Samut: Play Dudes, Turn Sideways

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Post by Mookie » 1 year ago

Following up almost immediately, we have a few new options from Jumpstart 2022.
  • Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier allows for many shenanigans - target him with an untap ability and it gets copied to the rest of your team. The mana cost is a little clunky and limits shenanigans (unless one of the creatures you're untapping is a mana dork), but still seems quite strong, especially if you have an untapper that can hit itself.
  • Benevolent Hydra is mildly interesting as a way to sling +1/+1 counters around, but generally outclassed by Mikaeus, the Lunarch if you don't have other ways to make use of the Hardened Scales ability.
  • Kibo, Uktabi Prince is mildly interesting as a mana dork, but I think the fact that it is symmetric makes it significantly weaker, barring any tribal synergies.
  • Lita, Mechanical Engineer is sort of interesting if you have artifact creatures to untap, and can certainly pump out a bunch of Zeppelins to attack with, but this deck doesn't have much interest in tapping creatures to crew vehicles.
  • Ogre Battlecaster is mildly interesting as a way to flashback various spells for value.
  • Primeval Herald does a decent Explosive Vegetation impression. It's no Primeval Titan, but could be good if you can get multiple attacks out of it.
None of these seem like obvious autoincludes, but Agrus Kos definitely opens up some shenanigans.

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Post by Mookie » 1 year ago

Update time! As I've previously mentioned, I'm backing away from Hermit Druid shenanigans. Instead, I've decided to see if I can make Emeria, the Sky Ruin work, plus I feel like adding some more support for land recursion. We'll see how it works - if it turns out well, I may lean into it a bit further.

Adds: Cuts: I'll note that I'm adding Karametra and Boundless Realms to boost Emeria, and those two also need extra basics (particularly plains and forests) to support them... which means I'm also cutting some fixing lands. An alternative option would be to cut Boundless Realms and some basics to instead run Radiant Grove and a few other tapped duals.

I'm a bit sad to cut Adarkar Valkyrie, since it was part of the reason why I wanted to build a white tap ability deck in the first place, but it has gone down in value significantly since I cut Goblin Bombardment and other sac outlets.

Sprouting Goblin, Crop Rotation, Kura, the Boundless Sky, and Pair o' Dice Lost are on my shortlist of cards to add to boost the land stuff further, but I can't find space for them at the moment. Might come in a future update.

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Post by Mookie » 1 year ago

ONE spoilers out. The main themes in the set for this deck's colors are equipment, oil counters, and poison/toxic... none of which really mesh with what this deck is doing. Still, there are some new cards worth consideration.

White
  • The Eternal Wanderer is an interesting alternative to Tragic Arrogance if you're running it. That said, white does have a lot of 5+ mana board wipes with upside. The flicker and token abilities are a bit lower in value for this deck, but not bad.
  • Skrelv, Defector Mite is a significant downgrade from Mother of Runes / Giver of Runes, but still a useful ability.
  • Clever Concealment (from the commander decks) is a potentially-free way to protect your board from removal. It is somewhat reliant on having multiple white creatures to convoke though, which can be tricky.
Red Green
  • Armored Scrapgorger is a sweet combination of mana dork and grave hate, and a nice alternative to Scavenging Ooze / Lion Sash. You can't activate multiple times per turn without untaps, but it is free to activate and can't be Pithing Needle'd.
  • Conduit of Worlds is a very powerful recursion engine - not only can you get back lands every turn, but you can also get back key creatures or other cards. Good stuff.
  • Expand the Sphere is mildly interesting if you have a low basic land count for Hermit Druid shenanigans. This deck doesn't get much value from the proliferating if you miss, but I expect to see more of this design in the future.
  • Green Sun's Twilight isn't quite Green Sun's Zenith in terms of consistency, but it also ignores mana costs if you pay enough mana and end up choosing something expensive. It also gets a land, which is some nice added value.
  • Nissa, Ascended Animist is an expensive, but powerful planeswalker, particularly if you have a bunch of forests (or Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth). Pumping out massive tokens every turn is no joke.
Colorless Of the new cards, I would say that Conduit of Worlds is the one I'm highest on, particularly given my recent changes to lean into land synergies. Armored Scrapgorger also looks quite nice. I could see Red Sun's Twilight and Sword of Forge and Frontier also doing work.

