Cloudposts are more consistent as they don't require 3 different cards to start generating mana. Also, clone lands work a million times better with cloudposts. Add in the life gain and overall higher mana yield and cloudposts are way ahead.
However when it comes to making artifact decks I just prefer uzra lands mostly for flavour reasons. Assembling the urza pieces is also more satisfying.
the problem with this deck is that you have too many cards that need to have 10 or less life and not enough of the cards to get you to 10 or less life.
Add some evasion beaters to guarantee damage. Dauthi Horror Dauthi Slayer Foul Imp Oona's Prowler Vampire Interloper
I personally don't see a reason to build around Guul Draz Vampire as any deck designed to make your opponent lose 10 life as soon as possible should have no problem going the full 20 without it. In limited he might be cool.
Blighted Agent and Phyrexian Crusader should be your main hitters and throw in a couple Phyrexian Vatmothers as your big bombs. The rest of the deck should then focus on countering and bouncing your opponents threats. Add a couple Runechanter's Pikes as you'll have a lot of instants and sorcery cards.
I didn't add any of the other infect creatures because their cmc was too high and without ramp or dedicated control it was not likely you would hit most of them. I also removed most of the buffs just because holding your opponent off seemed like a better strategy and blue/black doesn't have the best buffs anyways, go to green if you want that.
Also just to add:
I have found that Nut Collector, Krosan Beast, and Squirrel Wrangler need to have decks built around them to be effective and shouldn't be casually thrown into a squirrel deck Arbor Elf is the best mana dork for a squirrel deck (even those running the combo) because of his synergy with Squirrel Nest Sundering Growth is the best artifact/enchantment hate for squirrel decks (unless playing outside monogreen and Selesnya)
Don't get too caught up with making an army of squirrels that you forgot to add removal or disruption spells, your opponents are not just going to sit back and let themselves be overrun; monogreen isn't very good in this area but it does have a few: Beast Within, Lignify, Vow of Wildness, Primal Command.
Well the obvious first choices are Giant Growth and Fog. Bounty of the Hunt and Mutagenic Growth are great "free" cards that can surprise your opponent when they think you are tapped out. Ranger's Guile is green's counterspell for targeted removal. Berserk is green`s most powerful pump spell. Evolution Charm and Vitality Charm are great tool box cards for many situations. Overrun is the best finisher for any token or weenie deck. Ambush Viper is like a green version of doom blade, always a surprise.< Wasteland Viper is a pretty decent 1-drop creature on its own, but when it also doubles as a creature pump that can kill your opponents best blocker it becomes awesome.
Would like some feedback on these cards. May have the wording wrong on them.
First up a new mechanic I've been working on, similar to grandeur.
Jagger, the Dagger R
Legendary Creature - Human Rogue
Uncommon Ascend — As you play this card you may discard up to three cards with the same name as this card. Jagger, the Dagger enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters where X is the number of cards discarded this way.
Jagger, the Dagger gains haste if it has one or more +1/+1 counters on it.
2/1
Ascend — As you play this card you may discard up to three cards with the same name as this card. Murissa, the Sunshield enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters where X is the number of cards discarded this way.
Murissa, the Sunshield loses defender if it has one or more +1/+1 counters on it.
2/3
Quin’ayr, The Hunter 1G
Legendary Creature - Centaur
Uncommon Ascend — As you play this card you may discard up to three cards with the same name as this card. Quin’ayr, The Hunter enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters where X is the number of cards discarded this way.
Quin’ayr, The Hunter gains trample if it has one or more +1/+1 counters on it.
2/2
Mugin of Highcloud 1UU
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard
Uncommon
Flying Ascend — As you play this card you may discard up to three cards with the same name as this card. Mugin of Highcloud enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters where X is the number of cards discarded this way.
When Mugin of Highcloud enters the battlefield, draw cards equal to its power.
0/2
Noname, of Nothing 2BB
Legendary Creature - Horror
Uncommon
Wither
Ascend — As you play this card you may discard up to three cards with the same name as this card. Noname of Nothing enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters where X is the number of cards discarded this way.
When Noname of Nothing enters the battlefield, destroy X target non black creatures where X is the number of +1/+1 counters on Noname of Nothing.
3/3
Next up a mana dork cycle. I know mana dorks are a green thing, but each color has at least one mana producing guy they just are not efficient as the green ones so I tried to apply the same principle to my cycle.
Generous Mistress 1W
Creature - Human Druid
Rare
T: Your opponents gain 3 life, add W to your mana pool.
1/1
Frost Mistress 1U
Creature - Human Druid
Rare
T: Add U to your mana pool, Frost Mistress doesn’t untap during your next untap step.
