I understand why you are suggesting the cards and how effective they could be against Commanders, as well as potential other threats. The mere point I was making is that it's more to make something less useful than actual removing. I might run rampant with trample across that 1/1 indestructible bug, but a piece of equipment here and an aura there and it could be an indestructible threat to me. It's just the way you look at things. And though they are effective, I currently wouldn't choose to play them that way simply because of the playgroups I'm in. If someone were to run a real 'unfair' deck I might consider it, but for me it's about having fun with the game and not winning at all cost. I do appreciate that you mention them and like I said I'm considering to get one of the cards, I just choose not to run the others out of a personal preference.
As far as Garruk's Horde and Lurking Predators, I'm looking into running both. They are good individually in my eyes, but could work together as well. Additionally still considering Deathrender here as well, since it potential could get me two free creatures on the field if they use spot removal on the equipped creature while Lurking Predators is out. Which also would boost my board state in case of a wrath.
In my starting post I did put up a revised list in which I dropped a fair bit more of my initial theme. Putting that together I already dropped the Wolfcaller's Howl in favor of other cards. Now, Juniper Order Ranger is something worthwhile considering. I do like the Forgotten Ancient, but with the list of cards I already consider to acquire this one might just have to wait for budget reasons. And I'd prefer to run the Ranger over the Ivy Lane Denizen.
I do know that my theme is severely hindering my deck, as most flip cards are more novelty than actual cards that will do things beyond being a plain creature and the wolves itself form little threats. Though with the various pump effects they can maul an opponent rather well, but still remain easy victims to removal. So it does come a lot down to how important I find my theme compared to doing well. Mostly because reducing my wolf count even more, will make it questionable on whether there are enough to have that sub theme and thus running them at all. Also tossing them out would make Shared Animosity less effective unless I bump up the dragon count more.
That aside, I do value the input and will be doing some tests with it, so I'll be keeping my themed decklist and tweak that but also see what I can do when I let loose of the theme. Unfortunately doing so means a lot of budget got wasted, but I guess that's part of the trial and error of building your first deck.
Onto the suggestions...
- Lurking Predators might be a worthwhile investment, but a budget strain as well. Though since I plan on getting in a Garruk's Horde this could provide nice synergies as well, the revealed card might keep opponents from playing their cards, who knows.
- As mentioned, my mana base is far from perfect since it was build on getting my Commander out consistently, even though the white is used considerably less in the deck. And while most might say to switch to a RG only commander to make the base easier, I like playing with Marath and plan to add more synergies with him through Hardened Scales, Cathars' Crusade and Kamahl, Fist of Krosa. The fact that I run a lot of tap lands does hurt my pace quite a bit, so I guess getting in more lands per turn would benefit me and the tutoring would add a synergy with Mistveil Plains. Just will need to get more basics in to work with the tutors.
- Actually, Wolfcaller's Howl been working fairly well for me so far, getting out one or two wolves each time it triggers. Feed the Pack I tried but the creatures I'd sacrifice are more useful to me than the tokens it produces. Wolfbriar Elemental has been mixed for me but that might be more the issue of lacking ramp, so I might see about giving this one another go. And seeing I might try to keep the wolf tokens somewhat going, I might add a Perilous Forays to help my ramp and put my tokens to use that way as well. Rootborn Defenses might make a return as well on my list as well as some other populate cards.
- Atarka, World Render is going to be staying in, as while I initially added it to play off the dragons I already had, it is indeed strong on it's own. The 12 damage is nice but with the pump of some of my other creatures this quickly sky rockets, then again she'll be likely a removal magnet. To improve my dragons and turn others into bigger hitters, I am thinking of finding a spot for Dromoka, the Eternal, the bolster effect would kick in nicely and having the Power Conduit would also allow me to move those counters onto my Commander if needed, or any other creature... maybe Atarka... hmmm... almost makes me sad that Daghatar can't be used. As far as dragons go, I'm now also considering the potential of Ancient Hellkite and Forgestoker Dragon as additions.
Sidenote: With the increasing number of dragons on my list and the wolf token generation, I feel Descent of the Dragons might be worth a try. Would combo rather nice with Cathars' Crusade as well.
- I have a Thunderfoot Baloth, just been a matter of trying to find a spot for it. While it gives a nice pump and trample for all my creatures, it synergies quite well with Stonebrow, Krosan Hero
- Most my wolves had been included to act as chump blockers while exploiting their Undying mechanic, not to mention they were on theme. Though I guess in a way they are replaceable once you take the theme out of the equation. Sacred Wolf while on theme also had the upside of being more resilient against wraths and removal, making it a good target to put my counters on and worked also quite well with Raised by Wolves, so right now this is a wolf I might keep around.
- Flyers were definitely an issue in the beginning stages, but the addition of dragons has given me some answers to that. Hurricane and Squall Line are nice since they hit opponents as well, but would wipe me quite good as well which in combination with would play off Stalking Vengeance. They are definitely worth considering if my budget will allow these mayor overhauls, lol. Alternatively I could try including Arashi, the Sky Asunder to deal with flyers directly or use Raking Canopy to potentially send flyers to my other opponents instead, as these are cards I already own. As is Windstorm though it wouldn't hit my opponents directly.
- When it comes to spot removal it needs to do just that. Where Pacifism keeps ability usage open, the others are still attackers and there are enough anthems and artifacts/equipment out there to turn them still into threats. I am considering the option of Song of the Dryads since it's not limited to removing just creatures. Acidic Slime will be on my to add list though, not only nice removal and something to rethink attacking me, it will do nicely with Mimic Vat as well.
- I do need to say that I looked little into equipment cards, though Deathrender is rather appealing. I know that enough people run Haste enablers and other ways to give creatures Deathtouch, though my budget is already being strained as it is or I'd likely consider something like a Bow of Nylea and play off my Trample effects.
