[Primer] G/R Monsters

[redthirst]

I guess I could post up my current 60:

[deck]
Creatures: 27
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Sylvan Caryatid
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Courser of Kruphix
3 Boon Satyr
4 Polukranos, World Eater
4 Stormbreath Dragon
2 Xenagos, God of Revels

Planeswalkers: 7
4 Domri Rade
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
1 Xenagos, the Reveler

Spells: 3
3 Mizzium Mortars

Lands: 23
4 Stomping Ground
4 Temple of Abandon
4 Mountain
11 Forest
[/deck]
Trying out a list without Ghor-Clan... don't really know how well that'll work out, though.

Sideboard likely be something like:
1 Mizzium Mortars
1 Xenagos, the Reveler
4 Mistcutter Hydra

Maybe play around with Burning Earth or Anger of the Gods depending on the meta.

[Valdarith]

I don't think a list without GCR will work too well. You really need it in the mirror and vs mono black when they tap out for Demon, plus you're reducing the effectiveness of your Caryatids by having fewer four drops to ramp into.

I've been consistently underwhelmed by Scavenging Ooze for what it's worth. I've sided it out so many times I cut it altogether.

[Purp]

GCR is really good for all the reason Val said, and it helps with one of the biggest walls your deck faces...Reckoner.

[Toddington]

How do people feel about Xenagos PW? The only thing it seems useful for is a wrath-proof threat, that occasionally you use to overload mortars or something. It doesn't contribute to the Domri/Chandra/Courser CA engine (which is totally brutal btw), and I can't see running 2 Xenagos before 2 Chandra. 2 Xenagod seems real strong, and it looks like most lists should cut a PW for its god equivalent.

[redthirst]

I really like GCR, but I also really like Fanatic of Xenagos and there's a difference between a good card that I like and a card that absolutely needs to be in the deck - that's why I'm trying out the version without GCR, though it's certainly possible it's more necessary than Boon Satyr and/or ScOoze.

Is there a whole lot of Reckoner out there?

[Valdarith]

How do people feel about Xenagos PW? The only thing it seems useful for is a wrath-proof threat, that occasionally you use to overload mortars or something. It doesn't contribute to the Domri/Chandra/Courser CA engine (which is totally brutal btw), and I can't see running 2 Xenagos before 2 Chandra. 2 Xenagod seems real strong, and it looks like most lists should cut a PW for its god equivalent.

Xenagos planeswalker is a VCA engine on his own and matches up well against aggro, mono black, and control. I find the RR for Chandra a little rough to hit at times and she's also a bit underwhelming to cast on curve anyway since she does nothing the first turn she's on the field. At least with Xenagos I'm developing my board state immediately. I
think the 2/1 split of Xenagos to Chandra is correct.

2 Xenagod is absolutely necessary in my opinion. Makes the mirror, control, and mono black matches much easier. He's basically a planeswalker on his own that evades most removal.

[Valdarith]

Playing this tonight at FNM:

[deck]
Creatures (26)
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Courser of Kruphix
1 Boon Satyr
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
3 Polukranos, World Eater
4 Stormbreath Dragon
2 Xenagos, God of Revelry

Spells (11)
4 Mizzium Mortars
4 Domri Rade
2 Xenagos, the Reveler
1 Chandra, Pyromaster

Lands (23)
4 Temple of Abandon
4 Stomping Ground
10 Forest
5 Mountain

Sideboard (15)
3 Mistcutter Hydra
2 Plummet
2 Gruul Charm
2 Flesh / Blood
2 Unravel the Aether
1 Chandra, Pyromaster
1 Arbor Colossus
2 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
[/deck]

I'm supposed to trade for two Xenagos planeswalkers and a second Ruric Thar before the tournament tonight, but if for some reason the person I'm supposed to trade with doesn't show I'm simply going to sub in one Chandra and another Boon Satyr main and put a second Arbor Colossus and a Guild Feud in the sideboard.

I went
back to four Caryatid and down one land. I think this is the best configuration because it allows me to accelerate to a four drop more often while serving as a stonewall for aggro decks. It also allows me to more easily overload a Mizzium Mortars and increases my creature count for Domri.

