I think I’m cutting my one Mission Briefing for Finale. I’d rather it be an extra tool in my toolbox than formulate the strategy to use it as a focus of casting RB, so I won’t be including any Lootings.
i've been trying to evaluate some of the strongest new walkers for the cascade variation of the deck from war.
hear are my conclusions so far
Ashiok, Dream Render: looks like a solid option for those with a fair blue splash, solid againt gy hate and slows down decks like deathshadow and burn with are historicly bad mackups and due to its static interaction with fetch lands. also a possible combo wincon along side Kaya, Orzhov Usurper but its fringe at best. (my evaluation SB only and only in specific metas)
Dovin, Hand of Control: the tax is a solid one, and should again help against burn, and the damage negation is the same as the solidly main boardable gideon, the lack of a clock on him as well is disappointing, so depeding on meta shift into more storm style combo deck, i could see him being usful,
Davriel, Rogue Shadowmage: as one of the less utilized aspects of restore balance is discard, this seems like a solid option for a dedicate build. it would have to be very non traditional and very different from what we are currently used to from a balance deck, but i can see some solid potential with some time and dedicated brewing.
Karn, the Great Creator: we would need the hate artifacts to tutor to matter, maybe in a tezz march build? as it allows the deck to have sb pithing needles and explosives ect.
Teferi, Time Raveler: is my favorite for the deck. being able to deal with a threat and/or chalice on 0, while drawing a card and effectively neutralizing all counter magic seems like a extremely powerful sb addition, maybe mainboardable? its a shame his +1 is pretty useless to us (anyone one got ideas of ways to possibly abusing this?.
Sarkhan the Masterless: ok bear with me hear. in a walker heavy deck (3 tefs, 3 gids, 3 dovins and maybe one other) 2-3 sarkhans give the deck a wincon and clock by basically turning evey walker on the field into a evasive gideon, to walkers and a sarkan and you have 12 damadge a turn. wild also providing a powerful chump blocker for the slightly earlier game. to make this work the deck would need a dedicated superfriends build, i dont thing it would be as powerul as nahiri-em combo but may be a solid budget option depending on standard meta.
I'm going to try and start experimenting with a Jeskai version with some more planeswalkers. I'm going back to the cascade finisher of Nahriri + Emrakul and thinking about possibly trying to work in new Narset and Wheel of Fate. It's probably not better but it could be a fun changeup from the standard UR version.
to walkers and a sarkan and you have 12 damadge a turn
This is the very definition of "win more". You shouldn't lose the game when you have 3 planeswalkers on the field anyway. If you still do, you chose the wrong 3 planeswalkers.
Sarkhan the Masterless is a 5 mana 4/4 flyer.
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Speaking of consistency, why are people not running more land sac outlets like Claws of Gix specifically, to combo off?
There really isnt a point in playing restore balance if you arent nuking every land in the process.
Greater Gargadon is the sac outlet of choice as far as I'm aware.
Right, but if you dont have gargadon the deck is just ass that doesnt accomplish anything? Claws are perfect for this list. You really dont even need more than 1 maybe 2 of them (or more if you run mox opal maybe). I see no reason to not play it considering its the only 'good' 5-8 option for saccing our own lands.
I think the new green suspend card is awesome as a 1 or 2 of. Provides 2 bodies for gargadon if needed but also they are a finisher by themselfs.
Not sure about splashing green or white for Eladamris. Between Jace and Balance plus the rhinos i think we need more protection, counters and removals.
The new card they just revealed, Ruination Rioter, might be another thing that is worth a green splash to me. I can't see its death trigger hitting for less than 5 if you're running 3/4 color mana base with fetches. With Gargadon as a sacrifice outlet it could quickly turn into a 7 damage burn spell finisher. It might make it worth running Faithless Looting or Thought Scour with it so that you can fill up the graveyard a little bit more.
I'm thinking that between 4 bolts and 4 rioters, you can burn someone out pretty easily to get some quicker wins against the fastest decks in the format.
I'm trying to figure out what else is worth having green. Ramp is one of the main reasons to play green cards and a restore balance deck doesn't really want that. Ancient Stirrings is the best green card in the format right now and that isn't helpful for us. Maybe we can add some green planeswalkers or something but I'm trying to find a way that Footfalls isn't the only green card that we would be splashing for.
