I think Im with you on removing exhume. I have so many other ways of bringing creatures back, exhume may have negative drawbacks.
SoLaS is there to get cheap utility creatures back from the graveyard, such as an evoked Shriekmaw, a sacrificed Yavimaya Elder, etc. It is also there in case I dredge over something big I'd rather save, such as Avenger.
I think Ill wait on cutting Stinkweed just yet until I playtest with him. He's a great early rattlesnake, plus his dredge 5 is fantastic. He also holds a sword like a champ.
I will remove Varolz, however. While he was there for a plan B win con, he may be too mana intensive.
I have indeed heard of Mirror-Mad! He's a champ in my Sedris Reanimator (I am a sucker for reanimator decks, I have two others).
Greetings! I've been brewing this list for a month or so but I've hit the point where I do not know what to cut.
The Deck
I'd hate to say this is a stereotypical Jarad deck, but it more or less is. Dredge a lot of cards, sacrifice creatures, and reanimate threats / utility. I did throw in Birthing Pod though so there's that.
As it stands I am 11 cards over, including the general. I would love suggestions, comments, or critiques on the list.
Haha, true. Perhaps if the deck is successful enough I'll make a background story.
"Ruric had always been a little different. He soon learned at a young age that his pointed ears were out of the ordinary for an Ogre. One day when Ruric had grown a messenger comes visits him and tells him that his father was really an elf king, and that Ruric must take his place as the rightful heir to the throne. Through much inner turmoil and both internal and external struggle Ruric learns to accept himself for who he is, and goes on to lead the elf kingdom for many, many years."
I went ahead and took a lot of your ideas and swapped them in (as noted in the changelog) Its funny, I thought Priest of Titania cost a whole lot more than she does. I'll definitely pick her up.
I cut it down from 38 lands to 35, taking out lots of the mountains for other utility lands.
Added two X spells, Genesis Wave and Comet storm as per your suggestions.
I'll try to fit Skullclamp in when I figure out what else to cut, its getting tough.
Haha, glad to see my inexperience with elves is so easy to spot!
I think I'll try out Mindslaver then, though it would make me a huge target in future games. Granted I'll probably me the main target once ol' Ruric is out.
Haha, I hadn't thought of using mindslaver to force someone to cast non-creature spells. That could be fun, though it might be too slow. Six to cast then 4 to activate, I could have dropped a handful of elves or done something more useful.
I'll definitely consider it.
Also, commander damage only counts during combat, correct?
Cloudstone Curio is definitely worth a look. I think I'll pick one up to test it out.
Kamahl's casting is too high I feel for his effect on the field. Also, he isn't buffed by the other elves. Ezuri comes down sooner and has the same effect I feel.
When I saw the spoilers for the new Red / Green legend I knew I wanted to make a deck with him at the helm. Now, I have multiple EDH decks but I've never touched (or played against, really) Elf tribal before, so I figured I would give it a shot!
Most of the "standard" Elf-Ball generals are Momir, Edric, Ezuri, etc. I wanted to try something out of the ordinary.
Changelog:
- Fires of Yamimaya out, Thousand-Year Elixir in.
- Devoted Druid out, Priest of Titania in.
- Mountain out, Wirewood Lodge in.
- Mountain out, Kessig Wolf Run in.
- Mountain out, Aggravated Assault in.
- Mountain out, Genesis Wave in.
- Mountain out, Comet Storm in.
- Forest out, Rootbound Crag in.
- Viashino Heritic out, Nullmage Shepherd in.
- Something out.. Seeker of Skybreak in.
- Naturalize out, Krosan Grip in.
- Swiftfoot Boots out, Lightning Greaves in.
- Kher Keep out, Thespian's Stage in.
- Knollspine Dragon and Reforge the Soul: I could have included Wheel of Fortune, but I felt a repeatable, creature based wheel effect in the form of Knollspine and the miracle cost Reforge warranted the slot. Have to refill my hand somehow after a mass dump of elves.
