[Brainstroming] The Grind (Non-combo Evolutionary Leap)

[Cire]

This is a brainstorming post to abuse Evolutionary leap. The idea is that leap is best used on tokens to then search for quality creatures. This is a 4 color list to just explore the game play. On the few test runs I have done my favoirt is blocking with a spirit token, sacing it to get Shriekmaw, casting shriekmaw, sacing it to get witness and then getting shriekmaw back and over and over. . . .



4 Snapcaster Mage
3 Shriekmaw
2 Eternal Witness

3 Evolutionary Leap

4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Lingering Souls
4 Serum Visions
3 Abrupt Decay
3 Path to Exile
2 Dismember
2 Thoughtseize

4 Bitterblossom

22 lands (Honestly have no clue how to build a 4 color mana base)

6 ?
1 Flooded Strand
1 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Polluted Delta
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Windswept Heath
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Watery Grave
1 Breeding Pool
1 Godless Shrine
1 Temple Garden
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Forest
1 Island
1 Plains
1 Swamp

[Phoenix Ignition]

I'm not sure tokens are the best strategy, they're certainly good though. Anything with Persist/evoke is going to be huge sources of card advantage, and also recurring stuff would be great. Obviously stuff with strong come into play abilities are good.

Here's a list of stuff I'll probably mix and match:

Shriekmaw
Mulldrifter
Vengevine
Bloodghast
Gravecrawler
Bloodsoaked Champion
Kitchen Finks
Strangleroot Geist
Geralf's Messenger
Eternal Witness
Huntmaster of the Fells

Also, with some of these cards, I'd want some ability exploitation of dying stuff a la

Blood artist
Reaper of the Wilds

With all the graveyard filling, Tasigur fits here (just like in most decks, I suppose).

[Cire]

Curious - why do you think tokens is the wrong way to go?

[Phoenix Ignition]

You asked for it! Incoming treatise on tokens.

I don't think tokens are the best strategy for Evolutionary Leap because their weaknesses are not what EL fixes, nor are the creatures that EL finds, and tokens aren't good without proper support.

Tokens have a few strengths, and decks have to be built around those to be exploited fully. Their main strengths as I see it are:
1. They are the definition of card advantage. Good token cards always give you more than 1 creature, usually 2-3 from a single card like spectral procession or 1 per turn like Bitterblossom. Trading 1 token for 1 creature is almost always the best idea.

2. They blank all removal except sweepers. There really isn't a good targetted kill spell except for Maelstrom Pulse, and I haven't seen decks use more than 1 of those for a long time.

3. They overwhelm other creature decks, except creature combo decks like Elves.

Weaknesses:
1. They are weak. It takes a large number of turns to kill someone unless you pack your deck with token specific cards like Intangible Virtue or Honor of the Pure. Token decks pretty much have to play something that speeds up their clock, or you have to have some reason for clogging the field with creatures (Spellstutter Sprite).

2. They don't stop any strategy except by blocking. This is bad since Twin/Amulet Bloom/Burn/Tron don't care a bit about that, and may decks can go through it even when your strategy is in full effect (Etched Campion).

3. You need to have a lot of tokens cards in your deck to consistently see tokens.

Evolutionary Leap is card advantage, and doesn't stop opponent's strategies. It finds you creatures, but what creatures are going to do enough to stop strategies that hurt you? This means it fills the same roll as tokens decks already, but if you want it to fix bad matchups or do something better than other tokens, you need creatures that specifically interact with tokens. Orzhov Pontiff, Craterhoof Behemoth and similar are fine, but I don't think EL is worth it to grab them. EL is really good if you can chain it into itself with stuff that has an effect and then is okay dying.

The real problem I have with tokens and this strategy is that tokens need things to boost them, and those things just don't tend to help creatures out. Mix and matching tokens with creatures is usually only done in mono white souls sisters which uses them to gain a bunch of life, but you wouldn't want to chain EL in there because there aren't good come into play effects.

