I also thought about the ramp and color fixing. However, I do have lots of Mana rocks and not that many green ramp spells. I could remove those altogether. In midrange land, green has other nice things to offer and with the suite of Mana rocks available the fixing / ramp is plentiful and equally accessible for all. But I have to think about this.
Concerning your draft experience, I'm pretty sure that unmoderated packs of 15 are not well suited, but see my explanation below.
Concerning your questions:
1) I know of some people's preferences. One person says that white is so bad and that they are always lucky when drafting green. And one player says they will never draft blue. That may have something do with it.
2) Back in summer when we could play in person I had one pack of multicolor (including commanders), then three packs of monocolor / colorless. Referring in both cases to color identity cause that's what's relevant. Packs did have 20 cards then but I changed it since because cutting so many cards from a deck is really hard. There's not really a lot of chaff, after all. Currently we draft online with 2*30 cards and three picks per pack. That's so we can check before starting that each pack has some commanders available.
3) Griselbrand hasn't been in for that long and I haven't seen him in play. He has some similarities to Westvale Abbey which I cut for being oppressive. I do think, however, that 1) Griselbrand is easier to get rid of and 2) has a higher cost for putting him in the deck (Westvale Abbey is one land that's colorless, in casualland that is nothing). Also, it's probably less problematic in the 99, there's almost no combos you can do, there's not really a lot of ways to cheat his price, and with 25 starting life you can draw less cards.
How does it work: it's an EDH cube. Draft 60 cards, build decks with 60 cards plus commanders / conspiracies. Color identity applies except for cards "wished" from the sideboard during a game. 25 life. Monocolored bounce lands are house ruled to take back any land just like the two-colored ones do. Cards that reference others of the same name come as playsets (e.g. Legion Conquistador). I use gift cards represented by Wastes that can be redeemed for a set of snow basics, or two artifact lands, or a tricolor land.
I'm happy with the general power level of the cube after cutting a lot of chaff, some board wipes, and some unfun cards (Westvale Abbey, especially). Most decks drafted are tricolor.
What I noticed is that green gets used about 30% more than each of the other colors. So I'm wondering if there is something wrong with my green section or my multicolor section. The pairings that get drafted most are Naya, Jund, Abzan, and Mardu.
Maybe it also has to do with the archetypes that are not equally well worked out for all combinations.
I have WU Flyers, RG Aggro (somewhat like Fires without the specific card being included), WG +1/+1 (and Tokens to a lesser extent), and RW Tokens.
The folliwing ones I'm less certain of: The grixis domain has a spellslinger and theft theme. UG has somewhat of a card draw theme. And WB has a solid lifegain theme, also this is not that extensive of an archetype.
I would be grateful if someone could check for obvious problems in my list that make it so green gets drafted so much. Thanks in advance!
There are definitely compelling argument to say it's fake but Jin-Gitaxias being broken is not one of them. With Oko, Uro and other stuff banned and the similar Vorinclex which is maybe not banned or even worthy of, this one seems very plausible unfortunately. Even if these are fake there's no way that there's not one or more cards that are almost as bad or worse than this.
Of course we cannot verify right now if this is legit, but all things considered these cards seem reasonably realistic so if they are not legit they're well invented.
Going through the different points:
The MDFC design seems very reasonable. Maro said that the execution of those is somewhat unique per set and that Strixhaven has a number similar to Kaldheim i.e. less than ZNR. Given these ideas and the fact that people will expect some kind of spells matter theme, having powerful figures with their spells on the back seems likely.
Kasmina is on point with typical blue stuff. Wizard tribal also seems plausible. Of course it is also easy to make something like this up. The static is somewhat like Nissa from ZNR. 4 loyalty for 5 Mana seems very much not out of the ordinary (Oko had it for 3). Indirect loyalty like from the 0 also isn't new (see M20-1RR-Chandra and Huatli). Removal on -3 is also typical. Now of course it's a double, but it's only creatures and probably you would often prefer exile / destructiction so it is not strictly better than the other variants. And remember that Oko had the removal on +1. One important point to notice is that while a planeswalker with the full package (tokens, card advantage, removal) is always playable, she needs a wizard tribal deck to realize her full potential, since she makes more loyalty and card advantage there and especially because the back side is a lot better there.
Quick aside on free casting: now this most probably a bad idea, but a) given last year's cards nobody will be surprised if there are new cards that miss the mark on the power level. And b) a "free casting" theme would fit thematically, so I don't see why it would be unrealistic.
