Gilanra, Caller of the East Tree

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Gamazson
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Post by Gamazson » 1 year ago

This deck began a few months ago as a poor copy of @Rumpy5897's Saryth, the Viper's Fang deck. Where he had the vision to make a flavourful Wurm / Trample tribal jank deck, I saw an easy to build home for all of the green Goodstuff creatures I had been hoarding. 

That was a deck I wanted to build with cards that I had on hand, so a few substitutions were made to the non-creature spells when I copied his general list. Notability, I did not have a Colossal Majesty, so I replaced it with Gilanra, Caller of Wirewood. I figured the ramp and draw would prove useful.

The deck had been working just fine with Saryth in command, but last week I decided to experiment with Gilanra in the command zone. As a partner, I pulled Kodama of the East Tree out of my trade binder. It felt odd to use Gilanra alone, but I didn't want to re-do the mana base to incorporate a new colour.

That game turned out to be pretty wild. Paying 6 to cast Pathbreaker Ibex then dropping Unnatural Growth for free makes this Timmy smile. As soon as I got home, I decided to double down on the duo and rework the deck around them. I haven't made a deck with a mana curve this lopsided since 2012. There was a point that I almost put Brutalizer Exarch in the list out nostalgia. Almost.

Some cards I want to call out are: 
  • Sol Talisman - Think this card is more at home here that it was in various artifact decks I have built. If I don't draw into it early in the game, I can just cheat it into play with Kodama the next time I play a land.
  • Quirion Ranger - Untap Gilanra for extra mana and card draw, put the land back into play the next you play literally any permanent thanks to Kodama.
  • Caller of the Pack - IIRC, token's that are copies of a non-token permanent, also copy the CMC of that permanent. Attack with caller, put two more high CMC creatures into play, YES PLEASE!
  • Threats Undetected - This takes 10 mana, but here it goes. Cast Threats. While searching cast Panglacial Wurm out of the library. Kodama trigger is on the stack now. Choose my 4 creatures. My opponents now have to pick knowing that one of these cards could be going onto the battlefield once that trigger resolves. It's not perfect, but it is fun.

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Last edited by Gamazson 1 year ago, edited 7 times in total.

Chromaticus
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Post by Chromaticus » 1 year ago

Greater Good seems great here! The Great Henge triggers both of your commanders for a lot cheaper than it costs.

Any reason you are avoiding mana dorks?

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Gamazson
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Post by Gamazson » 1 year ago

I have always viewed Greater Good as a source of emergency draw. Right now it has some stiff competition in my card advantage slots. If I ever drop Cultivator Colossus I would probably swap out Abundance for Greater Good.

The Great Henge is certainly a run it if you have it card. It only does everything you could possibly want. Which is true for any green deck, but does actually have some synergy here. If I had access to a copy, I would swap out Zendikar Resurgent.

As for mana dorks, I have been on the fence. I am currently running 3 of the 2cmc land fetch cards. My thought process is that even if I draw those late in the game after I am no longer hurting for mana, they are at least a shortcut to casting Panglacial Wurm. On the flip side, as a permanent mana dorks can be cheated into play after Kodama is on the field. I certainly won't hesitate to add them if I feel I need more early game ramp.

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Rumpy5897
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Post by Rumpy5897 » 1 year ago

I'm seeing some minor echoes of my original deck in here, e.g. Wrap in Vigor (which would be objectively better as a Heroic Intervention :P ), but it really came into its own with the commander swap. Think this direction of just flooding the board with value works better with your choice of creatures, which do more than just trample in.

Threats Undetected is a card which I'm gonna haul back to my Saryth, which is kind of funny as I wrote about it in two of my primer updates but somehow did not connect the dots that it'd be cool as hell in there instead. Cross-pollination! :P

Nature's Chosen is good Gilanra tech, you've got the option of Instill Energy for redundancy too.

It could still be worth it to run Saryth in the 99 for a hybrid protection/evasion piece.

