Magic: The Gathering

[Ash K.]

I took the Freyalise deck and turned it into a more Elf tribal deck, adding things like Nissa Revane (and of course a Nissa's Chosen for her), Elvish Harbinger, Elvish Champion, Joraga Treespeaker, Heedless one, etc. Another thing I want to build is a deck using Titania, Protector of Argoth (who comes in that deck) instead with a bunch of land sacrificing and resurrecting (of course, that means Crucible of Worlds is an absolute must and that's hard to get).

Also, I am excited for Fate Reforged! Doing a prerelease at a local store later today and one on campus tomorrow. I actually like Manifest, seems cool and will fit very well into my Animar, Soul of Elements morph EDH deck. Not to mention all the dragons... Can't wait to see Dragons of Tarkir as well.

Also, how did I miss this thread becoming active again?

[Homura]

I have a coworker at my job that convinced me to get back into MTG. Seems like they've changed quite a bit, but not to the point where I don't think I could get back into it. He's big into Commander decks, so I'm going to try to get into that.

Just ordered the 2014 Green Commander deck from Amazon and will probably give it a test drive. But if you guys have any modding recommendations, I'm all ears. I need to get back up to speed after being out of the loop for about... yikes, fifteen years now. XD

The shell of the Green Commander deck is elves + big creatures. You can take it in either direction for the most part, either more elf focused, or more "big dudes" focused.

My suggestion is to play around 5 games with it first to get the feel of it, and see where you want to take it after that. The big problem I have with monogreen decks in general is its lack of mass removal, which may or may not be an issue with your play group.

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Pulled Alternate art Ugin at the prerelease. :D

[Neo Emolga]

The shell of the Green Commander deck is elves + big creatures. You can take it in either direction for the most part, either more elf focused, or more "big dudes" focused.

My suggestion is to play around 5 games with it first to get the feel of it, and see where you want to take it after that. The big problem I have with monogreen decks in general is its lack of mass removal, which may or may not be an issue with your play group.

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Pulled Alternate art Ugin at the prerelease. :D

Yeah, in the past, I didn't do monodecks, but I'll play this out a few times to see how it rolls on it's own and make the adjustments as to what I think might help it out. Usually I paired green with red, since those two compliment each other nicely to pump out big creatures quickly and for the nice mix of instants (plus red handles the mass removal issue you brought up). The only issue with that would be finding good red/green commander candidates.

[Ash K.]

Yeah, in the past, I didn't do monodecks, but I'll play this out a few times to see how it rolls on it's own and make the adjustments as to what I think might help it out. Usually I paired green with red, since those two compliment each other nicely to pump out big creatures quickly and for the nice mix of instants (plus red handles the mass removal issue you brought up). The only issue with that would be finding good red/green commander candidates.

I've seen a couple Gruul commanders, such as
Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
Xenegos, God of Revels
Thromok, the Insatiable
Stonebrow, Krosan Hero
Radha, Heir to Keld
I can also imagine there's potential in Rosheen Meanderer or Wort, the Raidmother if you build it right. However, I did get the Freyalise deck to work quite well as mono-green Elf tribal with some modifications.

I got so lucky at the prerelease yesterday. Promo Soulfire Grandmaster, another Soulfire Grandmother, Flooded Strand, and an Ugin, the Spirit Dragon in the prize packs.

[Homura]

You do have options for monogreen mass removal, it's just generally expensive to get:
Ugin
All is Dust
Disk
Oblivion Stone
Vault

I mean, those would be the core of what you have, but Ugin and AID are very expensive cards.

Wort has the unique ability of fireball --> conspire to fork said fireball for extra pain.
Atarka, World Render does 12 commander damage. Not bad for a relatively cheap (money-wise) commander.

I'm much more into Temur commanders:
Riku
Animar
Maelstrom Wanderer
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Ash: Nice! Some great winnings there!

[Ash K.]

Thanks! (And I totally haven't had this tab open for a month meaning to post this, I swear.)

I currently use Animar as a Morph(/Manifest) Commander because the only Commander who synergizes better with Morphs is mono-Blue (Ixidor, Reality Sculptor) and it just is too limiting in terms of Morphs and support for them.

