Super Secret Sunday 17: Investichanments Part 2

OH BOY I'M BACK! BUSTING THROUGH YOUR SPOT LIKE THE KOOLAID MAN 'OH YEEEEAAAAHHHHH'

At long last, your old Grandpa Growth has returned. Long story short: my computer melted, but now I am back amongst the world of the internet living. I know you have all been waiting patiently for the return of Super Secret Sunday, the point in the space time continuum where we stop to reflect on underplayed cards, under the radar strategies, and under-thought thoughts. If you recall, last time we were talking about Investichantments. Cards that require a down payment, if you will, but ostensibly pay off later in the game. You can refer back to that post for the full discussion of what they are, how to use them, and why I typically avoid them. Here, I am going to offer a few more examples of investichantments that I can get behind and my thoughts on them.


This card is no stranger to the Commander tables. It is a solid game ender. If you have a squad of dudes you can make it a squad of your best dude. If your opponent has a great dude, then they are about to be in a world of hurt, watching in horror as you turn each one of your Kelp tokens into Inferno Titans. I like that this requires only a minimal investment in terms of time. Sometimes you just play it and attack for lethal with redundant copies of some silly monster. Even when the game goes longer, this card actually pays you back over the long run by letting you re-trigger ETB effects. This card is worth it. Don't laugh...it works.





It has been a long time since I turned over the hour glass. Literally and figuratively. I like how this card plays in aggressive token decks. It ticks up every turn, threatening ever growing amounts of damage. Now this card does have a punisher clause; letting your opponent choose to avoid the pain by spending mana, but this isn't so bad because it wastes their time (a resource that they don't have much of if you are beating down), requires a relevant amount of mana to keep the counters off, and doesn't solve the real problem (your brute squad).








I would like to finish the discussion of investments, by looking at a counter example. This card, affectionately dubbed The Top since the first pack of Champions was opened, has an iconic place in Magic history. It is seen in every format and can hardly be considered 'underplayed' in any format where it is legal. In fact, I argue the opposite. It is overplayed, horribly. It is even overplayed in modern, where hardly anyone plays it.


So why would I talk about an overplayed card in my series about underplayed tech? It is an investment, the topic of this article, and I have a soapbox. So I am going to use it.

Don't play this card. Seriously. You wouldn't put a random card in your deck that had nothing to do with your strategy or didn't synergize well with your other cards or didn't substantially improve your chances of winning would you? I have fielded all manner of arguments about how fantastic or how terrible this card is, some of which I agree with, some I don't. More than anything I think this is over blown. Most decks can't use it. Few decks really need it. It usually just slows down your mana curve by a full turn or so, which is a HUGE INVESTMENT for a very marginal increase in card quality. So many people look at this card and think about how much better drawing your best of three is than just drawing a random one. It is much better, but that is only half of the story. On the other hand, if you will, you hold straight up tutor effects. How much better is drawing the perfect card than drawing your best of three. Discarding a card at the beginning of the game to make you draw 3% better every turn for the rest of the game is only worth it if 1. The game goes on for a LONG time...or 2. your cards are all terrible (dead/narrow/low power/too slow/too expensive). So again I say: Don't play this card...unless you need it. If your deck is chock full of narrow answers, try to make smarter card choices. Pick cards that are more useful in the general case. If that isn't an option, say if you have a tool box package like Momir or Tinker strategies, then what you really need is powerful tutor effects, not the Top.

In short, the ROI needs to exceed the initial outlay within the breakeven period, otherwise it isn't worth investing in. If you're like most Americans and have no financial savvy whatsoever...then I would consider going to business school.

Pass it up.

The Stack #2- Cats, Crabs, and Bad(ass) Enchantments

Welcome to this week's edition of The Stack!

We've got a really great little set of cards to discuss this week, and I'm pretty excited to have our resident sojourner Venser's Journalist back from traversing the planes to join Grandpa Growth and me as we tackle what has turned out to be a bunch of blue cards. Good thing I came prepared.

And since we play Fight Club rules here on The Stack, AND it's VJ's first night, we're going to make him fight last. Cause that's how The Stack works. Last in, First out.

So let's make like Autobots, Ludacris, and various Rock/Ground Type Pokemon and ROLLOUT!

"Me and my homies, like Donphan/ So much money, you can't stop that."
If you don't like my Super Friends, then go build your own Legion of Doom.

ON THE STACK!

VENSER'S JOURNALIST'S PICKS

Venser's Journalist- NOT SURE
This card has seen tons of use in standard formats, but the transition into EDH has been rough at best. The biggest problem I see with Detention Sphere is the fact that it's just a glorified O Ring. Also, you can't Detention Sphere a Detention Sphere (which may not necessarily be a bad thing, considering the multiple O Ring loops I've seen in silly EDH games against four other white decks). The good in this card is the fact that it is a token/Rite of Rep/Followed Footsteps destroyer. Still, the 1WU cost might be tricky and the $3.49 price tag makes this not worth the trouble, unless you desperately need another O Ring effect.

Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
I'll play this card. I actually don't play a lot of O-Rings, but I like this better. Cause tokens and Infinite Reflection are  things. Also, if you're feeling like building your own Maelstrom Pulse, Faith Healer and Auratog are nifty ways to get this off the battlefield before the second ability triggers. Similar to the way Tidehollow Sculler gets abused in the Modern Zombie deck.

Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
This card. Is not good for my sanity. Consider the separation: Oblivion Ring is a common. A very powerful one at that. Maelstrom Pulse is an enemy colored Rare that is a fixed/modernized version of an iconic and powerful from the past. Now from the other direction: O ring is light years ahead of Dark Banishing. D-sphere is 'cheaper' Maelstrom Pulse in my mind because it only requires ally colored mana. The balancing factor that made Vindicate acceptable was that is was a simple 1 for 1.  Much like Counterspell, it could never be that out of control because you just trade straight up and go back to work; not much real advantage on paper. This takes things into a whole new dimension. Speaking of which, this card was perfectly named. It's O ring that loops infinitely in a new direction...into...a...sphere. BOOM FLAVOR BOMB!

Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
In EDH, mill is somewhat uncommon in terms of win condition. But if you're going for some serious mill, you need to get some crabs (Hedron, that is). Landfall has always been one of my favorite effects and this 0/2's ability is nothing short of devastating, especially if you can trigger multiple land drops per turn. Fill a deck full of fetch-lands and mana ramp, and you'll have a well-oiled milling machine.

Uncle Landdrops-THUMBS UP
Definitely willing to try and make this work. I do feel that this card is probably better in a more self-mill style game though. Getting cute with this on your opponents might make them want to Doom Blade it quickly. Especially if you're trying to get Lazav online.