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Post by Mookie » 1 year ago

Making a few changes to this deck, partially in the interest of powering it down a bit - I think my decks are a bit too strong for me meta... plus I'd like to lean away from combo wins and towards more fair, value-based lines. In particular. Maze of Ith + Ley Weaver combo is a bit too consistent for my tastes, since I don't think anyone in my meta is on the lookout for land-based combo. I've also added a bunch of tutors for utility lands over time, so actually finding Maze is a little too easy. That said, I do think Maze of Ith / Ashaya, Soul of the Wild + land untappers is one of the stronger things this deck can do, so I'll recommend trying it out at least once.

Fortunately, this frees up a couple of additional land slots to help turn on Emeria, the Sky Ruin, which seems amusing.

Adds Cuts I'm also cutting Genesis Wave and Yisan, the Wanderer Bard, which are two more cards I think are a bit too much for my meta. I'm a little sad to cut Yisan, since he is one of the stronger tap abilities available, but my thinking was 'if I'm not willing to run Fauna Shaman because it's too strong, then I probably shouldn't run Yisan either'. Meanwhile, cutting Storm of Souls because I've backed away from Hermit Druid shenanigans - I still think the card is good, but I'm currently a bit light on ways to fill the graveyard for it.
Last edited by Mookie 9 months ago, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Mookie » 11 months ago

New set! March of the Machine brings some interesting new cards (including a few sweet tap abilities). The two standout mechanics for this deck are battles and backup. In general, I think this deck works pretty well with battles, particularly the more aggressive beaters. At the very least, Samut is always an option to attack them... and if you can flip them, you can get some sweet payoffs. The deck is a bit weaker at defending opponents' battles, but it's not impossible.

Similarly, backup works very well with this deck - Samut carries the +1/+1 counter very well, and getting two triggers the turn the backup creature comes down (assuming it has a combat / damage trigger) can be extremely strong... and that's before accounting for extra combats.

I'm a bit hesitant to recommend convoke cards for this deck, since it can be awkward with tap abilities. Still, convoke cards can be good if you have a bunch of creatures.

Red

From the commander precons and Jumpstart:

Green

  • Vorinclex is a solid fatty - generates card advantage, is good on both offense and defense, and can generate more value if you have the mana to flip him. Eight mana is a lot, but this deck can make advantage of pretty much all the chapters - mill + free creatures are great, pumping up Samut (or another creature) is respectable, and the final chapter can represent a one-sided board wipe.
  • Invasion of Shandalar is an alright piece of recursion. It's not quite as flexible as some of the options already in this deck, but flipping into a way to cheat out free fatties can certainly be good.
  • Wrenn and Realmbreaker is a bit of a miss, but has a powerful ultimate if you can keep them around for a while.
  • Glistening Dawn can represent two massive beaters.
  • Ancient Imperiosaur is interesting for a go-wide deck and can represent a massive beater.
  • Deeproot Wayfinder is an alright recursion / ramp engine, although its lack of evasion makes it a bit inconsistent.
  • Invasion of Ikoria is a reasonable tutor, although the non-human clause does limit some options. I think Finale of Devastation is a bit better.
  • Polukranos Reborn is an efficient body that flips into a Wurmcoil Engine.
  • Doomskar Warrior is a nice backup creature - pump up Samut and attack with it to potentially get three triggers the turn it comes down.
  • Invasion of Zendikar is an alright Explosive Vegetation variant - it's pretty easy to flip, and a 4/4 mana dork on the flip side is pretty nice.
  • Portent Tracker is a reasonable mana dork / land untapper that goes up in value if you're running battles.
From the commander precons:
  • Conclave Sledge-Captain represents a potential one-shot with Samut - throw all three backup triggers onto her to deal 6 first strike damage, plus another 24 normal damage (and grow her up to a 96/97). Seems good.
  • Emergent Woodwurm gives you a pseudo-Genesis Wave on attack. Seven mana is a bit clunky, but can certainly pay that back immediately if you hit something good.
  • Path of the Animist is an alright Explosive Vegetation variant if you regularly play Planechase.

