Sakura-Tribe Elder

Creature — Snake Shaman

Sacrifice this: Search your library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library.

Discussion (51)

eliakimras on Ghired - Precon Primal Genesis - Heavy Upgrade

1 week ago

Hey! Kinda late, but I would like to suggest some stuff:

(Disclaimer: I have a budget way lower than yours, but I've been tinkering with Ghired for almost two years - he's my favorite commander. I'll break the suggested upgrades down into categories for better organization.)

Haste enablers:

• You need them for Ghired and his tokens to attack right away, as well as to use your creatures with tap abilities on demand. Please consider Hammer of Purphoros in addition to Lightning Greaves and Fires of Yavimaya. The Hammer can even create tokens if needed.

Ramp: Run at least 15 ramp cards to make your deck flow smoother and faster.

• As an aggressive deck, speed is fundamental. Fellwar Stone, Nature's Lore, Three Visits, Skyshroud Elf, Bloom Tender, Faeburrow Elder, Chromatic Lantern, Coalition Relic, Wood Elves, Skyshroud Claim and Mirari's Wake can ramp and heavily fix your mana, taking the place of Gyre Sage, Solemn Simulacrum, Rampant Growth, Sakura-Tribe Elder and Xenagos, the Reveler - the latter is a win-more ramp, and his 2/2 token is not large enough to synergize with the power-based card draw, while the other four fix for a single color of mana (Ghired decks can sometimes be color-hungry), and this deck can't abuse the sad robot for value.

• In the land department, Krosan Verge and Blighted Woodland pull their weight, and synergize greatly with Avenger of Zendikar and Rampaging Baloths. Maybe remove Cascading Cataracts? (Your spells are not THAT color hungry.)

Direct damage:

• Have you considered Warstorm Surge and Terror of the Peaks as a mean to do damage even before attacking? The dragon can even be cloned with Flamerush Rider, Flameshadow Conjuring and Soul Foundry for extra copies of the same effect (the game ends quiiiickly after that). I'd remove Dragonmaster Outcast for that, since its effect is slow (albeit amazing if he lasts on the field).

• Talking about damage, how about doubling it? Gratuitous Violence, Fiery Emancipation, Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, Angrath's Marauders and True Conviction can assist you on that.

Extra combats: You don't have to worry about your opponents' answers if they never get to their turn, so...

• Moraug, Fury of Akoum, Aurelia, the Warleader, Combat Celebrant, Scourge of the Throne (I believe there is an infinite combo involving those two), Savage Beating, Response / Resurgence, Breath of Fury (always attach it to your disposable tokens to keep attacking).

Boardwipes:

• Winds of Abandon might replace Hour of Reckoning. I don't really like to lose Ghired on a boardwipe, since he costs 7 mana to recast. Winds of Abandon also works as evasion for your creatures, since your opponents won't have creatures to block. As for the ramp it offers, an opponent can't do anything with the extra lands if he/she's dead, right? :-)

• Blasphemous Act/Vanquish the Horde plus Boros Charm/Heroic Intervention is a good combo that saves your creatures while taking your opponents' creatures out for not a lot of mana.

Card draw: Alongside ramp, it is my main concern with Ghired. I want to be able to rebuild my board after a boardwipe.

• Garruk's Uprising is a better Colossal Majesty, even giving evasion to your creatures.

• I believe that Camaraderie can be substituted for Shamanic Revelation as the latter cost less mana. Mouth / Feed is another option that creates its own big token. Return of the Wildspeaker can either draw cards or buff creatures for an alpha strike.

• Keeper of Fables triggers all other power-based card draw, while giving easy draw triggers to all your trampling creatures. Elder Gargaroth is a buffed, more versatile version of it. And remember: both can be cloned for extra juicy draw or extra tokens.

• Sylvan Library is an overall great card filter for your regular draws. It gets better with shufflers like fetchlands and tutors.

• Since your deck is focused on attacking and getting extra combat steps, Etali, Primal Storm might be a fun way to play your opponents' cards while lowering their life points.

Some cards I suggest you to remove:

• Sundering Growth: you already have enough flexible removal. You will almost never be in a situation in which the token to copy and the artifact/enchantment to remove are optimal choices. Since you're running Eladamri's Call, Reclamation Sage might be worth including (and cloned for the enjoyment of your friends).
• Starnheim Unleashed: one token is too little for a whole card slot in the deck. If you're foretelling, it costs a lot of mana to be worthwhile. The game might be over before that.
• Growing Ranks: waiting a whole rotation to get a token which does not even have haste is not ideal.
• Ghired's Belligerence, Full Flowering: good for a late game play, mostly dead until then. I like those, but I removed them in favor of more mid-game cards, since I might not last until 9+ mana.
• Trostani, Selesnya's Voice: while on-theme, it does little to advance your win condition.
• Thunderfoot Baloth: not an amazing buff. Your creatures are big already, and Garruk's Uprising takes care of the evasion.
• Feldon of the Third Path: all-star when there is a lot of graveyard filling - there is none in this deck. (I really tried to keep him on my deck because I like the card, but most of the time there was no creature in my graveyard.)
• Eldrazi Displacer: are you using it for a combo? I couldn't identify it.