Grandpa Growth- THUMBS DOWN
I am a little unclear about what I am supposed to be evaluating here. I thought we were talking about Magic cards. I am going to take this moment to talk about designing mill cards and why R&D never gets it right (cause it can't be done). Milling cards has almost zero marginal value. Even in situations where it can have value, the value is quantized in an irregular way. Value comes when you mill important things or when you mill them down to enough so they can no longer win with the cards they have left. Milling cards earlier is worse than milling cards later. If your opponent wants to draw a particular card from his deck (which is almost always true) then you are actually improving his chances of winning by milling him. So knowing all that, let's step back to how to design mill cards. How do you appropriately cost something like this? Here we have a one drop that can potentially mill infinite cards, but does so incrementally and at a controlled pace. Why is that so cheap? Because it is getting harder and harder for YOU to win the more times you do it. It should actually be getting CHEAPER as it goes, up until your opponent has 9-12 cards left then the cost should rise again. Need proof? Compare the cost, effect, and card economy of Traumatize, Memory Sluice, and Glimpse the Unthinkable. In my opinion, Traumatize and Archive Trap (for 0) are the only properly costed mill cards. Traumatize can't really kill and it's effect scales down the closer you get to milling them out, keeping the cost appropriate throughout the game. Archive trap is expensive, but easy to fall into. When your opponent plays around it (typically because they are in danger of being milled out) you can pay the blood price and kill them. CMC 5 is an established cost for cards that are lethal under particular conditions (see Time Warp).

Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
Counterspells are crucial to any EDH deck that runs blue, and chances are, exiling spells would be even more helpful. Syncopate works great on telling those 9 and 10 drop creatures to take a hike, since you really only need two mana to make this card work. A minor drawback might be the fact that you were hoping to cancel a huge spell, but you find that you need to cancel someone's Doom Blade and that person's got plenty of Open mana. That's why Wizards made Dispel.

Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS DOWN
If I'm in the mood to be sadistic and bring a bunch of counterspells to the party, this guy will definitely be invited. Until that day though, I'd rather take my chances with Condescend instead. There are better options, but this card isn't bad. Just a matter of personal taste.

Grandpa Growth-THUMBS DOWN
I like the nostalgic name. I like the balance of the effect. There are just better options. I would rather have Condescend and Power Sink, or even Mana Leak, if I am going to play something like this, which I am not always on board with. VJ mentioned the plan of just 'getting them' when they tap out. Which is always a major victory, but it is much easier with something like Daze. People are less likely to tap out if you are representing counterspells. Let's be honest though, in the haymaker, big spell format, you can't afford to be inefficient with your mana. People tap out at every stage of the game, even when the coast isn't clear. Sometimes you just have to go for it to have any chance of winning. Eventually you figure out that your chances of winning are just better if YOU have the counterspell.


GRANDPA GROWTH's PICKS

Grandpa Growth-  THUMBS UP

An excellent distraction card. A plan B that your opponent must deal with or it will win by itself. It draws removal away from your real threats. The key part is that unlike creature removal, people tend not to overload on Disenchant effects. So killing this has a more direct cost when you also control a Sword or Greaves. I don't even play much multiplayer either, where this card is usually better, if not more unpredictable.

Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS DOWN
And I've rooted for this card, I promise you. Back when GG and I used to swap EDH Fisticuffs, he claimed that this card was good against his normally reactive control aspirations to play "Draw, Go," but it never was, and so I've evolved. Cause even if you get 2-3 counters on it, good players will find ways to screw you over big time. I've since removed it from all of my decks. Funny anecdote. I was playing a buddy of mine who played this card the other night thinking it was gonna wreck my face cause I didn't have any board position. Fortunately for me, I was playing fresh new Scepter of Empires tech cause of how well it works for Darien. Scepter of Empires: Luminarch's natural enemy. See also- Vampire Hexmage, Hex Parasite, and the aforementioned Disenchant.

Venser's Journalist- NOT SURE
This is a great distraction card indeed, but it seems a bit like a card that will paint targets on your face. As long as another player card deal you damage each turn, this card may not even be worth much stress on anyone's part. I really like spitting out Angel tokens, but Sigil of the Empty Throne might be more effective, assuming you run a lot of enchantments.

Grandpa Growth- THUMBS SIDEWAYS? (UL got a not sure last week so...) 
Conceding the disclaimer that this isn't what I'd call a multiplayer card, that is simply too dangerous for my tastes. In 1v1 however, this card, along with others like it, help create a powerful advantage in certain matchups. Breaking the symmetry is key, but that shouldn't be difficult against control decks. In certain matchups this is equivalent to Time Warp.

Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS DOWN (& Thumb's fine GG)
Definitely a political card with volatile power.  My inner red player tells me that you're probably only playing this if you're trying to go off with Krenko (and seriously, no other Goblin Commander.) and kill the table in one turn. Or maybe you've got a Commander like Zedruu and you're having a FIRE SALE. But if you're just trying to get a fast Inferno Titan, play Mark of Fury instead. You're gonna like the way it works. I guarantee it.

Venser's Journalist- NOT SURE
There is a time and place for this card. Use it if you see your opponent's deck is not creature based. Don't you dare use it if you're up against Rhys the Redeemed, Goblins, or the like. But in multiplayer, this is probably going to get you killed.

Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
This is a nostalgia pick for me. It has been a long time since Boomerang made it into any of my decks, but I still love it. I still have fond memories of it. There are just better versions these days that make me looks elsewhere. 

Uncle Landdrops-  THUMBS UP
I prefer this card with ways to get it back, like Mnemonic Wall, Izzet Chronarch, or our favorite Snappy Asian Wizard. Definitely good in a tight spot for blue, but is much better with build-me-around stuff like Isochron Scepter.

Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
Boomerang is still a great card today, being a cheap bounce spell that works on ANY permanent. Do I need to say more?




UNCLE LANDDROPS' PICKS

Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
I don't really draw it much (if ever) in my Kiyomaro EDH, but it's a card I'd like to have every time when I'm playing against discard, token hordes, or people who still play Gifts Ungiven, like Grandpa Growth. Reminder text really helps you show how multi-dimensional this card is. One of the most elusive white utility cards I've ever heard about.

Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
It's all about fast cats and pro colors. Hell, I just like the fact that it's a 3/3 with Flash. Sygg, River Guide could take a lesson from this card.

Grandpa Growth-  THUMBS UP
This card is a vicious beating and a source of tremendous value. I like my threats to be instant speed and my counterspells to attack. In short: I wish every card were more like this card.

