For those of you who don't know me, I am a huge Marvel comic book nerd, and I love me some Thor Odinson. I confided in a friend that I was running low on EDH inspiration, and that I needed something new and fresh to reinvigorate my love of the format. In response to this, my friend gave me a list of deck building challenges, and I chose the one that sang to me the most: "Show me what Marvel's Thor would look like in EDH."
Before you read any further, I want you to know that this deck will be based on that theme, and while cards like DEN+Palinchron work great with other cards in this deck, namely Tooth and Nail, without being able to tie cards back to Thor in some way or another, I will not include them in my build. That's what makes this a challenge, and why its both fun to play, and build.
As of 2019, I am happy to announce a 2nd comic book theme deck has been built, and if you enjoy reading this build, please check out my Hela and the Enemies of Asgard deck when you get a chance!
Why should you play Ragnar/Thor?
You will enjoy this deck if:
You will definitely appreciate this more if you enjoy Marvel's Thor
You want to be the only person with your commander
You like your deck to have style when you win
You want to play a "75% deck" - you wanna win without playing all the best, overplayed cards
You enjoy having multiple ways to win, this deck is a Voltron Combo build
Old school Legends, no matter how bad they are, give you warm MTG nostalgia feelings.
You will NOT enjoy this deck if:
You want to play heavy amounts countermagic in every blue deck - go pick a control commander
You do not like playing cards in the redzone. Our ways of winning are almost exclusively redzone based.
You want to play cutthroat, 100% effort all the time - simply put, for every playstyle, there is a superior Bant commander. Ragnar is relatively weak.
You do not like combo. The deck will win that way roughly half the time.
You want to play bant goodstuff.dec. We run great cards, but we also intentionally don't run some of the best cards, simply because there's no flavorful justification.
Every card in this deck I try to tie back to Marvel's Thor. Not every card is as perfect a fit as others, but I did my best. I still am missing a few additions I want, but I will pick those up over time, and update this list as I go. Here is the full list as it currently exists:
Thor (Commander) Ragnar - A near spitting image of the thundergod himself, Thor! I was originally torn between Ragnar and Keranos, God of Storms, but Ragnar won out in the end due to being so perfect a visual representation, and having a better color suite for building the deck I had in mind.
Asgard (Lands) Breeding Pool Canopy Vista - The upper branches of Yggdrasil. Command Tower - The Avenger's Tower. Emeria, The Sky Ruin - The remains of Alfheim after Ragnarok. Exotic Orchard - The Orchard of Adun v1, where the apples of immortality are grown. Without these apples, Thor would die of old age! Fabled Passage - Yggdrasil, the World Tree! Flooded Strand - A barren land, containing the remains of a beast slain by Thor! (referring to Kahns art) Forbidden Orchard - The Orchard of Adun v2, where the apples of immortality are grown. Without these apples, Thor would die of old age! Glacial Fortress - An Asgardian Fortress in Jotunheim Hallowed Fountain - The blessed Well of Wisdom, Mimir Homeward Path - Representing Thor's return to Asgard, after living the life of a mortal as Donald Blake. Kor Haven - A hiding place within Asgard to shelter its inhabitants from pesky goddesses of death. Misty Rainforest Prairie Stream Reflecting Pool - The pool of the Norns. Also, one of the most confusing scenes in Age of Ultron...just saying... Reliquary Tower - Thor's hammer (img link). Heh. Savannah - A great place for Asgard on Earth, be it Oklahoma like in the comics, or Sweden from the movies. Scalding Tarn Strip Mine - Post Ragnarok Asgard. Temple Garden - A lovely Asgardian temple scene, well taken care of by the devotees to Asgard Tropical Island Tundra Verdant Catacombs Vesuva - An alternate Marvel Universe! Wasteland - Post Ragnarok Asgard. Windswept Heath Yavimaya Hollow
Loki's Tricks (Instants) Beast Within - Its a BILGESNIPE!! Basically, a beast native to Asgard. Cyclonic Rift - If there's something Thor does a LOT, its swing his hammer in a circle and make tornadoes full of lightning. Enlightened Tutor - Failing and seeking wisdom is a recurring theme in Thor comics. A weak justification, but I am sure I could find a Norn looking like the old lady as well.. Krosan Grip - Thor's grip is so powerful that he can easily crush Uru, the same material that his Hammer is made of! Path to Exile - The perfect representation of Thor's time as Donald Blake, for being Unworthy, is the promo art. Swords to Plowshares - Mjolnir a great weapon, it's power has no equal, as a weapon to destroy, or as a tool to build.
Warriors of Asgard (Creatures) Adarkar Valkyrie - Too bad she isnt as lovely as Tessa Thompson. That said, this Valkyrie is a very powerful and welcome creature in our deck. Arbor Elf - Elves lend themselves easily to Thor, as he frequently makes allies in Alfheim, the realm of the light elf tribes. Birds of Paradise = Using the modern art for this card, I call it the Bird of the Rainbow Bridge. Bloom Tender - Another helpful denizen of Alfheim, Queen Aelsa! Consecrated Sphinx - Few people know about the time that Thor bested Hyperion, one of the strongest characters in marvel, in front of the Sphinx of Gisa, and I couldn't not include this overpowered homage to that moment. Edric, Spymaster of Trest - A beautiful representation of Loki, in almost every way. A conniving, sneaky, and political card that looks just like the Trickster god himself. Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite - Her head...helmet?...face? reminds me greatly of the long time Thor villainess and daughter of Loki, Hela. Elvish Mystic - Did I mention that elves are just easy includes? Eternal Witness - A very powerful, and nigh perfect depiction of The Enchantress, the asgardian goddess of Sorcery. Faeburrow Elder - Our new Groot! The MCU made his relationship even more thematic for our deck. Faerie Artisans - Though not a true fairy, Thor allied himself with The Wasp, who made quite a habit of changing her appearance before each mission. The constant new tokens created by Artisans capture this quite well in my opinion. Fiend Hunter - Donald Blake, the human alter ego of Thor, and bearer of the great hammer, Mjolnir. Karmic Guide - An angel of Asgard Kozilek, Butcher of Truth - Gorr, the god butcher. A foul villain from the Thor comics, this gray skinned alien seeks to destroy all divinity to show that one does not need to be a god to be all powerful. Kruphix, God of Horizons - Marvel's own Eternity, the abstract embodiment of reality. Llanowar Elves - More druids from Alfheim. Noble Hierarch - Frigga, Mother of Thor! Oracle of Mul Daya - A perfect Norn, the oracles of Asgard. Prime Speaker Vannifar - Aleyah, Scholar of the Brightelves, and Alfheim's representative at the congress of worlds! Rafiq of the Many - Heimdall, the gatekeeper of Asgard. Also, brilliant in any deck with a Voltron. Reveillark - The elemental form of Zephyr, the wind goddess Saffi Eriksdotter - As a man named Erik, I couldn't help but include Eriksdotter in this viking lore themed deck. She serves as our Jane Foster, a nurse who always seeks to save the lives of others and beloved of Donald Blake (Thor's human alter ego while banished to earth in the early comics). Siona, Captain of the Pyleas - Say hello to Lady Sif! Stoneforge Mystic - Mjolnir's mold was made using the heart of a dying star, and stoneforge shows this casting brilliantly. Stonehewer Giant - Even though the creature typing lends this to being a Jotun...I like his ability theme with Peter Dinklage's representation of Eitri, who was a giant dwarf in the Marvel movies. Stuffy Doll - if you haven't seen groot Thor, he's pretty great. Removed Stuffy doll for new Groot, Faeburrow Elder! Sun Titan - This, is Surtur. Now you might say, Surtur doesnt bring things back to life. Ah, but he certainly strip mines and wastelands the Hel outta Asgard!