White

From the commander precons:
  • Guardian Scalelord is a nice recursion engine - it can't recur lands, but this deck has plenty of cheap creatures to reanimate.
  • Chivalric Alliance is an alright draw engine if you're aggressive enough, and can also represent a discard outlet.
  • Excise the Imperfect is a flexible piece of spot removal - exiling is good, although giving your opponent a beater can be a significant downside.
  • Firemane Commando is another alright draw engine, and it only needs one other creature to attack with it.

Gold + Colorless

  • Quintorius, Loremaster is interesting but clunky - you get a spirit the turn he comes down, but you'll generally need to wait until your next turn to play the exiled card. Still, reanimating something every turn can be quite strong, even if it is delayed by a turn.
  • Kogla and Yidaro is an alright piece of interaction.
  • Ghalta and Mavren is a giant discount beater that can generate more value, assuming you're attacking with other stuff.
  • Djeru and Hazoret is a sweet beater / card advantage engine if you have enough legends to hit consistently. Seems worth consideration if you're running a Captain Sisay package.
  • Mirror-Shield Hoplite is a bit too parasitic (since there aren't that many backup abilities, total), but could be fun if the mechanic ever returns.
  • Invasion of Ergamon is an alright piece of card selection if you're running a bunch of battles.
  • Realmbreaker, the Invasion Tree is a fun (if durdley) ramp engine. It is a bit inconsistent though.
From the commander precons:

Overall Thoughts

Overall, I don't think there are any obvious auto-includes for this deck, but there are a lot of interesting options. Orthion and Quintorius both have nice (if slightly clunky) tap abilities. Vorinclex, Etali, and Invasion of Shandalar are all nice value cards. Doomskar Warrior, Conclave Sledge-Captain, Guardian Scalelord, and Emergent Woodwurm are all solid backup creatures if you're interested in doing some Samut voltron.

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Post by Mookie » 11 months ago

Aftermath spoilers out. It's a small set, so not a ton of cards to go through.
  • Harnessed Snubhorn is mildly interesting with haste - reanimating Zendikar Resurgent or some other expensive permanent could be interesting. Not really what this deck is set up to do though.
  • Leyline Immersion is interesting - five mana is a ton of mana for a creature to tap for, and this deck can potentially do so multiple times per turn.
  • Nissa, Resurgent Animist looks quite strong - not quite as good as Lotus Cobra / Tireless Provisioner if you only care about mana production, but tutoring up Oracle of Mul Daya / Living Inferno / etc. is very interesting, particularly if you limit the number of elves and elementals in your deck.
  • Open the Way is a nice ramp spell - two lands for four mana or four lands for six is pretty reasonable, and it can fetch nonbasics.
  • Samut, Vizier of Naktamun is a very solid draw engine if you're attacking a lot - Samut 1.0 grants your entire team haste, so the two work well together.
  • Sigarda, Font of Blessings is sweet - protects your board, plus she can generate some card advantage if you have a lot of humans. Seems reasonable.
I'll call out Tazri, Stalwart Survivor as a card that isn't legal in this deck, but is interesting if you're looking for another commander that works well with activated abilities. That said, Tazri wants very different creatures from this deck - much better for abilities that don't require tapping, since you'll want to tap those creatures for mana.

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Post by Mookie » 9 months ago

Lord of the Rings spoilers are out, so time to review!

Red

  • Hew the Entwood is interesting, but usually a bad idea unless you're really heavy on artifacts and lands. That said, it does have some potential with stuff like World Shaper.
  • Spiteful Banditry gives The Meathook Massacre vibes - a cheap card that doubles as a board wipe and can generate value. This deck isn't a big fan of board wipes (particularly ones that kill small creatures), but the treasure it produces will add up in the long game. Probably simpler to run Farseek effects if you want cheap ramp though.
  • Éomer, Marshal of Rohan is an interesting option for beatdown-focused decks.
  • Gloin, Dwarf Emissary is okay if you're casting lots of historic spells.
  • Rising of the Day is a strictly-better Fervor effect, although it's generally outclassed by other options.

