutor. If you can afford Gamble, thats a lot better alternative.
2. I do disagree with James on the wheel of fate. It is a way to get rid of threats to Ashling that have been tutored up. even disrupting 1 turn can be enough for ashling.
3. I have rarely been impressed with Illusionist's Bracers, one extra +1/+1 isnt worth the equip cost every time you blow her up. Once you hit turn 6, you shouldn't have to worry about getting extra +1/+1s too much.
4. Being that there is really only one real creature, i don't like High Market, but rather Miren, the Moaning Well.
5. Are there a lot of indestructables in your meta? If not, Grafted Exoskeleton probably isnt worth it. If there are, then its a decent answer.

Amok

I ran that card for a little while. Realized that it hits the table and you rarely want to use it because you're holding a spicy equipment or enchantment that you don't want to lose to the card's randomness.

Different playstyles, I guess. When I ran Ashling I just dumped my hand for counters. Red has pretty good artifact recursion, so discarding equipment isn't really that big an issue.

geier reach sanitarium as a second Mikokoro, center of the sea is the only card from Eldritch Moon thats been added and working in my deck so far. anyone found anything else from the set to be useful yet? Burning Wish reprint has been spoiled in Conspiracy 2. Hope that will bring the price of it down significantly. I've been looking to pick one up.