Remember The Fallen #2- The Re-Reboot

Welcome back to another Thor's Day, Zoners!

So, 2015 is going to be a pretty exciting year for TGZ. We've got some fresh new writers pumping out content, Stack episodes everywhere waiting to get booted up, and several other old/new ideas that the gang and I are going to re-start. I can't wait to share it all with ya!

The first of which is a one-off series I started last year and never continued- Remember the Fallen. Kudos to you if you remember, Remember the Fallen- but if not, I'm going to tell you anyway.

(If you want, here's the first one: Remember the Fallen #1)

FACT: Some decks are going to sound awesome. Like the Xenagos Ball Lightning deck I featured in my first installment of Remember the Fallen.

FACT: Not all decks are going to be good. 

More importantly, not all decks are going to be ones that we like, let alone ones that we keep.

This is what Remember the Fallen is all about. Often, I use Better Deckbuilding as my own little primer for deck designs I like and make so that they may inspire you to take some of my tech and try your own little spin on it. 

However, because I'm a constant deckbuilder, and again, I can't like every design I make, there are some real bad ones that often get dismantled or abandoned quickly throughout my deckbuilding process. And because I believe it is important to show that I am not a machine that gets it right every time, we're going to make time and place so I can show you all the deck designs that didn't quite make it- which might inspire a few of you to share your lists and show me a thing or two. 

So let's get started (again!)

Prime Speaker Zegana, aka PSZ, is a card that I've openly admitted I was entirely wrong to be disappointed with when she got spoiled back in Gatecrash. Everything about this card is right, I don't know what I was thinking, mea culpa like twenty-thousand times to William Murai for the brilliant art, as well as Design and Development for a fully functioning Simic Alternative.

And because it is well known that my love for Simic is moderately infinite, I did take her for a test drive last Fall.

The design was difficult- I didn't want to make the Control/Hexproof Dinosaurs deck, or this neat little Loam/Land Play deck that looked really solid.

I settled on a Wizard-Tribal/Combo deck, which ended up being not bad. Unlike some of my designs that don't make it past the Goldfish rounds, the 1v1 and multiplayer test drives did yield some victories.

Door of Destinies in conjunction with Master Biomancer set up Fathom Mage to always Evolve, as well as create some hilariously big Thought Couriers.

My big combos in the deck involved Biovisionary or Lab Maniac, so I was either drawing into a Rite of Replication or drawing everything. Oh, yeah- and I got to play Prophet of Kruphix. #HagridToldHimHeWasAWizard

Ultimately, the counterspells made the deck durdle, and the combos went stale quickly, mostly because the set up was very similar to Azami. There was just too many big-time, one-trick things in this deck to keep my interest in it long term, so I pulled off a Lab Maniac combo, a Biovisionary combo, and retired it.

So another year, another Boros deck dismantled. That seems to be a common thing for me as I continue to search for the right one for me in Red and White.

I'll admit the reason Anax and Cymede failed was a lot on me in deck design.

The concept seemed cool- Auras combined with Trick Voltron to make for a little Aggro deck with opportunities for multiple Heroic triggers. I'd done some serious Gatherer searching for Auras like Flickering Ward and Ghitu Firebreathing, which could be bounced and re-cast for Heroic value. Coupled with a few nice Storm spells like Astral Steel, I thought this was going to make for a nice deck.

What went wrong was two things. The first was that I forgot that mana was required, not only to bounce the enchantment, but to also re-cast it. Not compensating for this, the deck had a heck of a time repeating and resetting the effects of the Auras as many times as I wanted.

The other thing I got wrong, which was dumb, was a rules oversight with regards to Storm. Any copies I got off of Storm weren't going to trigger Heroic because, guess what? WE DON'T ACTUALLY CAST THE COPIES OFF OF STORM!

Those were probably the two biggest blunders I made in design, but there were actually two additional issues that broke the camel's back, leading to deck demolition.

The third problem was that we were swimming in options. What I mean is that I really threw every Heroic card I could play into the deck so I could figure out what, if any, were going to work. Like, do I always target A & C to get pumps and trample? Do I target this Vanguard of Brimaz to get Cat Tokens?