So, about those Dragons of Tarkir spoilers... Thoughts, everyone?

[Homura]

I built a Teferi deck. Wow, I'm a jerk with that deck. I've done silly things like ultimate Teferi and then proceed to use Karn's ability 5 billion times. I've also ultimated Tamiyo with rewind in hand. Locking people out is hilarious.

Dragons is interesting as a set so far. Lots of flying though, so drafting it wouldn't automatically mean it's "unblockable" like some other sets. Of the Dragonlords, I think Silumgar is the best one out of them all. Atarka is probably the least inspiring one (since it's really just a bogardan hellkite).

The commands are pretty uninspiring, just because they feel like nerfed original commands.

The 2-drop megamorphs...I really like Stratus Dancer the most. The green one is good too.

Narset will likely slot into Jeskai tokens pretty well with Dragon Fodder.

Sarkhan...Sarkhan...*sigh* w/e dragon guy.

[Neo Emolga]

Okay, here's the red and green Commander deck I finally put together. I originally didn't intend for it to focus on dragons, but after looking around, I found there's a LOT of really nice dragons out there. And who doesn't love dragons? :3

So here's what I have:

COMMANDER
Atarka, World Render

CREATURES (34)
Thundermaw Hellkite
Stormbreath Dragon
Ryusei, the Falling Star
Rorix Bladewing
Moltensteel Dragon
Lightning Dragon
Kilnmouth Dragon
Hellkite Charger
Furyborn Hellkite
Covetous Dragon
Dragon Broodmother
Bogardan Hellkite
Balefire Dragon
Flameblast Dragon
Two-Headed Dragon
Siege Dragon
Hellkite Tyrant
Destructor Dragon
Hoard-Smelter Dragon
Utvara Hellkite
Shivan Dragon
Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
Titania, Protector of Argoth
Primordial Sage
Soul of the Harvest
Grave Sifter
Lifeblood Hydra
Tinder Wall
Orcish Lumberjack
Slyvan Ranger
Fyndhorn Elves
Fyndhorn Elder
Elvish Mystic
Llanowar Elves

SORCERIES (13)
Cultivate
Rampant Growth
Explosive Vegetation
Arc Lightning
Collective Unconscious
Overwhelming Stampede
Praetor's Counsel
Earthquake
Fireball
Disintegrate
Lava Burst
Mizzium Mortars
Apocalypse

INSTANTS (7)
Lightning Bolt
Fissure
Incinerate
Harrow
Shrink
Giant Growth
Starstorm

ENCHANTMENTS (1)
Wild Growth

ARTIFACTS (10)
Swiftfire Boots
Moss Diamond
Seer's Sundial
Chromatic Lantern
Sol Ring
Commander's Sphere
Loreseeker's Stone
Skullclamp
Predator, Flagship
Nevinyrral's Disk

PLANESWALKERS (4)
Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury
Sarkhan Vol
Nissa, Worldwaker
Chandra, the Firebrand

LANDS (30)
Mountain 10x
Forest 10x
Gruul Turf
Jungle Basin
Karplusan Forest
Myriad Landscape
Kazandu Refuge
Rootbound Crag
Havenwood Battleground
Rugged Highlands
Tranquil Thicket
Temple of Abandon

If you have any recommendations or ideas on things that could be replaced with something else, I'd appreciate it. Still trying to get back up to speed, but I feel I'm getting there.

[Homura]

Ya Neo. My major complaint is the lack of lands in a mostly land-hungry deck. You'll likely need to mulligan pretty hard for lands with only 30, where I think more optimally you should be looking at 38-40, even with acceleration.

[Neo Emolga]

Hey, thanks, I've added in a few extra things to help with the mana stuff as well as some other adjustments.

Before, it was hitting some snags and I've come across some WAY better cards that fit what I'm trying to do (extreme wrath of dragons). Also, I made little notes by some of the cards as to what I'm intending them for.

COMMANDER (1)
Atarka, World Render (because giving all dragons (and there are many, many dragons) double strike means LOTS and LOTS of damage).

