I hope the brown ouphe isnt for the portal, cause thats not an activated ability, its a triggered ability that remains static.
like here...
400.2 - Spells, activated abilities, and triggered abilities generate
effects when they resolve. Static abilities generate continuous effects.
[CompRules 2003/07/01]
405.1 - A static ability does something all the time rather than being activated or triggered. The ability isn't played-it just "exists." Such abilities apply only while the ability is on a permanent in play, unless the ability is covered by Rule 402.8 or Rule 402.9. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
Elfhame will always get you that extra card, seeing as how it triggers before your draw step.
Poral, and Abundance both have "if you would draw a card" conditions, so as long as you control them both, I believe you can choose the order in which they go, and any that couldnt go through, don't. Here are some refs, in order of relevance. Im no guru, but this is what looks right.
410.4 - When a triggered ability goes on the stack, the controller of the ability makes any choices that would be required while playing an activated ability, following the same procedure (see Rule 409, "Playing Spells and Activated Abilities"). If no legal choice can be made (or if a rule or a continuous effect otherwise makes the ability illegal), the ability is simply removed from the stack. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
410.5 - Some triggered abilities' effects are optional (they contain "may," as in "At the beginning of your upkeep, you may draw a card"). These abilities go on the stack when they trigger, regardless of whether their controller intends to exercise the ability's option or not. The choice is made when the ability resolves. Likewise, triggered abilities that have an effect "unless" something is true or a player chooses to do something will go on the stack normally; the "unless" part of the ability is dealt with when the ability resolves. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
410.3 - If multiple abilities have triggered since the last time a player received priority, the abilities controlled by the active player go on the stack first, in any order he or she chooses, then those controlled by the opponent go on the stack in any order that opponent chooses. Then players once again check for and resolve state-based effects until none are generated, then abilities that triggered during this process go on the stack. This process repeats until no new state-based effects are generated and no abilities trigger. Then the appropriate player gets priority. [CompRules 2003/07/01]
So its your turn, untap, upkeep have resolved, you draw,
portal and abundance trigger simultaneously, with your priority you choose to do abundance first, giving you a "revealed" card, not necessarily a "draw". Then Portal goes off, and you skip your draw youve already taken.
So portal and abundance would still give you cards.. but elfhame would give you a continuous way to stall with portal..
Possessed Portal 8
If a player would draw a card, that player skips that draw instead.
At the end of each turn, each player sacrifices a permanent unless he or she discards a card from his or her hand.
Abundance 2GG
If you would draw a card, you may instead choose land or nonland and reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a card of the chosen kind. Put that card into your hand and put all other cards revealed this way on the bottom of your library in any order.
Elfhame Sanctuary 1G
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may search your library for a basic land card, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. If you do, skip your draw step this turn and shuffle your library.
Oversold cemetary and Elfhame are amazing in this deck, id run 3-4 cemetary and easily 4 elfhame.. you net insane land, in addition it will help if you hardcast portal and its the cheapest solution to your stall. Also with the loss of the ouphe, you can introduce 4 tinkers!!
If you want creatures to kill, you might consider zubera, or cards like the symbiotic elf that gives you 2 creatures when you sac him.
I have a deck where the ultimate goal is to get a spore frog into play every single turn, regardless of its place in my library, hand, or graveyard.. as well as harbingers of night, blastoderms etc.. but its basically the frog...
it works amazingly and its recur cards were
4 oath of ghouls (oversold is better for your deck, but very similar)
4 tortured existence (enchantment for B, B:discard a creature, return a creature to your hand.)
corpse dance (at 5 mana id buyback a frog and sac it so it doesnt get removed)
haunted crossroads
Dawnstriders are good, but without pitching things like squee, there only so-so.. groundskeeper however with sacing lands, is a killer way to stall. If youd like you could add zuran orb to gain some life over time and build synergy with your elfhame.
