I built this deck solely to build around Mowu because he is a dog. Being that his main abilities want him to get counters and attack, I decided to go a (more or less) Voltron route but to do so with +1/+1 counters instead of auras and equipment.
So, the deck is built pretty much around getting Mowu out and getting him to survive as well as being able to kill with Commander Damage. The only other creatures generally fall into Ramp, Card Draw, or Counters. I do have a couple tutor effects or utility (like Bane of Progress) as well just to smooth things out a little.
Basically, the idea is to load Mowu up with as many counters as possible and swing out. Since he has Trample and Vigilance, he should be able to attack and deal damage on almost every turn. Being mono green means that removal is limited so the idea is to just be as aggressive as possible. I am missing some removal spells like Krosan Grip and Reclamation Sage because I didn't have the room. I haven't built a deck like this before so I am not sure what the appropriate density is for "counters matter" spells so it is possible I went too high on those. I may end up finding room for these things later either out of necessity or just because some cards I do have aren't pulling their weight.
I am a little light on card draw but Harmonize, Hunter's Prowess, Lifeblood Hydra, Momentous Fall, and Armorcraft Judge will hopefully be enough. I am pretty sure they won't be, but since I am really just focusing on my general, it might not matter as much.
I tried to find as many good spells as I could that dealt with counters and I know I cut a fair amount. I really wanted things that gave Mowu Hexproof or Indestructible to help keep him around but I also wanted to keep the curve low. I ended up keeping Burst of Strength (and I might add Stony Strength back in) to help with some other creatures that do tap to attack even though the untap clause doesn't mean much to Mowu. If I can find a better, yet still cheap, spell I am open to removing Burst of Strength.
I did think about things like Alpha Authority but being an aura was enough of a detriment to shy away from it. Maybe I should still have it but I figured that my other cards can do enough on their own.
Not had a good luck at the ratio of draw, removal etc.
But right away a big concern for me is that a lot of your cards granting +1 counters are single use sorceries/instants, you have a few ways to give the Dog hexproof or no combat damage occurring, but it can still be removed reasonably often if you don't have the right card to hand and there's not too many ways to have it say survive a board wipe, where now all your counters are lost with its death.
So a few more permanent ways to give it counters repeatedly...
Artifact/Equipment wise which was my main idea, since they'll survive at least creature removal.. Armory of Iroas Blade of the bloodchief (assuming you're in a multiplier environment they'll be enough death going on, 1vs 1 maybe not as impactful but still decent) Dragon Blood Yes its a horribly overcosted ability, but being green you may well have a bit of mana to spare at times, and its guaranteed counters and I highly doubt many would waste removal on it.. Power Conduit, as long as he has a counter on to start with (or something does to start it off), it's take one give two..
Few enchantments which are relevant.. Curse of Predation, politics and benefits you a fair bit Death's Presence high cmc but I'd say you run enough creatures to make this relevant..
There are a few more albeit also high cmc and as you say you want to keep it low as possible
If i were you, i'd concentrate on the best +1/+1 interactions, ditch the rest and go for a well balanced package of Voltron things and creatures that profit from counters. Otherwise your deck falls apart if your commander gets killed a few times.
I had the first 3 in my list at one point but I didn't like them enough. Denizen is probably the best of the 3. Magistrate doesn't work as well in this deck as I only have one Elf (the Magistrate would make 2). 4 mana for either one is enough that I didn't feel it was worth it to go this route. The Denizen was left off due to the low count of creatures in general. 21 is likely still enough to get use out of it, but it wasn't something I wanted to go with. Jugan was actually one of my last cuts and then was only cut due to mana cost.
Vastwood Hydra doesn't seem as good as the rest since it does have to die, it does take a fair amount of mana to get out, and there is no guarantee I have Mowu at the exact time it dies. It might make sense to have either the Magistrate or Denizen and I will keep them in mind, but I decided to forgo them for now.
Artifact/Equipment wise which was my main idea, since they'll survive at least creature removal.. Armory of Iroas Blade of the bloodchief (assuming you're in a multiplier environment they'll be enough death going on, 1vs 1 maybe not as impactful but still decent) Dragon Blood Yes its a horribly overcosted ability, but being green you may well have a bit of mana to spare at times, and its guaranteed counters and I highly doubt many would waste removal on it.. Power Conduit, as long as he has a counter on to start with (or something does to start it off), it's take one give two..
Armory and Conduit were both in the deck until they didn't make the last round of cuts. Of the two, Armory seems much better and I cut Conduit simply because it will often just be "tap: add 1 counter". I might need to add the Armory back in though.
Few enchantments which are relevant.. Curse of Predation, politics and benefits you a fair bit Death's Presence high cmc but I'd say you run enough creatures to make this relevant..
There are a few more albeit also high cmc and as you say you want to keep it low as possible
As odd as it is to say, I don't really like political cards in my decks. Predation helps others as well which is why I would shy away from it. And I left out Death's Presence because I didn't think I had enough creatures and it is 6 mana. I will admit my creature count might be on the edge of being enough (it is a fine line with certain cards) but I didn't feel I crossed it to warrant the Presence.
I am certainly open to these choices being mistakes, but the main reason behind the Instant timing spells is the Hexproof or Indestructible and being able to make opponent's waste a removal spell. I get that I have a couple spells that don't really do this (Burst of Strength and Hunger of the Howlpack being the big two) so these are likely easy cuts for some more permanent based cards that add counters. If I did go that route, I would likely just add in the Armory and maybe adding Jugan back in due to having Flying.
I like Hunter's Insight and Expertise seems decent (though being a Sorcery kind of sucks). As you mentioned, they work well for draw power which is the reason Hunter's Prowess is in here. I think I will almost certainly add Insight. Expertise might come along later. I have Momentous Fall already and I have gone back and forth on Life's Legacy due to being a Sorcery. It actually might make more sense over Harmonize though. And, I left off Greater Good because so many of the creatures I do have are too small for it to be worth it.
Funny enough, but +1/+1 decks are usually great off-setting persist. Cauldron of Souls and Woodfall Primus are propably your best options to exploit that.