Less than four Polukranos may be wrong, but I've gotten along fine with three. It won't hurt me too bad since only two people out of 40+ actually pilot mono blue devotion which is where it really comes in handy most.

I've seen that MJ has also been piloting Gr Monsters on MODO and it appears he's going with a slightly different sideboard strategy. He's running Skylashers and Polis Crushers in his sideboard. I only caught a glimpse of his deck so I couldn't tell what else he was or wasn't running, but I hope to find out in the next couple of days. Would love to pick his brain on certain choices he's made.

[Valdarith]

Took the above list to FNM and casually crushed some nerds. Ended up 4-1-1, beating G/R blitz, B/R midrange twice (close to mono black but with Mizzium Mortars, Anger of the Gods, etc), and mono black. My only loss was to another mono black deck where he had all the answers game one and all the answers game two when I mulled to five. I won my top eight match, beating the B/R deck for the second time and ended up taking home $25 store credit.

I've played this deck configuration quite a bit now and have observed the following:

1) I've been back and fourth on three vs four Mizzium Mortars and I feel like three is best, especially for a PTQ environment where I need to hedge more toward beating tier one decks. Mortars is terrible against U/W control, okay against mono black, good vs mono blue, and decent in the mirror, so that analysis supports three. I'm moving the fourth to the sideboard.

2) Flesh / Blood was
underwhelming. The sorcery speed really kills it for me when I'm playing decks with instant speed removal. Sometimes it can just win out of nowhere and it can be helpful in killing planeswalkers on a cluttered board or overpowering fatties in the mirror but beyond that it seems pretty inefficient. I'm cutting them from my sideboard.

3) I like Boon Satyr a lot. I want a second one in the main. Moving one Mortars to the board makes room. I'm also considering completing the playset in the sideboard to bring in for the mirror and UW.

4) I'm glad I'm not playing Mutavault. It really increases my consistency. I want to turn one Mystic every chance I get, and observing other Gr decks with the two Mutavaults has revealed many situations where people have had to turn two Mystic off a Temple because they had a Mutavault instead of a Forest. That's inexcusable to me. Adding a second Boon Satyr only solidifies this stance as we now have 10 three drops to ramp into.

5) I have yet to play a mirror match
either paper or online and this scares me a little. I expect to see this deck quite a bit at the top tables of the PTQ now that it's solidified itself as a tier one deck and I'd like to practice against it as much as possible. I'm used to being confident in my mirrors after playing red so much but moving to an unfamiliar archetype has that confidence dwindled.

6) Got into a discussion Friday with my friend who is an event grinder (the one credited for Experiment Jund last year) and he doesn't like Courser in this deck because he says U/W control is my worst matchup and I'm making it even more worse by making their Last Breath live. I disagree because I feel like Courser improves ALL of my other matchups significantly and I feel favored against U/W control postboard. He thinks Fanatic of Xenagos should be played instead, but I've been consistently unimpressed by this card after playing it and seeing it played. Just go watch the videos of the SCG open from Saturday of Gr against U/W and you'll see
what I mean. Fanatic never did anything in that match and Courser would have been a much better draw for him.

7) I got to live the dream of Domri + Chandra + Courser, and man was it sweet.

I got to experiment quite a bit with the mono black sideboard games, trying different configurations to get a feel for what was good. Two Chandra postboard is definitely a good place to be. Didn't like Flesh / Blood as stated earlier. Plummet was good. Mortars was necessary to beat an early Pack Rat since our opponent tends to keep those kinds of hands with a lot of removal to keep us from putting on pressure and attacking through them. Obvious tension between Plummet and Mortars since we want to take out as few creatures as possible.

New proposed 75:

[deck]
Creatures (27)
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Courser of Kruphix
2 Boon Satyr
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
3 Polukranos, World Eater
4 Stormbreath Dragon
2 Xenagos,
God of Revels

Spells (10)
3 Mizzium Mortars
4 Domri Rade
2 Xenagos, the Reveler
1 Chandra, Pyromaster

Lands (23)
4 Stomping Ground
4 Temple of Abandon
10 Forest
5 Mountain

Sideboard (15)
3 Mistcutter Hydra
2 Plummet
2 Gruul Charm
1 Mizzium Mortars
2 Destructive Revelry
2 Boon Satyr
1 Chandra, Pyromaster
1 Arbor Colossus
1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
[/deck]

I've decided to go with Destructive Revelry over Unravel the Aether. The only time Unravel matters is against mono blue and the mirror, but I feel I should be playing more proactive cards in those two matchups. Destructive Revelry is strictly better vs RW and UW which is where I'd be boarding that type of effect in.

