I am running 4 geists and my deck is using 4 birds, 2 pilgrim. I run 6 forest, 4 sunpetal, 4 razorverge, and 3 hinterland along with 3 evolving. This makes it so that I can get turn 2 green easily even with pilgrims. My deck is kind of random compared to the more streamlined versions.
Yeah I'm also wondering whether moving back to Llanowar Elves is better if you're going heavy on the Geists. And if it means I have to give up on my beloved Gavony Township.
But the Blade Splicers are also a key T2 play and the Sun Titans are very important for the deck too...
I think the switch to Llanowar Elves is the right move with 4 Geists. Making the change now, ill post again tonight after testing.
My current list. Cut down on the higher cost stuff to minimize the dependancy on the pod. 4 Images and 4 Geists is amazing, this works so much better as an aggro deck than before undying. Thalia is also a beast, and since the only non creature spell is pod she is right at home here.
Has anyone tried Wild Hunger in a dungrove list? I know the cost is high, but giving Dungrove elder 3/1 and trample seems like it could be more powerful than Wolf Run in the early game. Obivously not in the late game though.
BTW, the case for Grand Abolisher in the MB is this:
Delver - Stops bounce, mana leak, midnight haunting.
WRR - Galvanic Blast/Shock, etc
RDW - Crushes everything?
Solar Flare - Contrololol
4cControl - Contrololol
Tempered Steel - Side out for DoJ
Haunted Humans - Side out for DoJ
So because I do not want to run DOJ MB with 4 Hero of Bladehold in my deck, I rarely see a downside pulling an Abolisher on game 1.
They work the same way as Grand Abolisher, a 2 drop that covers our weakness, and also gets bumped by Honor of the Pure and Sorin's emblem. I have been siding them out in the place of gather the townsfolk, which become less useful as most sword decks run evasion (flying/unblockable).
In regards to splashing green, I do not understand. Why Garruk? With Hero of Bladehold and Sorin, you have more power in the 4 drop slot than you need. If you are thinking of Gavony Township, Vault is better.
Also: @KingShane - i see you lurking on this thread still is your build in the primer still what you are running? Did you give any thought to the skeleton that Chapin put out, using Slicers and Elspeth with 8 anthems?
I find that the best strategy with any sword deck is to SB in Stony Silence, but also max out on Orings instead of black removal. That applies to delver builds as well. BW tokens has too much resilience to tempo and control as long as you deal with swords effectively. let them swing for the first 3 turns with a delver til you start chaining token spells. Just make sure that they can't get a sword equipped and its an easy win. Ratchet Bomb is finding its match in Lingering Souls. Until BW tokens starts winning PTQs we won't actually see as much hate as I think is being predicted.
My current build. I am loving the anthem heavy version so far. Most games on t4 I am dropping Sorin, Hero, or two anthems. Im only running 2 Sorins because I only have 2. When I get a third I'll probably cut 1 HotP.
After running almost a copy of shanes list last night at FNM, I put 2 Honor of the Pures and 2 Grand Abolishers in the place of the Despise and so far today it has been performing better for me. 8 Anthems might be a little much, but having 6 is ensuring that I am seeing 1-2 in every game. The Honors work nicely with the Abolisher and Doomed Travelers, which can actually get about 5-6 damage in a game because nobody wants to give you another token.
Increasing Devotion. I found that the fact that they are not flying is the deal breaker for a 5 cmc spell. If it was 4 (8 flashback) cmc, or made spirits it would be great. Putting 5 guys out is good, but late game you need fliers. Thats why Delver is everywhere.
Just went 2-1-1 with BW tokens at FNM. However, I didnt have any Sorins at the time so I was running 2 Increasing Devotion and a Geist Honored Monk.
My meta is full of Delver, which this deck does pretty well against. Won one and the other we didn't get to finish, but I had lethal on board before we ran out of turns. My other win was against 4c control.
The one loss was to an exact copy of Conley Woods' BG Wolf Run from Orlando. I got pretty unlucky and he managed to land Massacre Wurm two games in a row, while I only had 1 anthem down.
I think I am going to run 2 Grand Abolishers MB, and I think that Honor of the Pure might be a big advantage, however I now have Sorin in my deck so I'm going to wait and see.
Despise was good when I got it on t1, but I found myself siding it out due to the decks I was playing being so threat heavy. Maybe going to take that as a sideboard card.
I run a slightly budget version of this deck (my 3rd standard so it gets less $), therefore I do not have swords to run, but I use Silver Inlaid Daggers and Elite Inquisitor. Together I find that he can wreck shop without making you over-extend in the early game. Often ill land CotP t1, t2 an Inquisitor, and t3 a Dagger, equip and swing with him. 5/2, First Strike, Vigilance is a house even without his protection.
As I said earlier I think he is just going to get better. Especially when the Mirroden block rotates. The only thing that may not go his way in the next set is if we see a lot of devils in fast aggro decks.
In addition to this, he is a good target for Angelic Destiny in the 2 drop slot, although Thalia is a pretty good target in that slot as well.