Green

  • Radagast the Brown is an interesting option for creature-heavy decks, but most of the creatures in this deck are pretty small and thus likely to miss (and that's ignoring how many of them are humans).
  • Last March of the Ents is a potent spell, but somewhat dependent on having a large creature to justify casting it. Still, it's definitely capable of generating a massive board.
  • Elven Chorus is a nice draw engine / ramp effect if you have lots of creatures. There is some tension with many of the creatures already having tap abilities, but it does work well with token production.
  • The Ring Goes South is a reasonable ramp effect that can also get nonbasics. You don't need that many legendary creatures for it to be good, although it is challenging to cast it on curve. I've had somewhat mixed results with Harvest Season, but scaling ramp is definitely abusable.
  • Entish Restoration is an alright ramp spell, but you really want to consistently have a 4+ power creature - otherwise, it's outclassed by Harrow.
  • Prize Pig is a somewhat interesting mana dork if you have a lot of lifegain (or food production).
  • Travel Through Caradhras is an alright ramp / recursion effect, although it is a bit inconsistent.

White

  • Dawn of a New Age is a reasonable draw engine - you usually can't play it on curve, but it does represent some nice value over time.
  • The Battle of Bywater is somewhat interesting for small-creature decks. I've had mixed results with Dusk // Dawn in the past, but cutting a mana off the cost does make it a better tempo play.
  • Flowering of the White Tree is a nice anthem for go-wide decks, and giving legends ward is a nice bit of soft protection.
  • Forge Anew is an interesting option if you're running lots of equipment to suit up Samut.
  • Reprieve is an effect white usually doesn't have access to - delaying a board wipe or other big spell by a turn can be very powerful.
  • Gilraen, Dúnedain Protector is a reasonable way to protect your creatures (or otherwise make them better).

Gold, Colorless, and Lands

Overall Thoughts

Overall, I think Lord of the Rings is a bit of a miss for this deck. Most of the cards in these colors go into a go-wide, aggressive strategy, with few new tap abilities. Reprieve and Last March of the Ents are the two cards I would be most interested in for this deck, but I don't think either quite makes the cut. I might run Shire Terrace over Ash Barrens, but that isn't a particularly splashy upgrade (...and I guess I'm not already running Naya Panorama, so probably not). I suppose some cards could be good if you're running Captain Sisay and a bunch of legends though - the legendary lands and Éowyn, Fearless Knight seem worth consideration as tutor targets.

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Post by duducrash » 9 months ago

How is the Emeria, the Sky Ruin package treating you?

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Post by Mookie » 9 months ago

duducrash wrote:
9 months ago
How is the Emeria, the Sky Ruin package treating you?
I unfortunately haven't played the deck many times since adding it, so hard to say. It's obviously much weaker than just winning with Maze of Ith combo, but I think the opportunity cost is fairly low compared to running another basic or another dual. It can be tricky to get enough plains though, particularly since I haven't gotten used to checking my plains count or aggressively fetching them yet (and Knight of the Reliquary doesn't help).

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Post by Mookie » 9 months ago

Small update:
Mentor of the MeekSevinne's Reclamation
SkullclampBrash Taunter

I have somewhat mixed feelings about Skullclamp in this deck - it's obviously a busted card, but I don't have many expendable creatures or token producers. Meanwhile, Mentor of the Meek is a card I'm sort of low on these days (although I have actually generally been fine with it in this deck).

Sevinne's Reclamation and Brash Taunter are two cards I'm not entirely sold on, but I picked up copies to test. That said, I may end up reversing these changes if I find myself running out of cards too often.

I also got a copy of Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink, but I think he's generally a downgrade from Jaxis, the Troublemaker (and I don't think I want three versions of this effect with Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker). Jaxis is a card I haven't finished testing though, so may eventually make the swap if I find myself underwhelmed by him - Orthion's ability to make five copies does sound pretty spicy.

