How do you count the value? I've been building a couple of $30-decks (excluding basic lands) on deckbox.org using avg. price and I actually don't think it's that though. Sure staples can be hard to fit in, but you do have space for a couple. It's a good challanges, to find alternatives. Havn't played with any of the decks, but they seem fun at least
I'm brewing a budget deck myself for a tournament with my playgroup. Our cap is 30$. I started with the commander. Choosing from ones below a pricetag around 3$. That got me really far in the porcess. Think I had less the ten commanders I thought would be fun to do a deck around. From there it get's pretty rough, since yeah, there might be alot of hiddens gems, you aren't aware off, but just fill up with the cards you know and that should get you a long way at least.
I run zero creatures, only Erebos (who might not be played at all). Null Brooch is really good in this deck, espcailly with Bottle Cloister on the board. Also Geth's Grimoire can draw a lot of cards!
I don't play Jaya myself, but run a somewhat simillar deck with Squee at the helm, and to me Ben-Ben just seems to narrow. Creatures isn't really the biggest problem for a deck like this, since there should be plenty of wipes available. He would also just die to Jaya's own Inferno. But agreed, the squid hat is awesome.
Uh, just noticed the lastest spoiler from Fate Reforged. Arcbond seems crazy enough! But it might be too situational. I also think Outpost Siege might be worth looking into... Thoughts?
Oh hey, didn't notice all your replies! Thanks for taking the deck for a spin and putting so much effort toward improving it. Your deck looks a lot like mine used to, with the Godo package and focus on artifact utility. Ruby Medallion seems amazing, don't know why I haven't tried it before.
Graveyard hate is sort of an nuisance (actually, mostly just Rest in Peace and Leyline of the Void), but most of my threats are spread evenly between lands, nonlands, cards in hand, and cards in graveyard. I don't get too worried about the occasional Bojuka Bog or whatever because it is rarely pointed at me.
How are the Forks working out for you? I have been eyeballing Increasing Vengeance recently since my deck is slowly warping around Mana Geyser, plus the other ones give added protection against countermagic. If Forks are good, then I would definitely find room for Howl of the Horde for the reasons you stated. "Win more" is kind of what I am going for here!
I'll be honest, I am not a fan of Jokulhaups in this deck. Not that I have anything against MLD in general, but without a suite of mana rocks it seems like you would consistently set yourself back many many turns. I also don't like Gratuitous Violence since it really only interacts with 4 cards in your list.
Did the Phoenix package not work out for you? I see Hammer of Bogardan is still here, but the others are gone, as are Knollspine Invocation and Greater Gargadon. Were they just not useful for you? And regarding Ignite Memories, sometimes it is hit-or-miss, but I like it. Last time I drew it, there was a guy sitting on six mana and one card in hand and he said, "Arg, I just need to draw one more land!" You can guess who I targeted with all the copies. ^^
And finally, I don't plan to make a Squee primer because I do not have the time to devote to maintaining it. Most of the time I have for MTGS is spent researching an article series I on mulligans that I hope to publish in the upcoming months.
Thanks for your reply, d0su, and all the advice!
I might be too paranoid about the 'yard but it hated on pretty quick the first coulpe of times I played the deck. I will test the Witchbane Orb and see if Squee will like it.
You might be right about Jokulhaups. I just have a love for it and I always love to have a reset-bottom. Also good call on Gratuitous Violence. I havn't really got a chance to play it and it might not do much but it's still a one-sided damage-buff with Mogg Maniac or Stuffy Doll. Want to give it a try before I drop it.
My list is just want I could pull together. I havn't got Knollspine Invocation or Greater Gargadon. But to me, they don't look that powerful... You might convince me of something else? The sac-outlet on Gargadon seems nice but it's only for so long, and I don't really likke the card-disadvantage on Invocation. Not a fan of phoenixes either...
The Fork's been working out great! Being a blue mage at heart, I really love having the opponunity to counter. Sitting with a Fork in hand can get that crucial spell throu. Also, Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast have outright won me games. Havn't tried Howl of the Horde. It's not as versatile, which is what I really like about Fork. And yeah, Ruby Medallion is a... gem
I now had the chance to play with this deck several of times and it really amazeses me how well it preforms. I have a hard time versus control decks and especially 1-on-1's, but I did manage to win a couple of times. The biggest threat is definitely graveyard-hate. Elixir of Immortality didn't preform... at all. We need the cards in the grave, not in the library. Instead I've Witchbane Orb, but havn't tried it yet.
