Melira's Best Friends!
Modern forum
Posted on Dec. 1, 2013, 8:33 p.m. by EvenDryke
So I am looking at building Melira Pod in Modern, and I was wondering what some of the best creatures to run in the deck are.
Obviously the deck should run some number of Birds of Paradise , Melira, Sylvok Outcast , Birthing Pod , Chord of Calling , Viscera Seer , Kitchen Finks and Murderous Redcap . Lately Voice of Resurgence is seeing heavy play, and for very good reason.
So, what do you guys think?
A little background, I don't really want to combo off except as a last resort. The appeal the deck has for me is the idea of getting progressively larger and larger creatures until your opponent is overwhelmed. I also like the idea that your deck is a toolbox that can deal with any threat.
Actually, I run the angel and spike feeder mainboard with one seer and completely removed a single voice, and Sylvan Caryatid instead of Wall of Roots I thought I had updated that list, but I didn't.
December 1, 2013 8:40 p.m.
gnarlicide says... #4
Spike Feeder is pretty dope. I just added one for my pod deck. I should update it on here.
December 1, 2013 8:40 p.m.
Other creatures commonly found as 1 of tools. Wall of Roots , Reveillark , Spellskite , Ranger of Eos , Qasali Pridemage , Eternal Witness , Linvala, Keeper of Silence .
December 1, 2013 8:44 p.m.
Three-Left-Feet says... #6
Personally, Melira Pod has never been my style, just because of cards like Scavenging Ooze and Deathrite Shaman are often main-boarded, and they kill the combo instantly.
Maybe I'm biased because it got my first win in a Modern tournament, but I've always been a Kiki-Pod guy myself. Same concept, but I feel it's a tad bit better.
December 1, 2013 8:45 p.m.
I do love the interaction of Archangel of Thune and Spike Feeder .
I just recently learned about the interaction between Phyrexian Metamorph and Reveillark , so I am hoping to find room for that in the deck.
@cestdesconneries - Too true, I'm going to try to build a deck that relies less on the combo and more on a straight up fight.
I do still want to include the combo because if your opponent has to worry about you killing them with beats AND killing them with a combo, they will have a much harder time dealing with either (as some article I read recently pointed out).
December 1, 2013 8:57 p.m.
Three-Left-Feet says... #9
Be careful with doing both buddy, because they can't take away from your game play and cost you very valuable turns.
You'll spend mana for the combo, and mana for the beatdown, and that'll make you go twice as slow. Plus the combo is well-known, so Melira, Sylvok Outcast is going to be the target for every removal spell there is.
I like the idea of a Beatdown Pod deck honestly, just because you can Protean Hulk into a 7-drop fatty (recently got back in the game after a multiple month break, don't have beaters memorized) and hit them with the small creatures as well.
December 1, 2013 9:02 p.m.
Reveillark and Eternal Witness is my favorite interaction in this deck, the forever blockers.
December 1, 2013 9:05 p.m.
thataddkid says... #11
I've had very little experience with modern, but piloting a recent Melira pod deck left me a little unimpressed with Reveillark . Is it really that good in pod?
December 1, 2013 9:16 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #12
The thing that most people I see here are missing is this. Pod is meant to be, first and foremost, an AGGRO deck. You are supposed to attack and then trade up if it is advantageous to do so. You DON'T rush right for your combo, that's there as a way to prevent other combo decks from killing you.
@cestdesconneries what you say about Deathrite Shaman and Scavenging Ooze is true but this is why Spike Feeder + Archangel of Thune was added to most Melira pod decks. It does not require the graveyard. Archangel of Thune STILL works for Kitchen Finks going to the grave but adding Spike Feeder gives us more flexibility than you might think.
@thataddkid Reveillark get's back most of the important utility creatures in the list. If done correctly you can also get back a Eternal Witness in the process and cycle your Reveillark .
December 1, 2013 9:45 p.m.
Ohthenoises says... #13
iPod Shuffle is my version of Pod, like gufymike I don't use Orzhov Pontiff because I find it lackluster.
One creature that has been seeing some MB and some SB play that I find the MOST interesting is Varolz, the Scar-Striped . A 3 drop, free, sac outlet that can do stupid things with Kitchen Finks is kinda fun. The scavenge is a little less useful but still VERY relevant.
December 1, 2013 9:49 p.m.
Spike Feeder and Archangel of Thune make a really sweet pair in Pod. One of my close friends has a Pod deck and I can rarely beat it due to that combo. Deathrite Shaman really helps as well. You need fetch lands to run the deck properly and to filter out bad draws. Arbor Elf does work as well and is a must have. It is a solid deck that if ran properly, can win you competitions.
December 2, 2013 7:25 p.m.
I,Vampire is there any advantage to running Arbor Elf over Birds of Paradise ? I would rather have the bird in every occasion I can think of, especially if I am pumping my creatures with Gavony Township .
gufymike says... #2
Scavenging Ooze , Archangel of Thune , Spike Feeder , well, here Poddin' till the finks come home is my pod deck, for the most part it's the typical build, but I don't play Orzhov Pontiff as most others do.
December 1, 2013 8:36 p.m.