Evolutionary Leap is a card that single handedly can take care of strength 1 of tokens in that it will give you tons of card advantage if played with creatures that have good CitP abilities. EL effectively takes care of strength 2 of tokens as well, since any single kill spell will be responded to with EL grabbing a replacement creature. Playing a tokens strategy with creatures nullifies your advantage of making lightning bolt/path to exile useless for your opponent and turns those cards on. The sheer card advantage of it also takes care of strength 3, you will be able to overwhelm opponents if you play EL with CitP effects.

Right now creatures like Shriekmaw or Huntmaster of the Fells are on the edge of playable on their own, but with EL they become actually good cards. Current GBW/GWR decks are great at dumping creatures on the field, so if you want to beat them you need to go slightly bigger and invalidate their creatures. This is hard to do since they play Collected Company, but I think it's possible with EL cycling you through to bigger and better cards. GB control decks can't get through cards like Grave Titan or multiple Thragtusks, especially not when you have a card advantage engine whenever they are able to kill one or chump block.

So TLDR: Tokens are bad to mix with creatures since they require a build of their own or they will end up being too slow, but using snazzy CitP abilities with EL can give you huge card advantage. Maybe even enough to dethrone current versions of GB Midrange.

[Cire]

Thanks! That was really intersting to read.

I guess the idea is that EL + Lingering Souls/Bitterblossom is such good value. You don't have to run creatures that are good with tokens. Instead EL just replaces your tokens with good creatures. What if instead of 4 token Lingering souls gave your 4 Snapcaster mages?! That's the idea behind tokens. The point of EL is CA. . .

So either we go tokens or we go persist. The problem though is that EL with persist will give you that other persist card more often than not. But with tokens you are instead going to be getting the creatures you really want.

But that's just my perspective.

[Phoenix Ignition]

I don't think the decision is between tokens and persist. Persist is only really Kitchen finks anyway. Mulldrifter could be a huge source of card advantage, same with Shriekmaw. Maybe even run Vengevine with some other recurring creatures. I'm just saying tokens don't really lend themselves to creatures much. It seems weird to splash this card in a deck running lingering souls and snapcasters, if you're playing that type of deck I highly doubt you're going to be wanting to use EL.

You're right you don't get a choice of what you get, but in a deck like current GB control that's not really a big deal. Card advantage for a deck like that is what can push it above the blue controlly decks that have been popping up recently. I don't think you want to be playing this card in a deck that is looking for specific creatures, I think you want to use it in a deck that's playing it more as a "sacrifice a creature: draw a nonland card."

[Cire]

I don't think the decision is between tokens and persist. Persist is only really Kitchen finks anyway. Mulldrifter could be a huge source of card advantage, same with Shriekmaw. Maybe even run Vengevine with some other recurring creatures. I'm just saying tokens don't really lend themselves to creatures much. It seems weird to splash this card in a deck running lingering souls and snapcasters, if you're playing that type of deck I highly doubt you're going to be wanting to use EL.

You're right you don't get a choice of what you get, but in a deck like current GB control that's not really a big deal. Card advantage for a deck like that is what can push it above the blue controlly decks that have been popping up recently. I don't think you want to be playing this card in a deck that is looking for specific creatures, I think you want to use it in a deck that's playing it more as a "sacrifice a creature: draw a nonland card."

I just generally feel that the token cards are of high value and not as reliant on EL to be decent than cards mull mulldrifter where the only reason you're running them is EL. That turns EL more into a combo-esque card than a card that simply creates CA just by existing. For a token deck - the deck still operates well even if EL is destroyed. Persist/evoke - not as much.

maybe instead of blue you run YP, sac the tokens and get more YP/Monastery Mentor and over run with tokens in general?

[Phoenix Ignition]

But those decks try to maximize noncreature spells and don't need the EL to get card advantage, it's what YP and MM are for.

I'm not saying mulldrifter is the card to use, but cards like E witness, Shriekmaw, and the like are good on their own but even more amazing with EL.