If you're seeking to further streamline your ramp package, then Arbor Elf plus Overgrowth is quite nice. Other known powerhouse dorks are Joraga Treespeaker and Selvala, Heart of the Wilds. All three of those are present in my ramp focused Patron deck and would transfer here happily. Vernal Bloom could be a thing, depending on how many other forests you regularly see at the table.

This feels like a Silverback Elder deck.

Raised by Giants and Planewide Celebration both seem like good spots for cuts, as expensive cards with conditional returns.
 
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Gamazson
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Post by Gamazson » 1 year ago

Rumpy5897 wrote:
1 year ago
Nature's Chosen is good Gilanra tech, you've got the option of Instill Energy for redundancy too.
Oh yeah! I forgot that card existed. Straight into the deck it goes. Haste is good.

Speaking of haste is good, I swapped End-Raze Forerunners with Akroma's Memorial. With the amount of fatties I am dropping, global haste is a good idea.
Rumpy5897 wrote:
1 year ago
This feels like a Silverback Elder deck.
Yes. I do need to increase my interaction. I have only had a couple of games so far, but I have lost each one because both my opponents have had Smothering Tithe in play. On the same note, welcome back to Terastodon, a former EDH staple that I haven't played in about 5 years.

Thorn Mammoth has been replaced by Apex Altisaur since the later can wipe out more creatures overall.

I am also strongly considering using Sawtusk Demolisher instead of Beast Within. He won't get a Kodama trigger from mutate, but the alternate cost will trigger Gilanra. It just don't know if giving something trample is worth sorcery speed and an extra mana.
Rumpy5897 wrote:
1 year ago
If you're seeking to further streamline your ramp package, then Arbor Elf plus Overgrowth is quite nice. Other known powerhouse dorks are Joraga Treespeaker and Selvala, Heart of the Wilds. All three of those are present in my ramp focused Patron deck and would transfer here happily. Vernal Bloom could be a thing, depending on how many other forests you regularly see at the table.
I do need to favor more permanents in my ramp. For now Rampant Growth and Nature's Lore have been replaced by Arbor Elf and Seeker of Skybreak (Another card idea I stole from Rumpy). I am going to stubbornly hang onto Cultivate, Kodama's Reach and Nissa's Pilgrimage. I still want as much land search as is reasonable.

Lastly I have swapped Giant Adephage for Avenger of Zendikar. My goto target for Finale of Devastation has been Pathbreaker Ibex but I needed a backup in case my board has been diminished.

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Gamazson
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Post by Gamazson » 1 year ago

Made it down to FMN tonight. Happy to say the deck won every game. For better or worse, it really barfs out creatures.

I did however discover a few nonbo's.
  • Apex Altisaur cannot be triggered during combat when Dolmen Gate is on the battlefield. The same is true when Vigor is around. Since the damage is prevented, it has never been dealt. It does make an argument for Thorn Mammoth's return vs. Apex Altisaur. For now I am going to leave all cards as they are. Based on individual merits they are still good fits for the deck overall.
  • Lastly I had a brain fart with the interaction between Finale of Devastation and Avenger of Zendikar. In my minds eye, I saw putting the avenger on the field then it and all of the tokens get +X/+X and haste. Unfortunately I forgot that because the Avengers ability is an ETB, by necessity it can't trigger until the finale is finished resolving. I'll be replacing it with Dawnglade Regent. It is no finisher, but I think I could use more protection.
Additionally I have some maybe board cards to add:
Last edited by Gamazson 1 year ago, edited 2 times in total.

