This deck was actually designed to be successful in both 1v1 or multiplayer games. In 1v1 you can play aggressively, but the deck also allows for conservative play and nonthreatening strategies such as life gain that typically do not make you a target in multiplayer settings. Although Rhys may not be thought of as a competitive general, I've tried to push the limits of what he can do. I have been pleasantly surprised by how competitive he can be, and honestly think he has been largely overlooked.
This deck is designed to do the following: Make swarms of creatures, answer threats, and beat face. I've been playtesting and tweaking it for almost 2 years now, and it performs quite well. If anyone has questions about why I didn't include specific cards like Doubling Season please let me know. I would be happy to explain my reasoning.
Deck weaknesses: Large-scale board control (Wrath of God, Day of Judgement, etc.), especially power/toughness based ones like Mutilate. Attempts to combat this include card draw for faster recovery (Skullclamp), indestructibility, and noncreature permanents that create tokens like Awakening Zone and Garruk Wildspeaker. Recasting your general for such a low mana cost also helps.
Deck Strengths: Answering threats, especially artifacts and enchantments!
At first I thought about Saproling Burst too... Its obvious, one of the best token generator spells of all times, but the problem with that its that the power of the tokens isnt static (it depends in the number of fade counters), so if no enchantment or some time passes or anything you will loose everything you committed to it (this spell + Rhys duplications).
MiFraDeLa88, I would follow StJimmy suggestion with the mana ramping, you need to ramp and go BIG!
Ok so some answers here. First of all, I play tested doubling season and wasn't impressed. What I often found is that whenever I had doubling season in my hand, I either wished it made tokens on its own so that I could recover from a wrath of god, or wished it was an overrun so I could kill my opponent this turn. It seemed like a "win more" type of effect to me, as it often did the same thing as Rhys' ability, so for all of these reasons I took it out.
As for mana ramp: I had a bunch in, and have been cutting it for better things ever since! I only need to hit 6 mana to play everything in my deck, and I found that even if I could ramp into 6 mana earlier in the game, this would not allow me time to make tokens. Essentially what was happening was that I was ramping into Rhys' ability or an overrun but not having any tokens to use these bigger effects on. After careful consideration I worked on the curve of the deck, and got it running much smoother without ramp.
I just cut Mirari's Wake a few days ago. It costs 5 and the most expensive thing in my deck costs 6 so... it didn't make much sense as a mana-ramp spell, and is sub-par for making creatures bigger.
Avenger of Zendikar is something I've been considering. I'll have to look into it more simply because it puts so many tokens into play. My only worry is hitting 7 mana. Same worry with Regal Force. 7 mana is a high cost in my deck.
One thing I've also tried to do is make a lot of things in my deck reusable. For this reason, I haven't included things like regrowth, recollect, and restock. Those are one-shot spells that are only good when you already have something in grave. Plus I can't tutor for them like I can tutor for Eternal Witness.
I had actually considered slate of ancestry before, but couldn't find a spot for it. I'll have to look harder, because I think it could definitely find a spot. As for collective unconscious, again, it is a one-shot spell that is good on the condition you have creatures on the board. I prefer things like Skullclamp and slate of ancestry, which are reusable and can be played even when no creatures are on the board.
If anyone is interested in meeting up on Magic Workstation to play EDH please send me a PM. I would love to test decks and continue discussion while playing!
High cost spells are the point of EDH. That's why mana-ramp is important.
You don't need to play Raise the Alarm on turn 2. That's a waste of a spot IMO. In fact I would remove all of your one shot token generation and replace them with things that either continually make tokens (Sacred Mesa) or make a ton of tokens in one shot (IE Pegasus Stampede or Decree of Justice, etc.)
You really should be playing Regrowth effects. You WILL have good spells in your GY. It's EDH... every spell should be either ridiculous or at least useful.
