Essentials

[jrr]

If you say so... he's one card I almost never hate drawing...

And Lelianna seems meh for the deck... Tezzeret almost seems better and creates card advantage (especially with such good artifacts in the deck and moxes) where Lelianna creates card quality and only does so on your NEXT turn. And her discard is meh. Untap these two moxes? Ok!

[kerbythepurplecow]

Of all the planewalkers, I would be okay with trying out either Elspeth, Knight-Errant or Jace, the Mind Sculptor.

Elspeth's first ability is just okay. The second is pretty decent and the ultimate is damned good. She'll likely never get to the ultimate, but if she does, only All is Dust or Hallowed Burial will fix it.

As for stupid overpriced Jace.... I know I've been down on this guy, but rereading him with a more open mind has me rethinking things. The first ability is solid and gives +2. The 0 and -1 are great abilities. If you actually hit the 12, well that's just awesome. Unlikely, but awesome.

As for Tezzeret the Seeker, the ultimate is lackluster. Yeah, it might put you in a better board position or help in a pinch, but overall it's just okay. The untap is useful in only the right situation. The search is pretty decent.

As for Liliana, it's hard to say. Her ultimate is amazing, but you have to keep her around for 4 turns to do it. The search isn't bad. More tutors don't hurt? Especially on a target that's not you?

[jrr]

I definitely feel like plansewalkers are highly underestimated in the essentials. Sure they are card that people target, but you know what? Its because they really are that good. But I see this is clearly a losing battle right now. Perhaps you will change your mind after seeing them in action across the table from you.

[kerbythepurplecow]

On the contrary, I'm all for finding a spot for Elspeth and Jace the new. They seem good enough and if it doesn't work out, they can just be booted later. In fact, I think Jace could slide in in Liliana's place. The deck doesn't need too any planeswalkers after all.

[TheAbe]

Just Liliana.

Red Ajani's plus isn't very good at all. Lightning Helix takes most his counters. Ultimate is super harsh for multiplayer.

Totally agree. Bad Ajani

[cmorndorf]

And isn't Red Ajani on the list of cards to play to get punched in the nuts by Abe?

[kerbythepurplecow]

I believe it's just that and Invincible Hymn at the moment. Or the latter is just groan worthy? Can't recall.

[kerbythepurplecow]

Okay, we haven't touched this in a bit. I figure it's time to finish it off. This is everything up to and including the last discussions. Jace the new and Elspeth are included. Lands are not there as they're not done yet.

Behemoth Sledge
Black Lotus
Bosh, Iron Golem
Chrome Mox
Citanul Flute
Crucible of Worlds
Darksteel Colossus
Etched Oracle
Expedition Map**
Fellwar Stone
Gilded Lotus
Lotus Bloom
Memory Jar
Mind's Eye
Mox Crystal
Mox Diamond
Mox Emerald
Mox Jet
Mox Pearl
Mox Ruby
Mox Saphire
Nevinyrral's Disk
Panoptic Mirror
Scroll Rack
Sensei's Divining Top
Skullclamp
Sol Ring
Solemn Simulacrum
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sunforger
Tawnos's Coffin
Umezawa's Jitte
Vedalken Orrery


All is Dust
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre**


Avatar of Woe
Bane of the Living
Contract from Below
Damnation
Decree of Pain
Demonic Collusion
Demonic Tutor
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Guiltfeeder
Kokusho, the Evening Star
Liliana Vess
Living Death
Mortivore
Oversold Cemetary
Recurring Nightmare
Sudden Death
Suffer the Past
Tortured Existence
Vampiric Tutor
Yawgmoth's Will


Allied Strategies
Ancestral Vision
Arcanis the Omnipotent
Bribery
Bringer of the Blue Dawn
Compulsion
Cunning Wish
Draining Whelk
Drift of Phantasms
Fabricate
Fact or Fiction
Forbid
Future Sight
Gifts Ungiven
Intuition
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Magus of the Jar
Mystical Teachings
Mystical Tutor
Recurring Insight
Rite of Replication**
Sphinx of Magosi
Stroke of Genius
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Thada Adel, Acquisitor**
Time Spiral
Time Walk
Timetwister
Tinker
Trinket Mage
Willbender
Wonder


Anathemancer**
Brion Strongarm
Conflux
Dauntless Escort**
Doran, the Siege Tower
Eladamri's Call
Fight to the Death
Hellkite Overlord
Hull Breach
Jund Charm
Knight of the Reliquary
Maelstrom Nexus**
Maelstrom Pulse
Meglonoth
Mirari's Wake
Mystic Enforcer
Oros, the Avenger
Pernicious Deed
Prince of Thralls**
Putrefy
Rafiq of the Many**
Shadowmage Infiltrator
Simic Sky Swallower
Sol'kanar the Swamp King
Spiritmonger
Sterling Grove
Teneb, the Harvester
Terminate
Vhati il-Dal
Vindicate
Vulturous Zombie
Wrexial, the Risen Deep





