I posted a werewolf article in the articles forum. I am going to copy and paste it here, so that I can use to go into the edit box and copy paste move the article. If I copy paste move the article from the Articles and Challenges Forum thread where I posted the article, the formatting will get messed up.
Title: Werewolf a unofficial, borderline tier 1 power level deck? A breakdown comparison on why my werewolf deck, is a cut above some to most werewolf decks, and why a werewolf deck can be a unofficial borderline tier 1.5 power level deck, and a comparison of werewolf decks and cards.
Some say werewolf decks have the potential to be unofficial, borderline tier 1 power level decks in standard. Some say they aren't. So are they? Maybe? Those are the questions this article will try to answer, by giving a breakdown of my werewolf deck, and a comparison of werewolf decks, and cards.
There are also four video segments that are related to, cover some of the same content that's in this article. So one can read and watch one of either the article, or video's, and or do both if you want.
So here are the video links:
Werewolf article video segment 1
Werewolf article video segment 2
Werewolf article video segment 3
Werewolf article video segment 4
So lets start with a breakdown on my werewolf deck:
Here is the link to my werewolf deck:
Fell Morphic Master Pack's Hunt
Breakdown:
64 card, 23 lands, .359% land, mana ratio, 4 bird mana creatures, 2.58 average cmc.
CREATURES: 20
4 Birds of Paradise, 4 Mayor of Avabruck
Flip, 3 Daybreak Ranger
Flip, 3 Phyrexian Metamorph
3 Huntmaster of the Fells
Flip, 3 Immerwolf
Instants: 10
3 Moonmist, 3 Brimstone Volley, 2 Mana Leak, 2 Naturalize
Sorceries: 4
2 Green Sun's Zenith, 2 Slag Storm
Planewalkers: 4
2 Garruk Relentless
Flip, 2 Chandra, the Firebrand
Enchantments: 3
3 Full Moon's Rise
Lands: 7 Forest, 4 Rootbound Crag, 3 Copperline Gorge, 3 Hinterland Harbor 2 Kessig Wolf Run 2 Ghost Quarter. 1 Inkmoth Nexus, 1 Mountain.
Sideboard: 15
3 Tunnel Ignus, 2 Mana Leak, 2 Naturalize, 2 Blasphemous Act,
2 Traitorous Blood, 2 Grafdigger's Cage, 2 Surgical Extraction
Card, task, function, mechanic, categories breakdown:
Creature Removal: 18:
3 Huntmaster of the Fells
Flip. 3 Daybreak Ranger
Flip, 3 Phyrexian Metamorph,
3 Brimstone Volley, 2 Slagstorm, 2 Garruk Relentless
Flip, 2 Chandra, the Firebrand
Creature Pump: 17
4 Mayor of Avabruck
Flip, 3 Immerwolf, 3 Phyrexian Metamorph, 3 Full Moon's Rise,
2 Garruk Relentless
Flip, 2 Kessig Wolf Run
Creature Protection from Board Wipe, Spot Removal,etc: 5:
3 Full Moon's Rise, 2 Mana Leak
Wolf Token Generators: 12:
4 Mayor of Avabruck
Flip, 3 Huntmaster of the Fells
Flip, 3 Phyrexian Metamorph,
2 Garruk Relentless
Flip
Flip Protection: 6
3 Immerwolf, 3 Phyrexian Metamorph
Tutor, Searchers: 4
2 Garruk Relentless
Flip, 2 Green Sun's Zenith
Mana Ramp Creatures: 4
4 Birds of Paradise.
Counterspells: 2
2 Mana Leak
Artifact, Enchantment Removal: 2
2 Naturalize
Copiers, reverberation: 4
2 Phyrexian Metamorph, 2 Chandra, the Firebrand
Board wipers: 4
2 Chandra, the Firebrand, 2 Slagstorm
Now that I have completely broke down my werewolf deck, I am going to talk a little bit about what a werewolf deck has to do, to deal with problems, and what those problems are, and how my deck deals with those things.
