This build is hot off the presses. I was bored, picked up Gahiji, binned the deck I had and started fresh. This version is focused on two things: anthems and slowing down the game. First we set up our walls of hate, using the our enchantresses for the card advantage, then we use our anthems in combination with Gahiji/Opalescence/other creatures. Anyways, any and all comments welcome, I'll be testing this a lot this weekend I think.
Decided to drop signets for Mox Diamond and another land. Also going to give Soldier of the Pantheon and AEther Vial a try, both seem like they should fit in pretty well. I've only gotten to play a few games recently but this list so far has been a riot.
You have a lot of ramp in this deck, but nothing to really accelerate into. What good does having six mana available do you when you're playing Torch Fiends and Loam Lions? You're not using that mana efficiently enough.
There's someone else on this board...Pysces I think he is. He has a similar deck with a bit of a beefier frame, that does use the increased mana more efficiently. Or like with myself, you can make use of your commander's type line and play other efficient beasts, such as Krosan Warchief (which curves into your commander on t4), Uril the Miststalker, and then you can mana fix with Valley Rannet, Krosan Tusker, and Chartooth Cougar which can also be a beater late game. Additionally, Contested Cliffs is a thing, and even with just your commander a repeatable Flametongue Kavu every turn is sweet. Also Cavern of Souls and Beast is awesome in this deck.
If you want Zoo however, I can't help but think Marath, Will of the Wild is better. Hope this helps you.
You have a lot of ramp in this deck, but nothing to really accelerate into. What good does having six mana available do you when you're playing Torch Fiends and Loam Lions? You're not using that mana efficiently enough.
Remnants from when I was trying to put Sunforger on the list. You're right, I wasn't using the mana efficiently.
There's someone else on this board...Pysces I think he is. He has a similar deck with a bit of a beefier frame, that does use the increased mana more efficiently. Or like with myself, you can make use of your commander's type line and play other efficient beasts, such as Krosan Warchief (which curves into your commander on t4), Uril the Miststalker, and then you can mana fix with Valley Rannet, Krosan Tusker, and Chartooth Cougar which can also be a beater late game. Additionally, Contested Cliffs is a thing, and even with just your commander a repeatable Flametongue Kavu every turn is sweet. Also Cavern of Souls and Beast is awesome in this deck.
I've got Cavern on the list already (and generally call "human" for it strange enough) and it has served very well. I'm not really looking to go beast tribal thanks, I've already got a Mayael list that does that. You're right that I needed some more beef though, I went ahead and made a few changes in that department and also tweaked my landbase.
If you want Zoo however, I can't help but think Marath, Will of the Wild is better. Hope this helps you.
Marath is getting a combo deck from me. Thanks for the suggestions!
I like your list. Just a couple quick thoughts. Kird Ape & Loam Lion?
Thank you. I actually had Ape and Lion in the initial build but cut them for (I believe) Domri Rade and Wilt-Leaf Liege to give my longer game some more teeth. I might try to find them a home again at some point.
Giving Land Tax, Dangerous Wager, Ajani, Caller of the Pride; and Aurelia, the Warleader a run. Don't offhand remember what I cut for them though ;). Anyways, deck keeps running better and better, I had an entire table dead in seven turns the other day, admittedly it was a godhand but it was also one hell of a rush.
Well, had the opportunity to do a lot of playing today and I decided once again that I didn't care for Sunforger here, so I'm going back to Nature's Claim, replacing the hammer with Balefire Liege, and cutting the Top for Battlefield Forge. Top was fine, but 35 lands seems to be the sweet spot for this deck so I'm going to sacrifice the possible card quality for more guaranteed action. I have hopes for Liege, he's done good things for me in the past and seems a good fit here.
Modified my Ranger of Eos package, dropping Dryad Militant and Signal Pest for Mother of Runes and Legion Loyalist. Loyalist is obviously good in a deck that is based on attacking and I've always loved the utility mom offers. Hopefully I should be getting in some more play today so I'll edit with any further updates, but I think this stick has gotten pretty sharp.
