Oreskos Sun Guide

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Legality

Format Legality
1v1 Commander Legal
Archenemy 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
Historic Brawl Legal
Legacy Legal
Leviathan Legal
Limited Legal
Modern Legal
Modern Beyond Horizons Legal
Oathbreaker Legal
Pauper Legal
Pauper Duel Commander Legal
Pauper EDH Legal
Pioneer Legal
Planar Constructed Legal
Planechase Legal
Quest Magic Legal
Tiny Leaders Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Rules Q&A

Oreskos Sun Guide

Creature — Cat Monk

Inspired — Whenever Oreskos Sun Guide becomes untapped, you gain 2 life.

sboy4 on Pain Train

3 years ago

Thank you for the input. I will probably look into a good payoff for the ramp, potentially a dragon so its fetchable with Magda, Brazen Outlaw . Pain Seer technically isn't card draw for Chasm Skulker . Night Market Lookout is better than Servant of Tymaret but I did end up trimming and eventually cutting it. Oreskos Sun Guide could probably do in the sideboard against aggro but it dies to every removal spell in the format. Emmara, Soul of the Accord is better from a lifegain perspective. I don't think Lurrus of the Dream-Den really does anything in the deck I originally overlooked Disciple of Deceit because it would be too hard on the mana but considering the scuffed, 2-drop heavy curve and reliance on Pain Seer , it could work.

MaddMattt on Pain Train

3 years ago

I like the engine you built here... I don't like King Macar - that's a big mana cost for a dude that doesn't do anything. You're talking about ramp but have no big spells. I mean, if you take out the king and the Skysovereign, and you could be running Lurrus companion - just things to think about. Now, what replaces the king? I don't know... But you need a way to deal a mass amount of damage or have some other large impact on the game after drawing so many cards... So, again, I love the inspired engine, you just need a finisher. Maybe stuff like this:

Servant of Tymaret Disciple of Deceit Daring Thief Oreskos Sun Guide Siren of the Silent Song Glint-Horn Buccaneer Chasm Skulker

BRG24 on

4 years ago

Hello there, really nice deck. With all the new cats released in M21, I have a few suggestions, along with some older cards you may have missed.

  • Fleecemane Lion is a very strong cat, being aggressively statted and with the potential to become a major problem for you opponent if it ever becomes monstrous. I would 100% recommend you include this if you’re looking to aggressively threaten your opponent’s life total.

  • In a similar vein, Bronzehide Lion might also be quite nice, having the same stat line and the ability easily protect itself, or other creatures later on. Not as strong as Fleecemane, but maybe worth considering.

  • New from M21, Feline Sovereign is a nice lord for your board, as well as giving incidental artifact hate which could prove to be important in some matchups.

  • Kaheera, the Orphanguard is another lord that seems very good here, potentially even as companion if you want to make the necessary changes to facilitate it. The vigilance she gives is pretty significant too, making a lot of your attacks safer, although you would lose synergy on Oreskos Sun Guide.

  • With Anointed Procession, another nice token producer might be Cubwarden. Since all your creatures are cats, you can mutate onto anything, and then you’re getting a massive amount of value from it, especially if you have any sort of lord on the field. Also works really well with Adorned Pouncer, since you would then have a 3/5 double striker, which is pretty good.

  • Prowling Serpopard is another very solid cat, especially into control matchups. At the very least should make the sideboard to be able to combat control and cut off lots of their options.

  • Keeper of Fables could be an interesting alternative top-end for the deck, you are lacking quite badly in the card draw department, so could be necessary to be able to compete in more drawn out games.

  • Garrison Cat might be another good one-drop, although might not be better the what you already have. However, if you want to push a more aggressive strategy it could help towards that.

  • Brimaz, King of Oreskos is another brilliant cat, although is slightly pricier as a result. Rewards you for playing both aggressively and defensively, and gives great value when paired with Anointed Procession. If you can afford him, I feel he is a must for any cat strategy.

  • With this type of strategy, one of the major weaknesses will always be board wipes, so I’d recommend either Heroic Intervention (although may be a little expensive) or Unbreakable Formation. Formation can be particularly useful since it can also be used offensively to finish off your opponent.

  • If we are running Ajani's Pridemate, why not run a planeswalker that makes them as well. Ajani, Strength of the Pride feels very strong here, both making Pridemates, working well again with Procession, capitalising on the large board that this deck hopefully gets by bolstering your life, and also having an emergency board wipe for if your opponent gets too far ahead on board. Plus, Ajani is really on flavour for any cats deck.

