Qweerios
02-07-2011, 11:00 PM
Hi
I have had this casual deck ever since eldrazi came out and have been using it in local tournaments every now and then when I got tired of playing my usual decks. When Green Sun's Zenith was spoiled, I immediatly preordered 4 foil ones and would like to make small usage of them before eventually selling them. I will provide a list followed by card explaination and performance, and then discuss a bit of what GSZ would bring to the deck.
Creatures (16)
4 Kor Spiritdancer
2 Auratog
2 Argothian Enchantress
4 Silhana Ledgewalker
4 Aura Gnarlid
Auras (22)
4 Utopia Sprawl
2 Wild Growth
4 Rancor
4 Hyena Umbra
4 Lignify
2 Ancestral Mask
2 Armadillo Cloak
Enchantments (4)
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Sterling Grove
Lands (18)
4 Savannah
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Windswept Heath
5 Forest
1 Plains
Sideboard (15)
4 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Sterling Grove
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Krosan Grip
1 Oblivion Ring
Again, this deck was originally intended as a casual deck and the card numbers and choices are largely derived from what cards I had extra and what cards were easely accessible as foils. Due to its performance, I believe the deck has potential. The sideboard is basically a rough draft as I haven't been very serious with this deck. On to card choices:
Kor Spiritdancer: The core of the deck. It does everything you want, beatdown and fuel. She will be bolted and sworded.
Auratog: Contested spot, he was in and out of the deck simply because the rancor/auratog combo never happens. When it happens, your board overwhelms and your opponent cries. However, he is useless in multiples and weak without rancor, def would be one of the first cards to cut.
Aura Gnarlid: Goyf 2.0. Very powerful and unblockable critter, especially with Hyena Umbra or Rancor. Never dissapoints.
Hyena Umbra: A very powerful and underrated card in this deck. 1CC for what is often +2/+2 or +3/+3 is great. First strike is what turns the battles arround early on (where you are most vulnerable) and totem armor combined with Troll Shroud effects is what truly brings out the unstopable Ancestral Mask creep.
Ancestral Mask: The finisher on any Silhana Ledgewalker or sometimes an Umbra'ed Gnarlid or Spiritdancer.
Armadillo Cloak: A card I find myself looking for more often than I would like. It gives meat to my Ledgewalkers and the lifelink to keep me alive vs aggro when first strike isnt enough. Although, Trample is hardly relevant in this deck.
Lignify: My most synergistic creature removal spell. It works fine as a 0 power creature hardly qualifies as chump blocker so the creature is virtually destroyed. I have been using this aura mainly against confidants, lavamancers, KotR, and goyfs. What I dislike of the card is that I feel as the deck shouldn't be worried so much about the other side of the board when it should be focusing on pumping its shrouded creatures.
On to GSZ
A lot of the deck is inconsistency: mana isn't always aligned for successful spell order, creatures aren't always the right ones availlable, and, often times, auras are redundant. Tutoring the right aura has been a killer most of the times(I should probably up my Grove count MD) so why not do the same for creatures. Having GSZ would probably slow down the deck by a little but would allow:
Dryad Arbor for a first turn mana accel and possible rancored beater;
Qasali Pridemage for obvious reasons;
More accessible Argothian Enchantress when Spiritdancer doesn't stick;
Gnarlid #5-8;
A lower count of Ledgewalkers as seeing multiples is often a pain.
With this in mind, this is what I would try:
Creatures (13)
1 Qasali Pridemage
4 Kor Spiritdancer
2 Argothian Enchantress
2 Silhana Ledgewalker
4 Aura Gnarlid
Spells (3)
3 Green Sun's Zenith
Auras (22)
4 Utopia Sprawl
2 Wild Growth
4 Rancor
4 Hyena Umbra
4 Lignify
2 Ancestral Mask
2 Armadillo Cloak
Enchantments (4)
1 Oblivion Ring
3 Sterling Grove
Lands (18)
1 Dryad Arbor
4 Savannah
4 Windswept Heath
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Forest
1 Plains
Looking forward to your suggestions.