Magic (Sorceries) Cultivate - As the protector of Midgard, Thor must cultivate its growth as much as he defends it. Day of Judgment - A blast of godly might, though not so strong that it can kill our God of Thunder (regenerate) Kodama's Reach - Seeking the spirit of Gaea, Thor can reach out to his mother in times of need. (fun filled fact, Thor is only half Asgardian, his other half is actually that of Elder Gods, as he is the blood son of Gaea!) Nature's Lore - A simple elven trick to generate land. Overrun - Rallying the 9 realms behind him, Thor is able to do feats of great power and trample his foes. Recurring Insight - The all seeing eye of Odin grants us much wisdom, in the form of drawing cards. Skyshroud Claim - The elves believe the realm is their's to claim (kinda stealing from the plotline of dark world) Supreme Verdict - Odin's commands can not be ignored, his verdicts are supreme. Tooth and Nail - Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr, or Teethbarer and Teethgrinder, the trusted goats of Thor! Wargate - Heimdall! OPEN THE BIFROST! This lets us quickly access any of Asgards allies, warriors, or tools. Wrath of God - When Thor lets out his Warrior's Madness, no one can survive the thunder gods wrath.
The Armory (Artifacts) Altar of Dementia - Deep in the halls of Loki's lab, this mysterious altar is a final destination for many a poor soul. Azorius Signet - A seal showing the aliances of asgard to other realms. Blackblade Reforged - A nearly perfect representation of All Black, the Necrosword! If you havent read Thor: God of Thunder, you need to. The series is the most metal comic books you will ever read. Blasting Station - The crux of the Bifrost, a station where Heimdall can use his sword to connect the 9 realms with great ease. Chromatic Lantern - The casket of winters, an artifact in Odin's vault captured from Jotunheim. Hammer of Nazahn - THE MIGHTY MJOLNIR! Lightning Greaves - Even the gods need shoes. What better to strap on his feet when striding into battle? Selesnya Signet - A seal showing the aliances of asgard to other realms. Simic Signet - A seal showing the aliances of asgard to other realms. Sol Ring - A crossing ring, a magical tool for communication and mobilization of Asgard. Swiftfoot Boots - For when he isnt feeling formal, Thor also brings his work boots. Sword of Body and Mind - Hofund, the sword of Heimdall Sword of Feast and Famine - The Odinsword, a blade that when drawn signal's the coming of Ragnarok. Sword of Fire and Ice - Gram, a sword that can pierce through any lie to find the truth - represented by the burning and card drawing of Fire and Ice! Sword of Light and Shadow - Dragonfang, the sword of Valkyrie. Sword of War and Peace - Twilight Sword, the sword of Surtur, its intent is to set the universe on fire.
Blessings of Odin (Enchantments) Concordant Crossroads - The nexus of the 9 realms, a crossroad where all realms meet at Yggdrasil. The 9 realms united together against their enemies! War of the Realms reference, as well as useful for voltron and creature combos. Druid's Call - Asgard has many great druids among its people, and this enchantment pairs brilliantly with our Groot. Weak theming, was removed 10-13-19 Earthcraft - As half Elder god, and blood son of Gaea, Thor is literally Earthcrafted. Greater Good - Thor is always about the greater good. Intruder Alarm - Loki, how many times will you betray me? A scene from Thor Ragnarok, as Loki pulls the alarm. Journey to Nowhere - Journey Into Mystery #83 - the first comic book to feature Thor! God of Thunder! Shielded by Faith - Gotta have faith in your gods (reference to my favorite thor series, god of thunder!) Infinite tokens with Sif (Siona). Squirrel Nest - The nest of Ratatoskr, the immortal and super powered squirrel of Asgard. Sylvan Library - A blessed library of the elves, Thor is able to draw much great knowledge from this place.
Gods among men (Planeswalkers) Oko, Thief of Crowns - Our young Loki representation, Kid Loki is often treated as a separate character in the comics. Mr. Steal-Yo-Girl
Early Game:
In the early game, Thor has 3 main, and simple objectives. Firstly, you are looking to establish a mana base. This means casting ramp spells, playing mana dorks, and most importantly, keeping an opening hand with about 3 lands in it. We can function on 2 with the right hand, and 4 isnt too many, but outside of 2-4 lands, you should likely throw that hand away and mull for a new one. Thor's second objective is to enter the fray himself. Play your commander early and often. He can regen himself with all that mana you are establishing, and a board presence that can chump block and regenerate helps you dissuade opponents from pressuring you. Finally, Thor's third objective in the early game is to lay the foundations of our mid game strategy: Voltron. At this point in the game, if you can play some equipment, do so. They will be less valuable the longer the game goes, and they help make your board presence even more intimidating. Just make sure to be careful with Lightning Greaves. As much as Thor loves these boots, they can really stymie your ability to equip your creatures with equipment.
Mid Game:
Starting turn 4-5, you want to be going into the red zone with Thor. You will try to maintain this strategy for at least 3-5 more turns. Thor plus some equipment can do some serious damage, and all the swords of Asgard's armory can really give you a massive momentum boost, depending on which ones you get into play. Continue to play equipment and pressure your opponents with Thor. If they remove him, reestablish him as quickly as possible so that they are continuously dealing with a voltron in their face, forcing them to burn their reactive spells. At this phase of the game, Thor will often learn his lesson: you can't simply bludgeon every foe into submission. Instead, start to seek wisdom. Establish draw engines, or drop big draw spells like the all seeing eye of Odin. We want to start searching for an ultimate solution for the enemies of Asgard, some sort of ace up our sleeve where our enemies are overpowered by some sort of limitless power. For those who aren't with me, this is where the combo part of our build appears. We want to establish the set up for it, start gathering pieces in our hand, and then drop a game winning move all at once.
Late Game / End Game:
Thor has 2 ways to close out a game: Voltron from start to finish or, more likely, combo out. Entering the late game, our weaknesses will start to be apparent. Just like how Loki gives Thor trouble in the comics, trickster opponents with combat tricks, counter magic, and ways of shutting down our combos. Commanders with the ability to easily destroy our equipment will also be giving us trouble at this point, and cards like Wave of Vitriol can be back breaking. At this point in the game, its all about how well you played the first two phases. If you established mana early, pressured your opponents to force them to burn up their resources, and started to establish card draw and tutoring, you should be OK and set up for a win. As soon as you can go for the win, do it when the board state seems safe to do so. Thor doesn't gloat or monologue, he just wins, so don't waste time when you see your opening! A strong finish is Tooth and Nail, or as I like to refer to it, Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder, as these precious goats of Thor can chariot in a combo to close the game!
