How would you abuse four Sol Rings?
Deck Help forum
Posted on Oct. 26, 2015, 9:45 p.m. by ComradeJim270
I paid a visit to my old playgroup a couple weeks back. Lots of formats are played there, but a lot of people also use that environment to play weird decks they can't use anywhere else.
Apparently the latest craze is sticking four Sol Rings into a "casual" 60-card deck. I'm thinking I might do this just so I have something for when I swing by where they play. I'm not sure what I'd do with it though.
"Stupid artifact bullshit" is the first thing to come to mind. I have a pile of MM15 stuff lying around so I could toy with some of the "artifacts matter" cards. Maybe stick a couple of Hangarback Walkers in there or something. Just doing a weird Affinity variant is too much money and doesn't work as well in a playgroup that almost always does multiplayer free-for-all with no sideboards. Control and combo are much more effective in these games.
So the question I pose to you... what would you do with all these Sol Rings?
ComradeJim270 says... #4
I did think about doing something with Myr Propagator and Myr Battlesphere. Throw in some Thoughtcast and Stoic Rebuttal to make sure I get there, I guess.
October 26, 2015 10:11 p.m.
ToastIsADeity says... #5
To expand on what Scytec said, you could make some sort of myr deck that uses nothing but cheap artifacts, use a few Semblance Anvils to make everything free, then use a Skullclamp to draw most of your deck and start swarming the field.
October 26, 2015 10:12 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #6
@GabeCubed: Agreed! Though I don't exactly have moxen and Mishra's Workshop lying around. I mean with an unlimited budget you could just stick four Black Lotuses in there.
That said, some of the cards Shops uses are not that hard to get and could be fun to use in a deck like this.
October 26, 2015 10:17 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #7
@ToastIsADeity: Ooh, I like it. If I'm already running blue I even get counterspells to protect the combo. I might just do that. The other idea I have involves Dross Scorpion and Mimic Vat... but that's harder to do.
October 26, 2015 10:23 p.m.
Izu_Korasu says... #8
Prototype Portal selecting sol ring ... is alot of fun
October 26, 2015 10:47 p.m.
You can put them into literally anything. For the most part, your decks will become objectively better.
October 26, 2015 10:54 p.m.
SoggyGecko says... #10
@ComradeJim270 yes, that deck is seriously expensive.. I really want to play it, but just the Moxen, and Black Lotus, and Mishra's Workshop.. Although you can still do work with Ancient Tomb, Tolarian Academy and the 4 Sol Ring. Maybe even add 4 Tinker, Lightning Greaves and Blightsteel Colossus. And this is why we ban cards.
October 26, 2015 10:59 p.m.
RoarMaster says... #11
Yeah, Tinkering out a blightsteel on T1-2 is one of the best ways to use a lot of broken things like sol ring, academy, tinker, ect.
October 26, 2015 11:04 p.m.
Cloudpost, Glimmerpost and Tolarian Academy. Then just shove All Is Dust and anything your heart desires.
October 26, 2015 11:08 p.m.
SoggyGecko says... #14
I just think that Sol Ring just makes a lot of decks really good. I think especially artifact strategies. Like Metalworker decks, or Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas decks, or Affinity decks. In control or tempo it's not the best, and I can't really see it in midrange, but in any artifact style deck, the card is really good.
October 26, 2015 11:13 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #15
Obviously it does make decks better, but in this case I'm thinking in terms of how to use the ramp and its artifact-ness specifically. Cheating out a Blightsteel Colossus is an obvious route and can be done easily with something like Tinker or Kuldotha Forgemaster, but that's almost too obvious.
I'm more fond of the "here's a billion myr!" idea. Throw in artifact lands, some affinity stuff, maybe some of the cards already mentioned (obviously Tolarian Academy and Tinker). Could put in some Etched Champion and Cranial Plating for extra hilarity or add in Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas as suggested. Or some combination thereof.
Sounds like a lot of fun to me!
October 26, 2015 11:29 p.m.
SoggyGecko says... #16
I just think that straight up shops would be sick. Or you could do a sweet artifact mana ramp deck that just cranks out Eldrazi. So kind of like a colorless tron, but 12-post style.
October 26, 2015 11:43 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #17
Agreed. I'm just thinking of my own playstyle, in which the answer to "do you have enough creatures?" is always "Not unless you have a Rakdos Charm."
There are a ton of possibilities, to be sure.
October 26, 2015 11:49 p.m.
SoggyGecko says... #18
I see, I see. So yeah, Myrs would be more of your speed then. For me, it's prison style decks/control decks. And that is a great response.
-cast Rakdos Charm
-maybe there was too many creatures
October 26, 2015 11:53 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #19
The idea I'm kicking around is some sort of sacrifice loop involving Myr Sire or Perilous Myr. The trick ToastIsADeity suggested got me on this line of thinking. The combos that immediately came to mind are fairly complex to assemble, though. The Myr Sire, Mimic Vat, Dross Scorpion, Krark-Clan Ironworks idea could work, but I'd need two Scorpions on the field.
Infinite Myr Propagators also sounds good but requires I give them haste.
October 27, 2015 12:03 a.m. Edited.
Don't forget, throw in some Arcbound Ravager just in case a Rakdos Charm decides to make a guest appearance on the "Go Fuck Yourself" show.
October 27, 2015 12:27 a.m.
FinchFalcon says... #21
Opening hand: Reliquary Tower, Sol Ring, Sol Ring, Sol Ring, Sol Ring, Gilded Lotus, Necropotence. smile evilly
October 27, 2015 5:28 a.m.
