Holy crap, is IceBear necro'ing his own thread? That'd be fitting right? Since it's reanimator and all, and I play Karador, Ghost Chieftain? Alright, bad pun is bad. What's happening peeps? It's been a LONG while since I've been on here, or really thought about anything Magic related in general; real life is a hell of a drug, kids. 0/10, would not recommend. I know I lost my primer status and I'm not salty about it at all; I wasn't around to maintain the thread anymore and I was barely keeping up with new sets. I'm happy to let you young whippersnappers run primers for the deck which I will shamelessly borrow from when testing new card ideas.
That said, I got the itch to dig this old beast back out to play again and I fell in love all over again. Still my favorite deck to play, still pilots like a dream. Naturally I wanted to see if there was anything cool and shiny and new to try out, but after going through all the sets I missed I was not that impressed by anything I saw. Might cut Disciple of Bolas for Sidisi, Undead Vizier but I'm not 100% certain quite yet if the guaranteed tutor is worth losing the draw. Another 5 mana creature helps out Birthing Pod, but eh... I'm on the fence. Maybe I'll drop someone else like Jens who might be a TINY bit redundant. Plenty more testing to be done. I'm also open to suggestions, so if people want to throw more cards I should be playing at me I am all for it.
I'm not gonna reopen the doors to making this a primer... but I'll answer questions via message or via comments on occasion. Magic is doing it for me right now (along with BattleCON; anyone else in this community try that game? it's amazing) and I'll ride the (very expensive) wave as long as it holds my interest. Cheers y'all.
EDIT:
So I had some time to look at more stuff, and now I wanna see if I can make room for Ashen Rider, Reclamation Sage, and Recruiter of the Guard because they all seem excellent. Ashen Rider just seems like insane advantage at the top end of the spectrum (and a 5/5 flier is nothing to sneeze at either), Reclamation Sage is a powerful removal tool in creature form that can be reused over and over (via Reveillark AND Sun Titan, my favorite) which also wears Skullclamp like a SkullCHAMP (I'm sorry), and Recruiter of the Guard can tutor for 19 of our guys including ramp and removal and general utility. Might want Abzan Charm in there too, potentially. But it might not be good enough.
Seems pretty good to me, what would you guys suggest cutting? I've been out of this so I'm kinda rusty, but I'm considering dropping Mortify and Putrefy for the two new weenies, but I don't know what to cut for Ashen Rider. I want to run Sidisi, Undead Vizier also but I have no idea what cuts to make there either. HALP. Please and thank you.
I think Austere Command is the best sweeper in the format, the randomness of Gamble makes me chuckle. I have the full-art promo of Hinder, so I'm a wee bit partial to that. The other two are just based on my pet deck, as per usual.
Hey guys. This is going to be less of a "lemme address everyone" post, and more a "I'm gonna cover the overall issues" post. At the end, I'm gonna be asking y'all some tough questions, so study up kids.
Justice1337, there are currently 37 lands in the list. I've always found that to be the magic number, but lately I've been hitting hands with fewer lands than I need, which is rough. The only reason I haven't bumped the number is because I haven't found a card I want to cut in order to add it. >.< Not a real good reason to make the deck less consistent, but it's the only one I've got, so I'm sticking to it.
Now, how do we fix this issue? The most prevalent answer has been better, cheaper draw/card fixing spells, and I agree with the solution. Let's take a look at the suggestions thus far.
I think Graveborn Muse defeats the purpose, since it is at the lofty cost of four already. The same can be said for Moonlight Bargain and Harvester of Souls. These are really cool cards, but they cost too much to solve the issue at hand.
We need cheap options! I'll be honest, I don't love Sign in Blood or Night's Whisper, nor do I really think Life From the Loam still has a place in this deck. However, I think Grisly Salvage is the first card that I will be adding, because it digs for either a creature later on, or a land early, and dumps whatever else we want to use into our "second hand." That, and the fact that it digs through FIVE cards. If Fact or Fiction has taught us anything, it's that that's HUGE.
Okay, this is the hard part: cuts. First off, on an unrelated, I think Iona, Shield of Emeria should be cut to fit Kokusho, the Evening Star. I like Iona, but in primarily multiplayer games in a diverse meta, Kokopuffs will end the game, while the angel will just delay it a little longer, and make people mad besides. That was the easy one, so saddle up folks.
