UG Resilience

Standard Counters GU (Simic)

thezeronumber

Creature (23)

• 4x Experiment One
• 4x Gyre Sage
• 4x Strangleroot Geist
• 4x Vorapede
• 3x Wolfir Avenger
• 4x Zameck Guildmage

Land (24)

• 4x Breeding Pool
• 13x Forest
• 4x Hinterland Harbor
• 3x Island

Enchantment (6)

• 2x Ooze Flux
• 4x Rancor

Instant (7)

• 4x Rapid Hybridization
• 3x Simic Charm

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Maybeboard

Creature (6)

• 1x Champion of Lambholt
• 1x Cloudfin Raptor
• 1x Fathom Mage
• 1x Prime Speaker Zegana
• 1x Thragtusk
• 1x Ulvenwald Tracker

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After the Gatecrash pre-release I started looking for some standard deck ideas and one thing which caught my eye was the interaction Simic had with the Undying mechanic from Innistrad. Before rotation I was performing similar tricks with Geralf's Messenger and Hex Parasite so I knew how effective it could be. A couple of weeks ago I started brewing the idea and after a few games on Cockatrice I am pleased to say it works which is why I am putting this deck on here. I'm not going to say it's "competitive" but I think it has a home at FNM. Likewise I am not sure what type of deck to call this though I'm inclined to say it's more "aggro" than anything else.

It's playable, not too expensive to build and most importantly it's fun.

Concept

There are 3 main tricks to this deck:

1. You have a creature with undying, it dies and it comes back to the field with a +1/+1 counter. Then you remove that counter so the creature is back to its original form, thus resetting undying and allowing it to come back from death once again.
2. Evolve works with creatures entering the field and undying constantly brings creatures back to the field. It speaks for itself.
3. Depending on the card, the removal of counters helps card draw, token generation or combat tricks.

Choices and Thoughts

• Land - Playsets of Breeding Pool and Hinterland Harbor due to double/triple G costs and the early need for blue mana. The Forest and Island numbers feel "about right" and so far I haven't had a serious mana problem during games.
• Experiment One - Ignoring the regeneration which is all-right as a last resort, a 1/1 with evolve for G is great. It usually becomes a 2/2 on the next turn and hits 3/3 fairly easily. Can go even higher with a Vorapede.
• Gyre Sage - Mana generation and blocker early on, beat-stick once I no longer need the ramp! Often becomes a 3/4 without breaking a sweat and that alone makes this a wonderful 2-drop. The ramp is especially useful for Vorapede and making sure you can do that little bit extra on a turn. Has a neat interaction with Ooze Flux too: As a 3/4 you can tap to add GG, remove 2 counters from the Sage and create a 2/2 Ooze, which will trigger evolve and make her a 2/3 again. Not bad for an instant-speed trick that requires no lands!
• Strangleroot Geist - This card does a lot of things. Good early play, attacks the turn it is cast, can come back from the dead and often triggers evolve both on initial cast and when it returns to the field. Shame about the GG cost but everything else makes up for it.
• Zameck Guildmage - A key player in this deck. For UG you can remove a counter from a creature you control and draw a card, or as I like to see it, "UG: Reset undying, draw a card". Naturally this is instant-speed too so if something were to get rid of that undying +1/+1 creature it will magically be reset and comes back moments later. That makes Zameck great by itself but we shouldn't forget the other ability that lets all creatures entering the field do so with an extra +1/+1 counter, which can be handy for undying creatures returning to the field if you plan to munch on those counters right away. Zameck gets hated on pretty quickly so you should never rely on his abilities for too long but look on the bright side; that's less removal for your other creatures.
• Wolfir Avenger - On first glance he looks out of place in this deck, however his P/T is great for evolve, flash means he can come in to block out of nowhere, regenerate means he can survive the attack and the mix of all 3 means he does some awesome things during combat, especially when you're blocking. I can't think of another card which does so much for this deck at the mere cost of 3.
• Vorapede - A brilliant card that had been overlooked for many month, until now. Undying, trample and vigilance on a 5/4 body makes this a reliable creature to beat-face and defend-face with. He always triggers evolve and it's a scary card to be facing when there aren't many ways to get rid of him quickly.
• Rapid Hybridization - Worst case, removal of a large threat. Best (and often used) case, using it at the end of their turn to destroy an undying creature, having it come back to the field and trigger evolve, having the token trigger evolve once more and then being able to use both because it's now the start of your turn and they no longer have summoning sickness. Beautiful.
• Rancor - Amazing card and practically a staple for green decks that want to be aggressive. Goes nicely with undying and instantly makes any creature a threat.
• Simic Charm - It's here because it's versatile. The deck is lacking removal and aside from bouncing my own guys for benefit I could bounce theirs, or protect my guys with hexproof for a turn, or give one of them +3/+3 for the sake of attacking or pseudo removal during combat. It works well, though sometimes I wish it was double-green instead of GU to cast.
• Ooze Flux - Another way to remove counters. Often plays as a "1G: Reset undying, get a 1/1 chump blocker" or a 3/1 trample with Rancor. Sometimes the tokens are larger due to the evolve creatures, either way I like this card and I am considering adding a third. Shame it's a 4 cost which does nothing the turn it is played.

