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Thread: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

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    [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    I have to admit I was pleased with Wizard's fan service in Ixalan. Twenty-five years after the printing of Fungusaur, dinosaurs are officially a thing in Magic!

    After borrowing a friends Gishath deck on EDH night a few times, I committed and bought myself a couple dozen dinosaurs of my own. Gishath's card text pretty much limits the deck design to tribal, which is fine by me. Kaheera has joined Team Dinos. Here's the list:

    Commander
    Gishath, Sun's Avatar
    Companion
    Kaheera, the Orphanguard

    Dinosaurs (30)

    Support (33)

    Lands (36)



    The strategy is pretty straight-forward: Ramp and play Gishath => attack with Gishath!
    Last edited by Ace/Homebrew; 02-18-2024 at 11:10 PM.

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    Re: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    Got one game under my belt!

    Just from goldfishing, I knew my manabase sucked... I actually borrowed a Reflecting Pool, Stomping Ground, and Temple Garden from another deck before giving it a go. Definitely helped out as finding all three colors was not an issue.

    I ended up casting Gishath 3 times, but always had a surplus of mana if I needed to re-cast him. Some of this was due to Etali showing Tempt with Discovery off an opponent's library and everyone deciding they wanted to ramp.

    An opponent had Maze of Ith out, which revealed itself to be a pretty big problem. Fortunately that opponent didn't proactively use it against me as long as I didn't aim Gishath his way.

    The deck forced several board wipes, and recovered after each. Although it would have struggled with 1 more than it saw...


    I'm tempted to find room for a package that would protect from board resets.
    I'm considering:

    Boros Charm
    Heroic Intervention
    Ghostway

    I'm also going to take another look at my ramp package. Tempt With Discovery was really powerful.
    And of course I need to invest more $$ into my lands.

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    Re: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    First two things (besides the obvious lands) would be Lightning Greeves (to protect your big plays/General/early cost reducers to at least last a turn and provide value) and Pyrohemia (to keep the board relative clear early, as most of your cost reducers/support creatures have more than 1 toughness, then later trigger your Enrage guys).
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    Re: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    Probably want to get rid of the changelings for pure flavor purposes, no?
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    Re: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    I have some built in haste (Gishath, Otepec Huntmaster, Regisaur Alpha, Charging Monstrosaur), so I'm not too worried on that front, but shroud/hexproof is desperately needed. That's why I was musing about Boros Charm/Heroic Intervention/Ghostway up above... I'll probably play around with both options just to see which is stronger.

    Pyrohemia definitely spiked due to dinosaurs, and there is obvious synergy with the Enrage mechanic.
    I dunno... It just didn't excite me when I was putting together the list. You are probably right though.



    Kap'n, you think the changelings are a flavor fail? I think Mirror Entity is too strong not to include... And the Colossus is a good mana sink (but lacks trample...). If they print a bunch of new dinosaurs, I could easily see cutting Taurean Mauler. I'd even cut the Colossus if the dino was clearly better. But I think Mirror Entity has a spot no matter what!

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    Re: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    Quote Originally Posted by Ace/Homebrew View Post
    I have some built in haste (Gishath, Otepec Huntmaster, Regisaur Alpha, Charging Monstrosaur), so I'm not too worried on that front, but shroud/hexproof is desperately needed. That's why I was musing about Boros Charm/Heroic Intervention/Ghostway up above... I'll probably play around with both options just to see which is stronger.
    Yeah, the haste is of limited value, but the zero equip and Shroud are the key points. Whispersilk Cloak is another consideration, considering you do have guys that trigger on hitting a player.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ace/Homebrew View Post
    Pyrohemia definitely spiked due to dinosaurs, and there is obvious synergy with the Enrage mechanic.
    I dunno... It just didn't excite me when I was putting together the list. You are probably right though.
    I forgot that it actually costs money now-a-days. I've always had it as a go-to card for EDH though, since the old, old days where I'd use it in my Numot deck to clear out small blockers so he could get in, and later in my Oros Enchantment deck where it is a great combo with Death Pits of Rath.
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    Re: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    Quote Originally Posted by Ace/Homebrew View Post
    Kap'n, you think the changelings are a flavor fail? I think Mirror Entity is too strong not to include... And the Colossus is a good mana sink (but lacks trample...). If they print a bunch of new dinosaurs, I could easily see cutting Taurean Mauler. I'd even cut the Colossus if the dino was clearly better. But I think Mirror Entity has a spot no matter what!