Goblin Welder really shines, so much I've considered running some protection suit just for him, but don't know if it would be worth it.
My playgroup and I are going to make this legue with budget decks. We havn't setled on anything yet, but the restrictions will likely be something like 60-80 USD total and 3 USD max per card. I wanted to build something fast and I noticed Isao, which is similar to Thrun, and imitately wanted to build a deck revolving around him. The samurai fits the budget restrictions like a charm but having little experience with French EDH, I could use some advise.
I want to ramp hard into Isao and buff him up good, while disrupting the opponent. I got around 117 cards, so I still need to cut a rather big pool of cards. Suggestions to cards that I might have missed would be much appreciated!
I do also run Red Elemental Blast (and it's friend Pyroblast), and yeah, it's a really good anti-counter. And with all this discard, even if there isn't anyone running blue, it can just be discard-fodder.
My first games with the deck a couple of weeks ago, wasn't that great. I didn't actually do much, except one game where i got Koth's emblem and controled the whole table, but still i got killed.
Yesterday i got a chance to test the deck again. This time it really shined. I managed to get down 3 mana doblers and had some crazy plays. It became archenemy, which was fine but i ended up loosing to a Rest in Peace. I've added Elixir of Immortality, solely as a way to protect cards in the yard, but don't know if it's actually worth it. This deck just seems to loose straight out to graveyard-hate.
I've pulled off a pretty big Ignite Memories, but the havn't been satisfying, to say the least. Around 10 damage with 6 triggers... I feel that i could use some more ramp, so here might a candidate.
Right now I'm standing between Glissa, the Traitor or a long desire for a edh-fungus deck with Thelon of Havenwood (mostly for fun).
I run zero creatures, only Erebos (who might not be played at all). Null Brooch is really good in this deck, espcailly with Bottle Cloister on the board. Also Geth's Grimoire can draw a lot of cards!
EDIT: I can maybe do a update later with my full list. (Here's the list: http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/commander-edh/multiplayer-commander-decklists/510966-look-mom-no-hands-erebos-monoblack-control. Just updated the original post, so nevermind the discription)
I think its a decent card. Pseudo-draw 3 but IMO it's a pretty big downfall that it exiles.
Thanks for your reply, d0su, and all the advice!
I might be too paranoid about the 'yard but it hated on pretty quick the first coulpe of times I played the deck. I will test the Witchbane Orb and see if Squee will like it.
You might be right about Jokulhaups. I just have a love for it and I always love to have a reset-bottom. Also good call on Gratuitous Violence. I havn't really got a chance to play it and it might not do much but it's still a one-sided damage-buff with Mogg Maniac or Stuffy Doll. Want to give it a try before I drop it.
My list is just want I could pull together. I havn't got Knollspine Invocation or Greater Gargadon. But to me, they don't look that powerful... You might convince me of something else? The sac-outlet on Gargadon seems nice but it's only for so long, and I don't really likke the card-disadvantage on Invocation. Not a fan of phoenixes either...
The Fork's been working out great! Being a blue mage at heart, I really love having the opponunity to counter. Sitting with a Fork in hand can get that crucial spell throu. Also, Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast have outright won me games. Havn't tried Howl of the Horde. It's not as versatile, which is what I really like about Fork. And yeah, Ruby Medallion is a... gem
Goblin Welder really shines, so much I've considered running some protection suit just for him, but don't know if it would be worth it.
The manabase is great, and Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle can do some serious damage, especially with "put lands into play"-cards, such as Burnished Hart. I even added Terrain Generator, besides Thawing Glaciers, to get multiple Mountain-drops a turn.
