It could easily be a combination of him referencing himself and a card like "Gideon's Posse" or something. I'm more interested by the 3rd mention of 'Planeswalker'. It seems highly unlikely that they'll print a card manipulating planeswalkers, they're meant to be separate entities to yourself.
Allies were always going to be Zendikar/Worldwake specific. The new draft format is going to be 3 packs of RoE so to make allies viable in the new format as well as ZEN/ZEN/WWK there'd need to be another whole bunch of them. This wouldn't leave as much room for them to try new mechanics and would be just be repetitive.
I don't quite understand how Lich's Mirror will stop them just milling you again. You have no lands in play any more and need to rebuild. Wouldn't that give them plenty of time to just mill you again?
I definitely think the RG version is good enough. In the first game I generally try not to drop an island until later in the game, that way they regret not having killed that Khalni Garden token earlier. After the first game the only way to stop us polymorphing is to hold back removal and never tap out. This puts them at a disadvantage and allows the deck to get a lot out of planeswalkers and tokens.
With the introduction of Garruk the eldrazi monuments are less useful. As he is far more of a utility card i agree with taking out the monuments altogether.
For token generators at two mana there's Zektar Shrine Expedition and sometimes Baloth Cage Trap or Stone Idol Trap. I like the latter two in the sideboard (although esper aggro would need to get more popular) whereas zektar shrines would need a dangerously high fetch count to be remotely useable in this deck.
I like the consistency the the rampant growths give the larger drops, especially the planeswalkers. Also the explores lead to some nuts hands and the ability to replace themselves lategame when the ramp isn't needed.
- add garruk, gives you both tokens, acceleration + overrun (lose earthquake, not really helpfull unless you have the monument out)
- change harrow to rampant growth to have 4 mana turn 3 (vol, garruk)
- I find the manabase somewhat difficult so -4 tectonic edge +3 UG-fetch -1 mountain +1 oran reef (works well with garruk and bestial menace)
Ha yeah I changed the harrows for rampant growths almost immediately in testing. With a strong mana base the harrow's fixing is irrelevant and getting one of the 4 drops out on turn 3 is pretty important in this deck, you're right.
I like your suggestions about the mana base and I've put Garruk in too. This is my updated list.
I definitely agree with playing polymorph as a secondary win condition. In the version I'm using at the moment Polymorph is the only blue spell in the deck. This lets the mana base focus on getting red and green sources out.
I'd just like to point out the usefulness of Sarkhan Vol in a polymorph deck. His first ability can make a bestial menace explode (and occasionally even a progenitus) but most important is being able to take one of your opponents creatures and sacrifice it to polymorph.
I know a lot of people run iona over progenitus but i think that progenitus is more suited to this kind of aggressive build.
I feel like it can support the edge's because most of the spells in the deck only need one coloured mana (bestial menace being the only double colour commitment).
I've been messing around with various Polymorph builds lately and thought I'd take it in a different direction. Polymorph is the only castable blue card in this deck meaning that the deck can win in a variety of ways and the mana base can commit to red and green, the best token generating colours.
I won't go through all of the individual card choices but I'd like to point out the usefulness of Sarkhan Vol in this deck. His first ability can make a bestial menace explode (and occasionally even a progenitus) but most important is being able to take one of your opponents creatures and sacrifice it to polymorph.
I'm not totally sure about the sideboard yet but I've been messing around with the idea of siding out all of the polymorph stuff and pushing the Eldrazi win condition.
EDIT: List updated. However I can't afford some of the new cards so I'm running the decklist below at the moment
Spreading seas can be used to turn tri-lands or other useful lands like raging ravine into islands, yes. This is especially backbreaking against Jund where an early loss of a tri-land means they're unable to play most of their cards until they've fixed they're mana again.
I've always enjoyed playing B/G and with Abyssal Persecutor and Putrid Leech (backed up by some Bloodghast shenanigans) I think this deck could be pretty viable in the current meta. What do you guys think?
This is the latest version I'm working on:
2 Progenitus
4 Polymorph
Other Spells
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Explore
3 Rampant Growth
3 Dragon Fodder
4 Goblin Assault
3 Sarkhan Vol
3 Garruk Wildspeaker
3 Bestial Menace
2 Vines of Vastwood
4 Raging Ravine
4 Khalni Garden
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
4 Forest
4 Mountain
1 Island
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Trace of Abundance
4 Ricochet Trap
3 Earthquake
3 Relic of Progenitus
2 Iona Shield of Emeria
How about something like this:
2 Progenitus
4 Polymorph
Other Spells
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Explore
3 Rampant Growth
3 Dragon Fodder
4 Goblin Assault
3 Sarkhan Vol
3 Garruk Wildspeaker
3 Bestial Menace
2 Vines of Vastwood
4 Raging Ravine
4 Khalni Garden
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
4 Forest
4 Mountain
1 Island
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Trace of Abundance
4 Ricochet Trap
3 Earthquake
3 Relic of Progenitus
2 Iona Shield of Emeria
I like the consistency the the rampant growths give the larger drops, especially the planeswalkers. Also the explores lead to some nuts hands and the ability to replace themselves lategame when the ramp isn't needed.
