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Legality
| Format | Legality |
| 1v1 Commander | Legal |
| Arena | Legal |
| Block Constructed | Legal |
| Canadian Highlander | Legal |
| Casual | Legal |
| Commander / EDH | Legal |
| Commander: Rule 0 | Legal |
| Custom | Legal |
| Duel Commander | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Highlander | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Leviathan | Legal |
| Limited | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Tiny Leaders | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
Rules Q&A
- Do two sources of life gain at the same time trigger two counters on ajanis-pridemate?
- Multiple Coinsmith Triggers and Ajani's Pridemate
- Ajani's Pridemate and extort timing question
- Elspeth Tirel's +2 lifegain ability...
- Can I Swords to Plowshares an Ajani's Pridemate with Murder Investigation on it and get Murder Investigation to trigger
Ajani's Pridemate
Creature — Cat Soldier
Whenever you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on Ajani's Pridemate. (For example, if an effect causes you to gain 3 life, put one +1/+1 counter on this creature.)
TheOfficialCreator on
Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim
1 month ago
First off, you may want some payoffs for your lifegain. Voice of the Blessed, Ajani's Pridemate, Regal Bloodlord, Nykthos Paragon, Archangel of Thune, and Ajani, Strength of the Pride are the first ones I can think of.
Card draw seems to be something this deck could struggle with, so I'd suggest at least adding Sign in Blood, Night's Whisper, etc. You already have a few but it might be best to add a few more just in case.
Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose is nasty in these kinds of decks.
And, finally, from the looks of it you're focusing primarily on Elas's second line of text, the lifegain part. Is this intentional, or do you want to find ways to exploit his second ability? I have a few synergies/combos that could help you get started if that's the case.
KBK7101 on
Willowdusk, Dryad of Life and Death [PRIMER]
1 month ago
Jiang Yanggu, Wildcrafter is another +1/+1 counter piece that might work well here.
As for making the primer neater, you could separate your paragraphs into categories. It's the icon that looks like four horizontal lines in the bar above the text box. Between the exclamation point circle and the asterisk looking thing. They look like this -
You can rename them and can also add more categories by adding more panel blocks. I'd recommend making a new deck, setting it to private and then using it to test this out. Once you're satisfied with how it looks, you can come back to this deck and update it. If you're nervous about losing anything you have written here, just copy/paste the whole thing onto a text document on your computer. That way you can keep your current primer backed up.
Also, you can use brackets [[]] to designate card names.
Example - Nicol Bolas, Lightning Bolt, Brainstorm
Mrnibbles57 on
Monoblack Burn [Budget/Casual/Jank]
1 month ago
The inherent life gain could make this deck annoying for some players. Have you considered a payoff to this? Like a Ajani's Pridemate effect.
TheOfficialCreator on Card Analysis #1 - Dreadhorde …
2 months ago
Hello, everyone!
I thought I would try my hand at creating an article series centering around the beauty of different card designs, as each card truly is unique in its own way, and I wanted to make my appreciation of that into a tangible form so that everyone could experience it.
A general outline of how this article series will go is this: a basic introduction (similar to what you’re reading now), cost versus effect, the flavor of the card, how the card interacts with its limited environment, cards that are similar to it and a short little blurb on what makes them different, a custom card inspired by the analyzed card and a short explanation of the process used to create it, the legacy of the card, and finally, a conclusion to round it all out.
That being said, let’s begin!
The card of today’s analysis is Dreadhorde Invasion, a card I chose to kick off the series with not only because War of the Spark is my favorite set, but also because it will give us a good platform to walk through the steps of this article series.
Dreadhorde Invasion is an oft-overlooked card that provides its user with a Zombie Army (a mechanic introduced and incredibly localized to War of the Spark, excluding a few exceptions such as Lazotep Chancellor) at the cost of a single life each turn. Obviously this adds up quickly, and the Army that is produced is rather clunky, as it is easier to remove (a la Fading Hope), non-evasive, and rather small even in its beginning stages. For it gives you a 1/1 creature on turn 3. That’s not a great payoff, especially for more advanced formats.
This is where the second clause comes in. If your Army can make it to six power, then Dreadhorde Invasion rewards you handsomely with an added lifelink, allowing you to gain back all that lost life and quickly breaking symmetry with your life versus your opponents. It’s not incredibly cost-effective (heck, a Forced Adaptation is more cost-effective in general), but it’s very fun to play with and can provide a lot more when juxtaposed with the rest of the game. But we’ll get into that later.
