AURELIA, THE WARLEADER - "WARCLAMP"
DECK PHILOSOPHY
Originally, I wanted to go voltron with Aurelia, the Warleader because I just fell in love with her, but I quickly realized just how difficult that was in an multiplayer format. Enter Skullclamp. This was the kind of card that always made my jaw drop... "what? they printed this?" I then decided to go wide with Aurelia in effort to build around the only real viable draw engine in these colors. I also found that boros had a decent amount of support for this type of strategy. I selected token producers that benefited from Aurelia's ability. I came to think of this strategy as Aurelia building and leading an army into battle.
WIN CONDITIONS
Helm of the Host goes infinite with Aurelia, but is a bit of nuclear weapon tactic.
DECKLIST
NOTABLE EXCLUSIONS
Hatebears - There are plenty that I could run, however I think they tend to clog up my more aggressive strategy. Generally, this deck wants to be swinging in for damage and generating card advantage. Being able to respond to specific threats in a timely manner is also important.
Sunforger - yup, I can already hear you asking why I don't run this in a Boros equipment deck. Well, the short answer is simply that it is mana intensive and doesn't hit hard enough on its own. I ran it for a while, but activating its ability was pretty painful. Overall, this just isn't a card that I particular find that good.
CUSTOM CARDS
CHANGELOG
7/1/2020
REMOVAL UPDATES
Armageddon, Cataclysm ==> Oblation, Chaos Warp - these swaps feel like a pretty solid upgrade. While the nuclear weapons can win me games, they aren't often great in my opening hand and never smiled upon in a multiplayer setting. I found myself lacking on instant speed spot removal, so I think both of these catch all spells will perform well.
Aurelia's Fury ==> Duergar Hedge-Mage - I find that Aurelia's Fury never quite does enough for me. I want it for flavor, but that's never enough by itself. Hedge-Mage is a fairly solid 2 for 1 on a creature body that I can tutor for and potentially bounce or recur.
Grasp of Fate ==> Terminus - in terms of card advantage, Grasp of Fate looks good on paper, but I often found that it wasn't effective enough at getting rid of things. More often than not it gets blown up and I've wasted a spell. Terminus on the other hand deals with indestructibility and other forms of evasion or potential recursion quite nicely.
CARD ADVANTAGE/TUTORS
Crucible of Worlds ==> Mangara, the Diplomat - with the nuclear weapons now out of the deck, crucible is a little less appealing to me. I feel like I will get more value from a little more card draw.
Argentum Armor ==> Subira, Tulzidi Caravanner - while Argentum Armor has the potential to hit very hard with Aurelia, it is sooo cumbersome to actually set up without some major support. Subira is an insane draw engine and very much welcome in the deck.
Open the Armory ==> Relic Seeker - in light of adding Winota, I am trying to increase the number of humans and non-humans in the deck. Relic doesn't basically the same thing but on a creature body.
Stonehewer Giant ==> Winota, Joiner of Forces - why Stonehewer? Generally, I am trying to lower my mana curve and be a bit more agressive. Stonehewer can be great but really needs haste to be effective. Oftentimes if people read his ability he gets nuked before he can actually do anything.
Goblin Rabblemaster ==> Imperial Recruiter - I don't feel that Rabblemaster is really doing a lot for me. He takes a while to build up decent sized army.
OTHER OPTIMIZATIONS
Emeria Angel ==> Tilonalli's Summoner - as much as I like the concept of Emeria Angel, she is too slow. costing 4 and not really synergizing with Aurelia are big downsides. Summoner on the other hand barely costs anything to play and is a great mana sink. Bonus points for being a human that generates non-human tokens.
Brought Back ==> Flawless Maneuver - Brought Back wasn't peforming as well as I wanted it to, but might see a comeback at some point. I need to try out Flawless Maneuver. It seems like a great inclusion.
Underworld Breach ==> Arcane Signet - This the wrong deck for Underworld Breach. I can't reliably fill my graveyard enough for Underworld Breach to work consistently. Having a 6cmc commander means that any additional ramp will be welcome in the deck.
Worn Powerstone ==> Verge Rangers - Wanted to give this new card a run. Worn Powerstone is pretty slow and doesn't tap for colored mana.
Nyx Lotus ==> Gilded Lotus - I feel pretty good about this. Gilded Lotus refunds us three mana the turn we cast it and will reliably produce the mana we need to ramp into a aurelia on turn 6 with extra mana to equip or protect her.
OUT: Mind's Eye IN: Purphoros, God of the Forge - As an alternative to Skullclamp Mind's Eye greatly pales in comparison, and for five mana invested, it just doesn't do enough quickly enough for me. To get use out of it, I have to leave mana open, and generally that means slower turns, which isn't great for an aggro deck. Purphoros on the other hand can really be a house in this deck. He's been #1 on my wish list for a while. As soon as the secret lair came out I picked one up. I know this leans the deck more toward the tokens strategy but I think it can be a great way of getting some extra damage in.