Green on Steroids
Hey everyone! I hope your Pre-Releases went well, I’m sure I had a lot of fun. I’m not going to speculate about the new environment since the appearance of Magic 2011, leaving that for the pros, I will instead go over some of the lovely green cards in this best of the best core sets, as well as going over some changes from the promised Beastmaster Ascension deck to a new M11 version. Here we go! (Also, I’ll be adding some “breaking the fourth wall” shenanigans using parentheses such as these)
This past weekend we enjoyed the coolness of Magic 2011 in the Pre-Release. I had a lot of fun, despite not being able to make a deck I was satisfied with. I went 4-1-0, and finished third with a BG deck. I’m really looking forward to hearing about everyone’s experience.
I’m not going to talk about RDW’s great additions in the form of Combust and Leyline of Punishment, the crazy 10 power for 6 mana Grave Titan or the death of RDW or (the possible) MonoB Control in the form of Leyline of Sanctity. No, I’m going to keep up what I talked about last week, the awesomeness of green. I don’t want you to think that I’m being single-minded, I’m just leaving speculations to the pros, and hoping to intervene with my ideas for Standard decks to play in my community only after seeing what they say. Also, I’m going to show you the Beastmaster Ascension deck I promised two articles ago, and how I’m going to change it, including cards from the new Standard. I’m doing all of this talk about green, because more than anyone else, I think green got a massive boost with M11. It makes me want to cry out Green Doesn’t Suck Now, Dammit!
The easiest thing to do is to show you all my decklist. This is where I’m coming from:
Beastmaster Ascension
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It is a fairly budget deck, the only costly thing being Avenger of Zendikar. The principle is simple: step 1: fill the board with creatures, step 2: activate Beastmaster Ascension, step 3: ????, step 4: profit! Overrun is there because if you have six or more 3/4 Eldrazi Spawn tokens with trample, it’s pretty much just as good as making them 5/6. It is important to know what deck you’re playing against. Especially be careful against white, since they are the most prone to destroying your Beastmaster Ascension, so make sure you play it only when you have 7 or more creatures on the board ready to attack, so that it will activate on the spot. Be aware of this trick, it is crucial. Everything else is self-explanatory.
After a few games, the deck seemed somewhat monotonous, so I intended to take it into a new direction. It also got its ass handed to it by RDW, and any other super-fast deck. At first I could only go against it by using Overgrown Battlement to block anything annoying, but relying on one card is really bad. Then, it dawned on me: the simple answer to RDW is lifegain. And M11 gave us the perfect answer, through a highly overlooked card, Leyline of Vitality. I quickly whipped up a decklist, and here’s what I got:
Vitality Ascension
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Let’s analyse the decklist a bit. At first, looking at the mana base, I’ve introduced Oran-Rief, the Vastwood. This card seriously pumps our creatures, and due to the heavy mana-acceleration going on, we can afford having even 2 of them in play for activation, since we’ll have enough mana to cast even the expensive spells easily. The inclusion of Mystifying Maze is for a semi-removal sort of thing, since we’ll have plenty of mana to activate the maze, and it will discourage our opponents to attack. Note that the maze comes into play untapped, and we can use it immediately, should the need arise, and the fact that it gives colorless mana is not a huge drawback, since we’re playing a monocolored deck. I’ve added 4 of both lands, but this quantity is untested. I believe the optimal number is closer to 3, however, I cannot say without proper testing. Also, depending on your meta-game, you may choose to play Tectonic Edge instead of Mystifying Maze, if those pesky man-lands are giving you trouble, or perhaps a combination of the two.
Half of the creatures we’re playing provide mana-acceleration. This is straightforward and simple. The other half ensures both efficient lifegain (with the Leyline in play) and superior numbers (to use with the Ascension). Obstinate Baloth gives you 4 life on its own, as well as being a highly efficient 4/4 for 4 (Does anyone remember Ravenous Baloth? Ah, the good old days…). With the Leyline in play, it provides 5 life, which buys us another turn in the face of Baneslayer Angel, Sphinx of Jwar Isle (does anyone play that card anymore?) and who knows what else (no, not Ball Lightning). With the added Wilt-Leaf Liege discard-bane ability, it will surely annoy the hell out of players crazy enough to play Blightning in this day and age. I can’t emphasize enough how awesome Mitotic Slime is! Anyone who’s played with or against Jund (and that’s pretty much everyone who’s played in the past year) knows the crazy board advantage Sprouting Thrinax hides within itself. Mitotic Slime does the same, except twice! Whether you look at it as a 4/4 which you have to kill thrice, or 12 power for 5 mana, spread over 3 deaths, it’s an amazing card in either situation. Plus, with the Leyline in play, it gives you a total of 7 life.
The noncreature spells are pretty straightforward. Beastmaster Ascension and Leyline of Vitality are crucial cards of the deck. Awakening Zone is an added bonus, since it provides mana-acceleration, chump-blockers, as well as double as an Ajani’s Mantra, with the Leyline in play. Overwhelming Stampede, a.k.a. Overrun 2.0, is there to provide that finisher everyone loves.
Now, there are several things you can change in the deck, and since I haven’t been able to test it yet, you have to tweak the numbers and cards to suit your own tastes and local meta-game. You may consider adding Wolfbriar Elemental instead of Avenger of Zendikar, not only because it’s 8 times cheaper, but also because looking at the manabase, it’s probable you’ll be better off kicking the elemental over and over using your elves, rather than relying on your forests to provide you with plants. Adding Kozilek’s Predator may provide a good boost, since it gives you 2 mana instantly, as well as provide you with 3 creatures, possibly replacing some mana-accelerating creatures. Overrun is an important card to mention, since you may be left with only your Eldrazi Spawn, in which case you’d prefer this card, rather than the new flashy +X/+X version, however, only testing can tell.
Finally, before I wrap up, I want to mention another distinguished addition to the monogreen household since the inclusion of M11: removal. Green has always been longing for removal, it was the thing it lacked since the very beginning, and finally it got it. The most important part is, it doesn’t contradict the philosophy of green. “But wait,” you may say, “although Hornet Sting is flavourful in green, it is both inefficient and still somewhat upsetting to a true flavour-monger (I just invented that word, cool, isn’t it?).” I’d have to say I agree with you, but that’s not the card I meant. “Aw, I’m sorry,” you might add, “you probably meant Plummet, which is indeed an interesting card, but in this case with a very restricted use.” To this I’m going to say that although I’d love to see Plummet hit the fat end of a Vampire Nocturnus more than anything at this point, that still isn’t the card I was thinking about. “Then which great removal card in monogreen brought by M11 are you talking about?” you may legitimately inquire. Why, it’s Brittle Effigy, of course. I’ll leave you with that thought…
Until next time, be sure to put some green in the mix, it’s the best color out there! (What, were you expecting me to say something else?)
Tags: aggro, green, m11, standard, Standard in the Mix
