Ruric Thar, Take Six

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

Flexibility Increase:
Changes 05/23/20
Approximate Total Cost:

There are too many Mirage Mirrors and I'm tired of trying to kill them. Also, with Beast Within being an Instant, I have a lot more flexibility in answering problems since I've cut Yeva, Nature's Herald.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

It's a damned Shadowspear:
Changes 05/25/20
Approximate Total Cost:

The reasons for Shadowspear being in my Dalakos, Crafter of Wonders deck are far more interesting than Ruric Thar. Here, it's just a cheaper way to gear Ruric Thar up with Lifelink with that added spice of an Activated Ability.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

Cutting a disappointing greedy pick:
Changes 05/27/20
Approximate Total Cost:

Sapseep Forest hasn't really done much for me. I would stupidly search it up to 'gain all the life' but it would rarely do that much work for me. I would do much better finding another Forest that also gave me Red Mana. I think Bonders' Enclave's ability to draw me a card is going to be far more valuable than one life every now and then. With Thar at the helm and some of my other big guys, I don't think the Enclave's requirement is going to matter. Coming into play untapped will be nice.

User avatar
shermanido37
Posts: 301
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him

Post by shermanido37 » 3 years ago

Have you given any thought to running Veil of Summer? It's as good as, if not better, than some of your current protection spells.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

shermanido37 wrote:
3 years ago
Have you given any thought to running Veil of Summer? It's as good as, if not better, than some of your current protection spells.
The reason I'm not running Veil is two-fold: It's a really expensive limited Counterspell, I don't want to pay that much for a card that's banned in quite a few formats. The second is dealing with Swords to Plowshares, Beast Within and/or Chaos Warp. I don't know what removal spell will be tossed at Ruric Thar and so I'd rather be flexible.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

The C20 update:
Changes 05/02/20
Approximate Total Cost:

Bogbonder is half the cost and helps protect Ruric Thar at Instant Speed which is what this deck wants to do. Sure, removing Hexproof is find and dandy but it isn't what my deck is trying to do. The Bogbonder's ability to move any number of Counters means I can easily beef up Ruric Thar from the random +1/+1 Counter generators that are in the deck.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

I want more flexibility than REB:
Changes 08/29/20
Approximate Total Cost:

Well, the fact that REB is pretty useless outside of a Blue pod isn't worth. I played a game or two where there were no Blue Mages, so I questioned why I even had this. Sure, I'd like a hard counter but I've found that Fork effects tend to do that anyway. There will also be times when I'll just want to get in on what someone is doing, whether that's an early Boundless Realms or trying to win off of a large Exsanguinate.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

Curve slimming:
Changes 09/29/20
Approximate Total Cost:

Gotta get these Azusas while they're cheap. I didn't want to axe any of my 3 CMC land fetchers, so I looked towards Wayward Swordtooth and didn't like that cut because a 5/5 is a relevant sized body. Looking at my 4 drops, Mina and Denn immediately sprung out. I guess the cut off for a relevant body is 4/4 because I don't remember swinging the twins meaningfully or using their ability to give Trample. I guess that means I have enough toys to give Ruric Thar evasion which is a good indication.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

A selected cut:
Changes 11/22/20
Approximate Total Cost:

Mosswort Bridge has been underwhelming and I earmarked it for a cut. I was expecting to replace it with War Room but I guess Fabled Passage will do for now with Ramunap Excavator and all of my extra land drops being especially rude.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

Honing and trimming:
Changes 12/11/20
Approximate Total Cost:

Field of the Dead is absolutely absurd and when I was scanning over my Nonbasics, Gruul Truf stood out as the most lacklustre.

By scanning over my Lands, I realized that there have been plenty of times when I didn't have enough Land Drops to really abuse Azusa, Lost but Seeking, Wayward Swordtooth and friends. The issue is running the Nonland Land of Glacial Chasm to really muck up my reading. With that in mind and this being a Control deck, I decided to add more 'Draw-Go' elements with War Room. Unlike Soul, it doesn't cast mana to deploy and then require more Creatures to follow-up. It bumps my Land count up, lets me poop out more Lands with my extra Land Drop friends and I think I'll enjoy the card draw on demand.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

Marisi could use this much better:
Changes 12/12/20
Approximate Total Cost:

A deck all about pooping out little dudes and turning sideways and I somehow overlooked Field of the Dead.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

PTSD mana stumble inspired this change:
Changes 12/22/20
Approximate Total Cost:

I had a rough night in one of my games, I stumbled on mana and did pretty much nothing. This reminded me of a few games where Ruric Thar stumbled on mana. I've got a lot of sources of Ramp but I guess I need a bit more. Joraga Treespeaker comes in as "The Green Sol Ring" which should trigger a bunch of my 'draw with Creatures Cast' stuff. Cindervines is OK but its not that exciting. Weirdly enough, I rather have a Beast Within in hand to surprise someone than have Cindervines out. I guess this deck is more of a Spider than Rattlesnake, counterintuitively from what Ruric Thar regularly brings.

