Queen Kayla - Heroic Boros Spellslinger

User avatar
ISBPathfinder
Bebopin
Posts: 2154
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: SD, USA

Post by ISBPathfinder » 1 year ago

Sooooooooooo Queen Kayla bin-Kroog doesn't exactly scream spellslinger but I jumped to the idea after realizing that she can sort of dig up a few cool spellslinging creatures like Monastery Mentor, Feather, the Redeemed, and Mavinda, Students' Advocate. I dug from there and I kind of liked the heroic tokens idea I was sort of forming from there.

I have room for one more card and I haven't touched the landbase. I really need to look a bit closer at percentages of the deck and think about if I have enough spells / things my commander can pull out. I figured I would throw it up and poke at it later as I have to run off here and I have been poking at the list for the last few days.

I have to watch out how many non spell trigger non commander target cards I have in the list. Its possible that the ones I have in the list currently shouldn't be in there either so while I am not opposed to considering something like Anointed Procession or Divine Visitation I opted not to because of how much my consistencies are already stretched. I also felt like the setup to get them in and set up with token producer effects was a bit high but the same could probably be said of Zada, Hedron Grinder. Like I said, the list is a bit rough and I just figured I would push it out in case there is something obvious I am missing. I will keep poking at it and hopefully have an update in a few days filling in the lands and rounding it out to 100 cards at the least.

Decklist

COMMANDER (1)

ENCHANTMENT (2)

PLANESWALKER

Approximate Total Cost:

CONSIDERATIONS:
Last edited by ISBPathfinder 1 year ago, edited 15 times in total.
[EDH] Vadrok List (Suicide Chads) | Evelyn List (Vamp Mill) | Sanwell List | Danitha List | Indominus List | Ratadrabik List

Tags:

User avatar
ISBPathfinder
Bebopin
Posts: 2154
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: SD, USA

Post by ISBPathfinder » 1 year ago

I got the lands included and am bumping a few things around after giving the list some more thought.

DECK CHANGES:
  • Favored HopliteDragonmaster Outcast I came to the conclusion that the buff on heroic guys just weren't going to be powerful enough and they were going to be less priority targets for my buff spells. I mostly was including them to increase my density of targets for my commander and they were on theme but I think I need to cut them. Dragonmaster Outcast is a bit off theme but it makes tokens and can rot in my hand until my commander is ready to wheel and put him in for free.
  • Tenth District LegionnaireLoyal Apprentice same as with the Favored Hoplite with the trigger being a bit better here but its still not where I want to be. Shifting to Loyal Apprentice keeps my creature count for my commander and it also gives me some token gen.
  • Loyal RetainersSevinne's Reclamation I think that this commander could work with Loyal Retainers but I think the ideal build for that would be more towards big reanimator rather than doing the theme I am doing here where I was including it more to keep key cards in play. I think Sevinne's Reclamation will do a better job for me just in targeting density even though I can't get it in for free.
  • Zada, Hedron GrinderFinale of Promise Zada is cool and there is that whole living the dream idea of casting a cantrip en mass but the setup is too much so instead I just want a cheap value spell. Finale can be a pain when drawn early but my commander really mitigates where it might be a dud.
  • Velomachus LoreholdAnger I wanted some incarnations and they play well with my commander. I love Velomachus but he didn't fit a lot of my themes.
  • Blaze of GloryGlory I realized I wanted to run a few incarnations and made room for them. I think Glory for evasion is fine.
  • Path to ExileFiery Temper I dislike pathing commanders but I want a little more removal I think. My compromise was to try out Fiery which can be madness cast off my commander's ability still for some utility kill.
  • Heliod's InterventionChaos Warp I don't think I am playing a control strategy which is where I tend to prefer running Heliod's I need answers still but I need a broad answer rather than a value answer I think based on the type of deck I am playing.
  • Adding: Weathered Wayfarer I have a lot of important utility lands and I thought my one drops could use a small bump. This gives me better access to Field of the Dead and Emeria, the Sky Ruin and he can cheaply increase my hand size by one which is relevant with my commander as a means of card advantage into wheels.
And this puts me...... one card short. Its odd as I thought I was one shy before so maybe I was two off? Well I need to figure out what the last add is but worst case I bump in another piece of removal. I do think I could probably use another method of any target removal possibly something like Mangara of Corondor or Generous Gift just for general any target use. I do think that token decks can get completely bogged down with a single hate card aimed at them so it is important to have some counter measures.
[EDH] Vadrok List (Suicide Chads) | Evelyn List (Vamp Mill) | Sanwell List | Danitha List | Indominus List | Ratadrabik List

User avatar
ISBPathfinder
Bebopin
Posts: 2154
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: SD, USA

Post by ISBPathfinder » 1 year ago

Some more updates. I am still fumbling about a bit but I think I like where this brings me at least. It does bring me up to 100 cards at least but it probably is going to fumble about still some.