Maybeboard

• Ulvenwald Tracker - The deck could do with some more removal and the fight mechanic might be the best thing in these colours. The upside is a turn 1 play and a repeatable source. The downside is that it's attached to a fragile body that requires a turn to prepare. It can chuck undying and developed evolve guys at their creatures so it does have merit in theory but the question is whether I want a proper creature in this slot or another utility card that happens to be a creature.
• Cloudfin Raptor - Evolve on a 0/1 means a lot of easy triggers and a top-end 3/4 without the help of Vorapede. Plus it's a flyer! But casting for U on the first or even second turn could be a problem, especially if you want to follow it up with heavy-green costs (aka Strangleroot Geist).
• Champion of Lambholt - Possible Wolfir Avenger replacement. At a real stretch it could replace Young Wolf but it'd bump up the average cost a fair bit. Sideboard perhaps? The first thing which comes to mind is that the Champion is the complete polar-opposite of Wolfir: She avoids combat, she is initially fragile, she draws hate, takes some time to setup and works beautifully with undying. Wolfir wants to see combat because of the 3/3 body and regenerate, he is pretty solid the turn he comes in, doesn't draw much hate because he is hard to get rid of, can be cast at instant speed and does nothing for undying, though helps with evolve. It's not easy to compare two cards when they are so different.
• Fathom Mage - Evolve creature that gets you a card draw for every counter placed on her. Heavenly interaction with Bioshift however brief, also plays nice with Ooze Flux and Zameck Guildmage if you can constantly trigger the evolve. The problem is she starts very fragile for a 4 cost. Another problem is finding a place for her, if any. Feels like it could do really well if it was working but be a bad play in every other situation. Hmm.
• Thragtusk - Possible sideboard card to replace Vorapede. The life gain would help against RDW or aggressive decks and the token it leaves behind is a nice bonus. Not much else to say other than throwing a Rancor on it and swinging for 7 next turn.
• Prime Speaker Zegana - I think she is pretty similar to Fathom Mage, only you get instant card draw and a decent body at a highest initial cost. Most of the time I see her coming out as a 4/4 with 4 card draw but with Vorapede out or Rancor on some creatures I can see those numbers climbing to 5, 6, maybe even 7. Like Fathom Mage in another sense, I have no idea where to put her. Zegana is the least favourite of my "unsure" list.

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Comments, advice, votes and critics are all welcome. Thanks for viewing.

Top Ranked	Achieved #89 position overall 11 years ago
Date added	11 years
Last updated	11 years
Legality	This deck is not Standard legal.
Rarity (main - side)	4 - 0 Mythic Rares 14 - 0 Rares 26 - 0 Uncommons
Cards	60
Avg. CMC	2.19
Tokens	Frog Lizard 3/3 G, Ooze X/X G
Folders	Ideas, Interessantes, Possible decks, possible, test