Having so many different options may sound good, but design-wise, none of these cards were big enough to get around creatures, so we were always making a sacrifice, and that's without trying to account for removal.

The last issue was just one I've had with all Boros decks I've made since the beginning of time- I never seem to have enough cards in my hand. While I like to think that I've become a better Aggro player, I'm still a calculating one. I take chances when I can, play tricks to protect my stuff, and most of my designs can support the tempo I want to play at.

Because of the innate need for R/W to get wide, I feel like I'm constantly over-committing to the board state, putting myself on a clock that's going to run out faster than I want. Clearly, I'm doing something wrong, and I've got to fix it- until then, the search continues!

I talked about Mirko a little bit in my strategy column over on CommanderCast, but I thought I'd get a little bit more in-depth about what was going on.

I'm still on the lookout for my Mill Commander. I'm also on the lookout for having a deck that's fun, that can win, but that I'm just as comfortable losing with. I'm also looking to have a successful Dimir deck at some point.

So against my better judgment, I threw together a scraggly-little Mill deck so I wouldn't be so behind while Mesmeric Orb was trending on Twitter (NOTE: I don't know if that's true. I actually don't Twitter). Fact though- Sidisi has made this Mesmeric Orb a pretty known quantity.

At first, I thought I might have some hope. Mirko, being just the right amount of unplayable, could come in under the radar and take away/potentially give my opponents a bunch of cards.

Ultimately, the deck got taken apart because it was just too slow. No joke- I did at least 18 damage with Mirko by the time I had an opponent's library in the Shelldock Isle zone (That's 20 cards or less, in case you've forgotten your Hideaway lands), and I just thought, "That's too much for not enough." The deck was working, and I could've probably made it better, but I just didn't want to spend any more time goofing off.

Well, that's all I have for now. Before I go, here's a link to the Milling article published yesterday over on the Big Brothership, CommanderCast:

Mill-osophy

Also- Here's a link to my first podcast, in which I got to guest interview one of the creators of Tiny Leaders, Steven Hamonic.

CommanderCast #185- Tiny Leaders (and I'm on it!)

As always, my failures hopefully lead to your gain. If you've got decklists featuring any of these Fallen heroes, or you've seen some in action, and they have a nice online list for us to look at, share them with us!

Thanks! Turn's To You.

-UL

Theros Set Review: The Legends

Earlier this week, Grandpa kicked off the set review with some of the better threats in Theros (say that five times fast).

Today though, we're going to take a quick break from GG's review and extend the conversation we had on the Stack last weekend about the Gods, and by extension, the rest of the Legends from Theros.

QUICK OVERVIEW

For those who haven't figured it out yet, I am a rankings slave. I love Top 5 lists almost as much as I love land.

Therefore, we're going to be doing this a little different than GG's card-and-chat style. Continuing in the same vein as last weekend's Stack installment, we've got my real ranks for the Gods, as well as some of the other newer options for Commanders out of Theros.

THE GODS, AND MY RANKINGS

I feel I may be repeating one of my TGZ homies, maybe even myself, when I say that I believe all of these cards are going to be played in Commander.

There are three main reasons why, and they're printed on every single card:

Indestructibility
Pretty self-explanatory, but in case you didn't hear what GG said about Fleecemane Lion on Tuesday, here's the gist. Mass Removal is much more prevalent in this format than the kinds of spot removal required to get these cards out of here.

Aggressive costs
The value is enormous. In general they provide a solid set of card advantage and function at a fraction of the price. We've also talked before about the CMC-to-P & T ratio. Devotion obviously makes this a little more "fair" in terms of these cards being creatures, but it still doesn't make up the difference. EDH is the big game format. Nothing's going to stop people from getting an attack with Devotion if you can help it.

Devotion
I have a feeling most people will be playing a preventative style game around the gods, keeping people off of the Devotion trigger to avoid Commander damage or extra beatings.

