Yes, I detail this in the strategy section (not casting CoA without mana/sac open being a good idea against disruption). However, cards like Altar's Reap and Primal Growth should be mandatory in a heavy blue meta IMO. Heavy draw spells like Rhystic Study helps even more than Horizon Spellbomb, but d0su's not running them. Deep Analysis at least should be good against counters. It just doens't make a whole lot of sense to me as a deck tailored towards a blue meta, but I decided to mention it a bit in the deck commentary nevertheless.
I've found a few more budget rares that are quite interesting that I've added to the list. Hoping to get more feedback from others before I publish on the forum.
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Apr 20, 2014
urdjur posted a message on Crushing Dreams on a Budget - Child of AlaraPosted in: urdjur Blog -
Apr 18, 2014
urdjur posted a message on Crushing Dreams on a Budget - Child of AlaraCould you elaborate? Fighting blue goes well with ditchibg the t4 CoA plan I suppose, but you'd probably want to ramp t3 regardless.Posted in: urdjur Blog
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Apr 18, 2014
urdjur posted a message on Crushing Dreams on a Budget - Child of AlaraHere are the remaining two sections. I think the word document is now largely finished - 27 pages! After considering your comments, I'll make a basic formatting effort and post the thread in the Variant forum, then keep formatting and adding LOTS of card tags and making additional improvements based on thread comments etc. Then about a month from now, I'll apply for primer status with the comittee.Posted in: urdjur Blog
Overheat - I never added your decklist to the primer as d0su's has changed his list so it's more similar to yours (with the REBs etc). Biggest difference is the guildgates, but I discuss them already in the Shell, so I don't know. Any idea on how to fit it in nicely? Or maybe you could just post it and discuss it yourself in a reply in the soon to be primer thread?
DECKLISTS
Now it's time to put the core and the shell together. We'll start by taking a closer look at a classic Pauper list that has a somewhat different approach than what's suggested in the primer. A basic budget non-pauper list the follows, which also forms the basis for the "adding money" discussion in the section below.
Decklists - Pauper
Consider the following decklist by d0su, originator of the Pauper Dreamcrusher. This list is current as of January 2014 - I have gently restructured it to fit the terms and categories used in the primer.
This is a very interesting list. By ignoring the intense focus on dropping CoA turn 4, d0su gets away with much more card advantage and an essentially UBG mana base. It may look slow, but it has been proven and refined over three years time - and at rather cutthroat tables, I might add.
Let's look at the shell first. The most striking thing is the utter lack of guildgates. This creates space for other ETBT lands, namely a whole bunch of cycling lands. These can then be recurred by green's "Mulldrifter", Tilling Treefolk. In the Ghostly Flicker engine (or with Capsize), it becomes the Pauper version of Life from the Loam with those cycling lands. Hence, more panoramas make sense too, to draw out all the basics. With little concern for turn 4 specifically, d0su can compensate the lack of guildgates with more but slower multi-fixing.
With raw card advantage being the main plan, it also makes sense to run heavier stuff like Forbidden Alchemy and Yavimaya Elder. I'm not a fan of Rhystic Study in decks without massive mana denial, and I also wonder about the use of Horizon Spellbomb over Mycosynth Wellspring (the former is a Trinket Mage target however, but seems overcosted). I think I'd rather run the three U, B and G artifact lands (a notable omission with a Trinket Mage package) and the Wellspring instead. However, these are minor concerns that largely come down to player preference.
The core seems very solid and uncontroversial to me, and gives new players a useful sense of proportions in the Pauper deck. I think the sacrifice outlets are a little light however - I'd probably play Perilous Research (makes better use of Merchant Scroll) and Primal Growth (say, over Rhystic Study and Prophetic Prism). This would also allow the "sac outlets" to be used more for their other purposes (like spot removal). Quasali Pridemage is a superb choice of multi-purpose 2 CMC removal alongside Oblivion Ring. However, I miss Vedalken Aethermage with all these multi-purpose wizards. Scrivener could probably be cut for it.
All in all, this deck shows that there's more than one way to destroy the world and dominate with a cheapskate deck. In fact, a plan focusing more on card advantage and less on an early CoA could be the better way to go for a pure Pauper build - it will allow you to skimp on Plains and Mountains without shame at least. It's also an interesting comparison to the budget non-pauper build that I'm about to present.
Decklists - The Basic Budget Deck
The basic budget deck will cost you about $80, as many of the cards are still commons or dirt cheap rares, but super strong nevertheless. Upgrades for the more pronounced budget options are discussed in the adding money section.
