Mainly looking to test mass LD (Armageddon/Ravages of War) and a few one-shot Bruse pumps like Invigorated Rampage and Hatred. I'd rather cheese the game out than keep some of the grindier stuff in the deck.
As someone who only brews for the topmost range of numbers, the contrast between one of my brews and the average deck is fairly stark. It's more of a bell curve; most decks are somewhere between 4 and 7.
There really isn't much difference between a 1 and a 3; those decks are all bad and don't stand a chance at even a casual table. Think 99-card piles of commons, most unmodified precons, etc.
A 4 or a 5 has some modification (or is a Breya, Daretti, or Meren precon) and has some thought and synergy put into it, but is lacking a lot of pieces to function effectively.
A 6-7 is a consistent deck with decent card choices, but its curve will still be too high and its mana base will be shaky. It'll have synergies, maybe an awkward infinite combo, but it won't reliably be able to combo early.
An 8 is a tuned deck that's missing some (normally higher-end) enablers. Like imagine a tuned Breya deck but without Transmute Artifact, Imperial Seal, Mox Diamond, etc. It will also be missing a few cheap card selection or interaction spells and have a couple unnecessary clunkers, since that's where most EDH deckbuilders go wrong. An 8 will win/lock out the game on or shortly before turn 6 through disruption.
9 and 10 are very close in power level; these are optimized decks with few to no poor card choices. These will win on or before turn 5 every game even through a bit of disruption. Color identity (and the limitations provided thereby) is a major factor here, so is commander choice. A large percentage of commanders can't even be optimized to a 9. 10's normally use Tymna, Thrasios, Tasigur, Breya, Derevi, Zur, or Kess.
The Breya color scheme is very powerful, but I didn't want to play Breya since someone else at my store plays her and I wanted to challenge myself as a builder. Since I had decided on a color identity, I was left with few choices.
Why Silas and Bruse?
Silas Renn, Seeker Adept is very powerful on its own. Being able to recur an artifact every turn, even if it's a Lotus Petal, amounts to serious advantage. I knew I wanted to be playing this card.
Akiri, Line-Slinger looks like it works with Silas because Silas pumps her, but Akiri literally does nothing. It's a 2/3 or 3/3 for 2 mana in a multiplayer 40-life format, and it doesn't assist Silas in any way.
Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder works very well with Silas since he allows Silas to cast two artifacts from the graveyard every turn. He's also an incredibly fast clock on his own, and after playing a few games, he quickly became the commander the deck was built around. Silas still has his toys, but Bruse can steal games by himself on turn 4.
I wanted card advantage in the command zone, and the other option for this color combination that grants me card advantage (Tymna the Weaver/Kraum, Ludevic's Opus) didn't seem cohesive like the Bruse / Silas pair.
About the Deck
My Ezuri, Claw of Progress deck is considered the "final boss" of my store's playgroup, and I wanted something that could keep pace with it. I looked into possible combos that worked with these commanders and decided on the bomberman combo (Auriok Salvagers/Lion's Eye Diamond/Pyrite Spellbomb) since the pieces are relatively easy to tutor and it can go off within the first few turns. The artifacts are safe to loot away because Silas can recur them as needed.
Bruse is the other win condition, and smashing with him has netted at least half of my wins. I built the deck to take advantage of Bruse's double strike trigger, adding cards like Destructive Urge for disruption while I assemble my combo. Sword of Feast and Famine and O-Naginata speed up the clock Bruse provides and make blocking difficult.
This deck is very fast. You should be comboing off or killing one of your opponents on turn 5 at the absolute latest unless you've been forced to be reactive. If that's the case, the deck's game plan shifts away from Bruse beats to assembling and protecting its combo. This deck is able to be reactive and has plenty of spot removal, but it's designed to get under its opponents. Long games are not this deck's forte.
How to Play
You should spend your first turn tutoring for Mana Crypt and your second turn casting Bruse unless you'll be able to combo off in the next couple turns. Turn two Bruse into turn three Destructive Urge ends a lot of games, so sequence your spells in such a way that Bruse will be able to get in unchecked. Don't hesitate. You're trying to be the proactive deck; if Bruse gets killed, fall back to the combo unless recasting him would apply more pressure.
Silas normally doesn't need double strike since it's unlikely you'll care about some of the artifacts in your graveyard. Always give Bruse double strike to threaten your opponents with commander damage. Cards like Faithless Looting and Entomb are included to improve card selection for Silas.
The first equipment you tutor should be Sword of Feast and Famine. This is one of the most important cards in the deck, allowing you to cast more spells and shred opponents' hands.
Don't hold onto Pyrite Spellbomb - it's fine in the graveyard. Use it to draw or burn something as needed; once you have infinite mana from Auriok Salvagers + Lion's Eye Diamond, you'll be able to recur it infinitely anyway.
Strengths & Weaknesses
This deck is FAST. You won't realize it until you're killing someone with commander damage from Bruse on turn 4 or comboing off as early as turn 2, but this deck will get under a lot of people.
