dknight27

This looks pretty sleek, can't really think of much I'd change in the mainboard. Nice work

I've been tooling around with a few things here and there, lots of concepts swirling around, not too many have been flushed all the way out just yet.

I love cards like [[Rise of the Dread Marn]] as an answer to nukes, especially since its foretell cost is so damn cheap. In a format that ran more nukes, I would absolutely think about running it, but (to my knowledge), the only decks running any are Murktide and Jeskai, and only Jeskai has any mainboarded (in most cases). In addition, I've sort of set things up so that (hopefully) while a nuke would set the build back, it could still recover, as it has all the death mechanics that profit from my zombies dying, etc. So maybe, but we'll have to see.

I've never really messed around with cards like In Oketra's Name, as I almost never play critter builds, and am far too chicken to play tempo critter builds that are ok tossing material for a big attack turn, but I do see the merit of essentially doubling the damage I'm doing in a turn for a 2-drop surprise in game 2 or 3 against something that needs time to build. Let me ponder.

Ghoulcaller's Chant is a terrific card that puts you at a potential +2 with tempo, but it's vulnerable to grave hate, and this build will be targeted by sided grave hate and will have to side in grave hate, so I'd probably have to stay away from it. I do love the idea of Village Rites + Ghoulcaller's Chant in response to a lightning bolt though, that's just a devastating turnaround, and one I might toy with in a different build.

Thanks for the feedback.

I've been toying around with some of it, nothing too concrete as of yet. I almost never play critter-heavy decks, so it's not as intuitive for me as it is normally.

I'm relatively positive of a good matchup against energy, amulet titan, and control, unclear about the combo decks (belcher, storm, grinding station), have no idea whatsoever with the new eldrazi nonsense, and probably have a problem against living end.

I'm a tremendous fan of Damping Sphere, one of the most interesting cards ever made in my book. It works against storm and land shenanigans, so you can side it in against tron, storm, eldrazi, and amulet titan. Plus, it slows everything down, so it inadvertently works against The One Ring and other such 'I can do more than you can' builds, all for 2 colorless mana. I can't really think of a reason not to side it, other than its slight interference with Gravecrawler in this build, but that's a more than acceptable loss. The only potential problem is that storm runs anti-artifact hate for this very reason, so I've been trying to find a way around it that they can't really do anything about. I'm a TREMENDOUS fan of the card [[High Noon]] (I've been trying to work multiple decks around it), and running it would shut down storm and living end completely, but wouldn't be much good against tron, eldrazi, or amulet titan, cause it hurts you as much as it hurts them. Still working on this dilemma.

Void Mirror is a hell of a counter to both tron and eldrazi and does nothing to this deck whatsoever, so that's a huge win. It also shuts down soft counters, which opponent might keep in to try to deal with your side options, so that's nice.

The real killer I've been looking at is running a full set of [[Pithing Needle]], as it shuts down [[The One Ring]], [[Psychic Frog]], the grinding station build, and the charbelcher build, and everyone and their mother wants to run most of that to some degree. Needless to say, it's still very much a work in progress.

Perhaps 1 copy of [[White Orchid Phantom]] over a Ghost Quarter, as you can fetch the Phantom with Recruiter of the Guard, which ostensibly brings up your land hate to 6 instead of just 4, and cuts out a potential dead draw, as Ghost Quarter isn't that helpful a topdeck against many decktypes popular in modern.

Other than some sideboard tweaks to deal with specific modern threats, this looks pretty tight and solid to me, and I see a lot of good synergy going on.

[[Extravagant Replication]] is one of the shenanigan cards you can play around with, as you can use Copy Enchantment on it, and the two copies can make copies of the other, ostensibly pumping out 4 copies of stuff each turn (unless you want to keep replicating). [[Mirage Mirror]] is wildly useful (and combos with Extravagant Replication the same way). If you just want to copy your own dragons, [[Mirror of the Forebears]] or any of the various iterations therein. I quite like [[The Everflowing Well//The Myriad Pools]] for this build, as it does everything you want (including incidental acceleration).