  • Similarly, Ajani, the Greathearted will work well with the go wide strategy by pumping all your creatures, plus the vigilance anthem is nice and lifegain can help in a pinch.

If you’re adding any of these cards, you will of course have to make some cuts, and here are my thoughts on what you could remove.

  • Heroes' Reunion should get out of the deck really quickly. Pure lifegain cards are not as powerful as incidental lifegain on cards with additional effects, even in decks entirely built around the concept of gaining life, which this deck is not. It synergises with one card of which you aren’t even running a full play set (Ajani's Pridemate), so it should not have a place in your deck.

  • Similarly, I feel that Oreskos Sun Guide is not a card that you want here. The deck feels like it wants to play quite aggressively, and for its cost there are so many cards that do that far better, like Fleecemane Lion, for example. It’s effect is a slow and unreliable form of lifelink and it’s body isn’t great, so I would replace it quite quickly as well.

  • Watchers of the Dead feels much more like a sideboard card to me. There are lots of decks where the graveyard hate will be meaningless, and so you’re left with a vanilla 2/2 that can be killed by artifact removal. Also, lots of decks will only care about a few cards in their graveyards, and so they would be able to keep them there when you activate the ability. At the minimum I would move this to the sideboard, or ideally replace it there with some more reliable graveyard hate like Tormod's Crypt or Grafdigger's Cage.

  • While a flavour win and a powerful card, Oketra the True, doesn’t feel great here. She doesn’t benefit from any of your lords, and neither do the tokens she creates. There are more synergistic four-drops that you have access to, so I feel like Oketra should be dropped. However, if you are dead-set on playing the cat god, I would say that you play God-Eternal Oketra instead, the card is just so much more powerful.

  • Pride Sovereign I find can be an awkward card. It’s a valuable token producer and can be huge creature that is difficult to deal with, but the exert is just too clunky and inefficient, so I would cut down to only a two-of.

  • Personally, I’m not sold on Valorous Stance or Blessed Alliance. Alliance works well with Pride Sovereign, but since I’d recommend cutting down on the card and pushing for more vigilance cards, the untapping doesn’t feel as strong. The protection from Stance is strictly worse than that of Heroic Intervention, and Dromoka's Command is better removal, so I would cut both Stance and Alliance.

  • Finally, if you are considering running Kaheera, the Orphanguard as your companion, then unfortunately Metallic Mimic would need to go. Even if you don’t do that, I’d consider cutting down to only two, since double drawing feels sort of bad as they don’t get the benefits of your lords and buffs.

I know that this is very long, but hopefully this is of help to you. Good luck with the deck.

Idoneity on Life Drain

4 years ago

Alright, I have some suggestions. Now, never have I dipped in the complot of nocent life-gain, but I do see some follies withal the current decklist.

So, ramp and card draw are necessities of any commander strategy. I typically play decks that dump their hands aggressively, thus I have far more draw than normal. Around 34 slots grant me card advantage and 11 slots are for ramp. Here, you have four cards of ramp and five cards of draw. Granted, one of the draw engines is your commander, but that's six-mana afore it does so.

Furthermore, there are plenty of cards in here that just lack reach. Ajani's Sunstriker is horrid to draw turn 8 and onwards. It may be aggressive betime in the match, yet it is outclassed far too quickly.

So, what I'd cut due to card quality: Agent of Masks, Ajani's Sunstriker, Drana's Emissary, Fog Bank, Goldenglow Moth, Grim Guardian, Night Market Lookout, Oreskos Sun Guide, Pride Guardian, Servant of Tymaret, Wall of Essence, Elixir of Immortality, Fountain of Renewal, Narrow Escape, Spell Pierce, and Mana Leak.

Alright, same drill but I wish to offer some substantiation afore I denunciate these.

  1. Coastal Piracy is a very potent card in decks possessing cheap, evasive creatures. This deck does not, thence I would advise ablating it; merely too inutile.

  2. Sinister Possession and Stab Wound, no matter how much I love the Wound, are easily removed. A sacrifice outlet just negates this effect. The Possession in particular doesn't seem to do anything against certain creatures. Chainer, Dementia Master or Oracle of Mul Daya just don't oft attack or block. Even if, it is a mere two damage. Sure, it may stack quickly, but there are better ways to do so.

