[EDH] Eight-and-a-Half-Tails

[RogueLeviathan]

EDIT: Updated decklist in post #7

I'm pretty new to EDH and wanted to try something a little different than what I've been seeing on the forums. I decided to build my deck around my favorite card of all time Eight-and-a-half-tails. Here's the deck:

EDH Eight-and-a-Half-Tails

General 1 Eight-and-a-Half-Tails Creatures 1 Angel of Salvation 1 Archon of Justice 1 Auriok Champion 1 Battletide Alchemist 1 Calciderm 1 Flickerwisp 1 Galepowder Mage 1 Hand of Honor 1 Kinsbaile Cavalier 1 Knight of Meadowgrain 1 Knight of the Holy Nimbus 1 Leonin Skyhunter 1 Lost Auramancers 1 Martyr of Sands 1 Mirror Entity 1 Mistral Charger 1 Order of Whiteclay 1 Oriss, Samite Guardian 1 Paladin en-Vec 1 Riftmarked Knight 1 Serra Avenger 1 Silver Knight 1 Skyhunter Skirmisher 1 Soltari Priest 1 Spirit en-Dal 1 Stonecloaker 1 Veteran Cavalier 1 White Knight 1 White Shield Crusader 1 Witch Hunter

Spells 1 Austere Command 1 Condemn 1 Devouring Light 1 Idyllic Tutor 1 Judge Unworthy 1 Mine Excavation 1 Proclamation of Rebirth 1 Retether 1 Shining Shoal 1 Spectral Procession 1 Steelshaper's Gift 1 Swords to Plowshares 1 Wing Shards Enchantments 1 Armored Ascension 1 Circle of Protection: White 1 Faith's Fetters 1 Ghostly Prison 1 Glorious Anthem 1 Griffin Guide 1 Light from Within 1 Oblivion Ring 1 Story Circle Artifacts 1 Bonesplitter 1 Grafted Wargear 1 Leonin Sun Standard 1 Loxodon Warhammer 1 Sword of Fire and Ice 1 Sword of Light and Shadow 1 Umezawa's Jitte Lands 40 Plains

I know that a mono-color deck can be a bit limiting, but didn't have any trouble finding cards to fill up the slots. Now it's just a question of whether or not a strategy like this will work. Comments/suggestions?

[banky]

Gotta warn ya strait up ... playing a mono white beatdown type deck is pretty hard in a format set on massive card advantage and WoG type effects.

Hell, my newest creation is Crovax + Wraths + Lifegain + Artifact-based Draw

[Sibtiger]

Retether seems pretty awful here- you have about 3 auras.

Definitely think you should get Painter's Servant in here, he combos pretty well with EaaHT.

[rantipole]

Because you are mono-white you are likely to be the player least effected by a Sundering Titan, so run him. You should have Mind's Eye and Gilded Lotus in here; Sol Ring if you can get it. You have a lot off low-powered creatures, but no Reveillark. He is stupid good with Galepowder Mage/Flickerwisp.

Catastrophe is a nice WOG or 'geddon. I allows quite a bit of flexibility. Speaking of WOG, Mageta the Lion is an awesome card for white, and WOGs combo with Adarkar Valkyrie and Twilight Shepherd.

If you are going to run Proclamation of Rebirth, run some more really good targets for it, like Kami of False Hope. You have quite a bit of enchantment fetch, but no really good targets for it. I don't like Retether or Mine Excavation in here.

I like the general choice a lot. You just need to work on the details.

Cheers,
rant

[RogueLeviathan]

I finally got around to putting the deck together. I made a number of changes from the original deck list. Some were based on suggestions (thanks) and others were because Shards just came out. I took the deck for a spin last weekend and it did pretty well. Painter's Servant + Circle of Protection: White tends to make people not attack you while you build up resources. It's a really fun deck to play with. Here's the current list I'm using:

