RGW Naya Sligh

[JudasKilled]

What is Naya Sligh:

Naya sligh is RGW burn deck augmented with the fastest damage dealing creatures in the game. The deck playes creatures in early turn and scates in as much damage as possible and finishes the opponent off with burn by the time the opponents better creatures kill off your offense. This deck varies is its most common variation by not running Tarmogoyf as it is to slow!

This deck gold fishes turn 3 about 65% of the time and turn 4 is generally the rest. The deck is easy to play and also relatively cheap for legacy to get together. Your strategy is simple kill them ASAP. Clear blockers and burn them away.

It races dredge and ANT at close to 50/50 if not better in the latter case and can put common aggro on its back foot very easily. It has some weakness with lifegain for obvious reasons and heavy mana denial. It can operate fairly efficiently with a single red mana so its not all crippling.

Standard Naya Sligh List:
Creatures: 15
4 Steppe Lynx
4 Wild Nactl
4 Goblin Guide
3 Grim Lavamancer

Spells: 26
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Rift Bolt
4 Magma Jet
4 Fireblast
3 Incinerate
3 Price of Progress

Lands: 19
2 Mountain
2 Taiga
2 Plateau
13 fetches that grab mountains

Heavy Aggro Meta List:
4 Steppe Lynx
4 Wild Nactl
4 Goblin Guide
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Grim Lavamancer

Spells: 26
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Rift Bolt
4 Magma Jet
4 Fireblast
2 Price of Progress

Lands: 19
2 Mountain
2 Taiga
2 Plateau
13 fetches that grab mountains

Heavy Control/Stax Meta:
4 Steppe Lynx
4 Wild Nactl
4 Goblin Guide
4 Qasali Pridemage
3 Grim Lavamancer

Spells: 26
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Rift Bolt
4 Magma Jet
4 Fireblast
2 Price of Progress

Lands: 19
2 Mountain
2 Taiga
2 Plateau
13 fetches that grab mountains


The Mandatory's:
Steppe Lynx: He is inconsistant in a long game but in the early turns when you play land he is often a 4/5 on turn 2 as well as 3. Great synergy with magma jet.
Wild Nactl: Best zoo beater of all time, nuff said.
Goblin Guide: 2/2 haste seems good? In addition he has other uses with his triggered ability. Knowing what theey have on top in a counterbalance battle is useful and also giving them lands is offset by the fact that you run price of progress main or in the board.

All 3 creatures = 6 damage on average by turn 3 if played turn 1 (sometimes 8 with lynx).

Mandatory Burn:
4 Lightning Bolt: 1 cc 3 dmg
4 Chain Lightning: 1cc 3dmg
4 Rift Bolt: 1 CC , 3 dmg and converted CC of 3
3-4 Fireblast: This card simply puts your clock a full turn ahead no complaints there.

Mandatory Land:
1 Mountain
2 Taiga
2 Plateu
13 fetches
+ 1 more fetch or 2nd mountain


The Core Deck:
4 Steppe Lynx
4 Wild Nactl
4 Goblin Guide
2 Grim Lavamancer

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Rift Bolt
3 Fireblast

the rest fill with burn spells of your choice.

The "Advanced Choices" :based on metgame calls or testing.


Tarmogoyf - It is slower then the rest of your creatures at an average of 3/4 on turn 3. It is still goyf and the best midgame creature there is (depending on your definition of midgame). I think hes a better choice as a 3 of in a aggro heavy meta then burn or other cards.

Grim Lavamancer - Many people advocate a 3rd copy and I dont disagree. In the games that he does matter (Merfolk, Goblins, Countertop) Hes a beast. 2 dmg a turn even if they counter your spells. Also combined with burn will keep a weenie board cleared nearly indefinetly.

Qusali Pridemage - Hes +1 dmg on turn 2 if a 1 drop creature was played on turn 1. He blows the bad stuff up! (Chalice at 1 and counterbalance) but what is scarey is the GW meaning you need a taiga and a plateau to play him which often will prevent fetching a mountain for wasteland protection early. Metagame call IMO.

Possible Burn:
Incinerate – Simple burn, fairly costed. And on a rare occasion you get to remind your opponent that he cannot regenerate his critter .

Magma Jet – I recommend running this card as a four of. Even though its burn to mana ratio is far from hot, this deck needs any sort of library manipulation it can get . A turn 1 steppe lynx followed with turn 2 magma jet vs a blocker and making sure u make a 3rd land drop actually nets you 2-4 damage beyond the card itself.

Price of Progress – No burn spell scales so immensely. Nothing feels as good as dealing 8 damage from a 2cc spell. I however have been choosing to sideboard it as opposed to maindeck it. The format is in flux at the moment and while its the best burn spell against many decks with the printing of enemy fetchlands and more secure manabases it is deffinetly not quite as good.

Seal of Fire – It is an enchantment if you happen to be running goyfs. It is quite good in the dredge match up fotrcing them to play around you killing your own guy. It also forces people to misplay on occasion trying to play around it.
Tarfire – Likely a poor choice unless your version runs 4 goyfs otherwise not an alternative in my opinion.

Cursed Scroll – I think its to slow and mana intensive in a deck that goldfishes turn 3. I honestly think Jitte in the SB fufills all the rolls you would want it for + more.

Rift Bolt – 3 damage for 1 mana. However, this deck often hits top deck mode and “hard casting” this spell is terribly cost inefficient compared to your other spells. On the other hand the 3 CC gets around counterbalance fairly often, as well as Chalice at 0. It also allows you to kill an opposing fattie next turn on 1 mana with a lightning bolt.

SB Cards:

Krosan Grip - It deals with CB and Jitte in that you cant stop sort of way!

Duergar Hedge Mage - I havent tested it personally but both goyf sligh and boros deck wins have has mixed opinions. The idea of effectively 3 for 1ing someone by adding a 2/2 killing a counterbalance and a artifact sounds nice but I dont know if thats just a hope and dream situation.

Umezawas Jitte - It seems ok against a aggro heavy meta but if your having to play midrange your likely on your backfoot allready. Its awy to slow against anything not aggro.

Tormod’s Crypt, Relic of Progenitus, Trap, ETC -
I reccomend not having a sideboard for dredge because you can race them on the play and get rid of bridges with all the burn and your own weenies. If your metas graveyard stuffed with reanimator, dredge, and loam decks I reccomend 1 crypt, 1 relic, and 1 trap.

Board Sweepers -
Volcanic fallout does 2 dmg cant be countered and kills some creatures. Its not fantastic against midrange zoo and you should crush gobos and merfolk as is.

Tin Street Hooligan - Hes a possible slightly more agressive version of pridemage. Mana constraints our the only reason I would consider him over pridemage.

Sulfuric Vortex - I think it is a must have for your board, it stops Jitte, and other life gain from yer midrange aggro which is honestly the scaries thing they can play. Its also 2 damage a turn against slower decks and hell even a permanent to sack to smokestack if needed.

Red Blasts – "I originally thought that these may be good in the board, but they don’t deal any damage. And, son, you’re running a burn deck, not a control deck" - Goyf Sligh primer.

Storm SB'ing: Simply put, dont. Belchers gonna probably get there. 6 sideboard slots and it still is likely 2. Real combo like ant you outrace. I very seldomly lose to ad naus tendrils with 0 SB cards. I just adjust the deck by taking out lavamancer and tossing in PoP. You can race them and there usually at 10 at the end of your turn 2. If they have the nuts grip post draw so be it, nothing short of FoW's going to stop a turn 1 kill anyways.