This Jin-Gitaxias, if it's real seems like a candidate for a coming B&R announcement. Now, I don't play competitively, so maybe I'm off here, but if it is as broken as it looks that does not make it unrealistic given the recent mistakes that were published. It is very uninteractive (for the opponent) and free casting plus free countering seems a bit much. Otherwise the positive negative combination fits the existing praetors and flash / counterproof fits trample / haste of Vorinclex so looks reasonable.
Concerning the level up, Maro said that the basic concept was good but the execution was lacking. He also said that they might bring it back but only if they come up with a better execution. Borrowing from sagas seems like a good way to do so. Also, the professor suggested, and I agree, that level-up or experience seem like a good mechanical representation of learning. All this doesn't make it true (anyone who read Maro's articles could come up with the same conclusion and make it up) but at least there's nothing that seems very unlikely.
Concerning the enemy colored pairs: This is predeminantly based on the name Witherbloom which sounds very Golgari. I agree with that. But, so far the color pairs are also just speculative. And even if they're enemy colored this doesn't mean that there can't be some cards that are allied colored. ZNR and Kaldheim made sure that there were legendary creatures and sagas and snow doubles for each combination. So even if the main focus is enemy pairs, there could still be a rare Commander for each pair. After all WoTC needs to provide for the EDH clientele.
TL;DR: While there is nothing to prove the legitimacy of the leak there is also nothing that specifically strikes me as likely made up. Could be legit in my opinion. We'll see.
Doran is definitely an idea. Abzan is one of my favourite combinations. I got useful pieces from a modern arcades deck I built. I can use Elesh Norn, black draw, green ramp, my favourite orzhov removal pieces and spike feeder / Thune. On the other hand it will be pretty bad against Etrata...
What commanders are there that are highly aggressive but allow for an easy backup combo? (Like spike feeder / Thune).
I'm looking to improve my winning chances in a very creature heavy meta. We play 2 to 4 players but always use the normal banlist / rules (i.e. no french type list...) The decks are budget, the mindset is competitive
Most of my decks are valueish with something like 3.5 CMC average. This works very well against decks that are not so heavy on creatures. On the other hand, I have problems against creature heavy decks, even if nothing really happens the first 2 to 3 turns. I can often win with Torment of Hailfire, especially if I get some board wipes. But I also often get run over by Aggro tribal Decks.
There are a few options: 1) Turn 3 combo things. 2) Pillowfort 3) Control 4) Decks that are more aggro
I find fast combos boring and I don't like playing control or pillow fort.
Consequently, I need to play aggro as well or maybe midrange. I'm looking for a way to keep the board under control early or keep up with aggression and combo before turn 8 or 10 if necessary, i.e. if I'm on the wrong side of the combat damage distribution or if I get into a stalemate.
I considered Spike Feeder / Archangel of Thune as a combo option which is easy to tutor for. I also considered Food Chain / Prossh. I also want to try a super low CMC edric evasion build. Probably I need to generally lower my mana curves.
Are there any other ideas worth pursuing if I want to win often without a combo that happens both consistently and early?
Also, I never said my deck was 30$, just most decks in my meta.
The lands are definitely a problem. I'm still trying to figure out, how I can play all the nice 1XX cards like Aura of Silence and Courser of Kruphix without making the manabase to expensive. I frequently get mana problems because lands enter tapped or due to lack of colors. I'm thinking Sunpetal Grove and Co. might be a good idea. Also Canopy Vista along with more basic lands and Forbidden Orchard. I don't like Dryad Arbor, because it's like an ETBT land and also easy prey to Etrata, the Silencer. Similarly, I don't like Scavenger Grounds because it's colorless. I like Gavony Township and Vault of the Archangel a lot, but I think I should get rid of Temple of the false god as suggested and not use other colorless lands. Probably I'll also follow the suggestion of getting rid of Vivids along with things like Winbrisk Heights and Lotus Field. The latter seems nice, because it colorfixes and has hexproof, but it's ETBT, you don't want it on your starting hand, it anti-synergizes with bounce lands and it's also useless when you need multiple different colors. Additionally I might use cards like Farseek, Kodama's Reach and Rampant Growth to replace some the more expensive land tutors. Another idea might be to remove some cards with prohibitive color requirements. Mirran Crusader was already suggested, but maybe others as well.