Some cool lands for you to try out: (landbase is my favorite part of deckbuilding)

• Castle Garenbrig: how easily do you have access to a Forest for it to be worth including in your deck?
• Rogue's Passage: can sometimes help you to finish an opponent.
• Scavenger Grounds: if you face graveyard-centric decks (you don't seem to use your graveyard much).
• Hanweir Battlements  ^Meld: another haste enabler.
• Gargoyle Castle: sometimes you need a flying token. (I rarely use it, but I like to have the option.)
• Gemstone Caverns: a turn-0 ramp when the first turn is not yours.
• Bonders' Enclave: card draw on a land (easily accessible).
• Mana Confluence, Battlefield Forge, Karplusan Forest, Brushland, Horizon Canopy, Sunbaked Canyon, Prismatic Vista, Cragcrown Pathway  ^Flip, Branchloft Pathway  ^Flip, Needleverge Pathway  ^Flip: more untapped dual lands.

I hope I've been of some help to you. I didn't suggest many token-related cards because I believe that, as long as you have decent ramp, draw and removal in your deck, you can win to your heart's content. Wanna throw in a Godsire? Do it. Prefer to clone your opponents' creatures with Hate Mirage? Go ahead. But the fundamentals of the deck is what makes it flow consistently. Have fun and smash 'em all (and run Doubling Season for extra fun) ;-)

NotEzekielLeAderen on Cruel and Unusual - Sek'Kuar Commander

2 weeks ago

This deck looks pretty good, but it does seem a little colored mana heavy. I would recommend switching in more lands that tap for all your colors. For example, I would remove the Rugged Highlands for a Savage Lands instead. In terms of ramp, I wouldn't go for things like Mox Tantalite but rather Burnished Hart or Sakura-Tribe Elder which synergize better with your commander. I've made a combo deck with Sek'kuar as well, and mana dorks always do well: lots of value early game, and can be sac'd for cheap value when drawn later.

vecuu on Bant Commander

2 weeks ago

Mana talk:

Minimizing taplands is generally good but expensive (as you know). Plan to eventually replace stuff like the Vivids, snow-duals, and whatever the shorthand for Transguild Promenade is (which, btw, this is twice as slow as a normal tapped land and should 100% be replaced). Yes, even eventually replace the 'gain 1 life' lands that I love :(

I don't know the exact recommended land count. I see as low as 29 (with lots of 0cmc extra expensive cards) and as high as low 40s. I've been targeting 35ish with another 7-8 mana rocks, but I'm not in Green. In Green, you can run 2cmc ramp spells instead of 2cmc mana rocks. like Rampant Growth, Sakura-Tribe Elder, and Farseek.

With all of your land-tutor creatures, make sure you have enough targets. Since you're Chulane, erring on more lands overall might be better?

2 mana rocks like Azorius Signet and Arcane Signet are going be substantially stronger than 3cmc stuff like Selesnya Locket.

Cheatsheet and hyperlinks:

Shocklands: https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Shock_land

Temple Garden

Hallowed Fountain

Breeding Pool

Fetchlands: https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Fetch_land

Flooded Strand

Windswept Heath

Misty Rainforest

Filterlands: https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Filter_land

Mystic Gate

Wooded Bastion

Flooded Grove

Checklands: https://mtg.fandom.com/wiki/Check_land

Glacial Fortress

Sunpetal Grove

Hinterland Harbor

Last_Laugh on Oops! (Almost) All Creatures

2 weeks ago

5.13 avg. cmc is astronomically high even for Animar. Your first few counters are going to be slow and inconsistent.

I'd suggest more low drop creatures like Cloud of Faeries, Destiny Spinner, Shrieking Drake, Dream Stalker, Man-o'-War, Phantasmal Image, Sakura-Tribe Elder, Stratus Dancer, Walking Ballista, Wild Cantor, Imperial Recruiter, Glimpse of Nature, and Utopia Sprawl. I'd also suggest Neoform and Weird Harvest to help look up combo pieces.

Feel free to check out my list for inspiration. Upvotes on any of my decks are appreciated. Animar, Gaea's Hemorrhoid ⫷PRIMER⫸

CaptSillva on Tainted Sacrifice

3 weeks ago

I feel like you may be a bit too all in on cards like Poison-Tip Archer. It really feels like you're trying to play aristocrats, but Jund just isn't the best combo for it. Your deck can make decent amount of tokens, but most of these death triggers require actual creatures to be dying and you only run 26, most of which are cards you don't actually want to sacrifice. You also aren't even running nearly enough sacrifice outlets, certainly your commander makes a good sacrifice outlet, but 3 mana is a lot to pay if you plan to do so repeatedly across the course of the game, and this commander is fragile to removal and will get costly quickly.