- Garruk, Primal Hunter: Ill be honest I wanted to include Domri Rade as well, but I had to cut it at the last minute for Immaculate Magistrate. He's probably good enough to find a slot for, however. Nissa Revane is another planeswalker I wanted to include, but I didn't want to be running TOO many planeswalkers. Two is already pushing it I thought. Perhaps I'll pick one up and put her in Garruk's place for testing.
All suggestions, comments, and critiques are welcome!
As I said, I am new to the Elf archetype so all advice is welcome. I've not gotten a chance to playtest this list yet, I'm waiting for most of the elves to come in the mail. I would ask if you give a bunch of suggestions on what to add, you would also suggest what to cut.
Hey there! I recently built a reanimator deck myself so I thought I'd try and help out. Though it is grixis colors with Sedris at the helm, I figure the concept is the same.
Looks like you have a pretty solid creature list so far. I would swap out Artisan of Kozilek for It That Betrays just because his Artisan's ability only triggers as he is hardcast.
Thanks man! I appreciate the feedback on the deck. Ill definitely add more lands, and remove / replace / test out the things you suggested.
Its funny you should mention that it looks like I'm prepared for a control heavy meta. I recently moved so I am without a regular play group. I left out Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast but I wanted to make sure I at least had some answer, should I encounter something control heavy.
Greetings! After lurking for a few months I figured it was time to post a deck of my own creation. What do you think of my Mono-Red Ashling the Pilgrim list? I tried to design it as a Voltron-ish red control deck. Definitely not my first deck, but one of the ones Ive put the most thought into.
Basically, I have a few questions.
1. Do you think I have too much artifact hate? With the amount of artifacts I'm packing I could go ahead and make Slobad my general if I wanted to.
2. Are there any mono-red staples I have over looked?
3. For the cards listed in the paragraph above this one, what should I omit from my current list in order to fit them in?
I'll go with Lord of Extinction as another sac target.. cutting Grave Titan perhaps?
Thanks for the Maelstrom Pulse, Airithne. I'll throw it in there for testing, as well as Phyrexian Reclimation.
There are so many worth while cards it seems as I cut one I cant help but replace it with something..
SoLaS is there to get cheap utility creatures back from the graveyard, such as an evoked Shriekmaw, a sacrificed Yavimaya Elder, etc. It is also there in case I dredge over something big I'd rather save, such as Avenger.
I think Ill wait on cutting Stinkweed just yet until I playtest with him. He's a great early rattlesnake, plus his dredge 5 is fantastic. He also holds a sword like a champ.
I will remove Varolz, however. While he was there for a plan B win con, he may be too mana intensive.
I have indeed heard of Mirror-Mad! He's a champ in my Sedris Reanimator (I am a sucker for reanimator decks, I have two others).
Lets see, Raven's Crime is in there for Life from the Loam / Crucible of Worlds shenanigans, but you might be right about cutting it.
Wall of Blood is in there to pay a boatload of life and sac it to Jarad, hopefully killing the table.
I think I will cut a mana dork or two. I might have too much creature ramp.
Craterhoof is in.. Why not.
Thanks for the suggestions!
The Deck
I'd hate to say this is a stereotypical Jarad deck, but it more or less is. Dredge a lot of cards, sacrifice creatures, and reanimate threats / utility. I did throw in Birthing Pod though so there's that.
As it stands I am 11 cards over, including the general. I would love suggestions, comments, or critiques on the list.
