As you look over the deck you will likely notice that it seems to do a bit of everything. This is because the deck has several core paradigms to it. Input always appreciated.
Land
The high number of multicolored lands are needed to allow for you to consistently cast whatever is in your hand, with the deck running a near even split of the 3 colors.
Show LandHide Land
Adarkar Wastes, Brushland, Flooded Grove, Hallowed Fountain, Mystic Gate, Reflecting Pool,
Wooded Bastion
, Yavimaya Coast, and Command Tower are there simply for color fixing
Breeding Pool, Temple Garden, and eventually Tropical Island are there to be utilized with Skyshroud Claim and Wood Elves to grab any color. Wood elves does overtime as an ETB and equipment target.
Academy Ruins gives some great utility with recovering equipment that people destroy, as well as the occasional metamorph or sol ring.
Alchemist's Refuge allows for mid combat casting with floated mana off of Sword of Feast and Famine as well as generally good EoT casting. Can also be used to turn sorcery speed responses into instants for a much needed Wrath of God or Oblivion Ring at the right time.
Ancient Den
, Seat of the Synod, and
Tree of Tales
can be tutored with Trinket Mage or ramped with Tezzeret the Seeker .
Temple of Enlightenment, Temple of Mystery, Temple of Plenty, and Halimar Depths can all be blinked with
Venser, the Sojourner
for additional deck manipulation, copied with Vesuva for an additional trigger, and are generally useful to make sure you have a decent early game.
High Market is there to prevent opponents from stealing creatures or incapacitating mine with Arrest like effects. Likely to be cut for a basic once full color protection with a Sword of Fire and Ice is established, or switched out for Homeward Path.
Reliquary Tower is a must since the deck can often generate a large hand near instantly with things like
Consecrated Sphinx
or Blue Sun's Zenith.
Strip Mine and Tectonic Edge go with Reap and Sow as the land destruction for problem lands, with Reap and Sow also being good to grab utility lands or a Command Tower.
Cavern of Souls often used to name angels so I can cast Jenara, Asura of War without worrying about a counter war and has the bonus advantage of being able to cast Avacyn, Angel of Hope without worrying about counter spells either. Can synergize with
Venser, the Sojourner
to allow you to cast whatever creature you want without it being countered.
Kor Haven still taps for mana and allows you to block and kill an attacking creature rather than just removing it from combat. Mostly run because I don't often need a maze but when I do it's because I don't have removal and thus the mana won't be missed.
Minamo, School at Water's Edge
gives Jenara vigilance for U in a way that opponents will sometimes overlook. Can also be used to help an opponent for diplomatic reasons or untap Avacyn, Angel of Hope or Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
Temple of the False God is run simply for the added mana but can also turn Reap and Sow into a 4 mana for 2 ramp spell or Wargate into a 3 for 2.
Tolaria West is a land/Tormod's Crypt tutor, or can just be used for blue in a pinch.
Thespian's Stage and Vesuva allow for additional mana fixing or multiple usage of utility lands, either a second time or to grab one you haven't played yet such as copy an opponents Reliquary Tower
Plains x 2, Island x 2, and Forest x 2 wrap up the land. Will likely turn some of the multicolor lands into basics once green ramp is more refined.
Deck Manipulation
The draw, tutors, and deck manipulation is a huge part of why the deck can get an answer to fit the situation or a threat that the table can't deal with.
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Consecrated Sphinx
, Rhystic Study, Blue Sun's Zenith, and Fact or Fiction are straight card advantage, with the first two having some nice synergy with Forbids buyback to always counter something. Fact or Fiction can be a great tool to determine the skill of a player, or do some diplomacy for a 0-5 split.
Sensei's Divining Top
and Sylvan Library can allow you to consistently control draws, and have nice synergy with
Oracle of Mul Daya
and the scry 1 effects.
Stoneforge Mystic and Stonehewer Giant allow for you to tutor specific equipments to fit the situation or opponents color combinations. Stoneforge Mystic works really well with Venser, the Sojourner or Jace, the Mind Sculptor to tutor more, and the giant is simply voltron on a stick that can react to removal with the needed response at instant speed. Darksteel Plate that Wrath of God or Swiftfoot Boots that Path to Exile. Can also be used to not let an opponent know what equipments will hit them till after blockers are declared.