[Purp]

6. UW is not your worst matchup. Mono U is.

Also, GR mirrors are a tossup. Who plays dork on turn 1, or who gets their dork killed on T1. A lot of top players at my stores have shied away from GR simply because the Mirror is too much of a tossup. I like your list, but I think 2 Rhuric That should be in the SB. I would cut plummet and add another Arbor Colossus.

[redthirst]

Took the above list to FNM and casually crushed some nerds. Ended up 4-1-1, beating G/R blitz, B/R midrange twice (close to mono black but with Mizzium Mortars, Anger of the Gods, etc), and mono black. My only loss was to another mono black deck where he had all the answers game one and all the answers game two when I mulled to five. I won my top eight match, beating the B/R deck for the second time and ended up taking home $25 store credit.

I've played this deck configuration quite a bit now and have observed the following:

1) I've been back and fourth on three vs four Mizzium Mortars and I feel like three is best, especially for a PTQ environment where I need to hedge more toward beating tier one decks. Mortars is terrible against U/W control, okay against mono
black, good vs mono blue, and decent in the mirror, so that analysis supports three. I'm moving the fourth to the sideboard.

2) Flesh / Blood was underwhelming. The sorcery speed really kills it for me when I'm playing decks with instant speed removal. Sometimes it can just win out of nowhere and it can be helpful in killing planeswalkers on a cluttered board or overpowering fatties in the mirror but beyond that it seems pretty inefficient. I'm cutting them from my sideboard.

3) I like Boon Satyr a lot. I want a second one in the main. Moving one Mortars to the board makes room. I'm also considering completing the playset in the sideboard to bring in for the mirror and UW.

4) I'm glad I'm not playing Mutavault. It really increases my consistency. I want to turn one Mystic every chance I get, and observing other Gr decks with the two Mutavaults has revealed many situations where people have had to turn two Mystic off a Temple because they had a Mutavault instead of a Forest. That's inexcusable
to me. Adding a second Boon Satyr only solidifies this stance as we now have 10 three drops to ramp into.

5) I have yet to play a mirror match either paper or online and this scares me a little. I expect to see this deck quite a bit at the top tables of the PTQ now that it's solidified itself as a tier one deck and I'd like to practice against it as much as possible. I'm used to being confident in my mirrors after playing red so much but moving to an unfamiliar archetype has that confidence dwindled.

6) Got into a discussion Friday with my friend who is an event grinder (the one credited for Experiment Jund last year) and he doesn't like Courser in this deck because he says U/W control is my worst matchup and I'm making it even more worse by making their Last Breath live. I disagree because I feel like Courser improves ALL of my other matchups significantly and I feel favored against U/W control postboard. He thinks Fanatic of Xenagos should be played instead, but I've been consistently
unimpressed by this card after playing it and seeing it played. Just go watch the videos of the SCG open from Saturday of Gr against U/W and you'll see what I mean. Fanatic never did anything in that match and Courser would have been a much better draw for him.

7) I got to live the dream of Domri + Chandra + Courser, and man was it sweet.

I got to experiment quite a bit with the mono black sideboard games, trying different configurations to get a feel for what was good. Two Chandra postboard is definitely a good place to be. Didn't like Flesh / Blood as stated earlier. Plummet was good. Mortars was necessary to beat an early Pack Rat since our opponent tends to keep those kinds of hands with a lot of removal to keep us from putting on pressure and attacking through them. Obvious tension between Plummet and Mortars since we want to take out as few creatures as possible.

