Originally I built this deck for shits and giggles just as a way to have some fun with the new Awaken mechanic, but ended up stumbling on some surprisingly effective synergy! I haven't run this at a tournament yet but I've tested it against G/W Hardened Scales and Abzan Allies, and it did pretty well against both of those. Still looking to acquire some of the more expensive lands for it, but even with the budget mana base it's holding up nicely.
So, here's the idea:
|-| Step 1: Control the board. |-|
Turns 1-3/4 are spent mostly shoring up mana & controlling the board with
Clutch of Currents
,
Skyline Cascade
,
Rush of Ice
&
Roil Spout
. The early game here is designed mostly to annoy your opponent by slowing down their board buildup & forcing them to re-cast bounced 1-2 drops. If your opponent's early game is naturally slower or similarly controlling then take some time to build your mana base with Evolving Wilds and/or Natural Connection to get combo pieces ready.
|-|-| Step 2: Start A-wakin' up your lands |-|-|
Turns 4-5 should be spent establishing & protecting a board presence of your own. The best case scenario is a turn 4 Kiora, Master of the Depths and a turn 5 Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper. Kiora's +1 ability will leave 1 land open, enough for a Dispel if you're playing against controlling builds and need to protect Noyan-Dar, or enough for a
Clutch of Currents
or
Rush of Ice
if you're taking on an aggro build. In both situations you'll get to awaken a land too. But even if you haven't drawn into Noyan-Dar you have options. Kiora's +1 has great synergy with the six 5-cost Awaken spells you have access to, and you'll also have access to valuable 6-cost awaken spells like
Scatter to the Winds
and
Roil Spout
.
SIDENOTE: So another fun option that few opponents will expect would be to use
Exert Influence
here if they have any valuable 3 power creatures, this is useful in breaking up combo pieces as well.
|-|-|-| Step 3: Wipe-out & Win. |-|-|-|
Turns 6+ should be spent pumping up your land/lands with awaken spells & Noyan's trigger, and then wiping your opponents board for a full on assault.
Halimar Tidecaller
really shines in the late game as she puts your awoken lands in the air and fetches back awaken spells from your graveyard. Displacement Wave
+
Halimar Tidecaller
is great here, as an X=4 displacement wave allows you to reset your opponent's board while also bouncing your Tidecaller so that you can recycle her ETB effect, and of course you'll be left with Noyan and awoken lands to swing away with. Even if you end up bouncing your own Kiora you still get value in being able to user her -2 before recasting her later with her full 4. An X=4 Displacement wave will almost always be your best late game move.
Planar Outburst
is the Nuclear option of course. Imagine the look on your opponent's face when you
Planar Outburst
the turn after you bounced with
Displacement Wave
, priceless. It's also great to help stabilize earlier on if the board gets too out of control, but ideally run to clear the path for your finishing blow. If you can swing the 8-cost awaken, even better.
Treasure Cruise is the late game draw option, as it will help you dig for more wipe & control spells while triggering Noyan.
/-/-/-/-/ Sideboard Tech ----\
The sideboard is pretty straightforward I think, and will definitely by updated with Dromoka's Command
+
Ojutai's Command
as soon as acquire them. For now, this is the best I've come up with:
4x Dispel - Board this in against control & burn, and also against removal-heavy aggro like Abzan anything or G/W Hardened Scales. (-2
Clutch of Currents
, -2
Rush of Ice
)
1x
Exert Influence
- Board in against combo & aggro if you're seeing 3-power targets that seem fun, especially if your opponent hasn't seen the 1 in the main yet. (-1
Roil Spout
)
2x
Gideon's Reproach
- Board in against aggro, especially important against allies so that your bounce spells aren't re-triggering rally abilities. (-2
Clutch of Currents
)
4x
Sheer Drop
- Board in against aggro & combo, and again especially important against allies so that your bounce spells aren't re-triggering rally abilities. (-4
Roil Spout
)
**1x Plains - Board in any time you board out both Natural Connections and/or when running the full sets of Gideon's Reproach
+
Sheer Drop
(-1 Forest)
**The Plains will go away as soon as I can afford to stabilize my mana base
2x Nissa's Renewal - Board in against burn & drain. This strategy will also include some
Ojutai's Command
s as soon as I have them. (-2
Planar Outburst
)
1x
Gaea's Revenge
- Board in against Control. (-1
Planar Outburst
)
===========================================================
Welp, that's about it. I'm loving this deck so far, can't wait to try it out at a tourney soon and see what sort of improvements it needs.
Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions! +1 If it looks fun, hope it inspires you to build something interesting for your next FNM!
~Enjoy!
