Paint it Green [PreDH]

[Oversoul]

The story of the awkward "Leprechaun Ward" archetype in the Old School '94 format is fascinating. It's a case worth studying. Of course, the archetype doesn't really scale into EDH and it would be silly to try, which is exactly where I come in. I am willing to be very silly. After compiling a list of cards taken from real Leprechaun Ward tournament decks, some cards that vaguely synergize with those cards, and a few of my own old favorites, I decided to make the whole thing PreDH too, just to really keep this concept from ever standing a chance.

Commander:
1 Jasmine Boreal

1 Abu Ja'far
1 Aisling Leprechaun
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Argothian Enchantress
1 Arid Mesa
1 Auratog
1 Baton of Morale
1 Benalish Hero
1 Benalish Infantry
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Camel
1 Circle of Protection: Green
1 Cooperation
1 Cyclone
1 Dire Wolves
1 Disenchant
1 Divine Transformation
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Engulfing Slagwurm
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Eternal Witness
1 Flickering Ward
1 Flooded Strand
1 Force of Nature
8 Forest
1 Gaea's Blessing
1 Green Scarab
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Green Ward
1 Helm of Chatzuk
1 Holy Strength
1 Hurricane
1 Ifh-Bíff Efreet
1 Kjeldoran Warrior
1 Lifelace
1 Lure
1 Marsh Flats
1 Maze of Ith
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Mother of Runes
1 Painter's Servant
1 Pendelhaven
1 Phytohydra
8 Plains
1 Rabid Wombat
1 Rancor
1 Rapid Fire
1 Regrowth
1 Rune of Protection: Green
1 Sandskin
1 Savannah
1 Scryb Sprites
1 Scuttlemutt
1 Shield of Duty and Reason
1 Shinen of Life's Roar
3 Snow-Covered Forest
3 Snow-Covered Plains
1 Spirit Link
1 Strip Mine
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Sylvan Paradise
1 Sylvan Tutor
1 Taunting Elf
1 Temple Garden
1 Tempting Licid
1 Timber Wolves
1 Untamed Wilds
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Verduran Enchantress
1 Veteran Bodyguard
1 Viridescent Wisps
1 Voice of Duty
1 Wasteland
1 White Scarab
1 Wild Growth
1 Winds of Rath
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Woodfall Primus
1 Worldly Tutor

 

[Oversoul]

By the way, I built this deck like a week ago, but I still haven't actually gotten to play it because I've been sick lately. Hoping that turns around soon here...

 

[Oversoul]

Tried this deck out last night. Although I was unsurprisingly outclassed, the deck did have a few tricks up its sleeves. In the end, I had a 10/10 Phytohydra that could swing with impunity against the all-green army of my last remaining opponent, but he got an infinite combo to pump up his own attackers and I lacked the numbers to block them all.

 

[Oversoul]

Played this deck for my final game last night. It held its own surprisingly well. If I'd gotten some source of card advantage, I think I'd have run away with the game. I got some hits in, but had to scramble to deal with bigger creatures. Got to use banding to mess with combat a bit. In an epic moment after I used Winds of Rath to kill everything except for my Rancored Phytohydra, I was stuck using Gaea's Blessing to dig for an answer to my opponent's easily rebuilt board state. I drew Winds of Rath again (it had been one of three cards shuffled back in from the Blessing).

The store closed and we ran out of time. I would very probably have lost in the end, but the deck held its own better than I'd have thought. Rune of Protection: Green continues to prove itself as a bomb in EDH. Still haven't seen the original CoP in actual gameplay, unfortunately.

 

[Oversoul]

I really want to get more games in with this deck, but it's causing me to play it in 1v1 games out of desperation, which is not ideal. Got stuck waiting a couple of days ago and played it against a deck helmed by Koma, World-Eater. My opponent initially couldn't find any creatures, but was ramping and playing numerous equipment. I put Holy Strength on Scryb Sprites and gradually beat him down while failing to topdeck lands for a while. Eventually, I was hitting for 6 damage a turn thanks to the Sprites swinging in alongside Tempting Licid and Eternal Witness, but I couldn't find a fifth land to get Jasmine Boreal out. Eventually my opponent got the mana to cast his commander, then equipped it and made it unblockable and stuff. I think he was down to about 5 life, but completely ran me over. So it was a reasonably close game for awkward reasons, but my deck essentially didn't get to do any of the stuff it was built to do, so whatever.