[Developmental, Primer] Four Color Rhino Pod

[winglerw28]

Four Color Birthing Pod

Rhino Pod, or more generically Four Color Birthing Pod, is an engine deck built to be very versatile and go over the top of your opponents. Attacking different strategies with finesse, Birthing Pod enables many insanely powerful creatures to be used in legacy that otherwise would be too difficult to rely on in your mainboard such as hate bears or specific creatures for a given matchup. At your worst, you are a solid midrange deck that tromps other fair decks. At your best, you are a hatebear-heavy, mana-efficient machine that attacks unfair decks on several angles in order to force them to play a longer game, losing to your eventually unmanageable board presence.

You should NOT play this deck if:

• You really, really, really hate losing to turn one/two combo decks that draw the nuts against you. There is a real percentage you give up because you died on their turn one and you don't play Force of Will. Curse you, Goblin Charbelcher!
• You hate creature-based strategies.
• You don't like needing to play a long game that has an extraordinarily high number of complex decisions.
• You can't afford the obnoxiously expensive manabase.
• You hate Siege Rhino and are a bad person.

You SHOULD play this deck if:

• You enjoy flexible and highly controllable game states that allow you to leverage both play and deck construction skill.
• You like having generally good answers to almost every strategy in the Legacy format.
• You don't mind having very close games that come down to the wire when you go long.
• You like playing green-based midrange decks but really want to play blue cards and counterspells anyway.
• You hate money and want to own ALL OF THE DUAL LANDS.
• You are really sad Birthing Pod got banned in Modern.
• You like Siege Rhino and are also a bad person, but for different reasons.

The core of the deck consists of the following:

4 [NPH] Birthing Pod
4 [RTR] Deathrite Shaman
3 [CON] Noble Hierarch
1 [M12] Phantasmal Image
1 [NPH] Deceiver Exarch
1+ [KTK] Siege Rhino
1+ [AVR] Restoration Angel
1 [ULG] Karmic Guide
1 [MOR] Reveillark
1 [M11] Sun Titan

Due to the small number of slots truly required by any of your Birthing Pod chains, the number of silver bullets you can potentially run in the deck is fairly high. This means that there is theoretically no optimal list of the deck - the list that is right for you is entirely dependent on metagame analysis and evolution. The base Birthing Pod chain is to have a one drop and a two drop, then Pod the two drop into Deceiver Exarch and untap Pod. Then Pod the one drop into Phantasmal Image, untapping Pod again. Go get Restoration Angel, untap Pod, get Karmic Guide reanimating Restoration Angel, untap Pod, then get Sun Titan. Reveillark is an anti-wrath safety valve that allows for conservative Pod chains against control decks - simply stop at Reveillark instead of going to Sun Titan and when they wrath get back the two creatures that started the chain and repeat it. It is worth noting that this also works against Terminus due to Reveillark being a "leaves the battlefield" trigger.

Additional non-creature cards that complement the core cards:

[RTR] Abrupt Decay
[3ED] Swords to Plowhshares
[3ED] Sylvan Library
[PLS] Eladamri's Call
[LRW] Thoughtseize
[JUD] Cabal Therapy
[THS] Swan Song
[CMD] Flusterstorm
[INS] Gavony Township
[STH] Volrath's Stronghold

Essentially any non-red value spells or lands you feel like running can fit in the deck to be tuned to a certain metagame. I find that Abrupt Decay is the only necessary mainboard inclusion due to the high number of silver bullets you can afford in the deck. That being said, here the current list that evolved from many prototypes I have tested - this list has given me the highest win percentages of any of the lists so far and is the starting point for further optimization in the future:

Main Board:

One CMC Creatures
4 [RTR] Deathrite Shaman
3 [CON] Noble Hierarch

Two CMC Creatures
1 [M12] Phantasmal Image
1 [ARB] Qasali Pridemage
1 [M14] Scavenging Ooze
1 [NPH] Spellskite
1 [DKA] Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 [DGM] Voice of Resurgence

