Finalising Sapling

Cuts, Deck and Mana


Usually, when I'm building a deck, I have a very solid idea what I want to include in my land base. What I ended up doing in this case is picking a number of lands I wanted to use and fix the rest of the deck afterwards. I settled at a number between 37 and 40 as a starting figure to be rechecked after a few games. As I'm sure there will be a number of cards that don't produce coloured mana or, in a couple of cases, any mana at all, I'm likely to err on the large side on my mana base and increase this over the 40 mark. Well, that was the basic idea.

Let's get to the cuts first because, as expected, I went a little too large. Obvious things to go when the list got tight were the cards that I don't want to play with for irrational personal reasons:

1.) Blightsteel Colossus: I had a lot of fat in the deck and my sole copy of BSC was probably something that would eventually (quickly) become the "go to" creature of choice to end games. The problem with this is that it quickly becomes the only creature you Survival or Tooth and Nail for. If I have one single creature that becomes the default choice, the rest of the deck should probably just be junked in favour of some Sam Black-style, ultra focused deck that just zones in on getting one or two specific creatures into play again and again. I have kept the legal Legendary Eldrazi if I want to smash someone and shorten a game drastically but, as my default after BSC is probably Primeval Titan rather than those two, I'm probably ok for now. I'm a firm believer that it's the intent of players rather than the potential their deck holds that defines whether they are griefers or DBs. At some point I'm going to want to play an Eldrazi. I'm ok with that.

In the "Fat" category I've also cut Darksteel Colossus, It that Betrays and I suppose you could count Butcher of Malakir in there too. These were all simply a question of space over creatures that had more Oomph! or utility.

2.) Necropotence: As expected, I have cut Necropotence. This is a card I can't seem to use without feeling like a huge dick and it paints one of the largest targets on your head that you can have in multiplayer. Not only are you drawing an abhorrent number of cards, but you're also putting yourself closer to being knocked out in the process. In addition, if you want to counteract the life-loss you're skewing your deck around the Necro. I didn't want to do this and decided to cut the Skull.

It appears that I have issues with drawing cards as Promise of Power (expected) and Skeletal Scrying (surprising) also didn't make the list. I have the Scrying sleeved up in case I come to my senses and put it back in. The rule of thumb I have taken on this and a number of other cards is to just go with what seems more fun. The 8 mana Praetor's Council is currently in the slot of the much more playable, efficient XB spell. if/when the council goes off though, I expect a much more spectacular return. From the 4 games I've played since I initially sleeved it up, the deck relies on a lot of cards providing small incremental advantages (generally revolving around land development), a situation I'm more than happy with.

3.) Withered Wretch: One of the deck-building constants I have for EDH is the acceptance that your deck needs to be the dog to something. I don't believe in building the all dominant, all crushing behemoth (though I'll happily make an exception for a deck specifically built for Archenemy). Occasionally, that weakness will be inherent in the colours or the strategy you choose and, occasionally, you need to just accept that it's ok to skimp on certain aspects of your game either because everyone else has it covered or because space dictates that you need to make a choice and being weak to something isn't a bad thing in a regular playgroup. My choice in this deck was graveyards but specifically because I want to profit from them myself. When Sharuum is an active threat in your playgroup, that can be a bit risky though I've already made a change specifically to counter artifacts, more on that later.

Part of this approach to cards that interact with graveyards has led me to cut Buried Alive, Beacon of Unrest and Recollect. Buried Alive got in a fight with Corpse Connoisseur and the permanent, while slower, can provide a more measured, constant means of filling your graveyard. It can also attack, block and interact with Genesis, Volrath's Stronghold, Artisan of Kozilek among others. And who wants to steal a Corpse Connoisseur or exile it from your graveyard? Recollect became redundant with the volume of recursion staying in the deck and Beacon of Unrest was trumped by the twin threats of Puppeteer Clique and Geth. Why remove something with Withered Wretch when you can use it yourself? Lord of Extinction is also a fan of gutsy calls in this regard. Worst case scenario I have Necrogenesis, slightly more durable than a 2/2.

4.) Wild Pair, Worldly Tutor, Fierce Empath: The EDH philosopher Fugu once said:

"Man who cut tutor, play more varied game."

While there's a lot to be said about his grasp of English grammar, his may have a point. What does it behove a us to pack decks with a multitude of tutors just to do the same thing again and again? Surely we're in this for the variety. When it comes down to it, how many tutors do I really need? I can count these 3 that got cut and another 7 that didn't (including Expedition Map & Prime Time but excluding basic land "tutors"). There comes a point where you need to scale back and these are the initial ones I chose to leave out. I'm happy to take guidence from famous philosophers, though I may still be a step or two away from full enlightenment.

Wild Pair also didn't make the deck. I laid everything out and started to figure what could tutor up with what. After about 3 minutes trying to figure what I'd liketo get with X, Y or Z, I just decided to exclude it. I don't want to waste more time that I will already be doing with my land & creature tutors.


Let's look at the deck.

The creature suite can be divided into three catagories: "Fat", "What gets me to Fat" and "Disruption". While there's occasional overlap, this is pretty much all she wrote. Surprisingly (not,), my curve reflects this top-heavy approach, skimping on lower-end plays and glutting at 5-6cc before running all the way to 11cc.