Other noteworthy cards:

Sylvan Library: May be good for reach and filtering but it seems to slow most of the time.
Vines of the Vastwood: Double green makes it bad in our deck.

Hopefully I covered the basics, I think this deck has alot of power to it in the current meta. Cheers!

[michaelq]

Standard Naya Sligh List:
Creatures: 15
4 Steppe Lynx
4 Wild Nactl
4 Goblin Guide
3 Grim Lavamancer

Spells: 26
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Rift Bolt
4 Magma Jet
4 Fireblast
3 Incinerate
3 Price of Progress

Lands: 19
2 Mountain
2 Taiga
2 Plateau
13 fetches that grab mountains

Chalice for one would seriously rain on your parade.

Also with 19 lands, it seems like Steppe Lynx may only be able to get in 1 good swing before running out of gas. Your choosing him suggests otherwise? I'll have to test him.

My immediate reaction is to recommend cutting down to 3 fireblasts and going up to 4 Price of Progress, or at least fitting the other one in the board.

Have you tried running Hellspark Elemental?

[JudasKilled]

Chalice for 1 does hurt really bad, fortunetly there arent that many decks that run it main and you can compensate with sideboard. Steppe lynx 13 fetches and magma jet means over the course of the game it averages 6+ dmg for 1 mana. Well worth it.

Ive tested against pretty much every deck there is and gw aggro packing mb jitte was the hardest match up. Chalice is hard to get around but not impossible and to tell you the truth the list i entered in the primer isnt what I run its just the most common core list. I personally main deck 3 goyfs and a few PoP to help with it. On occasion goyf slows yer clock down by a turn and PoPs dead but ill accept that for making my bad matches good. Lynx is a beast alot of the time and sometimes dead but if you test him he will almost always dish out as much damage as his CC is worth or far more.

[Antonius]

stifle/wasteland is going to suck really, really hard.

[Aggro_zombies]

So, um, how is this better than Zoo, exactly? You trade stability for speed and explosivesness, sure, but the problem with traditional Sligh is that it rolled over and died if the opponent could stabilize. Zoo can get around that by just dropping tons of ridiculous monsters, but you don't even have that.

[chokin]

Chalice @ 1 doesn't hurt as bad as Trinisphere. A good answer for Chalice would be Ingot Chewer. Trinisphere is much more difficult to deal with.

Something that bothers me is that for a "Heavy Control/Stax" meta, you just added 4 Qasali Pridemage and took out nothing. Maybe this is a mistake. Also, if I were in a heavy Stax meta, I'd add more basic Mountains to ensure I have 3 mana to work around Trinisphere. Kataki might be a nice addition to the side, as he'll tax that Stax player for playing permanents that hurt you.

Typo in your OP. Under Rift Bolt, change it to Chalice at 1, not 0.

In all honesty I think I have to agree with aggro_zombies though. That Zoo may lack the burst of this deck, but it also doesn't die to an opponent putting a couple of speedbumps in the way. What are you going to do if there's a Goyf with a big butt in your way? How about two of them?

[Gocho]

I suppose that in USA you have a more Control oriented metagame, with a lot of Blue and Counterbalance.

In Europe, we have a more Aggro-Combo metagame, with a lot of Aggro, Aggrocontrol and a bunch of combo decks. I didn't face a single Counterbalance in a year except our testing matchs.

Trading stability for speed would be a good choice here.

Looking the Standard list, I don't like the Lavamancers. All your T1 critterswould would make 6 damage or more at T3 for 1 mana, but Lavamancer needs a lot of cards and mana, that you can use to play your hand. Do you test some 2cc guys in this slot?

[JudasKilled]

Ive heard a great many of those points before and playtested against them. Goyfs irrelevant.

It can 2 for 1 sometimes but if they played a turn to goyf 50% of the time its a 2/3 and bolt can kill it

if not r u run yer creature into it and bolt it play a goblin guide etc.

im not saying its all around better then naya zoo, it does have a better dredge/storm match up by far. It out races zoo fairly easily on the play on the draw the match can be difficult but not to much harder then a mirror is of the same deck. Your burn compensates for there more small creatures and steppe lynx can race goyf. The game can go either way , either you blow them out or vice versa.

The only cards this deck really hates is chalice at 1 and a slow start against a fast start with jitte. Otherwise you dont really care. Mana denial hurts but it hurts everything. yer common UBG CB deck needs 3 mana or so to operate at efficency we only need 2. We can also fetch mountain without a problem.

Effectively I look at it like this:
+10/-10% based on die roll
ANT 70% favorite in match
Dredge 50/50
Weenie agggro (goblins/merfolk) 65%
Aggro GW/naya traditional aggro about 45/55
Stax I cant honestly do a % either they early chalice at 1 and yer really behind or they turn 1 trinisphere and play the nuts or you absolutely crush them. If they crucible, into smoke stack likely taking 4 from ancient tomb, there dead by there turn 3.

Its really dependant on stax's draw where as your draws gonna do what it does almost everytime. Not what I want 2 play against but dotn eally mind either.

Really the diffrence between this deck and naya aggro is this.

2 turn faster clock on average if they play the fast build.
1 land weaker manabase and the only other card that miss MD is priemage i wont lie I miss that otherwise .

Personally when playing aggro I like it to crush them as quick as possible, if I wanted mid range I would play control/aggro.

Try the deck out for a few test runs against a few tier decks and post your results.

[JudasKilled]

Chalice @ 1 doesn't hurt as bad as Trinisphere. A good answer for Chalice would be Ingot Chewer. Trinisphere is much more difficult to deal with.

Something that bothers me is that for a "Heavy Control/Stax" meta, you just added 4 Qasali Pridemage and took out nothing. Maybe this is a mistake. Also, if I were in a heavy Stax meta, I'd add more basic Mountains to ensure I have 3 mana to work around Trinisphere. Kataki might be a nice addition to the side, as he'll tax that Stax player for playing permanents that hurt you.

Typo in your OP. Under Rift Bolt, change it to Chalice at 1, not 0.

In all honesty I think I have to agree with aggro_zombies though. That Zoo may lack the burst of this deck, but it also doesn't die to an opponent putting a couple of speedbumps in the way. What are you going to do if there's a Goyf with a big butt in your way? How about two of them?

I agree multiple goyfs can really suck but thats unlikely and as I said I run 3 goyfs myself. + draw a land steppe lynx is 4/5 which is as likely as big as goyfs going to get early in that match.

As far as pridemage its just a suggestion you could even throw in duergar hedgemage or other fun stuff.

[Illissius]

Glad to see a separate thread for this variant. You could sideboard Smash to Smithereens to combat the Chalice at 1 problem.

[troopatroop]

Consider Reckless Charge as well. It's fantastic with Steppe Lynx and Wild Nacatl. Sucks against STP and Removal, but gets you another attack step. In testing, it's been game winning in certain matchups, putting you way ahead early.

[JudasKilled]

Reckless charge may have not been good enough as a instant, as a sorcery it seems like just 1 more way to get disrupted. + you have no tramplers.

[troopatroop]

Reckless charge may have not been good enough as a instant, as a sorcery it seems like just 1 more way to get disrupted. + you have no tramplers.