New proposed 75:

[deck]
Creatures (27)
4
Elvish Mystic
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Courser of Kruphix
2 Boon Satyr
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
3 Polukranos, World Eater
4 Stormbreath Dragon
2 Xenagos, God of Revels

Spells (10)
3 Mizzium Mortars
4 Domri Rade
2 Xenagos, the Reveler
1 Chandra, Pyromaster

Lands (23)
4 Stomping Ground
4 Temple of Abandon
10 Forest
5 Mountain

Sideboard (15)
3 Mistcutter Hydra
2 Plummet
2 Gruul Charm
1 Mizzium Mortars
2 Destructive Revelry
2 Boon Satyr
1 Chandra, Pyromaster
1 Arbor Colossus
1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
[/deck]

I've decided to go with Destructive Revelry over Unravel the Aether. The only time Unravel matters is against mono blue and the mirror, but I feel I should be playing more proactive cards in those two matchups. Destructive Revelry is strictly better vs RW and UW which is where I'd be boarding that type of effect in.

My current 60 is -1 GCR, +1 Polukranos; -1 Xen Planeswalker, +1 Chandra. I'm glad our independent testing is resulting in more-or-less
identical lists - which means we're either both heading in the right direction or both making the exact same stupid mistakes.

[Valdarith]

6. UW is not your worst matchup. Mono U is.

Also, GR mirrors are a tossup. Who plays dork on turn 1, or who gets their dork killed on T1. A lot of top players at my stores have shied away from GR simply because the Mirror is too much of a tossup. I like your list, but I think 2 Rhuric That should be in the SB. I would cut plummet and add another Arbor Colossus.

Agreed that mono blue is the worst matchup. I'm not sure what he is thinking.

I don't like cutting a Plummet because we definitely want two for the mono black match and Colossus dies to removal AND Lifebane Zombie.

I had Ruric Thar as a two of but I think I can get away with one vs UW now that I've decided to run a more aggressive curve in game two. He can certainly be a beating
though.

[Valdarith]

Red - yes a lot of people are starting to converge on a solid 70-card deck with some wiggle room. I personally like two Xenagod because it makes the mirror more favorable and does serious work against mono black and UW. I am starting to favor cutting one in the UW match postboard though since it doesn't do anything when it hits the field. It adds a lot to future plays so I think one is correct, but you'll never hit devotion in that match and it dies to DSphere. I like the second Chandra instead because even though it too does nothing on the turn you play it, you generate massive card advantage with it if left unchecked.

[Valdarith]

Revelation: since I'm not running any Mutavault I think it's safe to cut one Caryatid, move a third Boon Satyr from the board to the main, and shove in a second Ruric Thar in my board.

[Tanro]

[deck]
Creatures (29)
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Courser of Kruphix
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
4 Polukranos
4 Stormbreath Dragon
2 Boon Satyr
2 Xengos, God of Revels
1 Ruric-Thar the unbowed

Planeswalker (7)
1 Chandra, Pyromaster
2 Xenagos the Reveler
4 Domri Rade

Spells (2)
2 Mizzium Mortars

Lands (23)
10 Forest
5 Mountain
4 Temple of Abandon
4 Stomping Ground

Sideboard (15)
3 Mistcutter Hydra
2 Arbor Colossus
2 Mortal's Resolve
2 Burning Earth
1 Ruric Thar
2 Fade into Antiquity
2 Mizzium Mortars
1 Polis Crusher
[/deck]

Took this to FNM and then Gameday. FNM I casually stomped everything except BW Humans with 2 Necromancers on the board. Still ended up making him sweat bullets to the last turn g1, made him sideboard out threats and in answers. He got ripped apart g2 and g3 he swapped the answers back out and got mana screw. I ended up playing some crazy brew in the finals lost
to it 2-1 because I was arrogant and didn't bother to read an opponent's creature. I made the mistake of thinking reaper of the wilds had regenerate, and didn't bother to just read it and find out the 2nd ability was hexproof. So my mistake.

Then gameday. 2-0 against the same BW Humans deck, 2-1 against Black devotion splash white, 2-0 against AIR, 0-2 RDW (lost my elves to shock both games, never saw courser or caryatid, just never got anything going) 2-0 against esper control. 1st round play offs was same esper control ramped into an early Ruric Thar, he rage quit and conceded the match. Started complaining about people bringing pokemon cards to a magic tournament. Semi Finals was also esper control and G1 I easily stomped over him, he never got WW for verdict so I just went all in. G2 he never got UU and showed me his hand. He had top decked 3 dissipates.

