New Fast Mana (in Boros)

[Avacyn Believer]

Recently I had the opportunity to test my Avacyn deck against one of it's original rival decks (Kess, Dissident Mage, heavy control), and it really highlighted to me how the September 2024 bans took away the speed that Avacyn relied on in this match up. It got me thinking more about finding alternative sources of early explosive mana, if they even exist these days. The obvious one that comes to mind is Jeska's Will but I am wondering if there are better/outside of the box cards that I am oblivious to?

Figured people here might have better and more creative ideas than what EDHREC can show me.

Thanks!

[Ruiner]

Not sure on budgetary concerns but Gemstone Caverns and Chrome Mox can both be pretty great as long as you don't mind the card disadvantage.

Simian Spirit Guide and Lotus Petal are similarly good "free" ramp, although temporary.

Beyond that, in most of my two color white decks I am a fan of including Weathered Wayfarer, Flagstones of Trokair, Lotus Field, and Thespian's Stage. It's not super quick necessarily, but it can result in some nice ramping eventually for a pretty low deck construction cost (only one isn't a land).

[Avacyn Believer]

Not sure on budgetary concerns but Gemstone Caverns and Chrome Mox can both be pretty great as long as you don't mind the card disadvantage.

I remember seeing Gemstone Caverns long time ago but forgot all about it. Not sure if the card disadvantage is worth because Avacyn as a commander doesn't provide any card advantage, it but can't hurt to try. I did consider Chrome Mox, but went with Mox Opal instead because I feel the deck is too artifact heavy for reliable card to throw under Chrome Mox.

Simian Spirit Guide and Lotus Petal are similarly good "free" ramp, although temporary.

Lotus Petal might not be a bad shout because I do have yard recursion for artifacts.

Flagstones of Trokair and Lotus Field look like a cool combo, but the Field feels too slow for what I am aiming for in this particular deck. If I am playing a tapped land on turn 3, I am too behind. Thespian's Stage might be worth it though, could give me access to big mana lands other people play. Cheers.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

Recently I had the opportunity to test my Avacyn deck against one of it's original rival decks (Kess, Dissident Mage, heavy control), and it really highlighted to me how the September 2024 bans took away the speed that Avacyn relied on in this match up. It got me thinking more about finding alternative sources of early explosive mana, if they even exist these days. The obvious one that comes to mind is Jeska's Will but I am wondering if there are better/outside of the box cards that I am oblivious to?

Figured people here might have better and more creative ideas than what EDHREC can show me.

Thanks!

Speed is only one answer to this problem. If control is giving you issues, cards that give you sudden reach like Price of Progress can punish a tapout and soft hosers like Charitable Levy can force tapouts more often without going full stax. Armageddon is also B4, but ymmv with that.

[Avacyn Believer]

Speed is only one answer to this problem. If control is giving you issues, cards that give you sudden reach like Price of Progress can punish a tapout and soft hosers like Charitable Levy can force tapouts more often without going full stax. Armageddon is also B4, but ymmv with that.

Thanks, I see where you coming from but those kind of cards would change how my deck plays, so at least for now I am still looking for speed more than anything else. I wouldn't say control as a whole is giving me problems, it's more so this one deck, part of my oldest playgroup, it's fun to see how our decks interact with each other over the years.

[Phoenixlance]

Something cute you could do would be to pair something like Rustvale Bridge with cards like Cleansing Wildfire to ramp yourself. Also works with Flagstones of Trokair too. However, it does take up a bunch of slots in the deck and it isn't exactly fast. Also Rustvale Bridge is just not that good of a card.

Where do you feel like the deck struggles in the Kess matchup? Is it just trying to land Avacyn and keep her on board? Is it a challenge to put pressure on the Kess player? Or do they just out grind you?

[Ruiner]

Professional Face-Breaker is another card I should have listed in my previous response. That card can be pretty efficient at generating some treasures each turn.

[PrimevalCommander]

After losing Mana Crypt I have moved to some pretty lame alternatives.

Jeweled Amulet
Strike it Rich
various rituals

Professional Face-Breaker is a good callout, that card has done well for me.
Springleaf Drum with cheap creatures maybe
Ruby Medallion and Pearl Medallion act like 2-mana rocks, but can act like double-rocks if you can double-spell and have a high density of one color.

[3drinks]

It's because the hard control deck is preying on a deck like Avacyn. All it has to do to play the game is "not lose". I don't think your Avacyn (afaik it was flip Avacyn right?) was particularly strong versus Kess, rather you were high rolling with fast mana to get the jump on it. Without that crutch now, you're seeing Natural Selection take over and "kick you into your place" i.e. the control deck more reliably preying on your Avacyn. Happens to us all, you lost a reliable strategy and control did not, so of course control is taking over with it's inevitability and reliability. Same thing happens with Kaalia too. Losing busted fast mana isn't a bug, it's a feature - that mana was acting as a band-aid over an actual problem, I think, rather than solving the problem.

Shoutout this thread for showing me Charitable Levy though, that's so gas and needs to be a pickup for the Kaalia blog. I love that.