And the rest of Christmas arrives with Imperial Recruiter :D. He'll be taking Domri's spot. I'm also swapping out Spikeshot Elder for Hokori for the time being. Cannot wait to cast Recruiter, he's a card I've wanted for a long time and he should put in some excellent work for this set. Anyways, that's the news.
Decided to drop Wooded Bastion for another Forest. This brings our basic land count up to 10 to further increase Land Tax's functionality and smooth out operations in the face of nonbasic hate.
I also dropped Mirran Crusader for Emeria Angel and gotta say I love the change. The Crusader is a terrific attacker but we needed more air support and the Angel provides that exquisitely.
EDIT:
Also, for those of you that do frequent this list or are interested in it I would like to ask, is there any information would you like to see provided aside from the deck list itself?
Well, the era of the straight beater is officially dead with the subtraction of Goyf and Dryad. In their place we have Saffi providing further removal protection and Corrupter providing both more removal and another source of Infect. Elder is taking Lavamancer's place for now in our Ranger package, I've been trying to work him into the deck for a few weeks and I think this is the right choice, I like the way he scales and that I can still use the ability on the attack but we'll see how well he plays out. I've also wanted a manland in the deck for awhile and I feel like Inkmoth is the best choice, both giving me another flier and supplementing the Infect sub-strategy that I've worked in. I'm also working on write-ups for the deck's strategy, card choices, and match-ups to add to the main post. I'd like to drop them all at once but they might be added piecemeal whenever I complete them. Happy hunting!
EDIT: After a lot of consideration, I've decided I'm going to give Heliod a run in place of Gisela. I've wanted the sun god onboard for a while now and Gisela's mana cost has always been a real sticking point for me so we'll see how this change shakes out.
So I decided I wanted to try something other than Purphoros in his spot, I haven't been using his mana-sink anywhere near enough and the triggered ability never lit up in a big enough way to make much difference. I was trying out Imposing Sovereign in his place when a friend asked my why I didn't just use Kismet instead. I agreed. Seems like it should do ok, having another speed bump is always nice, especially one that enhances my others. No other major changes at the time, I think I'm to the point of waiting for set spoilers to plan any major revamps.
Well, I lied about not having any more revamps ;). I've been wanting to try out Awakening Zone for awhile and Aggravated Assault wasn't working out as well as I wanted so I decided to pull the trigger on a swap. I also decided to drop Ajani for the time being in favor of Sword of War and Peace which I've also been wanting to try for awhile. Unfortunately, this does also mean I needed to change the name of the deck since I'm no longer using three-sword style, but it's a small sacrifice.
Born of the Gods brought us... nothing :(. I tested both Brimaz and Spirit of the Labyrinth out and really didn't like the results (Spirit might still make a return but now's just not the time), but I've made some major changes. First off, my birthday is coming up so I went ahead and gave myself a Ravages of War. Aggravated Assault is back as is Purphoros, and I've put a lot more token focus into the build to accommodate them. I'm also giving Druids' Repository a test run, it seems to have some interesting potential. Disruption was increased slightly and I added some more haste to round it out. Back to a state of heavy tinkering (which is my favorite :)) but I'm liking this direction.
Giving Worldy Tutor a try over Survival of the Fittest is probably the biggest change. Past that, cut Balancing Act and a few other minor things for tech like Mikaeus and Scavenging Ooze. The list is playing very tightly now, I'm probably the happiest I've been with it since I started playing Gahiji. Good luck with your own lists!
Giving another backup general a try with Nobilis of War and some more flexible removal like Flickerwisp and Reclamation Sage. Also trying a couple of tech cards in the land suite. Gonna get to do some serious testing soon so we'll see how it all works out.
It's possible to force Torpor Orb and Hushwing Gryff in here. Mikaeus, Relic Warder, Mentor, Flickerwisp, Recruiter, Reclamation Sage, Witness, Purph, and Sun Titan seem to be the only creatures that are affected. Only Purph and Mentor are really hurt. Everything else either has similar effects with activated abilities, are cuttable, or are strong enough to play even with Torpor Orb.
