This sexy little number is primarily suited for multi player commander pauper affairs. She can hold her own always, no matter what you're up against. This is extremely well rounded beginning with its defense and polished off with its beastly commander for the win.
Game Plan:
Get all those big to mid-range green creatures onto the battlefield to clog up the ground and the air (reach). Search up the mana needed to oil up a five color greedy monstrosity of a deck. Draw cards to find the necessary answers to all that seem like potential threats. Once the coast is clear (don't rush now children) drop that mama-jama that you call your commander and proceed to end the game. If the opponents find answers for your Hellkite of Doom then simply cast a Dispel, shelter, or anything you see fit to remedy the situation.
Weaknesses:
One time I got up from completely dominating the game and sprained my ankle on a damn baby toy in the living room and had to scoop. Other than that you should literally win every game no matter the circumstances.
Disclaimer to the above statement: Deck may not actually win every game played.
Side note: I'm not saying that Sprout Swarm is on the same power level as Jace, the Mind Sculptor but, well, it is......? Your thoughts......? Out.
Well, deck may win every game played if you tweak it a little. In fact, I think there are many improvements to be made.
I dunno, I think 5c PDH control is better as UBgrw. You mostly want green for the most broken mana ramp like Cultivate/Kodama's Reach and a few choice gold spells like Branching Bolt and Snakeform (and to activate your commander of course). But apart from that, you really want black mana for Crypt Rats and Pestilence and blue mana for drawing and countering. The power level and usefulness of cards in the pauper pool for control is such that 80% of your spells will likely be UB.
Um, and you should be running engines like Ghostly Flicker, Capsize and Grim Harvest and Disturbed Burial. Man, these are cards that DEFINE pauper control - your primary means for long term card advantage (especially together with the instant/sorcery recursion bears). They will also eat UB mana. Red and white is mostly for gold cards, activating/casting your general and the occasional game ending red X-spell.
I made a PPS deck recently which you'll find here: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/4046
It's pretty much the 250 best control cards with a UB slant available. If it's not there, it probably doesn't qualify in a 100 card list either (exception: Mystical Teachings because it's banned in PPS, which you should be running, along with transmute tutors). You can forget about the pure threats in the PPS list (cards like Stormbound Geist and Chilling Shade) - they are redundant when the general is your win con. If a creature doesn't replace itself (like recursion bears or Sea Gate Oracle) or establishes card advantage some other way, it's not worth running.
Hope that helps!
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A series of seven articles using Magic to explore the very stuff of the Universe! "At least for those who can play cards, their present incarnation is not quite wasted." [Click here for the articles!]
Thanks for the analysis, all good points. I will admit I strayed off of the beaten path with my creature choices but the variance has been fun and actually effective. I was just messin' around about the strength of the deck but I have had some minor success with it. Your comments are greatly appreciated.
I did remove the Capsize due to the mana hungry commander. "I hate to see you go but love to watch you leave." -Travolta, Face Off. Average movie but great line! Sorry, I'm easily distracted, ummm Magic, right.....I always search up the black mana sources to have a decent hitting Crypt Rats. The rats take care of mid to small swarms and spot removal does the rest.
