I have a Haakan deck that focuses on Zombie Knights, with some Zombie interactions. I also find the slow early game to be an issue.
Some options... Noble Templar or Twisted Abomination: They won't actually ramp, but neither relies on your opponent's board and they will always find a B/W source. Stillmoon Cavalier: Essentially colorless, randomly acts as unstoppable defense. Knight-Captain of Eos: Good one-of tutor target to help stabilize after the slow early game.
Is everyone annoyed? Just get everyone to side a playset of Hurkyl's Recall and/or Splinter into their decks so that odds are someone can target the guy ruining game night whenever he drops Lattice. Bonus points if you don't bother changing your manabase and just rely on his own Lattice for the color fixing.
I'll pull out at least 1 each of Scourge and Elemental. I suppose Force of Will can help with copies in the hand as well, maybe a couple of those to replace the critters?
Reducing the total number of shrines is fine as long as you build in ways to dig or tutor for them. Cards like Kruphix's Insight or Commune with the Gods are a couple recent options that can help. Though, since you're running blue, you could also run something like Impulse.
Paradox Haze can multiply your shrine activity and plays fine in multiples. You could use this to shore up the total 'shrine' count after you cut some of the actual Legendary shrines.
If you do like the enchantment digging options, you could fill out some more of the deck with defensive enchantment options. Things like Grim Guardian or Propaganda.
Tied up a few minutes wondering about a less blue approach. Got something which may be clunky, but the Quest has us jumping through hoops anyway. We could run UG, with green tutors helping make triggers.
Early game Worldly Tutor can set up a couple triggers, finding Mwonvuli Beast Tracker into a Kraken. Late game Tutor can find a Kraken or a Fierce Empath into Grozoth depending on how soon we need fatties. I haven't really fleshed out a full list to see if this works, maybe other little creatures to help thin the deck and slightly up the chance of a lucky Quest trigger? Sakura-Tribe Elder or Coiling Oracle?
My other idea on this less blue Quest brainstorm is a self enclosed chain, existing only the trigger Quest. One or two playsets between Goblin Recruiter, Flamkin or Treefolk Harbinger can set up our triggers, but we'd need to find the starting link and they don't have the late game flexibility we get from the Worldly/Beast Tracker set up.
Bog has me leaning towards black as a secondary over green. This could even go mono-blue, with just a little bit of color in the land base to allow for the Torrents to drop. I think I this point I need to settle on an initial list. No point in just throwing out the what ifs without offering a place to start critiquing. So, initial list!
So I'm wondering. Do I drop the land count after I've traded up to 6 or 8 copies of "Draw 4", or do I just let redundant copies of that effect trim lands later on?
My first couple ideas on where this deck could go.
-Treating the exiled critters as one-shot draws. For example: UG - Ramp, Prophet of Kruphix, control spells. Constant pressure with mid-sized flyers backed by counterspells to stop them from dropping big threats.
Between Liliana and your spot removal, you don't need Grave Pact.
I would cut it for something with a low CMC and more immediate impact. Fleshbag Marauder plays nicely with your deck, as does Unearth, or just more burn/kill spells.
The Elder is a Shaman, and will cause Wolf-Skull Shaman to make a wolf token whenever you reveal an Elder with the Kinship trigger.
You can sacrifice the Elder at any time, so you don't need to enter combat or wait for an opponent's kill spell to get the most out of Predator's Howl. So a couple scenarios when you an STE in play and four lands untapped...
- End of your opponent's turn, sacrifice the Elder to find a land, then play Predator's Howl for 3 wolves ready to attack.
- Your opponent attacks into your Elder, expecting you to block and sacrifice the 1/1. You sacrifice it before blocking, then generate 3 wolves to block with.
Sterling Grove is another Tutor option that can pull in any of the deck's enchantments. Right now one-quarter of the deck is enchantments. If you go with Grove, then you could replace Harmonize with Enchantress's Presence putting you up to over 20 enchantments in the deck.
Do your shamans need to be human? This new list has quite a bit of mid-game cards which could benefit from a bit of early-game ramp. You can take advantage of Sakura-Tribe Elder for land ramp, Kinship triggers and set up Morbid without relying on your opponent.
Some options...
Noble Templar or Twisted Abomination: They won't actually ramp, but neither relies on your opponent's board and they will always find a B/W source.
Stillmoon Cavalier: Essentially colorless, randomly acts as unstoppable defense.
Knight-Captain of Eos: Good one-of tutor target to help stabilize after the slow early game.
Brainstorm +1
Foresight -1
I'll pull out at least 1 each of Scourge and Elemental. I suppose Force of Will can help with copies in the hand as well, maybe a couple of those to replace the critters?
Paradox Haze can multiply your shrine activity and plays fine in multiples. You could use this to shore up the total 'shrine' count after you cut some of the actual Legendary shrines.
If you do like the enchantment digging options, you could fill out some more of the deck with defensive enchantment options. Things like Grim Guardian or Propaganda.
Early game Worldly Tutor can set up a couple triggers, finding Mwonvuli Beast Tracker into a Kraken. Late game Tutor can find a Kraken or a Fierce Empath into Grozoth depending on how soon we need fatties. I haven't really fleshed out a full list to see if this works, maybe other little creatures to help thin the deck and slightly up the chance of a lucky Quest trigger? Sakura-Tribe Elder or Coiling Oracle?
My other idea on this less blue Quest brainstorm is a self enclosed chain, existing only the trigger Quest. One or two playsets between Goblin Recruiter, Flamkin or Treefolk Harbinger can set up our triggers, but we'd need to find the starting link and they don't have the late game flexibility we get from the Worldly/Beast Tracker set up.
3 Eternal Scourge
4 Misthollow Griffin
4 Torrent Elemental
3 Man-o'-War
3 Baleful Strix
4 Manipulate Fate
3 Foresight
4 Rune Snag
3 Undermine
3 Brainstorm
2 Doom Blade
2 Go for the Throat
2 Bad River
4 Bojuka Bog
10 Island
5 Swamp
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
3 Eternal Scourge
4 Misthollow Griffin
4 Torrent Elemental
4 Manipulate Fate
1 Foresight
24 Wastes
So I'm wondering. Do I drop the land count after I've traded up to 6 or 8 copies of "Draw 4", or do I just let redundant copies of that effect trim lands later on?
My first couple ideas on where this deck could go.
-Treating the exiled critters as one-shot draws. For example: UG - Ramp, Prophet of Kruphix, control spells. Constant pressure with mid-sized flyers backed by counterspells to stop them from dropping big threats.
-Build with reusable exile effects, so that the critters keep coming back. Example: UBG - Deathrite Shaman/Withered Wretch/Planar Void/Delve cards plus removal.
I would cut it for something with a low CMC and more immediate impact. Fleshbag Marauder plays nicely with your deck, as does Unearth, or just more burn/kill spells.
You can sacrifice the Elder at any time, so you don't need to enter combat or wait for an opponent's kill spell to get the most out of Predator's Howl. So a couple scenarios when you an STE in play and four lands untapped...
- End of your opponent's turn, sacrifice the Elder to find a land, then play Predator's Howl for 3 wolves ready to attack.
- Your opponent attacks into your Elder, expecting you to block and sacrifice the 1/1. You sacrifice it before blocking, then generate 3 wolves to block with.
Edit: At that point, would it be better to run Khalni Heart Expedition over Reach?