I've been keeping the Emerge mechanic in the back of my mind and recently revisited the idea with this new brew. With the addition of Mutate we now have some more creatures that fit into the game plan. Plan: Drop early ETB creatures for value then Emerge/Mutate them for more value.
This deck can fairly consistently see a second turn Mutated Greathorn with 4 lands in play. Arboreal Grazer and Elvish Pioneer allow for this to happen.
Dreamtail Heron can come down on turn 3 giving us a strong flier that replaces itself.
Wretched Gryff has the same benefits as Dreamtail Heron, but you draw when it is cast so it replaces itself even if countered.
It of the Horrid Swarm has good stats and brings along some Mutate/Edict fodder or allows you to go wider.
Fierce Empath is also great to not only fetch the Emerge creatures, but it also reduces the Emerge cost by 3 making it a good sac option.
Skyshroud Cutter is a recent addition to the list that I'm testing for now. I've always been wondering if there will ever be a reason to use this creature in Pauper for any combos or synergies, and this might be it. The "free" casting cost coupled with it's 4 cmc opens the up 2nd turn Emerge creatures. Is it worth your opponent gaining 5 life? I'm still trying to determine that. This is a big flex slot for the list, so if anyone has other suggestions for enabling quick Emerges then let me know! So far this is the only "free" creature with a high cmc.
Giantbaiting is another card that fits into using early creatures for value. Burning-Tree Emissary helps add a free creature to conspire with and if you had a first turn Grazer/Pioneer then Giantbaiting can hit hard Turn 2. Emissary can't be a Mutate target since it's human, but providing a "free" body gives you Edict protection for your Mutants.
Another creature I was using originally was Siege Wurm. It was easy to cast fairly early with Convoke and can be tutored with Fierce Empath. I considered some other Convoke creatures, but Siege Wurm is probably the best option since it has Trample. I cut it out of the list to have room to test Skyshroud Cutter for the time being.
As always, any thoughts, comments, and suggestions are welcome! Has anyone else tested any Emerge lists in the past? What about Mutate?
Emerge Creatures:
Mutate Creatures:
Here's my current list:
12 Forest
8 Island
3 Holdout Settlement
Creatures
3 Arboreal Grazer
3 Elvish Pioneer
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Coiling Oracle
3 Fierce Empath
4 Skyshroud Cutter
4 Migratory Greathorn
4 Dreamtail Heron
2 Wretched Gryff
2 It of the Horrid Swarm
2 Lead the Stampede
2 Giantbaiting
3 Mizzium Skin
3 Spreading Seas
3 Faerie Macabre
3 Gleeful Sabotage
3 Pulse of Murasa
This deck can fairly consistently see a second turn Mutated Greathorn with 4 lands in play. Arboreal Grazer and Elvish Pioneer allow for this to happen.
Dreamtail Heron can come down on turn 3 giving us a strong flier that replaces itself.
Wretched Gryff has the same benefits as Dreamtail Heron, but you draw when it is cast so it replaces itself even if countered.
It of the Horrid Swarm has good stats and brings along some Mutate/Edict fodder or allows you to go wider.
Fierce Empath is also great to not only fetch the Emerge creatures, but it also reduces the Emerge cost by 3 making it a good sac option.
Skyshroud Cutter is a recent addition to the list that I'm testing for now. I've always been wondering if there will ever be a reason to use this creature in Pauper for any combos or synergies, and this might be it. The "free" casting cost coupled with it's 4 cmc opens the up 2nd turn Emerge creatures. Is it worth your opponent gaining 5 life? I'm still trying to determine that. This is a big flex slot for the list, so if anyone has other suggestions for enabling quick Emerges then let me know! So far this is the only "free" creature with a high cmc.
Giantbaiting is another card that fits into using early creatures for value. Burning-Tree Emissary helps add a free creature to conspire with and if you had a first turn Grazer/Pioneer then Giantbaiting can hit hard Turn 2. Emissary can't be a Mutate target since it's human, but providing a "free" body gives you Edict protection for your Mutants.
Another creature I was using originally was Siege Wurm. It was easy to cast fairly early with Convoke and can be tutored with Fierce Empath. I considered some other Convoke creatures, but Siege Wurm is probably the best option since it has Trample. I cut it out of the list to have room to test Skyshroud Cutter for the time being.
As always, any thoughts, comments, and suggestions are welcome! Has anyone else tested any Emerge lists in the past? What about Mutate?