Jace, the Mind Sculptor is pretty much blue mage on a stick. +2 is useful to deny top of deck tutors like Worldly Tutor and get rid of stuff you don't like to see with Sylvan Library. -0 is brainstorm, and works well with scry 1 effects,
Oracle of Mul Daya
, tutors to shuffle it away, and
Sensei's Divining Top
to bury it a little deeper. -1 lets you reuse on cast or ETB effects like Wood Elves, and can negatively impact an opponents tempo. -12 can end a game that has gone on way too long.
Trinket Mage can be recurred with jace as just mentioned or Venser, the Sojourner and searches for Sol Ring,
Sensei's Divining Top
, Tormod's Crypt,
Ancient Den
, Seat of the Synod or
Tree of Tales
, thus letting it be ramp, color fixing, grave hate, or deck manipulation based on the need.
Tezzeret the Seeker can use +2 to untap artifact mana sources or give Phyrexian Metamorph vigilance. -X is often used to search for the low cost utility and ramp I just mentioned with Trinket Mage, but can also grab a large equipment the turn it comes out such as Sword of Feast and Famine or Champion's Helm, can also kill itself for a Phyrexian Metamorph if you REALLY need to. -5 has never been used since he is usually to low and hated from all the -X, but could be used to crush after tutoring for a bunch of cheap artifacts.
Worldly Tutor can allow for you to search for utility creatures like Aven Mindcensor, a different type of search such as Trinket Mage or Stonehewer Giant, ramp with Wood Elves and
Oracle of Mul Daya
, reclaim Jenara after a tuck spell, or just a big fatty beater like Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre. Might be replaced with Eladamri's Call once I feel more comfortable with the mana base.
Enlightened Tutor can grab spot removal such as Oblivion Ring, ramp like Sol Ring or Gilded Lotus, a clone with Phyrexian Metamorph, equipment like Swiftfoot Boots, draw and deck control like Sylvan Library, or any of a number of other cards.
Wargate is one of the most underrated cards in EDH. Some tutors put stuff on the top of the library, some of the better ones put it into your hand, but few and far between are the things that slam it into play. Can be cast with X for 0 to grab Tormod's Crypt for grave hate or any land, including Temple of the False God to let you ramp 2 mana for 3. Can be used to get ANY permanent based answer in the deck and put it into play, without your opponent knowing that you are doing so. Can be used to grab a needed equipment, a planeswalker, advanced ramp like Thran Dynamo, the general after she has been tucked, or just a REALLY big play like Avacyn, Angel of Hope. If it's a permanent, you can get it.
Control
A huge part of where the deck gets the ability to have diplomatic elements, and to influence table dynamics, is the abundant control it contains. Tell someone "Attack the red-black guy over there instead of me with your big beefy blightsteel collossus, and we won't find out if i really have a path to exile or not". Then path it and make an example if they decide to attack you anyway, cause you run enough removal to do so.
Show ControlHide Control
Forbid, Voidslime, Hinder, and Spell Crumple are used to either tuck a general in the case of the latter two, sometimes counter an ability like a combo or planeswalker ultimate, and forbid to maintain a counter-spell with draw engines like
Consecrated Sphinx
.
Cyclonic Rift, Austere Command, Planar Cleansing, Elspeth, Sun's Champion,
Hallowed Burial
, and Wrath of God allow you to deal with multiple threats and annoyances on one card. Cyclonic Rift is incredibly versatile, and the ability to be cast at instant speed allows all kinds of EoT or in response type play. Austere Command and Planar Cleansing can address a wide number of non-creature threats, Austere Command letting you tailor to the situation and keep an amped jenara since she is CMC 3 whilst Planar Cleansing gets bonus points for wiping planeswalkers. Elspeth, Sun's Champion can allow you to wipe most of the high threat creatures and not aggravate the table too much by killing their utility critters, as well as not wiping Jenara at base power. Added advantage of pumping out blockers and equipment targets.
Hallowed Burial
tucks generals and negates indestructibility, regeneration, ETG, and recursion, whilst Wrath of God is just a classic.
Selesnya Charm, Path to Exile,
Swords to Plowshares
, Bant Charm are usually used as instant speed creature removal, though Selesnya Charm is used most as 3 mode to put a vigilance creature in EoT to equip stuff too, or make sure damage tramples over either to win or to proc a Sword of Feast and Famine. Bant Charm is a close second 3 moder that usually tucks generals but can destroy a comboing artifact or nasty equipment or counter a spot removal or counterspell. Path to Exile can hit a utility critter for ramp in a pinch and
Swords to Plowshares
might be able to save you by exiling a ramped jenara, though it has never come up.