DECK CHANGE:
  • Clever LumimancerBy Invitation Only Its nice that Clever Lumimancer is a one drop and doesn't need me to target it but I think I am somewhat committed to going wide to the point that I think it just doesn't fit. I debated a bit between Austere Command, By Invitation Only, and something like Mizzium Mortars but I like the customization of Invite only for a token deck like this. I could also entertain something like Delayed Blast Fireball which has the upside of being able to hide away in foretell for a deck like this that wants to cycle its hand a lot but for now lets just take a stab with one of them and see if I want more or to shift elsewhere.
  • Lightning GreavesDeep Gnome Terramancer I realized that I care a bit less about my commander and activating in every possible option with this build. I actually did a test game with a more hatebears commander focused deck with this commander where I wanted some more protection and haste but I think its not as important for this build. I do want some ramp though and Deep Gnome can be really good for that.
  • Coordinated AssaultUnderworld Breach Assault does trigger multiple heroic options its just not that good of an effect in this format. Underworld seems like it has good synergy with this heavy spellcast / hand cycling concept.
  • Add: Mangara of Corondor I am..... really not sure about Mangara but I need to go up to 100 cards and for now its the placeholder.
I had some thoughts on adding some Torpor Orb / Hushbringer kind of stuff to the list but I think I want to stay a little more on point given how many things I am already trying to do. I also considered Squee, Goblin Nabob but figured with the fact that I don't know that activating my commander every turn is my objective I don't know how helpful he will be yet so I am just making a note of him and figuring maybe I can circle back to that after some testing.
[EDH] Vadrok List (Suicide Chads) | Evelyn List (Vamp Mill) | Sanwell List | Danitha List | Indominus List | Ratadrabik List

User avatar
ISBPathfinder
Bebopin
Posts: 2154
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: SD, USA

Post by ISBPathfinder » 1 year ago

So, I got to play two games with this deck last night. The first game I was a bit slow to spin up and there were some very fast voltron decks which ended up sort of destabilizing each other because they could both attack well but not defend from each other. I ended up cleaning up the last two players after one of the voltron decks killed the other but it wasn't really that great as I really just had enough to kill off the remaining players rather than it having been a good example of what my deck can do. The second game was a lot more interesting being a 5 player game where I killed all of the players in so I will detail that one a bit more given that I didn't have a lot of take aways from the first game.

Game 2: 5 player FFA. Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful and Anara, Wolvid Familiar, Solphim, Mayhem Dominus, Phenax, God of Deception, and Dihada, Binder of Wills are my opponents in turn order. I am well aware that my deck is susceptible to Phenax's mill tactics as I have no resuffle and am heavy on drawing my deck.

Opening hand: honestly I can't remember what exactly was in my opener other than I had some lands, Land Tax, and Mavinda, Students' Advocate. Given I had lands to play and some card advantage I figured it was good enough to keep.

T1: land, land tax
T2: land
T3: land commander
T4: +3 my hand with land tax and then wheel Mavinda, Students' Advocate and Leonin Lightscribe to play. I also bin a Glory. On my opponents turns the mono red player does a bunch of damage to all creatures to sweep our boards because his commander is
T5: land + commander again. I fetch up three extra basics with my land tax which I bin because I have Planar Birth in hand now.
T6: land + Planar Birth getting I think 7 basics back to play. I pass turn keeping mana up to Glory for protection because the mono red player has burned two damage sweepers already and I don't know how full of those he is. Its worth noting that I have an active Emeria, the Sky Ruin at this point as I fetched up five plains and two mountains in this mix of lands I rezed.

From here I don't know that I can remember the exacts of every turn but at some point I get beat up a little from a few random attacks. The mono red player plays a Stuffy Doll and choses me as the target which is irritating given the damage sweeper nature I have seen from him thus far. He did at some point do 8 damage to all players and I end up playing a good portion of the game hovering around 20-24 life.

I manage to get incredibly lucky and Isochron Scepter a Swords to Plowshares and use that as a rattlesnake. I pair with that setting up Mangara of Corondor and Illusionist's Bracers it as a second rattle snake which makes it a bit hard to attack me through all of that. The Isochron was really lucky as I used my commander to play it so I drew the swords in the replacement hand lol.

