Beast Within

Instant

Destroy target permanent. Its controller creates a 3/3 green Beast creature token.

Discussion (50)

MTGMad2 on Elves of Rivendell

5 days ago

why not run Beast Within rather than Desert Twister

jaymc1130 on Kinnan the Incredibly Frightening

6 days ago

From a competitive standpoint the deck is running so little interaction and protection as it stands that it won't ever be able to hold up in competitive settings.

You'll definitely want each of these pieces of interaction in a Kinnan helmed deck at a minimum:

xCounterspell xMental Misstep xDispel xFlusterstorm xMuddle the Mixture xCyclonic Rift xChain of Vapor xNature's Claim xFierce Guardianship xVeil of Summer xPongify/Rapid Hybridization

As it stands that won't be quite enough pieces to consistently have the access to permission and protection elements to remain in a competitive position in most game states and these pieces are worth running much of the time:

xNegate xDelay xInto the Roil/2cmc bounce spells (UG has very limited access to tools that can remove hate pieces from the board that prevent a win like Grafdigger's Cage, Notion Thief, or Narset, Parter of Veils.) xBeast Within

As an additional note about competitive Kinnan builds, you can lose the Dramatic Scepter stuff entirely. There's no need in a Kinnan deck. The most effective and efficient method of generating the infinite combo needed to win is any dork that can produce U and G mana combined with Freed from the Real and Pemmin's Aura. Basalt Monolith is worth running in Kinnan decks because it generates infinite colorless with just Kinnan out on the field also, so you can usually get a couple of Kinnan activations off to dig for Thrasios. For the mana dork complement it's best to stick with BoP, all the 1 cmc tap for G elf dorks, and then a handful of 2 cmc "tap for any color" dorks. The most effective back up infinite mana engines for a Kinnan deck are typically Simic Ragworm or Horseshoe Crab paired with Paradise Mantle and the Monolith (which is often why the deck runs Staff of Domination as an additional outlet that's easy to tutor for in the colors) rather than Dramatic Scepter combo as the Scepter combo relies on density of dorks and rocks to be engaged and this can be more difficult than a less card intensive engine (Crab, Mantle, Kinnan is 3 cards with one from the command zone compared to Kinnan, Dramatic Reversal, Isochron Scepter, 2 mana rocks/dorks at 5 cards to engage) and thus less reliable for the game play patterns Kinnan wants to ideally play from. Shapers of Nature and Thrasios, Triton Hero are the standard outlets that will eventually be found from Kinnan activations that allow you to draw the whole deck. From there winning is easy, so stick to win conditions that are more live than things like Blue Sun's Zenith and run Thassa's Oracle plus a looping mechanism (such as Narset's Reversal and Timetwister or Elixir of Immortality) to use the interaction pieces like Swan Song and Pongify as the win conditions (this helps to avoid other issues too, like not being able to win with Oracle due to Angel's Grace, etc, in addition to improving card slot efficiency). Green Sun's Zenith and Drift of Phantasms are generally considered must runs as tutor options for competitive Kinnan lists, but a good number of quality tutor options are available to provide consistency. Incubation Druid+Vigean Graftmage is somewhat popular as another back up 3 card game winning infinite combo line.

TetrAggressive on Arcades, The Strategist

1 week ago

Fell the Mighty

Wall of Mulch

Shield Sphere

Wall of Runes

Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa

Marble Titan

Heroic Intervention

Wave of Reckoning

Solar Tide

Austere Command

Meekstone

Brave the Sands

Rolling Stones

Slaughter the Strong

Wall of Junk

Suspicious Bookcase

Generous Gift

Beast Within

Steel Wall

Carven Caryatid

Jungle Barrier

Retribution of the Meek

Peoni on Rampage!!!!!

2 weeks ago

Okay, sorry for the delay. Was in the middle of a move.

So first I think some degree of stack interaction would benefit this deck. I don't know what your meta is like, but dealing with enemy control could be a serious pain as you try to establish yourself, so cards like Pyroblast, Red Elemental Blast, Deflecting Swat (or other efficient redirect effects), or even Veil of Summer and Vexing Shusher (use this guy!) could prove to be worth the card slots when the game comes down to protecting your board state or making sure one of your spells resolves.