I think the two weakest cards in the list are Rout and Mirari's Wake. As much as I love the ability to sweep at instant speed, it's kind of a clunky card, and very costly. The latter is the tougher cut, but I would like to make the deck more constant in the early game, and this card is really sweet when you already have a ton of mana. Things like this and Mana Reflection are great in decks built around having tons of ramp already.
I'd like to test out Grisly Salvage, and see what other people think if they test it out as well. Can anyone else think of a similar card (besides Mulch, which loses points for not being an instant like the multicolored option) that would work as well?
Well, I'm off to update the OP, so uh... yeah. Lemme know what you guys think. Cheers!
Well howdy there guys. Uhm... I'm back, after one of my most stressful months in recent memory. This thing called "real life" keeps asking me to join its club, and lemme tell you, it is not the coolest place to be. That said, I haven't forgotten you guys, and I am here for the moment (and hopefully more in the future) to answer all of you lovely posting people. I'll start with Wrathblade; yes, I am still maintaining the thread. I wish I could be a little more hands on with it, but them's the breaks. Still, not going anywhere for a long time to come, and hopefully things will quiet down in the coming weeks, and I can be on here some more.
Xeroxedfool, thanks for the kind words. That's the kind of thing that makes me wish I had more time to be on here. As for Expedition Map, I used to play it, and ditched it a while back. The slowness of a 3 mana tutor that doesn't even put the land into play is... not worth it. At least not to me. It's a really good card in the right deck, and is an excellent budget option, but there are too many good cards in the deck to slip this one back in.
Zmattk, I'm flattered that this thread could inspire you, and I am glad you're having success with Karador. I think that Genesis Wave is still a boss card, whether we have Primeval Titan or not; almost all of our win-cons are permanents, so free permanents is rarely a bad thing. I really liked Life From the Loam when I had it in here, but it was one of the things that I didn't need when I cut my cycling lands. With more fetches and the cycling lands put back in, the card is bananas (as is Crucible of Worlds, especially with the fetches), and it could open up cards like Worm Harvest as possible inclusions. Something to think about.
Soulalucard, my primary concern in this list is to keep it infinite combo free as much as possible. Unbanning Kokusho, the Evening Star is indeed a scary choice on the part of the rules committee, but because this deck isn't built to infinitely recur something, there is really no combo to fear. There's going to be some great synnergy, but I don't know if it necessarily means combos will abound.
Sm17ey, I like Woodfall Primus in your list, but I really am not a fan of Harmonize; there are just so many better options. I think cutting tutors like that is a potential speed bump for the list, simply because you don't always just win when you play them. Tooth and Nail doesn't have Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker or Pestermite to create an infinite situation. There are no "Oops, I just won" combos in the deck (at least in mine), so those double tutors don't really lead to that. It's personal preference of course, and if they aren't fun for you then there's no reason to play them. Simply giving my $.02 on why I think they're worth the include (especially Survival of the Fittest; sweet jesus, it does everything we want a card to do).
Burninate13, Carrion Feeder is one of my favorite cards ever, and one of the first I ever played with. The fact that Reveillark and Sun Titan like him is also a plus in his favor. However, he seems just sort of okay, only because he has to take that slot from another card (and because there is infinite combo potential). Phyrexian Plaguelord, while not a friend of the previously mentioned white creatures, does double-duty as a form of removal. Kind of nice. As for grave hate, I run Bojiggle Biggle and Puppeteer Clique, but I am digging both of your options as well.
Domantas, I already play Avenger of Zendikar, and yes, the card is an absolute house. Massacre Wurm, as discussed, is a beast in its own right, and is one of those cards I keep in my "sideboard" of possible cards to shuffle in and out. Eldrazi Monument is a card I didn't ever really seriously consider until just now. It DOES give us a huge advantage out of nowhere with minimal drawback... Possible wincon for the future? I think so.
Thatasianguy, thank you for finally posting! Always nice to have people who casually browse get involved in the conversation. I think I need to agree with Pookelyduke about Loleth Troll: he isn't as good as Survival, but I do suppose he is a reasonable budget option, especially with Living Death. Jarad's Orders are probably going to get a test, since everyone likes tutors (and nice grab Pookelyduke, with Loyal Retainers and, say, Kokusho). Another RTR card I like is Angel of Serenity: a finisher, removal, and cool with an instant speed sac outlet. Dunno what people think of this, but it's an idea. Oh, and Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord and Mikaeus, the Unhallowed together is a hilarious moment.
