[Budget] Blue Ox

Blue Ox is a Red/Green ramp deck that utilizes Orcish Lumberjack to churn out four and five drops as early as turn 2. Living Wish and Burning Wish provide the deck with the ability to tutor up silver bullets, and the Punishing Fire + Grove of the Burnwillows engine allows this deck to outgrind opponents. The threat spots are all pretty flexible and dependant on your meta.

Maindeck
Ramp

4 Orcish Lumberjack
2 Sakura-Tribe Elder
2 Tinder Wall
4 Veteran Explorer

Threats

1 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Master of the Wild Hunt
1 Nissa, Vital Force
2 Regisaur Alpha
1 Shifting Ceratops
1 Thragtusk
1 Thrun, the Last Troll

Removal

2 Lightning Bolt
3 Punishing Fire
2 Pyroclasm

Utility Spells

2 Burning Wish
4 Crop Rotation
3 Living Wish
2 Pulse of Murasa

Lands

4 Cinder Glade
7 Forest
3 Grove of the Burnwillows
3 Karplusan Forest
5 Mountain

Sideboard

1 Bojuka Bog
1 Choke
1 Eternal Witness
1 Farseek
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Pithing Needle
2 Pyroblast
1 Pyroclasm
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Regrowth
1 Ruination
1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
2 Scavenging Ooze


Any advice is appreciated, and feel free to ask about card choices.

What's the origin of the name Blue Ox?

With all those silver bullet green fatties, why not play 4xGreen Sun's Zenith on top of the Living Wish package? (also 1 Dryad Arbor). Lumberjack + Zenith lets you grab any creature from the deck.

Titania, Protector of Argoth is probably the best green 5 drop to cheat out with Orcish Lumberjack, though it's much better if you run some fetchlands. You can return the land you sacrificed to Lumberjack, or you can return a fetchland and crack it (making a 5/3 token) still getting a land back.

How tight a budget are you on? Wooded Foothills and Stomping Ground don't cost that much even if you can't afford Taiga.

Burning Wish has few targets in your SB, you're spread too thin between all the different angles. I'd cut Burning Wish and stick to the creature tutors (4 GSZ and 4 Living Wish). You can get pretty much every effect you need on a creature.

Crop Rotation seems really bad (only finds Grove?). Just Living Wish for your land. Put one Grove in the Wishboard. Also Tinder Wall and Pulse seem weak.

How about something like this?


//Creatures: 20
4 Orcish Lumberjack
4 Veteran Explorer
2 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
1 Eternal Witness
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Master of the Wild Hunt
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Thragtusk
3 Titania, Protector of Argoth

//Spells: 18
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Green Sun's Zenith
4 Living Wish
3 Punishing Fire
3 Pyroclasm

//Lands: 22
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Prismatic Vista
1 Windswept Heath
2 Stomping Ground
1 Cinder Glade
3 Mountain
3 Forest
3 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Dryad Arbor

//Wishboard: 15
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Vexing Shusher
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
3 Veil of Summer

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FTW

What's the origin of the name Blue Ox?

With all those silver bullet green fatties, why not play 4xGreen Sun's Zenith on top of the Living Wish package? (also 1 Dryad Arbor). Lumberjack + Zenith lets you grab any creature from the deck.

Titania, Protector of Argoth is probably the best green 5 drop to cheat out with Orcish Lumberjack, though it's much better if you run some fetchlands. You can return the land you sacrificed to Lumberjack, or you can return a fetchland and crack it (making a 5/3 token) still getting a land back.

How tight a budget are you on? Wooded Foothills and Stomping Ground don't cost that much even if you can't afford Taiga.

Burning Wish has few targets in your SB, you're spread too thin between all the different angles. I'd cut Burning Wish and stick to the creature tutors (4 GSZ and 4 Living Wish). You can get pretty much every effect you need on a creature.

Crop Rotation seems really bad (only finds Grove?). Just Living Wish for your land. Put one Grove in the Wishboard. Also Tinder Wall and Pulse seem weak.

How about something like this?


//Creatures: 20
4 Orcish Lumberjack
4 Veteran Explorer
2 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
1 Eternal Witness
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Master of the Wild Hunt
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Thragtusk
3 Titania, Protector of Argoth

//Spells: 18
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Green Sun's Zenith
4 Living Wish
3 Punishing Fire
3 Pyroclasm

//Lands: 22
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Prismatic Vista
1 Windswept Heath
2 Stomping Ground
1 Cinder Glade
3 Mountain
3 Forest
3 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Dryad Arbor

//Wishboard: 15
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Ghost Quarte
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Vexing Shusher
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
3 Veil of Summer