Dead/Gone
Fire/Ice


Acidic Slime
All Suns' Dawn
Birds of Paradise
Chameleon Colossus
Crop Rotation
Defense of the Heart
Eternal Witness
Genesis
Hermit Druid
Hibernation's End
Joiner Adept
Kodama's Reach
Krosan Tusker
Life from the Loam
Living Wish
Nantuko Vigilante
Nostalgic Dreams
Pattern of Rebirth
Prismatic Omen
Protean Hulk
Raking Canopy
Realms Uncharted
Recollect
Regrowth
Restock
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Scapeshift
Shard Convergence
Silklash Spider
Silvos, Rogue Elemental
Spike Weaver
Survival of the Fittest
Sylvan Library
Sylvan Scrying
Terastodon**
Thornscape Battlemage
Tooth and Nail
Treefolk Harbinger
Wall of Blossoms
Yavimaya Elder


Akroma, Angel of Fury
Ancient Grudge
Anger
Arc-slogger
Burning Wish
Flameblast Dragon
Flametounge Kavu
Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs**
Magmaw
Rakavolver
Recoup
Stigma Lasher
Wheel of Fortune


Academy Rector
Akroma, Angel of Wrath
Akroma's Vengeance
Balance
Commander Eesha
Crib Swap
Deathless Angel
Decree of Justice
Dismantling Blow
Elspeth, Knight-Errant**
Enlightened Tutor
Eternal Dragon
Exalted Angel
Glory
Hallowed Burial
Indomitable Ancients
Land Tax
Marshal's Anthem**
Martial Coup
Oblation
Orim's Thunder
Path to Exile
Pristine Angel
Ray of Revelation
Reya, Dawnbringer
Rout
Spirit of the Hearth
Stoneforge Mystic**
Stonehewer Giant
Swords to Plowshares
Tithe
Weathered Wayfarer
Wing Shards
Wrath of God

It's exactly 300 cards with 92 lands. The typical amount is around a third, which would be 100. So we're 8 lands light. However, the land+land fix total is usually best around 40%. With the current deck it's around 45%. Quite a bit more than typically necessary. I might like to cut a couple more cards to up the land count to around 95.

The deck has 101 creatures or cards that fetch/create/become them. 33.7%

By casting cost it's:
17.6% Black
19.9% Blue
26.2% Green
12.1% Red
24.2% White

By converted casting cost:
CC0 5%
CC1 10%
CC2 15%
CC3 19%
CC4 16%
CC5 16%
CC6 8%
CC7 3%
CC8 4%
CC9 4%
CC11 <1%
CC15 <1%

How's that? Complaints? Still some obvious cuts or exclusions?

After it's firm we can hash out the land. That'll be easy.

[kerbythepurplecow]

Proposed mana base:

Academy Ruins
Adarkar Wastes
Arid Mesa
Badlands
Battlefield Forge
Bayou
Bloodstained Mire
Bojuka Bog**
Brushland
Caves of Kolios
City of Brass
Emeria, the Sky Ruin**
Flagstones of Trokair
Flooded Strand
10 Forest
Grand Coliseum
8 Island
Karakas
Karpulsan Forest
Kor Haven
Krosan Verge
Library of Alexandria
Llanowar Reborn
Llanowar Wastes
Marsh Flats
Maze of Ith
Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
Misty Rainforest
5 Mountain
Murmuring Bosk
Nimbus Maze
10 Plains
Plateau
Polluted Delta
Reflecting Pool
Savannah
Scalding Tarn
Scrubland
Shivan Reef
Stomping Ground
Strip Mine
Sulfurous Springs
7 Swamp
Taiga
Terramorphic Expanse
Tolaria West
Tropical Island
Tundra
Undergroud River
Underground Sea
Urborg
Verdant Catacombs
Vesuva
Volcanic Island
Volrath's Stronghold
Wasteland
Windswept Heath
Wooded Foothills
Yavimaya Coast
Yavimaya Hollow
Zoetic Cavern

The deck still needs to cut around 3-4 cards. It's a 305 with these 96 lands. 1-2 lands can be cut maximum. Only real debate on the lands is whether or not to find room for the M10 lands. Perhaps instead of the pain lands?

[TheAbe]

Proposed mana base:

Academy Ruins
Adarkar Wastes
Arid Mesa
Badlands
Battlefield Forge
Bayou
Bloodstained Mire
Bojuka Bog**
Brushland
Caves of Kolios
City of Brass
Emeria, the Sky Ruin**
Flagstones of Trokair
Flooded Strand
10 Forest
Grand Coliseum
8 Island
Karakas
Karpulsan Forest
Kor Haven
Krosan Verge
Library of Alexandria
Llanowar Reborn
Llanowar Wastes
Marsh Flats
Maze of Ith
Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
Misty Rainforest
5 Mountain
Murmuring Bosk
Nimbus Maze
10 Plains
Plateau
Polluted Delta
Reflecting Pool
Savannah
Scalding Tarn
Scrubland
Shivan Reef
Stomping Ground
Strip Mine
Sulfurous Springs
7 Swamp
Taiga
Terramorphic Expanse
Tolaria West
Tropical Island
Tundra
Undergroud River
Underground Sea
Urborg
Verdant Catacombs
Vesuva
Volcanic Island
Volrath's Stronghold
Wasteland
Windswept Heath
Wooded Foothills
Yavimaya Coast
Yavimaya Hollow
Zoetic Cavern

The deck still needs to cut around 3-4 cards. It's a 305 with these 96 lands. 1-2 lands can be cut maximum. Only real debate on the lands is whether or not to find room for the M10 lands. Perhaps instead of the pain lands?

None of the Worldwake "I become a creature AND make two color" Lands?