Good at Math? There is a 1 card solution to this problem.
Deck Help forum
Posted on March 3, 2015, 5:19 p.m. by WacoCatbox
For folks that are better at the numbers than I am: Gyre Sage will be in a in a "doubling rich" environment using one or more of Corpsejack Menace, Kalonian Hydra, and Solidarity of Heroes by turn 5. What is the best way (mathematically) to get Gyre Sage the most counters by turn 6? Don't forget the untap variable! Increasing Savagery, Dragonscale Boon, Burst of Strength, or Primal Cocoon. If you have no idea (like me) feel free to check out this deck and comment anyway. I'd really appreciate it :)
all you have to do is get Staff of Domination out on like turn 3-4 and have infinite mana played with Strength of the Tajuru
March 3, 2015 6:03 p.m.
You'd need Strength of the Tajuru to place 5 counters, which would cost 7 mana. That's unlikely to happen T3-4. Then you'd have to spend 3 casting Staff of Domination bringing the total to 10 mana.
Put 5 counters on Gyre Sage.
Tap Gyre Sage for 5 mana.
Untap Gyre Sage with Staff of Domination using 3 mana.
Untap Staff of Domination using 1 mana.
You're back to where you started and you used 4 mana - net gain 1.
March 3, 2015 6:06 p.m.
T1: Forest, Elvish Mystic
T2: Forest, Gyre Sage, Burst of Strength(1 counter)
T3: Swamp, Corpsejack Menace(2 counters), Solidarity of Heroes(6 counters)
T4: Forest, Increasing Savagery(16 counters),Staff of Domination, Strength of the Tajuru (infinite counters)
March 3, 2015 6:17 p.m.
I mean sure it's possible but no one mentioned anything about mana dorks etc.
You could probably do it even quicker with Sol Ring, Mana Crypt and Mana Vault.
But then that would be answering a question thats out of the parameters of the deck.
March 3, 2015 6:19 p.m.
Wow. Shit. I totally thought we were playing EDH.
My mistake. Really screwed that up.
March 3, 2015 6:23 p.m.
T1 - Breeding Pool, Elvish Mystic
T2 - Overgrown Tomb, Gyre Sage, enchant with Forced Adaptation
T3 - Place a counter on Gyre Sage during upkeep. Play a land. Corpsejack Menace, Evolve triggers on Gyre Sage, put 2 counters on Gyre Sage due to Corpsejack Menace. Cast Staff of Domination
T4 - Place a counter on Gyre Sage during upkeep, get 2 counters due to Corpsejack Menace. Go nuts with Staff of Domination, draw your deck, play Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, win the game.
Breeding Pool included at the beginning as I was thinking of Kiora's Follower
March 3, 2015 6:24 p.m.
OR
T1: Forest, Elvish Mystic
T2: Forest, Gyre Sage, Burst of Strength(1 counter)
T3: Swamp, Corpsejack Menace(2 counters), Solidarity of Heroes(6 counters)
T4: Forest, Increasing Savagery(16 counters),flashback Increasing Savagery(36 counters), Dragonscale Boon(40 counters),
at this point you can play anything in your hand. Kalonian Hydra's ect....T5 will be everything you can play in your deck and or draw
March 3, 2015 6:25 p.m.
Named_Tawyny says... #11
T1 Hardened Scales would probably do wonders to increase things as well.
March 3, 2015 6:27 p.m.
Agreed, was kinda trying to stay with what was in his deck on the above example
March 3, 2015 6:32 p.m.
FreddyFlash311 says... #13
T1 G/B land (Overgrown Tomb / Llanowar Wastes / whatever) + Elvish Mystic
T2 forest Gyre Sage then Sylvan Caryatid getting 1 evolve trigger (1 counter / 2/3 power)
T3 Another land (doesn't matter now), Corpsejack Menace (3 lands and the mystic to cast it) gives an evolve and doubles that counter (3 now), a second Corpsejack to make things interesting (the caryatid for B, tap the sage for 3)
T4 Kalonian Hydra comes into play as a 16/16, triggering evolve for 4 counters (at 7 now). Solidarity of Heroes bring it to 35. Top deck mode
T5 attack with the hydra at least, sage if you want. Hydra becomes a 128/128, sage becomes a 280/280.
Getting either two corpsejacks or one and a Kalonian Hydra makes things just go insane. I had a 6 digit Hydra going against a turbo fog maze's end deck. That was fun
March 3, 2015 6:59 p.m.
