[SCD] Zealous Conscripts + Cloudshift

[Sabrey]

I was looking at these two cards and thinking about making a deck around them, the idea revolves around taking other deck's threats and using them against that deck. You first Zealous Conscripts their biggest threat, then while it is under your control you Cloudshift it. Now, that threat is permanently under your control. What do you guys think of this idea? If you were making a deck using this strategy, what direction would you take it?

[Iampro]

Naya imo

[FoodChainGoblins]

I had this synergy in Sealed. I did it once and it was amazing. It seems like it could be decent in Constructed, except they can just play a bigger threat the next turn. Or if you wait to steal their biggest threat, the game could be over by then.

[Sabrey]

Originally Posted by FoodChainGoblins

I had this synergy in Sealed. I did it once and it was amazing. It seems like it could be decent in Constructed, except they can just play a bigger threat the next turn. Or if you wait to steal their biggest threat, the game could be over by then.

The game being over by then was something that I was afraid of. I thought about making the rest of the deck a fast aggro deck specifically aimed at being strong against delver, because Delver plays fewer strong creatures to steal. So the deck's strat against delver would be fast aggro, and against WRR and Pod it would be early fast aggro to soften them up and once they hit the point where they can titan, stealing it and using it as a finisher.

[Razorgore]

Originally Posted by Sabrey

I was looking at these two cards and thinking about making a deck around them, the idea revolves around taking other deck's threats and using them against that deck. You first Zealous Conscripts their biggest threat, then while it is under your control you Cloudshift it. Now, that threat is permanently under your control. What do you guys think of this idea? If you were making a deck using this strategy, what direction would you take it?

Doesn't work permanently. The EtB ability already has a duration clause built into the effect. It's certainly fine for swiping 2 permanents during the turn, but both are going back to the original controller at end of turn, regardless of what happens to the conscripts.

[Ramenth]

Depending on the deck you run, both Cloudshift and ZC are solid cards. There isn't much of a reason not to abuse them together.


Edit: Razor, you Cloudshift the stolen permanent, not ZC, and thus keep it permanently.

[BeingHumanBeing]

Originally Posted by Razorgore

Doesn't work permanently. The EtB ability already has a duration clause built into the effect. It's certainly fine for swiping 2 permanents during the turn, but both are going back to the original controller at end of turn, regardless of what happens to the conscripts.

OP is saying to use the Cloudshift on the stolen creature, which works, since Cloudshift returns the creatures to the battlefield under your control permanently.

Neat trick, but I think would be better in a pod deck, since you will have more mana open, and you get to play with Restoration Angel + Zealous Conscript, which you can't in normal Naya decks due to mana issues.

[LifeKills]

I'm in the process of building that deck right now. It's basically Boros Humans with Resto Angel

[Sabrey]

Another possibility for this deck is Fiend Hunter + Cloudshift. In this interaction you would permanently exile one creature with no chance of recovery and you would exile another for as long as Fiend Hunter was in play.

[apocalypse31]

Doesn't this work with Act of Aggression, Act of Treason, and Traitorous Blood as well? I feel like if I were going for gimmicky combo, I would rather use the ones that aren't as mana intensive.

[Kryptnyt]

Also of note, you can cloudshift the Conscripts instead, stealing and hasteing another permanent. So it's a little more versatile.
Still doesn't seem that amazing for a six-drop.

[Razorgore]

Originally Posted by apocalypse31

Doesn't this work with Act of Aggression, Act of Treason, and Traitorous Blood as well? I feel like if I were going for gimmicky combo, I would rather use the ones that aren't as mana intensive.

Here's an even better perspective - Anyone else remember Bazaar Trader? If the "combo" wasn't playable when one piece of the combo didn't cost any mana, what makes you think it's going to be playable in a faster format, filled with vapor snags?

[metalcrafter]

Originally Posted by Razorgore

Here's an even better perspective - Anyone else remember Bazaar Trader? If the "combo" wasn't playable when one piece of the combo didn't cost any mana, what makes you think it's going to be playable in a faster format, filled with vapor snags?

You completely overlooked something very relevant there. Both bazaard trader & random threaten variant were unplayable on their own. However, zealous conscript is definitely maindeckable in multiple decks and cloudshift likely finds its way to midrange naya maindecks (to blink borderland rangers and huntmasters primaly), so in this case you just get to freeroll the conscript/cloudshift trick.

[pig]

Originally Posted by apocalypse31

Doesn't this work with Act of Aggression, Act of Treason, and Traitorous Blood as well? I feel like if I were going for gimmicky combo, I would rather use the ones that aren't as mana intensive.

Its attached to a body which makes this infinitely better. All of those other cards say creature and this says permanent. I would rather use the ones that can target ANYTHING than just a creature threat. Stealing a planeswalker and living the dream seem like real threats in an already solid boros humans deck.

[Phykos]

Originally Posted by Kryptnyt

Also of note, you can cloudshift the Conscripts instead, stealing and hasteing another permanent. So it's a little more versatile.
Still doesn't seem that amazing for a six-drop.

Potentially stealing 2 creatures, giving them haste, and swinging with your own 3/3 haster doesn't seem amazing for 6 mana? Dude.....I don't think you've thought about that clearly. That's basically winning the game for 6 mana.