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Post by Mookie » 8 months ago

Played a game with the deck this weekend, and Sevinne's Reclamation felt good - I had an active Inferno Titan + Basilisk Collar for a turn or two until an opponent blew up the Basilisk Collar, which I was then able to recur. I also had the option to recur Krosan Verge to work towards Emeria, the Sky Ruin if I wanted (which probably could have been active in the next turn or two, since I had Karametra, God of Harvests in hand).

re: Emeria - I think it's a bit too slow to be a plan A or B for this deck, but it's a reasonable plan C to work towards, and it's relatively low-cost to include. Sacred Peaks / Radiant Grove make it very easy to turn on. I think the main issue is tempo - fetching a bunch of plains off Thawing Glaciers / Krosan Verge recursion / etc. isn't difficult, but it does cost mana that I often instead want to spend on actually building board presence. Still, it's a reasonable backup plan if I happen to flood out or if there are a bunch of board wipes (which seems somewhat unlikely in my current meta, since it feels like no one runs any - I was in a 1.5-2 hour, 5-player game yesterday that somehow only had a single board wipe).

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Post by Mookie » 7 months ago

New set, so time to review. I think WOE is a bit of a miss for this deck, since most of the enchantment and token themes don't really mesh with what this deck is doing. Still, there are some interesting cards worth calling out.

White

Red

Green

Gold and Colorless

  • Agatha of the Vile Cauldron is a cost reducer for activated abilities, which is sweet. That said, most of the tap abilities in this deck are free to activate, so she probably makes more sense elsewhere.
  • Yenna, Redtooth Regent has a powerful tap ability... but you need a lot of enchantments to get consistent value. Copying Zendikar Resurgent or some other splashy enchantment can get very silly though.
  • Agatha's Soul Cauldron is very interesting in the context of this deck, since it acts as a slow Necrotic Ooze effect. At the very least, throwing strong tap abilities (like that of Godsire or Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker) onto random creatures can be extremely strong, and that's before considering any combo potential. It would require some building around, but definitely abusable... or you can just play it fairly as a piece of grave hate // way to pump Samut.
  • Restless Bivouac is one of the better available manlands in the context of this deck, since throwing +1/+1 counters on Samut can be pretty strong.
  • Ellivere of the Wild Court is somewhat interesting as a beater - as always, pumping Samut is pretty good. You want enchantments to fuel the Virtuous tokens, but I think she's capable of generating enough to be threatening without requiring much support.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, I would say Blossoming Tortoise is the one card I would consider for my build of the deck - land ramp, filling the graveyard, and reducing the cost to activate utility lands are all relevant abilities. Beyond it, there are a few interesting options if you want to lean into voltron (always tempting with Samut) or beatdown. I could see Ellivere being good in a more aggressive build, or Moonshaker Cavalry as a finisher (although Craterhoof already exists to fill the same role).

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Post by Mookie » 6 months ago

Somewhat random, but Legolas's Quick Reflexes looks like a strong piece of protection for this deck. Split-second hexproof stops pretty much all spot removal, the untap is relevant, and the tap trigger is quite nice alongside any tap / untap effects... or you can just use it as a board wipe with Seeker of Skybreak.

I'll note that Rohirrim Chargers could be nice support if you happen to be running lots of creatures with exert, like Pride Sovereign or Angel of Condemnation. That said, there aren't that many playable exert creatures, so probably too niche.

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Post by Mookie » 5 months ago