As for general upgrades I would consider adding in more removal like Beast Within and swap out Wilt for Nature's Claim for the cheaper cost because I feel like the cycling isn't super necessary and 4 life is insignificant. Then, if losing the cycling really bothers you, you can throw in Runic Armasaur for some really sweet card draw that also fits your theme. Additionally, for some pseudo card draw that also has the potential to mess with your opponent's hands AND is most definitely a puzzle, there's Teferi's Puzzle Box. It's a wheel that keeps on wheeling.. sort of. I would recommend potentially adding in more land destruction like Wildfire, Decree of Annihilation, or Obliterate along with recursion for yourself through stuff like Life from the Loam, Ramunap Excavator, Crucible of Worlds, and Titania, Protector of Argoth. Speaking of her, Priest of Titania could probably replace Llanowar Visionary, and along with that, more cheap elf mana dorks i.e. Llanowar Elves and Fyndhorn Elves would do you a lot of good. If you go the MLD route stepping your ramp up is gonna be really important so you can rebuild your board before your opponents can (which is also why you have land recursion), so you might want stuff like Utopia Sprawl, Wild Growth, Carpet of Flowers, or even Exploration if you can swing it. Finally for some additional creature-based wincons, we could put in Conspicuous Snoop + Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker as well as Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker + Zealous Conscripts . To tutor for these you could use Goblin Recruiter to fetch Kiki-Jiki and Snoop, or Imperial Recruiter to tutor for a specific creature you need or just use him to get his gobbo friend and then assemble your win. Some additional misc. cards you might find fun and want to consider: Magus of the Moon, Bane of Progress, Null Rod, Trinisphere, Urabrask the Hidden, Woodland Bellower, Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger (don't do this to your friends lol), Ruination, Jokulhaups, and Root Maze.

Not all of this is going to fit in the budget you gave me, I just wanted to give you a lot of options and potentially stuff that you can build toward in the future if you decide you want to really invest in this deck. Hope this helps. :^)

MagicMarc on Elves without shelves

2 weeks ago

First, play whatever cards you want or feel like. Your deck, your gameplay, and Have Fun!

The following are all friendly suggestions not in any way meant as criticism of your deck. But the singleton thing should get stopped. Figure out which elves work best for your local metagame and the decks you play against. Then go to 2 or 4 copies each of them. Cut the situational cards and put them in the sideboard for game 2 or remove them entirely. I would also follow abby315's list of suggestions and his suggestion of ditching weak pump spells and replace them with the various lords or creatures with a pump capability like others have suggested. Here is a list of cards that may be decent replacements or adds to your deck:

Ezuri, Renegade Leader is probably one of the better elf cards for aggro elves. Provides Regeneration for any other elves you have and Overrun at will. I would go to a 2 count
Imperious Perfect: Replace Wirewood Hivemaster with this card. The hivemaster produces insects so they wont bonus from your anthem/lord effects. Is not legendary so you can have up to 4 copies. Besides pumping all your other elves, they even produce them every turn. Worth 2-4 copies.
Reclamation Sage: Replace Deconstruct with this, maybe go to 2 copies main deck. But if the deck is for 1 on 1 put them in the sideboard for game 2.
Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen: Replace Stream of Life with this guy, go to 2 copies of this maybe
Loxodon Warhammer, Rancor or anything like them: Replace your instants that boost creatures with permanents like these or similar instead. Or if you are going to have a combat trick in your hand then make it something like Overwhelming Stampede, Wrap in Vigor or Heroic Intervention like abby315 suggested. If it's not a permanent you want a card that is going to change the game state dramatically not just boost 1 creature for 1 turn. Remember, if you have a card like Ezuri, Renegade Leader or your Timberwatch Elf you can activate his ability at instant speed which surprises people if they lose track of what you have in play.
Return of the Wildspeaker: An example of a go big instant instead of cards like Giant Growth. Replace any instant you have with this card. Its modal to refill your hand or giant growth all of your elves. At instant speed.
Beast Within: If you want instant speed removal, use a catch-all card like this instead of 1 card for artifacts, 1 card for creatures, etc. It doesnt need to be this card specifcally but one that targets any permanent at instant speed. And run at least 2 copies of it main deck to always have an answer in your deck for your opponent's stuff.
Lifecrafter's Bestiary: Replace wurm's tooth with a copy of this card instead. It will accelerate your deck. 2 copies wouldnt hurt.

