All things Wolven
Standard Deck Help forum
Posted on March 26, 2016, 12:26 p.m. by clayperce
If you want to talk about Wolves and Werewolves in Standard, you're in the right place!
If you're looking for other formats, please drop by Werewolf EDH for Commander or Modern Wolves for Modern.
- You're 100% welcome to post here asking for help on anything Wolven, though you may want to set up a separate thread as well, in the Standard Deck Help forum.
- Please don't hesitate to post your deck in large format (it makes it easier for others to find the decks that are asking for help).
- Here's the syntax for a large format deck ... just copy-and-paste, replacing the "gruul-wolves-soi" part with the "slug name" from your deck's URL:
[[deck-large:gruul-wolves-soi]]
FNM (6 Jan 2016)
- 1st Place (3-0): just-another-jundyard-dog-rec-12-5 by VexxValentine ($$$$)
FNM (23 Sep 2016)
- 1st Place (3-0): Sköll Pack by GrimShock ($$$)
Game Day (13-14 Aug 2013)
- 2nd Place: An earlier version of RG Wolves (Post Kaladesh) by alexwilson (Heirloom, $$)
FNM (29 Jul 2016)
- 1st Place: Werewolf's hurt (budget) by Nicholade (Mono-Red, $)
FNM (15 Jul 2016)
- 1st Place: Werewolf's hurt (budget) by Nicholade (Mono-Red, $)
FNM (8 July 2016)
- 1st Place (3-0): deck:naya-wolves-and-humans-bring-on-the-pain by snarlmkiv (Naya, $$)
Tues Standard (5 July 2016)
- 1st Place (3-0): Fur-Force One by Teurastettava_Sika (Zada, $$)
FNM (1 July 2016)
- 1st Place (3-0): deck:naya-wolves-and-humans-bring-on-the-pain by snarlmkiv (Naya, $$)
- 1st Place (3-0): Arlinn's Aggro Wolves by Jonnyradd ($$)
FNM (25 May 2016)
- 1st Place (3-0): Naya Tokens 1st place FNM by kamerask (Naya, $$$$$$$$)
FNM (6 May 2016)
- 2nd Place (3-1): Baby I'm Preying On You Tonight [EMN] by BlueEyes (CoCo, $$$$)
GAME DAY (30 Apr - 1 May 2016)
- 1st Place: Bark at The Moon (Orig Preying Baby deck) by BlueEyes (Heirloom, $$$)
- Top 8: deck:gruul-werewolves-with-removal by snarlmkiv (Heirloom, $$)
- Top 8: Westvale Wolven High GAME DAY TOP EIGHT by Rabid_Wombat (Zada, $)
- Top 8: Wolf Pack Attack by deltacobra (Zada, Temur, $$$)
FNM (29 Apr 2016)
- 2nd Place (3-1): Wolves are back, Baby! by LoudWings (Skin Invasion, $$)
FNM (22 Apr 2016)
- 1st Place (4-0): Bark at The Moon (Orig Preying Baby deck) by BlueEyes (Heirloom, $$$)
- 1st Place (4-0): Dirty Dogs! by Nykona (Zada, $$)
- 2nd Place (3-1): Gruul Wolf Tribal by BoB_6082 (CoCo, $$$$)
Some great posts that will otherwise be totally buried as the thread grows ...
- An article about CoCo from Post #106: "I'd want 22 hittable creatures at the very least before putting Collected Company in my main deck. This gives a 5% chance of missing completely, a 21% probability of hitting one creature, and a 74% probability of hitting two creatures." Thanks, DaftVader!
- The budget Werewolf Quickbuild from the Top Deck podcast, at Post #198. Thanks, Spootyone and EAK1791!
- An explanation of Moonlight Hunt vs. Archangel Avacyn Flip, at Post #270. Thanks, AndyReveler!
- An article about shoring up weaknesses vs. playing to strengths in sideboarding, from Post #309.