Werewolf decks like any good deck needs to: 1. Get werewolves out as fast as can. 2. Pump them up. 3. Remove blockers, attackers, deal with threats. 4. Protect werewolves, while stopping opponent, from doing the same thing. Basically that all can be called GAME CONTROL.
Now the problem with doing that with werewolf decks, is that werewolf tries to be aggro, but can't seem to do that as fast effectively. And if werewolf is semi successfully able to be a aggro deck, it sometimes runs out of steam like most other semi super fast aggro decks.
Werewolf decks also try to be mid range, but again can't seem to do that as effectively. Werewolf decks are "tweener" decks. Another thing that seems to, and can hold a werewolf deck back is having to skip pass a turn, lose the momentum,initiative,tempo,pace, to flip werewolves. Another problem is werewolves can be susceptible to removal. Another problem is that sometimes werewolves don't have the ability to deal with big threats. And werewolves can be flipped back by opponents.
Now to deal with the "tweener" problem, a werewolf deck has to embrace what it is, and try to effectively be that effectively. The werewolf tribe is a semi aggro to semi mid range "tweener" tribe. So what does a werewolf deck do to be that effectively?
RAMP. Birds are very important to a werewolf deck, because it makes it so that can drop the best "core" werewolves turns 2 and 3, 1 or 2 turns earlier then normal. That helps werewolves get back some of the momentum, initiative, tempo, pace, it loses when it passes and skips a turn to flip.
Another way werewolf decks can deal with the tempo loss due to flipping, is to not only use instants to do stuff during opponents turns, but to remove opponents permanents and or stop,counter opponent from threatening you during his turn. Doing that not only slows down your opponent, but also catches you up so that you regain the tempo you lose when you flip your werewolves.
Another way to regain that, is through Huntmaster of the Fells
Flip and Nightfall Predator
Flip, the flipped side of Daybreak Ranger
Flip.
Here is an example:
You have Huntmaster and Daybreak Ranger out, with 1 Brimstone Volley, and 1 Mana Leak in hand. You pass turn. Then your Huntmaster flips and kills another one of your opponent's creatures. Then Daybreak Ranger
Flip flips into Predator. Then you tap Predator, pay 1 red, fight and kill another creature in the arena. Then you Brimstone Volley and kill another creature. Then when your opponent either tries to put out a nasty threat creature, or tries to Ratchet Bomb, Black Sun's Zenith you, or something that Full Moon's Rise can't deal with, you Mana Leak it. Doing all that during your opponents turn, slows down your opponent and preserves your tempo.
Now to be semi mid range to mid range, werewolf decks have to be able to pump up werewolves big enough to go toe to toe with opponent's big creatures, and have to be able to deal with opponents threats. There are cards that can do that. They are Full Moon's Rise, Mayor of Avabruck
Flip, Immerwolf, Phyrexian Metamorph,(Copies legendary, and indestructible creature threats, and artifact threats.), Brimstone Volley, Mana Leak, Naturalize, Huntmaster of the Fells
Flip.
So with those things in mind, here is how my deck deals with the things that I talked about above.
For getting out my werewolves fast, I have Birds of Paradise, that I can drop turn 1 to play Daybreak Ranger
Flip, Immerwolf turn 2, and Huntmaster turn 3. I can use Mayor of Avabruck
Flip and Huntmaster and Garruk Relentless
Flip, on turns 2,3,4 to put out pumped 3/3 to 5/5 wolf tokens turns 3,4,5,6. I can use Phyrexian Metamorph to copy Mayor to put out more wolf tokens. And Metamorph doesn't have to be flipped, and doesn't flip back. And Immerwolf prevents werewolves from being flipped back. Also should the draw be bad, I can use Garruk Relentless
Flip, and Green Sun's Zenith, to search up werewolves and put them into play. So all that deals with getting werewolves out and flipped at least semi fast to fast.
Then to deal with regaining tempo lost by flipping werewolves.Moonmist helps with flipping werewolves, without losing tempo. And my deck has 10 instants that can be used during opponents turns to slow opponents down and regain tempo.
