Front Page Feature - EDH #2

Features

zandl

14 July 2016

1589 views

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EDH #2 - Siggy Chants

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I’m bringing you a fresh deck each Wednesday from our homepage that caught my eye as it floated down on a deckcycle. I’ll show you the list, provide you with insights directly from the creator, offer improvements, and display a few runners-up that barely missed the cut. Join me as we celebrate our community’s creativity and get the lowdown on a sweet brew!

When am I most likely to see your deckcycles? I’m always taking peeks at TappedOut throughout the day (and night), so there’s not one specific time each week I’m looking for new lists. It’s the luck of the draw, but deckcycling more often can’t hurt you.

This week’s deck belongs to thewyzman, who’s got a thing for a certain animated sci-fi show from the 80’s.

Sigarda, Host of Herons in Siggy Chants

1x Acidic Slime 1x Aegis Angel 1x Ancestral Mask 1x Armadillo Cloak 1x Aura Shards 1x Avacyn’s Collar 1x Avacyn, Angel of Hope 1x Battle Mastery 1x Beast Within 1x Behemoth Sledge 1x Birds of Paradise 1x Blossoming Sands 1x Brave the Sands 1x Canopy Vista 1x Cathedral of War 1x Collective Blessing 1x Courser of Kruphix 1x Dauntless Escort 1x Dictate of Heliod 1x Dragonlord Dromoka 1x Eidolon of Blossoms 1x Eternal Witness 1x Ethereal Armor 1x Felidar Sovereign 1x Fleecemane Lion 1x Fog 1x Forced Adaptation 12x Forest 1x Grand Abolisher 1x Greater Auramancy 1x Green Sun’s Zenith 1x Guardian of the Gateless 1x Hedron Archive 1x Heliod’s Pilgrim 1x Heliod, God of the Sun 1x Hunter’s Insight 1x Hyena Umbra 1x Into the Wilds 1x Iona, Shield of Emeria 1x Kor Spiritdancer 1x Mass Calcify 1x Mesa Enchantress 1x Mirari’s Wake 1x New Benalia 1x Oblivion Ring 1x Path to Exile 15x Plains 1x Rampant Growth 1x Rancor 1x Sage’s Reverie 1x Saltcrusted Steppe 1x Selesnya Signet 1x Sensei’s Divining Top 1x Shield of the Oversoul 1x Sigil of the Empty Throne 1x Silent Sentinel 1x Snake Umbra 1x Sol Ring 1x Spear of Heliod 1x Sphere of Safety 1x Spider Umbra 1x Spirit Mantle 1x Sun Titan 1x Sunpetal Grove 1x Suspension Field 1x Swords to Plowshares 1x Temple Garden 1x Temple of Plenty 1x Terramorphic Expanse 1x Totem-Guide Hartebeest 1x True Conviction 1x Unflinching Courage 1x Verduran Enchantress 1x Vivid Meadow

        Strengths

We have a classic Voltron strategy that focuses more on auras than equipment while trying not to leave itself open to the common weaknesses of Voltron. Sigarda, Host of Herons is a tank and a massive pain the ass for any control deck to deal with. Short of board-wipes, there isn’t much that can effectively stop her. There are also a good amount of tutors in the build already and many of the staple aura powerhouses are present.

        Weaknesses

As thewyzman mentions below, being overrun by wide armies is a constant threat. Some of the spells used here to try and alleviate that pressure aren’t necessarily ideal for EDH, so we’ll need to find better alternatives. Another potential weakness I see is that the enchantment theme seems to be the focus but we’re missing many of the relevant support spells in that department. Finally, while there aren’t many tremendously efficient ways to prevent Cyclonic Rift or something like Merciless Eviction from going off, we can implement a number of cards to prevent Wrath of God effects from ruining our fun.

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        Creator Insights

What is the overall goal of the deck?

"The overall goal of the deck is pretty simple: Voltron! Establish a solid mana base in the opening turns, cast Sigarda, Host of Herons when she’s available, then load her up as quickly as possible. Cards like Mesa Enchantress keep your hand stocked and Heliod's Pilgrim lets you tutor your auras. The strategy is simple and linear and every card in the list has a purpose toward that goal: Go big or go home."

What led you to play Voltron in EDH?

"I tried Modern for a couple months and, after toying around unsuccessfully with Izzet, I found myself enjoying Hexproof Auras using Gladecover Scout and Ethereal Armor. After watching Narset, Enlightened Master go Voltron and wreck people when no one dealt with her, I decided to revisit the Voltron archetype with Sigarda whose evasion could lead to one-shot kills while being immune to sacrifice effects. The synergy of enchantments is strong and building around her is a lot of fun!"