Concerning the suggestions: Aven Mindcensor might be worth it, but there's not that much tutors and combos in my meta so maybe not. Merciless Eviction is definitely a good idea. I got rid of Protean Hulk because I notice the same problem and it is especially sad against Etrata, the Silencer. Concerning Josu Vess, Lich Knight: Pretty much every black deck in my meta has him but since it's like missing out on christmas when someone has to play him for 4 and I can't really flicker him, Army of the Damned might be a replacement, especially since it is immune to Etrata, the Silencer.
Some manadorks might be good, but in that case, I'll also put Sylvan Caryatid back in. Sure it costs 2, but it has hexproof, color-fixing and decent early-game blcoking capabilities. I'm pretty sure Thaumatic Compass stay. Games generally take long enough for it to flip and then it provides good defense against big creatures and against Etrata. Also I definitely will keep Identity Crisis. I have literally NEVER cast that card without it being awesome. Avenger of Zendikar, Massacre Girl and Sakura-Tribe Elder are definitely worth considering as are some of the swords: Sword of Body and Mind is good with the tokens, Sword of Truth and Justice is better because of the counters and it is pretty cheap. Maybe I'll get Sword of Feast and Famine as well. Sword of Sinew and Steel might not be that interesting because many decks in my meta mostly play creatures and not so many planeswalkers and artifacts, although there should be ab artifact present most of the time.
Unfortunately I'm still 6 cards above the 99, so I'm looking for advice on what to cut. Obviously I would also like some comments on the list in general.
I could definitely run some Llanowar Elves and Avacyn's Pilgrim. On the other hand, I often find lands preferable, because my meta has Etrata, the silencer, but almost no land destruction. But I could remove something like Seedguide Ash, which is probaly one of the card you mean, when you say, ramp that costs a lot of mana. Maybe rather use Joraga Treespeaker or something like that.
What redundant expensive pieces do you mean and can you recomment some draw spell that do not rely on a big creature, i.e. unlike Momentous Fall?
So my meta is not really competitive (most commanders are generally not cEDH material and everything is pretty budget). I'm looking to make the deck better. My most recent changes were more basic lands because I lost some games due to things like Dwarven Miner or lands that enter tapped. Also I added some defensive measures because I got out-aggro'd multiple times by Boros.
I'm gonna talk about the purpose of this deck first. I'm in a casual plyagroup, meaning that most of the decks are pretty low budget (like <30$ budget) and we don't mind the duel commander ban list, even when we play 1:1 (i.e. we play Sol Ring, Sensei's Divining Top and Dig through Time. On the other side we play pretty tight, as in we try to play optimally and play to win. My metagame consists of Etrata, the Silencer, Tatyova, Benthic Druid and Muldrotha, the Gravetide.
There are some ideas I had to make the deck better.
- Replace Thran Dynamo with Gilded Lotus, because lots of my cards have high color requirements.
- Add some finishers such as Exsanguinate and/or Debt to the Deathless which also replenish my own life points as I often expense a lot of lifepoints for bitterblossom, draw effects and so on.
- Add Beast within and/or Vindicate which can remove nasty commanders but also artifacts and enchantments.
- Add Runed Halo which is very effective against Etrata, the Silencer but also generally useful.
Otherwise I'm looking for any advice to improve the deck in general and with respect to the named commanders specifically. Any help is appreciated.
It does play quite nicely, but I was still wondering about ways to improve it. [Up front: I know that I'm not allowed to discuss budget in this subforum. But I also know that Doubling Season would be an obvious additiona and it's not in the deck for budget reasons. Same goes for Parallel Lives and Primal Vigor.]
This deck is basically about ramp and then moving to big / many creatures. Big and many is basically the same thing here, because with Mycoloth, Fungal Sprouting and Majestic Myriarch both concepts concepts easily convert into each other.
This seems also to be a major problem of the deck - there's a kind of "house of cards" effect. If one Mycoloth getsmurdered or stolen thing's can get pretty bad.
Another thing is that sometimes it's hard to get into gear. The best thing is, if I can play Gigantosaurus on turn 4 and Fungal Sprouting on the next or something similar. That's why I'm thinking of replacing one Mycoloth with one Gigantosaurus.
I'm also thinking about taking out Gravity Well, which is probably sideboard material and Shaper's Sanctuary which didn't pay off most of the time. These would be replaced with a third Beastmaster Ascension and another Leyline which can produce insane amounts of life.
