Home for Rattleclaw Mystic

Standard forum

Posted on Oct. 12, 2014, 11:44 a.m. by capriom85

How about a RUG (Temur is still a stupid name) Control deck that uses Surrak Dragonclaw as the finisher (Stormbreath Dragon etc, too) with Sylvan Caryatid and Rattleclaw Mystic in tow to ramp up the power of things like later game Crater's Claws and Mindswipe ? Throw in a pretty stock suite of counters like Dissolve and Dissipate , add in Lightning Strike and some other burn and I think we have something that might be able to outlast opposing decks into the late game.

Thoughts? Holes? Criticism? Agreement?

Spootyone says... #2

I tried almost this exact this you're Brainstorm -ing. My consensus? It doesn't work. One of the biggest problems the deck has is early things with 5 toughness. These are most often a T3 Polukranos or a T3 Ashiok, and both can be devastating (Ashiok moreso). This can also include a T3 master of the feast. And, no, Fated Conflagration does not cut it. It's a turn too slow in most cases.

Moreover, when playing a deck like this you have to focus so much on being all over the place. And in many cases you'll find yourself feeling like youre playing a "Bad" green devotion or RG monsters list. In a way, it is -- simply on the precedent that your greatest weakness is your greatest strength spread too thin. The deck doesn't focus ENOUGH on ramping into big dudes, but it also fails to focus enough on controlling the board. And therefore it just falls flat in a lot of matchups.

The deck I'm working on now that came from that original list seems to be doing a bit better. T3 5-toughness threats are still a problem from time to time, but I now have a bit of a transformational sideboard to bring in aggro against Ashiok, and then I have Soul of Shandalar as a way to handle Green Midrange. It plus Bow of Nylea is a crazy good synergy, as you can just attack and then burn out any threat for 5 mana at a time PLUS the thing that may happen to block it.

I think the greatest strength Temur control had going for it over Jeskai control or UB/Esper control is its access to Bow of Nylea , and to a similar degree Courser of Kruphix . Bow had been so important in so many of my matchups as sticking it essentially means a victory against burn in most cases. Similarly, the toolbox-yness of it has proven to be enough utility to win games time and again for me. And as for courser...well, it does what it always has, you know?

October 12, 2014 11:57 a.m.

capriom85 says... #3

thanks Spootyone. I am definitely going to brew and test a lot before I go and sleeve it up and spend time to grab the Mystics I am missing. Do you think RUG is stronger midrange than in this way? I mean, I like to beat my opponent but "timmy" is just not my style. I don't need 10 9/9s on my board

October 12, 2014 12:02 p.m.

Spootyone says... #4

I think that if any color combination can go above in beyond in midrange, it's Temur. Why? Because Temur has access to blue. It has access to Keranos and Prophet of Kruphix and an amazing slew of walkers and ramp and burn and just all of these amazing late game synergies and advantageous cards.

But it's slow.

Temur's best "removal" options for things like Planeswalkers or huge threats are counterspells, and if these threats come out early then the counters sit in your hand unable to be cast. And you lose. Against aggro, the deck can be shifted enough to handle with a ton of burn spells as spot removal and then courser/bow to stabilize, but you use up so much of your list doing so that you have very little room for creatures, namely Polukranos and Genesis hydra and Stormbreath and more. And therefore you run the problem of your threats not being present enough and getting completely wrecked by Abzen mid and their discard and fantastic spot removal. They care less about your T6-7 Polukranos when they can play Siege Rhino and then Hero's Downfall your one threat you managed to top deck.

If the format were completely dominated by midrange and one didn't have aggro to worry about (and trust me, it does) then Temur could go over the top with Prophet and Keranos and a bunch of card draw and huge threats to overwhelm the board. Sadly, this cannot happen from what I see, though.

October 12, 2014 12:08 p.m.

GreatSword says... #5

sad music plays

shot of lonely Rattleclaw Mystic staring at the camera

Hello. This is Rattleclaw Mystic . Right now he lives in a cardboard box, with 49 other junk rares. But for just 2 mana a day, you can give this mana-dork a home. Please, call now. Judges are standing by to take your deck lists.

October 12, 2014 12:44 p.m.

golffore297 says... #6

Rattleclaw Mystic has a home in the Jeskai Ascendancy combo deck right now, so he's kinda thriving there.

October 12, 2014 12:51 p.m.

This discussion has been closed