CREATURES (29)
Moltensteel Dragon (can be brought out a bit earlier with some life loss if needed)
Flameblast Dragon (5/5 for 2R4C with an ability to just auto-roast a potential blocker before the attack is good stuff!)
Ryusei, the Falling Star (most of the important creatures in this deck are flying, so the 5 damage upon death to everything not in the air is way more painful on the opponent than on me)
Stormbreath Dragon (4/4 Flying, haste, and protection from white are pretty good. The Monstrosity cost is pretty high and I haven't really had a situation where I've needed it though)
Thundermaw Hellkite (5/5 Flying and haste for 2R3C is pretty good. Plus it taps (and kills the 1/1s) all of the opponents defending fliers).
Rorix Bladewing (6/5 flying & haste. Great for dishing out nice, fast damage)
Balefire Dragon (6/6 flier with an army-killing ability if it hits the opponent. VERY nice stuff)
Hellkite Tyrant (6/5 flying artifact stealer with trample for only 2R4C. Yum!)
Furyborn Hellkite ("oh, I'll just take the 1 damage." Make that a BIG mistake with this beasty 6/6 flier that's got Bloodthirst 6! Pricy but worth it!)
Lightning Dragon (The echo cost is pesky, but it's not a bad deal to bring out this flier to start whacking at things early)
Bogardan Hellkite (Say hello and goodbye! 5/5 Flash and Flying and deals 5 distributable damage just for showing up! Works great as a surprise blocker.)
Covetous Dragon (Cheap, strong dragon for only five mana. All it requires is to have an artifact down, and this deck's got plenty of those)
Kilnmouth Dragon (This guy typically goes in first while I've got a hand full of dragons. He's gone in as a 14/14 once, which is something you definitely want on your side. The ability works great for just axing potential blockers for the other dragons to go in for the chomp.)
Hoard-Smelter Dragon (If Hellkite Tyrant's not around to poach stuff, this guy will be the bull in a china shop if need be).
Dragon Broodmother (Aren't they adorable!? Pricy dragon, but it pumps out 1/1 devour 2 fliers EVERY upkeep and makes for zany multiplayer matches. Combine with Utvara Hellkite for even MORE 6/6 dragons by the truckload. And they can be used for Eldrazi Monument food if necessary to make everything just... insane.
Two-Headed Dragon (Painful to deal with, as it's inflatable and can eat away two attackers or defenders at the same time. Not a bad mana cost for what it's capable of.
Shivan Dragon (It's the inflatable classic!)
Hellkite Charger (Flying, haste, and can make your whole army attack twice! SUPER FATAL with Atarka flying about!)
Destructor Dragon (Killing it might just be as bad as keeping it alive!)
Siege Dragon (Kill the walls, and then kill the weenies for not having walls! That's right, be a jackass!)
Utvara Hellkite (SICK combo with Dragon Broodmother, and since the deck is STUFFED with dragons, you're looking at a 6/6 psychotic dragon factory right here)
Dragonmaster Outcast (for just 1 RED MANA, as long as you just have six lands sitting about (easy to have), you get a 5/5 dragon token EVERY UPKEEP. That's... INSANE! Also, if direly needed, the tokens can also be more Eldrazi Monument food)
Ball Lightning (Quick, fast damage. Lovely with Lifeline out)
Elvish Mystic (Mana ramping)
Fyndhorn Elves (Mana Ramping)
Llanowar Elves (Mana ramping classic)
Fyndhorn Elder (Extra Mana ramping)
Lifeblood Hydra (Inflatable creature with a LOT of potential card draw if it dies.)
Tinder Wall (Great for blocking early attackers and for mana ramping)

