Looking forward to hear from your testing Curdbros.
I have played a few 2 men with the list i posted. Since domri and Kiora don't do anything on their own, there is probably 1 too many. I'll shave 1 Kiora since it's a bit more explosive, but domri hedges a bit better. I'll try to be a bit less linear cutting a bird as well. I'll add an acidic slime and an oath of nissa. I still like the 1 of strangleroot geist even though it feels weird. I may also try 1 good old Garruk Wildspeaker. By the way, is there any good 4 drop to tutor for? Polukranos seems good but paying 4 on next turn would probably prevent to fight. Also cards like Huntmaster or Obstinate Baloth aren't super good and especially in the theme. Any idea?
2 Kiora
2 Domri
1 Courser of Kruphix
2 Eternal Witness
2 Domri
1 Knight OTR
1 Knight of Autumn
2 Primal Command
1 Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves
1 Primeval Titan
1 Woodland Bellower
1 Ruric Thar
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
There probably should be some more Oaths of Nissa, but i wanted 1 more mana guys to go turn 2 domri or Kiora into mana guys. Otherwise I'll see what works and what is terrible...
I have not played devotion decks since WOS, but been thinking a bit about it and have read your comments.
= Domri can help to set up the turn 3 Titan/ Bellower / Wurmcoil / The new Ugin? (Krasis if it's your thing). 1 drop into T2 domri plus 1 drop into 6 mana on turn 3. Turns 3 6 drops are not so easy to achieve unless you are going all in with meee cards like overgrowth, or have some of the nut draws involving arbor elf plus utopia sprawl, or bte plus nykthos, or 3 lands and 3 turn 1 mana guys, so that's another way. You probably want a few big dudes like Knight OTR or maybe strangleroot geist to fight and have other utilities. I don't think I would play cards like Steal Leaf Champion just for that, devotion is a ramp deck.
= I had not notice Kiora before but she's probably good, with Knight and utopia sprawl (and Nykthos). I don't like Fertile Ground and I don't think Kiora would justify playing some amount. I much prefer 3 drops to 4 drops as they are castable on 2 so it's possible that she should replace some amounts of Garruk Wildspeaker. Are there other untap interactions you guys have thought about?
= Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves is worth trying. It can be tutored, especially with Pact, and can destroy problematic combo creatures like Baral, Devoted Druid... Could be an elegant out to faster combo creature decks that's not too bad otherwise. Provides 2 devotion...
= Maybe Jiang Wangyu, new Nissa, or New Ajani have some applications but i have not really thought about them, and they are probably too narrow.
= I have not seen anything for my coco build. Did I missvalue Arlinn's Wolf???
Assuming we both believe Krasis for x less than 4 is unplayable, I can see 80 percent of the matchups where you don't need 2 or 3 life and 2 or 3 cards. Same number of the time, i'd better play the card you chose not to play for krasis. 6 mana Krasis does not win, bellower or titan does. 6 mana Krasis does not beat 1 mana Gurmag Angler(assuming the opponent made a few efforts yeah ;). 8 mana Krasis is lucky. Harmonize style cards don't belong to devotion, even attached to a small body. If you want to draw, play midrange or control and have cheap answers. If you want to play around counterspell, play at a pace where they need the perfect hand unless you swarm them or have to respond to threats individually (coco/planeswalkers/primal command). Why lose tempo and play krasis so maybe it's ok in some matchups whereas a good curve is what you want in most matchups?
Hey thanks for your encouragements. I just noticed Gerry's tweet. He's one of my favorite players. It makes me very happy that you guys share these compliments. I probably would not have concentrated as much on the deck if I had not interacted with you all on this forum. As I said once, people often criticize my card choices (even if I don't really enjoy playing the best decks when I am not having fun) so it feels super encouraging.
Thanks as well to your advices on how to restore my name. I've asked the mod so i hope it will be fixed soon.
