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Thread: Casual Project: Bears!!

  1. #1

    Casual Project: Bears!!

    Hey friends, please bear with me for a second!

    In my casual group I'm the tribe deck kinda guy. Goblins, Zombies, Merfolk, Werewolves, you name it I like it. I started playing Magic 14 years ago which is why I favour the old card frame and play Legacy tournament-wise. In my casual group I can build anything I want because of how playing with 5 other guys works. Slow and weaker decks are much more likely to establish a board. I'm always looking for new ideas and some time ago I stumbled over this little guy.


    Now tell the little buddy he isn't allowed to play. SEE! You can't.

    I've browsed magiccards.info back and forth and came to the conclusion that there might be some potential in building a bear deck (with retro cards).
    So far my idea is as follows. Get as many bears out as possible and Overrun or get a Coat of Arms going. Interaction? U wot m8?
    But I want to be dull with style and maybe find some tricks and ruses.

    Set cards are

    Bears
    Werebear
    Bear Cub, Grizzly Bears, Balduvian Bears
    Razorclaw Bear
    Striped Bears
    River Bear
    Golden Bear
    Grizzly Fate

    Caller of the Claw to save from mass removal (casual hoo!)

    Overrun
    Coat of Arms win conditions

    Forest


    Other cards that I'm considering (to be updated)
    Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
    Kamahl's Summons
    Whip Silk
    Brawn
    Alpha Status
    Blanchwood Armor
    Skyshroud Claim
    Collective Unconscious
    Drop of Honey

    Decklist attempt Edited in on Dec 12th

    4 Werebear
    2 Razorclaw Bear
    3 Striped Bears
    2 River Bear
    2 Golden Bear
    2 Pale Bears
    2 Bear Cub
    2 Grizzly Bears
    2 Balduvian Bears
    2 Caller of the Claw

    3 Grizzly Fate
    2 Parallel Evolution
    1 Sylvan Library
    2 Primal Rage
    2 Words of Wilding
    4 Overrun
    3 Coat of Arms

    20 Forest


    Now here's the part that I'd like you to help me with: I'm looking for cards that could
    a. have a bear (not a dead one ) in the picture most important one!
    b. offer some nice tricks or
    c. are nice old cards that might work here in general.

    Maybe some spells, enchantments, artifacts, lands or some more bear enhancing creatures. There just have to be some cards for this deck because

    Last edited by Steamflogger; 07-28-2018 at 03:37 PM.

  2. #2
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    Re: Casual Project: Bears!!

    There's not a whole lot of bears to choose from.
    http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Se...nced&subtype=+["Bear"]

    A couple of noticable bears:
    Ashcoat Bear - A Flash Bear!
    Pale Bears - Redundant with River Bear, but fun if your friends play islands.
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    Re: Casual Project: Bears!!

    Grizzly Fate needs Parallel Evolution.

    As a big fan of animal MtG, I wish you good luck with your project. I always wanted to build a cats deck, or at least some 1996 Zoo with River Boas, Savannah Lions, Karoo Meerkats, Kird Apes, etc.

  4. #4

    Re: Casual Project: Bears!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Jander78 View Post
    There's not a whole lot of bears to choose from.
    http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Se...nced&subtype=+["Bear"]

    A couple of noticable bears:
    Ashcoat Bear - A Flash Bear!
    Pale Bears - Redundant with River Bear, but fun if your friends play islands.
    Hmm I want to keep full retro vibe, so Ashcoat Bear isn't possible. But Pale Bears! Who could reject a polar bear?


    Quote Originally Posted by Bed Decks Palyer View Post
    Grizzly Fate needs Parallel Evolution.

    As a big fan of animal MtG, I wish you good luck with your project. I always wanted to build a cats deck, or at least some 1996 Zoo with River Boas, Savannah Lions, Karoo Meerkats, Kird Apes, etc.
    WOOT Parallel Evolution!! Forgot about that one. Awesome card. That's one of these nice tricks I was talking about. I really like the little tombstone on flashback cards from the Odyssey cycle (which is my favourite one altogether) and I get to play more of the Odyssey player reward bear tokens.
    Also River Boa is my friend's favourite card! I should get him to build a Zoo deck like that. Recently he got Jakub Šlemr's 1999 monoblack quarterfinals deck together. With tournament legal and blackbordered cards of course, not the whole pack you could buy back then.
    And you should go for your cats deck! It looks like there are 128 cats, so you have a much better pool of cards than I do with my bears

    Also I found Insist. Has a bear on it but that card seems a bit too desperate in bear finding concerns. No one will ever counter my bears.

  5. #5
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    Re: Casual Project: Bears!!

    Could you play Winter Orb?

  6. #6

    Re: Casual Project: Bears!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Teluin View Post
    Could you play Winter Orb?
    Hmm are there rotting polar bears in the front?

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    Re: Casual Project: Bears!!

    Bearscape?
    It is better to ask and look stupid then keep your mouth shut and remain so.
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    Something about how fun it is pulling the wings off flies and microwaving the neighbors cat?

