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Introduction
"Yarok grieves within the waste
Of Bala Ged's corrupted land.
Yarok's waters rush and rage
Where armies bled into the sand.
Yarok's nightmares lurk and wait
Where dark despair is near at hand.
Grief and rage and nightmares fade
Where hope and comfort make their stand."
Of Bala Ged's corrupted land.
Yarok's waters rush and rage
Where armies bled into the sand.
Yarok's nightmares lurk and wait
Where dark despair is near at hand.
Grief and rage and nightmares fade
Where hope and comfort make their stand."
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Deck History
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Why play Yarok?
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The Deck
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Card Analysis
While there are many options for cards that could be included in a deck, there is only room for 100. In the spoiler below, I will give a card-by-card explanation as to why I specifically chose to have a certain card in in the deck.
SPOILER
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Creatures
Baleful Strix:
Coiling Oracle:
Lotus Cobra:
Eternal Witness/Golgari Findbroker:
Fierce Empath, Woodland Bellower:
Reclamation Sage:
Spellseeker:
Thrashing Brontodon:
Wood Elves, Solemn Simulacrum:
Bramble Sovereign:
Gonti, Lord of Luxury:
Ravenous Chupacabra:
Sakashima the Imposter/Spark Double:
Sower of Temptation:
Venser, Shaper Savant:
Acidic Slime:
Mulldrifter:
Tatyova, Benthic Druid:
Noxious Gearhulk:
Sire of Stagnation:
Agent of Treachery:
Rune-Scarred Demon:
Woodfall Primus:
Coiling Oracle:
Lotus Cobra:
Eternal Witness/Golgari Findbroker:
Fierce Empath, Woodland Bellower:
Reclamation Sage:
Spellseeker:
Thrashing Brontodon:
Wood Elves, Solemn Simulacrum:
Bramble Sovereign:
Gonti, Lord of Luxury:
Ravenous Chupacabra:
Sakashima the Imposter/Spark Double:
Sower of Temptation:
Venser, Shaper Savant:
Acidic Slime:
Mulldrifter:
Tatyova, Benthic Druid:
Noxious Gearhulk:
Sire of Stagnation:
Agent of Treachery:
Rune-Scarred Demon:
Woodfall Primus:
Artifacts
Sorceries
Instants
Enchantments
Lands
Ancient Tomb:
Bayou, Tropical Island, Underground Sea:
Bloodstained Mire, Flooded Strand, Marsh Flats, Misty Rainforest, Polluted Delta, Prismatic Vista, Scalding Tarn, Verdant Catacombs, Windswept Heath, Wooded Foothills:
Breeding Pool, Overgrown Tomb, Watery Grave:
Cabal Coffers:
Cavern of Souls:
Command Tower, Opulent Palace:
Dryad Arbor:
Field of the Dead:
Forest, Island, Swamp:
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth:
Volrath's Stronghold:
Yavimaya Hollow:
Bayou, Tropical Island, Underground Sea:
Bloodstained Mire, Flooded Strand, Marsh Flats, Misty Rainforest, Polluted Delta, Prismatic Vista, Scalding Tarn, Verdant Catacombs, Windswept Heath, Wooded Foothills:
Breeding Pool, Overgrown Tomb, Watery Grave:
Cabal Coffers:
Cavern of Souls:
Command Tower, Opulent Palace:
Dryad Arbor:
Field of the Dead:
Forest, Island, Swamp:
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth:
Volrath's Stronghold:
Yavimaya Hollow:
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Yarok's Fen
This is the section in which I will list the cards that either used to be in the deck, or am considering trying out. I tend to swap these out frequently when I want to try something different.
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Yarok's Fen
//Creatures:
//Planeswalkers:
Approximate Total Cost:
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Strategy
1) Mulligans:
2) Early Game:
3) Mid Game:
4) Late Game:
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Weaknesses of Yarok
1) ETB Hate Cards: The main theme of the deck is Enters the Battlefield (ETB) effects. Most of our creatures have an ETB effect that helps us in some way, so if those get shut off, we have a hard time of winning. Even parts of our combo rely on our creatures entering the battlefield. So, some of the cards we need to look out for are:
2) Graveyard Hate: The second, smaller subtheme of the deck is reanimator/graveyard based, so we heavily rely on the graveyard as a second library of sorts. Therefore, any card that prevents interaction with the graveyard will hinder us severely. The following cards are a few examples of very problematic cards:
3) Hexproof/Shroud: Another problem we will run into is anything that has or can grant Hexproof/Shroud. A lot of our ETB creatures interact by targeting. If we can't target our opponent's stuff, then we may end up targeting ours if they are legal targets, and we don't want that happening.