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Paul Bunyan's companion was named Babe the Blue Ox, so I named the deck after him since Orcish Lumberjack is the core card of the deck. I'll definitely include Titania even though I won't be running many fetchlands. I'm on a ~200 dollar budget, and the deck's at a bit over 150 right now. I don't want to run Wooded Foothills since they're 20 each, and that cuts in to a large portion of the budget. Crop Rotation is in the deck so I can convert non-forest lands into forest for Lumberjack. Pulse is very good, it gets dead utility creatures back, brings back forests for Lumberjack, gets Veteran Explorer, and buys a turn against aggro decks. Tinder Wall provides some redundancy with my 1-drops. I like the look of your list, here's how I would keep it within budget range:


//Creatures: 20
4 Orcish Lumberjack
4 Veteran Explorer
2 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Eternal Witness
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Master of the Wild Hunt
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Thragtusk
2 Regisaur Alpha
2 Titania, Protector of Argoth

//Spells: 18
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Pulse of Murasa
2 Green Sun's Zenith
4 Living Wish
3 Punishing Fire
3 Pyroclasm

//Lands: 22
3 Stomping Ground
6 Cinder Glade
5 Mountain
4 Forest
3 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Dryad Arbor

//Wishboard: 15
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Vexing Shusher
2 Scavenging Ooze
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
3 Veil of Summer


According to TCGPlayer, this list is $205.

Ah ok there's a tight budget constraint.

Pulse of Murasa is great in Pauper magic, but Legacy is a fast format. Eternal Witness fills most of the same roles, except you can tutor for it, it can get back any card type, and it can actually trade with an attacker instead of just buying you life. Would another Witness be better?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FTW

Ah ok there's a tight budget constraint.

Pulse of Murasa is great in Pauper magic, but Legacy is a fast format. Eternal Witness fills most of the same roles, except you can tutor for it, it can get back any card type, and it can actually trade with an attacker instead of just buying you life. Would another Witness be better?

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Yeah, I think I'm gonna cut a Pulse for a Witness. I'll still keep one Pulse in the deck because it has some major benefits that Witness doesn't have (lifegain and instant speed).

http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...=1#post1071257

A Japanese player has a bunch of good finishes with a lumberjack list. Check it out, it has a lot of cool interactions.

Lumberjack is the best card no one is using often in Legacy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Michael Keller

Lumberjack is the best card no one is using often in Legacy.

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I'm definitely a fan of this card. I used it in the Dig Through Time era to Slaughter Games away Show and Tell and to jam Titania, Protector of Argoth. It was also pretty good in the Survival-Vengevine era.

@OP: There are likely better things to ramp into than Regisaur Alpha. Planeswalkers are one direction you could go. You already have Nissa, Vital Force, which is a good Turn 2 bomb. Karn, Koth, and various Chandras would be other strong additions. Another direction could be Titans and Summoning Trap, assuming you have a dense enough concentration of heavy hitters. Also, that Japanese list has a lot of good stuff going on in it.

EDIT: The deck is serviceable as is as a budget option, and it can certainly expand into more expensive and potentially more powerful territory if you have the funds in the future. Cool deck.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ESG

I'm definitely a fan of this card. I used it in the Dig Through Time era to Slaughter Games away Show and Tell and to jam Titania, Protector of Argoth. It was also pretty good in the Survival-Vengevine era.

@OP: There are likely better things to ramp into than Regisaur Alpha. Planeswalkers are one direction you could go. You already have Nissa, Vital Force, which is a good Turn 2 bomb. Karn, Koth, and various Chandras would be other strong additions. Another direction could be Titans and Summoning Trap, assuming you have a dense enough concentration of heavy hitters. Also, that Japanese list has a lot of good stuff going on in it.

EDIT: The deck is serviceable as is as a budget option, and it can certainly expand into more expensive and potentially more powerful territory if you have the funds in the future. Cool deck.

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There are a handful of Miracles players in my meta, and Regisaur Alpha is a really useful way to kill off planeswalkers, the most notable one being JTMS. If I find that it is lackluster during testing, I might swap a copy of it out for 1 Ramunap Excavator. Trap looks great, once I buy the deck I'll eventually test it out if I add more threats to the deck, and Primeval Titan is a card I'm considering as well. Thanks for the suggestions.

Regisaur Alpha isn't the only way to kill Planeswalkers. It just adds a haste 3/3. What about Thornling, Samut, Voice of Dissent, Glorybringer or Thundermaw Hellkite? Samut can also be flashed in EOT, allowing you to haste another creature on your turn (or GSZ). Thundermaw kills Baleful Strix and other potential blockers. Glorybringer kills a lot.

You could also play Rhythm of the Wild to both give haste and protect you from counterspells.

Ramunap Excavator is strong, even stronger in a list built around 4 Titania + fetchlands. Without fetchlands or Wasteland it has less synergies, but it still returns lands used by Lumberjack and Crop Rotation.