I'm still missing the "idea" of what this deck really is (for example, Amoeboid Changeling makes no sense to me whatsoever), but that's probably irrelevant. If you want copy shenanigans and don't want to just run the staple copy mechanics in EDH (such as Phyrexian Metamorph and Helm of the Host), the above will get it done.

I haven't played the deck yet, I typically map things out in theory quite a bit before committing to a playtest, but that's me.

Bitterblossom is the primary wincon, but in reality the deck tries to strangle opponent to death and then win with small bits of synergy built in. For example, each High Noon doubles as 5 incredibly inefficient damage to the face. In any regular build, this would be essentially useless, but in a build that wants to turn time into a win, paying 7 mana for 5 damage (broken into 2 and 5 mana) isn't that bad a deal. And since you control when High Noon gets sacked, you can plan out a turn where you dump 5 mana into sacking one, throw out a few other burn/removal/discard spells, then play a second High Noon, and you just basically got 2-3 meta-turns for free on top of burn damage. On top of this, spot removal is essentially useless against Bitterblossom, but with High Noon, spot removal becomes a complete negative, as drawing into one means you're forfeiting an entire turn of development just to ping me for 1 damage. In my mind, the two cards are best friends.

Then there are the little damage factors, like the possible token from Kaya's Guile, Hive of the Eye Tyrant, and Bolts/Helixes to the face. None of those will win on their own, but combine them with the other damage sources and (in theory) they should be enough synergy to push the build through to a slow damage win.

All of this being said, the Microwave concept is still very new, and I'm still messing around with it, so it's quite possible that more wincons need to be built in.

I've been toying around with the whole 'deal with the one ring' thing, and the best solution I've had so far is (hilariously) running [[Cast Into the Fire]], which not only deals with the big bad artifact of the day, it doubles as delightful removal against [[Ampred Raptor]] and [[Orcish Bowmasters]]. As a sidenote, I'm toying around with an anti-meta build to take advantage of this and a few other fun overlaps like [[Arc Trail]].

You're probably right about Damn, which makes me wonder if I just need to mainboard some Pyroclasm as well.

I'm still struggling with the discard element. I'm in love with a turn 1 discard disruption, especially when followed by turn 2 High Noon, but they do tend to turn into dead draws in lots of builds. My thinking on this one was that with a High Noon in play, you bottleneck opponent, who has to hold onto multiple solid cards, so when you topdeck a discard, you can trade it off for another potential threat. Not really sure what to do about this long term yet, other than to work in something like [[Blood Fountain]] and build synergy around that.

Vault of the Archangel could probably be swapped in over Hive of the Eye Tyrant or one of the Urborgs. Good potential option against big threats as well as anti-bleeding.

Proliferate isn't actually that effective for the Calendar, as it only gives you +1 counter. You can achieve that by just untapping something normally. The best way to get counters on the Calendar is via doubling effects or by its own ability. You also want to have a way to get to the Calendar as fast as possible, cause without one the deck essentially doesn't do anything. Ideally this would mean running Urza's Saga, but it's very expensive. Alternatively, you could run [[Trinket Mage]], which would also let you run [[Voltaic Key]] so you can reuse Calendar's doubling ability. You'd also want cards like Kiora's Follower (same reason), which not only lets you reuse the Calendar but gives you a tap that doesn't require an attack, putting more counters on the clock. [[Seedborn Muse]] works like a charm in the build, as it will untap all your stuff, giving you another full turn of tap shenanigans, which essentially halves the amount of time you need to build the Calendar to a win.

First cut I'd suggest, you're running too many 'lord' effects (critters that boost your smaller critters). Cut Phabine (too expensive), Kitt Kanto (not enough benefit), and Angelic Observer (3/3 flyer is nice, but doesn't really fit the build and is only conditionally good). That frees up 6 spots.

Second cut I'd suggest is some extraneous spells that either cost too much or don't fit what's going on. Daring Escape (it's just a bad card), Elspeth (doesn't really fit the build), Scepter of Celebration (way too expensive), Stimulus Package (too expensive for the payout (even if it combos with prosperous partnership)). That frees up 9 spots (15 total).


