Frontier Guide
Set Price Alerts

Combos Browse all Suggest

Legality

Format Legality
1v1 Commander Legal
Archenemy Legal
Block Constructed Legal
Canadian Highlander Legal
Casual Legal
Commander / EDH Legal
Commander: Rule 0 Legal
Custom Legal
Duel Commander Legal
Highlander Legal
Legacy Legal
Leviathan Legal
Limited Legal
Modern Legal
Oathbreaker Legal
Planechase Legal
Quest Magic Legal
Tiny Leaders Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Frontier Guide

Creature — Elf Scout

, : Search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped. Then shuffle your library.

trippy_mcfly on Cumly Cube

10 months ago

Introducing Cumly Cube 1.2! 12 months ago, Cumly Cube was updated to Cumly Cube 1.1, offering many needed changes to the card pool. While this fixed some glaring errors, other faults in the cube remained, and a year of careful consideration has hopefully identified all of them. For Cumly Cube's 1.1's 1-year anniversary, I have chosen to make some changes. These changes serve a few functions:

One of them is to smooth the power level of cards in the pool. There should be very few slam-dunk picks or unplayable cards.

Another is to remove the snow card type from the pool. This makes it so players only have the option of including regular basic lands in their deck, increasing accessibility and ease for drafting.

A third is to balance the level of aggression in strategies. It was identified that playing strong, expensive creatures was a dominant strategy in Cumly Cube 1.1, since there was not enough support for aggressive decks to go under this strategy. While aggressive decks are still not supported heavily, a few changes in the card pool have hopefully shifted the meta to a point in which tempo will be an important dynamic in most matchups.

A fourth and final change is in the creature types. All creatures now belong to a supported creature type, and all non-creature cards that produce creature tokens produce tokens that belong to a supported creature type as well, meaning that tribal synergies are going to be emphasized in Cumly Cube 1.2, as was an original goal of this Cumly cube.

One more thing to note is an important change to the rules. Rule 907 has been removed. Players can no longer use this rule to conjure a basic land of any type into their hand, increasing a need for disciplined drafting. While this rule allowed players to play more ambitious decks, it removed the use for Banners, Lockets, and other methods of fixing mana. Ambitious decks are still possible in Cumly Cube 1.2, they just require some extra effort to draft.

Here are the individual card changes, provided with brief justifications:

CUTS:

ARTIFACT

Arcum's Astrolabe: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Ankh of Mishra: Too weak in power level Coalition Relic: Too much utility for general decks Coat of Arms: Ideally, this card would often be symmetrical, since opposing players would have tribal synergies, thus making it too weak in power level Coercive Portal: Too strong Coldsteel Heart: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Crowded Crypt: Creates zombie creature tokens, a creature type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 Explorer's Scope: Too strong and too much variability Fellwar Stone: Too strong Glasses of Urza: Too weak in power level Grafted Skullcap: Too narrow Mask of Memory: Too much utility for general decks Paladin's Shield: Too weak in power level Scroll Rack: Too little synergy with the rest of the card pool Sword of Feast and Famine: Protection leads to less interactive games, a dynamic not desirable in Cumly Cube Sword of Fire and Ice: Protection leads to less interactive games, a dynamic not desirable in Cumly Cube Sword of Light and Shadow: Protection leads to less interactive games, a dynamic not desirable in Cumly Cube Sword of Truth and Justice: Protection leads to less interactive games, a dynamic not desirable in Cumly Cube Talisman of Conviction: Too powerful Talisman of Hierarchy: Too powerful Talisman of Resilience: Too powerful