If tokens ends up being a top deck, mono-G may not be viable without some overrun effects. We may be forced to abandon the Dungrove Elder and splash red for some sweepers.
BW tokens can be ratchet bombed without splashing. I like your build a lot, but I think that if you're going to be the beatdown deck, then you have to swing for the fences with pressure. Keep it like this where you are putting pressure on every turn.
Decklist?
I changed my mana base and dorks to:
The singles are just for fetching because Im running a single Solemn Simulacrum
Has been working out so far, maxing out forests is essential.
I think the switch to Llanowar Elves is the right move with 4 Geists. Making the change now, ill post again tonight after testing.
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Avacyn Pilgrim
Two-Drop:
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Phantasmal Image
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
Three-Drop:
3 Blade Splicer
1 Fiend Hunter
2 Stonehorn Dignitary
2 Phyrexian Metamorph
Five-Drop:
2 Acidic Slime
1 Archon of Justice
Six-Drop:
2 Sun Titan
Seven Drop:
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Other:
4 Birthing Pod
4 Razorverge Thicket
3 Sunpetal Grove
3 Hinterland Harbor
1 Glacial Fortress
2 Evolving Wilds
6 Forest
3 Plains
2 Island
My current list. Cut down on the higher cost stuff to minimize the dependancy on the pod. 4 Images and 4 Geists is amazing, this works so much better as an aggro deck than before undying. Thalia is also a beast, and since the only non creature spell is pod she is right at home here.
3 Glistener Elf
2 Birds of Paradise
4 Putrefax
1 Acidic Slime
4 Plague Myr
2 Ichorclaw Myr
2 Solemn Simulacrum
2 Ratchet Bomb
4 Mimic Vat
2 Sphere of the Suns
Spells 10
3 Mirran Mettle
4 Green Sun's Zenith
3 Wild Hunger
14 Forest
4 Rootbound Crag
2 Mountain
4 Inkmoth Nexus
4 Kessig Wolf Run
Delver - Stops bounce, mana leak, midnight haunting.
WRR - Galvanic Blast/Shock, etc
RDW - Crushes everything?
Solar Flare - Contrololol
4cControl - Contrololol
Tempered Steel - Side out for DoJ
Haunted Humans - Side out for DoJ
So because I do not want to run DOJ MB with 4 Hero of Bladehold in my deck, I rarely see a downside pulling an Abolisher on game 1.
They work the same way as Grand Abolisher, a 2 drop that covers our weakness, and also gets bumped by Honor of the Pure and Sorin's emblem. I have been siding them out in the place of gather the townsfolk, which become less useful as most sword decks run evasion (flying/unblockable).
In regards to splashing green, I do not understand. Why Garruk? With Hero of Bladehold and Sorin, you have more power in the 4 drop slot than you need. If you are thinking of Gavony Township, Vault is better.
Also: @KingShane - i see you lurking on this thread still is your build in the primer still what you are running? Did you give any thought to the skeleton that Chapin put out, using Slicers and Elspeth with 8 anthems?
Ratchet Bomb is finding its match in Lingering Souls. Until BW tokens starts winning PTQs we won't actually see as much hate as I think is being predicted.
2 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
Creatures
3 Hero of Bladehold
4 Doomed Traveler
2 Grand Abolisher
Spells
3 Gather the Townsfolk
4 Midnight Haunting
4 Lingering Souls
4 Intangible Virtue
3 Honor of the Pure
2 Doom Blade
1 Go for the Throat
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Altar's Reap
4 Isolated Chapel
3 Vault of the Archangel
12 Plains
5 Swamp
My current build. I am loving the anthem heavy version so far. Most games on t4 I am dropping Sorin, Hero, or two anthems. Im only running 2 Sorins because I only have 2. When I get a third I'll probably cut 1 HotP.
My meta is full of Delver, which this deck does pretty well against. Won one and the other we didn't get to finish, but I had lethal on board before we ran out of turns. My other win was against 4c control.
The one loss was to an exact copy of Conley Woods' BG Wolf Run from Orlando. I got pretty unlucky and he managed to land Massacre Wurm two games in a row, while I only had 1 anthem down.
I think I am going to run 2 Grand Abolishers MB, and I think that Honor of the Pure might be a big advantage, however I now have Sorin in my deck so I'm going to wait and see.
Despise was good when I got it on t1, but I found myself siding it out due to the decks I was playing being so threat heavy. Maybe going to take that as a sideboard card.
As I said earlier I think he is just going to get better. Especially when the Mirroden block rotates. The only thing that may not go his way in the next set is if we see a lot of devils in fast aggro decks.
In addition to this, he is a good target for Angelic Destiny in the 2 drop slot, although Thalia is a pretty good target in that slot as well.
BW tokens can be ratchet bombed without splashing. I like your build a lot, but I think that if you're going to be the beatdown deck, then you have to swing for the fences with pressure. Keep it like this where you are putting pressure on every turn.