Well Berserk tramples. With Steppe Lynx, thats 14 dmg for 3 cards and 3 mana.

and btw, wtf are you talking about? Haste only matters pre-combat.

[Jim Higginbottom]

Adding a steppe lynx to goyf sligh doesn't really necessitate a new primer, does it?

[troopatroop]

Adding a steppe lynx to goyf sligh doesn't really necessitate a new primer, does it?

It sure changes the deck alot. You now need G/W on turn one more than R/G. It's a very different deck when you add Steppe Lynx.

[JudasKilled]

I havent tested it myself , ijust dont wanna be in a game where me 1st turn creature gets removald and draw to recless charge instead of burn I suppose.

and if youve played regular sligh and this deck you would understand how the strategy is similar but it runs very diffrently.

[ktkenshinx]

It sure changes the deck alot. You now need G/W on turn one more than R/G. It's a very different deck when you add Steppe Lynx.
I adamantly agree with this statement, but wish to take it to a logical next step. Because G/W is now more important on turn 1 than G/R, I wonder if there are other cards that take advantage of the newfound White presence. After all, now that Naya has W on turn 1 to drop Lynx, there may be other cards that fit the deck's strategy that also use white. Depending on your matchups, the following come to mind.

1) Qasali Pridemage: Maindecked answer to Countertop, Jitte, and various other nasty cards. Fits in the curve nicely and is relatively aggressively priced.

2) Mother of Runes: Protects your creautures and makes them unblockable in certain situations. A particularly nice inclusion as you will have to worry far less about Swords and Path to Exile when Berserk becomes a factor.

3) Watchwolf: Fits nicely into your curve.

4) Woolly Thoctar: Speaking of fitting into the curve...

These are only a few possibilities to take advantage of the inclusion of white. Of course, White does not have to be used in the deck past Lynx. It might, however, give Naya an additional set of resources that it currently lacks (especially Mother and Pridemage).

-ktkenshinx-

[freakish777]

Do you ever find Fire/Ice or Lava Dart ruining your day? I mean presumably Lynx is an 0/1 during your opponent's turn.

It just seems like the deck is taking too many risks.

[ktkenshinx]

Do you ever find Fire/Ice or Lava Dart ruining your day? I mean presumably Lynx is an 0/1 during your opponent's turn.

It just seems like the deck is taking too many risks.

Statements like these abound whenever a new deck is proposed, or a new variation of an existing deck postulated;

"Does not this deck/card die to [Card X1], [Card X2]...[Card XN]? This deck appears to be subpar."

To an extent, it is a good avenue of questioning to take. Decks should be thoroughly scanned and vetted for potential weaknesses and oversights. Yet, the fact that Lynx is a vulnerable 0/1 does not even begin to invalidate it as a viable creature choice; Lavamancer has 1 toughness, and no one questions his inclusion. Even if they do torch the poor little cat, you will still have a host of threats left to fill in the ranks. If they do not, however, then you have an incredibly potent turn 2 and 3 threat to completely stomp your opponent with.

freakish777, I understand your concern about the clearly fragile creature, but considering that Lynx is not a necessary, irreplaceable component of the deck, its death will not be a total loss (at least not moreso than any other creature). And if it does not die, then you will have an excellent chance to bring some hell.

-ktkenshinx-

[JudasKilled]

I agree with ktkenshinx the same can be said of anything , now that people can run 4 stp and 4 path everything can be blown out for 1 mana. Not everything runs 4 stp 4 path and 4 terror because a deck thats all removal craps out to often because they have no real pressure. if they kill a reature with bolt, STP or whatever, you both lost a card and they burned a turn or half there mana in a turn to do so.....so be it im ok with that. Thats almost a time walk for this deck - the draw. (From an optimistic point)

Pridemage and Goyf are fantastic creatures ktkenshinx!

"1) Qasali Pridemage: Maindecked answer to Countertop, Jitte, and various other nasty cards. Fits in the curve nicely and is relatively aggressively priced.
I agree its +1 dmg if you player yer 1 drop but the problem is the mana cost you often want to fetch mountain as one of your 1st 2 lands against anything that even could run wasteland so that makes it rough. His damage is a bit behind as well.

2) Mother of Runes: Protects your creautures and makes them unblockable in certain situations. A particularly nice inclusion as you will have to worry far less about Swords and Path to Exile when Berserk becomes a factor.

I think in this deck you dont care about protection, you dont care about mid game, you dont care about removal, you care about killing them as quick as possible, MOR doesnt do that.

3) Watchwolf: Fits nicely into your curve.
3/3 for GW....I have a 3/3 for 1, a 2/2 with haste, and a potyential sing with a 4/5 on turn 2 aqnd 3, there not even playign in the same league unfortunetly, but I liked the bugger back in the day.

4) Woolly Thoctar: Speaking of fitting into the curve..."
By the time I would swing with thoctar this deck usually killed you and would rather draw burn.

[Tao]

What about Keldon Marauders? When it follows a T1 Nacatl or Lynx they usually can't handle both. And even if they can somehow handle it they are still guaranteed 2 damage with quite high possibilty of 5 damage.

[JudasKilled]

lynx, guide, and nactl all average 6 damge + more if they dont get rid of it, keldon would cap at 5 with no potential for more, and a tad slow IMO.

[crow_mw]

Qasali Pridemage, Mother of Runes, Watchwolf, Woolly Thoctar - I don't really believe those are suitable for a deck which decided that Goyf is too slow. Pridemage will likely be a good sideboard option, but is not really a 'burn' card, as the rest of the deck is.

[ktkenshinx]

Qasali Pridemage, Mother of Runes, Watchwolf, Woolly Thoctar - I don't really believe those are suitable for a deck which decided that Goyf is too slow. Pridemage will likely be a good sideboard option, but is not really a 'burn' card, as the rest of the deck is.
I agree that Watchwolf and Thoctar are too slow for the deck; I was merely brainstorming possibilities based off of the inclusion of white.

I must disagree with the assessment that MoR does not kill quickly. A turn 2 MoR can often guarantee a turn 3 unblockable swing for 14+, which is game over in most scenarios. Even a turn 1 MoR, while not actually hurting your opponent, sets up your subsequent drops to be unblockable and unremovable. MoR becomes especially useful owing to Reckless Charge's inclusion, because none of your creatures have trample. Even if you include Berserk in your deck (which I feel is definitely a must), MoR can protect your 14/5 investment from getting sent to the fields (StP).

Another possibility in the deck for white is Jotun Grunt. While Watchwolf may not be aggressively costed, Grunt almost certainly is. While he is probably not the best game 1 inclusion, he can be a clutch solution in games 2 and 3 against Ichorid (for removing a few key cards) and thresh. Again, I can see why Grunt still might not be an ideal inclusion, but he is certainly worth at the least consideration.

-ktkenshinx-

[JudasKilled]

I agree that Watchwolf and Thoctar are too slow for the deck; I was merely brainstorming possibilities based off of the inclusion of white.

I must disagree with the assessment that MoR does not kill quickly. A turn 2 MoR can often guarantee a turn 3 unblockable swing for 14+, which is game over in most scenarios. Even a turn 1 MoR, while not actually hurting your opponent, sets up your subsequent drops to be unblockable and unremovable. MoR becomes especially useful owing to Reckless Charge's inclusion, because none of your creatures have trample. Even if you include Berserk in your deck (which I feel is definitely a must), MoR can protect your 14/5 investment from getting sent to the fields (StP).

