Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle | Eggs, Cheerios & Weenies

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Post by Toshi » 2 years ago

Set Review - Forgotten Realms
Creatures

Cloister Gargoyle/Nadaar, Selfless Paladin - Idk, powering through Dungeon of the Mad Mage sounds fun, but i just don't see it.
Dawnbringer Cleric - Good toolbox for a common.
Guardian of Faith - Not a natural fit for my deck, but good for more creature-centric builds.
Ingenious Smith - an artifact Militia Bugler, *chef's kiss*
Keen-Eared Sentry - Better than Aegis of the Gods (no enchantment) and True Believer (shroud hinders self-mill), so good for what it is.
Loyal Warhound - Not quite Knight of the White Orchid, but a reasonable alternative/substitute.
Oswald Fiddlebender - Summoning Sickness and tutoring to board are somewhat akward here. But a very strong roleplayer.
Priest of Ancient Lore - No Skyscanner or Wall of Omens, but great fit for redundancy.

Artifacts

Eye of Vecna - It is slow, but good enough for most builds.
Mimic - Meh
Portable Hole - Insane CMC, great for competitive pods.
Potion of Healing - Yet another bland cantrip.
Enchantments

Paladin Class - Good level 1 piece in counter-heavy metas, likely unnecessary anywhere else.

I didn't expect as many playables from the set and it's a pleasant surprise.
Dawnbringer Cleric, Ingenious Smith and Priest of Ancient Lore will likely all find their way into my build - once i'm motivated enough to update it the next time.

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Post by Toshi » 2 years ago

Given that i was rather bored by webcam play, i am still in the process of picking up cards from the last few sets.
On the other hand i realized that the deck is in such a great state that only fitting releases result in any significant changes. Luckily, as things stand there are plenty of those cards coming up.

New Cards
+ 1 Dawnbringer Cleric - A toolbox i'm looking very fondly forward to.
+ 1 Drannith Magistrate - In combo metas this hoses so many things. Plus, no commanders on my opponents boards.
+ 1 Priest of Ancient Lore - More draw, more better.
+ 1 Professor of Symbology - Very interesting design that might fast charge the graveyard.
+ 1 Silence - Combo protection at the smallest price.

Cuts
- 1 Abolish - I was rarely able to ditch a plains for it and a 3 mana Disenchant just isn't it.
- 1 Illumination - This might come back one day, for now i had too few targets aside from mana rocks.
- 1 Mana Tithe - Unfortunately +1 is rather easy to pay and it was stuck in my hand way too often.
- 1 Restoration Specialist - As it doesn't combo easily and took a total of 3 mana to do anything, it just couldn't keep up with other things i do.
- 1 Salvage Scout - Similar to Restoration Specialist, this card is neat but a little too cute compared to other shenanigans.

Set Review - Innistrad: Midnight Hunt
Creatures

Ambitious Farmhand // Seasoned Cathar - An in color Campus Guide is pretty good, yet i'd prefer artifact creatures when in question.
Cathar Commando - Qasali Pridemage/Outland Liberator // Frenzied Trapbreaker with flash? Staple!
Celestus Sanctifier - If only day/night would be easier to abuse. This would've been awesome.
Gavony Dawnguard - Unfortunately this one can be hardly abused. A second Militia Bugler would've been neat.
Intrepid Adversary - Non-combo variants can use this as a legit win condition.
Loyal Gryff - Flash, bounce, body. Solid overall value.
Sungold Sentinel - Yet another graveyard hate option. Good body and protection.

Artifacts

Jack-o'-Lantern - A strong cantrip for most deck strengths.
Moonsilver Key - Being able to tutor for Ashnod's Altar, Lotus Petal and all the mana rocks is just perfect! 10/10
The Celestus - That's a lot of hoops to jump through outside of dedicated decks...

Instants

Fateful Absence - Interesting option, especially for planeswalker heavy metas, obviously.

Sorceries

Vanquish the Horde - Blasphemous Act is certainly a card you want to have, if you're in for symmetrical wipes.

The last few sets have been great for this deck and Innistrad: Midnight Hunt is no different with Cathar Commando and Moonsilver Key being instant staples.
Aside from future releases, i still have to pick up an Ingenious Smith, who is likely to replace Filigree Familiar.

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Post by Toshi » 2 years ago

This time around i ditched the cantrips that didn't combo without Ashnod's Altar involved. Cathar Commando inspired me to run Fiend Hunter as well. While my meta doesn't really need it, i gave Leonin Relic-Warder a thought at least.

New Cards
+ 1 Cathar Commando - Such a lovely card for this deck!
+ 1 Fiend Hunter - Solid without sac outlets, crazy good with them.
+ 1 Ingenious Smith - While it could possibly wiff, it digs pretty deep.
+ 1 Moonsilver Key - Ashnod's Altar, Lotus Petal, Sol Ring, ... 2nd best tutor available, right after Enlightened Tutor.
+ 1 Scarecrone - Cheap-ish draw on an artifact body that sacs itself. What's not to like?
+ 1 Skyclave Apparition - The best removal on a stick available.