Farhaven Elf is a solid Rampman; I cut Zendikar Resurgent because it is costly as all hell. I did think of cutting Regal Behemoth but decided against it for a variety of reasons: Regal costs one less than Resurgent; Regal can be powered out by Castle Garenbrig; he doesn't make Ruric Thar dish out six to myself; he's a solid body with Trample; Monarch allows for political shenanigans; and he triggers other Draw engines that look for Creatures.

I figure Once Upon a Time is a low cost way to Impulse may way into Lands or Creatures I want. I don't expect to use it for free a lot but I can easily squeak Once Upon a Time out on an End Step when Ruric Thar's not in play.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 3 years ago

Mana and jujitsu upgrades:
Changes 01/11/21
Approximate Total Cost:

I figure Ranger's Guile is the weakest of the Hexproof stuff. I did think of cutting Bolt Bend and Wild Ricochet but I want to try upping my Redirects over "Counterspells". One of my favourite memories of this deck was an Orzhov deck casting Utter End at Ruric Thar, taking six, and then Wild Ricocheting his End to his Grave Pact and another player's Greater Good while not taking damage because Ruric Thar was wearing a Basilisk Collar. I want to drink more tears like that instead of just having "spells fizzle". Let's see if that works out.

As for the other two, they're mana-base upgrades. Nothing shiny, though it is nice to have another fetchland for Ramunap Excavator to abuse.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 2 years ago

Low opportunity cost to add "Screw you, die!" to my deck with a Fling:
Changes 06/06/21

Out

Approximate Total Cost:

I've been trying to find a way to abuse Flings because the deck can make some positively large monsters, but they have been kind of inconsistent. With Kazuul's Fury, the fact that it is a Land when not hurling large monsters is a definite plus.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 2 years ago

Adding sustain:
Changes 06/17/21
Approximate Total Cost:

Ruric Thar sure loves killing spellslingers. Unfortunately, because of how much heat he attracts I need to run pseudo-counterspells with Indestructible or Hexproof. This means there have been times I've had a costly Counterspell war where someone was willing to pay 12 or 18 life to kill Thar dead and I lost 6 or 12 in an attempt to keep him alive. Witch's Clinic giving Ruric Thar Lifelink will help me not die when I get into those spats, especially if I can take advantage of two other players getting into a spellslinging spat that Ruric Thar punches from the sidelines.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 2 years ago

Mana updating:
Changes 06/28/21
Approximate Total Cost:

This is not an aggro deck, this is a control deck which is why Curse of Opulence probably hasn't been the most impressive. People know not to take the bait and so they don't swing for free Gold. I'm putting the Anarchomancer in to help get my spells in for cheap.

With Bala Ged Recovery eating into my Basics, I decided to cut back on the least impressive Basic Land fetcher. I think Tireless Provisioner has quite a lot of potential so trying 'em out.

Bala Ged Recovery is a low opportunity cost way to get a Regrowth.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 2 years ago

Renovating the foundation:
Changes 08/11'21
Approximate Total Cost:

Ruric Thar has been stumbling. He's felt like he's a bit mana light and I've gotten into plenty of games where I sit, do nothing and die. That's unacceptable because people do need to Take Six. So, I'm working on the Floors of the deck.

Captivating Crew is a solid, but costly, utility/wincon. If I don't have the mana to do other things, I certainly don't to play this out and start hijacking Creatures. Tireless Tracker comes in as a draw engine, especially since I've added so many Fetchlands that he'll certainly be able to pay those off.

Dragonborn Champion seems practically built for Thar and comes in as a draw engine. Multani is very strong but he's the least impressive out of all of my finishers. Ulvenwald Hydra is a powerhouse at finding me the lands I need, whether that's Rogue's Passage to punch in, Glacial Chasm to not die or gain life with Witch's Clinic. Realm Seekers is a draw engine that lets me fetch those wants and others to just ensure I have land drops. Multani does not offer this much utility, just inevitability, which is good but not when the deck's Floors are failing.