Another possibility in the deck for white is Jotun Grunt. While Watchwolf may not be aggressively costed, Grunt almost certainly is. While he is probably not the best game 1 inclusion, he can be a clutch solution in games 2 and 3 against Ichorid (for removing a few key cards) and thresh. Again, I can see why Grunt still might not be an ideal inclusion, but he is certainly worth at the least consideration.

-ktkenshinx-

I havent tested the advice and ive seen boros lists that run jotun with some sucess but even then your screwring your own lavamancers. It may be a sideboard option but grunts pretty much the worst sideboard hate in the game. Sounds like ity wouldnt be good enough but who knows illtry it out.

[JudasKilled]

Heres some recently played match statistics:

Canadian Thresh: 3 matches played 2 games lost (2 won die rolls)
SB: + 3 vexing shusher + 3 price of progress -3 lightningh helix -3 tarmo

Stax: 3 matches played, 2 won 1 lost,
SB -1 fire blast, -2 chain lightning, -1 goblin guide (trying to get some more non 1 cost for chalice) +4 k grips

Dredge: 1 match played, match won, just outraced them. SB plan + 3 PoP -3 goyf

Storm ANT: 3 matches played 3 Wins
they blew me out a few times with nuts draws but when you have them at 10 turn 2 with a fireblast in the wad, AD Naus just isnt so hot.

GW Jitte Aggro: 2 Matches played 2 matches lost
adjusted board added 4th goyf and more vortex

[troopatroop]

My most recent list...

4 Steppe Lynx
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Goblin Guide
4 Qasali Pridemage

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Magma Jet
3 Lightning Helix
3 Reckless Charge
2 Fireblast

4 Arid Mesa
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Taiga
2 Plateau
1 Savannah
2 Mountain

It's pretty fast. I'm trying to evaluate card choices, so I'm playing around with alot of things. I've been liking the high creature count. It's still a rough sketch.

[JudasKilled]

Its more zoo then sligh and you need to cut things that dont just obliterate them ASAP, if not you may as well run zoo straight up.

[troopatroop]

Its more zoo then sligh and you need to cut things that dont just obliterate them ASAP, if not you may as well run zoo straight up.

Well here's the thing, Reckless Charge is busted. It alone speeds the deck up by about a full turn, but neccesitates that you run more creatures. Qasali Pridemage has to be good enough. He answers Chalice and CB, so he's in. The Tarmogoyfs have been awesome. The only cuts I made were the Rift Bolts (which were underperforming) and Grim Lavamancer.
The deck is more fast, plays alot more threats, and still has a burn suite to finish. Reckless Charge really steals games. Try playing Steppe Lynx BEFORE your land for the turn /wink!.

[JudasKilled]

So I played the ST Louis SCG 5k legacy and eventually dropped after losing my second loss in the 4th round playing bant loam. My buddy played mid range zoo stock list .net.....we both agreed we would have been very likely to have been 3-1 or 4-0 if we had played this deck. Despite this deck having trouble with CB/Top + Rhox warmonk. deck, it rapes......alot im pissed at myself for not playing it lol

[troopatroop]

I'd like to post some sample hands/a goldfishing session. Here are a couple dream turns the deck is capable of. The most recent tournament I played this deck in I played against Dredge, Affinity, Merfolk, and Dredge again. Went 4-0. That's a really small sample, but I think the deck deserved it.

Wild Nacatl, Wild Nacatl, Reckless Charge, Reckless Charge, Savannah, Fetch, Tarmogoyf

Turn 1: Savannah, Nacatl
Turn 2: Draw. Nacatl, Fetchland, Reckless Charge, attack for 9
Turn 3: Draw.( I drew a Steppe Lynx and a Fetch) Lynx, Fetch, Reckless Charge, attack for 13

Steppe Lynx, Steppe Lynx, Lightning Bolt, Reckless Charge, Plateau, 2 Fetch

Turn 1: Plateau, Steppe Lynx
Turn 2: Steppe Lynx, Fetchland, Reckless Charge, attack for 11
Turn 3: Fetchland, attack for 8, play burn spells and win

Steppe Lynx, Qasali Pridemage, Lightning Bolt, Reckless Charge, 3 Fetch

Turn 1: Fetch, Plateau, Steppe Lynx
Turn 2: Fetch, Qasali Pridemage, attack for 5
Turn 3: I drew a Steppe Lynx, played it, Fetch, Reckless Charge, attack for 13

Goblin Guide, Wild Nacatl, Reckless Charge, Bolt, 3 Land

Turn 1: Goblin Guide, attack for 2
Turn 2: Wild Nacatl, Reckless Charge, attack for 8.
Turn 3: attack for 5 and burn them out.

This is about as fast as it goes, but it's not uncommon. It seems alot better against Ad Nauseam, and probably does better than ANT against Blue.

The list I've settled on.

4 Steppe Lynx
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Qasali Pridemage
3 Goblin Guide

4 Reckless Charge
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Path to Exile
2 Sylvan Library
2 Fireblast

4 Wooded Foothills
4 Arid Mesa
4 Windswept Heath
2 Scalding Tarn/Bloodstained Mire
2 Taiga
2 Plateau
1 Savannah
2 Mountain

[saturn]

How well are Sylvan performing for you who play it? Seems terribly slow as it consumes the entire turn two to cast. I'm tempted to throw in Petals to compensate for the tempo loss. Cards AND mana acc. What do you people think of Sylvan in a super fast deck like this?

[Svenyboy]

I dont think that Library is good in the very fast Zoo/Sligh. You have better cards than 2 mana: GO! I like Steppe Lynx there because it is soo aggressive and does a really fast game. Ive played a loong time this list on german tournaments and I liked it:

3 Grim Lavamancer
4 Kird Ape / Steppe Lynx
4 Qasali Pridemage
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Fireblast
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Price of Progress
4 Chain Lightning
4 Arid Mesa
3-4 Scalding Tarn
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Plateau
1 Savannah
3 Taiga
2-3 Mountain

With Steppe Lynx Ive played 12 Fetchlands, with Ape only 11 and one more Mountain. The only problem is that you cant win the first game against War Monk. The only chance is to have your Fireblast and the oppenent cant counter the blast. I dont like Path to Exile Main because you dont need it. You want to be very very aggressive and you cant be aggressive with PtoE because every Burnspell is better in this situation (there is only one exception when your goyf is 4/5 and you want to destroy the creature of your oppenent, path to exile >> Chain Lightning).
I am very suprised that nobody plays Price of Progress. PoP is really awesome in the aggressive deck. For 2 mana you can make more than 4 damage, that is really hard for a lot of decks. PoP destroys alone Rock, Loam, Thresh, decks which needs duals.

[Dr.AgOn]

Hi, here is a Sligh list I want to play on my next tournament. Steppe Lynx is a HOUSE!! Totally amazing and it fits perfectly in the deck. Reckless Charge let's you do ridiculous dmg on turn 2 and also squeezes Some extra dmg throughin the midgame.