So the table of contents is roughly INTRODUCTION - CARD SELECTION - DECKLISTS - OVERALL STRATEGY - ADDING MONEY TO THE DECK. Just so you don't get lost in all the copy/pasting.
ADDING MONEY TO THE DECK
The basic budget build is rather adequate on its own, but you can of course improve it further by increasing the budget. Before you go ahead and invest in premium duals and fetches though, there are other more pressing concerns that will add much more bang for your buck. This section sorts them roughly by "cost-benefit", starting small and going up.
Adding Money - Basic Shell Improvements ($35)
These changes are recommended to do first, as they improve your shell and solidify your game plan.
Grim Backwoods -> Phyrexian Tower. It will cost you $12, but it is the best sac outlet in the game (a mana ability that cannot be responded to). Drawing cards is nice and all, but it's simply no compensation for a net difference of 6 mana.
Halimar Depths -> Mystical Tutor. Make your game plan even more solid for only $5. Gets so much powerful stuff in the deck.
Expedition Map -> Tolaria West. A better land tutor since it's also a t2 blue source (replaces Halimar Depths in that department) and works with LftL. Another $5.
I'd also recommend replacing your three worst lands with Sylvan Scrying ($3, can be played t2 and thus replace a land), City of Brass and Forbidden Orchard ($5 each). If you're using the budget shell as suggested, I'd cut Evolving Wilds, Terramorphic Expanse and Vivid Creek (fewer ETBT lands means a quicker clock, plus you reduce strain on your basic lands. Panoramas don't ETBT and can produce mana on their own, so cutting the basic fetches is a greater priority).
Adding Money - Emeria Overhaul (about $60)
This package adds the 4 shock dual Plains to the mana base to enable Emeria, the Sky Ruin as a significantly stronger land-based recursion option than Moorland Haunt. This also solidifies the mana base much more, and enables your Plains fetchers to fix any color. Emeria + shock duals costs a few more dollars than a Volrath's Stronghold, but is a MUCH more effective recursion engine, while also greatly improving your mana fixing. Improved land tutors that help assemble Emeria and your other utility lands is also part of the package.
3 basics + 1 Panorama -> 4 shock dual Plains: You can't drop your single basic Mountain, but you can go down to 3 Island, 1 Forest and 1 Swamp. The other 2 panoramas also get replaced in this overhaul. Sacred Foundry, Godless Shrine, Hallowed Fountain and Temple Garden will cost you about $25-30.
Seaside Citadel -> Flood Plain: Like Grasslands and Krosan Verge, this now fixes all colors, and has synergy with LftL. It also finds Mistveil Plains and helps you assemble Emeria.
Moorland Haunt -> Emeria, the Sky Ruin: Another free recursion engine is nothing to scoff at. The Odyssey filter lands that previously launder colorless mana will now help you launder any excess white mana that may arise instead. $4.
2 Panoramas -> Tithe ($4) and Flagstones of Trokair ($10): Both of these get Plains, which mean they now fix every color and help you assemble Emeria. Flagstones further improves your resilience to mass LD, and has synergy with Ghost Quarter (and Perilous Research) if you're still running it (the two form a rather cute engine with Life from the Loam!).
Reap and Sow -> Scapeshift/Primeval Titan: Both of these help assemble Emeria and are more powerful (but more expensive) land tutors than Reap and Sow. IMO, the Titan is the more powerful option, but it may be banned depending on which list your group goes by. Both are roughly at the same price point (around $15).
Adding Money - Better Tutors (about $50)
Demonic Tutor: The most popular tutor in EDH will cost you about $15-20. You now have so strong fixing that getting black on t2 isn't very challenging, so you can probably swap a land for this.
Intuition: Arguably the best triple tutor available, perfect for setting up Life from the Loam with your key lands, or getting whatever you desire with Genesis and Eternal Witness. About $30. Could replace a transmuter or something else if you prefer.
Adding Money - Dark Depths Package (about $75)
This package changes the feel of the deck by changing win conditions somewhat. Particularly recommended if you have played the deck for a while and want to change things up a little.
Fallen Ideal -> Dark Depths: As you become more land focused, Fallen Ideal plays out its role as a sac outlet and with money to spend, also as a win condition. Dark Depths/Thespian's Stage is a pretty awesome combo in Child of Alara, as the token doesn't care about your general sweeper and you can churn out one 20/20 indestructible flyer per turn with Life from the Loam, which should quickly overwhelm exiling effects. Tutors like Intuition and Scapeshift make this happen frighteningly fast. Marit Lage production will presently set you back $55 due to the popularity of the combo.
