Shamans can goldfish a ton of damage. It lacks damage when interacting with others or when they interact with the Shamans. In this way, Shamans are a weaker zoo type deck.
Shamans need a 2 mana lord and 1 or more 1CMC mana dorks I think. Or maybe some of the Merfolk from Ixalan if they were Shaman tribal instead of Merfolk tribal like planned could have provided some interesting additions to a Temur Shaman list (that would have opened up interesting counterspell sideboard options.
I have tried lots of different shaman lists over the years, since I first got into Modern (around Journey into Nyx). I had some decent success with a $50 dollar list the most followed by Birds of Paradise/Blood Moons in the main deck list.
On the whole, there are enough tools and interesting paths to compete on an FNM level, but nothing above that, I am afraid at the moment.
Some of my interesting experiments involved things like Oath of Nissa and Metallic Mimic, main deck Blood Moon, and Nissa, Voice of Zendikar basically to provide counters.
I think if I tried Shaman again, I would try an Experimental Frenzy build and trying to maximize that in a Shaman world with Mana dorks and trying to maximize that flow of stuff.
Timba failed to see all the singleton cards in the sideboard that can be fetched with Chord of Calling if need be. And the main plan of Chord is just to get more Rage Forgers.
The first list is probably more competitive, so I'd recommend that list. I would recommend staying away from high variance, and low-impact cards like Wolf-Skull Shaman.
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LEGACY: Soldier Stompy WW // Blue Stompy UU // Fit Variants BGRW // Sol Land Brews BGRUWC MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
Timba failed to see all the singleton cards in the sideboard that can be fetched with Chord of Calling if need be. And the main plan of Chord is just to get more Rage Forgers.
The first list is probably more competitive, so I'd recommend that list. I would recommend staying away from high variance, and low-impact cards like Wolf-Skull Shaman.
Sideboard doesnt justify Chord of Calling here.
Lets say you play a sideboarded game. Now you can Chord for your side card turn 4(!). Yes you cant consistently play it t3 or earlier. Now you Chord and what you get? Some effect that stops them cold or wins you the game? No, most of the cards are one-shot effects and even those that persist are only creatures in sideboarded game where opp boarded in all their removal. And if you are on the draw you are late with your hate on your t4. And Chord is still bad at summoning Rage Forger to win t4. So Chord is a bad mainboard, mediocre sideboard card.
Now compare this to decks that play Chord right way: Counters Company, Kiki-Chord. They can win t4 or earlier chording for combo piece, they can chord for side hate t3 because they run whole lot of mana dorks.
As for Wolf-Skull Shaman I agree he is low impact, kinda high variance card. He is like sideboard material for grindy matchups but since it is hard to find good mainboard cards he gets in. At least he is a shaman and costs 2 meaning he can be cast for 1 with Bosk Banneret.
Im completely sold there. I want to see a good shaman 1drop before I invest in the lands and the black cards. But what are we playing green for other than burning tree shaman? Rix Madi Reveler already makes a better visionary to refuel
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Decks I have in my bag of tricks- Needless to say, someone who wants to play will probably have a deck UB/x Faeries UR Storm XURWB Affinity G Elves UW control
We aren't playing green for burning-tree shaman, not playing burning tree shaman at all actually. Visionary is a reason to be green, Bosk Banneret is good, and so is CoCo.
Rix Madi is not better than visionary. It's not even a good looting effect, having to discard first. The spectacle cost is high too. It's really not a very good card.