Weaknesses:
I still haven't played this deck enough to have a full list of weaknesses, BUUUUUUUUT:
Commanders with decks or abilities that enable repeated, low cost artifact removal cripples our voltron efforts.
Pillow Fort style decks are annoying. They limit our ability to voltron, as well as any infinite squirrel combos we use become valueless against their attack taxing effects.
Large scale removal / bounce effects like cyclonic rift are always painful.
Thor is not meant to be an arch enemy, and when everyone at the table is tired of your theme deck working too well, they come with pitch forks and torches...and you can expect to have a bad day.
In addition to Voltron Thor beatdown, here is a list of combos currently found in this build:
Earthcraft + Squirrel Nest = The infinite army of Ratatoskr! Can drop scarily early, almost always an instant keep if you have both cards in hand off the opener.(Currently removed from the build)
Adarkar Valkyrie + Intruder Alarm + Sac Outlet = Infinite creatures enter play, enter graveyard, and sac outlet effect.(Currently removed from the build)
Stuffy Doll + Druid's Call + Intruder Alarm = Another way to unleash Ratatoskr upon our foes. Can also deal a fatal amount of damage to a single opponent. - Removed Druid's Call and Stuffy Doll from my build. Still a great combo, so not deleting it, but I am not going to feature it anymore.
There a great many other interactions with the above cards, such as adding a mana dork to the Stuffy Doll combo in order to generate infinite mana, etc, but I haven't listed all those interactions. Also, there are a few very powerful synergies in this deck, such as:
Out: Squirrels Nest - I love Ratatoskr and her Marvel appearances, but I also wanted to build Acornelia, and I do not like repeated combos in my decks. Earthcraft Intruder Alarm - No longer serves a purpose sans Stuffy Doll combo. Never seems useful.
In: Siona, Captain of the Pyleas - Say hello to Lady Sif! Shielded by Faith - Gotta have faith in your gods (reference to my favorite thor series, god of thunder!) Infinite tokens with Sif. Concordant Crossroads - The 9 realms united together against their enemies! War of the Realms reference, as well as useful for voltron and creature combos.
Out: Greater Good - A great card, and fun to say Thor sacrifices himself to the greater good, honestly, I rarely abused this card to get real value out of it.
In: Stoneforge Mystic - Lets us fetch hammer from the deck, drawing it to Thor's hand. Easy include now that I have a copy.
Out: Kruphix, God of Horizons - Thor has little interaction with Eternity, and he wasn't helping the deck's goals.
In: Prime Speaker Vannifar - Strong theming, especially with the latest run of Jason Aaron's Thor Story line, and helps our deck find its game winning combo faster.
Out: Llanowar Elves - Weak theme, limited mana generation
In: Noble Hierarch - Strong theme as Frigga, not to mention, awesome upgrade mechanically.
Out: Concordant Crossroads - Honestly, it led to my opponents kicking my ass more often than me doing so, so its getting benched for the foreseeable future.
Out: Emeria, The Sky Ruin - only currently run 8 total plains in the deck, this card is never worth it, just enters play tapped. Overrun - Never seems to perform how I want it too. Overly expensive for a card slot, and a terrible explanation in the discussion section.
In: Journey To Nowhere - A very useful piece of removal that also fits incredibly well into this theme deck, as an homage to the comic book that started it all, Journey into Mystery Temple Garden - Dual land that can enter play tapped for no cost, or untapped if it helps me
I don't know if it counts as a frequently asked question or not, but my friend Jay, who originally challenged me to with the idea for building this deck, asked me what my process was for building this deck. Here was my reply to him:
Step 1: Pick a commander.
I figured that I had to pick a commander first, and I had known about Ragnar from my Avengers theory craft (same goes for Loki as Edric). That said, I googled up all the gods, and i also searched for legendary creatures with lightning, storm, thunder, etc. Turns out there are a lot of Storm names in magic, or at least, more than i thought.
Ultimately, came down to 3:
Tishana, Voice of Thunder - Best colors in edh according to the meta / online; but doesn't look like Thor or behave like him in my opinion. the only similarity between Tishana and Thor is the Thunder in his name; that and he has potential to be a strong commander.
Keranos, God of Storms - God. Check, Storms, Check. Muscles, Check. So what didn't I like? Thor is "Lawful Good", and Red just doesn't do it for me. That said, I did build a Keranos prototype. Lots of Barbarians and Berserkers (there are a lot of berserkers in magic); it was gonna be Thor and his shock troopers. Ultimately, it didn't play test well, and the commander's ability was pretty crumby. I didn't want to invest in buying cards I didn't own that i knew I wouldn't enjoy playing. He was scrapped.
Ragnar - Spitting image, and great colors to represent the brutally strong, learning, and good guy nature that is Thor. That said, his power and toughness are awful for a 3 CMC creature with a garbage ability. Frankly, the commander is one of the weakest cards in my deck. Ultimately settled on this commander because he was the best representation out of my options, and having a three color suite really enabled me to have the most options with my build of the deck. This was the biggest selling point, because unlike Keranos, who locked me into playing berserkers and barbarians, Ragnar really lets me build a marvel universe around my commander.
Step 2: Key Players
Since I was building a Marvel Thor deck, there are some aspects of Thor i HAD to capture: Thor, Loki, Mjolnir, Odin. Without those 4, I wouldn't be happy with the build. I actually have a link saved in my evernote that helped me with this: http://www.zimbio.com/Beyond the Box Office/articles/rNilHmND3Yy/Thor Characters Look Like Magic Gathering - Several of the Keranos prototype cards came from this, such as Balthor as Volstagg, and Jeska as Sif. I think that when I built my avengers deck that I must've used this too, because it also lists Loki as Edric.
Odin - I decided since I am a planeswalker, and control everything, I would be taking the role of Odin. This allows Thor to command the deck without having an issue with who is really the king of Asgard and all theoretical holes that pokes in having Thor as the commander, as well as lets me think I am one of the most overpowered characters ever.
Thor, Loki, and Mjolnir you know. I found Mjolnir (who was a scary prospect for me) by looking at hammer equipment. I was tickled pink to find one that flies to Thor's hand. That was a very happy accident.
Step 3: Strategy.
Before I started filling out the rest of my 90ish cards, I wanted to figure out how I was gonna play the deck, since I figured that given a theme and a strategy, finding cards that fit both would be easier than looking at the entire MTG universe for anything I could align to Thor (which, as a fantasy comic, aligns in a lot of ways). So I looked at our play group and the decks we played, and I realized that the deck I wanted to emulate was Prossh. I see Prossh as a deck that can do anything, and I have seen a friend have great success with it as a Voltron Combo deck - he pressures you early with a voltron you have to deal with or lose, and when you finally get that under control and stop worrying about him, he surprises you with a sudden combo. So with that in mind, I started compiling a list of gear that Thor uses in his comics, which is a lot, and then started looking into combos within my color suite that I could align to Marvel's Thor and its characters.