As for what to do with those 15 spots, I am less sure. There really isn't that much going on with citizens yet (that I'm aware of), so other than throwing in a bunch of 1 and 2-drop citizen cards that do SOMETHING ([[Meriadoc Brandybuck]], [[Streetwise Negotiator]], [[Unlucky Witness]]), the only things that come to mind are [[Impact Tremors]], [[Chivalric Alliance]], [[Horn of the Mark]], and [[Domri, Anarch of Bolas]]. But you very much want this to be a critter build, so don't go overboard with the support enchantments, etc.

Just some thoughts, I'm not anywhere near 100% on what I would do with this build. It's both outside my wheelhouse and pulled from a tribe that's not really all that developed yet.

Quite a few changes to the game in the last 10 years. Feel like updating the build? I assume this is budget modern, correct?

Those monsters, I've never seen the Boomerang before. That's just cruel.

I just can't justify Powerblade in my head. If you play it turn 3, you can't activate it till turn 4, so you burn a whole very important turn that ultimately only nets you a vanilla +2/+0. There aren't even that many soldiers that get bonuses for being equipped. So, assuming you're extremely lucky and have a turn 1 and 2 soldier drop, in this scenario, on turn 4 you're swinging for about 5 damage and have fielded 3 cards. IF opponent doesn't have removal and you wasted turn 4's equip, IF you have a critter that won't just die to blocks cause Powerblade doesn't give a toughness boost, etc. I can't justify the creation of this card in my head whatsoever.

Comparing it to Pirate's Cutlass is like being kicked in the mental balls. Cutlass hits the board turn 3 and gets equipped for free, speeding you up a turn and turning a 2/1 or 1/2 pirate into a 4/3 or 3/4 that's got no problem going over the top of whatever opponent has fielded and will almost certainly survive anything but spot removal, creating a (relatively) fast and reliable damage clock. Pair it with something like [[Kitesail Freebooter]] and you got rid of that spot removal that's going to screw up your plan or any of the many 2-drops that have little bonuses that help them score damage or buff things, and you've got a solid win mechanic constructed from a common equipment used in a way that takes advantage of the synergy of its own design and the design of its architype.

Not only is Powerblade terrible (both by comparison and on its own), it's boring and has basically no synergy at all. I've been randomly brainstorming how I would fix this card (I make custom cards, it's quite fun) and I can think of lots of fun ways to keep it a common-strength tribal equip that's still fun and not completely useless.

I don't know, maybe I'm thinking about this too much. There's obviously no logic in the game anymore, we're in a post-apocalyptic game world where shit just blows up and the only thing that makes sense is the need for money.

I think someone liked it. Oh well, a little nostalgia. I do miss the days when magic could try for mechanics like this. I used to run Royal Assassin back in the day.

[[Static Orb]] would be this deck's best friend

You silly goose, [[Pox]] isn't legal in pauper ;).

Maybe throw in a [[Blood Fountain]] for sac targets, move through dead draws, and fetching back the rat and/or the troll that you either ditch for a swamp or nuke. Only thing I could think of.

With only 19 lands, the biggest suggestion I have is cutting down the mana curve as low as possible, especially since you want to be fielding critters and targeting them quickly, as half the deck will be dead draws without the other half, so the longer the game runs, the worse your topdecking options become. I know you're going for the Hero of Iroas reduction angle, but there's only 3 copies that can only reduce 12 targets as is, so that's relatively unreliable.

I'd suggest cutting True Love's Kiss for [[Rip Apart]], which is just about the best removal option this deck can have. Half the cost and doubles as a critter bolt

Cut Unquestioned Authority for [[Defiant Strike]], as you're going to go over the top of opponent's critters anyway thanks to the boosts your critters get, so being able to get the +1 material with a small attack boost is more valuable as you can also do something else that turn, and at instant speed. Cut Fists of Flame for [[Ancestral Anger]] for similar reasons, as it's trading +1/+0 for being able to be played a turn faster/with more development, and you're probably not going to be able to take advantage of the multi-draw effect with so few lands anyway. Since you've cut 8 of the auras, you can drop Hero of Iroas for [[Satyr Hoplite]] to keep the speed cooker going.