Naya*Sligh

Main
4*Wooded*Foothills
4*Windswept*Heath
4*Arid*Mesa
2*Plateau
2*Taiga
1*Savannah
3*Mountain

4*Wild*Nacatl
4*Steppe*Lynx
4*Goblin*Guide
4*Tarmogoyf
3*Grim*Lavamancer

4*Lightning*Bolt
3*Reckless*Charge
4*Magma*Jet
3*Fireblast
3*Price*of*Progress
2*Sylvan*Library
2*Sulfuric*Vortex

Board
4*Pyrostatic*Pillar
4*Path*to*Exile
3*Krosan*Grip*
3*Pyroblast
1*Price*of*Progress

Comment on the list and have fun playtesting, cause imo this deck is crazy fun, consistent and plain cool.

[saturn]

"This deck gold fishes turn 3 about 65% of the time and turn 4 is generally the rest."

I've tried goldfishing the list in the primer as well as several other versions but never achieved anything near this claim. The results are always something like 33% turn 3 and 67% turn 4. Perhaps I've not done it many times enough but 67% turn 3 does seem like an exaggeration.

[miko]

It is not that important at which turn the list goldfishes. Goldfishing is sth. that is not exactly telling you a lot about the deck itself. So i would not give it too much attention.
But: Naya Sligh or Fast Zoo or Cats or whatever you want to call it is a deck that is pretty cool and fun to play. Besides: It tends to have a lot of good matchups.
I like CZ's hybrid list most: http://www.deckcheck.net/deck.php?id=31754

[troopatroop]

After much testing, this is the list I've settled on. No more Goblin Guide, + Wasteland.

4 Steppe Lynx
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Qasali Pridemage
4 Tarmogoyf

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Reckless Charge
3 Path to Exile
3 Lightning Helix
2 Fireblast
1 Umezawa's Jitte

4 Arid Mesa
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept heath
3 Taiga
2 Plateau
1 Savannah
2 Mountain
3 Wasteland

Wasteland makes this deck alot better imo. The tempo you gain usually = an extra attack step, which can be devastating. It's been very good.

[Grillo]

I'm trying to give this deck a chance. It's fairly consistant and really fast.
I've been testing it and I have to say it preforms better than expected. I've beaten a couple of countertop decks, lands deck and other random decks.
I've lost only to BW control because of mulligans + Hymn to Tourach + life gain.

It's not much testing. But it tells about the deck potencial. It surprises me to see that countertop is not a bad matchup actually.
I still need to test against other aggro decks with bigger creatures. Any info on that will be much appreciated.

I'll be posting testing results. I hope more people could test this deck. If this deck can beat normal Zoo, I think it would be a good metagame choice right now.

This is my list:

4 Wild Nacatl
4 Goblin Guide
4 Steppe Lynx
3 Grim Lavamancer
4 Qasali Pridemage

3 Sylvan Library
4 Reckless Charge
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
3 Rift Bolt
4 Fireblast

3 Plateau
3 Taiga
4 Arid Mesa
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
1 mountain

SB:
4 Tormod's Crypt
3 Pyroblast
3 Shattering Spree
4 Tarmogoyf
1 Mindbreak Trap


Sylvan library is THE awsome. It wins games alone.

[Nelis]

Why do you not run Tarmogoyf instead of Grim Lavamancer? Grim Lavamancer isn't really a sligh creature.

[Grillo]

Mostly because it's so good against goblins and merfolk. And when I don't get the God draw my opponents will usually stall the game at some point and you will need the direct damage.

It was tough to move Tarmogoyf to the SB. I really like that card. But its a bit too slow here.

[Grillo]

I've been doing some more testing. My list looks like this at the moment:

4 Wild Nacatl
4 Goblin Guide
4 Steppe Lynx
4 Qasali Pridemage
4 Tarmogoyf

3 Sylvan Library
4 Reckless Charge
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
2 Rift Bolt
4 Fireblast

3 Plateau
3 Taiga
4 Arid Mesa
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
1 mountain

SB:
3 Tormod's Crypt
3 Path to Exile
3 Grim Lavamancer
3 Shattering Spree
3 Sulfuric Vortex

At this point, discard decks are the only bad matchup I've faced. Also one Sea Stompy with main deck Chalice of the Void, but who plays that anyway. Countertop you just race them hoping to kill them before they get the lock online. That happens most of the time.

Now I'm pretty convinced that Sulfuric Vortex is needed in the SB. Jitte can really ruin your day, but preventing them from gaining life is very good.

My biggest concern right now is whether or not I should add another land to the deck. 19 lands seems a bit low, but in testing it's been fine. But I fear the deck will eventually "run out of luck" and I will start being mana screwed to much.

Anyone else testing a similar build?

[troopatroop]

You don't need four Fireblast, 2 Rift bolt, or even Sylvan Library. I'd play Wasteland, and a couple Lavamancer.

[Tao]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't this just Zoo with Reckless Charge instead of Lightning Helix?
And randomly refusing to play the awesomeness that is Grim Lavamancer? Looks to me just like a bad version of Zoo. I mean any Zoo deck could choose to not play Lavamancer and to play Reckless Charge. But the cards are just too bad. I just don't see the point of this.

[Grillo]

It's hard to see the point until you play the deck.
This deck is not a bad Zoo. It's the best Sligh. The strategy is very diferent.

Grim Lavamancer is awesome as an utility creature. But it's a bit slow for the deck.

Test the deck. You'll notice the diference.

[Grillo]

You don't need four Fireblast, 2 Rift bolt, or even Sylvan Library. I'd play Wasteland, and a couple Lavamancer.

Would you share your list and some insights?
I've seen that you are one of the biggest supporters of the archetype.

[adrieng]

How is reckless charge better than hellspark elemental. Both of them need 4 mana to do 6 damages, but reckless charge is more conditional cause you need a creature, and hellspark is "immune to counters" at least the unearth ability.

[Grillo]

How is reckless charge better than hellspark elemental. Both of them need 4 mana to do 6 damages, but reckless charge is more conditional cause you need a creature, and hellspark is "immune to counters" at least the unearth ability.

Because it lets you make plays like this:

1st turn: Plateau, Goblin Guide. Attack for 2.
2nd turn: Draw Lynx. Play Lynx. Play and crack a fetch. Play Charge on Lynx. Swing for 9. (11 damage total on 2nd turn).

After that the opponent is forced to play very carefully due to low life.


The idea here is that those "surprise" alpha attacks are an important strategy for this deck. At the beginning of the game and later too. I've stolen plenty of games catching my opponent off guard and playing for example Nacatl + Charge + Bolt or some other combination.

[Tao]

Test the deck. You'll notice the diference.

Yeah. Much better than arguing. It is just Zoo with Reckless Charge and no Mancers, thats it.

[Grillo]

Yeah. Much better than arguing. It is just Zoo with Reckless Charge and no Mancers, thats it.

Well, that's a line that really encourages arguing.

Anyway, I play Zoo (horizon canopy, helix, mancer, etc) and now I'm testing this deck. And I have to say it looks like a great deck.

[troopatroop]

4 Steppe Lynx
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Qasali Pridemage
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Goblin Guide

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Reckless Charge
3 Path to Exile
2 Fireblast
1 Sylvan Library

4 Arid Mesa
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept heath
3 Taiga
2 Plateau
1 Savannah
2 Mountain
3 Wasteland

That's my decklist, and it's been good to me. It is different than Zoo. You can deal 20dmg faster, improving the combo match. Alot of Zoo's good matchups are still positive, or at least very winnable. Reckless Charge is a phenominal card against many good Legacy decks. Grim Lavamancer is much too slow for this build, its a playstyle change.

