Ishai/Kodama: Bant Populate

[Ertai Planeswalker]

BANT POPULATE

I recently build this deck. It is a populate deck but based on the idea that I play creatures I want to play instead of all kinds of mediocre token making cards. I then copy these creatures (or the creatures themselves create tokens) and then use the value I can accrue by populating the tokens to win. It contains cards like Dauntless Escort for layers of boardwipe protection, Daring Apprentice for a counterwall etc.

What I've found so far is that once it get's going it gets going. But I also found that the balance between making copies of creatures and creatures themselves requires some finetuning. Additionally, and this is the most pressing issue, it needs some more card draw especially of the low mana value variety and interaction. The deck is very midrangy with most cards costing 3 or 4. That is why I play 13 ramp cards besides 39 lands. Getting to 6 mana asap i crucial because it will allow me to usually play 2 cards per turn. Or play Kodama of the East Tree which is an acceleration engine without equal.

Bant Populate wiht Ishai &Kodama

DecklistCMCManaPricesChartsDraw 7

Commander

1 Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker

1 Kodama of the East Tree

Ramp

1 Arcane Signet

1 Cultivate

1 Explore

1 Farseek

1 Fertile Ground

1 Garruk Wildspeaker

1 Into the North

1 Kodama's Reach

1 Nature's Lore

1 Rampant Growth

1 Sakura-Tribe Elder

1 Sol Ring

1 Three Visits

Card Draw

1 Beast Whisperer

1 Cloudblazer

1 Elemental Bond

1 Garruk's Packleader

1 Idol of Oblivion

1 Mulldrifter

1 Rhystic Study

Removal

1 Amphin Mutineer

1 Aura Shards

1 Beast Within

1 Daring Apprentice

1 Generous Gift

1 Hour of Reckoning

1 Knight of Autumn

1 Phyrexian Rebirth

1 Reclamation Sage

1 Sundering Growth

Token Creation

1 Advent of the Wurm

1 Blade of Selves

1 Cackling Counterpart

1 Croaking Counterpart

1 Mimic Vat

1 Quasiduplicate

1 Repudiate // Replicate

1 Rite of Replication

1 Spitting Image

1 Starnheim Unleashed

1 Supplant Form

Creature

1 Armada Wurm

1 Bramble Sovereign

1 Eternal Witness

1 Faerie Artisans

1 Master Biomancer

1 Progenitor Mimic

1 Rampaging Baloths

1 Selesnya Eulogist

1 Spark Double

1 Timeless Witness

1 Trostani, Selesnya's Voice

1 Vitu-Ghazi Guildmage

Resilience

1 Dauntless Escort

1 Druid's Deliverance

1 Loxodon Hierarch

1 Rootborn Defenses

Other

1 Growing Ranks

1 Song of the Worldsoul

Land

1 Arctic Treeline

1 Bala Ged Recovery // Bala Ged Sanctuary

1 Breeding Pool

1 City of Brass

1 Command Tower

1 Field of Ruin

1 Flooded Grove

6 Forest

1 Glacial Floodplain

1 Glacial Fortress

1 Hallowed Fountain

1 Hinterland Harbor

5 Island

1 Littjara Mirrorlake

1 Mystic Gate

1 Ondu Inversion // Ondu Skyruins

1 Path of Ancestry

5 Plains

1 Reflecting Pool

1 Rimewood Falls

1 Seaside Citadel

1 Snow-Covered Forest

1 Snow-Covered Island

1 Snow-Covered Plains

1 Sunpetal Grove

1 Temple Garden

Approximate Total Cost:

[RowanKeltizar]

Because neither of your commanders generate card advantage, you need more in your deck in my opinion, which you've also aknowledged. Thankfully in these colors you have LOTS of options, so you just have to find the ones that have the most synergy with the other cards you want to run.

Here are a few suggestions:

Garruk's Uprising
Hunter's Insight
Rishkar's Expertise
Esper Sentinel
Return of the Wildspeaker
Insight Compost - meta dependant
Toski, Bearer of Secrets
Ohran Frostfang
Augur of Autumn
Tatyova, Benthic Druid
Nezahal, Primal Tide
Consecrated Sphinx


Kodama of the East Tree is a fantastic commander effect but he definitely needs fuel for that ability to keep getting mileage.


I think you can drop a couple lands for more cheap ramp spells.

[Mookie]

Chipping in with the context of your other thread:

As you've noted, the deck definitely lacks card draw... and given how card-hungry Kodama of the East Tree is, you'll want to keep your hand as full as possible. Some options that haven't already been noted:

• Edric, Spymaster of Trest
• Evolutionary Leap
• Lonis, Cryptozoologist
• Risen Reef
• Shamanic Revelation
• Voice of Many
• Soul of the Harvest
• Guardian Project
• Sphinx of Uthuun

As for dealing with interaction / removal... unfortunately, targeted clone effects like Spitting Image and Rite of Replication are pretty soft to interaction. However, there are ways to deal with that - you could run more countermagic or other instant-speed protection, or protection effects like Asceticism or Privileged Position to deal with spot removal. If you're more concerned about mass removal, token-producing permanents like Dollhouse of Horrors, Minion Reflector, or God-Pharaoh's Gift can give you creatures without dying to board wipes themselves.

Also: while your focus may be on creating token copies of creatures to populate, it may be worth running cards like Court of Grace or Awakening Zone that can make sure you always have at least something to populate.

I'll also call out are Phantom Steed, Esika's Chariot, and Vizier of Many Faces as several cards that look like they would be good inclusions in your deck.