Elvtyrr, I too thought about Captain Sisay for a while. Especially now with Kokusho and Jarad coming into the mix, we have LOTS of options for her. I opted out simply because I wanted to focus on ETB/LTB triggers, but it's a SOLID option nowadays. Loyal Retainers should hop into that list as well. As for the stuff you want to add, make what cuts you need to, but get Pernicious Deed in there. The card is just TOO good to not play.
Justice1337, thank you for the props. I leave for a few weeks, and I miss all this praise. Maybe I should do this more often. Anyway, I agree that more discard in this list is a very viable option. Mindlash Sliver in particular is attractive to me because it's a creature, fits in with Reveillark and Sun Titan, and adds to the preexisting sliver package. I have also toyed with Death Cloud as a possible win con, since we can undoubtedly recover faster from it. Anvil of Bogardan is a really interesting choice, and I agree that we can almost always discard something beneficial, but letting those combo players get to their pieces more quickly isn't a thought I like... Certainly worth an attempt though. Who doesn't like drawing more cards?
Still agreeing with you on Mindslicer, Blackkithkin. So many times hath my ass been saved by one simple 4/3. My issue with Bottomless Pit is that we DO want to have the choice of what to discard, so there is danger there, Will Robinson. And regardless of the CMC focus of one's deck, Jarad is looking like a boss. I think he'll stick around.
Big shoutout to you Malboro_urchin, since you came to me via PM originally. I'm really glad you decided to post. I don't run "minimum basics" per say, since I run 9 total, and that's a ton for some people, but Primal Growth has a chance to whiff. I do really like it though, as it gives us some more ramp, and some sacrifice effects. What ramp spell would you consider cutting?
One quick question for you guys before I go: have any of you felt like you were a little shy on lands in some opening hands, or is that just me? Not even discussing the departure of our Jolly Green Giant here, just your opening hand. Part of me feels like I'm running one too few lands, maybe. I also have bad luck with that, so that's a thing.
That about does it for me. I AM going to swap Kokusho out of my posted list since I don't actually own the card, but I do have Jarad. He's gonna go in for now, and when I finally acquire Kokopuffs and possibly that Angel I talked about, I'll see what swapping we can do. What do you guys think of her by the by? Anyway, hopefully I won't be gone as long this time. Cheers!
Dr. Awesome, welcome to the thread! Sorry for a bit of a late answer. I used to use the Life From the Loam engine with the cycling lands. It was a common Entomb target, and in 1v1 games where I snagged an early strip mine, it became a backbreaking card to get through. The reason I stopped running the cycling lands (and consequently, Loam) is because I bought duals, and needed to put them into the deck. I didn't want to get rid of any basics, and it came down to cutting the Karoo lands or the cycling ones. My thought process went like this: if I don't have Karoos I can't bounce any cycling lands that end up in play (awkward early hands, Genesis Wave, etc.), while if I didn't have the cycling lands, the Karoos would still be mostly functional. I opted to make the cut, and I have been pleased with it since. Loam is still a really strong engine, and I do recommend a Wasteland when you get the chance.
As for Crucible of Worlds, I would recommend throwing a few more fetches into your deck. They become more useful when you can just play them over and over again. Crop Rotation is nice tech as well, giving instant speed grave hate and combat tricks. Have you considered Sejiri Steppe? It could be a blowout.
KTrojan, I have to side with everyone else in here. As much acceleration as Scorched Ruins can be, it seems like it could end in some risky opening hands and/or awkward plays. I'm all for mulligans, but I don't do the partial Paris or selective mulligans with my playgroup, so I can't really rely on that.
Just when I thought my list was getting stale from no new changes, Wizards drops a whopper of a change-up right into my lap: Primeval Titan is banned, and Kokusho, the Evening Star is unbanned. Now, losing the jolly green giant is going to be rough, but I think the ramp section can survive without him. The question is this: what do I replace him with? I see two schools of thought here:
Add Kokusho. This guy is a BEAST. He can make huge swings in life total at the drop of a hat, and can keep you afloat in the long game. Plus, he just BEGS to be abused with Karmic Guide and friends (don't even get me started on Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, as I get dizzy just thinking about it). Kokopuffs fits right into the 6-slot as well, and is a solid beater in his own right. I see nothing wrong with this Dragon Spirit besides his price tag, but I can trade around that.
