Hi guys! My name is Jonathan and I live in Canada. I started playing mtg in 2011 and the only format I've ever played is Commander. This amazing format is the reason I got into magic and I don't think I'll move on to anything else in the foreseeable future. I play in several different playgroups, some more competitive than others. I consider myself to be half spike and half everything else. I like combos, I like hardcasting fatties, I also pay lots of attention to card arts and flavours. However as much as I like to win, I don't play very well because I haven't been playing for as long as others. I love deckbuilding, in fact I think I enjoy building decks more than playing them. This leads us the next section.
The Tri-colour Madness Deck Series:
As I've mentioned above, I really enjoy building decks and I see it as one of my creative outlets. I take pride in the decks I build and I enjoy seeing them being successful when played by me or others. So far I've built 10 decks, each of them features a unique tri-colour combo (yup, that's all of them!). On top of the the passion for deckbuilding, another reason for me to build so many decks is that I am relatively new to the game of mtg, and I want to try out all kinds of different decks.
You'll see a large variety of deck archetypes from this series including: timmy, theft/aikido, defense, ramp, rock/recursion, artifacts, mill/reanimation, tokens and voltron/aggro. For some decks, I decide on the archetype and general, then I search up all kinds of decklists online and from those I create my ideal list for that strategy(my spike side). For other decks, I just come up with an idea and dive into it blindly which results in decks that are 100% my own through extensive testing and modifying. All of my decks are built to be multiplayer oriented.
One problem that I came across when building these decks is that there are many card overlaps even though all of the decks utilize different strategies. I was unable to avoid including cards like primeval titan and consecrated sphinx in every deck of the appropriate colours. I've been trying my best to avoid this and limit the number of staples that go in all my decks. In the near future I will spend some time to focus specifically on cutting those staples from my decks.
The reason for me to post this series is that I want to share my passion with all of you, and at the same time receive some feedbacks and suggestions in order to help me further improve my decks. I'm sure this will be a great experience and help me and others in many different ways.
Thanks in advance!
For a Naya Token deck, the choice was between Hazezon Tamar and Rith. I was leaning towards Hazezon, then I saw the From the Vault Dragons Rith. Yupp, Rith it is. As the main token producer of the deck, I have to admit that Rith's ability is far from ideal. Having to wait a turn and connect before she starts making anything can be very inconsistent. As a 6/6 flyer, people often see the damage from Rith to be as threatening as the token producing. As a result, more players want to get rid of her and thus making it more difficult for her to do anything at all. However, if Rith does connect once or twice, she is definitely one of the most efficient token producers in the deck.
Basic Land Art
I've been a huge fan of the basic land arts on magic cards ever since I started playing the game. In the beginning I loved the zendikar ones and filled my decks with them. Then they became a bit repetitive and boring. As a result my inner Vorthos pushed me to move on and search for some other land arts that fit well in my decks. I follow a few basic guidelines when searching for my lands. Obviously they must look good. They should also be on theme with the deck, and as a result of that, the lands in a deck are mostly from the same sets/blocks. Lastly, i try to keep my lands new-boardered, just because I like them better.
For Rith, we have:
For rith, I really couldn't think of better lands to use than the Naya ones from Shards of Alara. The lands portray the theme of nature, wilderness and growth to me. They also give me this sense of how much space the Naya jungles have, for Nayan behemoth's to roam. While that isn't really Rith's theme, what Nayans have in size, Rith has in numbers. So it's all good! I would really love to hear which lands you think are the best for this deck!
Game Plans:
From what I understand, token decks usually have two main themes. Generating card and board advantage with the tokens (Shivan Harvest, Skull Clamp etc.) and using a massive pump to swarm my opponents. I want to have both in my token deck, and it came down to deciding how much of each I want. For now, I have a relatively even number of cards dedicated to each strategy. Of course, all of that depends on me having a good number of tokens on the field, therefore I also have a ton of token generators other than Rith herself.
One of my favourite cards in the deck is Vicious Shadows. It interacts with my opponents along a very unique axis and often times they are not prepared for it. With some tokens and a sac outlet, the enchantment is capable of winning games on its own.
The game plans for the deck is quite simple. Early game it turtles behind tokens and use them for small card advantages here and there. When the chance comes, produce 5-10 tokens, pump them up and swing in to kill one or more players. This can be done over 2 turns and some times I can also do this in one turn (plus my opponent's EOT) with my instant speed token generators.
One type of cards that I avoided in this deck is small and overtime pump effects. Cards like Ajani Goldmane, Mikaeus, the Lunarch, and Sigiled Captain. The reason for this is that people don't usually see 1/1 creatures as a large threat, even if I have a number of them. I rarely see an opponent wipes the board simply because i have 7 saprolings on the field. However, if they're 3/3s and growing every turn, its a different story. Massive but expensive(and one-use) pump effects like Overwhelming Stampede allows for a much more surprising finish and thus greatly increases its effectiveness.
