Sakashima of a Thousand Faces // Kodama of the East Tree - You just need to be Two-Faced [Retired]

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darrenhabib
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Post by darrenhabib » 3 years ago



This deck has been retired.


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Sakashima of a Thousand Faces // Kodama of the East Tree

Creatures (Landfall)

Artifacts (other)

Approximate Total Cost:



I had posted a deck list when Kodama of the East Tree was first spoiled with the specific idea of copying Kodama, as you can get alternative triggers putting as many permanents into play as converted mana costs allow.
But of course with the "legend rule" I had to go about it with some tricky methods including using "mutate" mechanic to make Kodama nonlegendary, then I had a bunch of copy creature cards to go with this.
I was also playing Mirror Gallery.

Well Sakashima of a Thousand Faces got dropped and.. well this takes out the need to jump through any type of hoops.
Sakashima can copy Kodama and you now you can get around the "if it wasn't put onto the battlefield with this ability" as they are different cards.
This means that you can keep putting cards into play of equal or lesser converted mana cost for as many of permanents you have in your hand.
Each time the alternative Kodama will trigger, allowing you to put another permanent into play as you put a permanent into play off the other for indefinite looping.
This even includes your lands as each has zero converted mana cost and you can just keep putting another land into play.

In this respect because you can empty your hand of permanents, the deck also has a major focus on filling your hand up so that you have more action.
All the permanents cost no more than six mana as well, so that you are guaranteed to be able to put the cards into play when you cast Sakashima of a Thousand Faces copying Kodama of the East Tree as it'll come into play as a 6 converted mana cost card.
The exception is The Great Henge which you should be casting at a much reduced rate.

Combos
There are plenty of combos in the deck given that you can get chains going with Sakashima copying Kodama.

There are a bunch based around bouncing and replaying lands.
If you have a card which creates a token off a land coming into play then you'll get a trigger to be able to put a zero costed permanent into play and this of course includes a land.
There are four cards in the deck that do this in Scute Swarm, Tireless Tracker, Rampaging Baloths, Field of the Dead.
If you have a way to bounce a land back to your hand then you can keep replaying the land and it'll trigger the Kodama again which means that you can loop this infinitely getting as many tokens as you want.
Simic Growth Chamber is perfect for this as it has a return land to hand trigger itself. You just need to make sure you stack it so that you resolve returning the Simic Growth Chamber back to hand before the Kodama trigger to put a permanent into play resolves.
Oboro, Palace in the Clouds can also be used like this.
Ghost Town can be used like this but only in an opponent turn. You also need a way to trigger Kodama in the first place so the best way is to have a fetchland you can sacrifice to search for a land.

There are also some specialized cards that return lands to hand with Trade Routes, Cloudstone Curio, Storm Cauldron, Meloku the Clouded Mirror.
Meloku the Clouded Mirror allows you to create infinite 1/1 token creatures by bouncing a land and then relaying it to tap it again to just keep a loop going.
Cloudstone Curio and Storm Cauldron will bounce lands but you don't actually get anything except infinite mana.
Trade Routes means you can get a loop going but unless you actually have a land that provides more than one mana, you won't actually gain anything much.
There are some lands that can potentially tap for more than one mana in Ancient Tomb, Temple of the False God, Gaea's Cradle, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx.

With a few ways to generate infinite mana there are some mana sink cards with Thrasios, Triton Hero and Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy.

Cloudstone Curio can be used with more than just lands, you can bounce infinitely between creatures.
The prime example being say Prime Speaker Zegana and any six mana creature to keep drawing.
Eternal Witness with another three mana creature to get back all the cards from your graveyard.

Refilling your hand
The combo is to empty your hand of permanents once you get both your commanders online, so it is fairly imperative that the deck has a lot of ways to draw more cards.

Given the way you can put lots more lands into play with Kodama there are cards that let you draw each time a land goes into play with Tatyova, Benthic Druid, Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait, Nissa, Vital Force (emblem).

Prime Speaker Zegana and Consecrated Sphinx are ways to get lots of cards.

