I second the GW or maybe Naya enchantments, though you'll probably have to go in a different direction than a normal Enchantress build since your challenge automatically excludes most Enchantress effects. I would personally look at a go wide strategy with aggressively costed creatures and buff enchants/anthems.
I see that you already went with Varina, which I've found to be a fun deck to build with a tribal token focus.
As you continue to build your collection, I'd give a strong recommendation to Animar. He can be near top tier with the right deck, but even a budget build can be fun, interactive, and versatile. I posted a budget decklist a while back that I'll copy over here. Good luck!
I think you've gotten all of the best answers for this one, but I wanted to throw in Rayne, Academy Chancellor. It's not hard protection, but giving you CA to get rid of one of your permanents might be enough to dissuade an opponent. She's also going to net you that draw prior to the targeting spell resolving, so you always have a chance to draw a counterspell.
This blows. I don't post here terribly often, but I lurk constantly. There's a few bad apples, sure, but this is one of the best communities I've seen for any "nerd" hobby. I'm very disappointed to say the least.
I think it's an interesting design and I won't say that is a good card yet, but I have a feeling it's better in application than most of us suspect. Obviously Path is better in a strictly single target sense, but the versatility this offers could still make it very useful.
A slightly worse PtE isn't necessarily bad - PtE is chief among white removal. Also consider that this is the cheapest non-conditional one sided wrath we've seen (that I can think of). I'm eager to try it out.
Gee thanks Wizards of the Coast for spiking Breya, Etherium Shaper while I was in the middle of rebuilding the deck for EDH / Commander. First Mycosynth Lattice because of Karn, the Great Creator and now this bs. It's already bad enough that I'm unable to afford an Academy Ruins, now I have to spend $500+ on a EDH / Commander deck that really should've cost me $200 less to complete. It looks like this is going to cost me more than Shadowborn Athreos which was a bit of a pain to acquire 23 Shadowborn Apostles.
Don't get the wrong idea though, I love that they finally made an Urza creature card that isn't Blind Seer. However this just feels like a slap in the face after all the price spikes we've been getting from War of the Spark up til now. Crucible of Worlds is probably going to spike because of Prismatic Vista, Fist of Suns and Jodah, Archmage Eternal because of Morophon, the Boundless and the list goes on. EDH / Commander doesn't need to be as expensive as Modern where decks aren't affordable.
Oh my sweet, summer child. You really think Wizards doesn't know exactly who they're targeting with cards like these? They're well aware that EDH/Commander has been the most played format for a while and they've learned just how to hit us in the wallet.
That said, the card is fantastic. Balancing his power level as a planeswalker would be impossible, but finally getting a real creature version of him feels really good. My only wish is that we could get a version with the old border.
Neat pile of effects, and I really dig the art, but this kind of feels bad at rare. Considering this is supposed to be a fairly high power set, this seems like it should have been uncommon.
Uh... how many "flash, flying, draw a card, deathtouch" cards do you want to face in one draft? Doom blade that pings and draws a card is not very fun to run into...
Draft is irrelevant here, unless your LGS is going to hand out Snow basics to use for land slots. Unless you have really consistent pulls in sealed, or just draft every Snow spell in each pack you can, I don't see this ever having Deathtouch in limited.
That's the biggest issue I have with the card is that it's best function (a 2cmc instant removal spell) is entirely dependant on your board state. At it's floor, it's a single target fog that cantrips, and that doesn't feel like a rare effect to me in a set that's supposed to turn Modern on its head.
Neat pile of effects, and I really dig the art, but this kind of feels bad at rare. Considering this is supposed to be a fairly high power set, this seems like it should have been uncommon.
Man, I do not get the hate on this one. Granted, I absolutely loathe ETB lands, so I get the disdain towards that, but at the same time I love most useful effects stapled to a land. I do run quite a few fetches and other effects that can shuffle away potentially bad draws, so YMMV, but even then I have lost track of how many times this has allowed me to flip a much needed answer to the top of my library. I find it best around turns 2-4 once you're past your opening Scry (if your group uses that mulligan rule; if not, then turns 1-3) to set up those early game draws.
I don't go out of my way to play it, but I'm pretty happy with it in any mono U or U/x deck. Outside of the previously listed commanders, I expect Maelstrom Wanderer and Rashmi to make solid use of it as well. I think ultimately it's a fine 75% card, but I agree that it's not going to make many hyper-competitive lists.
If you guys are always disappointed with the top 3 cards of you library though, you may want to consider running better cards.
I didn't know about this guy. I don't think he's going to be in any competitive lists, but he's a decent rattlesnake and I can see political applications too. Using this to save an opponent's creature from a kill spell can make you a temporary ally.
Redirect is still probably better almost 100% of the time for the "gotcha!" element, but Flectomancr could still be good for redundancy or with creature shenanigans (like copying it with Riku)
I like Gleaming Overseer , Eternal Skylord, Dreadhorde Invasion , Vizier of the Scorpion and Lazotep Plating for Varina. Invasion in particular synergizes since Varina's ability can soften the life loss each turn. Skylord is a worse Wonder in a vacuum, but I think benefiting from tribal synergies might edge the zombie into it's place.