[lordofthepit]

Can you guys break down the matchups for this deck? In particular, I'm interested in which decks Naya Sligh (assume the build with Lynxes and Reckless Charges) improves over traditional Zoo builds, and which matchups become weaker.

[Waikiki]

4 Steppe Lynx
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Qasali Pridemage
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Goblin Guide

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Reckless Charge
3 Path to Exile
2 Fireblast
1 Sylvan Library

4 Arid Mesa
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept heath
3 Taiga
2 Plateau
1 Savannah
2 Mountain
3 Wasteland

That's my decklist, and it's been good to me. It is different than Zoo. You can deal 20dmg faster, improving the combo match. Alot of Zoo's good matchups are still positive, or at least very winnable. Reckless Charge is a phenominal card against many good Legacy decks. Grim Lavamancer is much too slow for this build, its a playstyle change.

Hasnt the wasteland/guide dissynergie ever occured ?

[Grillo]

Can you guys break down the matchups for this deck? In particular, I'm interested in which decks Naya Sligh (assume the build with Lynxes and Reckless Charges) improves over traditional Zoo builds, and which matchups become weaker.

Well, I'm in the process of thoroughly testing the deck. But I'll share some thoughts:

Counter-top: This matchup feels better because when they set the lock, they will counter every threat you try to play whether you are playing Zoo or Sligh. But because you are faster you can often win before they play counterbalance + top (I've done it many times) or at least leave them lower on life, meaning that if they give you an opening you can finish them easier.

Lands: With either deck you really don't have answers for thwarting their game plan. The faster you are, the better.

Combo: This one is tricky. Because you are worse than Zoo at fighting combo (no Teeg or Canonist). But if they don't draw a nut hand you are much better at racing them. This is specially true with Ad Nauseam, because they need life to go of. No so true with other combo that can win at low life.

Black Control: This matchup has been bad for me because this deck doesn't have big threats. You need the cards in your hand. Zoo is better here.

Eva Green: Pretty good matchup. If they don't get lucky with early discard, your early threats + damage will get you there almost every time.

Those decks I've played several times. I've also played one or two games against merfolk (won), elves (won), sea stompy (lost), other control (won), random crap (won).


Not much information yet... but I'm still working on it. On May 1st I'm going to a tournament (there should be more than 25 ppl). I'll take notes and write about how I did.

Also this report by hungryLikeALion (a very good Zoo player) shows his performance in a tournament playing Naya Sligh. There are some good insights there. http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?16594-hungryLIKEALION-s-tournament-report-collection

[troopatroop]

Alix Hatfield said it somewhere, Zoo is Napoleon where Sligh is the Blitzkreig. Reckless Charge is a Blitz card, one that drastically alters a decks gamplan. You're right that the deck shares many cards with Zoo, but the missing ones make complete sense. Grim Lavamancer isn't a fast card. It is a good card, mostly against Goblins and Merfolk, but those still remain positive matchups. The main difference I see, is that this deck has a better ANT matchup. I've tested it from both sides of the table, and I would rather be playing this deck, especially on the play. Too many times was I hit with a turn two swing that left me at half health. Zoo kinda packs it up to the combo decks that this deck can keep up with. Wizards printed every creature in this deck quite recently, and all of them have ridiculous cost to damage ratios. Reckless Charge used to suck, but that's because there was nothing worth using it on. Steppe Lynx, Wild Nacatl, and Tarmogoyf really changed that, imo.


Hasnt the wasteland/guide dissynergie ever occured ?


Goblin Guide is a 2/2 haste for 1, so you've gotta run it. I tried it without, and I missed him. I try not to play him turn 1 if I can. There is some conflict with him and Wasteland, but it's often a non issue. You're not giving them many flips, because this is a fast deck, and Wasteland is just far too good to not be playing, and definitely makes the cut in the deck. In short, I've seen it, but both cards are good enough on their own.

[eq.firemind]

Guys, what do you think about the new Kiln Fiend? Seems to be awesome with Reckless Charge.
Fiend wants us to cast spells and I found 2 other cards to help that: Manamorphose and Land Grant.
Here's my rough list:
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Arid Mesa
3 Windswept Heath
2 Taiga
2 Plateau
1 Savannah
1 Mountain
4 Land Grant

4 Steppe Lynx
4 Wild Nacatl
3 Goblin Guide
4 Qasali Pridemage
4 Kiln Fiend

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
1 Searing Blaze
4 Reckless Charge
2 Berserk
2 Fireblast
4 Manamorphose

The list is almost untested, but Kiln/Grant/Manamorphose/Berserk thing added some crazy turn 3 damages to already crazy turn 2 Guide/Lynx/Charge. And Kiln's damage/cost ratio was better than Tarmo's in almost every game of my limited testing.
The deck becomes less consistent, but I hope it can be fixed with some minor changes after more tests.
I think I'll drop Berserk 'cause it take the deck into another direction and add more burn or Path to Exile.
What do you think about this approach?

[lordofthepit]

Guys, what do you think about the new Kiln Fiend? Seems to be awesome with Reckless Charge.
Fiend wants us to cast spells and I found 2 other cards to help that: Manamorphose and Land Grant.
Here's my rough list:
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Arid Mesa
3 Windswept Heath
2 Taiga
2 Plateau
1 Savannah
1 Mountain
4 Land Grant

4 Steppe Lynx
4 Wild Nacatl
3 Goblin Guide
4 Qasali Pridemage
4 Kiln Fiend

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
1 Searing Blaze
4 Reckless Charge
2 Berserk
2 Fireblast
4 Manamorphose

The list is almost untested, but Kiln/Grant/Manamorphose/Berserk thing added some crazy turn 3 damages to already crazy turn 2 Guide/Lynx/Charge. And Kiln's damage/cost ratio was better than Tarmo's in almost every game of my limited testing.
The deck becomes less consistent, but I hope it can be fixed with some minor changes after more tests.
I think I'll drop Berserk 'cause it take the deck into another direction and add more burn or Path to Exile.
What do you think about this approach?

Have you had any luck with this list? It looks ridiculously fast.

[TsumiBand]

I might be a damn fool, but Kiln Fiend >>> Goyf in this deck. This Sligh, we're not waiting around to get a 4/5 Goyf; I cast two burn spells and a Land Grant and Kiln Fiend is a 10/2. And I just did 6 to your face, or I have a clear path to swing with my Fiend. OMG.

However, I'm not quite sold on Steppe Lynx. Maybe I don't know how to draw fetchlands, but that guy is always a Kird Ape for me. I'm sort of wondering whether or not this deck needs to play White to be optimal, since White only offers the Lynx, a big Nacatl, and Path to Exile (or god forbid Lightning Helix). Landfall in general is sort of bad I think. But this deck is really quite solid.

[Fry]

My list is:

Main Deck

2x Bloodstained Mire
2x Wooded Foothills
4x Scalding Tarn
4x Arid Mesa
3x Plateau
3x Taiga
3x Mountain

4x Goblin Guide
4x Grim Lavamancer
4x Wild Nacatl
4x Steppe Lynx

3x Sylvan Library
4x Rift Bolt
4x Chain Lightning
4x Lightning Bolt
3x Price of Progress
3x Fireblast
2x Reckless Charge

Sideboard

2x Faerie Macabre
1x Price of Progress
3x Krosan Grip
3x Gaddock Teeg
3x Ensaring Bridge
1x Relic of Progenitus
2x Tormod's Crypt

I've won a 70 person tourney with this list and had a second place finish, I've been very happy with it.