Cursed Totem and Damping Matrix could also see play. Only Escort, Reliquary, Saffi, and Mikaeus seem to be affected. All of which seem replaceable. Not that they need to be. Four creatures being hindered by two possible cards is hardly reason to replace them. Additionally, all your artifacts are affected by Damping Matrix are already by Null Rod. It looks like Cursed Totem and Damping Matrix can be squeezed in without much difficulty.
You can also run Stranglehold to compliment Leonin Arbiter and Aven Mindcensor. It's one sided, mandatory, no questions asked tutor hate.
Though it possible that these cards may be too much Hate and not Bear for your tastes.
Definitely some good calls here. Cutting Mikaeus for Gryff was already on my mind so I'll make that switch. Cursed Totem also seems like it will lead to good places so I'll cut Saffi. In addition, I'm going to cut the Relic Warder for Mangara and Dauntless Escort for Courser of Kruphix, since I'm also toying with getting Armageddon back on board as well. Thanks for taking a look, I really appreciate the feedback.
EDIT: Decided to go with the Armageddon after all. I'm switching Chaos Warp out for the time being but I'll play around with it I'm sure
1x Gahiji, Honored One
Enchantment (27)
1x Suppression Field
1x Sterling Grove
1x Blood Moon
1x Price of Glory
1x City of Solitude
1x Rule of Law
1x Angelic Renewal
1x Aura of Silence
1x Leyline of Punishment
1x Sphere of Safety
1x Possibility Storm
1x Privileged Position
1x Martyr's Bond
1x Flickering Ward
1x War's Toll
1x Marshal's Anthem
1x Glory of Warfare
1x Berserkers' Onslaught
1x Dictate of Heliod
1x Mirari's Wake
1x Gratuitous Violence
1x Land Tax
1x Exploration
1x Sylvan Library
1x Enchantress's Presence
1x Sigil of the Empty Throne
1x Opalescence
1x Enlightened Tutor
1x Worldly Tutor
1x Eladamri's Call
Land (35)
1x Plateau
1x Taiga
1x Savannah
1x Sacred Foundry
1x Temple Garden
1x Stomping Ground
1x Arid Mesa
1x Windswept Heath
1x Wooded Foothills
1x Command Tower
1x Cavern of Souls
1x Serra's Sanctum
1x Ancient Tomb
11x Plains
5x Forest
3x Mountain
1x Strip Mine
1x Wasteland
1x Inkmoth Nexus
Artifact (11)
1x Chrome Mox
1x Mana Crypt
1x Sol Ring
1x Talisman of Impulse
1x Talisman of Unity
1x Chromatic Lantern
1x Semblance Anvil
1x Cursed Totem
1x Torpor Orb
1x Damping Matrix
Creature (16)
1x Argothian Enchantress
1x Verduran Enchantress
1x Mesa Enchantress
1x Eidolon of Blossoms
1x Ajani's Chosen
1x Celestial Ancient
1x Nylea, God of the Hunt
1x Xenagos, God of Revels
1x Eternal Witness
1x Sun Titan
1x Grand Abolisher
1x Hushwing Gryff
1x Magus of the Moon
1x Dosan the Falling Leaf
1x Eidolon of Rhetoric
1x Dragonlord Dromoka
Sorcery (7)
1x Gamble
1x Green Sun's Zenith
1x Idyllic Tutor
1x Wheel of Fortune
1x Jokulhaups
1x Open the Vaults
1x Replenish
There's someone else on this board...Pysces I think he is. He has a similar deck with a bit of a beefier frame, that does use the increased mana more efficiently. Or like with myself, you can make use of your commander's type line and play other efficient beasts, such as Krosan Warchief (which curves into your commander on t4), Uril the Miststalker, and then you can mana fix with Valley Rannet, Krosan Tusker, and Chartooth Cougar which can also be a beater late game. Additionally, Contested Cliffs is a thing, and even with just your commander a repeatable Flametongue Kavu every turn is sweet. Also Cavern of Souls and Beast is awesome in this deck.
