u can also use research from Research/Development is way better than glittering wish in my oppinion

No, what I mean is that it's not intended to find your sideboard cards in game 1. In game 1 it's used to tutor up Eternal Witness or Primal Command to help with that cycle. In games 2 and 3 it's used to make finding your sideboard cards much easier. Because the deck can get to 5 mana with ease, the heavy cost of BTL is not an issue, and having additional copies of each of the sideboard cards allows the sideboard to be far-reaching and extremely hateful with cards like Melira, Crumble to dust, Creeping Corrosion, etc.

Yeah, but all the one-ofs makes the impact minimal. Also, Research makes it go somewhere in your library, meaning that you don't get an immediate effect when you need it.

I'm confused by what you are saying. Having 1-ofs is just fine because BTL acts as copies 2-4 of each sideboard card.

Glittering wish can only be used for multicolored cards, which is pretty inhibiting. Perhaps it could work, but I don't know.

This isn't my deck so I can't attest to the effectiveness of the BTL strategy, nor can I judge whether BTL or wish is better. Either way I think the plan is really good.

How does BTL act as copies 2-4 of each sideboard card? It can't fetch them from the grave, and while I suppose that you could BLT into Witness, it's definitely not the most efficient way of doing things. And while each sideboard card is very good against the right deck, none of them permanently shut down a build (save Melira). Once they're used, they're used. Or am I just missing something really huge?

A wishboard would be very interesting. I think that it could be very good if you chose the right cards, and I'd be happy to build one if necessary.

I think that its better because it doesn't specify plus if u want to play any combo deck u have to have some kind of tutor/draw engine however I do see your point

and it is better price wise

I'm gonna let curdbros take over from here, because this isn't my deck, and I might be misunderstanding things myself.

Let me give an example of the way that BTL acts as copies 2-4 from my perspective. Say you're playing against tron. The sideboard has Crumble to Dust and Magus of the Moon as its tron hate cards. If you side those in, +2 BTL, then you have 5 cards mainboard that can shut down tron. 3 BTL + the 2 cards you'd tutor for. This way you have a really good chance of hitting the hate without having to run lots of copies of each card.

In playtests, BTL into command was much better than BTL into witness, although both are decent options. Witness for Genesis Wave is priceless though. The biggest problem I see with BTL mainboard is it doesn't help the walker combo very much, just stalls the game, especially because most of the deck is permanents or X spells because they work best with devotion and Cloudstone Curio. On the other hand, they provide a different angle of play that can be highly beneficial in some matchups. Keeps the deck resilient because then it has more than 1 line of play.

A wish sideboard would be cool though. I'm only trying to explain how the BTL idea works to my understanding. I have no idea if it's better than wish or not. I'll leave that to curdbros.

Interesting points!

I thought about a wish board in the past (as I love the idea of Flesh/Blood with a big Hydra on board); but my concerns were that:

1. I can't play Fracturing Gust because I play too many enchantments.

2. I haven't seen a wish board in the past I've felt had the right tools for the decks I want to hate against...this could just be me not looking hard enough.

3. I can play BTL main and fetch a card that follows one of my main game plans (either Command or Witness or another creature/spell if added). I don't have any gold cards main (I could switch to use Xenagos again). This isn't the biggest deal, however, as Glittering Wish effectively lets you play your sideboard in the main :)

While BTL actually casts the card, at 2-CMC, gift isn't adding much to the cost of the card (and I can get most to all colors very early). I'd love to hear your ideas about a wish board. I can't say it will be better; but I would NEVER turn down a great idea from someone whose opinion I respect greatly!

The "additional copies" is meant more toward your ability to draw the card in games 2&3. With 3x BTL and a copy of the hate card; there is a much better chance I draw "a copy" when I need it. And yes, I have used Witness to bring them back in the past; but in many situations the first cast/resolution of tha hate card buys me the time needed to close the game out.

Can't wait to hear more about your wish board idea!