- Wedge's video, R/G Werewolves "$20 Budget" Tribal Standard Deck Tech, from Post #396. Thanks, Axinoim!
- Posts about the Werewolf decks that tore it up at the SOI Standard Poor-Man Challenge (no Rares or Mythics allowed): Post #528, Post #644, and Post #650. Congrats to Kizmetto and magnetcrocodile (Round 2), Volvary (Round 3), and DruneGrey (Round 4)!
- A manabase article which describes the "right" mix of Shadowlands (like Game Trail), Battlelands (like Cinder Glade), and other sources, from Post #610. Thanks, Ryjo!
- A look at the numbers of Wolfs, Pump spells, and Lands in the SOI ZadaFur decks in the Hall of Fame, from Post #728.
- A look at Lambholt Pacifist 's performance in the World Championship and various Grand Prix, from Post #864. [Spoiler alert: She won!]
Want to add a note about the thread to your deck description? Just copy-and-paste this:
... the [All things Wolven](http://tappedout.net/mtg-forum/standard-deck-help/all-things-wolven/) thread!
Want to add a subscription button to your deck description? Just copy-and-paste this:
<a class="btn btn-default" href="/subscriptions/subscribe/67/62030/?return_url=/mtg-forum/standard-deck-help/all-things-wolven/">Subscribe to the All things Wolven thread</a>
We look forward to reading your comments and looking at your decks! Good luck (and good skill) on your builds!
P.S. No worries if you just want to lurk. Please just click the Subscribe button here or underneath the Comment window. Thanks!
AndyReveler says... #2
Counters to Languish:
- Makes creatures bigger and potentially out of reach: Howlpack Resurgence/Nissa, Voice of Zendikar/Atarka's Command
- Offsets dead creatures with new ones: Evolutionary Leap
- Regain some board presence after Languish: Collected Company/Pack Guardian
these are proven and true ways to combat Languish
May 9, 2016 11:52 p.m.
CliffAscent,
Another option for Anguish: Splash Blue and then Negate or Glint.
May 10, 2016 7:06 a.m.
AndyReveler says... #5
that would be pretty fun actually clayperce, now I'm wondering why more decks don't do that with languish so common
May 10, 2016 12:47 p.m.
IrateWarrior says... #6
Need some advise on my first Wolf deck :) Who let the dogs out, they are scaring the kids
May 10, 2016 12:51 p.m.
clayperce I don't know if splashing blue for counter is worth it. and drawing Negate too early or too late play against you.
if splasing for defensive tools,splashing black for Transgress the Mind seems a better idea to me. thought?
May 10, 2016 2:19 p.m.
AndyReveler says... #8
it's not perfect, and chances are those decks are running Duress and Transgress the Mind which will take away your tech anyway, but the cool thing about Negate is it's also useful against planeswalkers, Collected Company and other troublesome spells, again, it's not perfect and there are better answered out there, but it's not exactly a horrible idea either.
Splashing black for transgress is also a viable option and may be a little better I terms of useful as it will hit almost anything negate can
May 10, 2016 2:52 p.m.
Thought this was a nice deck: GW Tokens with an extra helping of Werewolf
Actually played against it last night. Temur ZadaFur vs. "the best deck in Standard right now" ... yeah, pretty much what youd expect: The world's worst mirror match :-D
May 10, 2016 4:16 p.m.
AndyReveler says... #10
I can't believe how badly i had undervalued Lambholt Pacifist Flip when i first saw it. With Nissa, Voice of Zendikar and Howlpack Resurgence it's a great card, now in any deck apparently
May 10, 2016 10:57 p.m.
AndyReveler: They all laughed at me, THEY ALL LAUGHED! WHOS LAUGIHN NOW..N_MWHAHAHA..cough..I mean, yeah its a great card. Most situations a 4/4 for 2.
May 10, 2016 10:58 p.m.
CliffAscent says... #12
I can decide what to take to FNM this week. Should I take R/G Tribal Werewolf (standard) again with it's latest changes or give Gruul Wolf Grinder it's first shot? What do you all think?