Bonds of Faith in the flex spot of pseudo-removal vs aura boost target is interesting. I'm not necessarily opposed to the idea, especially since it would turn your 1/1 into a 4/4 turn 2 and let you start a fast damage clock, assuming your playing against something that's not running much quick removal.

Just some thoughts on how I'd rework the deck for speed. I know the build is older, but it got modified, so I figured I'd chime in with some thoughts.

I've been scratching my head about this one for a few days.

You've got 9 targets with ETB's you'd want to blink, and 19 blink spells, which is a very bad balance. You're actually relatively likely to not see any blink targets in the opening hand, meaning the deck has very little to do until you draw one. The mana curve is also high, so it would help to cut down on some blink spells and up the number of blink targets while keeping them low cost, as you want to cast them turns 1 and 2 then start blinking them for advantage.

The problem is, there really aren't that many good blink targets for white/blue that are 1 and 2-drop or alternate cost. Obviously you could just do [[Solitude]] and [[Subtlety]], but those are boring and expensive. Another staple that you'd want to use, [[Snapcaster Mage]] doesn't fit at all, as it would be redundant to blink him in a build like this most of the time.

The next logical idea is to do draw critters like [[Wall of Omens]] or [[Helpful Hunter]], which nets you some card advantage and can be useful for a few block/blink combos that net you +0 in material with no life lost, which is sort of a pseudo +1 turn. This, of course, becomes much more useful with Panharmonicon and/or Teleportation Circle/Soulherder. The same idea applies to [[Novice Inspector]] and [[Thraben Inspector]], which gets your clock moving turn 1 and later converts unused mana into material.

Other than that, I'm sort of at a loss.

So, I'd recommend cutting out 4x Momentary Blink and 2x Flickerwhisp and 2x Restoration Angel and adding in 4x [[Wall of Omens]] and 4x [[Novice Inspector]]. That should speed you up, gives you 17 targets instead of 9, and still leaves you with more than enough blink spells to get what you want.

Seems like you've got a bit of clashing mechanics at play here. Ashiok, Dream Render exiles the grave, which you need for Vantress Gargoyle, Drown in the Loch, and Into the Story. Tasha's Hidious Laughter does as well, but that spell is so powerful (and you're only running 2) that it shouldn't matter. The other Ashiok effectively mills, but again only through exile, so it won't help your 'needs milled cards' cards, of which there are 10 in the deck. Just potentially a bad balance of exile vs mill vs needs milled cards, is what I'm getting at.

Perhaps [[Jace, the Perfected Mind]] over Ashiok?

Right off the bat, you're going to need may more than 16 lands. I'd suggest cutting most of the 6-drops to accomplish this, as they're going to be bricks sitting in your hand for the entire game as the deck is currently built. Specifically, Captain of the Watch and Darien are underpowered in the build you're going for, as they're too slow to make a difference without any acceleration, which black/white doesn't really have (even with the Banneret). I realize you want to do the deathtouch/first strike thing, or I'd recommend Finality as well for the same reasons. Cutting the four 6-drops should give you room for 20 lands, and I'd recommend running at least 21 (as well as shaving the curve down considerably).

Whip of Erebos is nice, but it costs a lot to play and a lot to activate, and you don't really care about lifegain in a deck that's trying to win with swarm damage, so that's an easy trim.

I'd also advise cutting some of the 3-drops, particularly Bastion of Remembrance, Commisar Severina Raine, and Colonel Autumn in favor of 1-drop soldiers, of which there are many, many fantastic options, such as [[Champion of the Parish]], [[Esper Sentinel]], [[Recruitment Officer]], etc. This will speed up the deck by quite a lot, and you want the damage clock started as fast as possible.

Just some thoughts

The biggest thing that stuck out to me here was that the mana curve is a little too high, and that you'll be playing catchup all game because almost half your deck consists of 3-drops or higher. Since you're running critter swarm, you ideally want to hit the ground running as fast as possible and flood the field with damage clocks that overwhelm opponent before opponent can put his plan in action and/or runs out of material trying to stop you from overwhelming him.

Translation: cut some 3-drops and make them 1 and 2-drops to speed things up.