Three Dreams -> Thespian's Stage: Three Dreams loses value without Fallen Ideal, as you now have fewer targets for it and lose its ability to assemble sac outlet + recursion in a single tutor. Drop it to make room for the other part of the combo. Stage also works as a gold land or extra utility land, but it's hard to find mana to activate it before a t4 CoA, so it probably shouldn't be considered until this point. Only $2.
Bequeathal -> Diabolic Intent: Bequeathal isn't necessary when you drop Three Dreams. Replace the sac outlet you lost from Fallen Ideal by swapping it for an extra Demonic Tutor for a mere $6. Intent is probably not stronger than the other sac outlets you run in the basic build however, so you have to wait for a vacancy to fit it.
Alchemist's Refuge -> Boseiju, Who Shelters All: A more powerful counter-measure to counterspells, that works well with your buyback spells and new tutors. Most of your stuff is instant speed now anyway, so Refuge is less needed. About $8 - well worth the investment.
Dance of the Dead -> Corpse Dance: Now more easy to tutor for, plus it works better with the Refuge/Boseiju swap. Only $3.
Adding Money - Further Shell Improvements ($ as much as you like)
These upgrades cost much and offers comparatively little improvement. You're probably better off improving on other decks.
Reflecting Pool: The next-in-line land improvement. $12 - cheap at this point. Having replaced your ETBT fixers (except your awesome fetch lands that are more important than this) already however, the incremental advantage is small. This could arguably replace the third Island, but I think I'd rather have the basic land. It could easily replace your worst rainbow land, but is probably worse than your filter lands. You probably want to keep Murmoring Bosk for Krosan Verge until you add more Forest duals.
Sensei's Divining Top: As it can dig, it could easily replace your worst land, much like Reflecting Pool. Your 2-drop tutors and digs are adding up now however, but it's a good card. $20 if you're lucky.
True Fetch Lands: These could easily replace your 2 budget Mirage fetches and even your worst rainbow lands since they are better with LftL. The 4-5 cheapest of the lot are about $50 a pop (Arid Mesa, Marsh Flats, Windsweap Heath etc), so they will give you the most bang for your buck and you don't have room for many more anyways.
True Duals: Plateau, Tundra and Scrubland are each at roughly the same price point as the cheaper fetches ($50), so they could replace a basic Plains, Murmoring Bosk and Sacred Foundry. Not sure I'd recommend investing in ABUR duals beyond that, unless you completely rework the shell somehow.
Volrath's Stronghold: Will cost you about $25. Could replace some other source of recursion, but I can't imagine that I'd want to cut anything for it, let alone invest in it for this deck.
Diamond Valley: A moderately played one can be yours for less than $100! Completely unnecessary and much worse than Phyrexian Tower IMO. Spend your dollars on other decks, or something more important than Magic.
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Apr 18, 2014
urdjur posted a message on Crushing Dreams on a Budget - Child of Alarabfine70 - will look over trigger vs. activate as I polish up, good call! Also agreed on Altar's Reap-type cards.Posted in: urdjur Blog
All - here is the Introduction main section, preceeding the Card Selection section. Its subsections are hopefully clear from the basic formatting provided.
INTRODUCTION
History
The concept of 5-Color Control for the common man was first popularized on MTGS by d0su in his legendary Dreamcrusher thread in early 2011. The idea was that using Child of Alara as a Commander compensated for the complete lack of solid sweepers in the common card pool, while using only commons provided for a very cheap deck that still had the power to go up against full power EDH decks, especially in multiplayer.
As the concept of Pauper EDH has consolidated more towards using uncommon creatures as Commanders, and the "Dreamcrusher" build has proven more adapted for regular EDH tables than Pauper settings anyway, the need for adhering strictly to commons has been called into question. While using only commons remains the cheapest way to build CoA, adding even just a few uncommons greatly helps the deck overcome some inherent design challenges and also makes for shorter games (while all commons list can eventually establish control just as well, games go on and tend to be very grindy and durdly).
While there is already a multiplayer primer on using Child of Alara to create a lands-type deck focusing on Life from the Loam and utility lands, this primer will focus more on using Child of Alara itself (even though the non-Pauper builds included here also make use of LftL and utility lands, simply because it would be silly not to). Thus, the primary focus of these builds will be on how to sacrifice and recur CoA as efficiently as possible, and other strategies that are supportive of this concept. While the primer assumes a multiplayer environment, there is nothing stopping you from trying these builds out 1v1 either, especially the "full power" budget version.
