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Thread: [Let's break] Birthing Pod

  1. #1
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    [Let's break] Birthing Pod

    Okay. Here's the deal. Birthing Pod is one of those cards that is narrow enough to require a build-around in order to be abused, but powerful enough to be balls out busted if you do it right.

    We now have access to a slow enough format with a large enough card pool to do some absolutely ridiculous things with this card, and I would like to hear your ideas. I want any and all color combinations, and any ideas you can come up with.

    I'll start.

    My plan is a lockdown similar to the old Yosei/Greater Good loop from Kami standard, only obviously a little easier to abuse since we have a sac outlet that also happens to be a tutor.

    The idea is simple. You run a bunch of ramp - Birds, STE, Wood Elves, whatever, obviously 4x Pod, with the end goal of saccing Yosei into Sheoldred -> GG. Once you have your lock in place, you can either proceed to beat face with Sheoldred for a few turns or tutor up an Avenger of Zendikar once you recur Yosei to take care of things in short order.

    You can back all of this up with some discard and toolbox guys. Shriekmaw obviously is a great creature to pack since its 5cmc sets up Yosei perfectly, while some other shenanigans like Reveillark combo are also possible.

    So, outside of GWB, am I missing any awesome Pod-combos? Go!
    Quote Originally Posted by TheInfamousBearAssassin View Post
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  2. #2

    Re: [Let's break] Birthing Pod

    Saffi + Lark + white Exarch + Mirror Entity.

    Instant kill combo.

    Seems fun if very bad.

  3. #3
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    Re: [Let's break] Birthing Pod

    Taking a page out of Standard, it's very (very very very) simple to assemble infinite Exarch/Pestermites combo with KikiJiki as the 5 drop. This would include such bombs as:

    Mulldrifter
    Kiki-jiki
    Deceiver Exarch
    Pestermite
    Obstinante Baloth
    Avalanche Riders?

    Probably needs a good 4-drop to chain in between Pestermite/Kikijiki.
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    Re: [Let's break] Birthing Pod

    Quote Originally Posted by Aggro_zombies View Post
    Saffi + Lark + white Exarch + Mirror Entity.

    Instant kill combo.

    Seems fun if very bad.
    I was thinking about that. It's actually really easy to set up with Fauna Shaman, with the added bonus that you potentially get to Pod your Shaman away for Mirror Entity for the low, low price of a mana and 2 life.

    Quote Originally Posted by rukcus View Post
    Probably needs a good 4-drop to chain in between Pestermite/Kikijiki.
    Glen Elendra Archmage?
    Quote Originally Posted by TheInfamousBearAssassin View Post
    This isn't the game of holding hands and friendship. This is a competitive game, and if we all sit around singing kumbaya and sucking each other's dicks, then a lot of people are going to go to a tournament and lose because their pile of 61 jank isn't the special unique snowflake that everyone on the Source says it was.

  5. #5

    Re: [Let's break] Birthing Pod

    I realllllyyyy like Acidic Slime and it's done some work in the Standard Pod lists.

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    Re: [Let's break] Birthing Pod

    Some time ago we tried to break Pod in Legacy. We had this Chain (Pod+Drop 2):

    Sac cmc2, search for Exarch, untap Pod.
    Sac Exarch, search for Crypt Champion, return Exarch, untap Pod;
    With the R mana trigger on stack, sack Champion for Kikki Jikki.
    Profit.

    But Birthing Pod was SO FUCKING GOOD designed and they put the "Sorcery clause" and it screws the combo.

    Anyone had any idea how to fix it?

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    Re: [Let's break] Birthing Pod

    Some time ago we tried to break Pod in Legacy. We had this Chain (Pod+Drop 2):

    Sac cmc2, search for Exarch, untap Pod.
    Sac Exarch, search for Crypt Champion, return Exarch, untap Pod;
    With the R mana trigger on stack, sack Champion for Kikki Jikki.
    Profit.

    But Birthing Pod was SO FUCKING GOOD designed and they put the "Sorcery clause" and it screws the combo.

    Anyone had any idea how to fix it?

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    Re: [Let's break] Birthing Pod

    @Aggro_zombies:
    Better to use something like Venser or Yosei to lockdown the opponent and then kill, dedicated kill conditions in these kinds of decks tend to be bad. You've won the game anyway.

    @majikal: You don't want Sakura-Tribe Elder, you want Viridian Emissary. Annoys control, kills aggro's little men, neither wants to kill it but kinda has to, doesn't need to sac itself to get a land, so you can get a pod activation and the land out of the same creature.

    I second Glen Elendra Archmage: Annoying Persist critters are good. Besides, if you have a -1/-1 Archmage, you can Pod it into a Body Double that acts as an Archmage. And we know where that ends.

