(standard) X to the Max
Challenges and Articles forum
Posted on Nov. 14, 2014, 2:32 p.m. by jubale
I want a deck that wins off of ridiculous spells produced from ridiculous amounts of mana. For example, Green Devotion can go nuts with mana, but only if Nykthos shows up, and the deck is built around normal good cards cards reaching into semi-nuts spells like Hornet Queen and Genesis Hydra. I'm looking for a deck that skimps on the normal cards, and is just ramp ramp ramp win.
Besides dorks, big ramp cards that seem useful include Xenagos, the Reveler, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Karametra's Acolyte, Kruphix, God of Horizons, Dictate of Karametra.
Win cards might include X spells like Crater's Claw, Villainous Wealth, or a creature like Mistcutter Hydra but maybe there's more interesting things out there. Genesis Hydra for a zillion to find exactly the card you need, dump it uncounterable? (But what card? How about Perilous Vault, tap, sac, and then resolve the hydra?) Or maybe something like Bearer of the Heavens and something to kill it. Or maybe Hydra Broodmaster if you can ensure a way to get past blockers, or Nylea, God of the Hunt. Dump a hundred into an Elf and attack.
Okay so this is the challenge:
Make a deck that reliably gets a ton of mana quickly, and then reliably does ridiculous things with the mana. Bonus points if you don't roll over and die before getting there.
November 14, 2014 5:12 p.m.
Thanks! You are the front-runner for this challenge! Looking to see if anyone else has ideas.
November 15, 2014 12:13 a.m.
Dalektable says... #5
November 15, 2014 12:23 a.m.
OP_Magikarp says... #6
Gruul Story Bro (FNM: 3x 1st. 1x 2nd. 2x 3rd) Playtest
Standard
SCORE: 33 | 0 COMMENTS | 2912 VIEWSCan effectively float 24 by turn 4. Here are some of the amazing things I was able to do at actual FNM's:
Genesis Hydra for 40, being able to look at all but 2 cards of my deck.
Crater's Claws someone who gained life from the Whip of Erebos for 44.
MULTIPLE instances of Hydra Broodmaster going off for 10+
There is rarely a game where I am not able to float 20+ by turn 5.
November 17, 2014 9 p.m.
Interesting but how do your numbers work? I get that Xenagos can add some mana and Voyaging Satyr can almost-double Nykthos, but I can't imagine 24 by turn 4.
November 17, 2014 11:25 p.m.
OP_Magikarp says... #8
Well under PERFECT circumstances it works. Bear with me here it can get a little confusing.
Turn 1 --> Forest, Elvish Mystic
Turn 2 --> Forest, Play 1 more Mystic, voyaging satyr.
Turn 3 --> Forest, 3x Voyaging satyr
Turn 4 --> Nykthos.
Tap 2 Forests and Nykthos to float 6 mana and play a Broodmaster.
Tap 1 Forest, Mystic, and Satyr to untap Nykthos and tap it again to float 8.
Tap your last Mystic, one floating mana (down to 7), and a satyr to float up to 15.
Use 2 floating (down to 13) and satyr to float up to 21.
Finally, use 2 floating (down to 19) and your last satyr to float 27 and use it to monstrous Broodmaster.
You just successfully floated a total of 33 mana on turn 4. and now have thirteen 13/13 hydras and a 20/20 Broodmaster.
Of course this is situational, but there are also other combos that involve Sylvan Caryatid and/or Xenagos to float some red mana and Crater's Claws for 20+ on turn 4 as well.
These are best case scenarios, but there is rarely a game where I can't float massive amounts of mana for plays like these, although usually a few turns later in the game.
November 18, 2014 12:48 p.m.
Thats so ridiculous, makes me want to play 4 Kiora's Follower, 4 Voyaging Satyr, for 8 chances to draw the card.
November 18, 2014 3:53 p.m.
OP_Magikarp says... #10
Yeah that's insane too. I'll be sad once this goes out of standard because I just love playing ridiculously huge creatures
November 18, 2014 3:55 p.m.
Thassa's Ire is an interesting card once you get massive mana. Combined with Kiora's Follower and enough devotion, you get infinite mana and infinite taps/untaps. If you didn't have the means to go infinite, but only got say 15 mana, you could still tap/untap somebody like King Macar, the Gold-Cursed a couple times. There have to be better ways to abuse the mana, including having redundant threats so you almost always have one. Like for example the hydra case above is good, but if you don't have Nykthos, or if you don't have Hydra, or if you don't have Voyaging Satyr, it's much less exciting.
That's why I'm seeking more redundancy so the craziness happens more often.
November 20, 2014 12:54 a.m.
My contribution to the matter:
Unbounded Devotion to Green Stars Playtest
Standard
SCORE: 0 | 0 COMMENTS | 49 VIEWSThis deck goes virtually infinite with constellation and devotion, and Temur Ascendancy. For example, with Nykthos and Eidolon of Blossoms out, I play Temur Ascendancy, draw a card, play Voyaging Satyr, untap Nykthos, tap again for 2 more devotion, play another enchantment, draw a card, and eventually Hydra Broodmaster, draw a card (because of Ascendancy), monstrous for X=4, draw 4 cards, play a Kiora's Follower, untap Nykthos, play Noble Quarry, attack.
On a good day I go infinite turn 6.
jubale says... #2
Part of the challenge is to have in not be yet-another-devotion deck, but something more exciting.
November 14, 2014 2:35 p.m.