Swords, Path and Dromoka's Command are perhaps additions for the future, as right now budget limits me a little. I'd rather get a few cheaper cards that can help tweak the deck a bit than spend it all on a single card which only gets drawn a few times. Not to mention, I'm not having many ways to tutor for cards, again they tend to be more expensive but its also just nice to work with the cards you pull off the top.
That said, the suggestions to include Pit Fight and Setessan Tactics are worth to consider for me. I initially picked Hunt the Weak since it leaves a counter behind after the fight, though in hindsight its unlikely that it will make a big difference and that casting for lower CMC and at instant speed might be much better. Smite was added because it was on theme removal, but seeing I tweaked the theme a bit I can see it getting replaced as well.
So, I've been in the process of brewing together my first Commander deck, though since I am working with a bit of a budget constraint I've decided to go more with a themed deck than a fully competitive list. Obviously, this will affect the effectiveness of the deck, but right now it's more important to me to have fun with it and last a bit than to blow away my opponent's at every turn.
The basic idea for when I started was to build around the Innistrad werewolf flip cards and add additional wolves for support. This gave me more than enough choice in cards to compile a creature heavy deck, but the same couldn't be said for picking a suitable Commander. There isn't one that actually fits the Werewolf theme and thus a little improvisation was needed. Ruric Thar, the Unbowed does discourage people to play spells and help flipping my wolves, but in my opinion he'd be just a removal magnet. It was obvious to me that getting my wolves to be flipped would be an issue and I thus made this less of a priority, since no real Commander was on theme and on color anyways I opted to run Marath, Will of the Wild for being easy to cast and to provide great multipurpose support for my wolves.
With my Commander established I chucked in the wolf cards I wanted and just took that first draft to some play testing. The idea behind the deck being to put out wolves and wolf tokens, then use either Overrun like cards to bump up the damage I could do, as well as fight effects that could offer me semi removal. While running the flip cards, I did not focus on getting them flipped, instead if it happened it was a bonus to me and a punishment for my opponents.
Obviously I ran into issues since it was far too creature and theme heavy, leaving to reducing the amount of wolf-like cards a fair bit. With the arrival of Dragons of Tarkir around the corner the deck began to take a different direction. The Monuments provided additional fixing and gave me access to flyers when needed, since that was a bit of a weakness. Since I already enjoyed fight cards, Foe-Razer Regent quickly became an addition to the deck as well and a few more dragons snuck in to aid me in various aspects. At the same time I've started to drop the Overrun effects in favor of having cards that simply rewarded me for being more aggressive. And that's where I'm at so far.
Since I'll be low on tutoring effects anyways I'm not trying to rely on being able to get my most powerful cards out consistently, instead just work with smaller synergies and combos to keep mixing it up with my opponents. They are nothing too fancy but just stuff I've been enjoying to play so far, thus I'll list some of my choices here to elaborate to why I picked them for my deck.
Power Conduit: Helps my Commander a bit with moving around counters, but primarily been used to remove counters from my Undying creatures, allowing them to chump block repeatedly. Mimic Vat: Just to combo off with either Village Bell-Ringer (so I don't need to hold back defensively as much), Zealous Conscripts (always nice to make an opponents' creature work against them) or Artisan of Kozilek (bringing back creatures I need repeatedly) Stalking Vengeance: Since I currently don't run any board wipes myself and am rather creature dependent, having this out will make them think twice about the wipe. Gahiji, Honored One: Running a weaker deck means easy prey, Gahiji just makes it more favorable to attack others and well pump for me is good too.
Cards which I have been unsure about having on the list are Atarka, World Render, mainly added since I already had a number of dragons and just hard hitting as well. Contested Cliffs is one I definitely intend to replace, I took out several beasts since I included it and has since become rather obsolete. My mana base likely needs some tweaking as well, but where my Commander relies on all three colors I figured keeping it balanced was a good way to start.
While keeping my budget in mind I do want to see about tweaking the deck a bit more, I know it's far from perfect but like mentioned before having fun with it is a great aspect for me and working with a bit of a theme does that. Though with it being my first deck I do look for some constructive criticism and suggestions to how I can improve my deck more.
While the cards above are ones I'm going to switch out once I acquire the replacement cards, there are a few more on my shortlist of to-be-possibly included. I've yet to figure where they would slot in and what cards they'd replace. Obvious choice would be reducing the wolves further but it takes the initial theme down further if not removes it. Either way, I'm open to suggestions to what to switch out for these cards:
While preferring to run the deck with my wolf theme, it is obvious that it will be tricky to run it effectively. So taking in all the suggestions provided so far, I made a secondary decklist starting off with my 'must-have' cards and filling it out with wolf tokens in order to fuel a new strategy but leave a hint of the original idea. The list provided below is a provisional list of how the new deck could be. Also, I stripped the land base down a bit to be more focused on basic lands to ramp into, but this might need still some tweaking as have yet to playtest this variant. Either way, opinions for both lists are appreciated.
I updated the revised list a bit with cards suggested here below. I am currently considering to add a Skyshroud Elf as another way of fixing, but have yet to see which card it would replace.
General Sidenote: Since I'm working with a budget and already strained myself a bit with it, I'm looking for advice on cards before I acquire them. It's needless to say I already spent a lot on cards that didn't make the cut and for budget reasons I try to limit this as much as I can.
Sorry for the delay on my reaction to your suggestions, sadly came down with the flu so no time to sit behind the computer or the cards. Anyways...
Armageddon (will help flip your Werewolves)
Austere Command (works really well with tokens and flipped Werewolves)
Titanic Ultimatum (the ultimate Naya pump spell)
Armageddon would likely be less effective in my deck since flipping is not a real priority in it, also with the limited ramp that I have and it being a sorcery it might actually hurt me as big creatures is not something I really have unless a card flips or gets pumped. Austere Command is something I'll consider as a future addition, been spending quite a bit already so far, so this one I rate slightly above budget. Nonetheless its something I should be adding so thanks for the suggestion on it. The Titanic Ultimatum is a card if definitely overlooked and one I'll be adding to help the deck out, so a big thanks there as well
Personally I think Yasova, Dragonclaw is the only commander worth using for a werewolf tribal deck. Blue gives you access to Clones which means more werewolves. It also gives some instant speed cantrips which helps flip werewolves and find werewolves.