Cuts
- 1 Chromatic Sphere - 1 net mana to draw is still great. But i had to find cuts and it just enables combos too rarely.
- 1 Chromatic Star - Very similar as above. Triggers even when disenchanted.
- 1 Conjurer's Bauble - Sad to see it go. Has been of great use.
- 1 Land Tax - More of a good stuff or mid-range card. Neither of which describes this deck.
- 1 Soul-Guide Lantern - A great graveyard nuke i rarely needed. An above average cantrip that will find a place somewhere else.
- 1 Spawning Pit - Free sac outlets are lovely, yet this one doesn't come with any other upsides.

Set Review - Innistrad: Crimson Vow
Creatures

Fleeting Spirit - For a discard outlet that's some fun tech, since it can protect itself.
Resistance Squad - If only i had more than 11 other humans in my deck, i'd certainly play this. Bummer.
Welcoming Vampire - You'd need some Rube Goldberg machine to make this better than Mentor of the Meek. Not unplayable though.

Artifacts

Investigator's Journal - A slow and steady draw engine or a mana heavy one time thing. It's fine.
Wedding Invitation - 2 mana to draw isn't shabby. Plenty of alternatives though.

Instants

Sudden Salvation - Meh. Good filler card, outranked by others.

Sorceries

By Invitation Only - What a weird, yet flexible board wipe this is.

Compared to other more recent sets, Crimson Vow has been pretty bland. Resistance Squad has been a close miss, other than that it has been truly uninspiring.
I don't mind as much - since finding cuts is already painstakingly hard. :pensive:

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Post by indemidelo » 2 years ago

Hi Toshi, thank you very much for the astounding primer. I am looking forward to trying the deck in a few weeks. In the meantime, I am slowly collecting all the necessary cards.

Due to the nature of my playgroup, we tend to rarely use tutors. But we didn't have an agreement on "conditional tutors", like Knight-Captain of Eos, that in this deck find a perfect home for its sac ability.
Do you have any suggestions for the other most straightforward cards like Enlightened Tutor and Sensei's Divining Top?

I saw your budget proposal, but couldn't really match the various card substitutions (my bad).

Thank you again!

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Post by ISBPathfinder » 2 years ago

My own opinion if you are looking for cheaper replacement options for good cards the best option is to just look for more cards that are good for the deck. Oftentimes this will be going through a primer and finding a card that got cut that seems like it might be decent still and adding that. There isn't really a good substitution for Enlightened Tutor and while technically there are some budget option replacements for something like Top I wouldn't generally consider something like Crystal Ball to be good enough most of the time to warrant inclusion over something the primer player cut previously that sounds like they just needed to make room for something else.

Primer change logs and card option sections are often great options to find some pickup suggestions. Toshi might also have good suggestions I just thought I would give you some ideas of info already in the primer as well.
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Post by Toshi » 2 years ago

indemidelo wrote:
2 years ago
Do you have any suggestions for the other most straightforward cards like Enlightened Tutor and Sensei's Divining Top?
Thanks for your kind words! I hope your version of the deck will bring you much joy.

First of all, i would say that Sensei's Divining Top isn't really necessary for the deck. While it does help a lot to adjust draws, it doesn't have much combo potential. You can and should pick up lots of essentials for its price tag instead.

As for the 4 classic tutors Enlightened Tutor, Moonsilver Key, Ranger-Captain of Eos & Recruiter of the Guard, i would suggest you to pick up only Moonsilver Key first and see how your playgroup reacts.
It is by far the cheapest of the bunch, highly synergistic with recursion pieces and it can fetch a larger variety than the creature ones.

When it comes to Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle builds that are still a work in progress, i highly recommend using noncreature cantrips/zero drops as filler cards. You will chew your way through the deck and most of them don't set you back much money.

To give you an overall idea, i would rank them as follows:

S-Tier: Zero mana, enable infinite mana or delayed draw
1. Lotus Petal
2. Mishra's Bauble
3. Urza's Bauble

A-Tier: Zero mana, non-combo utility
4. Welding Jar
5. Tormod's Crypt
6. Dark Sphere
7. Delif's Cone - an empty shell to enable triggers, really

B-Tier: Net one mana and instant draw
8. Conjurer's Bauble
9. Chromatic Star
10. Chromatic Sphere

C-Tier: One mana, net two mana, instant draw
11. Jack-o'-Lantern
12. Sunbeam Spellbomb
13. Scroll of Avacyn
14. Soul-Guide Lantern - requires cards in graveyards (can break loops)
15. Phyrexian Furnace - see above
16. Scrabbling Claws - see above
17. Implement of Improvement - requires mana of color (hard to enable loops)

D-Tier: Two mana, instant draw
18. Sleeper Dart
19. Wedding Invitation
20. Elsewhere Flask - careful, overrides other abilities your lands have
ISBPathfinder wrote:
2 years ago
Primer change logs and card option sections are often great options to find some pickup suggestions.
This is very solid advice. Plus, it gives you a great pool of cards that barely made the deck and are otherwise rock solid includes.

