Forest Kings
Deck Help forum
Posted on Dec. 22, 2013, 2:52 a.m. by Triple-B
So this is a deck that I might take to my next GPT, but i need a little help first.
The idea is to ramp into hydras for ever growing beaters. I'll post the list, then some troubles Incam see.
4Elvish Mystic
4Sylvan Caryatid
3Mistcutter Hydra
3Vastwood Hydra
3Savageborn Hydra
3Kalonian Hydra
3Polukranos, World Eater
3Bow of Nylea
3Weapon Surge
3Armed // Dangerous
3Clan Defiance
3Mizzium Mortars
4Stomping Ground
4Temple of Abandon
3Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
3Mountain
8Forest
SIDEBOARD
1Armed // Dangerous
1Clan Defiance
3Ground Assault
3Lightning Strike
4Skullcrack
3Volcanic Geyser
Now, I was thinking I may need to ditch Polukranos in favour of Voyaging Satyr to run the Nykthos a little harder but what i really want opinions on is the spell suite and side.
I figure Skullcrack against Maze's End decks and Grey Merchant, Mistcutter saves the vs blue and that lame ass single Aetherling control deck.
Armed and dangerous come into play vs Master of Waves. Combine The bow effect and weapon surge and you've a bunch of super deadly hydras.
The rest pretty much are directed at killing other creatures or hitting the opponent in the face when req.
so! I need yer help now deciding what is best to change or could be great swaps!
Thanks
In my opinion the thing that's still keeping RG competitive in the face of MUD, MBD and Esper/UW control(the three most popular decks right now) is it's suite of planeswalkers. Domri Rade , Xenagos, The Reveler , and Garruk, Caller of Beasts . Everyone of those decks is capable of dealing with a few random hydras, so you're going to be stuck without any way of getting lasting recurring value and top decking even worse cards like a bunch of combat tricks and Bow of Nylea .
There's really only 15 cards in the whole deck that anyone has to be concerned about. So you're only going to see on average 2-3 most games. All it's going to take is a little removal and you're effectively out of the fight.
I would cut the whole lot of Bow of Nylea , Weapon Surge , Armed / Dangerous and Clan Defiance , keeping maybe 1 of Bow of Nylea and Armed / Dangerous . So that gives you 10 cards back. 2 of those should probably be lands, you're trying to play a bunch of big hydras and need to be able to due that naturally without mana dorks and also mana dorks are only effective at ramping if you keep finding lands. If budget isn't an issue the 8 remaining slots should be 4 Domri Rade and then some mix of Garruk, Caller of Beasts , Xenagos, The Reveler , more hydras or Arbor Colossus .
The sideboard also needs some improvement. Most of the cards do the exact same thing - you don't need Volcanic Geyser , Lightning Strike , Ground Assault , Clan Defiance and Mizzium Mortars . That's dedicating a lot of slots in your 75 for largely the same effect. You really want cards that help to answer and combat other decks. Ruric Thar, the Unbowed for control. Pithing Needle just in general. Skylasher for more help against MUD. Destructive Revelry and Sylvan Primordial are really good at blowing up problematic cards like Whip of Erebos , Detention Sphere , Underworld Connections , etc. Also Burning Earth against any 3 color decks, or hell I think Burning Earth is a much better plan against if you happen to hit a Maze's End deck. Nylea's Disciple helps keep you alive against aggro.
December 22, 2013 3:45 a.m.
Burning Earth hurts this deck too much as it is already 50/50 for basics and non basics, though I must admit I did miss count the mana base and should have 24.
Oddly enough, against mono-black, the only damage I was getting through was the direct damage as the hydras all got removed. I found Garruk, Caller of Beasts was not a good fit as I ended up ditching lands I wanted for X spells and hydras, Domri Rade is a definite in and maybe for Xenagos, The Reveler
I know the end game is giant smashing with big hydras, but I'm not shy about making them 2/2 or 3/3 when needed for early game blockers.
The main problem I had was Supreme Verdict as it wiped my bad ass dudes after a a swing with Kalonian Hydra and a couple others on the board.
As for enchantment destruction, I hadn't put a mind to it, but I think a few Destructive Revelry s are going in, prolly ditching Ground Assault Since it doesn't hit players.
Ruric Thar, the Unbowed might make an appearance, but he disappears just as easily against Supreme Verdict and it only a 6 point hit....too easy for them to make that up with Sphinx's Revelation and he can be countered, at least Mistcutter Hydra can't be countered and is a lot kore safe from bounce spells.
December 22, 2013 5:12 a.m.
Fair enough points, though I do think you might be evaluating a few cards incorrectly.
Usually the idea with Burning Earth is not that you don't take any damage off it, but that you're the aggressor and get to put it down when you already have a boardstate. I used to even play it in a Naya deck post rotation since Thundermaw Hellkite was going to finish the game quickly. Also as mentioned, if for some reason you see a lot of Maze's End decks, they just can't beat Burning Earth with the fog and wrath plan where as Skullcrack merely gives you a chance.
The quality and consistency of the top card of your deck doesn't change before or after Garruk, Caller of Beasts +1s. You might very well be pitching lands, but the odds of that 6th card being a land are the basically the same regardless.
Supreme Verdict decks are why the planeswalkers are so important. You need to be able to pressure them without just creatures and be able to refill your hand.
Think of it this way Ruric Thar, the Unbowed essentially has the same effect as Mistcutter Hydra in the face of Supreme Verdict . Hydra just hits them in combat on your turn while Ruric Thar, the Unbowed triggers, and bouncing Ruric Thar, the Unbowed is pretty miserable.
December 22, 2013 5:44 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #6
You should post this as a deck. It's hard to read a typed-out list.
December 22, 2013 7:43 a.m.
Ya sorry epochalypik, I cut and pasted it off the wizards forum where it git 0 response
TurboFagoot says... #2
Multiple hydras (Savageborn, Vastwood) are not good, with Polukranos being the only viable one. (And you want to cut him) Ramp strategies aren't good right now as they usually fold to a Supreme Verdict. (The much more streamlined R/G deck from a month ago had the same problem)
And lol, there are no Maze's End decks to side against.
December 22, 2013 3:23 a.m.