[Deck] Greenpeace

[stripezero]

The proposed workhorse is Dungrove Elder.

Let's say you go first:

Turn One - Forest, Root Maze
Opponent - tapped fetchland

Turn Two - tapped Forest, GSZ to find Dryad Arbor
Opponent - fetches for tapped Volcanic Island, plays tapped basic land

Turn Three - tapped Forest, Dungrove Elder
Opponent - choose your own adventure

Turn Four - tapped Forest, Sphere of Resistance, Noble Hierach, attack with hexproof 6/6

Maybe Dungrove Elder gets Daze thrown at it. You can start dropping lock pieces or your sideboard answers instead.

I play a lot of casual and half of this deck is stuck on my Christmas list so I could definitely use your suggestions. Maybe we'll come up with something new.

Greenpeace - stripezero
Updated Jan 18th based on some replies.

Artifacts
1x Winter Orb
1x Icy Manipulator
3x Lodestone Golem
4x Sphere of Resistance
4x Tangle Wire

Creatures
1x Empyrial Archangel
1x Qasali Pridemage
3x Dryad Arbor
3x Treefolk Harbinger
4x Noble Hierarch
4x Dungrove Elder

Enchantments
4x Root Maze

Spells
4x Lignify
4x Green Sun's Zenith

Land
18x Forest
1x Ancient Tomb

Sideboard
4x Wheel of Sun and Moon
4x Pithing Needle
3x Choke
3x Compost
1x Gaddock Teeg

[jhhdk]

Apologies for making untested and probably stupid suggestions, have you thought about
amulet of vigor for breaking root maze symmetry?

[stripezero]

Apologies for making untested and probably stupid suggestions, have you thought about
amulet of vigor for breaking root maze symmetry?

Sure - I just don't think Root Maze sets this deck back enough to devote a spot to the amulet.

[TFD]

I think that perhaps instead of dungrove elder, you should have different ways to take advantage of the tempo a potential t1-2 root maze will give you. Optimally, this sets your opponent (who has played a fetch) back until about t3 or 4. This means that your elder will only do work for 1 turn, if that, with your opponent on the back foot. I would look into faster threats to establish, so you can take of that advantage faster.

[Greenpoe]

I think that perhaps instead of dungrove elder, you should have different ways to take advantage of the tempo a potential t1-2 root maze will give you. Optimally, this sets your opponent (who has played a fetch) back until about t3 or 4. This means that your elder will only do work for 1 turn, if that, with your opponent on the back foot. I would look into faster threats to establish, so you can take of that advantage faster.

So...Tarmogoyfs instead of Wall of Blossoms, and Wastelands (maybe?). I would cut down on the Dryad Arbors though, because a lot of the time, you won't even have Root Maze. Cut 2-3 of them for either basics or Ancient Tomb/Wasteland. Howling Mine sounds bad. If it were good, it would be in Staxx. You don't want to help them draw answers to your lock, especially when they get their new card first. Just run Sylvan Library instead.

[SpeedOfDark]

Hi stripezero,

Even though I recently acquired a few expensive cards for my favorite decks (fetchs, duals, etc.), I have been in your boat for several years before that, brewing cool decks to fight the expensive cards I couldn't/wouldn't afford. So I understand your premise quite well :P

Firstly, cool deck, I like the out of the box thinking and cool synergies. Have you tested it at all? If you have, telling us the deck's difficulties would help give card ideas to shore up weaknesses. As for your card choices given your strategy, a lot of them make sense. My least favorite choices are wall of omens and trinisphere, I would probably dump them (not digging stormseeker much either). Here are some random not-too-expensive ideas (warning: some of them are bad :P):

Aggressive:
River Boa
Uktabi Drake
skinshifter
Unyaro Bees

These are all pretty straight forward low-costed aggressive creatures with some form of evasion, but I don't think this is the direction you want for your deck, because let's face it: one of the only reason it sorta works in the first place is because of inevitability in the form dungrove elder's shroud, which none of these provide.

Resilience/Redundancy:
Eternal Witness: get back countered spells, if included probably a 1-of at best.
Worldy tutor: another way to get dungrove where it matters.

Equipment:
sword of war and peace and friends. I chose this particular sword because of the howling mine synergy and because it protects from the main removal colors (if placed on a non-dungrove creature). Not to mention, unless you're an inch from death, a dungrove with this sword should be unraceable by playing "fair magic."

Neat Package:
4 Treefolk Harbinger and 1-2 Lignify: 4 Treefolk harbinger would get you the card you need (dungrove elder) as your next draw instead of a random card (wall of omens), also it can be used to get lignify if you are in trouble (GSZ>harbinger>lignify). Also note that Treefolk harbinger doesn't have defender, so if you ever chose to include a sword or two, it can wear it and attack.

Hope this gives you some ideas! :)

[stripezero]

So...Tarmogoyfs instead of Wall of Blossoms, and Wastelands (maybe?). I would cut down on the Dryad Arbors though, because a lot of the time, you won't even have Root Maze. Cut 2-3 of them for either basics or Ancient Tomb/Wasteland. Howling Mine sounds bad. If it were good, it would be in Staxx. You don't want to help them draw answers to your lock, especially when they get their new card first. Just run Sylvan Library instead.

Howling Mine wouldn't be in Staxx because it would come into play untapped. You don't play it unless you have Root Maze out.

Wasteland is cool and I could see a place for it.


