I run joiner adept right now, I also still think realmwright as another adept is a good inclusion, I also run Momir vig because he can get the combo going real quickly
all of the cards are good and should probably be included.
Private Mod Note
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"If you knew anything about the lore you'd see that they were clearly hinting that the madness on Innistrad was caused by Uncle Istvan wearing Urza's Power Armor ... tainted with Phrexyian Oil"
Graham from Loading Ready Run
Added Vexing Shusher into my deck, will see if it helps much in stopping countermagic.
Over the past 2 months there is a card that is gaining a lot of notoriety in my Animar deck, Heartwood Storyteller. It is really interesting to see the players in my meta have so much to say about this creature. Some started groaning the moment it hits the table. Others openly support having it on the table. One even decide to waste his only wipe (Ostone) to get rid of the storyteller when it and a couple of mana rocks are on the table.
When they start flashing out Torpor Orb and Æther Flash... but then usually these kind of decks will run stuff like Rule of Law too....
I'm trying to optimize my list do it is a legitimate strategy to switch to a maelstrom beatdown list against control. Just trying to get a base for when that would be worth it.
Private Mod Note
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Lycanthropy Awareness Day.
Hoping for a cure, or at least an outbreak.
Still struggling to find EDH time while work is busy Haven't even managed to get my hands on any Gatecrash. I have started my set review, but if people have feedback regarding particular cards I'd love to hear about them!
I'll set myself a timeline to get the Gatecrash review out by the 24th of March (I head to Japan for two weeks the next day, but doubt I'll get an opportunity to play MTG as I'll be traveling with my non-gamer BF).
Apologies for the delay on this set review. Real life prevented me from attending the prerelease and has kept me pretty busy and unfortunately not playing as much Commander as I'd like :(. Please note that these are opinions without the benefit of testing. I would love to receive feedback about what you’re using from Gatecrash. Without further ado:
Mechanics:
Gatecrash gives us four new mechanics to play with; Cipher in U, Battalion in R, Evolve in UG and Bloodrush in RG. Of these Cipher has the least synergy with Animar, soul of elements, because it relies on putting more spells in the deck instead of creatures. The other three are abilities on creatures, which Animar loves!
Cipher - As a spell based mechanic its usefulness is limited, however it does encourage sending creatures into the red zone, so maybe an aggressive Animar deck might utilise these spells? Personally I think they're over-costed for what they do and don't introduce anything that can't already be done with creatures. In mono blue the options are:
Hands of Binding - Turns one of your creatures into a wannabe Frost Titan! Honestly, I'd rather run Frost Titan who can have his cost reduced to UU anyway.
Last Thoughts - Turns one of your creatures into an Ophidion! Again, there are plenty of creatures that either draw cards on EtB or when attacking/dealing combat damage. In comparison this is costs too much and has very little synergy with Animar.
Stolen Identity - A repeatable clone effect has potential, but the mana cost is probably not worth the effect. In comparison, most clones in the deck can come out for as little as U, rather than 4UU. Also token creatures cannot be bounced for further effects. As an aside, the ability to create token artifacts may make this card better than it appears depending on the meta you play in.
Void Walk - As a way to flicker a creature or two, the timing of this makes it pretty bad. It can't really act as removal once it's encoded, and as a way of reusing EtB effects it is limited to end of turn. Seems bad to me compared to the plethora of other ways to reuse EtB effects
Battalion - This ability encourages playing lots of creatures and sending them into combat, which can certainly work well with Animar. Our options in mono red are:
Bomber Corps - Deals 1 damage to a creature or player when attacking with two other creatures. In EDH this effect is unlikely to make it worth playing this creature.
Firefist Striker - Prevents a creature blocking when attacking with two other creatures. This might be okay if you play in a particularly aggro meta, however I believe more often than not it would be underwhelming.
Legion Loyalist - This guy is a bomb! Giving all your creatures first strike, trample and 'can't be blocked by tokens' is massive for an aggressive deck. Also he is dirt cheap to cast and loves haste. I will certainly be trying to get my hands on one.
Bloodrush – Gruul guild’s ability available to us in red and green certainly has a lot of potential with aggro Animar. Yes the ability is limited to your attack phase, but basically you have the option of a creature when you need it or a pump spell to push through that last bit of damage.
Scorchwalker – Gives a large power boost, but no evasion. A 5/1 creature itself is pretty weak in the Commander setting.
Skinbrand Goblin – Boring creature, but could be a nice cheap early drop for counters and a pump spell in late game once it’s body and mana cost become irrelevant. Unfortunately doesn’t grant evasion.
Viashino Shanktail – Not the most efficiently costed creature, but +3/+1 first strike as a pump spell isn’t too shabby.
Wrecking Ogre – I’d say a 3/3 double strike creature is fairly costed at 4R (especially as we could cast it for R). The Bloodrush cost is quite high, but +3/+3 double strike could well end games on the back of an evasive Animar (assuming he wasn’t already greater than 21 power which isn’t that hard to do).
Scab-Clan Charger – Pretty weak, I don’t want to be giving my attacking creatures a vanilla +2/+4, nor do I want a vanilla 2/4 Centaur for 3G.
Skarrg Goliath – A BIG creature that can benefit from Animar’s discounts. Grants trample with Bloodrush, which is good… but the ability cost is probably going to mean that it never gets used as a pump spell. Again an aggro themed Animar might make use of this, but I just think that it would more often than not be win-more.
