First off, I'd like to thank Gaka for pioneering what has become of of my favorite EDH decks to pilot. From when I first netdecked his list on Cockatrice, to when I mocked up my own list IRL, I've astounded many multiplayer groups by winning with this guy. It's all thanks to you! One of my favorite memories was turning Azami, Lady of Scrolls into wizard-aggro with Grip of Chaos. I still lost, but it was a good loss.
In the interests of making my version better, I've got a few cards I've been playing I'd like to hear some discussion about. I haven't paged through all seventy pages of this thread yet (although I keep up with it), so if some of my suggestions have been discussed already, please let me know.
Is Wake of Destruction too one-sided or mean for you? Or in a multiplayer game, does it do too little? Omnath plays a big role in my local meta, so I've had fantastic experiences with this card.
When it comes to planeswalkers, are there any others you think are worth consideration? I've been playing around with Tibalt, just because he gets so much hate, but I haven't really drawn him much, and I'm wondering if anyone has had any consistent experience with trying to run him? Koth of the Hammer has really been an all-star to me. If he hits early he tends to live for a turn or two worth of ramping, but late-game he can act as a really epic ritual effect, with the added bonus that if he miraculously makes it around another couple turns, you probably win.
I also really like Hoarding Dragon. Sure, he has the chance to backfire, but bounce effects are less prevalent in EDH, and he works really, really well with Kiki-Jiki.
Heat Shimmer has worked really well for me as general removal, or just an easy way to swing with someone else's Primeval Titan.
Finally, I've had some really good experiences with Rite of Ruin. It can be your pick of rather large artifact, creature, or land removal, and we all know that options are good. It also gets fun to stack up the order to effectively remove artifact creatures before other creatures, or other such shenanigans, especially if you've been taking advantage of Genesis Chamber.
Yavimaya Elder is a card that most EDH players typically think of as "good." I remember when I was putting together my first EDH decks (a good while before the advent of the precons) and being quite proud to sleeve up my own. Was it an expensive, sought after card? No. But I felt like I could be sure I was doing it right by including one in my 99. The community obviously thinks very highly of him; he's made it onto both The Top 50 Cards of Each Color and The Real Top 50. Studies show: we love us some Elder.
But recently, I've become more and more unimpressed with him. Quite often I'll wish that he was Wood Elves, or Farhaven Elf. The fact of the matter is, I think, that the Elder doesn't ramp. At least, not unless you're mana screwed and wouldn't otherwise be able to drop a land. In multicolored decks that need his fixing the most, the GG cost can be restrictive; especially if you're trying to drop him turn three to save yourself from an unfortunate turn 4. And even though he does provide the means to sac himself, it requires an additional mana investment to do so, often blowing a second turn early-game. He serves very well as a deterrent blocker, but early in multiplayer games, when I want him to be attacked into, players won't target the guy with Elder and I end up having to sac him myself to fix mana, reducing his effectiveness.
Now, that's not to say he's considered good for no reason. Two lands and another card for 5 mana (on a body) in green isn't too shabby, and he pairs well with sac outlets like Ashnod's Altar or Perilous Forays, or any kind of recursion. I feel like a dredge-based Golgari strategy, or Karador, Ghost Chieftain loves him, but decks with more access to card draw might not appreciate him so much.
I want to hear your opinion. Do you love Elder? Do you, like me, often find him underwhelming? In what decks or strategies have you seen him shine; in which has he been lackluster? And if you've removed him from your decklists, what has come in to replace him?
My favorite card has always been Counterbalance. I just love that it turns deck-manipulation spells, like Brainstorm or Telling Time, into counterspells. I just like building around it. I'm a Blue mage at heart.
In the interests of making my version better, I've got a few cards I've been playing I'd like to hear some discussion about. I haven't paged through all seventy pages of this thread yet (although I keep up with it), so if some of my suggestions have been discussed already, please let me know.
Is Wake of Destruction too one-sided or mean for you? Or in a multiplayer game, does it do too little? Omnath plays a big role in my local meta, so I've had fantastic experiences with this card.
When it comes to planeswalkers, are there any others you think are worth consideration? I've been playing around with Tibalt, just because he gets so much hate, but I haven't really drawn him much, and I'm wondering if anyone has had any consistent experience with trying to run him? Koth of the Hammer has really been an all-star to me. If he hits early he tends to live for a turn or two worth of ramping, but late-game he can act as a really epic ritual effect, with the added bonus that if he miraculously makes it around another couple turns, you probably win.
I also really like Hoarding Dragon. Sure, he has the chance to backfire, but bounce effects are less prevalent in EDH, and he works really, really well with Kiki-Jiki.
Heat Shimmer has worked really well for me as general removal, or just an easy way to swing with someone else's Primeval Titan.
Finally, I've had some really good experiences with Rite of Ruin. It can be your pick of rather large artifact, creature, or land removal, and we all know that options are good. It also gets fun to stack up the order to effectively remove artifact creatures before other creatures, or other such shenanigans, especially if you've been taking advantage of Genesis Chamber.
But recently, I've become more and more unimpressed with him. Quite often I'll wish that he was Wood Elves, or Farhaven Elf. The fact of the matter is, I think, that the Elder doesn't ramp. At least, not unless you're mana screwed and wouldn't otherwise be able to drop a land. In multicolored decks that need his fixing the most, the GG cost can be restrictive; especially if you're trying to drop him turn three to save yourself from an unfortunate turn 4. And even though he does provide the means to sac himself, it requires an additional mana investment to do so, often blowing a second turn early-game. He serves very well as a deterrent blocker, but early in multiplayer games, when I want him to be attacked into, players won't target the guy with Elder and I end up having to sac him myself to fix mana, reducing his effectiveness.
Now, that's not to say he's considered good for no reason. Two lands and another card for 5 mana (on a body) in green isn't too shabby, and he pairs well with sac outlets like Ashnod's Altar or Perilous Forays, or any kind of recursion. I feel like a dredge-based Golgari strategy, or Karador, Ghost Chieftain loves him, but decks with more access to card draw might not appreciate him so much.
I want to hear your opinion. Do you love Elder? Do you, like me, often find him underwhelming? In what decks or strategies have you seen him shine; in which has he been lackluster? And if you've removed him from your decklists, what has come in to replace him?