My least favorite choices are wall of omens and trinisphere, I would probably dump them (not digging stormseeker much either).

I have won a game with Storm Seeker + lock pieces + draw engines! You are right about Trinisphere, it has bad synergy with Root Maze.



Here are some random not-too-expensive ideas (warning: some of them are bad :P):

Aggressive:
River Boa
Uktabi Drake
skinshifter
Unyaro Bees



The Boa and the Bees are cool but you are right about them lacking hexproof. I also though aobut using Skyshroud Elite, Hidden Gibbons and Hidden Guerrillas. Same problem though.


Neat Package:
4 Treefolk Harbinger and 1-2 Lignify: 4 Treefolk harbinger would get you the card you need (dungrove elder) as your next draw instead of a random card (wall of omens), also it can be used to get lignify if you are in trouble (GSZ>harbinger>lignify). Also note that Treefolk harbinger doesn't have defender, so if you ever chose to include a sword or two, it can wear it and attack.


I like Lignify a lot! But the thing about Wall of Blossoms is that is can block a Delver of Secrets and lives through Lightning Bolt - it is no chump. So I might not trade it for Harbinger without some heavy testing. I like Lignify versus Reanimator decks.

Also, I changed my sideboard:

3x Pithing Needle
2x Krosan Grip
3x Choke
3x Lignify
4x Wheel of Sun and Moon

[SpeedOfDark]

Howling Mine wouldn't be in Staxx because it would come
Wasteland is cool and I could see a place for it.
Dunno how your budget is... but wastelands aren't cheap ;p



I have won a game with Storm Seeker + lock pieces + draw engines! You are right about Trinisphere, it has bad synergy with Root Maze.
Yeah, storm seeker is the kind of card that's hard to judge just by looking at the list, you'll have to play it and decide if its worth it. My gut says no, but it could be wrong.




The Boa and the Bees are cool but you are right about them lacking hexproof. I also though aobut using Skyshroud Elite, Hidden Gibbons and Hidden Guerrillas. Same problem though.
Silhana Ledgewalker is a good 1 or 2-of GSZ target if you decide to include any swords. Hexproof AND unblockable, but very low damage output unless equipped with a sword.



I like Lignify a lot! But the thing about Wall of Blossoms is that is can block a Delver of Secrets and lives through Lightning Bolt - it is no chump. So I might not trade it for Harbinger without some heavy testing. I like Lignify versus Reanimator decks.
Yeah lignify is fun against reanimator (except iona and a few shrouders). Wall of Blossoms can't block delver (flying), but I guess it can block a nacatl and then get bolted anyways :P

[stripezero]

Dunno how your budget is... but wastelands aren't cheap ;p

Yea they will never realistically make it into my deck. Maybe one. It fits the theme play-wise sorta, with the lockdown.


Wall of Blossoms can't block delver (flying), but I guess it can block a nacatl and then get bolted anyways :P

Roger that - what about getting a card this turn instead of next turn? Still you might be right about the Harbinger, I dunno...

EDIT: I updated the list to reflect some of these ideas. Still need to buy a fistfull of cards to fill this out in real life. Can't do it right now...

[SpeedOfDark]

Yea they will never realistically make it into my deck. Maybe one. It fits the theme play-wise sorta, with the lockdown.



Roger that - what about getting a card this turn instead of next turn? Still you might be right about the Harbinger, I dunno...

EDIT: I updated the list to reflect some of these ideas. Still need to buy a fistfull of cards to fill this out in real life. Can't do it right now...

Well blossoms and harbinger are very different. Blossoms gives you an extra card, while harbinger improves the quality of your next draw (by setting up what you want), but doesn't actually give you an extra card. The reason I'm insistent on harbinger is because I can't see how you can realistically win without dungrove elder, and as the list was you don't have very many ways of getting him. Just think of what happens if your dungrove gets countered, what exactly do you do? Hope you topdeck another one? Probably, but you will feel more comfortable doing this if you have another 12+ ways of topdecking him indirectly instead of only 8.

[stripezero]

Well blossoms and harbinger are very different. Blossoms gives you an extra card, while harbinger improves the quality of your next draw (by setting up what you want), but doesn't actually give you an extra card. The reason I'm insistent on harbinger is because I can't see how you can realistically win without dungrove elder, and as the list was you don't have very many ways of getting him. Just think of what happens if your dungrove gets countered, what exactly do you do? Hope you topdeck another one? Probably, but you will feel more comfortable doing this if you have another 12+ ways of topdecking him indirectly instead of only 8.

How does that list look? (I updated the original.) I am about to pull the trigger on some card purchases. Also - where does everyone order from that is cheap right now?

[SpeedOfDark]

How does that list look? (I updated the original.) I am about to pull the trigger on some card purchases. Also - where does everyone order from that is cheap right now?

I would probably still throw in a least 1 sword of something so that non-dungrove creatures have an easier time finishing the job if need be. but I think the list looks pretty cool.

I usually check starcity, abugames and a few others to buy several cheap cards (combine shipping), but almost always buy expensive cards from ebay (cheaper).

[stripezero]

I would probably still throw in a least 1 sword of something so that non-dungrove creatures have an easier time finishing the job if need be. but I think the list looks pretty cool.

I usually check starcity, abugames and a few others to buy several cheap cards (combine shipping), but almost always buy expensive cards from ebay (cheaper).

I just hate having the same ol' equiptment that everyone uses in this particular deck. What about Quietus Spike or Rancor or Blanchwood Armor instead?