[Kitchen Table Casuals] Spellshaper Madness

[badjuju]

Heya,

First off, let me say that this deck is extremely casual, so don't expect tons of money card to be put into it (ie, please don't suggest Jitte lol). What I'm going for here is a way to abuse the spellshaper creature type (tap, X mana, discard X card(s): effect). With this in mind, we're looking for cards that can be tossed into the graveyard for a benefit effect or can return from the graveyard - in other words, trying to turn the card disadvantage into an advantage.

The deck itself will probably be primarily red (since they have the spellshapers that actually deal damage), and probably host a secondary color as much-needed support. OR we can turn the deck into a toolbox, which I will explain later.

Some mechanics/cards that function well with the deck:

-Squee, Goblin Nabob (card disadvantage negation)
-Anger (in graveyard for haste)
-Firebolt (flashback)
-Fiery Temper (madness burn)
-Reckless Wurm (madness creatures)
-Firemane Angel (in graveyard for life-gain)
-Genesis (in graveyard for recursion)
-Flame Burst / [card]Pardic Firecat (growing burn damage)
-Pitchstone Wall (time buyer, burn doubler)
-Shard Phoenix (early pitch, late game finisher)
-Oversold Cemetery (recursion)

And these are just mainly red cards. I'm sure the other colors also have tons to offer, but the main idea is to best use the graveyard in conjunction with the spellshapers. And now, onto the meat...

Spellshapers come in a wide variety, but the strongest ones (in my opinion) are the red and green (ALTHOUGH, white carries a lot of solid stalling/token making and blue carries lots of powerful bouncers leading me to believe that a toolbox-type deck might work.) I'll list some of the noteworthy spellshapers:

Damage Spellshapers
-Kris Mage
-Arc Mage

-Overtaker
-Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
-Latulla, Keldon Overseer
-Jolrael, Empress of Beasts

Token Generating Spellshapers
-Silversmith
-Icatian Crier
-Cloud Seeder
-Skirk-Ridge Exhumer
-Goldmeadow Lookout
-Llanowar Mentor

Removal Spellshapers
-Plague Witch
-Mageta the Lion
-Notorious Assassin
-Avenger en-Dal

Various Toolbox Spellshapers
-Devout Witness
-Dawnstrider
-Waterfront Bouncer
-Alexi, Zephyr Mage
-Trickster Mage
-Undertaker
-Hammer Mage
-Seismic Mage
-Sophic Centaur
-Cho-Arrim Alchemist

Mana Spellshapers (both accelerating and fixing)
-Dreamscape Artist
-Silverglade Pathfinder
-Harvest Mage
-Greenseeker
-Llanowar Mentor


Ways to take the deck:
---------------------------

R/G Burn
Focus on the red-spellshapers and probably green for Genesis, mana acceleration spellshapers, and the Jolrael finisher. Can abuse the red cards like Shard Phoenix, Reckless Wurm, and Violent Eruption the best. In this way, you can just focus on two colors and run multiple copies of each spellshaper to improve consistency. You can also use cards like Moment's Peace and other green madness cards to boost creatures and buy time.

G/U Flashback
Because virtually every non-creature spell in the deck is a flashback (or dredge) card, you can be rest assured you'll have something to pitch that will net you some sort of an advantage. Where this deck differs greatly from Angry Spellshapers is that it doesn't rely on spellshaper activations to win the game. All you have to do is discard any of those flashback creature producing cards and you'll have a formidable army in no time. I made sure to include Beast Attack and Elephant Ambush for some combat tricks and EOT action. Deep Analysis is there to keep your flow going and Life from the Loam helps regain some of those lands lost by Dreamscape Artists or if your opponent has too much removal you can just go the dredge/flashback route. The actual spellshapers provide mana, prevent damage to you (Dawnstrider), or bounce opposing enemies (Alexi and Waterfront Bouncer).