Also Yasova has the hidden ability were if she conscripts a human and you have a flipped werewolf you werewolf will bite the conscripted human turning it into a new werewolf which you keep forever since your opponent's creatures will be to terrified to have a bloodthirsty, murderous werewolf on their battlefield. It's true.
I personally still prefer Marath, since its a bit of a wolves themed deck the title Will of the Wilds is rather fitting, also it's abilities have been quite useful to me. I know switching out the white is an option but for now it's a color I'd like to stick to. Call it maybe old habits but I guess been a bit of a Selesnya player in the past
You have problems with creatures not creatures that fly specifically. You just need more removal. You're deck has four fight effects, a Wild Slash, and a Smite the Monstrous. Four of those are board dependent and sorcery speed and the other two have a wide range of things they can't hit. Of course you're having problems with creatures. You also seem to have an Oblivion Ring which I missed on first glance.
The lack of removal was something I was aware of when initially constructing the deck, but where I deemed the theme to be the main guideline for the deck, I decided to run with cards that support the theme first and from there see what I can/could/should cut to bring in more removal. A lot of it is going to be about how much I will want to sacrifice of the theme to make it more competitive, that said for me is having fun while being on theme a priority. I don't need answers to everything but I'd like to at least provide a bit of a challenge.
Even if you're avoid Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares because of budget concerns you still have access to Char, Skred, Roast, Flame Slash, Branching Bolt, Journey to Nowhere, Oblivion Ring, Banishing Light, and Suspension Field as spot removal and Pyroclasm, Anger of the Gods, Firespout, Slagstorm, Comet Storm, Starstorm, Clan Defiance, Savage Twister, Rout, Day of Judgment, End Hostilities, Fell the Mighty, Kirtar's Wrath, Martial Coup, Phryexian Rebirth, and Winds of Rath as mass removal. All of which are (likely) under two dollars.
Since my creatures are generally low in power/toughness unless pumped, I'll be adding the Fell the Mighty, since it would enable me to take care of larger threats without hurting myself too much. Also will add the Suspension Field, Clan Defiance and Comet Storm as cards to help my lack of removal.
If you really want to hit flying creatures than use things like Plummet or Windstorm over enchantments that don't do anything.
Windstorm is an option I'll consider and while an enchantment might not do much at first, it could do more than just a one off use. I know there is enough removal for enchantments around but I can only side in so many cards before I end up cutting too much in what I'd like the deck to do.
Deglamer, Unravel the Aether, Nature's Claim, Gleeful Sabotage, Acidic Slime, Reclamation Sage, Harmonic Sliver, Duergar Hedge-Mage, Qasali Pridemage, Krosan Grip, Hull Breach, Wear // Tear, Seal of Cleansing, Seal of Primordium, and Aura Shards are also good options for artifact and enchantment removal.
Of these I decided to shell out a tad bit more and get myself an Aura Shards, though more expensive it could be repeat removal and perhaps keep people from playing a creature which could cause a potential flip. Other cards I might consider based on how much cutting space I have left.
You also have access to Harmonize, Hunter's Insight, Soul's Majesty, Keen Sense and similar effects if you want card draw.
Also in Werewolf theme, and helping fix your draws, and on a budget (last time I looked) is Preferred Selection.
I will often include it in base green decks where I'm a bit light on draw.
Hunter's Insight is on theme but would be a one time draw, but Preferred Selection would make a good alternative for the goblin and more fitting. Also I'm considering to put in a Descendants' Path
So after some contemplating and a tad bit of card hunting I've finally build my first Commander deck. With the initial deck put together it's time to start the tweaking, as the test runs I had with it definitely showed that it needs some work, despite that it's been fun to play with my own deck over using borrowed and pre-constructed decks.
Goals of the deck:
- Pump out the werewolves, wolves and wolf tokens
- Fight threats
- Use the pack to overrun opponents
Building the deck I knew that going with the Innistrad werewolves that flipping them would be the challenge, so I chose not to focus on getting them flipped but instead have them punish my opponents should they allow it to happen. Since the base of my deck was still centered around these cards I initially added all of them, but after play testing I think cutting back on a few of them to make space for other cards might be a good idea though the theme still has to be present.
One other issue I ran into when making the deck was obviously my budget. It's easy to find a lot of good cards that could bump up the deck but affording them is another thing, especially since I don't own too many cards since I sold off the majority of my collection a few years ago. Because of that I've chosen the current manabase, sticking mainly to life gain and bounce lands. The comes tapped into play obviously hurts the aggressiveness of the deck but it does ensure that I have access to my colors.
As I expected play testing showed that the deck puts me on a quick clock once flyers hit the battlefield, I can fight a few but it's still a significant weakness since I do need to have the cards to do so. Again budget reasons has for now ruled out the better tutoring options, for which I am considering adding a Rummaging Goblin to the deck. It's not much but would allow me to cycle my cards a little, while Elixir should be able to get me those cards back at a later stage. To deal better with flyers Gravity Well seems to be the best affordable way to throw my opponents flyers to the wolves.
So while the deck has some removal options, I think the deck could definitely be improved on this part. Intimidation Bolt, Destructive Revelry and Ancient Grudge are options I'm considering as cards that could go in, the Bolt being pretty much a card I want to add. Most cards I have now also provide the option to populate, letting me bring more wolf tokens out onto the board, but they are generally no definite answers to threats. I did consider adding Growing Ranks as a way to boost token production, but so far excluded it since it takes a turn to set up and in general the deck will want to be aggressive to have a chance. It has been tempting to add a Bow of Nylea but in a way it feels rather cheaty due to the deathtouch.