Krosan Grip goes along with bant charm as useful artifact destruction, and replaced Aura of Silence in the deck due to the fact that it can't be prevented and hits without them expecting it, as well as not having a stax aura that generates aggro.
Trygon Predator
is a decent creature in nearly any blue green deck. It is a good creature in a deck that can get it in with some defensive stats like a Swiftfoot Boots. But in a deck with a voltron shell and the ability to control enough to get it in and keep it, it is amazing.
Tormod's Crypt is just a great piece of grave hate. The 0 casting cost means Tolaria West, Trinket Mage, and Tezzeret the Seeker can easily grab it. Can also be yoinked with Enlightened Tutor and Wargate pretty early in the game if you are facing a hardcore re-animator or hermit druid deck.
Prison Term is just nice cause it can slow down something even if you are tapped out if it is really something you can't let them swing with. Can be thrown on a cheap utility creature for a switch to something when it ETBs, but overall is likely going to get pulled at some point for better spot removal or maybe even ramp.
Oblivion Ring, Detention Sphere, and Karn Liberated are sorcery speed exile anything that have great synergy with Venser, the Sojourner to either change targets with the ring and sphere or keep at a healthy 6 every turn with Karn Liberated. Karn is also great for having card advantage with +4 when it is 1 v 1.
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage allows you to keep a beater or utility permanent tapped down till you can answer it, and then if they let you pop her to have a clear advantage for the rest of the game. Can also be used after a major attack to generate card advantage and dig for a needed answer.
Aven Mindcensor is a very good search disruption card that can be used to negate the usefulness of a tutor or ramp, and can also do really well just as a 2/1 flyer with flash, letting you flash in a last second unexpected blocker or voltron it when in need.
Time Stop is a sub-optimal but incredibly fun spell. In a sense it is a Voidslime that costs 3 more but prevents you from having to worry bout an attack or them having baited your counter-spell. If the game gets to 1 v 1 and you have some recursion can lead to a lot of turns with your opponent only getting to untap/upkeep.
Ramp
The Ramp in the deck allows for color fixing and the ability to do things in a time-frame that is able to respond to things fast enough. This is probably the weakest element of the deck right now and one that if it was made better would allow it to better deal with things like fast Kaalia of the Vast or Zhur the Enchanter
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Cultivate
, Reap and Sow, Wood Elves, Land Tax, Gilded Lotus, Sol Ring, and Thran Dynamo is pretty much straightforward ramp and mana fixing. The artifacts work well with tezzeret to gain even more mana, the reap and sow is land destruction in a pinch though usually will grab Command Tower, Temple of the False God, or a utility land, and Wood Elves does double duty with
Venser, the Sojourner
, chump blocking to protect walkers, and the voltron elements.
Oracle of Mul Daya
in addition to being good for deck thinning and ramping, has great synergy with deck control effects like Sylvan Library and also great synergy with Jace, the Mind Sculptor to effectively get free draws.
Prophet of Kruphix counts as ramp because it allows you to cast any of your threats and still have the mana open to counter-spell, and then drop the excess mana into Jenara EoT. In addition to the untap creatures effect giving all of your stuff vigilance, you can cheat something in with Stonehewer Giant or Stoneforge Mystic during every one of your opponents turns. The flash on creatures makes it very hard to deal with jenara, and allows for great mana loading during the combat phase when used with Sword of Feast and Famine as well as just the general usefulness of flashing in creatures.
Threats
The threats and equipment allow for the deck to actually win. Equipments allow for even a 0/1 to turn into a serious threat that is hard to deal with, often letting otherwise chump blocker utility creatures go the extra mile.
Show ThreatsHide Threats
Jenara, Asura of War. The general, the first mythic I ever cracked, and the biggest reason the deck is able to be an aggro deck with less than 10 threats.Never underestimate the value of a 3/3 flier for 3, especially when it acts as a mana sink for when you have nothing better to do. Unlike some EDH decks that hinge on the general, having her tucked isn't as bad as it could be, but she is always a viable option. You can even cast her repeatedly just to have a body to chump since she was the cheapest bant general before Derevi, Empyrial Tactician.