I like that you used the proper pronoun for Rith. Nice job. Also, you mention Skullclamp in the "Plans" section but it doesn't appear in the actual decklist. Is there a reason?
How good is Elspeth Tirel in this deck? I have a Rith deck myself and I'm thinking about trading for Elspeth but she's a pretty hefty investment so I'm curious if you think she's worth it.
Hey, thanks!! And regarding Skullclamp, I checked the deck and realized that I actually don't have it in. It's such an obvious include that I just automatically assumed that I already have it in the deck and never gave it a second thought. Nice catch, its in now, replacing Mind's Eye.
For Elspeth Tirel, it hasn't been that great so far and the most she's ever done was making 6 tokens. The other 2 abilities aren't that relevant IMO. She makes white tokens too, which I don't like as much as green ones. I can see it being cut for a superior token generator in the near future.
For Elspeth Tirel, it hasn't been that great so far and the most she's ever done was making 6 tokens. The other 2 abilities aren't that relevant IMO. She makes white tokens too, which I don't like as much as green ones. I can see it being cut for a superior token generator in the near future.
Really? That's disappointing. I had hopes of using her to turn Sylvan Library into "Draw 3 a turn" with the life gain every turn, then popping her ultimate for an alpha strike. She seems like she has everything for a token deck.
Hello my friend. I've been looking over your decks and Rith seems very solid, but I must point out the best token generator of all. Verdant Force! He is killer in multiplayer but his 3 green is cumbersome. And while I'm at why not add earthcraft for HUGE X spells. Just a thought...
Hi Purple. Verdent force is not bad at all. The 3 green isn't a huge problem. My problem with the card is that it's too expensive in early game, and the token production is not explosive enough in mid-late game (compare to verdant force).
Earthcraft: Never tested it. Probably crazy good. I've been looking for one. The only reason I'd refrain from running it is that it's too obvious of a combo with Squirrel's Nest. I don't think that's a good enough reason though. Plus it probably makes more sens to cut squirrel's nest since earthcraft looks a lot better..
Hey man, like the build. I have something pretty similar built at the moment. Wondering if you'd ever considered trying hour of reckoning instead of one of your other sweepers.
I also have the enchantment under theme and find that warstorm surge is a card you should think about.
Albeit better with all the fetches, rampaging baloths is a workhorse for the deck. It plus rampy titan is worth a look.
I'm wondering in your list if rapacious one is pulling it's weight. How's it been? Just seems like awakening zone would fill it's spot more consistently?
hour of reckoning: I do have one or two token decks in my playgroup, and hour of reckoning would be pretty useless against their board state. Also, if I do have a decent amount of tokens on the board, I wouldn't really need a boardwipe that badly. The biggest problem here is that if i don't have a board state (which is when I need board wipes the most.), it would cost 7 mana with 3 white. So in conclusion, I see normal boardwipes as lifesavers, while hour of reckoning is a bit of a win-more card. Im NOT saying the card is bad. I definitely deserves to be tested, but I wouldnt replace a wrath with it.
Warstorm Surge: This card draws a ton of hate in my group. It would only work well with explosive token producing since i wouldn't expect the enchantment to last more than a round or two. HOwever my deck isn't too good at that.
Rapacious one: This card has been okay for me, nothing too spectacular. I only like it because I can pump it with Sunhome or Wolfrun. Switching it for Rampaging Baloth or Awakening Zone is probably better.
I forgot one more thing I wanted to say, elesh norn, grand cenobite is a killer in this deck. Plus you say you have other token decks in your group and it is their bane.
As for warstorm surge, it generates hate cause it's real freakin good. If it even triggers once from a rith hit, it can be a one shot (especially with any token pump as per above).
Fair enough. Hours of Reckoning, Elesh Norn and Warstorm surge definitely should be tested. Don't think I can reject those two cards simply by theory-crafting. Thanks!
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Introduction:
The Tri-colour Madness Deck Series:
You'll see a large variety of deck archetypes from this series including: timmy, theft/aikido, defense, ramp, rock/recursion, artifacts, mill/reanimation, tokens and voltron/aggro. For some decks, I decide on the archetype and general, then I search up all kinds of decklists online and from those I create my ideal list for that strategy(my spike side). For other decks, I just come up with an idea and dive into it blindly which results in decks that are 100% my own through extensive testing and modifying. All of my decks are built to be multiplayer oriented.