Let's be real though. Just the presence of one of these guys is good enough. We don't always play Commanders simply because we want to smash face with them. In fact, I'd argue the better decks in most metagames are probably ones where your Commander isn't smashing face every turn.

Also, remember that in the same way that Devotion may keep your Commander from being a creature, it also keeps your Commander from being exposed to the more commonly used pieces of spot removal in the format- Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile. This makes some of the Gods that need to be creatures a lot worse, but it makes most of them better.

The flexibility makes for some great design space too. The Gods that I ranked higher tended to be useful in either sphere, supporting designs that could manage both sides of devotion.

Gods Ranked as Commanders

5. Nylea, God of the Hunt
Again, this doesn't mean she's terrible, just comparatively not as good when compared to the other Gods. Having a 6/6 indestructible creature is good value- it just doesn't go too much further than that. She's definitely the one I most expect to show up as a creature. Green puts a lot of G's in their converted mana cost, and they tend to have more stuff on the table versus other decks.

As herself, she doesn't pose much of a threat though- even when devotion is activated. Most noticeably, she doesn't give herself Trample, which doesn't sit well with me. Also, opponents will have a field day interacting with her Devotion because of Wrath and having Disk/O-Stone effects sitting up on an opponent's turn. The bottom line is Nylea still needs dudes to win, and that's a plan that can be most easily dealt with if she's your Commander. In terms of Mono-Green, there's just better options for that.

4. Heliod, God of the Sun
Heliod is surprisingly not the worst here. It is a little more expensive for his tokens, but there's also some extra value to be had with some of the better white cards in the format. Serra's Sanctum and Ajani's Chosen provide great support and combo potential, and with access to other tutelage, this is a perfect "enchantment-themed" deck, if you're into that.

This is the one I'm most unsure about. If I'm playing against him, I don't think I care about whether or not he's a creature. His tokens aren't going to turn on Devotion either, and I find it hard pressed to think of a white card with four W's in its cost. That just doesn't exist.

I imagine this one being pretty mediocre overall. There's a Wrath/Tempo game that could be played, but it just involves too many White mana symbols, and it looks like a lot of work. Heliod's probably just another option in White for breaking Skullclamp.

3. Purphoros, God of the Forge
This is actually the card I'm most excited about, but he's gonna be so-so as a Commander. I'm still sure Krenko is a better to have for consistent token generating, but that's what Purphy's going to want to do. Whittle down life totals to enable aggro beats.

The upside is that he probably won't become a creature if all you're doing is making tokens- so removal isn't going to help your opponent so much. The bad news is you're still playing Red, which has a lot more ways to make tokens than it used to, but probably still isn't enough.

Overall, I think Hidetsugu is probably just quicker at doing this same thing- but if you like tokens, and you wanna take a shot, I think the space is there for this deck.

2. Thassa, God of the Sea
Probably going to be the most unfair, due to counterspell access to protect devotion and the ability to get there with Commander damage that you can send unblocked. With her Bident, all the scrying she does is incredibly efficient, and it inhibits an even more definitive mono-U Aggro-Control strategy than Thada Adel.

I really see no downsides. There's no fairness, and no way anyone wins a game against it without some serious battling. Gonna be almost too good. It doesn't have to commit to a serious amount of creatures like Azami does, so it can focus its threats and play a lot of counterspells while also getting damage in. Thassa is going to be featured in a metagame near you. I've already heard it said in mine.

1. Erebos, God of the Dead
Like GG, I'm also excited about this one. Consistent ways to stop incremental life gain is incredibly underrated, and will be great against mirror matches that rely on Exsanguinate. It's not Phyrexian Arena, but card draw is still card draw, and there's plenty of ways to make it up.

Of all the Gods, Erebos is the most equipped to handle the Devotion/Non-Devotion modes I was talking about. Being a 5/7 is sort of irrelevant when you're indestructible, but it's the highest toughness of all of them, so it seems a little better as a chump blocker. I'm guessing that this will be a big function when you tell everyone they can't gain life.

Having this in your Command Zone is a thousand times better than having to waste a tutor on it. The power of having relevant hate that's tough to deal with oozing and flowing out of this card.