Speaking of which:

New Cards
+ 1 Angelic Ascension - I was looking for some more interaction and don't have a copy of Fateful Absence yet.

Cuts
- 1 Filigree Familiar - I did consider cutting it for quite a while now. There are too many draw alternatives and it doesn't come with the bonkers things Matter Reshaper can do.

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Post by Toshi » 2 years ago

Set Review - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
Creatures

Circuit Mender - If you already like Filigree Familiar you're gonna love this.
Containment Construct - Very interesting, yet risky since it may block filling the yard.
Reito Sentinel - Tempting self-mill piece with the off chance to combo mill opponents in Scrap Trawler loops.
Selfless Samurai - We already have plenty of these. Doesn't make it bad though.
Spirited Companion - Gotta get me one of these. Obvious good boy and staple.

Artifacts

Ecologist's Terrarium - This is fine. Love the artwork.
Network Terminal - Very interesting card for casually powered decks.

Sorceries

Brilliant Restoration - Open the Vaults, but make it less risky. Not for my type of build.
Farewell - Great card, but an obvious nonbo with a graveyard based deck like this one.

Lands

Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire - Not as strong as the green one, but at virtually no opportunity cost.
Roadside Reliquary - Wouldn't mind seeing this in builds.

With a few creatures to choose from and Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, i'd consider Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty an above average set for Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle. Time will tell if anything other than Spirited Companion will find its way into my deck.

But again, i was able to make some minor additions:

New Cards
+ 1 Ancient Tomb - Got myself a little treat.
+ 1 Fateful Absence - While i did consider Angelic Ascension as a placeholder both of them are gonna stay, as i enjoyed having more redudant interaction.

Cuts
- 1 Mentor of the Meek - At this point the extra mana investment didn't feel right anymore.
- 1 Plains
Last edited by Toshi 1 year ago, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Vertierer » 2 years ago

Containment Constructs ability is a MAY... I couldn't believe it at first, too ^^
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Post by Toshi » 2 years ago

Vertierer wrote:
2 years ago
Containment Constructs ability is a MAY... I couldn't believe it at first, too ^^
:o Thanks for pointing that out! That's a lot of utility for ... and a perfect fit for my Gallia of the Endless Dance deck!

ps. Außerdem schön hier auch mal wen aus dem DACH Raum zu sehen. :cool:

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Post by zKtu » 2 years ago

Quick question, do you think your list is viable in cEDH? I'm currently using the decklist from Mateus_Nogueira on Moxfield. I run into exactly the same problems you mentioned in the beginning of this thread:
1. Commander reliant. As soon as opponents sniff a combo, they immediately remove teshar
2. Draw dependent due to lack of tutors, although the deck is sufficiently redundant to get you somewhere
3. Current Meta uses a ton of stax and teshar is especially susceptible to this. If someone casts Ouphe, you're screwed. Someone casts Drannith, you're screwed. Any graveyard hate, you're screwed. So I'm basically left playing solitaire as I want to keep all removals for self preservation.

What do you think?

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Post by Toshi » 2 years ago

zKtu wrote:
2 years ago
Quick question, do you think your list is viable in cEDH? I'm currently using the decklist from Mateus_Nogueira on Moxfield. I run into exactly the same problems you mentioned in the beginning of this thread:
1. Commander reliant. As soon as opponents sniff a combo, they immediately remove teshar
2. Draw dependent due to lack of tutors, although the deck is sufficiently redundant to get you somewhere
3. Current Meta uses a ton of stax and teshar is especially susceptible to this. If someone casts Ouphe, you're screwed. Someone casts Drannith, you're screwed. Any graveyard hate, you're screwed. So I'm basically left playing solitaire as I want to keep all removals for self preservation.

What do you think?
Hard to say. There's cEDH and then there's cEDH...
Some of my more frequent matchups consist of Kess, Dissident Mage, Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy, Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger, Saffi Eriksdotter, Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Rielle, the Everwise and Karador, Ghost Chieftain. Against them the deck does fairly well. It is very adept at finishing games and a lot less capable of stopping others (no counters, duh).