Are there any matchups you fear while playing this deck?

"Matchups I fear are few. This deck is really meant to operate on its own with relatively limited interaction with the board, which can seem intimidating in multiplayer games. Voltron’s biggest weakness is being swarmed with creatures, like Craterhoof Behemoth plays in particular. I’ve added Sphere of Safety, Guardian of the Gateless, and Fog in my list for just such occasions."

In what areas do you think the deck excels?

"I think the deck excels in synergy by playing cards like Eidolon of Blossoms along with dozens of enchantments. Behind lands, enchantments are arguably the hardest permanent to remove, so a deck filled with them is often difficult for many decks to deal with. Add in a flying commander who is already a massive pain and it’s easy to see how brutal it is for opponents. There’s nothing more satisfying than looking your opponent in the eye and tapping your turn-six angel with double strike and lifelink to hit for lethal damage."

Finally, are there strategies you’ve tried in the deck that didn’t work out?

"In the first iterations of the deck, I had a handful of mana dorks and other hexproof creatures, like Sacred Wolf. After some experience, the mana dorks were dead draws late-game and the additional hexproof creatures took away from beefing up my single commander. As long as folks don’t start countering all my enchantments and ruining my tempo, the deck typically plays best when focusing my auras solely on Sigarda and killing opponents through lethal commander damage."

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        Potential Improvements

• - The Less Exciting Creatures
• If enchantments are what we’re about, creatures that don’t deal with them are essentially Dead Weight. We want to cut down on everything but the most synergistic creatures and those that protect our game plan. Mana dorks, as mentioned above, would appear to be a necessary evil, but there’s a solution to that problem. Let’s remove Acidic Slime, Aegis Angel, Avacyn, Angel of Hope, Birds of Paradise, Dauntless Escort, Dragonlord Dromoka, Fleecemane Lion, Guardian of the Gateless, Iona, Shield of Emeria, Silent Sentinel, and Totem-Guide Hartebeest. Though these creatures loosely protect Sigarda and/or find us more enchantments, there are stronger and more versatile versions out there. Avacyn and Iona, notably, paint huge targets on our backs (even bigger than the one you get when you reveal Sigarda as your Commander) and need a huge mana investment. Sigarda is easily enough to win the game with so long as we play the right spells.
• - The Less Exciting Enchantments
• If turning Sigarda into Voltron is our whole game plan, then enchantments that don’t (A) make her bigger or (B) keep us alive aren’t exactly what we’re in the business of. Next on the chopping block are Brave the Sands, Collective Blessing, Dictate of Heliod, Forced Adaptation, Greater Auramancy, Into the Wilds, Spear of Heliod, Oblivion Ring, and Suspension Field. Many of these cards are underwhelming if we aren’t going wide with an army of creatures and the others just don’t do enough to warrant holding onto. Greater Auramancy, notably, seems good on paper but gives Sigarda shroud once she’s enchanted. Considering that she already can’t be targeted by our opponents, that’s only a negative for us. Things like Oblivion Ring and Suspension Field have strictly better alternatives in Grasp of Fate and Journey to Nowhere.
• - Other Durdly Things and Lackluster Lands
• There are a number of spells in here now that have functional reprints in enchantment form. We need to decide if we want to go that hard into the enchantment strategy, but I think we do and the benefits of doing so are worth it. Also, a few of our lands are pretty inefficient in two-color decks. Let’s find better options for Behemoth Sledge, Fog, Hedron Archive, Rampant Growth, Saltcrusted Steppe, Terramorphic Expanse, Vivid Meadow, and a handful of basics to make room for better lands.

• + More Auras and Defensive Support
• With Sigarda at the helm, we need to make sure she’s always supported both offensively and defensively. Let’s add Bear Umbra, Eldrazi Conscription, Gift of Immortality, Shielded by Faith, and Sigarda's Aid. To protect our strategy, we’ll need Privileged Position, Winds of Rath, Divine Reckoning, City of Solitude, Ghostly Prison, Dueling Grounds, Song of the Dryads, Grasp of Fate, and Journey to Nowhere.
• + More Enchantment Support
• With the increased focus on enchantments overall, we need some more spells that benefit from a third of our deck being devoted to them. Let’s use Argothian Enchantress, Enchantress's Presence, Retether, Replenish, Plea for Guidance, Three Dreams, Enlightened Tutor, and Idyllic Tutor.
• + Ramp and Better Lands
• To speed up our deck a bit more, we’ll add Utopia Sprawl, Fertile Ground, and Wild Growth. For lands, we’re adding Windswept Heath, Yavimaya Hollow, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Temple of the False God, Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers, Stirring Wildwood, Reliquary Tower, Rogue's Passage, Graypelt Refuge, Command Tower, and Wooded Bastion.

