Tiana, the Aura Angel

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Tevesh
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Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

Recent set updates:
Changes 06/10/20
Approximate Total Cost:

I somehow completely missed Saving Grace. That's a silly Enchantment for this type of deck, an Instant Speed Recuring Pariah? Hells yes. Unfortunately, I think Capashen Standard does the least in the deck, it's just a micro draw engine. Far less impactful than Saving Grace. What'll be great is if I can land Saving Grace onto a Frenzied Fugue'd Creature.

OK, maybe Capashen is not the least useful. Hyena Umbra "just" saves a Creature with Totem Armor. With Ward of Lights and going with a less annoying route, hopefully I won't need cards that only do one thing. In its stead is Dreadful Apathy which was on my shortlist for the deck when it got spoiled during last THB spoiler season. It's a flat out improvement to the other Enchantments that do something similar.

Shiny Impetus feels like it was custom printed for Tiana. It removes a scary attacker from targetting her, it forces action which causes people to spend resources while you're sitting pretty and it makes Treasures. There have been quite a few times where Tiana was ahead but the board gridlocked because no one wanted to blink first, Shiny Impetuous is a good spray to their eyes. Being able to recur this over and over is going to be great and I'll eventually probably place it on my Creatures once we get to Head's Up for that slow, recurring value engine. I decided to axe Hedron Archive because it is the most expensive mana Ramp that eats itself; Mind Stone and Commander's Sphere are both under 3 CMC for Sun Titan and Sevinne's Reclamation, meaning I can keep using them to get some value - Archive is too costly to do so and that's why it gets the axe.

Ugin is a much better draw engine than Staff even if he can be punched out. Staff just pings and draws. Ugin makes me a body that I can then start slapping Auras onto, he'll randomly reduce the cost of my Artifacts and can pop permanents in a pinch.

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Tevesh
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Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

Disappointment for proven element:
Changes 06/22/20
Approximate Total Cost:

Man, the deck is very consistent now. It is hard to get 2 Plains off of Tithe and if I'm going to keep my mana open, it's going to be for something proven instead of hopes and dreams. Swords comes in to plow their mum.

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Tevesh
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Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

Need more mans:
Changes 07/13/20
Approximate Total Cost:

Having little dorks around to Enchant with my Auras is great or just get in the way as a chump block. I'm cutting Mistveil Plains as an artifact of when the deck was Sunforger focused. Yeah, it sucks to lose a Plains for Emeria, the Sky Ruin but I don't want to dilute my Snow lands for Scrying Sheets. Draw is still a little iffy if Tiana gets focused on early and so I want to keep all of that alone.

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Tevesh
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Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

Even more mans:
Changes 07/25/20
Approximate Total Cost:

I haven't been too impressed with Verge Rangers, so I'll try another source of Ramp. With the Hawk bouncing itself to Ramp a Plains, it'll give me a chance to slap Enchantments on it and recover those.

While it would be nice to go halfsies with Snow Lands and non-Snow, I rather keep Scrying Sheets powered up.

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Tevesh
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Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

Tiana coming into her own:
Changes 08/29/20
Approximate Total Cost:

Sigarda's Aid is practically uniformly suggested in Tiana builds. I didn't like it but I couldn't put my finger on why. Today I realized that my old Tiana was proactive, which is bad for Control deck, you don't want to expend resources - you want others to tire themselves out and swoop in for the win. The latest batch of Auras that I have in this new Tiana is much more Reactive, allowing me to sit pretty until I need them. A lot of my Auras are more likely to be used and then die, which means they're stuck in my hand until my next Main Phase. Sigarda's Aid becoming desirable is even more proof that this is a Tiana deck instead of Sunforger in drag. I decided to cut Teshar because he's been the most underwhelming source of card advantage.

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Tevesh
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Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

Low opportunity cost to add a Wrath to a Control deck:
Changes 10/10/20
Approximate Total Cost:

Do you need more of an explanation? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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Post by Toshi » 3 years ago

I was curious to check your list, since a friend of mine is working on his strictly casual Tiana, Ship's Caretaker list.

I ran into 2 questions:
1) Are 13 Auras and 4 Equipments enough for this type of commander? With only every 6th card in your deck being one of them, i fear you're stalling most of the time.
2) Why do you run Well of Lost Dreams & Dawn of Hope? The only reliable enablers i was able to find were Felidar Umbra and Blind Obedience. Mentor of the Meek doesn't seem to have too many synergies either.

As not to solely rain on your parade, here are a few cards i'd consider running, if i were you:
All That Glitters, Ethereal Armor, Scourge of the Nobilis & Helm of the Gods.

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Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

NoNeedToBragoBoutIt wrote:
3 years ago
I was curious to check your list, since a friend of mine is working on his strictly casual Tiana, Ship's Caretaker list.