Gods Ranked as Support Cards

5. Heliod, God of the Sun
Sure, he's more tutorable- but I can't find a situation where I want to waste a tutor on this. Multicolored decks aren't going to want to be friends with him any more than his home in mono-W. That tutor probably also wants to be another Land Tax, if that's the case.

Again, I'm really unsure how he's going to get played- and I think pre-sale values reflect accurately just how much weaker the card representing "Zeus" really is.

4. Nylea, God of the Hunt
Not being the center of attention helps Nylea's case a little bit. I'm unsure how Trample is going to be though, and here's why. Most Green decks are going to have access to this, so it might be redundant. Also, her chances of getting in for damage increase slightly, being that she's no longer threatening to kill someone with 21 damage.

3. Erebos, God of the Dead
Erebos gets worse as a support card, in my opinion. At four CMC, Erebos is the first card an Erebos EDH is probably going to play unless an opponent plays a relevant threat. He wants to be out and available as early as possible, and putting him in the deck versus making him a Commander doesn't help you much. Drawing cards and paying life are much easier to do early on in the game. Also, drawing into life gain is probably what you want to be doing anyway.

2. Thassa, God of the Sea
Thassa is the most reliable card, which is to be expected. Unlike Nylea and Heliod, Thassa is one of the most useable threats across color lines. Lots of decks would love access to her. She's tutorable with Zur and Transmute-able via Drift of Phantasms. It's stupid how good she is.

1. Purphoros, God of the Forge
So perhaps this is a little biased, but I think he will be one of the most welcomed additions to some of the weirder token and dude-based decks that have come out in the last couple years. Animar, Ruric Thar, Rosheen Meanderer/Wort, Rith, Krenko/Ib Halfheart, and the relatively new Anax and Cymede deck will all seriously value the extra damage. It's a sleeper, and kind of a stretch, but I think it is more of a need for these kinds of decks than Thassa is to whatever deck she fits into.

NOW, FOR THE REST OF THE SET...

We start with one we've had plenty of time to talk about.

Honestly, I'm not a big fan of Boros. Different people mean different things when they make a statement like this. Sometimes it means bias. If you were to hear GG say it, that usually means he wouldn't be caught dead playing it.

For me, saying "I'm not a big fan of Boros," will probably mean, "I'm really bad at playing this color combination. I need to improve."

I actually like A&C. Not sure I'll play it, but I think it's definitely a card people have not fully understood yet.

(Combat) Trick Voltron is much more possible than people realize yet. Several months ago I helped to design a fairly casual but pretty quick Lu Bu deck aimed at playing spells to pump up Lu Bu and give him extra combat phases, etc.

I see a good version of this deck being similar to Lu Bu, possibly quicker.


There's one thing we can like about this card, and none of these things can be found in Anthousa's text box. I really dig this art, and I'm sure someone's going to come up with a real hipster-y deck here, but seriously- don't try. This is extremely unplayable.

I'm even more skeptical about the flavor here. You're telling me that Anthousa, the very hero of Setessa, a woman that can hold two minotaurs in a chokehold, is AT BEST going to turn a few lands into creatures? And Wizards' plan was to PRINT THIS CARD?

This is the exact kind of card that would make me lose all my confidence in Chancellor Valorum, if he existed, and I was part of the Galactic Senate. I get that not all cards are things I'm supposed to like. I don't see why that sometimes means making cards no one wants to play.

And then we have the beatdowns.

Kids, this is the hero we need right now. I will be bringing him to a theater near me shortly after he comes out, and I'm relatively excited about it.

I liken Daxos to a potentially more abusive Thada Adel. Though his ability doesn't give you the opportunity to search for what you want, it's going to be a house against creature-heavy metagames.

The lifegain provides another great dimension for design space too. Equip this guy and go to work. He's going to be a house.

Faith restored. Onto the next lull in this rollercoaster ride.

Okay. Hythonia is not bad. Loved the artwork when I watched the Comic-Con presentation.

I just wanted it to be two colors- and I was hoping for some blue. The Mermaid tail had me hopeful. It'd be a whole lot more exciting, even if it was traditional Gorgon Black/Green.

