[Deck] Solitaire (Enchantress)

[GreenOne]

I'll play in a local tomorrow and the EPIC DLD on sunday, and write a report about.... wednesday. Don't hold your breath.

It'w wednesday, and I'm holding my breath.

However, I thought about a 3 color list, with a much more stable manabase (wasteland is rarely a problem) and oblivion ring MD in place of the creature control the Black splash offers. However, Oblivion Ring is sort of creature control too.
I put some Wild Growths MD because I felt the need of some more mana (raised the 3cc count). I cut down 1 Exploration because with only 20 lands you only want it when the engine is going.

// Lands
2 [6E] Plains (4)
4 [ON] Windswept Heath
4 [B] Savannah
2 [US] Serra's Sanctum
7 [8E] Forest (3)
1 [A] Taiga

// Creatures
4 [US] Argothian Enchantress

// Spells
4 [VI] Elephant Grass
3 [US] Exploration
4 [DIS] Utopia Sprawl
1 [PLC] Seal of Primordium
2 [OD] Ground Seal
4 [IN] Sterling Grove
1 [VI] City of Solitude
4 [ON] Enchantress's Presence
1 [ON] Words of War
3 [LRW] Oblivion Ring
3 [JU] Solitary Confinement
1 [AT] Sacred Mesa
1 [LG] Moat
2 [UD] Replenish
2 [IA] Wild Growth

Side:
SB: 2 [OD] Ground Seal
SB: 3 [VI] City of Solitude
SB: 1 [WL] Aura of Silence
SB: 1 [MM] Spiritual Focus
SB: 2 [8E] Choke
SB: 2 [MR] Rule of Law
SB: 3 [OD] Karmic Justice
SB: 1 [DIS] Dovescape

Oblivion Ring which will help you to stop/delay your opponents combo

Oblivion Ring proved to be awful vs storm combo and ichorid. It's quite bad vs belcher and quite good vs Breakfast.

I'm really missing the Leylines, so I put 2 more Ground Seal in side for ichorid and breakfast. However, ground seal sucks in other matchups.
I found some space in SB for some more thresh/control hate.

[SpatulaOfTheAges]

Right now I've been tinkering with a MD that's pretty traditional;

8x Enchantresses
8x Exploration/Sprawl(although I have mulled -1 Exploration and + 1 Wild Growth for the reasons GreenOne has stated...still mulling)
4x Grass
4x Ground Seal
3x Sterling Grove
2x Replenish
3x Solitary Confinement
1x Words of War
1x Sacred Mesa
1x Aura of Silence
1x Moat
1x Choke

I'm working with 22 mana sources right now. The options, as I see it are either

A)19-20 lands with 2-3 ESG/Petal/Chrome Mox, or
B)22 lands

If the latter, the 4/4 Exploratio/Sprawl split seems best, since it allows Exploration to function as acceleration more reliably. If the former, 3 Exploration probably makes more sense.

My SB is less conventional;

4x Enlightened Tutor
1x Chill
1x Chalice of the Void
1x Spiritual Focus
1x Suppression Field
1x Lifeforce
1x Titania's Song
1x Choke
1x Seal of Primordium
1x Karmic Justice
1x Sacred Ground
1x Aura of Silence

The plan is that you all ready do a pretty good number on aggro, control, and aggro-control maindeck. So the SB is set up to deal with a specific overlap of bad match-ups. Some of the Outs are iffy, so take those with a grain of salt.

TES:
In; 4x E Tutor, Lifeforce, Chalice of the Void, Titania's Song, (Chill?), (Spiritual Focus?)
Out; Moat, Choke, Sacred Mesa, Exploration, 2x Ground Seal, Replenish.

IGGy Pop:
In; 4x E. Tutor, Spiritual Focus, Choke, Chalice of the Void
Out; Moat, 4x Elephant Grass, Exploration, Sacred Mesa

CRET Belcher:
In; 4x E. Tutor, Chill, Chalice of the Void, Titania's Song
Out; Moat, Choke, Sacred Mesa, Exploration, 3x Ground Seal

Aluren:
In; 4x E. Tutor, Seal of Primordium, Aura of Silence, Suppression Field, (Chill - if Recruiter Aluren)
Out; Moat, Words of War, 4x Elephant Grass, Exploration

Cephalid Breakfast:
In; Choke
Out; Solitary Confinement

Landstill:
In; (Titania's Song - if sweeper is EE), (Lifeforce - if sweeper is Deed), Karmic Justice, Choke, Aura of Silence, Seal of Primordium
Out; 2x Elephant Grass, 2x Exploration, Solitary Confinement, Utopia Sprawl

Life from the Loam:
In; Karmic Justice, Chalice of the Void, Chill, Sacred Ground
Out; Moat, Choke, Aura of Silence, Utopia Sprawl

Survival w/ Burning Wish;
In; Karmic Justice, Suppression Field, Chill, Seal of Primordium
Out; Choke, Aura of Silence, Exploration, Solitary Confinement

[honz]

I have been running 3 color, 20 land for a little while now, and found 4 explorations way to many. I have long since dropped 1 for a MD choke.