    Na I'm just being picky. Like I am about to put together Thelon Fungi and put in Nameless Inversion for the synergy but didn't feel like Chameleon was close enough flavorly/art-wise to make the cut. Mirror Entity is for sure straight gas and dino-relevant, just my own personal style I probably wouldn't. Now that I think about it, maybe I should ditch the nameless inversion lol.
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    Re: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    Okay, looking at the OP and what I brought to EDH night Thursday, I need to make some corrections.

    - Priest of the Wakening Sun
    - Rishkar's Expertise
    + Gruul Signet
    + Selesnya Signet

    Now that the list is accurate, I can change it again!
    Even though Huatli is the dinosaur Planeswalker, I'm not sure any Planeswalkers really need to be in this deck. I actually feel The Immortal Sun is much stronger here.

    - Huatli, Radiant Champion
    - Huatli, Warrior Poet
    - Huatli, Dinosaur Knight
    - Domri Rade
    + Priest of the Wakening Sun
    + Tempt with Discovery
    + Boros Charm
    + Ghostway

    When I can find them, I'd like to fit in Heroic Intervention and replace Vanquisher's Banner with The Immortal Sun.

    Oh yeah, also:

    - Mountain
    - Plains
    - 3 Forest
    + Brushland
    + Karplusan Forest
    + Wasteland
    + Kessig Wolf Run
    + Reflecting Pool


    I'll also have to find a replacement for Sun-Blessed Mount...
    Last edited by Ace/Homebrew; 03-06-2018 at 10:41 AM.

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    Re: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    Got 4 more games in. Really starting to get a feel for the deck.

    Before the games I made the following changes:

    - Vanquisher's Banner
    - Sun-Blessed Mount
    - Selesnya Signet
    + The Immortal Sun
    + Nature's Lore
    + Heroic Intervention

    I've also been using a Tiaga and Savannah instead of a Mountain and Plains with the idea that I'd replace the duals for Fire-Lit Thicket and Wooded Bastion when I get them.


    I mulligan more with this deck than the others I have, but still rarely need to go down to 6. It's because I'm specifically looking for hands with ramp as the hands without it I don't do much... But the hands with it are nuts!

    One game I led off with Forest => Mana Crypt => Nature's Lore for Stomping Ground
    Second turn I put a Plains into play and cast Knight of the Stampede
    Turn 3 it was another land => Gishath! who then revealed 4-5 dinosaurs

    That's certainly not typical, but I'm trying to optimize the deck to allow for brokenness like that.

    Another game I won off the back of Mirror Entity and lands. I got down Otepec Huntmaster, Ranging Raptors, and Entity. I untapped, played my 6th land, then pumped the 3 creatures to 6/6's and attacked. Entity got dealt with before I untapped, but I followed up with more dinosaurs, and then Gishath a turn later.



    Right now (besides the filter lands I mentioned above), I'd like to replace the remaining Signet with Kodama's Reach and find room for Urza's Incubator. And eventually afford a Horizon Canopy. Gaea's Cradle would be insane, but barring an unforeseen windfall, that is unlikely to happen.




    Edit - Pulled the trigger on buying some cards.

    - Gruul Signet
    - Mountain
    - Plains
    + Kodama's Reach
    + Fire-Lit Thicket
    + Wooded Bastion
    Last edited by Ace/Homebrew; 03-09-2018 at 09:58 AM.

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    Re: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    New dinosaur in Dominaria! That's nice too see. Hopefully WotC continues to throw this tribe a rare in each set.

    Territorial Allosaurus
    2GG
    Creature — Dinosaur
    5/5
    Kicker 2G (You may pay an additional 2G as you cast this spell.)
    When Territorial Allosaurus enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, it fights another target creature.

    At this time I'd say it will replace Steadfast Armasaur. Armasaur is over-costed as a 2/3 for and has a repeatable conditional 'removal' ability. Allosaurus is under-costed for the same CMC as a 5/5 (although is more restrictive), and it also has a conditional one time 'removal' ability. The only real downside is losing vigilance...
    Last edited by Ace/Homebrew; 03-12-2018 at 11:05 AM.

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    Re: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    Picked up 2 more cards!

    - Sunbird's Invocation
    - Forest
    + Urza's Incubator
    + Mutavault

    That just leaves Field of Ruin and Horizon Canopy to get. Then the deck is likely to be where I want it until more dinosaurs are printed!

    I still need to obtain additional copies of Mana Crypt, Wasteland, Cavern of Souls, and Carnage Tyrant in order to eliminate the need to swap cards between decks. I'm borrowing those 4 from The Mimeoplasm in the meantime.

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    Re: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    Quote Originally Posted by Ace/Homebrew View Post
    Then the deck is likely to be where I want it until more dinosaurs are printed!
    That was wishful thinking...