CREATURE

Allosaurus Shepherd: Removed to lower the presence of elves and green creatures Angelic Curator: Too weak in power level. Additionally, protection leads to less interactive games, a dynamic not desirable in Cumly Cube Apex Devastator: Card advantage should require more synergy than slamming one creature card Apex Hawks: Too weak in power level Arcbound Reclaimer: Too weak in power level Avacyn's Pilgrim: A mana dork that costs 1 mana with no drawback is too powerful and too obvious a choice of a Cumly Ascendant Spirit: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Battered Golem: Too weak in power level Beast Whisperer: Too powerful Birds of Paradise: A mana dork that costs 1 mana with no drawback is too powerful and too obvious a choice of a Cumly Boreal Druid: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Boreal Outrider: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Bosh, Iron Golem: Too weak in power level Bottle Golems: Too weak in power level Brokkos, Apex of Forever: Mutate cards have been removed to make Cumly Cube 1.2 more accessible Cartographer: Too weak in power level Chillbringer: Too weak in power level Dryad of the Ilysian Grove: Not a supported creature type, plus too much utility for general decks Elvish Visionary: Removed to lower the presence of elves and green creatures Erebos, God of the Dead: Too strong of an engine for an indestructible card Eternal Witness: Removed to lower the incentive for primarily green strategies Ethereal Valkyrie: Card advantage should require more synergy than slamming one creature card Garth One-Eye: Too complicated of a card Goldspan Dragon: Too strong in the treasure matters archetype Hellkite Tyrant: Too strong of an alternate win condition in multiplayer games and too powerful after sideboarding against artifact-based strategies Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis: Not a viable addition to almost any deck Icehide Golem: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Illuna, Apex of Wishes: Mutate cards have been removed to make Cumly Cube 1.2 more accessible Ingot Chewer: Too powerful against artifact-based strategies Karmic Guide: Protection leads to less interactive games, a dynamic not desirable in Cumly Cube Kozilek, Butcher of Truth: Too strong Kozilek, the Great Distortion: Too strong Looter il-Kor: Not a supported creature type Lotus Cobra: Too obvious a choice of a Cumly Master Skald: Too weak in power level Metalworker: Too strong in artifact-based strategies Mirror Golem: Protection leads to less interactive games, a dynamic not desirable in Cumly Cube Omnath, Locus of Creation: Too strong Prosperous Innkeeper: Not a supported creature type Rimescale Dragon: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Sea Drake: Too weak in power level Sea-Dasher Octopus: Mutate cards have been removed to make Cumly Cube 1.2 more accessible Skeletal Wurm: Too strong Snapcaster Mage: This card is commonly played in many formats, and fits the same role in Cumly Cube as it does in other formats. That is too boring for Cumly Cube Solemn Simulacrum: Too much utility for general decks Svella, Ice Shaper: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Thada Adel, Acquisitor: Too powerful after sideboarding against artifact-based strategies Thassa, God of the Sea: Too weak in power level Tireless Tracker: Too powerful Torgaar, Famine Incarnate: Too direct of an impact on life total True-Name Nemesis: Protection leads to less interactive games, a dynamic not desirable in Cumly Cube Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger: Too strong Waterfront Bouncer: Too much utility for general decks

ENCHANTMENT

All That Glitters: Too generically-useful of an effect given the presence of artifacts in many decks Ascent of the Worthy: Too cheap for a reanimation effect Blood Sun: Too narrow Curiosity: This effect exists with Keen Sense, and it is more interesting to have that effect be in Green than Blue Duelist's Heritage: Too weak in power level Endless Scream: Too weak in power level Grounded: Too weak in power level Havoc: Too weak in power level Hero's Resolve: Too weak in power level Moonlit Wake: Too weak in power level Path of Mettle  Flip: Too weak in power level Shared Animosity: Too aggressive Sunbond: Too generically-useful of an effect given the presence of life gain in many decks The Mending of Dominaria: Mill of any kind is not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 True Conviction: Too weak in power level Unfulfilled Desires: Too much utility for general decks Unspeakable Symbol: Too aggressive Cold Snap: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Freyalise's Radiance: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Glacial Plating: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Rime Transfusion: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks

INSANT

Abrade: Too much utility for general decks Artifact Blast: Interaction with artifacts should be found as removal, allowing artifact decks to realize their synergies Assert Authority: Too generic of a counter spell for artifact-based strategies Blazing Salvo: Too weak in power level Burning Hands: Color-specific hate cards lead to less interesting sideboarding strategies Celestial Purge: Color-specific hate cards lead to less interesting sideboarding strategies Confound: Too strong in certain matchups after sideboarding Crop Rotation: Too strong in Dark Depths decks Dark Remedy: Too weak in power level Darkness: This effect already exists in Batwing Brume, a more interesting card Dazzling Lights: Too weak in power level Flashfreeze: Color-specific hate cards lead to less interesting sideboarding strategies Fry: Color-specific hate cards lead to less interesting sideboarding strategies Generous Gift: Creates an elephant creature token, a creature type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 Mardu Charm: Creates warrior creature tokens, a creature type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 Pyroblast: Color-specific hate cards lead to less interesting sideboarding strategies Red Elemental Blast: Color-specific hate cards lead to less interesting sideboarding strategies Repopulate: Too strong in certain matchups after sideboarding Selesnya Charm: Creates a knight creature token, a creature type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2