Then during the mid range game, my werewolf deck has Mana Leaks, Brimstone Volleys, Full Moon's Rise, Naturalize, to both deal with attackers and blockers and enchantments and artifacts, and to protect my werewolves.
During this time my deck also has Immerwolf, Mayor of Avabruck
Flip, Huntmaster, Metamorph, Full Moon's Rise, Garruk Relentless, Kessig Wolf Run, to help pump my werewolves up big and continue to put lots of creatures out, and protect werewolves from being flipped back. My werewolf deck can also use Garruk, and Green Sun, to search up werewolves into play to either keep up the pressure, or as possible answers to deal with threats, and or to pump up werewolves bigger.
Now another thing a werewolf deck needs to deal with stuff is what is called ANSWERS.
Answers are cards that are in both deck and sideboard to deal with problems, threats, situations, and stuff.
A werewolf deck ABSOLUTELY NEEDS these answers.
My werewolf deck has answers to almost everything. So here are my werewolf deck's answers;
Board wiping: I have 2 Slagstorms, and 2 Blasphemous Acts
Protecting my werewolves from spot removal, board wipes: 3 Full Moon's Rise, 2 to 4 Mana Leak
Dealing with indestructible: I have 3 Metamorphs, and 2 Traitorous Bloods, 2 to 4 Mana Leaks
Dealing with Hexproof, Shroud: I have 2 to 4 Mana leaks, and 2 Slagstorms, 2 Blasphemous Acts.
Dealing with can't be countered: I have 3 Metamorphs, 2 Blasphemous Acts. 3 Brimstone Volleys, 2 Traitorous Bloods, Pumping werewolves. A pumped Nightfall Predator
Flip
Dealing With Ramp: Keeping pace with Birds, Removing their Birds, Elves, etc. (2)Surgical Extraction, to deal with their mana ramp cards and creatures. Mana Leak their Big Creatures, and mana ramp cards. Metamorph copy their big ramped creatures. Traitorous Blood Steal their big mana ramped creatures. Brimstone Volley or Blaspemous Act remove their big mana ramped creatures. I have 3 Tunnel Ignus to either make them take damage from putting extra lands into play, or to slow them down.
Dealing with decks that use graveyard: I have 2 Surgical Extraction, 2 Grafdigger's Cage
Dealing with enchantments, artifacts: I have 2 to 4 Naturalize, and 2 to 4 Mana Leak
Dealing with control, removal, counterspell decks: I have 3 Full Moon's Rise, 2 to 4 Mana Leaks, 2 Surgical Extraction, 2 Grafdigger's Cage, wolf token advantage
So my deck has answers to almost everything split between my deck and sideboard.
Now that I have covered all the things above. In looking at and dealing with all of the things above, there are certain cards that because they deal with lots of different, key, important things, and do that better then other cards, they are considered CORE cards.
So now I am going to talk about the core cards in the werewolf tribe, and am going to compare these core cards, and the core cards in my werewolf deck, and why I have them in my deck.
Core cards: Mayor of Avabruck
Flip, Huntmaster of the Fells
Flip, Daybreak Ranger
Flip, Immerwolf, Kruin Outlaw
Flip, Instigator Gang
Flip, Moonmist, Full Moon's Rise, Garruk Relentless
Flip.
what should be CORE cards: Phyrexian Metamorph, Green Sun's Zenith, Birds of Paradise
Of the Core cards, I have Mayor, Huntmaster, Daybreak Ranger
Flip, Immerwolf, Moonmist, Full Moon's Rise, Garruk Relentless
Flip. And of the should be core cards, I have Phyrexian Metamorph, Green Sun's Zenith, Birds of Paradise.
Now the reasons why I don't have all the 1 cmc drops, and only have Birds of Paradise as my 1 cmc mana ramp creature drops, is because as I explained earlier, I can drop a bird turn 1 and ramp,drop a 3 cmc turn 2. And to many 1 drop werewolves creates a aggro deck, that can run out of steam later.