(Ignore the 27 swamps, they're placeholders)
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Deathrite Shaman
1 Elves of Deep Shadow
1 Gravecrawler
1 Ulvenwald Tracker
2 Bloodghast
2 Fauna Shaman
2 Golgari Thug
2 Sakura-Tribe Elder
3 Doomed Necromancer
3 Eternal Witness
3 Fleshbag Marauder
3 Hua Tuo, Honored Physician
3 Splinterfright
3 Stinkweed Imp
3 Stronghold Assassin
3 Wall of Blood
3 Yavimaya Elder
3 Disciple of Bolas
4 Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
4 Necrotic Ooze
4 Oracle of Mul Daya
4 Sewer Nemesis
5 Golgari Grave-Troll
5 Kessig Cagebreakers
5 Shriekmaw
5 Vengeful Pharaoh
5 Lord of Extinction
6 Bane of Progress
6 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
7 Avenger of Zendikar
7 Sheoldred, Whispering One
8 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Entomb
1 Worldly Tutor
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Grisly Salvage
3 Putrefy
3 Reincarnation
3 Sudden Spoiling
Sorcery (19)
0 Living End
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Raven's Crime
1 Reanimate
2 Black Sun's Zenith
2 Demonic Tutor
2 Life // Death
2 Life from the Loam
2 Mulch
2 Regrowth
2 Stitch Together
3 Buried Alive
3 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Yawgmoth's Will
4 Barter in Blood
4 Dread Return
4 Jarad's Orders
4 Natural Order
5 Living Death
Artifact (5)
1 Skullclamp
3 Crucible of Worlds
3 Oblivion Stone
3 Sword of Light and Shadow
4 Birthing Pod
2 Oversold Cemetary
2 Survival of the Fittest
2 Phyrexian Reclimation
2 Sylvan Library
3 Necromancy
4 Defense of the Heart
4 Foster
4 Grave Pact
4 Greater Good
6 Deadbridge Chant
Land (37)
1 Strip Mine
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Barren Moor
1 Command Tower
1 Crypt of Agadeem
1 Dakmoor Salvage
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Slippery Karst
1 Svogthos, the Restless Tomb
1 Tranquil Thicket
27 Swamp
Cards I am considering cutting:
Change Log
OUT -> IN
Llanowar Elves -> Craterhoof Behemoth
Varolz, the Scar-Stripped ->
Exhume ->
Grave Titan -> Lord of Extinction
Golgari Charm -> Maelstrom Pulse
Added Phyrexian Reclimation
Thanks for looking!
"Ruric had always been a little different. He soon learned at a young age that his pointed ears were out of the ordinary for an Ogre. One day when Ruric had grown a messenger comes visits him and tells him that his father was really an elf king, and that Ruric must take his place as the rightful heir to the throne. Through much inner turmoil and both internal and external struggle Ruric learns to accept himself for who he is, and goes on to lead the elf kingdom for many, many years."
Coming this fall to a bookstore near you.
I am at a loss deciding what to swap Cloudstone Curio for. Any suggestions?
Also, lets talk planeswalkers. Garruk, Primal Hunter is in there mainly for his -3 ability.
Would Domri Rade, or Nissa Revane be a better choice?
I went ahead and took a lot of your ideas and swapped them in (as noted in the changelog) Its funny, I thought Priest of Titania cost a whole lot more than she does. I'll definitely pick her up.
I cut it down from 38 lands to 35, taking out lots of the mountains for other utility lands.
Added two X spells, Genesis Wave and Comet storm as per your suggestions.
I'll try to fit Skullclamp in when I figure out what else to cut, its getting tough.
I think I'll try out Mindslaver then, though it would make me a huge target in future games. Granted I'll probably me the main target once ol' Ruric is out.
I will definitely acquire Wirewood Lodge, Priest of Titania, Thousand-Year Elixer (probably in place of Fires of Yavimaya), Soul of the Harvest.
Possibility Storm looks like it'd be fun as well; I'll try it out for a bit!
I'll also try and slot in Comet Storm as a board wipe.
I guess the next main question, does anything stick out to you that needs replacing? Anything too slow, not enough of an impact, etc?
I'll definitely consider it.
Also, commander damage only counts during combat, correct?
Kamahl's casting is too high I feel for his effect on the field. Also, he isn't buffed by the other elves. Ezuri comes down sooner and has the same effect I feel.
edit: Wording.
When I saw the spoilers for the new Red / Green legend I knew I wanted to make a deck with him at the helm. Now, I have multiple EDH decks but I've never touched (or played against, really) Elf tribal before, so I figured I would give it a shot!