Doctor Who set spoilers are out. I don't anticipate picking up any of the decks myself, but there are plenty of interesting singles worth calling out for this deck.
  • Ryan Sinclair gives free pseudo-cascade triggers on attack. You'll probably want a way to boost his power though, unless you have a particularly low curve.
  • Yasmin Khan is a nice impulsive draw engine.
  • Romana II is somewhat interesting as a token producer if you have a way to make big tokens, but the fact that she doesn't work by herself means I think she is a miss for this deck.
  • RMS Titanic is an interesting pseudo-ritual - play it for four mana with Samut out, attack an opponent, and sacrifice it for seven treasures. I'm not sure if that's good for this deck, but it's certainly interesting.
  • Karvanista, Loyal Lupari is a way to pump Samut or other humans.
  • Susan Foreman is a mana dork if you happen to be in a planechase-heavy meta.
  • Last Night Together is an alright extra combat step - the power boost for Samut can be relevant, and an extra combat for something like Etali, Primal Storm can be quite impactful.
  • Vrestin. Menoptra Leader can do some scary things with haste - you get 3X damage (with flying), which is extremely efficient and beats most Fireball effects (including Crackle with Power).
  • Gallifrey Falls is a bit expensive for a board wipe, but getting it as an instant and adding the option to protect your team is quite nice. Flexibility tends to be strong, so while I wouldn't play it over top-tier protection like Teferi's Protection, I would consider it over stuff like Boros Charm.
  • Everybody Lives! is another option for a protection spell. Symmetry means it isn't quite as good as some other options, but it is cheap.
  • Four Knocks is an alright draw engine if you want a Phyrexian Arena, but I think it's outclassed by other options in Naya.
  • The Foretold Soldier works well with haste and seems mildly interesting if you look at it as a recursive removal spell - if you squint, it looks like a Diabolic Edict every turn.
  • Trial of a Time Lord is an alright removal spell that can potentially hit multiple creatures, although it is a bit inconsistent.
  • The Parting of the Ways is an interesting draw spell - you can't cast the spells immediately, but you get them for free a few turns later (depending on their price).
  • Bigger on the Inside seems very strong with land untap effects - getting multiple cascade triggers (and extra mana) every turn seems quite strong.
  • Wreck and Rebuild is an alright ramp // removal spell with flashback.
  • Decaying Time Loop is a repeatable wheel effect that can fill the graveyard very quickly (particularly with Life from the Loam or another way to refill your hand with lands).
  • Sibylline Soothsayer is a very janky Elvish Visionary - you need to wait a few turns, but you do get the spell for free.
  • Displaced Dinosaurs is interesting if you can make a bunch of historic tokens with something like Tireless Provisioner.
  • Ominous Cemetery seems a bit clunky, but it's an interesting option for a Knight of the Reliquary toolbox.
Not sure if I'll pick any of these cards up for my own deck, but I could see myself playing Wreck and Rebuild or Bigger on the Inside.

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Post by Mookie » 4 months ago

Time for my once-a-month(?) tradition of analyzing the new set! Caverns of Ixalan looks sweet. I'm not sure quite how much its themes mesh with this deck, but there are certainly a number of cards worth consideration.

Red

Green

White

  • Thousand Moons Smithy // Barracks of the Thousand is interesting - this deck plays a lot of creatures, so the initial token is potentially a large creature... but the real appeal is flipping it, untapping it, and getting multiple tokens per turn. That said, tapping five creatures is a high cost, and there are a bunch of hoops to jump through. I'm also slightly hesitant to rely on the flip side - artifact lands are significantly more vulnerable to removal than normal lands.
  • Get Lost is a fairly efficient and flexible removal spell.
  • Kellan, Daring Traveler // Journey On is interesting - a pile of map tokens represent some nice value (or Samut pumps), and the creature side represents some more value (albeit fairly inconsistent).
  • Charismatic Conqueror is an interesting token producer // hate piece.
  • Redemption Choir is a miniature Sun Titan. Not as consistent and easier to block, but still a nice value engine.

Gold and Colorless

Overall Thoughts

Sadly, there aren't many sweet tap abilities in the set. The set does look solid if you're running a more aggressive stompy strategy though - Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant seems like a lot of fun (and makes me want to run Elvish Piper), and I could also see Ravenous Tyrannosaurus, Ojer Kaslem, Deepest Growth // Temple of Cultivation, and Sentinel of the Nameless City being quite good.

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Post by Mookie » 2 months ago

MKM spoilers are out, and the set looks to have a lot of interesting things in it. The set's mechanics don't particularly mesh with this deck - suspect, disguise, and cloak don't really make sense in this deck. However, there are plenty of strong standalone cards worth consideration. Land-based strategies in particular have a ton of new support cards.

