Abzan Starfield: Before the Dawn

Standard amalgamata

4 COMMENTS | 304 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER


Aug. 1, 2015

Based on recommendations, I've gone ahead and trimmed a lot of this deck down. Focusing less on cumbersome combos and moreso on just getting a formidable enchantment army out, this is more functional than the discard strategy I'd tried to implement earlier.

  • I've outright removed Thoughtrender Lamia and Agent of Erebos, as well as Waste Not; they're fun, but they don't help me survive the bullshit people will throw at me by turn two! They MIGHT work better in a mill deck that exploits Sphinx's Tutelage, but that's not what I'm building here.

  • I've added a couple more Herald of the Pantheon, and adjusted numbers of creatures slightly; I've also added Siege Rhino, and it's been working pretty well when I can get them out!

  • Abzan Advantage was replaced with Might of the Masses, which has been useful situationally but hasn't really gotten the UMFH I want out of it. I'm considering tossing in a couple Ranger's Guile too; while not as stomp-y as Might of the Masses, it's cheap and might swing things in my favor with hexproof. I've had people blow a burn on a rhino, only to throw down a second burn after playing Might; Ranger's Guile would keep that from happening.

  • Extinguish All Hope is stupid fun. >:3 I got a ragequit when I was able to drop that one.

army88strong says... #1

This is a decent start. I wouldn't use Necromancer's Stockpile as it isn't exactly doing anything for you outside of the 5 creatures it could target to create a token. I don't think this is the deck for it. You definitely need Herald of the Pantheon in here as it is TOO good to pass up. Making Virulent Plague for the combo with Dictate of Erebos doesn't seem that great to me. I would definitely run Virulent Plague in the sideboard against RDW and Jeskai Tokens as it really hoses them.

While not an enchantment, I would find room for a playset of Siege Rhino. Besides being a great card, it makes each one even more annoying to deal with if you have Athreos, God of Passage out. Combine that with your Strength from the Fallen, and it becomes a really annoying target to deal with. If getting creatures into your graveyard is difficult, or if you have a great board presence, I would run Might of the Masses to make your Siege Rhinos even more terrifying.

I really like the idea of having Pacifism in the deck to deal with threats your opponents have. It can turn off any creature. Check the gatherer ruling on Starfield. Due to it just coming back onto the field, it has to be attached to something so it can bypass hexproof as it doesn't actually target the recipient of the aura.

if you have the money to dish out, Thoughtseize would be a great card to add for obvious reasons. You could even run Infinite Obliterations to make your opponent's life harder. If you want to be more annoying, try adding Nyx-Fleece Ram and Baleful Eidolon. One is a blocker that allows you to trade up and another is a stall tactic till you get your win con out. Plus, with Herald of the Pantheon, they only cost 1.

In my opinion this deck lacks a definitive win con. Siege Rhinos will help as will your Starfield of Nyx but in the current meta dominated by Dragon decks, by the time you get to the late game, you will be hit too hard with dragons. I would love to see Sigil of the Empty Throne in here as a win con. You can play it as early as turn 4 with a Herald of the Pantheon and follow it up with a couple creatures to make your angels. These Angels are safe from Virulent Plague as well as Bile Blight and single spot removal won't help either. You can make an army of Angels to alpha strike to victory.

Finally, when you want to just say "F-IT!" you can put a single copy of Extinguish All Hope to reset the board state for your opponent. It's fun. Trust me.

July 29, 2015 7:51 p.m.

amalgamata says... #2

Thank you so much for all the suggestions! I finished my first play-test with this deck, and it definitely struggled at first. It didn't help that my opponent had a Perilous Vault out extremely early, making me anxious to even try to set up a board state. I definitely couldn't do much for many turns, not until my board state had at least one Starfield down; and even then, I was just waiting for the ax to fall. I think that the Herald of the Pantheon and some cheaper enchantment creatures will dramatically help with the deck's pacing.

I'm actually really liking the Athreos, God of Passage + Siege Rhino + Strength from the Fallen combo too. I might try that, 'cause the Nyx Weaver should keep me with a fair amount of creatures in my graveyard! What do you think about Abzan Advantage, as well? Or should I just rely on the discard mechanic from the spider?

Sigil of the Empty Throne is something I hadn't even thought about, but it fits really well, doesn't it... That gets nasty, with Vigilance from Heliod, God of the Sun.

((Funnily enough, I have a Lorwyn Thoughtseize; I'm planning on selling it to pay for some of my deck. :P))

July 29, 2015 8:29 p.m.

amalgamata says... #3

Oh- one other question. What about Feral Invocation instead of Might of the Masses? Or would that make me a little too reliant on enchantments? I suppose this deck is just waiting for a Back to Nature.

July 29, 2015 8:45 p.m.

army88strong says... #4

I have a Enchantment Mill Deck and Back to Nature would make me cry. I have yet to see one played as of yet. I don't like the idea of using Feral Invocation. With only 1 mana, most opponents won't think you have any combat tricks waiting. They might if you have 3. Plus, you only need one other creature on the field to make Might of the Masses have as much value on it as the Invocation. I do not know if Nyx Weaver is the place for this deck. I would have to play this deck out and see how it works. Try Infinite Obliterations in the deck. I have mine in the sideboard against Dragons. Definitely something to look into. Keep me posted on this deck. I am very interested in this deck

July 29, 2015 9:31 p.m.