LAND

Cave of the Frost Dragon: Mono-colored creature lands have been removed from Cumly Cube 1.2 to discourage mono-colored strategies Den of the Bugbear: Mono-colored creature lands have been removed from Cumly Cube 1.2 to discourage mono-colored strategies Faceless Haven: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Field of the Dead: Too much utility for general decks Fire-Lit Thicket: Replaced with Mossfire Valley Gnottvold Slumbermound: Not a supported creature type Lair of the Hydra: Mono-colored creature lands have been removed from Cumly Cube 1.2 to discourage mono-colored strategies Hall of Storm Giants: Mono-colored creature lands have been removed from Cumly Cube 1.2 to discourage mono-colored strategies Hive of the Eye Tyrant: Mono-colored creature lands have been removed from Cumly Cube 1.2 to discourage mono-colored strategies

PLANESWALKER

Garruk, Cursed Huntsman: To further encourage creature-type-based synergies, planeswalkers that produce a creature token with a type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 have been removed Jiang Yanggu: To further encourage creature-type-based synergies, planeswalkers that produce a creature token with a type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 have been removed Kiora, Master of the Depths: To further encourage creature-type-based synergies, planeswalkers that produce a creature token with a type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 have been removed Kiora, the Crashing Wave: To further encourage creature-type-based synergies, planeswalkers that produce a creature token with a type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 have been removed Liliana, Dreadhorde General: To further encourage creature-type-based synergies, planeswalkers that produce a creature token with a type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 have been removed Sorin, Solemn Visitor: To further encourage creature-type-based synergies, planeswalkers that produce a creature token with a type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 have been removed Vraska the Unseen: To further encourage creature-type-based synergies, planeswalkers that produce a creature token with a type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 have been removed Wrenn and Seven: To further encourage creature-type-based synergies, planeswalkers that produce a creature token with a type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 have been removed Xenagos, the Reveler: To further encourage creature-type-based synergies, planeswalkers that produce a creature token with a type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 have been removed

SORCERY

Avalanche: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Break the Ice: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Essence Infusion: Too weak in power level Farseek: Too much utility for general decks Giant Opportunity: Too narrow Icequake: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Infernal Contract: Card advantage should require more synergy than this card Reckless Endeavor: Too much variability Strike it Rich: Too weak in power level Three Visits: Too much utility for general decks

ADDS:

ARTIFACT

Relic of Legends: Synergizes well with legendary card type strategies Thopter Shop: Supports the thopter creature type and synergizes well with artifact creature strategies