As others have said, I think plating is just good. I won't say it's going to quite be a staple, but I think it'll see lots of play. That's more for the effect than the body, though, and I doubt the Amass will be relevant there.
Outside of zombie tribal, I don't think many of these cards will see play, unless it's like a Bolas helmed all-in amass/Bolas tribal deck, which is probably fine too.
It's stick-able for what it's worth, but I don't know if that would really ever matter. A neat effect to be sure, but only being a one shot limits is EDH usefulness.
Beautiful art, interesting effect, unique flavor, and utterly outclassed by several cards in EDH. I would possibly consider running this in a 75% meta, just for the "ooh's" and "ah's" from all the people who've never seen it before.
Berserker's Onslaught
Bow of Nylea
Fervor
Goblin War Drums
Gruul War Chant
Hammer of Purphoros
Primal Rage
Rhythm of the Wild
Serra's Blessing
Asceticism
Beastmaster Ascension
Cathar's Crusade
Gahji, Honored One night be a good option if you decide to go the Naya route.
As you continue to build your collection, I'd give a strong recommendation to Animar. He can be near top tier with the right deck, but even a budget build can be fun, interactive, and versatile. I posted a budget decklist a while back that I'll copy over here. Good luck!
1 Shrieking Drake
1 Man-o'-War
1 Dream Stalker
1 Temur Sabertooth
1 Ancestral Statue
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Wood Elves
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Rattleclaw Mystic
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Somberwald Sage
1 Embodiment of Spring
1 Growing Rites of Itlimoc
1 Siren Stormtamer
1 Mystic Snake
1 Draining Whelk
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Duplicant
1 Nantuko Vigilante
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Caustic Caterpillar
1 Sylvok Replica
1 Den Protector
1 Tidespout Tyrant
1 Voidmage Apprentice
1 Brutalizer Exarch
1 Meteor Golem
1 Disruptive Pitmage
1 Chromeshell Crab
1 Willbender
1 Voidmage Husher
1 Clone
1 Peregrine Drake
1 Cloud of Faeries
1 Greenwarden of Murasa
1 Panharmonicon
1 Abundance
1 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
1 Tishana, Voice of Thunder
1 Raven Familiar
1 Fierce Empath
1 Vizier of the Menagerie
1 Mulldrifter
1 Sages of the Anima
1 Primordial Sage
1 Soul of the Harvest
1 Riverwise Augur
1 Sea Gate Oracle
1 Wall of Blossoms
1 Elvish Visionary
1 Coiling Oracle
1 Sphinx of Uthuun
1 Riptide Survivor
1 Ruric Thar, The Unbowed
1 Maelstrom Wanderer
1 Nullstone Gargoyle
1 Xenagos, God of Revels
1 Thunderfoot Baloth
1 Decimator of the Provinces
1 Forgotten Ancient
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Opal Palace
1 Karplusan Forest
1 Yavimaya Coast
1 Shivan Reef
1 Llanowar Reborn
1 Halimar Depths
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Gruul Turf
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Hinterland Harbor
1 Rootbound Crag
1 Sheltered Thicket
1 Cinder Glade
1 Vivid Creek
1 Vivid Crag
1 Vivid Grove
3 Mountain
8 Forest
8 Island
I loved that too, that art was a home run.
Also digging Reprobation, it's a decent Darksteel Mutation clone.
A slightly worse PtE isn't necessarily bad - PtE is chief among white removal. Also consider that this is the cheapest non-conditional one sided wrath we've seen (that I can think of). I'm eager to try it out.
Oh my sweet, summer child. You really think Wizards doesn't know exactly who they're targeting with cards like these? They're well aware that EDH/Commander has been the most played format for a while and they've learned just how to hit us in the wallet.
That said, the card is fantastic. Balancing his power level as a planeswalker would be impossible, but finally getting a real creature version of him feels really good. My only wish is that we could get a version with the old border.
Draft is irrelevant here, unless your LGS is going to hand out Snow basics to use for land slots. Unless you have really consistent pulls in sealed, or just draft every Snow spell in each pack you can, I don't see this ever having Deathtouch in limited.
That's the biggest issue I have with the card is that it's best function (a 2cmc instant removal spell) is entirely dependant on your board state. At it's floor, it's a single target fog that cantrips, and that doesn't feel like a rare effect to me in a set that's supposed to turn Modern on its head.
I don't go out of my way to play it, but I'm pretty happy with it in any mono U or U/x deck. Outside of the previously listed commanders, I expect Maelstrom Wanderer and Rashmi to make solid use of it as well. I think ultimately it's a fine 75% card, but I agree that it's not going to make many hyper-competitive lists.
If you guys are always disappointed with the top 3 cards of you library though, you may want to consider running better cards.
Redirect is still probably better almost 100% of the time for the "gotcha!" element, but Flectomancr could still be good for redundancy or with creature shenanigans (like copying it with Riku)
As others have said, I think plating is just good. I won't say it's going to quite be a staple, but I think it'll see lots of play. That's more for the effect than the body, though, and I doubt the Amass will be relevant there.
Outside of zombie tribal, I don't think many of these cards will see play, unless it's like a Bolas helmed all-in amass/Bolas tribal deck, which is probably fine too.