If you want Zoo however, I can't help but think Marath, Will of the Wild is better. Hope this helps you.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
Remnants from when I was trying to put Sunforger on the list. You're right, I wasn't using the mana efficiently.
I've got Cavern on the list already (and generally call "human" for it strange enough) and it has served very well. I'm not really looking to go beast tribal thanks, I've already got a Mayael list that does that. You're right that I needed some more beef though, I went ahead and made a few changes in that department and also tweaked my landbase.
Marath is getting a combo deck from me. Thanks for the suggestions!
- Avacyn's Pilgrim
- Beast Within
- Ethersworn Canonist
- Isamaru, Hound of Konda
- Soldier of the Pantheon
- Thrun, the Last Troll
for
+ Goblin Wardriver
+ Hellrider
+ Phyrexian Revoker
+ Purphoros, God of the Forge
+ Signal Pest
+ Stigma Lasher
A bit more utility and some more aggression. Haven't had the chance to play it yet but I'm looking forward to it.
GWBKarador, Necrotic Ooze SubthemeBWG
Thank you. I actually had Ape and Lion in the initial build but cut them for (I believe) Domri Rade and Wilt-Leaf Liege to give my longer game some more teeth. I might try to find them a home again at some point.
Rugged Prairie, Sunforger, Sunhome Guildmage, Disenchant, Sensei's Divining Top in.
EDIT:
Well, had the opportunity to do a lot of playing today and I decided once again that I didn't care for Sunforger here, so I'm going back to Nature's Claim, replacing the hammer with Balefire Liege, and cutting the Top for Battlefield Forge. Top was fine, but 35 lands seems to be the sweet spot for this deck so I'm going to sacrifice the possible card quality for more guaranteed action. I have hopes for Liege, he's done good things for me in the past and seems a good fit here.
Grafted Exoskeleton, Spikeshot Elder, Clifftop Retreat, Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion, Kessig Wolf Run in.
I also dropped Mirran Crusader for Emeria Angel and gotta say I love the change. The Crusader is a terrific attacker but we needed more air support and the Angel provides that exquisitely.
EDIT:
Also, for those of you that do frequent this list or are interested in it I would like to ask, is there any information would you like to see provided aside from the deck list itself?
Viridian Corrupter, Spikeshot Elder, Saffi Eriksdotter, and Inkmoth Nexus in.
Well, the era of the straight beater is officially dead with the subtraction of Goyf and Dryad. In their place we have Saffi providing further removal protection and Corrupter providing both more removal and another source of Infect. Elder is taking Lavamancer's place for now in our Ranger package, I've been trying to work him into the deck for a few weeks and I think this is the right choice, I like the way he scales and that I can still use the ability on the attack but we'll see how well he plays out. I've also wanted a manland in the deck for awhile and I feel like Inkmoth is the best choice, both giving me another flier and supplementing the Infect sub-strategy that I've worked in. I'm also working on write-ups for the deck's strategy, card choices, and match-ups to add to the main post. I'd like to drop them all at once but they might be added piecemeal whenever I complete them. Happy hunting!
EDIT: After a lot of consideration, I've decided I'm going to give Heliod a run in place of Gisela. I've wanted the sun god onboard for a while now and Gisela's mana cost has always been a real sticking point for me so we'll see how this change shakes out.
For:
Cursed Totem and Damping Matrix could also see play. Only Escort, Reliquary, Saffi, and Mikaeus seem to be affected. All of which seem replaceable. Not that they need to be. Four creatures being hindered by two possible cards is hardly reason to replace them. Additionally, all your artifacts are affected by Damping Matrix are already by Null Rod. It looks like Cursed Totem and Damping Matrix can be squeezed in without much difficulty.
You can also run Stranglehold to compliment Leonin Arbiter and Aven Mindcensor. It's one sided, mandatory, no questions asked tutor hate.
Though it possible that these cards may be too much Hate and not Bear for your tastes.
EDIT: Decided to go with the Armageddon after all. I'm switching Chaos Warp out for the time being but I'll play around with it I'm sure