Quote Originally Posted by k_omega View Post
I (playing Gw) have been finding Hangarback Walker excellent against Shardless, and to a lesser extent against nonwhite Delver. It blocks, then blocks some more while providing a means (thopters) to pressure planeswalkers without expending a needle. Not to mention that it makes Liliana awkward. With Eye and 9 mana it provides an on-the-spot blocker unlike every other Eye target in the deck under those conditions.

Has anyone tested with Solemn Simulacrum? Bridging the gap from ~4 mana to Titan/Zenith levels has been a sticking point in many of my games and Oracle is less consistent than I'd really like. Solemn also helps while under Blood Moon, draws a card, and shuffles.
Hangarback Walker is quite an interesting idea that I thought of but never really decided to follow up on. A few reasons why:
1. Terminus - Miracles is one of the most popular decks currently in the format.
2. Swords to Plowshares - Of course Miracles runs this card as well. It also won't really help against JTMS or Venser in that match up.
3. Even against Shardless they do have the out of Toxic Deluge or Maelstrom Pulse to answer all of the Thopters created when it dies, they also have JTMS as well and it just doesn't seem like a great out to the most played deck of day 2 GP Seattle-Tacoma
4. It is really slow from what I have watched in Standard coverage.
5. Council's Judgement - There are enough decks that will run this against us regardless to answer Ugin, Emrakul, etc.
6. Death and Taxes - Being popular right now, they run 4 Swords to Plowshares and 3/4 Flickerwisp. I am sure they would love for us to play something like a Hangarback Walker and invest into it rather than a real threat.

On Solemn Simulacrum:
That may not be a terrible idea. It does bridge the gap between dropping Pithing Needle, Sensei's Divining Top and going into Primeval Titan. I suppose my main concern for it would be due to exiling effects we would not get to draw the card and a 4 mana rampant growth feels bad. If we wanted an effect like that we could go back in time to John Kassari's (user Ehhh) first build I saw where he ran Snow-Covered Forests, Dark Depths and Into the North as a way to ramp and get the Stage/Depths combo online early and easy. It may not be horrible, but I still think I prefer to have plays like turn 1 Top, turn 2 Explore, turn 3 possible Titan over anything involving Solemn. It may not be bad, but it could certainly be interesting.