From my experience getting Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle countered is more critical than her getting removed.
For one there are few ways to interact with counters - mainly Grand Abolisher, Lapse of Certainty and Mana Tithe or if you got the money Cavern of Souls. Also, once we resolved our commander, we have a plethora of things to protect it. Benevolent Bodyguard, Selfless Savior, Selfless Spirit, Selfless Samurai, Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, Apostle's Blessing, Flawless Maneuver, Sejiri Shelter // Sejiri Glacier, ...
If you feel like splashing the money, forcing Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle out early with Mana Crypt, Mana Vault and Grim Monolith does work wonders as well, especially since several lines of play require 0 mana to combo off and if you're able to squeeze our commander past Stax you don't need much mana.
As things stand, i am quite happy with the tutor package combined with redundancy. Enlightened Tutor, Moonsilver Key, Recruiter of the Guard and Ranger-Captain of Eos work wonders and you can easily abuse 3 of them.
So far i didn't have much trouble with Drannith Magistrate. My meta isn't heavy on white, Kess, Dissident Mage, Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger and others fold to it on more levels than this deck does and will attempt to remove Drannith Magistrate instantly and the only card we're invested in casting from anywhere than our hand is our commander... So pack your Dispatch, Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Angelic Ascension, Fateful Absence, Generous Gift, Unexpectedly Absent, Fiend Hunter, Skyclave Apparition ... and you'll be fine in most cases. This'll help against Collector Ouphe just as well.

When it comes to graveyard hate, that can be neck-breaking indeed. But the better my deck got the less it hurt me. Compared to my Lazav, the Multifarious deck, which utilizes a graveyard toolbox, we rarely need anything more than 1 exact card in the graveyard. I try to pull early yard hate, then follow it up with fresh graveyard stuff. If you get to force your opponents Tormod's Crypt that's one less silver bullet in their deck and your combo pieces are far more redundant.
Noteable mention: Keen-Eared Sentry, Aegis of the Gods and True Believer are all creature based protection pieces, since most of the best graveyard hate pieces say "from target player's graveyard", see Bojuka Bog & Tormod's Crypt.

I found handling expectations to be a real thing with unusual combo decks and cEDH in general. In 3 and 4 player pods, winning 1/3 or 1/4 respectively is an absolutely fair rate - not even taking in consideration you could be the underdog more often than not.
The format/power level is defined by heavy interaction, so i'm already happy if i got to a point where i was that one small window of opportunity away from comboing off.
Plus, the biggest key to success is adjusting to your own meta. Do you need more removal or more fast mana? More protection or more draw? Start out with a generalized version and tweak it inch by inch. If you aren't sure yet, sleeve up some proxies and check if it can keep up or won't, even with adjustments. Also, there are "only" 13 cards in my list that cost $10 or more, so you could either build a cheaper list for testing purposes or you'll find other decks for them if you just can't make it work.

If you go through with it and build a similar deck, feel free to sift through my extensive guide of excludes, my more recent change logs and you'll likely find everything you need to work with. You can always hit me up for advice, i'll gladly help.

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Post by zKtu » 2 years ago

Thank you so much Toshi :) really awesome to get such a detailed answer!

I honestly do not really care about the price because I proxy everything. so I try to go for maximum efficiency. I play online through the PlayEDH or CompetitiveEDH discord channels and they both allow proxies.

As for the meta, it varies. I find most of the commanders you mentioned but also a ton of: Najeela, Kenrith, Tymna/Tana, Tymna/Tharsios, etc.. the most powerful stuff and also tons of stax decks

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Post by Toshi » 2 years ago

zKtu wrote:
2 years ago
Thank you so much Toshi :) really awesome to get such a detailed answer!

As for the meta, it varies. I find most of the commanders you mentioned but also a ton of: Najeela, Kenrith, Tymna/Tana, Tymna/Tharsios, etc.. the most powerful stuff and also tons of stax decks
You're welcome!

I see. Considering all of those rely on activated abilities themselves, Pithing Needle, Sorcerous Spyglass (you can choose a card that's not in said hand) and especially Phyrexian Revoker could be very useful. All of them trigger Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle and don't hinder yourself.
With most stax pieces being artifacts Illumination, Abolish, Break Ties and Forsake the Worldly would be the first things that come to mind.

If you're looking to slim down the deck to its essence and add more support pieces that might not be recurrable, Ranger of Eos, Auriok Salvagers, Daring Archaeologist, Sanctum Gargoyle and Trusty Retriever could all be your friends.

Off the top of my head, the below would be my cut order:
1. Creatures that enable bounce combos (since they don't double as artifact recursion) - Namely Glint Hawk, Aviary Mechanic & Kor Skyfisher.
2. Generic draw creatures - Wall of Omens, Priest of Ancient Lore, Matter Reshaper & Skyscanner. Plus, no future Spirited Companion.
3. Free sac outlets that don't enable wins themselves - Martyr's Cause & Fanatical Devotion. It's a risky move though.

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Post by Toshi » 1 year ago

Set Review - Streets of New Capenna
Creatures

Chrome Cat - Not a high impact card. Solid filler at best.
Extraction Specialist - Though i prefer recursion to hand i am just as tempted as i was with Vesperlark. Hits 15/30 of my non-zero drops.
Inspiring Overseer - The redundancy of these cards is getting absurd. Priest of Ancient Lore, Spirited Companion and this came out within 1 year! Will play it nonetheless.
Mage's Attendant - One for the control/stax heavy list. I wonder if looping is worth it when you could just combo instead.
Rafinne's Informant - A strictly better Professor of Symbology and that card is already great in this deck. Will find a slot for it.
Rumor Gatherer - Unfortunately can't combo. But a fine card.
Sky Crier - Interesting and risky with infinite mana. Would consider it if only i had an Phyrexian Altar...