Slaughterhorn – Boring creature, but could be played similarly to the Skinbrand Goblin listed above. Base mana cost of 2G for the creature though makes it a lot less attractive in my eyes. It does have a very cheap ability cost, although still not worth playing in my opinion.
Wasteland Viper – Effectively a removal spell (although you will almost always two for one yourself if you’re using this as a combat trick). Also somewhat limited by the necessity of using the ability on an attacking creature, however if you are known to play this card you may be able to bluff some small damage past large blockers. Doubt it’s worth a slot in EDH.
Ghor-Clan Rampager – This guy seems like the best option for the Bloodrush ability in Animar. Efficient creature with trample when you want to put counters on Animar or a way to get damage past a chump blocker by granting +4/+4 and trample. Warrants testing!
Rubblehulk – The longer the game goes the more likely this creature will be big or offer a big power boost to an attacker. In an aggro build this guy could push through the last amount of damage, and at CMC 6 it’s searchable with Fierce Empath.
Zhur-Taa Swine – Biggish creature with a cheapish Bloodrush ability, but no evasion. For Commander I think this doesn’t do enough.
Evolve – Simic’s evolve ability probably doesn’t scale well for Commander, however it lends itself to a ‘+1/+1 counters matter’ Animar build. Pros: It’s an ability only on creatures. Cons: Most of those creatures don’t really do much on their own. That said there are one or two gems that might be worth squeezing into an Animar deck.
Clinging Anemones – I struggle to think of a time in Commander that I would be happy to see a 1/4 defender for 3U that has the potential to grow. This is rubbish.
Cloudfin Raptor – For a fast aggro Animar deck this cheap evasive creature could find a spot (potentially one that was utilising Edric, Spymaster or Trest as a draw engine).
Simic Fluxmage – Is mildly interesting as it allows you to move some +1/+1 counters around, however the ability cost and need to tap really limits the shenanigans ultimately excluding it from most Animar decks.
Simic Manipulator – Another mildly interesting creature utilising the +1/+1 counters it can gain. My initial assessment is that it won’t be able to make a big enough splash in Commander, however with haste and some looping Eldrazi, it could be used to gain control on a number of big creatures. Of course once you’re looping Eldrazi you’ve already won anyway. In a meta with lots of small utility generals, this might act as a suitable hate card, however I think there are probably better options out there.
Adaptive Snapjaw – For those who love Craw Wurm, here is a cheaper and potentially bigger vanilla creature. Behold the Lizard Beast!
Crocanura – Probably better than Giant Spider for your Commander deck (please stop playing Giant Spider).
Experiment One – Maybe worth a place in a ‘+1/+1 counters matter’ Animar deck. Comes down cheap and can use it’s counters to avoid some forms of removal. Pretty underwhelming in my opinion.
Gyre Sage – This mana elf has the potential to generate a lot of mana if it sticks around a while. Personally I prefer to play creatures that bring out lands instead of creatures that generate mana themselves, simply because mana elves tend to die before they do anything in my meta.
Elusive Krasis – Unblockable Fish Mutant! I don’t think this guy has a place in Animar, but perhaps as with Cloudfin Raptor this creature could find a home in a particularly aggressive version of the deck?
Fathom Mage – I want to try this Wizard out so badly! Another way to draw cards when creatures are being played, this should act as an excellent supplement to the Soul of the Harvest, Primordial Sage, Glimpse of Nature package. Sure the cards stop coming after a few creatures come down, but it can be reset in a number of ways to keep those cards flowing.
Shambleshark – This was not designed with Commander in mind. I say skip the Fish Crab.
Other Potential Additions:
Departing from the Gatecrash specific mechanics, here are list of other cards that could find their way into Animar decks.
UUUBLUEUUU
Diluvian Primordial – Big flying creature that can benefit from a hefty discount and an EtB effect that uses your opponents resources against them and then exiles those resources. Seems good.
Enter the Infinite – Way too expensive, blue heavy and not a creature. I wouldn’t play this in Animar combo, but if you’re playing control and expect the game to go long, if this resolves it will win that game for you.
Keymaster Rogue – A creature to bounce creatures you control is always welcome in Animar. This one has the advantage of being unblockable too.
Rapid Hybridization – Cheap instant creature removal in blue. I doubt I’ll use it, but plenty of people will.
Realmwright – A cheap utility creature that could potentially do some mana fixing in the early game.
RRRREDRRR
Hellkite Tyrant – Big flying, trampling creature that steals artifacts and might accidently win the game? Commander is pretty artifact heavy in general, but really this requires a meta call.
Hellraiser Goblin – A cheap way of granting haste, but the ‘must attack’ clause makes him situational. Suits an aggro approach.
Burst of Strength – While not a creature, this is one of the cheapest ways to put that first counter on Animar and a can also act as a combat trick. Depending on the stage of the game this could become a terrible top deck or dead card in hand.
Crowned Ceratok – At the very least this should provide Animar with trample, so it’s worth considering.
Giant Adephage – A big dumb trampling insect. If combat is your thing, this provides you with an ever increasing insect army. Animar can power this out early if necessary.
Ivy Lane Denizen – In a ‘+1/+1 counters matter’ deck, this little Elf could be a valued player. In my build I’m not sure it’s necessary as it most likely would only be building Animar up twice as fast for each green creature. Often I’m using colourless or blue creatures to do a lot of the work.
Sylvan Primordial – I miss Primeval Titan, so I’m glad I get this to play with instead. It will be interesting to see if it follows the same path to exile as Prime Time, but in the meantime I’m going to enjoy resolving this. You lose a non-creature permanent and I gain a forest, for each opponent on EtB. Yes I will take one, thank you.