Pauper, Peasant and Budget - a Word on Terminology
Since around 2010, there's been an increasing interest for "PDH" or Pauper EDH - a process that this very archetype has helped fuel. At the time however, there was little consensus on what exactly constituted a PDH deck. Can CoA with all commons be considered "Pauper", when the general is mythic rare and the deck is constructed to abuse it as much as possible?
These days, there is a pretty strong consensus that Pauper EDH means using an uncommon (or possibly even common), most likely non-legendary, creature as your Commander, and only commons in your 99. For purposes of this primer however, the "Pauper" build refers to using only commons in the deck, despite CoA being mythic rare. The term is not an endorsement suggesting that a CoA build using only commons has a place at tables where others are running Zameck Guildmage or Ascended Lawmage as Commanders.
There is even less consensus on what constitutes a "Peasant" EDH deck - another format descriptor borrowed from the world of 60 card Magic. Most agree that standard EDH rules apply, but that you're excluding rares from your 99. Some groups or shops go further and limit the amount of uncommons you can run (the equivalent of 5 uncommons in a 60 card deck would be 8 in a 99 card deck, but numbers vary).
Regardless of whether you're using rarity restrictions or just want a competitive but affordable 5C control deck, this is the definitive CoA primer for you! It discusses inexpensive card choices of all rarities, Pauper and budget decklists, and strategy both on a general level and individual card level.
Why Play Child of Alara?
The Pauper version of this deck might be for you if:
*You like having Planar Cleansing as your Commander
*You want to play a workable 5C control deck in EDH that costs less than its sleeves
*You like it when people playing $1000+ decks say your deck is unfair and boring
The Pauper version might not be for you if:
*You intend to play against decks using uncommon Commanders
*You want a good game against fast decks 1v1
*You want something simple to pilot that wins quickly
The budget version might be for you if:
*You like having Planar Cleansing as your Commander, except it costs 0 to reuse, draws you cards and gains you life
*You want to play a competitive 5C control deck in EDH for less than $100
*You dislike a battlefield cluttered with non-land permanents
The budget version might not be for you if:
*You consider aggro or combo as a goal unto itself rather than just a win condition
*You like fair decks that don't steal or reanimate opposing creatures, or force mass discard in the early turns
*You're more interested in playing against other PDH decks with uncommon Commanders
Quick Deck Statistics
Preferred Environment: Multiplayer (any build) or 1v1 (non-pauper builds)
Casual/Competitive: Semi Competitive
Average CMC: About 2.5-2.8 depending on build (though mana demands depend much more on the effectiveness of your recursion engines, than on average CMCs)
Deck Cost [AVG]: ?? ??
Deck MVP: Depends on build and budget, but Capsize and Mind Extraction are always all-stars.
Strengths: Board control, counters, hand disruption
Weaknesses: Graveyard hate, mana denial
Flexibility - How well does the deck combat threats and come back from resource denial/negation?
(8/10) The deck is built around coming back advantageously from mass resource denial. Counters are largely ineffective. Big draw can recover from hand disruption. The biggest problems are graveyard removal and mass LD, especially for the Pauper version.
Efficiency - How well does the deck use its mana base? Does it focus on big bombs or a slow power creep?
(7/10) The Pauper deck can easily use up more than 20 mana/turn. The non-pauper deck can use more than 10 mana/turn but rarely has the need to, since most of the primary deck engines run on little mana.
Consistency - Out of 10 games, how many will be played in similiar or nearly identical ways?
(6-9/10) Very much pilot dependent. You can make every game almost exactly the same, but this will suck the fun out of most games. Consult the strategy section for tips on mixing it up.
Speed - How quickly can this deck take over a table?
(5-9/10) The Pauper deck is the undisputed king of durdling, tutoring for tutors that tutor for recursion that recur tutors etc. - that sort of thing. However, it can also consistently board wipe on turn 5. The non-pauper deck can do that or force everyone to discard their hands by turn 5 without breaking a sweat. It also recovers much faster from the first board wipe.
Style - Does the deck kill you the same way every game, or does it have a million and one ways to finish you off?
(7/10) Multiple win conditions can be included when needed. Typically, the deck closes games with general damage or insurmountable resource denial, but infinite combos and even direct damage are possibilities.
Perceived Threat - How politically threatening is this deck when you show everyone your commander?