I will keep the Primus in mind. I am not a fan of Cauldron but Primus can be a super important removal spell when I need it to be. And, as you mentioned, it is fairly easy to re-use. The major issue with it is the lack of sac outlets in the deck so it is hard to use on command. Greater Good would help with this, but I don't want to add it (mostly) just for this.
Primal Vigor is tricky, but the payoff should be nuts. If you stack it right that's at a minimum of 4 counters on your dawg.
I really don't like this card just because it helps everyone. I have been in games where one person plays it and then the next person just goes off with all of their counters and tokens. I like my cards limited to me as much as possible.
Those are mostly good suggestions but the main issue is getting them big enough to matter. I am trying to focus almost exclusively on getting Mowu bigger so using my spells/abilities to make those bigger for mana isn't generally what I want to do. Granted, the Sage grows on its own and Acolyte only cares about Devotion, but I don't think I want to find a slot for these. Though, with Acolyte in mind, I realize I neglected to add Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx so I will be adding that.
I have Boots already and Greaves doesn't work due to Shroud and the rest of my stuff targeting. Surrak is one I hadn't thought of and his power, with Mowu, is already the 8 I need. Hall of the Bandit Lord is also a great suggestion so I will likely slot that in. Crossroads is just too risky and is another card I hate seeing people play because they either play it the turn they win (which is fine, but the game is over) or they play it early and someone else just goes off. Since the plan is to pick off people one by one, it is even more risky.
If i were you, i'd concentrate on the best +1/+1 interactions, ditch the rest and go for a well balanced package of Voltron things and creatures that profit from counters. Otherwise your deck falls apart if your commander gets killed a few times.
That makes sense and I would probably want to spread things out rather than going too deep on Mowu if I want a deck that can win consistently and be able to fight through hate (and it is a good suggestion for anyone else trying out this general). But, to be honest, I built this deck to only win with Mowu. The entire focus is meant to be on him (for better or worse). While it may make the deck weaker or win less often, I don't want to win with anything other than Mowu.
I normally don't think it is that good, but shape of the wiitigo might be an interesting voltron add. It is a crap ton of counters.
I had this in here as well and cut it mainly due to the mana cost. While this is a green deck that can probably afford the mana, I just felt that a 6 mana aura might be stretching it.
Fun concept! I was hoping someone would build Mowu. It looks like you're off to a pretty solid start conceptually, so I really only have a few rather nitpicky suggestions.
The biggest one relates to your ramp package, as I don't think it is currently set up to help you get where you're trying to go most efficiently. You're playing a Voltron game, not midrange, right? So you would want your boss to come down as early as possible. Mowu, Loyal Companion is a 4cc spell, so we can assume he comes down on T4 most games. Right now, there are only two spells in your deck that enable a Mowu before T4: Diligent Farmhand and Sakura-Tribe Elder. All of your other ramp spells (Cultivate, Kodama's Reach, Dawntreader Elk, Fertilid, Rishkar, Peema Renegade, Wood Elves, and Yavimaya Dryad) come down on T3 or later, so Mowu is still coming into play T4.
I think you might be better served by changing some of those 3cc spells over to 2cc ramp. Rampant Growth, Nature's Lore, Three Visits (if you can afford it...), Into the North (if you're willing to go snow), Explore, Broken Bond. Maybe even some of the 2cc dorks or mana rocks. Also, I noticed there was no Sol Ring for the T2 Mowu, but I assume this is a purposeful omission?
I also wonder about Kalonian Hydra. It doesn't really seem to serve any purpose other than making itself big. Yeah, it can smash face, but I worry that it is more detracting from the main goal of the deck than adding a meaningful alternative win condition. I'm also not a fan of Animation Module. It's been in a couple of my +1/+1 counter-themed decks and I've never found it to be useful. It sucks up too much mana that I could be using instead for bigger effects.
I'll second Rishkar's Expertise, by the way. That card is a beating, especially in a Go-Tall voltron deck. If you end up using and liking that effect, green has a couple other Go-Tall card draw spells I love, like Garruk, Primal Hunter and Soul's Majesty.
Finally, I love Ancient Animus in this deck. It's just so perfect for what you're doing. Nice include!
The biggest one relates to your ramp package, as I don't think it is currently set up to help you get where you're trying to go most efficiently. You're playing a Voltron game, not midrange, right? So you would want your boss to come down as early as possible. Mowu, Loyal Companion is a 4cc spell, so we can assume he comes down on T4 most games. Right now, there are only two spells in your deck that enable a Mowu before T4: Diligent Farmhand and Sakura-Tribe Elder. All of your other ramp spells (Cultivate, Kodama's Reach, Dawntreader Elk, Fertilid, Rishkar, Peema Renegade, Wood Elves, and Yavimaya Dryad) come down on T3 or later, so Mowu is still coming into play T4.
I think you might be better served by changing some of those 3cc spells over to 2cc ramp. Rampant Growth, Nature's Lore, Three Visits (if you can afford it...), Into the North (if you're willing to go snow), Explore, Broken Bond. Maybe even some of the 2cc dorks or mana rocks. Also, I noticed there was no Sol Ring for the T2 Mowu, but I assume this is a purposeful omission?
These are probably fair concerns. I have started using Kodama's Reach and Cultivate more as they ensure I hit my next land drop as well. The others are just my "normal" includes for green decks but I agree that they don't work as well here. I think the 2cc spells are likely better so I will work on those. I generally don't care about the cost of a card, but I won't include Three Visits because I really don't want to spend that on a non-foil (especially for a card that should have been reprinted a long time ago). I am open to Nature's Lore (though they really need to print a foil of that too). I don't really like Explore and Broken Bond as they require me to have the land in hand, but I might try out Explore just because it at least replaces itself at worst. Sol Ring, and other rocks, are not here since I don't like using them in green decks.
Rishkar is here because it gives counters to Mowu and is ramp. I am not suggesting is does either truly efficiently but being able to do both is something I liked about it.