I also thought about the ramp and color fixing. However, I do have lots of Mana rocks and not that many green ramp spells. I could remove those altogether. In midrange land, green has other nice things to offer and with the suite of Mana rocks available the fixing / ramp is plentiful and equally accessible for all. But I have to think about this.
Concerning your draft experience, I'm pretty sure that unmoderated packs of 15 are not well suited, but see my explanation below.
Concerning your questions:
1) I know of some people's preferences. One person says that white is so bad and that they are always lucky when drafting green. And one player says they will never draft blue. That may have something do with it.
2) Back in summer when we could play in person I had one pack of multicolor (including commanders), then three packs of monocolor / colorless. Referring in both cases to color identity cause that's what's relevant. Packs did have 20 cards then but I changed it since because cutting so many cards from a deck is really hard. There's not really a lot of chaff, after all. Currently we draft online with 2*30 cards and three picks per pack. That's so we can check before starting that each pack has some commanders available.
3) Griselbrand hasn't been in for that long and I haven't seen him in play. He has some similarities to Westvale Abbey which I cut for being oppressive. I do think, however, that 1) Griselbrand is easier to get rid of and 2) has a higher cost for putting him in the deck (Westvale Abbey is one land that's colorless, in casualland that is nothing). Also, it's probably less problematic in the 99, there's almost no combos you can do, there's not really a lot of ways to cheat his price, and with 25 starting life you can draw less cards.
How does it work: it's an EDH cube. Draft 60 cards, build decks with 60 cards plus commanders / conspiracies. Color identity applies except for cards "wished" from the sideboard during a game. 25 life. Monocolored bounce lands are house ruled to take back any land just like the two-colored ones do. Cards that reference others of the same name come as playsets (e.g. Legion Conquistador). I use gift cards represented by Wastes that can be redeemed for a set of snow basics, or two artifact lands, or a tricolor land.
I'm happy with the general power level of the cube after cutting a lot of chaff, some board wipes, and some unfun cards (Westvale Abbey, especially). Most decks drafted are tricolor.
What I noticed is that green gets used about 30% more than each of the other colors. So I'm wondering if there is something wrong with my green section or my multicolor section. The pairings that get drafted most are Naya, Jund, Abzan, and Mardu.
Maybe it also has to do with the archetypes that are not equally well worked out for all combinations.
I have WU Flyers, RG Aggro (somewhat like Fires without the specific card being included), WG +1/+1 (and Tokens to a lesser extent), and RW Tokens.
The folliwing ones I'm less certain of: The grixis domain has a spellslinger and theft theme. UG has somewhat of a card draw theme. And WB has a solid lifegain theme, also this is not that extensive of an archetype.
I would be grateful if someone could check for obvious problems in my list that make it so green gets drafted so much. Thanks in advance!
Going through the different points:
The MDFC design seems very reasonable. Maro said that the execution of those is somewhat unique per set and that Strixhaven has a number similar to Kaldheim i.e. less than ZNR. Given these ideas and the fact that people will expect some kind of spells matter theme, having powerful figures with their spells on the back seems likely.
Kasmina is on point with typical blue stuff. Wizard tribal also seems plausible. Of course it is also easy to make something like this up. The static is somewhat like Nissa from ZNR. 4 loyalty for 5 Mana seems very much not out of the ordinary (Oko had it for 3). Indirect loyalty like from the 0 also isn't new (see M20-1RR-Chandra and Huatli). Removal on -3 is also typical. Now of course it's a double, but it's only creatures and probably you would often prefer exile / destructiction so it is not strictly better than the other variants. And remember that Oko had the removal on +1. One important point to notice is that while a planeswalker with the full package (tokens, card advantage, removal) is always playable, she needs a wizard tribal deck to realize her full potential, since she makes more loyalty and card advantage there and especially because the back side is a lot better there.
Quick aside on free casting: now this most probably a bad idea, but a) given last year's cards nobody will be surprised if there are new cards that miss the mark on the power level. And b) a "free casting" theme would fit thematically, so I don't see why it would be unrealistic.
This Jin-Gitaxias, if it's real seems like a candidate for a coming B&R announcement. Now, I don't play competitively, so maybe I'm off here, but if it is as broken as it looks that does not make it unrealistic given the recent mistakes that were published. It is very uninteractive (for the opponent) and free casting plus free countering seems a bit much. Otherwise the positive negative combination fits the existing praetors and flash / counterproof fits trample / haste of Vorinclex so looks reasonable.
