ORI standard Naya +1/+1 counter strategy for beginners: a bad primer
Standard Deck Help forum
Posted on Oct. 7, 2015, 9:31 a.m. by TwerkForSubway
The title is decently self-explanatory... I am relatively new to magic (as of KTK) and even newer to the standard format! I am making a list for a friend new to the game to show them the flavor and how fun the game really is when you sit down and look at individual cards... And, hopefully going to help them purchase some of the more non-budget cards if you don't hurt my wallet and/or feelings too bad (fetches, really. Everything else is pretty budget). The theme of the deck is to land cards that either give themselves +1/+1 counters, or play ways to give them counters to turn often overlooked and underplayed creatures into some decently sized value creatures! I have some cards and numbers relatively close to the number I want to include in the list, but they are most definitely not set in stone.
Any and all help is appreciated and needed, and I will make tweaks according to what I feel is both budget friendly and "fun" to play while still maintaining a competitive feel at the kitchen table.
I will probably throw in some BFZ cards, but I don't feel that that many from the set fit in with what I'm trying to do. Also, I'm aware that there are the Ferocious, Formidable, Bolster, and Renowned mechanics in the sets I'm making the deck from, but a decent majority are either too colored-mana dependent or plain out of colors that I can run (if they aren't otherwise lackluster in my opinion). If you can change my mind on any of them, please do!
3 Reap What Is Sown -- the card just enables the hell out of some of the Abzan clan cards from KTK like Abzan Falconer and Ainok Bond-Kin
Ainok Bond-Kin -- I'm indifferent. It offers first strike, but that's a pretty "meh" thing to have since most of our creatures will be good to go anyways.
3 Bow of Nylea -- This card is a toolbox. Lifegain, counter enabling, and flyer hate stapled onto an enchantment that gives our attackers deathtouch?! Yes PLEASE!
2 Dragonmaster Outcast -- Not on theme, but a 1 drop that can drop free evasive threats for under $5 a pop is great. It'll require some work on our part to make use of him, but bear with me.
4 Hardened Scales -- This makes all our "...eh" 1/x and 2/x creatures into legitimate threats with one RWiS or Ajani +1.
4 Atarka's Command - pings the opponent, shuts off fog effects from old Kiora and Winds of Qal-Sisma type effects, ramps, and gives our creatures the ability to block evasive threats when we don't have a falconer
2 Abzan Falconer -- gives flying, that's about it.
2 Ajani, Mentor of Heroes -- He gives counters to three separate creatures or stacks em however you see fit, even moreso with a Hardened Scales onboard. He also helps filter to hit relevant creatures, and if he ults it's our game regardless. Utility and cheesy flavor, now that's what I'm talking about!
3 War-Name Aspirant -- This is an aggro/midrange deck. We will be swinging hard and often, so this is an obvious choice because it comes out with one counter bare minimum a good percentage of times.
3 Shaman of the Great Hunt -- He's our main draw engine and another enabler to get counters on creatures!
2 Scab-Clan Berserker -- He can earn himself a creature when Ajani and RWiS aren't around, and when he earns it himself, he will make it count. Oh, you want to counter or remove my potential threat? Cool, lose two life, why don'tcha?
3 Flamewake Phoenix -- Recursive flying threat that can be beefed up to a 4/4 with a Hardened scales and your choice of Ajani, Shaman of the Great Hunt, or RWiS.
3 Sylvan Caryatid -- Acceleration and mana fixing.
2 Fanatic of Xenagos -- Either a 4/4 haster on the ground the turn he comes out, or a 4(+)/4(+) threat with a myriad of abilities if they don't fancy haste. Regardless, he's an aggressive threat that I like at nearly any point in the game.
3 Deflecting Palm -- Shenanigans! I swung for 13 and you're going to hit me with, say, a Pearl Lake Ancient for lethal? I say no.
4 Avatar of the Resolute -- Efficient body as it is, but with the amount of creatures we plan to have counters, he'll be huge. What a steal at two mana!
