Brings constant beats to your opponents face. This deck focuses on creatures that are efficient and immediately affect the game, whether behind or ahead (Genesis Hydra, Savage Knuckleblade). I also incorporate creatures that generate card draw and quality (Genesis Hydra,
Temur Ascendancy
), cards that are versatile (Rattleclaw Mystic,
Xenagos, the Reveler
, Savage Knuckleblade), and give you 2-for-1 deals or come with removal (Genesis Hydra,
Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
, Polukranos, World Eater,
Soul of Shandalar
). The goal is to make a main deck that's versatile enough to handle any weird deck ideas that might pop up in tournaments, without using niche cards that would make it inconsistent.Well, I guess the Ascendancy is a little nichey, but you have to experiment a little :)
SIDEBOARD
As much as possible, I'd like answers to decks I'm weak against come in the form of efficient creatures.
Anger of the Gods:This card answers so much: most of Jeskai, Green Devotion's ramp and early permanents, Goblin Rabblemaster-style decks, aggro.... I need 3 to be able to hit their early game consistently. Against these decks, I'd pull either my Ascendancies or my own ramp (since Anger kills it) and throw in more
Temur Charm
and late threats.. [This has gotten weaker since I've removed a lot of cards that survive it]
Bow of Nylea:Basically anti-Green Devotion. Even with Anger, this deck is a bit weak to mono-Green. Their hydras get too large for me to deal with. This will let me attack through them or trade with their bigger stuff, or slowly build up the power of my creatures, or stall until I find something.
Clever Impersonator:The catch-all answer to threats I don't deal with well, especially Gods and Planeswalkers. Doubles (hah!) as a cheaper version of my 5-mana creatures. I'd bring it in vs midrange creature decks, and maybe control, depending on what they use for their finishers.
Crater's Claws
:Finisher card and possible removal. I'd bring it in vs Monsters and Green Devotion, because it can break a stalled board or slow their early ramp.
Polukranos, World Eater:Jeskai hate, mostly. Sideboard might end up being the permanent home for this guy.
Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
:For games against black decks and board wipes.
Surrak Dragonclaw:Finisher and anti-blue. Also just super frickin' cool. Much more interesting than Mistcutter Hydra. I don't expect much blue, but it will still exist.
Unravel the Aether:Hate for Gods and Banishing Light.
MAYBEBOARD
On the list for sideboard. Usually I don't like them because I don't understand how good they will be, or they are answered too easily.
Hornet Queen:Could replace all the removal and finishers in the sideboard, but I expect it to get answered by the meta fairly quickly.
Nylea, God of the Hunt:If blue just can't deal with me, I'd replace Surrak with Nylea. She's cheaper and harder to get rid of.
Polymorphist's Jest
:If I'm still too weak vs midrange and Green.
Prognostic Sphinx
:Scry 3 will allow me to set up my creatures to keep up pressure when I'm getting removed.
Temur Ascendancy
lets me keep ammo for protecting Sphinx and for more pressure. Perfect for battling control, should I find I'm weak to it.
Sagu Mauler:Another card that performs well against decks with heavy spot removal. Trample is nice, because I don't have much of that.
MATCHUPS
==Black Aggro==
-3 Temur Ascendancy, -1 Rattleclaw Mystic, -3 Genesis Hydra.
+3 Anger of the Gods, +1 Polukranos, +1 Crater's Claws, +1 Sarkhan, +1 Surrak.
Gameplan: Board wipe, gum up board. Trade as much as I can. Try to kill all creatures so Bloodsoaked Champion and
Gray Merchant of Asphodel
are stopped.
==Rabble red==
-3 Ascendancy, -4 Genesis Hydra.
+3 Anger of the Gods, +1 Crater's Claws, +1 Sarkhan, +1 Polukranos.
Gameplan: Board wipe. All the time.
==Green/Gb Devotion==
-4 Elvish Mystic, -4 Rattleclaw Mystic, -2 Surrak, -2 Genesis Hydra.
+3 Anger of the Gods, +1 Bow of Nylea, +2 Clever Impersonator, +2 Unravel the Aether, +2 Crater's Claws, +1 Sarkhan, +1 Polukranos.
Gameplan: Interrupt their ramp. Without it, they are nothing. Play a long game with Ascendancy and removal. If they go off too quickly, we simply lose. Therefore, we must try to win the topdeck war.
==Abzan Midrange==
-2 Polukranos, -1 Arbor Colossus, -2 Sylvan Caryatid.
+1 Sarkhan, +2 Unravel the Aether, +2 Clever Impersonator
Gameplan: This is a card-for-card battle. Win through pressure and card advantage. Force them to have more removal than they actually have. Attack with greater forces.Try to hold on to tempo. Play around board wipes. If they use a lot of board wipes or
Silence the Believers
, keep the Charms; otherwise focus on pressure. Impersonate
Siege Rhino
, Elspeth, Sun's Champion, or
Garruk, Apex Predator
.
Temur Ascendancy
is the most important card here, followed by Unravel the Aether.
==Abzan Reanimator==
-3 Genesis Hydra, -3 Ascendancy, -1 Ashcloud
+2 Impersonator, +2 Unravel the Aether +1 Sarkhan, +2 Crater's Claws.
Gameplan: This matchup is brutal. Close as fast as possible, before whips and hornet queens recover. Whip of Erebos undoes everything we work for, and is very fast. Our best cards are Sarkhan, Unravel, Arbor Colossus, and Impersonator. Another option is to slow down and focus on Anger to stop Hornet Queen and Elvish Mystic and use Impersonators to blank
Ashen Rider
,
Siege Rhino
, and
Necropolis Fiend
. Man, Clever Impersonator is cool.
==Jeskai==
-3 Xenagos, -3 Temur Ascendancy.
+1 Polukranos, +1 Sarkhan, +1 Bow of Nylea, +1 Surrak, +2 Crater's Claws.
Gameplan: Get big and kill
Mantis Rider
. They want to race, and their best way of doing that is to stop your ramp. This sideboard option is focused on just going faster, and keeping their creatures down. Hopefully they spend too many burn spells on killing your ramp to close out the game once your fatties clog the board. If that proves bad, the rampless Anger approach is a possiblity here. I'd pull Genesis Hydras and ramp for removal.
==Temur Monsters==
-4 Rattleclaw Mystic, -1 Ascendancy.
+2 Impersonator, +1 Sarkhan, +2 Crater's Claws.
Gameplan: Temur is usually shifty and aggressive; play reactively. Flood the board ASAP, and then keep them from developing theirs. This could be tricky, as you'll both be playing chicken around Sarkhan and Stormbreath, tossing out Crater's Claws, and you'll probably deal with Knuckleblade bluffing/pumping attacks. Most other Temur midrange decks will be basically just ramping into topdeck dragons, and they won't have Ascendancy or Genesis Hydra to help with the 1-for-1 trades. They also won't get as big as this one will. Try to go bigger that they do, with Arbor Colossus and Hydras. Charm their dragons. If they run Surrak, keep the Knuckleblades in place of the Charms. Arbor Colossus is the best card here; protect it.
[Boon Satyr has been hard to deal with; the removal in this deck is sorcery-speed. Hm...]
Feel free to adapt this to your liking. If anybody has suggestions, especially with the support cards I should be running, please post! It's much appreciated.