May 10, 2016 11:05 p.m.
CliffAscent: I personally like the First one with Neglected Heirloom Flip. Won many fnms+game day with a very similar deck build, just mine had more Walkers and creature regaining with Evolutionary Leap.
A turn 3 7/7 makes people freak, and a turn 4 8/8 trample makes them force to have removal. One thing i love about wolves, is it punishes bad keeps.
May 10, 2016 11:13 p.m.
CliffAscent,
I'm with BlueEyes ... I love the Zada-Siverfur combo, but (in my current meta, anyways) I think it's just too fragile.
Alternately, find a deck here on T/O (or build one from MTGgoldfish or MTGTop8 or wherever) similar to your toughest match-up so far and playtest both decks against it. :-)
May 10, 2016 11:47 p.m.
my meta is all non creature decks and heavy removal or superfriends with removal rip. werewolves not vuabe at the moment and im not sure what to take to fnm this week.
cliffascent i would try grinder out!
May 11, 2016 12:59 a.m.
Kizmetto: My rule of thumb, when in doubt Atarka out. (Well, my rule of thumb since I loved Atarka Red so much).
May 11, 2016 1:01 a.m.
Blue is better for zadafur due to the existence of Slip Through Space.
May 11, 2016 7:52 a.m.
AndyReveler says... #18
My Jund midrange is doing well against the removal heavy control decks Kizmetto, the main cards are Goblin Dark-Dwellers and Kolaghan's Command, they literally just bring each other back if the opponent doesn't exile goblin, I already have some wins against seasons past. I'll wait till next set before retrying werewolves
May 11, 2016 10:22 a.m.
Hello guys!I am looking for some gameplay advice.I am a new player and I decided to build a werewolf deck for standard.For my first fnm tournament I played against aggro and control decks, and I decided to bring this deck! (without nissa though and replaced by 2 might of the masses) http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/bark-at-the-moon-budget-werewolves/And I got destroyed... How do you deal with languish, the 2 mana black -4/-4 card and cards like engulf the shore or reflector mage? I was unable to recover each time :(, and against aggro if I don't stabilize quickly the board I lose really fast especially against mono white with the combo +1/+1 vigilance enchantment and cards with first strike (knight of the orchid and a card that has a renown ability).Do you think collected company could be an answer? It is really expensive tho...Sorry if I don't post the exact card name, I don't remember well as it was the first time I saw them.And also, it might sound like a stupid question, but when do you decide to not play any spell to let your werewolf turn? I think I did some major mistakes with that :/
May 11, 2016 11:40 a.m.
Against Languish & Grasp of Darkness I use Evolutionary Leap & Duskwatch Recruiter Flip (or Silverfur Partisan agaisnt grasp).
"it might sound like a stupid question, but when do you decide to not play any spell to let your werewolf turn? I think I did some major mistakes with that :/"
it isn't a stupid question. I don't really know myself, I kinda play my wolves like any normal creature, flipping them only on rare case or when I have things to play at instant speed. I hate having unused mana at the end of my opponent turn. But I am a bad player and I keep making mistakes,so don't listen too much to what I say :P.
May 11, 2016 1:12 p.m.
To answer "when to flip", you want to flip in most cases once you have board state. You do not want to over compensate the board, in case of board wipes. I find the best time to flip depends on the deck it self, for CoCo, its best to flip once you have CoCo. In seemingly all decks, best time to flip is when you want to Moonlight Hunt something, but they have nothing on board. Combat value blocking with Atarka's Command or Howlpack Resurgence is another type.
May 11, 2016 1:33 p.m.
foxysky,
Welcome to Magic in general and Werewolves in particular!
One quick point: I know it's obvious, but not everyone on this thread is a guy. And sure "guys" is a gender-neutral term in a lot of areas, but it's not everywhere. Thanks much!
May 11, 2016 1:52 p.m.