(6-9/10) Depends a lot on how you pilot it (see the Strategy section), but once the table knows what you can do, don't expect any silk mittens even if your deck is all commons.
Also, here is the Strategy section after Card Selection, before the section on adding money to the deck. Let me know what you think!
OVERALL STRATEGY
Much of the tactics for playing the deck is discussed in the description of the card(s) in question, and the early game plan is outlined in detail in the Shell section. This section will briefly discuss broader political and strategic considerations.
You Are Control
While acceleration your early mana development is probably always a good thing to do, dropping CoA on turn 4 isn't actually necessary unless the board state demands it. It might not even be the best thing to do even if you can - if you draw attention to yourself and your opponents are packing counters or exiling removal. You might want to spend turn 4 on tutoring for a sac outlet or recursion piece, and perhaps even more ramp, and then drop CoA on turn 5-6 instead with counter back-up or a sac outlet ready. If you can grab control over the game quickly, go for it - but never risk losing control of the game because you want to actually win quickly. Killing is simply a formality. It's rendering your opponents helpless and making their efforts futile that wins the game.
Also, You Are God
While you do demand the sacrifice of a child for the permanent sins of your opponents, you should try not to make your existence too obvious. Let the humans play! It's always best if you know that you have the world in your murderous killing vise, while at the same time letting your opponents think that they have a real shot at eternal life. Don't look like the bad guy. Be the good guy, that saves the table from the brink of disaster! Every time. Of course, there was never any real threat of disaster, but as long as your opponents think it was a close call and that someone else almost had you - had them all in fact - you will get to keep playing your favorite deck and not get hated out. Make your friends into your prophets! They shall prepare the second coming of the Child of Judgment! The security of the table rests in your fatherly hands.
God is an Entertainer
Yes, you can blow up the world whenever you feel like it, but if that is ALL your deck is doing, simply because it magically happens to hose every strategy at the table, your opponents won't have any fun, and pretty soon, you won't either. So mix it up. Maybe one game you can rely on the Oblivion Ring/Capsize engine instead, or the Ghostly Flicker engine with infinite counters and removal. Or their equivalent rare counterparts, Archon of Justice and Mystic Snake. Or maybe you just reset the board once when it really matters, and then reanimate one of your opponent's juicy creatures and attempt to ride it to the win, protecting it with counters. Once in a while, try to win as quickly as possible, perhaps with the Jarad's Orders -> Myojin/Double combo, as this creates a useful distraction to your otherwise inescapable domination of the board. If people lose spectacularly once in a while, they are more OK with losing inevitably the rest of the time. Even if a drastic move will cost you the game, losing once in a while is only a benefit for your deck's reputation. Rather than always playing your deck so it is unbeatable, you can try to make it entertaining whenever you can afford to do so, since that will make it even more unbeatable (socially) in the long run.
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Apr 17, 2014
urdjur posted a message on Crushing Dreams on a Budget - Child of Alara@Overheat:Posted in: urdjur Blog
- The game plan is described under "The Core - Sacrifice Outlets, Recursion and Engine Pieces". Perhaps it would be better to move parts of it to an earlier section, the one describing history and who the deck is for etc, so the newbie reader doesn't get overwhelmed? Formatting will help also, as you say.
- Yes, that is the reason I drop Far Wanderings, Harrow and Myconsynth Wellspring from the budget build - too much strain on too few basics. Are you saying 17 basics isn't enough to support it in the Pauper build either, making that an argument against artifact lands? Not sure I'd agree there. Do you think I need to bring out the awesomeness of Far Wanderings more in its card description?
- Swedish spells "Address" with one D, hence my confusion. Consider it found and replaced!
- Yes, I'm aware about the Panoramas. The fact that they get better with rares is due to the Odyssey Filter Lands, not because they can get shocks/duals (which aren't even mentioned in this section, but come into play when you start considering way more money and Emeria, The Sky Ruin). They also get better with LftL (like all fetches). I'll remove the part of them getting better with rares if it's confusing and leads the mind to consider shocks/duals.
- Divination needs mention at least as a benchmark, if not a recommendation. Compulsive Research is an oversight - should be in the Support - Commons section. It's very solid.