1 Rhys the Redeemed
Mana Sources
1 Brushland
1 Temple Garden
1 Savannah
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wildfield Borderpost
1 Graypelt Refuge
1 Stirring Wildwood
1 Wooded Bastion
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
1 Sunpetal grove
1 Arctic Flats
1 Gargoyle Castle
1 Eiganjo castle
1 Windbrisk Heights
1 Mosswort Bridge
1 Oran-rief, the Vastwood
1 Khalni Garden
1 Gaea's Cradle
10 Forest
9 plains
Token Generation
1 Raise the Alarm
1 Kazandu Tuskcaller
1 Growth Spasm
1 Squirrel nest
1 Gilt-Leaf Ambush
1 Spectral Procession
1 Awakening Zone
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Kozilek's predator
1 Battle Screech
1 Emeria Angel
1 Hunting Triad
1 Master of the Wild Hunt
1 Conqueror's Pledge
1 Mitotic Slime
1 Deranged hermit
1 Bestial Menace
1 Scatter the Seeds
1 One Dozen Eyes
1 Nomads' Assembly
1 Elspeth Tirel
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Beastmaster Ascension
1 Eldrazi Monument
1 Mirror Entity
1 Overrun
Answers
1 Path to Exile
1 Condemn
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Hour of Reckoning
1 March of Souls
1 Retribution of the Meek
1 Martial Coup
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Dauntless Escort
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Nullmage Shepherd
1 Aura Shards
1 Glare of Subdual
Other
1 Eternal Witness
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Earthcraft
1 Sylvan Ranger
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Skullclamp
1 Auriok Champion
1 Soul Warden
1 Essence Warden
1 Soul's Attendant
1 Seedborn Muse
1 Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant
1 Congregation at Dawn
1 Chord of Calling
1 Elvish Harbinger
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Idyllic Tutor
1 Academy Rector
1 Enlightened tutor
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Steelshaper's Gift
This deck is designed to do the following: Make swarms of creatures, answer threats, and beat face. I've been playtesting and tweaking it for almost 2 years now, and it performs quite well. If anyone has questions about why I didn't include specific cards like Doubling Season please let me know. I would be happy to explain my reasoning.
Deck weaknesses: Large-scale board control (Wrath of God, Day of Judgement, etc.), especially power/toughness based ones like Mutilate. Attempts to combat this include card draw for faster recovery (Skullclamp), indestructibility, and noncreature permanents that create tokens like Awakening Zone and Garruk Wildspeaker. Recasting your general for such a low mana cost also helps.
Deck Strengths: Answering threats, especially artifacts and enchantments!
MiFraDeLa88, I would follow StJimmy suggestion with the mana ramping, you need to ramp and go BIG!
As for mana ramp: I had a bunch in, and have been cutting it for better things ever since! I only need to hit 6 mana to play everything in my deck, and I found that even if I could ramp into 6 mana earlier in the game, this would not allow me time to make tokens. Essentially what was happening was that I was ramping into Rhys' ability or an overrun but not having any tokens to use these bigger effects on. After careful consideration I worked on the curve of the deck, and got it running much smoother without ramp.
I just cut Mirari's Wake a few days ago. It costs 5 and the most expensive thing in my deck costs 6 so... it didn't make much sense as a mana-ramp spell, and is sub-par for making creatures bigger.
Avenger of Zendikar is something I've been considering. I'll have to look into it more simply because it puts so many tokens into play. My only worry is hitting 7 mana. Same worry with Regal Force. 7 mana is a high cost in my deck.
One thing I've also tried to do is make a lot of things in my deck reusable. For this reason, I haven't included things like regrowth, recollect, and restock. Those are one-shot spells that are only good when you already have something in grave. Plus I can't tutor for them like I can tutor for Eternal Witness.
I had actually considered slate of ancestry before, but couldn't find a spot for it. I'll have to look harder, because I think it could definitely find a spot. As for collective unconscious, again, it is a one-shot spell that is good on the condition you have creatures on the board. I prefer things like Skullclamp and slate of ancestry, which are reusable and can be played even when no creatures are on the board.
If anyone is interested in meeting up on Magic Workstation to play EDH please send me a PM. I would love to test decks and continue discussion while playing!
You don't need to play Raise the Alarm on turn 2. That's a waste of a spot IMO. In fact I would remove all of your one shot token generation and replace them with things that either continually make tokens (Sacred Mesa) or make a ton of tokens in one shot (IE Pegasus Stampede or Decree of Justice, etc.)
You really should be playing Regrowth effects. You WILL have good spells in your GY. It's EDH... every spell should be either ridiculous or at least useful.