There are some sorcery symmetrical draw cards with Commit // Memory, Echo of Eons, Time Spiral, Timetwister, Windfall.
Jace's Archivist can be used each turn potentially. Memory Jar as a once off.
You might even combine these with Narset, Parter of Veils or Hullbreacher to hose your opponents draws with them.

Garruk, Primal Hunter can probably draw you six cards from Kodama.

The Rest
The deck is quite a competitive build so is just focused around control elements and also mana as Kodama does cost six mana and you want to cast it as quickly as you can really.

Last edited by darrenhabib 3 years ago, edited 3 times in total.

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MeowZeDung
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Post by MeowZeDung » 3 years ago

I've been eager to see how folks break Kodama of the East Tree. Just thinking about what it can do with pure land ramp, tokens, or both is exciting. I'm glad you included the landfall token generators for that reason.

The only bummer with Kodama imo is that by the time you cast it on six mana, you have probably already ramped a bit and aren't blessed with a grip full of additional lands to dump onto the board right away.

Any considerations for Mystic Sanctuary here? Especially with Meloku the Clouded Mirror and company, I'm sure this can do something absurd. Probably in conjunction with something like High Tide and extra turns? EDIT: Ooh, the new Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait would play nice with a Mystic Sanctuary loop.
Kykar primer and other active decks (click!)

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darrenhabib
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Post by darrenhabib » 3 years ago

MeowZeDung wrote:
3 years ago
I've been eager to see how folks break Kodama of the East Tree. Just thinking about what it can do with pure land ramp, tokens, or both is exciting. I'm glad you included the landfall token generators for that reason.

The only bummer with Kodama imo is that by the time you cast it on six mana, you have probably already ramped a bit and aren't blessed with a grip full of additional lands to dump onto the board right away.

Any considerations for Mystic Sanctuary here? Especially with Meloku the Clouded Mirror and company, I'm sure this can do something absurd. Probably in conjunction with something like High Tide and extra turns? EDIT: Ooh, the new Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait would play nice with a Mystic Sanctuary loop.
Mystic Sanctuary is a good call. I can just put a counterspell or draw card back on top. You could add an extra turn card to go for infinite loops.

gostriter
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Post by gostriter » 3 years ago

I really like this deck. For me I think I would take out Time twister and add Crucible of worlds. Its a cost thing for me and I don't have the Time Twister.

The amount of fetch lands make it an easier choice for me.

KendallcDixon
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Post by KendallcDixon » 3 years ago

Currently working on a primer for this

Do you mind if I use your picture?

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darrenhabib
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Post by darrenhabib » 3 years ago

KendallcDixon wrote:
3 years ago
Currently working on a primer for this

Do you mind if I use your picture?
Sure go ahead. Give us a link when you're ready.

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Whipsaw
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Post by Whipsaw » 1 year ago

Is there a way to actually stop this from happening beyond bouncing/exiling Kodama before Saka ETBs?

I have a friend who plays it and unless I've got 5 bounce/exile effects in hand, i can stall him for maybe one turn or two at most before it just happens given the ramp that simic provides.

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darrenhabib
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Post by darrenhabib » 1 year ago

Whipsaw wrote:
1 year ago
Is there a way to actually stop this from happening beyond bouncing/exiling Kodama before Saka ETBs?

I have a friend who plays it and unless I've got 5 bounce/exile effects in hand, i can stall him for maybe one turn or two at most before it just happens given the ramp that simic provides.
Torpor Orb will specifically stop it firing off first with Saka entering, but it only applies to creatures so it's just going to depend on what quantity of creatures your opponent relies on.
If you're playing white then Hushbringer, Hushwing Gryff, Tocatli Honor Guard as well.

Containment Priest also stops creatures from entering.
Hallowed Moonlight and Mistcaller are once off effects for this.

As you say Simic does a lot of ramp, so just trying to keep removing the Commanders can be hard. You could look to steal Kodama or remove it's ability.
So Control Magic type effects or Darksteel Mutation/Song of the Dryads/Imprisoned in the Moon.

What colors are you playing?

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