Selvala, Explorer Returned - Into the Wild Unknown

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cheonice
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Post by cheonice » 1 year ago

Got my Smuggler's Share! This should be a blast!
I added War Room to add another mana sink, we will see, if this has any impact.
Brother's War brought some upgrades: Haywire Mite replaces one of my all-time favourites Qasali Pridemage... Loran of the Third Path is an easy upgrade to Reclamation Sage. I don't have any elf synergies, while Loran synergizes with cards like Smuggler's Share.

As a next step I will look into Guardian Project and Beast Whisperer. Tocasia's Welcome and Welcoming Vampire look promising, but I'm not sure if I can trigger them more consistently than the 4-mana-options. Yeva, Nature's Herald has similar issues: With the eflfball approach of the old versions there was an abundance of green creatures. Unfortunately the deck shifted more towards white.
Lastly I'm thinking about adding more ways to untap Selvala. Options include Drumbellower, Quirion Ranger/Scryb Ranger/Wirewood Symbiote, and Seeker of Skybreak. This would probably require more mana sinks, though.

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Post by cheonice » 1 year ago

Last game went ok. Card draw seems to be an issue, so I'm experimenting with some changes. Smuggler's Share was as great as expected.

Yeva, Nature's Herald was on the cutting board for a while, I don't play enough green creatures anymore. Scryb Ranger on the other hand could provide some untap shenanigans.
I don't think I tutored for Sejiri Steppe more than once with Knight of the Reliquary. More LD feels appropriate, considering the amount of tutors on Cabal Coffers in my playgroup.
Mana Reflection doubles Selvala's mana, but I don't think this is necessary. Zendikar Resurgent offers card draw on top of the mana doubling, which is worth a shot.
Finally, Karametra, God of Harvests feels a bit outdated. She still is a great creature, but I'm getting a bit tired of her. Hitting my landdrops seems more important than ramping somewhere in the late game, so Esper Sentinel gets her chance to shine.
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Post by cheonice » 1 year ago

Smothering Tithe is highly synergistic with Selvala and should be in here. Zendikar Resurgent's mana value is way to high for what it does, even if it is a fun card.
I want to give Well of Lost Dreams another chance. in the old decklists it never did it's job, but with lifegain being the main theme it should perform better. Guardian Project fells way clunkier without an elfball theme.

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Post by cheonice » 1 year ago

Small changes: I cut Temple of the False God and Vesuva for a Plains and a Forest. Last game of Emperor I was colourscrewed with an early Temple. The faster the games, the worse it gets, so this was an obvious cut.
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Post by cheonice » 1 year ago

Jumpstart 2022

Distinguished Conjurer is another pseudo Soul Sister that only triggers on my creatures. I don't think that's ever good enough.

Primeval Herald is a cute little nod to the bane of early EDH. Maybe some kind of blink or trample tribel can make use of her. Does anybody remember the webcomic "Lotus Cobra is Evil"? They had a few comics about the artist's wife, Primeval Titan.

I love everything about Preston, the Vanisher, but unfortunately this is not the deck for him.

Jumpstart brought some fun cards, but due to limited supply in Germany it kinda fell under the radar. As a format it's fun for maybe one or two games. I prefer Battle Box for these kind of short games.

Phyrexia: All will be one

Even though she doubles the triggers of the Soul Sisters, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines does not find a home here. Panharmonicon was never good enough either.

We are not a token deck, so Mondrak, Glory Dominus would be a wasted card slot.

The Eternal Wanderer looks really interesting, but is probably better suited for a control or voltron deck.

White Sun's Twilight looks great for any token deck. Jinnie Fay, Jetmir's Second will love this! It does not fit into Selvala's game plan, though, so this is a pass.

Again, we are not a token deck. And it should be quite difficult to get any opponent to three poison counters to make use of the lifegain. So unfortunately Skrelv's Hive is not for us.

Vanish into Eternity makes a decent Generous Gift impression. Paying six mana to target a creature is too much, though.

THIS is a card that could find a home here! Clever Concealment looks like a great companion to Flawless Maneuver, which reminds me that I need to get my hands on one. Really I card to consider!

There aren't many interesting green cards here, but Cankerbloom is a decent addition to Qasali Pridemage's ever-growing family. If you are into counters, consider this fungus!

White really got a lot of goodies with this set. Unfortunately none fit into Selvala's deck type. An Elesh Norn's phyrexians are really grossing me out. I mean, look at this abomination.



