Another sorry deck. The Help Wanted sign is in the window

[Heavy B]

Well...as promised...another weekend, another sorry deck.

I was working on a theme deck for a friend when card-creep set in.

"Wow...wouldn't that be cool? How can I shoehorn that in here?" Of course that led to another thing that led to another.

So after having sat down to work on a R/W Greek-God themed deck for a friend I came up with the beginnig of a R/W Multiplayer deck for myself.

No great loss. I got some bad mechanics and match-ups out of my system and I'll need some Multiplayer decks very soon.

So, gents. Here is is for your edificaiton and amusement:

Genju of the Spires 4
Genju of the Fields 4
Firemane Angel 2
Karmic Guide 4
Eternal Dragon 2
Anarchist 2
Argivian Archaelogist 2
20


Balance 4
Lifeline 4
Zuran Orb 2
Land Tax 2
Crucible of Worlds 2
Orim's Thunder 3
Starstorm 3
20

Mountain 6
Plains 8
Plateau 4
Sacred Foundry 4
22

62 cards total.

4 Balances ?!?!?!.

Yes. My playgroup decided to have sort of a "go big or go home" themed weekend so other than power-nine and some power cards of yore the stores are open!

I asked them 2x..."are you sure?" and they said yes.

So of course any suggestions on how to utterly abuse and break Balance in R/W is welcome.

Issues / Questions:

1. I can recurse creatures, artifacts, and sorceries with this deck. Any ideas on how to recurse instants or just simply cards so that I can re-use my Starstorm and Orim's Thunders?

2. The basic idea is to play defense in a Multi Player game. Normally I'll not have many creatures in play so Balance will double as a Wrath. Do I have enough defense? Earlier versions has 4x Wrath of God. I took them out in lieu of the Star Storms to have some Instant speed removal / deterrence.

3. I have the Crucible in there to recover from either my own Balance or someone else's Armageddon. It also synergizes nicely with Zuran Orb and appears to combo with Lifeline+Land w/Activated Genju+Zuran Orb. Sac the land, lifeline triggers as the land is a creature when it goes to the graveyard. Land returns at EOT via Lifeline effect and Genju returns due to its build in effect. Now...does all that work?

4. What else sucks? Please...do tell

Thanks as always for any help.

 

[Limited]

With that many Genju's and a Zuran Orb, I would definitely play more than 22 land. Especially if you want to recover from a Balance/Armageddon and people get rid of your Crucible. Moreover, you can really mess with people's mana by sacrificing your lands to Zuran Orb in response to your own Balance..

I don't get the Lifeline. Even with the combo (which gives you only two life per turn, at the cost of two mana and your landdrop) I get the feeling it might help other players a lot more than it would help yourself.

As for cardsuggetions.. how about Razia's Purification? (Don't listen to this "advice"! Its a bad, overcosted card which will only cause your opponents to laugh outloud).
Seriously, perhaps Lightning Helix to keep an early creature rush at bay and cushion your lifetotal? Or Desolation Giant, for more boardsweeping goodness (very good with the Genju's)? Searing Meditation?

(Hmm.. maybe bringing a Searing Meditation deck to a "go big or go home" match is like bringing a knife to a gunfight.)

A couple of Scrabbling Claws? You know someone is going to play Yawgmoth's Will or Auriok Salvagers + Black Lotus..

Good luck!

 

[Heavy B]

With that many Genju's and a Zuran Orb, I would definitely play more than 22 land. Especially if you want to recover from a Balance/Armageddon and people get rid of your Crucible. Moreover, you can really mess with people's mana by sacrificing your lands to Zuran Orb in response to your own Balance..

I don't get the Lifeline. Even with the combo (which gives you only two life per turn, at the cost of two mana and your landdrop) I get the feeling it might help other players a lot more than it would help yourself.

As for cardsuggetions.. how about Razia's Purification? (Don't listen to this "advice"! Its a bad, overcosted card which will only cause your opponents to laugh outloud).
Seriously, perhaps Lightning Helix to keep an early creature rush at bay and cushion your lifetotal? Or Desolation Giant, for more boardsweeping goodness (very good with the Genju's)? Searing Meditation?

(Hmm.. maybe bringing a Searing Meditation deck to a "go big or go home" match is like bringing a knife to a gunfight.)

A couple of Scrabbling Claws? You know someone is going to play Yawgmoth's Will or Auriok Salvagers + Black Lotus..

Good luck!

More land: In.

Perhaps Sigil of the New Dawn in lieu of Lifeline? I hadn't read the new Oracle text. The older version of the card could be (mis-?) interpreted as affecting only my creatures (the text is "your graveyard").

What I want from this effect is a way to keep my creatures around longer and potentially abuse the Echo of the Karmic Guide. The combo with the land+Zuran was only a nice side-effect.