Don't get me wrong. This is a quality threat. Wraths that create advantages for you are always welcome in my decks. Deathtouch furthers its presence as a "rattlesnake" card, either swaying opponents from attacking, or keeping blockers away early. Making her monstrous not only eliminates threats, but also puts your opponents on a short three-turn clock. And if you activate her during attacks, chances are that clock could be even smaller.

Perhaps the most unfair card they printed for Commander in this set is this- the most ageless of Sphinx Technology.

This is one I'm not particularly happy about for our cozy little Magic variant. I find it to be more offensive than the Gods.

Someone over at R&D is really pushing these oppressive U/W cards out like a fiend. Render Silent, Lavinia, and now Medomai.

I wish they'd spread the hate around a little. In my playgroup we talk a lot about the Timmy/Johnny/Spike aspect, and there's a working theory that there is a couple hidden player types.

If this theory is true, this is definitely a card for Dave, the "Asshole."

I like powerful cards, but this is just too much.

Speaking of which, it's time to talk about Wizards' latest fetish.

This is particularly exciting to me. I like a lot of the fight-style cards that Wizards has created, and I'm glad the two of us could find a nice compromise between their insatiable desire to make everything Hydra-powered, and my need for cool creatures that provide removal.

Polukranos also sports a great CMC-to-P/T ratio. I like him both as  support card main deck and a Commander. Recasting him in Green seems very likely, and with access to things that give him deathtouch, removal has never been so easy amongst those who favor Forests.

The one thing I don't get- Why this art over the one from Heroes vs. Monsters? This close-up is a little less endearing.

My Magic OCD kicked in on this one.

Let's run down the checklist:

Name: Triad of Fates.
Artwork: Has Three People In It.
Abilities: Three.
P/T: 3/3
CMC: 4

Do you see what's wrong with this picture? There's no argument in the 'verse that can convince me this would be so busted at 1WB. It still takes a two turns to create anything. Original Teysa is 1WB, even with all her annoying combos, and it's not encroaching on similar territory at all.

It hurts my heart to see this tragic flavor slip. Normally, I wouldn't be so up in arms about a CMC, but I think this one missed the boat. There's a big difference between 3-cost and 4-cost Commanders in non-green decks, and the Triad really need all the help they can get. Without access to something like Thousand-Year Elixir, Triad will be operating on two-turn blinks, which seems slow to me. And the only other card I can think of that has fate counters is Oblivion Stone, which is even more mana-intensive.

We'll see. I'm definitely interested in trying to prove these initial reactions wrong.

The name Murder King has such a horribly wonderful ring to it. Of all the names in this block, it's one of the cooler ones.

I also like the art. The gold masks really make this piece pop.

I'm mostly worried about the rest of the card. Competing with Lyzolda is no joke. She provides a ton of flexibility (creature or player damage, and drawing cards), including the fact that the change in the sacrifice mechanic hurts Tymaret's chances at edging the Blood Witch out for control of Rakdos beats.

I see Tymaret as a decent support card, acting as a worse Lyzolda in her decks, as well as a mediocre Zombie Tribal deck or an engine-creator for Sedris Unearth builds. Nothing more.

That's what we got for today.

Per usual, we love to know what you like and don't like about what we say. So speak up if you've got an opinion.

Stay tuned as we continue to talk Theros through the weekend.

Until then, strive to be the Hero we deserve. Not the one we need right now.
-UL

All the memes in this post remixed with little success by Uncle Landdrops

Theros: Land of Heroes, Artifact Enchantments, and Ponies

Hey Planeswalkers,

I'm sure you guys are excited to see Theros come out later this month. Or maybe not. Either way, we've got some spoilers as they relate to Commander, the only format where you get to cast a cool dude even after he's been killed multiple times.

Today, I'm only going to be focusing on some of the big changes in rules and cards that I find particularly notable (in a good or bad way).

The Heroic Mechanic

So, "Heroic" is another block specific mechanic that is supposed to invoke images of Odysseus or Theseus or that guy who did that impossible feat in that one Greek myth. But how does it relate to EDH?

