Best Abzan "Fat Bears"

TheGildedGoose · Post by **TheGildedGoose** » 4 years ago

fat bear (n.) - a creature with a disruptive ability and high power and toughness (see: Dragonlord Dromoka)

It's that time of year again where I try to build a moderately powered Abzan deck to play with at more casual tables while still appealing to my control player sensibilities. This time, I'm revisiting Tymna the Weaver and Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper to have card draw and sustain in the command zone and I'm looking to win through combat damage since that's the most "fair" way to win. However, relying on chip damage from traditional hate bears like Gaddock Teeg seems unreliable, so I'm opting to play disruptive creatures that are also big boys or girls that know how to beat face or generate card advantage. Think Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite or Noxious Gearhulk or Sun Titan.

In essence, I'm looking to create a Rock-like battlecruiser deck. More 50% than cEDH.

Post by **pokken** » 4 years ago

linvala, keeper of silence is going to go a long way. shalai, voice of plenty too.

The new sigarda, heron's grace and of course the all powerful avacyn, angel of hope are probably good.

So that's my angels ideas, umm.

I don't think my demon of dark schemes has ever survived a turn cycle, not once. Two times it has died with its trigger on the stack

razaketh, the foulblooded is < SNIP > awesome for this. vilis, broker of blood also probably good.

Please take care which words you use, as even what one considers casual lingo can be offensive to others.

MeowZeDung · Post by **MeowZeDung** » 4 years ago

If you're doing abzan battlecruiser, you should run Duneblast

DirkGently · Post by **DirkGently** » 4 years ago

I'm not sure I can allow "fat bear" as a term, you're borrowing the wrong half of "hatebear". It's a hatebear because "bear" implies 2/2-ish for 2-ish, and "hate" is because it has a disruptive ability. So you don't want a fat bear, you want a hate-fatty.

is void winnower too fat? What's the limit on fat, when does it become obese?

It seems like a broad category if you're including sun titan, which isn't naturally disruptive. Sounds like you just want any fatties that aren't terrible.

TheGildedGoose · Post by **TheGildedGoose** » 4 years ago

pokken wrote: ↑
4 years ago
linvala, keeper of silence is going to go a long way. shalai, voice of plenty too.

The new sigarda, heron's grace and of course the all powerful avacyn, angel of hope are probably good.

So that's my angels ideas, umm.

I don't think my demon of dark schemes has ever survived a turn cycle, not once. Two times it has died with its trigger on the stack

razaketh, the foulblooded is < SNIP > awesome for this. vilis, broker of blood also probably good

Linvala is definitely worth running, as well as the first Sigarda, but I dunno if the other angels are good enough. I mean, Avacyn is a huge bomb, but eight (8[!]) mana is so much, especially in a format with Cyclonic Rift. Razaketh is a serious beater but since I'm not going wide, I think his main attraction wouldn't provide much value. Vilis is great, though.

MeowZeDung wrote: ↑
4 years ago
If you're doing abzan battlecruiser, you should run Duneblast

I would probably run Plague Wind/In Garruk's Wake over Duneblast, and I don't think those are worth playing. While the deck I'm planning doesn't necessarily want to go wide, the idea is to have 2-3 creatures on board to threaten players and draw cards with Tymna as necessary.

DirkGently wrote: ↑
4 years ago
I'm not sure I can allow "fat bear" as a term, you're borrowing the wrong half of "hatebear". It's a hatebear because "bear" implies 2/2-ish for 2-ish, and "hate" is because it has a disruptive ability. So you don't want a fat bear, you want a hate-fatty.

I mean, I know, but despite it being linguistically inaccurate "fat bear" has a better ring to it than "hate fatty" so there.

is void winnower too fat? What's the limit on fat, when does it become obese?

I think 5-7 is a good ball park mana cost estimate for a good fat bear. 3 and 8 would be extending the limit into "cost effective" and "too good to ignore" which covers creatures like Anafenza, the Foremost and Woodfall Primus/Terastodon, but the bulk would be midrange threats that also hinder opponents from running amok.

It seems like a broad category if you're including sun titan, which isn't naturally disruptive. Sounds like you just want any fatties that aren't terrible.

Fair analysis. I just had cards like Pernicious Deed or Grasp of Fate in mind as the primary recursion target with regards to Sun Titan. I would err on the side of disruptive creatures like Bane of Progress or Cataclysmic Gearhulk rather than pure value creatures. Come to think of it, Titan might not be worth running in a deck without fetches and low cost creatures.