Wrenn and Six seems like a good fit in this style of deck (but out of budget). It returns your sacrificed lands, kills Veteran Explorer, and helps you handle weenies without needing as many burn effects.

If you are only going to play 2 gsz then bloodbraid elf could be a great source of card advantage.

Also, chant it with me: scavenging ooze, scavenging ooze, scavenging ooze! Its a card that gives you a subtle edge in non-combo matchups and can do work against combo as well. I think its good enough to play x4, and probably maindeck. Tarmogoyf and Wrenn are everywhere. Scooze lets you break up that nonsense with a beater of your own. I understand its a wish target, but it really is that good (in my humble experience.)

Elvish Reclaimer is still pretty affordable, i think its an option to set up grove and utility lands like Ghost Quarter, Bojuka Bog, or Barbarian Ring.
Good luck! I have always been budget minded, especially in legacy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FTW

Regisaur Alpha isn't the only way to kill Planeswalkers. It just adds a haste 3/3. What about Thornling, Samut, Voice of Dissent, Glorybringer or Thundermaw Hellkite? Samut can also be flashed in EOT, allowing you to haste another creature on your turn (or GSZ). Thundermaw kills Baleful Strix and other potential blockers. Glorybringer kills a lot.

You could also play Rhythm of the Wild to both give haste and protect you from counterspells.

Ramunap Excavator is strong, even stronger in a list built around 4 Titania + fetchlands. Without fetchlands or Wasteland it has less synergies, but it still returns lands used by Lumberjack and Crop Rotation.

Wrenn and Six seems like a good fit in this style of deck (but out of budget). It returns your sacrificed lands, kills Veteran Explorer, and helps you handle weenies without needing as many burn effects.

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I'm definitely cutting Regisaur Alpha seeing as most people don't think it's good. I'm considering Glorybringer, Samut, Hellkite, Dragonlord Atarka and Inferno Titan, but I'm leaning more on the side of the 5-drops since playing a 5-drop on turn 2 is what this deck wants to do.

Rhythm of the Wild is cool, I might run it as a 1-of because I don't really want to be taking my second turn to cast an enchantment, as I'd rather be casting a threat on that turn. Domri, Anarch of Bolas is a card that fills in a similar role, but let me know which card you think is better.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mr. Safety

If you are only going to play 2 gsz then bloodbraid elf could be a great source of card advantage.

Also, chant it with me: scavenging ooze, scavenging ooze, scavenging ooze! Its a card that gives you a subtle edge in non-combo matchups and can do work against combo as well. I think its good enough to play x4, and probably maindeck. Tarmogoyf and Wrenn are everywhere. Scooze lets you break up that nonsense with a beater of your own. I understand its a wish target, but it really is that good (in my humble experience.)

Elvish Reclaimer is still pretty affordable, i think its an option to set up grove and utility lands like Ghost Quarter, Bojuka Bog, or Barbarian Ring.
Good luck! I have always been budget minded, especially in legacy.

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The big issue with running BBE is the chance that you cascade into a GSZ, but I want to run it as a 1of since I don't think cascading into GSZ is that big of a deal due to the fact that I'm running a Dryad Arbor. Not sure what to cut for it though, maybe Master of the Wild Hunt?

I think I'll keep 2 scooze in the 75, 1 in the board and one in the deck. I already have GSZ to tutor him up, and Living Wish to get him out of the SB, so that's essentially 7 copies. I'll cut a Sakura-Tribe Elder in favor of him since I'm probably going overboard on the ramp, and that allows me to run Ramunap Excavator in the sb.

Elvish Reclaimer is sweet but I already have Living Wish to find the utility lands and I want to be playing Veteran Explorer or Orcish Lumberjack on T1. It's a good beatstick but on turn 2 I'd rather be ramping into a larger threat. A lack of fetchlands also makes it a lot weaker in this deck than others.

Nice to see more people showing Lumberjack some love! I've been quietly working on a RG Lumberjack list myself, but it is far from budget so it probably shouldn't be discussed in this thread. I'll see about giving it its own thread later. Though one idea that can be carried over into a budget list is Hexdrinker. He is a great mana dump for Lumberjack that can come down as a resilient 4/4 and later grow into mini Progenitus.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Glass House

Nice to see more people showing Lumberjack some love! I've been quietly working on a RG Lumberjack list myself, but it is far from budget so it probably shouldn't be discussed in this thread. I'll see about giving it its own thread later. Though one idea that can be carried over into a budget list is Hexdrinker. He is a great mana dump for Lumberjack that can come down as a resilient 4/4 and later grow into mini Progenitus.

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Hexdrinker is a much better mana sink than Kessig Wolf Run, so I'll definitely replace the Wolf Run. Thanks for the suggestion!