Concerning the level up, Maro said that the basic concept was good but the execution was lacking. He also said that they might bring it back but only if they come up with a better execution. Borrowing from sagas seems like a good way to do so. Also, the professor suggested, and I agree, that level-up or experience seem like a good mechanical representation of learning. All this doesn't make it true (anyone who read Maro's articles could come up with the same conclusion and make it up) but at least there's nothing that seems very unlikely.
Concerning the enemy colored pairs: This is predeminantly based on the name Witherbloom which sounds very Golgari. I agree with that. But, so far the color pairs are also just speculative. And even if they're enemy colored this doesn't mean that there can't be some cards that are allied colored. ZNR and Kaldheim made sure that there were legendary creatures and sagas and snow doubles for each combination. So even if the main focus is enemy pairs, there could still be a rare Commander for each pair. After all WoTC needs to provide for the EDH clientele.
TL;DR: While there is nothing to prove the legitimacy of the leak there is also nothing that specifically strikes me as likely made up. Could be legit in my opinion. We'll see.
What commanders are there that are highly aggressive but allow for an easy backup combo? (Like spike feeder / Thune).
Most of my decks are valueish with something like 3.5 CMC average. This works very well against decks that are not so heavy on creatures. On the other hand, I have problems against creature heavy decks, even if nothing really happens the first 2 to 3 turns. I can often win with Torment of Hailfire, especially if I get some board wipes. But I also often get run over by Aggro tribal Decks.
There are a few options: 1) Turn 3 combo things. 2) Pillowfort 3) Control 4) Decks that are more aggro
I find fast combos boring and I don't like playing control or pillow fort.
Consequently, I need to play aggro as well or maybe midrange. I'm looking for a way to keep the board under control early or keep up with aggression and combo before turn 8 or 10 if necessary, i.e. if I'm on the wrong side of the combat damage distribution or if I get into a stalemate.
I considered Spike Feeder / Archangel of Thune as a combo option which is easy to tutor for. I also considered Food Chain / Prossh. I also want to try a super low CMC edric evasion build. Probably I need to generally lower my mana curves.
Are there any other ideas worth pursuing if I want to win often without a combo that happens both consistently and early?
Thanks in advance!
This is the new list:
1 Anafenza, the Foremost
Creature
1 Ulvenwald Hydra
1 Kalonian Hydra
1 Creakwood Liege
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Mer-Ek Nightblade
1 Chorus of the Conclave
1 Fleecemane Lion
1 Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist
1 Shalai, Voice of Plenty
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Josu Vess, Lich Knight
1 Sigarda, Host of Herons
1 Polukranos, World Eater
1 Archfiend of Depravity
1 Massacre Wurm
1 Lord of the Void
Enchantment
1 Doubling Season
1 Aura of Silence
1 Asceticism
1 Aura Shards
1 Nevermore
1 Cathars' Crusade
1 Collective Blessing
1 Citadel Siege
1 Bitterblossom
1 Smothering Tithe
1 Ethereal Absolution
1 Courser of Kruphix
Land
1 Forest
6 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Brushland
1 Caves of Koilos
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
1 Orzhov Basilica
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Mosswort Bridge
1 Vivid Grove
1 Vivid Marsh
1 Vivid Meadow
1 Windbrisk Heights
1 Murmuring Bosk
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Krosan Verge
1 Command Tower
1 Temple of the False God
1 Gavony Township
1 Vault of the Archangel
1 Temple Garden
1 Godless Shrine
1 Sandsteppe Citadel
1 Blighted Woodland
1 Bountiful Promenade
1 Lotus Field
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Golgari Signet
1 Selesnya Signet
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Akroma's Memorial
1 Sol Ring
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Chromatic Lantern
1 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
1 Thaumatic Compass
1 Walking Ballista
1 Solemn Simulacrum
Instant
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Ready // Willing
1 Utter End
1 Abzan Charm
1 Anguished Unmaking
1 Heroic Intervention
1 Status // Statue
1 Kaya's Guile
Sorcery
1 Austere Command
1 Harmonize
1 Martial Coup
1 Identity Crisis
1 Explosive Vegetation
1 Cultivate
1 Decree of Pain
1 Debt to the Deathless
1 Read the Bones
1 Painful Truths
1 Hour of Revelation
1 Torment of Hailfire
1 Hour of Promise
1 Demonic Tutor
Also, I never said my deck was 30$, just most decks in my meta.