The flavor of Dreadhorde Invasion is perhaps my favorite part of the card. The Eternals are probably one of the most unique MTG villains (I mean, come on, they’re blue metal zombies that can cross between worlds and steal planeswalker sparks), and definitely one of my personal favorites. The idea of Dreadhorde Invasion is that Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker is executing his plan to become Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God, invading the plane of Ravnica with his army of Eternals empowered by The Elderspell in order to steal the sparks of the planeswalkers, trapped there by The Immortal Sun and invited there by the Interplanar Beacon. The invasion is eventually quelled by a joint effort by Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Gideon Blackblade, Ugin, the Ineffable, God-Eternal Oketra, and God-Eternal Bontu, with the defeat of Bolas wrapped up in the brilliant card Despark. Dreadhorde Invasion more than anything flavor-wise represents the whole of War of the Spark, perhaps better than any other individual card in the set (except maybe Enter the God-Eternals). And that is why I love it so much; it is a testament to my favorite set of all time.
As far as Dreadhorde Invasion’s performance in Limited goes, I must say that it has quite an unitive feel to how it operates in multiple deck strategies, similar to how it unites the flavor of the set. It has the keyword amass on it, which is the new ability introduced in the set, and which synergizes well with proliferate. Zombie Armies themselves receive gracious tribal support in the form of Gleaming Overseer, Eternal Skylord, Widespread Brutality, and the like. Beyond this fairly obvious synergy, however, there are many more options for how Dreadhorde Invasion can function in this set. For example, the creation of a creature every turn lends itself very well to sacrifice strategies revolving around Spark Reaper, Ahn-Crop Invader, and Spark Harvest, or even Liliana, Dreadhorde General and God-Eternal Bontu. In addition, the lifelink that can be attained on later turns goes well with Ajani's Pridemate and fits into a subtheme of life gain that the set has.
Dreadhorde Invasion-style effects are somewhat rare, but there is precedence for their existence. The most obvious example is Bitterblossom, an enchantment well-known for its splashes in Modern and which creates small flying threats every turn at the cost of some life. However, there is also Ophiomancer and Endless Ranks of the Dead, or more recently Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia. The thing that sets Dreadhorde Invasion apart from these other cards is its unique combination of losing life and gaining life alongside its ability to make a token larger versus just creating a new token.
Here is a custom card that I made that was inspired by Dreadhorde Invasion.
The process I went through to design this card went something like this.
1) Look at Dreadhorde Invasion and think about what the card is wanting you to do. What's the general theme of the card?
2) Build a general shell around the idea of losing life to gain life, pulling in inspiration from cards like Bloodghast.
3) Adding a tribal element to make it feel like a Dreadhorde card.
4) Adding a fitting name. "Vowmage" gives a feel of some kind of sacrifice to fufill an obligation, especially to a being like Bolas.
5) Adding flavor text that is both quippy and fits the situation. In this case, I chose to show who the Vowmage's vow is to.
6) Finding some art from DeviantArt that fit the theme. This art is from user Ryushadow, and is the only Eternal art I could find.
Dreadhorde Invasion, like most of its amass kin, is largely forgotten especially in competitive play where it is not a contending strategy. Zombie Armies are incredibly weak to removal and usually aren’t very cost-effective, so their weakness of being a single lone creature that just gets bigger and can be chump-blocked can’t really be ignored. War of the Spark as a whole is a largely forgotten story arc, and despite its misgivings it’s still a shame. Dreadhorde Invasion does not truly have a legacy, though it was reprinted in the Midnight Hunt commander set as a part of Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver’s commander deck. Hopefully, one day, we will see Amass return in a future set with greater support so that Dreadhorde Invasion may one day be viable.
Alright, everyone! That is the end of my article for today. Please let me know what worked for you and what didn’t so that I can sculpt this new article series to your feedback!
Speaking of user feedback, I would like to have every tenth card be voted upon by the community. If you want to submit an idea for what card we will go over, just let me know in your comment. The comment with the highest number of upvotes will have their card in the tenth article of the series.
Thank you all for the wonderful community we’ve made together! See you soon.
Icbrgr on Dank or Jank?: Sulfuric Vortex
3 months ago
I think I view it in the same lense as I see something like Everlasting Torment... not exactly main deck material but could be a spicey sideboard option in certain metas.... I'm personally just a bit traumatized from playing ARENA when those Ajani's Pridemate decks were running around lol... I know it's a completely different story/game but I'm just being honest.
TheOfficialCreator on
Heliods army
4 months ago
Alright!
Aegis Angel is a good card, don't get me wrong, but currently given the low number of Angels in the deck as a whole and with no Angel tribal, it might be worth looking into Avacyn, Angel of Hope or, some more budget options, Indestructibility, Gift of Immortality, Kindred Boon, Shielded by Faith, Spirit Bonds, or Timely Ward. All of these grant a single creature indestructible for a lower cost, albeit they are not attached to a big flier.
Nothing for Ajani's Pridemate. It's just a good card. If you're interested in other similar cards, Light of Promise, Archangel of Thune, Gideon's Company, Cleric Class, Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Cradle of Vitality, Celestial Unicorn, and Nykthos Paragon are some good ones.