  8. #8

    Re: Casual Project: Bears!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Dice_Box View Post
    Bearscape?
    I want to get threshold for Werebear and especially for Grizzly Fate. Saw that card while searching for "bear" and I don't think it works well with this deck.

  9. #9
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    Re: Casual Project: Bears!!

    The art on Forest Bear makes me laugh.

    Words of Wilding turns draws into bears. And you desparately need a couple good 3 drops.

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    Re: Casual Project: Bears!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Steamflogger View Post
    Hmm are there rotting polar bears in the front?
    Oh right. Polar Kraken?

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    Re: Casual Project: Bears!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Teluin View Post
    Could you play Winter Orb?
    definitely this due to the bear theme.

    Also, you should play gaea's cradle if you strategy is swarming the board.

    Bearscape
    Kamahl's Summons
    Words of Wilding
    Spectral Bears
    hibernations end
    giant growth

    bear edh
    bear decklist

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  12. #12

    Re: Casual Project: Bears!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Ace/Homebrew View Post
    The art on Forest Bear makes me laugh.
    Me too :D The new Grizzly Bears also look like he's doing a tree flip instead of a table flip.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ace/Homebrew View Post
    Words of Wilding turns draws into bears. And you desparately need a couple good 3 drops.
    I thought about this card a 2nd time now and I think it's better than I first thought. I wouldn't play to many but skipping a draw once in a while when you're doing good to get a guaranteed creature doesn't sound too bad. You're also right with the 3 drops. Have to look for those.

    Quote Originally Posted by Teluin View Post
    Oh right. Polar Kraken?
    Are you high? That's a blue card! Which has bears on it yeah...

    Quote Originally Posted by apple713 View Post
    definitely this due to the bear theme.

    Also, you should play gaea's cradle if you strategy is swarming the board.

    Bearscape
    Kamahl's Summons
    Words of Wilding
    Spectral Bears
    hibernations end
    giant growth

    bear edh
    bear decklist

    Get some originals
    Hmm Gaea's Cradle is a nice card but I don't want to spend a gazillion moneys on this deck. Still NO to Winter Orb because it seems to kill those polar bears. Since I want this to be a pure retro and consistent deck I'll mind stuff like this. Same goes for all cards in modern frame you named.

    Kamahl's Summons goes to the 'maybe pile' due to it being symmetric. Have to test that one in my group.
    Spectral Bears won't work since black is the worst color in multiplayer Magic. Trust me, I'm the only one with playing zombies and Pox.

    I'll take some inspriration from the posted decklists and will try to get a first version together in my original post.


    I like this one better

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ace/Homebrew View Post
    The art on Forest Bear makes me laugh.
    Paws Up! Don't Shoot!

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    Re: Casual Project: Bears!!

    I played a similar deck back in... wow... well, it was some time ago. I completely forgot about that, but once the many bear cards showed up, I remembered that for a brief time I tried this in our (now dead) casual group.
    I didn't like neither Kamahl's Summons nor Bearscape for obvious reasons. I think I used something to return Stripped Bears, but I'm nost sure what it was, maybe Stampeding Wildebeests, a card I played everywhere. (Not a bear, though.)
    I wouldn't play WOrb, you have no mana acceleration, unless you plan to cut bears for Wild Growth, elves or manarocks.

    edit: I know what I played. I used the two toeken generators with flashback, then I played some card that draws number of cards equal to creatures I controlled, finished with Kamahl's Summons. Super clunky thing.
    Last edited by Bed Decks Palyer; 12-12-2014 at 05:36 AM.

  15. #15

    Re: Casual Project: Bears!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Bed Decks Palyer View Post
    I played a similar deck back in... wow... well, it was some time ago. I completely forgot about that, but once the many bear cards showed up, I remembered that for a brief time I tried this in our (now dead) casual group.
    I didn't like neither Kamahl's Summons nor Bearscape for obvious reasons. I think I used something to return Stripped Bears, but I'm nost sure what it was, maybe Stampeding Wildebeests, a card I played everywhere. (Not a bear, though.)
    I wouldn't play WOrb, you have no mana acceleration, unless you plan to cut bears for Wild Growth, elves or manarocks.
    Wow didn't know a card like Stampeding Wildebeests already existed back then. I use the similar Species Gorger in my Evolve deck to produce Evolve triggers. I'll sure get me some beests, maybe for other decks.

    Quote Originally Posted by Bed Decks Palyer View Post
    edit: I know what I played. I used the two token generators with flashback, then I played some card that draws number of cards equal to creatures I controlled, finished with Kamahl's Summons. Super clunky thing.
    Aww there's no Heartstone for enchantments. You could go reeeeally clunky with one of those, token generators, your draw spell and Words of Wilding.
    BTW do you remember the draw spell's name? If that's an old one it might be worth considering for this deck.