About the Krasis, it reminds me about Sphinx's revelation, one of the best standard cards of its time but not focused enough to be that great in modern. Finale of Devastation is probably a better effect that scales, if that's what you are looking for. Genesis wave as well, although the threshold may be higher than Krasis' (6 mana).
I have not thought or gathered all the cards uses but here are some thoughts:
- Vivien s longbow seems sweet although I am not sure it would help in difficult match ups like storm or Phoenix (too slow). Although it could help to play around sweepers or conflagrate and ensure we have some devotion the turn after too produce something big (and elbow could help if we have nothing in hand). I don t know what the optimal configuration between enablers and finishers or specific targets should be but it seems worth testing. Probably more of a sideboard option. Also against death shadow or bg that strip or hand apart, recycling or bad remaining cards coule use full.
- dormi is a cheap permanent that provides up to two mana and can act as a removal. I don t think that there are that many cards with these criteria set available in modern. Imagine turn 2 bte into domri fight baral: maybe we have a chance! The older domri is more ca oriented so belongs to the ab only. This one maybe slightly more linear so I am curious to see if he can belong to the main plan.
- I don t really see the new green sun s zenith except for craterhoof or maybe the miser dryad arbor. I have not considered the other colors and there are for sure potential inclusions. If so, I wonder if you should then keep playing a nykthos deck. Maybe it gives you access to a 2nd thalia, eidolon, etc out of the board. It seems too expensive, but given all the possibilities I may have missed some of them. Also, with cards that say "as an additional cost" like myr superior...
I have ben playing less green devotion these days. Cards like thing in the ice and gut shot are not our friends.
I was just wondering if someone had tried experimental frienzy. Obviously it would require to lower the curve, and probably remove the midrange threats and engines like garruk, coco, primal command... and have access to the finishers like craterhoof in a smooth way which is not easy with frienzy, or maybe some sinergistic cheap cards like ezury or lords (and maybe a straight elf deck could be better). However, digging for cheap hate like rip or spot removal while playing several crappy guys a turn could somehow turn into finisher, even if this should happen more in postboard games and game 1 there should be a more linear kill,
Anyway, some cards that already are good in devotikn like courser could shine, maybe hidden herbalist to have 8 “bte” when we go off, although h h seems hard to set up. I am thinking as well about cheap cantrips like abundant growth and oath of nissa to maybe accumulate devotion one turn and then have rnough to sac frienzy and kill the opponent with ressources in hand the turn after.
These are scenarios from the top of my head and i have no idea about how often they could occur but the card has so insane potential that i wonder if it could belong to a nykthos deck (it may be terrible) and if you guys have tried to make it work.
I have played a few 2 men with the list i posted. Since domri and Kiora don't do anything on their own, there is probably 1 too many. I'll shave 1 Kiora since it's a bit more explosive, but domri hedges a bit better. I'll try to be a bit less linear cutting a bird as well. I'll add an acidic slime and an oath of nissa. I still like the 1 of strangleroot geist even though it feels weird. I may also try 1 good old Garruk Wildspeaker. By the way, is there any good 4 drop to tutor for? Polukranos seems good but paying 4 on next turn would probably prevent to fight. Also cards like Huntmaster or Obstinate Baloth aren't super good and especially in the theme. Any idea?
21 lands
8 fetches
2 G/W
2 R/G
4 nykthos
1 Kessig
4 Forest
4 Summoner's pact
4 Arbor Elf
4 Birds
4 Utopia Sprawl
2 Oath of nissa
4 Burning Tree
1 Strangleroot geist
2 Kiora
2 Domri
1 Courser of Kruphix
2 Eternal Witness
2 Domri
1 Knight OTR
1 Knight of Autumn
2 Primal Command
1 Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves
1 Primeval Titan
1 Woodland Bellower
1 Ruric Thar
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
There probably should be some more Oaths of Nissa, but i wanted 1 more mana guys to go turn 2 domri or Kiora into mana guys. Otherwise I'll see what works and what is terrible...