Artifacts

Ominous Parcel - "put into your hand" spoils it for me. Would play Wayfarer's Bauble over this anytime.

Enchantments

Smuggler's Share - Interesting card overall. Likely a little slow for my meta.

Sorceries

Depopulate - No
Patch Up - Would have to give it some playtesting, but could be bonkers.

This has been a good set for the big bird. 2-4 fresh faces and even more for tamer lists. Will update the list once i got the cards and through playtesting.

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Post by Toshi » 1 year ago

Set Review - Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate
Creatures

Archivist of Oghma - I can see why this is hyped. Its not for my build though.
Clockwork Fox - Great to combo off with Grand Abolisher support, crazy without it.
Deep Gnome Terramancer - Another strong utility creature for more versatile builds.
Rescuer Chwinga - A versatile Flash creature with a wonderful artwork? Insert it in my veins/deck!
Roving Harper - Its just crazy how many variants of this card they did print over the last few years. Solid filler.
Scouting Hawk - Ramp on a stick that doubles as a flying blocker. Not unplayable.

Instants

Contraband Livestock - Mana efficent. I did include it already.

Sorceries

Sculpted Sunburst - Idk about this one. There are more convincing alternatives.
Stick Together - I did not know this exists! In the right meta, this is an insanely good wipe.

Overall, Baldur's Gate has been a decent set. Some staples - especially for more diverse lists.
Aside from the ones i already got, i will really have to check if Stick Together could actually kill all other commanders in my combo meta, aside from my own Edric, Spymaster of Trest, which i do loan out and play against every now and then.

New Cards
+ 1 Contraband Livestock - Ever since i added Angelic Ascension and Fateful Absence the deck had gotten more interactive, so lets grab this, too.
+ 1 Illumination - Yet another return to the deck. Been facing Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy + Rocks too often lately, i guess...
+ 1 Phyrexian Altar - Finally got my hands on a copy! Obvious include is obvious.
+ 1 Extraction Specialist - With recent changes made it can reanimate 21/32 creatures. Love it.
+ 1 Raffine's Informant - Professor of Symbology has already been great and this card is even better!
+ 1 Rescuer Chwinga - Love the card, love the artwork.
+ 1 Spirited Companion - Despite the draw-on a-stick cuts this good boy is still pretty efficient.

Cuts
- 1 Lapse of Certainty - Holding up 3 mana was just too akward and most decks i face are too adept at drawing cards.
- 1 Sejiri Shelter // Sejiri Glacier - Might be running Faith's Shield or Apostle's Blessing in the future instead.
- 1 Dawnbringer Cleric - Unfortunately its modes didn't help much. Looking at you, Heliod, Sun-Crowned...
- 1 Matter Reshaper - Of the 3 mana CA ones, i still like this one the most. Its just not for the upper echolons of EDH.
- 1 Priest of Ancient Lore - Didn't cut it anymore.
- 1 Scarecrone - I like a lot of things it does - none enough to stay.
- 1 Skyscanner - It was just okay in my book.

I would really love to do a rewrite of some sections of this Primer, but for now i just can't find the time.
I really hope you stay aboard for a future overhaul - whenever it may come.
Thanks for reading anyway.

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Post by Toshi » 1 year ago

Set Review - Jumpstart 2022
Creatures

Magnanimous Magistrate - Obviously not within mana value range, but could've been a neat toy, if it were.
Preston, the Vanisher - Which is even more true for this fella. Still like it in a vacuum.





Set Review - Warhammer 40k Commander
Creatures

Canoptek Scarab Swarm - Aw man, this could've been so nice.
Canoptek Tomb Sentinel - Oh lord, i wish this would've been a viable reanimation target!
Space Marine Devastator - Would've been a huge miss, if they hadn't printed Loran of the Third Path shortly after.
Space Marine Scout - It may not be Knight of the White Orchid, but it's not nothing.




Set Review - Dominaria United
Creatures

Anointed Peacekeeper - Certainly an option for the control type lists.
Charismatic Vanguard - Mirror Entity has less restrictions and more applications, but this exists, too.
Guardian of New Benalia - It's been a while that we've seen a free discard option - and this a very reasonable one!

Artifacts

Inscribed Tablet - If it wouldn't force you to pick a land among the cards, this could've been a cool add for mid-powered lists.



Set Review - The Brothers' War
Creatures

Airlift Chaplain - Sweet! So much utility packed onto a nifty smol flyer. Will play this for sure!
Liberator, Urza's Battlethopter - Instant staple, as it adds redundancy to Shimmer Myr.
Loran, Disciple of History - Sigh, if only...
Loran of the Third Path - Darling, wake up! 's Reclamation Sage just dropped!
Myrel, Shield of Argive - So, instead of a Grand Abolisher reprint along the way, we got this. It's fine.
Recruitment Officer - Duskwatch Recruiter // Krallenhorde Howler has been a solid card for years, so this will be too, in the right deck.
Instants

Calamity's Wake - God lord, such a devastating silver bullet for so many decks - including this one!
Soul Partition - I haven't made up my mind about this one yet. Very flexible and mana efficient at the very least.