Wildwood Rebirth – Instant speed raise dead seems interesting. Certainly no shortage of good targets in an Animar deck.
RGUMULTICOLOURUGR
Borborygmos Enraged – Heavy colour costs (RRGG) and the focus on lands puts me off this guy, but some people might be able to include him in their Animar plans.
Domri Rade – Planeswalkers don’t have particular synergy with Animar, however this one is likely to net a lot of cards in Animar if he survives a few turns. At the worst he can probably act as removal, and if you get the emblem out of him, he’ll win you the game even if you can only get utility dorks onto the field.
Clan Defiance – Burn removal doesn’t get much sweeter than this. Potential two for one, plus damage to the player (or a Planeswalker of theirs for the three for one). Probably doesn’t suit an Animar deck, but if you must have direct burn, consider this.
Gruul Charm – Could be used to push through damage against a token army, or gain back things that have been stolen. The 3 damage to all flyers is probably the least relevant in Commander. On review this is unlikely to suit an Animar deck, but it’s efficient even if it’s a corner case.
Gruul Ragebeast – A nice big creature which benefits from a significant cost reduction. The Mandatory fighting might clear the opponents fields, but I feel this will limit the ability to play small utility creatures essential to Animar.
Signal the Clans – A bit random (we’re already playing Gamble, so random can work) but an instant creature tutor that puts the creature into your hand. Can’t really toolbox with this tutor, instead you need to build in redundancy so you can get the effect you need when you need it. I think there are better tutors I would include before this one (Worldly Tutor, Weird Harvest, Survival of the Fittest all spring to mind)
Burning-Tree Emissary – Essentially a free creature to put +1/+1 counters on Animar, but could also act as a mana fix in extraordinary circumstances.
Pit Fight – Cheap creature removal that rewards playing big creatures, however sometimes this might simply be a dead card. Too situational?
Rubblebelt Raiders – For the ‘+1/+1 counters matter’ aggro deck this card can pump out the +1/+1 counters, but it does force the attacks to gain the benefit. Doesn’t benefit from much of a discount either.
Biovisionary – Novel win condition made difficult by a singleton format. Plays well with Rite of Replication and Infinite Reflection or a lot of clones but I don’t think it’s worth the trouble for Animar.
Master Biomancer – An excellent enabler for the ‘+1/+1 counters matter’ deck. Useful if Animar has died a couple of times to get the creature cast chain rolling again, as those first couple of counters are the hardest to get later in the game.
Nimbus Swimmer – A flying Hydra, I mean Leviathan. Really benefits from Animar’s cost reduction ability.
Prime Speaker Zegana – The GGUU cost is still fairly steep, but the likelyhood is that Zegana will refill your hand which makes it a pretty promising inclusion.
Simic Charm – Valuable as a pump spell, a way to protect against targeted removal and a bounce spell either to recycle EtB effects, or remove a difficult creature from the opponents field. Much more applicable than Gruul Charm, but I simply don’t believe either of these charms to sufficient synergy with Animar to warrant playing them.
Unexpected Results – If you have ways of stacking the top of the deck, you can ensure ramping all day long or getting a big creature for a fraction of its cost. Without that sort of support, I personally think it’s just too random.
Urban Evolution – A decent draw spell, with the bonus of dropping an additional land, unfortunately sorcery doesn’t have synergy with Animar.
Zameck Guildmage – A cheap creature, that can power up utility dorks and more importantly turn excess +1/+1 counters into card draw. Not bad on its own, but if Animar has been out a while and has a lot more counters than you need you could potentially refill your hand and then add all those counters back onto Animar by casting all the creatures.
Bioshift – As an instant this shouldn’t have much synergy against Animar, however as a way of saving +1/+1 counters when he is inevitably destroyed this isn’t too bad. You could pump up another dork to push through damage (even use it as a combat trick if necessary) or dump a whole lot of counters onto Fathom Mage and then draw a lot of cards!
XXARTIFACTS & LANDSX0
Glaring Spotlight – Do you have trouble with a particular hexproof general? Fear no more, because the Spotlight will finally allow you to target them! Also acts as a way to push through damage or protect your creatures from targeted removal.
Gruul Keyrune – Mana fixing, mana rock with the ability to become a mediocre creature until end of turn. I personally avoid mana rocks in my version of Animar, but will probably suit some people.
Illusionist’s Bracers – Would probably deserve building around. My Animar deck relies more on triggered abilities than activated ones however it would certainly be fun to have it on Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker.
Thespian’s Stage – We have to be careful including a colourless producing lands to the Animar mana base, as he really doesn’t care much for colourless. This land has the advantage of being able to copy a land that adds coloured mana. It also can act as removal for problem Legendary Lands. Perhaps it has enough flexibility that it could find a spot in the deck.
Gatecrash certainly added a lot more potential than Return to Ravnica did, as you would expect from the addition of Gruul and Simic guilds which have a much bigger creature focus than the Izzet. I have not yet had the benefit of getting my hands on any of the cards however, so my evaluations are simply based on theory rather than firsthand experience. Hopefully in the near future I can grab some of the bombs (Sylvan Primordial I’m looking at you!) and get some play testing in. What have you played with from Gatecrash? Please let me know your thoughts, or if I’ve missed or misevaluated any of the cards you think are worthy of Animar.