This deck is not entirely reliant on its commanders either. It performs best when both are on the battlefield, but generally you can ride one or the other to victory - or neither, if you push for the combo.
This deck is weak to mass artifact destruction, Wildfire effects, and walls of countermagic. Silas can help fight through counters to an extent, but he's fragile and returns to the command zone often.
This deck hasn't reached its final form yet, but it's solid right now. It's quite powerful, fast, and consistent. Plenty of changes will be coming but I'm liking how strong it is already. Its fastest kill so far was turn 2.
Either a 2/1 Elvish Visionary or a 3/2 that scries 1 for 2 mana. Not 360 material obviously, but I can see larger cubes trying this. The inconsistency may be its downfall though.
Evasive 3/3 that prevents life gain and provides some rather double-edged "reach." I might test this at 540 despite the lack of haste, though I suspect this may be another Sin Prodder that looks good on paper but plays poorly.
White and red don't need anything at 5, and one of the abilities (+2) is conditional. The 0 ability is OK but we've seen something similar in Garruk, Primal Hunter's +1. I prefer Garruk to this card because it can draw a lot of cards and I'm not even running that. This is a pretty easy pass for me.
In what way is Phenax unique while simultaneously Wrexial is boring?
If you are building around silas's weak effect you are making a weak deck. He is used for his colors in partner, not for what he does when cast. From a deckbuilding perspective, he is shallow as a puddle.
BAHAHAHA have you ever actually played with or against a worthwhile Silas deck? (I pair him with Bruse) He's powerful with even a Lotus Petal or Urza's Bauble every turn, but once you get Memory Jar or Executioner's Capsule going he quickly takes over the game.
There really isn't much difference between a 1 and a 3; those decks are all bad and don't stand a chance at even a casual table. Think 99-card piles of commons, most unmodified precons, etc.
A 4 or a 5 has some modification (or is a Breya, Daretti, or Meren precon) and has some thought and synergy put into it, but is lacking a lot of pieces to function effectively.
A 6-7 is a consistent deck with decent card choices, but its curve will still be too high and its mana base will be shaky. It'll have synergies, maybe an awkward infinite combo, but it won't reliably be able to combo early.
An 8 is a tuned deck that's missing some (normally higher-end) enablers. Like imagine a tuned Breya deck but without Transmute Artifact, Imperial Seal, Mox Diamond, etc. It will also be missing a few cheap card selection or interaction spells and have a couple unnecessary clunkers, since that's where most EDH deckbuilders go wrong. An 8 will win/lock out the game on or shortly before turn 6 through disruption.
9 and 10 are very close in power level; these are optimized decks with few to no poor card choices. These will win on or before turn 5 every game even through a bit of disruption. Color identity (and the limitations provided thereby) is a major factor here, so is commander choice. A large percentage of commanders can't even be optimized to a 9. 10's normally use Tymna, Thrasios, Tasigur, Breya, Derevi, Zur, or Kess.
Why Silas and Bruse?
Silas Renn, Seeker Adept is very powerful on its own. Being able to recur an artifact every turn, even if it's a Lotus Petal, amounts to serious advantage. I knew I wanted to be playing this card.
Akiri, Line-Slinger looks like it works with Silas because Silas pumps her, but Akiri literally does nothing. It's a 2/3 or 3/3 for 2 mana in a multiplayer 40-life format, and it doesn't assist Silas in any way.
Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder works very well with Silas since he allows Silas to cast two artifacts from the graveyard every turn. He's also an incredibly fast clock on his own, and after playing a few games, he quickly became the commander the deck was built around. Silas still has his toys, but Bruse can steal games by himself on turn 4.
I wanted card advantage in the command zone, and the other option for this color combination that grants me card advantage (Tymna the Weaver/Kraum, Ludevic's Opus) didn't seem cohesive like the Bruse / Silas pair.
About the Deck
My Ezuri, Claw of Progress deck is considered the "final boss" of my store's playgroup, and I wanted something that could keep pace with it. I looked into possible combos that worked with these commanders and decided on the bomberman combo (Auriok Salvagers/Lion's Eye Diamond/Pyrite Spellbomb) since the pieces are relatively easy to tutor and it can go off within the first few turns. The artifacts are safe to loot away because Silas can recur them as needed.
Bruse is the other win condition, and smashing with him has netted at least half of my wins. I built the deck to take advantage of Bruse's double strike trigger, adding cards like Destructive Urge for disruption while I assemble my combo. Sword of Feast and Famine and O-Naginata speed up the clock Bruse provides and make blocking difficult.
This deck is very fast. You should be comboing off or killing one of your opponents on turn 5 at the absolute latest unless you've been forced to be reactive. If that's the case, the deck's game plan shifts away from Bruse beats to assembling and protecting its combo. This deck is able to be reactive and has plenty of spot removal, but it's designed to get under its opponents. Long games are not this deck's forte.
How to Play
You should spend your first turn tutoring for Mana Crypt and your second turn casting Bruse unless you'll be able to combo off in the next couple turns. Turn two Bruse into turn three Destructive Urge ends a lot of games, so sequence your spells in such a way that Bruse will be able to get in unchecked. Don't hesitate. You're trying to be the proactive deck; if Bruse gets killed, fall back to the combo unless recasting him would apply more pressure.