Well, for starters, the "Heroic" mechanic only triggers when the creature's controller casts a spell that targets it. So it seems like if you really want a "Heroic" deck, you'll have to load up on instant speed creature buffs, protectants, and anything that can target your creature. Which at that point, I'd say lose the Heroic mechanic if you're already giving one creature Giant Growth, Might of Oaks, Hunter's Insight, Run Wild, etc. Could Wizards be getting more convoluted as they try to invent fun new mechanics?

I guess we'll have to look at some "Heroic" creatures before calling judgment. Let's start with this cute Quasi-Greek couple, Anax and Cymede.

Now, their ability is pretty darn good if you ask me. Definitely worth wasting a spell on. It could even be a great general. First Strike and Vigilance seals the deal on these guys. This is both a flavorful card and an effective one.

But you do have to have spells on hand to make the best use of Anax and Cymede, or any other heroic creature. Considering what A & C does in particular though, you'll most likely be using a lot of instant speed buffs/protections like Barreling Attack or Bathe in Light.

I feel this card will play in well with mechanics like Battalion from RTR or Battle Cry from Mirrodin Besieged, simply because all three of these play off having a nice little army of 1/1s or 2/2s.

Weenie/token deck builds will probably also be a feature in decks built around Anax and Cymede. Few things are scarier than twelve 3/3 trample creature tokens charging at you.

In the other couple heroic cards I saw, you can get a 1/1 soldier (good for token decks, but I couldn't find a good quality pic) and this shameful creature they call the Setessan Hero. More like a Setessan Zero.

Why do I say it's a Zero? Start with the creature itself. A 5-drop 4/5: good for most creatures, but I'd expect a bit more generosity from green.

Secondly, you'd have to spend mana on spell triggers for her heroic, which targets mana, which leaves you with less mana to use as attackers or defenders. Seems counter-intuitive to me. You're better off using Animate Land or Vivify, cards that get right to the point rather than having to target a creature in order to target another target. Kamahl is the original land creature-making creature, and he would certainly disapprove of this joke of a warrior.

Maybe if "Heroic" triggered on abilities that target the creature, I'd be a bit more pleased with it from a playability perspective. Otherwise, I just feel that this mechanic beats around the bush.

Until I see more heroes from Theros (slant rhymes, clever Wizards), they'll be an afterthought in my
books.

Except for you Bowie. You will always be in my forethoughts.

Card Type Shakeup

I'm still wondering why it must be both an artifact and an enchantment. Maybe normal enchantments can't be tapped. Maybe it has something to do with an artifact/enchantment-based mechanic that will be utilized in the other two sets of Theros block. Maybe it will make it easier for red decks to destroy or blue decks to take control of.

Regardless, the Bow seems pretty good for a commander like Trostani or Kamahl. It's built for aggression and covers some of what green decks need: flying protection, life gain, and graveyard retrieval. Not to forget Graft/Evolve mechanics working in conjunction with the first option. Put this next to your Fathom Mage and draw like crazy.

A green artifact is a little hard to comprehend though. Isn't green the color to usually destroy artifacts? I mean I've seen plenty of artifacts in green decks, but never an artifact that carries a green identity (the artifact creatures from the Scars of Mirrodin block don't count).

There are also a bunch of enchantment creatures, but we'll get to that with next week's spoilers.

And finally, we have this lovely gem to the right. That's right, it's a Pegasus, not the first of its kind either. But for two mana, you get a better version of that terrible Chasm Drake from M12. This card will make an Mikaeus deck or any white weenie/human token deck many times more awesome (combo with Anax and Cymede???).

Innistrad block was chock full of human creatures that would love to get a ride on this pony (this is not meant to be sexual in any way, stop giggling). This is to human creatures as War Falcon is to Knights/soldiers. As with the heroic Anax and Cymede, I see this card being paired with Battle Cry in a weenie deck. It just makes too much sense.

Plus it's a Pegasus!

Fluttershy approves this card for Commander.

Until next time, stay classy Planeswalkers.

-VJ