Uncle Landdrops-THUMBS DOWN
I know there's a world where this card will be good, but it's not the one that I currently live in. I've had zero luck with trying to play this, mostly because I want it to be my replacement for Phyrexian Arena and Necropotence, which I've gotten exhausted with as of late because everyone plays those cards. But I get it in my hand, and I don't ever want to play it. It's basically a horrible version of the aforementioned, and invested versions of Night's Whisper and Sign In Blood, which I do play.

Venser's Journalist- THUMBS DOWN
If I want to draw cards in a black EDH deck, I prefer Underworld Connections or Null Profusion. This card is just too much of a late game liability for me to give it much credit.

Grandpa Growth- THUMBS DOWN
All of the investment, none of the pay off. This is what makes bad cards bad. Even if you get really deep on this it is still way worse than Greed, which is so much worse than Necro that people won't even play it. Tying up your mana means you won't get to use as many of those extra cards and you are essentially down a card for a full two turns JUST FOR THE PRIVELAGE of maybe being up some cards after that. Admiral Ackbar says...

Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
I heard about this card on CommanderCast, and I've had it both fail and succeed in a few decks I've tested it out in. When I have a little more time, I do have a nice place for this card, and it's going to blow people's minds. (Hint: I'm gonna abuse combat tricks.)

Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
As a fan of Rube Goldberg style Magic tech, this doesn't seem as much fun to play as an Eternal Witness + some kind of blink spell, artifact, what have you. But the fact that you can trade the mediocre creature in your hand for the really important creature in your graveyard makes this totally playable and a real lifesaver.

Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
When the dollar general idea got tossed around in our playgroup, Rosheen Meanderer was the general I was most excited to try out. It gave me a chance to play cards I would never play normally. Mostly giant do-nothing sorceries, but this was a hidden gem. I don't think it is as powerful as Creeping Renaissance and it doesn't have the instant kill potential of Nostalgic Dreams, but it does have one important improvement over those cards. You can recur the same card multiple times, thus allowing this to become a hybrid of Tortured Existence, Survival of the Fittest, and Crucible of Worlds. Not bad company.

And GG's right. Cause this is Bad Company, and they look nothing like that.

Honk if you were raised on Classic Rock.

Alright now, you Rock Steady, ya hear?

Seriously though. The show's over, and so are the horrible rock puns. But keep it rocking anyway. Cause we will.

Oh, and yeah, Grandpa Growth's showing up for work tomorrow, contrary to the false promises I made last week. So if you can't get enough TGZ, that's good. Cause we'll be here tomorrow, lying about not saying puns, making pop culture references, talking trash about Top, and having fun talking about Commander all the while.

Your Move, Kaiba!

-UL

Spin It Into Myth #2- I Cannot Troll-A-Lie

Well, it's Thor's Day once more, and so I think it's time to "eat, drink, and spin some cards into myth." I can only hope my ancestors will be proud.

We've got some new viewers on the site this week thanks to help of pbnj, so I'll give you the lowdown on what's going on here. Spin It Into Myth is a series where I'll be mentioning a few cards I'm running or intend to run, the intention being to create sort of dialogue with underground tech. It's for those who've ever wondered if someone on the other side of the world was casting the exact same spell at the exact same time. Foolish and idealistic, sure. But now it's possible.

So I'm going to unlock the Landdrops vault of untested tech- things I want to play on the horizon that I think might be awesome and good.

We've only got a few things, but these are the cards on my mind.

Wicked Akuba is one of the new pieces of tech I've already started testing. I'm not sure how good it can be in every deck, but I'm casting this card hard in what I'm calling the "Blacklight Special," which is an Infernal Kirin Spirit/Arcane tribal deck predicated on control/discard.

I've loved drawing it. Often I don't have a lot to do on Turn 3 in the deck based on the curve, so playing him Turn 2 and attacking on Turn 3 and getting a bonus 3 damage seems pretty good. In the late-late, a lot of mono-black decks also have extra mana floating around looking for an Exsanguinate. Since I'm trying to be a little more original, this is my bad conditional copy, which I find pretty funny when I think about the fact that he's a 2/2 dude that is gonna get a forced block over something like a Grave Titan because of what he can do if he hits you. His art is too awesome, and the card is too funny for me to not play. And he fits the theme. The tri-fecta of EDH Scrub player bliss. So folks, cast 'em if you got
'em.


Though the flavor says, "One man's trash is another man's troller," I assure you this is no trolling. I want to play this card. He may not be that good, but he seems like fun and he's got decent utility. I'd like to be able to play spells again in black or blue. With a tutor he's a build-your-own Eternal Witness that also protects people from abusing your stuff or exiling it. Not sure it'll be good, but doesn't mean I shouldn't try. Theory's not always how it works in the real.

On the play with an odd general, this card seems really fun and probably pretty good. I've been thinking about putting something like this in my Heartless Hidetsugu deck, mostly for lolz, but also because this card allows me to hold up mana on Turn 4 and possibly disrupt my opponent's plans.

Either way It'll definitely stop tokens. Bonus points awarded to designs that use this and make all their dudes odd or even. Math is sometimes a wonderful theme. So get off your 'ath and do some Math.


Math Math Math Math Maaaaaath!




Stay Tuned for Saturday, when we'll have Venser's Journalist alongside me and Grandpa Growth as we tackle a pretty good set of cards we've put on The Stack!

Til then, let the hate flow through you or the force be with you.

-UL

Repay in Kind #2- Proliferating On The High Seas

Last week, I started a segment giving shout outs to players and decklists that showed good design on TappedOut, and this week we continue with a Commander I didn't think I'd ever see designed for serious destruction. Skeleton Ship.

I mean, look at this art. There's a dolphin and flying turtles, and a few sails that look like rugs being sold by a sketchy guy in a street corner. Doesn't look threatening, right?

TappedOut user "pbnj" calls his design "Plague-iarism," and let me tell you, that's just what he wants you to see-
a 5-cost 0/3 with open arms to greet you.

But the minute he starts Proliferating, you might as well start walking the plank.

Fortified with many pieces of removal and a Commander to help, this deck is designed to control the game by getting counters of all kinds out and abound.

Inspired during Scars of Mirrodin, pbnj told me he started building this deck because he liked the new mechanic and the potential for abuse. Enticed by the nice disguise of hilarious sea-life around this bony vessel, he began the laborious process of building this strangely powerful monstrosity.

Much of his original design came largely from trying to get -1/-1 counters on everything. Currently, however, this deck runs quite a bit differently.

One of the things about this deck that attracted my attention was the sort of "anti-power" power that this deck has. By choosing to stay away from combos, planeswalkers, and things that might seem immediately obvious to most players, pbnj was actually able to find an Island of Buried Magic Tech Treasure, which is really pretty special. Cause when I asked him what was good in this deck, he gave me a few little tricks with this deck I couldn't have even imagined.