2) Graveyard Hate: The second, smaller subtheme of the deck is reanimator/graveyard based, so we heavily rely on the graveyard as a second library of sorts. Therefore, any card that prevents interaction with the graveyard will hinder us severely. The following cards are a few examples of very problematic cards:
- Anafenza the Foremost
- Bojuka Bog
- Containment Priest
- Grafdigger's Cage
- Leyline of the Void
- Nihil Spellbomb
- Rest in Peace
- Tormod's Crypt
3) Hexproof/Shroud: Another problem we will run into is anything that has or can grant Hexproof/Shroud. A lot of our ETB creatures interact by targeting. If we can't target our opponent's stuff, then we may end up targeting ours if they are legal targets, and we don't want that happening.
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Combos
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Changelog
SPOILER
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7/12/19:
OUT:
Dimir House Guard
Forest
Nim Deathmantle
Rampant Growth
Springbloom Druid
Wake the Dead
Yarok's Fenlurker
IN:
Agent of Treachery
Eldritch Evolution
Entomb
Field of the Dead
Neoform
Spellseeker
Treachery
Made some changes to the deck after doing some testing. Neoform/Eldritch Evolution are awesome tutors that put the creature directly to the battlefield to immediately get an effect. The Treachery were also added to steal other people's things. Spellseeker and Entomb were added to go alongside Reanimate. Field of the Dead is just good with Yarok.
I took out cards that seemed to have a relatively low impact in games I've played.
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7/22/19:
OUT:
Animate Dead
Dance of the Dead
Displace
Duplicant
Expedition Map
Farhaven Elf
Hostage Taker
Island
Meteor Golem
Phyrexian Tower
Progenitor Mimic
Thespian's Stage
Villainous Wealth
Yawgmoth's Will
IN:
Dryad Arbor
Exhume
Finale of Devastation
Forest x2
Golgari Findbroker
Green Sun's Zenith
Krosan Grip
Lotus Cobra
Sakashima the Imposter
Sower of Temptation
Tatyova, Benthic Druid
Thrashing Brontodon
Woodfall Primus
Making a few more changes to the list after some playtesting over the weekend.
For the additions, I added Thrashing Brontodon and Krosan Grip as a way of dealing mainly with Torpor Orb. Sakashima can act as another Yarok. Added some more creature tutors, and more ETB creatures.
OUT:
Dimir House Guard
Forest
Nim Deathmantle
Rampant Growth
Springbloom Druid
Wake the Dead
Yarok's Fenlurker
IN:
Agent of Treachery
Eldritch Evolution
Entomb
Field of the Dead
Neoform
Spellseeker
Treachery
Made some changes to the deck after doing some testing. Neoform/Eldritch Evolution are awesome tutors that put the creature directly to the battlefield to immediately get an effect. The Treachery were also added to steal other people's things. Spellseeker and Entomb were added to go alongside Reanimate. Field of the Dead is just good with Yarok.
I took out cards that seemed to have a relatively low impact in games I've played.
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7/22/19:
OUT:
Animate Dead
Dance of the Dead
Displace
Duplicant
Expedition Map
Farhaven Elf
Hostage Taker
Island
Meteor Golem
Phyrexian Tower
Progenitor Mimic
Thespian's Stage
Villainous Wealth
Yawgmoth's Will
IN:
Dryad Arbor
Exhume
Finale of Devastation
Forest x2
Golgari Findbroker
Green Sun's Zenith
Krosan Grip
Lotus Cobra
Sakashima the Imposter
Sower of Temptation
Tatyova, Benthic Druid
Thrashing Brontodon
Woodfall Primus
Making a few more changes to the list after some playtesting over the weekend.
For the additions, I added Thrashing Brontodon and Krosan Grip as a way of dealing mainly with Torpor Orb. Sakashima can act as another Yarok. Added some more creature tutors, and more ETB creatures.