I really think 3 ground seals is the right number as well. The draw is amazing almost all the time, especially when under 1 or 0 enchantress effects. The fact that is shuts down dread return, and loam is just another reason it is amazing.

I have always loved my 1 SB titania's song. I have run into janky-countertop way too much to ever let it go. I noticed a supression field in spatula's board, and i have always considered trying it out. How has it been working out for you?

In regards to oblivion rings, i think 2 is the right number, and im not sure if i would put any in the SB. I think i would go -1 seal of primordium, -1 ground seal (atm i run 4). I can't imagine when you would need them coming out of the SB, or even more MD.

[SpatulaOfTheAges]

To be honest I haven't had enough actual testing with Titania's Song to give a solid read on it. Right now it, Suppression Field and Lifeforce are experimental slots. The main part of the SB strategy is to have multiple over-lapping answers to your problems. Suppression Field can be brought in against Survival, or Aluren, or Landstill, or random combo decks. Breakfast if you need it.

I'm really not sold on Oblivion Ring. How often do you actually find yourself hitting artifacts or enchantments with it? How often does it really effect the game?

It seems like it's a card that tries to play a one-for-one game. That's a game Enchantress isn't very good at. We run too much fluff to try to trade situationally. We need more ways of gaining strategic advantage(Confinement, Moat, Replenish, the Engine, etc.), not card parity.

[GreenOne]

I'm really not sold on Oblivion Ring. How often do you actually find yourself hitting artifacts or enchantments with it? How often does it really effect the game?

It seems like it's a card that tries to play a one-for-one game. That's a game Enchantress isn't very good at. We run too much fluff to try to trade situationally. We need more ways of gaining strategic advantage(Confinement, Moat, Replenish, the Engine, etc.), not card parity.

It just buys you time, and if there are enchantresses in play, that's card advantage.
It really affect the game: Meddling Mage, Dark Confidant, Specter, Breakfast critters (if you have no ground seal), Rector, Yosei and Goyf in a little way, are somewhat a problem for the deck.

Oh it's also an answer for CB maindeck.

Seal of Primordium / Aura of silence are narrow answers (the first expecially) as they are dead against a great number of decks G1.

Oblivion Ring buys time, acts as protection of the combo and against opposing threats, is almost never dead and relies less than Aura of Silence on white mana.
The real thing i think we have to discuss is it's 3cc, that's a bit narrow to run 4. At the moment I'm running 3. The other thing is that is not that good vs Pernicious Deed, as their RFG threat comes back, but how many decks are playing this and can reach 6 mana to play and sac in their turn? Not a lot.

[Zach Tartell]

Oh it's also an answer for CB maindeck.

What? Kindly explain this.

The real thing i think we have to discuss is it's 3cc, that's a bit narrow to run 4. At the moment I'm running 3. The other thing is that is not that good vs Pernicious Deed, as their RFG threat comes back, but how many decks are playing this and can reach 6 mana to play and sac in their turn? Not a lot.

Landstill can, eaisily. Which is why I like aura better. It also slows down EE, since they need to fix their mana before they can cast it at 1, for instance.

Can you post a list?

(Brief tourney report - 3-2 at the local, got one of the 5-8 spots in the top 8, lost to belcher in the top 8 (took game two), went 4-2 at the EPIC event, would've made top 8 if Matt and Tariq drew. Screw tie breakers)

[GreenOne]

What? Kindly explain this.

Counterbalance MD is usually played by some thresh players. Thresh doesn't have cards on the 3cc slot, so they can probably counter Seal of Prmordium, but not Ring.
Baseruption has few 3CC slot (finkel and shackles) and a clogged 2CC slot, so it's easier to pass through the counterbalance wall.

Landstill can, eaisily. Which is why I like aura better. It also slows down EE, since they need to fix their mana before they can cast it at 1, for instance.

Can you post a list?

D'oh! never played against BHWC Landstill: in my meta is not present. The only decks that play Deed here are Truffle Shuffle and BG or BGw aggro-control.