I play around with some Gatecrash cards since they came out, so here's some input. Please consider, that my list, altough it has many similarities isn't a combo deck but a midrange deck that can be very explosive. Also I only run permanents except for Primal Surge.
Those are the cards I currently use:
Gyre Sage: He usually gets to 3-4 +1/+1 counters. I like that he also can do quite some damage. Maybe Bloom Tender would be better, but I aint got one.
Fathom Mage: Of course she isn't as strong as Soul of the Harvest or Primordial Sage but she also costs 2 less which makes her a solid turn four play.
I also run Dreamstalkerr which is great with evolve in general because of its big butt (you could cut Aether Adept from your list because with UU he isn't too great anyway).
Prime Speaker Zegana: This is the best addition from Gatecrash imo. Sure you have to pay the UUGG but for me she consistently draws 5-10 cards and than you can still clone her! Fierce Empath usually gets me her or Maelstrom Wanderer.
Hellkite Tyrant: When I first saw him I didn't really intend to include him, but then I got him in a trade and he just whispered to my inner Timmy. Every deck in EDH plays artifacts and many of them are really powerfull and he can deal with them on a large scale(especially if they are indestructible).
Gruul Ragebeast: I had this in my list for quite some time now, but I very seldom seem to draw it. I think in a deck like this with not to many options for creature removal it is a very solid choice. Also this deck has some options to bounce him if he is in the way of your own plays.
Sylvan Primordial: This is strong and very solid even in 1vs1. New green staple for commander.
Diluvian Primordial: GUR has the problem that it doesn't have to much spot removal, very few non-creature tutors and especially boardwipes (especially on creatures so that they are easier to find).
Fortunately other players run those and they land in their graveyards.
While I tend to dislike cards that rely on my opponents plays I have to say this is really worth it. Theres so much juicy stuff that lands in graveyards from Demonic Tutors to Swords to Plowshares up to Time Warps and Tooth and Nails.
I know from Chancelor of Spires in my Jenara deck, that this kind of effect is really strong even when you only get to cast one spell.
I have also tested Simic Manipulator since you can play it early and it is another way to deal with creatures. But first of all the UU isn't too great for an early play, second you have to wait a turn to use his ability, third when I really needed him I haven't had the means to give him enough +1/+1 counters.
Just yesterday I traded for a Master Biomancer. I'm not sure if I should use him. What I don't like about him is that he doesn't produce any CA on the other hand he has amazing synergy with Animar, Gyre Sage and Fathom Mage and he would turn the plethora of small cantrip and utility creatures I play into valid threats, especially if I clone him :D.
Apart from Gatecrash I'd like to recommend Kederekt Leviathan. He has saved me some games I should have lost. Sure you loose the counters from Animar but then you can recast it for GUR and build up faster than anyone else.
Put in a card order for some Gatecrash (and other) cards, so in the near future I'll be able to actually start play testing them.
@Volago - I had never noticed the large rear end on Dream Stalker before, looks good for Evolve, although at this stage the only Evolve critter I'll be testing is Fathom Mage.
I'll give Kederekt Leviathan a go too (been meaning to get one for another deck, and they're cheap so I picked up a play set).
Won't make official changes to the primer before testing, as I think there are going to be some major changes; and in the not too distant future Dragon's Maze!
They could be good (along with Memnite and Ornithopter) but you would be looking at an extremely fast build which probably abuses Skullclamp as a draw engine and seeks to win via Animar Voltron rather than abusing the cost reduction side of Animar's ability so much.
Pros:
- They provide free counters on Animar, regardless of his counter total.
- They can be skullclamped for cards.
- Can trigger Cloudstone Curio for free.
Cons:
- Animar already reduces costs, so the fact they are free is only relevant if he has no counters on him already.
- They are terrible late game draws.
- They have little value when Animar is not available (tucked, too expensive to cast).
My personal feeling is that they take up a card slot, without giving that much benefit. Consider that Morph creatures can easily come down for free with Animar and trigger Cloudstone Curio and have a useful effect if you need it. Alternatively there are plenty of one mana creatures which have useful effects and still allow a very fast style of play and can be Skullclamp targets if that is what you are after.
If you test them I would certainly be curious to hear your results
I certainly have done this with Animar, Curio and Morph critters. Once the initial investment has been made (6 mana starting with a fresh Animar and two Morph creatures) Morph just as easily goes infinite and has a lot more potential utility compared to the Kobolds.
I will make mention of them in my next update, although I think Sylvan Library is the stronger card, they could act as substitutes (Divining Top especially if you play Trinket Mage) or as redundancy if you wanted it.
Voltron Animar is a total possibility, 1 mana artifact creatures and mana dorks work really well. However that is a completely different archetype than the decks gelf, Volango, and myself have on the forum. JaiK's MANimar is probably the place to discuss such a strategy further. However real Voltron MANimar players don't run creatures. Too easy.
The infinite Morph combo can actually happen the turn after you cast Animar, provided you have a Bloom Tender and another mana dork that taps for more than one mana (ie Gyre Sage). Swinging with an infinitely sized Animar turn 4 seems like a great Voltron combo.
Mirri's Guile and Sensei's Divining Top are both excellent, but I agree with gelf that Sylvan Library is probably better in the deck. Volango's concept of a Trinket Mage/Tezzeret toolbox definitely wants Sensei's Diving Top. I've considering such a strategy myself, using cheap artifact creatures such as Mana Myr to maximize Animar's utility. I wonder if that is possible as a whole separate build on the main page, Animar Super Artifacts. I'd be interested in discussing the specific strategies of that deck further.