Id recommend keeping abundance at 2, maindecking 4 elfhame
4 oversold. I'd also remove the bind, since it wont do you much good.
cabal interrogator is really good, especially once things keep dying. I'd recommend against the notorious assassin, he's 3B for a 2/2 where you discard to kill a creature.. With a portal, it'll be one and the same a card for a card.
you might also want to run
Culling Scales 3
Rules Text At the beginning of your upkeep, destroy target nonland permanent with the lowest converted mana cost among nonland permanents in play.
If you fill your hand from elfhame and have few permanents, it will treat your opponent like a double portal, or a "baby portal", killing all 1 casting cost (disciples, spellbombs, birds, elves, affinitys), a 2 casting cost (greaves, atogs, ravagers), and 3 costs.. everything.. then this.. still keeping your abundance and portal.. id run 2.. i think it could be fun,
keeping with denial, you could run a 1-2 purging scythes, 5cc artifact from saga that deals 2 damage to lowest toughness creature.
4 Possessed Portal
2 Culling
1 Purging scythe
you could also run meekstone, a nice turn 1 drop preventing 3 or over creatures from hitting you. and also caltrops. hurting all /1 toughness creatures..
if you wanted to you could run thran weaponry, so that all creatures get +2/+2 making all 1/1's 3/3s that wouldnt untap..
this would nullify scythe.
take the damage from the creatures, while theyre tapped and its your turn, play and activate it..
I think you could make a deck where you set up bigger ang bigger safeguards until you lay the portal and people just sit their with ? bubbles above their heads.
I think avatar of woe could work, but youd be able to cast him for free after youve either had to deal with several creatures, or the fate of the game has been determined..
here are some other "assassins". If your going with heavy recur, i.e. using the cards listed above to bring back the dead, then 187 come into play creatures would be cheaper, and better. However, if you decide removal is better, you could abandon some recur and just have an irritating army of "play something and ill kill it creatures"
Plaguebearer 1B, 1/1
XXB: Destroy target nonblack creature with cost equal to X.
Royal Assassin 1BB, 1/1
T: Destroy target tapped creature.
Bone Shredder 2B, 1/1
Flying; echo, 187-destroy target nonartifact, nonblack creature.
Nekrataal 2BB, 2/1
First strike 187-destroy target nonartifact, nonblack creature.
That creature can't be regenerated.
Visara the Dreadful 3BBB, 5/5, Onslaught Rare
Flying. Tap: Destroy target creature. It can't be regenerated.
BB Kiku, Night's Flower 1/1
2BB, Tap: Target creature deals damage to itself = to its power.
This way, youd have the portal just in case, but youd have sick amounts of removal
Kiku-any creature
Visara-any creature
Nekrataal- cant hit black/artifact
Bone shredder-can't hit black/artifact
Plaguebearer-cant hit black, but can remove a number of creatures the second he hits play.
I'd run things like
4 Possessed Portal
4 Diabolic Edict
4 Royal Assassin (1BB)
2 Visaras (3BBB)
2 Kiku (BB)
2 Plaguebearer (1B)
2 Meekstone
4 Cabal Interrogator
2 Abundance
4 Elfhame Sanctuary
4 Birds
4 Llanowar
22 Lands.
I'd replace chainer's edict for diabolic edict because diabolic is an instant.
Dawnstrider and groundskeeper are to specific for land.
you can also run less than 23 lands with 2 abundance, 4 birds 4 llanowar, and 4 elfhame.
You might want to run naturalize's as well.. a deck that can get around portal, kill most all your creatures, AND remove enchantments and artifacts.. that's to be feared...
I might make this deck, it should be fun, an assassin portal deck.
Most of the creatures are pretty cheap as well.
T1: Forest, Birds
T2: Swamp, Elfhame, play llanowar
T3: use elfhame for swamp, play swamp (BBGGB at your disposal)
play a kiku and a royal assassin
hehe