Here's my list atm, I'm testing Chrome Mox:

// Lands
2 [6E] Plains (4)
4 [ON] Windswept Heath
4 [B] Savannah
2 [US] Serra's Sanctum
7 [8E] Forest (3)
1 [A] Taiga

// Creatures
4 [US] Argothian Enchantress

// Spells
4 [VI] Elephant Grass
3 [US] Exploration
4 [DIS] Utopia Sprawl
2 [OD] Ground Seal
4 [IN] Sterling Grove
1 [VI] City of Solitude
4 [ON] Enchantress's Presence
1 [ON] Words of War
3 [LRW] Oblivion Ring
3 [JU] Solitary Confinement
1 [AT] Sacred Mesa
1 [LG] Moat
2 [UD] Replenish
1 [IA] Wild Growth
2 [MR] Chrome Mox

// Sideboard
SB: 2 [OD] Ground Seal
SB: 3 [VI] City of Solitude
SB: 1 [LRW] Oblivion Ring
SB: 1 [MM] Spiritual Focus
SB: 2-3 [8E] Choke
SB: 3 [OD] Karmic Justice
SB: 1 [DIS] Dovescape
SB: 1-2 [WL] Aura of Silence

[Hoojo]

Right now I've been tinkering with a MD that's pretty traditional;

8x Enchantresses
8x Exploration/Sprawl(although I have mulled -1 Exploration and + 1 Wild Growth for the reasons GreenOne has stated...still mulling)
4x Grass
4x Ground Seal
3x Sterling Grove
2x Replenish
3x Solitary Confinement
1x Words of War
1x Sacred Mesa
1x Aura of Silence
1x Moat
1x Choke

I like your focused maindeck, but I'm curious why you're not running at least one Sylvan Library?

[SpatulaOfTheAges]

If we accept that the role of Library is to supplement the draw engine:

Against aggro; they don't have an answer to your Enchantresses, and you can't keep a hand where Library is your only draw(against an unknown or aggro deck). So Library is pointless.

Against aggro-control; in the age of Goyf, the pay 4 life is almost never an option, so it's basically a delayed Brainstorm sans the card parity. Sterling Grove is basically strictly better in this situation, since it gets you what you're really after. A real threat is also better in this situation. Ground Seal is better when a single Enchantress has all ready resolved.

Against combo, it doesn't really do much unless you can go turn 1 Library into 8 life for 3 cards. That doesn't come up enough to really make it worthwhile, and the 8 life matters more against Tendrils than it did against Dragon.

Library is good against control like Landstill and Life from the Loam, but Ground Seal is better against the latter, and the former isn't prevalent enough to make Library better than the other options.

Counter-argument; Library combos with Words of Whatever.

Response; I only run Words of War. That and Library is very rarely going to be a fast enough clock to make up for the rarity with which you see it. If I was running Wind or Wilding, it might be different.

That's my current take on Library. The same pretty much applies to Guile.

[Zach Tartell]

@ GreenOne: you're absolutely correct; I read that as "Cephalid Breakfast" instead of "counterbalance." My mistake, it's an excellent out.

Your list, however, is kind of puzzling. I think that 3 Ob rings might be a few too many. I might play one main'd.

Also, Spatula may have just convinced me to drop my Libraries for Ground Seals. Maybe...

[Tacosnape]

I also like Ground Seal over Library. In fact, I can't stand Library maindeck at all. Like Sensei's Divining Top, I find them to only be useful if you're shuffling your library every turn. I'd rather run an Enchantment that gets me my card immediately and actually does something. Like, you know, shut off Dread Return and Life From The Loam.

[Hoojo]

I understand your reasoning. Maybe I'm not playing correctly, but I found Words of War to be so furgin' slow without Sylvan Library, as unless I have a fistful of enchantments when I play it, I usually putter out and take a few turns to finish off the opponent, especially if I have Solitary Confinement out for any period of time. With Sylvan Library and Sterling Grove, I can pull the combo off quickly and kill my opponent much faster. Is there a piece or synergy I'm missing that would allow a faster kill, or at this point do you just fetch Sacred Mesa and go for a two prong attack?

[GreenOne]

Your list, however, is kind of puzzling. I think that 3 Ob rings might be a few too many. I might play one main'd.

Also, Spatula may have just convinced me to drop my Libraries for Ground Seals. Maybe...

I tested Library and Mirri for a while and I found them horrible too, I'm not that sold on too many ground seals. Seals are a strong meta choice however, so probably your meta deserves it. I found 2 enough.

Ob Ring are there as Seal of Doom + Seal of Primordium.
It's good vs Aggro (goblin, Faerie stompy, zoo), Aggro-control (thresh and pikula), Survival, Breakfast. It's rarely really dead in many matchups, where Seal of primordium and Seal of Doom are.

[Xero]

How good is Dovescape? I know that that the effect can be game endind, but it's 6 mana. What match-ups do you bring it in against besides Landstill?