    Additional games and playtesting suggest 2 things:
    - Need more ramp
    - Need at least 3 Wasteland-effects for Tempt with Discovery

    I'm going to cut Priest of the Wakening Sun (again), Blood Sun, and possibly Ghostway to fit in more ramp. My preference is 'land into play' ramp over mana rocks. Thunderherd Migration and Wayfarer's Bauble look like good additions, but I'd like one more. Three Visits would be fantastic but I don't want to afford one and as of right now, the entire deck is new-bordered...

    I have Wasteland and Field of Ruin (proxied till I find one) in the deck, but in a 4 player game Tempt with Discovery gives each opponent the opportunity to find a Maze of Ith or some other land that puts them ahead of me. Having the ability to tutor the land I want, plus a card that can neutralize whatever they find, seems like a good idea. Ghost Quarter is the obvious choice (since Strip Mine is either old-border, white-border, or foil).

    Also want to recommend Field of Ruin to everyone. The card is reeeeeeeeal good in EDH. It replaces itself with an untapped basic, and it won't ever make you the villain of a pod since your opponent gets a harmless basic as well.

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    Re: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    Quote Originally Posted by Ace/Homebrew View Post
    I'm going to cut Priest of the Wakening Sun (again), Blood Sun, and possibly Ghostway to fit in more ramp. My preference is 'land into play' ramp over mana rocks. Thunderherd Migration and Wayfarer's Bauble look like good additions, but I'd like one more. Three Visits would be fantastic but I don't want to afford one and as of right now, the entire deck is new-bordered...
    Explosive Vegetation or Skyshroud Claim perhaps?

    I always prefer the ramp spells that give me two lands in EDH, because just a one for one trade of a card for a land never seemed very good to me in multiplayer games.
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    Re: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    Quote Originally Posted by Ace/Homebrew View Post
    That was wishful thinking...

    Additional games and playtesting suggest 2 things:
    - Need more ramp
    - Need at least 3 Wasteland-effects for Tempt with Discovery

    I'm going to cut Priest of the Wakening Sun (again), Blood Sun, and possibly Ghostway to fit in more ramp. My preference is 'land into play' ramp over mana rocks. Thunderherd Migration and Wayfarer's Bauble look like good additions, but I'd like one more. Three Visits would be fantastic but I don't want to afford one and as of right now, the entire deck is new-bordered...

    I have Wasteland and Field of Ruin (proxied till I find one) in the deck, but in a 4 player game Tempt with Discovery gives each opponent the opportunity to find a Maze of Ith or some other land that puts them ahead of me. Having the ability to tutor the land I want, plus a card that can neutralize whatever they find, seems like a good idea. Ghost Quarter is the obvious choice (since Strip Mine is either old-border, white-border, or foil).

    Also want to recommend Field of Ruin to everyone. The card is reeeeeeeeal good in EDH. It replaces itself with an untapped basic, and it won't ever make you the villain of a pod since your opponent gets a harmless basic as well.
    I've had ok results with Search for Tomorrow in other decks. It's obviously not Cultivate, but occasionally suspending it on turn 1 is pretty nice. You could also run Ranger's Path as a new border Skyshroud Claim. If you want a really weird one, Recross the Paths might be decent for you since you're reasonably likely to win the clash. The downside is that you don't get to pick the land, but it does get lands, not just basics. Could always go with Harrow too I suppose.

    In addition to Ghost Quarter you could run Tectonic Edge I guess. There's also Encroaching Wastes...but 4 mana for the effect is a little steep.

    Alternatively, if the issue is people getting Maze of Ith off of Tempt with Discovery, maybe just swap it for Hour of Promise? Or even Sylvan Scrying...

    I've been thinking of replacing the Wasteland in one of my decks with a Field of Ruin, but all I can think of is the corner cases where it's "bad". Like for example, landfall. The question is how often that's really relevant I guess. Should probably start keeping track...

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    Re: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    I appreciate the feedback guys! You've confirmed what I was thinking is true... that I've exhausted the good/efficient ramp and the remaining good cards are CMC4 and generate actual card advantage. The card advantage aspect is great, but the deck has CMC4+ covered and needs things to do in the first 3 turns.

    For that reason, I'm leaning toward Search for Tomorrow. If I start the game with it in hand, it gives me something to do on the first turn. Otherwise it puts the land into play untapped, so I can hopefully utilize the mana right away in later turns.

    Tectonic Edge may also be better than Ghost Quarter for my purposes too.

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    Re: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    - Priest of the Wakening Sun
    - Blood Sun
    - Ghostway
    - Forest
    - Mountain
    - Plains
    --------------
    + Wayfarer's Bauble
    + Thunderherd Migration
    + Search for Tomorrow
    + Krosan Verge
    + Tectonic Edge
    + Field of Ruin
    --------------
    --------------

    I'm feeling much better about the amount of ramp in the deck. Gishath is getting played turn 5 on average, and that's pretty much where I want to be.