And the reason why I don't have the Kruin Outlaw
Flip, is because Kruin Outlaw cost 2 RR(2 red mana), and that can make it hard to cast out. Plus Green Sun only searches up green creatures into play, so I can't Green Sun a Kruin Outlaw into play. Plus Kruin Outlaw draws hate, is easily removed postflip. And also Kruin Outlaw is not better then Birds, Mayor, Huntmaster, Metamorph, Daybreak Ranger, Immerwolf, Garruk, Green Sun, Full Moon's Rise, Moonmist, etc. So there is no room for Kruin Outlaw.
And the reason why I don't have Instigator Gang
Flip, is because I. Gang is 4 cmc and doesn't usually get out until turns 4,5, and doesn't flip until turns 5,6, and doesn't attack until turns 6,7. This makes I. Gang to slow. Also I can't Green Sun I. Gang into play, because it's red. Also I. Gang's Pump is a temporary pump. I can get a better, higher, permanent pump with 3 to 5 of my 17 pump cards, 1 turn earlier then what I could get with I. Gang. Plus I. Gang is just not better then Birds, Mayor, Huntmaster, Metamorph, Immeerwolf, Green Sun, Garruk, Full Moon's Rise, Moonmist, Daybreak Ranger etc. So there just isn't enough room, for Instigator Gang.
But other then that, I have almost all the core cards and answers in my werewolf deck.
HUNTMASTER VS IMMERWOLF? CONFLICT?
Some people think that Huntmaster and Immerwoilf don't belong in a werewolf deck together. Here is why that's not true.
-
Huntmaster only flips back and forth 1,2 times per game.
-
Huntmaster has a lot of VALUE. With Huntmaster you get a 2/2 wolf token, 2 life, then after it flips, you do 2 damage to opponent, 2 damage to kill off 1 of his creatures, and get a 4/4 Huntmaster with trample, all for 4 cmc. That's awesome VALUE. Even if Huntmaster doesn't flip back after that, or only flips back and forth 1 time. Even if Huntmaster gets removed after that. You still get a lot of VALUE out of Huntmaster. And so all that value is going to be thrown away, just because of Immerwolf stopping Huntmaster from flipping back? Hell no.
-
And Immerwolf has intimidate, and so can be a pumped unblockable creature. It pumps all your werewolves, wolves, and wolf tokens. And it protects your werewolves from being flipped back. That's a lot of VALUE. And all that VALUE in immerwolf is going to be thrown away just because immerwolf stopped Huntmaster from flipping back? Hell No.
-
So if you run 3 Huntmaster, and 3 Immerwolf, they won't conflict with each other as often. So 3 Huntmasters, and 3 Immerwolfs, work just fine together, in a werewolf deck together.
Now the reason why I talked about these core cards, and the Huntmaster , Immerwolf thing, is that when you look at some of the higher rated werewolf decks on the werewolf hub, they don't have the best of the core cards, like Huntmaster, Immerwolf, Garruk, Full Moon's Rise, and answers in their main deck, and in their sideboards, to deal with the problems I talked about above.
Huntmaster, and Immerwolf, Garruk, Full Moon's Rise, should be in almost every werewolf deck. There is a reason why Huntmaster is a $30 card, and why Brian Kibler runs it in his Wolf Run Ramp Deck, and in his werewolf deck. There is a good reason why the top rated werewolf deck in the world has Huntmaster in it. Huntmaster is the BEST werewolf ever made so far. Huntmaster should be in almost every werewolf deck.
There is a reason why Full Moon's Rise is, or should be in almost every werewolf deck. It stops board wipes, like D O J, Ratchet Bomb, Divine Reckoning,etc, and some spot removal, like Doomblade, and Go for the Throat
There is a reason why Garruk is, or should be in most werewolf decks. He produces 2/2 wolf tokens. He lets you search for werewolves. He does 3 damage to kills off attackers and blockers. He can give all your werewolves Overrun like pump. All that for 4 cmc. And can come out turn 3 with Birds, or scorned villager. That kind of awesome versatility is BOSS.