Seedborn Muse is so great in this deck that I want to play another copy. Drumbellower does similar things and is easily recurred by Sun Titan et al. Bouncing a forest with Scryb Ranger does not feel good, so she needs to go.
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Post by cheonice » 1 year ago

Some cuts hurt more than others. Unfortunately one of my favourite cards Knight of the Reliquary doensn't make the cut anymore. Even if there are strong lands, Knight is too slow, too cute outside of a dedicated Lands deck. Instead I will test some topdeck manipulation: Sensei's Divining Top has some neat synergies with Selvala, Explorer Returned. Activating it before activating Selvala makes sure that I see at least one non-land permanent with Parley and therefore get at least one life/mana. Top is great with Fetchies so in they go!
Scattered Groves is probably better than Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree, while Bountiful Promenade is a great addition to my manabase.
Teferi's Protection is cleary the best protection spell (compared to Selfless Spirit, Flawless Maneuver, Guardian of Faith, and Clever Concealment) and helps me to survive alpha strikes or combos.
Lastly, Enlightened Tutor fetches some important artifacts and enchantments. On the other hand Beast Whisperer felt really clunky in the last games, so he makes room for the tutor.

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Post by cheonice » 1 year ago

I finally did it! I rewrote the OP and applied the thread for primer status! :rimshot:
Have a look! :grin: Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

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Post by pokken » 1 year ago

I had a question about your manabase.

My count is that you have around 15 turn 1 green an turn 1 white sources, but a ton of turn 1 effects in those colors. Do you think maybe you're a bit heavy on taplands and colorless lands? And no Command Tower in the non-budget deck?

Were I to suggest some improvements, I would snip the following lands for color mana sources:


My read is that there's a pretty significant chance of you having a hand that would be *vastly* more keepable with an untapped green or white source on turn 1, and your odds of having *both* Green and White on turn 1 are very low right now (so odds are high of you having a Plains but a Llanowar Elves you can't cast).

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Post by cheonice » 1 year ago

Hm, you might have a point. I run a bunch of Plains to enable Emeria, the Sky Ruin more often, but maybe that's not necessary. I could swap a Plains for a Forest.

No idea, why I don't run Command Tower, though. The cut will be Reliquary Tower. I'm going to keep War Room and Tectonic Edge, they both do a decent job.

I never played a fetchie manabase, so I'm not really sure, how many Duals I would need. I allready play Canopy Vista and Temple Garden, while Savannah is out of my price range. Scattered Groves and Arctic Treeline might not be necessary. Do you have any advice?

Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth, City of Brass, Forbidden Orchard and maybe Mana Confluence are other untapped lands, I considered instead of Stirring Wildwood and Wooded Bastion. Maybe I can proxy and test them.

Thanks for your input!

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Post by pokken » 1 year ago

cheonice wrote:
1 year ago
I never played a fetchie manabase, so I'm not really sure, how many Duals I would need. I allready play Canopy Vista and Temple Garden, while Savannah is out of my price range. Scattered Groves and Arctic Treeline might not be necessary. Do you have any advice?
Ideally you have two untapped duals but just Temple Garden will get the job done on turn 1 ( the awkwardness with Canopy Vista is that if you fetch Temple Garden turn 1, you can't have an untapped Canopy Vista until turn 4, which can screw with fetching).

Generally, running the 8 fetches (7 fetch + prismatic vista), Temple Garden and then a decent number of each basic should be sufficient. In Ephara I run the cycling and tango dual, but no snow dual, but I also run Tundra.

If you run Command Tower, Forbidden Orchard, 8 fetches, and 8 of each basic and Temple Garden that would get you to 19 of each color which I think is acceptable. I usually aim for 20 as the magic number.

If you ever want to acquire a Savannah, foreign revised (FWB) can usually be had at pretty serious cut rates - I got mine for $75 a couple years back and prices have depressed on duals since then. The trick is usually to get them in person.

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Post by cheonice » 1 year ago

I don't own many fetchies, so this would be an investment over time. Savannah will probably stay an unfulfilled dream, though.

For now I will test the following list, which would give me 16-18 untapped sources. We will see, if this works for me. Thanks for your advice!
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Post by cheonice » 1 year ago

I played a three-player game this week and ... oh boy did Selvala deliver! I kept three lands, Serra Ascendant, Enlightened Tutor, Avenger of Zendikar and Akroma's Will.
Turn 1: Serra Ascendant
Turn 2: Enlightened Tutor for Smothering Tithe
Turn 3: Selvala, Explorer Returned
Turn 4: Smothering Tithe, activate Selvala just before my turn. I got 4 treasures off my opponents draws and Parley.
Turn 5: Cast Avenger of Zendikar, activate Selvala on my opponents turn, gain a bunch of treasure.
Turn 6: Cast End-Raze Forerunners, which I drew one or two turns ago. Cast Akroma's Will for the win.