From there, I started to piece together all the gear for a voltron deck, such as this list:
Sword of Body and Mind - Hofund
Sword of Feast and Famine - All Black The Necrosword
Sword of Fire and Ice - The Odinsword
Sword of Light and Shadow - Dragonfang
Sword of War and Peace - Twilight Sword
And some combos that I could sink into after the voltron is dismantled, because 9 times out of 10, voltrons lose because they have no way to close all 3 opponents. After I had a LONG list of equips and combos, i started thinning the deck out, and adding in removal, like Path to Exile, and Wrath of God, etc to flesh out the rest of the deck.
I wish evernote kept a log of when you open a note, because I dont know exactly how long the entire process took me after the challenge was issued and accepted. I just know that i opened an evernote list and kept typing in cards anytime i thought about one.
Why Listen to me?
My name is Erik and I am 30 years old. I have been playing Magic: The Gathering for over 20 years, though there have been off and on periods during that time frame. I have mostly played extended till Legacy came into being; at which point I played strictly legacy for several years. My deck experience (and mostly small events, though a few SCG qualifiers) were Merfolk, Reanimator, and BUG (team america and shardless).
I transitioned over to EDH around 2012; when I joined MTG Salvation. I had recently moved, and none of my new friends played legacy. My first EDH deck was a Dralnu deck that I made out of spare cards that the timmy in me wanted to see played. Time Warp, Time Stretch, etc. I did not do well, but found a love for the format. I then shifted to Azami wizards, and realized that playing some of the best decks wasnt ideal for casual games at the kitchen table. Today, i still enjoy playing power cards and winning games; but I also see the fun in casually playing with friends, and thats where Mishra and I joined forces. I have played Mishra for years, and have become known in my circles as "that blue mage who loves artifacts." So since I am bros with Mishra, favor blue and artifact cards...I am basically Urza, and you should listen to me.
For those coming from reddit, I am u/frotch on reddit, and frequent both the magicTCG and edh subreddits. Cheers!
For those reading, this deck has been performing brilliantly in my circles. Its no Prossh, but the combination of distractions from a voltron leading into a nasty combo has proven time and time again to be a fatal combination.
I have ordered a copy of Journey to Nowhere, and it will be replacing Overrun in the build as soon as it arrives.
WOOOO!!! A NEW CANDIDATE FOR ALL BLACK THE NECROSWORD!!! Might have to recast sword of feast and famine as another thor sword, cuz this one is pretty juicey perfect.
First wave of changes while we wait for DOM to drop in a few weeks:
Out: Emeria, The Sky Ruin - only currently run 8 total plains in the deck, this card is never worth it, just enters play tapped. Overrun - Never seems to perform how I want it too. Overly expensive for a card slot, and a terrible explanation in the discussion section.
In: Journey To Nowhere - A very useful piece of removal that also fits incredibly well into this theme deck, as an homage to the comic book that started it all, Journey into Mystery Temple Garden - Dual land that can enter play tapped for no cost, or untapped if it helps me
Out: Concordant Crossroads - Honestly, it led to my opponents kicking my ass more often than me doing so, so its getting benched for the foreseeable future.
back after a short hiatus. I will be posting some reviews of the upcoming new cards for this deck and if i plan to throw any Thor to really help bolster my theme and success with the deck.
I'm not sure why this is the first time I'm seeing this decklist, but this is the most winning Vorthos deck of all time. If I could upvote it, I would. Well done!
I'm not sure why this is the first time I'm seeing this decklist, but this is the most winning Vorthos deck of all time. If I could upvote it, I would. Well done!
I consider this very high praise. Thank you very much!
So this deck has quickly become one of my absolute favorites. I would urge others to mimic voltron / combo decks when they can, its such a power deck strategy type.
I have begun work on a sister deck to this one, Enemies of Asgard, which is a deck built around Hela, the goddess of death. That post should be out in the next month or two. I am still cutting cards from my list.
Excellent. I like that both your Thor deck and your Hela deck share Simic as colors. It shows that they have a shared ancestry. Good work.
Are there any cards from the new sets that fit into your Thor theme? I'm not terribly familiar with the Thor storyline or characters, but I'm sure there's got to be something in the new sets from the Selesnya, Azorius, and Simic guilds that can fit in here.
Are there any cards from the new sets that fit into your Thor theme? I'm not terribly familiar with the Thor storyline or characters, but I'm sure there's got to be something in the new sets from the Selesnya, Azorius, and Simic guilds that can fit in here.
Unfortunately, nothing really has come up. I do want to go back through this list and clean up the references a little bit. As mentioned, I want to drop the generic 'elves' for Frigga (Noble Hierarch), as well as many other cards will get trimmed up. That said, nothing has really come up that sings to me. I need to review the latest cards from Ultimate Masters to see if any of the new arts fit theme.
As fun as it is to say Thor sacrifices himself for the greater good, having a more consistent way of getting his Mjolnir into play is simply more important thematically.
Woah. This... this is just too much. You're changing the Realms that Thor operates and draws power from... NOOOOOOOO!
Totally fine. In other news, does Lavinia, Azorius Renegade work thematically for this deck? She seems like a great way to keep the table fair, but may not have a ton of synergy or impact on the deck's strategy as a whole.
Its funny, I picked her up the other day on the cheap (I cannot believe how little she costs!), but I don't know where to use her. She might be worthy of a slot, perhaps as the recent girlfriend of Thor, Rosalind Solomon. Shes a rogue ex-shield agent who fits Lavinia pretty perfectly.
That said, you are right, she doesnt do much other than serve as a hate bear. I will have to chew on it.
Wow what a summer. Been crazy busy and haven't been able to post changes. I am currently in the process of converting everything over to MTGNexus, but in the mean time, here is an update:
Out: Forest Stuffy Doll - Without Druid's Call, overpriced and doesn't help us. Replaced with new Groot. Druid's Call - Theming was weak.
Out: Squirrels Nest - I love Ratatoskr and her Marvel appearances, but I also wanted to build Acornelia, and I do not like repeated combos in my decks. Earthcraft Intruder Alarm - No longer serves a purpose sans Stuffy Doll combo. Never seems useful.
In: Siona, Captain of the Pyleas - Say hello to Lady Sif! Shielded by Faith - Gotta have faith in your gods (reference to my favorite thor series, god of thunder!) Infinite tokens with Sif. Concordant Crossroads - The 9 realms united together against their enemies! War of the Realms reference, as well as useful for voltron and creature combos.
Before you read any further, I want you to know that this deck will be based on that theme, and while cards like DEN+Palinchron work great with other cards in this deck, namely Tooth and Nail, without being able to tie cards back to Thor in some way or another, I will not include them in my build. That's what makes this a challenge, and why its both fun to play, and build.