Most of the "standard" Elf-Ball generals are Momir, Edric, Ezuri, etc. I wanted to try something out of the ordinary.
6 Ruric Thar, The Unbowed
Creatures (42):
1 Arbor Elf
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Heritage Druid
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Joraga Warcaller
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Nettle Sentinel
1 Quirion Ranger
1 Ulvenwald Tracker
1 Wirewood Symbiote
2 Priest of Tatania
2 Elvish Visionary
2 Fauna Shaman
2 Lotus Cobra
2 Quirion Elves
2 Sylvan Ranger
2 Seeker of Skybreak
2 Wellwisher
2 Wirewood Herald
2 Wirewood Hivemaster
3 Caller of the Claw
3 Champion of Lambholt
3 Elvish Archdruid
3 Elvish Champion
3 Elvish Harbinger
3 Eternal Witness
3 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
3 Fierce Empath
3 Greenweaver Druid
3 Heartwood Storyteller
3 Imperious Perfect
3 Taurean Mauler
3 Nullmage Shepherd
3 Wood Elves
3 Anger
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Elvish Piper
4 Immaculate Magistrate
4 Wirewood Channeler
7 Knollspine Dragon
8 Craterhoof Behemoth
8 Terastodon
2 Comet Storm
3 Krosan Grip
3 Chaos Warp
Sorceries (3):
3 Genesis Wave
4 Skyshroud Claim
5 Reforge the Soul
Arifacts (10):
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Expedition Map
2 Lightning Greaves
2 Winter Orb
3 Darksteel Plate
4 Door of Destinies
4 Thousand-Year Elixir
4 Slate of Ancestry
5 Gilded Lotus
7 Akroma's Memorial
Enchantments (5):
3 Aggravated Assault
4 Defense of the Heart
4 Stranglehold
5 Gratuitous Violence
6 Wild Pair
Planeswalkers (1):
5 Garruk, Primal Hunter
Lands (35):
1 Buried Ruin
1 Kessig Wolf Run
17 Forest
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 High Market
1 Rootbound Crag
1 Wirewood Lodge
1 Thespian's Stage
9 Mountain
1 Mystifying Maze
1 Strip Mine
Changelog:
- Fires of Yamimaya out, Thousand-Year Elixir in.
- Devoted Druid out, Priest of Titania in.
- Mountain out, Wirewood Lodge in.
- Mountain out, Kessig Wolf Run in.
- Mountain out, Aggravated Assault in.
- Mountain out, Genesis Wave in.
- Mountain out, Comet Storm in.
- Forest out, Rootbound Crag in.
- Viashino Heritic out, Nullmage Shepherd in.
- Something out.. Seeker of Skybreak in.
- Naturalize out, Krosan Grip in.
- Swiftfoot Boots out, Lightning Greaves in.
- Kher Keep out, Thespian's Stage in.
Cards to Fit In Somehow:
- Argothian Elder
- Cloudstone Curio
Cards to Acquire:
- Cloudstone Curio
- Mindslaver
- Elvish Guidance
- Eldamri, Lord of Leaves
- Soul of the Harvest
- Possibility Storm
Some Card Choice Explanations:
- Knollspine Dragon and Reforge the Soul: I could have included Wheel of Fortune, but I felt a repeatable, creature based wheel effect in the form of Knollspine and the miracle cost Reforge warranted the slot. Have to refill my hand somehow after a mass dump of elves.
- Garruk, Primal Hunter: Ill be honest I wanted to include Domri Rade as well, but I had to cut it at the last minute for Immaculate Magistrate. He's probably good enough to find a slot for, however. Nissa Revane is another planeswalker I wanted to include, but I didn't want to be running TOO many planeswalkers. Two is already pushing it I thought. Perhaps I'll pick one up and put her in Garruk's place for testing.
All suggestions, comments, and critiques are welcome!