Three CMC Creatures
1 [KTK] Anafenza, the Foremost
1 [NPH] Deceiver Exarch
1 [MIR] Eternal Witness
2 [SHA] Kitchen Finks
1 [M15] Reclamation Sage

Four CMC Creatures
1 [EVE] Glen Elendra Archmage
2 [AVR] Restoration Angel
2 [KTK] Siege Rhino

Five CMC Creautres
1 [ULG] Karmic Guide
1 [AVR] Sigarda, Host of Herons
1 [LRW] Reveillark

Six CMC Creatures
1 [M11] Sun Titan

Noncreature Spells
3 [RTR] Abrupt Decay
4 [NPH] Birthing Pod
1 [3ED] Sylvan Library

Lands
1 [3ED] Bayou
2 [3ED] Forest
1 [INN] Gavony Township
2 [FUT] Horizon Canopy
1 [LEG] Karakas
1 [3ED] Plains
2 [3ED] Savannah
1 [3ED] Scrubland
1 [3ED] Swamp
1 [3ED] Tropical Island
1 [3ED] Tundra
1 [3ED] Underground Sea
3 [ZEN] Verdant Catacombs
1 [STH] Volrath's Stronghold
4 [ONS] Windswept Heath

Sideboard
SB: 1 [JOU] Eidolon of Rhetoric
SB: 1 [ALA] Ethersworn Canonist
SB: 3 [CMD] Flusterstorm
SB: 1 [LRW] Gaddock Teeg
SB: 1 [PLS] Meddling Mage
SB: 1 [GPT] Orzhov Pontiff
SB: 1 [WTH] Peacekeeper
SB: 1 [M14] Scavenging Ooze
SB: 1 [LRW] Sower of Temptation
SB: 3 [LRW] Thoughtseize

Notable omissions from the deck:

• Veteran Explorer - Admiral Ackbar incoming, this card is a trap! It looks like (and, to be fair, is) a very powerful Magic card that can win you games by going over the top of your opponent. The problem with Veteran Explorer is that he requires you to do non-traditional things, use several card slots on tutoring him into play and sacrificing him, and is many times too slow when you want to use discard effect + Flusterstorm in the early game. I'd rather have a Noble Hierarch that helps fix my mana while also letting me hold up Flusterstorm during my early setup.
• Swords to Plowshares and Council's Judgment - A very reasonable set of cards to run and one that has been in a couple of my own lists. I'd definitely try it, but so far it hasn't felt like it holds its own compared to value creatures in general. Abrupt Decay holds the fort until the late game and is versatile enough not to need these. If you're really worried, I would put these into the sideboard.
• Knight of the Reliquary - The cost of having a KotR land tutor package is high, and without Mother of Runes (which would be awkward on our curve and we can't really tutor for) I think he is too fragile. It is worth testing more, but I have found it to be far too clunky.
• Brainstorm and Force of Will - The dynamic duo of Legacy and the glue of the format that doesn't quite fit in our deck - we are a deck that can't afford to be blue enough to play Force. You can try to do it (lord knows, I have tried many botched lists in an attempt to get it to work), but it always ends the same - Force is worse than Flusterstorm a good deal of the time. Force of Will also takes up too many deck slots when you consider the cost of needing blue cards and Brainstorm is too much of a do-nothing in a deck that doesn't have a high reliance on cards in hand and that plays off of the board more often than not.
• True-Name Nemesis - This guy is sweet. Excellent at all fair creature interactions in a non-interactive way. He stretches the manabase a bit more than I'd like, but he is quite feasible if you want him.
• Tarmogoyf - Huge, efficient, and overall excellent. The biggest problem with Goyf is that he just doesn't mesh well with what some of the deck is doing at the same CMC.

