So UR Prowess has a decent available mana-base, a lot of cantrip and many prowess creatures. In fact, Soul-Scar Mage, Spellweaver Eternal and Adeliz, the Cinder Wind are Wizards. This means with Adeliz out for EACH spell you play, you essentially get +2+2. This is great and a powerful mechanic to build a wizard deck around.
I think the initial weakness of this deck archetype is instant speed targeted creature removal like Fatal Push or Seal Away. Also a well timed Settle the Wreckage could be brutal. I am also wondering if Spellweaver Eternal is even worth it as it cost a blue mana. Being able to run as many red sources as possible seems crucial to chain spells together.
This is the list I will be play testing soon. The general idea is I drop an Adeliz, with hopefully 1 or 2 other creatures and chain red cantrips together. I don't know if the damage is large enough to justify the cantrips but it's worth trying.
My list is here. This can goldfish as soon as turn 4. The Buccaneer's Bravado is really nice and reminds me of Temur Battlerage with the Captain Lannery Storm pumping himself with treasures. I think there should be more one drops, yet the black is just a splash. Kari-Zev can probably go down to 2 copies, along with Dire-Fleet Poisoner to add 2 more 1 drops. The Treasure Map is surprisingly effect to sink mana into mid-game to get that final victory push.
Fraying Sanity and Fleet Swallower is essentially a two card combo in standard to mill an opponent.
I am thinking of what would be the best shell around assuming a playset of each piece.
There are a few possibilities I am considering.
1) Izzet colors with Cathartic Reunion and Tormenting Voice for deck filtering.
2) Blue with God Pharaoh's Gift and Minister of Inquiries with an Master of Wits digging shell.
3) Scarab God control. I could see a shell of 3-4 Scarab Gods, 3 Fleet Swallower, with 4 Flaying Sanity and a lot of removal..That way you can recur what your opponents mill and use their deck against them. This idea seems to be the most fun to brew.
I've been playing this online on xmage fairly often. The new versatile cards are great. Abrade, Supreme Will and Doomfall are all very, very good. They allow you to prioritize card efficiency and Goblin Dark Dwellers being able to recur them is great.
I am wondering how you all go about building Grixis Control? Being able to Dispossess Blue Gearhulks is a game winning play.
I think the Scarab God is great... What I would consider doing is utilizing Never // Return and From Under the Floorboards. Being able to kill someone's hitter with Never, reanimating their creature with the Scarab God, then later creating zombies with Return seems really synergistic. I could see Liliana, the Last Hope seeing some use in this strategy too. The synergy between Yahenni's and Liliana is strong as well.
If I copy a spell with an additional cost such as culling the weak, it would copy the spell but add 0 additional black because I still need to sacrifice a creature to have the BBBB correct?
I believe it's a combination of two things easily correctable. One is planeswalkersby themselves snowball and not easy to remove. --> good against control.
The other is removal is much weaker than creatures. So I feel when removal improves up to the level of creatures control will exist again.
Planeswalkers will exist and still be a challenge to remove. I believe they are a net boon to aggressive-anti control strategies. They should be hard to remove as they are iconic. They do help control snowball as well but inherently make creature based aggro strategies a solution.
What I would propose is removal swings on line with power of creatures.
The issue with planeswalkers however is they are 1) easier to protect with control 2) easier to snowball with control 3) easier to draw with a control strategy
What I would propose which wizards has not yet announced (they announced increasing power level of creature removal) is increasing the probability to draw planeswalkers for aggressive strategies above control.
Example:
When this creature comes into play you may search and put this planeswalker type on top of your library.
When this creature comes into play you may reveal the top five cards of your deck and put a planeswalker into your hand. Put the remaining revealed cards on the bottom of your deck in any order.
Really I think creature tutors for planeswalkers are the way for aggressive strategies to be on line with control. When control has removal to keep aggressive strategies at bay.
Furthermore with Planeswalkers being iconic, this will allow the timmy/big creature player to draw and play their new iconic, flashy Nissa/Gideon/Jace more often.
During sealed I used Insult///Injury and it was effective. Basically it turned everything out into double damage. It may be useful as an end game alpha strike card.
Finishing off an opponent with a Dynavolt Tower + Chandra +1 for 10 damage off of an Insult / Injury sounds fairly good.
Here is what I am thinking a mono red deck could look like...
Consider this. Late game, you are stalled out and so is the opponent. You reach an attrition war. Your hand had 2 lands, 2 removal spells and a draw spell. You drop this guy. On opponent's turn you have a potential
5/5 blocker, card draw engine that can double as a potential finisher. This value in this card is the versatility. I think it'll be good. it triggers revolt.
They need to have a cycle of cats. Like a cat lord and cat zombies. Then when the pharaoh is killed a million cats disperse in every direction and spread their meowing ways.
One person's thing is another person's bling. I think there's a benefit to a card being hideous. It's that the worst art is also often eventually iconic.
Let's look at the wizard core. (12)
4 Soul-Scar Mage
4 Spellweaver Eternal
4 Adeliz, the Cinder Wind
Pieces to Test
Baral, Chief of Compliance (Yes he is a wizard and a cost reducer. It is arguable whether he is quick enough.)
Fervent Strike (Haste and first strike is good. Does not include trample however.)
Brute Strength
Spell Pierce (A strong way to protect creatures)
Unwind (May actually net mana with Baral out)
Enigma Drake (Not a wizard but gives long game maybe?)