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    Re: Casual Project: Bears!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Steamflogger View Post
    Wow didn't know a card like Stampeding Wildebeests already existed back then. I use the similar Species Gorger in my Evolve deck to produce Evolve triggers. I'll sure get me some beests, maybe for other decks.
    I played it everywhere. Everywhere.
    They reprinted them in I think M10, and they also made two functional reprints (Stampeding Serow and Roaring Primadox in case you want to build new-framed etb based green deck.


    Quote Originally Posted by Steamflogger View Post
    Aww there's no Heartstone for enchantments. You could go reeeeally clunky with one of those, token generators, your draw spell and Words of Wilding.
    BTW do you remember the draw spell's name? If that's an old one it might be worth considering for this deck.

  17. #17

    Re: Casual Project: Bears!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Bed Decks Palyer View Post
    Awesome. Added to the 'considered' pile.

    Also by now I see how good Gaea's Cradle would be for this deck. Would love to have two of those but this legend rule nonsense made them expensive as hell. 90€ ~ $112
    Ok.. pitiful Americans. I just checked the SCG shop and those crazy people sell them for $180.

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    Re: Casual Project: Bears!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Steamflogger View Post
    Awesome. Added to the 'considered' pile.

    Also by now I see how good Gaea's Cradle would be for this deck. Would love to have two of those but this legend rule nonsense made them expensive as hell. 90€ ~ $112
    Ok.. pitiful Americans. I just checked the SCG shop and those crazy people sell them for $180.
    Yes, Cradle would be perfect. It's a shame that there's no Magus of the Cradle, preferably a Human Bear Druid.

    I think you should decide what you want from the deck. If fun with nice pictures is all that you want, then you might play 28 Bears.dec and be fine. Otoh, you may try a different route with heavy emphasis on the token generators, including the dreadful Kamahl's Summons, using some kind of ramp etc.
    While the "Dem Bearz, Much Bearz!" deck is an easy one to build - simply throw the nice cards into a pile, shuffle with Forests -, the tricky one is the Parallel Grizzlies. You may try to build something viable of:
    - Grizzly Fate and Parallel Evolution for tokens
    - Collective Unconscious for card draw after the tokens are made
    - then add Kamahl's Summons to make some bears of the many bears you draw
    - with a grandiose finaly being Summer Bloom or two to massively ramp you for the flashbacks. And yes, I just called Summer Bloom a grandiose finale...

    But maybe this is too complicated. I'd start with this:

    Noble Bears, the Deck

    Noble: Kamahl, Fist of Krosa or Coat of Arms
    Kamahl is more nice, he's a bear tamer, makes overruns - see below why that's important -, etc. Otoh, Coat stops Engineered Plague.

    Support: 4 Overrun
    The four available uncommons. I guess the usage is obvious.

    Bears:
    35 basic bears

    Forests:
    20 common lands

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    Re: Casual Project: Bears!!

    I know it is not 'old magic', but Green has the benefit of the Fight mechanic to enable removal. How more Bear-like does it get?? You maul the piss out of an offending creature. mmmBRAWR.

    If you find it to be thematically pleasing, consider Prey Upon or Pit Fight for your deck.

    Also, it occurs to me that it would probably be better against you than for you, but... Drop of Honey for the lulz? You could have a Bees and Honey subtheme with Unyaro Bee Sting and Bee Sting and Hornet Sting. Maybe even Killer Bees and Unyaro Bees. There's only enough Bee cards in Magic for a subtheme anyway, so where better to place it?
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    Re: Casual Project: Bears!!

    Quote Originally Posted by TsumiBand View Post
    Also, it occurs to me that it would probably be better against you than for you, but... Drop of Honey for the lulz?
    Tsumi, you know I love you, don't you?

    Yeah, the new frame was a mistake. It looks like two distinct games, and it's awful. Otoh, it really helps to those with analysis paralysis, as it draws a huge line where to stop: "No, thanks, my Magic ends at Scourge."
    Otoh, the brawl... I mean fight mechanic. That's something sooo bearish! Shame that Werebear and friends weren't reprinted in new frame (even more shame that the new cards don't have the old frame, but this horse cadaver is already beaten enough), as then it would be possible to build a one-frame-only deck with all the new fancy stuff.

    I'd try the Noble Bears first. It's easy like a Beginners Guide to Creature Combat in Magic: the Gathering, and if you'll add a trick or two (mostly Giant Growth and similar stuff), it might be pretty funny while a bit too one-dimensional. Although, the latter needn't to be a problerm, from what I remeber from playing against some of the more sophisticated piles my good old friend built, the ability to swing unopposed and progress the simple gameplan by simply tapping simple lands to play simple threats, might be simply the best, better than all the rest.
    also, there's something really satisfying in playing Overrun and then tapping the four or five bears for the win. Sadly, the bears' curve isn't the best, as you start at two and cannot add them exactly well, due to their cmc of 2 and/or 3. But maybe you'll find a solution, or maybe the tokens-based deck is a better idea.

    edit: Tsumi, so you edited the post with the bees&honey subtheme right when I was declaring my love for you?

    edit2: Words of Wilding combo well with Sylvan Library, right?

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