Red

  • Expedited Inheritance is an interesting option if you have a lot of pingers or other ways to damage your own creatures. Probably better for enrage decks though.
  • Incinerator of the Guilty is a cheaper Balefire Dragon, and a potent option for board control (especially with haste). You do need stuff in your graveyard to burn though.
  • Anzrag's Rampage is interesting. I'm not convinced it beats Vandalblast - there are plenty of times you only need to destroy one thing. Getting a free creature does sound nice though, especially if you have some beefy creatures to cheat out.
  • Krenko's Buzzcrusher is a nice piece of disruption - it can take out some utility lands while putting a land in your graveyard to recur. Somewhat meta-dependent though - if you're just killing a fixing land and replacing it with a basic, that doesn't really do anything.
  • The Case of the Crimson Pulse can represent a lot of card draw, but only if you can get yourself into topdeck mode.
  • Connecting the Dots is another option for card advantage if you're attacking with a lot of creatures.
  • Krenko, Baron of Tin Street is one of the few tap abilities in the set, but looks like a miss unless you have a lot of artifacts / goblins.
  • Vengeful Tracker is amusing tech if you want to hate on clue / treasure decks... or Dockside Extortionist.
  • Torch the Witness is a fun piece of removal, but not particularly efficient.
  • Case of the Burning Masks is mildly interesting as a value card - kill a thing, then cash it in for cards later.
  • Crime Novelist is sweet if you're running lots of clue / treasure production, or otherwise plan to sacrifice a bunch of artifacts.
  • Demand Answers is a flexible piece of card filtering.

Green

  • Undergrowth Recon is a very strong card when supported. With one fetchland, you can recur it every other turn, and two mean you ramp every turn. You do need to wait two turn cycles before you get your first mana, but it adds up over time. I think it's too slow if you're only running a few fetchlands and hope to draw them naturally - I would stick to Cultivate and other ramp. If you're running a full suite of fetchlands or other self-mill (or even better, Strip Mine / Glacial Chasm / other utility lands), then it goes way up in value. Works very well with Knight of the Reliquary / Elvish Reclaimer.
  • Archdruid's Charm is another card whose power level is dependent on your budget - the better your land suite, the better it will be. If you're running Crop Rotation to grab your favorite land, this seems like an easy addition. It also has a ton of other modes! Exiling a problem artifact / enchantment, tutoring a creature, a bit of spot removal... very flexible, not too expensive to cast, and all the modes are good. Triple green can be awkward though.
  • Case of the Locked Hothouse looks like an upgraded Oracle of Mul Daya - you don't reveal what you draw, it doesn't die as easily, and you can also get creatures and enchantments off the top, which significantly increases the hit rate. You do need to reach 7+ lands though.
  • Analyze the Pollen reminds me of Traverse the Ulvenwald - instead of needing specific card types in the graveyard, you just need expensive stuff. Seems more consistent to turn on in the mid/lategame.
  • Aftermath Analyst is a bit expensive, but it's another piece of redundancy for Splendid Reclamation and World Shaper. The more fetches and self-mill you have, the better it will be.
  • They Went This Way is a Cultivate variant if you squint - ramps, plus provides some card advantage. Underwhelming otherwise though.
  • Pick Your Poison is a cheap and flexible piece of interaction. Sacrifice effects can be a bit awkward if your opponents have multiple things, but this looks very efficient.
  • On the Trail is another copy of Exploration if you have a lot of card draw.
  • Innocuous Researcher is mildly interesting as a source of card advantage - it draws a card and can investigate several times on attack, plus you can untap your mana to crack clues. This deck doesn't cast many spells on opponents' turns, so losing that option shouldn't be too painful.
  • Emissary Green is mildly interesting as an Overrun variant.

White

  • Delney, Streetwise Lookout is interesting, but probably a miss for the deck - they copy triggered abilities, but not activated abilities.
  • Aurelia's Vindicator looks fun, although not particularly efficient - I think Angel of Serenity is generally better.
  • Tenth District Hero is interesting design - making your other stuff indestructible after leveling up sounds nice.
  • Doorkeeper Thrull is a brutal hate piece to be aware of. This deck isn't that reliant on ETB triggers, but still annoying.
  • Unyielding Gatekeeper is a flexible (if inefficient) removal spell on a body.
  • Assemble the Players looks a bit like a trap to me unless you have a particularly high number of small creatures or topdeck manipulation. It's not impossible to make it good, but getting 20+ small creatures in the deck can be pretty tough. Seems worth consideration if you have something like Sylvan Library or Hua Tuo, Honored Physician though.
  • Wojek Investigator is a nice value engine if you can get your hand empty.
  • No Witnesses is usually worse than Day of Judgment, IMO - when you have the most creatures, you are least likely to want to board wipe.
  • Call a Surprise Witness is a cheap piece of reanimation for a small creature.
  • The Case of the Gateway Express seems alright - a conditional removal spell plus a small anthem for your creatures. Good for go-wide decks.
  • Sanctuary Wall is mildly interesting alongside Seedborn Muse / Quest for Renewal - if you have a ton of untaps, it can potentially lock down multiple things. Somewhat clunky otherwise though.
  • Unexplained Absence is a flexible multi-target removal spell that I expect to be a format staple.
  • Trouble in Pairs seems like a solid, if inconsistent, draw engine. I could see it drawing 3+ cards per turn cycle in some metas, which is rare for a white card. It is a punisher effect though, so I think most opponents will be able to deny it.
  • Otherworldly Escort is mildly interesting as a rattlesnake.
  • Apothecary White is mildly interesting as a token producer, although somewhat challenging to use multiple times per turn cycle.