Lightning Helix: In. What a wonderful card. It will be an automatic 4 slot in the dueling version of this deck. I'd love to put it in here particularly if I can find a way to pull Instants from the graveyard with this deck.

Thanks, Limited.

 

[Limited]

Ah yes. Lifeline has been changed to "Whenever a creature is put into a graveyard from play and another creature is in play, return the first creature from that graveyard to play under its owner’s control at end of turn." so everybody benefits. Sigil of the New Dawn is a nice replacement, but I'd only play two of them because they are pretty mana intensive.. and the deck doesn't really need them. Just drawing cards should net you enough lands to fuel Genju-beatdown.

Btw, Karmic Guide has been errata'd to only trigger when you've played it from your hand, so also not a combo with Lifeline (but a nice combo with the Sigil)

 

[Heavy B]

Ah yes. Lifeline has been changed to "Whenever a creature is put into a graveyard from play and another creature is in play, return the first creature from that graveyard to play under its owner’s control at end of turn." so everybody benefits. Sigil of the New Dawn is a nice replacement, but I'd only play two of them because they are pretty mana intensive.. and the deck doesn't really need them. Just drawing cards should net you enough lands to fuel Genju-beatdown.

Btw, Karmic Guide has been errata'd to only trigger when you've played it from your hand, so also not a combo with Lifeline (but a nice combo with the Sigil)

I've been away too long...used to be you could just build a deck. Now you have to be part scientist and part rules lawyer. (makes me sound like an old man )

Thanks for the help.

 

[Tabasco]

R/W huh...well I guess that throw the Crucible combo out

Crucible of Worlds + Zuran Orb + Fastbond = Infinite life

Good R & W cards

Skystrike Legionaire
Lightning Helix
Disenchant
Razia, Boros Archangel (yes I know she costs a billion mana but she is well worth it)
Some straight up burn spells
Lightning Bolt
Lava Spike
Char
Flames of the Blood Hand

Idk if you are familiar with a deck called Rifter, which currently sees play in Legacy

Here is a linky.
Or two

 

[Heavy B]

R/W huh...well I guess that throw the Crucible combo out

Crucible of Worlds + Zuran Orb + Fastbond = Infinite life

Good R & W cards

Skystrike Legionaire
Lightning Helix
Disenchant
Razia, Boros Archangel (yes I know she costs a billion mana but she is well worth it)
Some straight up burn spells
Lightning Bolt
Lava Spike
Char
Flames of the Blood Hand

Idk if you are familiar with a deck called Rifter, which currently sees play in Legacy

Here is a linky.
Or two

Thank you, Tabasco.

I'm reviewing the Rifter deck now. If I can incorporate it some of its tenets then I certainly will.

I appreciate the help.

I was staying away from the Lightning Helix type of spell...instant burn for 3 damage (particularly Spirit Linked damage) is never a bad thing but this deck is for a Multiplayer game. The mana elves will be 3/3 I really love that spell, tho.

(This group generally plays early land and mana base than then starts dropping fatties around turn 4 or 5.)

Although three instant damage dumped on top fo someone else's combat math....

 

[Limited]

If everybody has decks that start at 4-5 mana, than maybe Razia's Purification isn't such a bad idea

 

[Heavy B]

Update:

As I was building the above deck it morphed on me.

I call the current deck Mint Julep

Genju of the Cedars 3
Genju of the Fields 3
Eternal Dragon 3
Eternal Witness 4
Wall of Roots 3
Wall of Mulch 3
Genesis 1
20

Balance 4
Fastbond 2
Zuran Orb 2
Land Tax 2
Crucible of Worlds 2
Disenchant 3
Spawning Pit 2
17

Forest 10
Plain 9
Plateau 4

23
60 Cards Total

The deck is intended for a multi-player game.

It abuses Balance by using the Zuran Orb combo to control opponent's lands and combining with Spawning Pit for Creature control.

Land Tax provides some deck-thinning while the Crucible allows me to get some land back post-Balance. Fastbond is there for the infinite life combo and for the occasional fast start.

The Genjus are there to be activated after a board clearing balance or as emergency blockers.

Eternal Witness gives me the capacity to recurse important cards as does Genesis.

Wall of Roots for early swarm control and mana help and as a Wall of Mulch target.

Questions:

1. Where does this fit on the suck-o-meter? And why?

2. I need a way to get Genesis in the Graveyard that doesn't involve casting him and hoping he dies in combat or falls into the Spawning Pit.

3. Spawning Pit is there as a sacrifice engine to combo with Balance. Any better ideas?

4. Life gain is never really bad and I'd prefer to have some in a Multi Player deck. Any ideas for Life Gain that fit the theme of this deck? I'd really like something that I can re-use via the Genesis / Eternal Witness mechanic.