This is based on a real-life deck I have build from card's I got from purchasing a Khans of Tarkir Fat Pack, a Temur Intro Pack, and from Booster Drafts. I want to build up this deck and improve it between now and next month to participate in a Block Constructed tournament event. The general idea behind this deal is to create combos to bring out large creatures: Kin-Tree Invocation and Defender Walls to create 5/5 creatures by turn 3; Rakshasa Vizier with Become Immense to create 15/15 creatures that will continue to grow as I Delve; Savage Punch with the Deathtouch creatures to kill opponent's creatures. Any advice or suggestions anyone has for improving this deck would be greatly appreciated.
The first thing would be to get the 4 Opulent Palace to increase the consistency of your mana base. Then you can drop Sultai Banner. Heir of the Wilds is an excellent creature. I'd try to focus on Green and Black with Blue as a secondary color. That likely means more Archer's Parapet and less Monastery Flock. You can play Disowned Ancestor if you want a 1 drop. I'm thinking Feed the Clan should go to the sideboard against very aggressive decks. You should try to get your hands on some Murderous Cut and or Sultai Charm (3/2 split).
See where that takes you.
Moved to Decks for Critique
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
I don't buy the Heir of the Wilds with Savage Punch combination idea. It is a 1-for-2 situation, a big lose of card advantage. While they are both good cards, Heir of the Wilds is better at stalling the ground while Savage Punch (or the 'fight' cards) is better combined with big creatures (Sagu Mauler) at killing creatures that just sits there not attacking like Dark Confidant (nothing better comes to mind). You should really give Murderous Cut a try. Unconditioned creature removal IS really that good.
Another card you should definitely try to get is Sultai Charm. It removes Jeskai Ascendancy, it kills Seeker of the Way, it replaces itself when you don't need it, and it even enables delve. There is not reason not to run it.
On the other hand, I am not really a big fan of Kin-Tree Invocation. While the dream play would be T1 Disowned Ancestor into T2 Kin-Tree Invocation, it requires you to have 4 specific cards in hand: 1xForest, 1xSwamp, 1xDisowned Ancestor and 1xKin-Tree Invocation. The chance is slim at best. And a 4/4 or 5/5 vanilla creature isn't really exciting these days. Of course combined with Become Immense, that could be another story, but how often would it happen exactly as planned? And remember, if you decide to run with Kin-Tree Invocation, don't cast it when you only have a single creature on board. A single insta-creature removal can ruin your day.
Archers' Parapet is also a card you should consider, just like the_cardfather has said. It gives you early ground defense, also you can hold up mana during your opponents turn to respond, like counterspell or insta-jibbing creatures, and activate the parapet's ability so that the mana will not go to waste. Speaking of, you should consider some counterspells too, like Disdainful Stroke, to stop threats like Siege Rhinos and Butchers of the Horde.
I would also suggest building your sideboard alongside your deck. While a 60 card deck is perfectly fine for casual play, where every match is separate, in Tournament play you usually have to go through 2 or 3 matches against the same player. A sideboard can help you tune your deck better against some harder matchups. For example... more Naturalize and/or Sultai Charm to remove opposing Jeskai Charm. It's not a good example, but I hope you get the idea.
A final suggestion, read some articles about magic. There are a lot of great sites that provide invaluable information and insight on how to build a good deck and play well in matches. I personally am a big fan of articles by Conley Woods. He is a great deckbuilder and player in Magic.
I hope you find this useful, and I wish you every success and joy in playing Magic!
I disagree with this somewhat. There are very few cards that can, at instant speed, kill a T1 ancestor on T2. Actually I think there is only one (Last Breath), and it only sees very minor sideboard use. Black removal requires, at minimum, 3 mana or a populated graveyard, not happening T2. On T3+ he can have multiple creatures and is much less likely to get 2-1'd. It's really not that dangerous to play really. Just be wary of open mana or have more creatures on the board.
ensoul sees play, at least it does casually/competatively at my FNM. And it's fundamentally a 2 for 1, but it's also potentially a 5/5 on T2.
With all due respect but we are talking about block constructed.