As of 2019, I am happy to announce a 2nd comic book theme deck has been built, and if you enjoy reading this build, please check out my Hela and the Enemies of Asgard deck when you get a chance!
Why should you play Ragnar/Thor?
You will NOT enjoy this deck if:
1x Ragnar
-=Land=-
1x Breeding Pool
1x Canopy Vista
1x Command Tower
1x Exotic Orchard
1x Fabled Passage
1x Flooded Strand
1x Forbidden Orchard
5x Forest
1x Glacial Fortress
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Homeward Path
3x Island
1x Kor Haven
1x Misty Rainforest
5x Plains
1x Prairie Stream
1x Reflecting Pool
1x Reliquary Tower
1x Savannah
1x Scalding Tarn
1x Strip Mine
1x Temple Garden
1x Tropical Island
1x Tundra
1x Verdant Catacombs
1x Wasteland
1x Windswept Heath
1x Yavimaya Hollow
-=Instant=-
1x Beast Within
1x Cyclonic Rift
1x Enlightened Tutor
1x Krosan Grip
1x Path to Exile
1x Swords to Plowshares
1x Adarkar Valkyrie
1x Arbor Elf
1x Birds of Paradise
1x Bloom Tender
1x Consecrated Sphinx
1x Edric, Spymaster of Trest
1x Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1x Elvish Mystic
1x Eternal Witness
1x Faeburrow Elder
1x Faerie Artisans
1x Fiend Hunter
1x Karmic Guide
1x Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1x Noble Hierarch
1x Oracle of Mul Daya
1x Prime Speaker Vannifar
1x Rafiq of the Many
1x Reveillark
1x Saffi Eriksdotter
1x Stoneforge Mystic
1x Stonehewer Giant
1x Sun Titan
-=Sorcery=-
1x Cultivate
1x Day of Judgment
1x Kodama's Reach
1x Nature's Lore
1x Recurring Insight
1x Skyshroud Claim
1x Supreme Verdict
1x Tooth and Nail
1x Wargate
1x Wrath of God
1x Altar of Dementia
1x Azorius Signet
1x Blackblade Reforged
1x Blasting Station
1x Chromatic Lantern
1x Hammer of Nazahn
1x Lightning Greaves
1x Selesnya Signet
1x Simic Signet
1x Sol Ring
1x Swiftfoot Boots
1x Sword of Body and Mind
1x Sword of Feast and Famine
1x Sword of Fire and Ice
1x Sword of Light and Shadow
1x Sword of War and Peace
-=Enchantment=-
1x Earthcraft
1x Intruder Alarm
1x Journey to Nowhere
1x Squirrel Nest
1x Sylvan Library
-=Planeswalker=-
1x Oko, Thief of Crowns
Thor (Commander)
Ragnar - A near spitting image of the thundergod himself, Thor! I was originally torn between Ragnar and Keranos, God of Storms, but Ragnar won out in the end due to being so perfect a visual representation, and having a better color suite for building the deck I had in mind.
Asgard (Lands)
Breeding Pool
Canopy Vista - The upper branches of Yggdrasil.
Command Tower - The Avenger's Tower.
Emeria, The Sky Ruin - The remains of Alfheim after Ragnarok.
Exotic Orchard - The Orchard of Adun v1, where the apples of immortality are grown. Without these apples, Thor would die of old age!
Fabled Passage - Yggdrasil, the World Tree!
Flooded Strand - A barren land, containing the remains of a beast slain by Thor! (referring to Kahns art)
Forbidden Orchard - The Orchard of Adun v2, where the apples of immortality are grown. Without these apples, Thor would die of old age!
Glacial Fortress - An Asgardian Fortress in Jotunheim
Hallowed Fountain - The blessed Well of Wisdom, Mimir
Homeward Path - Representing Thor's return to Asgard, after living the life of a mortal as Donald Blake.
Kor Haven - A hiding place within Asgard to shelter its inhabitants from pesky goddesses of death.
Misty Rainforest
Prairie Stream
Reflecting Pool - The pool of the Norns. Also, one of the most confusing scenes in Age of Ultron...just saying...
Reliquary Tower - Thor's hammer (img link). Heh.
Savannah - A great place for Asgard on Earth, be it Oklahoma like in the comics, or Sweden from the movies.
Scalding Tarn
Strip Mine - Post Ragnarok Asgard.
Temple Garden - A lovely Asgardian temple scene, well taken care of by the devotees to Asgard
Tropical Island
Tundra
Verdant Catacombs
Vesuva - An alternate Marvel Universe!
Wasteland - Post Ragnarok Asgard.
Windswept Heath
Yavimaya Hollow
Loki's Tricks (Instants)
Beast Within - Its a BILGESNIPE!! Basically, a beast native to Asgard.
Cyclonic Rift - If there's something Thor does a LOT, its swing his hammer in a circle and make tornadoes full of lightning.
Enlightened Tutor - Failing and seeking wisdom is a recurring theme in Thor comics. A weak justification, but I am sure I could find a Norn looking like the old lady as well..
Krosan Grip - Thor's grip is so powerful that he can easily crush Uru, the same material that his Hammer is made of!
Path to Exile - The perfect representation of Thor's time as Donald Blake, for being Unworthy, is the promo art.
Swords to Plowshares - Mjolnir a great weapon, it's power has no equal, as a weapon to destroy, or as a tool to build.
Warriors of Asgard (Creatures)
Adarkar Valkyrie - Too bad she isnt as lovely as Tessa Thompson. That said, this Valkyrie is a very powerful and welcome creature in our deck.
Arbor Elf - Elves lend themselves easily to Thor, as he frequently makes allies in Alfheim, the realm of the light elf tribes.
Birds of Paradise = Using the modern art for this card, I call it the Bird of the Rainbow Bridge.
Bloom Tender - Another helpful denizen of Alfheim, Queen Aelsa!
Consecrated Sphinx - Few people know about the time that Thor bested Hyperion, one of the strongest characters in marvel, in front of the Sphinx of Gisa, and I couldn't not include this overpowered homage to that moment.
Edric, Spymaster of Trest - A beautiful representation of Loki, in almost every way. A conniving, sneaky, and political card that looks just like the Trickster god himself.
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite - Her head...helmet?...face? reminds me greatly of the long time Thor villainess and daughter of Loki, Hela.
Elvish Mystic - Did I mention that elves are just easy includes?
Eternal Witness - A very powerful, and nigh perfect depiction of The Enchantress, the asgardian goddess of Sorcery.
Faeburrow Elder - Our new Groot! The MCU made his relationship even more thematic for our deck.
Faerie Artisans - Though not a true fairy, Thor allied himself with The Wasp, who made quite a habit of changing her appearance before each mission. The constant new tokens created by Artisans capture this quite well in my opinion.
Fiend Hunter - Donald Blake, the human alter ego of Thor, and bearer of the great hammer, Mjolnir.