I also wonder about Kalonian Hydra. It doesn't really seem to serve any purpose other than making itself big. Yeah, it can smash face, but I worry that it is more detracting from the main goal of the deck than adding a meaningful alternative win condition. I'm also not a fan of Animation Module. It's been in a couple of my +1/+1 counter-themed decks and I've never found it to be useful. It sucks up too much mana that I could be using instead for bigger effects.
Hydra is here to make Mowu even bigger. It might not work as well as I want in most cases, but it is on curve and can work well to get even more counters on Mowu. I too am not sure on Module and I got close to cutting it a couple times. I figured I would at least give it a chance as I didn't know what it would do. I will keep a closer eye on it to see if it isn't doing much.
I'll second Rishkar's Expertise, by the way. That card is a beating, especially in a Go-Tall voltron deck. If you end up using and liking that effect, green has a couple other Go-Tall card draw spells I love, like Garruk, Primal Hunter and Soul's Majesty.
Finally, I love Ancient Animus in this deck. It's just so perfect for what you're doing. Nice include!
I picked up an Expertise and I like Garruk. This seems like the perfect deck for him. I am not sold on Majesty since it targets so it is easier to get blown out.
I like Animus too. It should almost always be able to kill an opposing creature without Mowu dying and being an Instant means that, in this deck, it is likely always a Murder.
I am hoping to play this deck tonight so I will likely make some changes tomorrow based on these suggestions.
Rishkar is here because it gives counters to Mowu and is ramp. I am not suggesting is does either truly efficiently but being able to do both is something I liked about it.
Rishkar is the 3cc ramp card in your package that I like best. I use him as a commander in another deck and love him. He's a bit more vulnerable than the land ramp, but I think his payoff is worth the risk.
I picked up an Expertise and I like Garruk. This seems like the perfect deck for him. I am not sold on Majesty since it targets so it is easier to get blown out.
I like Animus too. It should almost always be able to kill an opposing creature without Mowu dying and being an Instant means that, in this deck, it is likely always a Murder.
I am hoping to play this deck tonight so I will likely make some changes tomorrow based on these suggestions.
Yeah, I agree. Majesty is certainly the third best option on that effect, and it's not especially close. I hope they print some more options along that line in the near future; drawing cards based off creature size is something green's always excelled at.
Also, with Kalonian Hydra, I need to read the damn card. Sorry about that. I had it in my mind that it only doubled itself, not all creatures with +1/+1 counters. Makes a lot more sense now. Maybe a bit overkill, but I'm an avowed Timmy so I won't fight you on that!
Best of luck with the deck. I'm eager to hear how it performs.
Generally in any mono colored deck, I throw in the cycling lands that I can over basics. Just a little bit of flood protection and if the deck isn’t super competitive the tapped land won’t hurt you. Also, might want to consider some utility lands like Strip Mine and Scavenger Grounds.
Generally in any mono colored deck, I throw in the cycling lands that I can over basics. Just a little bit of flood protection and if the deck isn’t super competitive the tapped land won’t hurt you. Also, might want to consider some utility lands like Strip Mine and Scavenger Grounds.
I definitely will be slotting in Scavenger Grounds and the Cycling lands aren't a bad option.
I played 3 games with this deck last night so I will write up a summary (as best I can) of what I noticed in the games later tonight.
I quick note: I did add in Garruk, Rishkar's Expertise, Rampant Growth and Nature's Lore before I played these games. I cut Protean Hulk, Yavimaya Dryad, Wood Elves, and Sporeback Troll.
The first game allowed me to get Bane of Progress, Rishkar, and Mowu on the field at the same time. However, Mowu had no counters due to a Solemnity on the field so I couldn't get any on their. Eventually it got blown up by Animar, but I was stuck with very few cards in hand for a while.
In the end I just couldn't get enough damage through and Mowu was able to be dealt with. I had Swiftfoot Boots in play for a while but it got exiled. I also couldn't draw enough cards though getting attacked with Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger the second time exiled almost all of my card draw. I did get Garruk down and used him to draw 12 cards, but it just wasn't enough to do anything.
The second game went pretty similarly in that I just couldn't get Mowu to get through. Thrax was a huge issue and the board did get blown up a few times so I just couldn't keep things moving. I didn't have as much of an issue with card draw this game though.
The third game was the strongest in that I was really close to actually winning. I got down to 9 life and I almost had enough damage to get through to Animar but they had just enough to block with. I did get to draw a ton of cards with my card draw though so it was more about not being able to get through with damage even though they were at 6 life.
After these matches, I realized a couple things: my card draw package is pretty solid but I might add in Life's Legacy to sac something I don't need to get more cards. I probably need more Artifact and Enchantment destruction in that Solemnity is pretty tough to deal with. I would probably want something repeatable so I might go with Wickerbough Elder, Freyalise, Llanowar’s Fury, or Vivien Reid. The Elder really works best with Proliferate but I only have the Sage to do that with for now. If I go with more Proliferate, it might not be too bad.
Another thing that was super strong is Bow of Nylea due to Deathtouch. I don't see a lot of good green cards for this but Basilisk Collar, Gorgon’s Head, and Quietus Spike can be options.
Sac effects are pretty strong since I usually don't have a lot of creatures to sac. I might add a Tajuru Preserver but I am not sure I really need it.
And, lastly, I kind of want a bit more recursion so I might add in Skullwinder or Greenwarden of Murasa to get more use out of a few cards.
I know the Adds are more than the Cuts but here are the cards I am thinking of. Mainly, I am trying to add in some Artifact and Enchantment destruction as well as a bit more recursion. And finally, I am trying to add more Deathtouch and Rogue's Passage for Unblockable. I think Deathtouch over some of the "can't be blocked more than 1 creature" effects are better as I figure Deathtouch will allow for more damage to get through.
Of the cuts, I went with a few to lower the curve: such as Bounty, Vigor and Ulvenwald Hydra. Bounty seems really good, but at 6 mana, it seems too expensive. I am not sure on the Hydra since it does get me important lands and blocks flyers so it isn't guaranteed to go away. Vigor and Bounty though seem redundant. Constant Mists is on the chopping block since I have Spike Weaver and I really want to be the aggressor anyway. Animation Module is underwhelming. I had it twice and only paid for it once to get one token. I figured I am better off with doing something different.