Fall of the Hammer, while works well with Heir of the Wilds, is not legal in block constructed. Moreover, for cards like this, i.e. fight(or deal dmg) + deathtouch, you really have to build around deathtouch for this kind of cards to really shine. Or else it's just going to sit in the hand without a proper target. At that point it is basically a mulligan.
Let us breakdown the possible situations. First situation (1-for-1), Heir of the Wilds 2/2, fights with opponent's 1/x, OR, the bear has Ferocious, becomes 3/3, fights with opponent's 4/x, result: you get to keep the bear and opponent's creature dies. 1-for-1, totally valid, but the deathtouch isn't really relevant. Second situation (1-for-2), Heir of the Wilds fights with opponent's fatty, both dies. In this situation, you have used 2 cards (the Heir and the Savage Punch to get rid of a single opposing creature. Moreover, you have sacrificed the creature you have spend a turn and mana to cast. Last but not least, let's not forget the stalemate created by Heir of the Wilds will be broken because of this decision. And it is not instant to begin with.
I disagree with this somewhat. There are very few cards that can, at instant speed, kill a T1 ancestor on T2. Actually I think there is only one (Last Breath), and it only sees very minor sideboard use. Black removal requires, at minimum, 3 mana or a populated graveyard, not happening T2. On T3+ he can have multiple creatures and is much less likely to get 2-1'd. It's really not that dangerous to play really. Just be wary of open mana or have more creatures on the board.
ensoul sees play, at least it does casually/competatively at my FNM. And it's fundamentally a 2 for 1, but it's also potentially a 5/5 on T2.
I am not saying the "dream play" is easy to disrupt. What I am not very impressed with this, is that you need 4 different AND specific cards to start with. Moreover, getting the vanilla creature on T2 is great, T3 is okay, T4 or up your vanilla creature will just get outclassed by others. Sorry but that's what happen. In the face of Siege Rhino and Butcher of the Horde and even Mantis Rider, the Invocation just isn't very great. When entering top-deck mode, it is not really the card you wanna draw. I am not saying "DONT PLAY THIS CARD", but I am just suggesting: 1)the risk of playing this card (being 2-for-1, or getting much less value); 2)the subpar reward (vanilla creature isn't great), and 3) the unlikelihood of getting explosive play (the dream play doesn't happen often enough to justify).
Ensoul is a lot more consistent play, because with ANY Darksteel Citadel or one mana artifact, Ensoul Artifact, and The Most Powerful Card Ever Printed, you can make that line of play happen. Also, a 5/5 vs a 4/4 is a huge difference. 5/5 eats Siege Rhino for breakfast, but for a 4/4, the situation is completely reversed. Also, there are other elements to Ensoul Artifact, for example, you can ensoul your opponent's artifact and kill it with Murderous Cut, in extreme cases, since U/B doesn't have artifact removal, this line of play suddenly seems a lot less bizarre than it sounds.
I am not saying the "dream play" is easy to disrupt. What I am not very impressed with this, is that you need 4 different AND specific cards to start with.
Unless he invests in painlands and Mana Confluence, which are pretty good in multicolor decks, I hear. Checking the format is always a good idea before giving advice.
With other cards that give you a big Invocation, it could reliably be a vanilla 4/4 or more most of the time. I'd say it scales better into the late-game than Rattleclaw Mystic or other mana dorks - a 4/4 is a lot more relevant than a 2/1 once Siege Rhinos start hitting the board.
If Invocation gets drawn later, a Disowned Ancestor with 1 counter will make it big enough to eat Siege Rhino. With Become Immense, it could get crazy. (Just don't drop Become Immense on an already-large creature, that's just asking to be blown out by one removal spell.)
With all due respect, may I remind you once again that the OP is trying to build a Block constructed deck for a local tournament. And if he is trying to get cards like Mana Confluence, I guess he can just netdeck and not think too much about it.
What I am suggesting, is that there are better cards to cast than Kin-Tree Invocation. If he/she is trying to pilot an aggro deck that utilize the explosive play of the Invocation, Sultai isn't really very good at out-aggroing other Jeskai or Mardu decks. Put into a midrange strategy, you would want a card like Necropolis Fiend, which is not very expensive money-wise, has evasion (flying), can kill things, and synergize with Rakshasa Vizier. Early on you would want to develop your board state instead of putting a fatty to pummel your opponent. Later there is no argument that the little fiend is just a better topdeck.