2cc
Sakura-Tribe Elder

3cc
Krosan Tusker
Wood Elves
Yavimaya Elder
Ezuri, Renegade Leader
Eternal Witness

4cc
Solemn Simulacrum
Oracle of Mul Daya
Brooding Saurien

5cc
Sapling of Colfenor (General)
Lord of Extinction
Indrik Stomphowler
Acidic Slime
Puppeteer Clique
Shriekmaw
Corpse Connoisseur
Spiritmonger
Genesis
Seedborne Muse

6cc
Primeval Titan
Grave Titan
Geth, Lord of the Vault
Rampaging Baloths
Duplicant

7cc
Avenger of Zendikar

8cc
Terastodon
Woodfall Primus

9cc
Artisan of Kozilek

10cc
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth

11cc
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre

As expected, Ezuri got the call over Kamahl purely on mana cost. I was unlikely to threaten one-sided Armageddons every time some presented a Wrath effect in any case so the choice was quite easy in the end.

The enchantments are next up and probably the area most likely to lose one or two representatives should I need the space.



1cc

Concordant Crossroads

2cc Survival of the Fittest
Necrogenesis

3cc
Pernicious Deed
Phyrexian Arena

4cc
Greater Good
Gravepact

6cc
Lurking Predators
Mana Reflection
One of the things you may notice here (and in their absence from the creatures list) is that the Bloodghast/Lotus Cobra/Perilious Forays combo didn't make the cut after the deck had been played a couple of times. I need a sacrifice outlet that doesn't cost mana, preferrably cheaper and with a more immediate benefit. The creatures were fragile and generally irrelevant. I also needed space and it was the cleanest cut I could make. Into their places went Ashnod's Altar which was left out initially, Harmonize which I had somehow overlooked and Creeping Corrosion. There's a pretty large volume of artifacts in my playgroup and it seems like it will be a pretty devestating play when it's needed.
Speaking of Artifacts:

1cc
Expedition Map
Sol Ring
Sensei's Divining Top

2cc
Nim Deathmantle
Lightning Greaves

3cc
Ashnod's Altar
Darksteel Ingot
Mimic Vat

Nothing has been added here since the first list was set up. Ashnod's Altar had been cut for Perilious Forays initially but once that was gone, the Altar came back in.
And, finally, the spells:
1cc
Vampiric Tutor

2cc
Regrowth
Demonic Tutor

3cc
Krosan Grip
Putrefy
Maelstron Pulse
Kodama's Reach
Cultivate

4cc
Harmonize
Creeping Corrosion
Damnation

5cc
Living Death

8cc
Praetor's Council
Decree of Pain

9cc
Tooth and Nail (Entwined)

Xcc
Genesis Wave
Green Sun's Zenith

The final card that didn't make the list, but is also sleeved up and waiting, was Black Sun's Zenith. I really want to play this and I want it to be great. For the moment, it's just not there.

Let’s finish up with the lands.

8 Forest
8 Swamp
Llanowar Wastes
Overgrown Tomb
Verdant Catacombs
Rupture Spire

I’d love to be able to list Bayou here but I don’t have one. I also don’t have Gilt-Leaf Palace, Twilight Mire or Tainted Wood. Definitely cards to pick up. In the meantime I have to make do. In terms of land that tap for colour but that do something else/additional:

Mosswort Bridge
Gaea’s Cradle
Bojuka Bog
Cabal Coffers
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

Cradle and Coffers/Urborg are obvious though, at only 36 lands, they really need to be active whenever they are in play. I realize I’m cutting it tight here and I have no safety net if some is playing MLD (Mass Land Destruction). A more reasonable approach would probably have seen me cut three cards for, at a very minimum, Crucible of Worlds, Life from the Loam and an extra land. When I’ve learned my lesson the hard way, I’ll come back and revisit this.

One area where my mana base could be an issue is getting the right colours early on to get me going. I’m running 11 lands that produce colourless or nothing at all.

High Market
Deserted Temple
Tower of the Magistrate
Volrath’s Stronghold
Yavimaya Hollow
Strip Mine
Wasteland
Mystifying Maze
Maze of Ith
Temple of the False Gods
Vesuva

Upon mature reflection, at least one of Wasteland or Strip Mine should be coloured land #23. Our playgroup is noticeably light on non-basic lands worthy of their inclusion. If the LftL or Crucible ever do make it into the deck, they would make it possible to recur the necessary land should the rare eventually arise when I should ever need to use it more than once. In that event, I’ll cut one of those lands directly for either a dual of some sort or a basic.

A note on High Market, Deserted Temple and Tower of the Magistrate:
Miren, the Moaning Well didn’t make it into the deck because of the increased number of colourless lands getting a slot. I had to make a choice between the two and Miren got the axe. It will end up in Thada Adel when I get round to re-making her. High Market is essentially anti-Control Magic effect but occasionally the couple of life points can make a difference.

Deserted Temple is to give extra activations to Cradle, Coffers, Maze of Ith, Yavimaya Hollow, High Market, Tower and to allow me to use Mosswort Bridge the turn it comes into play. When you absolutely need an answer and you have the Bridge in your hand, the ability to flip it the same turn is often overlooked by your opponents. This play has already (and quite luckily) allowed me to play a Decree of Pain off the top and tying up a grand total of 3 other lands (Temple, Forest + colourless). My remaining mana went towards casting some of the 12 cards I drew off the Decree.

Tower of the Magistrate is another overlooked card. On top of the usual plays giving blockers protection and pushing through damage against Sharuum, who expects their Duplicant ability to fizzle or suddenly finds that their equipment has fallen off mid combat? It’s little plays like this that start to add up as the game goes on.

The land count ended up at 36 which is definitely too low. I'm going to leave it here and come back in a week or so to see how it went. I predict some changes will be needed.