As the game keeps going I end up enabling getting a bit lower on my library as this deck tends to do. I go for an early alpha strike on the mill player because when he untaps next he has like a 17 powered creature he plans to mill me with so I give protection from blue and swing for lethal on him. He is a little upset because he is a more casual player but he was TOTALLY coming for me so I don't feel bad about it. He also counterspelled my Pyroblast aimed at answering the creature so he gets to die now.

As the game starts wrapping up I kill the red player second fearing his potentially direct damage tactics and sweepers. After he dies I get wrathed but my reassembly time is ridiculous as I start with the Emeria rez into Sevinne's Reclamation flashback getting quite the board recovered. From there I Finale of Promise for 10 and tripple cast Crimson Wisps and Fists of Flame giving my three creatures haste and buffing up their size letting me get in for lethal on the last two players.

So, overall the deck was fun. I am not really sure I have many take aways from the first few games but at least some thoughts on the deck moving forward.
  • The early game feels a bit slow to get going. Its possible I could use some more early ramp especially aimed more at getting my commander in faster. Unfortunately since my commander costs three mana that means one or less cmc ramp which most of that doesn't really play to my other gameplay mechanics other than being something I can wheel away when necessary. I just noticed that it was often turns 6 and beyond before I really felt like I was getting set up correctly with my current build. Its food for thought at the minimum but I will probably at a minimum consider Gemstone Caverns.
  • I could consider a means to shuffle my graveyard back in. I could go for an eldrazi shuffle titan but the problem is I have a lot of resources in my grave that I like having in my grave. I could consider something like Elixir of Immortality or Feldon's Cane as well. This isn't me panic responding to seeing a mill deck that didn't kill me so much as me noticing that I might literally mill myself out with how this deck functions. I do want to fill up my graveyard though and out of control shuffling my stuff in probably isn't good which makes me lean away from the idea of an eldrazi and more towards the shuffle in artifacts if I run them.
  • Relic of Progenitus probably needs to go just from the standpoint that I am filling my own graveyard too fast to really be running it lol. Bare minimum this could shift to Feldon's Cane or Scrabbling Claws.
  • Illusionist's Bracers might be a bit ambitious. I did another version of this commander on hatebears and I was more dedicated to activating my commander as much as possible. I carried the bracers over from that build and while it was fine, I think that burning through my deck as fast as possible probably isn't how I need to run this version. It is good to know as if bracers was working out or not. I think by extension Thousand-Year Elixir is also probably also something I am going to think about possibly cutting as well. I think the need for haste with the mana hungry ability of my commander probably is going to be tough most of the time. I think I can probably get away with slow playing my commander and activating later in most cases.
  • Purphoros, God of the Forge didn't feel very good. He doesn't fit the artifacts / creatures under 3 cmc and he really only seems to do things when my deck is firing. I am probably going to just cut him even though he gives me some reach I have to set him up and then grind and given how many things I am trying to do he felt like he is slow, doesn't hit that hard that fast, and draws a bunch of attention. Probably a little bit winmore if I am being honest and I could probably just as easily add any other big push for damage wincon like Akroma's Will or something if I really wanted it. I have no clue where I go from here but I just wanted to say it was a little weird and I don't know about it.
  • Heroic Triggers - I probably do have too many heroic triggers as a whole. I knew it might be a thing because well, I can only trigger one of them at a time. The heroic token makers weren't especially impressive but I did like the heroic pumpers. It might lead me to cutting Vanguard of Brimaz given how much competition for 2cmc stuff I have. The competition for targets is on my mind and my commander does also kind of consume mana while putting bodies in play. I found that a number of my other token producers functioned better than my heroic token producers for now at least. I want more testing but its something I did observe. Tethmos High Priest did perform actually quite well for me though giving me a lot of redundancy in res as well as being something that can be rezed from a lot of sources so that was nice. I currently have five sources of heroic triggers and while that doesn't sound so bad this deck CHURNS through its deck fast so I have to keep that in mind.
  • By Invitation Only - it seemed a bit odd and awkward when I drew it. The setup to get the tokens starts to come alive about when I could probably just start killing players. Its possible I could consider something that is less disruptive to my own board when not set up or when someone is beating me in board position. I think its a good card I am just not convinced that I am more explosive in expansion than other token decks necessarily. The nature of the wheels of the commander makes it hard to hold onto a sweeper for the right time as well.
I really wanted to highlight my first games with this deck and just give feedback that it was a very interesting deck. I plan to continue this one forward and I need to chew on some thoughts. I just like getting these game highlights out while they are fresh in my mind.
[EDH] Vadrok List (Suicide Chads) | Evelyn List (Vamp Mill) | Sanwell List | Danitha List | Indominus List | Ratadrabik List

User avatar
ISBPathfinder
Bebopin
Posts: 2154
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: SD, USA

Post by ISBPathfinder » 1 year ago

Ok, I have a lot of things I want to change but I feel like I don't quite have enough testing with the deck to really give me a solid idea exactly what it is I do still need. I am going to make a few changes and outline some of the cards I think are slated to change yet but I don't really have everything figured out yet on what some of the changes are going to. Its possible I might slot in some more ramp for the things I am less certain of and see if I can't do some testing from there.