EDH Eight-and-a-half-tails

General 1 Eight-and-a-Half-Tails Creatures 1 Adarkar Valkyrie 1 Angel of Salvation 1 Archon of Justice 1 Battlegrace Angel 1 Battletide Alchemist 1 Cloudchaser Kestrel 1 Galepowder Mage 1 Kami of False Hope 1 Kinsbaile Cavalier 1 Knight of Meadowgrain 1 Knight of the Holy Nimbus 1 Knight of the White Orchid 1 Konda, Lord of Eiganjo 1 Leonin Skyhunter 1 Magus of the Disk 1 Martyr of Sands 1 Mirror Entity 1 Myojin of Cleansing Fire 1 Order of Whiteclay 1 Oriss, Samite Guardian 1 Painter's Servant 1 Paladin en-Vec 1 Pentarch Paladin 1 Purity 1 Reveillark 1 Riftmarked Knight 1 Serra Avenger 1 Sigiled Paladin 1 Silver Knight 1 Soltari Priest 1 Spirit en-Dal 1 White Knight 1 White Shield Crusader 1 Witch Hunter

Spells 1 Austere Command 1 Condemn 1 Crib Swap 1 Devouring Light 1 Hallowed Burial 1 Mass Calcify 1 Proclamation of Rebirth 1 Shining Shoal 1 Wing Shards 1 Wrath of God Enchantments 1 Circle of Protection: White 1 Concerted Effort 1 Faith's Fetters 1 Genju of the Fields 1 Ghostly Prison 1 Light from Within 1 Oblivion Ring 1 Opal Guardian 1 Prison Term 1 Story Circle Artifacts 1 Akroma's Memorial 1 Leonin Sun Standard 1 Sword of Fire and Ice 1 Sword of Light and Shadow 1 Umezawa's Jitte Lands 1 Eiganjo Castle 1 Forbidding Watchtower 1 Mistveil Plains 1 New Benalia 34 Plains 1 Terramorphic Expanse 1 Windbrisk Heights

[einlanzer625]

I would also heavily consider any white fetchlands, either Mirage or Onslaught Flooded Strand or Flood Plain for example. Also you should definitely run Flagstones of Trokair and any of the cycling lands Drifting Meadow and Secluded Steppe

for some nice card advantage try running Mask of Memory and Moonring Mirror (I find Mirror is better than mind's eye due to the fact that you get the pleasure of tapping out every turn)

Honestly, I would add a few spells to this list too, as well as subtract a few:
-Hallowed Burial
-Wrath of God
-Concerted Effort
- Faith's Fetters
- Proclamation of Rebirth
+ Oblation
+ Retribution of the Meek
+ Armageddon
+ Ravages of War
+ Ghostway

give those a try, running armageddons is amazing for smashing control players. Also, I might consider a general switch to Isamaru, Hound of Konda and simply run eight 1/2 tails main. but that's just my take. I really like this deck though.

[RogueLeviathan]

I've been tuning the deck for the last couple of months and this is how it has ended up. Luckily, my pre-release pool had a Martial Coup and a Path to Exile in it, so they went right in. As you can see by the older decklists there's been a lot of other changes. I feel it's a definite improvement over the original version.

Eight-and-a-Half-Tails EDH

General 1 Eight-and-a-Half-Tails Creatures 1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath 1 Archon of Justice 1 Battlegrace Angel 1 Cloudchaser Kestrel 1 Dust Elemental 1 Hand of Honor 1 Kinsbaile Cavalier 1 Knight of Meadowgrain 1 Knight of the Holy Nimbus 1 Knight of the White Orchid 1 Leonin Skyhunter 1 Painter's Servant 1 Pentarch Paladin 1 Pristine Angel 1 Reveillark 1 Samurai of the Pale Curtain 1 Serra Avenger 1 Sigiled Paladin 1 Silver Knight 1 Soltari Priest 1 Stonecloaker 1 Stonehewer Giant 1 Thunder Spirit 1 Twilight Shepherd 1 White Knight 1 Windborn Muse 1 Yosei, the Morning Star Spells 1 Afterlife 1 Austere Command 1 Condemn 1 Crib Swap 1 Devouring Light 1 Final Judgment 1 Hallowed Burial 1 Mass Calcify 1 Martial Coup 1 Mine Excavation 1 Path to Exile 1 Radiant's Judgment 1 Reciprocate 1 Reinforcements 1 Reprisal 1 Swords to Plowshares 1 Wing Shards 1 Wrath of God