Of these, my favorite is this little engine he creates with Mind Unbound and Descent Into Madness. With the help of Proliferate and upkeep triggers to balance them out, pbnj is then able to make ensure that his board state is protected while his opponents get chased slowly by an imposing Death Cloud-style beating. Though rather expensive to maneuver, this type of thinking shows a nice dimension to his level of thinking. Maybe he didn't stumble on it right away, maybe it was a happy accident, but he was able to find synergy with cards that probably no one would look twice at.

Let's look a little more at some of the power cards in this design.

When I first asked him about the biggest win conditions in this deck, his answer was a very shocking, "Ichor Rats + Proliferate" engine. Seemed kinda crazy, but I get it. This card is kinda bananas. Early in the game, throwing poison on everyone and then attacking unblocked at anyone for two gets them pretty close to dead.

Though it is an infect card and it does ensure each player getting 9 steps closer to death, Ichor Rats isn't nearly as offensive to players. I'm not normally up on combos like this, but with the amount of proliferate happening, I can see this card being really nice here.

I know Necroskitter's getting played somewhere in the various competitive fields of Magic to warrant its current $5 price tag. Maybe it's cube. I don't know. But this card has been on my wishlist for a while, and I've been looking to find a meaningful way to add it into a deck. Pbnj found it though.

What's cool about Necroskitter here is that it's a completely overpowered Grave Betrayal. And in this deck, it's abilities are only intensified, working with his recurrable general and many of the cards I'm going to mention in a minute. This design works to further actualize how good this card can be. It makes me want to play this deck.

Crumbling Ashes is one of the cards that really legitimizes this deck. Keeping creatures off the field is a big part of making this deck a real thing, and this enchantment adds a lot of power here. It loves Necroskitter, and all of the instant speed "put a -1/-1 counter" effects that can be utilized in here, including Skeleton Ship. To call this hot-tech is an understatement, cause really, it's on fire. At 2, this card comes out early and makes you pay dearly for it.

This is a card I think everyone thought would be abused and abused during Scars. Instead, it got tossed into junk rare-dom without a second glance.

Perhaps this card is a bit of a stretch when we consider how good the other cards are, but I can see a lot of value here. It's one of those cards that, if you get to untap with it and your opponent has a few poison counters, there's a quick handshake and shuffle about to happen. Having cards like this in the deck aren't necessarily "answers," per se, which is where the game is mostly won, but Inexorable Tide is definitely good pressure with a type of card that not a lot of people keep spot-removal answers for.

I've actually tried to play this card in a Kresh Deck some years back. Wasn't exactly thematic, and I usually only netted one card or so.

Again, this card is actually substantiated by the stuff in this deck. It's a 4/3 for three if you need a body, and there's plenty of opportunity to maximize its draw power. Maybe a little cute, but I like it. Generates value that matches the style of this deck quite well.

Now, I'm not too convinced of Reactor's effectiveness here, but I admire the spirit. There's definitely room for this card to win, I'm just not sure it'll be fast enough. Sure seems fun though.

Carnifex Demon is a nice threat for this deck. I've played this card quite a bit, and I felt it worth mentioning here because of how dedicated this design is to counters. Even his threats stay aligned with the theme, and they're effective. Sure, he could play Gravy T and get Zombies, and that's good. But this card says a lot more, and I really appreciate what's going on here. It's also better to kill everyone else's stuff than to have your own.

Last card I want to talk about is Lazav. I've talked before about this card on a design level, and how cool it is because it inhibits some different styles of play.

Well, this is one of them. Pbnj's got it in here to catch the cards he's getting rid of. It might not be as "on theme" as the rest, because we don't get any counter power here, but it's an excellent choice for a support card. Not all your stuff has to be so focused on what the deck actually does- but when it isn't, make sure it's as good as Lazav. Nice choice.





So, in keeping with the tradition I started last week, I went to Photoshop and made a nice mockup of Skeleton Ship for pbnj as a way of saying thanks for letting me share and talk about his designs.

That said, go check out his list here.

Plague-iarism (Skeleton Ship EDH)

Good work pbnj. Thanks again for your incredible design.

Keep working on your designs, guys!

Till Thursday, Pass.

-UL

The Stack #1- The Ramp, The Red, And The Ugly

Hey There Zoners!

I'm excited cause today, we're rolling out a new weekly segment here on TGZ called The Stack.

This is a co-collaborative segment where Grandpa Growth, Venser's Journalist, and I will each be putting up 3 cards to talk about, and commenting on each other's picks.

We'll try to tackle a little secret tech, a little obviously controversial tech, and possibly some flops. So we've got a lot to exchange.

Unfortunately, Venser's Journalist couldn't get in on this one this time. Hopefully though, we'll have him for next week's installment.

But we've got 6 six cards, and they're ready, so let's go!

ON THE STACK!!!


UNCLE LANDDROPS' PICKS


Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
 I really like this card. Against Strip Mine, this card says, "No Thanks, I like Value," and proceeds to help you get another land so you don't get screwed out of the game by land. Works well with Crucible of Worlds strategies and most decks with more than another color or specific lands you need to help win the game. Bonus points for being an Instant. Playing it in my Doran deck as a tricky way to get my opponents thinking I don't have enough to cast Doran on Turn 3, prevents aforementioned Strip Mine problems, and also helps me to get Rogue's Passage, one of the more "clever" ways of getting to 21 with the Explorer. 

Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
This card is pretty much the hard counter to targeted land destruction and plays an important role in Gaea's Cradle decks. I really like toolbox style packages in decks. They are fun to play and give you diverse options for any game situation. Tutor cards are awesome skill testers and add a new dimension of skill and complexity to the game. There are plenty of great silver bullets to make this a nightmare for popular strategies. I only recently started playing this in EDH, but you know what they say: Once you start brutally crushing your opponents you don't stop.

Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS DOWN
Pretty disappointing for something with a unique form of disruption. Flipping your opponent's Swords of X and Y for a hit or two may feel pretty cool cause they'll have to pay to re-equip next turn, thereby setting back their plans in ways that goofy blue cards do. That was the original attraction. Maybe in a Kemba meta-matchup this card is a wrecking ball. Other than that, it's lackluster and winds up sitting in your hand.

Grandpa Growth- THUMBS DOWN
I have never personally played this card. It is not what I like to do and it's not part of a winning strategy. If your opponent is getting in hits with high quality name brand weaponry you don't want to borrow it. You don't even want to blow it up. You want to own it. I would way rather be the guy WITH the sword or the Jitte than the guy trying to maneuver the game to a point where this thing it good. Just play good cards and win. This is way too cute.

Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
Sorin is probably a sore-subject for most playgroups cause he doesn't make Commander any more fun. My group wants to edit his text. Though I think he's unfun in most situations, he'd be awesome in 30 life situations if your playgroup doesn't like his power level. 

Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
Scrubs say it's cheap. Spikes don't care. Sorin is free wins. Come prepared. It's just part of the metagame. Black has more abusive things in it's arsenal. Have you ever heard of Cabal Coffers?

I think that it is awesome that this card is at its strongest in the mono Black mirror. It shuts down pay-for-play lifeloss effects, which are some of the scariest cards in the color.


 GRANDPA GROWTH's PICKS

Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
This card is a total blast to play with and it enables some pretty absurd game states. It isn't the most competitive card, but seven mana isn't outside the bounds for a format like Commander. Rampant Growth has proven how powerful skipping the curve can be. Big mana haymakers bring swift resolution to tight games. Jumping 5+ lands ahead is an almost insurmountable advantage.Uncle Landdrops-  NOT SURE
I like this card. Wrote about it when it first came out. Since then though, I've passed it up in my more recent designs because in ramp decks it can get a little redundant casting Cultivate all the way to Turn 5 or 7, when you probably want to be playing a dude. Still, the card advantage is insane. I don't think I've ever casted this card for anything less than 7. Rewards you for playing basics, which everyone really undervalues. Be ready to play 20+ if you slam this card into your deck.


Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
Land destruction, especially mass land destruction, is generally frowned upon in the Commander community. The format is already pretty slow and slowing it down even more isn't an attractive prospect to many people. I love disruption. I love how the competition for resources affects the flow of the game. Armageddon is a way to press your board advantage and lock up games that have a chance of going south. I have no conscience for other peoples feel bads. Blow up all their junk.

Uncle Landdrops-  THUMBS UP
I'm not as unsympathetic as GG. This card is a crusher. However, I do think it's important to get over the feel-bads. This card is part of Magic, and whether you like it or not, it should get played cause it's good and part of nice mechanical deck design, not sitting in a pile of rejected cards because of what someone else thinks. Play it, but understand it too. And if you know someone else plays it, play around it. Nothing is unbeatable.

Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
I love this card. It's hilarious. It is the definition of fun to me. You get a huge mana discount over Fork and Shunt. It adds powerful flexibility to Red decks. Unfortunately, there just isn't enough stuff like this to make a reactive Red playable. Fun as it may be this card isn't what I would call a staple.

Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS DOWN
This card's cool, don't get me wrong. I've just never liked it. Took it out of a few decks, and now I don't even consider it. And I actually have been playing a lot of red recently. Mostly, it's personal preference. I'm not so hot on the the first part of copying and "targets," though that wording is signficantly better than, say, Imp's Mischief in black, or Increasing Vengeance in its own color. I just think that playing Reverberate and Reiterate are pants-down better because of their costs, and I don't want to spend any more slots on this in any of the decks where I've been playing this style of effect. I could, however, see this being really good in U/R decks with control-oriented strategies, or any deck where you'd like to be holding up mana. Like GG said, Wild "Ricky" needs more pals if Red wants to make this a thing. Were that the case, I'd be happy to take another stab.


What do you think? Be sure to leave your comments below!

REMEMBER! Grandpa Growth is back, and so are Super-Secret-Sundays! So if you were planning on having a rough day, tossing a little maple syrup in your hair, maybe watching one of Owen Wilson's B-movies, scrap that shit. You've got TGZ, and hopefully we're not going anywhere.

Well, right now, we're gonna pass. Shouldn't have spoken so soon.

-UL

Givin' The Cyclops Another Eye: The Borborygmos Enraged Deck Chronicles

Surprisingly, this Borborygmos build is getting some attention on TappedOut.

I'll refer you here if you don't know what I'm talking about yet. Or here, if you like the obvious links. Borborygmos Enraged Article.

Today, I was sleeving up Borborygmos Enraged and all those Forests and Mountains when a someone on TappedOut asked me how I'd make the deck "multiplayer viable."

I'll admit I chuckled a little. Mostly because I didn't know how to answer that question, which stemmed from the fact that I was very sure that short of being a casual mess, this wouldn't be a thing. As is, the deck doesn't stand a chance against a whole lot of serious metagame choices, like Doom Blades. Which I found out recently most people in my group don't play.
And I still don't know why.

However, I started thinking about this little challenge, and I've come up with a few ideas that might thicken the deck.

This is tricky. Cause we can't exactly put more land in the deck. Proportionally, this deck might be able to kill a couple of people on its own without your top shelf draws. Cause drawing both Keen Sense and Snake Umbra with even one or two lands in hand will allow you to cast all the land in your deck, which is around 180 damage before you play a Creeping Renaissance or whatever.

But when you don't draw that this deck will flounder.

So we've got to change the game.

The first card that came to me was Grafted Exoskeleton. Turning Four lands into instant death seems pretty great, and it won't break the bank.

Getting this card could prove difficult, but with the built-in tutelage and a simple swap from the Green Sun's to a Chord of Calling this deck can go get Godo, who can also shut down the game.

But if you don't like infect, there's another option here. Hostility with land to throw proves pretty formidable- but you've gotta have the land. Guy in my playgroup runs a Rosheen Meanderer burn deck with that combo. It seems pretty neat in here, and with all the land there's a good chance you'll be able play Creeping Renaissance to recur all the land you throw away. Also, my favorite- Mr. Heartless Hidetsugu. He likes to shorten games.

So having more copies of Creeping Renaissance, or ways to get land will definitely help. Unfortunately, there really isn't anything outside of Reforge the Soul or Wheel of Fortune.

The next best copies of these cards are Soul's Majesty and Garruk, Primal Hunter. Paying five to draw 7 cards off of Borborygmos seems really good, but super risky. But chances are you're only gonna play one of those if he's out.

Still they seem really good. Even good enough to go in the normal build, if I weren't so superstitious about changing cards in working decks.

Anyway, I'm gonna continue to tweak and tune this deck and see what comes of it, even if I think there's a dead end here.

Stay Tuned for Saturday. We've got a nice new article series coming out called the Stack, and you can look forward to Sundays once more cause Grandpa Growth has respun his interwebz and Super-Secret Sundays will return.

Pass.

-UL

Repay In Kind #1: Artifacts And Blue Connect These Two

I know I talk too much about myself, my opinions, and my own style of building.
I promise you though- I'm not THAT vain.

So TGZ's got a new article segment called Repay in Kind, where we're going to give shout outs to random people on TappedOut who I find to have outstanding or interesting deck architecture.

The first deck is m477r4z's deck, Mishra's Shadow Games.

Yeah, that's right. This guy had the guts to go deep and make a very un-EDH Commander viable.

How's this possible?