G/W/U Stall
Looking at everything, all of the spellshapers are good except the black ones. Using Dreamscape Artist, Greenseeker, Harvest Mage, and Silverglade Pathfinder, you can pretty much set up your mana base however you want to. Mageta the Lion, Cho-Arrim Alchemist, Waterfront Bouncer, Alexi, Zephyr Mage, and Dawstrider can hold the ground against any army. Jolrael and Overtaker will be the finishers of choice. Other spells to include would be things like Moment's Peace, Circular Logic, Genesis, and other G/W/U spells that abuse the graveyard.

Prototype decklists...

Angry Spellshapers (ver.01)

Lands
7 Forest
11 Mountain
2 Barbarian Ring
2 Gruul Turf

Mana Creatures
3 Llanowar Mentor
4 Greenseeker

Damage Creatures
4 Arc Mage
4 Kris Mage
3 Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
1 Latulla, Keldon Overseer

Utility Creatures
3 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Genesis

Spells
3 Roar of the Wurm
4 Fiery Temper
4 Firebolt
4 Violent Eruption

Sideboard
4 Krosan Grip
2 Seismic Mage
2 Hammer Mage
3 Dawnstrider
4 Red Elemental Blast

Flashing Spellshapers

Creatures
4 Greenseeker
3 Dreamscape Artist
4 Waterfront Bouncer
2 Dawnstrider
2 Alexi, Zephyr Mage
1 Genesis

Spells
4 Roar of the Wurm
4 Beast Attack
4 Call of the Herd
4 Elephant Ambush
4 Deep Analysis
2 Life from the Loam

Lands
15 Forest
7 Island


Obvious problems with the deck:
Yes, I know this isn't a very powerful mechanic to begin with, and that without the proper setup the deck can't really get going. Keep in mind this is kitchen-table casuals, so I'll have time to build up before crap hits the fan.

Thanks for tuning in, and looking forward to your guys' input!

[Nightmare]

OOOH! I know! You should run Krovikan Horror. It's Squee 5-8.

[Master Shake]

OOOH! I know! You should run Krovikan Horror. It's Squee 5-8.

But he's not even playing 4 Squee.

In either build I'd like to see more Dawnstrider and Moment's Peace to keep your opponent's creatures off you.

Dawnstrider + Squee seems really good for casual games. I'd also consider splashing Black for Undertaker so that you can retrieve fallen Spellshapers.

[SomeRandomDude]

You seem to be forgetting about Sparkspitter... With the inclusion of black you gain cards like Skirk Ridge Exhumer and Notorious Assassin, you also can make use of cards like Tombstalker as a finisher (seeing as you will have a sizable graveyard).

[neoryujin]

I have the Black Red version of this deck, with Notorious Assassin, Dark Withering, Big Game Hunter, etc.

Additionally, Anvil of Bogardan works like an automatic shellshaper / madness triggerer (which mean pure card advantage in this deck, since you want your madness cards to be discarded), beside being a good card filter. Faithless Looting is also an excelllent card filter / madness triggerer in this deck.

The deck basically tries to kill everything with abundant removal (abilities of the shellshapers like Notorious Assassin & the pingers + Fiery Temper & Big Game Hunter. From this aspect, Bloodchief Ascension is a good additional utility combo), and finish with something like a hasty Demigod of Revenge with one or two copies (that you discarded earlier with your shellshaper) returning simultaneously from the graveyard, or which you can get back with Undertaker to hardcast.

[neoryujin]

Addition from Return to Ravnica for this deck:

Pack Rat ! Yeah, discard your Big Game Hunter, Dark Withering, Fiery Temper, whatever, destroy one of their guys, and make your rats bigger (plus you get another Spellshaper, a copy of Pack Rat!)

[evanmartyr]

What's the enchantment that acts just like undertaker from stronghold? You can't ditch extra copies to return guys, but you can use it multiple times per turn and it's faster and much less fragile than a 1/1 for two.

[neoryujin]

What's the enchantment that acts just like undertaker from stronghold? You can't ditch extra copies to return guys, but you can use it multiple times per turn and it's faster and much less fragile than a 1/1 for two.

You mean Tortured Existence? Yes, that could work as a substitute for Undertaker. It's just that it could only discard creature cards (no synergy with non-creature madness spells)

Anyway, I've tested Pack Rats, it's meh. But Tibalt & Anvil of Bogardan was awesome.