Figag Ok, I see what you mean. The thing that I'm worried about is the fact that once you cast Crumble to Dust, you're pretty done for if your opponent can somehow overcome it, which is a problem that normal siding (having multiple copies of Crumble) or a wishboard (getting another card that helps you) do not have. But I see where you're coming from, sorry if I came off as a bit rude.

CurdBrosBrewingCo I could certainly build a wishboard if you like. Off the top of my head, you'll probably want Vexing Shusher/Dragonlord Dromoka/Guttural Response, Dromoka's Command, Heroes' Reunion, Supreme Verdict, Firespout, Loxodon Smiter, Tear, Wear, and Wheel of Sun and Moon. I would personally play one wish in main and two in side, like BTL.

It would also help if I knew what your bad matchups are, so I can reflect that in the board.

This feels to me like it's just a green devotion deck that happens to have an infinite combo that isn't even particularly easy to set up. With only 2 Curios and your ways of searching it being just plain better for other purposes unless you already have the rest of the combo set up, I almost feel you'd be better off with zero Curios. Everything else does plenty without it, and Curio does nothing by itself.

Siyanor...that's actually kinda the point of the deck :)

The point is you don't have to have the combo for the deck to function; but getting the combo isn't nearly as hard as you think it is. Off the top of my head; I'd say I win 70% of my games with the combo....granted, many of those game ms probably would have been won another way if the combo wasn't available...but it's a nice way to kinda "ensure" the win.

It was very important to me for the pieces to be awesome separate of the combo. Garruk and Nissa are obvious of course (as is Karn). Curio takes a little more digging ...

Curio is great in the deck as you can:

1. Loop "Abundant Growth" with other enchantments. Often times you'll have a turn with extra mana where you can just keep bouncing Abundant Growth over and over drawing a card each time. The cards add up quick.

2. Bounce Genesis Hydra's to dig fur cards. I had a game yesterday where all I had was some Arbor Elves, enchantments, a Curio, and a Hydra on board. I drew a Genesis Hydra and cast it for x=7...it hit Garruk...when it entered I bounced the other hydra. I used Garruk to Untap the lands (including Nykthos) and cast the Hydra I had in hand for x=10...it hit Nissa and from there I had the infinite combo..

Bouncing Hydra's isn't something done every game; but it happens enough to be worth it :)

1. Of course there's also bouncing Eternal Witness for the Command lock (or just to get back whatever we want) as well as bouncing things in the board like Kitchen Finks, Thragtusk, etc.

You are absolutely right, however, that you don't want a turn 1 or 2 Curio; and really the second copy is dead with the first on board....this led me to playing only two (although three wasn't often an issue...two is probably better).

I do see what you're saying though. The deck was far more linear to start (and you don't want to go too far from the point of the deck); but I do feel like I still hit the combo relatively easily when needed, while also having ways to win outside of it.

I didn't think you were being rude FAMOUSWATERMELON...just pointing out what you think is a better idea. That what TappedOut is for! To get ideas and thoughts from the community on decks we love to play.

The worst match ups tend to be the super fast aggressive ones like Infect, Merfolk, and some Burn builds (although if we get to Primal Command that 7-life goes a long way). Tron hate is a must too.

And Figag, as always you're exactly right :).

I appreciate the compliment, but I don't know about 'as always'. I'm still a very new player and I say a lot of stupid stuff. But I do try as hard as I can to understand how things work. I love how intricate this game can be. So much for me to learn still.

Hm, in my experience I've found that when I attempt a deck of that type that just "happens" to have a combo, I often draw combo pieces with nothing to do with them and they end up as dead cards, and I eventually just scrap the combo part entirely and it works out better. But that would only happen if the combo pieces are dead by themselves -- I suppose if you feel Curio has enough synergy with your deck to play it without the combo available then 2 is a good number.

If that's the case, I think that Firespout and Heroes' Reunion are very solid options, and things like Dromoka's Command or Dragonlord Dromoka can't hurt either. Against Tron, you can simply board normally with 2-3 copies of Crumble to Dust, siding out the wishes.

