Didn't notice it was in your maybeboard. You can cycle it early and get it back later.

Brentaver,
Thanks!

seshiro_of_the_orochi,
Yeah I've been having a ton of fun testing. I can hardly wait to get it on a real table!

And you bet; I love the 'normal' artwork too!

NippDip,
That's what I figured, but I wasn't sure if maybe you meant 'Why is that even in your maybe board?!?' :-)

Idk if you haven't seen it or if tappedout hasnt updated the new cards yet but Hostile Desert seems like it could have potential in here.

Fun fact: The Githrog Monster was my first legendary! I really like the deck you made out of him!

So I am curious about how Sylvan Advocate is performing? It seems counter intuitive to be running alongside The Gitrog Monster no?

Cool deck!

AmishDeathSquad,
I agree on the potential of Hostile Desert; it's already on my maybeboard and described in the 'Strategy and card choices' section. I haven't had time to really test it yet, but I suspect it'll be somewhere between good (in general) and great (with Ramunap Excavator). Thanks.

DankPotato,
Awesome! And thank you!

Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor,
I've been extremely pleased with Sylvan Advocate so far. There's a small chance of downside for sure, but I think I've only had one game (out of a few dozen matches now) where I didn't have PLENTY of Lands available, so had to sac' Land #6 due to The Gitrog Monster, then didn't get it back on the draw from The Gitrog, then lost the boost from Advocate. But even then it didn't really matter, because I had the board presence from The Gitrog. All the rest of the time, Advocate has proven to be good early, great late, and AMAZING with Hissing Quagmire (and probably Hostile Desert soon).

Thanks tons though, as I enjoy taking cards that were strong early in testing and then consciously re-examining them as the deck evolves ... and I hadn't really done that yet with Advocate. Turns out it's still very strong :-)

Calispotato,
Thanks much! I just hope it's as much fun irl as it's been in testing!

This deck would never have been standard or will be standard because when rumunap excavator rotates in, sylvan advocate will rotate out.

MaxSchlosbergTheBoss,
Um, no.

You should probably bookmark my PSA and refer to it before posting.

The expertise _may _kill naga and duskwatch.

I would put more spot removal instead (Never / return), discard (lay bare the heart), or even Lilianas (the two models could be fine) to recur your beasts...

Mannu_1978,
It's true that Yahenni's Expertise sometimes kills members of your own team. But it's not like we don't know it's coming, and can play around it accordingly.

We'll see how the meta shakes out of course, but for now I can't imagine running without 3x sweepers in the main, as Zombie decks will almost certainly still be a thing in HOU Standard.

I've already talked about how the deck doesn't want Liliana, the Last Hope, in the 'Great cards I'm not running and why' section. And IMO Liliana, Death's Majesty is just another big Planeswalker ... Nissa, Vital Force is much better in every respect and she's in the maybeboard not the main deck.

Thanks though.

OkWhat about Splashing a little Red or White to include Radiant Flames or Declaration in Stone :) ?

Mannu_1978,
You're welcome to try an Abzan or Jund approach. I have considered Red for Mina and Denn, Wildborn, but like I say in the 'Other approaches' section, I don't really have the time to explore it. If you do, awesome!

Maybe Dunes of the Dead, a new spoiled HoD card, would be nice in here. Tap it for colourless and if it hits the yard, get a 2/2 zombie.

BillyButcher,
Oh, that's awesome! I somehow missed it on the full spoiler, so thanks tons!

69 upvotes... guess I can't upvote it now. You hit the golden number.

TMBRLZ,
:-D

If go on the actual land value plan with Dunes of the Dead and Ifnir Deadlands, then Ramunap Hydra feels like a stronger creature than Sylvan Advocate.

Zaueski,
Yeah, you may be right. Long story is I was traveling and didn't have a chance to really test out all the new Deserts, so I'm just kind of letting the deck stew until actual set release. I know a bunch of things that don't work though :-)

And yeah, Ramunap Hydra could be really good. Maybe not as a 2-drop replacement lol, but especially if Glorybringer is still A Thing in HOU Standard.

This seems like an awesome G/B creature-beats deck! Love the idea! Especially The Gitrog Monster! Momma Toad just doesn't seem enough play, but seems like a huge finisher here. I saw Ramunap Hydra in the maybe-board, and I am personally 100% for it! It's got huge value (provided you swap out a couple of basics for a couple of deserts, anyways).Overall though, it seems great! Keep up the good work! +1

ancientskull
Thanks so much!
I have all the pieces now, and I'm REALLY looking forward to testing the deck out irl! Hopefully this weekend ...

I'll let y'all know how it goes!

I would for sure test a deserts sub theme in this shell Ifnir Deadlands and Scavenger Grounds both seem like straight gas here and theyve been putting up good results in the GR ramp lists that have been going around.

AndrewAckerman,
I agree with you on testing Deserts ... that's why I already have a bunch in the maybeboard and described in the 'Strategy and card choices' section (including Scavenger Grounds). But I'll add Ifnir Deadlands to the list for sure. Thanks!

Have you been able to playtest the deck anymore?

I concur on the desert addition. Ifnir Deadlands and Dunes of the Dead are absolutely ridiculous in the version of the deck I am working on (which is inspired by your list so thanks!).

I know folks have suggested Ramunap Hydra, but I don't think it actually plays that well in this deck, or at least with Dunes of the Dead when it is a primary recursion target for Ramunap Excavator. Maybe I am just not running enough deserts.

naw the hydra is just kinda bad, we're at the point with creatures where a 5/5 for 4 with 3 keywords isn't that good.