1/1
Grave Mistress 1B
Creature - Human Druid
Rare
Pay 2 life, T: Add B to your mana pool.
1/1
Flame Mistress 1R
Creature - Human Druid
Rare
Whenever you tap a land for mana Flame Mistress deals 1 damage to you.
T: Add R to your mana pool.
1/1
Gaea’s Mistress 1G
Creature - Human Druid
Rare
T: Add 1G to your mana pool.
1/1
Prismatic Mistress 2
Artifact Creature - Human Druid
Rare
T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Prismatic Mistress doesn’t untap during your untap step. 2: Untap Prismatic Mistress
1/1
I usually play casual Multiplayer and I make my rules with the words of Greg Anderson in mind: “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” My group usually runs legacy restrictions.
1) No infinites
In most cases getting your infinite combo off usually means the games over. If it goes off in a multiplayer game while everyones still got a healthy board state it just becomes a disappointment for all. This can also be said of most insta-win combos, however, if its an elaborate hard to pull off combo that you don't see very often chances are the other players will think its cool and won't mind losing.
2) No MLD or Lockdown decks
If your deck is designed to stop everyone else from playing then we don't want to play with you. It's not that we dislike control decks but if you're running crap like Chronatog + Stasis you're a jerk.
3) No Tournament Level Net Decks
One of the best things about casual multiplayer is that it's slower pace allows for players to make all sorts of interesting decks decks that you just couldn't get away with in other formats, why waste that opportunity playing top level decks just to win a casual format and likely piss everyone off?
4) No T1, T2 win decks
Technically this means T3 win decks are ok, but really if you come to my group with **** like that, you're just a dick and you probably wont see a second game. Speaking of dicks that brings up the next rule...
5) No being "That Guy"
Nobody wants to play with a Dave who is just there to ruin everyones fun or the guy that complains non-stop when things aren't going his way then gloats and brags when everyone else is having rough luck. Don't get butt hurt because you keep pulling everyones aggro in a multi game because you insist on playing eldrazi, maybe they are trying to tell you something. I have found that half of a multiplayer game is politics so being a "that guy" isn't going to do you any favours.
There are other things, but they are mostly situational. Mulligans are the standard 1st is free but if a guy gets really bad mulls the group usually allows him to redraw to seven. Dominating decks are usually switched out by the players playing them without having to ask, its just the polite thing to do.
Our casual games are also pretty rules light and its not uncommon for players to take back moves or do things out of order. We make sure everyone knows the proper rules, but people also make mistakes sometimes.
Voting out Visara the Dreadful, we've established that we don't want to destroy things and she is far too expensive, Xathrid Gorgon should be the target of our mana.
I vote Pemmin's Aura should go as well and in its place put 4 Illusionist's Bracers.
Are we trying to make things fly for defence of flying creatures? If that's so I don't see the point when we can just stop the attacks all together with the Xathrid Gorgon ability.
I also don't see the point in artifact hate, seems redundant, once you zap a creature with Xathrid it's pretty much dead, why waste mana and cards making it more dead? Instead we should be shifting the deck towards noncreature wincons and just ignore the opponents poor petrified creatures.
I also think Dark Ritual should be in here for obvious mana ramp.
I don't play EDH much but I got a bear tribal deck I've been trying to optimize and I could use some suggestions. Thought I might just keep it mono green, no point going three color just to nab the last two bears.
However when it comes to making artifact decks I just prefer uzra lands mostly for flavour reasons. Assembling the urza pieces is also more satisfying.
Add some evasion beaters to guarantee damage.
Dauthi Horror
Dauthi Slayer
Foul Imp
Oona's Prowler
Vampire Interloper
Some black burn(ish) cards: Misery Charm (black version of Shock), Dash Hopes, Soul Reap, Syphon Soul, Hideous End, Soul Reap, Sign in Blood, and Vampire's Bite (black version of Giant Growth)
Cards that will bring your opponents life total to 10: Magister Sphinx and Sorin Markov
I personally don't see a reason to build around Guul Draz Vampire as any deck designed to make your opponent lose 10 life as soon as possible should have no problem going the full 20 without it. In limited he might be cool.
New deck might look something like this:
4x Blighted Agent
4x Phyrexian Crusader
2x Phyrexian Vatmother
Artifact
2x Runechanter's Pike
Instant
4x Devour Flesh
4x Into the Roil
4x Rune Snag
4x Dismember
4x Remand
2x Corrupted Resolve
4x Ponder
Land
4x Inkmoth Nexus
4x Watery Grave
4x Drowned Catacomb
5x Swamp
5x Island
I didn't add any of the other infect creatures because their cmc was too high and without ramp or dedicated control it was not likely you would hit most of them. I also removed most of the buffs just because holding your opponent off seemed like a better strategy and blue/black doesn't have the best buffs anyways, go to green if you want that.