Finals was the same Black devotion splash white from earlier. I got him in 2 games this time. It was the best match I had played in a long
time. G1 went back and forth so much it was crazy. I think around turn 5 I was at 11, he was at 14, then my next turn I was 13, he went down to 7, his next turn he plays gary and I got down 7 and he goes up to 13. Then I go up to 9, he goes down to 8. The him 5, me 4. Then me 5 him 0. Game 2 felt like I was gonna loose. He gets up to 28, while I am at like 5. I get down to 2 life, and he manages to keep from damaging for another turn. I get a few, then play a stormbreath. Monstrous it next turn, swing in with 2 coursers, and 7/7 stormbreath for 11, get 2 damage off the monstrous. He was 1 life and I roll chandra up for the win. Exact damage win after being at 2 life for 3 turns.

After this weekend I am in love with this "pokemans" deck. It is very engaging to pilot, and it amasses so much card advantage.

[Tanro]

After recent wins/top 8s of others with the new Courser/Domri/Chandra lists can we move this over to aggresive? Or should a new primer be done.

[Valdarith]

I wrote a Jund Monsters primer but it plays a bit differently than GR. Really though a new primer needs to be done with the appropriate deck name.

[Link]

I can update the primer since I think a lot of wisdom in this thread needs to be kept.

[Link]

and done. Its crazy to see the 1st place list in St. Louis used 0 Coursers and Boon satyrs instead... gives me hope that I can still just jump in without having opened much BotG as of yet.

[Valdarith]

Boon Satyr is a fine card. Makes your Elvish Mystics a LOT better. You just have to go more all-in than the Courser build and I'm just not comfortable with that.

[Link]

LIVIN ON DA EDGE

[Tanro]

I got 3/4 coursers for free with people at FNM declaring it a "Crap card, not aggresive enough to win"

[Link]

I'm trying out a few deadbridge goliaths instead in my more aggressive list.

I'm using Gyre Sage/Fanatic of Xenagos over Courser of Kruphix for a mor aggressive build though so your mileage may vary.


Scavenging onto either Gyre Goyf or Fanatic is pretty huge game.

This is because I can build both Jund Monsters and G/R so I like my G/R list to just be as fast as possible for the mirror match.

I figure in all the match-ups Polukranos either eats removal or is too risky to use his monstrous because of the threat of removal just turning goliath sideways and playing another threat is better.

Using two Xenagods as well as per Vala's advice.


WIll have more results tomorrow or Saturday

[Link]

well so far a Boon Satyrd Fanatic of Xenagos targeted by Xenagos seems to end the mirror match quickly ;D

[Link]

[deck]Gruul Aggro Monsters[/deck]



Still playing around with Tusker vs. Gyre Sage and if I want 2 Xenagos main or just more boon satyrs/deadbridge goliaths.


I think the point in playing G/R over Jund monsters is pure consistency, Rampager, and aggression. In order to get an edge on that MU we need to be playing cards that tax their dreadbore/mortars and get ahead on board. Also if they
remove us and it goes late to have an edge on top decks with Deadbridge goliath scavenge and Xenagods for more power in topdeck mode.

[Valdarith]

If your strategy is to tax removal, I think you want the full four Boon Satyr.

[Valdarith]

Polukranos is also much better than Deadbridge Goliath. It really isn't even close.

[Link]

if you expect nothing but control and jund, can that really be said though?

I mean obviously if people are still on red decks and master of waves...

I'm talking small metas though.


You think cutting the 2 gods for Boon Satyrs? I was thinking stormbreath dragons even but I want to be resillient to lifebane zombie still and stormbreath+god is a good way to power through desecration demons

[Link]

I am remembering now how hard it is to caster Tusker with Mountains in your deck so thats a pretty strong argument for Gyre sage...

[Valdarith]

I think cutting one Xenagod would be okay. If you expect more Jund than control I would keep both. It's the single most important card in the matchup.