Well, I think my cosmic mentor, his Dudeness, the el Duderino himself says it much better than me.

According to The Gatherer, Mishra's actual text has been errated, and by changing one tiny-but-crucial word, it now reads:

"Whenever you CAST an artifact spell, you may search your graveyard, hand, and/or library for a card with the same name as that spell and put it into play. If you search your library this way, shuffle it."

Effectively, this is a big game for the 4/4 for four. Which is, let's face it, what everyone was really thinking was his only game. In fact, Mishra allows you to make your artifact spells uncounterable.

Additionally, the down-low hipster tech of the last year and a half has provided the Artificer Prodigy with some fairly hawt tech to disrupt and abuse your opponents too. The most recent is Nightveil Specter. Working backwards though, we've got Praetor's Grasp, Fiend of the Shadows, and Silent-Blade Oni joining Thada Adel and her little team of Acquire and Spelljack as viable options for this dark metal brew.

Though I've seen a few expensive decklists trying to abuse Nether Void and Nullstone Gargoyle, I like m477r4z's deck because he's kept it pretty basic. Blood Funnel is one of the major abusive parts of the deck, allowing him to make his stuff cheap and uncounterable with Mishra out.

But the card I was most inspired by in his design is Prototype Portal. When I first saw this card, I'd always imagined it would get its fair share of abuse. And m477r4z's done it. With 30 other targetable pieces in the deck, the Portal has a pretty good chance of having something to copy in your hand. And as he mentioned, putting Gauntlet of Power or Caged Sun on it is a fairly big game with cards like Hellkite Tyrant on the board.

Another little piece of silly and awesome is Grinning Totem. This is an old card that's pretty cheap, but fits both the mold of being an artifact and allowing you to get into your opponent's deck- which is awesome.

While I'm not sure I'm a fan of playing only the lone instant of Gifts Given, his design has inspired me to work up my own little collection of Grixis Goodies. And yes, mine comes with Head Games. I can't wait.

Our next salute goes out to UnknownWMD's "Mistform Ultimus: Defenders of the Universe" build. 

This is obviously a proxy.

Ultimus Prime here is every creature type. His reminder text tells you that, and I'm reminding you about that. Cause it's the focal point of the deck.

In case you weren't an avid enjoyer of old 80's cartoons and missed his deck's relevant-title, this is a mono-blue Voltron deck.

So naturally, the deck is a swiss army knife, loaded to the brim with all the Swords and equips money can buy.

What makes this deck special though is the not-so-common cards that become insanely powerful as a result of Ultimus Prime's seemingly strange ability to be everything at once while also not being a shapeshifter, technically.

My favorite of these is Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho. For starters, this card reinforces the fact that Ultimus is in fact a Samurai, and gives him a nice power boost as well as cool protection. You're not gonna find a better home for this mega-goofy legendary Kamigawa goody. It also inhibits a powerful infinite turn combo with Wanderwine Prophets. So yeah, this card's a damn All-Star here.

Mana-wise, I think he runs a little low, but he's got the good ones. Elephant Graveyard, because Ultimus is an Elephant, and it helps him regenerate. Swarmyard, because he's also an Insect, Rat, Spider, and Squirrel and can also find such a grimy place rejuvenating. And Griffin Canyon, because he's a Griffin, and he needs +1/+1 and to be untapped. Also feel free to play Cavern of Souls naming Tetravite, Rabbit, Coward, Homarid, Camel, or any silly thing Wizards has come up with throughout the history of Magic. You're not wrong. Mistform Ultimus is all of those things. Here's an all-encompassing list I found so you can say whatever you want. Mistform Ultimus' Actual Creature Type

There's a bunch more cool things in this deck, but you should really go see for yourself. It's a really nice build. Also, I picked his brain quite a bit in the comments below, so you can get a much bigger sense of mechanics in the deck, as well as how cool paying Prowl Cost can be.

Well, that's all I've got time for now.

 
-UL

UL's Better Deckbuilding: smash10101's Borborygmos Enraged

(Cue Old Spice Whistle)

Read this. Now look at Borborygmos. He's angry. Angrier than ever before.

He's so angry that he's bringing his hammer down. Cause he's a cyclops. And a lumberjack.

Maybe not. But he's not here to mess around. He's enraged. And he's definitely here, to at least do that. Rage.





It takes a real lumberjack's courage to take on this 8-cost monster. Most people might cringe at the thought of such an investment that can just as easily be Doom Bladed or Exiled in an instant.

Still, it takes even MORE than just the stuff of woodsman to concoct an EDH brew like Tappedout user smash 10101's "Ermahgerd! Berbergermers" design.

This guy really knows how to be extreme. His gimmick is this.

87 Lands + 11 spells + a Heartwood Storyteller = Doing It!

And though I'm not this hardcore, I was inspired to optimize his level of hardcore into a nice 1-on-1 deck.

So the deck's strategy is as crude and primitive as Mr. Enraged himself.
The plan is simple:
1. Ramp up to Borborygmos
2. Play Borborygmos
3. Pitch as many land as you can, cast a Keen Sense or Snake Umbra, attack if you must.
4. If he survives, repeat while also trying to not die.

Ultimately, the magic number for me is 13 land. If you can pitch 13 land, you're probably winning with a Borborygmos swing. Of course, that's barring any life gain, etc.

I've projected in my deck that if all goes according to this horribly ridiculous plan, victory can come as early as Turn 4 and as late as Turn 8, and usually requires a combat step to get the extra 2-3 land you need to win.

In smash10101's build, that might be a lot different. You can check out his 87 land masterpiece here.

Ermahgerd! Berbergermers!

I reduced the land count to 70. Mostly cause playing the magic 69 like I wanted to felt really awkward.

Land
1    Ancient Tomb
1    Dryad Arbor
1    Evolving Wilds
30    Forest
1    Forgotten Cave
1    Glacial Chasm
1    Gruul Turf
1    Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
26    Mountain
1    Slippery Karst
1    Smoldering Crater
1    Snow-Covered Forest
1    Snow-Covered Mountain
1    Temple of the False God
1    Terramorphic Expanse
1    Tranquil Thicket

Honestly though, I arrived at 70 lands out of sheer randomness. 87 was absurd and felt a little masochistic, while some of the other builds didn't dare go over the magic 45-47 you might see in Azusa decks. So I straddled the difference, and when I got to the deck sample testing phase, I found this amount seemed to be pretty good. I'd like to play a couple more if I could.

You'll also notice that the lands aren't real bank-breaking. That's cause there's really no need for any of them, except Ancient Tomb and Mikokoro. I might add a Terrain Generator back in here. Dryad Arbor's really great with the Green Sun's Zenith and Worldly Tutor.