Don't Add Kokusho. I know some people are probably scratching their heads on this one, but hear me out. This suddenly frees up a slot that we never thought we would have. I'm sure there are tons of options out there that people have wanted to play, but with such a tight list, could not; now the chance is there. Plus, with Return to Ravinica giving us so many goodies, perhaps the best course of action is to wait it out and try out some new friends. I think that until we see RtR, I'm going to put Kokusho in that slot, but it isn't a guaranteed switch.
So, where do you stand on this issue? What should take the slot of our (mushy) giant friend (anyone who catches that reference would make me so happy...)? Is Kokusho really THAT busted? Weigh in on it, and I look forward to hearing from you!
I gotta agree with KTrojan and Volango here. I don't believe in limiting oneself based on what other people are playing. Primeval Titan is too good of a card not to run him. Or at least try him in the deck for a while, and see how you feel. If after more testing, he still is underperforming, then drop him. Simple as that.
What do we think of Angel of Serenity? I know that WWW cost is really prohibitive, but triple exile seems SO busted, especially since we can recast her if she dies. Also, bonus points if you can sac her with her ability on the stack. She's not a bad beater either, and in a slot that doesn't have TOO many contenders. What say you?
Gotta agree with TigerDriver here. If you plan to draft or buy a lot of RTR, go for that Cradle now. If you don't, then maybe saving for some better lands would be more important, but the real qestion is this: how well do your colors fix? If you're having no trouble, then the sheer output of Gaea's Cradle is more worth it, but if you need better fixing on those colors, shocks are way more important.
Talanos, have you really been running around without a High Market? Easily one of the best lands in the deck, dude. C'mon now, card's not expensive enough to justify not running it. Good buy on the FTV. I really wanna pick it up, but I lack the funds. I wanna find room for Maze of Ith in here, but I agree with Sohala. Sorry Grimfacia, Dryad Arbor is just a little too weak, and I'm fairly certain you can't use Karador to replay it.
Nekorin, I think you pretty much have to run Primeval Titan. It's one of those cards that's just THAT good. What cons do you have while running him? I've only ever had the positive end of things.
Good to see that the feedback is positive on Jarad's Orders. I really like the card. What do you guys think is worth cutting for it? I'm hesitant to cut Eladamri's Call, but it may be the one. We will need to test.
It would seem the thread has spoken; our first Golgari walker really isn't built for this deck specifically. Still, I do love me that planeswalker. Maybe I can build the variant of this deck with Doran at the helm, drop a lot of the creatures for more disruption, and play a more Rock style deck (as opposed to Rock/Reanimator). At the very least, I'll pick her up for the future, when I dismantle my decks and make a cube.
And UFOPOLI, I use word so that I can edit the entire thing without scrolling through the very small post editor window. Using a word processor makes the entire thing easier to manage in my opinion, and I just copy and past changes. I mostly use it as a backup though; if I'm fixing small changes, I just go through the website itself.
The Wurm unfortunately seems like too much of a big dumb dude to warrant a slot. Plus, we can't abuse him with grave stuff. All in all, I'm not impressed. I'll tell you what DID catch my eye though...
Swiss. Freaking. Cheese. That girl seems NUTTY. She protects herself from little guys interfering with her, and she's a 1-stop removal shop. Plus she is nicely costed, and with a pretty sizable loyalty to start out with. What do you guys think? Is she worth the test?
Swiss-freaking-cheese, that Wurm. Good lord is that scary. A 15/15 for 11? That makes THREE 5/5s? AND gets shuffled back in?! What in gods name is going on here!
UFOPOLI, I feel your pain, believe me. The primer is 30 pages in Word. It's... rough to keep track of. >.<
SO! We have our first Golgari and Selesnya spoilers from RTR. Dunno if anyone has seen them, but I firmly believe in checking them out. I think Grisly Salvage is the only one worth mentioning here. What do you think? Is it worth it? Are there others that are as well (besides Jarad, we discussed him already)? Let me know what y'all are feelin' about this one.