The lands are definitely a problem. I'm still trying to figure out, how I can play all the nice 1XX cards like Aura of Silence and Courser of Kruphix without making the manabase to expensive. I frequently get mana problems because lands enter tapped or due to lack of colors. I'm thinking Sunpetal Grove and Co. might be a good idea. Also Canopy Vista along with more basic lands and Forbidden Orchard. I don't like Dryad Arbor, because it's like an ETBT land and also easy prey to Etrata, the Silencer. Similarly, I don't like Scavenger Grounds because it's colorless. I like Gavony Township and Vault of the Archangel a lot, but I think I should get rid of Temple of the false god as suggested and not use other colorless lands. Probably I'll also follow the suggestion of getting rid of Vivids along with things like Winbrisk Heights and Lotus Field. The latter seems nice, because it colorfixes and has hexproof, but it's ETBT, you don't want it on your starting hand, it anti-synergizes with bounce lands and it's also useless when you need multiple different colors. Additionally I might use cards like Farseek, Kodama's Reach and Rampant Growth to replace some the more expensive land tutors. Another idea might be to remove some cards with prohibitive color requirements. Mirran Crusader was already suggested, but maybe others as well.
Concerning the suggestions: Aven Mindcensor might be worth it, but there's not that much tutors and combos in my meta so maybe not. Merciless Eviction is definitely a good idea. I got rid of Protean Hulk because I notice the same problem and it is especially sad against Etrata, the Silencer. Concerning Josu Vess, Lich Knight: Pretty much every black deck in my meta has him but since it's like missing out on christmas when someone has to play him for 4 and I can't really flicker him, Army of the Damned might be a replacement, especially since it is immune to Etrata, the Silencer.
Some manadorks might be good, but in that case, I'll also put Sylvan Caryatid back in. Sure it costs 2, but it has hexproof, color-fixing and decent early-game blcoking capabilities. I'm pretty sure Thaumatic Compass stay. Games generally take long enough for it to flip and then it provides good defense against big creatures and against Etrata. Also I definitely will keep Identity Crisis. I have literally NEVER cast that card without it being awesome. Avenger of Zendikar, Massacre Girl and Sakura-Tribe Elder are definitely worth considering as are some of the swords: Sword of Body and Mind is good with the tokens, Sword of Truth and Justice is better because of the counters and it is pretty cheap. Maybe I'll get Sword of Feast and Famine as well. Sword of Sinew and Steel might not be that interesting because many decks in my meta mostly play creatures and not so many planeswalkers and artifacts, although there should be ab artifact present most of the time.
Any thoughts on the new list and on my analysis?
1 Rhys the Redeemed
Creature
1 Spike Feeder
1 Wall of Blossoms
1 Sylvan Caryatid
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Boreal Druid
1 Mirror Entity
1 Elvish Visionary
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Elvish Mystic
1 Priest of Titania
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Hornet Queen
1 Mentor of the Meek
1 Tendershoot Dryad
1 Beast Whisperer
1 Knight of Autumn
1 Collector Ouphe
1 Archangel of Thune
1 Shalai, Voice of Plenty
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Enchantment
1 Doubling Season
1 Beastmaster Ascension
1 Awakening Zone
1 Aura Shards
1 Parallel Lives
1 Cathars' Crusade
1 Collective Blessing
1 Mirari's Wake
1 Primal Vigor
1 Dictate of Heliod
1 From Beyond
1 Cryptolith Rite
1 Anointed Procession
1 Growing Rites of Itlimoc
1 Divine Visitation
1 Guardian Project
8 Plains
11 Forest
1 Forbidden Orchard
1 Brushland
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
1 Temple Garden
1 Krosan Verge
1 Command Tower
1 Gavony Township
1 Temple of Plenty
1 Myriad Landscape
1 Canopy Vista
1 Blighted Woodland
1 Bountiful Promenade
1 flagstones of Trokair
1 Hall of Heliod's Generosity
1 Dryad Arbor
Artifact
1 Tower of Fortunes
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sol Ring
1 Staff of Nin
1 Skullclamp
1 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
1 Oketra's Monument
Instant
1 Congregation at Dawn
1 Return to Dust
1 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Beast Within
1 Oblation
1 Secure the Wastes
1 Heroic Intervention
1 Eladamri's Call
1 March of the Multitudes
1 Generous Gift
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Storm Herd
1 Austere Command
1 Harmonize
1 Martial Coup
1 Cultivate
1 Genesis Wave
1 Triumph of the Hordes
1 Shamanic Revelation
1 Dusk // Dawn
1 Regrowth
1 Camaraderie
Planeswalker
1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
I added Collector Ouphe and Spike Feeder/Archangel of Thune combo as well as many of the things suggested her, including Mana Elves, more draw, Mirror Entity and Growing Rites of Itlimoc.
