Hey sorry for replying this late, really busy these days. I can't deny it, I found that thread while deckbuilding and picked some ideas so thanks twice. Anyway, these are the changes I made:
I'm planning to build two decks to introduce the game to my friends. Red and green can easily explain certain mechanics like the stack so I came up with a simple Goblins vs Elves with no tribal, just for the sake of flavor. These are the main criteria that I followed:
- No rares, pretty much the same amount of uncommons;
- No keywords that are not evergreen, and only the primary ones for that color;
- Both the deck contains each card type except for tribal and planeswalker; I picked an artifact and an enchantment without sub-types for the red one, an equipment and an enchant creature aura for the green one;
- My collection is entirely Modern so I stood within this format.
Actually the deck didn't work well, so I dropped this concept for this. Radha is quite cool but the deck hadn't a clear strategy and failed to be focused around her. Maybe I could get rid of all the tribal and make it more oriented on mana ramp and burn, perhaps with Charmbreaker Devils too. But what is this Enraging Hellkite you mentioned?
Update: Seems that Remand and Plasm Capture are not exactly the best cards for this kind of deck. I really don't want to end up with a mere blue splash, so I'm looking for some alternatives in the same color. There's Intruder Alarm but the price is quite prohibitive. Apart from that, what can blue offer to Elves? Or is there a way to add some other draw engines without losing aggro?
Suggestions are appreciated, but please consider these conditions:
- 50$ budget;
- Only Modern-legal cards.
- 10-15 rares;
Thanks for your feedback!
EDIT: I dropped Mul Daya Channelers, Remand and Plasm Capture and I'm planning to add at least 2 Elvish Archdruid, so 6/7 cards are missing. I really don't want to end up with a mere blue splash, so I'm looking for some blue alternatives. There's Intruder Alarm but the price is quite prohibitive. Apart from that, what can blue offer to Elves? Or is there a way to add some other draw engines without losing aggro?
The thing with Delirium Skeins and most of other discard engines is that they cannot be cast/activated from your graveyard, so they're lost when they end up there with dredge. The only suitable cards I can think of are Phantasmagorian and Rotting Rats, but I'm not sure they are worth picking.
At the moment, dredge is not very efficient at launching Haakon, since if it doesn't appear you have essentially wasted your draw phase and 2/3 cards. I should probably choose between these two strategies:
- A more dredge-oriented deck, adding more cards that can be useful from the graveyard (Valor instead of Kinsbaile Cavalier, Corpse Connoisseur, maybe Rotting Rats, and obviously some other cards with dredge);
- A discard-oriented deck with Delirium Skeins and similar, speeding up the research with something like Read the Bones.
I wasn't satisfied with this concept for my flanking deck so I'm testing a new one. Basically I was looking for a Modern-legal way to run Crib Swap + Haakon, Stromgald Scourge combo (so, no Entomb or Buried Alive) and I came up with this:
- Raven's Crime if Haakon is in hand. It really isn't wasted since it's repeatable (especially with Dakmor Salvage);
- Darkblast (or Dakmor Salvage) if Haakon is still in the library. Once he's on the battlefield dredge becomes basically an alternative and more effective way to draw knights;
- Nameless Inversion and Crib Swap are both in the deck, but I think the latter has better sinergy with flanking (and Darkblast as well);
- With all these creature removals Pentarch Paladin can be used mostly for enchantments (and colored artifacts?). I have nothing against noncreature artifacts, but probably it's not a big deal;
- Haakon allows to reanimate the creatures that were put in the graveyard from the battlefield, but with Knight Exemplar (better if 2 of them) there's no more need to worry about that so all the mana can be used for removals and other knights to cast.
- I considered picking Valor but Kinsbaile Cavalier should do a better job.
Are you sick of all these tribal elf decks? I am, but there's this old Lorwyn deck of mine that's asking to be completed. I replaced black with red and put Radha, Heir to Keld + some red instants (notably, Savage Beating) + Fervor in order to make a sort of elf "berserked-warriors" deck:
You're right (again) and your suggestions are fitting as always. Forgive me, I'm just fixated on the "tiny flyers" theme so I'd rather drop Dovescape and go for something more practical. Maybe Sudden Spoiling? (obv as an alternative to the Godhead when it's not on the battlefield)
I wasn't entirely satisfied so I'm trying to pursue the original idea of splashing some black. Plus I've added Dovescape, it fits both the deck sub-themes and provides some other combos with the enchantments.
Wow thanks for the suggestions, much to consider!
The "Anthem Godhead" idea seems nice for another deck concept since there aren't many flyers like Shinewend. You're right about Choking Fumes, think I'll take your advice and replace it with some token producers.