[Zach Tartell]

How good is Dovescape? I know that that the effect can be game endind, but it's 6 mana. What match-ups do you bring it in against besides Landstill?

Combo. Aaginst combo I almost wish I had Titania's song, though. That shit's mad awesome against their mana, though yuo need a pretty amazing hand to drop it turn 2.

In the one game where I resolved Dovescape against Belcher, I smashed face. In the two games where I resolve it against landstill, I just bury them with card advantavge (Argothians don't get countered) and B/W white birds. That's really all I bring it in against.

[honz]

I have found library entirely underwhelming as well. I have never drawn words and library early enough to make it worth my while, and almost never had a time where sacing 4 life for a card was worth it (stax?). I have been running guile for a while now, mainly because of its cc. It allows you to keep 1-land hands with guile. It also comes down turn 1 against control, before their counters come online (nobody forces a guile). Although, with only 5 fetches, and 4 groves for shuffle effects, you feel like your missing out on some potential...

[SpatulaOfTheAges]

I understand your reasoning. Maybe I'm not playing correctly, but I found Words of War to be so furgin' slow without Sylvan Library, as unless I have a fistful of enchantments when I play it, I usually putter out and take a few turns to finish off the opponent, especially if I have Solitary Confinement out for any period of time. With Sylvan Library and Sterling Grove, I can pull the combo off quickly and kill my opponent much faster. Is there a piece or synergy I'm missing that would allow a faster kill, or at this point do you just fetch Sacred Mesa and go for a two prong attack?

I'm not sure I understand the situation you're describing. Words of War is pretty much crap without an Enchantress out, Library or no. Sacred Mesa is usually good on its own, but as the main kill its kind of slow.

I have found library entirely underwhelming as well. I have never drawn words and library early enough to make it worth my while, and almost never had a time where sacing 4 life for a card was worth it (stax?). I have been running guile for a while now, mainly because of its cc. It allows you to keep 1-land hands with guile. It also comes down turn 1 against control, before their counters come online (nobody forces a guile). Although, with only 5 fetches, and 4 groves for shuffle effects, you feel like your missing out on some potential...

The basic arguments apply to Guile as well. Basically, Library and Guile do their job(supplement the draw engine when it gets answered) poorly. Sterling Grove and Moat/Replenish/Choke/City of Solitude do something similiar, but more effectively. Ground Seal does a different job(speed up the draw engine, shut down random decks), but it does it very well.

[Hoojo]

I'm not sure I understand the situation you're describing. Words of War is pretty much crap without an Enchantress out, Library or no. Sacred Mesa is usually good on its own, but as the main kill its kind of slow.

My situation with Words of War is not having enough enchantments in hand to cast and produce enough draws to kill the opponent, particularly when I had a Solitary Confinement in play for a few turns before. Sylvan Library provided a way to refill my hand and/or use extra draws to kill the opponent faster. I'm worried that without Sylvan Library, the Words of War kill will be too slow, and it might as well not be in the deck, as it requires a lot of setup to have a reliable draw engine to kill with.

[SpatulaOfTheAges]

My situation with Words of War is not having enough enchantments in hand to cast and produce enough draws to kill the opponent, particularly when I had a Solitary Confinement in play for a few turns before. Sylvan Library provided a way to refill my hand and/or use extra draws to kill the opponent faster. I'm worried that without Sylvan Library, the Words of War kill will be too slow, and it might as well not be in the deck, as it requires a lot of setup to have a reliable draw engine to kill with.

I think that's just exacerbating an all ready existing problem. Words of War is really only a formality in a winning situation, but I think it's necessary.

My take on the deck's win conditions;

Words of War; for when everything goes pretty much to plan, or you get your engine on line, at any rate, it's a one-turn kill. It's not that useful on its own, and even with Sylvan Library its only marginally useful, but I'd rather be able to kill immediately because of a)time limits, and b)board sweepers.

Sacred Mesa; for a kill condition that can go all the way on its own.

If there were a kill condition that could be relevant on its own and still kill immediately, I'd be behind it, but the closest is Stormbind, and the cost seems prohibitive.

[mnellsae]

My situation with Words of War is not having enough enchantments in hand to cast and produce enough draws to kill the opponent, particularly when I had a Solitary Confinement in play for a few turns before. Sylvan Library provided a way to refill my hand and/or use extra draws to kill the opponent faster. I'm worried that without Sylvan Library, the Words of War kill will be too slow, and it might as well not be in the deck, as it requires a lot of setup to have a reliable draw engine to kill with.

I know it's not entirely what you're saying, but for what it's worth, when you're under Solitary Confinement, the Library is even more of a dead draw than Ground Seal.

I love this deck, btw.