Animar Super Artifacts could be fun. I believe there is an artifact heavy Animar deck already on the forums ... here is one by Hammunition. And another by Tom Servo.
In terms of cards I'm waiting on, these are the ones that may be relevant for Animar:
Order arrived at the post office today! But the post office is closed all weekend, so I get to pick it up Monday
I'm playing in a Commander League on Sunday at my LGS, which has just opened, so I've made a few little changes (would have made more, but sadly see above regarding my card order):
These changes improve my mana and card selection, while cutting some of the under performers from the deck. They move the deck in a more competitive direction, because I really have no idea what to expect from the Commander League meta game, so I'm erring on the side of caution/consistency.
Why I removed? Ulvenwald Tracker had his moments, but really by the time his ability becomes relevant I have better removal in the form of bounce, Duplicant or Ulamog.
Rummaging Goblin I decided to replace with Merfolk Looter and Mad Prophet. Both are better than the Goblin (one cheaper with better card selection, the other has haste).
Chromeshell Crab and Akroma, Angel of Fury were really only in there for Morph redundancy and sure Morph is great for creating infinite loops, but not essential. When you have creatures that are simply there to be colourless 2/2s well it simply felt like wasted slots. I'll try playing with a mere 3 Morph critters and see if I should increase the count again later.
Mindclaw Shaman is heaps of fun but sadly too inconsistent I never had the massive blowouts I dreamed of instead more often than not it was just an expensive 2/2.
Ring of Kalonia also turned out to be very underwhelming. Rarely stayed equipped when I wanted it to and the counters were never relevant.
Rites of Flourishing I have removed because I don't know how much it will impact the other players in this new meta. Ideally I'd replace it with Azusa, Lost but Seeking or Earthcraft, but at this time I own neither.
Snap was never bad, but also was never great either.
Why I added? Cloud of Fairies and Peregrine Drake both create more mana than they cost in Animar. Enough said.
Sylvan Ranger and Ondu Giant both improve my ramp and mana fixing. Perhaps its too many ramp effects, but in the long game mana is worth it and again I'm working on improving consistency in the face of an unknown meta.
Lightning Greaves add a little protection for Animar and haste to do nasty things like attack with Eldrazi the turn they come out Given I've had Ring of Kalonia in the deck for a while now, I figured I might as well play with some good equipment for a change.
I have a question regarding a DGM card that I am going to put into my Animar deck.
Possibility Storm3RR - Enchantment
Whenever a player casts a spell from his or her hand, that player exiles it, then exiles cards from the top of his or her library until he or she exiles a card that shares a card type with it. That player may cast that card without paying its mana cost. Then he or she puts all cards exiled with Possibility Storm on the bottom of his or her library in a random order.
How you guys think of this card in Animar? In terms of synergy will Animar get 2 counters when this is online?
Eg.
Animar and Possibility Storm is on the battlefield. I cast Creature A, Animar's ability is triggered upon cast (add a +1/+1 counter), Possibility Storm is triggered upon cast, resolve possibility storm, cast another creature for free (triggers Animar's ability again, add another +1/+1 counter)
I hadn't considered the synergy in terms of getting counters onto Animar, but that seems like it should work, because of the cast trigger for Animar's +1/+1 counter ability. I also like that it doesn't effect casting Animar, because he is cast from the command zone.
What you're losing though is the ability to choose what creature comes into play when. While sometimes that will pay off (cast Wood Elves, end up with Ulamog for example) at other times it might benefit your opponents more than you, or back fire completely. Personally I don't like random effects like this, but I'd be interested in hearing how it works out for you
how does one deal with wrath effects with this deck? and in a 5-6 people game how does one win with out infinite kikjiji combo?
First of all I built my deck so that I always have a more or less full hand, so that I don't run out of gas and fresh threat even after a board wipe.
Second I have backup strategies after Animar became inacessable. Those are cards like Birthing Pod, Wild Pair and Myojin of Lifes Web, that help me get more creatures and their ETB effects per turn than my mana technically allows.
Third there are counterspells. I run Mystic Snake, Glen Elendra Archmage and Draining Whelk.There's also Voidmage Husher that can prevent things like Oblivion Stone and Pernicious Deed to activate.
Other options that could help you are artifacts like Eldrazi Monument and Cauldron of Souls.
all of the cards are good and should probably be included.
Graham from Loading Ready Run
just cuz it's a fun finisher.
leyline of lifeforce, vexing shusher, dosan, the falling leaf, teferi, mage of zhalfir, price of glory and other counterspells help deal with counterspells if it ever comes at you, nekorin =D
ik, my Thomok EDh dies to counter magic, but it's cool now=D
(those are just some suggestions that i use and work for me)
Thanks Argentleman;)
WB Teysa token aggroBW (retired)
MAKING (Onmath, Numot, maybe something in Esper)
Over the past 2 months there is a card that is gaining a lot of notoriety in my Animar deck, Heartwood Storyteller. It is really interesting to see the players in my meta have so much to say about this creature. Some started groaning the moment it hits the table. Others openly support having it on the table. One even decide to waste his only wipe (Ostone) to get rid of the storyteller when it and a couple of mana rocks are on the table.
WUBRG Reaper King - Elf Tribal WUBRG | Tribal Fun
WRG Gishath, Sun's Avatar - Dinosaur Tribal WRG | Rawr!!!