Example decklist card explanations:

• Qasali Pridemage - Great for the curve and a proactive aggressive card that helps nickel-and-dime any control player. Excels against Stoneblade and Miracles.
• Scavenging Ooze - Great against other midrangey decks, dredge, a couple spells in storm, reanimator, and a couple other decks. Overall a solid graveyard hate card with little downside.
• Spellskite - When playing hate against combo, or even when protecting creatures in fair matchups, Spellskite makes things awkward for your opponent. He is a great blocker and can redirect artifact and creature removal.
• Thalia, Guardian of Thraben - Against combo and control this allows you to develop a board since you have slowed them down considerably. It makes their removal more clunky and awkward and makes your Pod activations gain more value the longer she is on the field.
• Voice of Resurgence - This card blocks Tarmogoyf for days, synergizes with Pod well, and can become a scary threat if your opponent doesn't respect it or have wrath effects. The only downside is that the token dies to decay, but if they are Abrupt Decaying your token you are probably not in a terrible position anyway.
• Anafenza, the Foremost - This card is a house against Reanimator and Dredge and can turn your small creatures into real threats. This is very powerful due to being such a solid creature and an insane graveyard hate card.
• Eternal Witness - A great value card. There really isn't anything special about it, but it is nice to be able to buy back any card in your deck at will.
• Kitchen Finks - The slower Deceiver Exarch that gives you more value in grindy matchups. Turns into two four drops or eats removal and allows you to drop a bigger threat.
• Reclamation Sage - Legacy is full of targets for this guy. End of turn killing a Stoneforge to have them hardcast a Batterskull is a good feeling when you kill it the turn after. Hits many relevant hate cards as well, such as Grafdigger's Cage and Rest in Peace.
• Glen Elendra Archmage - This card is resilient and a house against all combo matchups after you have slowed them down and landed any other combination of discard, counterspells, or hatebears. Especially awesome against Elves, where they have no real answers to flying creatures as you gum up the ground with Siege Rhinos or somesuch and never let them resolve a cheated in Craterhoof Behemoth.
• Siege Rhino - This card is nuts. I can't even begin to describe how much better this card is here than something like Bloodbraid Elf. You trade card advantage on a stick for life gain, a solid creature that beats up everything but Tarmogoyf alone, a trampler that goes over True Name Nemesis, and a difficult to answer clock that conveniently fits right under Karmic Guide on your curve. Add to that the ability to recur and Restoration Angel it and you've got a huge headache for most of your opponents that sometimes is a random Lightning Helix to end the game.
• Sigarda, Host of Herons - Insane against BUG. They have legitimately zero ways to answer it in their deck. Also excellent against pretty much any fair deck. Sometimes results in hilarious interactions against Emrakul, the Aeons Torn but that is more cute than practical.
• Gavony Township - This card is way better than you think it is. Makes Tarmogoyfs you copied (or played if you opt to do so) beat other Tarmogoyfs and makes Siege Rhino nigh unstoppable without Swords to Plowshares. Allows you to infinitely chump/attack and recur both Kitchen Finks and Glen Elendra Archmage.
• Volrath's Stronghold - Great consistency and anti-Jace, the Mind Sculptor tech.
• Horizon Canopy - For when you flood and when you can set up repeated Eternal Witnesses or Sun Titan attacks. Helps smooth out the deck in general, especially when you don't draw Pod. Gets better the longer the game goes.
• Karakas- Anti-Sneak and Show and a way to protect Thalia, Anafenza, and Sigarda from wraths and removal.
• Eidolon of Rhetoric and Ethersworn Canonist - Shuts down cascade against Shardless BUG and halts storm combo in its tracks until they have the Abrupt Decay. This is usually enough to set up a board that makes it very difficult for storm to win as they try and remove the thing from the battlefield. If you have multiples it becomes a nightmare.
• Flusterstorm - Cheap enough to hold up in tandem with a Thoughtseize after a Noble Hierarch or Deathrite Shaman, this is awesome at stopping combo and forces your opponent to respect the potential of you having it as long as you have a blue mana up.
• Gaddock Teeg - A clear combo and control hate card. It stops Storm, Elves, Sneak and Show, Miracles, etc. A bit of a non-combo with Birthing Pod, but I'll take it given the power level of the card.
• Meddling Mage - Often a way to protect other hatebears by naming the removal spell they can cast. If you can get him on Abrupt Decay and another hatebear you can then hold up counters for Massacre and proceed to lock them out.
• Orzhov Pontiff - Great against Young Pyromancer, True-Name, and most of Elves. It is probably the most narrow answer but is worth having a tutorable removal spell for those threats.
• Peacekeeper - Stops the attacking part of Sneak and Show and stalls Elves into being unable to attack until they have Abrupt Decay and you don't have a way around the Decay anyway.
• Thoughtseize - A general answer and great tool to crippling the development of your opponent's gameplan. Excellent card in general against combo and control, and even great in midrange mirrors if you'd like it.
• Sower of Temptation - A good against BUG and Show and Tell-based decks since.[/CARDS]

