The Exalted Rograkh & Ardenn

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Gamazson
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Post by Gamazson » 1 year ago

My first equipment deck was a Valduk, Keeper of the Flame deck. It was based on a Commander's Quarters budget video. Over time I fell in love and it became decidedly non-budget. The deck gave a many enjoyable games before I couldn't ignore it's flaws any longer.

Mono-red always has card advantage and ramp problems. I was sick of trying to outrun the first board wipe of the game. Once Valduk died, the deck was basically done. Getting enough mana to re-cast and re-equip him one the same turn was nearly impossible. I tried several remedies such as adding Irencrag Feat to make casting / equipping easier and Deflecting Swat like effects to protect my commander but ultimately the success of the deck always came down to luck.

It became clear that the remedy was for me to go boros. White added cards that reduced the cost of equipping and additional equipment related card draw. It took me a while to decide who should go in the command zone. I had my eye on Bruenor Battlehammer the longest but ultimately chose Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh & Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist because I was mostly working with low CMC equipment in my collection. The thought was; if I could spend the first 2 turns casting equipment I can attack with a reasonable powered up Rograkh by turn 3.

The exalted without the key word sub theme came about during Neon Dynasty pre-views. The set included many cards with interesting "whenever a samurai or warrior attacks alone" triggers. Ultimately only Raiyuu, Storm's Edge and Selfless Samurai made the finale cut. The kept the word as a part of the title since even without a large number of such triggers the deck still favours a lone attacking creature, ideally Rograkh.

This deck also packs several unintentional synergies. Of the 14 creatures I chose for it, 11 are legendary. That has enabled the use of Relic of Legends, Mox Amber and Plaza of Heroes. While my pet cards Blazing Sunsteel & Fiendlash combo with Blasphemous Act & Chandra's Ignition for some hilarious kills.

An intentional choice is that all versions of sword of this & that have been excluded. I have done this both for financial reasons, and to keep the deck interesting.


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Last edited by Gamazson 1 year ago, edited 1 time in total.

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cheonice
Sand is overpowered.
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Post by cheonice » 1 year ago

Looks great and a lot of fun! Love the interaction with Blasphemous Act and Chandra's Ignition!

In my Akiri, Line-Slinger & Sakashima of a Thousand Faces voltron deck (list) I had some success with Nettlecyst and All That Glitters. O-Naginata and Tenza, Godo's Maul overperformed for me, too. You don't have many etb effects, so maybe something like Torpor Orb could be an answer to all those pesky Reclamation Sages, Loran of the Third Paths, and Bane of Progress. Axgard Armory doesn't eat a spell slot. Goblin Engineer is agreat tutor that can retrieve your destroyed equipments. Has card draw been an issue?

Does the deck achieve, what you want?

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Gamazson
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Post by Gamazson » 1 year ago

cheonice wrote:
1 year ago
Has card draw been an issue? Does the deck achieve, what you want?
I have had 4 maybe 5 games with it since I made the changes. I think it is performing well, but a couple of those games I was trying to be "friendly". I had high impact cards in my opening hand Colossus Hammer and Commander's Plate and choose not to play them until later to give a couple of weaker opponents a chance. The real test will come next weekend when I take the deck to Toronto to play the side event at the Face to Face Championship.

Per your suggestions:
  • I will be adding Goblin Engineer. I used him in Valduk where he was great. All but one of my equipment are CMC <=3. I'll swap out Skullclamp since I don't produce many creatures to spare.
  • Axgard Armory is too ungainly in this build. Entering the battlefield tapped is something I want to avoid. I have a few dual land cards ETB tapped, but I intend to replace them as able. 5 mana is also a lot for a tutor effect. With engineer added I'll have 4.
  • Torpor Orb and other similar effects is something I'll keep in the back of my mind if removal becomes an overwhelming problem. This deck leans heavily into an aggro strategy so I wouldn't be able to make a lot of room.
  • All That Glitters was just recently replaced with Thran Power Suit. Slightly less powerful buff but the ward may be more useful.
  • Nettlecyst I forgot about this card. I think I have one in a pile somewhere. I may swap out one of the less impactful 1 CMC equipment for it.
  • O-Naginata is a pass. I don't have many creatures that can equip without another buff. I fear that may be detrimental.

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cheonice
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Post by cheonice » 1 year ago

Good luck in Toronto! Eager to hear about your experiences with the deck.

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Gamazson
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Post by Gamazson » 1 year ago

That was a long weekend of gaming. Although I am disappointed because I lost 17 out of 18 games, the 6 I played with this deck were by far some of my better experiences. I played it during the 2 royal rumbles where I expected to meet more powerful decks. Most of the games I could have won if I had made different gameplay choices. The deck itself never left me feeling helpless. Having said that I have learned a few things:
  • Rograkh is a magnet for removal. That shouldn't have been a surprise. I was never without another creature to equip, but without his keyword soup I was always one the back foot. I could add more equipment to protect him. The problem is most of the ones I'm thinking of will raise the overall curve of the deck. That lead me to re-thinking Eater of Virtue. On it's own, it is a Bonesplitter. If it exiles Rograkh, he will just go back to the command zone and The Eater will pass his keywords onto a new creature. It's not like this deck cares about reanimating creatures anyway.
  • Valduk, Keeper of the Flame really shouldn't be one the list. There was a game in which he was my only creature and I drew Raiyuu, Storm's Edge. That made me sad. Sadder still; Rograkh was chilling in the command zone at CMC tax . I'm replacing Valduk with Grand Abolisher. Hopefully that will save me a few headaches.
  • Despite my distaste for cards that cards that roll dice or cards from un-finity being commander legal, a The Most Dangerous Gamer deck I faced off against has brought Strength-Testing Hammer to my attention. At it's worst, this hammer provides the same buff as Shuko. At it's best it beats Greataxe. As for the draw ability, it isn't uncommon for Rograkh to be the most powerful creature on the board.
  • Lastly it is unlikely I will ever be able to cast Spectacular Showdown for . This deck can produce mana pretty quickly but rarely if ever do I have 6 to spare. I put Lizard Blades back in the deck.

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