Some good utlity cards:

Bow of Nylea: Excellent all around support card. Does many things but the big one is giving your elves deathtouch so even when you attack with them when they are tiny, they kill stuff. All the other utility is amazing value.
Leyline of Abundance: Another mana ramp/anthem/lord option that has a chance of getting put into play on turn 1.
Nullmage Shepherd: This card is like repeatable Naturalize. Sometimes holding an instant in your hand is better, but sometimes repeatable wins games.
Titania's Chosen: Replace stuff like Wurm's tooth or Nomadic Elf, Norwood Ranger with cards like this or some of your other better creatures you should be running more copies of.
Masked Admirers: Another good elf creature that provides a repeatable benefit that can be used to replace other cards you arent thrilled about.
Creeping Renaissance: Following someone wiping the table, this card or Fresh Meat can get you right back into the game.

Planeswalker suggestions. Because they are resistant to removal and can add a lot to a game if it goes long. Multiple repeatable abilities are strong. They are expensive, and I would try to trade for them if possible. If interested:

Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury: She makes llanowar elves! And she basically does all the things in Green's pie. Makes lots of elves, destroys artifacts and enchantments at will and draws cards.
Nissa, Who Shakes the World: Not on theme for elves, but she is so strong that I would feel lame not mentioning it for a mono green deck. Her static ramps you crazy style and her ultimate can finish games.
Nissa Revane: Basically, her ultimate would put all 24 of your elves into play in one turn. If you do want to put copies of her in your deck, I would also suggest replacing some other elves with 4 copies of Nissa's Chosen for added value.
Vivien Reid: This is a well-balanced walker for any green deck. Built in card advantage, removal and flyer killing, and then her ultimate is an emblem better than almost any other lord/anthem effect you can put in the deck.
Garruk Wildspeaker: My lowest choice for the list, but he plays early and produces creatures.

Land Suggestions. You may not need them, being mono-green doesnt mean there arent a couple good lands for your deck:

Oran-Rief, the Vastwood: While this is in play, most every creature you cast will get a counter. Basically a free boost for a little tempo loss.
Rogue's Passage: Does what it says, sometimes you only need 1 more hit to win. And it taps for some mana.
Pendelhaven: As long as this is untapped, a shock spell wont kill an elf! Kind of situational but useful.
Treetop Village: A forest that's also a 3/3 creature when you need it.

Again, these are just ideas to get you thinking about ways to improve your deck. The most important thing is to focus on what you want to do with the deck. Then get 4 copies of every card in your deck that makes that happen. Everything else after that should provide support, advantage or acceleration for those main cards.

multimedia on Eldrazi Deck Thing

2 weeks ago

Hey, good start. Several nice cards here especially the tutors, but you've neglected the manabase in favor of everything else which is not good when playing five colors.

Some staple cards within the budget for five colors to consider adding:

• Mana Rocks: Sol Ring, Chromatic Lantern, Arcane Signet
• Lands: Command Tower, Cascading Cataracts, Exotic Orchard
• Draw: Mystic Remora
• Removal: Swords to Plowshares, Beast Within, Dovin's Veto
• Other: Lightning Greaves

Some cards that would go well with your version:

• Color fixing/ramp: Dryad of the Ilysian Grove, Golos, Tireless Pilgrim
• Tutors: Idyllic Tutor, Crop Rotation, Eladamri's Call
• Eldrazi: Conduit of Ruin, All Is Dust
• Other: Mystic Forge

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31 lands is not enough land for such a high avg. CMC of 5.4 and consistently needing one of each color to cast spells. This avg is however deceiving since you will be casting cards for five mana, but five mana is still a lot of mana to want to make consistently with only 31 lands. I suggest 36-38 lands and at least 12 sources of ramp to get the required color fixing you'll need for one of each color.

The main reason to add more lands/ramp is to help your deck function without Jodah. The second Jodah is on the battlefield he will be a target to be removed, for this reason you want to consistently count on him not being around to help with casting costs. Without Jodah this deck will struggle to function without more lands and ramp.

• Reflecting Pool, Eldrazi Temple, Shrine of the Forsaken Gods, Sanctum of Ugin are good lands to keep.

• Shores, Promenade, Vestiage, Regular ETB tapped lands, Guildgates, Life lands and Bounce lands are all for low budget decks, but with a $400+ budget there's many better options.

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The current manabase doesn't have any basic lands which is strange. At least one of each basic land is wanted. Bounce lands (Simic Growth Chamber) are fine on a budget if you include more basic lands, but they're too slow when the majority of the lands in the manabase will always ETB tapped. With a Bounce land you want to consistently be able to return a land to your hand that will ETB untapped since it can give you an actual advantage, but if you're returning a land that will ETB tapped then the advantage is gone.

