This is a straightforward GW Enchantresses build. I initially wanted it to be more about hatebears, but it quickly turned into a voltron deck. The deck is decent; it wins occasionally in my relatively casual format, but can't hold a candle to my Gitrog (https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/the-frogs/). Mirri is a fun change of pace, and it's nice to be able to shut down a fair number of combos with hate cards like RIP, Stony Silence, and Suppression Field.
(3/6/18 update)A number of changes have been made since the deck's inception, though the playstyle is not much different. While Mirri here could be called a voltron deck, that feels like a subtheme when you're actually playing the deck- "Enchantresses" would be a more accurate description since it applies to what you're actually doing, for the most part, as this build's idea of voltron is rather bare-bones compared to, say, that of a run-of-the-mill Uril deck; Mirri typically needs to get buffed up by auras before she can win me the game, but that's something of an afterthought.
What the deck does best is muddle the battlefield with all manner of disruptive, stax-like (stax-lite?) enchantments, while typically getting some other value in the process, such as card draw, direct Mirri buffing a la Ancestral Mask or Ethereal Armor, or something less frequently encountered.The curve is quite low, especially Mirri herself, and she starts the clock ticking early in the game, while just as often attacking with the goal of limiting opponents' attackers to 1 a piece. What's nice about the cat is that she is very balanced; that is, she likes to attack a lot but also has some built-in protection (no more than one blocker, first strike) and has significant defensive merit (blocking all but one attacker each turn is deceptively strong).
A strength of Mirri here is that enchantment hate is just about the only approach that is all that strong against it (and that's some of the less common removal in EDH- there's no ubiquitous green "Vandalblast for enchantments"); the deck is so stripped down, with Birds of Paradise, Cultivate, and Sol Ring being the only non-enchantment sources of ramp, with Eternal Witness as the only card in 100 that interacts with the player's graveyard, with Sigil of the Empty Throne as the only possible wincon other than Mirri herself, etc. Obviously this makes the symmetrical effects we run barely harm us in the least; Suppression Field is no trouble, since there are just three or four activated non-mana abilities in the whole deck, for instance.
The deck is far from perfect; there are situations when it tends to perform poorly.If Mirri runs out of steam- no hand, exhausted board, few options- she may be stuck in draw-go mode for a while. There's very little card draw outside of the enchantresses, and there are only four of those ladies, so card advantage is usually an uphill battle; further, only one of those creatures (Eidolon) is a guaranteed draw, while the rest often find themselves lounging around contributing nothing in times of enchantment-drought. If the game runs long and Mirri is left standing against a good tempo-driven deck, say, a UG/UGx build stuffed to the gills with ramp and card advantage, then Mirri will inevitably fall behind; ideally you can sneak Mirri in for 21 before things get out of hand, but that gets progressively tougher.
The stars:
-Canopy Cover: this is usually the first aura I search for in nearly every game. It's essentially Hexproof + Unblockable for 1G. I'm always much more comfortable being aggressive with Mirri once she's Covered.
-Ancestral Mask: when it comes to sheer Voltron efficiency, there's no better aura. When there are three or four players at the table, it can easily grant 20+ power and toughness.
-Argothian/Verduran/Mesa Enchantress & Eidolon of Blossoms: the Enchantresses really are the backbone of the deck, and a big part of why the deck's strategy is remotely viable. Even with more than one of these gals on the field, you're rarely going to be drawing cards at the breakneck EDH card advantage pace of other, more threatening decks; with Mirri, it stays well withing the realm of the reasonable, which is part of why it manages to avoid being targeted in favor of flashier opponents much of the time.
-Bear Umbra: all three of its abilities are highly relevant, not least of all the untapping of all your lands (i.e. mana sources, in this deck with Sol Ring and 0 other rocks). Add an enchantress or two to the mix and you're basically taking a whole new turn post combat.
-Mana Bloom: as with Bear Umbra, this gets dramatically better given the deck plays all four of the true Enchantresses. Plopping it down for 0 or 1 every turn just to draw extra cards and maybe make angels is one of the better ways we can accrue value later in the game after playing our hand.
-Suppression Field: a major theme of this deck is enchantments intended to throw a wrench into particular strategies. Rest in Peace and Stony Silence are probably the most obvious, and powerful, examples; Suppression Field is quite a bit more subtle, but nearly as devastating and probably more far-reaching in its disruption. Think about how many commanders and deck rely heavily on activated abilities: Roon, Vorel, Teysa, Prossh, Marath, Azami, Superfriends of all flavors, and quite a few infinite combo decks, while very often bogging down a Sensei's Divining Top or the like even if none of those vulnerable decks is present, all while having basically no impact on your own game play.
Wish list:
-Idyllic Tutor, Enlightened Tutor: at this point there aren't many tutors in here at all, and I could safely add three or four more without turning this into a cutthroat deck.
-Eldrazi Conscription: I'm tickled by the thought of topping my EDH curve with an aura.
-Greater Auramancy, Privileged Position: Hooray for expensive Sterling Groves two and three!
-Serra's Sanctum: Shame it's so pricey. In time I could see picking one up, if this deck continues to be satisfying.