I'd likely cut down on cards like Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith, Anax, Hardened in the Forge, and Sek'Kuar, Deathkeeper. Then focus more on value generation, cheap cards that generate more resources. Such as Mycosynth Wellspring, Ichor Wellspring, Goldspan Dragon, Tireless Tracker, Sakura-Tribe Elder, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove, and Courser of Kruphix.

DreadKhan on ooo baby its MEREN

3 weeks ago

I find Sakura-Tribe Elder is a very good card in Meren. I run 5 cards that serve a similar purpose presently, and I am rarely unhappy to draw them (though I run a lot less lands). If I can get a card like Elder out early, I can end up with a ton of mana while adding to Meren's XP count. Blood Pet is another interesting option.

Here are a few other cards I think might work. If you like to win with attacking, Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest is a nice option, those counters can add up quickly. Ohran Frostfang is another great attacking option, probably better in Meren than Toski, Bearer of Secrets, who might also be a fun alternative to Beast Whisperer. There are also Grim Haruspex and Midnight Reaper, these can be better than Phyrexian Arena in my experience. I also use Liliana's Standard Bearer, which can draw a mittfull of cards, including after you are boardwiped. Rise of the Dread Marn can help vs board wipes as well. Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder can make a fair number of tokens, and if you can keep sacrificing them he won't die (and becomes a very solid token generator). Foundation Breaker is a pretty handy removal effect stapled to a body, it's Evoke cast is also cheap XP (and a body in the yard). Sidisi, Undead Vizier is almost too good in Meren in my experience, but I feel I should mention her.

Cool deck, lots of interesting choices in here! I think you have 2 Willow Geist atm.

mattzim666 on Maelstrom Wanderer Chaos Reigns Supreme!

3 weeks ago

I think you should cut: Brutalizer Exarch, Conduit of Ruin, Frost Titan, Giant Adephage, Myr Battlesphere, Oblivion Sower, Pelakka Wurm, Phyrexian Ingester, Rashmi, Eternities Crafter, Rattleclaw Mystic, Sagu Mauler, Simic Sky Swallower, Sphinx Ambassador, Stalking Vengeance, Tornado Elemental, Plasm Capture, Pandemonium, Sunken Hope, Tezzeret the Seeker, Chromatic Lantern, Darksteel Ingot, Disaster Radius, Explosive Vegetation, Heat Shimmer, Rude Awakening, and Spelltwine. As for lands, I do think you should replace: Izzet Boilerworks, Spawning Bed, and Temple of the False God.

I think you should add: Temur Sabertooth, Genesis Ultimatum, Etali, Primal Storm, Skyshroud Claim, Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma, Sakura-Tribe Elder, Chaos Warp, Klauth, Unrivaled Ancient, Terror of the Peaks, Kodama of the East Tree, Reclamation Sage, Kogla, the Titan Ape, Consecrated Sphinx, Selvala, Heart of the Wilds, Wood Elves, Ilharg, the Raze-Boar, Diluvian Primordial, Prime Speaker Zegana, Release to the Wind, Return of the Wildspeaker, Nature's Lore, Three Visits, Garruk's Uprising, Guardian Project, Unnatural Growth, and Arcane Signet.

I do think one option that you have is replacing all signets with mana dorks like Birds of Paradise, Llanowar Elves, and Elvish Mystic

If you are able to find more slots, I think you should consider: Hullbreaker Horror, Thryx, the Sudden Storm (dependent on count of spells with 5 cmc or more), Soothsaying, Mulldrifter, Beast Whisperer (dependent on final count of creatures), Rishkar's Expertise, Turntimber Symbiosis  ^Flip, See the Unwritten, Balefire Dragon, Scourge of the Throne, Bane of Progress (I feel like you do not have a ton of high value artifacts or enchantments that would cause this to cripple you), Momir Vig, Simic Visionary, and Genesis Storm.

seshiro_of_the_orochi on Snakes on the snow

4 weeks ago

This looks cool. Is it an actual competitive snakes list or did you choose that for legality reasons? If it's competitive, take what I'm about to say as a casual player's advice.

From what I've learned playing snakes, I need to point out that it's very easy to overload on CMC2, which you really should try to avoid. The smaller snakes are powerful, but they really don't stand a chance once an opponent goes up the curve. Maybe take a look at what I'm playing? My snake deck (that title took me two weeks...)

Sosuke's Summons is a great card for the deck. Also, playing Nemesis without a way to stuff your graveyard seems wrong. I'm using a combination of Commune with the Gods and Sakura-Tribe Elder for that. Definitely consider the latter.