CREATURE

Ajani's Chosen: Supports the cat creature type and synergizes well with enchantment decks Akim, the Soaring Wind: Supports the bird and dinosaur creature types Augmenting Automaton: Supports the construct creature type while also adding a cheap but scalable threat for black decks Banehound: Supports the nightmare creature type and functions as an aggressive creature for faster decks as well as a lifelink creature for lifegain strategies Be'Lakor, the Dark Master: Supports the demon creature type Bedlam Reveler: Supports the devil and horror creature type and synergizes well with the spells-matter archetype Brightwood Tracker: Supports the elf and scout creature types and offers card advantage at an expensive rate Bronzebeak Moa: Supports the bird creature type Capashen Unicorn: Supports the unicorn creature type Centaur Rootcaster: Supports the centaur creature type and synergizes well with landfall strategies Cloudblazer: Supports the human and scout creature types Deadeye Brawler: Supports the human and pirate creature types Deadeye Plunderers: Supports the human and pirate creature types Deeproot Champion: Supports the merfolk creature type and is a payoff for the spells-matter archetype Denry Klin, Editor in Chief: Supports the cat creature type Deus of Calamity: Supports the avatar and spirit creature types Displacer Kitten: Supports the beast and cat creature types and can be used as a value engine in carefully-constructed decks Divinity of Pride: Supports the avatar and spirit creature types Doom Whisperer: Supports the demon and nightmare creature types and is a solid playable for any black deck Dutiful Replicator: Supports the assembly-worker creature type Electrostatic Infantry: Supports the dwarf creature type and is a payoff for the spells-matter archetype Emperor's Vanguard: Supports the human and scout creature types Falco Spara, Pactweaver: Supports the bird and demon creature types Fathom Fleet Captain: Supports the human and pirate creature types Fathom Fleet Cutthroat: Supports the human and pirate creature types Felidar Guardian: Supports the beast and cat creature types Festival Crasher: Supports the devil creature type and is a payoff for the spells-matter archetype Fiend Artisan: Supports the nightmare creature type and provides a tutor effect that can enable combos or strong synergies Forerunner of the Heralds: Supports the merfolk and scout creature types Frontier Guide: Supports the elf and scout creature types and offers ramp for landfall strategies Gahiji, Honored One: Supports the beast creature type Galvanoth: Supports the beast creature type and synergizes well with the spells-matter archetype Gloomshrieker: Supports the beast and cat creature types and is an enchantment for enchantment-based strategies Gold-Forged Thopteryx: Supports the dinosaur and thopter creature types Good-Fortune Unicorn: Supports the unicorn creature type Greater Gargadon: Supports the beast creature type Grimdancer: Supports the nightmare creature type Harnessed Snubhorn: Supports the dinosaur creature type and is a payoff for artifact or enchantment decks Harvester of Souls: Supports the demon creature type Herald of the Pantheon: Supports the centaur creature type and synergizes well with enchantment-based strategies Huatli's Raptor: Supports the dinosaur creature type and synergizes well with proliferate strategies Hunted Nightmare: Supports the nightmare creature type and has an interesting drawback that might incentivize unique drafting Impetuous Devils: Supports the devil creature type Jetmir, Nexus of Revels: Supports the cat and demon creature types Jori En, Ruin Diver: Supports the merfolk creature type and is a payoff for the spells-matter archetype Kaheera, the Orphanguard: All five creature types meeting Kaheera's companion condition are supported in Cumly Cube 1.2, making this a great pick for many decks Kangee, Sky Warden: Supports the bird creature type Karador, Ghost Chieftain: Supports the centaur and spirit creature type Kiln Fiend: Supports the beast and elemental creature type and is a payoff for the spells-matter archetype Kuro, Pitlord: Supports the demon and spirit creature types Kykar, Wind's Fury: Supports the bird and spirit creature types Lashweed Lurker: Supports the eldrazi and horror creature types Lathiel, the Bounteous Dawn: Supports the unicorn creature type and functions as a solid payoff for lifegain strategies Leyline Prowler: Supports the beast and nightmare creature types and offers utility in the form of deathtouch, lifelink, and mana fixing Lonis, Cryptozoologist: Supports the elf and scout creature types and produces clue tokens for artifact-based strategies or just general value Mahadi, Emporium