I guess we don't have to splash for it but we would concede never being able to suspend it?
Mana is rarely the issue. Another great green spell was just announced: Eladamri's Call. Which is basically exactly the card we needed to get gargadon.
It still feels a little clunky but I'm sure that we can smooth it out. Ancient Grudge is another possible sideboard card that I didn't include but it could be useful. I also brought back in Firespout as extra sweepers for humans/affinity. Blood Moon got cut because I don't think we can reliably run it in a 4c deck.
I'm thinking about maybe including Kiora, the Crashing Wave in the list somewhere. She was good in the old borderpost list.
On a sidenote, I think the borderpost version feels pretty dead now that Shenanigans got printed.
So with adding green and white for Eladamri's Call and Crashing Footfalls, I tried to add a list of cards that might make it into the deck now:
1. Path to Exile: The ramp isn't even a drawback since you'll cast restore balance to destroy lands anyways
2. Lightning Helix: Burn is always a weak matchup and this can help buy a turn for you.
3. Ancient Grudge: If you're expecting a lot of artifacts the flashback on this is super useful.
4. Temur Battle Rage: Maybe this is a win more card but it feels like it could be useful for pushing damage through when you can't restore balance by giving Gargadon double strike and trample.
5. Gideon of the Trials: Helpful against combo, a nice sticky threat that won't die to your own restore balance
6. Teferi, Time Raveler: 3 mana slots nicely into the deck. Casting restore balance with flash off of As Foretold is nice and his ability to bounce things is really helpful. Plus the static ability is backbreaking for some decks.
7. Wear // Tear: I was already running this but adding white gives you a one mana option to hit enchantments.
8. Firespout: Another board wipe for matchups like Humans or Affinity
9. Rest in Peace: Great card against graveyard decks.
10. Timely Reinforcements: Almost a get out of jail free card against a deck like burn or mono red phoenix.
Edit: We can possibly throw in the Saheeli/Felidar combo? It's a bit slow but with As Foretold ticking up it's an inevitability that the opponent has to play around.
I actually dont like tolaria west or ancestral vision. Both are honestly just clunky, even if it sounds weird to say. I want things that are helping me hit my restore balance super fast, or things that stick around after I land one, or things that win immediately afterwards. Even with As Foretold, vision always felt clunky for me.
Also dont forget the Monastery Siege. Its great to have around after a balance.
You listed a lot of really great options. Timely is kind of situational, though. Lots of the time you want to nuke the creatures; not have 3 creatures around.
Also just noticed that genesis could bring back gargadon.
What would you run over them? After you have As Foretold out, Ancestral vision is literally a power 9 card. I think that Tolaria West probably only needs to have 2 or 3 copies in the deck but it has some tricks that make it worth it, like transmuting for Tormod's Crypt against dredge or hollow one.
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hear are my conclusions so far
Ashiok, Dream Render: looks like a solid option for those with a fair blue splash, solid againt gy hate and slows down decks like deathshadow and burn with are historicly bad mackups and due to its static interaction with fetch lands. also a possible combo wincon along side Kaya, Orzhov Usurper but its fringe at best. (my evaluation SB only and only in specific metas)
Dovin, Hand of Control: the tax is a solid one, and should again help against burn, and the damage negation is the same as the solidly main boardable gideon, the lack of a clock on him as well is disappointing, so depeding on meta shift into more storm style combo deck, i could see him being usful,
Davriel, Rogue Shadowmage: as one of the less utilized aspects of restore balance is discard, this seems like a solid option for a dedicate build. it would have to be very non traditional and very different from what we are currently used to from a balance deck, but i can see some solid potential with some time and dedicated brewing.
Karn, the Great Creator: we would need the hate artifacts to tutor to matter, maybe in a tezz march build? as it allows the deck to have sb pithing needles and explosives ect.
Teferi, Time Raveler: is my favorite for the deck. being able to deal with a threat and/or chalice on 0, while drawing a card and effectively neutralizing all counter magic seems like a extremely powerful sb addition, maybe mainboardable? its a shame his +1 is pretty useless to us (anyone one got ideas of ways to possibly abusing this?.
