Re-building my Temur monster deck with a few new additions from Fates Reforged. Cut out a few janky / fun sideboard cards to make the deck a bit more consistent.
Will be playing this at my local FNM. Any comments / suggestions appreciated!
Here is a breakdown of the cards I have chosen and why.
RAMP AND FIXING
Playing big monsters quickly is the key to overpowering your opponent. To help get us there we have:
Elvish Mystic - Simple 1 drop that gives me more mana to play with. Ideal turn 1 play. Makes turn 2
Savage Knuckleblade
and turn 3 Polukranos, World Eater possible.
Sylvan Caryatid - 2 drop that is hard to remove, helps ramp up my mana and even color fixes for me as well. Sometimes on blocking duty too.
Courser of Kruphix Added in for deck consistency. Although this technically doesn't ramp OR color fix, giving the option to play lands off the top of my library and gain a bit of life back is very nice to stabilize against aggro or dig further in to my library vs control decks.
BIG SCARY MONSTERS
The heart of what a monster deck is, is of course its monsters. These are the reason this deck was put together:
Savage Knuckleblade
- 3-mana 4/4 is a solid body and with the addition of a few abilities makes this an instant 4-of card and useful early or late in the game.
Polukranos, World Eater - The beast from Theros - Again has the upside of a nice body (4-mana 5/5) as well as the ability to go monstrous and act as a sink for all my extra mana.
Shaman of the Great Hunt
- A new addition from Fates Reforged, I've fallen in love with the Shaman since playing him in the prerelease to great effect. A hasted threat which is good against control players, which also makes my other creatures bigger AND can eat up eat mana to draw cards? Seriously fantastic card, if a little bit squishy.
Stormbreath Dragon - Just a damn good creature. Flying makes getting damage through easy. Haste makes it a scary threat for those without instant-speed removal. Protection from white makes a whole bunch of cards completely useless against it (LOL Valorous Stance). Ability to go monstrous is a massive upside.
Surrak Dragonclaw
- KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!! Again this card plays in to the theme of a big body for its mana cost. On top of that, not being able to be countered, protecting my other creature spells from being countered AND giving everything trample? AND HE HAS FLASH!?
Sagu Mauler
- Play it early as a morph creature or just ramp in to a very difficult to remove threat thanks to Hexproof. In-built trample helps push damage through.
Soul of Shandalar
- A 6/6 body with first strike for 6 mana is sweet. Being able to pressure my opponent's life total and smaller creatures by sinking all my extra mana in to the activated ability can win games on a stalled board. Even gives me value if it ends up in the graveyard.
SUPPORT CARDS
Finally to round off this deck is a few support cards.
Crater's Claws - Fills role that this deck needs by giving me removal or extra reach. Can be used early against aggro to kill
Mantis Rider
or Goblin Rabblemaster. Mid-game it can take care of a planeswalker or opposing monster. On a stalled board I can simply burn my opponent's face.
Temur Ascendancy - Added in as a card draw engine as well as making all my threats instantly scary with haste. All of my monsters trigger the extra card draw, which helps keep the fuel going.
Chandra, Pyromaster - Works so well with the monsters. Being able to remove a blocker and pressure my opponents life total is great, but being able to exile a card for card advantage is sweet too. Works super well with Courser of Kruphix.
SIDEBOARD!
This is still a very rough list at the moment. I don't know how the meta will settle down, so I've tried to cover off a few weaknesses that I have with aggro, mirror decks and control.
Anger of the Gods - What to side it in against: Aggro
Reasoning: Simply hoses down aggro decks by wiping their board. Exiling cards is also relevant with delve in the format.
Arc Lightning
- What to side it in against: Token or Aggro decks
Reasoning: More cheap-ish removal for decks that try to rush you down. Very good against token decks as it can usually 2 for 1.
Keranos, God of Storms - What to side it in against: Control
Reasoning: Mainly chucking him in because I've always wanted to try him. Extra card draw or slowly grinding down my opponent with lightning bolts to the face both work with this deck nicely.
Negate - What to side it in against: Control or Planeswalker heavy decks
Reasoning: Counter-spells? In my monster deck? Sure, why not. Having access to blue and hence counter-magic can play havoc on control players. Can even be handy against other planeswalker-heavy decks.
Reality Shift - What to side it in against: Opposing monster decks or Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
Reasoning: Against any other deck that looks to overpower with monsters, exiling those monsters and giving them a 2/2 instead means I win. Also deals with active gods if my opponent is playing to a devotion strategy.
Reclamation Sage - What to side it in against: Artifacts / Enchantments
Reasoning: Having an answer to opposing "Ascendancy" or getting rid of Ensoul Artifact while adding a body to the board is extremely valuable. Blocks / Trades with Goblin Rabblemaster which is extremely relevant as well.
Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker - What to side it in against: Midrange / control decks
Reasoning: Sarkhan basically fills the role of Stormbreath Dragon but without the protection from white. A hasted, evasive threat which can deal good damage against control players or use his minus ability to remove a 4-toughness creature while still leaving a relevant threat on the board.
Whisperwood Elemental - What to side it in against: Control
Reasoning: Experimenting with Whisperwood Elemental as an answer to wrath-based control decks (IE ones that run
End Hostilities
or Crux of Fate). Manifesting a card each turn keeps my board looking healthy and using the elemental's sacrifice effects mitigates what board wipes can do.
Winds of Qal Sisma - What to side it in against: Aggro or Temur Combo
Reasoning: Adding this in as an answer to the recently debuted Temur Ascendancy combo deck. Also useful sideboard tech against aggro / heroic decks that try to kill you before you have a chance to set up your board.
Maybeboard!
Ashcloud Phoenix
- 4-power flyer for 4 mana which leaves behind a 2/2 when it dies can be quite annoying for decks that look to 1 for 1 you with removal (See Abzan midrange). Need to find room for this somewhere.
Fanatic of Xenagos
- Always hits the field as a 4/4, but opponent choose whether it gets haste or not. Does not always trigger Temur Ascendancy due to how his trigger works.
Frost Walker
- 2 mana to activate any ferocious effects and can do a lot of damage to control players. Dies to
Hero's Downfall
/ Bile Blight anyway, so a cheap 4 damage creature is nice.
Heir of the Wilds
- This deck is aiming to go big and would rather ramp in to big monsters rather then a cheaper threat.
Hunt the Hunter
- Great tech vs green-based monster decks, but I feel the other removal I have is better.
Temur Charm
- The 'Jack of all trades' charm doesn't really fill a particular need that this deck has but may find its way back in to the deck at some later stage.
Yasova Dragonclaw
- Looking to find more room for Yasova. 4-power creature for 3 mana which I can sink extra mana and steal my opponent's creatures is sweet.