Grimfacia, that sounds like a really unfortunate situation. While it's true that if four of your six playgroup members slam their leylines, or do something that hoses Karador, he can't survive. You can't fight the entire table at once, however one person running one is not something that is impossible to beat. That said, I don't think a disclaimer is necessary, because that sounds like the case with any deck: if the entire table tries to hose your deck, it is going to lose.
That said, I got the itch to dig this old beast back out to play again and I fell in love all over again. Still my favorite deck to play, still pilots like a dream. Naturally I wanted to see if there was anything cool and shiny and new to try out, but after going through all the sets I missed I was not that impressed by anything I saw. Might cut Disciple of Bolas for Sidisi, Undead Vizier but I'm not 100% certain quite yet if the guaranteed tutor is worth losing the draw. Another 5 mana creature helps out Birthing Pod, but eh... I'm on the fence. Maybe I'll drop someone else like Jens who might be a TINY bit redundant. Plenty more testing to be done. I'm also open to suggestions, so if people want to throw more cards I should be playing at me I am all for it.
I'm not gonna reopen the doors to making this a primer... but I'll answer questions via message or via comments on occasion. Magic is doing it for me right now (along with BattleCON; anyone else in this community try that game? it's amazing) and I'll ride the (very expensive) wave as long as it holds my interest. Cheers y'all.
EDIT:
So I had some time to look at more stuff, and now I wanna see if I can make room for Ashen Rider, Reclamation Sage, and Recruiter of the Guard because they all seem excellent. Ashen Rider just seems like insane advantage at the top end of the spectrum (and a 5/5 flier is nothing to sneeze at either), Reclamation Sage is a powerful removal tool in creature form that can be reused over and over (via Reveillark AND Sun Titan, my favorite) which also wears Skullclamp like a SkullCHAMP (I'm sorry), and Recruiter of the Guard can tutor for 19 of our guys including ramp and removal and general utility. Might want Abzan Charm in there too, potentially. But it might not be good enough.
Seems pretty good to me, what would you guys suggest cutting? I've been out of this so I'm kinda rusty, but I'm considering dropping Mortify and Putrefy for the two new weenies, but I don't know what to cut for Ashen Rider. I want to run Sidisi, Undead Vizier also but I have no idea what cuts to make there either. HALP. Please and thank you.
I think Austere Command is the best sweeper in the format, the randomness of Gamble makes me chuckle. I have the full-art promo of Hinder, so I'm a wee bit partial to that. The other two are just based on my pet deck, as per usual.
Justice1337, there are currently 37 lands in the list. I've always found that to be the magic number, but lately I've been hitting hands with fewer lands than I need, which is rough. The only reason I haven't bumped the number is because I haven't found a card I want to cut in order to add it. >.< Not a real good reason to make the deck less consistent, but it's the only one I've got, so I'm sticking to it.
Now, how do we fix this issue? The most prevalent answer has been better, cheaper draw/card fixing spells, and I agree with the solution. Let's take a look at the suggestions thus far.
I think Graveborn Muse defeats the purpose, since it is at the lofty cost of four already. The same can be said for Moonlight Bargain and Harvester of Souls. These are really cool cards, but they cost too much to solve the issue at hand.
We need cheap options! I'll be honest, I don't love Sign in Blood or Night's Whisper, nor do I really think Life From the Loam still has a place in this deck. However, I think Grisly Salvage is the first card that I will be adding, because it digs for either a creature later on, or a land early, and dumps whatever else we want to use into our "second hand." That, and the fact that it digs through FIVE cards. If Fact or Fiction has taught us anything, it's that that's HUGE.
Okay, this is the hard part: cuts. First off, on an unrelated, I think Iona, Shield of Emeria should be cut to fit Kokusho, the Evening Star. I like Iona, but in primarily multiplayer games in a diverse meta, Kokopuffs will end the game, while the angel will just delay it a little longer, and make people mad besides. That was the easy one, so saddle up folks.
I think the two weakest cards in the list are Rout and Mirari's Wake. As much as I love the ability to sweep at instant speed, it's kind of a clunky card, and very costly. The latter is the tougher cut, but I would like to make the deck more constant in the early game, and this card is really sweet when you already have a ton of mana. Things like this and Mana Reflection are great in decks built around having tons of ramp already.