One problem that I came across when building these decks is that there are many card overlaps even though all of the decks utilize different strategies. I was unable to avoid including cards like primeval titan and consecrated sphinx in every deck of the appropriate colours. I've been trying my best to avoid this and limit the number of staples that go in all my decks. In the near future I will spend some time to focus specifically on cutting those staples from my decks.
The reason for me to post this series is that I want to share my passion with all of you, and at the same time receive some feedbacks and suggestions in order to help me further improve my decks. I'm sure this will be a great experience and help me and others in many different ways.
Thanks in advance!
Here are deck lists that I've posted so far:
:symr::symu::symg: Riku's RUG Goodstuff Deck
:symb::symr::symg: Kresh's Ultimate Timmy Deck
:symw::symu::symb: Sharuum's Etherium Empire
:symu::symb::symr: Thraximundar!!! Theft Deck
:symg::symb::symu: The Mimeoplasm Mill/Reanimator
:symr::symw::symu: Zedruu's Defense/Sunforger Deck
:symb::symg::symw: Karador Rock/Recursion Deck
:symg::symw::symu: Rafiq of the 1HKO
:symr::symg::symw: Rith and Her Token Army
The Dragon:
For a Naya Token deck, the choice was between Hazezon Tamar and Rith. I was leaning towards Hazezon, then I saw the From the Vault Dragons Rith. Yupp, Rith it is. As the main token producer of the deck, I have to admit that Rith's ability is far from ideal. Having to wait a turn and connect before she starts making anything can be very inconsistent. As a 6/6 flyer, people often see the damage from Rith to be as threatening as the token producing. As a result, more players want to get rid of her and thus making it more difficult for her to do anything at all. However, if Rith does connect once or twice, she is definitely one of the most efficient token producers in the deck.
Basic Land Art
I've been a huge fan of the basic land arts on magic cards ever since I started playing the game. In the beginning I loved the zendikar ones and filled my decks with them. Then they became a bit repetitive and boring. As a result my inner Vorthos pushed me to move on and search for some other land arts that fit well in my decks. I follow a few basic guidelines when searching for my lands. Obviously they must look good. They should also be on theme with the deck, and as a result of that, the lands in a deck are mostly from the same sets/blocks. Lastly, i try to keep my lands new-boardered, just because I like them better.
For Rith, we have:
For rith, I really couldn't think of better lands to use than the Naya ones from Shards of Alara. The lands portray the theme of nature, wilderness and growth to me. They also give me this sense of how much space the Naya jungles have, for Nayan behemoth's to roam. While that isn't really Rith's theme, what Nayans have in size, Rith has in numbers. So it's all good! I would really love to hear which lands you think are the best for this deck!
Game Plans:
One of my favourite cards in the deck is Vicious Shadows. It interacts with my opponents along a very unique axis and often times they are not prepared for it. With some tokens and a sac outlet, the enchantment is capable of winning games on its own.
The game plans for the deck is quite simple. Early game it turtles behind tokens and use them for small card advantages here and there. When the chance comes, produce 5-10 tokens, pump them up and swing in to kill one or more players. This can be done over 2 turns and some times I can also do this in one turn (plus my opponent's EOT) with my instant speed token generators.
One type of cards that I avoided in this deck is small and overtime pump effects. Cards like Ajani Goldmane, Mikaeus, the Lunarch, and Sigiled Captain. The reason for this is that people don't usually see 1/1 creatures as a large threat, even if I have a number of them. I rarely see an opponent wipes the board simply because i have 7 saprolings on the field. However, if they're 3/3s and growing every turn, its a different story. Massive but expensive(and one-use) pump effects like Overwhelming Stampede allows for a much more surprising finish and thus greatly increases its effectiveness.