[NZB2323]

Other ramp you could run in Boros:

Legion's Landing // Adanto, the First Fort
Smuggler's Share
Professional Face-Breaker
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer

Cards you could add that are good against Kess:

Drannith Magistrate
Sanctifier en-Vec
Grand Abolisher
Voice of Victory

Voice of Victory also triggers Archangel Avacyn // Avacyn, the Purifier, and Sanctifier en-Vec survives the flip.

[3drinks]

I don't think it's a ramp issue as much as it's a fast mana issue to stay ahead. So those cards really won't help (much as I like a smuggler's share).

The flip card into land tells me you're a follower of Richard's takes on goldfish. Not a dig, just a funny quirk to see in the wild. Man really will take thirty thousand backflips around a narrow mechanic just go say "look, red ramp!" 😅

[NZB2323]

I don't think it's a ramp issue as much as it's a fast mana issue to stay ahead. So those cards really won't help (much as I like a smuggler's share).

The flip card into land tells me you're a follower of Richard's takes on goldfish. Not a dig, just a funny quirk to see in the wild. Man really will take thirty thousand backflips around a narrow mechanic just go say "look, red ramp!" 😅

I don't follow Richard. I actually got into Legion's Landing // Adanto, the First Fort from a primer by @ISBPathfinder on a different website for his Edgar Markov primer. It's better in Edgar where it produces a vampire and each vampire you cast in that deck creates another one, so it can flip on turn 3 to cast another 1 drop vampire.

It's not as good in this deck, but Boros doesn't have a lot of ramp or fast mana, and it really doesn't take that much to make it flip, it only cost 1 mana, and it creates a dork. It's the only flip land that I play.

Boros was definitely hurt by the bannings of Jeweled Lotus and Mana Crypt, and that's not their strength. Boros can either try other ramp or put in hatebears like Sanctifier en-Vec that can be searched up with Imperial Recruiter or Recruiter of the Guard. Recruiter of the guard can't search up Drannith Magistrate, but that's another good card to include.

[3drinks]

Oh damn Archangel Avacyn // Avacyn, the Purifier has a retro print. I gotta add that to my shortlist for the journal.

[ISBPathfinder]

You can make a Weathered Wayfarer package of sorts. I used to have a mono white deck that needed to ramp hard and I intentionally had a sequence that would go like this:

T1: White producing land + Weathered Wayfarer
T2: Wayfarer tutor for and play Flagstones of Trokair
T3: Wayfarer tutor and play Lotus Field popping the flagstones
T4: Wayfarer tutor and play Thespian's Stage. Then use it to copy Lotus Field.

I get that this eats up your first 4 turns but you untap on T5 with 7 mana before playing your land. Its not crazy explosive but it all starts with just a Weathered Wayfarer and it does put you ahead without any other real cards required. Granted.... this was a little slower list that ran a bunch of wraths so if you are going up against someone going really fast this can be slow but its nice that you can execute this with any opening game wayfarer just by being intentional with land slots. You could also substitute the Lotus Field for Scorched Ruins if you don't mind colorless and living more dangerously (in that it doesn't have hexproof).

[Avacyn Believer]

Thanks for all the wierd and wonderful suggestions. It would appear I am not missing anything obvious, there just aren't any good substitutes for fast mana (not yet anyway).

Where do you feel like the deck struggles in the Kess matchup? Is it just trying to land Avacyn and keep her on board? Is it a challenge to put pressure on the Kess player? Or do they just out grind you?

To answer this, and the other similar questions, I'd say it is a mix of everything. The challenge always was to put Avacyn on the board before counter spells and then protect her against removal. If I am wasting time re-casting or waiting too long to cast her, I am not attacking fast enough to deal commander damage. With the banned cards it was possible, consistently, to get Avacyn down early and then have mana for other things. Now it felt like I can't do it fast enough. Of course it doesn't help when the other player/s do not interact enough with the Kess deck. Just nature of the playgroup.

It is not a major issue generally speaking, but playing against this specific control deck that is very optimized (always has been) is a good indicator for me. I rarely feel the same way against other decks. So I am not keen on adding cards specifically against this Kess or control in general. I want to stay focused on the Voltron Equipment strategy.

But it does show me I might need to re-think the strategy a little bit, try something else to keep up with ramping. Professional Face-Breaker seems like a good choice to try out.

Charitable Levy seems cool but I think it would screw me over in an equipment deck. Smuggler's Share seems like a decent shout too, and similar enchantments. Sanctifier en-Vec is interesting... but not sure I like my own red cards getting exiled.

You can make a Weathered Wayfarer package of sorts. I used to have a mono white deck that needed to ramp hard and I intentionally had a sequence that would go like this:

It is a cool idea and I love the Waywarer but relying on that card to show up consistently has not been working out. But it does well when it does show up!

[ISBPathfinder]

Charitable Levy seems cool but I think it would screw me over in an equipment deck. Smuggler's Share seems like a decent shout too, and similar enchantments. Sanctifier en-Vec is interesting... but not sure I like my own red cards getting exiled.

Keep in mind with Charitable Levy that you usually do it as the last thing you do. If you are first for instance you can throw off a lot of early ramp in that they will miss playing it on curve. Its always going to hit your opponents first so it tends to hit you less than it does your opponents. Later on its not that uncommon for it to pop before it comes back to you while costing your opponents mana to get through it. Its been a very good card in my experience.