A positive note was that Power Conduit was a key card in most my matches, since it allowed me to reuse the undying mechanic on the wolves I included. To improve my chances here I am going to throw in an Arcbound Fiend as well which will also work well with the planned inclusion of Atarka Monument and Dromoka Monument. They will be able to take on the Fiend's counters, while both helping my mana base and providing additional ways to deal with potential flyers.
I'm also quite happy with the choice of Marath, Will of the Wild as the commander, as it has been able to pull double duty quite well. Allowing my wolves to become bigger and act as removal for potential threats. Stonebrow, Krosan Hero has been allowing my Overruns to hit even harder while Gahiji, Honored One encourages an aggressive playstyle in general. To support the deck a bit more I've been considering adding Rumbling Baloth as well, providing a way to give my creatures trample and enable Stonebrow's buff, but it does rely on the commander to be in play and from playing I know Marath is generally not that long on the board. Nylea, God of the Hunt might be an alternative to the Baloth albeit more expensive, still have to think about my budget after all.
The deck definitely is currently suffering from the fact that I don't have Master of the Wild Hunt yet. Budget again hurt me here but I plan on trying to squeeze this one in, as it would help the deck significantly. So that card is going to be added once I can afford it.
Obviously with the soon arriving Dragons of Tarkir set there will be a few other cards to consider as well, but having scavenged cards lists for some time now I do feel like I hit a slight point of tunnel vision, in that I do seem to end up with the same cards. So I was hoping to get a few suggestions on cards that could be potentially boarded in that I might have overlooked. Again keep in mind that I am running on a budget, so I'd prefer cards that are like under a $1 a piece. Things have to remain fun after all.
Also, with new cards going in, some cards have to go out, so that will be the next challenge for me to face. As cuts have to be made in order to tweak the deck a bit more. I'm open to suggestions here on this as well, though I will be trying to keep the deck somewhat on theme.
Once again thanks for the provided input, I think that I have to make sure that I have some answers in my deck and a few options to get them when needed. Obviously cards like Survival of the Fittest are good options and somewhat on-theme as well, though I might have to note them down as future changes since more than enough cards will strain the budget. Besides, spreading the purchases of pricier cards will let me playtest it a bit more and see what I really need.
But to start things off I'll likely go for a rough ratio of 40 lands, 40 on-theme cards and 20 supporting cards to help the deck last a bit longer. Just will have to see what some of the cheaper alternatives will be to get the deck going and take things from there.
Thanks everyone for giving your input. I am well aware that there is no right answer to my question, then again I was informing how others deal with this situation and see if I could use that to improve the build of my deck.
The general idea is for it to be a themed deck but have at least some answers so not to make games one sided, I don't expect it to have an answer to everything. The play style for it will definitely lean towards an aggro style with low cost wolves being the support to the cast of werewolves. Now, I do know that the werewolves aren't the easiest tribe to use due to the flip restrictions, but I want to play them just because I like them. To work around that I intend to rely slightly more on fight effects, overrun effects and some wolf token generation. Pretty much to get like a pack on the board and swing in.
I did briefly consider adding mill effects to enable the flipping of my werewolves. Which albeit perhaps an effective way to ensure that you have flipped wolves on your turn, you'd be targeting the same opponent over and over to make that happen. It might be legal but takes away some of the fun in my opinion. The other downside is having to dedicate resources repeatedly to make it happen, which more than likely are used better for other spells and creatures. Not to mention it would require switching from white into black.
The choice for Marath, Will of the Wild is to have access to some white cards, on top of it the mentioned mana sink ability since he can be used to pump a creature of mine, take out a threat for me or just getting that final bit of damage across. Ruric Thar, the Unbowed prevents me from using white cards and while it would aid towards getting my werewolves flipped, he just feels like a Commander whom draws immediate heat when he gets into play. The must attack rule on him just makes him a bigger target to be removed and recasting cost will skyrocket without him doing too much, while Marath always has the option to be sacrificed for some value. If I were to go only RG then probably Stonebrow, Krosan Hero would become a pick for me, since it has a better synergy with the overruns. Though he's more than likely to end up in the deck either way.
The deck will obviously be weak to counter spells and burn, the only way it can overcome that is sheer number of creatures. Flyers I can take on with fight cards, but I lack a more solid solution to them at the moment. The other thing I still need to consider is what to do about artifacts/enchantments, as one or two removal spells for them might be handy.
A card I toyed with is Garruk Relentless, which is a bit of a werewolf card as well and produces wolf tokens. On his own he is decent as well, though 3 loyalty is just a lightning bolt from death and I currently have no real way to get him to flip to use his other abilities and pump him up. The other thing I'm currently doubting is the inclusion of additional removal, like the aforementioned lightning bolt for example, but I guess I should consider adding those if the deck turns out to be really in need of some quick removal.
So after playing with a Preconstructed deck for a little while, I felt it was time to go for it and start building my first own Commander Deck. I've chosen to go with a Innistrad werewolves theme, supplemented with some regular wolves and just flavor related cards. As far as the commander goes my pick for now is Marath, Will of the Wild, as the the deck will be mainly RG with a few white splashes.
I already selected several cards that will be in the deck for theme/tribal reasons and currently have more than enough options to fill out the deck with other on-theme cards. The issue I'm running into is that it will leave the deck with more than a few weaknesses and while I mainly play for fun, I obviously want to be able to provide a little challenge as well, so I need to do something to have the deck cover it's bases slightly better. The big question is, how much of these 'filler' cards will I put in and how much will I sacrifice on theme fitting cards to get a more desired balance.
Now, I'm not yet looking for advice on which cards to add and which to take out, but would love some advice from more experienced Commander deck builders on how to go about this issue. I know it's obviously a personal preference, but I'd like to hear the opinion of others on the matter so I can make a decision on it for myself, so hopefully some of you can help me out with this.
As far as Garruk's Horde and Lurking Predators, I'm looking into running both. They are good individually in my eyes, but could work together as well. Additionally still considering Deathrender here as well, since it potential could get me two free creatures on the field if they use spot removal on the equipped creature while Lurking Predators is out. Which also would boost my board state in case of a wrath.
