Aggressive snake deck, chock full of insane energy and counter synergies. All our creatures are must answer threats that work together extremely well, and we are SERIOUS about generating and using energy.
CRAZY SYNERGIES
Fabrication Module
can go crazy quickly. For example:
T4 Cast Glint Sleeve, place a +1/+1 counter on it. Cast Elephant, bounce give Glint a counter. Play Aether Hub, get a counter. Cast Attune, place a +1/+1 counter. T5 draw an extra card then Attack with Glint and, place a counter. Blocks? Midcombat, cast lightning Harness, get a counter.
Now, instead of pumping Glint-Sleeve, imagine having a Ballista and playing those energy cards. It's also pretty amazing to have a 6/5 Hydra without having spent any energy yet.
Greenbelt Rampager
forever: Let the hydra or cub eat all your energy, then cast this for . Bounce to your hand, gain , then feed that to grow your cat or hydra. If you have a Fabrication Module, also get a +1 counter from that. If you also have a Snake, that is +4 counters for mana! Then do it again for another ! If you have Lifecrafter's Bestiary, you can draw on every cast. Tricks like this can result in a 10+ power cat by turn 4. Meanwhile, even if it blinks out, it can still crew your Harvester. Finally, if you want your elephant to stick, you simply let it eat the energy.
That is insane for a 1 mana 3/4.
Harnessed Lightning combos with everything. With Snake it generates . With Fabrication, it makes instant counters. If you need to sap all the energy for Greenbelt, you can. If you need energy for something else, deal 0, and store the and spend it elsewhere. Instant lifelink, instant counters, instant upkeep card draw.
Once I beat a Tower deck with just a Winding Constrictor and a Fabrication Module. They tapped out for a Tower T3. T4 play Aether Hub, becomes a 4/5, activate Module becomes a 6/7, swing. Next turn swing with an 8/9. While they wait for a spell to counter, or hope to accumulate energy to deal a big Harnessed Lightning, you just run them over.
When the threat is worse than the execution!
In this deck, you often attack with a 2/2 Cub. They won't block because you threaten to pump it. And then once it's unblocked you don't pump it, deal 2 damage gain 2 energy. And use the creature who stayed back to threaten a pump so they don't attack. What you're doing is saving up energy so they get negative value when they finally decide to kill your cat. And your next creature gets more value, whether it's a Siphoner, a Hydra, a Lightning, or another Cub. That energy is available to spend. Now when you finally get a Snake out, and you're confident they don't have removal, that's when you spring the major pump action. If they block, just pump enough to win the trade. If they don't, deal them a ton.
Breakthrough
Lots of decks are good at chump blocking. So we need some way to force damage through. Currently testing
Haunted Cloak
. Should be amazing if you save up energy and then make a giant Hydra to swing in. Just need to take out any large and/or deathtouch creatures on their side.
Key to the City would be good, but not enough cards to throw away, and not enough mana to effectively loot.
Magmatic Chasm
,
Destructive Tampering
could be good options. Radiant Flames is really good against Saheeli combo (Whirler, etc.; can Ballista that Felidar for the last point). Invigorated Rampage.
MATCHUPS
MARDU
We simply need to slow down their early game. Our creatures will outmuscle theirs, and once we take out Heart and Gideon they have nothing left.
Blossoming Defense
is ideal to answer
Unlicensed Disintegration
.
Sideboard in: Fatal Push to slow down the early game.-Radiant Flames X=2 destroys dwarves. Skysovereign pings off any straggling crew, one by one.Natural State is the cheapest answer to a vehicle. Also great for Stasis Snare, Quarantine Field and Fevered Visions. (Natural Order is another option, to eliminate hose Scrapheaps for good.)Release the Gremlins is a more comprehensive solution to their abundant artifacts.
*plan for them going control-mode. Blossoming Defense, Deadlock Trap, Skysovereign should help. Tireless, Transgress are also options.
4-Color
Radiant Flames. Transgress. Skysovereign. Keep Blossoming, Ballista, Flyers.
CONTROL
Sustained pressure and card advantage are the keys. Once you pull ahead early game, engage cruise control always keeping a couple threats on the board, a couple threats in hand and holding up removal/protection to keep them from taking charge. Spend energy only to draw cards, or if you can ensure sustained extra damage.
Bristling Hydra,
Blossoming Defense
are an enormous pain for them.
Lifecrafter's Bestiary, Tireless Tracker will compound our card advantage.
Fabrication Module
is a great way to make sure our individual threats are each a little more potent.Transgress the Mind will tear apart their game plan.
MIRROR
Expect a board stall. Kill their value-generators; protect your own. Use those Fabrication Modules to get a size advantage. Win in the air or with a giant trampler. Release the Gremlins or
Natural Obsolescence
(targeting Ballista, Gearhulk, Bestiary, vehicles, clues, Scrapheap) could be an option. Bring in Fatal Push, Deadlock Trap. Take out Ballista. Glints should be fine, if you are expecting Ballistas to be sided out.