However, I totally agree with you on the suggestion of improving the mana base. It can't be stressed enough that a deck can only be as powerful as the manabase can support it. The investment on things like Flooded Strand (or in the OP's case, Polluted Delta), might seem a hefty price to pay, but can go a long way for your continuous Magic life. But of course, that is only a personal choice, and is not a must.
It would also help if the OP could provide his/her cardpool so that we can make the best out of what he/she currently has.
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2 x Archers' Parapet
2 x Heir of the Wilds
2 x Icefeather Aven
4 x Monastery Flock
2 x Rakshasa Vizier
2 x Rattleclaw Mystic
2 x Ruthless Ripper
2 x Sagu Mauler
4 x Awaken the Bear
2 x Become Immense
4 x Feed the Clan
Sorceries
4 x Kin-Tree Invocation
2 x Savage Punch
Artifacts
2 x Sultai Banner
5 x Forest
5 x Island
2 x Jungle Hollow
1 x Opulent Palace
4 x Swamp
3 x Thornwood Falls
See where that takes you.
Moved to Decks for Critique
2x Heir of the Wilds
2x Icefeather Aven
2x Disowned Ancestor
2x Rakshasa Deathdealer
2x Rakshasa Vizier
2x Rattleclaw Mystic
2x Sagu Mauler
4x Monastery Flock
4x Awaken the Bear
2x Become Immense
Sorcery
4x Kin-Tree Invocation
2x Savage Punch
2x Scout the Borders
2x Treasure Cruise
12x Forest
2x Island
4x Opulent Palace
4x Swamp
4x Thornwood Falls
Another card you should definitely try to get is Sultai Charm. It removes Jeskai Ascendancy, it kills Seeker of the Way, it replaces itself when you don't need it, and it even enables delve. There is not reason not to run it.
On the other hand, I am not really a big fan of Kin-Tree Invocation. While the dream play would be T1 Disowned Ancestor into T2 Kin-Tree Invocation, it requires you to have 4 specific cards in hand: 1xForest, 1xSwamp, 1xDisowned Ancestor and 1xKin-Tree Invocation. The chance is slim at best. And a 4/4 or 5/5 vanilla creature isn't really exciting these days. Of course combined with Become Immense, that could be another story, but how often would it happen exactly as planned? And remember, if you decide to run with Kin-Tree Invocation, don't cast it when you only have a single creature on board. A single insta-creature removal can ruin your day.
Archers' Parapet is also a card you should consider, just like the_cardfather has said. It gives you early ground defense, also you can hold up mana during your opponents turn to respond, like counterspell or insta-jibbing creatures, and activate the parapet's ability so that the mana will not go to waste. Speaking of, you should consider some counterspells too, like Disdainful Stroke, to stop threats like Siege Rhinos and Butchers of the Horde.
I would also suggest building your sideboard alongside your deck. While a 60 card deck is perfectly fine for casual play, where every match is separate, in Tournament play you usually have to go through 2 or 3 matches against the same player. A sideboard can help you tune your deck better against some harder matchups. For example... more Naturalize and/or Sultai Charm to remove opposing Jeskai Charm. It's not a good example, but I hope you get the idea.
A final suggestion, read some articles about magic. There are a lot of great sites that provide invaluable information and insight on how to build a good deck and play well in matches. I personally am a big fan of articles by Conley Woods. He is a great deckbuilder and player in Magic.
I hope you find this useful, and I wish you every success and joy in playing Magic!
I second your advice. The effect I think he really wants is Fall of the Hammer but that is in the wrong color.
I disagree with this somewhat. There are very few cards that can, at instant speed, kill a T1 ancestor on T2. Actually I think there is only one (Last Breath), and it only sees very minor sideboard use. Black removal requires, at minimum, 3 mana or a populated graveyard, not happening T2. On T3+ he can have multiple creatures and is much less likely to get 2-1'd. It's really not that dangerous to play really. Just be wary of open mana or have more creatures on the board.
ensoul sees play, at least it does casually/competatively at my FNM. And it's fundamentally a 2 for 1, but it's also potentially a 5/5 on T2.