In my starting post I did put up a revised list in which I dropped a fair bit more of my initial theme. Putting that together I already dropped the Wolfcaller's Howl in favor of other cards. Now, Juniper Order Ranger is something worthwhile considering. I do like the Forgotten Ancient, but with the list of cards I already consider to acquire this one might just have to wait for budget reasons. And I'd prefer to run the Ranger over the Ivy Lane Denizen.
I do know that my theme is severely hindering my deck, as most flip cards are more novelty than actual cards that will do things beyond being a plain creature and the wolves itself form little threats. Though with the various pump effects they can maul an opponent rather well, but still remain easy victims to removal. So it does come a lot down to how important I find my theme compared to doing well. Mostly because reducing my wolf count even more, will make it questionable on whether there are enough to have that sub theme and thus running them at all. Also tossing them out would make Shared Animosity less effective unless I bump up the dragon count more.
That aside, I do value the input and will be doing some tests with it, so I'll be keeping my themed decklist and tweak that but also see what I can do when I let loose of the theme. Unfortunately doing so means a lot of budget got wasted, but I guess that's part of the trial and error of building your first deck.
Onto the suggestions...
- Lurking Predators might be a worthwhile investment, but a budget strain as well. Though since I plan on getting in a Garruk's Horde this could provide nice synergies as well, the revealed card might keep opponents from playing their cards, who knows.
- As mentioned, my mana base is far from perfect since it was build on getting my Commander out consistently, even though the white is used considerably less in the deck. And while most might say to switch to a RG only commander to make the base easier, I like playing with Marath and plan to add more synergies with him through Hardened Scales, Cathars' Crusade and Kamahl, Fist of Krosa. The fact that I run a lot of tap lands does hurt my pace quite a bit, so I guess getting in more lands per turn would benefit me and the tutoring would add a synergy with Mistveil Plains. Just will need to get more basics in to work with the tutors.
- Actually, Wolfcaller's Howl been working fairly well for me so far, getting out one or two wolves each time it triggers. Feed the Pack I tried but the creatures I'd sacrifice are more useful to me than the tokens it produces. Wolfbriar Elemental has been mixed for me but that might be more the issue of lacking ramp, so I might see about giving this one another go. And seeing I might try to keep the wolf tokens somewhat going, I might add a Perilous Forays to help my ramp and put my tokens to use that way as well. Rootborn Defenses might make a return as well on my list as well as some other populate cards.
- Atarka, World Render is going to be staying in, as while I initially added it to play off the dragons I already had, it is indeed strong on it's own. The 12 damage is nice but with the pump of some of my other creatures this quickly sky rockets, then again she'll be likely a removal magnet. To improve my dragons and turn others into bigger hitters, I am thinking of finding a spot for Dromoka, the Eternal, the bolster effect would kick in nicely and having the Power Conduit would also allow me to move those counters onto my Commander if needed, or any other creature... maybe Atarka... hmmm... almost makes me sad that Daghatar can't be used. As far as dragons go, I'm now also considering the potential of Ancient Hellkite and Forgestoker Dragon as additions.
Sidenote: With the increasing number of dragons on my list and the wolf token generation, I feel Descent of the Dragons might be worth a try. Would combo rather nice with Cathars' Crusade as well.
- I have a Thunderfoot Baloth, just been a matter of trying to find a spot for it. While it gives a nice pump and trample for all my creatures, it synergies quite well with Stonebrow, Krosan Hero
- Most my wolves had been included to act as chump blockers while exploiting their Undying mechanic, not to mention they were on theme. Though I guess in a way they are replaceable once you take the theme out of the equation. Sacred Wolf while on theme also had the upside of being more resilient against wraths and removal, making it a good target to put my counters on and worked also quite well with Raised by Wolves, so right now this is a wolf I might keep around.
- Flyers were definitely an issue in the beginning stages, but the addition of dragons has given me some answers to that. Hurricane and Squall Line are nice since they hit opponents as well, but would wipe me quite good as well which in combination with would play off Stalking Vengeance. They are definitely worth considering if my budget will allow these mayor overhauls, lol. Alternatively I could try including Arashi, the Sky Asunder to deal with flyers directly or use Raking Canopy to potentially send flyers to my other opponents instead, as these are cards I already own. As is Windstorm though it wouldn't hit my opponents directly.
- When it comes to spot removal it needs to do just that. Where Pacifism keeps ability usage open, the others are still attackers and there are enough anthems and artifacts/equipment out there to turn them still into threats. I am considering the option of Song of the Dryads since it's not limited to removing just creatures. Acidic Slime will be on my to add list though, not only nice removal and something to rethink attacking me, it will do nicely with Mimic Vat as well.
- I do need to say that I looked little into equipment cards, though Deathrender is rather appealing. I know that enough people run Haste enablers and other ways to give creatures Deathtouch, though my budget is already being strained as it is or I'd likely consider something like a Bow of Nylea and play off my Trample effects.
That said, the suggestions to include Pit Fight and Setessan Tactics are worth to consider for me. I initially picked Hunt the Weak since it leaves a counter behind after the fight, though in hindsight its unlikely that it will make a big difference and that casting for lower CMC and at instant speed might be much better. Smite was added because it was on theme removal, but seeing I tweaked the theme a bit I can see it getting replaced as well.
The basic idea for when I started was to build around the Innistrad werewolf flip cards and add additional wolves for support. This gave me more than enough choice in cards to compile a creature heavy deck, but the same couldn't be said for picking a suitable Commander. There isn't one that actually fits the Werewolf theme and thus a little improvisation was needed. Ruric Thar, the Unbowed does discourage people to play spells and help flipping my wolves, but in my opinion he'd be just a removal magnet. It was obvious to me that getting my wolves to be flipped would be an issue and I thus made this less of a priority, since no real Commander was on theme and on color anyways I opted to run Marath, Will of the Wild for being easy to cast and to provide great multipurpose support for my wolves.