Overall the last few sets haven't had too much to work with for us - aside from The Brothers' War, which hit it out of the park!
Another enabler for instant speed option, a white Rec Sage and the versatility of Airlift Chaplain add up to a package i would've never expected!

I'll soon adjust my deck accordingly and would be very happy to hear an opinion or two about Soul Partition, if anyone feels like sharing.

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Post by Toshi » 1 year ago

New Cards
+ 1 Airlift Chaplain - Oh boy, the amount of plays this might enable...
+ 1 Liberator, Urza's Battlethopter - Another Shimmer Myr type card is not what i would've expected to get printed anytime soon. Love it!
+ 1 Loran of the Third Path - An historic Reclamation Sage is more than i could've ever wished for, honestly.

Cuts
- 1 Fanatical Devotion - Though this was able to save the big birb every once in a while it was at the bottom of the sac outlets
- 1 Martyr's Cause - Aside from fringely blanking Walking Ballista combos, this was just mid
- 1 Spirited Companion - It did what it did, which was fine

It came to no surprise that an artifact heavy Brothers' War release will come up with gifts for this deck, so here we go!

I have been pondering to cut Fanatical Devotion and Martyr's Cause for quite some time now, but was very hesitant to do so, as i didn't want to go down to too few sac outlets.
Ever since i got my hands on an Phyrexian Altar they have become "what now?" plays too often though, as i either had a game winning sac outlet ready or in hand already - or if i hadn't they didn't grant me anything aside from infinite etbs of whatever.
With Spirited Companion gone, i am down to Wall of Omens as the last non-graveyard card advantage creature. Considering what might be released soon, it'll get the axe next.

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Post by Toshi » 1 year ago

Set Review - Phyrexia: All will be One
Creatures

Annex Sentry - It's not Fiend Hunter with separate, abusable triggers, but its fine.
Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines - Obviously a strong card. I hate its existence with a passion.
Myr Kinsmith - Could fetch Shimmer Myr, Myr Retriever and Myr Moonvessel. Decent, mana value a little too high.
Soulless Jailer - Strong! You don't want to run this and more importantly, you don't want to face this.
Zenith Chronicler - Hilarious in some matchups, likely a dead card in most others.

Artifacts

Basilica Skullbomb - For more casual builds. Bland.

Instants

Clever Concealment - Even better than Teferi's Protection, if you ask me! Not sure if i would be able to cast it for "free" as often, with the lean amounts of creatures on my board on average.
Vanish into Eternity - Sure it exiles, i'm not convinced it's better than Unexpectedly Absent at all though.

Lands

The Fair Basilica - Not as useful as cycling lands or its direct competitors Cryptic Caves and Roadside Reliquary. It's okay though.
The Mycosynth Gardens - Not sure how great this would be in this deck. You don't need multiple altars and most non-altars need to tap for whatever.

Not a particularily strong set for this deck. Will give Clever Concealment some playtesting.

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Post by Toshi » 11 months ago

Set Review - March of the Machine
Creatures

Enduring Bondwarden - Sort of nonartifact modular for 1 mana will have its place somewhere, i am sure.
Guardian of Ghirapur - I don't know if buff but less flexible Flickerwisp fits into this deck. Strong though!
Halo Hopper - Gorgeous artwork and most certainly workable in the right shell.
Phyrexian Censor - Would require a very specific Stax build. Brutal if built around.

Artifacts

Urn of Godfire - If you're already running Prismite/Stonework Packbeast to filter Ashnod's Altar mana - this one is for you!

Instants

Cut Short - I love the artwork and it is certainly a good card in PW heavy metas!
Excise the Imperfect - Top notch removal! Sure, it can't hit lands, but Unexpectedly Absent can't either.
Surge of Salvation - I didn't expect Lazotep Plating in to happen. Clearly depends on the meta if Silence effects are viable.

Sorceries

Sunfall - An upgrade to Phyrexian Rebirth, yet we really don't want to exile our own creatures.

Enchantments

Chivalric Alliance - It's discard and some sort of draw... I am not convinced.

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Post by Toshi » 9 months ago

Set Review - The Aftermath
Creatures

Metropolis Reformer - Well, it's another Aegis of the Gods/Keen-Eared Sentry/True Believer type creature, for those who run any of them - with up and by far the best body available.

Set Review - Tales of Middle-earth
Creatures

Boromir, Warden of the Tower - Historic spell, situational hate-bear, buff body, ... a strict upgrade to Selfless Spirit for most people.
Errand-Rider of Gondor - Look! Another draw on a stick option. Bland.
Samwise the Stouthearted - We all know Sam is GOATed and luckily his card is too!
Westfold Rider - The sorcery clause most certainly hurts it, still a very strong addition.