As I said, I am new to the Elf archetype so all advice is welcome. I've not gotten a chance to playtest this list yet, I'm waiting for most of the elves to come in the mail. I would ask if you give a bunch of suggestions on what to add, you would also suggest what to cut.
Thanks for looking!
Looks like you have a pretty solid creature list so far. I would swap out Artisan of Kozilek for It That Betrays just because his Artisan's ability only triggers as he is hardcast.
Perhaps you could swap Dissipate for Spell Crumple and throw in Tunnel Vision for some mill shenanigans. Alternatively, you could mill yourself with Mirror-Mad Phantasm and follow it up with Twilight's Call.
Zombify, Makeshift Mannequin, Stitch Together, and Dread Return are a few more reanimation spells.
Buried Alive and Entomb to get specific creatures into the yard.
It looks like you have the looting effects pretty much covered, though I would suggest Pulse of the Grid, Careful Study, Forbidden Alchemy, and Compulsion.
As for utility creatures, I chose the following: Enclave Cryptologist (looter), Magus of the Bazaar (looter), Doomed Necromancer (reanimator / removal bait), Fleshbag Marauder (forced sacrifice that hits all players), Evil Twin (copy / removal), Necrotic Ooze, and Body Double (pseudo reanimation).
Let me know what you think!
Its funny you should mention that it looks like I'm prepared for a control heavy meta. I recently moved so I am without a regular play group. I left out Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast but I wanted to make sure I at least had some answer, should I encounter something control heavy.
2 Ashling the Pilgrim
Creatures
1 Goblin Welder
2 Slobad, Goblin Tinkerer
3 Manic Vandal
3 Squee, Goblin Nabob
3 Viashino Heretic
4 Anger
6 Charmbreaker Devils
6 Duplicant
6 Ryusei, the Falling Star
6 Spitebellows
6 Steel Hellkite
7 Balefire Dragon
7 Hateflayer
7 Knollspine Dragon
Instants
2 Reverberate
2 Starstorm
3 Mages' Contest
3 Volcanic Fallout
4 Wild Ricochet
5 Fissure
Sorceries
2 Wheel of Fate
1 Devil's Play
1 Faithless Looting
1 Overmaster
1 Shattering Spree
1 Vandalblast
2 Recoup
3 Molten Psyche
4 Ruination
5 Incendiary Command
5 Reforge the Soul
8 Warp World
9 Blasphemous Act
0 Everflowing Chalice
0 Tormod's Crypt
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Codex Shredder
1 Expedition Map
1 Pithing Needle
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
2 Armillary Sphere
2 Lightning Greaves
2 Scroll Rack
2 Scythe of the Wretched
2 Swiftfoot Boots
2 Torpor Orb
3 Crystal Ball
3 Darksteel Plate
3 Magebane Armor
3 Rings of Brighthearth
3 Strata Scythe
3 Sword of Vengeance
4 Nevinyrral's Disk
5 Gilded Lotus
6 Caged Sun
6 Staff of Nin
3 Blood Moon
3 Repercussion
4 Stranglehold
5 Gratuitous Violence
Planeswalkers
6 Chandra Ablaze
Lands
1 Haunted Fengraf
1 Kher Keep
32 Mountain
1 Strip Mine
1 Temple of the False God
1 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
Something to point out is that I own all of the cards listed. I know I need to fit in Gamble, Sword of War and Peace, Gauntlet of Power, Mind's Eye, and Chaos Warp, but I have yet to trade for them.
Basically, I have a few questions.
1. Do you think I have too much artifact hate? With the amount of artifacts I'm packing I could go ahead and make Slobad my general if I wanted to.
2. Are there any mono-red staples I have over looked?
3. For the cards listed in the paragraph above this one, what should I omit from my current list in order to fit them in?
Thanks!
Changelog:
Akroma's Memorial -> Duplicant
Goblin Tinkerer -> Manic Vandal
Gemstone Array -> Armillary Sphere
Playtesting a bit before I add in more lands.