You want to avoid playing lots of lands that will always ETB tapped. For five colors Triomes (Ketria Triome) and Tri lands (Frontier Bivouac) can be exceptions; both are better than Bounce lands. The prices of Triomes are displayed wrong; they're not $11 or more instead can get them for around $6 each at TCGPlayer. Tri and Triome lands making one of three different colors is worth the land ETB tapped for color fixing. Triomes are better especially Forest ones because they're three different land types meaning some land ramp spells such as Farseek can search for one of them and Nature's Lore/Skyshroud Claim can search for Forest ones.

I offer more help for the manabase. Would you like more help? Good luck with your deck.

multimedia on Riku of Two Reflections - Work in progress

2 weeks ago

Hey, some base numbers to consider when starting out a three color casual Temur deck:

• 36 lands: Command Tower, Exotic Orchard
• 12 ramp sources: Simic/Izzet/Gruul Signets, Farseek
• 10 draw sources: Brainstorm, Coiling Oracle
• 8 removal/counterspells: Nature's Claim, Counterspell
• 5 tutors: Shared Summons, Prime Speaker Vannifar

Of course these numbers can be increased or decreased as you build the deck, but this is a good starting point with some cards to consider adding.

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Any creatures or instant/sorceries you play think of them has having two additional mana in their mana costs that way you can get value from Riku. This means more creatures and instant/sorceries that are lower mana cost such as Coiling Oracle and Growth Spiral. Oracle and Spiral for two mana can help to get to five or more mana to cast Riku.

Legendary creatures are not the best with Riku because of the legendary rule. Only allowing you to have one card that's the same name in your control meaning you don't really want to copy a legendary creature with Riku. The token copy still triggers any ETB abilities, but then you remove the token copy and keep the original legendary creature.

Some budget win conditions with Riku

• Biovisionary + one copy of Biovisionary + Twinflame
  At beginning of your end step resolve the Biovisionary win the game trigger before the Twinflame exile tokens trigger which wins the game before the tokens are exiled. Biovisionary is also good with clones such as Phyrexian Metamorph. With Riku in your control get Biovisionary onto the battlefield, make a copy of it, clone it with Metamorph and make token copy of Metamorph gives you four Biovisionarys. Twinflame also combos with Dualcaster Mage for infinite Dualcasters who can attack with haste.
  

• Ral, Storm Conduit + Fork Expansion / Explosion/Reverberate/Twincast
  With Ral in your control cast a Fork, copy it with Riku. Let the copy resolve and then copy the original Fork still on the stack. Resolving the Fork copy then copying the original Fork makes a copy instant loop which does infinite damage to your opponents one at a time with Ral. These Forks are good with Riku outside the combo because for four mana you can copy an opponents spell twice. Forks are nice in multiplayer Commander where you have many opponents who are casting instant/sorceries you could copy.

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Some of other cards $5 or less each that are good with Riku

• Mana dorks: Kiora's Follower, Paradise Druid
• Land ramp: Crop Rotation, Harrow
• Clones: Clever Impersonator, Progenitor Mimic
• Recursion: Eternal Witness, Regrowth
• Removal: Beast Within, Reclamation Sage
• Draw: Preordain, Serum Visions, Risen Reef
• Tutors: Chord of Calling, Signal the Clans
• Forks: Narset's Reversal can be a repeatable for four mana since the copy of Reversal can bounce the original Reversal back to your hand.

Budget Lands

• Tri: Frontier Bivouac
• Fetch: Ash Barrens, Evolving Wilds
• Pain: Yavimaya Coast, Karplusan Forest, Shivan Reef
• Battle: Cinder Glade
• Bounce: Simic Growth Chamber, Izzet Boilerworks, Gruul Turf
• Utility: Mystic Sanctuary, Kessig Wolf Run
• Check: Sulfur Falls, Rootbound Crag

More Expensive Lands

• Tri: Ketria Triome (not $11 it's $6)
• Filter: Cascade Bluffs, Flooded Grove, Fire-Lit Thicket
• Check: Hinterland Harbor
• Shock: Stomping Ground, Steam Vents, Breeding Pool
• Fetch: Wooded Foothills, Flooded Strand, Windswept Heath

DemonDragonJ on How is Red Elemental Blast …

2 weeks ago

Daveslab2022, Flooremoji, even if it is as narrow as a permanent of a single color?

SynergyBuild, I personally feel that Pongify and Rapid Hybridization as are much color pie breaks as is Beast Within, because blue is not supposed to be able to destroy creatures, even if it give the player a new creature.