Master: Supports the cat and devil creature types Marauding Raptor: Supports the dinosaur creature type Memnite: Supports the construct creature type and is a cheap card for artifact-based strategies Messenger Falcons: Supports the bird creature type Mishra's Self-Replicator: Supports the assembly-worker creature type Murasa Rootgrazer: Supports the beast creature type and synergizes well with landfall strategies Nael, Avizoa Aeronaut: Supports the elf and scout creature types and incentivizes multi-color strategies Nightmare Shepherd: Supports the demon and nightmare creature types and is an enchantment for enchantment-based strategies Nihiloor: Supports the horror creature type and synergizes with lifegain strategies Nikya of the Old Ways: Supports the centaur creature type Niv-Mizzet Reborn: Supports the avatar and dragon creature types and incentivizes multi-color strategies Niv-Mizzet, Supreme: Supports the avatar and dragon creature types and incentivizes multi-color strategies Nulltread Gargantuan: Supports the beast creature type Opaline Unicorn: Supports the unicorn creature type and offers utility in the form of mana fixing Ornithopter of Paradise: Supports the thopter creature type and offers mana-fixing for any deck, especially if chosen as a Cumly Overgrown Armasaur: Supports the dinosaur and saproling creature types Pestilence Demon: Supports the demon creature type Phantom Nishoba: Supports the beast, cat, and spirit creature types and synergizes well with lifegain strategies Phantom Tiger: Supports the cat and spirit creature types Pheres-Band Raiders: Supports the centaur creature type and synergizes well with enchantment-based strategies Pink Horror: Supports the demon and horror creature types and is a payoff for the spells-matter archetype Prowling Felidar: Supports the beast and cat creature types and is a payoff for landfall strategies Quirion Ranger: Supports the elf creature type and works well with Stasis Radagast, Wizard of Wilds: Supports the avatar, beast,, and bird creature types Raging Regisaur: Supports the dinosaur creature type Rakdos, Lord of Riots: Supports the demon creature type Rakshasa Deathdealer: Supports the cat and demon creature types Ramirez DePietro, Pillager: Supports the human and pirate creature types Ranging Raptors: Supports the dinosaur archetype and synergizes well with landfall strategies River Hoopoe: Supports the bird creature type and synergizes with lifegain strategies Ronom Unicorn: Supports the unicorn creature type Rune-Scarred Demon: Supports the demon creature type Salvaged Manaworker: Supports the construct creature type while also providing mana-fixing for any deck Scalding Devil: Supports the devil creature type Self-Assembler: Supports the assembly-worker creature type Seton, Krosan Protector: Supports the centaur creature type and synergizes well with decks that contain the druid creature type, a creature type not purposefully supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 but definitely present Shapers of Nature: Supports the merfolk creature type Snapping Sailback: Supports the dinosaur creature type Snubhorn Sentry: Supports the dinosaur creature type Soul of Emancipation: Supports the angel and avatar creature types Soul of Windgrace: Supports the avatar and cat creature types and synergizes well with landfall strategies Species Gorger: Supports the beast creature type Spectral Sailor: Supports the pirate and spirit creature types Svyelun of Sea and Sky: Supports the merfolk creature type Tatyova, Benthic Druid: Supports the merfolk creature type and is a payoff for landfall strategies Thrasta, Tempest's Roar: Supports the dinosaur creature type Tidehollow Strix: Supports the bird creature type Trove Warden: Supports the beast and cat creature types and synergizes well with landfall strategies Tuvasa the Sunlit: Supports the merfolk creature type and is a payoff for enchantment decks Urban Daggertooth: Supports the dinosaur creature type and synergizes well with proliferate strategies Vebulid: Supports the horror creature type and functions as an interesting threat in proliferate decks Vodalian Arcanist: Supports the merfolk creature type and synergizes well with the spells-matter archetype Void Beckoner: Supports the horror and nightmare creature types and can put itself in the graveyard for reanimation strategies Vorel of the Hull Clade: Supports the human and merfolk creature types Walking Atlas: Supports the construct creature type and offers ramp for landfall strategies Watcher of the Spheres: Supports the bird creature type Yarok, the Desecrated: Supports the elemental and horror creature types Ziatora, the Incinerator: Supports the demon and dragon creature types