Tarmogyof is just too slow for the average size in this deck and it counter productive with the Grim Lavamancers which act as reusable burn almost every turn.

The Sylvan Library is my favorite card in this deck because it is incredible reach and card manipulation.

Price of Progress is good against almost any deck and it makes the Land match up very winable and great in combo post fireblast.

Rift Bolt gets around Counter-Top.

Reckless Charge is an incredible inclusion for it enables a posible turn two 11 damage with Steppe Lynx's.

Gaddock Teeg is a 2/2 for 2 is slow for the deck, but the ability is worth it, even with legendary status, to stop combo deck from going off

Ensnaring Bridge stops cards like Sphinx of the Steel wind and Progenitus, bot of which are incredibly bad for this deck. It also stops goyfs, terravores, ard kotr, pretty much anything with a 4 or greater and often times 3 or greater power. Also it tends to shut down S&T

[Nantuko]

My list is:

Main Deck

2x Bloodstained Mire
2x Wooded Foothills
4x Scalding Tarn
4x Arid Mesa
3x Plateau
3x Taiga
3x Mountain

4x Goblin Guide
4x Grim Lavamancer
4x Wild Nacatl
4x Steppe Lynx

3x Sylvan Library
4x Rift Bolt
4x Chain Lightning
4x Lightning Bolt
3x Price of Progress
3x Fireblast
2x Reckless Charge

Sideboard

2x Faerie Macabre
1x Price of Progress
3x Krosan Grip
3x Gaddock Teeg
3x Ensaring Bridge
1x Relic of Progenitus
2x Tormod's Crypt

I've won a 70 person tourney with this list and had a second place finish, I've been very happy with it.

Tarmogyof is just too slow for the average size in this deck and it counter productive with the Grim Lavamancers which act as reusable burn almost every turn.

The Sylvan Library is my favorite card in this deck because it is incredible reach and card manipulation.

Price of Progress is good against almost any deck and it makes the Land match up very winable and great in combo post fireblast.

Rift Bolt gets around Counter-Top.

Reckless Charge is an incredible inclusion for it enables a posible turn two 11 damage with Steppe Lynx's.

Gaddock Teeg is a 2/2 for 2 is slow for the deck, but the ability is worth it, even with legendary status, to stop combo deck from going off

Ensnaring Bridge stops cards like Sphinx of the Steel wind and Progenitus, bot of which are incredibly bad for this deck. It also stops goyfs, terravores, ard kotr, pretty much anything with a 4 or greater and often times 3 or greater power. Also it tends to shut down S&T

Seems interesting,Im going to test your list.Im not sure i want to play sylvan library in this deck

[Mr. Safety]

I have completely changed my mind on this deck...it's not zoo, it's a better sligh version than Goyf sligh or mono-red sligh. I am currently playing this deck with a lot of fun!

[brianw712]

Necro!

I've been testing this version with some good results:

4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
4 Arid Mesa
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Verdant Catacombs
3 Plateau
4 Taiga

4 Steppe Lynx
4 Goblin Guide
4 Kiln Fiend
4 Wild Nacatl
2 Grim Lavamancer

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
3 Fireblast
3 Mental Misstep
3 Reckless Charge
4 Berserk

SB:

4 Leyline of Sanctity
4 Searing Blaze
3 Sulfuric Vortex
4 Qasali Pridemage

It's basically balls-to-the-walls sligh. Turn 3 goldfishes are quite easy (especially with Kiln Fiend), although the average is probably closer to 3.5 or 4. Kiln Fiend + Berserk is obviously the nuts, although Reckless Charge + Berserk on anything or just Berserk on Steppe Lynx/Nacatl isn't bad either.

Obviously the most surprising thing about the list is the inclusion of Mental Misstep (or not surprising, depending which way you see it, since everybody seems to be trying to abuse it now.) Misstep has been really good for me in testing. It fights all of this deck's biggest problems: Swords to Plowshares, Combo, and Stifle on fetchland (and maybe opposing Missteps, I guess). Not to mention that if they are silly enough to attempt a Swords on your Kiln Fiend on your turn, Misstepping the Swords pumps the fiend :). The reason why I run three and not four is the same reason I only run three Fireblasts: you generally want to see one, but not two. Why not just an extra burn spell like Rift Bolt in place of Missteps? Well, this list is much more reliant on creatures than your average sligh list. Protecting Lynx is worth 4+ damage, protecting Kiln Fiend basically gives you the win. Protecting any Charged/Berserked creature will provide you with more damage than Rift Bolt would. Plus it stops some decks from just flat-out killing you.

Thoughts on this approach?

[troopatroop]

It's like a modern Garv.dec, not that anyone would know about that anymore... :D

I like it alot. I like that you've gone all in on Berserk AND Reckless Charge. Double Berserk seems good with Mental Misstep :D 16/20 Trampling Steppe Lynx? Ouch.

Why Dryad Arbor? It seems worse than a fetchland, or a 4th Plateau.

[brianw712]

Yea, I didn't know what Garv.dec was, and then I looked it up. Man, how Magic has changed.

About Dryad Arbor, I've always liked it just as an extra creature whenever you need it. Since the threat density is kind of low in the deck (18 is low when 7 of your spells are completely dependent on you being able to stick one), Dryad Arbor is useful to convert late-game Charges into damage (and to a much lesser extent Berserks). Even just fetching it early and swinging generally nets you 2 damage. But yea during testing I noticed the deck doesn't really like seeing multiple Wastelands, so maybe a more stable manabase is worth it.

[troopatroop]

Yea, I didn't know what Garv.dec was, and then I looked it up. Man, how Magic has changed.

About Dryad Arbor, I've always liked it just as an extra creature whenever you need it. Since the threat density is kind of low in the deck (18 is low when 7 of your spells are completely dependent on you being able to stick one), Dryad Arbor is useful to convert late-game Charges into damage (and to a much lesser extent Berserks). Even just fetching it early and swinging generally nets you 2 damage. But yea during testing I noticed the deck doesn't really like seeing multiple Wastelands, so maybe a more stable manabase is worth it.

And the fact that it can't cast Wild Nacatl turn 1, dies to removal, and makes you mulligan alot.

I would just add a Plateau for a whole 33% increase to non fetchland white sources! I'm glad I'm not the only person that finds Steppe Lynx + Reckless Charge to be powerful. Now, to aquire a set of Berserk... :D

[GGoober]

Lol, that is pretty hilarious:

Turn 1: Lynx,
Turn 2: 2nd Lynx, crack fetchland, Reckless Charge 2nd Lynx swing in for 11 damage :P

[troopatroop]

Lol, that is pretty hilarious:

Turn 1: Lynx,
Turn 2: 2nd Lynx, crack fetchland, Reckless Charge 2nd Lynx swing in for 11 damage :P

Exactly, you can play a Lynx before your land for the turn!

Also, 1800 posts bitches!

[brianw712]

And the fact that it can't cast Wild Nacatl turn 1, dies to removal, and makes you mulligan alot.

The thing is, those things only happen if you draw it in your opening hand AND don't have other lands to play for the first few turns of the game. I feel like that situation would occur less often than the situation where you have a fetchland, and are able to get a few extra points in with Arbor. And in Sligh lists, 1 or 2 extra points can be the difference between the win and a loss. I think of it kind of like a fetchable Barbarian Ring.