DECK CHANGES:
  • Relic of ProgenitusThran Foundry I felt like I was going to be stuck with Feldon's Cane for this slot but I realized that for a small cost Thran Foundry can do the same effect but can target other players creating a weird graveyard answer in a pinch for opponents. I felt like paying one mana was an acceptable trade off.
  • Illusionist's BracersSoul Warden I wanted a little more staying power and felt like my capabilities of blocking kind of suck with this deck so far. The wardens are just cheap sources of lifegain. I considered running Serra Ascendant but I felt like my ability to not dip below 30 already sucks so it felt safer to just go with dedicated lifegain regardless of when I find them. The bracers plan leaned a little heavier into pushing me to wheel more often than I necessarily wanted to also it put more pressure on my commander which isn't currently my goal. I think my commander does enough on their own right now.
  • Thousand-Year ElixirSoul's Attendant similar as above I just didn't really have any life recovery or defensive based cards and I figured these fit the concept somewhat acceptably.
  • Boros GarrisonGemstone Caverns I considered the idea of running things like Chrome Mox and Mox Diamond but I think the fact that they are negative tempo hurts this deck a lot. Gemstone is also negative tempo but if I get it later it can still just be a land so it gives me some options for an opening hand ramp that the downside is kind of small later. These tempo ramp things tend to be best upfront so I think I am ok moving in on this one but I don't think I go so far as to run the mox.
UNCERTAIN OF:
Dreadhorde Arcanist - Ultimately he is really just a weird card advantage engine but when you break him down he doesn't do it until he can attack which means I need haste or to wait a whole turn. He is also vulnerable to needing to be able to attack profitably which is hard given he has no evasion or size. I think he is going to go I just don't know what is coming in for him.
Vanguard of Brimaz - I just think its a little weaker than the rest of the heroic stuff. I do think this is what I want to be doing its just that as soon as I have two heroic targets I am a lot less likely to be utilizing this guy specifically.
Purphoros, God of the Forge - He doesn't fit any of my packages other than the fact that I am going wide. My rate of bodies is a bit low too for him.
By Invitation Only - Its hard to hold onto wraths as I need to just keep pushing my hand around and that made it more awkward.

I just wanted to get an update in and highlight things that I am still thinking about.
[EDH] Vadrok List (Suicide Chads) | Evelyn List (Vamp Mill) | Sanwell List | Danitha List | Indominus List | Ratadrabik List

User avatar
ISBPathfinder
Bebopin
Posts: 2154
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: SD, USA

Post by ISBPathfinder » 1 year ago

Ok, I got another two games in last night. They both went really good but its also worth mentioning that I have been playing this deck mostly against other proactive decks rather than reactive ones. I did have some issues running into a Dauthi Voidwalker but I was able to give up some value to move my hand still with my commander even though I didn't get to cast things it let me move my hand to be good cards to play into the situation still.

In both of my games last night I ended up using a Delayed Blast Fireball from fortell to close out the games that I was testing out originally as a maybe that is probably going in at this point. I was also testing Mizzium Mortars but the fact that I can hide away the delay blast for later is really nifty where as the other sweepers have to be cast before using my commander so I actually really liked the fortell for storage for this deck.

I was also testing out Bounty Agent to some success. I liked the rattlesnake effect he gives especially paired with fitting my commander's low curve and some of the rez potentials. Setting him up with Tethmos High Priest or Emeria, the Sky Ruin to rez chain would be incredibly good.

Overall the games were a lot of fun and this deck is really a delight. It is worth mentioning though that I haven't gotten a lot of pushback as far as opponents spot removing or sweeping my board with this deck yet. I have been swept before and it can potentially recover very quickly via a few resources I was just commenting that so far most of my games haven't been heavy on control and often resolving via me going protection from colors via Glory or sweeping my opponents creatures and attacking out.

I plan to outline some of the changes I made as I was testing some things out and just needed more playtime with this deck as a whole.
[EDH] Vadrok List (Suicide Chads) | Evelyn List (Vamp Mill) | Sanwell List | Danitha List | Indominus List | Ratadrabik List

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic

Return to “Decklists”