  9. #9

    Re: [Let's break] Birthing Pod

    tangle golem into terrastodon/sundering titan/platinum imperion

  10. #10

    Re: [Let's break] Birthing Pod

    Quote Originally Posted by Zombie View Post
    I second Glen Elendra Archmage: Annoying Persist critters are good. Besides, if you have a -1/-1 Archmage, you can Pod it into a Body Double that acts as an Archmage. And we know where that ends.
    UG Control Faeries?

    Mutavault
    Zephyr Sprite
    Spellstutter Sprite
    Walker of Secret Ways
    Glen Elendra Archmage
    Body Double

    Body Double can copy the Walker and bounce itself to your hand when better options are available.
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    Re: [Let's break] Birthing Pod

    I am trying to use this with CITP creatures, but the lack of instant speed is a huge inhibitor. If it is usable, it won't be with a game winning combo IMO, but as a supplement to aggro-control creature strategies
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    Re: [Let's break] Birthing Pod


    Where exactly will the mana come from?
    Its about 7 mana + 10 Life + having Pod in + having a cc2 creature (sorry if i misscounted here, correct me if so).

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    Re: [Let's break] Birthing Pod

    I dont think any form of combo should be played unless it takes only a few slots. I've been liking a 1 off bloodghast as a way to keep on getting 3drops into play. Too many higher cc creatures fuck up the starting hand tho.

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    Re: [Let's break] Birthing Pod

    Quote Originally Posted by sporenfrosch1411 View Post
    Where exactly will the mana come from?
    Its about 7 mana + 10 Life + having Pod in + having a cc2 creature (sorry if i misscounted here, correct me if so).
    You're right. I'm not a genius. Your insight is so cruel to me.

  16. #16

    Re: [Let's break] Birthing Pod

    That's not the problem. The problem is that Body Double copies mana costs, so by copying Exarch its cmc becomes 3 and can't find Sun Titan.

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    Re: [Let's break] Birthing Pod

    People ought to be treating Pod like an old school Survival deck. Just build a good g/w/x utility deck that has the capability to randomly pull silly Pod tricks with Kitchen Finks and Reveillark, or Yosei into Sheoldred.

    But building really elaborate and expensive combos around it seems counterproductive.
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  18. #18
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    Re: [Let's break] Birthing Pod

    You're right. I'm not a genius. Your insight is so cruel to me.
    Lol!

    The combination of tapping and sorcery speed really cuts into the breadth of its utility.
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  19. #19

    Re: [Let's break] Birthing Pod

    Pestermite/Deceiver Exarch -> Entomber Exarch allows you to pull the pestermite/exarch from the graveyard, recast it, and then activate the pod for Kiki-Jiki. But that means going off would require in addition to a 2 cc creature in play.

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    Re: [Let's break] Birthing Pod

    Quote Originally Posted by rufus View Post
    Pestermite/Deceiver Exarch -> Entomber Exarch allows you to pull the pestermite/exarch from the graveyard, recast it, and then activate the pod for Kiki-Jiki. But that means going off would require in addition to a 2 cc creature in play.
    It seems much more realistic to flash Pestermite/Deceiver Exarch EOT and then go off on your own turn, which would only cost and 4 life. With Birds/Hierarch in the deck that seems pretty doable.

    I also realized that Squee, Goblin Nabob is in 10th Edition, which makes Fauna Shaman is a lot more attractive.

    I'm thinking something like-

    4x Birds of Paradise
    2x Noble Hierarch
    4x Fauna Shaman
    3x Deceiver Exarch
    2x Pestermite
    2x Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
    2x Glen Elendra Archmage
    1x Squee, Goblin Nabob
    1x Body Double
    1x Scryb Ranger
    1x Phyrexian Metamorph
    1x Entomber Exarch
    4x Preordain
    4x Ponder
    4x Birthing Pod

    24 Land

    GWB Pod-

    4x Birds of Paradise
    4x Fauna Shaman
    1x Qasali Pridemage
    1x Squee, Goblin Nabob
    3x Kitchen Finks
    1x Eternal Witness
    2x Loxodon Hierarch
    1x Dross Scorpion
    1x Phyrexian Metamorph
    2x Shriekmaw
    1x Acidic Slime
    2x Yosei, the Morning Star
    2x Sheoldred, Whispering One
    3x Green Sun's Zenith
    4x Birthing Pod
    4x Thoughtseize/Path to Exile/Beast Within
    1x Dryad Arbor
    4x Forest
    2x Swamp
    1x Plains
    4x Verdant Catacombs
    2x Marsh Flats
    2x Misty Rainforest
    2x Overgrown Tomb
    2x Temple Garden
    1x Godless Shrine
    2x Twilight Mire
    1x Wooded Bastion
    Last edited by majikal; 08-19-2011 at 03:06 AM.
    Quote Originally Posted by TheInfamousBearAssassin View Post
    This isn't the game of holding hands and friendship. This is a competitive game, and if we all sit around singing kumbaya and sucking each other's dicks, then a lot of people are going to go to a tournament and lose because their pile of 61 jank isn't the special unique snowflake that everyone on the Source says it was.

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