SORCERIES (13)
Arc Lightning (3 damage for distribution can wipe out those pesky 1/1s that have nasty abilities)
Apocalypse (Awesome wrath effect that cleans the ENTIRE board. Very good if the opponent gets indestructible stuff down that's becoming too much of a pain to deal with)
Cultivate (Mana ramping)
Into the Maw of Hell (What a name. Land kill and instant creature kill ain't a bad deal, my son. Why choose with Fissure when you get both?)
Mizzium Mortars (works for getting rid of one pesky bastard for cheap, or Overloading it to clean up an enemy army that's becoming a problem.)
Harmonize (Jacking up cards in hand)
Disintegrate (Good for getting rid of anything with indestructible. Gotta have some exile effects just in case).
Earthquake (Dragons fly, so everyone else on the ground... adios amigos!)
Lava Burst (Great for making sure something absolutely needs to die)
Fireball (Customize how you want everything on the opposing side to fry!)
Life's Legacy (Massive potential card draw for the cost of a creature. Works even better with Lifeline)
Rampant Growth (More mana ramping)
Explosive Vegetation (Mana ramping)

INSTANTS (8)
Giant Growth (+3/+3 because they never saw it coming)
Fog (Fast, efficient way to make an opponent's attack just... completely meaningless. I only use it if the damage goes above 5 and I need to buy some time)
Incinerate (Toasty! Good for making sure whatever's cookin' doesn't come back to life)
Respite (Like Fog, only with extra life!)
Lightning Bolt (It's the classic one red 3 damage zap!)
Starstorm (Do things look grim with that big army attacking you and you've got no defenders to help?! Why not just... destroy them all!?)
Harrow (Mana ramping)
Fork (Why settle for doing it once when you can do it twice!?)

ENCHANTMENTS (5)
Concordant Crossroads (For haste and mana ramping from the elves and such. Great to use just after summoning a bunch of stuff like lots of dragon tokens! And yes, I combined this with Sarkan Vol's -6 dragon creation swarm for a WIN)
Awakening Zone (Mana ramping, chump blockers, food for Eldrazi Monument)
Squirrel Nest (chump blockers, food for Eldrazi Monument)
Wild Growth (Mana ramping)
Greater Good (Card draw in case a dragon is targeted by a lethal spell. Or, combine with Lifeline for drawing as much as you like!)

ARTIFACTS (7)
Quicksilver Amulet (for summoning big dragons earlier and cheaper)
Lifeline (Dragons ending up in the graveyard? Think again! Sure, it revives the opponent's creatures also, but most of the dragons have things to deal with that. Also, pairing this with Eldrazi Monument makes for great, great fun)
Nevinyrral's Disk (In case everything just needs to... die.)
Sylvan Library (Be choosy, and if it's really necessary, take the burn for extra, possibly game-deciding extra cards).
Chromatic Lantern (Makes casting stuff much more easier. Only got mountains or only got forests? Well, who cares now?)
Sol Ring (Mega mana ramping)
Eldrazi Monument (BECAUSE INDESTRUCTIBLITY ROCKS. Squirrel Nest, Dragon Broodmother, Freyalise, Dragonmaster Outcast, and Awakening Zone can all produce the turn-by-turn fodder needed to keep all the MASSACRING DRAGONS untouchable. Sarkan and Utvara Hellkite could potentially dump in more tokens to contribute, and worst case scenario, there's the option of sacking elves. Get Lifeline and this down at the same time and poof, the creature sacrifice isn't even an issue anymore)

PLANESWALKERS (4)
Sarkhan Vol (Creature buffing, control, and dumping truckloads of dragons on the field)
Chandra, the Firebrand (Kills weenies for lunch, multi Fork effects, and the third ability is another army wipe-out effect.)
Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury (Dumps in hordes of green mana-producing elves, and can kill nasty artifacts and enchantments. I doubt I'd use the -6 ability card draw much, though, but the elves can also be Eldrazi Monument food if needed)
Nissa, Worldwaker (Using her mainly for mega-mana ramping via forest untap and if necessary, extra creatures to join in on the mayhem.)

LANDS (32)
Forest 10x
Mountain 10x
Havenwood Battleground
Tranquil Thicket
Kazandu Refuge
Rootbound Crag
Myriad Landscape
Karplusan Forest
Rugged Highlands
Jungle Basin
Temple of Abandon
Gruul Truf
Terramorphic Expanse
Evolving Wilds

I am definitely open to recommendations, changes, or whatever, but so far, I've been seeing this deck do a lot better since the last posting.