  3. Condescend is just outclassed so quickly. Counterspells above two mana must do something potent, and this is potentially more. Scrying 2 is fine, but that also doesn't do much.

  4. I have never seen Dramatic Rescue ere now, but I know not why it would be run. Just put in a Swords.

  5. Dismiss into Dream is sweet, but this deck cannot deem to hent much from it.

Lovely! Now upon what I would add.

Given that the curve is rather high, I'd add Pristine Talisman; Arcane Signet; the talismans of dominance, progress, and hierarchy; Orzhov, Azorius, and Dimir signet; Mind Stone; and Worn Powerstone. This should grant you later plays far earlier in any match.

Unto thee, benison in card draw. Painful Truths is one I much enjoy. Sign in Blood or Night's Whisper are cheap and efficient. Phyrexian Arena and Underworld Connections go in quite a few decks. Well of Lost Dreams is just splendid. Fact or Fiction is never bad. Dawn of Hope is slow but on-theme. Erebos, God of the Dead seems all too perfect due to its static and activated abilities. Dream Trawler is awfully enticing for gameplans such as this. Lastly, Unfulfilled Desires is a hidden gem that I play in any deck that produces blue and black mana.

Of course, just some efficient engines and finishers. Debt to the Deathless and Exsanguinate are each nocent once resolved. K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth could also be fine, but lacking depending on your hand, for it cares only if the cost is black. Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord fetches fallen utility creatures from the yard and proffers much in life-gain. Aetherflux Reservoir does much in murdering everyone, too.

I'd recommend some more wraths in this deck. Fumigate is perfect, Merciless Eviction or Austere Command deal with those pesky artifacts efficiently, Elspeth, Sun's Champion is never bad, Supreme Verdict is fine though pricey, or Kaya's Wrath is always lovely. Take your pick.

Okay, now for some other upgrades on the basics of the deck. Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Abolish, Return to Dust, Murderous Rider, Anguished Unmaking, Despark, Hero's Downfall, Reality Shift, Generous Gift, Pongify, Rapid Hybridization, and Heliod's Intervention all remove permanents efficiently and at instant speed. Vindicate is fine but a sorcery.

As options for better counterspells, Absorb, Counterspell, Negate, Countersquall, and Dovin's Veto are all cheap whiles bearing value at all moments in the game.

Finally, some more life gain payoffs as consideration: Authority of the Consuls has oft shut down my strategies, Ajani's Pridemate gets far too large, Blind Obedience does something similar, Divinity of Pride and Serra Ascendant are giant threats in their own right, Bloodthirsty Aerialist does the same, Propaganda and Ghostly Prison make opponents pay to deal damage, Soul Warden and Soul's Attendant are early drops that allow for quite a bit of life to be gained, Archangel of Thune is always potent, Vona, Butcher of Magan is spicey, Angel of Vitality bolsters your engine, Boon Reflection doubles it, Twilight Prophet can get out of hand, Beacon of Immortality puts you heavensly ahead, Ajani, Strength of the Pride can win games on its own, and Felidar Sovereign demands an immediate answer.

That's all from me! Have a lovely day.

Oh, and I suppose I'll put a deck of my own here. Let the Nightmare Go On.. is a constant favourite of mine and The Lands Restored offers commensurate enjoyment.

Thank you and farewell.

Brutal_B on Pattern Recognition #132 - Vehicles

5 years ago

I was hooked on vehicles from the get go. Here's my vehicle edh deck. Shameless plug I know but why not show it off in the light of this article. Creatures with the Inspired mechanic work great for vehicles. King Macar, the Gold-Cursed , Sphinx's Disciple , Oreskos Sun Guide and others are great additions to vehicle centric decks. Like mentioned in the above article, some of the pilots of Kaladesh: Gearshift Ace , Ovalchase Daredevil , Speedway Fanatic ... Not to mention some of the artificers in the same block. They all mesh to create a cohesive deck that's a blast to "pilot" ; ) Some other creatures worth mentioning are as follows: Hateflayer , Golem Artisan , Night Market Lookout , Mishra's Self-Replicator , Throne of the God-Pharaoh . And Mirrorworks cuz why not, right? Of course these are for the commander or modern minded players.

I don't mean to steal the spotlight berryjon but I just couldn't hold back. The potential that vehicles hold is fun to witness unfold and I can't wait to see what WotC has in store for future releases. Keep up the Pattern Recognition articles..I always look forward to them.

