Pros/Cons of Omnath
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on May 29, 2016, 2:48 p.m. by Bovine073
Hey there everyone, I've been creating and looking into purchasing an Omnath brew I brewed up, I was wondering what some of the pros and cons are for this deck (both playing and not playing, like price, etc.).
For instance, when you see someone playing an Omnath deck, are you like 'oh this guy is a newb' or something else? What are the best ways to defeat and Omnath deck?
I am also wondering about playing politically or not, is it more fun
Note: Omnath, Locus of Mana, not Omnath, Locus of Rage.
Thanks!
I have both Omnath decks, and they are both feared in my meta. Because you are asking about Omnath, Locus of Mana I'll talk about him. (My list that I have up is not up to date, but I'll update it if you want once I get back from my vacation on Tuesday.)
The deck is all about ramping like crazy unwell you either win with a couple Eldrazi or overwelm your opponents with effects like Craterhoof Behemoth. On top of that I have won countless time by swinging with a massive trample commander. I have never played someone with the deck and they shrugged me off, in fact everything I play it I tend to be the target. I have also played in a handful of commander tounerments with it and won. This deck does an amazing job of coming out of no where and winning, even after several boardwipes. The only real con is the lack of good removal and multiplier interaction. The Ulamogs help with this though.
I hope this helps you! I have ton I can share about the deck, just shoot me some questions!
May 29, 2016 3:12 p.m.
Someone in my playgroup has run omnath for years. It's a pretty solid commander but it's tactics are extremely well known as are the strategies for shutting it down. There are less tutors available for much of its strategies.
I wouldn't direct anyone away from omnath. Building him will probably involve lots of solid ramp staples and protection for your commander.
He can be viable in budget -friendly builds.
Seems like a good way to go.
May 29, 2016 3:12 p.m.
Thanks everyone! I'll check it out VexenX, guessling thanks as well, seems like a deck that suits me for sure
:)
May 29, 2016 4:12 p.m.
Wee_Dragonaut says... #6
In my opinion, Omnath is one of the easiest commanders to build around; all you really need is mana ramp and the biggest green creatures you have. I personally don't like Omnath because he seems too popular and isn't very interactive. If you want to win tournaments, play Omnath, Locus of Mana. If you want to have fun commander games, I would recommend playing Omnath Locus of Rage or another cheap commander. (I would recommend Niv-Mizzet Dracogenius, Varolz the Scar-Shaped, Vorel of Hull Clade, Daretti Scrap Savant, Teysa Envoy of Ghosts, and Kozilek the Great Distortion)
May 29, 2016 7 p.m.
Wee_Dragonaut yeah green isn't a very interactive color, I want to add at least some political cards though (especially high-mana ones). Mindslaver will be funny to use with Omnath imo.
Thanks for the response!
May 30, 2016 4:30 a.m.
Deckologist says... #8
I feel like people may be telling you what you want to hear and not the truth about Omnath. You will play maybe 3 games with Omnath before any decent play group will know exactly how to dismantle it. And it doesn't take much. Every Omnath runs the same way with the same cards and after a few games everyone's gonna know how to deal with you. He's fun for a few laughs but any Omnath player I've had to play against loses to the exact same things. Cheap removal are the decks worst enemies and add a few tax effects to turn Omnath into 100 cards that aren't doing anything. The deck is relatively cheap to make and is mono green so it can be fast but never faster than any other decent deck. Any decent deck will have all of the answers to Omnath already in it.
In summary, Azusa, Lost but Seeking is infinitely better. At worst shes three mana land ramp. At her best you're playing 6 lands a turn and drawing a new hand of cards while dropping eldrazi bombs on turn 3 or 4. Shes not going to swing for lethal and her price is higher (monetary) but her value never depreciates once sent back to the command zone the first 3 times. While Omnath may say that your mana never leaves, the land that Azusa gets you doesn't leave if shes killed. In other words lands> floating mana from a creature.
June 1, 2016 4:42 a.m.
Deckologist, for sure, Omnath decks are heavily reliant on the commander but why not just add bunches of protection? From Lightning Greaves to Asceticism, they all work well in my eyes. Winding Canyons, Vedalken Orrery, other flash cards keep him in play under his own mana.
June 1, 2016 4:51 a.m.
Deckologist says... #10
Getting greaves out before Omnath is very unlikely as you cant tutor for them in green and Omnath needs to be played early. Asceticism would be too slow. On top of that even with those out he is going to get countered unless cavern of souls is out but even that seems unlikely. You would have to have either cavern and boots in your opening hand (very inconsistent, very unlikely) or crop rotation and boots in your hand (same story) Now I mean you could add a bunch of protection but then you're giving up space for cards that will help you progress through the game rather than just protect one card in the deck.
June 1, 2016 5:07 a.m.
Yeah, I have it on my maybeboard... 15$ though.... it's a great card for sure!
June 1, 2016 10:57 a.m.
Just want to add one quick note. If you plan on using the mana from Omnath to cast something it may be better to do so before combat or at the earliest opportunity. Nothing is more awkward then you wanting to cast something with the omnath mana only for it to die in a phase where you cant cast said spell. Make sure you weigh which is more important casting a spell or getting in there for more damage before you fall in to the trap of trying to be greedy and have both but end up getting to do neither as a result.
June 1, 2016 3:28 p.m.
Good tip nfcnorth, I had thought of that, this is why Yeva, Nature's Herald or other cards like that come in handy. I really hope you're not a Packers fan... jkjk.
June 1, 2016 3:37 p.m.
Bovine073 No way would I like the stupidest worst team in football (Green Bay). Vikings fan here
iBleedPunk says... #2
Hey there man, the best person I can think of that could help you is VexenX. They run one of the best Primers I've seen around this here Internet :)
May 29, 2016 2:57 p.m.