Ha yeah I changed the harrows for rampant growths almost immediately in testing. With a strong mana base the harrow's fixing is irrelevant and getting one of the 4 drops out on turn 3 is pretty important in this deck, you're right.
I like your suggestions about the mana base and I've put Garruk in too. This is my updated list.
2 Progenitus
Spells
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Explore
3 Rampant Growth
3 Dragon Fodder
4 Goblin Assault
4 Polymorph
3 Sarkhan Vol
3 Garruk Wildspeaker
3 Bestial Menace
2 Eldrazi Monument
4 Raging Ravine
4 Khalni Garden
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
4 Forest
4 Mountain
1 Island
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Misty Rainforest
1 Eldrazi Monument
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Siege-Gang Commander
3 Ricochet Trap
3 Stone Idol Trap
3 Earthquake
A possible sideboard plan against control decks is to remove the polymorph element from the deck entirely and focus on Eldrazi Monument:
I'm also considering Ricochet Trap and Stone Idol Trap for the sideboard but I'm not sure how effective either of them are.
Sadly a lack the money required to actually make these changes so for the moment I'm running something like this online:
2 Progenitus
Spells
4 Goblin Assault
3 Dragon Fodder
2 Eldrazi Monument
4 Polymorph
3 Bestial Menace
3 Earthquake
3 Rampant Growth
3 Sarkhan Vol
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Explore
4 Khalni Garden
2 Scalding Tarn
5 Forest
2 Rootbound Crag
3 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Island
5 Mountain
It's nowhere near as effective (the mana base especially) but it's giving me an idea of the deck in general.
2 Progenitus
Spells
4 Polymorph
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Goblin Assault
2 Eldrazi Monument
3 Bestial Menace
3 Dragon Fodder
3 Rampant Growth
4 Explore
3 Sarkhan Vol
3 Earthquake
4 Raging Ravine
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Khalni Garden
3 Forest
4 Mountain
2 Island
4 Tectonic Edge
I'd just like to point out the usefulness of Sarkhan Vol in a polymorph deck. His first ability can make a bestial menace explode (and occasionally even a progenitus) but most important is being able to take one of your opponents creatures and sacrifice it to polymorph.
I know a lot of people run iona over progenitus but i think that progenitus is more suited to this kind of aggressive build.
Please don't spam the forum with posts like this. Also don't double post.
2 Progenitus
Spells
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Explore
3 Rampant Growth
3 Dragon Fodder
4 Goblin Assault
4 Polymorph
3 Sarkhan Vol
3 Garruk Wildspeaker
3 Bestial Menace
2 Eldrazi Monument
4 Raging Ravine
4 Khalni Garden
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
4 Forest
4 Mountain
1 Island
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Misty Rainforest
1 Eldrazi Monument
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Siege-Gang Commander
3 Ricochet Trap
3 Stone Idol Trap
3 Earthquake
I won't go through all of the individual card choices but I'd like to point out the usefulness of Sarkhan Vol in this deck. His first ability can make a bestial menace explode (and occasionally even a progenitus) but most important is being able to take one of your opponents creatures and sacrifice it to polymorph.
I'm not totally sure about the sideboard yet but I've been messing around with the idea of siding out all of the polymorph stuff and pushing the Eldrazi win condition.
EDIT: List updated. However I can't afford some of the new cards so I'm running the decklist below at the moment
2 Progenitus
Spells
4 Goblin Assault
3 Dragon Fodder
2 Eldrazi Monument
4 Polymorph
3 Bestial Menace
3 Earthquake
3 Rampant Growth
3 Sarkhan Vol
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Explore
4 Khalni Garden
2 Scalding Tarn
5 Forest
2 Rootbound Crag
3 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Island
5 Mountain
3 Bloodghast
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Fleshbag Marauder
3 Abyssal Persecutor
4 Putrid Leech
4 Birds of Paradise
Spells
4 Explore
3 Eldrazi Monument
3 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Smother
2 Doom Blade
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Marsh Flats
9 Swamp
5 Forest
4 Khalni Garden
4 Deathmark
1 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Great Sable Stag
2 Smother
3 Malakir Bloodwitch
2 Doom Blade