I'd side out both Polyk and Goliath vs control so I don't think there's any advantage to running Goliath in that meta. Even vs Jund I prefer Polyk to kill off opposing Mystics.

I'd probably cut some two drops for the Satyr. Tusker can be difficult to cast as you said. I'd personally cut those completely for a third Ooze, two Satyrs, and a second Mortars. I've won way too many games off the back of an overloaded Mortars to want to run only one.

[Devell]

Hello folks. first post here. I've been advised that this is the best mtg community around by far, so i'd very much like to become a part of it. I just picked up a paper version of this deck and would be delighted to join you all in the trials and triumphs of being a monster. I used to be ok at magic but haven't played in a long while and am still finding my feet. With your help im sure i'll be up and running again in no time and will have something to contribute.

The first thing i'd like to ask is - Does anyone here have any links to vids of them playing this deck? I think that's a reasonable place to start.

Many thanks

Dev.

[LaZerBurn]

Not exactly what you asked for but these BBD Vs CVM ones are good - the link is somewhere back in this thread but as it's you Dev here (and Jund Monsters is here)

Also get on MTGO!

[Link]

I think cutting one Xenagod would be okay. If you expect more Jund than control I would keep both. It's the single most important card in the matchup.

I'd side out both Polyk and Goliath vs control so I don't think there's any advantage to running Goliath in that meta. Even vs Jund I prefer Polyk to kill off opposing Mystics.

I'd probably cut some two drops for the Satyr. Tusker can be difficult to cast as you said. I'd personally cut those completely for a third Ooze, two Satyrs, and a second Mortars. I've won way too many games off the back of an overloaded Mortars to want to run only one.

so no gyre sage OR caryatid?

Seems pretty risky.


Mortars is just a style thing, I rather have threats than answers. flesh // blood is the
perfect mix but sometimes you just gotta overload mortars (its a play I only want to make once a game is the reasoning.)


For tournament play I'd run the full 4 mortars probably just because you run up against everything from Mono black aggro to WW to red variants and you just have to survive to playout better cards.

This is just for LGS kill control decks (and mono black). Worse feeling is when they lifebane zombie a creature and then you have to mortars it


So without tuskers we're back at:

4 Elvish Mystic
2 Gyre Sage
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Stormbreath Dragon
4 Fanatic of Xenagos
4 Boon Satyr
3 Deadbridge Goliath
1 Xenagos, God of Revels


2 Overgrown Tomb
4 Stomping Ground
4 Temple of Abandon
7 Forest
6 Mountain
1 Mutavault

4 Domri Rade
2 Flesh // Blood
2 Mizzium Mortars

[Devell]

Not exactly what you asked for but these BBD Vs CVM ones are good - the link is somewhere back in this thread but as it's you Dev here (and Jund Monsters is here)

Also get on MTGO!

Thanks buddy, really appreciate it. I have already watched those vids. What I was really hoping for was something more akin to the
vids you posted recently. The high level of commentary and analysis you provided was very useful and more than a little inspiring.

RE: MTGO. Rest assured it is very high on my list of priorities. However due to my recent re-entry into paper magic I shall have to wait until I have acquired some more funds. If we were having this conversation a month ago (or I was slightly less impulsive) I would already be there. In the meantime do you have MWS? we can test to our hearts content on there.

[Valdarith]

I think cutting one Xenagod would be okay. If you expect more Jund than control I would keep both. It's the single most important card in the matchup.

I'd side out both Polyk and Goliath vs control so I don't think there's any advantage to running Goliath in that meta. Even vs Jund I prefer Polyk to kill off opposing Mystics.

I'd probably cut some two drops for the Satyr. Tusker can be difficult to cast as you said. I'd personally cut those completely for a third Ooze, two Satyrs, and a second Mortars. I've won way too many games off the back of an overloaded Mortars to want to run only one.[/quote:
1t640a63]

so no gyre sage OR caryatid?

Seems pretty risky.


Mortars is just a style thing, I rather have threats than answers. flesh // blood is the perfect mix but sometimes you just gotta overload mortars (its a play I only want to make once a game is the reasoning.)