Rodolf Duskbringer and Kotori, Pilot Prodigy never stood a chance. I way very lucky with Parley, but sometimes that's everything you need. Luckily, fast games just lead to more games.

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Post by pokken » 1 year ago

And people wonder why I am such a shill for Hour of Revelation lol

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cheonice
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Post by cheonice » 1 year ago

They might fear loosing their precious Sol Ring. Pesky board resets.

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Post by benjameenbear » 1 year ago

Congrats on a lovely Primer @cheonice! Well-earned and the engagement is great to see!

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Post by cheonice » 1 year ago

Thank you! This means a lot to me :)

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Post by cheonice » 10 months ago

Some changes to the manabase. I was able to sell an Intuition and buy some fetchies. I prefer real cards rather than proxies in my signature decks, so I decided to split the fetchies between Lord Windgrace, Ephara, God of the Polis, and Selvala, Explorer Returned. Regarding @pokkens suggestions I added some lands that provide my colours on turn one. Forbidden Orchard is another one, I want to test.

Another small change thing I wanted to test: Realm-Cloaked Giant // Cast Off felt clunky in the last few games, so I'm swapping int with Vanquish the Horde.

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Next up: Working these changes into my Primer. And digging through MOM and Aftermath. Cosmic Rebirth looks interesting.

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Post by pokken » 10 months ago

Man I need to seriously pick up some more copies of Vanquish the Horde. that card is bananas.

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Post by cheonice » 10 months ago

pokken wrote:
10 months ago
Man I need to seriously pick up some more copies of Vanquish the Horde. that card is bananas.
Yep. I'm glad I bought some copies shortly after release. Who would've guessed that wrathing for WW is great :D

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Post by pokken » 10 months ago

cheonice wrote:
10 months ago
Yep. I'm glad I bought some copies shortly after release. Who would've guessed that wrathing for WW is great :D
them of us who are addicted to super-wrathing for www Hour of Revelation ;) I just never expected myself to be on white deck #7 or whatever I am now. it's dumb.

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Post by cheonice » 10 months ago

Yeah... understandable... White went a long way from belng the worst colour to "how could I ever build a deck without Swords, Hour, and Sun Titan?" I kniw the struggle..
Btw, I already ordered a Devastating Mastery, after you talked about it in your Ephara thread. Wrathing is addictive.
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Post by pokken » 10 months ago

cheonice wrote:
10 months ago
Yeah... understandable... White went a long way from belng the worst colour to "how could I ever build a deck without Swords, Hour, and Sun Titan?" I kniw the struggle..
Btw, I allready ordered a Devastating Mastery, after you talked about it in your Ephara thread. Wrathing is addictive.
Not to completely sidetrack, but I've been running that in my budget God-Eternal Oketra deck and it's a total house. Really fun in very casual games to be able to help someone out.

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Post by cheonice » 9 months ago

March of the Machine

Elesh Norn // The Argent Etchings looks really strong. Her stats are decent, her static ability discourages attacks, and her backside is a fast ticking win condition. On the other hand sacrificing three creatures to flip her is a steep cost. I don't think we ever have some creatures to sacrifice. If you want to give it a try, Kamahl, Fist of Krosa would be a good swap.

Dusk Legion Duelist could work... sometimes. While some of our win conditions involve counters, we don't dish them out every turn. Needing to target the Duelist is just another nail in the coffin. Decent for any counter deck, though.

Excise the Imperfect is a great removal. Exiling stuff is way better than just destroying it. It leaves behind a bigger token than Generous Gift, though, and is harder to cast. I probably need a copy nontheless.

Tribute to the World Tree joins the ranks of three-mana-draw enchantments. I really like the the two modes for small and big creatures. In the end it's probably not reliable enough. A Soul Sister does not give us a card, but becomes an okayish sized beater. Triple Green is a harsh cost, too. Tribute might deserve a second look and a play test.

Battles... No idea, if they are more than a fun gimmick. Of all the cards released only Invasion of Zendikar // Awakened Skyclave looks playable in Selvala. At the moment it's just worse than all my other tutors.

While I liked the set as a whole, there are no must plays for Selvala. Just some good allrounder or generic good cards. I really love the team-up cards, though! Zimone and Dina and Shalai and Hallar joined the ranks of my decks! And the future will show, if the battles are any good. Didn't see any in the wild til today.