With my Commander established I chucked in the wolf cards I wanted and just took that first draft to some play testing. The idea behind the deck being to put out wolves and wolf tokens, then use either Overrun like cards to bump up the damage I could do, as well as fight effects that could offer me semi removal. While running the flip cards, I did not focus on getting them flipped, instead if it happened it was a bonus to me and a punishment for my opponents.
Obviously I ran into issues since it was far too creature and theme heavy, leaving to reducing the amount of wolf-like cards a fair bit. With the arrival of Dragons of Tarkir around the corner the deck began to take a different direction. The Monuments provided additional fixing and gave me access to flyers when needed, since that was a bit of a weakness. Since I already enjoyed fight cards, Foe-Razer Regent quickly became an addition to the deck as well and a few more dragons snuck in to aid me in various aspects. At the same time I've started to drop the Overrun effects in favor of having cards that simply rewarded me for being more aggressive. And that's where I'm at so far.
3 Marath, Will of the Wild
Creatures
1 Reckless Waif
1 Ulvenwald Tracker
1 Wolfbitten Captive
1 Young Wolf
2 Druid of the Anima
2 Mayor of Avabruck
2 Scorned Villager
3 Daybreak Ranger
3 Hanweir Watchkeep
3 Immerwolf
3 Knotvine Mystic
3 Kruin Outlaw
3 Lambholt Elder
3 Naya Battlemage
3 Pyreheart Wolf
3 Sacred Wolf
3 Village Bell-Ringer
4 Afflicted Deserter
4 Huntmaster of the Fells
4 Instigator Gang
4 Master of the Wild Hunt
4 Mondronen Shaman
4 Ogre Battledriver
5 Gahiji, Honored One
5 Kessig Cagebreakers
5 Stampeding Elk Herd
5 Stonebrow, Krosan Hero
5 Zealous Conscripts
6 Hoard-Smelter Dragon
6 Howlgeist
7 Atarka, World Render
7 Foe-Razer Regent
7 Stalking Vengeance
7 Tyrant's Familiar
9 Artisan of Kozilek
1 Crop Rotation
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Moonmist
2 Punishing Fire
2 Reprisal
3 Intimidation Bolt
3 Naya Charm
3 Sarkhan's Triumph
4 Smite the Monstrous
Sorceries
3 Map the Wastes
4 Hunt the Weak
4 Reap and Sow
5 Fell the Mighty
Enchantments
2 Full Moon's Rise
3 Descendants' Path
3 Oblivion Ring
3 Shared Animosity
4 Wolfcaller's Howl
5 Raised by Wolves
Artifacts
1 Sol Ring
2 Power Conduit
3 Atarka Monument
3 Dromoka Monument
3 Mimic Vat
3 Obelisk of Naya
3 Selesnya Keyrune
3 Sunforger
Lands
1 Blossoming Sands
1 Boros Garrison
1 Boros Guildgate
1 Contested Cliffs
1 Encroaching Wastes
1 Evolving Wilds
6 Forest
1 Graypelt Refuge
1 Gruul Turf
1 Jungle Shrine
1 Kazandu Refuge
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Mistveil Plains
5 Mountain
1 Naya Panorama
1 Opal Palace
3 Plains
1 Rith's Grove
1 Rugged Highlands
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
1 Skarrg, the Rage Pits
1 Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Vivid Crag
1 Vivid Grove
1 Wind-Scarred Crag
Since I'll be low on tutoring effects anyways I'm not trying to rely on being able to get my most powerful cards out consistently, instead just work with smaller synergies and combos to keep mixing it up with my opponents. They are nothing too fancy but just stuff I've been enjoying to play so far, thus I'll list some of my choices here to elaborate to why I picked them for my deck.
Power Conduit: Helps my Commander a bit with moving around counters, but primarily been used to remove counters from my Undying creatures, allowing them to chump block repeatedly.
Mimic Vat: Just to combo off with either Village Bell-Ringer (so I don't need to hold back defensively as much), Zealous Conscripts (always nice to make an opponents' creature work against them) or Artisan of Kozilek (bringing back creatures I need repeatedly)
Stalking Vengeance: Since I currently don't run any board wipes myself and am rather creature dependent, having this out will make them think twice about the wipe.
Gahiji, Honored One: Running a weaker deck means easy prey, Gahiji just makes it more favorable to attack others and well pump for me is good too.
Cards which I have been unsure about having on the list are Atarka, World Render, mainly added since I already had a number of dragons and just hard hitting as well. Contested Cliffs is one I definitely intend to replace, I took out several beasts since I included it and has since become rather obsolete. My mana base likely needs some tweaking as well, but where my Commander relies on all three colors I figured keeping it balanced was a good way to start.
While keeping my budget in mind I do want to see about tweaking the deck a bit more, I know it's far from perfect but like mentioned before having fun with it is a great aspect for me and working with a bit of a theme does that. Though with it being my first deck I do look for some constructive criticism and suggestions to how I can improve my deck more.
Planned changes so far:
OUT: Contested Cliffs --- IN: Slayers' Stronghold
OUT: Hunt the Weak --- IN: Pit Fight
OUT: Smite the Monstrous --- IN: Setessan Tactics
While the cards above are ones I'm going to switch out once I acquire the replacement cards, there are a few more on my shortlist of to-be-possibly included. I've yet to figure where they would slot in and what cards they'd replace. Obvious choice would be reducing the wolves further but it takes the initial theme down further if not removes it. Either way, I'm open to suggestions to what to switch out for these cards:
Wishlist:
Aura Shards , Hardened Scales , Cathars' Crusade , Kamahl, Fist of Krosa , Garruk's Horde , Boros Charm , Lurking Predators , Dromoka, the Eternal , Ancient Hellkite , Forgestoker Dragon , Thunderfoot Baloth , Hurricane , Squall Line , Descent of the Dragons , Song of the Dryads , Perilous Forays , Yavimaya Elder , Sakura-Tribe Elder , Kodama's Reach , Cultivate , Deathrender , Juniper Order Ranger , Skyshroud Elf
While preferring to run the deck with my wolf theme, it is obvious that it will be tricky to run it effectively. So taking in all the suggestions provided so far, I made a secondary decklist starting off with my 'must-have' cards and filling it out with wolf tokens in order to fuel a new strategy but leave a hint of the original idea. The list provided below is a provisional list of how the new deck could be. Also, I stripped the land base down a bit to be more focused on basic lands to ramp into, but this might need still some tweaking as have yet to playtest this variant. Either way, opinions for both lists are appreciated.