Yes, please do PM me your current decklist. Ideally sorted by function and using CMCs before each spell rather than just "1" (helps evalute what transmuters can get, as well as the curve). I include a reformatted version of d0su's current list, that uses the same categories as the primer, so if you could follow that layout it would be great:
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Apr 16, 2014
urdjur posted a message on Crushing Dreams on a Budget - Child of AlaraOkay, I've posted the Card Selection part - the meatiest section. It's just pure unformatted content right now (MANY card tags etc. to add), but at least it's something to work with. The basic blog interface seems terrible for formatting primers though - couldn't even find card tag buttons on that interface, even though they are here in the comments section. Is there a sandbox part of the forum where we could set up shop, like a secret thread seen only by us or not drawing attention to itself?Posted in: urdjur Blog
Looking forward to your comments. I'll post the other sections as I finish them. - To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Thanks for the input. This is my first Pox build, but the two lists that appealed to me in the first post was the contamination and crucible ones. Black decks (there are few, competitively) will be immune to Contamination, but none of the disruption pieces will hit all decks. I'm trying to create a hybrid list oriented on mana denial, but perhaps a discard/rack combination would be better?
I could easily drop some hand disruption. The reason for Duress is to handle outs to mana denial by LD, for instance Aether Vial, moxen or acceleration like Seething Song and Dark Ritual. It's also good against combo game 1. I'm not sure Sinkhole would actually do the job of preventing spells to be played better.
Funeral Charm could most likely be cut - I intended it mostly as an answer to t1 Lackey, but goblins see less and less play, and Mox Diamond + Smallpox is an answer, with Innocent Blood coming in from the board. I'm primarily thinking:
+4 Lands (manlands mostly - these also help against lackey)
-4 Funeral Charm
and maybe
-4 Duress
+4 Sinkhole
though this risks defeating its own purpose.
4 Wasteland
1 Mutavault
1 Tomb of Urami
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Mikoro, Center of the Sea
1 Cabal Pit
1 Undiscovered Paradise
10 Swamp
ACCELERATION (4)
4 Mox Diamond
DISRUPTION AND CONTROL (27)
4 Pox
4 Smallpox
4 Duress
4 Hymn to Tourach
4 Funeral Charm
3 Crucible of Worlds
3 Contamination
1 Raven's Crime
3 Nether Spirit
4 Bitterblossom
1 Undead Gladiator
1 Syphon Life
4 Powder Keg
4 Thoughtseize
4 Innocent Blood
3 Syphon Life
Sure. I still haven't decided whether to go with an ET-sideboard or not - right now I'm working on the assumption that it won't be necessary. I also want to drop Cataclysm altogether and go down to 20 mana producing lands, but I'm having a hard time making the deck "fit" then. I'm left with one or two odd slots MD, or a sideboard configuration that looks ugly. So far my solution has been to simply add an extra Mishra's Factory and go to 21 lands MD, but there might be better options.
10 Plains
3 Karakas
1 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Horizon Canopy
4 Wasteland
2 Mishra's Factory
3 Isamaru, Hound of Kondo
3 Weathered Wayfarer
4 Ethersworn Canonist
4 Serra Avenger
3 Jotun Grunt
3 Mangara of Corondor
4 Flickerwisp
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Umezawa's Jitte
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Silence
3 Bushi Forge-Tender
3 Relic of Progenitus
3 Aura of Silence
1 Jotun Grunt
1 Maze of Ith
I think that should be pretty strong and give good SB options against any deck in the format.
As for the ETutor SB you suggest, I think you've made a fine selection of tutor targets, as those will be significant in MUs where the CD of ETutor matters little. Still, I find myself covering the same bases without ETutor:
Canonist: I pack 4 MD
WoSaM: Great against dredge and affinity, but I find Grunt is too similar in effect to warrant is as a 3-of. Also pretty easy for Ichorid to deal with. It doesn't draw you a card like Relic, so it costs you more tempo, and isn't a guaranteed turn 2 play as a double white cc. Still wouldn't leave it out if I ran ETutor though.
Relic: I think this is the perfect GY hate card. Even as a tutor target, the cantrip makes the CD less noticable. Anyway, I run 3 myself.
Aura of Silence: Also 3-of.
CoP: Red: Unless the burn player packs Anarchy, he is dead. Then again, jitte, canonist and StP on grunt shenanigans should be enough game 1, and then the bushi come in anyway, so I don't think this alone merits an ETutor SB.
The interesting thing with MD canonists and SB ETutor, is that you suddenly can have many more canonists (or Jitte) in MUs where that matters too. So in addition to SB silver bullets, you can increase the copy number of your MD meat and bread cards too, which is interesting.