Unfortunately I'm still 6 cards above the 99, so I'm looking for advice on what to cut. Obviously I would also like some comments on the list in general.
What redundant expensive pieces do you mean and can you recomment some draw spell that do not rely on a big creature, i.e. unlike Momentous Fall?
1 Rhys the Redeemed
Creature
1 Geist-Honored Monk
1 Sylvan Caryatid
1 Suture Priest
1 Champion of Lambholt
1 Oviya Pashiri, Sage Lifecrafter
1 Trostani Discordant
1 Windborn Muse
1 Hornet Queen
1 Mentor of the Meek
1 Tendershoot Dryad
1 Beast Whisperer
1 Knight of Autumn
1 Tolsimir Wolfblood
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Dauntless Escort
1 Angel of Finality
1 Oketra the True
1 Shalai, Voice of Plenty
1 Seedguide Ash
1 Wilt-Leaf Liege
1 Mitotic Slime
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Rampaging Baloths
Enchantment
1 Ghostly Prison
1 Doubling Season
1 Glare of Subdual
1 Perilous Forays
1 Aura of Silence
1 Beastmaster Ascension
1 Aura Shards
1 Parallel Lives
1 Cathars' Crusade
1 Collective Blessing
1 Primal Vigor
1 Cryptolith Rite
1 Anointed Procession
1 Legion's Landing
1 Karametra, God of Harvests
1 Brushland
11 Forest
8 Plains
1 Forbidden Orchard
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
1 Temple Garden
1 Windbrisk Heights
1 Krosan Verge
1 Command Tower
1 Temple of the False God
1 Gavony Township
1 Temple of Plenty
1 Myriad Landscape
1 Canopy Vista
1 Blighted Woodland
1 Bountiful Promenade
1 Hall of Heliod's Generosity
1 Dryad Arbor
Artifact
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sol Ring
1 Bow of Nylea
1 Spear of Heliod
1 Skullclamp
1 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
1 Oketra's Monument
Instant
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Beast Within
1 Eladamri's Call
1 March of the Multitudes
1 Generous Gift
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Storm Herd
1 Harmonize
1 Rampant Growth
1 Martial Coup
1 Cultivate
1 Triumph of the Hordes
1 Devout Invocation
1 Shamanic Revelation
1 Fumigate
1 Dusk // Dawn
Planeswalker
1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
1 Huatli, Radiant Champion
So my meta is not really competitive (most commanders are generally not cEDH material and everything is pretty budget). I'm looking to make the deck better. My most recent changes were more basic lands because I lost some games due to things like Dwarven Miner or lands that enter tapped. Also I added some defensive measures because I got out-aggro'd multiple times by Boros.
I thought about Collector Ouphe to hate on manarocks, equipment and vehicles. Or for some more expensive things maybe Spikefeeder/Archangel of Thune or Arachnogenesis.
Generally I'm looking for any cards that will make the deck more competitive while staying true to the style and not being expensive (< 10$).
Maybe someone can help. Thanks in advance for any advice!
