I am in love with Slumbering Dragon so I really want to make a +1/+1 counter deck that exploits him and puts an 8/8 flyer on the board ASAP.
The Creatures:
I knew I wanted Verdurous Gearhulk since he could drop and wake up old sleepyhead pretty much guaranteed. Rishkar, Peema Renegade is fresh off the press from AER and not only adds counters, but adds some much needed ramp. Walking Ballista, nuff said. I'm not terribly attached to the other creatures but Avatar of the Resolute seems like a very easy fit here. The hydra is nice coming with double strike, but I'm really forcing the extra red into the deck.
The Support:
Hardened Scales is an absolute cornerstone and I can't imagine ever thinking it should be taken out. Lightning Bolt feels right since there's no other removal in the deck and I'm trying really hard to justify the red in the deck. Nissa, Voice of Zendikar comes in and immediately adds counters.
The Combo:
So there's an infinite combo here: Rite of Passage + Hardened Scales + Walking Ballista. With both enchantments in play you can have the Ballista shoot itself for one counter and it will gain two counters. do x1000000000000 or whatever you feel you need and target opponent for the win.
The Problems:
Every fiber of this deck desperately wants to get rid of the red splash, but like I said I really want to make this work with Slumbering Dragon. I feel like one more solid red card or a small change in the line up would be the final piece of the puzzle. I think ideally I could work harder at this to make it a GRW deck since the added white would give me access to Ajani, Mentor of Heroes and the other white cards that support counters. Plus Path to Exile would be an upgrade over the Bolts for removal. Hopefully after some strenuous playtesting it could be refined and nearly competitive!
If anyone has any feedback or suggestions here I'd love to hear them. Please help me make Green/Red counters work!