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TheAmericanSpirit
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Post by TheAmericanSpirit » 1 year ago

This deck is sweet. I had been looking for a nice gx deck to build a home for my awesome ramp and bombs, and this just may be the ticket! I'm not huge on Kodama in abstract, but the Threats Undetected/Panglacial Wurm synergy is waaay too %$#% cool to deny. I'll begin the process of trading & buying and let you know when I have a draft ready so we can compare notes!
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Gamazson
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Post by Gamazson » 1 year ago

Quick minor update.
  • Cultivator Colossus is out. That one time I was able to combo with Abundance was awesome, but anytime I cast him on his own, I get to play maybe one or 2 lands. Think this has more to do with how crazy efficient Kodama of the East Tree is. In general you are not going to have many lands in hand in first place. It has been replaced by Garruk's Horde. It's mostly just a dumb beater with a little extra card advantage.
  • With the Cultivator Colossus out, I don't need Abundance anymore. While it is solid in it's own right, I want to put Elder Gargaroth in it's spot. It adds a little bit more defense to the deck as well as draw.
  • Last I swapped out Dolmen Gate for Winds of Qal Sisma. It has more merit overall. Prevent damage dealt to your creatures is an effective surprise, as proven by Obscuring Haze. Crucially it is also a fog to defend you which is something Dolmen Gate can't do.

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Gamazson
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Post by Gamazson » 1 year ago

New week, new updates! It is another big one.
  • Finally got my hands on The Great Henge which has been added.
  • Selvala, Heart of the Wilds has taken over for Verdant Mastery. Her card draw ability has always disappointed me. She either enters after I already have my biggest creature, or my opponents get to use it more than I do. I took Rumpy's suggestion to add her because I wanted to reduce the CMC of my ramp. I am also trying to replace sorceries with permanents where possible.
  • On that note Gaea's Touch has been added. I have always looked at, then passed on this card every time I have attempted a lands matter deck. While those are always heavy on green, they are still multi-coloured which makes the forest only clause difficult to work around. In theory if I have an opening hand with 3 land and this, I can get Kodama out by turn 4 which is an improvement.
  • Garruk, Primal Hunter has been added for extra draw. I can't see -6 ever happening. He is basically a big sorcery I can cheat into play.
  • Monarch hasn't been working great for me. Especially with Dawnglade Regent. There are enough small evasive creatures that it's ability effectively only matters the turn you play it. Same is true for Regal Behemoth. I find myself wasting an attacker on the least threating player so that I can have my Monarch abilities back.
  • Counters spells are the most common form of removal I encounter, so I moved Allosaurus Shepherd from my elf tribal deck to here.
  • Ezzaroot Channeler is an experiment. Reducing the cost of my creatures by is not the same as doubling my mana, but it might do enough. I also have just enough cards that gain life that a blow out turn is possible. Examples are: Froghemoth, Silverback Elder, Titan of Industry & The Great Henge. Also usable with my untap creature effects. Reach is also nothing to scoff at.
  • Caller of the Pack also hasn't worked out well. I got the Kodama trigger's once, but my next opponent just played a wrath effect. The combat trigger is the issue. Its an invitation to overcommit since you can even use haste on the permanents you cheat into play. It's replacement Treeshaker Chimera is another experiment. In theory, clearing the way for your other attackers, killing your choice of blockers the defender controls, then getting 3 new cards to hand could be powerful. We'll have to see how it plays out.
  • Lastly Rampaging Baloths has been added since I felt I needed a token maker of some kind. I get enough landfall triggers that I should get plenty of chump blockers. There is an infinite combo with Guildless Commons and Kodama but I don't expect it to ever happen. I can't tutor commons and I wouldn't hold that land in my hand waiting for Baloths.

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Gamazson
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Post by Gamazson » 1 year ago

I am headed to the Face to Face champion tour in Toronto on the 25th to do some commander events. Since I am not bringing all my decks, I have decided to borrow pieces from a deck I am leaving behind to give a couple of others a bit of push.

For this deck I have added Ancient Tomb & Hall of the Bandit Lord to give it a bit more speed. I have enough life gain on other cards that I am not overly worried about the costs, but just in case I also added Witch's Clinic.

Beyond that, this deck already has all of my best green cards.

From Brother's War I have added Cityscape Leveler & Portal to Phyrexia. Removal on a creature is always good and the Leveler happens to be a big one. As for the portal, in theory I get a Kodama trigger each time it reanimates a creature, but really it is just there for basic recursion of my own stuff. I had been considering Artisan of Kozilek for a while but was holding off because it has a cast trigger.

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