March of the Machine - Aftermath

Cosmic Rebirth looks strong. A good number of key cards is cmc 3 or less, so it hits important targets. Gaining three life is a nice bonus, too. It feels a bit like a spell-based Sun Titan. But not being able to regrowth non-permanents makes it significantly worse than other options like Eternal Witness.

I have seen some Selvala decks focussing on Angels, so Sigarda, Font of Blessings could be a nice addition. For my build, she's a pass.

Nissa, Resurgent Animist, holy crap, she's a Lotus Cobra on speed! Selvala doesn't need her, though, so I hope she and Chandra can finally spend some time together.

Yeah... Don't know, what this set is supposed to be. Some of my friends liked that the amount of crap per booster is way less than in your average booster, but in the end it's just another cash grab. Buy singles!

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Post by cheonice » 8 months ago

Lord of the Rings

Boromir, Warden of the Tower is another board protection with upside. Free spells are not a big problem in my meta (quite the opposite with ramp running rampart!) and Boromir is worse than Teferi's Protection, so the late Sean Bean does not have a home here.

White Counterspells are always intriguing. Reprieve is no exception. I need to track, if there are any situations, where I really profit from delaying the inevitable. I'll have a look out for this one.

The problem with many cards triggering of lifegain is that they often trigger only at your own end step. LotR offers some new candidates you can use on every player's turn! The Gaffer joins the ranks of Well of Lost Dreams and Dawn of Hope. Sam's father looks great on paper, but I'm not to sure, if I can trigger him regularly. I'll test him instead of Dawn of Hope.

Gwaihir, Greatest of the Eagles offers excellent value and a decent clock. For Selvala he feels a bit clunky. Engine cards at five mana are often problematic because they tend to enter the game pretty late. I don't think he will make the cut, but he probably deserves a test.

Yeah, I need one... Delighted Halfling is a strict upgrade to most mana elves and an easy include. But atm I'm not willing to pay 20+ € for a dork. Luckily her name makes her quite reprintable.

Elven Chorus is a top deck manipulation engine similar to the ones we have seen so far, e. g. Vizier of the Menagerie. Being an enchantment makes the song quite resilient. The elfball version of Selvala would love this, the lifegain deck not so much.

The Shire is fascinating. While tapping an additional creature is a rough cost, there are times this could work better. Having a lifegain source on a land slot feels great. Coming into play untapped sometimes makes this an easy include.

Minas Tirith went straight into Jinnie Fay, Jetmir's Second. It could be of some use here, but Selvala doesn't have that many expendable creatures.

Lord of the Rings looks and feels phantastic! I really love both the books and the movies and even enjoyed Rings of Power. A set build around food synergies offered quite some new cards for Selvala. Hopefully Wizards will reprint some of the more expensive ones in the future...

_______________________

The new manabase worked flawlessly! Forbidden Orchard and The Shire are the latest additions

Gaddock Teeg provoked soso many rolling eyes over the years. He made the last game quite miserable for everyone and I couldn't survive all the ire at the table. So I asked myself, if he's still the right card for the job he's supposed to do: Years ago I put him in to protect my board (most wraths cost four or more) and put a speedbump to some x-spell shenanigans. While the latter isn't necessary in most games, Heroic Intervention does the former job way better.

Reveillark feels outdated, too. Returning two small creatures is nice, but seldom great. Evoke was never relevant. I don't play any combos involving Lark. So I'm testing Ascend from Avernus in its place. Ascend can do the same thing for five mana (return two dorks) but has a game-winning ceiling.

The Gaffer replaces Dawn of Hope Time will tell, if he's good enough.

I want to look into Yisan, the Wanderer Bard, too. He always feels good, but soaks up a lot of mana. I need to have a look on him.

I'm thinking of replacing Mirari's Wake with Mana Reflection. Reflection goes wild with Selvala and the mana dorks, but Wake comes down earlier and gives us a small pump. Any input is greatly appreciated!
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Post by cheonice » 7 months ago

Commander Masters

After all the food synergy goodies of LotR, Commander Masters has next to nothing to offer. There are some great additions for the Enchantment build (Boon of the Spirit Realm, Ondu Spiritdancer, and Composer of Spring). But since the printing of Sythis, Harvest's Hand there is no reason to just play her as herald for the archetype.
For the Ancestors is somewhat interesting for elfball, but there are probably more efficient options.
Teyo, Geometric Tactician could be an option for more controlling or group hugging strategies.

So yeah, it's a reprint set, what do you expect!? :turtle:

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