VEHICLES ARE AWESOME!

HalbrechtHalbrecht on

5 years ago

I think we may just have a difference in philosophy regarding Heroes' Reunion . It was drilled into me that a card that only gains you life is bad. Incidental lifegain is great, but only if attached to an effect that helps your gameplan. If Reunion fits your playstyle and deckbuilding instincts better, go for it! But if you'll indulge me, let me attempt to present a stronger argument one last time. If you disagree, then I won't bug you about it again. ;)

Blessed Alliance's 3rd mode is good removal in this deck. You'll be swarming the board with a lot of little lifegainers, so I found in my playtests that the opponent would rather crash in with one or two bigger and/or evasive threats rather than let me gain a lot of life and put cards like Sacred Cat into the graveyard for additional value. In one game, the opponent had a large threat protected with Spectra Ward , swung in with that each turn, and kept his other creatures back as blockers. But Blessed Alliance doesn't target, so it completely bypassed his Protection, and he got 2-for-1ed! Likewise, it'll deal with Hexproof and Indestructible creatures (imagine facing down an Oketra on the other side of the battlefield). Obviously, it won't be as good against decks that DO attack with a lot of creatures, as they'll just sac their worst, but that's where your sideboard will help you — you'd side Alliance out and bring in something more effective.

Alliance's second mode is mostly useful with Pride Sovereign's Exert ability. Since he doesn't untap the turn after exerting, sometimes you're put in the bad spot of having to decide whether to generate cats to develop your board or leave him available as an attacker / blocker. What if you didn't have to decide that? Or, what if you wanted to generate FOUR cats (or even EIGHT with Procession out) by using his exert ability twice, perhaps the turn before you land a Regal Caracal ? Blessed Alliance just happens to have incidental value with Oreskos Sun Guide as well, but Sun Guide was hardly my main focus. (In fact, I'm not even a fan of Sun Guide, since, like you said, you have to attack with him to get any value out of him. I'd recommend a different card.) Finally, say you take advantage of an opening and attack, but that leaves you without enough blockers? Simply untapping two of ANY of your cats in response to a counter-attack will leave your opponent in a worse situation, since it'll mess up his calculations.

And yes, if you REALLY need it, Alliance's first mode gives you some life. But honestly, in the several games I played, I was always able to stablize with around 5-10 life left, and then from there, I started gaining way more life than my opponent could keep up with. Like I said, Regal Caracal was the key!

So that's my argument. Basically, Heroes' Reunion is, based on everything I've learned about deckbuilding, a bad card, because it has no impact on the board nor on your opponent's life total. So even if you dislike Blessed Alliance in it's place, I'd still recommend choosing something else that has more impact (like something to actually remove the threats that are dealing that damage you're trying to use lifegain to recover from).

Or if you truly desire to have a pure lifegain card, then I suggest Life Goes On — 1 mana for 4 life is already a better rate than 2 mana for 7, but you have so many chump blockers that will die (in fact, some you want to die, in order to Embalm/Eternalize later), that most often you'll be getting 8 life for that 1 mana!


As to your concern about needing a finisher and ways to deal with deathtouch, you actually DO have double strike from Adorned Pouncer . And after Eternalizing, Pouncer can be a finisher all on his own. In one game, I played an Anointed Procession and Regal Caracal on curve, turns 4 and 5, then eternalized an Adorned Pouncer turn 6. My opponent couldn't deal with two 5/5 lifelink double strikers, and it was swiftly game over! But even a single 4/4 double striker can be hard to deal with. And of course, you have Pride Sovereign and Ajani's Pridemate which can both get big. So between the 3, you have lots of finishers.

The danger with Oketra is that it CAN be turned off if you lose your creatures. And while yes, like you said, you plan on making lots of 1/1s with the Monument and other means, you also already pointed out that you're susceptible to damage spread across your whole team. You could easily find yourself with no 1/1s and a deactivated Oketra.

What you actually need instead of Oketra are ways to get the damage through from the above large threats. Easiest would be trample, but any type of evasion might be good, depending on the meta. Protection can be strong.

9-lives on

5 years ago

Also, even if I use Blessed Alliance with Oreskos Sun Guide and try to attack then use the instant to untap him, the rules say:

506.4b Tapping or untapping a creature that’s already been declared as an attacker or blocker doesn’t remove it from combat and doesn’t prevent its combat damage.

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