This leaves us with the following list:

1x Ancestral Mask 1x Argothian Enchantress 1x Armadillo Cloak 1x Aura Shards 1x Battle Mastery 1x Bear Umbra 1x Beast Within 1x Blossoming Sands 1x Canopy Vista 1x Cathedral of War 1x City of Solitude 1x Command Tower 1x Courser of Kruphix 1x Divine Reckoning 1x Dueling Grounds 1x Eidolon of Blossoms 1x Eldrazi Conscription 1x Enchantress’s Presence 1x Enlightened Tutor 1x Eternal Witness 1x Ethereal Armor 1x Felidar Sovereign 1x Fertile Ground 8x Forest 1x Ghostly Prison 1x Gift of Immortality 1x Grand Abolisher 1x Grasp of Fate 1x Graypelt Refuge 1x Green Sun’s Zenith 1x Heliod’s Pilgrim 1x Heliod, God of the Sun 1x Hunter’s Insight 1x Hyena Umbra 1x Journey to Nowhere 1x Kor Spiritdancer 1x Mass Calcify 1x Mesa Enchantress 1x Mirari’s Wake 1x New Benalia 1x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx 1x Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers 1x Idyllic Tutor 1x Path to Exile 11x Plains 1x Plea for Guidance 1x Privileged Position 1x Rancor 1x Reliquary Tower 1x Replenish 1x Retether 1x Rogue’s Passage 1x Sage’s Reverie 1x Selesnya Signet 1x Sensei’s Divining Top 1x Shield of the Oversoul 1x Shielded by Faith 1x Sigarda’s Aid 1x Sigil of the Empty Throne 1x Snake Umbra 1x Sol Ring 1x Song of the Dryads 1x Sphere of Safety 1x Spider Umbra 1x Spirit Mantle 1x Stirring Wildwood 1x Sun Titan 1x Sunpetal Grove 1x Swords to Plowshares 1x Temple Garden 1x Temple of Plenty 1x Temple of the False God 1x Three Dreams 1x True Conviction 1x Unflinching Courage 1x Utopia Sprawl 1x Verduran Enchantress 1x Wild Growth 1x Winds of Rath 1x Windswept Heath 1x Wooded Bastion 1x Yavimaya Hollow

Though this list has swapped out a relatively high number of cards, many of the same effects have remained to keep the deck feeling familiar. For instance, Dragonlord Dromoka has switched to City of Solitude in an effort to keep that same restrictive ability lower to the ground, less "Doom Blade-able," and more synergistic with our Enchantresses. Another example is changing Birds of Paradise and Rampant Growth into Utopia Sprawl, Wild Growth, and Fertile Ground. The ramp is still there but now we have the chance to draw cards off of it.

Considering the massive amount of spells available that are strong in enchantment strategies, here’s a brief list of other cards you could reasonably choose from to add:

• Open the Armory
• Bastion Protector
• Herald of the Pantheon
• Celestial Mantle
• Seal of Primordium/Seal of Cleansing
• Aura of Silence
• Nomad Mythmaker
• Helm of the Gods
• Daybreak Coronet
• Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
• Sword of the Animist
• Darksteel Plate

Obviously, some of these cards may be pricier than what the budget of the original list allows for. These are only suggestions of cards that are well-suited for the strategy outlined above. There are certainly less expensive alternatives out there that will give you similar effects or even the same for a bit more mana.

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        Runners-Up

Check ’em out, leave some feedback, and give ’em an upvote already.

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Put Your Trunks in the Air!

Commander / EDH Pal00ka

SCORE: 24 | 8 COMMENTS | 2932 VIEWS | IN 12 FOLDERS

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Throw your children

Commander / EDH* TheStig9382

SCORE: 38 | 44 COMMENTS | 4564 VIEWS | IN 12 FOLDERS

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Sac-agwea's Ugly Brothers (haalp!)

Commander / EDH Permafrost

SCORE: 3 | 3 COMMENTS | 487 VIEWS

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Do you have anything else to add? What would you do differently? What do you think? Let me know down below!

Keep deckcycling out there! You never know when I could be eyeballing your list.

Happy tapping, players!
zandl

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