3 Inspiring Call -- An alternative Draw engine at instant speed in green, for cheaper and often better results than Harmonize that synergizes with the theme of the deck. I like.
2 Crater's Claws -- Finisher or Removal, I think this needs to be at least two main since the damage often will have an additional 2 tagged on there.
3 Courser of Kruphix -- Good blocking body, helps to look into the draw quality and gains back some life we'll need since we'll be playing rather aggressively with little-to-no blockers often.
Now, of course, this is nowhere near completion, as I'll need help constructing a manabase and probably some better threats and overall cards. I'd like to keep it naya, because he likes the idea of giving big creatures abilities from the Abzan clan "enablers" and I would like to show him not only that three color decks are viable and fun, but also the overall flavor there is in magic, as he's only played a few times over the past couple weeks.
Thanks in advance, TO!
--Twerky--
mathimus55 says... #3
I would make an actual deck on the site and link it here in the thread. It will be much easier for people to see what is in the deck. Then you can explain the card choices in the description like you did here.
Also, standard just rotated meaning that all your Theros block cards in here like Bow of Nylea and Courser of Kruphix aren't legal in the standard format anymore. Otherwise if you're trying to make a casual/modern deck the. Your card choices are just fine.
October 7, 2015 1:40 p.m.
dylanramirez_ says... #4
Unfortunately, like mathimus55 said, those certain cards are out of standard, and since you are fairly new, i suggest starting off with the cards you really like, then, organize those cards into they're colors. It is good to know what colors you will be playing, for example a lot of people like to play with 2 colors in there deck, take this for example: B/W life-link, that is my deck I am in the process of building, I started playing off with a mono white deck, in my opinion, i would start off there (mono white, mono black, mono green, mono red, mono blue, however, I do not suggest to do mono blue unless you have some playing time under your belt, I've been playing for almost 2 years now, and I do not want to try playing blue, because it is fairly difficult to play, in my opinion).
October 7, 2015 2:21 p.m.
TwerkForSubway says... #5
Right, this is a casual deck, I just worded it wrong. I'm using standard legal cards from before standard rotated, so I apologize for the confusion. Just looking for some more cards that are on theme that are I suppose modern legal, but I'd prefer them to be as recent as possible (also, budget considerations are appreciated, I don't want to blow $300 on a deck for a friend new to the game just to cough up $300, ya know? lol). Thanks for the comments!
October 8, 2015 4:46 a.m.
fires-storm says... #6
If you are looking for a budget-friendly creature that can have a big impact on the battlefield and rock with renown or bolster, I'd recommend pretty much any of the hydras, and as far as being able to bolster with a big creature goes, nothing has filled that slot better for me than Dromoka, the Eternal. I'd also consider some Citadel Siege, it goes into literally any standard or modern deck I make that revolves around counters, it can get our opponent's big threat locked down every combat, or get our creatures massive. As far as land goes I'd also include some of the multi-color Tarkir lands, and maybe add in Honored Hierarch or a Rattleclaw Mystic just so it is easier to stay on color for mana drops. Both are relatively cheap and in my opinion great options.
ChiefBell says... #2
What are you looking for in particular? Suggestions on extra cards?
If you go here
Then click 'advanced'
Then in format type 'Standard', press 'Add'
You can see every standard cards once you press 'Search'
Other things you can do:
In Colors type colors you want then add them. Or if you change the box next to Colors to say 'Not' then you can type colors to exclude from the search.
In Rules Text you can type text you are looking for such as '+1 counter' or 'counter'.
In Types you can change it to search for creatures or enchantments or whatever else you want.
I'll clarify how to use the tool properly:
The box next to the section must say 'AND' if you want all of the terms to come up. If you type 'Blue' into Colors and then add it, and then type 'Green' into Colors and then add it, you will only get cards that are both.
If you change the box to say 'OR' then it will return results that are one or the other. In the above example it will give any card that is blue or is green in some way.
If you change the box to say 'NOT' then it excludes that word from the search.
October 7, 2015 1:19 p.m.