The first article in the Big Idea Saga was ill-timed for the type of article, so the second and third parts have been relegated to blog space. I would like to apologize to those of you that were disappointed by the content of the first article, but if you are reading this, it is likely because you want to, and I thank you for that.
Last time I rambled on about all of my favorite new cards from Morningtide, so naturally this time around I think the logical subsequent course of action is to discuss some of the older cards that need to be dusted off. The fact is that every time a new set hits the game, it has effects on the playability of some cards that may not have been popular before. You might remember that Time Spiral brought back some of our old favorites with the Timeshifted cards; and a few of those actually made it into some standard decks. Quite honestly, I’m incredibly surprised that Akroma didn’t see as much play as she did the first time around, especially with cards like Dread Return in the format. This article isn’t about Akroma, but I wouldn’t feel right talking about Timeshifted cards without at least mentioning her.
The most popular Timeshifted cards ended up being:
Desert: a great way for control decks to handle early-game creatures until Wren’s Run Vanquisher happened
The Rack: became a secondary and in some cases primary win condition in some solid decks like Tarmorack
Wall of Roots: Aggro-stomper and accelerator, perhaps the best tool in midrange decks like G/B Planeswalker control
Stupor: better than coercion and Mind Rot, but I really wish they had reprinted Hymn to Tourach instead
Call of the Herd: just as good as it was before, but right now tribes are king and elephants are useless except for being Wrath resilient
Shadowmage Infiltrator: good card, but not as good in this context as it was at first- saw some use in control builds, but flying about average right now
Fiery Justice: cornerstone in a deck that was fun for about 10 minutes, then faded out
Mystic Enforcer: just as solid as before, especially when dredge was in the format
Mystic Snake: this card is just plain stupid (in a good way)
And of course, who could forget…
Dragonstorm: no comment necessary.
There was one card from Time Spiral’s Timeshifted that I hoped to get a chance to use again, but it never quite got the attention it once demanded. I looked at the development of Lorwyn Block and realized that there was no better time to make use of Pandemonium. Granted, there is no Saproling Burst in the format right now, but look at the suite of cheap creatures with high power. I finally got up the courage to break out my old set and give them a spin. I packed a few good cards from Lorwyn and Morningtide as well as one or two others into some sleeves and started playtests.
I originally tried Pandemonium with some of the Evoke creatures in order to grab the benefit of their CIP abilities and steal some damage along with it. I soon realized that if my opponent decides to play creatures, I was pretty much sunk because I wasn’t doing damage quickly enough just by evoking Shriekmaws, Mulldrifters, and the like.
Morningtide is what really sold me on the idea of Pandemonium simply because of two cards I mentioned in my last article: Bannerets and Bramblewood Paragon. I decided to design the deck as an aggro build with Pandemonium as a solid second win condition. I think the introduction has run long enough, so here’s the big idea:
Get in there
Maindeck:
4 Llanowar Elves
2 Boreal Druid
4 Flamekin Harbinger
4 Brighthearth Banneret
4 Bramblewood Paragon
4 Wren’s Run Vanquisher
4 Chameleon Colossus
4 Changeling Berserker
1 Nova Chaser
3 Pandemonium
3 Changeling Titan
4 Karplusan Forest
8 Mountain
11 Forest
Sideboard:
4 Ornithopter
4 Tormod’s Crypt
4 Taurean Mauler
3 Elvish Champion
The core of this deck is aggressive in nature, and the Pandemonium is really just the kicker. It adds a dimension to the deck that makes it stand more steadfast against control decks, and also provides a combo opportunity against decks that attempt to outlast aggro decks by gaining incredible amounts of life.
Another thing to note about this deck is the amount of synergy. Much like the elf decks that were so popular at States, as well as the world champion Doran deck, each card builds off of the others. I wouldn’t mention this if it weren’t important or impressive, because most aggro decks don’t necessarily have much synergy. Because there are so many changelings in the deck, Bramblewood Paragon becomes a steady force. Wren’s run Vanquisher as well as Bramblewood Paragon are also both warriors, which means that their costs are reduced by Brighthearth Banneret.
Brighthearth Banneret’s role in this deck is magnanimous, and was a major part of the decision to actually give the deck a chance. Aggro decks thrive on tempo, and the Banneret makes fat mid-range creatures solid options to hit the board on turns 3 and 4, even sometimes with only two lands in play. As mentioned, their ability to reduce the costs of warriors helps the elf side of the deck. Another subtlety about the card is its Reinforce ability. This is pretty much a bonus, but in the case that Bramblewood Paragon hits play after Chameleon Colossus or Changeling Titan, Banneret gives you a way to throw some Trample on that … at instant speed.
The tempo of this deck pretty much makes it midrange. The size of the creatures and their relatively low cost is how the deck manages to win games when it does. The deck goldfishes turn 5, and only turn 5; I’ve never won before 5, and it’s never taken more than 5 turns either.
The next card on the list of Timeshifted cards that I’ve been wanting to use gives a peek at next time’s topic, which is about beating the current standard metagame. I think Withered Wretch is just about the single most underused creature in the format right now, considering the fact that he’s a bear in normal matches, and he’s a game wrecking bear in other matches like Mannequin and Reveillark.
He was almost a necessity when he was in standard during Onslaught block, but there was a much stronger presence of Black and also a much larger need for graveyard manipulation because of the Odyssey block.
Next on the big idea agenda: taking apart the standard format by foiling the major decks. (also in blog section)
Tags: Article Morningtide Timeshift Pandemonium Deck
Related to:
Magic: the Gathering
