This deck can stall. Period. Cheap value creatures that can turn into huge threats!
Most of my creatures are burn-proof. Lantern control decks with their Ensnaring Bridges
Cower in Fear
at the prospect of their walls closing in...
People have suggested that I build this around Collected Company. I'm not so sure about it. It seems powerful, but I just don't have enough targets that I'd like, especially post board (i.e. building around CoCo would mean using Phyrexian Revoker instead of Pithing Needle, and Kataki, War's Wage instead of
Creeping Corrosion
etc to ensure more targets, and they don't really fit in the deck).
Anyway, here's the list:
CREATURES
2x Courser of Kruphix = Helps to find lands and also helps me miss less with
Sapling of Colfenor
. Everyone was hyped with this guy and fetches being in the same standard together, so why not bring that to modern!
3x
Disowned Ancestor
= A bolt proof thing I can do on turn 1! The outlast part is mostly irrelevant.
4x
Doran, the Siege Tower
= One of the win conditions of the deck. Being legendary is a drawback for sure, but he's an auto 4-of here seeing as the effect is so unique.
1x Erebos, God of the Dead = May not actually be a creature very often, but shuts down infinite lifegain combos and provides a source of card advantage.
4x Nyx-Fleece Ram = It's safe to say that burn players will not be aiming stuff at my creatures too often, which means I'm taking most of it. This woolly sheep will stem the bleeding. Plus, the manabase hurts more than I'm willing to admit...
2x
Sapling of Colfenor
= It's like a very bad Dark Confidant most of the time, but in this deck, it will give us card advantage and life every time it reveals a creature. Guaranteed. A great card but I don't want too many in here because of the 5CMC and it's legendary - so two seems fine. However, every game that I play with it usually results in me winning.
3x Spellskite = Infect is probably one of the best decks out there right now. It's just useful to have around Plus, it's a 0/4 for 2 mana!!
1x
Tree of Redemption
= I aspire to reveal this card with
Sapling of Colfenor
when Brave the Sands is in play, then attack with it (assuming I have Assault Formation out and not
Doran, the Siege Tower
) and tap it to do more damage than I know what to do with <3 that's the dream. Most of the time, it's just damn big thing that has the potential to give me some life, which is what I want.
4x
Treefolk Harbinger
= I call him Larry. Helps me to find
Doran, the Siege Tower
, a useful creature or any land I may need after a risky keep. On turn 1.
4x Wall of Omens = Card draw on a fantastic blocker! These are the only remaining true defenders in the deck (save for
Tree of Redemption
) after
Fortified Rampart
and
Wall of Tanglecord
were replaced, but it's a defender that replaces itself.
ENCHANTMENTS
2x Assault Formation = The namesake. This is what makes the deck tick. It is better than
Doran, the Siege Tower
most of the time because it will enable most of my creatures to actually attack!! Doran is just a decoy. However, having 4 in here (like I previously did) was awful. Having multiples of this in hand is just bad, so two is enough.
1x Brave the Sands = Helps against aggro. It's all well and good blocking a 1/1 with a 0/6, but when there are five 1/1s, that 0/6 starts to look a little less impressive. Once my creatures can attack, this also conserves them for blocking. I wish this wasn't so bad in multiples because it's so great for this deck.
INSTANTS
3x Abrupt Decay = Still hits a sizeable number of things, including all of the infect deck, all of the affinity deck (I think) and other things too.
1x Nameless Inversion = Can be tutored with
Treefolk Harbinger
Will remove most threats, or pump my creatures in the absence of Doran.
4x Path to Exile = I hear removal is good. Especially the cheap kind.
SIDEBOARD
2x
Creeping Corrosion
= Insert the sounds of a thousand affinity players scooping here
1x Golgari Charm = Incredibly versatile. I am all-in on creatures, so this can (in theory) protect against boardwipes. It also forces an infect player to use their pump spells to save their creatures.
2x Illness in the Ranks = Thopter tokens might be a thing soon. It also doesn't hurt to have another way to get through a million tokens.
3x Pithing Needle = Aether Vial, Inkmoth Nexus, Ratchet Bomb, Thopter Foundry, Celestial Colonnade et al, so many things...
1x Rest in Peace = Graveyard hate is a fantastic thing. This turns off Arcbound Ravager sacrificing itself, and helps against Pyromancer Ascension, as well as any Abzan CoCo decks that want to repeatedly sacrifice things.
2x Scavenging Ooze = Many decks abuse graveyard synergies - Jund, Abzan CoCo, Living End etc. This guy helps against those.
1x
Silklash Spider
Just because. #StrongReasoning.
2x Thoughtseize = Yet again, for infect matchups and probably lots of other stuff.
I would really appreciate any comments / criticisms and suggestions you may have, especially with the sideboard! Thanks for looking :)
(though I really think it's a trap and would not be good in this deck despite initial appearances), and Lingering Souls for the sideboard because it's a solid card and fliers are not very beatable most of the time. Would love some input regarding this!