For my list, I could see moving Maze of Ith to the main over that second Factory, and then go down to 1 Aura of Silence and 1 Relic, adding CoP, WoSaM and 3x ETutor. For one, this would also mean 3 more Jittes against aggro or 3 more canonists against combo. I'm still not convinced it would be better though. Relic and Aura are good in multiples too.
Enchantress is pretty difficult to sideboard against. I agree that cataclysm is probably our best bet. Since it attacks the mana base at the same time, it can even get around replenish - something not even dedicated hate like patrician's scorn/meditation could do (not that we would ever run that).
Apart from that, I think Aura is still kind of good. And maybe glowrider too. I saw Serenity suggested a while back, but I can tell you for certain that it sucks in that MU, and enchantress has a very easy time finding an answer.
Any other suggestions that are not extremely narrow?
So maybe I'll put glowriders in that last 3x SB slot after all. They should be at least as relevant as AoS in most control MUs + affinity/enchantress + extra combo hate.
In game one, Mangara targets their lands - preferably the sprawled ones. This gets around the whole "you can't target my enchantments, nyah nyah". Ethersworn Canonist prevents them from casting more than one enchantment per turn, but they DO have counter measures in seal/aura.
Aura of Silence vs. Aura of Silence is essentially a race. It's stupid to play Aura of Silence for 5 (or seal for 4) to remove an opposing Aura of Silence, because that aura will blow up in response hitting something else (unless the enchantress player managed double sterling grove before your AoS).
Having said that, I still think Cataclysm is a much stronger SB option against enchantress than Aura of Silence. It even makes it hard for them to recover with Replenish. With canonist and solid land disruption in the main, I'd say it's a pretty even game 1. Haven't tested against Enchantress since removing Clysm though (back then it was very favorable) so I don't know. Game 2 and 3 obviously depend on how strong SB options you have.
I think clysm is actually a bit clunky against Landstill. To ensure it gets through, you either need an extra daze mana open and/or bait it with chant/silence etc. so it's rarely simply a matter of getting to 4 lands anyway.
Aura of Silence is pretty good against landstill too I think, delay and kill standstill, humility, counterbalance (in those builds), crucible. It could even get a factory when animated.
In my weathered wayfarer build, I've decided to cut Stonecloaker, for a number of reasons:
*Less hot with canonist and encourages to keep mana open when I really shouldn't.
*Less needed with wayfarer->karakas and flickerwisp+vial already giving me plenty of ways to abuse mangara (or ORing - something cloaker can't do).
*The problem of being a lousy threat to top deck if your board is cleared.
Naturally, the SB must then pack more GY hate to compensate. I think Relic of Progenitus is the way to go since:
*It's less anticipated by Ichorid, who often pithe Crypt pre-emptively.
*It's the most devastating piece of disruption against Threshold (except Grunt perhaps)
*It's quite effective against aggro-loam, 43 land etc. too.
*It cantrips
I've also decided to try out a 20 land build with 15 white sources (10 basics) now that Clysm and SotPC are gone. Seems to work fine. I manage to fit 4x Forge-Tenders in the SB (great find, Maëlig!) so I think that should adequately compensate for the lack of Clysm in the goblins MU.
This leaves me 3 SB slots left, like so:
1 Jötun Grunt
4 Silence/Orim's Chant
4 Bushi Forge-Tender
3 Relc of Progenitus
3 ? (I run 4x ORing in the main, btw)
The 1st post list suggests Tivadar or Glowrider here, but I don't think I need Tivadar against goblins and glowrider is too slow against combo, plus doesn't go well with a 20 land build. I think Aura of Silence could be the way to go. It can improve several even to poor MUs where clysm and SotPC have helped in the past:
*Enchantress
*Affinity
*Stax
*Counterbalance
*Landstill
With most of the SB cards being 1cc and cataclysm disappearing + the fact that most 3cc spells are creatures and thus vialable, I think it's entirely possible to go down to 20 mana producing lands if you go this route. Especially if you run wayfarer (but perhaps Maelig and I are the only ones to do that?)
Whether you stick at 22 with cataclysm or 20 without, I think you'll need AT LEAST 16-18 white sources (16 with wayfarer, 18 without) if you intend to land WW-costed stuff like SotPC consistently on turn 2, even if it's only in the sideboard. We cannot rely on vial for this obviously. If you shy away from double whites in the 2cc slot, you're probably fine with 14-15 white sources.
As for flagstones, it should probably only be run if you use clysm, or possibly as a one-of even if you don't (assuming having it against geddon-effects is better than it becoming essentially colorless with moon-effects). If you have wayfarer, you can get by with a single copy even if you run clysm I think.