1 Dragonsoul Knight
Defensive Creatures
1 Jungle Weaver
1 Oakgnarl Warrior
1 Nessian Asp
1 Plated Spider
1 Sentinel Spider
1 Maul Splicer
1 Kozilek's Predator
1 Penumbra Spider
1 Blight Widow
1 Seraph of Dawn
Extra Offensive Threats
1 Ulamog's Crusher
1 Prescient Chimera
1 Sprout Swarm
Utility Creatures
1 Izzet Chronarch
1 Anarchist
1 Warren Pilferers
1 Gravedigger
Ramp/Land Fixing
1 Krosan Tusker
1 Ondu Giant
1 Gatecreeper Vine
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Scuttlemutt
1 Cultivate
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
1 Prophetic Prism
Non-Creature Removal
1 Nantuko Vigilante
1 Wickerbough Elder
1 Manic Vandal
1 Sylvok Replica
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Crypt Rats
1 Evincar's Justice
1 Wrecking Ball
1 Branching Bolt
1 Recoil
1 Terminate
1 Resounding Silence
1 Radiant's Judgement
1 Cessation
1 Echoing Truth
1 Rend Flesh
1 Doomblade
1 Rolling Thunder
1 Arc Lightning
1 Resounding thunder
Card Draw
1 Mulldrifter
1 Deep Analysis
1 Amass the Components
1 Foresee
1 Sift
1 Compulsive Research
1 Divination
1 Counsel of the Soratami
Ways to Protect the KING
1 Shielding plax
1 Apostle's Blessing
1 Shelter
1 Confound
1 Dispel
1 Vines of the Vastwood
1 Ranger's Guile
1 Command Tower
1 Rupture Spire
1 Transguild Promenade
1 Azorius Guildgate
1 Boros Guildgate
1 Dimir Guildgate
1 Gruul Guildgate
1 Izzet Guildgate
1 Rakdos Guildgate
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Bant Panorama
1 Esper Panorama
1 Grixis Panorama
1 Jund Panorama
1 Naya Panorama
3 Plains
4 Island
3 Swamp
3 Mountain
8 Forest
This sexy little number is primarily suited for multi player commander pauper affairs. She can hold her own always, no matter what you're up against. This is extremely well rounded beginning with its defense and polished off with its beastly commander for the win.
Game Plan:
Get all those big to mid-range green creatures onto the battlefield to clog up the ground and the air (reach). Search up the mana needed to oil up a five color greedy monstrosity of a deck. Draw cards to find the necessary answers to all that seem like potential threats. Once the coast is clear (don't rush now children) drop that mama-jama that you call your commander and proceed to end the game. If the opponents find answers for your Hellkite of Doom then simply cast a Dispel, shelter, or anything you see fit to remedy the situation.
Weaknesses:
One time I got up from completely dominating the game and sprained my ankle on a damn baby toy in the living room and had to scoop. Other than that you should literally win every game no matter the circumstances.
Disclaimer to the above statement: Deck may not actually win every game played.
Side note: I'm not saying that Sprout Swarm is on the same power level as Jace, the Mind Sculptor but, well, it is......? Your thoughts......? Out.
I dunno, I think 5c PDH control is better as UBgrw. You mostly want green for the most broken mana ramp like Cultivate/Kodama's Reach and a few choice gold spells like Branching Bolt and Snakeform (and to activate your commander of course). But apart from that, you really want black mana for Crypt Rats and Pestilence and blue mana for drawing and countering. The power level and usefulness of cards in the pauper pool for control is such that 80% of your spells will likely be UB.
Um, and you should be running engines like Ghostly Flicker, Capsize and Grim Harvest and Disturbed Burial. Man, these are cards that DEFINE pauper control - your primary means for long term card advantage (especially together with the instant/sorcery recursion bears). They will also eat UB mana. Red and white is mostly for gold cards, activating/casting your general and the occasional game ending red X-spell.
I made a PPS deck recently which you'll find here: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/4046
It's pretty much the 250 best control cards with a UB slant available. If it's not there, it probably doesn't qualify in a 100 card list either (exception: Mystical Teachings because it's banned in PPS, which you should be running, along with transmute tutors). You can forget about the pure threats in the PPS list (cards like Stormbound Geist and Chilling Shade) - they are redundant when the general is your win con. If a creature doesn't replace itself (like recursion bears or Sea Gate Oracle) or establishes card advantage some other way, it's not worth running.
Hope that helps!
A series of seven articles using Magic to explore the very stuff of the Universe!
"At least for those who can play cards, their present incarnation is not quite wasted."
[Click here for the articles!]
I did remove the Capsize due to the mana hungry commander. "I hate to see you go but love to watch you leave." -Travolta, Face Off. Average movie but great line! Sorry, I'm easily distracted, ummm Magic, right.....I always search up the black mana sources to have a decent hitting Crypt Rats. The rats take care of mid to small swarms and spot removal does the rest.
Nice link, solid choices no doubt.