Fall of the Hammer, while works well with Heir of the Wilds, is not legal in block constructed. Moreover, for cards like this, i.e. fight(or deal dmg) + deathtouch, you really have to build around deathtouch for this kind of cards to really shine. Or else it's just going to sit in the hand without a proper target. At that point it is basically a mulligan.
Let us breakdown the possible situations. First situation (1-for-1), Heir of the Wilds 2/2, fights with opponent's 1/x, OR, the bear has Ferocious, becomes 3/3, fights with opponent's 4/x, result: you get to keep the bear and opponent's creature dies. 1-for-1, totally valid, but the deathtouch isn't really relevant. Second situation (1-for-2), Heir of the Wilds fights with opponent's fatty, both dies. In this situation, you have used 2 cards (the Heir and the Savage Punch to get rid of a single opposing creature. Moreover, you have sacrificed the creature you have spend a turn and mana to cast. Last but not least, let's not forget the stalemate created by Heir of the Wilds will be broken because of this decision. And it is not instant to begin with.
I am not saying the "dream play" is easy to disrupt. What I am not very impressed with this, is that you need 4 different AND specific cards to start with. Moreover, getting the vanilla creature on T2 is great, T3 is okay, T4 or up your vanilla creature will just get outclassed by others. Sorry but that's what happen. In the face of Siege Rhino and Butcher of the Horde and even Mantis Rider, the Invocation just isn't very great. When entering top-deck mode, it is not really the card you wanna draw. I am not saying "DONT PLAY THIS CARD", but I am just suggesting: 1)the risk of playing this card (being 2-for-1, or getting much less value); 2)the subpar reward (vanilla creature isn't great), and 3) the unlikelihood of getting explosive play (the dream play doesn't happen often enough to justify).
Ensoul is a lot more consistent play, because with ANY Darksteel Citadel or one mana artifact, Ensoul Artifact, and The Most Powerful Card Ever Printed, you can make that line of play happen. Also, a 5/5 vs a 4/4 is a huge difference. 5/5 eats Siege Rhino for breakfast, but for a 4/4, the situation is completely reversed. Also, there are other elements to Ensoul Artifact, for example, you can ensoul your opponent's artifact and kill it with Murderous Cut, in extreme cases, since U/B doesn't have artifact removal, this line of play suddenly seems a lot less bizarre than it sounds.
Unless he invests in painlands and Mana Confluence, which are pretty good in multicolor decks, I hear.Checking the format is always a good idea before giving advice.With other cards that give you a big Invocation, it could reliably be a vanilla 4/4 or more most of the time. I'd say it scales better into the late-game than Rattleclaw Mystic or other mana dorks - a 4/4 is a lot more relevant than a 2/1 once Siege Rhinos start hitting the board.
If Invocation gets drawn later, a Disowned Ancestor with 1 counter will make it big enough to eat Siege Rhino. With Become Immense, it could get crazy. (Just don't drop Become Immense on an already-large creature, that's just asking to be blown out by one removal spell.)
What I am suggesting, is that there are better cards to cast than Kin-Tree Invocation. If he/she is trying to pilot an aggro deck that utilize the explosive play of the Invocation, Sultai isn't really very good at out-aggroing other Jeskai or Mardu decks. Put into a midrange strategy, you would want a card like Necropolis Fiend, which is not very expensive money-wise, has evasion (flying), can kill things, and synergize with Rakshasa Vizier. Early on you would want to develop your board state instead of putting a fatty to pummel your opponent. Later there is no argument that the little fiend is just a better topdeck.
However, I totally agree with you on the suggestion of improving the mana base. It can't be stressed enough that a deck can only be as powerful as the manabase can support it. The investment on things like Flooded Strand (or in the OP's case, Polluted Delta), might seem a hefty price to pay, but can go a long way for your continuous Magic life. But of course, that is only a personal choice, and is not a must.
It would also help if the OP could provide his/her cardpool so that we can make the best out of what he/she currently has.