I have had this casual deck ever since eldrazi came out and have been using it in local tournaments every now and then when I got tired of playing my usual decks. When Green Sun's Zenith was spoiled, I immediatly preordered 4 foil ones and would like to make small usage of them before eventually selling them. I will provide a list followed by card explaination and performance, and then discuss a bit of what GSZ would bring to the deck.
Creatures (16)
4 Kor Spiritdancer
2 Auratog
2 Argothian Enchantress
4 Silhana Ledgewalker
4 Aura Gnarlid
Auras (22)
4 Utopia Sprawl
2 Wild Growth
4 Rancor
4 Hyena Umbra
4 Lignify
2 Ancestral Mask
2 Armadillo Cloak
Enchantments (4)
2 Oblivion Ring
2 Sterling Grove
Lands (18)
4 Savannah
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Windswept Heath
5 Forest
1 Plains
Sideboard (15)
4 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Sterling Grove
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Krosan Grip
1 Oblivion Ring
Again, this deck was originally intended as a casual deck and the card numbers and choices are largely derived from what cards I had extra and what cards were easely accessible as foils. Due to its performance, I believe the deck has potential. The sideboard is basically a rough draft as I haven't been very serious with this deck. On to card choices:
Kor Spiritdancer: The core of the deck. It does everything you want, beatdown and fuel. She will be bolted and sworded.
Auratog: Contested spot, he was in and out of the deck simply because the rancor/auratog combo never happens. When it happens, your board overwhelms and your opponent cries. However, he is useless in multiples and weak without rancor, def would be one of the first cards to cut.
Aura Gnarlid: Goyf 2.0. Very powerful and unblockable critter, especially with Hyena Umbra or Rancor. Never dissapoints.
Hyena Umbra: A very powerful and underrated card in this deck. 1CC for what is often +2/+2 or +3/+3 is great. First strike is what turns the battles arround early on (where you are most vulnerable) and totem armor combined with Troll Shroud effects is what truly brings out the unstopable Ancestral Mask creep.
Ancestral Mask: The finisher on any Silhana Ledgewalker or sometimes an Umbra'ed Gnarlid or Spiritdancer.
Armadillo Cloak: A card I find myself looking for more often than I would like. It gives meat to my Ledgewalkers and the lifelink to keep me alive vs aggro when first strike isnt enough. Although, Trample is hardly relevant in this deck.
Lignify: My most synergistic creature removal spell. It works fine as a 0 power creature hardly qualifies as chump blocker so the creature is virtually destroyed. I have been using this aura mainly against confidants, lavamancers, KotR, and goyfs. What I dislike of the card is that I feel as the deck shouldn't be worried so much about the other side of the board when it should be focusing on pumping its shrouded creatures.
On to GSZ
A lot of the deck is inconsistency: mana isn't always aligned for successful spell order, creatures aren't always the right ones availlable, and, often times, auras are redundant. Tutoring the right aura has been a killer most of the times(I should probably up my Grove count MD) so why not do the same for creatures. Having GSZ would probably slow down the deck by a little but would allow:
Dryad Arbor for a first turn mana accel and possible rancored beater;
Qasali Pridemage for obvious reasons;
More accessible Argothian Enchantress when Spiritdancer doesn't stick;
Gnarlid #5-8;
A lower count of Ledgewalkers as seeing multiples is often a pain.
With this in mind, this is what I would try:
Creatures (13)
1 Qasali Pridemage
4 Kor Spiritdancer
2 Argothian Enchantress
2 Silhana Ledgewalker
4 Aura Gnarlid
Spells (3)
3 Green Sun's Zenith
Auras (22)
4 Utopia Sprawl
2 Wild Growth
4 Rancor
4 Hyena Umbra
4 Lignify
2 Ancestral Mask
2 Armadillo Cloak
Enchantments (4)
1 Oblivion Ring
3 Sterling Grove
Lands (18)
1 Dryad Arbor
4 Savannah
4 Windswept Heath
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Forest
1 Plains
Looking forward to your suggestions.