WUG Derevi, Empyrial Tactician - Enchantress Tactics WUG | Enchantments Focused
GBG The Gitrog Monster - Land Shenanigans GBG | Lands/Mill Focused
WBW Kambal, Consul of Life Allocation Matters WBW | Life Gain/Loss focused
UBR Kess, Dissident Mage of the Lotus UBR | Spellslinger
BGB Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons - Counters & Tokens BGB | -1/-1 counters focused
Hoping for a cure, or at least an outbreak.
Level 1 Judge (yay)
When they start flashing out Torpor Orb and Æther Flash... but then usually these kind of decks will run stuff like Rule of Law too....
WUBRG Reaper King - Elf Tribal WUBRG | Tribal Fun
WRG Gishath, Sun's Avatar - Dinosaur Tribal WRG | Rawr!!!
WUG Derevi, Empyrial Tactician - Enchantress Tactics WUG | Enchantments Focused
GBG The Gitrog Monster - Land Shenanigans GBG | Lands/Mill Focused
WBW Kambal, Consul of Life Allocation Matters WBW | Life Gain/Loss focused
UBR Kess, Dissident Mage of the Lotus UBR | Spellslinger
BGB Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons - Counters & Tokens BGB | -1/-1 counters focused
I'm trying to optimize my list do it is a legitimate strategy to switch to a maelstrom beatdown list against control. Just trying to get a base for when that would be worth it.
Hoping for a cure, or at least an outbreak.
Level 1 Judge (yay)
My list can be found here. It is all permanent with Primal Surge.
I run 56 creatures, the non creature non lands are mainly a Trinket Mage/Tezzeret, the Seeker Toolbox. One card I'm missing in your list is Birthig Pod. It's awesome for finding answers or wincons.
Prime Speaker Zegana, Sylvan Primordial, Maelstrom Wanderer and Craterhoof Behemoth are among the strongest cards in my list and should definitely be considered
GWKarametra - The MistveiledGW
GWR Marath - The Egg-laying Wool-Milk-Pig GWR
RBGrenzo - Restrained RakdosRB
UWRGBHorde of NotionsUWRGB
Retired: Karador, Ghost Chieftain | Rafiq of the Many | Animar, Soul of Elements | Maelstrom Wanderer
UBRSedris, the Necromancer KingUBR
Still struggling to find EDH time while work is busy Haven't even managed to get my hands on any Gatecrash. I have started my set review, but if people have feedback regarding particular cards I'd love to hear about them!
I'll set myself a timeline to get the Gatecrash review out by the 24th of March (I head to Japan for two weeks the next day, but doubt I'll get an opportunity to play MTG as I'll be traveling with my non-gamer BF).
Apologies for the delay on this set review. Real life prevented me from attending the prerelease and has kept me pretty busy and unfortunately not playing as much Commander as I'd like :(. Please note that these are opinions without the benefit of testing. I would love to receive feedback about what you’re using from Gatecrash. Without further ado:
Mechanics:
Gatecrash gives us four new mechanics to play with; Cipher in U, Battalion in R, Evolve in UG and Bloodrush in RG. Of these Cipher has the least synergy with Animar, soul of elements, because it relies on putting more spells in the deck instead of creatures. The other three are abilities on creatures, which Animar loves!
Cipher - As a spell based mechanic its usefulness is limited, however it does encourage sending creatures into the red zone, so maybe an aggressive Animar deck might utilise these spells? Personally I think they're over-costed for what they do and don't introduce anything that can't already be done with creatures. In mono blue the options are:
Battalion - This ability encourages playing lots of creatures and sending them into combat, which can certainly work well with Animar. Our options in mono red are:
Bloodrush – Gruul guild’s ability available to us in red and green certainly has a lot of potential with aggro Animar. Yes the ability is limited to your attack phase, but basically you have the option of a creature when you need it or a pump spell to push through that last bit of damage.
Evolve – Simic’s evolve ability probably doesn’t scale well for Commander, however it lends itself to a ‘+1/+1 counters matter’ Animar build. Pros: It’s an ability only on creatures. Cons: Most of those creatures don’t really do much on their own. That said there are one or two gems that might be worth squeezing into an Animar deck.
Departing from the Gatecrash specific mechanics, here are list of other cards that could find their way into Animar decks.
UUU BLUE UUU
RRR RED RRR
GGG GREEN GGG
RGU MULTICOLOUR UGR
XX ARTIFACTS & LANDS X0
Those are the cards I currently use:
Gyre Sage: He usually gets to 3-4 +1/+1 counters. I like that he also can do quite some damage. Maybe Bloom Tender would be better, but I aint got one.
Fathom Mage: Of course she isn't as strong as Soul of the Harvest or Primordial Sage but she also costs 2 less which makes her a solid turn four play.
I also run Dreamstalkerr which is great with evolve in general because of its big butt (you could cut Aether Adept from your list because with UU he isn't too great anyway).
Prime Speaker Zegana: This is the best addition from Gatecrash imo. Sure you have to pay the UUGG but for me she consistently draws 5-10 cards and than you can still clone her! Fierce Empath usually gets me her or Maelstrom Wanderer.
Hellkite Tyrant: When I first saw him I didn't really intend to include him, but then I got him in a trade and he just whispered to my inner Timmy. Every deck in EDH plays artifacts and many of them are really powerfull and he can deal with them on a large scale(especially if they are indestructible).
Gruul Ragebeast: I had this in my list for quite some time now, but I very seldom seem to draw it. I think in a deck like this with not to many options for creature removal it is a very solid choice. Also this deck has some options to bounce him if he is in the way of your own plays.