As for Mishra's Factory, they do fill a double role of sorts, allowing us to play more lands without really loosing threat density. But I'm still not sure that's a reason to play more land than necessary in a build without 4cc+ spells. The deck sure could use the extra space, for example for the 4th ORing etc.
Thoughts on this?
That's an interesting option. To me, ET in the main is what makes room to run wayfarer, as you save space on extra jittes and canonists. To mitigate the CD against the decks you mention, I try not to rely on silver bullets in such matches and mostly tutor for sure plays (such as epochrasite when I have Vial).
I keep going back and forth between the two - they both have their quirks. In the MUs where you actually need the effect bad enough to use wayfarer to get it, you'd typically prefer Maze of Ith since it costs 2 less to use. But since you rely on flying for evasion, you'd rather pay that 2 if you're fighting say a tombstalker. Otherwise, Maze has the same downside as Runed Halo in that respect (effectively leaving a wall in your path to victory). Of course, in all other match-ups, the mana production from haven is preferable.
Do you run Stonecloaker? I think keeping the 3 mana open for Kor Haven would be even sexier then.
Yes. I only miss the Dust Bowl option when pithing needle naming wasteland is out. But in such cases (games 2/3 against landstill usually) there is still vial/mangara and cataclysm to attack the mana base.
It's interesting - despite running tutors and wasteland, I've found I can't smoothly support 3 grunts MD in all games, but since almost all lists run 3 grunts these days, maybe I was just unlucky when testing? I'm gonna try a 3rd grunt and cut Crucible for it. As you say, it is icing and not really needed, especially with a 3rd grunt being able to recur lands for additional wayfarer use.
As for your sideboard commments, I like the idea of only playing one canonist. I generally prefer playing different SB cards since it throws off my opponent's counter measures. The new Silence looks promising, as I'm not in a position to shell out for 4x chant right now. Generally, the SB is extremely flexible and there are many conceivable options.
10 Plains
3 Karakas
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Windswept Heath
1 Flagstones of Trokair
4 Wasteland
1 Mishra's Factory
1 Kor Haven
NON-CREATURES (17)
4 Aether Vial
4 Stp
3 Enlightened Tutor
1 Jitte
1 Ghostly Prison
1 Aura of Silence
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Runed Halo
3 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
3 Weathered Wayfarer
4 Serra Avenger
2 Jötun Grunt
1 Epochrasite
1 Ethersworn Canonist
4 Flickerwisp
3 Mangara of Corondor
4 Cataclysm
2 Jötun Grunt
3 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Enlightened Tutor
2 Seal of Cleansing
1 Circle of Protection: Red
1 Wheel of Sun and Moon
1 Spiritual Focus
Like you suggest, I've found having fetchable Halo/Prison very useful at times, and neither is typically a dead top deck. Ichorid still *can* beat you game one, but Wheel of Sun and Moon is a faster drop post board. ETutor is also very good against discard as you point out, especially with spiritual focus as a target post board.
Aura of Silence is usually ORing #2, but also a fetch target against enchantress/affinity/stax. Crucible has some nice synergy with the wayfarer engine, while the single Epochrasite is a strong fetchable fatty with Vial or Flickerwisp.
The lack of stonecloaker is mitigated by more effective karakas sources in wayfarer for bounce, and other ways to handle GY strategies. The lack of Chants in the board is mitigated by having 8 effective canonists post board with tutors (as well as other combo silver bullets).
Rather than just putting together good blue, white and artifact cards, try to exploit GAAIV more. You are looking for effects that hamper - but doesn't destroy - mana development. This means it will still be too expensive for your opponents to do something significant, while you will still have mana available for your cheapened spells.
Winter Orb (and perhaps Hokori too) is a good start. Cataclysm is also a fantastic card for you to play, combined with Flagstones of Trokair, Oboro and Weathered Wayfarer to find them and other utility lands. With either of those in play when you clysm and saving a mana artifact, you still have 3 mana on the board and can cast 4-5cc spells next turn, while your opponents are lucky to cast 1cc spells next turn.
Ghostly Prison (which you play) is very synergistic, but there's absolutely no reason to not include Propaganda too. I'd also much rather play Aura of Silece instead of Oblivion Ring in this deck. If you want RFG removal, use Return to Dust instead.
As for win conditions, Mindslaver is probably a must. I'd also recommend Dovescape against opposing combo and control. Combine with Guile and you have a combo win there as well. Good luck!