WacoCatbox says... #14
Wow, lots of good stuff! While I was originally just going for a 1 card answer to the math problem e.g. "Play the Burst of Strength with the untap" vs. "Play the Increasing Savagery later", the play by play with all the different pieces was awesome! Also the new card ideas were sweet. While I won't be owning an Emrakul, the Aeons Torn anytime soon, I didn't even have Staff of Domination on my radar! But hey, that why I pay you the big bucks, right? ;)
FreddyFlash311, I don't think Kalonian Hydra would come in as a 16/16 since his counters aren't "placed" because he enters with them. Either way he's a monster relatively soon anyway. BTW "6 digit hydra" has a good ring to it :)
March 3, 2015 10:58 p.m.
WacoCatbox says... #15
Maltanis, I hadn't thought about Forced Adaptation. That's way better than primal cocoon!
March 3, 2015 11:02 p.m.
Like, let's be perfectly honest: If you're asking "How much X can I have by turn 4 in Modern?", the answer is "Infinite. No, seriously, all of the things."
March 3, 2015 11:04 p.m.
WacoCatbox says... #17
Named_Tawyny, I used to have Hardened Scales in there but I cut it due to plain old deck real estate. Being a counter adder vs. a doubler and the fact he didn't help hydras that entered with counters...The 4 of him live in my Abzan work in progress now.
March 3, 2015 11:12 p.m.
WacoCatbox says... #18
erabel, while ''all the things" does sound pretty sweet. I was originally going for 1 of the 4 cards I actually owned that would be the best mathematically. Staff of Domination is definitely on the wishlist though :)
March 3, 2015 11:22 p.m.
WacoCatbox says... #19
FreddyFlash311, you mentioned Sylvan Caryatid. I had overlooked it partly due to price and also for real estate purposes. I had thought of replacing Elvish Mystic with Birds of Paradise because I was tired of holding a Corpsejack Menace in my hand waiting for a swamp but the evolve trigger from Sylvan Caryatid, i hadn't thought of that...hmm. Also I'm super cheap (which is why I don't have them now)
March 3, 2015 11:33 p.m.
Named_Tawyny says... #20
WacoCatbox, check Gatherer - Hardened Scales does affect Hydras and other ETB counter abilities. Plus, since you can layer your effects however you want, you have the +1 counter go on, and then use your doubler(s), so it's essentially +2 once you have something like Corpsejack Menace out.
March 4, 2015 5:38 a.m.
WacoCatbox says... #21
Named_Tawyny, that's great news! That'll teach me to trust my friend's "logic." Thanks!
March 4, 2015 7:52 a.m.
What about jeskai ascendancy combo with caryatid and retraction helix for infinite mana?
March 4, 2015 9:25 a.m.
You can do all of this stuff, the trouble is that in modern the removal is very strong and it doesn't work very often at all. A simple Lightning Bolt or Path to Exile is enough to remove combo pieces on the same turn they're played.
March 4, 2015 9:32 a.m.
Last post, this is assuming you use every card you get in 6 turns. I did use 2 solidarity of heroes but tried to keep it singles of cards in hand besides.
T1: Forest, Elvish Mystic
T2: Forest, Gyre Sage, Burst of Strength(1 counter)
T3: Swamp, Corpsejack Menace(2 counters), Solidarity of Heroes(6 counters)
T4: Increasing Savagery(16 counters),flashback Increasing Savagery(36 counters), Dragonscale Boon(40 counters), Kalonian Hydra
T5: Chord of Calling for Corpsejack Menace, attack with Kalonian Hydra(Gyre Sage 200 counter, Kalonian Hydra 20 counters)
T6: Solidarity of Heroes (Gyre Sage 1000 counter, Kalonian Hydra 100 counters), Attack with Kalonian Hydra (Gyre Sage 5000 counter, Kalonian Hydra 500 counters)
ChiefBell says... #2
T2: Gyre Sage
T3: Primal Cocoon
T4: 1 counter placed on Gyre Sage due to Primal Cocoon. Play Corpsejack Menace. Evolve triggers twice. There are now 3 counters on Gyre Sage. Tap Gyre Sage for 3 mana. Play Burst of Strength. There are now 5 counters on Gyre Sage, and she untaps. Tap Gyre Sage for 5 mana. Play Dragonscale Boon. Gyre Sage now has 9 counters and untaps. Tap Gyre Sage for 9 mana. Play Increasing Savagery. Gyre Sage now has 19 counters. Play Solidarity of Heroes. Gyre Sage now has 57 counters.
T5: 2 counters placed on Gyre Sage due to Primal Cocoon. She now has 59 counters. Tap her for 59 mana. Flashback Increasing Savagery. She now has 79 counters.
March 3, 2015 5:56 p.m.