    I'm looking to pick up a Horizon Canopy and Grove of the Burnwillows, then the mana looks pretty good until they print more cards.
    Still need to get a Cavern of Souls and Mana Crypt to keep from having to swap cards between decks.


    Also worth noting, since I raved about the card earlier in the thread... Field of Ruin has each player search for a basic to put into play untapped. So unfortunately it ramps the opponents you didn't target. Still a good card and one I'd recommend playing, but not as good as I initially thought.

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    Re: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    Dominaria changes!

    + Territorial Allosaurus
    + Grow from the Ashes
    + Blighted Woodland
    + Grove of the Burnwillow

    - Steadfast Armasaur
    - Atzocan Seer
    - Mutavault
    - Mountain

    Pretty basic changes... mostly still just toying around with the mana-base.
    - the Allosaurus is a straight aggro upgrade
    - New ramp card is more permanent than a fragile creature. And both can provide card advantage.
    - Woodland is hidden ramp. Mutavault being a dinosaur NEVER mattered...

    Still interested in swapping a Plains for Horizon Canopy, but need to buy one first.
    Still need to get this deck it's own Mana Crypt and Cavern of Souls so I can stop swapping with Mimeoplasm...


    The deck has its weaknesses (mostly things that hose Gishath). But enough of the other dinosaurs are threatening in a major way (mostly the 'Elder' dinosaurs) that I can bait removal by throwing them out first. Otherwise politics has proven useful more-so with this deck than the other two I play. I have yet to complete a game with this deck where I don't yell 'DINOSAURS!!!' and giggle with contentment.

    Oh, and Kessig Wolf Run may be the best card in the deck.

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    Re: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    Quote Originally Posted by Ace/Homebrew View Post
    Oh, and Kessig Wolf Run may be the best card in the deck.
    Have you considered Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion? Like KWR it pumps Gishath for cheap. You can also search up both with Crop Rotation.
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    Re: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    Quote Originally Posted by Amon Amarth View Post
    Have you considered Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion? Like KWR it pumps Gishath for cheap. You can also search up both with Crop Rotation.
    I'll try out Sunhome in the TecEdge slot!

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    Re: [EDH] Gishath - Dinosaur Tribal

    I've spent a bit of time tweaking this list. M19 gives the deck 2 new goodies!
    Gigantosaurus and Runic Armasaur definitely make the cut.
    Gigantosaurus has motivated me to focus on making as many of my mana sources generate as possible.
    I've also set a goal to acquire a Gaea's Cradle because I doubt I will ever look back with regrets on getting a copy, and soon it will be out of my price range.

    - 2 Plains
    - 2 Mountain
    - Forest
    - Blighted Woodland
    - Bellowing Aegisaur
    - Ancient Brontodon
    - Sky Terror
    - Door of Destinies

    + Bountiful Promenade
    + Shefet Dunes
    + Spire Garden
    + Ramunap Ruins
    + Hashep Oasis
    + Scavenger Grounds
    + Polyraptor
    + Trapjaw Tyrant
    + Deathmist Raptor
    + Hour of Promise

    Hour of Promise (will eventually) allow me to find Cradle and Kessig Wolf Run. I've been playing a LOT with Mimeoplasm lately, and what makes that deck so enjoyable is its ability to play as cutthroat or casual as I want based on the pod I'm in. Hour of Promise looks like it will increase my ability to adapt my play with Gishath. I added 4 deserts, so if I want I can conceivably get my 2 zombies from it. Hashep Oasis and Scavenger Grounds are pretty decent on their own for this deck.

    My tiny dinosaurs are starting to become more and more green. Specifically Sky Terror and Relentless Raptor have proven difficult to cast on curve because they are both . They also cannot have their cost reduced at all, so cutting them for Deathmist Raptor and Runic Armasaur feels pretty good.

    Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion was okay, but there are some board states where it's ability is redundant (Zetalpa, Primal Dawn, Goring Ceratops) and activating the ability requires which I am now moving away from, so it doesn't get a permanent spot.


    I really like that WotC is putting 1 or 2 dinosaurs into new sets. Over time the threat base will continue to improve. I'm getting the mana base to a more mature place, but it isn't rock-solid yet. I believe the next area of the deck to be refined will be in my ramp selections. As the number of basics dwindle I start to get concerned with not having enough targets available. It's not a problem yet, but something I'm aware of and watching out for. Meanwhile, the ability to find ANY land becomes more and more valuable as the power of individual lands in the deck increase.

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