Karmic Guide - An angel of Asgard
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth - Gorr, the god butcher. A foul villain from the Thor comics, this gray skinned alien seeks to destroy all divinity to show that one does not need to be a god to be all powerful.
Kruphix, God of Horizons - Marvel's own Eternity, the abstract embodiment of reality.
Llanowar Elves - More druids from Alfheim.
Noble Hierarch - Frigga, Mother of Thor!
Oracle of Mul Daya - A perfect Norn, the oracles of Asgard.
Prime Speaker Vannifar - Aleyah, Scholar of the Brightelves, and Alfheim's representative at the congress of worlds!
Rafiq of the Many - Heimdall, the gatekeeper of Asgard. Also, brilliant in any deck with a Voltron.
Reveillark - The elemental form of Zephyr, the wind goddess
Saffi Eriksdotter - As a man named Erik, I couldn't help but include Eriksdotter in this viking lore themed deck. She serves as our Jane Foster, a nurse who always seeks to save the lives of others and beloved of Donald Blake (Thor's human alter ego while banished to earth in the early comics).
Siona, Captain of the Pyleas - Say hello to Lady Sif!
Stoneforge Mystic - Mjolnir's mold was made using the heart of a dying star, and stoneforge shows this casting brilliantly.
Stonehewer Giant - Even though the creature typing lends this to being a Jotun...I like his ability theme with Peter Dinklage's representation of Eitri, who was a giant dwarf in the Marvel movies.
Stuffy Doll - if you haven't seen groot Thor, he's pretty great. Removed Stuffy doll for new Groot, Faeburrow Elder!
Sun Titan - This, is Surtur. Now you might say, Surtur doesnt bring things back to life. Ah, but he certainly strip mines and wastelands the Hel outta Asgard!
Magic (Sorceries)
Cultivate - As the protector of Midgard, Thor must cultivate its growth as much as he defends it.
Day of Judgment - A blast of godly might, though not so strong that it can kill our God of Thunder (regenerate)
Kodama's Reach - Seeking the spirit of Gaea, Thor can reach out to his mother in times of need. (fun filled fact, Thor is only half Asgardian, his other half is actually that of Elder Gods, as he is the blood son of Gaea!)
Nature's Lore - A simple elven trick to generate land.
Overrun - Rallying the 9 realms behind him, Thor is able to do feats of great power and trample his foes.
Recurring Insight - The all seeing eye of Odin grants us much wisdom, in the form of drawing cards.
Skyshroud Claim - The elves believe the realm is their's to claim (kinda stealing from the plotline of dark world)
Supreme Verdict - Odin's commands can not be ignored, his verdicts are supreme.
Tooth and Nail - Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr, or Teethbarer and Teethgrinder, the trusted goats of Thor!
Wargate - Heimdall! OPEN THE BIFROST! This lets us quickly access any of Asgards allies, warriors, or tools.
Wrath of God - When Thor lets out his Warrior's Madness, no one can survive the thunder gods wrath.
The Armory (Artifacts)
Altar of Dementia - Deep in the halls of Loki's lab, this mysterious altar is a final destination for many a poor soul.
Azorius Signet - A seal showing the aliances of asgard to other realms.
Blackblade Reforged - A nearly perfect representation of All Black, the Necrosword! If you havent read Thor: God of Thunder, you need to. The series is the most metal comic books you will ever read.
Blasting Station - The crux of the Bifrost, a station where Heimdall can use his sword to connect the 9 realms with great ease.
Chromatic Lantern - The casket of winters, an artifact in Odin's vault captured from Jotunheim.
Hammer of Nazahn - THE MIGHTY MJOLNIR!
Lightning Greaves - Even the gods need shoes. What better to strap on his feet when striding into battle?
Selesnya Signet - A seal showing the aliances of asgard to other realms.
Simic Signet - A seal showing the aliances of asgard to other realms.
Sol Ring - A crossing ring, a magical tool for communication and mobilization of Asgard.
Swiftfoot Boots - For when he isnt feeling formal, Thor also brings his work boots.
Sword of Body and Mind - Hofund, the sword of Heimdall
Sword of Feast and Famine - The Odinsword, a blade that when drawn signal's the coming of Ragnarok.
Sword of Fire and Ice - Gram, a sword that can pierce through any lie to find the truth - represented by the burning and card drawing of Fire and Ice!
Sword of Light and Shadow - Dragonfang, the sword of Valkyrie.
Sword of War and Peace - Twilight Sword, the sword of Surtur, its intent is to set the universe on fire.
Blessings of Odin (Enchantments)
Concordant Crossroads - The nexus of the 9 realms, a crossroad where all realms meet at Yggdrasil. The 9 realms united together against their enemies! War of the Realms reference, as well as useful for voltron and creature combos.
Druid's Call - Asgard has many great druids among its people, and this enchantment pairs brilliantly with our Groot. Weak theming, was removed 10-13-19
Earthcraft - As half Elder god, and blood son of Gaea, Thor is literally Earthcrafted.
Greater Good - Thor is always about the greater good.
Intruder Alarm - Loki, how many times will you betray me? A scene from Thor Ragnarok, as Loki pulls the alarm.
Journey to Nowhere - Journey Into Mystery #83 - the first comic book to feature Thor! God of Thunder!
Shielded by Faith - Gotta have faith in your gods (reference to my favorite thor series, god of thunder!) Infinite tokens with Sif (Siona).
Squirrel Nest - The nest of Ratatoskr, the immortal and super powered squirrel of Asgard.
Sylvan Library - A blessed library of the elves, Thor is able to draw much great knowledge from this place.
Gods among men (Planeswalkers)
Oko, Thief of Crowns - Our young Loki representation, Kid Loki is often treated as a separate character in the comics. Mr. Steal-Yo-Girl
In the early game, Thor has 3 main, and simple objectives. Firstly, you are looking to establish a mana base. This means casting ramp spells, playing mana dorks, and most importantly, keeping an opening hand with about 3 lands in it. We can function on 2 with the right hand, and 4 isnt too many, but outside of 2-4 lands, you should likely throw that hand away and mull for a new one. Thor's second objective is to enter the fray himself. Play your commander early and often. He can regen himself with all that mana you are establishing, and a board presence that can chump block and regenerate helps you dissuade opponents from pressuring you. Finally, Thor's third objective in the early game is to lay the foundations of our mid game strategy: Voltron. At this point in the game, if you can play some equipment, do so. They will be less valuable the longer the game goes, and they help make your board presence even more intimidating. Just make sure to be careful with Lightning Greaves. As much as Thor loves these boots, they can really stymie your ability to equip your creatures with equipment.
