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View Full Version : [EDH] Razia, Boros Archangel - Blow Stuff Up in Multiplayer



badjuju
02-16-2010, 09:55 PM
Hey guys,

Back again with another deck. This format is way too addicting.

So anyways, after playing a bunch of games with my MBC Xiahou Dun deck, I felt like it was time for a bit of a change. I didn't want to deviate from my comfort zone much (absolute board control), so I started with an Oros, the Avenger deck. It was fine, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I didn't really need black all that much. Sure it was great for the three things it was added for: tutors, card draw, and recursion - but in all honesty it was adding consistency to colors that were already grounded in card advantage and redundancy. In the end, I think cutting black was a fine choice - it really didn't need to be there IMO. Here's what left the deck:

- Liliana Vess
- Desolation Angel
- Angel of Despair
- Puppeteer Clique
- Damnation
- Decree of Pain
- Vampiric Tutor
- Demonic Tutor
- Diabolic Tutor
- Skeletal Scrying
- Ambition's Cost
- Night's Whisper
- Phyrexian Arena
- Vindicate
- Mortify
- Hide//Seek
- Void
- Rise from the Grave
- Phyrexian Reclamation
- Debtor's Knell
- Mind Twist
- Identity Crisis

Tell me if I am completely out of line here - but gauging from this list, black is just being extremely redundant. The deck just wanted to do too many things. Debtor's Knell and Desolation Angel are probably the MVPs out of that list that are leaving. Also, Oros is a pretty bad general. Razia isn't amazing, but she's a lot better than he is.

Either way, take a look at the following list and let me know what you guys think:

RAZIA, BOROS ARCHANGEL

Creatures:

Akroma, Angel of Wrath
Akroma, Angel of Fury
Adarkar Valkyrie
Twilight Shepherd
Blazing Archon
Archon of Justice
Desolation Giant
Bogardan Hellkite
Myojin of Infinite Rage
Myojin of Cleansing Fire
Duplicant
Karmic Guide
Stonecloaker
Anarchist
Solemn Simulacrum
Eternal Dragon

Decree of Justice

Removal:

Swords to Plowshares
Condemn
Oblation
Oblivion Ring
Faith's Fetters
Wing Shards
Evangelize
Banefire

Aftershock
Disenchant
Return to Dust
Orim's Thunder
Ray of Distortion

Sweepers:

Wrath of God
Hallowed Burial
Rout
Final Judgment
Catastrophe
Akroma's Vengeance
Austere Command
Planar Cleansing
Martial Coup
(Myojin of Cleansing Fire)

Starstorm
Fault Line
Comet Storm
Molten Disaster

Geddon Effects:

Armageddon
Decree of Annihilation
(Catastrophe)
(Myojin of Infinite Rage)

Utility:

Fork
Shunt
Reiterate
Wild Ricochet

Wheel of Fate
Wheel of Fortune
Reversal of Fortune
Resurrection
Miraculous Recovery

Artifacts:

Sol Ring
Boros Signet
Mind Stone
Darksteel Ingot
Coalition Relic
Sensei's Divining Top
Mind's Eye
Crucible of Worlds

Lands:

6 Plains
4 Mountains
Plateau
Sacred Foundry
Battlefield Forge
Ancient Amphitheater
Rugged Prarie
Boros Garrison
Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
Kor Haven
KherKeep
Dust Bowl
Strip Mine
Shivan Gorge
Miren, the Moaning Well
Eiganjo Castle
Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep
Flagstones of Trokair
Temple of the False God
Secluded Steppe
Forgotten Cave
Drifting Meadow
Smoldering Crater
Forbidding Watchtower
Ghitu Encampment
Mistveil Plains
Arid Mesa
Wooded Foothills
Windswept Heath

- The main things I would like to address is a better host of creatures. Would stuff like Pristine Angel, Exalted Angel, Hellkite Charger, Flameblast Dragon, Guardian Seraph, or Luminous Angel make the cut? It's not so much that I want to be a beatdown-type deck, but at least have some creatures that can create pressure after a sweeper.
- Planeswalkers? R/W just don't have that many good ones. I have Ajani Vengeant in there for now (since he can keep an opposing general tapped), but that's about it. Elspeth and the Chandras don't really seem like amazing EDH cards (maybe Elspeth post Armageddon, but that's slow as all hell).
- Anyone have anymore awesome utility cards in R or W? (like Reiterate or Reversal of Fortune)
- Was cutting black a bad idea? Should I still be playing Oros?

Looking forward to some feedback!

kicks_422
02-16-2010, 10:03 PM
Have you considered Powerstone Minefield? Or perhaps even Razia's Purification?

badjuju
02-16-2010, 10:07 PM
Have you considered Powerstone Minefield? Or perhaps even Razia's Purification?

No and yes.