Archetype of Courage seems a bit weak to me personally. Enchantment creature cards with the same mana value that are white and better for your deck (at least from my POV) include Eidolon of Countless Battles and Heliod, Sun-Crowned.
Banisher Priest is good.
Blinding Souleater could easily be replaced by Law-Rune Enforcer, or, if you'd prefer an artifact creature, Burnished Hart is just better in general.
Captain of the Watch and Cataclysmic Gearhulk are both good cards, though the latter doesn't seem to work too awfully well with your deck. I would consider putting in another destroy boardwipe such as Wrath of God or Fumigate.
Chardalyn Dragon is pretty bad, even for an artifact flier. Other fliers with the same mana value include Adarkar Valkyrie, Admonition Angel, Ancestor Dragon, Angelic Skirmisher, Archon of Coronation, Aven Brigadier, Empyrial Storm, et cetera... white is ton of amazing fliers! Put 'em to good use! XD If you specifically want an artifact creature to replace it, Wurmcoil Engine is a good one.
Consul's Shieldguard... see the Aegis Angel comments.
Court Street Denizen... see the Blinding Souleater comments, though this one is better so it's definitely worth keeping around if you want.
Drillworks Mole is a cool card. Basri Ket, Felidar Retreat, and Cathars' Crusade are good too.
Eldrazi Devastator is actually a card I used to run in my decks as a finisher. I would recommend something like Finale of Glory as an alternative that you can really sink your mana into.
Felidar Cub is nice, but War Priest of Thune is strictly better.
Glint-Sleeve Artisan is interesting, and I see how it plays into a bit of your artifact synergies, but if you want that, just use an artifact creature like Adaptive Automaton, Cloudsteel Kirin, or Etched Champion.
Heliod's Pilgrim has a good effect and it's flavorful, just keep in mind you only have two Auras in the deck.
Inspiring Overseer and Knight of the White Orchid are good.
Kozilek's Channeler is a decent card, but given you like small creatures I'm not sure that paying extra for a big body is a great benefit. Worn Powerstone, Thran Dynamo, Arcane Signet, and if you want to splurge Pearl Medallion are all good ramp in white.
Lagonna-Band Elder can be replaced by one of the cards I told you about in my previous comment.
From there, all your cards are great until Soulmender, which again can be replaced by one of the cards in my previous comment, or even Fountain of Renewal. Same with Stone Haven Medic and Sungrace Pegasus.
Toolcraft Exemplar is a really cool card that I have NEVER seen before. If it's working well for you, you should try out Serra Ascendant as well. It runs in a similar vein.
Welcoming Vampire is good too.
Celestial Flare could be replaced by Silence.
Dauntless Onslaught could be replaced by Charge, Bastion Protector, Benalish Marshal, Ethereal Guidance, Glorious Anthem, Guardians' Pledge, or Path of Bravery.
Divine Verdict could just be replaced by plain removal, like Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Journey to Nowhere, Cast Out, Conclave Tribunal, or Oblivion Ring.
Feat of Resistance is nice.
Gideon's Reproach - see Divine Verdict's feedback.
Gods Willing is good.
Kill Shot - see Divine Verdict's feedback. Actually, for the rest of these cards see that and Dauntless Onslaught's feedback.
Aligned Hedron Network is good.
Cloak of the Bat and Hero's Blade - see Dauntless Onslaught's feedback, but also Commander's Plate.
Spidersilk Net doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If you want another 0-mana artifact, look no further than Mishra's Bauble.
Font of Vigor - see previous comment
Siegecraft - Eldrazi Conscription is one of the best auras in the game, but Battle Mastery is nice too
Not Forgotten - Rest in Peace, Ashnod's Altar
Sunlance - any other removal that I've mentioned
Also consider Sphere of Safety.
I hope all this helps! ^^" it took a bit to write up but I think it'll help introduce you to some staples and ways about thinking about deckbuilding and power level. I sent you a friend request so that we can keep in touch and so that I can see and help you with your future decks!
lhetrick13 on
Life Gain
5 months ago
Call me crazy but it feels odd to see a lifegain deck that does not have Soul Warden or Soul's Attendant in it. They just provide a consistent cheap flow of life as it triggers for both the opponent and your own creatures.
I would also swap out Ajani's Pridemate for Voice of the Blessed due to its greater upside.
Archangel of Thune would be a good addition considering you will likely have the time to cast it with the ample life your opponent will need to eat away at.
Lastly, with the number of big lifegain spells you are running, I feel like Aetherflux Reservoir might be a better wincon that Felidar Sovereign given you can drop it and immediately trigger its ability for a win compared to dropping Felidar Sovereign and hoping it does not get removed for a full turn.
| Have (4) | reikitavi , orzhov_is_relatively_okay819 , Sakkes , metalmagic |
| Want (2) | Mr-E , Cool_Cat |