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LEGACY: Soldier Stompy WW // Blue Stompy UU // Fit Variants BGRW // Sol Land Brews BGRUWC MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
Decks I have in my bag of tricks- Needless to say, someone who wants to play will probably have a deck UB/x Faeries UR Storm XURWB Affinity G Elves UW control
Im completely sold there. I want to see a good shaman 1drop before I invest in the lands and the black cards. But what are we playing green for other than burning tree shaman? Rix Madi Reveler already makes a better visionary to refuel
I see 21 green cards in my list. And 2 green man lands. Deck without green would be a complete rework. Find 20 substitutes and we can compare two lists.
r/b might be good on a budget now, even more so than r/g since it needs coco, the r/b deck would be utilizing Judith as an additional lord and Rix Maadi as a way to refill, along with some aggressive one and two drops in burning-tree emissary, metallic mimic, maybe even reckless bushwhacker
This could be an interesting sideboard option with Shamans.
Can't be countered, but more like all your creatures gain riot (haste or a +1/+1 counters). I think this would favor birds and other mana dorks as wel.
What do you guys think of the new Immolation Shaman? Looks a lot like Burning-Tree Shaman but cheaper and can get menace if game goes long. Not too sure if it can hold it salt against other picks though.
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Current Decks:
MODERN: RG Shamanism RG WUG Blades of the Avatars WUG
The two drop slot is kind of locked up. It's a decent card, could be sideboard if Lantern or G/W Vizier become meta again, but it's not exactly what Shamans wants.
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LEGACY: Soldier Stompy WW // Blue Stompy UU // Fit Variants BGRW // Sol Land Brews BGRUWC MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
To be honest I'm not even sure what deck wants to be compeptitive. It need too much at the same time:
1. Good agressive 1-drop with Shaman creature type (like 1/1 with riot for R/G) or Shaman what grows bigger like Champion of the Parish.
2. Turn 1 mana dork with Shaman type. Even with 0/1 stats and adding only mana of one color it could be good.
3. Protection against boardwipes. Something like G instant: choose a creature type: all creatures you control of that type gain indestructible until EOT. Or something Meddling Mage-style. New Judith, the Scourge Diva partly helps, but she doesn't work against Anger of the Gods.
4. Maybe more 2- and 3-drops which scale better with Rage Forger. For example a 1R2/1 or 1/2 human shaman that ETB creates a 1/1 elemental shaman token. Or a 2R2/2 that creates a 1/1 token at the end of your turn like Goblin Rabblemaster. More bodies = more effective Rage Forger.
6. Maybe (maybe) an alternative 4-mana curve-topper. I like Collected Company, but often something that works like Rage Forger, but better and bigger is better than putting two random creatures on the board. Especially considering that we often cast CoCo during our turn hoping to find another Rage Forger to ensure lethal attack. I play one Shaman of the Great Hunt and he's a beast. I'd wanted something that's comparable as the damage output and even more sinergistic with Rage Forger.
To be honest I'm not even sure what deck wants to be compeptitive. It need too much at the same time:
6. Maybe (maybe) an alternative 4-mana curve-topper. I like Collective Company, but often something than works like Rage Forger, but better and bigger is better than putting two random creatures on the board. Especially considering that we often cast CoCo during our turn hoping to find another Rage Forger to ensure lethal attack. I play one Shaman of the Great Hunt and he's a beast. I'd wanted something that's comparable as the damage output and even more sinergistic with Rage Forger.
G Green Stompy
RG Shamans
UB Mill
UG Infect
WUBRG Slivers!
Shamans need a 2 mana lord and 1 or more 1CMC mana dorks I think. Or maybe some of the Merfolk from Ixalan if they were Shaman tribal instead of Merfolk tribal like planned could have provided some interesting additions to a Temur Shaman list (that would have opened up interesting counterspell sideboard options.
I have tried lots of different shaman lists over the years, since I first got into Modern (around Journey into Nyx). I had some decent success with a $50 dollar list the most followed by Birds of Paradise/Blood Moons in the main deck list.
On the whole, there are enough tools and interesting paths to compete on an FNM level, but nothing above that, I am afraid at the moment.
Some of my interesting experiments involved things like Oath of Nissa and Metallic Mimic, main deck Blood Moon, and Nissa, Voice of Zendikar basically to provide counters.