4x Arbor Elf
4x Deranged Hermit
4x Mirror Entity
4x Squirrel Mob
Enchantments
4x Lignify
4x Squirrel Nest
4x Utopia Sprawl
3x Path to Exile
2x Sundering Growth
Sorcery
4x Chatter of the Squirrel
2x Green Sun's Zenith
Land
6x Forest
1x Gaea's Cradle
2x Gavony Township
4x Murmuring Bosk
1x Savannah
3x Swarmyard
4x Temple Garden
Also just to add:
I have found that Nut Collector, Krosan Beast, and Squirrel Wrangler need to have decks built around them to be effective and shouldn't be casually thrown into a squirrel deck
Arbor Elf is the best mana dork for a squirrel deck (even those running the combo) because of his synergy with Squirrel Nest
Sundering Growth is the best artifact/enchantment hate for squirrel decks (unless playing outside monogreen and Selesnya)
Don't get too caught up with making an army of squirrels that you forgot to add removal or disruption spells, your opponents are not just going to sit back and let themselves be overrun; monogreen isn't very good in this area but it does have a few: Beast Within, Lignify, Vow of Wildness, Primal Command.
Bounty of the Hunt and Mutagenic Growth are great "free" cards that can surprise your opponent when they think you are tapped out.
Ranger's Guile is green's counterspell for targeted removal.
Berserk is green`s most powerful pump spell.
Evolution Charm and Vitality Charm are great tool box cards for many situations.
Overrun is the best finisher for any token or weenie deck.
Ambush Viper is like a green version of doom blade, always a surprise.<
Wasteland Viper is a pretty decent 1-drop creature on its own, but when it also doubles as a creature pump that can kill your opponents best blocker it becomes awesome.
First up a new mechanic I've been working on, similar to grandeur.
Next up a mana dork cycle. I know mana dorks are a green thing, but each color has at least one mana producing guy they just are not efficient as the green ones so I tried to apply the same principle to my cycle.
Nim Deathmantle + Ashnod's Alter + Mogg War Marshal = Infinite goblins, infinite colorless mana, infinite ETB and EGFB triggers.
Diregraf Captain + Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Alter = Infinite Damage, infinite ETB and EGFB triggers.
Academy Rector + Fire Covenant + Near-Death Experience = Pay all but 1 life and kill Academy Rector and search for NDE during the end phase of your opponents turn to win the game on your upkeep.
Academy Rector + Kaervek's Spite + Barren Glory = Pretty much same set up as above except you sac everything.
Goblin Sharpshooter + Basilisk Collar = One sided board wipe (except indestructible and hexproof/shroud creatures).
Enduring Renewal + Goblin Bombardment + Kobolds of Kher Keep (or any 0cmc creature) = Infinite damage, infinite ETB triggers..
Transcendence + Leyline of Punishment = Unable to lose the game from life loss.
Nim Deathmantle + Coretapper + Magistrate's Scepter + four mana of any color = Infinite turns.
Isochron Scepter + Final Fortune + Sundial of the Infinite = Infinite turns.
And for my favourite combo:
Dark Ritual + Torpor Orb + Phyrexian Dreadnaught = Turn 1 badass.
And for the just the best combo ever:
Words of Wilding + Muragunda Petroglyphs + Kavu Lair + Ashnod's Alter + Leyline of Vitality + Hurricane = Bears, life, mana, and damage equal to the size of your deck.
4x Death Cultist
4x Deathrite Shaman
4x Geralf's Messenger
4x Thrull Parasite
Enchantment
4x Bloodchief Ascension
4x Geth's Verdict
4x Hideous End
Land
3x Leechridden Swamp
4x Marsh Flats
2x Overgrown Tomb
6x Swamp
4x Verdant Catacombs
4x Bump in the Night
4x Duress
3x Sign in Blood
3x Wrench Mind
I kept it modern legal just cause that's what my play group usually plays, but if you got some killer ideas for a legacy deck that would be cool.
1) No infinites
In most cases getting your infinite combo off usually means the games over. If it goes off in a multiplayer game while everyones still got a healthy board state it just becomes a disappointment for all. This can also be said of most insta-win combos, however, if its an elaborate hard to pull off combo that you don't see very often chances are the other players will think its cool and won't mind losing.
2) No MLD or Lockdown decks
If your deck is designed to stop everyone else from playing then we don't want to play with you. It's not that we dislike control decks but if you're running crap like Chronatog + Stasis you're a jerk.