Enchantments 1 Faith's Fetters 1 Light from Within 1 Oblivion Ring Artifacts 1 Journeyer's Kite 1 Lightning Greaves 1 Loxodon Warhammer 1 Mind's Eye 1 Quietus Spike 1 Sigil of Distinction 1 Sword of Fire and Ice 1 Sword of Light and Shadow 1 Umezawa's Jitte Lands 35 Plains 1 Eiganjo Castle 1 Flagstones of Trokair 1 Forbidding Watchtower 1 Mistveil Plains 1 New Benalia 1 Terramorphic Expanse 1 Windbrisk Heights

Note that there is a conspicuous absence of Armageddon. That's because I tried something similar in my Jhoira deck with Boom/Bust and Decree of Annihilation. Long story short, it was not fun. So, instead of being a complete insert favorite explative here like the guy who giggles like a schoolgirl while playing Desolation Angel with kicker, it took it out. Besides, the deck is actually very mana hungry.

Also, Elspeth isn't here because I still haven't opened one.

[MellowMight]

Story Circle? Is quite handy with 8.5 tails.

[Nicol Bolas]

Crovax, Ascendant Hero is wondering why he hasn't been invited to the party yet.

[ThePeople'sHero]

I have an 8.5 Tails EDH too... however mine hasn't been performing very well. I think I'll take quite a few ideas from this. How has it been running?

[RogueLeviathan]

Originally Posted by MellowMight

Story Circle? Is quite handy with 8.5 tails.

It used to be in, but it wasn't all that effective, sadly.

Originally Posted by Nicol Bolas

Crovax, Ascendant Hero is wondering why he hasn't been invited to the party yet.

He was invited to the party, but he ended up helping out all of my opponents critters, too. Since almost every deck in my play group contains he had to go. Celestial Crusader was invited for a while, too. But, it had to go for the same reason.

Originally Posted by ThePeople'sHero

I have an 8.5 Tails EDH too... however mine hasn't been performing very well. I think I'll take quite a few ideas from this. How has it been running?

It's been running very smoothly. The extra spot removal I added has helped out a lot as well as pulling out some of the higher costed creatures. Usually, the way the deck runs is to play out a few of the small creatures, maybe get some equipment on them, and beat in until you draw out someone's wrath effect. After that, cast one of the bigger guys and bring in 8.5 to protect. I usually don't play him until I have at least ten mana available. In multiplayer, you'll need it all. That's why there's no Armageddon effects in the deck. Good luck with your build. I'm curious to see how it turns out.

[viberunner]

Artifacts: Slate of Ancestry is a cheap card, but devastating draw in creature-heavy decks. Darksteel Ingot should be an auto-include. Not sure about the Sun-Standard. I'd for Lightning Greaves, or Whispersilk Cloak, for a bit of spot-protection, and for handy effects (haste/unblockable).

Creatures: Taj-Nar Swordsmith, Steelshaper Apprentice, as these add two more tutoring conditions for the Jitte (or whatever). Order of the White Shield and Order of Leitbur are your legal, and pauper, Stillmoon Cavaliers. Their version of firebreathing (along with the First Strike) make them risky to block, and give you something to do with unused mana. Soltari Trooper can scratch unblockable for 2 a round, not great per-se, but excellent with Equipment.

Enchantments: Cage of Hands is re-usable, something not to be sniffed at.

Instants: Lapse of Certainty can buy you another round from Wrath.

[tumultuous]

Needs some more Eternal Dragon!

[potassiumnitrate]

No Isochron Scepter? With a removal spell in hand, I think it would be nice to have.

[cheddercaveman]

Rune of Protection: White ... It cycles AND in this deck is just as good as any circle of protection. Also, this deck is going to want mana, thats the whole point of 8.5. With EDH decks I find that everything has to be doing SOMETHING if its a small creature. So if you want to run a bunch of smaller guys, make sure they all do something, or that they at least help out your other guys.

White is the color of enchantments, I'd recommend running all the best ones you can get away with, and an enlightened tutor. I didn't check your list prior to saying any of this to know what you do run. Seal of Cleansing, Aura of Silence, Faith's Fetters, etc etc. Also, mana intensive means i'd run anything that helps, I'm thinking Land Tax in this case. Might as well find a scroll rack then too of course.

Thats all i got for now.