For tournament play I'd run the full 4 mortars probably just because you run up against everything from Mono black aggro to WW to red variants and you just have to survive to playout better cards.

This is just for LGS kill control decks (and mono black). Worse feeling is when they lifebane zombie a creature and then you have to mortars it


So without tuskers we're back at:

4 Elvish Mystic
2 Gyre Sage
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Stormbreath Dragon
4 Fanatic of Xenagos
4 Boon Satyr
3 Deadbridge Goliath
1 Xenagos, God of Revels


2 Overgrown Tomb
4 Stomping Ground
4 Temple of Abandon
7 Forest
6 Mountain
1 Mutavault

4 Domri Rade
2 Flesh // Blood
2 Mizzium Mortars

No,
I think 3-4 Caryatid is correct. I want Gyre Sage to work so badly but there's so much removal in the format that Caryatid is the better dork here. It's important to curve into your four drop on turn three and you can't do that with Gyre Sage.

[Link]

the only 4-drop I'd be curving into is 3x Deadbridge goliath... Unless you count Ghor-Clan but that's not ideal (well Ghor-clan into bestow boon satyr on ghor-clan is nice)

I have 0 Xenagos Planes walkers main board.

The best it does is a t4 stormbreath dragon but if thats all youre using it for why not just go T2 Gyre Sage, T3 Fanatic of Xenagos (what makes this deck different), T4 stormbreath off gyre sage, make gyre sage that magic 3/4?

[Valdarith]

That's fair. I forgot you weren't running walkers.

[Devell]

An observation about Xenagod (bearing in mind that this is one of my fave cards) Im just not sure its a good magic card anymore. I really REALLY want it to be. But it only seems good when you're already winning anyway. When you're losing its pretty sucky.

Thing is im just not sure what to run instead yet. Anyone wanna have a go at convincing me he's legit?

[Valdarith]

It's huge in the mirror and good against control. It's also decent against mono black to help push through Demon. Against everything else it's average to below average. You side them out against all aggro decks since your monsters are enough to win on their own.

[Link]

I didn't use Gyre sage over Caryatid. I DID just need a consistent 3 more dorks that let me bestow earlier or Stormbreath or Xenagod. The fact that gyre sage can never really attacak in the mirror (Because of 2/4 body). Another thing is this deck definitely needs double red so Sylvan caryatid actually helps you be more consistent (and consistency=more damage anyway). I mean the deck already has a nut draw of Mystic-> Fanatic hit you for 4, T4 3Bloodrush/Blood for 18 if they shocked they are dead. Gyre wasn't really adding enough power.

I went to a small $100 tournament today and went 3-0 to take first place (it was small, but I got to see the deck in action)

Man Fanatic of Xenagos killed people real hard. Don't get me wrong, Courser of Kruphix is king of value town and all, but I never could really get excited about "man I get to maybe draw a card on T3 if I have a dork or T4 if not?!? AND GAIN LIFE!?"
Like that's not how I'm used to playing Gruul from last season.


Fanatic is the first thing you side out against any red deck going under you (or maybe not if you can race them like burn, just not against pyromancer variants), but MAN did it kill people.

It was funny I said the whole "Fanatic of Xenagos with boon satyr bestowed+xenagod just kills people" and thats ACTUALLY how I won vs. Junk Midrange in G3.

I didn't get to play against mono black but I'd love for them to not pay tribute and bile blight it. 4 damage is sometimes all you need before Ghor-Clan+Flesh//blood kills em


I definitely am interested in testing out Skarrg guildmage from the SB against Esper lists. All you need is 8 power to kill an elspeth, and flash in boon satyr, animate a land+trample is 8 power. to mention how it forces them to verdict a mystic and 2-drop if you go mystic, skarrg, t3 swing 6. Then resolve Xenagos
Planeswalker or polukranos and just keep the beats coming.

The mirror match is definitely horrible though. I'm going deeper with armed//dangerous to just kill them out of nowhere witth Xenagos. You DONT want to drag the game out when they are drawing cards with Courser anyway, so fuckin kill them faster! Force them to dreadbore those fanatics. Establish yourself as the aggressor and Monsters lists definitely can get runover.