Artifacts

Mithril Coat - Obviously a good card. Not my cup of tea.

Instants

Reprieve - Been hyped for this white Remand ever since i saw its spoiler!

I didn't expect much from the Aftermath and didn't expect as much from the LOTR cards.
I can see myself adding 3 LOTR creatures and Reprieve soon-ish. Though as throughout most summers MTG things move at a slower pace for me. I still haven't picked up Excise the Imperfect and Clever Concealment and those have been out for a while now...

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Post by indemidelo » 9 months ago

Hi! My LGS is organizing a 100€-budget Commander multiplayer tournament with 4-people tables.

Considering the budget section in the primer, I thought it would be a nice idea to play Teshar with some minor tweaks to reach the 100€ budget. This is the list I would like to play:
Teshar, 100€ MKM Trend budget

Sorceries

Approximate Total Cost:

Notable the absence of most of the tutor and stax cards, in favor of tricks (Apostle's Blessing) or suboptimal cards. I put all the replacements in a separate section in the decklist.

I would like to play Samwise the Stouthearted and Boromir, Warden of the Tower. What do you think I should cut? And what do you think of the list overall?

Thank you for your work on this primer. It's a real gold mine!

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Post by Toshi » 9 months ago

indemidelo wrote:
9 months ago
I thought it would be a nice idea to play Teshar with some minor tweaks to reach the 100€ budget.

I would like to play Samwise the Stouthearted and Boromir, Warden of the Tower. What do you think I should cut? And what do you think of the list overall?

Thank you for your work on this primer. It's a real gold mine!
First and foremost (and once again), thank you so much for your kind words! While i haven't found/taken the time for a rewrite yet, i am always flattered and happy when people find this work of mine.

As far as i can tell, your replacements look very promising and i like the list of yours a lot. My now-$150 list was a $100 list a while back too - but it's MTG and unfortunately even fringe cards do some steady increase aside from reprints.

As for adding Boromir, Warden of the Tower and Samwise the Stouthearted, i would go even further to find a slot for Scrapyard Recombiner! While my list is somewhat hyper optimized, this guy should be a real threat in budget pods, since a lot of creatures were errata'd as Constructs.
I think i would run those three over Reidane, God of the Worthy // Valkmira, Protector's Shield, Boreas Charger and Scarecrone.

If you're looking to optimize further, i would recommend sifting through the deck updates thoroughly. While i keep my reasoning as short as in set reviews, there are plenty of cheapish cards for you to fiddle with.
Aside from Scrapyard Recombiner, Matter Reshaper, Mentor of the Meek, Spawning Pit and Soul-Guide Lantern are all notable mentions among them.

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Post by indemidelo » 8 months ago

Hi all, today I would like to give back to this community of mono-white combo some feedback on the decklist and how some choices performed in my small, budget tournament.
I played in two tables of three people and scored 2nd place in the first and 1st place in the second. Without further ado, here is the list I played:
Teshar, 100€ MKM Trend budget

// Commander

// Sorceries

Approximate Total Cost:

I couldn't find on-time key cards such as Scrapyard Recombiner, Boromir, Warden of the Tower, and Myr Moonvessel (budget replacement of Urza's Bauble or another Cheerios), but for the next session, the online orders containing them will already have arrived at my place.

Some unordered notes I took after my two games:
- I really liked Matter Reshaper, and would like to keep it also in a less-budget version
- I won the second game using Mishra's Bauble as Cheerios and Shimmer Myr on the board. The latter was especially useful since I did not have any win condition during my turn but proceeded to draw my entire deck during the opponent's upkeep and find the missing piece. Shimmer Myr was also very effective in reanimating key creatures (like Cathar Commando) in the first game. How often do you tutor for it, and how often do you win without a Flash artifacts enabler?
- The lack of tutors was real! I lost the first game for not having a sac outlet, and in the second game, I managed it somehow. That is why I decided to add Oswald Fiddlebender. It is very situational but can give games some interesting variability.
- Starnheim Courser is cute, but a budget list shall probably play Foundry Inspector instead.
- Professor of Symbology proved to be very strong! I recurred at least four times from the graveyard and helped me dig. I would like to play more cantrip creatures, maybe will find a place for Inspiring Overseer.
- Treasure Hunter was not very useful, considering the high number of similar creatures. I abused the Teshar reanimating ability: probably Salvage Scout would have been more effective.
- During the second game, I thought I could do infinite tokens with Spawning Pit + big birb + Mishra's Bauble + Myr Retriever + Ashnod's Altar. Actually, I can only do a number of tokens equal to half the cards in my deck because I have to pass from the battle phase, and Bauble draws me a card at each loop. Is it correct?
- I missed some fast mana land/artifact, so would like to play either a mana rock (what are the best ones for the deck?) or Remote Farm or Karoo (I missed some land drop). I also have to put my hands on a Ghost Quarter
- About infinite colorless mana... Are there any exploitable combos with it? Outside Walking Ballista.