Sarkhan the Masterless: ok bear with me hear. in a walker heavy deck (3 tefs, 3 gids, 3 dovins and maybe one other) 2-3 sarkhans give the deck a wincon and clock by basically turning evey walker on the field into a evasive gideon, to walkers and a sarkan and you have 12 damadge a turn. wild also providing a powerful chump blocker for the slightly earlier game. to make this work the deck would need a dedicated superfriends build, i dont thing it would be as powerul as nahiri-em combo but may be a solid budget option depending on standard meta.
Competitive Decks
Devotion to the Lash B ----
Monkey Conservation WUGR ---- Dragon WorshipR
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/jeskai-electrobalance/
This is the very definition of "win more". You shouldn't lose the game when you have 3 planeswalkers on the field anyway. If you still do, you chose the wrong 3 planeswalkers.
Sarkhan the Masterless is a 5 mana 4/4 flyer.
Pauper:|||B Land Destruction|||#BanGush
EDH:|||UR Nin|||BGW Karador|||#BoycottTheCommittee
Prismatic Vista is a staple card and Force of Negation is an interesting option.
There really isnt a point in playing restore balance if you arent nuking every land in the process.
Is this good in UR Balance?
Greater Gargadon is the sac outlet of choice as far as I'm aware.
Right, but if you dont have gargadon the deck is just ass that doesnt accomplish anything? Claws are perfect for this list. You really dont even need more than 1 maybe 2 of them (or more if you run mox opal maybe). I see no reason to not play it considering its the only 'good' 5-8 option for saccing our own lands.
Eladamri's Call this is a nice print for us <3
[card]
Crashing Footfalls
[/card]
Good lord.
Not sure about splashing green or white for Eladamris. Between Jace and Balance plus the rhinos i think we need more protection, counters and removals.
I'm thinking that between 4 bolts and 4 rioters, you can burn someone out pretty easily to get some quicker wins against the fastest decks in the format.
The 2 4/4s for G card, though.. its great. You can set it up to restore balance then have 4/4s next turn for a fast clock.
I guess we don't have to splash for it but we would concede never being able to suspend it?
This is the green list I've put together so far: http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/4c-restore-balance-3/?cb=1559220113
It still feels a little clunky but I'm sure that we can smooth it out. Ancient Grudge is another possible sideboard card that I didn't include but it could be useful. I also brought back in Firespout as extra sweepers for humans/affinity. Blood Moon got cut because I don't think we can reliably run it in a 4c deck.
I'm thinking about maybe including Kiora, the Crashing Wave in the list somewhere. She was good in the old borderpost list.
On a sidenote, I think the borderpost version feels pretty dead now that Shenanigans got printed.
1. Path to Exile: The ramp isn't even a drawback since you'll cast restore balance to destroy lands anyways
2. Lightning Helix: Burn is always a weak matchup and this can help buy a turn for you.
3. Ancient Grudge: If you're expecting a lot of artifacts the flashback on this is super useful.
4. Temur Battle Rage: Maybe this is a win more card but it feels like it could be useful for pushing damage through when you can't restore balance by giving Gargadon double strike and trample.
5. Gideon of the Trials: Helpful against combo, a nice sticky threat that won't die to your own restore balance
6. Teferi, Time Raveler: 3 mana slots nicely into the deck. Casting restore balance with flash off of As Foretold is nice and his ability to bounce things is really helpful. Plus the static ability is backbreaking for some decks.
7. Wear // Tear: I was already running this but adding white gives you a one mana option to hit enchantments.
8. Firespout: Another board wipe for matchups like Humans or Affinity
9. Rest in Peace: Great card against graveyard decks.
10. Timely Reinforcements: Almost a get out of jail free card against a deck like burn or mono red phoenix.
Edit: We can possibly throw in the Saheeli/Felidar combo? It's a bit slow but with As Foretold ticking up it's an inevitability that the opponent has to play around.
Also dont forget the Monastery Siege. Its great to have around after a balance.
You listed a lot of really great options. Timely is kind of situational, though. Lots of the time you want to nuke the creatures; not have 3 creatures around.
Also just noticed that genesis could bring back gargadon.