I try to not play a spell so that my werewolves flip when I have something I can do on my opponent's turn. If I have Howlpack Resurgence or Pack Guardian, I'll pass my turn without casting a spell, hopefully flip my wolves, then cast whichever care on my opponent's turn.
May 11, 2016 2:08 p.m.
IrateWarrior says... #24
This maybe dumb but can someone highlight the benefits to Pack Guardian I don't see to much staple for the wolf deck in him, again new to wolves this might be a dumb question
May 11, 2016 2:33 p.m.
Ilusionist1213 says... #25
I started playing wolves because I got tired of running meta decks and spending $300+ on a deck. I just took apart my Bant CoCo deck and incorporated CoCo into wolves. However I feel like without CoCo and Duskwatch Recruiter I can't seem to get past mana screwing or mana flooding from draws. Is there any card you would recommend to help thin out, search through or shuffle the deck? I really can't think of much right now.
May 11, 2016 2:46 p.m.
@Illusionist- The manabase should be pretty simple, you don't run too many spells that are demanding. I added Tireless Tracker and Sin Prodder to get more card advantage, maybe you should try that. It also helps the deck mulligan more effectively, something that I noticed my deck hated to do.
May 11, 2016 3:06 p.m.
IrateWarrior, Pack Guardian is good in decks where you want at most 4 mana because it allows you to also get a 2/2 creature with it, all for 4 mana and a card. For decks that run Howlpack Resurgence, that represents even more value as you can have 8/7 total P/T come down whenever you need it. The surprise blocker aspect of the creature can also set up some beneficial blocks for you.
Ilusionist1213: Vessel of Nascency/Oath of Nissa filter through a few of your cards, Fork in the Road/Traverse the Ulvenwald/Natural Connection/Sylvan Scrying/Explosive Vegetation/Sword of the Animist works if you need land, Duskwatch Recruiter Flip/Gather the Pack/Seek the Wilds filters for creatures.
May 11, 2016 3:08 p.m.
IrateWarrior says... #28
Ryjo- Thanks man, I side decked one Geier Reach Bandit Flip and one Neglected Heirloom Flip for two Pack Guardian... hopefully this helps my deck. any other pointers would be super welcome Who let the dogs out, they are scaring the kids
May 11, 2016 3:33 p.m.
Everyone,
Not sure if you've been following zandl's SOI Standard Poor-Man Challenge (no Rares or Mythics allowed), but three Wolf decks made it into the second round:
From Part 1:
Poor-man (Were)wolf
Standard
SCORE: 1 | 2 COMMENTS | 162 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER
of moon and blades
Standard
SCORE: 1 | 1 COMMENT | 139 VIEWS
And from Part 2:
Wolf Wolves Wolf Wolves - Poor Man Challenge
Standard
SCORE: 2 | 210 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER
Kudos to Volvary, Kizmetto, and magnetcrocodile! And good luck in Round 2!
May 11, 2016 10:46 p.m.
IrateWarrior says... #30
Regarding Pack Guardian if I have a Krallenhorde Howler Flip on the field does that mean Pack Guardian costs 1 less if I use him as a flash and not just a normal summon?
May 12, 2016 9:34 a.m.
Yes, using cards with flash doesn't alter their costs so it will be costing you 
, regardless when do you cast it.
May 12, 2016 9:36 a.m.
IrateWarrior, flash does not change the type of the spell, so Krallenhorde Howler Flip will still work on a flashed Pack Guardian.
May 12, 2016 9:39 a.m.
IrateWarrior says... #33
Awesome thanks guys, Still getting use to some of the rulings :)
May 12, 2016 9:43 a.m.
IrateWarrior says... #34
What are some of the Go to Combos you guys use to get the wolves hitting the ground running. Sometimes I find it slower to get going if your opponent casts 2 so your back to day side then if you want to summon another wolf your stuck with 2 day sides.
May 12, 2016 10:48 a.m.
