For best of 1 matches, and perhaps in general, I'm skeptical of llanowar elves. They are too easy to remove, and don't do damage quickly enough.
Playing threats ahead of curve is the real deal and probably one of the best reasons to be in gruul. I recognize your frustration with the card against RDW but in most cases you're mana neutral as they eat a shock. Sometimes they're mana positive when they eat a Lightning Strike.
The deck is mana hungry, even though it wouldn't appear to be the case. You want to get to 5 mana so that you can do thing like play a Growth-Chamber Guardian and activate it in the same turn or play a Gruul Spellbreaker and Collision // Colossus in the same turn.
I really want to play this deck for the RPTQ in two weeks. I really hope it doesn't blow up before then since it is bananas. Having 8 maindeck Plummets gives people the business. Drakes and mono-blue are super popular right now.
This list looks pretty stock and boring. A couple of notes:
I've found Skarrgan Hellkite to be very good but, realistically, it's a Olivia Voldaren style of card -- the longer it stay in play, the better it gets. You don't want to play that game in a field of Vivien Reid and Hydroid Krasis. Regisaur Alpha doesn't have much in the way of evasion but is better vs. removal spells and still has haste. Also, compared to Hellkite, gets better in multiples. Alot of times, you just want bodies for Collision // Colossus and Alpha provides that.
A couple of notes here: Carnage Tyrant is very very good. However, there are lots of games where you are locked out before you get to 6 mana and, with Control decks playing Kaya's Wrath, CarnyT's value has decreased.
Vivien is good but overlaps with Cindervines. Domri over vivien simply due to CMC reasons. I want a walker that draws me threats. Domri is 4cmc compared to 5.
Cindervines gives people the business. People haven't figured out how good this card is yet. This card is bananas. HoleeMolee. Fog has trouble beating it. Esper has to really start turning the corner, etc.
Hellkite has yet to prove it's worth 4 slots, but it's promising on paper. The few reps I had with it were convincing. It's often the final nail in the coffin because it has flying. I think it has better chances in a meta full of grounders than Regisaur.
4 slots is a lot. I'm inclined to 2-3 -- the format wants to stay fairly lean at this point. Maybe the format will slow to the point at which 5 drops are more relevant, in which case the activated ability on Skarrgan Hellkite becomes less useful with fewer 1-2cmc creatures flying around. So you can see the tension, right?
We'll see how the format settles. If tokens picks up then Hellkite's value skyrockets.
I like Pelt Collector as well. It helps end the game fairly quickly. Given how good the control and ramp decks are, I don't really want to wait around to get them dead.
what platform are you running this in? Arena. MTGO, XMage?
Yea, Phoenixes and Tyrant are all still good! You like shivan Fire better than Lava Coil?
No Rhythm of the Wilds?
I've been playing on Arena. Lots of aggro decks in Bo1.
I like Shivan Fire two fold right now.
-- it scales down to small ball in the early turns letting your turn 3 be impactful as RDW can kill on turn 3 in this format.
-- it scales with Domri, Chaos Bringer as you can Shivan Fire the turn it comes into play
Rhythmn is trash against aggro. Probably going to be great against a field of UW, Esper, and Jeskai. I think you have to pick your battles with that card. People have been raving -- it is very good I'll admit -- but it's so low impact vs. aggro. At least Domri gets you out of a mana bottleneck and can draw you more cheap threats. Your best card against aggro? Gruul Spellbreaker -- in the same way that Loxodon Smiter was good against RDW.
People are sleeping on Skarrgan Hellkite IMO. Closes the door against aggro very well and also good against control decks.
Alright, thanks for the tips. It's certainly going to help me approach the matchup differently.
Another question, do you shave Lightning Bolts in games 2 and 3 or do you keep the full 4?
Well, they're not great. However, if you do get "rushed" on turn 2 or 3, they can keep you alive.
Basically, focus the game around sticking a Goyf, Scooze, or Knight and riding them out -- they'll be your route to victory. All other cards are marginal.
You can also cut a Bloodbraid Elf or two -- oddly. Their bodies are not good (trades with an attacking Bloodghast lol) so the only upside is their cascade.
Dredge is a deck you need to get multiple reps in to figure out when you need to turn the corner -- I'd chalk that up to inexperience with the matchup rather than it actually being a bad matchup. I've found the matchup to be favorable once you stabilize with a goyf or knight.
Seems good but not sure if good enough. It's going to be difficult to find the right timing for playing this out. Optimally we need to get this down before we get terminus-ed, but we also need to be presenting threats to tax their spells.
We should be looking at this card in our sideboards of Big Zoo as a one-of and replacing some of the clunkier cards we're trying to sneak underneath Cryptic Command.
Very good against Snapcaster decks.
Tarmogoyf always did need haste come to think of it.
Playing threats ahead of curve is the real deal and probably one of the best reasons to be in gruul. I recognize your frustration with the card against RDW but in most cases you're mana neutral as they eat a shock. Sometimes they're mana positive when they eat a Lightning Strike.
The deck is mana hungry, even though it wouldn't appear to be the case. You want to get to 5 mana so that you can do thing like play a Growth-Chamber Guardian and activate it in the same turn or play a Gruul Spellbreaker and Collision // Colossus in the same turn.
Most imporantly, Llanowar Elves lets you play cards like Gruul Spellbreaker on turn 2 (devastating against RDW).
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I really want to play this deck for the RPTQ in two weeks. I really hope it doesn't blow up before then since it is bananas. Having 8 maindeck Plummets gives people the business. Drakes and mono-blue are super popular right now.