Sylvan Primordial: This is strong and very solid even in 1vs1. New green staple for commander.
Diluvian Primordial: GUR has the problem that it doesn't have to much spot removal, very few non-creature tutors and especially boardwipes (especially on creatures so that they are easier to find).
Fortunately other players run those and they land in their graveyards.
While I tend to dislike cards that rely on my opponents plays I have to say this is really worth it. Theres so much juicy stuff that lands in graveyards from Demonic Tutors to Swords to Plowshares up to Time Warps and Tooth and Nails.
I know from Chancelor of Spires in my Jenara deck, that this kind of effect is really strong even when you only get to cast one spell.
I have also tested Simic Manipulator since you can play it early and it is another way to deal with creatures. But first of all the UU isn't too great for an early play, second you have to wait a turn to use his ability, third when I really needed him I haven't had the means to give him enough +1/+1 counters.
Just yesterday I traded for a Master Biomancer. I'm not sure if I should use him. What I don't like about him is that he doesn't produce any CA on the other hand he has amazing synergy with Animar, Gyre Sage and Fathom Mage and he would turn the plethora of small cantrip and utility creatures I play into valid threats, especially if I clone him :D.
Apart from Gatecrash I'd like to recommend Kederekt Leviathan. He has saved me some games I should have lost. Sure you loose the counters from Animar but then you can recast it for GUR and build up faster than anyone else.
GWKarametra - The MistveiledGW
GWR Marath - The Egg-laying Wool-Milk-Pig GWR
RBGrenzo - Restrained RakdosRB
UWRGBHorde of NotionsUWRGB
Retired: Karador, Ghost Chieftain | Rafiq of the Many | Animar, Soul of Elements | Maelstrom Wanderer
Put in a card order for some Gatecrash (and other) cards, so in the near future I'll be able to actually start play testing them.
@Volago - I had never noticed the large rear end on Dream Stalker before, looks good for Evolve, although at this stage the only Evolve critter I'll be testing is Fathom Mage.
I'll give Kederekt Leviathan a go too (been meaning to get one for another deck, and they're cheap so I picked up a play set).
Won't make official changes to the primer before testing, as I think there are going to be some major changes; and in the not too distant future Dragon's Maze!
WB Ayli, Eternal Recursion WB - GUPir and Toothy GU - WBR Mathas, Fiend SeekerWBR
They could be good (along with Memnite and Ornithopter) but you would be looking at an extremely fast build which probably abuses Skullclamp as a draw engine and seeks to win via Animar Voltron rather than abusing the cost reduction side of Animar's ability so much.
Pros:
- They provide free counters on Animar, regardless of his counter total.
- They can be skullclamped for cards.
- Can trigger Cloudstone Curio for free.
Cons:
- Animar already reduces costs, so the fact they are free is only relevant if he has no counters on him already.
- They are terrible late game draws.
- They have little value when Animar is not available (tucked, too expensive to cast).
My personal feeling is that they take up a card slot, without giving that much benefit. Consider that Morph creatures can easily come down for free with Animar and trigger Cloudstone Curio and have a useful effect if you need it. Alternatively there are plenty of one mana creatures which have useful effects and still allow a very fast style of play and can be Skullclamp targets if that is what you are after.
If you test them I would certainly be curious to hear your results
(Curio does'nt trigger with Memnite or other artifact critters).
Still, morph creatures are probably better.
WB Ayli, Eternal Recursion WB - GUPir and Toothy GU - WBR Mathas, Fiend SeekerWBR
Thanks Argentleman;)
WB Teysa token aggroBW (retired)
MAKING (Onmath, Numot, maybe something in Esper)
I certainly have done this with Animar, Curio and Morph critters. Once the initial investment has been made (6 mana starting with a fresh Animar and two Morph creatures) Morph just as easily goes infinite and has a lot more potential utility compared to the Kobolds.
I will make mention of them in my next update, although I think Sylvan Library is the stronger card, they could act as substitutes (Divining Top especially if you play Trinket Mage) or as redundancy if you wanted it.
The infinite Morph combo can actually happen the turn after you cast Animar, provided you have a Bloom Tender and another mana dork that taps for more than one mana (ie Gyre Sage). Swinging with an infinitely sized Animar turn 4 seems like a great Voltron combo.
Mirri's Guile and Sensei's Divining Top are both excellent, but I agree with gelf that Sylvan Library is probably better in the deck. Volango's concept of a Trinket Mage/Tezzeret toolbox definitely wants Sensei's Diving Top. I've considering such a strategy myself, using cheap artifact creatures such as Mana Myr to maximize Animar's utility. I wonder if that is possible as a whole separate build on the main page, Animar Super Artifacts. I'd be interested in discussing the specific strategies of that deck further.
GWU Rafiq
RWB Zurgo
WBG Ghave
WUB Oloro
WBR Kaalia (Archived)
My Blog, currently working on series about my custom set Cazia.
Steam Trades - I play Dota 2, CS:GO, TF2, and trade cards heavily. Add me if you like.