Ring of Kalonia and Armory of Iroas are good for the strategy of the deck, but they are in this list just to make room. Both are effectively the same thing since they will only trigger once per turn and Mowu already has Trample so the counter is the only thing that matters. But, if I want to make room for more utility in the deck, I think these 2 are the most underwhelming of the "counters-matter" cards.
I did think about Verdant Confluence due to the mana cost, but I think the other modes are pretty good. Plus, it is up to 9 counters on Mowu on its own. Biogenic Upgrade is another that I am not sold on. It seems powerful, but it is a Sorcery that might only put 6 counters on Mowu. It could put a lot more but there is probably some sort of curve as to the effectiveness of the spell. That is, without counters on Mowu, it is 6 counters. If Mowu already has 12 or more counters (for example) it is irrelevant. It does help push it up above 21 power but at that point I have likely already dealt damage with Mowu so I don't need to get him at enough counters to one-shot people.
I made a decision on a few cards to add and cut. I am not sure how many are the right choice and a couple cuts (like Armory of Iroas) are on the line but I cut them due to just needing space for other cards. To start with, here are the changes:
Since I am trying to be a bit more aggressive, I felt Constant Mists and Animation Module weren't that great. Primeval Bounty is pretty ggood but is high on CMC and I generally want to be doing other things there. Ring of Kalonia and Armory are tough as they are consistent counters, but I needed room somewhere and I like the other cards for other things. Biogenic Upgrade is decent but Solidarity of Heroes can usually do just as much for cheaper And yes, I know I get up to 4 more counters out of Upgrade but the cost, and being limited to a Sorcery, doesn't seem worth it.
I explained most of the adds above, but I wanted to add in Enchantment and Artifact removal and tried to go with repeatable removal. The land's are utility lands for obvious purposes. I only included 1 cycling land because that is all I have right now. If I like Tranquil Thicket, I will probably add Desert of the Indomitable later.
Deathtouch was added for the reasons above and I went with the 2 I did because they are cheap. I decided against Quietus Spike for now as its trigger should usually be irrelevant since I should be dealing a bunch of damage in one go. Plus, the mana cost and equip cost being {3} made me shy away from it.
Early goldfishing with the most recent changes suggests my card draw is pretty solid which might lead me to slotting in a Reliquary Tower at some point. Since I am mono-G, it won't really hurt my mana very much and the benefit can be pretty large.
After a little bit of a hiatus, I finally got a chance to play this deck again. I played against Omnath, Locus of Rage and Azor, the Lawbringer. The game was exceptionally short so I can actually detail every turn:
Turn 1: Play a Forest
Turn 2: Play a Forest and cast Gorgon's Head
Turn 3: Play a Forest and cast Oblivion Stone
Turn 4: Play a Forest and cast Mowu
Turn 5: Play a Forest and Equip Mowu with Gorgon's Head and attack Azor
Turn 6: Play Rogue's Passage and cast an Increasing Savagery on Mowu, giving him 6 counters. Attack Azor. They tried to remove him and I cast Blossoming Defense in response. I hit for 11 which put them at 14 commander damage.
Turn 7: Play Miren, the Moaning Well and attack Azor for Lethal, making him unblockable in the process. I also used Ancient Animus to fight Omnath's Kalonian Hydra after they cast it on their turn. Mowu is at 8 counters.
Turn 8: Play a Forest and Flashback Increasing Savagery. Mowu gets 11 counters (up to 19 total). I swing for 22 commander damage at Omnath to end the game.
At the end of the game, I had 1 card in hand, which was a Harmonize. I admit that this game showed the potential speed of the deck, but also the potential fragility. Had Mowu been dealt with at any time, I would have been way behind. Luckily, the one Blossoming Defense was enough to keep him around and it was fun to see the ability of Mowu to grow pretty quickly.
Another game I played with this deck didn't go as well as I would have liked. Note that I *should* have won but I missed a line and wasn't paying attention to a player's life total. I struggled to get Mowu out and keep him alive. I did get him out but I was playing against Vaevictus Asmadi, the Dire which made me keep sacrificing him. I did eventually get him out and get him to stick but I then he got hit with a Imprisoned in the Moon from the Kira, Great Glass-Spinner player and I couldn't seem to get to my enchantment removal.
I did get to a few card draw cards, but I ran through the cards in my hand pretty quickly and ended up with very few in hand for most of the game. It wasn't all that bad, but I didn't really draw the cards I needed when I needed.
Eventually, Vaevictus died and the Arahbo player died. It was left to just me and Kira and I had my Imprisoned Mowu, a Forgotten Ancient with 6 counters on it, and Verdurous Gearhulk with 1 counter on it. Kira had 2 blockers to block 4 damage and they were at 3 life. I scooped it up as I knew they would win the next turn with Marit Lage and I forgot the Geearhulk had Trample, I didn't think about moving the counters from the Ancient to it, and I didn't realize Kira was at 3 life (they had been at 15 the turn before but Arahbo swung at them with a huge double striking Cat). Had I moved the counters to Gearhulk (or if I would have just attacked with both), I would have just won since they couldn't block all the damage. It was dumb on my part.
So, other than the ending, the deck performed relatively well for being mono green. I did have a couple situations here where a wrath was crucial and O Stone was the all-star in those cases. I ended up using it twice and it made a huge difference. I might think of adding in a Perilous Vault as another board wipe and I don't generally care if my stuff gets exiled (though it makes giving Mowu Indestructible less relevant). The other thing I am finding is that Sac effects are killer for this deck. While Asceticism makes it so he can't be targeted, it isn't always enough (such as against Thraximundar). I might try to find room for a Tajuru Preserver and maybe a Chord of Calling as a way to find certain crucial creatures when I need them. Otherwise, I am still pretty happy with the way this deck is evolving and performing.