ENCHANTMENT

Conquer: Further support for land destruction, an archetype encouraged in Cumly Cube 1.2 Detention Sphere: A strong removal spell that can win the game with Worldfire Fungal Plots: Supports the saproling creature type Offspring's Revenge: Possibly a very strong engine in carefully-constructed decks Rumbling Crescendo: Further support for land destruction, an archetype encouraged in Cumly Cube 1.2 Thopter Spy Network: Supports the thopter creature type Trace of Abundance: Offers utility in the form of mana fixing Urban Utopia: Offers utility in the form of mana fixing Verdant Haven: Offers utility in the form of mana fixing

INSTANT

Bedevil: A strong and flexible removal spell Fungal Infection: Supports the saproling creature type Fungal Rebirth: Supports the saproling creature type Schismotivate: A strong combat trick to be aware of in Cumly Cube 1.2 Seed Spark: Supports the saproling creature type Spore Swarm: Supports the saproling creature type Stun: A good tempo play for more aggressive decks

LAND

Dragonskull Summit: Bolsters fixing for non-blue decks Mossfire Valley: Bolsters fixing for non-blue decks Rootbound Crag: Bolsters fixing for non-blue decks Shadowblood Ridge: Bolsters fixing for non-blue decks Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree: Supports the saproling creature type

PLANESWALKER

Aminatou, the Fateshifter: Synergizes well with blinking strategies Angrath, Minotaur Pirate: Supports the pirate creature type Chandra, Pyrogenius: Mainly added to justify the continued inclusion of Chandra's Embercat Chandra, the Firebrand: Mainly added to justify the continued inclusion of Chandra's Embercat Dihada, Binder of Wills: Synergizes well with legendary card type strategies Dovin, Architect of Law: Expensive planeswalkers that don't take over the game but add value are exactly what we want in Cumly Cube 1.2 Huatli, Warrior Poet: Supports the dinosaur creature type Jace, Arcane Strategist: Expensive planeswalkers that don't take over the game but add value are exactly what we want in Cumly Cube 1.2 Liliana of the Dark Realms: Synergizes well with swamps matter strategies, mainly thinking of the powerful engine Dread Presence

SORCERY

Aether Mutation: Supports the saproling creature type Grave Upheaval: Further support for reanimator, an archetype encouraged in Cumly Cube 1.2, and offers utility in the form of mana fixing Lava Flow: Further support for land destruction, an archetype encouraged in Cumly Cube 1.2, as well as unconditional creature removal not normally found in red Summon the School: Supports the merfolk creature type

TheVectornaut on Landfall Beast Tribal Deck

3 years ago

I think the weak link in your deck is probably Kalonian Behemoth. It's almost never going to be better than either baloth despite costing more. If you're looking for protection against removal, I've had fun with Whispersilk Cloak on Baloth Woodcrasher in the past. If you want another beast, Leatherback Baloth can come out on turn 2 and still draw a card with its 4 power late game. Spearbreaker Behemoth is another expensive option that offers protection to your largest threats.

More than that though, I'd want more ways to trigger landfall or take advantage of it. Harrow, Explosive Vegetation, New Frontiers, Oracle of Mul Daya, Courser of Kruphix, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove, Azusa, Lost but Seeking, Frontier Guide, Sakura-Tribe Scout, and Budoka Gardener  Flip are all options for various budgets. The best include would probably just be fetchlands. The expensive ones are obviously better (ie: Fabled Passage and Prismatic Vista), but Evolving Wilds, Terramorphic Expanse, Myriad Landscape, and Field of Ruin are all fine choices for casual games.

aholder7 on Temur midrange ramp

3 years ago

A few things to start off with. you have a lot of 1 ofs. you want to maximize your consistency, which means 4 ofs for your important cards. you can have a bunch of 1 ofs, but only if you have some way of searching for them. Fierce Empath does that, but you only have 1 of those.

next lets talk about a game plan. a deck usually wants 1 main plan to focus on, with some decks going for a back up plan if they have a strategy that tends to get some frequent hate. now the plan can be fairly broad and you can have multiple types of cards that help your plan but there should be a very clear plan. I think there is a plan in your deck, but you have lots of cards in it that do not fit the plan very well.

so lets talk about what things we see in the deck and where you can go from here. I see a lot of big creatures and ways to get them out quicker. this is generally called 'stompy' and tends to fit in GR/GRx lists as it allows for ramp and aggressive beaters. cards like Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma are great for this. blue is sometimes added to stall opponents out until you unleash your monsters.

when looking at your cards, you'll want to think "how does this help my plan?". for example, what does Elvish Reclaimer do for the deck? it doesn't ramp the deck unless you're grabbing bounce lands like Izzet Boilerworks but is vulnerable to your opponents removal unlike cards like Farseek. it can become a 3/4 but your goal isn't to play a few 3/4s and win via value cards, it's to get big scary things into play that end the game.

