I am looking for a suggestion! I need something anti-meta for a bunch of elves or other creature swarm decks. I really cant stop turn 3 elf swarms as well as I want to, and dont want to be stuck relying on others to disrupt the board. I keep thinking of adding in cards such as blind obedience/ torpor orb/ intruder alarm might be a great option, but also looking for other ways to lock down the elf shenanigans, or other weenie swarm cEDH decks by turn 4 with at least 1-2 cards. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Bant lockdown, of sorts. I have been working on this deck as an anti-meta deck for what everyone around me plays. Does Kess, paradox engine/ aetherflux reservoir with isochron scepter sound familiar? Lol... Most people around me are playing a Kess or variant thereof that plays the isochron scepter/ dramatic reversal and go inf with a storm and a bunch of mana rocks that provide inf mana with that combo. I have actually tried incorporating said combo into this deck once... ONCE. I could not get it off due to the several tutors available in black.
Another dumb combo that I have attempted was helm of obedience/ Rest in peace. I actually attempted a 4 color deck with leyline void as well, but I was attempting too much with the deck. I went back to 3 color, and anti meta. With Leyline of Anticipation on board, I can attempt to flash in copy artifact or copy enchantment to make copies of my opponents combo pieces, get them on board first, then use that combo on them first, and try and take them out before me, thus getting a couple extra kill points for cEDH rounds. If I am going down, will try and take you with me.
recently, a deciever exarch combo with phyrexian delver or kiki-jiki has taken on part of the meta, and thats where the hushwing gryff comes in. Also debating on adding a couple more abilities, such as torpor orb, for extra pieces that can be searched out. This does kill my own etb effects, such as aura shards, but my ability to say no to token gen is also pretty nice. Also debating on adding in leyline of singularity for those kinds of decks. Just to go against the meta.
Combos built in this deck, include, but not limited to...
Living plane/ Linvala, Keeper of Silence- keeps their lands from activating.
Intruder Alarm/ Presence of Gond- or, play the lock down ability with Living plane and hushwing gryff and thalia, heretic cathar, lands come into play tapped, and dont trigger an untap. (But, without hushwing, they would untap, so a bunch of mana can be floated in this instance with living plane and intruder alarm. Thats why Linvala is also a key here for your opponents, so that they cant do anything with their creatures.)
Tabernacle/ Living Plane- pay for your lands or sac em...
Enchanted evening/ Cleansing meditation- everything is an enchantment, with threshold, bring everything you had destroyed back. If you have femeref enchantress or eidolon of blossoms, draw a bunch of cards, then discard at end of turn to use replenish later and bring it all back.
Opalescence/ Enchanted Evening- have a better board state than everyone else, lands are CMC 0, so they become 0/0 with that combo. Might need an anthem of sorts to truly play this board state... I have always had cryptolith rite on board so my creatures tapped for mana, allowing me to play without lands if needs be.
Living plane/ Elesh Norn- self explanatory
Aura shards/ Creatures- Destroy other enchantments and artifacts when a creature comes in. Pairs well with enchanted evening
Aura Thief/ Enchanted Evening- req a sac outlet or a something to end up killing it when it enters... like an enchanted evening/ aura shards combo. (I am attempting to pick up a claws of gix, for playtesting abilities.)
Dryad Militant- I truly hate Kess, and it has taken a bunch up of the meta here, so I tossed this in to get rid of instants and sorceries.
Psychic Surgery- A really, really good underdog for cEDH, I found out. Tutors get neutered, the ones that put them on top, (majority.) Oh, you really want that one? nah, exile it. Oh, you are going to go off with a isochron scepter/ dramatic reversal and do an infinite storm with Minds Desire? Well, hope your feeling lucky. You can see the top card, but I get access to the next two, and somethings getting exiled. Most people are running fetch lands as well. Really great early game card
Solitary Confinement- I found this is great on board with cards that allow me to draw when something is cast. Such as the Enchantress's. Cast one, draw 2, discard one. Usually have protection for it, so it cant be popped. Skipping my draw step... big keyword there. Some people like reality shift/ helm of obedience, etc, to get rid of libraries.
Loyal Retainers/ bazaar of baghdad- Usually turn 2, can discard a big legendary and bring it back with loyal retainers. (Jin-gitax, Avacyn, Angel of Hope, Linvala, Keeper of Silence...) Can also pitch riftstone portal to allow bazaar to tap for mana. (assuming you have mana rocks on board... Most of the time can get off by turn 2-3...)
Quite a few combos, while keeping your opponents at bay. I have noticed that in a pod of 4, at least one is playing Kess, another is playing some other counter deck. Sure... target each other and leave me be. I play clone cards and can work around whatever is going on.
I know of a couple creature swarm edh decks in my meta, such as Elves. they usually have too much going on by turn 3-4, with a giant mana pool for living wish and Eldazi in sideboard. it is pretty consistent, and have been trying to figure a way to neuter elves. They are just really fast, and I dont want to rely on others at the pod to stop the creature combo.