Warlord's Fury
Crash Through
Renegade Tactics
Rile
Ghitu Lavarunner
Cartouche of Zeal
Consuming Fervor
Curious Obsession
Opt
Wizard's Lightning
I think the initial weakness of this deck archetype is instant speed targeted creature removal like Fatal Push or Seal Away. Also a well timed Settle the Wreckage could be brutal. I am also wondering if Spellweaver Eternal is even worth it as it cost a blue mana. Being able to run as many red sources as possible seems crucial to chain spells together.
4 Bomat Courier
4 Soul-Scar Mage
4 Ghitu Lavarunner
4 Adeliz, the Cinder Wind
4 Consuming Fervor
4 Renegade Tactics
4 Crash Through
4 Warlord's Fury
4 Wizard's Lightning
2 Jaya Ballard
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Lands (20)
4 Sulfur Falls
4 Spirebluff Canal
12 Mountain
This is the list I will be play testing soon. The general idea is I drop an Adeliz, with hopefully 1 or 2 other creatures and chain red cantrips together. I don't know if the damage is large enough to justify the cantrips but it's worth trying.
4 Captain Lannery Storm
3 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
4 Rigging Runner
4 Dire Fleet Captain
4 Kitesail Freebooter
4 Daring Buccaneer
3 Dire Fleet Poisoner
4 Ruin Raider
4 Treasure Map
Instants (4)
4 Buccaneer's Bravado
Lands (22)
4 Dragonskull Summit
6 Mountain
4 Swamp
4 Canyon Slough
4 Unclaimed Territory
I am thinking of what would be the best shell around assuming a playset of each piece.
There are a few possibilities I am considering.
1) Izzet colors with Cathartic Reunion and Tormenting Voice for deck filtering.
2) Blue with God Pharaoh's Gift and Minister of Inquiries with an Master of Wits digging shell.
3) Scarab God control. I could see a shell of 3-4 Scarab Gods, 3 Fleet Swallower, with 4 Flaying Sanity and a lot of removal..That way you can recur what your opponents mill and use their deck against them. This idea seems to be the most fun to brew.
2 Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh
4 Fatal Push
4 Goblin Dark-Dwellers
4 Doomfall
4 Abrade
2 Magma Spray
4 Supreme Will
4 Sweltering Suns
4 Negate
4 Canyon Slough
4 Choked Estuary
2 Fetid Pools
4 Foreboding Ruins
2 Island
2 Mountain
4 Spirebluff Canal
3 Swamp
4 Lost Legacy
1 Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh
3 Hour of Devastation
3 Never // Return
I've been playing this online on xmage fairly often. The new versatile cards are great. Abrade, Supreme Will and Doomfall are all very, very good. They allow you to prioritize card efficiency and Goblin Dark Dwellers being able to recur them is great.
I am wondering how you all go about building Grixis Control? Being able to Dispossess Blue Gearhulks is a game winning play.
Burnt Offering
I checked the gatherer no luck..
If I copy a spell with an additional cost such as culling the weak, it would copy the spell but add 0 additional black because I still need to sacrifice a creature to have the BBBB correct?
The other is removal is much weaker than creatures. So I feel when removal improves up to the level of creatures control will exist again.
Planeswalkers will exist and still be a challenge to remove. I believe they are a net boon to aggressive-anti control strategies. They should be hard to remove as they are iconic. They do help control snowball as well but inherently make creature based aggro strategies a solution.
What I would propose is removal swings on line with power of creatures.
The issue with planeswalkers however is they are 1) easier to protect with control 2) easier to snowball with control 3) easier to draw with a control strategy
What I would propose which wizards has not yet announced (they announced increasing power level of creature removal) is increasing the probability to draw planeswalkers for aggressive strategies above control.
Example:
When this creature comes into play you may search and put this planeswalker type on top of your library.
When this creature comes into play you may reveal the top five cards of your deck and put a planeswalker into your hand. Put the remaining revealed cards on the bottom of your deck in any order.
Really I think creature tutors for planeswalkers are the way for aggressive strategies to be on line with control. When control has removal to keep aggressive strategies at bay.
Furthermore with Planeswalkers being iconic, this will allow the timmy/big creature player to draw and play their new iconic, flashy Nissa/Gideon/Jace more often.
Eldrazi
Slivers
Elves
Goblins
Done.
Finishing off an opponent with a Dynavolt Tower + Chandra +1 for 10 damage off of an Insult / Injury sounds fairly good.
Here is what I am thinking a mono red deck could look like...
Core
4x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
4x Insult / Injury
4x Dynavolt Tower
Support
4x Shock
4x Harnessed Lightning
4x Tormenting Voice
3x Unlicensed Disintegration
Creatures
4x Walking Ballista
4x Thermo-Alchemist
3x Bedlam Reveler? (Some other finisher? Collective Defiance?)
Lands
4x Spire of Industry
4x Aether Hub
4x Canyon Slough
8x Mountain
2x Swamp
Sideboard
4x Harsh Mentor
3x Sweltering Sun
3x Release the Gremlins
I like the fact that even if the Insult / Injury spell is countered you get to play Injury after with Aftermath.
5/5 blocker, card draw engine that can double as a potential finisher. This value in this card is the versatility. I think it'll be good. it triggers revolt.