Instant speed stuff. Let the wolves flip and still have a play. Sure it slows you down a turn but they get hit for a LOT the turn after.
May 12, 2016 12:17 p.m.
CliffAscent says... #36
Duskwatch Recruiter Flip and Ember-Eye Wolf activated abilities don't count as spells and is my main source of flipping.
May 12, 2016 1:59 p.m.
IrateWarrior,
I know it's obvious, but not everyone on this thread is a guy ... "guys" is a gender-neutral term in many areas, but not everywhere. Thanks!
May 12, 2016 2:10 p.m.
clayperce don't be that .............................................. ...............................................................................guy. jk XD
May 12, 2016 2:16 p.m. Edited.
IrateWarrior says... #39
sorry clayperce I ment it gender neutral as I figured saying "what combos you people use?" sounded rude lol
May 12, 2016 2:18 p.m.
CliffAscent says... #40
Let's stay on the topic of MTG rather than social "justice".
May 12, 2016 2:29 p.m.
IrateWarrior says... #41
Agreed, Im seeing a lot about Ember-Eye Wolf but I feel like Scourge Wolf does so much, not risking being flipped and First strike with all the wolf buffs seems amazing. But im worried the delirium effect isn't reliable enough
May 12, 2016 2:33 p.m.
If you run Evolving Wilds, instants, and sorceries, you should be able to get delirium. The problem is, most werewolf decks want as few sorceries as possible to help promote flipping. Scourge Wolf also requires special consideration since if you want 
on turn 2, you're going to be dealing with a heavy manabase and probably won't be playing Duskwatch Recruiter
Flip or Lambholt Pacifist
Flip at all or at the very least on curve.
May 12, 2016 3:02 p.m.
IrateWarrior says... #43
Ember-Eye Wolf it is! haha cause I love Duskwatch Recruiter Flip and Lambholt Pacifist Flip
May 12, 2016 3:06 p.m.
CliffAscent says... #44
IrateWarrior I'd say those three cards have the largest impact for me.
May 12, 2016 3:26 p.m.
Ryjo buuuuuuuuuuuuuut if you're running evolving wilds and dual lands none of the things you described should be a problem.
May 12, 2016 4:43 p.m.
The dual lands for 
either: require you to have 2 basic lands to enter untapped (Cinder Glade), require you to show a land of the correct type to be enter untapped (Game Trail), or always enter tapped. If you play Cinder Glade turn 1, then Evolving Wilds turn 2, you still need to wait until turn 3 to play Scourge Wolf. The same is the case for the tapped lands. You could theoretically luck out and go from Evolving Wilds to Game Trail with a related land card in hand, you could cast Scourge Wolf on time. Any other time Scourge Wolf is dead in your hand until at least turn 3, and by then you've probably lost some tempo.
May 12, 2016 7:22 p.m.
You only want to play between 5-8 tapped lands. I would play 4 Game Trail, 2 Cinder Glades and then slightly favor mountains. This is fine because playing Village Messenger T1 is awesome and none of your green creatures are G.
May 12, 2016 10:38 p.m.
Everyone,
Would you like to see MTGgoldfish do an Against the Odds build of Zada/Silverfur (Standard)? Or maybe Werewolves (Modern)? Then please vote here, at the bottom of this week's article.
Thanks much!
May 12, 2016 11:17 p.m. Edited.
Hope y'all draw well at FNM tonight!
Also, did anyone place #1 or #2 at FNM last week? If so, I'd be proud to add your deck to the Hall of Fame :-)
May 13, 2016 4:16 a.m.
IrateWarrior says... #50
What ratio of land to creatures do you guys run? I only have 21land and 26creatures and I still find myself with dead draws every other game in the first few turns
snarlmkiv says... #1
CliffAscent Equip a Ashmouth Blade Flip on any wolf/werewolf (prio picks: Lambholt Pacifist Flip, Duskwatch Recruiter Flip)...
Also more than 2 Howlpack Resurgence out on the board...
May 9, 2016 11:49 p.m.