After a round of playtesting, I've made some substantial changes to the deck list from the last post.
Sideboard Sidetrack
The following thirteen cards have been moved to the sideboard. The links to their pages on Gatherer are in the previous post linked above, or you can use the Moxfield deck list link instead.
- 1 Alpha Tyrannax (one remains in the core deck)
- 4 Giant Growth (I added a Beast which can largely replicate this spell as an alternate option)
- 4 Rumbling Baloth (it's pretty vanilla for a Beast at its mana cost)
- 4 Yeva's Forcemage (it didn't seem very impactful in play)
The Replacements
Since I can have up to 15 cards in the sideboard, I also have 2 Fangren Marauders in case I build a colorless deck and want to profit from stomping myrs or thopters, although something like Indrik Stomphowler might be even better just to destroy things.
Garruk's Companion (4) offers good value as a 3/2 for just 2 green mana, and the synergy in the rest of the deck should make it a bigger threat over time.
Slaughterhorn (4) is also a 3/2, but for 3 mana. It can enter as a beast, or it can serve as almost a Giant Growth by giving another creature +3/+2 for a turn if its bloodrush ability is used instead of casting it. I like versatility, so this is still good for the deck.
Wirewood Savage (2) is a solid card draw engine if she is on the table once I start playing beast cards.
Beacon Behemoth (1) and Krosan Tusker (1) are two more big Beasts I added from my collection because I only had one of each, and they give some big end-game power. The former can give my attacking creatures vigilance, and the latter can optionally add card draw with its cycling option.
I also added a 3rd Timbermaw Larva to the pair in the deck for now. They can swing big, but I'm not sure their low toughness makes them the best candidates here. I have some ideas for what might replace this trio, but I'm not ready to change them out yet.
Deck Goal
All else being equal, the deck that generates the most mana, draws the most cards, and plays the most cards will win a game. This deck has eight mana dorks, card draw from each Elvish Visionary replacing itself when played, and now the Wirewood Savage can boost that even more.
With the biggest creatures around hopefully gaining counters and growing even more, fogs to keep my opponent from winning, and enough card draw and mana to play them all, this should be more than viable at a casual table. It is weak to flying, especially the Jace's Phantasms in my blue deck, although some cards not yet on the list could add reach. Board wipes are always a problem, and red can ping all the mana dorks in the late game. Soldiers will face challenges in combat, but could outnumber my big monsters. And black is just plain mean. It's not a guarantee this will win, but when it does, it's like old Godzilla stomping around Tokyo City like a big playground. Speaking of which, this project needs a theme song...
https://youtu.be/CAVJH_6CGbM
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