Decklist
1x Rith, the Awakener
Token Producers
1x Ant Queen
1x Awakening Zone
1x Avenger of Zendikar
1x Dragon Broodmother
1x Elspeth Tirel
1x Fresh Meat
1x Garruk Wildspeaker (Game Ender/Ramp)
1x Rampaging Baloths
1x Decree of Justice
1x Mitotic Slime
1x Assemble the Legion
1x Dragonlair Spider
1x Emeria Angel
1x Increasing Devotion
1x White Sun's Zenith
Game Enders
1x Cathar's Crusade
1x Beastmaster Ascension
1x In the Web of War
1x Overwhelming Stampede
1x Craterhoof Behemoth
1x Vicious Shadows
Getting Value from Tokens
1x Ashnod's Altar
1x Aura Shards
1x Earthcraft
1x Eldrazi Monument
1x Goblin Bombardment
1x Phyrexian Altar
1x Spawning Pit
Ramp/Mana Fix
1x Knight of the Reliquary
1x Mirari's Wake
1x Oracle of Mul Daya
1x Perilous Forays
1x Sol Ring
1x Solemn Simulacrum
1x Sylvan Primordial
1x Wood Elves
1x Senei's Divining Top
1x Harmonize
1x Fecundity
1x Skullclamp
1x Mind's Eye
1x Collective Unconscious
1x Sylvan Library
Tutors
1x Academy Rector
1x Chord of Calling
1x Enlightened Tutor
1x Green Sun's Zenith
1x Idyllic Tutor
1x Eladamri's Call
Removals
1x Akroma's Vengeance
1x Austere Command
1x Beast Within
1x Blasphemous Act
1x Chaos Warp
1x Martial Coup (Token Producer)
1x Path to Exile
1x Swords to Plowshares
Other Utility
1x Doubling Season
1x Parallel Lives
1x Lightning Greaves
1x Eternal Witness
1x Naya Charm
1x Sun Titan
Lands
1x Stomping Grounds
1x Temple Garden
1x Sacred Foundry
1x Rugged Prairie
1x Wooded Bastion
1x Clifftop Retreat
1x Rootbound Crag
1x Sunpetal Grove
1x Wooded Foothills
1x Arid Mesa
1x Windswept Heath
6x Forest
4x Mountain
4x Plains
1x Reflecting Pool
1x Command Tower
1x Jungle Shrine
1x Evolving Wilds
1x Gavony Township
1x Gaea's Cradle
1x Khalni Garden
1x Kher Keep (Token Producer)
1x Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1x Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree
1x Windbrisk Heights
Deckstat:
Creatures: 17
Sorceries: 11
Instants: 11
Enchantments: 11
Artifacts: 10
Planeswalkers: 3
Lands: 37
Changelog
4.17.2012
+Skullclamp -Mind's Eye (impossible)
5.25.2012
+Rampaging Baloths - Rapacious One (burninate13)
Thanks for reading my deck tech, please leave your comments! Also check my other lists in the series if you're interested!
How good is Elspeth Tirel in this deck? I have a Rith deck myself and I'm thinking about trading for Elspeth but she's a pretty hefty investment so I'm curious if you think she's worth it.
For Elspeth Tirel, it hasn't been that great so far and the most she's ever done was making 6 tokens. The other 2 abilities aren't that relevant IMO. She makes white tokens too, which I don't like as much as green ones. I can see it being cut for a superior token generator in the near future.
Really? That's disappointing. I had hopes of using her to turn Sylvan Library into "Draw 3 a turn" with the life gain every turn, then popping her ultimate for an alpha strike. She seems like she has everything for a token deck.
In: Increasing Devotion, Furystoke Giant, Master of the Wild Hunt, Squirrel Nest, Slayers' Stronghold, Cathar's Crusade.
Out: Aura Mutation, Artifact Mutation, Akroma's Vengeance, Beastmaster Ascension, Saproling Symbiosis.
Earthcraft: Never tested it. Probably crazy good. I've been looking for one. The only reason I'd refrain from running it is that it's too obvious of a combo with Squirrel's Nest. I don't think that's a good enough reason though. Plus it probably makes more sens to cut squirrel's nest since earthcraft looks a lot better..
I also have the enchantment under theme and find that warstorm surge is a card you should think about.
Albeit better with all the fetches, rampaging baloths is a workhorse for the deck. It plus rampy titan is worth a look.
I'm wondering in your list if rapacious one is pulling it's weight. How's it been? Just seems like awakening zone would fill it's spot more consistently?
Just some food for thought. Cheers.
hour of reckoning: I do have one or two token decks in my playgroup, and hour of reckoning would be pretty useless against their board state. Also, if I do have a decent amount of tokens on the board, I wouldn't really need a boardwipe that badly. The biggest problem here is that if i don't have a board state (which is when I need board wipes the most.), it would cost 7 mana with 3 white. So in conclusion, I see normal boardwipes as lifesavers, while hour of reckoning is a bit of a win-more card. Im NOT saying the card is bad. I definitely deserves to be tested, but I wouldnt replace a wrath with it.
Warstorm Surge: This card draws a ton of hate in my group. It would only work well with explosive token producing since i wouldn't expect the enchantment to last more than a round or two. HOwever my deck isn't too good at that.
Rampaging Baloths: Yupp this one definitely should be in. Asap sir!
Rapacious one: This card has been okay for me, nothing too spectacular. I only like it because I can pump it with Sunhome or Wolfrun. Switching it for Rampaging Baloth or Awakening Zone is probably better.
Thanks again!!
As for warstorm surge, it generates hate cause it's real freakin good. If it even triggers once from a rith hit, it can be a one shot (especially with any token pump as per above).