You choose +1/+1 or haste. If you choose +1/+1 you can get another GCG but cannot evolve the GCG that is in play.
4x Pelt Collector
4x Growth-Chamber Guardian
4x Kraul Harpooner
4x Gruul Spellbreaker
2x Jadelight Ranger
4x Rekindling Phoenix
3x Regisaur Alpha
4x Lightning Strike
4x Stomping Ground
4x Rootbound Crag
9x Forest
6x Mountain
3x Lava Coil
4x Deathgorge Scavenger
3x Cindervines
2x Domri, Chaos Bringer
2x Banefire
1x Ghalta, Primal Hunger
This list looks pretty stock and boring. A couple of notes:
I've found Skarrgan Hellkite to be very good but, realistically, it's a Olivia Voldaren style of card -- the longer it stay in play, the better it gets. You don't want to play that game in a field of Vivien Reid and Hydroid Krasis. Regisaur Alpha doesn't have much in the way of evasion but is better vs. removal spells and still has haste. Also, compared to Hellkite, gets better in multiples. Alot of times, you just want bodies for Collision // Colossus and Alpha provides that.
Collision // Colossus is the best card in your deck. If you find ways to make it good, you will do well. I've debated switching between Legion Warboss and Jadelight Ranger. I'm not sold on either.
The maindeck is self-explanatory.
Sideboard:
A couple of notes here: Carnage Tyrant is very very good. However, there are lots of games where you are locked out before you get to 6 mana and, with Control decks playing Kaya's Wrath, CarnyT's value has decreased.
Vivien is good but overlaps with Cindervines. Domri over vivien simply due to CMC reasons. I want a walker that draws me threats. Domri is 4cmc compared to 5.
Cindervines gives people the business. People haven't figured out how good this card is yet. This card is bananas. HoleeMolee. Fog has trouble beating it. Esper has to really start turning the corner, etc.
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People tap out for big blockers not expecting to get run over with Collision // Colossus. Seriously guys, play this card.
I've played Domri, Chaos Bringer and subsequently cut him.
Maybe he'll fit in this deck at some point. I'm uncertain when that point will be though.
1. Losing the diceroll to RDW.
2. turn 2 Orzhov Enforcer
3. turn 2 Wildgrowth Walker + any explore guy
Lethal your control opponent with an 8/2 hastey Kraul Harpooner.
Talk about nice.
This deck has it's weak points but boy.
4 slots is a lot. I'm inclined to 2-3 -- the format wants to stay fairly lean at this point. Maybe the format will slow to the point at which 5 drops are more relevant, in which case the activated ability on Skarrgan Hellkite becomes less useful with fewer 1-2cmc creatures flying around. So you can see the tension, right?
We'll see how the format settles. If tokens picks up then Hellkite's value skyrockets.
I like Pelt Collector as well. It helps end the game fairly quickly. Given how good the control and ramp decks are, I don't really want to wait around to get them dead.
I've been playing on Arena. Lots of aggro decks in Bo1.
I like Shivan Fire two fold right now.
-- it scales down to small ball in the early turns letting your turn 3 be impactful as RDW can kill on turn 3 in this format.
-- it scales with Domri, Chaos Bringer as you can Shivan Fire the turn it comes into play
I've cut Carnage Tyrant already. Rekindling Phoenix is good against the Esper and UW decks who are leaning on Cleansing Nova and Kaya's Wrath.
I like Thrashing Brontodon but if the format slows down I like Vivien Reid there.
Rhythmn is trash against aggro. Probably going to be great against a field of UW, Esper, and Jeskai. I think you have to pick your battles with that card. People have been raving -- it is very good I'll admit -- but it's so low impact vs. aggro. At least Domri gets you out of a mana bottleneck and can draw you more cheap threats. Your best card against aggro? Gruul Spellbreaker -- in the same way that Loxodon Smiter was good against RDW.
People are sleeping on Skarrgan Hellkite IMO. Closes the door against aggro very well and also good against control decks.
4x Llanowar Elves
4x Growth-Chamber Guardian
4x Kraul Harpooner
4x Gruul Spellbreaker
2x Thrashing Brontodon
3x Rekindling Phoenix
3x Skarrgan Hellkite
2x Carnage Tyrant
4x Shivan Fire
4x Rootbound Crag
4x Stomping Ground
8x Forest
7x Mountain
I've been jamming this. Deck is aggressive and great.
Well, they're not great. However, if you do get "rushed" on turn 2 or 3, they can keep you alive.
Basically, focus the game around sticking a Goyf, Scooze, or Knight and riding them out -- they'll be your route to victory. All other cards are marginal.
On the draw, Wild Nacatl can be questionable since it blocks Prized Amalgam very poorly.
You can also cut a Bloodbraid Elf or two -- oddly. Their bodies are not good (trades with an attacking Bloodghast lol) so the only upside is their cascade.
You should be fine in this matchup. You have Settles, Gaddock Teeg, Remorseful Cleric...
Dredge is a deck you need to get multiple reps in to figure out when you need to turn the corner -- I'd chalk that up to inexperience with the matchup rather than it actually being a bad matchup. I've found the matchup to be favorable once you stabilize with a goyf or knight.
Best time to play this out?
Turn 2, probably.
We should be looking at this card in our sideboards of Big Zoo as a one-of and replacing some of the clunkier cards we're trying to sneak underneath Cryptic Command.
Very good against Snapcaster decks.
Tarmogoyf always did need haste come to think of it.
*insert explore package*
Not an engine piece but Rhythm of the Savages might be very nice.
Well this can't beat a Tocatli Honor Guard huh.
This deck looks really cool and fun. I might tinker.