It was slow going and I got down a Mowu and attached Gorgon's Head. I did add an additional counter from Graft from Llanowar Reborn but that is basically it. Nobody else was really doing anything except for Jhoira and I couldn't stop them. They had a ton of artifacts out and was able to swing in for a lot of damage quite a bit. I ended up losing on turn 8 or so and everyone else lost a few turns after that since no one really had much for interaction. In fact, I think I am the only one that did anything against their board when I cast Beast Within against Saheeli so they just overran us. I never got a change to really do anything and when they cast Aether Gale to bounce my board along with a few things from other people, the game was basically over.
The main thing I could think that might have saved this game was Bane of Progress which is already in the deck which means potentially adding ways to get to it. I have thought about Green Sun's Zenith and/or Chord of Calling as options before but since my creature count is fairly though, I have avoided them. Perhaps they might still be worth slots and likely Green Sun's over Chord to begin with. But, beyond that I am not sure if I want to change much.
So, the deck is built pretty much around getting Mowu out and getting him to survive as well as being able to kill with Commander Damage. The only other creatures generally fall into Ramp, Card Draw, or Counters. I do have a couple tutor effects or utility (like Bane of Progress) as well just to smooth things out a little.
Basically, the idea is to load Mowu up with as many counters as possible and swing out. Since he has Trample and Vigilance, he should be able to attack and deal damage on almost every turn. Being mono green means that removal is limited so the idea is to just be as aggressive as possible. I am missing some removal spells like Krosan Grip and Reclamation Sage because I didn't have the room. I haven't built a deck like this before so I am not sure what the appropriate density is for "counters matter" spells so it is possible I went too high on those. I may end up finding room for these things later either out of necessity or just because some cards I do have aren't pulling their weight.
On to the decklist:
1 Mowu, Loyal Companion
Lands
1 Diamond Valley
25 Forest
1 Forge of Heroes
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 Llanowar Reborn
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Opal Palace
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Scavenger Grounds
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Winding Canyons
1 Yavimaya Hollow
Creatures
1 Armorcraft Judge
1 Bane of Progress
1 Dawntreader Elk
1 Diligent Farmhand
1 Eternal Witness
1 Evolution Sage
1 Fertilid
1 Forgotten Ancient
1 Greenwarden of Murasa
1 Kalonian Hydra
1 Loyal Guardian
1 Pir, Imaginative Rascal
1 Rishkar, Peema Renegade
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Skullwinder
1 Spike Weaver
1 Surrak, the Hunt Caller
1 Ulvenwald Hydra
1 Verdurous Gearhulk
1 Ancient Animus
1 Beast Within
1 Blinding Fog
1 Blossoming Defense
1 Crop Rotation
1 Heroic Intervention
1 Hunter's Insight
1 Inspiring Call
1 Momentous Fall
1 Ranger's Guile
1 Sheltering Word
1 Solidarity of Heroes
Sorceries
1 Cultivate
1 Harmonize
1 Hunter's Prowess
1 Increasing Savagery
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Life's Legacy
1 Nature's Lore
1 Pir's Whim
1 Rampant Growth
1 Rishkar's Expertise
1 Verdant Confluence
Artifacts
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Bow of Nylea
1 Champion's Helm
1 Darksteel Plate
1 Gorgon's Head
1 Hammer of Nazahn
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Asceticism
1 Doubling Season
1 Hardened Scales
1 Lignify
1 Ordeal of Nylea
1 Retreat to Kazandu
1 Song of the Dryads
Planeswalkers
1 Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
1 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
1 Vivien Reid
I am a little light on card draw but Harmonize, Hunter's Prowess, Lifeblood Hydra, Momentous Fall, and Armorcraft Judge will hopefully be enough. I am pretty sure they won't be, but since I am really just focusing on my general, it might not matter as much.
I tried to find as many good spells as I could that dealt with counters and I know I cut a fair amount. I really wanted things that gave Mowu Hexproof or Indestructible to help keep him around but I also wanted to keep the curve low. I ended up keeping Burst of Strength (and I might add Stony Strength back in) to help with some other creatures that do tap to attack even though the untap clause doesn't mean much to Mowu. If I can find a better, yet still cheap, spell I am open to removing Burst of Strength.
I did think about things like Alpha Authority but being an aura was enough of a detriment to shy away from it. Maybe I should still have it but I figured that my other cards can do enough on their own.
1 Forest
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Vigor
1 Lifeblood Hydra
1 Animation Module
1 Constant Mists
1 Primeval Bounty
1 Ring of Kalonia
1 Armory of Iroas
1 Biogenic Upgrade
3 Forest
1 Greenwarden of Murasa
1 Life's Legacy
1 Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Scavenger Grounds
1 Pir's Whim
1 Vivien Reid
1 Gorgon's Head
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Skullwinder
1 Burst of Strength
1 Hunger of the Howlpack
2 Forest
1 Arbor Armament
1 Hunter's Insight
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Surrak, the Hunt Caller
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 Armory of Iroas
1 Protean Hulk
1 Yavimaya Dryad
1 Wood Elves
1 Sporeback Troll
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
1 Rishkar's Expertise
1 Rampant Growth
1 Nature's Lore
But right away a big concern for me is that a lot of your cards granting +1 counters are single use sorceries/instants, you have a few ways to give the Dog hexproof or no combat damage occurring, but it can still be removed reasonably often if you don't have the right card to hand and there's not too many ways to have it say survive a board wipe, where now all your counters are lost with its death.
So a few more permanent ways to give it counters repeatedly...
Creatures..
Immaculate Magistrate
Ivy Lane Denizen
and just a shout out to these single use but decent options..
Jugan, the Rising Star
and Vastwood Hydra
Artifact/Equipment wise which was my main idea, since they'll survive at least creature removal..
Armory of Iroas
Blade of the bloodchief (assuming you're in a multiplier environment they'll be enough death going on, 1vs 1 maybe not as impactful but still decent)
Dragon Blood Yes its a horribly overcosted ability, but being green you may well have a bit of mana to spare at times, and its guaranteed counters and I highly doubt many would waste removal on it..
Power Conduit, as long as he has a counter on to start with (or something does to start it off), it's take one give two..
Few enchantments which are relevant..