Powerstone Minefield doesn't seem like something I'd want to run. When people here play creatures, they are either for utility, defense, or will end the game - and that usually means they cost a lot of mana and won't be affected by 2 damage :P

Razia's Purification I thought about, but I don't think I have enough ways to abuse it. Twilight Shepherd is the only thing that can, but the deck as is doesn't have any real other way to properly break that symmetry.

kicks_422
02-16-2010, 10:17 PM
Who cares about symmetry? Just blow stuff up and enjoy the chaos that ensues. :tongue:

On a slightly less casual note, I actually like the creatures you left out of the deck. How about add more acceleration to tweak it into something like the Wildfire/Covetous Dragon decks of old? Lots of mana, big sweepers, and huge fatties.

badjuju
02-16-2010, 10:33 PM
Who cares about symmetry? Just blow stuff up and enjoy the chaos that ensues. :tongue:

On a slightly less casual note, I actually like the creatures you left out of the deck. How about add more acceleration to tweak it into something like the Wildfire/Covetous Dragon decks of old? Lots of mana, big sweepers, and huge fatties.

That's an interesting idea. Sounds like a decent amount of fun, but only for me hahah. The LD that I run are usually just there to either end a game that's been going on for too long or put shenanigans to a complete stop. Decree of Annihilation is great for that, as not many people run Stifle effects.

Mnemon
02-17-2010, 09:42 AM
What did your Oros deck look like?
I build one up on MWS and used lifelink and deathtouch equipment (Loxodon Warhammer, Basilisk Collar, Quietus Spike, Gorgon Flail,
Sword of Kaldra) to to abuse Oros, cards like Vampiric Dragon and Kumano to abuse deathtuoch, Shield of Kaldra to make my guys
immune to sweepers and the Helm just to complete the set and some white stuff that searches for equipment. The rest are the
usual things you would play in R/W/B. But the equip theme could also be just danger of cool things.

badjuju
02-17-2010, 03:09 PM
What did your Oros deck look like?
I build one up on MWS and used lifelink and deathtouch equipment (Loxodon Warhammer, Basilisk Collar, Quietus Spike, Gorgon Flail,
Sword of Kaldra) to to abuse Oros, cards like Vampiric Dragon and Kumano to abuse deathtuoch, Shield of Kaldra to make my guys
immune to sweepers and the Helm just to complete the set and some white stuff that searches for equipment. The rest are the
usual things you would play in R/W/B. But the equip theme could also be just danger of cool things.

I hate winning with creatures and I hate winning with equipped creatures even more. It's not my style. I always feel like creatures are just a big, fat liability in multiplayer, which is why I loved my MBC deck a lot. I didn't even need my general to win, let alone using the combat phase. Playing creatures that 'just beat' put you in the spotlight, and that's totally against my philosophy in EDH. The political use of sweepers, a balancing geddon, or a well-timed X damage spell can easily turn the entire board into a favorable position. In other words - always having an answer to a resolved threat.

That said, there's nothing wrong with equipment and creatures - it's just not my preference.

My Oros deck pretty much looks like what this Razia deck is right now, minus a few sweepers, targeted removal, and creatures - all replaced with the cards mentioned above. Honestly, I think Brion is the better RW general, but he's just so unappealing flavor-wise that I would never play him.

Sims
02-25-2010, 07:06 PM
Considering you're running a blow stuff up theme and Red, have you considered Vicious Shadows? Pricey though it may be, I promise you, it's well worth the mana investment.

Last weekend playing a 4 player game of EDH against Anowon, Niv-Mizzet, and Balthor the defiled a resolved Vicious Shadows turned the game upside down. Anowon player played and sac'd Havoc Demon to wrath the board. There were only 3 actual creatures on the board at this time (his demon, my Ant Queen, and the Balthor player had a random zombie), so I sent Shadow Triggers one each to my opponents.... at a cost of 5, 7, and over 20 life respectively. The Anowon player had an active Necro + Library of Leng, so his hand was huge and the trigger dropped him to 2.

Game was pretty well in hand from that point.

Edit: Though, I must admit, Ulasht and razia are two pretty different deck types. I do play more of a token theme.

badjuju
02-26-2010, 12:30 AM
Considering you're running a blow stuff up theme and Red, have you considered Vicious Shadows? Pricey though it may be, I promise you, it's well worth the mana investment.

Last weekend playing a 4 player game of EDH against Anowon, Niv-Mizzet, and Balthor the defiled a resolved Vicious Shadows turned the game upside down. Anowon player played and sac'd Havoc Demon to wrath the board. There were only 3 actual creatures on the board at this time (his demon, my Ant Queen, and the Balthor player had a random zombie), so I sent Shadow Triggers one each to my opponents.... at a cost of 5, 7, and over 20 life respectively. The Anowon player had an active Necro + Library of Leng, so his hand was huge and the trigger dropped him to 2.

Game was pretty well in hand from that point.

Edit: Though, I must admit, Ulasht and razia are two pretty different deck types. I do play more of a token theme.

Yea I always consider Vicious Shadows, it's just the mana cost that's really holding me back.
Either way, I actually dropped this deck in favor of Ghost Council of Orzhova. I'm a bigger fan of utility generals than ones that are neglected or are cast just to beat.

patrick076
05-20-2010, 01:58 AM
Yea I always consider Vicious Shadows, it's just the mana cost that's really holding me back.
Either way, I actually dropped this deck in favor of Ghost Council of Orzhova. I'm a bigger fan of utility generals than ones that are neglected or are cast just to beat.



Same feelings here!

best of luck