Siyanor

That's the thing about this deck - no card in here is dead. Curio's synergies allow you to keep having stuff to do when you run out of ramp. The 2nd copy is always worthless, but the ability to loop creatures to cast Genesis Hydra multiple turns in a row or loop enchantments to refill your hand when you need more gas is vital to the success of the deck. Curio is amazing in here even when you're not comboing.

Being very linear isn't necessarily a good thing, because it's much easier to hate on and disrupt. The power of this deck is in that even if you don't draw the combo it can function very effectively, yet having the combo available makes it so that when it does start to explode with a big Genesis Wave, it can win in the same turn with ease, which is vital for combo decks to avoid being open to disruption.

Gaddock Teeg is a pretty good tron hoser that's multicolored. Dying to Pyroclasm is annoying though, so it's probably not enough.

Slaughter Games and Supreme Verdict are still usable with the wish board, and probably very good includes.

The thing about a wish board, in my opinion, is that most things should be extremely hateful hosers capable of ending the game. Flexibility feels of no concern because you only need 1 game-changing card for each deck.

One thing I'm confused about. Famouswatermelon, you advised 1 mainboard Wish and 2 side. Why? Isn't the point that you have glittering wish to give you your entire sideboard available to have a toolbox of hate? Wouldn't you want all of your wishes mainboard so you have access to your sideboard game 1 as a surprise for the opponent and a means of giving you the edge? The one thing I do notice is that you usually will have cards to side out in the matchup, and I don't know how to answer to that, but I think having better game 1 access is better than being able to side out.

Thanks and good luck!

I'm advising that because this deck is primarily a fast combo/ramp deck, meaning that playing Wish to get a hate card will simply make you lose tempo. I think that one could be good if you really need an immediate answer (which is maybe why a one-of Abrupt Decay in the side would be a good idea), but it really doesn't help you game 1, only games 2 and 3 where your opponent sides in his/her own hate, and where they lose tempo too, so there is a minimal loss on your side of things.

That's a good explanation. Makes sense, and with a 1-of main and 2 side, you can side out as well.

1-of AD sideboard sounds smart in a wish board, but curdbros is the expert on this.

So it sounds like a wish board would look something like this:

2x Glittering Wish

1x Abrupt Decay

1x Firespout

1x Supreme Verdict

1x Slaughter Games

1x Dromoka's Command

1x Heroes' Reunion

1x Wear / Tear

1x Kitchen Finks

3x Crumble to Dust (or you can go back to the crucible / GQ combo)

2x Spellskite

if u want u can splash blue for kiora that sounds ok as it gives green and blue devotion for nykthos

Hey, man! Great deck. I'm gonna throw it together and play some games. I cannot possibly read all these comments haha so forgive me if it has been suggested... but if I'm not mistaken, every card in your deck is a permanent so why not run a single copy of Primal Surge as an alternate instant win?? If all these "infinate loops" are so easily attainable... 10 mana seems like childs play. +1 from me!

I'm sorry it has taken so long to respond guys! I'v been running some forums and with the new baby...it's been busy!

So...Oath of Nissa officially broke this deck wide open!! I'm so excited. I'll add it and provide changes ASAP. I'm currently playing a version with Xenagos, so I may have to make it a different deck.

Hey CurdBrosBrewingCo... it's been a long time since I've looked in on your brews, but Oath of Nissa brought me to find your Enchantment Devo deck and then I saw that you had done this... I have always loved Xenagos, the Reveler and actually played him in a devo deck for FNMs sometime after GP Richmond when your brews got me hooked on big green mana, so I really hope you keep working on the reveler angle, it seems so awesome to have so much synergy, and so many win cons packed into a few combinations of cards. Not much to add other than thanks for the inspiration!

robrone9....Thanks!

And I absolutely 10000% have been brewing LIKE CRAZY with oath and have found the most broken Green Devotion Walker Combo I've ever played. It's nuts. I've been talking about it on Salvations for a while @ http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/developing-competitive-modern/565457-green-nykthos-devotion?page=116 , but I will post it on here tonight too so you can see it. It is absolutely nuts what Oath of Nissa did for this deck.