1 Marath, Will of the Wild
Creatures
1 Acidic Slime
1 Ancient Hellkite
1 Artisan of Kozilek
1 Atarka, World Render
1 Dromoka, the Eternal
1 Druid of the Anima
1 Foe-Razer Regent
1 Forgestoker Dragon
1 Gahiji, Honored One
1 Garruk's Horde
1 Hoard-Smelter Dragon
1 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Juniper Order Ranger
1 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
1 Kessig Cagebreakers
1 Knotvine Mystic
1 Master of the Wild Hunt
1 Naya Battlemage
1 Ogre Battledriver
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Stalking Vengeance
1 Stampeding Elk Herd
1 Stonebrow, Krosan Hero
1 Thunderfoot Baloth
1 Tyrant's Familiar
1 Ulvenwald Tracker
1 Village Bell-Ringer
1 Wolfbriar Elemental
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Zealous Conscripts
1 Atarka Monument
1 Deathrender
1 Dromoka Monument
1 Mimic Vat
1 Obelisk of Naya
1 Sol Ring
1 Sunforger
Enchantments
1 Cathars' Crusade
1 Hardened Scales
1 Lurking Predators
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Perilous Forays
1 Shared Animosity
1 Song of the Dryads
Instants
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Boros Charm
1 Crop Rotation
1 Intimidation Bolt
1 Naya Charm
1 Pit Fight
1 Punishing Fire
1 Reprisal
1 Rootborn Defenses
1 Sarkhan's Triumph
1 Setessan Tactics
1 Squall Line
1 Sundering Growth
1 Cultivate
1 Descent of the Dragons
1 Hurricane
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Reap and Sow
Land Base
1 Boros Garrison
1 Encroaching Wastes
1 Evolving Wilds
9 Forest
1 Gruul Turf
1 Jungle Shrine
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Mistveil Plains
8 Mountain
1 Naya Panorama
1 Opal Palace
6 Plains
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
1 Skarrg, the Rage Pits
1 Slayers' Stronghold
1 Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
1 Terramorphic Expanse
I updated the revised list a bit with cards suggested here below. I am currently considering to add a Skyshroud Elf as another way of fixing, but have yet to see which card it would replace.
Armageddon would likely be less effective in my deck since flipping is not a real priority in it, also with the limited ramp that I have and it being a sorcery it might actually hurt me as big creatures is not something I really have unless a card flips or gets pumped. Austere Command is something I'll consider as a future addition, been spending quite a bit already so far, so this one I rate slightly above budget. Nonetheless its something I should be adding so thanks for the suggestion on it. The Titanic Ultimatum is a card if definitely overlooked and one I'll be adding to help the deck out, so a big thanks there as well
I personally still prefer Marath, since its a bit of a wolves themed deck the title Will of the Wilds is rather fitting, also it's abilities have been quite useful to me. I know switching out the white is an option but for now it's a color I'd like to stick to. Call it maybe old habits but I guess been a bit of a Selesnya player in the past
The lack of removal was something I was aware of when initially constructing the deck, but where I deemed the theme to be the main guideline for the deck, I decided to run with cards that support the theme first and from there see what I can/could/should cut to bring in more removal. A lot of it is going to be about how much I will want to sacrifice of the theme to make it more competitive, that said for me is having fun while being on theme a priority. I don't need answers to everything but I'd like to at least provide a bit of a challenge.
Since my creatures are generally low in power/toughness unless pumped, I'll be adding the Fell the Mighty, since it would enable me to take care of larger threats without hurting myself too much. Also will add the Suspension Field, Clan Defiance and Comet Storm as cards to help my lack of removal.
Windstorm is an option I'll consider and while an enchantment might not do much at first, it could do more than just a one off use. I know there is enough removal for enchantments around but I can only side in so many cards before I end up cutting too much in what I'd like the deck to do.
Of these I decided to shell out a tad bit more and get myself an Aura Shards, though more expensive it could be repeat removal and perhaps keep people from playing a creature which could cause a potential flip. Other cards I might consider based on how much cutting space I have left.
Hunter's Insight is on theme but would be a one time draw, but Preferred Selection would make a good alternative for the goblin and more fitting. Also I'm considering to put in a Descendants' Path
Currently my decklist is like this: We Were Wolves
Goals of the deck:
- Pump out the werewolves, wolves and wolf tokens
- Fight threats
- Use the pack to overrun opponents
Building the deck I knew that going with the Innistrad werewolves that flipping them would be the challenge, so I chose not to focus on getting them flipped but instead have them punish my opponents should they allow it to happen. Since the base of my deck was still centered around these cards I initially added all of them, but after play testing I think cutting back on a few of them to make space for other cards might be a good idea though the theme still has to be present.
One other issue I ran into when making the deck was obviously my budget. It's easy to find a lot of good cards that could bump up the deck but affording them is another thing, especially since I don't own too many cards since I sold off the majority of my collection a few years ago. Because of that I've chosen the current manabase, sticking mainly to life gain and bounce lands. The comes tapped into play obviously hurts the aggressiveness of the deck but it does ensure that I have access to my colors.