If you're missing Land Drops, you don't have enough draw. I think I've solved that with the above changes, but it could also be a symptom of not having enough Lands. Forest comes in to ensure that I can stay in the game. I am really fond of Mob Rule, as it is the budget Insurrection and that card definitely ends games. Let's get the deck stable before we revisit the deck's wincons.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 2 years ago

The format killed the pet cards:
Changes 10/19/21
Approximate Total Cost:

EDH is always increasing in speed and efficiency, so when I went to take a look for cuts that was the deciding factor. There's a lot of good cards in Ruric Thar that serve their purposes but out of all my suites, it is the protection that I decided to go with. I have a lot of protection for Ruric Thar but not much for myself. That's why I decided to add Crop Rotation to the deck. There have been plenty of times where I'm staring down lethal turning sideways at me with no outs aside from Constant Mists. Crop Rotation can double my odds as it could fetch me Glacial Chasm, but also any other important cards I need in that moment. Whether it is life gain, Yavimaya Hollow's Regeneration, Rogue's Passage's Evasion, a Ramp land or one of the draw lands. I'll miss you Wild Ricochet, times were good.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 2 years ago

Honing the deck with some much needed updates:
Changes 11/21/21
Approximate Total Cost:

I've been growing cold on Sylvan Safekeeper. He comes down early and protects Thar but that's a problem because there have been times he's died before Ruric Thar could make an appearance. He's also made me lose a lot of Lands if the table decides to spend multiple turns killing Ruric Thar and then I can't pay that off due to low HP. In comes Augmenter who does what this deck does best: Surprise, %$#%! Buffing Thar is also good for speeding up his Clock.

Snakeskin Veil permanently buffs Ruric Thar and that's why it comes in over the greater, albeit temporary, Blossoming Defense. Most importantly, Ruric Thar turns into a three turn clock from four.

With The Book of Exalted Deeds and Mutavault entering the Meta, I need a more consistent way to killing Lands. Field of Ruin comes in because I can pay that off by grabbing Basics, triggering my Tireless Provisioner and/or Tireless Tracker. With Ramunap Excavator, I can even be a greater jackass by nailing problem lands repeatedly. This can also be tutored up with Ulvenwald Hydra, Crop Rotation or Realm Seekers. After looking at all of my Lands, I knew not to cut Basics and so Skarrg eventually drew short straw. I don't use it willy-nilly, I try to use it to kill opponents and in which case Kessig Wolf Run is much better.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 2 years ago

Strictly superior and nice enough to gain us life for Ruric Thar's tantrums:
Changes 03/03/22
Approximate Total Cost:


User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 2 years ago

Solidifying my endgame:
Changes 03/05/22
Approximate Total Cost:

Once upon a time, there was the mantra of "If it costs six, it should win you the game" - as the format speeds up that number lowers. I think we're hovering around 4.5 right now. Regal Behemoth is cool but it doesn't make me win. Omnath, I figure, will. If left unmolested with my multiple land drops, I'll build up a bulky army that will kill people if someone board wipes.

I also need better, more catch-all, answers with this leanness. Constant Mists is cool because it makes a player of a certain calibre and lower instantly lose. But that's not who I should be concerned about, so it gets axed for an answer that hits anything: Chaos Warp.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 1 year ago

Ruric Thar has his own inevitability:
Changes 06/16/22
Approximate Total Cost:

I don't need to make people lose, they'll do that to themselves by casting Noncreature spells. What I need to do is live and that's why Constant Mists makes a return. Being able to blank an entire strategy, especially the primary one of many decks, adds a lot of strength to Ruric Thar. And then if they decide to win with other ways, they'll have to go through this ogre's tantrums.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 1 year ago

Changes 10/15/22
Approximate Total Cost:

Klothys wasn't giving me enough Velocity. Some extra mana or damage isn't a good enough of a trickle effect. Drawing a new mitt will let me get setup during the 'Before Thar' sequence of this deck's game plan. I do tend to spew out and choke in the mid-game, Wheel should correct that.

Basilisk Collar is the less desirable Lifelink so it got the axe for Resurrection Orb which will make killing Thar not even worth it so I can squeeze my opponents even moreso.

User avatar
Tevesh
Posts: 592
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by Tevesh » 1 year ago

Need draw:
Changes 01/14/23
Approximate Total Cost:

The deck has been oscilating between needs; draw or ramp and it's leaning towards needing more draw. The Ramp is good, the amount of times I've gotten Ruric Thar out on turn 3 or 4 has been great but once he got dealt with, I couldn't get myself out of the hole. So, I'm cutting the least effective Ramp piece in the deck because the Anarchomancer isn't as explosive as every other option or quickly recycles itself as Skullclamp fodder. In its place comes Viridian Revel which I think will draw me %$#% with how much Treasure gets made nowadays.

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic

Return to “Decklists”