= Domri can help to set up the turn 3 Titan/ Bellower / Wurmcoil / The new Ugin? (Krasis if it's your thing). 1 drop into T2 domri plus 1 drop into 6 mana on turn 3. Turns 3 6 drops are not so easy to achieve unless you are going all in with meee cards like overgrowth, or have some of the nut draws involving arbor elf plus utopia sprawl, or bte plus nykthos, or 3 lands and 3 turn 1 mana guys, so that's another way. You probably want a few big dudes like Knight OTR or maybe strangleroot geist to fight and have other utilities. I don't think I would play cards like Steal Leaf Champion just for that, devotion is a ramp deck.
= I had not notice Kiora before but she's probably good, with Knight and utopia sprawl (and Nykthos). I don't like Fertile Ground and I don't think Kiora would justify playing some amount. I much prefer 3 drops to 4 drops as they are castable on 2 so it's possible that she should replace some amounts of Garruk Wildspeaker. Are there other untap interactions you guys have thought about?
= Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves is worth trying. It can be tutored, especially with Pact, and can destroy problematic combo creatures like Baral, Devoted Druid... Could be an elegant out to faster combo creature decks that's not too bad otherwise. Provides 2 devotion...
= Maybe Jiang Wangyu, new Nissa, or New Ajani have some applications but i have not really thought about them, and they are probably too narrow.
= I have not seen anything for my coco build. Did I missvalue Arlinn's Wolf???
Please Randrock help me to modify (improve) my judgment so that I can beat my handsome brother who is pretty good in his village
Thanks as well to your advices on how to restore my name. I've asked the mod so i hope it will be fixed soon.
About the Krasis, it reminds me about Sphinx's revelation, one of the best standard cards of its time but not focused enough to be that great in modern. Finale of Devastation is probably a better effect that scales, if that's what you are looking for. Genesis wave as well, although the threshold may be higher than Krasis' (6 mana).
- Vivien s longbow seems sweet although I am not sure it would help in difficult match ups like storm or Phoenix (too slow). Although it could help to play around sweepers or conflagrate and ensure we have some devotion the turn after too produce something big (and elbow could help if we have nothing in hand). I don t know what the optimal configuration between enablers and finishers or specific targets should be but it seems worth testing. Probably more of a sideboard option. Also against death shadow or bg that strip or hand apart, recycling or bad remaining cards coule use full.
- dormi is a cheap permanent that provides up to two mana and can act as a removal. I don t think that there are that many cards with these criteria set available in modern. Imagine turn 2 bte into domri fight baral: maybe we have a chance! The older domri is more ca oriented so belongs to the ab only. This one maybe slightly more linear so I am curious to see if he can belong to the main plan.
- I don t really see the new green sun s zenith except for craterhoof or maybe the miser dryad arbor. I have not considered the other colors and there are for sure potential inclusions. If so, I wonder if you should then keep playing a nykthos deck. Maybe it gives you access to a 2nd thalia, eidolon, etc out of the board. It seems too expensive, but given all the possibilities I may have missed some of them. Also, with cards that say "as an additional cost" like myr superior...
I was just wondering if someone had tried experimental frienzy. Obviously it would require to lower the curve, and probably remove the midrange threats and engines like garruk, coco, primal command... and have access to the finishers like craterhoof in a smooth way which is not easy with frienzy, or maybe some sinergistic cheap cards like ezury or lords (and maybe a straight elf deck could be better). However, digging for cheap hate like rip or spot removal while playing several crappy guys a turn could somehow turn into finisher, even if this should happen more in postboard games and game 1 there should be a more linear kill,
Anyway, some cards that already are good in devotikn like courser could shine, maybe hidden herbalist to have 8 “bte” when we go off, although h h seems hard to set up. I am thinking as well about cheap cantrips like abundant growth and oath of nissa to maybe accumulate devotion one turn and then have rnough to sac frienzy and kill the opponent with ressources in hand the turn after.
These are scenarios from the top of my head and i have no idea about how often they could occur but the card has so insane potential that i wonder if it could belong to a nykthos deck (it may be terrible) and if you guys have tried to make it work.