In terms of cards I'm waiting on, these are the ones that may be relevant for Animar:
I'm playing in a Commander League on Sunday at my LGS, which has just opened, so I've made a few little changes (would have made more, but sadly see above regarding my card order):
Changes 19th April 2013
Out:
- Ulvenwald Tracker
- Rummaging Goblin
- Chromeshell Crab
- Mindclaw Shaman
- Akroma, Angel of Fury
- Ring of Kalonia
- Rites of Flourishing
- Snap
In:
+ Cloud of Fairies
+ Merfolk Looter
+ Sylvan Ranger
+ Ondu Giant
+ Mad Prophet
+ Peregrine Drake
+ Lightning Greaves
+ Birthing Pod
These changes improve my mana and card selection, while cutting some of the under performers from the deck. They move the deck in a more competitive direction, because I really have no idea what to expect from the Commander League meta game, so I'm erring on the side of caution/consistency.
Why I removed?
Ulvenwald Tracker had his moments, but really by the time his ability becomes relevant I have better removal in the form of bounce, Duplicant or Ulamog.
Rummaging Goblin I decided to replace with Merfolk Looter and Mad Prophet. Both are better than the Goblin (one cheaper with better card selection, the other has haste).
Chromeshell Crab and Akroma, Angel of Fury were really only in there for Morph redundancy and sure Morph is great for creating infinite loops, but not essential. When you have creatures that are simply there to be colourless 2/2s well it simply felt like wasted slots. I'll try playing with a mere 3 Morph critters and see if I should increase the count again later.
Mindclaw Shaman is heaps of fun but sadly too inconsistent I never had the massive blowouts I dreamed of instead more often than not it was just an expensive 2/2.
Ring of Kalonia also turned out to be very underwhelming. Rarely stayed equipped when I wanted it to and the counters were never relevant.
Rites of Flourishing I have removed because I don't know how much it will impact the other players in this new meta. Ideally I'd replace it with Azusa, Lost but Seeking or Earthcraft, but at this time I own neither.
Snap was never bad, but also was never great either.
Why I added?
Cloud of Fairies and Peregrine Drake both create more mana than they cost in Animar. Enough said.
As discussed above, Merfolk Looter and Mad Prophet are both strictly better than Rummaging Goblin.
Sylvan Ranger and Ondu Giant both improve my ramp and mana fixing. Perhaps its too many ramp effects, but in the long game mana is worth it and again I'm working on improving consistency in the face of an unknown meta.
Lightning Greaves add a little protection for Animar and haste to do nasty things like attack with Eldrazi the turn they come out Given I've had Ring of Kalonia in the deck for a while now, I figured I might as well play with some good equipment for a change.
Birthing Pod came out of my failed Nath of the Gilt-Leaf deck. I saw a mate playing with it the other day, and Animar already has a good curve, so I thought 'why not give it a try?'. I like that it can go Wood Elves -> Solemn Simulacrum -> Peregrine Drake -> Deadwood Treefolk (get Drake back) -> Palinchron (get Sad Robot back) -> Vorinclex. So much value and lots of choice for a very cheap mana cost!
I'll report on my results at the Commander League after Sunday
Edit: Also updated front page
Possibility Storm 3RR - Enchantment
Whenever a player casts a spell from his or her hand, that player exiles it, then exiles cards from the top of his or her library until he or she exiles a card that shares a card type with it. That player may cast that card without paying its mana cost. Then he or she puts all cards exiled with Possibility Storm on the bottom of his or her library in a random order.
How you guys think of this card in Animar? In terms of synergy will Animar get 2 counters when this is online?
Eg.
Animar and Possibility Storm is on the battlefield. I cast Creature A, Animar's ability is triggered upon cast (add a +1/+1 counter), Possibility Storm is triggered upon cast, resolve possibility storm, cast another creature for free (triggers Animar's ability again, add another +1/+1 counter)
The card does work well with Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir too.
WUBRG Reaper King - Elf Tribal WUBRG | Tribal Fun
WRG Gishath, Sun's Avatar - Dinosaur Tribal WRG | Rawr!!!
WUG Derevi, Empyrial Tactician - Enchantress Tactics WUG | Enchantments Focused
GBG The Gitrog Monster - Land Shenanigans GBG | Lands/Mill Focused
WBW Kambal, Consul of Life Allocation Matters WBW | Life Gain/Loss focused
UBR Kess, Dissident Mage of the Lotus UBR | Spellslinger
BGB Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons - Counters & Tokens BGB | -1/-1 counters focused
I hadn't considered the synergy in terms of getting counters onto Animar, but that seems like it should work, because of the cast trigger for Animar's +1/+1 counter ability. I also like that it doesn't effect casting Animar, because he is cast from the command zone.
What you're losing though is the ability to choose what creature comes into play when. While sometimes that will pay off (cast Wood Elves, end up with Ulamog for example) at other times it might benefit your opponents more than you, or back fire completely. Personally I don't like random effects like this, but I'd be interested in hearing how it works out for you
First of all I built my deck so that I always have a more or less full hand, so that I don't run out of gas and fresh threat even after a board wipe.
Second I have backup strategies after Animar became inacessable. Those are cards like Birthing Pod, Wild Pair and Myojin of Lifes Web, that help me get more creatures and their ETB effects per turn than my mana technically allows.
Third there are counterspells. I run Mystic Snake, Glen Elendra Archmage and Draining Whelk.There's also Voidmage Husher that can prevent things like Oblivion Stone and Pernicious Deed to activate.
Other options that could help you are artifacts like Eldrazi Monument and Cauldron of Souls.
GWKarametra - The MistveiledGW
GWR Marath - The Egg-laying Wool-Milk-Pig GWR
RBGrenzo - Restrained RakdosRB
UWRGBHorde of NotionsUWRGB
Retired: Karador, Ghost Chieftain | Rafiq of the Many | Animar, Soul of Elements | Maelstrom Wanderer