1 Anafenza, the Foremost
Creature
1 Ulvenwald Hydra
1 Mistcutter Hydra
1 Sylvan Caryatid
1 Deathrite Shaman
1 Creakwood Liege
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Great Sable Stag
1 Shalai, Voice of Plenty
1 Night Incarnate
1 Siege Rhino
1 Chameleon Colossus
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Zetalpa, Primal Dawn
1 Josu Vess, Lich Knight
1 Oversoul of Dusk
1 Bloodgift Demon
1 Archfiend of Depravity
1 Sigarda, Host of Herons
1 Protean Hulk
Enchantment
1 Asceticism
1 Nevermore
1 Collective Blessing
1 Ghostly Prison
1 Darksteel Mutation
1 Arguel's Blood Fast
1 Bitterblossom
1 Smothering Tithe
1 Ethereal Absolution
Land
1 Brushland
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Murmuring Bosk
1 Blighted Woodland
1 Krosan Verge
1 Sandsteppe Citadel
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Command Tower
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Orzhov Basilica
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
1 Temple of the False God
1 Vivid Grove
1 Vivid Marsh
1 Vivid Meadow
1 Caves of Koilos
1 Vault of the Archangel
1 Temple Garden
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Godless Shrine
5 Plains
4 Swamp
5 Forest
1 Akroma's Memorial
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Thaumatic Compass
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Golgari Signet
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Selesnya Signet
1 Sol Ring
1 Chromatic Lantern
1 Solemn Simulacrum
Instant
1 Anguished Unmaking
1 Heroic Intervention
1 Abzan Charm
1 Utter End
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Price of Fame
Sorcery
1 Identity Crisis
1 Sadistic Sacrament
1 Praetor's Grasp
1 Wit's End
1 Yahenni's Expertise
1 Never // Return
1 Hour of Revelation
1 Torment of Hailfire
1 Hour of Promise
1 Austere Command
1 Painful Truths
1 Read the Bones
1 Explosive Vegetation
1 Martial Coup
1 Harmonize
1 Golden Demise
1 Cultivate
1 Windborn Muse
1 Remorseful Cleric
1 Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist
1 Angel of Finality
1 Polukranos, World Eater
1 Planar Void
1 Courser of Kruphix
1 Scavenger Grounds
1 Dryad Arbor
I'm gonna talk about the purpose of this deck first. I'm in a casual plyagroup, meaning that most of the decks are pretty low budget (like <30$ budget) and we don't mind the duel commander ban list, even when we play 1:1 (i.e. we play Sol Ring, Sensei's Divining Top and Dig through Time. On the other side we play pretty tight, as in we try to play optimally and play to win. My metagame consists of Etrata, the Silencer, Tatyova, Benthic Druid and Muldrotha, the Gravetide.
The commanders played influenced the choices, i.e. I play graveyard hate against Muldrotha, the Gravetide and lots of cards that are Etrata, the Silencer-proof.
There are some ideas I had to make the deck better.
- Replace Thran Dynamo with Gilded Lotus, because lots of my cards have high color requirements.
- Add some finishers such as Exsanguinate and/or Debt to the Deathless which also replenish my own life points as I often expense a lot of lifepoints for bitterblossom, draw effects and so on.
- Add Beast within and/or Vindicate which can remove nasty commanders but also artifacts and enchantments.
- Add Runed Halo which is very effective against Etrata, the Silencer but also generally useful.
Otherwise I'm looking for any advice to improve the deck in general and with respect to the named commanders specifically. Any help is appreciated.
1 Majestic Myriarch
2 Llanowar Elves
2 Greenweaver Druid
4 Arbor Elf
2 Death-Hood Cobra
1 Jade Mage
2 Hornet Queen
4 Mycoloth
1 Leatherback Baloth
2 Gigantosaurus
4 Utopia Sprawl
2 Beastmaster Ascension
1 Gravity Well
1 Leyline of Vitality
1 Asceticism
2 Triumph of Ferocity
1 Shapers' Sanctuary
Land
17 Forest
1 Caged Sun
Sorcery
1 Soul's Might
4 Fungal Sprouting
2 Harvest Season
Planeswalker
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
It does play quite nicely, but I was still wondering about ways to improve it. [Up front: I know that I'm not allowed to discuss budget in this subforum. But I also know that Doubling Season would be an obvious additiona and it's not in the deck for budget reasons. Same goes for Parallel Lives and Primal Vigor.]
This deck is basically about ramp and then moving to big / many creatures. Big and many is basically the same thing here, because with Mycoloth, Fungal Sprouting and Majestic Myriarch both concepts concepts easily convert into each other.
This seems also to be a major problem of the deck - there's a kind of "house of cards" effect. If one Mycoloth getsmurdered or stolen thing's can get pretty bad.
Another thing is that sometimes it's hard to get into gear. The best thing is, if I can play Gigantosaurus on turn 4 and Fungal Sprouting on the next or something similar. That's why I'm thinking of replacing one Mycoloth with one Gigantosaurus.
I'm also thinking about taking out Gravity Well, which is probably sideboard material and Shaper's Sanctuary which didn't pay off most of the time. These would be replaced with a third Beastmaster Ascension and another Leyline which can produce insane amounts of life.
The last thing is that mana flood can happen easily with Harvest Season and Caged Sun, especially when I don't have Triumph of Ferocity.
So, I would be happy to hear any comments about my thoughs or any other suggestions.