Roon Blink

Commander / EDH BuzzKi11

SCORE: 1 | 9 COMMENTS | 1475 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER


Nov. 23, 2017

My local shop got a Reflector Mage, replaced some of the tapped lands, found a Fabricate in my bulk, and put Felidar Guardian back in. I know the out and in don't add up, I don't remember what I removed.

In:
Reflector Mage
Fabricate
Felidar Guardian
Reveillark
Peregrine Drake
Prairie Stream
Brushland
Island
Forest
Wastes
Aura Shards
Trostani's Summoner
Wall of Blossoms
Kiora's Follower

Out:
Cultivator's Caravan
Secluded Steppe
Rupture Spire
Transguild Promenade
Faerie Conclave
Deceiver Exarch
Day of Judgment
Swiftfoot Boots
Rite of Replication
Stonecloaker
Birds of Paradise
Wall of Omens

Something doesn't add up. I don't know what else I took out.

Updated the Maybeboard with cards I actually own.

BuzzKi11 says... #1

Taeguk, it is really amazing that you put so much thought and effort in my little deck. Thank you so much!

I consider the deck still in prototype/testing mode and I'm super surprised you even found it considering I haven't even cycled it yet!

I actually came across your Roon deck and read your awesome description. I've already made changes along the lines you suggest. Even after a very few games I've realized that the last thing I want to see in an opening hand is an instant or sorcery that flickers a card on an empty board.

Your comments are fantastic, especially recommending cards to remove, which is always the part that's hardest since I've got lots of cards that look like they'd be great.

My last thought is a question relating to running wastes. Wouldn't it be better to just run a utlity land that taps for colourless mana?

Thanks again, I can't wait for my next chance to take the deck out for a spin.

November 17, 2017 12:06 a.m.

TaegukTheWise says... #2

Utility lands are a great substitute like Reliquary Tower or a pain lands like Yavimaya Coast, however they aren't basics which is the important part and the only reason I recommend them. Unless you had a creature like Ulvenwald Hydra (even though he is a good finisher I would recommend) that you can get out early and often to get any land, it would be hard to tutor for them otherwise (aka get them often enough), that and Blood Moon/Magus of the Moon turn them into mountains, rendering them useless. If you also had enough card draw it would get some of those cards, but its not as reliable as having a bunch of ramp spells like Rampant Growth, Kodama's Reach, Explosive Vegetation, and even a land that can even sit there and produce colorless; Blighted Woodland that for very cheap, can get the basic lands that you need and put them directly into play. However in one very specific case (albeit a more rare case than blood moon by a HUGE margin) Sundering Titan, the controller has to name every basic on the board and they are gone, which is another reason why I run fetches and dual lands that can be fetched, other than their enormous help with fixing when I need them. The only decks that will ever feasibly play this is either a Daretti, Scrap Savant deck or a prison style deck, which you should be trying to kill first anyway. I recommend more basics because they are easier to get out of your deck, nothing feels worse than to top deck a land when you really needed a removal spell, or to have a counterspell up for defense, but that's my take anyway, and it works out great for me since I happen to thin out my deck each time I play my Roon deck.

KEEP IN MIND Adding those wastes will basically turn your 3 color Roon deck into a 4 color deck. You will need to get at least one waste per game in order for you to get some form of value when you do play your displacer. The other upside to adding Wastes include: not being a good target for land destruction like Strip Mine, they are basics, and are under a dollar on sites like amazon. Downsides include: Adding another color to your deck, and lowering the amount of actual fixing for fetching a wastes. I feel the downsides are rather negligible since they should be the last land type you should fetch for after getting your colors. Except when it comes to opening hands, but that's highly dependent on other factors as well since they are still lands that actually do something when they come into play. If you aren't running Thought-Knot Seer then I would recommend 3-4 wastes if you do consider getting them (and 4-6 if you do get the seer). I would trade them with the ravnica bounce lands: Azorius Chancery and Selesnya Sanctuary along with Temple of the False God (since its never good in your opening hand nor when you can actually use it) and Secluded Steppe because its bad, especially for a 3 color deck.

Also, Opal Palace isn't that good here. Its more for voltron style decks, or decks that have a commander that gets removed a lot like Scion of the Ur-Dragon, Mana is pretty precious. Washing some colors can be cool, but that's like adding an extra (1) to every spell you play because you need to tap an extra land. I have also gotten the prebuilt Derevi commander deck, its what I used to build my Roon deck. I used to run Rupture Spire and Transguild Promenade as well, but I find that they slow me down WAY to much for what they offer in return, they are even worse when I have both of them in my opening hand. For all 3 of these I would just put in a regular forest, plains, and an island in their place. That's how bad I believe they are, if you want to add other utility lands in there or more wastes, be my guest, but I would strongly urge against these 3 unless you absolutely NEED that kind of fixing.

Also, no problem! I love deck doctoring, especially when it helps another Roon player :D

Just ask and I can answer other questions or provide more advice. I have this very terrible habit to mid-max my decks...

November 18, 2017 8:43 p.m.