This is my list so far:
1 Isao, Enlightened Bushi
Dorks
1 Arbor Elf
1 Boreal Druid
1 Elvish Mystic
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Llanowar Elves
Ramp
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Wood Elves
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Nature's Lore
1 Rampant Growth
1 Explore
1 Cultivate
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Skyshroud Claim
1 Gaea's Touch
Card Advantage
1 Eidolon of Blossoms
1 Verduran Enchantress
1 Harmonize
1 Hunter's Insight
1 Hunter's Prowess
1 Momentous Fall
1 Triumph of Ferocity
Disruption
1 Acidic Slime
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Ulvenwald Tracker
1 Prey Upon
1 Provoke
1 Tower Above
1 Beast Within
1 Krosan Grip
1 Nature's Claim
1 Seal of Primordium
1 Lignify
1 Song of the Dryads
1 Bramblecrush
1 Creeping Mold
1 Thermokarst
1 Winter's Grasp
1 Plow Under
1 Stunted Growth
1 Creeping Corrosion
1 Seeds of Innocence
1 Back to Nature
1 Primeval Light
1 Root Maze
1 Ground Seal
1 Hall of Gemstone
1 City of Solitude
1 Winter Orb
1 Eternal Witness
1 Regrowth
Buff
1 Wolfir Silverheart
1 Kitesail
1 Loxodon Warhammer
1 Ancestral Mask
1 Aspect of Wolf
1 Blanchwood Armor
1 Boar Umbra
1 Snake Umbra
1 Spider Umbra
1 Dragon Fangs
1 Gaea's Embrace
1 Nature's Kiss
1 Rancor
1 Savage Hunger
1 Tiger Claws
1 Vow of Wilderness
1 Primal Rage
1 Aggressive Urge
1 Primal Bellow
1 Sylvan Might
1 Vines of Vastwood
1 Wildsize
1 Increasing Savagery
Lands
1 Cathedral of War
1 Mouth of Ronom
1 Myriad Landscape
1 Okina, Temple to the Grandtahers
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Slippery Karst
1 Tranquil Thicket
30 Forest
I want to ramp hard into Isao and buff him up good, while disrupting the opponent. I got around 117 cards, so I still need to cut a rather big pool of cards. Suggestions to cards that I might have missed would be much appreciated!
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Goblin Welder
1 Godo, Bandit Warlord
1 Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
1 Stuffy Doll
1 Mogg Maniac
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Burnished Hart
Mana/Ramp
1 Sol Ring
1 Ruby Medallion
1 Mana Flare
1 Extraplanar Lens
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Caged Sun
1 Expedition Map
1 Wayfarer’s Bauble
Draw/Discard
1 Gamble
1 Faithless Looting
1 Control of the Court
1 Goblin Lore
1 Tormenting Voice
1 Wild Guess
1 Shattered Perception
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Reforge the Soul
1 Memory Jar
1 Skullclamp
1 Hammer of Bogardan
1 Price of Progress
1 Ignite Memories
1 Blasphemous Act
1 Starstorm
1 Comet Storm
1 Molten Disaster
1 Fault Line
1 Inferno
1 Pyrohemia
Extra Damage
1 Furnace of Rath
1 Dictate of the Twin Gods
1 Repercussion
1 Gratuitous Violence
Removal
1 Chaos Warp
1 Into the Core
1 Jokulhaups
1 Nevinyrral’s Disk
1 Spine of Ish Sah
1 Unstable Obelisk
1 Smoke
1 Darksteel Forge
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Trading Post
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Batterskull
1 Loxodon Warhammer
1 Word of Seizing
1 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Fork
1 Increasing Vengeance
1 Recoup
1 Past in Flames
1 Koth of the Hammer
My first games with the deck a couple of weeks ago, wasn't that great. I didn't actually do much, except one game where i got Koth's emblem and controled the whole table, but still i got killed.
Yesterday i got a chance to test the deck again. This time it really shined. I managed to get down 3 mana doblers and had some crazy plays. It became archenemy, which was fine but i ended up loosing to a Rest in Peace. I've added Elixir of Immortality, solely as a way to protect cards in the yard, but don't know if it's actually worth it. This deck just seems to loose straight out to graveyard-hate.
I've pulled off a pretty big Ignite Memories, but the havn't been satisfying, to say the least. Around 10 damage with 6 triggers... I feel that i could use some more ramp, so here might a candidate.
Will play the deck again tomorrow.