I ran into 2 questions:
1) Are 13 Auras and 4 Equipments enough for this type of commander? With only every 6th card in your deck being one of them, i fear you're stalling most of the time.
2) Why do you run Well of Lost Dreams & Dawn of Hope? The only reliable enablers i was able to find were Felidar Umbra and Blind Obedience. Mentor of the Meek doesn't seem to have too many synergies either.

As not to solely rain on your parade, here are a few cards i'd consider running, if i were you:
All That Glitters, Ethereal Armor, Scourge of the Nobilis & Helm of the Gods.
1. I've been finding the deck likes this amount. The Auras I do have tend to make themselves get Recycled, so Tiana brings them back to my hand. A lot of it is Tempo-advantage, just to make it unpleasant to fight Tiana at first so that I'm there for the end game. One of my Equipment, Blackblade Reforged, is a win-con. Skullclamp is for draw, Dowsing Dagger // Lost Vale and Sword of the Animist are there for Ramp. In effect, I only have one Equipment, the other three are engines in one way or another.

2. They're both card draw. I also gain life from Faith Healer who also helps me Recycle Auras and Faith's Fetters. I tend to have a lot of mana in the end game, so Dawn of Hope turns into its own draw engine. With the large amount of mana, I can easily spend 3 or more mana to draw 3 cards when I gain that much life or more. I would prefer having better draw engines but I'm working with what I have. Perhaps it means I should have more ways to gain life, as that is one way to make sure you don't lose. As for Mentor of the Meek, I'm working with what I've got and I've got a lot of ways to make Creatures that qualify; hell, I've been toying with the idea of running Kher Keep to have more ways to generate bodies.

The suggested Auras are taking up slots that Blackblade covers in its one spot. Scourge might be worthwhile for the Lifelink, Firebreathing combined with Tiana's First Strike. The rest are merely +1/+1s, though enough Treasure from Smothering Tithe might make All That Glitters be worth looking at. I prefer the Blackblade to Auras because if I'm putting that Aura on Tiana and she dies, I don't get those back. If Tiana dies, the Blackblade is still there, waiting to be picked up again.

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Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

Well, why not?:
Changes 10/11/20
Approximate Total Cost:

Reliquary Tower is an artifact of the deck having too many cards in hand and not wanting to discard them. In theory, Sigarda's Aid will take care of that. Tiana wants random bodies for her Auras and Skullclamp and Kher Keep qualifies. The Kobolds also trigger Mentor of the Meek and when push comes to shove, get geared up with Blackblade Reforged or Eldrazi Conscription to spank annoying foes.

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Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

These spelllands sure get used:
Changes 11/12/20
Approximate Total Cost:

First up, Valakut Awakening is a low opportunity cost to add more draw to this shell, which I appreciate. In just a few short years, Scrying Sheets went from the only way to shove in extra card draw to so many more options; I might drop the full Snowland count to activate Field of the Dead more reliaby.

Then, let's get to the big change. Going from a broken one drop Artifact to a four drop Creature seems like a bad decision at first; however, this deck doesn't really have a way to abuse Top the way it is normally with Combo nonsense. Mangara adds a lot to the deck. At first I thought of removing the unpopular Well of Lost Dreams or Dawn of Hope but Mangara's Lifelink incentivizes me to keep them; his two power synergizes with Mentor of the Meek and he's a Legendary body. That's another realistic Blackblade Reforged carrier and I'll definitely enjoy Mangara's Lifelink at that point, but he can also be used in a pinch as a good Blocker or have an Eldrazi Conscription enchanted on him.

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Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

I dissolved the deck that Tiana loaned the Rack to:
Changes 11/22/20
Approximate Total Cost:

Journeyer's Kite is a solid budget draw engine option, but it can't compare to the Rack, especially with the amount of shuffle effects this deck has, making each hand truly fresh.

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Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

Command Legends Revisions:
Changes 12/01/20
Approximate Total Cost:

At first I had Cartographer's Hawk earmarked for the cut, but then I realized I just needed one trigger off of Keeper of the Accord to make it make parity with Sad Robot. If it happens twice, it's suddenly far better. As for the draw a card replacement, the making of dorks and the many means I have of using them for card advantage should more than make up for it.

Scrying Sheets is just unreliable with the continual, improving draw lands that keep getting printed. It gets axed for War Room. I would split my Snows and Non-Snows for Field of the Dead consistency but I'm still using an Endless Atlas that makes that nonfeasible at the moment. The Fabled Passage is to make sure I get the mana I need, plus it is more Landfall triggers for Emeria Shepherd. Guildless Commons is a Karoo, so that I have less Lands than my opponent to trigger the variety of cards that benefit from being behind, I'm just too lazy to find the Red or White real 'Roos.