Avacyn, Angel of Hope is the second standalone creature threat in the deck. Works well with Cavern of Souls to make sure it and the general can't be countered, fits the classic style of bant mage, and has great synergy with the mass removal. Nothing like dropping avacyn, and then casting planar cleansing ultra late, then using Snapcaster Mage to do it again 2 turns later. Also, vigilance is nice with swords.
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre is the third and final standalone threat. I chose him over Kozilek, Butcher of Truth due to the indestructibility making him that much harder to deal with and also synergizing well with mass removal. The fact that he also has an on cast destroy target effect makes him a dual answer/threat, just the type of thing you want towards the end of the game when everyone is kinda out of steam.
Darksteel Plate, Champion's Helm, and Swiftfoot Boots allow you to protect a key creature, be it a threat or something with a lot of synergy going on, usually
Oracle of Mul Daya
.
Batterskull is a 4/4 body that can be equipped, resurrected with
Venser, the Sojourner
or a Stoneforge Mystic, or simply tacked onto a present threat to let it drastically extend your life expectancy by letting it both attack and block, as well as granting lifelink.
Sword of War and Peace is similar to Batterskull in that it was added initially for the life gain, but also is useful for punishing players that have amassed a large hand and wait for everyone else to kill each other. Will likely be the card to switch out for Sword of Fire and Ice one day, but I am not sure. Also, pro white and red is really good to prevent chump blocking and removal.
Sword of Feast and Famine is probably the most searched for equipment in the deck. It allows you to cast a bunch of stuff and then still control like profit of kruphix. It allows you to cast a bunch of stuff mid combat phase and effectively add twice as much mana to your mana pool to play a spell with either profit of kruphix or Alchemist's Refuge. It lets you make players discard cards to maintain card advantage. And don't forget that protection from green and black negates both kill spells and the anti-flying effects green loves so much.
Ajani, Caller of the Pride is most commonly used for the -3 to give something with a sword double strike the turn it is cast to gain a huge advantage if not outright killing them. It also works well with pumping up a creature as an idle till the big -3, and in long stalls can eventually pop for a bunch of kitties to kill people with. Synergizes well with
Venser, the Sojourner
to -3 every turn.
Phyrexian Metamorph and Mimic Vat both work as ways to acquire your opponents major threats in ideal use cases though versatile enough to be useful in a number of other situations. Phyrexian Metamorph can copy ramp, utility, beaters, etc on an as needed basis. Mimic Vat is great for abusing ETB or self sacrificing utility creatures or atack/damage opponent triggers in addition to just grabbing a fatty to beat down with every turn regardless if they killed the last one. Metamorph works with
Venser, the Sojourner
to choose new things to copy, and Mimic Vat works with him to exile stuff in preparation of a new creature you want to imprint.
Recursion
Lastly the recursion gives the deck even more versatility and staying power. It is possibly the smallest card shell of the deck and one of the hardest to search for, but almost always can be put to good use.
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Venser, the Sojourner
is the last card to be mentioned because the synergies are so numerous and diverse that as I compiled this description I noticed why I seem to always have a useful +2 target and wish there was more recursive permanent blink. A neat trick often overlooked is the ability to exile a permanent an opponent has stolen and return it to play under your control EoT. The -1 is very god as well to let Jenara or another threat get through and proc a sword. The -8 wins games, especially with the ability of this deck to keep casting spells.
Snapcaster Mage lets you reuse any of the 24 in total instants or sorceries. Search twice, ramp twice, remove twice, it lets you reuse a quarter of the deck. It also comes in as a 2/1 with flash letting it be used to flash in EoT or in response for a blocker or to have a body to equip.
Eternal Witness is a slower snapcaster mage that is true recall. Get anything in the deck back till a time you choose to use it, a tried and true EDH staple that makes a home with
Venser, the Sojourner
and Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Praetor's Counsel is a very big spell and thus some people claim it is bad. It is definitely a card you don't want in an opening hand, but when you are 20 turns into a game and everyone is kinda sitting on one or 2 threats and somewhat out of steam, this really hits its stride. And if you pop a Tamiyo, the Moon Sage emblem before casting this it is pretty much GG. This card alone has led to people in my playgroup running grave hate for when they 1 v 1 me.