Gold, Colorless, and Lands

Overall Thoughts

The set brings a lot of interesting new cards, but the support for land-based strategies are what I find most exciting for this deck by a significant margin. Undergrowth Recon, Archdruid's Charm, Case of the Locked Hothouse, and Worldsoul's Rage all look very nice. Plus, the surveil lands are all excellent. Beyond land stuff, I could see Agrus Kos, Spirit of Justice, Anzrag, the Quake-Mole, and Nelly Borca, Impulsive Accuser being fun to play with. Unexplained Absence is an excellent piece of interaction.

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Mookie
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Post by Mookie » 1 month ago

Fallout spoilers are here! I'm somewhat ambivalent on the set overall, but there are a few cards worth consideration. The Naya precon unfortunately doesn't bring much for this deck though - it has an aura/equipment theme that doesn't really make sense with my current build.
  • Codsworth, Handy Helper is mildly interesting as a mana dork and a way to cheat on equip costs, but I don't think this deck has enough equipment. Worth consideration for Samut voltron though.
  • Yes Man, Personal Securiton looks quite good. Humble Defector is one of the stronger tap abilities in this deck, and Yes Man acts as a second version. It won't draw cards if it is sacrificed in response to the ability, but I believe untap effects still work. It also grants tokens when it does die, which is nice.
  • Grim Reaper's Sprint grants an extra combat (and untaps your team) on ETB, which is... interesting. There might be something with Yenna, Redtooth Regent?
  • Tato Farmer is a powerful ramp engine if you have enough self-mill, and the rad counters let it enable itself. You can also get opponents' lands, which is somewhat interesting. I suspect the restriction is a bit too harsh, but may be worth testing.
  • Well Rested is a powerful payoff for untapping a creature. It's a pity that it only triggers once per turn, but throwing it on Seeker of Skybreak (or any other creature you want to untap repeatedly) seems quite strong.
  • Preston Garvey, Minuteman is mildly interesting due to the 'untap each enchanted permanent' clause. Plargg, Dean of Chaos // Augusta, Dean of Order is better if you just want to untap your creatures, but I could see an alternate build that is heavy on land auras like Wild Growth and runs even more land untappers. I think Samut is better as the commander of a dedicated tap ability deck though - you could run a janky Preston deck with creature auras and tap abilities, but I think that would require too many moving pieces. Gylwain, Casting Director does help though. Hmmm....
  • C.A.M.P. is an interesting draw engine - six mana to fortify a land is a bit expensive, and the junk token is good but not amazing... but if you can untap the land repeatedly it goes way up in value.
  • Pip-Boy 3000 is a somewhat low-impact piece of equipment, but the 'untap two lands' option is interesting.
  • Junktown is a land that can be cashed in for card advantage. Not a bad option to recur in the lategame.
  • Sunscorched Divide exists, but I think it is a miss - this deck values green mana and typed lands.
  • Mariposa Military Base is a strictly better Arch of Orazca. I don't expect the rad counters to last for that long, but it is slightly cheaper to activate.
Overall, I would say that Yes Man looks to be the strongest inclusion for this deck - I'm more than happy to run a second Humble Defector. Tato Farmer and Well Rested could also be interesting, and I suppose that Mariposa Military Base is a strictly better Arch of Orazca, so I should probably swap it out.

That said, I think the more interesting thing to come from the set is the idea that I could be running more land untappers and land auras (or fortifications). C.A.M.P. or Spawning Grounds + Arbor Elf sounds pretty amusing, but even something like Wild Growth may be worth consideration.

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