An attempt at a toolbox deck, where Yisan, the Wanderer Bard is the main engine for tutoring and putting creatures into play.
Would love some help with this deck!
I believe I have identified and addressed incoming threats that might disrupt my play, however I am not sure of the ratio for each category of cards.
If you find the amount of cards addressing a certain threat too high or low, I would like to hear your recommendations. If there is a threat that I have missed that you think I should address, please let me know
Maybeboard includes card considered but later exkluded. If you think one of them should replace any of the cards currently in the deck, please let me know.
The deck's content is explained and motivated below, where CMC is presented in brackets "( )"
Tutor and put into Play
The tutor and put into play mechanic is what drives the toolbox nature of the deck.
To create some redundancy, other tutor and put into play mechanics have been included except Yisan:
Tutoring
For when the mana is there, but the tutor and put into play mechanic is not in place.
Old school tutoring:
Reusing creatures
To be able to reuse enter the battlefield effects of dead creatures,
some graveyard interaction is introduced:
Protection
Yisan, the Wanderer Bard is important for you to get the cards you want and need at any given time. It is most likely gonna make him a target of all things bad, including curse words of your opponent.
Also consider that an untimely death of Yisan, the Wanderer Bard will reset your verse counters. This will effectively force you to start tutoring for 1 CMC creatures again when you take him back.
To protect our tutor and put into play machine :
Handling Creatures / Flying Creatures
Removal in mono-green is weak, almost non-existent. But we are most likely gonna be facing some nasty creatures eventually, though.
I have chosen to handle this in a very mono-green way. Introducing a range of deathtouch creatures with reach.
This will not necessarily remove an opponents creature, but it will make him think twice before attacking your face. Buying you time to tutor away.
included creatures:
Unfortunately, there are annoying creatures which will not attack you. They will buff other creatures or use activated abilities to make your life miserable.
The best answer I got for that so far is forcing combats:
Other solutions to this problem would be greatly appreciated! Handling Artifacts / Enchantments
Since artifacts and enchantments seem to be a pillar of EDH play, I figured some destruction would be in place.
The destruction is integrated in creatures entering the battlefield. Making it fairly hard to counter, but also giving you a body to attack your opponent.
When using the tutor and put into play mechanic, creatures can be used as a response just after your opponent have put the artifact / enchantment into play.
Creatures of destruction:
Mana Fixing
I figured this deck can not solely rely on the tutor and put into play mechanics of a few creatures and enchantments. There is also a chance some of the bigger creatures will appear on my hand before I can tutor for them and cheat them out.
Both mana ramping, and spells to decrease casting cost have been introduced.
Mana Fixing - Creature
Mainly interested in creatures which allow you to put an extra land onto the battlefield. Creatures tend to die, whilst lands tend to stay in place.
Current mix of mana abilities:
Mana Fixing - Other
Things that make: Yisan, the Wanderer Bard's ability cheaper; more mana; you fetch lands; creatures cheaper to cast.
Creatures that Grow
This is the base of creatures that is gonna be used to attack the opponent. I have tried to find creatures that you are gonne be happy to see, no matter if it is early, mid or late game.
Some of them grow continuously, whilst others strength is determined when they are put into play.
I am thinking this could work fairly well for a deck with tutoring capabilities.
For example, if Yisan, the Wanderer Bard only have one verse counter in the late game he can still put Scute Mob into play. A card that quickly becomes a threat if unattended.
Dynamic strength creatures:
Supporting Creatures
The biggest creatures of the deck is making all other creatures stronger or more likely to damage the opponent. If you manage to keep some creatures in play until the big ones arrive, they will be hard to stop.
Creatures with buff abilities:
Suggestions for other "big creature strategies" are greatly appreciated------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The only two cards unaccounted for above are
Skullclamp and
Nature's Chosen.
When constructing the deck, I wanted to use untapping mechanics to speed up the increase of
Yisan, the Wanderer Bard's verse counters. This was to play big creatures faster. Since then the deck has gone more toward control. You can find a few previously considered untap cards in the maybeboard.
These two cards are the ones most likely to be replaced in favor of new cards.
Currently I am worried that I am half-assing a lot of strategies, not being able to profit from any of them fully.
Thank you for taking the time to read,
suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Thor_the_Defenestrator
