Speeding up Rhys/Selvala

Commander Deck Help forum

Posted on July 19, 2018, 9:17 a.m. by WanderingSpirit

Greetings, praetors!

So my playgroup is getting more and more competitive. Board wipes, removal, answers and control abound, and my favorite deck Go Not to the Elves for Counsel is losing it's edge within the group. I'll either get started really well, then just play recovery the whole time as things get blown up, or get a good mid-late game going, then get answered like it was the plan all along.

I'm considering a few different options including ways to speed the deck up, getting more answers, or shifting the focus entirely.

Anyone with good critiques or ways to ramp up performance is welcome to share. I think I'm on the right track, but it is designed to pilot Selvala, Explorer Returned or Rhys the Redeemed so maybe there's something going on there. Anyway, I'll stop rambling and let you all have at it.

Much appreciated!!!

Homelessguy says... #2

Parley girl (Selesnya Mill) [[ primer ]]

So this is my primer maybe you can take a look and get a couple ideas I normally ramps stupid and I'm able to win by turns 4 through 6

July 19, 2018 9:40 a.m.

RedUndead40 says... #3

I'm seeing two main problems with the deck. The first and easily fixable thing is to shift away from ramp options like Llanowar Elves and move more towards land-based ramp such as Rampant Growth, Cultivate, and Kodama's Reach. Lands in general are much less susceptible to removal so your investment will be more secure. The first time someone casts a board wipe your creature-based ramp is gone, so it's better to stick with land or artifact ramp when possible because board wipes happen often in commander.

The second and largest issue is that I see almost zero ways to protect your board. Any deck that focuses largely on permanents (creatures in particular) needs to have at least 5-7 cards dedicated to making sure your permanents stick around. Simple things like Lightning Greaves and Swiftfoot Boots can protect your commander, but I strongly recommend cards like Heroic Intervention, Rootborn Defenses, Eerie Interlude, Teferi's Protection, and similar cards that can save your board from a massive wipe or a relevant spot removal spell. These cards can and will make the difference between conceding to control and making the control player rethink their decisions.

Hope this helps!

July 19, 2018 10:38 a.m.

WanderingSpirit says... #4

@Homelessguy: Ok, so Angel's Grace is a must add that I wonder how I haven't seen. And I have been looking around for Illusionist's Bracers

Obviously I need to find and assemble all the 1-drop mana elves, just haven't gotten to it.

I think I can possibly fit a Land Tax and Walking Ballista in here somewhere.

Thanks for showing your primer! I got a few really good ideas from it. There was a limit to how much I could draw, but it was still helpful.

Perhaps some feedback on what can be improved in Go Not to the Elves for Counsel vs what's in there now would be better suited?

July 19, 2018 10:45 a.m.

WanderingSpirit says... #5

@RedUndead40: Thanks for the feedback! Would you recommend ousting things like Llanowar Elves entirely? You're right about lands being less susceptible to removal, so I'll see what I can come up with there.

I like the idea of having spells that can drop without warning and protect the board. Those make me want to throw in Isochron Scepter as well.

July 19, 2018 10:52 a.m.

RedUndead40 says... #6

Yes I have almost entirely stopped using low cost creature ramp in my decks like Llanowar Elves or Birds of Paradise unless it is something like Wood Elves or Sakura-Tribe Elder since they are technically still land-based. Or I will make a rare exception for super strong options like Bloom Tender in my 5 color deck because it is just so efficient.

And yeah I started throwing anti-wipe cards in my decks and it makes a tremendous difference. Counterspells are nice if you have blue but I almost prefer cards like Heroic Intervention and Teferi's Protection because it still lets everyone else get wiped, leaving only you with a massive board state and can close out the game fast. Isochron Scepter is a great card but probably not the best fit for this deck. You would need 15+ 2 mana instants to reliably get a good imprint target.

July 19, 2018 11:17 a.m.