Mid Game:
Starting turn 4-5, you want to be going into the red zone with Thor. You will try to maintain this strategy for at least 3-5 more turns. Thor plus some equipment can do some serious damage, and all the swords of Asgard's armory can really give you a massive momentum boost, depending on which ones you get into play. Continue to play equipment and pressure your opponents with Thor. If they remove him, reestablish him as quickly as possible so that they are continuously dealing with a voltron in their face, forcing them to burn their reactive spells. At this phase of the game, Thor will often learn his lesson: you can't simply bludgeon every foe into submission. Instead, start to seek wisdom. Establish draw engines, or drop big draw spells like the all seeing eye of Odin. We want to start searching for an ultimate solution for the enemies of Asgard, some sort of ace up our sleeve where our enemies are overpowered by some sort of limitless power. For those who aren't with me, this is where the combo part of our build appears. We want to establish the set up for it, start gathering pieces in our hand, and then drop a game winning move all at once.
Late Game / End Game:
Thor has 2 ways to close out a game: Voltron from start to finish or, more likely, combo out. Entering the late game, our weaknesses will start to be apparent. Just like how Loki gives Thor trouble in the comics, trickster opponents with combat tricks, counter magic, and ways of shutting down our combos. Commanders with the ability to easily destroy our equipment will also be giving us trouble at this point, and cards like Wave of Vitriol can be back breaking. At this point in the game, its all about how well you played the first two phases. If you established mana early, pressured your opponents to force them to burn up their resources, and started to establish card draw and tutoring, you should be OK and set up for a win. As soon as you can go for the win, do it when the board state seems safe to do so. Thor doesn't gloat or monologue, he just wins, so don't waste time when you see your opening! A strong finish is Tooth and Nail, or as I like to refer to it, Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder, as these precious goats of Thor can chariot in a combo to close the game!
Weaknesses:
I still haven't played this deck enough to have a full list of weaknesses, BUUUUUUUUT:
Earthcraft + Squirrel Nest = The infinite army of Ratatoskr! Can drop scarily early, almost always an instant keep if you have both cards in hand off the opener.(Currently removed from the build)Siona, Captain of the Pyleas + Shielded by Faith = Infinite soldiers of Asgard!
Saffi Eriksdotter + Karmic Guide / Sun Titan / Reveillark + Sac outlet = Infinite creatures enter play, enter graveyard, and sac outlet effect.
Adarkar Valkyrie + Intruder Alarm + Sac Outlet = Infinite creatures enter play, enter graveyard, and sac outlet effect.(Currently removed from the build)Stuffy Doll + Druid's Call + Intruder Alarm = Another way to unleash Ratatoskr upon our foes. Can also deal a fatal amount of damage to a single opponent.- Removed Druid's Call and Stuffy Doll from my build. Still a great combo, so not deleting it, but I am not going to feature it anymore.There a great many other interactions with the above cards, such as adding a mana dork to the Stuffy Doll combo in order to generate infinite mana, etc, but I haven't listed all those interactions. Also, there are a few very powerful synergies in this deck, such as:
Sun Titan + Wasteland / Strip Mine = Land Destruction Surtur loop
Out:
Squirrels Nest - I love Ratatoskr and her Marvel appearances, but I also wanted to build Acornelia, and I do not like repeated combos in my decks.
Earthcraft
Intruder Alarm - No longer serves a purpose sans Stuffy Doll combo. Never seems useful.
In:
Siona, Captain of the Pyleas - Say hello to Lady Sif!
Shielded by Faith - Gotta have faith in your gods (reference to my favorite thor series, god of thunder!) Infinite tokens with Sif.
Concordant Crossroads - The 9 realms united together against their enemies! War of the Realms reference, as well as useful for voltron and creature combos.
Out:
Forest
In:
Fabled Passage - Not the best fetch land, but love the Yggdrasil flavor!
Out:
Forest
Stuffy Doll - Without Druid's Call, overpriced and doesn't help us. Replaced with new Groot.
Druid's Call - Theming was weak.
In:
Faeburrow Elder - New Groot!
Oko, Thief of Crowns - Loki examining one of his daggers
Exotic Orchard - Another representation of the Orchard of Adun.
Out:
Island
Forest
Vesuva
In:
Windswept Heath
Savannah
Tundra
Out:
Greater Good - A great card, and fun to say Thor sacrifices himself to the greater good, honestly, I rarely abused this card to get real value out of it.
In:
Stoneforge Mystic - Lets us fetch hammer from the deck, drawing it to Thor's hand. Easy include now that I have a copy.
Out:
Kruphix, God of Horizons - Thor has little interaction with Eternity, and he wasn't helping the deck's goals.
In:
Prime Speaker Vannifar - Strong theming, especially with the latest run of Jason Aaron's Thor Story line, and helps our deck find its game winning combo faster.
Out:
Llanowar Elves - Weak theme, limited mana generation
In:
Noble Hierarch - Strong theme as Frigga, not to mention, awesome upgrade mechanically.
Out:
Concordant Crossroads - Honestly, it led to my opponents kicking my ass more often than me doing so, so its getting benched for the foreseeable future.
In:
Blackblade Reforged - An even better representation of All Black, the Necrosword!
Out:
Emeria, The Sky Ruin - only currently run 8 total plains in the deck, this card is never worth it, just enters play tapped.
Overrun - Never seems to perform how I want it too. Overly expensive for a card slot, and a terrible explanation in the discussion section.
In:
Journey To Nowhere - A very useful piece of removal that also fits incredibly well into this theme deck, as an homage to the comic book that started it all, Journey into Mystery
Temple Garden - Dual land that can enter play tapped for no cost, or untapped if it helps me
I figured that I had to pick a commander first, and I had known about Ragnar from my Avengers theory craft (same goes for Loki as Edric). That said, I googled up all the gods, and i also searched for legendary creatures with lightning, storm, thunder, etc. Turns out there are a lot of Storm names in magic, or at least, more than i thought.
Ultimately, came down to 3:
Tishana, Voice of Thunder - Best colors in edh according to the meta / online; but doesn't look like Thor or behave like him in my opinion. the only similarity between Tishana and Thor is the Thunder in his name; that and he has potential to be a strong commander.
Keranos, God of Storms - God. Check, Storms, Check. Muscles, Check. So what didn't I like? Thor is "Lawful Good", and Red just doesn't do it for me. That said, I did build a Keranos prototype. Lots of Barbarians and Berserkers (there are a lot of berserkers in magic); it was gonna be Thor and his shock troopers. Ultimately, it didn't play test well, and the commander's ability was pretty crumby. I didn't want to invest in buying cards I didn't own that i knew I wouldn't enjoy playing. He was scrapped.
Ragnar - Spitting image, and great colors to represent the brutally strong, learning, and good guy nature that is Thor. That said, his power and toughness are awful for a 3 CMC creature with a garbage ability. Frankly, the commander is one of the weakest cards in my deck. Ultimately settled on this commander because he was the best representation out of my options, and having a three color suite really enabled me to have the most options with my build of the deck. This was the biggest selling point, because unlike Keranos, who locked me into playing berserkers and barbarians, Ragnar really lets me build a marvel universe around my commander.