Counterspells were supposed to protect the Godhead in the first place. I wonder if it would be safe if I make the deck more counterspell-oriented, something like this:
4x Goblin Arsonist
2x Mogg Fanatic
4x Goblin Piker
4x Mudbrawler Cohort
2x Dragon Hatchling
2x Akki Coalflinger
2x Boggart Brute
2x Stone Golem
4x Shock
4x Searing Spear
2x Arc Lightning
2x Demolish
2x Goblin Cannon
2x Raid Bombardment
22x Mountain
New entries:
- Goblin Arsonist
- Dragon Hatchling (a more classic firebreather compared to Lavastep Raider, plus gives green a real pretext to run reach)
- Mogg Fanatic (replaces Lavastep Raider cmc-wise and Ember Hauler effect-wise, offers a teachable moment when compared with Goblin Arsonist or Goblin Cannon)
- Boggart Brute
- Stone Golem
- Arc Lightning
4x Llanowar Elves
2x Arbor Elf
4x Elvish Visionary
2x Thornweald Archer
4x Elvish Warrior
2x Reclamation Sage
2x Drove of Elves
2x Giant Spider
2x Yavimaya Wurm
2x Enormous Baloth
4x Giant Growth
2x Commune with Nature
2x Overrun
2x Horned Helm
2x Lure
22x Forest
New entries:
- Reclamation Sage
- Giant Spider
- Yavimaya Wurm
- Enormous Baloth
Still haven't had the chance to test them though.
- No rares, pretty much the same amount of uncommons;
- No keywords that are not evergreen, and only the primary ones for that color;
- Both the deck contains each card type except for tribal and planeswalker; I picked an artifact and an enchantment without sub-types for the red one, an equipment and an enchant creature aura for the green one;
- My collection is entirely Modern so I stood within this format.
4x Raging Goblin
2x Lavastep Raider
4x Goblin Piker
4x Mudbrawler Cohort
2x Ember Hauler
2x Akki Coalflinger
4x Goblin Roughrider
4x Shock
4x Searing Spear
2x Demolish
2x Spire Barrage
2x Goblin Cannon
2x Raid Bombardment
22x Mountain
4x Llanowar Elves
4x Arbor Elf
4x Cylian Elf
4x Elvish Visionary
2x Thornweald Archer
4x Elvish Warrior
2x Civic Wayfinder
2x Drove of Elves
2x Wildheart Invoker
4x Giant Growth
2x Commune with Nature
2x Overrun
2x Horned Helm
2x Lure
20x Forest
Thanks for your feedback!
4x Llanowar Elves
4x Elvish Mystic
4x Elvish Visionary
4x Coiling Oracle
2x Viridian Zealot
2x Elvish Harbinger
4x Imperious Perfect
3x Mul Daya Channelers
3x Momir Vig, Simic Visionary
3x Remand
3x Distant Melody
2x Plasm Capture
Lands:
12x Forest
6x Island
2x Simic Growth Chamber
2x Yavimaya Coast
The deck is pretty self-explanatory: creature-based, with card drawing (Elvish Visionary, Coiling Oracle, Distant Melody), tutoring (Elvish Harbinger, Momir Vig, Simic Visionary) and mana ramp (Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic etc.) as the main strategies to keep the battlefield crowded.
Suggestions are appreciated, but please consider these conditions:
- 50$ budget;
- Only Modern-legal cards.
- 10-15 rares;
Thanks for your feedback!
EDIT: I dropped Mul Daya Channelers, Remand and Plasm Capture and I'm planning to add at least 2 Elvish Archdruid, so 6/7 cards are missing. I really don't want to end up with a mere blue splash, so I'm looking for some blue alternatives. There's Intruder Alarm but the price is quite prohibitive. Apart from that, what can blue offer to Elves? Or is there a way to add some other draw engines without losing aggro?
-4 Raven's Crime
-1 Plains
-1 Knight Exemplar
-2 Kinsbaile Cavalier
+4 Rotting Rats
+2 Corpse Connoisseur
+2 Valor
so the deck would be like this:
4x Benalish Cavalry
2x Knight of the Holy Nimbus
4x Outrider en-Kor
2x Pentarch Paladin
2x Knight Exemplar
4x Haakon, Stromgald Scourge
4x Rotting Rats
2x Corpse Connoisseur
2x Valor
4x Darkblast
2x Nameless Inversion
4x Crib Swap
Lands:
10x Plains
8x Swamp
2x Orzhov Basilica
2x Caves of Koilos
2x Dakmor Salvage
If this concept doesn't work I'll try to drop dredge and make it more "draw/discard"-oriented.
At the moment, dredge is not very efficient at launching Haakon, since if it doesn't appear you have essentially wasted your draw phase and 2/3 cards. I should probably choose between these two strategies:
- A more dredge-oriented deck, adding more cards that can be useful from the graveyard (Valor instead of Kinsbaile Cavalier, Corpse Connoisseur, maybe Rotting Rats, and obviously some other cards with dredge);
- A discard-oriented deck with Delirium Skeins and similar, speeding up the research with something like Read the Bones.