Silas normally doesn't need double strike since it's unlikely you'll care about some of the artifacts in your graveyard. Always give Bruse double strike to threaten your opponents with commander damage. Cards like Faithless Looting and Entomb are included to improve card selection for Silas.
The first equipment you tutor should be Sword of Feast and Famine. This is one of the most important cards in the deck, allowing you to cast more spells and shred opponents' hands.
Don't hold onto Pyrite Spellbomb - it's fine in the graveyard. Use it to draw or burn something as needed; once you have infinite mana from Auriok Salvagers + Lion's Eye Diamond, you'll be able to recur it infinitely anyway.
Strengths & Weaknesses
This deck is FAST. You won't realize it until you're killing someone with commander damage from Bruse on turn 4 or comboing off as early as turn 2, but this deck will get under a lot of people.
This deck is not entirely reliant on its commanders either. It performs best when both are on the battlefield, but generally you can ride one or the other to victory - or neither, if you push for the combo.
This deck is weak to mass artifact destruction, Wildfire effects, and walls of countermagic. Silas can help fight through counters to an extent, but he's fragile and returns to the command zone often.
The Deck
1x Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder
1x Silas Renn, Seeker Adept
Combo
1x Aether Spellbomb
1x Auriok Salvagers
1x Lion's Eye Diamond
1x Pyrite Spellbomb
1x Nihil Spellbomb
Card Draw
1x Dack Fayden
1x Faithless Looting
1x Mishra's Bauble
1x Mystic Remora
1x Painful Truths
1x Treasure Cruise
1x Urza's Bauble
Combo Tutoring
1x Artificer's Intuition
1x Clutch of the Undercity
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Enlightened Tutor
1x Entomb
1x Gamble
1x Imperial Recruiter
1x Imperial Seal
1x Nahiri, the Harbinger
1x Tezzeret the Seeker
1x Transmute Artifact
1x Trinket Mage
1x Vampiric Tutor
Equipment, Auras, and Equipment Tutors
1x Curious Obsession
1x Destructive Urge
1x O-Naginata
1x Steelshaper's Gift
1x Stoneforge Mystic
1x Sunforger
1x Sword of Feast and Famine
1x Umezawa's Jitte
1x Hatred
1x Invigorated Rampage
1x Seize the Day
1x Unspeakable Symbol
Protection & Recursion
1x Animate Dead
1x Mother of Runes
Acceleration
1x Azorius Signet
1x Boros Signet
1x Chrome Mox
1x Dimir Signet
1x Izzet Signet
1x Lotus Petal
1x Mana Crypt
1x Mana Vault
1x Mox Diamond
1x Orzhov Signet
1x Sol Ring
Disruption
1x Abrade
1x Armageddon
1x Crackling Doom
1x Dispel
1x Fire Covenant
1x Fragmentize
1x Izzet Charm
1x Negate
1x Pact of Negation
1x Path to Exile
1x Phyrexian Purge
1x Red Elemental Blast
1x Spell Pierce
1x Swan Song
1x Swords to Plowshares
1x Vandalblast
1x Wear // Tear
1x Arid Mesa
1x Badlands
1x Blood Crypt
1x Bloodstained Mire
1x Cavern of Souls
1x City of Brass
1x Command Tower
1x Flooded Strand
1x Godless Shrine
2x Island
1x Mana Confluence
1x Marsh Flats
1x Misty Rainforest
1x Mountain
1x Plains
1x Plateau
1x Polluted Delta
1x Sacred Foundry
1x Scalding Tarn
1x Scrubland
1x Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1x Spire of Industry
1x Steam Vents
1x Swamp
1x Tundra
1x Underground Sea
1x Volcanic Island
1x Watery Grave
1x Windswept Heath
1x Wooded Foothills
This deck hasn't reached its final form yet, but it's solid right now. It's quite powerful, fast, and consistent. Plenty of changes will be coming but I'm liking how strong it is already. Its fastest kill so far was turn 2.
Ripjaw Raptor (maybe)
Sorcerous Spyglass
Hostage Taker
Chart a Course
Ruin Raider
I already have a proxy of my puppy in as Carnage Tyrant. Hoping to get some playtest results after next weekend.
Either a 2/1 Elvish Visionary or a 3/2 that scries 1 for 2 mana. Not 360 material obviously, but I can see larger cubes trying this. The inconsistency may be its downfall though.
Evasive 3/3 that prevents life gain and provides some rather double-edged "reach." I might test this at 540 despite the lack of haste, though I suspect this may be another Sin Prodder that looks good on paper but plays poorly.
OUT: Gyre Sage
IN: Siren Stormtamer
BAHAHAHA have you ever actually played with or against a worthwhile Silas deck? (I pair him with Bruse) He's powerful with even a Lotus Petal or Urza's Bauble every turn, but once you get Memory Jar or Executioner's Capsule going he quickly takes over the game.