Those were my feedback on the deck. Overall, I had a great time playing it and will continue exploring it. As mentioned in the list, will also begin the long journey to build a less-budget version.

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Post by Toshi » 8 months ago

It's been a while that my list went through an overhaul this big. But given the recent interaction printed, i did pick up quite a few things. As for the cuts i was able to swap more situational cards for more versatile ones.

New Cards
+ 1 Boromir, Warden of the Tower - Protecting the board and hosing Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty type Storm builds is so juicy!
+ 1 Samwise the Stouthearted - Oh Sam, the loveable combo companion you are...
+ 1 Clever Concealment - Playtesting this has proven it to be just as good as expected. Most times it comes at a mere for me.
+ 1 Excise the Imperfect - Though 3 mana isn't cheap in this realm of decks, getting rid of most things for good is awesome.
+ 1 Lost to Legend - This one is so underrated, i overlooked it for my own Set Review... Ridiculously good!
+ 1 Reprieve - No need to Remand myself how great this card is.
+ 1 The Mycosynth Gardens - No must have, but i love me some extra value.

Cuts
- 1 Extraction Specialist - Unfortunately this doesn't hit too many targets and this is one of the few decks where returning to the battlefield is just strictly worse than to hand.
- 1 Fiend Hunter - Removal options have become too strong in comparison for this to stick around.
- 1 Wall of Omens - As @indemidelo has pointed out, Airlift Chaplain, Professor of Symbology and Raffine's Informant outperform linear draw by a lot.
- 1 Generous Gift - My meta doesn't have many Land combo decks, so the upside of hitting lands doesn't outweigh the fact it doesn't exile or tuck.
- 1 Heliod's Intervention - Again, no exile or tuck, though it has been a neat lifeline at times.
- 1 Illumination - I will always cherish this card, but it has become too situational in comparison.
- 1 Plains

Honorable mention of Surge of Salvation, which is the next one up getting playtested and could get included fairly soon.
indemidelo wrote:
8 months ago
Shimmer Myr [...] How often do you tutor for it, and how often do you win without a Flash artifacts enabler?
- Professor of Symbology proved to be very strong! I recurred at least four times from the graveyard and helped me dig. I would like to play more cantrip creatures, maybe will find a place for Inspiring Overseer.
- Treasure Hunter was not very useful, [...] probably Salvage Scout would have been more effective.
- I missed some fast mana land/artifact, so would like to play either a mana rock (what are the best ones for the deck?) or Remote Farm or Karoo
- About infinite colorless mana... Are there any exploitable combos with it? Outside Walking Ballista.
- I very rarely tutor for Shimmer Myr/Liberator, Urza's Battlethopter. Usually i go straight for a combo piece. Having flash is especially great if you know there's an interaction heavy deck in your pod. Wait for them to tap out, then combo off, while hoping they don't run Force of Will and the likes.
- I would pick up Professor of Symbology and Raffine's Informant instead of Inspiring Overseer, if you haven't already. If it were to go for linear draw, Wall of Omens is the obvious choice.
- Salvage Scout requires mana, Treasure Hunter doesn't, so it is way more potent at enabling combos.
- I am not too fond of taplands in high powered pods, so i wouldn't run either. As for mana rocks, each one that allows you to get Big Birb out sooner is fine. Lotus Petal and Sol Ring are the best ones not costing Mana Crypt money. Arcane Signet gives you mana, Fellwar Stone might as well, Mind Stone can draw you a card, ... there are plenty of options.
- I mean, infinite mana usually allows you to have infinite triggers to draw your deck or whatnot? That'll do.

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Post by Toshi » 8 months ago

FIRST MAJOR REWRITE AND OVERHAUL IN FOUR YEARS IS DONE!


Sitting at 90.000 characters and 13.000 words in what would be 58 pages, if i were to print it out, this project has become more extensive than a lot of work i did when i was still in college...

Despite this being more of a manual to Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle|dom than a well-frequented place of chit-chat, i couldn't be happier with the outcome!

Set Review - Commander Masters
Creatures

Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate - It is a creature cheerio you would have to sac state-based. But that's certainly something to work with, if you feel like it!
Skittering Cicada - While it may not be Liberator, Urza's Battlethopter it is certainly on par with Shimmer Myr. I will pick this one up, for sure!

Enchantments

Ugin's Mastery - While most people will use this for Eldrazi tribal, i would rather give this a spin in artifact creature Storm. Something like Graaz, Unstoppable Juggernaut would be hilarious.

Overall i'd say Commander Legends comes with an obvious new staple and plenty of spicy reprints: Jeweled Lotus, Pearl Medallion, Grand Abolisher, Lightning Greaves, Ashnod's Altar, Champion's Helm, Extraplanar Lens, Flawless Maneuver, Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Loyal Retainers, Forsaken Monument, ...

Personally, i would love to get my hands on a reasonably priced Jeweled Lotus, but i don't think it will dip far enough to justify the investment.

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