4x Benalish Cavalry
2x Knight of the Holy Nimbus
4x Outrider en-Kor
2x Pentarch Paladin
4x Haakon, Stromgald Scourge
3x Knight Exemplar
2x Kinsbaile Cavalier
4x Raven's Crime
4x Darkblast
2x Nameless Inversion
4x Crib Swap
Lands:
11x Plains
8x Swamp
2x Orzhov Basilica
2x Caves of Koilos
2x Dakmor Salvage
- Raven's Crime if Haakon is in hand. It really isn't wasted since it's repeatable (especially with Dakmor Salvage);
- Darkblast (or Dakmor Salvage) if Haakon is still in the library. Once he's on the battlefield dredge becomes basically an alternative and more effective way to draw knights;
- Nameless Inversion and Crib Swap are both in the deck, but I think the latter has better sinergy with flanking (and Darkblast as well);
- With all these creature removals Pentarch Paladin can be used mostly for enchantments (and colored artifacts?). I have nothing against noncreature artifacts, but probably it's not a big deal;
- Haakon allows to reanimate the creatures that were put in the graveyard from the battlefield, but with Knight Exemplar (better if 2 of them) there's no more need to worry about that so all the mana can be used for removals and other knights to cast.
- I considered picking Valor but Kinsbaile Cavalier should do a better job.
EDIT, at the moment I'm considering these changes:
-4 Raven's Crime
-1 Plains
-1 Knight Exemplar
-2 Kinsbaile Cavalier
+4 Rotting Rats
+2 Corpse Connoisseur
+2 Valor
Thanks for your feedback!
-2 Lys Alana Huntmaster
-1 Radha, Heir to Keld
-4 Brute Force
+1 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
+1 Hunting Triad
+2 Elvish Mystic
+3 Gruul Charm
4x Llanowar Elves
4x Elvish Mystic
4x Bramblewood Paragon
3x Radha, Heir to Keld
2x Viridian Zealot
4x Imperious Perfect
1x Ezuri, Renegade Leader
2x Immaculate Magistrate
4x Fall of the Hammer
2x Gruul Charm
2x Savage Beating
4x Hunting Triad
2x Fervor
Lands:
10x Forest
6x Mountain
2x Gruul Turf
2x Karplusan Forest
2x Kessig Wolf Run
Mana sources: the predictable Llanowar Elves and Elvish Mystic, Radha, Heir to Keld;
Creature pump: Bramblewood Paragon, Immaculate Magistrate, Ezuri, Renegade Leader, Kessig Wolf Run;
Token production: Imperious Perfect, Hunting Triad;
Removal: Viridian Zealot, Fall of the Hammer;
Combat support: Gruul Charm, Savage Beating, Fervor.
P.S.: the deck is clearly not competitive but I'd stay in Modern if possible.
Thanks for your feedback!
4x Ornithopter
4x Judge's Familiar
2x Spiketail Hatchling
4x Pride of the Clouds
4x Godhead of Awe
2x Draining Whelk
3x Zealous Persecution
4x Soul Manipulation
3x Favorable Winds
2x Reverence
2x Curse of Death's Hold
2x Dovescape
7x Island
9x Plains
2x Nimbus Maze
2x Underground River
2x Arcane Sanctum
1x Forbidden Orchard
1x Vesuva
Godhead of Awe combo: Zealous Persecution, Reverence, Curse of Death's Hold
1/1 flyers: Pride of the Clouds and the rest of the crew, Favorable Winds, Dovescape
Counterspells: Judge's Familiar, Spiketail Hatchling, Draining Whelk, Soul Manipulation, Dovescape
Maybe I should drop Favorable Winds and add other 2 Spiketail Hatchling and 1 Zealous Persecution since the deck now is more focused on blocking the opponent. What do you think?
The "Anthem Godhead" idea seems nice for another deck concept since there aren't many flyers like Shinewend. You're right about Choking Fumes, think I'll take your advice and replace it with some token producers.
Counterspells were supposed to protect the Godhead in the first place. I wonder if it would be safe if I make the deck more counterspell-oriented, something like this:
4x Judge's Familiar
4x Pride of the Clouds
3x Ornithopter
2x Spiketail Hatchling
4x Godhead of Awe
2x Draining Whelk
2x Mana Tithe
3x Mana Leak
2x Spectral Procession
4x Midnight Haunting
3x Favorable Winds
2x Reverence
2x Cumber Stone
9x Island
10x Plains
2x Azorius Chancery
2x Nimbus Maze
Godhead of Awe combo: Reverence, Cumber Stone
1/1 flyers: Pride of the Clouds and the rest of the crew, Midnight Haunting, Spectral Procession, Favorable Winds
Counterspells: Judge's Familiar, Spiketail Hatchling, Draining Whelk, Mana Tithe, Mana Leak
-2 Slith Ascendant
-2 Countermand
+3 Mana Leak
+1 Favorable Winds
plus I'm considering Judge's Familiar or Spiketail Hatchling instead of the other 2 Sliths. I would replace Mindshrieker too, but then I think I'd need some other sort of mana sink. I came up with Sacred Mesa but I'm not sure. What do you think?