Additional options for the main and sideboard:

• Eladamri's Call - A card that allows for instant speed search against decks that have hated on your ability to use Birthing Pod to get your silver bullets. Great against a ton of decks and comes in over Birthing Pod in an attempt to make your opponent's hate cards dead. This also allows you to run some better hate cards that are anti-synergistic with Birthing Pod out of the board such as Containment Priest.
• Living Wish - A slower but more versatile Eladamri's Call that you can play pre-board to improve combo matchups.
• Chord of Calling and Green Sun's Zenith - Unfortunately hit by much of the same hate as Birthing Pod, these cards are quite powerful. Chord tends to do more powerful plays but GSZ sets up the early game and provides more consistency. If you either you want to find room for Dryad Arbor.
• Dryad Arbor - If you are really afraid of Dredge, you can run this as an easy way to turn off Bridge from Below in your own deck.
• Crop Rotation - Makes Karakas more consistently hit the battlefield and can allow for more utility lands in the deck. It is, again, a bit of a stretch on the manabase.
• Swan Song - A Flusterstorm replacement that improves the Sneak and Show matchup but makes the Storm matchup worse. I generally haven't been a huge fan but it may be a necessary evil if you're playing in a meta where it is better.
• Aven Mindcensor - Insane against a ton of Legacy decks and one-sided so it doesn't hurt Pod. Makes fetches, Infernal Tutor, and Stoneforge Mystic really awkward.
• Fulminator Mage - Gives you a real strategy against lands and is phenomenal with Sun Titan, Reveillark, and many other cards in the deck naturally. Good against Lands, Miracles, and more fringe decks like 12/MUD Post. On the play against Sneak and Show can potentially hit a Sol land but probably isn't worth it.
• Phyrexian Revoker - A tutorable needle effect that is great against Sneak and Show where you need it most. Also can hit Lion's Eye Diamond against storm.
• Tasigur, the Golden Fang - Great at long midrange battles and easy to cast since you are filling your graveyard with Pod anyhow.
• Loyal Retainers, Fauna Shaman, and Big Fat Legendary Creatures™ - If you want to get real cute, you can play the Iona, Shield of Emeria reanimator deck out of the board. It is a bit clunky and slow so I don't like it. Loyal Retainers may be good enough on his own due to the existing legendary creatures, especially if you add Tasigur.
• Academy Rector - Certainly cute, and very powerful if you can get it to go off.
• Cabal Therapy - More difficult and slightly more awkward than Thoughtseize in some situations, Therapy interacts very favorably with persist creatures and Voice of Resurgence. You also play enough dorks to flash it back early consistently. Without Veteran Explorer I'm not convinced it is better than Thoughtseize as the first three discard spells and would play it as the fourth-eighth if I wanted them.
• Venser, Shaper Savant- An alternative card to Sower of Temptation or Glen Elendra Archmage. Good against Sneak/Show and allows you to answer hardcast Craterhoof from Elves.
• Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker - Because who doesn't like unexpectedly winning the game out of nowhere? The obvious downside is that it is actually uncastable without adding the fifth color or swapping out blue, so I'll let you decide how spicy you want to make your Pod deck.

Synopsis: There are many options for this deck, and I could probably list card interactions for several pages worth of content. The deck is very powerful and capable of handling most situations in Legacy.

On the next post I will go over general game strategy against currently popular decks of the format.