Since this is a deck revolving around winning with some big scary things, lets talk about big scary things. you have a lot of options. but you don't need that many. what you need is 1 or two very good ones and multiples of them to make sure that you get them when you need them. right now i'm not a huge fan of top end of your deck. mainly they are cards that are very expensive and either don't do much, or do it too slowly. Verdant Sun's Avatar is 7 mana 5/5 that gains a little bit of life. Roil Elemental requires triple blue which isn't always as easy, only has 3 power which is abysmal for a 6 mana card and you still need to play more land in order to get use out of it. Simic Sky Swallower at least can't be removed easily by an opponent where as most everything else in your deck loses to Terminate. you might want to consider cards like Carnage Tyrant, Terror of the Peaks, or Inferno Titan. these cards are harder/painful to remove or get some value when they come in so it's not a total loss if they are removed.

you have ramp in your deck which is good. that's something you want. the problem is that most of the ramp in your deck is too slow/expensive. Frontier Guide wont be able to ramp you unless you already have 4 mana. and if you have 4 mana Explosive Vegetation or goreclaw are better bets. the point of ramp is that you do it early, so that your big things come out faster than they normally would. so you want cheaper ramp cards. Sakura-Tribe Elder is a great card for this as it can be used as early as turn 2 and can provide a blocker if your opponent is being really aggressive against you in the early game.

counter spells can also help the plan. the reason people want to get big things out fast is mostly to get them out before your opponent has a chance to do something. so in a way, counter spells are almost like a form of ramp. so long as you play a land and counter your opponents spell for the turn, you've essentially just said that both players play a land. the problem with the counterspells you picked is that they are expensive. you need to be able to stop your opponents plays early on in order for the previous statement to work. and ideally you want to be able to do stuff on your turn besides just hold up mana to counterspells. for both these reasons you want less 4 mana counterspells and more 2 mana counterspells such as Mana Leak, or Remand.

you mention that you are playing burn. burn generally means using cards that deal damage directly to your opponent in order to get their life to 0. you play pretty much zero of those cards. i do see several cards that deal damage to creatures which is what i believe you were getting at.

theres a lot of work this deck needs in order to be ok. the ideas are there, but most of these cards would need to be switched out. i can try to put together a sample list of what i think you'd want this deck to look like but i'll have to do that tomorrow as it's 1:30AM here and i need sleep.

shrap666 on Elvish Onslaught Deck

4 years ago

I hear what you're saying. My deck is split in it's purpose, and it's weaker for it. I've kinda maintained that this split between going to power via numbers, or by power spells, made the deck less predictable and more versatile. It doesn't.

This deck was originally meant to be all about numbers, and I guess that got distorted through the years (I made the original version about 5 years ago). Gonna re-examine everything, and make some cuts/additions.

Frontier Guide will definitely be going away, as will Elvish Piper. I will likely put in (at least) one of the removals you recommended. Going to be some big changes... Should be done by tomorrow. As always, thank you for taking the time to give me a hand with this :)

Tzefick on Protean Palace

4 years ago

Post-scriptum: I just noticed this doesn't say basic land in the search clause. So it is indeed a recurable fetchland... Kinda wish it did say basic land in the search clause. /PS

Cards that basically does the same but don't "pause" (not untap):

Frontier Guide , Journeyer's Kite (not onto the field), Perilous Forays , Sword of the Animist , Thaumatic Compass  Flip (not onto the field).

While most of these are more vulnerable than say a nonbasic land (depends on the format though) and may or may not require some additional hoop (the Sword and Perilious) or straight out costs more mana or the same amount of mana to output the first land - the pause on this makes it worse than most of these alternatives - even those that don't put them on the field.

You also lock this into just finding one specific type of basic lands. I really think you could buff the card in a few various ways without causing much of an issue.

Either reducing the activation cost, removing the pause-clause (no pun intended) or enabling a way to circumvent the pause-clause.

For instance;

"Protean Palace enters the battlefield tapped.

As Protean Palace enters the battlefield, choose a basic land type. Protean Palace has the chosen type in addition to its other types.

, : search your library for a basic land card of the chosen type, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library. Put a rest counter on Protean Palace, it doesn't untap during your untap step while it has a rest counter on it.

: Remove all rest counters from Protean Palace.

At the beginning of your upkeep, remove all rest counters from Protean Palace."