I'd like to test out Grisly Salvage, and see what other people think if they test it out as well. Can anyone else think of a similar card (besides Mulch, which loses points for not being an instant like the multicolored option) that would work as well?
Well, I'm off to update the OP, so uh... yeah. Lemme know what you guys think. Cheers!
Xeroxedfool, thanks for the kind words. That's the kind of thing that makes me wish I had more time to be on here. As for Expedition Map, I used to play it, and ditched it a while back. The slowness of a 3 mana tutor that doesn't even put the land into play is... not worth it. At least not to me. It's a really good card in the right deck, and is an excellent budget option, but there are too many good cards in the deck to slip this one back in.
Zmattk, I'm flattered that this thread could inspire you, and I am glad you're having success with Karador. I think that Genesis Wave is still a boss card, whether we have Primeval Titan or not; almost all of our win-cons are permanents, so free permanents is rarely a bad thing. I really liked Life From the Loam when I had it in here, but it was one of the things that I didn't need when I cut my cycling lands. With more fetches and the cycling lands put back in, the card is bananas (as is Crucible of Worlds, especially with the fetches), and it could open up cards like Worm Harvest as possible inclusions. Something to think about.
Soulalucard, my primary concern in this list is to keep it infinite combo free as much as possible. Unbanning Kokusho, the Evening Star is indeed a scary choice on the part of the rules committee, but because this deck isn't built to infinitely recur something, there is really no combo to fear. There's going to be some great synnergy, but I don't know if it necessarily means combos will abound.
Sm17ey, I like Woodfall Primus in your list, but I really am not a fan of Harmonize; there are just so many better options. I think cutting tutors like that is a potential speed bump for the list, simply because you don't always just win when you play them. Tooth and Nail doesn't have Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker or Pestermite to create an infinite situation. There are no "Oops, I just won" combos in the deck (at least in mine), so those double tutors don't really lead to that. It's personal preference of course, and if they aren't fun for you then there's no reason to play them. Simply giving my $.02 on why I think they're worth the include (especially Survival of the Fittest; sweet jesus, it does everything we want a card to do).
Burninate13, Carrion Feeder is one of my favorite cards ever, and one of the first I ever played with. The fact that Reveillark and Sun Titan like him is also a plus in his favor. However, he seems just sort of okay, only because he has to take that slot from another card (and because there is infinite combo potential). Phyrexian Plaguelord, while not a friend of the previously mentioned white creatures, does double-duty as a form of removal. Kind of nice. As for grave hate, I run Bojiggle Biggle and Puppeteer Clique, but I am digging both of your options as well.
Domantas, I already play Avenger of Zendikar, and yes, the card is an absolute house. Massacre Wurm, as discussed, is a beast in its own right, and is one of those cards I keep in my "sideboard" of possible cards to shuffle in and out. Eldrazi Monument is a card I didn't ever really seriously consider until just now. It DOES give us a huge advantage out of nowhere with minimal drawback... Possible wincon for the future? I think so.
Thatasianguy, thank you for finally posting! Always nice to have people who casually browse get involved in the conversation. I think I need to agree with Pookelyduke about Loleth Troll: he isn't as good as Survival, but I do suppose he is a reasonable budget option, especially with Living Death. Jarad's Orders are probably going to get a test, since everyone likes tutors (and nice grab Pookelyduke, with Loyal Retainers and, say, Kokusho). Another RTR card I like is Angel of Serenity: a finisher, removal, and cool with an instant speed sac outlet. Dunno what people think of this, but it's an idea. Oh, and Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord and Mikaeus, the Unhallowed together is a hilarious moment.
Elvtyrr, I too thought about Captain Sisay for a while. Especially now with Kokusho and Jarad coming into the mix, we have LOTS of options for her. I opted out simply because I wanted to focus on ETB/LTB triggers, but it's a SOLID option nowadays. Loyal Retainers should hop into that list as well. As for the stuff you want to add, make what cuts you need to, but get Pernicious Deed in there. The card is just TOO good to not play.
Justice1337, thank you for the props. I leave for a few weeks, and I miss all this praise. Maybe I should do this more often.
Still agreeing with you on Mindslicer, Blackkithkin. So many times hath my ass been saved by one simple 4/3. My issue with Bottomless Pit is that we DO want to have the choice of what to discard, so there is danger there, Will Robinson. And regardless of the CMC focus of one's deck, Jarad is looking like a boss. I think he'll stick around.