Creatures
1    Azusa, Lost but Seeking
1    Budoka Gardener
1    Keeper of Progenitus
1    Oracle of Mul Daya
1    Sakura-Tribe Scout
1    Skyshroud Ranger

Creature base is pretty basic. Your main goal is getting Ol' Borby in play, so you're just trying to slam down as many lands as you can.

I chose more permanent-permanent based guys here, versus Sakura-Tribe Elder and other rampy guys that require sacrifice for ramp. We're going for recurring value.



Enchantment
1    Burgeoning
1    Exploration
1    Keen Sense
1    Rites of Flourishing
1    Snake Umbra
1    Sylvan Library

There's some expensive stuff here, but it's worth it. Turn 1 Burgeoning or Exploration almost always ensures a Turn 4 Borby.

Keen Sense and Snake Umbra are there to combo with the General once you start tossing land away, while Rites of Flourishing and Sylvan Library are there to keep the lands a-flowing.

Artifact
1    Crucible of Worlds
1    Horn of Greed
1    Storm Cauldron
1    Zuran Orb

Horn of Greed is definitely great in here. Zuran Orb and Crucible of Worlds have had mixed results, but I feel like they need to be here. They allow for nice combos with Storm Cauldron, helping me to move land to be in the right place at the right time.

If I could afford it, I'd love to have Sunstone and Snow-Covered basics here. For now, this has been fine.

Instant
1    Crop Rotation
1    Realms Uncharted
1    Sprouting Vines
1    Worldly Tutor

Crop Rotation has been surprisingly great, allowing me to get Mikokoro between turns 1-3, or Ancient Tomb or Temple of the False God when I need to cast my Commander. Getting Glacial Chasm also helps me not die. Sprouting Vines is just good for Instant speed, so I can hopefully leverage my opponent's spellcasting.

Sorcery
1    Creeping Renaissance
1    Cultivate
1    Green Sun's Zenith
1    Kodama's Reach
1    Life from the Loam
1    Mulch
1    Reforge the Soul
1    Seek the Horizon
1    Wheel of Fortune

Sorceries are where all the bombs are in this deck. Having Creeping Renaissance, Life From the Loam, Reforge the Soul, or Wheel of Fortune almost always ensures a nice re-loading of the Borborygmos shotgun after I've tossed all the land away in my hand. Life from the Loam really relies more on the cycle lands to be a powerhouse, but it works.

Mulch and Seek the Horizon are supposed to do similar work. They have to be cast before any of the previously mentioned spells though because it doesn't make sense to discard them to Wheel or Reforge, and getting those lands back with Creeping is better value cause it's doubling the damage.

Kodama and Cultivate are actually here for early ramp support, but they've been known to get me that extra 3 damage in a tight spot.


Now, this is obviously pretty streamlined, and doesn't have any removal. So you could be pretty owned. There's a lot of high risk and reward with this build as is. It would definitely need to get a few games in at the table to pull a few cards here and there. Maybe Ancient Grudge and Heartwood Storyteller come back in from smash's original build. I don't know.

All I know is that this is one crazy combo deck, and this build is very good at getting the game over with.

I haven't heard any other news on the Grandpa Growth front, but I'm sure he's somewhere out in the world, doing whatever it is when he doesn't have the Internet.

So I'll pick up on Tuesday with something, before I was so hilariously distracted by the giant Cyclops in my way.

Have fun playing silly decks.

-UL

UL's Spin It Into Myth

Whaddup Zoners!

I apologize for the weekend. And Tuesday. I'm shaking off a cold and Grandpa Growth is still Interwebz-less as far as I know, and I'm thinking I'ma have to suspend Sundays until then unless he gets back online soon.

Anyway, I'm excited today to roll out one of a few new segments I'll be writing about here on TGZ.

So Spin It Into Myth- What does it mean?

In my head, it means two different things.

At face value, we Magickers know Spin Into Myth as a Commander homewrecker, taking our ideas of fun with made-up exile zones and making them fade from memory.

On the other hand, myths can also tell the stories of legends.

The idea of Spin It Into Myth is both, and the best part is, you get to write the story on these cards.

Unlike my Card Corner, or GG's Super Secret Sunday's, Spin It Into Myth will be a weekly or bi-weekly feature about cards that haven't been bagged and tagged by me or the rest of the Commander Blog-O-Sphere, so far's I know.

That's right. We're serving up Hawt Tech that's so white-hot we don't even know if it's good, or how good it could be.

In this way, Spin It Into Myth is as much a challenge for us as it will be for you to find and create a situation where these cards become decent additions or even the stuff of Legend.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be trying to get some games in with some of these unmade cards, and at some point I'll publish my results.

My hope is that you Zoners will be on the lookout with me, and hopefully exchanging mythic or not-so mythic tales of your journeys with these cards as we try to find optimal homes.

And so, without any further delay, I give you another Liam Neeson meme to help us cut the ribbon.

In the future, I probably won't do an Artifact, Land, and one of each color. But right now I have one of each, and I haven't posted in a while, so here...we...go.

Mindstorm Crown is probably a pretty awful card for most of my decks because the last time I was sitting around with no cards in hand it was because a Sadistic Hypnotist took them from me, and then I topdecked a Wheel of Fortune. So that was that.

Before that, I have no recollection of a deck where I wanted to have no cards in hand, or a situation in which that actually happened.

That said, I am trying it out in a Darien, King of Kjeldor deck which is bound to find a post or two in the near future because of the rather eclectic collection of things I've thrown into its design. I doubt I'll get to draw cards, but I'm hoping the extra soldier token makes all the difference. Down payments seem to be pretty useful.



Both Grandpa Growth and I were very high on this card when the spoilers came out, and though its price has gone down dramatically, I don't expect it to be there forever.

I'm still up on this card, and I've grabbed up a few more copies on the cheap to throw into my mono-colored decks, including the Darien deck.

This card would be pretty optimal, I think, in any deck with powerful non-legendary lands (and Flagstones). Obviously Expedition Map comes attached at its hip, but it's probably gonna be in every deck with the Stage anyway.

You can also target opponent's lands, which seems good.

I would like this card a lot more if I could use it at instant speed, but I'll take what I can get.

This card seems pretty fair in mono-B when you consider that whatever you sacrifice can be brought back from the dead, and control of the creature is a lot more permanent than Enslave.

Ritual of the Machine would probably be even better with the Savra Attrition style decks. I don't think I'm really breaking this card in this particular build, but I have a feeling this could be better somewhere else.

For those who like to watch the world burn, or your opponent get shocked when you take his Lightning Greaves, Magnetic Theft is the card for you.