If they have all the dreadbores into reaper or something then just understand youve lost that game, its not the decks fault. You can really power through that 2/4 value town with a strong start. The key things to remember are:

Always be the first to play polukranos and never play yours into another one because of domri.
Domri is the only PW that matters enough to play. The mana from xenagos is nice but 2/2s aren't. Falter from chandra is ok but not if she just dies to the polukranos you faltered anyway for free.
Loading up on mizzium mortars just favors a drawn out game,
which they win with coursers and either Reapers out of Jund. I like to overload one to clear dragon+courser and thats usually enough.
Killing dorks is important, but if you Blood one with yours and feel good still realize that unless you have very strong follow up plays (t2 kill their dork into T3 polukranos with domri in hand on the play), you might've thrown out your chance to kill them out of nowhere.

[Link]

[deck]
30 Creatures
4 Elvish Mystic
3 Sylvan Caryatid
3 Scavenging Ooze
4 Fanatic of Xenagos
4 Boon Satyr
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
3 Polukranos, World Eater
4 Stormbreath Dragon
1 Xenagos, God of Revels


23 Land
2 Overgrown Tomb
4 Stomping Ground
4 Temple of Abandon
7 Forest
6 Mountain

4 Domri Rade

2 Flesh // Blood
1 Mizzium Mortars


SB: 3 Destructive Revelry
SB: 2 Skarrg Guildmage
SB: 2 Shock
SB: 2 Mizzium Mortars
SB: 2 Armed // Dangerous
SB: 1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
SB: 1 Xenagos, God of Revels
SB: 2 Xenagos, the Reveler
[/deck]

you can try 1 temple of malice for a mountain but I'd be careful on too many scrylands. One should be fine though. Theres usually a turn you can fit it in whether you have a dork or not since your curve starts at 3.

Also if you want 4 polukranos or 24 lands go for it. I actually played without any mortars MB today but that was a meta read, 30 creatures is a
nice solid number. I can't think of anything I want to cut (creature wise) for the 4th polukranos. Maybe one scavenging ooze, but I rather not, sometimes just him getting in for 4 is enough, and he's a good bloodrush target. Polukranos can just be sometimes awesome or sometimes cllunky. having multiples of him really isn't desirable for this deck's game plan.

Boon Satyr is as awesome as Valadarith said by the way. 8 3-drops is where you want to be at if you don't have a dork and only have 4 drops thats just an auto-mull, whereas sometimes you can get away with just no ramp and 3-drops

I'll do some more in depth SB plans later but to start:


vs. Monsters
-2 Flesh // Blood
+2 Armed // Dangerous
-2 Stormbreath dragon (is expensive as hell, dies to mortars)
+1 Xenagos, God of Revelry
+1 Mizzium Mortars/Ruric Thar (experimental, dominates board? Doesn't die to removal? Maybe not vs. Jund but then again they can't afford the 6 life with shocklands and you can punish)


vs. Naya Hexproof
-
4 Domri Rade (can't fight, don't ever want to draw cards)
-1 Mizzium Mortars
+3 Destructive Revelry
+2 Armed // Dangerous

Mulligan aggressively.


vs. Esper Control
-1 Mizzium Mortars
-2 Flesh // Blood
-2 Scavenging Ooze

+2 Skarrg Guildmage
+1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
+1 Xenagos, the Reveler PW
+1 Destructive Reverly (I've definitely just died with multiple of these in hand to Obzedat and shit before. You can even argue not to bring it in and at all, but it gets you back a higher value card than scavenging ooze IMO.)


vs. Mono black (Work in progress)
I don't have plummets because I just hate the idea of reactionary cards, but if you can live with yourself go for it. I want to make room for Chandra in the SB actually because she's pretty house against lifebane zombie. Really though you just need to steal game 1 by powering through a demon with xenagod and bring in another Xenagod and hopefully win G3. Flesh and blood and domri are your weakest cards MB I feel, so I'd take 2 domris
and flesh//bloods for Ruric Thar and Xenagod, and use XenagoPW as a "counter" to desecration demon or a good threat when they don't have it.



Its possible shocks are unnecessary if you want Chandra instead depending on if you expect any deck playing 1-drops.