3) No Tournament Level Net Decks
One of the best things about casual multiplayer is that it's slower pace allows for players to make all sorts of interesting decks decks that you just couldn't get away with in other formats, why waste that opportunity playing top level decks just to win a casual format and likely piss everyone off?
4) No T1, T2 win decks
Technically this means T3 win decks are ok, but really if you come to my group with **** like that, you're just a dick and you probably wont see a second game. Speaking of dicks that brings up the next rule...
5) No being "That Guy"
Nobody wants to play with a Dave who is just there to ruin everyones fun or the guy that complains non-stop when things aren't going his way then gloats and brags when everyone else is having rough luck. Don't get butt hurt because you keep pulling everyones aggro in a multi game because you insist on playing eldrazi, maybe they are trying to tell you something. I have found that half of a multiplayer game is politics so being a "that guy" isn't going to do you any favours.
There are other things, but they are mostly situational. Mulligans are the standard 1st is free but if a guy gets really bad mulls the group usually allows him to redraw to seven. Dominating decks are usually switched out by the players playing them without having to ask, its just the polite thing to do.
Our casual games are also pretty rules light and its not uncommon for players to take back moves or do things out of order. We make sure everyone knows the proper rules, but people also make mistakes sometimes.
If you add a Phyrexian Altar you get infinite damage as well.
Voting out Visara the Dreadful, we've established that we don't want to destroy things and she is far too expensive, Xathrid Gorgon should be the target of our mana.
3 Xathrid Gorgon
2 Basalt Golem
2 Mwonvuli Beast Tracker
1 Visara the Dreadful (-1)
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
4 Emissary of Despair
4 Kodama's Reach
2 Rhystic Tutor
3 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Black Sun's Zenith
Instants (2)
2 Verdant Touch
Artifacts (11)
2 Power Matrix
2 Angel's Trumpet
3 Thousand-Year Elixir
2 Illusionist's Bracers
2 Rings of Brighthearth
4 Tower of the Magistrate
22 Vesuva
It's also part of a nifty combo, Academy Rector + Fire Covenant + Near-Death Experience at the end of your opponents turn.
Are we trying to make things fly for defence of flying creatures? If that's so I don't see the point when we can just stop the attacks all together with the Xathrid Gorgon ability.
I also don't see the point in artifact hate, seems redundant, once you zap a creature with Xathrid it's pretty much dead, why waste mana and cards making it more dead? Instead we should be shifting the deck towards noncreature wincons and just ignore the opponents poor petrified creatures.
I also think Dark Ritual should be in here for obvious mana ramp.
1 Jugan, The Rising Star
Artifact
1 Coat of Arms
1 Door of Destinies
1 Emerald Medallion
1 Expedition Map
1 Mind Stone
1 Mind's Eye
1 Moss Diamond
1 Sculpting Steel
1 Sol ring
1 Soul Foundry
Creature
1 Adaptive Automaton
1 Ashcoat Bear
1 Balduvian Bears
1 Bear Cub
1 Brass Herald
1 Caller of the Claw
1 Chameleon Colossus
1 Druid's Familiar
1 Forest Bear
1 Golden Bear
1 Grizzly Bear
1 Kaysa
1 Pale Bears
1 Razorclaw Bear
1 River Bear
1 Runeclaw Bear
1 Spectal Bears
1 Striped Bears
1 Ulvenwald Bear
1 Werebear
1 Woodland Changeling
1 Alpha Status
1 Asceticism
1 Bear Umbra
1 Crosswinds
1 Defense of the Heart
1 Eldrazi Conscript
1 Gaea's Anthem
1 Gravity Well
1 Leyline of Vitality
1 Overgrowth
1 Overwhelming Instinct
1 Primal Rage
1 Privileged Position
1 Raking Canopy
1 Rancor
1 Seal of Primordium
1 Spidersilk Armor
1 Sylvan Library
1 Wild Growth
1 Wild Pair
1 Words of Wilding
Instant
1 Beast Within
1 Crushing Vines
1 Filigree Fracture
1 Mystic Melting
1 Slice in Twain
1 Tribute to the Wild
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Grizzly Fate
1 Harmonize
1 Primal Surge
Land
18 Forest
1 Command Tower
1 Deserted Temple
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Llanowar Reborn
1 Maze of Ith
1 Mutavault
1 Okina, Temple of the Grandfathers
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Sapseep Forest
1 Slippery Karst
1 Temple of the False Gods
1 Thespian's Stage
1 Tower of the Magistrate
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Tree of Tales
1 Turntimber Grove
1 Vesuva
1 Yavimaya Hollow