As I expected play testing showed that the deck puts me on a quick clock once flyers hit the battlefield, I can fight a few but it's still a significant weakness since I do need to have the cards to do so. Again budget reasons has for now ruled out the better tutoring options, for which I am considering adding a Rummaging Goblin to the deck. It's not much but would allow me to cycle my cards a little, while Elixir should be able to get me those cards back at a later stage. To deal better with flyers Gravity Well seems to be the best affordable way to throw my opponents flyers to the wolves.
So while the deck has some removal options, I think the deck could definitely be improved on this part. Intimidation Bolt, Destructive Revelry and Ancient Grudge are options I'm considering as cards that could go in, the Bolt being pretty much a card I want to add. Most cards I have now also provide the option to populate, letting me bring more wolf tokens out onto the board, but they are generally no definite answers to threats. I did consider adding Growing Ranks as a way to boost token production, but so far excluded it since it takes a turn to set up and in general the deck will want to be aggressive to have a chance. It has been tempting to add a Bow of Nylea but in a way it feels rather cheaty due to the deathtouch.
A positive note was that Power Conduit was a key card in most my matches, since it allowed me to reuse the undying mechanic on the wolves I included. To improve my chances here I am going to throw in an Arcbound Fiend as well which will also work well with the planned inclusion of Atarka Monument and Dromoka Monument. They will be able to take on the Fiend's counters, while both helping my mana base and providing additional ways to deal with potential flyers.
I'm also quite happy with the choice of Marath, Will of the Wild as the commander, as it has been able to pull double duty quite well. Allowing my wolves to become bigger and act as removal for potential threats. Stonebrow, Krosan Hero has been allowing my Overruns to hit even harder while Gahiji, Honored One encourages an aggressive playstyle in general. To support the deck a bit more I've been considering adding Rumbling Baloth as well, providing a way to give my creatures trample and enable Stonebrow's buff, but it does rely on the commander to be in play and from playing I know Marath is generally not that long on the board. Nylea, God of the Hunt might be an alternative to the Baloth albeit more expensive, still have to think about my budget after all.
The deck definitely is currently suffering from the fact that I don't have Master of the Wild Hunt yet. Budget again hurt me here but I plan on trying to squeeze this one in, as it would help the deck significantly. So that card is going to be added once I can afford it.
Obviously with the soon arriving Dragons of Tarkir set there will be a few other cards to consider as well, but having scavenged cards lists for some time now I do feel like I hit a slight point of tunnel vision, in that I do seem to end up with the same cards. So I was hoping to get a few suggestions on cards that could be potentially boarded in that I might have overlooked. Again keep in mind that I am running on a budget, so I'd prefer cards that are like under a $1 a piece. Things have to remain fun after all.
Also, with new cards going in, some cards have to go out, so that will be the next challenge for me to face. As cuts have to be made in order to tweak the deck a bit more. I'm open to suggestions here on this as well, though I will be trying to keep the deck somewhat on theme.
But to start things off I'll likely go for a rough ratio of 40 lands, 40 on-theme cards and 20 supporting cards to help the deck last a bit longer. Just will have to see what some of the cheaper alternatives will be to get the deck going and take things from there.
The general idea is for it to be a themed deck but have at least some answers so not to make games one sided, I don't expect it to have an answer to everything. The play style for it will definitely lean towards an aggro style with low cost wolves being the support to the cast of werewolves. Now, I do know that the werewolves aren't the easiest tribe to use due to the flip restrictions, but I want to play them just because I like them. To work around that I intend to rely slightly more on fight effects, overrun effects and some wolf token generation. Pretty much to get like a pack on the board and swing in.
I did briefly consider adding mill effects to enable the flipping of my werewolves. Which albeit perhaps an effective way to ensure that you have flipped wolves on your turn, you'd be targeting the same opponent over and over to make that happen. It might be legal but takes away some of the fun in my opinion. The other downside is having to dedicate resources repeatedly to make it happen, which more than likely are used better for other spells and creatures. Not to mention it would require switching from white into black.
The choice for Marath, Will of the Wild is to have access to some white cards, on top of it the mentioned mana sink ability since he can be used to pump a creature of mine, take out a threat for me or just getting that final bit of damage across. Ruric Thar, the Unbowed prevents me from using white cards and while it would aid towards getting my werewolves flipped, he just feels like a Commander whom draws immediate heat when he gets into play. The must attack rule on him just makes him a bigger target to be removed and recasting cost will skyrocket without him doing too much, while Marath always has the option to be sacrificed for some value. If I were to go only RG then probably Stonebrow, Krosan Hero would become a pick for me, since it has a better synergy with the overruns. Though he's more than likely to end up in the deck either way.
The deck will obviously be weak to counter spells and burn, the only way it can overcome that is sheer number of creatures. Flyers I can take on with fight cards, but I lack a more solid solution to them at the moment. The other thing I still need to consider is what to do about artifacts/enchantments, as one or two removal spells for them might be handy.
A card I toyed with is Garruk Relentless, which is a bit of a werewolf card as well and produces wolf tokens. On his own he is decent as well, though 3 loyalty is just a lightning bolt from death and I currently have no real way to get him to flip to use his other abilities and pump him up. The other thing I'm currently doubting is the inclusion of additional removal, like the aforementioned lightning bolt for example, but I guess I should consider adding those if the deck turns out to be really in need of some quick removal.
I already selected several cards that will be in the deck for theme/tribal reasons and currently have more than enough options to fill out the deck with other on-theme cards. The issue I'm running into is that it will leave the deck with more than a few weaknesses and while I mainly play for fun, I obviously want to be able to provide a little challenge as well, so I need to do something to have the deck cover it's bases slightly better. The big question is, how much of these 'filler' cards will I put in and how much will I sacrifice on theme fitting cards to get a more desired balance.
Now, I'm not yet looking for advice on which cards to add and which to take out, but would love some advice from more experienced Commander deck builders on how to go about this issue. I know it's obviously a personal preference, but I'd like to hear the opinion of others on the matter so I can make a decision on it for myself, so hopefully some of you can help me out with this.