I think if I tried Shaman again, I would try an Experimental Frenzy build and trying to maximize that in a Shaman world with Mana dorks and trying to maximize that flow of stuff.
The first list is probably more competitive, so I'd recommend that list. I would recommend staying away from high variance, and low-impact cards like Wolf-Skull Shaman.
MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
Lets say you play a sideboarded game. Now you can Chord for your side card turn 4(!). Yes you cant consistently play it t3 or earlier. Now you Chord and what you get? Some effect that stops them cold or wins you the game? No, most of the cards are one-shot effects and even those that persist are only creatures in sideboarded game where opp boarded in all their removal. And if you are on the draw you are late with your hate on your t4. And Chord is still bad at summoning Rage Forger to win t4. So Chord is a bad mainboard, mediocre sideboard card.
Now compare this to decks that play Chord right way: Counters Company, Kiki-Chord. They can win t4 or earlier chording for combo piece, they can chord for side hate t3 because they run whole lot of mana dorks.
As for Wolf-Skull Shaman I agree he is low impact, kinda high variance card. He is like sideboard material for grindy matchups but since it is hard to find good mainboard cards he gets in. At least he is a shaman and costs 2 meaning he can be cast for 1 with Bosk Banneret.
G Green Stompy
RG Shamans
UB Mill
UG Infect
WUBRG Slivers!
BRG Shamans
WUBRGElementals
UB/x Faeries
UR Storm
XURWB Affinity
G Elves
UW control
Rix Madi is not better than visionary. It's not even a good looting effect, having to discard first. The spectacle cost is high too. It's really not a very good card.
MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
UB/x Faeries
UR Storm
XURWB Affinity
G Elves
UW control
G Green Stompy
RG Shamans
UB Mill
UG Infect
WUBRG Slivers!
However, its another lord that is a shaman with an interesting ability!
A G/R 1/1 human shaman with Riot for example.
BRG Shamans
WUBRGElementals
Can't be countered, but more like all your creatures gain riot (haste or a +1/+1 counters). I think this would favor birds and other mana dorks as wel.
MODERN:
RG Shamanism RG
WUG Blades of the Avatars WUG
LEGACY:
WUBRG Cascabalance WUBRG
Made by the amazing Traproot
"Some say the clockwork doesn't speak... I say they are deaf to it's voice." -Daeren, Artificer Druid.
Archester Revival (Custom Steampunk set)
MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
1. Good agressive 1-drop with Shaman creature type (like 1/1 with riot for R/G) or Shaman what grows bigger like Champion of the Parish.
2. Turn 1 mana dork with Shaman type. Even with 0/1 stats and adding only mana of one color it could be good.
3. Protection against boardwipes. Something like G instant: choose a creature type: all creatures you control of that type gain indestructible until EOT. Or something Meddling Mage-style. New Judith, the Scourge Diva partly helps, but she doesn't work against Anger of the Gods.
4. Maybe more 2- and 3-drops which scale better with Rage Forger. For example a 1R 2/1 or 1/2 human shaman that ETB creates a 1/1 elemental shaman token. Or a 2R 2/2 that creates a 1/1 token at the end of your turn like Goblin Rabblemaster. More bodies = more effective Rage Forger.
5. 2-mana lord in Thalia's Lieutenant's style (with counters).
6. Maybe (maybe) an alternative 4-mana curve-topper. I like Collected Company, but often something that works like Rage Forger, but better and bigger is better than putting two random creatures on the board. Especially considering that we often cast CoCo during our turn hoping to find another Rage Forger to ensure lethal attack. I play one Shaman of the Great Hunt and he's a beast. I'd wanted something that's comparable as the damage output and even more sinergistic with Rage Forger.
BRG Shamans
WUBRGElementals
What about the new Domri ?
It seems better than previous creature-centric Gruul PW's like: Domri Rade, Xenagos, Sarkhan and Arlinn Kord.