MTG Salvation

I will be fully making this primer, but not until the next protour comes out. After I update the Small Zoo primer in Established, I will take that and fit it for this thread.

Added $50 list. Will be adding 200 and 500 soon, then I'll be holding off on updating this til after the zoo primer is updated.

Is it weird that the cheap $50 list only makes me want to stick to Boros?

Or at least try to force through Kird/Loam/Wild even in the absence of Arid Mesas and shocks?

Maybe I'm just a tad spoiled...

Its like... Impossable with out shocks. I just couldnt make it work. You can do it without fetches, but you need that shocks

Good point. Even with fetches the Kird weenies would grow at a rate of +1 per land per turn as opposed to +1.5 as you'd get with a shock...

Yeah thats fine. the problem is if you cant afford shocks, let alone fetches, its pretty much impossible to run boar, lion, ape, and nacatl thats why the 50 buck list looks so drasticly different. Filling in some fetches with basics and shocks are totally do able.

Idle theorycraft:

If you can make it through the shockland hurdle, I think Flagstones of Trokair + Ghost Quarter would do some good lifting for the fetchland role at a fraction of the cost.

You'd need to center around Plains/X shocks and non-Plains basics, though. And become accustomed to Ghost Quartering your own lands, sacrificing tempo for color fixing.

But on the plus it's the foundation of a Boom//Bust engine and Boom//Bust Naya doesn't sound like that bad an idea does it?

Looks like a "budget" (goyfless) zoo list 3-1'ed on MtGO. While the land base definitely not inexpensive, the creature suite seems like a decent place to look for a fast, low CMC list.

http://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/221324

deck

I like the look of it a lot; I do believe if we're going budget it should stay two colours. One thing I'd change: -2 Dismember (bad against Zoo and Fae), +2 Flame Slash. For anyone who doesn't want to splurge on Domri Rade, you could go for Lead the Stampede and/or Ulvenwald Tracker instead.

Quote from Goldmane77

I just found out about this thread lol. I am more of a budget player and am sticking with Gruul Zoo, but will probably splash white once fetchlands get reprinted. I am just wondering, how does this list look?

Goldmane77's deckMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
Creatures: 30 2 Wild Nacatl 4 Goblin Guide 4 Kird Ape 4 Experiment One 4 Burning-Tree Emissary 4 Scavenging Ooze 4 Flinthoof Boar 4 Ghor-Clan Rampager	Other Spells: 10 4 Lightning Bolt 2 Pillar of Flame 2 Dismember 2 Domri Rade Lands: 20 1 Rootbound Crag 4 Copperline George 4 Stomping Grounds 5 Mountain 6 Forest	Sideboard 4 Destructive Revelry 4 Molten Rain 3 Vines of Vastwood 2 Torpor Orb 2 Magma Spray

Should probably cut Nacatl out for the time being, she's at best only going to be a worse Kird Ape what with zero Plains in the list.

I like destroyermaker's mention of Ulvenwald Tracker, he should service as useful repeatable removal, like a Grim Lavamancer specialized in cleaning up the battlefield.

With domesticated bears.

Seems good, although I know it's a divisive card. Goblin Bushwhacker or Dryad Militant could also be good.

I'm not sure if these are the best options, but here are some good budget cards for this type of list: Knight of New Alara, Civic Saber, Shield of the Oversoul. Obviously, this would work best in a list like Lantern's where (almost) all the creatures are at least 2 colors.

I don't see why pillar of flame is so popular in the budget lists
I always liked lava spike shard volley, and rift boltmore.

Anyways for Vetrix you really don't want to play under 20 lands unless your combo. Having a few lands if fine early with agro it's late you don't want them. Besides you have 4 arid mesa's so you can deck thin yourself a bit anyways. To be honest I am still not sold on loam lion being a good card. I find in these decks your mostly green/red and he doesn't come down on turn one to the same effect as kird ape does, if he comes down on one...
Qasali Pridemage is pretty good but once again your more red green
Burning tree may be worth trying out.

I think pillar gets rid of voice and doesn't leave behind a token is the reason why.

And finks. Never forget the finks.

Pendelhaven no, as you're trying to cast as many 2/2s, 2/3s for 1cmc as possible. Except for mana dorks, zoo, even budget versions, won't be using aggressive creatures with the p/t reqs for haven.

Troll ascetic, while a great creature, does not have the p/t + utility for the casting cost that this deck needs. Three drops need to be as powerful and impactful as knight of the reliquary, loxodon smiter, domri, or flinthoof boar + kicker.

Quote from ilerda

What about Might of the Nephilim for the 50$ list? Is the 2cmc too high?

It'd probably be better to run either ghor-clan rampager, colossal might, rancor, or predator's strike, all for the trample.

Would Hellspark Elemental be a good inclusion? Two mana for 3 damage, as well as the option for 3 more damage.

Could work, but Hellspark fits more a Burn deck...

Man the cardboard economy's starting to get ugly. I'm doing my best not to suggest it, but I can't hold it in much longer:

Scythe Tiger.
Someone should find a use for Scythe Tiger.

Yes losing the land sucks all kinds of craw, but look at that body, that immunity to target removal.
That 2 toughness butt meaning it gets eaten by a lot of things. Ok actually don't look at that, that's what sucks about Scythe Tiger.

BUT IF YOU PLAY FLAGSTONES OF TROKAIR... nah, turn 2 Scythe Tiger isn't as impressive...

Damn. Really like that card too...