Step 2: Key Players
Since I was building a Marvel Thor deck, there are some aspects of Thor i HAD to capture: Thor, Loki, Mjolnir, Odin. Without those 4, I wouldn't be happy with the build. I actually have a link saved in my evernote that helped me with this: http://www.zimbio.com/Beyond the Box Office/articles/rNilHmND3Yy/Thor Characters Look Like Magic Gathering - Several of the Keranos prototype cards came from this, such as Balthor as Volstagg, and Jeska as Sif. I think that when I built my avengers deck that I must've used this too, because it also lists Loki as Edric.
Odin - I decided since I am a planeswalker, and control everything, I would be taking the role of Odin. This allows Thor to command the deck without having an issue with who is really the king of Asgard and all theoretical holes that pokes in having Thor as the commander, as well as lets me think I am one of the most overpowered characters ever.
Thor, Loki, and Mjolnir you know. I found Mjolnir (who was a scary prospect for me) by looking at hammer equipment. I was tickled pink to find one that flies to Thor's hand. That was a very happy accident.
Step 3: Strategy.
Before I started filling out the rest of my 90ish cards, I wanted to figure out how I was gonna play the deck, since I figured that given a theme and a strategy, finding cards that fit both would be easier than looking at the entire MTG universe for anything I could align to Thor (which, as a fantasy comic, aligns in a lot of ways). So I looked at our play group and the decks we played, and I realized that the deck I wanted to emulate was Prossh. I see Prossh as a deck that can do anything, and I have seen a friend have great success with it as a Voltron Combo deck - he pressures you early with a voltron you have to deal with or lose, and when you finally get that under control and stop worrying about him, he surprises you with a sudden combo. So with that in mind, I started compiling a list of gear that Thor uses in his comics, which is a lot, and then started looking into combos within my color suite that I could align to Marvel's Thor and its characters.
From there, I started to piece together all the gear for a voltron deck, such as this list:
Sword of Body and Mind - Hofund
Sword of Feast and Famine - All Black The Necrosword
Sword of Fire and Ice - The Odinsword
Sword of Light and Shadow - Dragonfang
Sword of War and Peace - Twilight Sword
And some combos that I could sink into after the voltron is dismantled, because 9 times out of 10, voltrons lose because they have no way to close all 3 opponents. After I had a LONG list of equips and combos, i started thinning the deck out, and adding in removal, like Path to Exile, and Wrath of God, etc to flesh out the rest of the deck.
I wish evernote kept a log of when you open a note, because I dont know exactly how long the entire process took me after the challenge was issued and accepted. I just know that i opened an evernote list and kept typing in cards anytime i thought about one.
Why Listen to me?
I transitioned over to EDH around 2012; when I joined MTG Salvation. I had recently moved, and none of my new friends played legacy. My first EDH deck was a Dralnu deck that I made out of spare cards that the timmy in me wanted to see played. Time Warp, Time Stretch, etc. I did not do well, but found a love for the format. I then shifted to Azami wizards, and realized that playing some of the best decks wasnt ideal for casual games at the kitchen table. Today, i still enjoy playing power cards and winning games; but I also see the fun in casually playing with friends, and thats where Mishra and I joined forces. I have played Mishra for years, and have become known in my circles as "that blue mage who loves artifacts." So since I am bros with Mishra, favor blue and artifact cards...I am basically Urza, and you should listen to me.
For those coming from reddit, I am u/frotch on reddit, and frequent both the magicTCG and edh subreddits. Cheers!
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Theme decks are awesome, and this is one of my favorites. I'll be following the journey the deck takes, for sure!
WU Bruna UW | R Kiki-Jiki R | RB New Chainer BR
Legacy - Burn | Pauper - Reanimator | Aristocrats | Burn
@votechainer2016
For those reading, this deck has been performing brilliantly in my circles. Its no Prossh, but the combination of distractions from a voltron leading into a nasty combo has proven time and time again to be a fatal combination.
I have ordered a copy of Journey to Nowhere, and it will be replacing Overrun in the build as soon as it arrives.
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Out:
Emeria, The Sky Ruin - only currently run 8 total plains in the deck, this card is never worth it, just enters play tapped.
Overrun - Never seems to perform how I want it too. Overly expensive for a card slot, and a terrible explanation in the discussion section.
In:
Journey To Nowhere - A very useful piece of removal that also fits incredibly well into this theme deck, as an homage to the comic book that started it all, Journey into Mystery
Temple Garden - Dual land that can enter play tapped for no cost, or untapped if it helps me
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Out:
Concordant Crossroads - Honestly, it led to my opponents kicking my ass more often than me doing so, so its getting benched for the foreseeable future.
In:
Blackblade Reforged - An even better representation of All Black, the Necrosword!
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
I have begun work on a sister deck to this one, Enemies of Asgard, which is a deck built around Hela, the goddess of death. That post should be out in the next month or two. I am still cutting cards from my list.
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Are there any cards from the new sets that fit into your Thor theme? I'm not terribly familiar with the Thor storyline or characters, but I'm sure there's got to be something in the new sets from the Selesnya, Azorius, and Simic guilds that can fit in here.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Unfortunately, nothing really has come up. I do want to go back through this list and clean up the references a little bit. As mentioned, I want to drop the generic 'elves' for Frigga (Noble Hierarch), as well as many other cards will get trimmed up. That said, nothing has really come up that sings to me. I need to review the latest cards from Ultimate Masters to see if any of the new arts fit theme.
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
As fun as it is to say Thor sacrifices himself for the greater good, having a more consistent way of getting his Mjolnir into play is simply more important thematically.
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
-1 Island
-1 Forest
-1 Vesuva
+1 Windswept Heath
+1 Savannah
+1 Tundra
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Totally fine. In other news, does Lavinia, Azorius Renegade work thematically for this deck? She seems like a great way to keep the table fair, but may not have a ton of synergy or impact on the deck's strategy as a whole.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
That said, you are right, she doesnt do much other than serve as a hate bear. I will have to chew on it.
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Out:
Forest
Stuffy Doll - Without Druid's Call, overpriced and doesn't help us. Replaced with new Groot.
Druid's Call - Theming was weak.
In:
Faeburrow Elder - New Groot!
Oko, Thief of Crowns - Loki examining one of his daggers
Exotic Orchard - Another representation of the Orchard of Adun.
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Forest
In:
Fabled Passage - Not the best fetch land, but love the Yggdrasil flavor!
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage
Squirrels Nest - I love Ratatoskr and her Marvel appearances, but I also wanted to build Acornelia, and I do not like repeated combos in my decks.
Earthcraft
Intruder Alarm - No longer serves a purpose sans Stuffy Doll combo. Never seems useful.
In:
Siona, Captain of the Pyleas - Say hello to Lady Sif!
Shielded by Faith - Gotta have faith in your gods (reference to my favorite thor series, god of thunder!) Infinite tokens with Sif.
Concordant Crossroads - The 9 realms united together against their enemies! War of the Realms reference, as well as useful for voltron and creature combos.
Primer - Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
Thor, Ragnar Röks!
Hela, and the Enemies of Asgard
Teferi, Temporal Archmage