TaegukTheWise says... #3

I know its been a while but I recently had seen that you took out a couple cards detailed in your update, I can see an understand all of the outs except for one of them. Felidar Guardian is nuts in this deck, especially when you just added Birthing Pod! You can go from a 2 drop creature and a birthing pod into and army of creatures and be able to pod again! So you start with the 2 drop, lets say Elvish Visionary, you use Birthing Pod on it into either Deceiver Exarch or Derevi, Empyrial Tactician and untap pod. Then pod exarch or Derevi into Felidar Guardian to blink Birthing Pod (since its a permanent we control). Then pod away felidar to bring out Karmic Guide to bring back felidar to blink karmic guide to bring back exarch/Derevi to untap pod, then you pod Derevi/exarch again for Restoration Angel to blink felidar to blink karmic guide again to bring back Derevi/exarch to untap pod once more to have the option of using pod again to get a 4/5/6 drop creature. This synergy is insane and I'm a little disappointed you didn't keep felidar regardless since it does blink something much like restoration angel.

I would trade Flickerwisp for felidar. flickerwisp is able to blink any permanent sure, but its ability is very inopportune and there are times where that's useful sure, but in that regard it's still very niche. That and Roon has a very similar ability we can use repeatedly. Also think of the birthing pod synergy, it wouldn't work nearly as fast or be as reactive if we needed to rebuild or build a board immediately, flickerwisp can't help us as much as felidar can and that extra (1) in felidar's CMC works in our favor, as well as being negligible in the grand scheme. Also if you have Eternal Witness you don't need Archaeomancer, so there's a spot to fill.

You don't need Grasp of Fate or Oblivion Ring if you already have Duplicant and Fiend Hunter. If you really need more replacements, there is the previously mentioned Angelic Purge which is fantastic all around removal, especially since you can bring back creatures or lands after you sac them with your Karmic Guide and Sun Titan, and/or Return to Dust to make sure things stay away from the battlefield. I would also trade that Rite of Replication for Cathars' Crusade, it works wonders with your Armada Wurm and all the blinking you'll be doing (sorry for not mentioning the swaps sooner).

November 21, 2017 5:07 p.m.

BuzzKi11 says... #4

Once again I'm awed by you sage advice. I haven't even had a chance to try out my latest changes and you've already given me great advice.

I'll give your comments their due when I have time for a full reply!

I'm making a couple of immediate changes:

Oblivion Ring --> Mystic Snake
Ghostly Flicker --> Felidar Guardian

Currently I'm mostly goldfishing until I get a chance to playtest at my local game shop, and I'll make more changes before I play!

Thanks again!

November 21, 2017 11:24 p.m.

BuzzKi11 says... #5

Taeguk, I've read your comments more closely. That Birthing Pod, Felidar Guardian combo does look insane. I feel like I really want a way to more consistently get Birthing Pod into play. Any thoughts on Fabricate or tutors in general? I've acquired a Wargate which could be good as well. Other than ramp and creatures you don't seem to run them in your deck. Could also be used to grab Panharmonicon.

Im used to mana rocks as ramp and colour fixing I need to adjust and trust the green ramp cards a bit more.

Mana Base. Partly for budget reasons, partly for pre-con laziness. Im not on the Wastes bandwagon yet, since I so far only have one card that needs colourless mana, and thats in an activated ability. I feel like I need to get a number of games under my belt before having a good opinion. As I said, the mana base is weak and I will upgrade it over time as I gain experience with the deck and become willing to pay for fetchlands, etc. I dont like lands that come into play tapped, there better be a big upside. Faerie Conclave , Rupture Spire, Secluded Steppe, Transguild Promenade are coming out. I dont really like the bounce lands very much, but they along with Seaside Citadel are staying in until I acquire better fixers. Opal Palace is staying in for now, it comes in untapped, gives me colourless mana and can fix in a pinch. Im eying the signets and the Caravan for the chopping block. Goldfishing the deck I think I may actually might have too many mana sources which is pretty strange. Ghost Quarter is going in (Strip Mine is better of course but I dont have one). Land destruction, Blood Moon and the like are not big concerns in my meta so Im not too worried about non-basic lands. Temple of the False God Im on the fence about. It feels great to play on turn 4 or 5, awful before that, meh turn 6 and beyond.

Youre probably right about Rite of Replication, but dammit I dont care what you say, Im not taking out until I cast it at least once before I take it out!

Day of Judgment is possibly on its way out? Its probably not great in this deck but feels odd not to have a board wipe. Something else maybe?

Win Conditions. Yeah I need one. The deck looks super fun to durdle around but I probably need more than Armada Wurm.

In:
Reflector Mage finally! I swear there is something wrong with the law of supply and demand in the world when it took my so long to track down this 50 cent card.
Prairie Stream
Island
Forest
Plains

Out:
Cultivator's Caravan It's a fun card, I'm sad to see it go.
Secluded Steppe I won't miss you.
Rupture Spire
Transguild Promenade

November 22, 2017 11:31 p.m.