I'm honestly excited about this card. I'm not sure what it's gonna do, cause this card is only as chaotic as what you and your opponents bring to the table. Maybe you get a Swords of X and Y. Maybe someone tries to abuse Argentum Armor.

I still think getting a Greaves off a pesky Commander is good enough to warrant a spot in the deck. Tempo is half the game, and people lose their minds when they lose the comfort that comes with shroud and haste.

I'm always playing 40 lands, usually more.

So I figured I'd try out the scout. I'm a huge fan of Sakura-Tribe Elder, and I'm always looking to power out lands.

I tried Gaea's Touch, but wasn't much of a fan, cause of the Forest limitations.

Anyway, Fiona, as I call her, would be well to do in decks with big lands and big dudes. She'd probably also love to have Ranger of Eos as a nice dance partner.

Mayael and Chorus of the Conclave would probably be lucky to have her.

Reality Acid is some goofy CommanderCast tech I've been itching to try out. I'm rocking it currently in my Chisei deck because it's fairly optimal in a place where I can manipulate counters.

I'd love to see someone who had some more strategies for this card. Maybe Hexmage would help?

Last card I have here is Cathars' Crusade, which if you've probably guessed, has a home in Darien.

My old Chorus of the Conclave deck probably could've done well with one of these too.

This is definitely something that Rhys the Redeemed and other similar token-abusive decks would probably be looking for. Hence the reason it's hanging out with the King of Kjeldor.








Well, those are my cards. Feel free to comment below or @UncleLanddrops on Twitter about your legendary experiences. Also, it'd be cool if you started following me there too.

I'll try to be linking to articles and chit chatting every once in a while in that universe, though it is new and rather foreign to me. So if you've got stuff to ask me, or things you want me to talk about, I'm using social media.

Turn's to you.

-UL.

UL's Better Deckbuilding: Doran, the Explorer EDH

Over the rolling hills and beyond the weeks I've spent rambling on and on about Animar and Hidetsugu, there's a deck I've also been equally challenged to hone and tune.

And I've finally got it in a pretty good place.

This is the deck I call Doran the Explorer for all the goofy puns you can imagine, but also because of its functionality.

There's really not much to talk about with this deck, because the mechanics are rather self-explanatory.

It's an Enchantment-Voltron deck designed mostly for 1-on-1, though it has done quite well in multiplayer.

How it goes about this is fairly unique. For starters, the mana curve in this deck is a pretty skinny 2.82 Converted Mana Cost. When coupled with a strong tutor package and some rather powerful enchantments, Doran can pack quite a wallop.

The skinny mana curve not only allows me to get Doran out fast and pumped, but also to leverage card advantage. In turn, this design has created a home for some cards that went from binder-junk to all-star overnight.

It was a rather exciting revelation to find a home for this particular card.

We all have junk rares somewhere or another, and Dark Tootz has always been one of those cards that I wanted to abuse to the max.

If I'd a thought of it sooner, Tootz should've probably been in my Damia 45-lander, cause it really shines in builds where you can draw 0 cost stuff.

In Doran, 40 lands feels like a whole lot more for me, even with all the ramp. The majority of the time, I find that this card is almost as good as drawing Arena. I get to filter land out, and I don't have to be worried about consistently taking a huge hit out of my life total. If I do, hopefully it just means that I'm going to win.

There's a lot of people that seem to take issue with Ad Nauseam because of Maralen of the Mornsong and how it imprisons fun.

A newer CommanderCast writer, Nole aka mtgnole, published an article where he cited Ad Nauseam as one of the "5 Cards You Probably Shouldn't Be Playing."

To him I say, "lolwut?"

Ad Nauseam only hurts you, and only ruins your games if you're attempting to combo out with Maralen. Shit's boring for everyone at the table. Like playing Omniscience and Enter the Infinite.

Obviously, this deck isn't fortified with dudes and defense like some of the Doran Defender Decks I've seen, so Ad Nauseam becomes a skill-testing card. So it's only as game-breaking as you are confident in your assessment of the field- which makes Ad Nauseam a silver bullet here, comparable to Three Dreams, except you get a nice trade-off of paying life for instant speed.

So, in case I didn't say it, I'm very, very up on this card. It's the best version of Moonlight Bargain I can slam into this deck, and I've been very happy about paying five mana and 15 life to draw 8 cards on an opponent's end step.

The recent addition of Alpha Authority has proved useful. Hexproof is all good, but no gangblocks is also pretty relevant with Doran as the game drags on and people start casting Titans and Primordials or whatever the trendy 6/6 for six is.

Along with all the Totem Armor, Alpha Authority is as close as I can get to protecting Doran. It's a worse Diplomatic Immunity, but it's enough most of the time to get Doran to deal 21 damage.

Ol' Teegy, I know, isn't so much secret tech, and he's kind of a dick, but it's worth noting his value in a deck where you can't really afford to take too many Wraths.

I think I mentioned in one of my previous articles that the majority of my playgroup doesn't play Swords to Plowshares or Doom Blade because they don't like it, so Teeg roams free and complements the low-cost Auras Doran needs to win.

Getting back on my "right card, right deck" philosophy, Eland Umbra has probably never had a more stable home than in Doran.

An efficient pump spell that makes Doran wrath proof is cool and fun, so it seems rather harmless until the Treefolk Shaman uses his ass to smack for 9 Commander damage. Funny, and awesome. A strange little silver-bullet.

Blind Obedience is a fairly fresh addition to the deck, and one that I was hesitant to put in because I was unsure of how relevant it would be. The verdict's still out, really.

When I first saw the Gatecrash spoilers, I knew I'd be interested in this card. Theoretically speaking, this card should fit nice in here. It prevents people from thinking they can topdeck creatures or Oblivion Stones to keep from losing. Also, the Extort ability is currently the only way I have of recovering any life lost from and of the tutor or card draw spells in the deck.

Again, the Verdict's still out. Haven't played it yet, but it seems good here.

The last card is one of the more relevant powercards in the deck.

In a world where God and Strip Mine are absent, quite a few games with Doran have been decided by using .

This card is as good as anyone could've predicted. And Doran loves his unblocked killing stroke.

I love to hold this card in hand until the late late, just when people think they're safe.






The rest of the deck is really self-explanatory, filled with a bunch of fairly typical cards.

One of the only real surprises you'll find is that I don't roll deep with Eldrazi Conscription. Though it makes for a nice 2 Turn Clock, I don't like hardcasting it.

Other than that, the deck list is here on tappedout.

Doran, the Explorer EDH

So if you like my ideas, Swiper does allow a nice amount of swiping.

And I sure don't mind.

I'll be back on Saturday with one of a couple new segments we're gonna have on TGZ, so get excited and stay tuned!

Pass it up.

-UL