Of course, I may not be right, as I haven't done that much testing. But in the testing I have done, Arbor has already won me at least one game, and hasn't screwed me over yet.

[AlexAI]

I don't usually write reports, but I need to rage.

4 Wild Nacatl
4 Goblin Guide
4 Steppe Lynx
4 Tarmogoyf

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Rift Bolt
4 Fireblast
3 Magma Jet
3 Mental Misstep
2 Forked Bolt

3 Plateau
2 Taiga
2 Mountain
4 Arid Mesa
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Bloodstained Mire


//Sideboard
2 Serenity
1 Gaddock Teeg
2 Mindbreak Trap
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Wheel of Sun and Moon
3 Sulfuric Vortex
3 Grim Lavamancer
1 Ethersworn Canonist


R1: UGr Wiz Tempo

G1: T1 cat forced. We dance the dance of fetching + burn vs Stifle + cantrips until he gets Grim lavamancer + Basilisk Collar going. I die a slow and goyf filled death.

Board: -2 Forked Bolt -2 Fireblast -1 Magma Jet -1 Rift Bolt
+3 Lavaman +3 Vortex

G2: T1 cat misstepped. T2 guide. He is stuck on one land as am I from his Stifle. I don't draw him a single land from the 8-9 Guide attacks until he draws 2 from both of my guides while hes at 2.

G3: I stick a Vortex with enough burn in hand to out-race.

1-0 (2-1)


R2: Belcher

G1: She mulls to 5 and I win turn 4. OH LAWD G1 WIN AGAINST BELCHER

Board: -2 Goyf -3 Jet
+1 Teeg +1 E.C. +2 Trap +1 Tutor

G2: I keep a 6 with Misstep, some cats and one land.
T1: Land Grant, SSG exile, Desperate Ritual, Seething Song, drop Petal, ETW for ten. NICE MISSTEP BRO.

G3: I keep a 7 with 3 land Goyf, Nacatl, Guide, Rift Bolt. T1 I play Nacatl. Her T1 she ETWs for ten again. I play 2 Guides since I topdecked one T2. I drop to 12 next turn. I topdeck + play bolt on a goblin and play goyf and swing with Nacatl. She swings all again. I'm at 7. She Tendrils'd for 8 out of her wishboard. Ow.

1-1 (3-3)


R3: Dredge

G1: I keep a shitty 6 and get rolled.

Board: -2 Forked Bolt -2 Fireblast -1 Magma Jet -1 Rift Bolt
+3 Lavaman +1 Tutor +1 Crypt +1 Wheel

G2: I play Guide T1 and see Ray of Revelation, he plays Imp T1, I play Wheel T2. He waits until his turn and casts ray on the wheel. He could have discarded ray + dredger on the imp with wheel on the stack and upkeep flashbacked it on wheel so he got a dredge that turn. I tell him this after this game. His T1 Land was Citadel so he bolted himself twice, which was enough for me to finish him off without much resistance.

G3: He's all in on Careful Study finding him a dredger. No dice. I kill him quickly.

2-1 (5-4)


R4: The Gate

G1: Mull to 4. Steppe Lynx + 3 fetch. T1 he casts Duress. No dice. I play Lynx. T2 he plays bob. T2 I draw a guide, play it and swing for 6. He takes it. Bob reveals bob. No play. I draw, swing. Bob and Guide trade. Later on he plays Abyssal Persecutor, I swing with two guys and run a guy into percy to deal two damage with the other. He's at 6. He plays bob. I burn him once. He dies to bob one turn before percy kills me.

Board: I can't remember if it was the same as round 1 or just -2 Forked Bolt -1 Jet +3 Vortex.

G2: I mull a 2 misstep, 3 land, chain lightning, Vortex hand for a 6 with the same except rift instead of chain and just 1 misstep. He plays duress. I misstep. He Missteps back. Bleh. I draw two guides + goyf over the next few turns and he can't handle it.

3-1 (7-4)

T8: Aggro Loam
G1: I play a bunch of guys, they get spouted, I play goyf, I burn him out a few turns later.

Board: -2 Forked Bolt -3 Misstep
+3 Vortex +2 Serenity

G2: SCENARIO:

Him: 5 life, lands, Mox diamond, Chalice of the void at 1, Goyf

Me, 13 life, 2 Plateau, 1 Taiga, 1 Mountain, Goyf, Fireblast + 4 1 drop cards in hand

Ohh god. He plays Duress. I FORGET ABOUT THE CHALICE. In response I sacrifice two land to fireblast him to 1. I SACRIFICE BOTH PLATEAUS. I SHOW HIM MY HAND. He discards a bolt. I realize 6.3 seconds later that I am a COMPLETE brain turtle. I untap...

I DRAW A COCKGARGLING SERENITY.

I then proceed to bend over and take a goyf + crusher double-team right up the ass.

I have to say this is the worst I've ever felt playing magic. I auto-piloted and got rightfully punished.

G3: T1 guy. T2 2 guys. T3 goyf. His T3 he Firespouts, but the damage is done.

4-1 (9-5)

T4 splits.

This tournament is the worst display of skill I have ever demonstrated while playing magic.

Actual analysis:

Mental Misstep maindeck is inconclusive.

I suck at magic.

I'm gonna go take a bat to a mailbox now.

[AznSeal]

What advantage does this have over boros sligh or zoo?

[AlexAI]

In a nutshell, bigger guys than Boros, slightly faster + better manabase than Cat Zoo.

[Mr. Froggy]

In my list I run Reckless Charge and Berserk because I find the combo with either Lynx or the Fiend to be quite devastating.

Played against Something I Can't Remember:
Life totals: Me: 7 Him:8

In Play I had: (Qasali Pridemage and Steppe Lynx)
He had: (Steppe Lynx, Knight of the Reliquary (5/5), and something else (tapped out))

Arid Mesa (fetch Mountain) (Lynx at 4/5)
I play: Reckless Charge targetting Lynx (7/5)
I play: Berserk on the Lynx again (14/5)
I swing with the Exalted Lynx (15/6)

My opponent scooped :)

[hungryLIKEALION]

Top 8'd at Alternate Universe's Legacy challenge with Naya Sligh yesterday, 4-0-2'ing the swiss and then losing to storm in the top 8 (who I had beaten in the swiss). I'm gonna be posting a tournament report soon, but I gotta say without misstep Sligh seems really good right now.

[Vandalize]

In my list I run Reckless Charge and Berserk because I find the combo with either Lynx or the Fiend to be quite devastating.

Played against Something I Can't Remember:
Life totals: Me: 7 Him:8

In Play I had: (Qasali Pridemage and Steppe Lynx)
He had: (Steppe Lynx, Knight of the Reliquary (5/5), and something else (tapped out))

Arid Mesa (fetch Mountain) (Lynx at 4/5)
I play: Reckless Charge targetting Lynx (7/5)
I play: Berserk on the Lynx again (14/5)
I swing with the Exalted Lynx (15/6)

My opponent scooped :)

If Knight of the Reliquary wasn't summon sick, he could have gone for this: Block your Lynx with Lynx + Knight, tap knight to find fetchland which would find another land. Final calculations: His lynx would be 4/5 and his knight would be 7/7, 11 damage blocked and he'd still have 4 life.