A well-timed Hurkyl's Recall or Cyclonic Rift would be funny in a deck like this
Once everyone has ramped up and about to start battling you just cyc rift and set everyone else back, then swing w Blightsteel Colossus ftw
October 27, 2015 6:48 a.m.
STAX!
There is no other way to play when have that much access to brown mana. Get some more brown mana via Ancient Tomb and/or (if you have $$$) City of Traitors and cast Thorn of Amethyst, Lodestone Golem, Trinisphere, etc.
Look at legacy and vintage MUDs for ideas.
October 27, 2015 7:06 a.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #26
Oh, so many ideas! Stax is possible... can't run 5 Missteps, but 4? Mmm...
Yeah, it's a "casual" playgroup but where "casual" can mean "this deck can kill someone almost immediately but can't do so reliably" or "oops, here's Emrakul, the Aeons Torn!" So janky artifact combos sound just right. Arcbound Ravager is more than I'd care to spend on a deck like this though.
Infinite combos are where my mind is going for now.
October 27, 2015 10:50 a.m.
RoarMaster says... #27
The myr sacrifice loop idea is legit if you are looking for a budget way to go. Probably not going to be as flashy as blightsteel or others, but if you arent looking for a flashy deck it doesnt matter.
I use Enduring Renewal and Ashnod's Altar on a myr in my build, although many people run Havengul Lich with other stuff to do something similar.
October 27, 2015 2:32 p.m.
In my mind the point of the casual deck is to have fun and not to win. For instance, I like running a wizards tribal that never wins on FFA, but I still play it. Also, I run a Izzet Pinger that loses 70% of the time in 1v1, but I still enjoy every game.
October 27, 2015 9:54 p.m.
You guys are thinking too small...forget Shops decks or Tinker into Blightsteel Colossus, build Storm with four Tolarian Academy and just win on turn one every game.
October 28, 2015 12:01 a.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #30
Ah, but storming off in a free-for-all is not nearly as impressive.
@shirkit: It varies. I have decks like that, but this is too hilarious not to do and wouldn't be totally out of place in this group.
@RoarMaster: I do like the myr ideas, I'm just trying to find one that's actually somewhat reliable.
October 28, 2015 3:36 a.m.
RoarMaster says... #31
Add 4x Enlightened Tutor and your reliability issue is solved as it finds every piece you need.
October 28, 2015 5:18 a.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #32
Big bad Eldrazi nonsense, like in this deck (yeah, only 3 Sol Rings, but that's all I had at the time I built it): High Tide Eldrazi
October 28, 2015 11:28 a.m.
@ComradeJim270: It can be depending on the storm card. Grapeshot means you could potentially need a storm count of 60 (which is more than your entire deck). Mind's Desire allows you to kill them with something goofy (like Eternal Dominion or Worldspine Wurm). Then there's Dragonstorm, because who doesn't like turn one Bogardan Hellkite + Knollspine Dragon + Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind?
Or a weird combination where you Mind's Desire into Dragonstorm and cast Voracious Dragon with Empty the Warrens.
October 28, 2015 4:36 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #34
@RoarMaster: Why not just use black tutors and Tinker?
Still, pieces need to be protected and that could be tricky... so a combo that needs fewer pieces is ideal.
@sylvannos: I have seen it done. But the thing I've noticed is that a lot of people don't know what they're doing when building a 60 card deck for multiplayer free-for-all. A lot of strategies that are perfectly fine one-on-one become nonviable or need to be attacked from a different angle.
This is part of the reason I don't care to build a deck that just cheats out a Blightsteel Colossus or something. The thing needs to swing once per opponent, and that gives them more time to stop it. Infinite Myr or infinite mana into Exsanguinate doesn't have this downside.
October 29, 2015 12:11 a.m.
RoarMaster says... #35
I dont know if tinker would be worth it, depends on how many 'useless' artifacts you have in the deck/play. Demonic Tutor is great, I assume thats what you mean by 'black tutors' since most others are either prohibitively expensive to buy, or too expensive to be worth casting like Diabolic Tutor. The benefit to Enlightened Tutor is that it is instant speed, and that it is a 1 drop, something that other than sol ring, you probably wont have. Its also in the color of the only other combo piece with a color, so that means it could be potentially mono color, saving your wallet. Make infinite myr with Myr Sire or infinite damage with Perilous Myr.
October 30, 2015 2:02 a.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #36
It depends. Vampiric Tutor works too. These are all money cards I don't feel like picking up for a janky casual deck, though.
October 30, 2015 noon
RoarMaster says... #37
You can always splash blue instead of black and just go the card filtering side with Ponder and friends.
October 30, 2015 2:53 p.m.
ComradeJim270 says... #38
I definitely want blue, especially for Thoughtcast and Stoic Rebuttal. I actually considered mono blue for a more reliable mana base.
October 30, 2015 11:48 p.m.
I actually thought of this a while back when I was still making casual 60 cards decks with no regard for formats or banlists.
Throw four Sol Rings in a deck to get a T1 Winter Orb and play tribal Werewolves. They just get better when your opponents can't play spells.
Here's the deck I made. It's kinda dumb looking back on it, but I feel like it would be fun to play. For me at least.
Silent Night, Bloody Winter Playtest
Standard*
SCORE: 3 | 6 COMMENTS | 549 VIEWS
Scytec says... #2
Oh god...this is...I really wanna do this with my playgroup. Haha. I would probably make my Myr deck. Just because it is only legal casually and it would be great fun.
October 26, 2015 10:02 p.m.