Curse of Predation, politics and benefits you a fair bit
Death's Presence high cmc but I'd say you run enough creatures to make this relevant..
There are a few more albeit also high cmc and as you say you want to keep it low as possible
Momentous Fall, Life's Legacy and Greater Good require saccing, but are all great as well.
Funny enough, but +1/+1 decks are usually great off-setting persist. Cauldron of Souls and Woodfall Primus are propably your best options to exploit that.
Primal Vigor is tricky, but the payoff should be nuts. If you stack it right that's at a minimum of 4 counters on your dawg.
As far as +1/+1 interactions go, Gyre Sage is nuts, but Marwyn, the Nurterer and Viridian Joiner can rack up impressive numbers as well. Another great dork in mono-G decks is Karametra Acolyte.
Generally speaking, from my experience with Voltron decks, Haste is absolutely crucial, because early swings maximize your chances of winning/taking out anyone. Lightning Greaves, Swiftfoot Boots, Surrak, the Hunt Caller, maybe Hall of the Bandit Lord work great. Concordant Crossroads is rather pricy and can backfire terribly, but is brutal.
If i were you, i'd concentrate on the best +1/+1 interactions, ditch the rest and go for a well balanced package of Voltron things and creatures that profit from counters. Otherwise your deck falls apart if your commander gets killed a few times.
Credit to DolZero for this awesome sig!
I had the first 3 in my list at one point but I didn't like them enough. Denizen is probably the best of the 3. Magistrate doesn't work as well in this deck as I only have one Elf (the Magistrate would make 2). 4 mana for either one is enough that I didn't feel it was worth it to go this route. The Denizen was left off due to the low count of creatures in general. 21 is likely still enough to get use out of it, but it wasn't something I wanted to go with. Jugan was actually one of my last cuts and then was only cut due to mana cost.
Vastwood Hydra doesn't seem as good as the rest since it does have to die, it does take a fair amount of mana to get out, and there is no guarantee I have Mowu at the exact time it dies. It might make sense to have either the Magistrate or Denizen and I will keep them in mind, but I decided to forgo them for now.
Armory and Conduit were both in the deck until they didn't make the last round of cuts. Of the two, Armory seems much better and I cut Conduit simply because it will often just be "tap: add 1 counter". I might need to add the Armory back in though.
As odd as it is to say, I don't really like political cards in my decks. Predation helps others as well which is why I would shy away from it. And I left out Death's Presence because I didn't think I had enough creatures and it is 6 mana. I will admit my creature count might be on the edge of being enough (it is a fine line with certain cards) but I didn't feel I crossed it to warrant the Presence.
I am certainly open to these choices being mistakes, but the main reason behind the Instant timing spells is the Hexproof or Indestructible and being able to make opponent's waste a removal spell. I get that I have a couple spells that don't really do this (Burst of Strength and Hunger of the Howlpack being the big two) so these are likely easy cuts for some more permanent based cards that add counters. If I did go that route, I would likely just add in the Armory and maybe adding Jugan back in due to having Flying.
I like Hunter's Insight and Expertise seems decent (though being a Sorcery kind of sucks). As you mentioned, they work well for draw power which is the reason Hunter's Prowess is in here. I think I will almost certainly add Insight. Expertise might come along later. I have Momentous Fall already and I have gone back and forth on Life's Legacy due to being a Sorcery. It actually might make more sense over Harmonize though. And, I left off Greater Good because so many of the creatures I do have are too small for it to be worth it.
I will keep the Primus in mind. I am not a fan of Cauldron but Primus can be a super important removal spell when I need it to be. And, as you mentioned, it is fairly easy to re-use. The major issue with it is the lack of sac outlets in the deck so it is hard to use on command. Greater Good would help with this, but I don't want to add it (mostly) just for this.
I really don't like this card just because it helps everyone. I have been in games where one person plays it and then the next person just goes off with all of their counters and tokens. I like my cards limited to me as much as possible.
Those are mostly good suggestions but the main issue is getting them big enough to matter. I am trying to focus almost exclusively on getting Mowu bigger so using my spells/abilities to make those bigger for mana isn't generally what I want to do. Granted, the Sage grows on its own and Acolyte only cares about Devotion, but I don't think I want to find a slot for these. Though, with Acolyte in mind, I realize I neglected to add Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx so I will be adding that.
I have Boots already and Greaves doesn't work due to Shroud and the rest of my stuff targeting. Surrak is one I hadn't thought of and his power, with Mowu, is already the 8 I need. Hall of the Bandit Lord is also a great suggestion so I will likely slot that in. Crossroads is just too risky and is another card I hate seeing people play because they either play it the turn they win (which is fine, but the game is over) or they play it early and someone else just goes off. Since the plan is to pick off people one by one, it is even more risky.
That makes sense and I would probably want to spread things out rather than going too deep on Mowu if I want a deck that can win consistently and be able to fight through hate (and it is a good suggestion for anyone else trying out this general). But, to be honest, I built this deck to only win with Mowu. The entire focus is meant to be on him (for better or worse). While it may make the deck weaker or win less often, I don't want to win with anything other than Mowu.
I had this in here as well and cut it mainly due to the mana cost. While this is a green deck that can probably afford the mana, I just felt that a 6 mana aura might be stretching it.
CUTS
1 Burst of Strength
1 Hunger of the Howlpack
2 Forest
1 Arbor Armament
ADDS
1 Hunter's Insight
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Surrak, the Hunt Caller
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 Armory of Iroas
I do think I want to try out Jugan as well, but I can't decide what I want to cut for him right now.
The biggest one relates to your ramp package, as I don't think it is currently set up to help you get where you're trying to go most efficiently. You're playing a Voltron game, not midrange, right? So you would want your boss to come down as early as possible. Mowu, Loyal Companion is a 4cc spell, so we can assume he comes down on T4 most games. Right now, there are only two spells in your deck that enable a Mowu before T4: Diligent Farmhand and Sakura-Tribe Elder. All of your other ramp spells (Cultivate, Kodama's Reach, Dawntreader Elk, Fertilid, Rishkar, Peema Renegade, Wood Elves, and Yavimaya Dryad) come down on T3 or later, so Mowu is still coming into play T4.
