MTG Salvation

Typically the hierarchy for Blue, Red and White wedge generals in popularity is Numot, Zedruu and Ruhan, or on fun scale, Zedru, and then either of other two. Ruhan of the Fomori is more at home in the competitive one v one Commander format. This is his appeal to me, I wanted to try make an interesting Ruhan deck that is both powerful and not as defined by 'obvious' card choices, which Numot and Zedruu both suffer from. This is my attempt at a Ruhan deck that both turtles (protects itself) and has a limited voltron (emphasis on strengthening general) theme.

27/08/11
Umbra Mystic -> Karmic Guide - The mystic was doing very little, it was wishful thinking to expect it to work as I thought it would and the guide has more power.
Mimic Vat -> Wrath of God - The Mimic Vat was too reactive a card, I found myself lacking responses to cluttered board states and an additional wrath effect felt needed.
Fool's Demise -> Treachery -> I feel this is a direct upgrade. I sought to use the creature of theirs that I killed originally, but stealing it seems so much more efficient and the untapping allows a wider variety of plays.
Whispersilk Cloak -> Sower of Temptation - I'm beginning to move away from heavy voltron element. I found this cluttering my hand with no targets and unlike other two shroud equipment still in, this one does not grant haste.

29/08/11
Unquestioned Authority -> Phyrexian Metamorph -The voltron theme is being further streamlined to cards that serve a direct purpose. UA had done alright, but metamorph has the potential for more explosive and utility plays.

31/08/11
Halimar Depths -> Reliquary Tower - The tower was a glaring omission from the deck, it took a game with dueling Consecrated Sphinxes to expose this for me.

11/09/11
Scourge of Nobilis -> Sword of Fire and Ice - The scourge had some good interactions, but I was never happy to draw it and the deck really needed a second sword and one that gained card advantage.

25/09/11
Plains -> Clifftop Retreat - There is still room to remove non-basics and I feel this will smooth the mana slightly. I'll be paying attention to see how often it ETB tapped.
Chaos Warp -> Dissipate - I was finding I had too little counter magic. This is the first of two changes I hope to make and will also assist with rising rate of graveyard based strategies. CW was having little to no impact in my testing.

08/10/11
Dismiss -> Suffocating Blast - Dimiss was good card advantage and may return, but I want to expand my rank of Sunforger targets.
Dust Bowl -> Wasteland - Since I'm running Crucible of Worlds, i can afford to run the more efficient non-basic land destruction land (after Strip Mine).

17/10/11
Ancestral Visions -> Wheel of Fortune - Sometimes you just want a lot of cards and I found visions was too slow. The Wheel will get a lot of them and quickly, just what I need. Notebly, visions may return in future builds.
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker -> Future Sight - Kiki-Jiki has few targets in the deck and I'm not keen on pushing the combo, so I'm removing it for more card draw.
Evangelise -> Absorb - I'm increasing the reliance on the general by raising the countermagic, while also adding a new Sunforger target. Also, Evangelise was finding less success and I want this deck to be more control.

18/10/11
Island -> Sulfur Falls - The mana can be modified to include the other new M10 land from Innistrad without coming into play tapped too often. At the time of this posting in four games it has posed no issue.

19/10/11
Sower of Temptation -> Hanna, Ship's Navigator - Hanna works with a lot of this deck and can be recurred by Sun Titan. After games where my Academy Ruins would have done wonders, I'm using Hanna to recur key parts of deck.

13/11/11
Hellkite Charger -> Snapcaster Mage - I was never comboing off and instead just controlling the board quite effectively. In the future i will likely try Aggravated Assault, which is far easier to use anyway than the Hellkite.

30/12/12
Wrath of God -> Rout - Both are likely worth using, but I want the instant speed availability and one mana extra isn't exactly a horrible downside to the options it gives. I may use both eventually, but Wrath of God is the preferred option after some analysis.
Star Storm -> Frost Titan - I have numerous spot removal spells and four (five including Snapcaster Mage) spells that are mass board wipes. I want to increase threat range and based on feedback this will be trialed, making it Titan number two that I'm using.
Frost Titan -> Armageddon - After some discussion with ISB Pathfinder, I'll pursue the land destruction approach and run Armageddon as a secondmass LD spell. Frost Titan is still on books, as is potentially Inferno Titan.

23/01/12
Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep -> Plateau - Shinka is often very irrelevant and this will improve the colour fixing.
Dismantling Blow -> Mystic Remora -> The kicker can be quite pricey, although still fetchable with Sunforger. Extra card draw, such as with Mystic Remora will provide better card draw and is very very cheap.