Big shoutout to you Malboro_urchin, since you came to me via PM originally. I'm really glad you decided to post. I don't run "minimum basics" per say, since I run 9 total, and that's a ton for some people, but Primal Growth has a chance to whiff. I do really like it though, as it gives us some more ramp, and some sacrifice effects. What ramp spell would you consider cutting?
One quick question for you guys before I go: have any of you felt like you were a little shy on lands in some opening hands, or is that just me? Not even discussing the departure of our Jolly Green Giant here, just your opening hand. Part of me feels like I'm running one too few lands, maybe. I also have bad luck with that, so that's a thing.
That about does it for me. I AM going to swap Kokusho out of my posted list since I don't actually own the card, but I do have Jarad. He's gonna go in for now, and when I finally acquire Kokopuffs and possibly that Angel I talked about, I'll see what swapping we can do. What do you guys think of her by the by? Anyway, hopefully I won't be gone as long this time. Cheers!
As for Crucible of Worlds, I would recommend throwing a few more fetches into your deck. They become more useful when you can just play them over and over again. Crop Rotation is nice tech as well, giving instant speed grave hate and combat tricks. Have you considered Sejiri Steppe? It could be a blowout.
KTrojan, I have to side with everyone else in here. As much acceleration as Scorched Ruins can be, it seems like it could end in some risky opening hands and/or awkward plays. I'm all for mulligans, but I don't do the partial Paris or selective mulligans with my playgroup, so I can't really rely on that.
Just when I thought my list was getting stale from no new changes, Wizards drops a whopper of a change-up right into my lap: Primeval Titan is banned, and Kokusho, the Evening Star is unbanned. Now, losing the jolly green giant is going to be rough, but I think the ramp section can survive without him. The question is this: what do I replace him with? I see two schools of thought here:
Add Kokusho. This guy is a BEAST. He can make huge swings in life total at the drop of a hat, and can keep you afloat in the long game. Plus, he just BEGS to be abused with Karmic Guide and friends (don't even get me started on Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, as I get dizzy just thinking about it). Kokopuffs fits right into the 6-slot as well, and is a solid beater in his own right. I see nothing wrong with this Dragon Spirit besides his price tag, but I can trade around that.
Don't Add Kokusho. I know some people are probably scratching their heads on this one, but hear me out. This suddenly frees up a slot that we never thought we would have. I'm sure there are tons of options out there that people have wanted to play, but with such a tight list, could not; now the chance is there. Plus, with Return to Ravinica giving us so many goodies, perhaps the best course of action is to wait it out and try out some new friends. I think that until we see RtR, I'm going to put Kokusho in that slot, but it isn't a guaranteed switch.
So, where do you stand on this issue? What should take the slot of our (mushy) giant friend (anyone who catches that reference would make me so happy...)? Is Kokusho really THAT busted? Weigh in on it, and I look forward to hearing from you!
What do we think of Angel of Serenity? I know that WWW cost is really prohibitive, but triple exile seems SO busted, especially since we can recast her if she dies. Also, bonus points if you can sac her with her ability on the stack. She's not a bad beater either, and in a slot that doesn't have TOO many contenders. What say you?
Good to see that the feedback is positive on Jarad's Orders. I really like the card. What do you guys think is worth cutting for it? I'm hesitant to cut Eladamri's Call, but it may be the one. We will need to test.
And UFOPOLI, I use word so that I can edit the entire thing without scrolling through the very small post editor window. Using a word processor makes the entire thing easier to manage in my opinion, and I just copy and past changes. I mostly use it as a backup though; if I'm fixing small changes, I just go through the website itself.
Swiss. Freaking. Cheese. That girl seems NUTTY. She protects herself from little guys interfering with her, and she's a 1-stop removal shop. Plus she is nicely costed, and with a pretty sizable loyalty to start out with. What do you guys think? Is she worth the test?
SO! We have our first Golgari and Selesnya spoilers from RTR. Dunno if anyone has seen them, but I firmly believe in checking them out. I think Grisly Salvage is the only one worth mentioning here. What do you think? Is it worth it? Are there others that are as well (besides Jarad, we discussed him already)? Let me know what y'all are feelin' about this one.