I think you might be better served by changing some of those 3cc spells over to 2cc ramp. Rampant Growth, Nature's Lore, Three Visits (if you can afford it...), Into the North (if you're willing to go snow), Explore, Broken Bond. Maybe even some of the 2cc dorks or mana rocks. Also, I noticed there was no Sol Ring for the T2 Mowu, but I assume this is a purposeful omission?
I also wonder about Kalonian Hydra. It doesn't really seem to serve any purpose other than making itself big. Yeah, it can smash face, but I worry that it is more detracting from the main goal of the deck than adding a meaningful alternative win condition. I'm also not a fan of Animation Module. It's been in a couple of my +1/+1 counter-themed decks and I've never found it to be useful. It sucks up too much mana that I could be using instead for bigger effects.
I'll second Rishkar's Expertise, by the way. That card is a beating, especially in a Go-Tall voltron deck. If you end up using and liking that effect, green has a couple other Go-Tall card draw spells I love, like Garruk, Primal Hunter and Soul's Majesty.
Finally, I love Ancient Animus in this deck. It's just so perfect for what you're doing. Nice include!
Rishkar is here because it gives counters to Mowu and is ramp. I am not suggesting is does either truly efficiently but being able to do both is something I liked about it.
Hydra is here to make Mowu even bigger. It might not work as well as I want in most cases, but it is on curve and can work well to get even more counters on Mowu. I too am not sure on Module and I got close to cutting it a couple times. I figured I would at least give it a chance as I didn't know what it would do. I will keep a closer eye on it to see if it isn't doing much.
I picked up an Expertise and I like Garruk. This seems like the perfect deck for him. I am not sold on Majesty since it targets so it is easier to get blown out.
I like Animus too. It should almost always be able to kill an opposing creature without Mowu dying and being an Instant means that, in this deck, it is likely always a Murder.
I am hoping to play this deck tonight so I will likely make some changes tomorrow based on these suggestions.
Rishkar is the 3cc ramp card in your package that I like best. I use him as a commander in another deck and love him. He's a bit more vulnerable than the land ramp, but I think his payoff is worth the risk.
Yeah, I agree. Majesty is certainly the third best option on that effect, and it's not especially close. I hope they print some more options along that line in the near future; drawing cards based off creature size is something green's always excelled at.
Also, with Kalonian Hydra, I need to read the damn card. Sorry about that. I had it in my mind that it only doubled itself, not all creatures with +1/+1 counters. Makes a lot more sense now. Maybe a bit overkill, but I'm an avowed Timmy so I won't fight you on that!
Best of luck with the deck. I'm eager to hear how it performs.
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I played 3 games with this deck last night so I will write up a summary (as best I can) of what I noticed in the games later tonight.
I played 3 games last night. All 3 were against Animar, Soul of Elements and Karador, Ghost Chieftain. The last 2 games also had Thraximundar join us.
The first game allowed me to get Bane of Progress, Rishkar, and Mowu on the field at the same time. However, Mowu had no counters due to a Solemnity on the field so I couldn't get any on their. Eventually it got blown up by Animar, but I was stuck with very few cards in hand for a while.
In the end I just couldn't get enough damage through and Mowu was able to be dealt with. I had Swiftfoot Boots in play for a while but it got exiled. I also couldn't draw enough cards though getting attacked with Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger the second time exiled almost all of my card draw. I did get Garruk down and used him to draw 12 cards, but it just wasn't enough to do anything.
The second game went pretty similarly in that I just couldn't get Mowu to get through. Thrax was a huge issue and the board did get blown up a few times so I just couldn't keep things moving. I didn't have as much of an issue with card draw this game though.
The third game was the strongest in that I was really close to actually winning. I got down to 9 life and I almost had enough damage to get through to Animar but they had just enough to block with. I did get to draw a ton of cards with my card draw though so it was more about not being able to get through with damage even though they were at 6 life.
After these matches, I realized a couple things: my card draw package is pretty solid but I might add in Life's Legacy to sac something I don't need to get more cards. I probably need more Artifact and Enchantment destruction in that Solemnity is pretty tough to deal with. I would probably want something repeatable so I might go with Wickerbough Elder, Freyalise, Llanowar’s Fury, or Vivien Reid. The Elder really works best with Proliferate but I only have the Sage to do that with for now. If I go with more Proliferate, it might not be too bad.
Another thing that was super strong is Bow of Nylea due to Deathtouch. I don't see a lot of good green cards for this but Basilisk Collar, Gorgon’s Head, and Quietus Spike can be options.
Sac effects are pretty strong since I usually don't have a lot of creatures to sac. I might add a Tajuru Preserver but I am not sure I really need it.
And, lastly, I kind of want a bit more recursion so I might add in Skullwinder or Greenwarden of Murasa to get more use out of a few cards.
CUTS
ADDS
I know the Adds are more than the Cuts but here are the cards I am thinking of. Mainly, I am trying to add in some Artifact and Enchantment destruction as well as a bit more recursion. And finally, I am trying to add more Deathtouch and Rogue's Passage for Unblockable. I think Deathtouch over some of the "can't be blocked more than 1 creature" effects are better as I figure Deathtouch will allow for more damage to get through.
Of the cuts, I went with a few to lower the curve: such as Bounty, Vigor and Ulvenwald Hydra. Bounty seems really good, but at 6 mana, it seems too expensive. I am not sure on the Hydra since it does get me important lands and blocks flyers so it isn't guaranteed to go away. Vigor and Bounty though seem redundant. Constant Mists is on the chopping block since I have Spike Weaver and I really want to be the aggressor anyway. Animation Module is underwhelming. I had it twice and only paid for it once to get one token. I figured I am better off with doing something different.
Ring of Kalonia and Armory of Iroas are good for the strategy of the deck, but they are in this list just to make room. Both are effectively the same thing since they will only trigger once per turn and Mowu already has Trample so the counter is the only thing that matters. But, if I want to make room for more utility in the deck, I think these 2 are the most underwhelming of the "counters-matter" cards.