Functionally much the same but with an ability to sink more mana into it, to basically become a Journeyer's Kite . The difference is slightly more mana investment in the long run, it being a land, and that it only searches for one type of basic lands - but dumps them onto the field.

th3d1v1n35h4d0w on Bant EDH Alt Win Cons

4 years ago

babushkasara on Nikya Centaur Queen

4 years ago

Duskwatch Recruiter  Flip is great for this kind of deck - draw power that never whiffs. Primordial Sage is more precious draw. I know you have Birds of Paradise and Elvish Mystic and the like, but to synergize with Nikya, you should look into creatures that give you more actual lands on the battlefield: Wood Elves , Yavimaya Elder , Sakura-Tribe Elder , Dawntreader Elk , Farhaven Elf , Frontier Guide , etc.

Woodland Bellower is a great tutor that pairs with Fierce Empath to cover nearly everything in your deck.

If you're playing 'Mage Hater', consider Harsh Mentor and maybe even Eidolon of the Great Revel .

Ulvenwald Tracker is great removal in a creature-based deck.

TheCardPool on

5 years ago

UPDATE #1

Out:

Fauna Shaman Hydra Broodmaster Flametongue Kavu Skyshroud Poacher Tireless Tracker Scavenging Ooze Manglehorn Harbinger of the Hunt Wolfbriar Elemental Huntmaster of the Fells  Flip Yisan, the Wanderer Bard Gruul Spellbreaker Budoka Gardener Scryb Ranger Ulvenwald Tracker Quirion Ranger Ruric Thar, the Unbowed Buried Ruin Gruul Turf Kazandu Refuge Rugged Highlands Mountain Valley 2x Mountain 2x Forest

In:

Dualcaster Mage Llanowar Empath Genesis Hydra Yeva, Nature's Herald Decimator of the Provinces Siege Behemoth Magus of the Library Brutalizer Exarch Duplicant Greenwarden of Murasa Loaming Shaman Golden Guardian  Flip Burnished Hart Wood Elves Gaea's Herald Frontier Guide Diligent Farmhand Contested Cliffs Endless Sands Ghost Quarter Mystifying Maze Fungal Reaches Sheltered Thicket Raging Ravine Game Trail Memorial to Unity

My first update is focused on fine-tuning the deck a bit and getting rid of some of the obvious misfits with some needed staples and just new cards I thought would work. I decided to go all-in on the quick beatdown plan, so I added in some low-curve mana producers like Wood Elves, Magus of the Library, Frontier Guide, and Burnished Hart along with some heavy beaters and game-enders like Decimator of the Provinces and Siege Behemoth. I also added a bit more tutoring power with cards like Genesis Hydra and Brutalizer Exarch. I removed a bit of the Elf tribal suite because while it may be good in the early game, it won’t matter much if you get something like Skyshroud Poacher later in the game. I added Yeva, Nature’s Herald because having flash is crucial for a deck like this to really succeed—surprise allows you to dodge removal and play conservatively instead of walking into spot removal and board wipes. Speaking of flash, I can’t believe I didn’t consider Dualcaster Mage before—you may not be able to cast your own instants and sorceries, but Nikya doesn’t say anything about not letting you take other people’s! Golden Guardian I think is an excellent card in this deck—not only does it die easily to most of your powerful creatures, including your commander, but it transforms instantly into a land to boost your mana AND that pumps out Golems every turn with the extra mana you have left over. Finally, I also beefed up the land suite a bit to include some more utility lands—one thing I’ve realized is that the lands in this deck will have to carry some of the extra weight of you not playing spells. Contested Cliffs gives you access to extra removal, as many of this deck’s most powerful creatures are Beasts. Fungal Reaches lets you store extra Nikya mana for a big burst later on. Endless Sands is more insurance against removal and board wipes. And Mystifying Maze provides the deck with some much-needed defensive capability, once again helped by all that extra mana.

Something I’m struggling with is how much to focus on my beatdown plan versus an anti-control or combo plan. As it stands, this deck is well tuned for the beats but is weak against non-interactive strategies like storm or blink decks. Cards like Ruric Thar, Immolation Shaman, and Harsh Mentor would definitely put a crimp in their plans and stop them from going off, but they don’t really help toward Nikya’s goals much. Other cards like Runic Armasaur that are designed for the long game don’t seem at home in this specific version of the deck—I could see an alternate build though designed more with control in mind than beatdown. You’ll notice I’ve added a large Maybeboard of cards I want to include, but just can’t find space for.

Thoughts?

Load more
Have (1) reikitavi
Want (0)