Now I am not saying the decks that don't have the core cards, or are not like mine and others werewolf decks are bad decks. They are good decks. They have won games, and are highly rated. There is a concept where there is ok, good, better, best. When if the decks that don't have the core cards and answers, get the core cards and answers, then they will be improved upon, and be even better then the good werewolf decks that they already are.
Also I am not saying everybody has to make their deck exactly like mine, or that my deck is the best or anything. I am not saying that. There is still room for 3 to 7 deck,card slots that allow for variation. And heck my deck needs better card draw advantage and search advantage, if I could find room. That said I do think that my werewolf deck build is 1 of the better to almost best werewolf deck builds out there for the logical reasons I have already explained. But that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. And that doesn't mean it's the best werewolf deck in the world. Because it's not. And there is room for improvement.
But cards, like Huntmaster, Phyrexian Metamorph, Mayor, Daybreak Ranger, Immerwolf, Garruk, Full Moon's Rise, Moonmist, are in the Official World's best Top rated Werewolf Deck in the world. I didn't know that until I took my werewolf deck to FNM, last FNM where some werewolf deck players looked at my werewolf deck, and told me that.
Special innovative,creative,effective tech,combo techs:
Mana Leaks: Mana leaks are hardly ever in a werewolf deck. But Mana leaks are great in a werewolf deck, because they take your opponent by surprise, because they don't expect a Green, Red werewolf deck to Mana leak. Also Mana leak is a great versatile answer for almost everything. And 4 Birds, and 3 Hinterland Harbors, is plenty enough blue mana sources for 4 mana leaks.
Chandra, the Firebrand, is not usually in werewolf decks. But Chandra, is a great alternate win con. And is also part of the following combos,techs:
Chandra Reverberate,copy Brimstone Volley, Slagstorm. Do 6 to 10 damage to opponents face for the win. Or Kill off a 6/6 to 10/10 creature. or sweep the board of 3/3's to 6/6's.
Chandra Reverberate Green Sun, Mana Leak, Naturalize. Counter 2 of opponents spells for the price of 1. Naturalize 2 enchantments, artifacts, for the price of 1. Search up 2 Huntmasters into play at the same time for the cost of 1.
Slagstorm, Blasphemous Act + Full Moon's Rise, to wipe opponents board.
Phyrexian Metamorph to copy flipped Mayor, Immerwolf, Nightfall Predator.
So a werewolf deck can be a unofficial, borderline tier 1.5 power level competitive deck, that can semi consistently win, be competitive at the FNM, City, Regional, States, Grand Prix Trials, Pro Tour Qualifier Pre Trials, tournies,etc, IF IF, the werewolf deck has the Core cards, and has answers, in the main deck, and in the sideboard, and has special,innovative,creative,effective,tricks,combo's,techs,etc.
I think my werewolf deck is either there, or almost there, at that level. And I think that there are maybe, might be, 1, or 2 other werewolf decks here, that are also either there, or almost there at that level. And if those decks have the core cards and answers, in their main deck, and in their sideboards, and have tricks, combo's, techs in their deck, then their werewolf decks will be there at that level.
Now since there is always room for improvement in my werewolf deck and others werewolf decks. And since this article is about building a werewolf deck into the best build possible, into a unofficial, borderline, tier 1 power level deck, then please feel free to make constructive comments about cards in my deck and or in other werewolf decks..
Please no trolling, flaming, off topic conversations.
Also please LOGICALLY EXPLAIN constructive comments.
Also the important thing about this article, is the content, not mistypes,typos,etc. Same with the video's.
If there are legitimate constructive grammar,spelling, clarification questions,comments, corrections for this, and or future articles, then that's ok, if limited. But please don't nitpick over every little tiny thing.
Thanks for taking the time to read the article and watch the videos, if did so. I hope this article and the videos are informative, helpful, and has good content.
Thanks
Mike DH.
So I now open the floor to LOGICAL constructive discussion about making werewolf decks into the best builds possible to become a unofficial, borderline tier 1 to tier 1.85 power level deck, and the cards needed to do that.