I did think about Verdant Confluence due to the mana cost, but I think the other modes are pretty good. Plus, it is up to 9 counters on Mowu on its own. Biogenic Upgrade is another that I am not sold on. It seems powerful, but it is a Sorcery that might only put 6 counters on Mowu. It could put a lot more but there is probably some sort of curve as to the effectiveness of the spell. That is, without counters on Mowu, it is 6 counters. If Mowu already has 12 or more counters (for example) it is irrelevant. It does help push it up above 21 power but at that point I have likely already dealt damage with Mowu so I don't need to get him at enough counters to one-shot people.
1 Vigor
1 Lifeblood Hydra
1 Animation Module
1 Constant Mists
1 Primeval Bounty
1 Ring of Kalonia
1 Armory of Iroas
1 Biogenic Upgrade
3 Forest
1 Greenwarden of Murasa
1 Life's Legacy
1 Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Scavenger Grounds
1 Pir's Whim
1 Vivien Reid
1 Gorgon's Head
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Skullwinder
Since I am trying to be a bit more aggressive, I felt Constant Mists and Animation Module weren't that great. Primeval Bounty is pretty ggood but is high on CMC and I generally want to be doing other things there. Ring of Kalonia and Armory are tough as they are consistent counters, but I needed room somewhere and I like the other cards for other things. Biogenic Upgrade is decent but Solidarity of Heroes can usually do just as much for cheaper And yes, I know I get up to 4 more counters out of Upgrade but the cost, and being limited to a Sorcery, doesn't seem worth it.
I explained most of the adds above, but I wanted to add in Enchantment and Artifact removal and tried to go with repeatable removal. The land's are utility lands for obvious purposes. I only included 1 cycling land because that is all I have right now. If I like Tranquil Thicket, I will probably add Desert of the Indomitable later.
Deathtouch was added for the reasons above and I went with the 2 I did because they are cheap. I decided against Quietus Spike for now as its trigger should usually be irrelevant since I should be dealing a bunch of damage in one go. Plus, the mana cost and equip cost being {3} made me shy away from it.
Early goldfishing with the most recent changes suggests my card draw is pretty solid which might lead me to slotting in a Reliquary Tower at some point. Since I am mono-G, it won't really hurt my mana very much and the benefit can be pretty large.
Turn 1: Play a Forest
Turn 2: Play a Forest and cast Gorgon's Head
Turn 3: Play a Forest and cast Oblivion Stone
Turn 4: Play a Forest and cast Mowu
Turn 5: Play a Forest and Equip Mowu with Gorgon's Head and attack Azor
Turn 6: Play Rogue's Passage and cast an Increasing Savagery on Mowu, giving him 6 counters. Attack Azor. They tried to remove him and I cast Blossoming Defense in response. I hit for 11 which put them at 14 commander damage.
Turn 7: Play Miren, the Moaning Well and attack Azor for Lethal, making him unblockable in the process. I also used Ancient Animus to fight Omnath's Kalonian Hydra after they cast it on their turn. Mowu is at 8 counters.
Turn 8: Play a Forest and Flashback Increasing Savagery. Mowu gets 11 counters (up to 19 total). I swing for 22 commander damage at Omnath to end the game.
At the end of the game, I had 1 card in hand, which was a Harmonize. I admit that this game showed the potential speed of the deck, but also the potential fragility. Had Mowu been dealt with at any time, I would have been way behind. Luckily, the one Blossoming Defense was enough to keep him around and it was fun to see the ability of Mowu to grow pretty quickly.
I did get to a few card draw cards, but I ran through the cards in my hand pretty quickly and ended up with very few in hand for most of the game. It wasn't all that bad, but I didn't really draw the cards I needed when I needed.
Eventually, Vaevictus died and the Arahbo player died. It was left to just me and Kira and I had my Imprisoned Mowu, a Forgotten Ancient with 6 counters on it, and Verdurous Gearhulk with 1 counter on it. Kira had 2 blockers to block 4 damage and they were at 3 life. I scooped it up as I knew they would win the next turn with Marit Lage and I forgot the Geearhulk had Trample, I didn't think about moving the counters from the Ancient to it, and I didn't realize Kira was at 3 life (they had been at 15 the turn before but Arahbo swung at them with a huge double striking Cat). Had I moved the counters to Gearhulk (or if I would have just attacked with both), I would have just won since they couldn't block all the damage. It was dumb on my part.
So, other than the ending, the deck performed relatively well for being mono green. I did have a couple situations here where a wrath was crucial and O Stone was the all-star in those cases. I ended up using it twice and it made a huge difference. I might think of adding in a Perilous Vault as another board wipe and I don't generally care if my stuff gets exiled (though it makes giving Mowu Indestructible less relevant). The other thing I am finding is that Sac effects are killer for this deck. While Asceticism makes it so he can't be targeted, it isn't always enough (such as against Thraximundar). I might try to find room for a Tajuru Preserver and maybe a Chord of Calling as a way to find certain crucial creatures when I need them. Otherwise, I am still pretty happy with the way this deck is evolving and performing.
1 Forest
1 Reliquary Tower
It was slow going and I got down a Mowu and attached Gorgon's Head. I did add an additional counter from Graft from Llanowar Reborn but that is basically it. Nobody else was really doing anything except for Jhoira and I couldn't stop them. They had a ton of artifacts out and was able to swing in for a lot of damage quite a bit. I ended up losing on turn 8 or so and everyone else lost a few turns after that since no one really had much for interaction. In fact, I think I am the only one that did anything against their board when I cast Beast Within against Saheeli so they just overran us. I never got a change to really do anything and when they cast Aether Gale to bounce my board along with a few things from other people, the game was basically over.
The main thing I could think that might have saved this game was Bane of Progress which is already in the deck which means potentially adding ways to get to it. I have thought about Green Sun's Zenith and/or Chord of Calling as options before but since my creature count is fairly though, I have avoided them. Perhaps they might still be worth slots and likely Green Sun's over Chord to begin with. But, beyond that I am not sure if I want to change much.