Selection Criteria
All counter magic that is being used is intended to a. be fetchable by Sunforger, b. tuck a spell, c. exile a spell, or d. generate card advantage and replace itself. By this criteria Dismiss and Faerie’s Trickery are also valid card choices, but currently don’t have room in the 99. The highest priority of counterspell is tucking, followed by Sunforger, but others are intended to be balanced.

Absorb
This old gem can be searched out by Sunforger and has the minor, but sometimes relevant upside of gaining three life. At three mana it isn’t unplayable either and I’m always happy to see it.

Dissipate
Currently this spell is on people’s minds as one of the better reprints of Innistrad, but it was actually a little known counterspell from Mirage. Unlike its Faerie sympathetic cousin Faerie’s Trickery, it has no downside and can exile a pesky Primeval Titan or bomb to prevent abuse.

Cryptic Command
I feel this is a must have counterspell for any blue deck, it simply has so much versatility and both fuels you and saves you in multiple ways. It was called the blue Wrath of God for a reason.
[CARD]
Hinder[/CARD]
The first tucking counterspell printed, Hinder is good at punishing general reliant strategies and keeping cards out of graveyards. It also has the bonus of working with Tunnel Vision, although I choose not to run that card.

Spell Crumple
This is arguably the improved Hinder, unless facing down an opposing Tunnel Vision. It tucks and can be reused if there is fetch. If running Hinder or this, the other should be run purely for redundancy.

Suffocating Blast
This card has the unique honour of the being the only counterspell that is also removal (permanent, as opposed to bouncing). The cost can be difficult as it is four, but the red makes it searchable by Sunforger and many people will be surprised to see you playing this little known counter.

Turtling is somewhat at odds with a general that must attack, but it is quite easy to just not play the general and revert to this plan. The enchantments listed either make attacking impossible or more difficult, while the lands prevent damage. Unless a sweeper for enchantments is played (most often Austere Command or Oblivion Stone), the artifact and enchantment threats others play are often more dangerous than yours and you will get ignored akin to the more Zedruu style of the deck. This platform of security can be used to expand Ruhan's buffs and not get punished too severely for your random attacks. There are limited tutors for these cards, but Sun Titan does provided limited recursion too.

I'm deliberately placing emphasis on some auras to replace the need for life gaining equipment and to potentially blow people out of the water. The former standard Mythic combo of Sovereigns of Lost Alara has been included and expanded to allow searching and potentially blowing out the opponent, every aura but Treachery is intended to be searched for this way. Treachery is included as a trick with Academy Rector or general tutors, but can be used profitably to untap some lands if need be. The Sun Titan and Hanna, Ship's Navigator can also recur most auras, while there is a small tutor package. The order you search them out depends on what you've drawn and whether you'll need evasion (Angelic Destiny for flying or Steel of the Godhead for Unblockable) or raw damage (Eldrazi Conscription for trample, annihilate and a big boost in size). If you need lifegain, Steel of the Godhead also does wonders. Due to the fact there are only three, it's best to try not overloading general and using double strike with Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion to his hits lethal.



As a voltron general Ruhan needs a lot of protection from targeted and non-targeted removal. The Darksteel Plate represents general protection, while the boots and greaves provide shroud or hexproof, while allowing some redundancy. Despite there being so few, the three weapons are there for very specific purposes beyond the positive interaction with Ruhan. The Sunforger package needs little explanation, every red or white instant bar Star Storm can be fetched, including one tuck effect in Condemn and two pieces of counter magic (Absorb and Suffocating Blast). Sword of Feast and Famine is the second best sword, a time walk and combos well with Hellkite Charger, while Sword of Fire and Ice is the best sword and deals with small creatures and draws cards. The two tutors are there to find these options and Sun Titan, Hanna, Ship's Navigator and Academy Ruins can recur most of them, while Phyrexian Metamorph can copy their equipment.

- Clifftop Retreat (In deck already) - Improving the colour fixing.
- Dissipate (A reprint, but still in set and in deck already) - A good counter that exiles countered spell.
- Divine Reckoning - I have it, but decided against using it. I'd rather not leave their best creature alive.
- Snapcaster Mage (In deck already) - It took a while, but reusing any number of my many instants or sorceries seems very powerful.
- Sulfur Falls (In deck already) - Improving the colour fixing.

- Tundra
- Volcanic Island
- Stoneforge Mystic altered into Paine from FFX-2
- Karmic Guide altered into Yuna from FFX-2
- Ruhan of the Fomori altered into Jecht from FFX