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Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

Well, this was obvious:
Changes 12/20/20
Approximate Total Cost:

Underworld Breach is an Enchantment that lets me recur stuff; that makes it very easy for me to get back fallen Enchantments. I can also recycle it with Hall of Heliod's Generosity when I need to recur a Sorcery, such as a Wrath. I might have to think about using more fetch-like lands just to fuel my Graveyard for all the things I want to burst out of my 'yard. I cut Well of Lost Dreams because it seems to be the clunkiest way to draw cards. A lot of my other engines, especially those tied to life, can be incremental. Well is asking for me to hit big and commit big to draw; something a Control deck doesn't want to do. Nothing scares the table more than "Draw Lots" in one go; they'll barely notice if you're drawing one or two cards a turn even if the amount of draw is the same. Plus committing mana and a lot of it at that isn't as good. I'm fairly certain Breach is going to be busted bonkers so I'm happy with this change and feel stupid for not thinking of it earlier.

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Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

Strict upgrade:
Changes 01/13/21
Approximate Total Cost:

There were plenty of times when Clifftop Retreat wouldn't come into play untapped because of untyped nonbasics; Arid Mesa will and help fetch me Plains for Emeria, the Sky Ruin, get resurrected by Sun Titan for Ramp and be fodder for Underworld Breach.

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Tevesh
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Post by Tevesh » 2 years ago

Sizable update:
Changes 06/06/21
Approximate Total Cost:

One of the ways the deck loses is if Tiana gets answered. Koll is here to make that harder; after all, it's getting Taxed over and over again from the Command Zone is what does the deck in, not recasting her. Him buffing tokens probably will also help. I decided to axe the Cartographer's Hawk because I really couldn't find another card I was unhappy with. I'm not unhappy with the Hawk, it never really got play and so I rather axe something untested until a card rears its head and makes me go "Ah, that's what should get axed."

Starheim cost reduces the two biggest types the deck uses, it already flies and so buffs can help me get in for chip damage or hold back for blocks. Cutting another piece of Ramp seemed to be a no brainer and Commander's Sphere is almost always the one that gets that axe.

I'm increasing my Plains count that also makes Red Mana. I would prefer to have axed a Snow-Mountain but I'm not comfortable going down to 5 Basic Mountains since Land Tax makes it pretty easy for me to search them up when I need them. Plains count is important as always for Emeria, the Sky Ruin.

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Tevesh
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Post by Tevesh » 2 years ago

Manabase Upgrade:
Changes 06/14/21
Approximate Total Cost:

Plateau is a Plains for all the cards in the deck that care about Plains.

Prismatic Vista goes in so I can reshuffle the top of my deck to abuse Scroll Rack, plus it is recursion bait for Sun Titan and Sevinne's Reclamation. If all else fails, it can be fodder for Underworld Breach. With the amount of fetches, perhaps I should look into getting Crucible of Worlds.

Lorehold seems solid enough to give a try. Perhaps the ETBT will be too slow or the cost to Scry will be too steep in what should be a low opportunity cost way to smooth draws. While it ups the possibilities with Field of the Dead but hampers Endless Atlas. Kind of a weird tension of adding a Draw Land that might disable my Draw Rock.

I am gambling that the purpose of Boros Garrison and Guildless Commons isn't going to happen. They're there to have me be a Land Drop behind the rest of the table so that Keeper of the Accord, Land Tax, etc. and the like will trigger for that value. Snow-Covered Mountain goes away because I am not going to lower my Plains count for Emeria Shepherd and Emeria, the Sky Ruin though I am getting nervous with how few Basic Mountains remain.

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Post by Tevesh » 2 years ago

Well, this slipped by my notice:
Changes 11/15/21
Approximate Total Cost:

Minimus Containment is a great way to deal with problem permanents. Prior, Frenzied Fugue was a 'timeshare' but the problem with slapping that on a dangerous permanent is that it will eventually come at me. There's also been games where I've accelerated the end because I grabbed someone's Commander and double teamed an enemy, only to have that player be better prepared for head's up than I. The deck has a little difficulty removing Artifacts and Enchantments, as in most of that is due to a board wipe. It'll be nice to have a piece of spot removal. I did think of adding Aura of Silence but it isn't an Aura and that kind of hurts.

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Post by Tevesh » 2 years ago

Another old, new release:
Changes 11/21/21
Approximate Total Cost:

I like what Axgard does more than Lorehold. Sure, I lose a colour but I get to Tutor for whatever I need - wincons, answers, Ramp and everything in between. I didn't think to axe any Basics for this, I already feel uncomfortable for how few Basics I have for Land Tax and Emeria, the Sky Ruin.

With The Book of Exalted Deeds entering the meta, I need a more reliable way to kill it. I think my Draw Suite is strong enough and so I decided to axe Mikokoro. It gives everybody cards instead of adding selection which this deck can abuse with the various Sun Titan or Hall of Heliod's Generosity effects. Field of Ruin comes in to ruin that play.

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