Who is The Wildest of Them All?
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on Jan. 21, 2017, 1:56 a.m. by god_dammit_nappa
So I just recently learned about the New Zealand "Haka" war dance of the Maori tribe. After watching several YouTube videos of New Zealand's "All Blacks" rugby team, it has inspired me to build an EDH deck that captures the ferocity, passion, spiritual energy, and unflinching bravery of the Kapa O Pango and Kamate haka dances.
But what colors would I run? Gruul, Jund, or Temur?
I have considered an elf tribal deck with Mina and Denn, Wildborn as the commander of this warrior tribe.
Who else in Magic gives the aura of wildness, unbridled freedom, and a thirst for battle? Kresh? Surrak?
What do you guys think? Do you have a deck list that you believe captures the wild passions of the Gruul, Jund, or Temur tribes?
I would say you're on the right track with /x
Gruul or temur would be fun. Temur has strong ties to the earth and to their tribe (Khans block); so surrak would make sense. Gruul is more primal, destructive, and again has ties to the land and nature. I love Xenagos, God of Revels as a gruul commander. Not 100% sure if he would accurately represent the Haka but he's a strong and imo one of the better gruul options. I played him, then swapped to Omnath, Locus of Rage to "go wide" rather than "go tall".
I've been running Animar, Soul of Elements for over four years and he's very, very fun. There are less temur generals to choose from, but adding blue does make the deck more competitive.
I like your idea for the theme. Have fun with it and let us know what you go with!
January 21, 2017 7:33 a.m.
"The Haka is iconic throughout the world. If you are interested in rugby, then you probably know that the All Blacks perform a haka at the start of each of the rugby games. But, did you know why they do it? There are multiple reasons; and it comes back to the fact that the haka is important to the indigenous people of New Zealand; the Maori.
The first hakas were created and performed by different Maori tribes as a war dance. It is an ancestral war cry. It was performed on the battlefields for two reasons. Firstly, it was done to scare their opponents; the warriors would use aggressive facial expressions such as bulging eyes and poking of their tounges. They would grunt and cry in an intimidating way, while beating and waving their weapons. The second reason they did this was for their own morale; they believed that they were calling upon the god of war to help them win the battle. They were heavily choreographed and performed in time. It gave them courage and strength. This type of haka is called a peruperu haka.
Overtime, the haka evolved and it came to be used for more than just battles. It became a way for communities to come together and it was a symbol for community and strength. This type of haka is called a ngeri haka. Unlike the peruperu, the ngeri does not use weapons. Their purpose is different; they are performed to simply move the performs and viewers physcologically, rather than to cause fear. This different goal is reflected in the way that they are performed. Their movements are more free, giving each participant the freedom to express themselves in their own movements. Both males and females can perform a haka; there are special ones that have been created just for women."
I personally just wanted to know more and found this bit interesting.
January 21, 2017 7:39 a.m. Edited.
god_dammit_nappa says... #5
The Maori are fascinating! Thanks for sharing that. :)
I might take a few days to decide who I want to go with.
RoarMaster says... #2
Zurgo Helmsmasher?
January 21, 2017 2:54 a.m.