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.

 

[Oversoul]

Against my better judgment, I tried to play this deck in a pod that was generally too powerful for it. Despite getting an engine of Argothian Enchantress + Auratog + Rancor going early on, I didn't really draw into anything that protected me or threatened my opponents in any meaningful way, so I became a bit of a punching bag. I'd have died pretty quickly, but my opponents kept board-wiping to shut each other down, which robbed me of more resources but kept me alive.

I did get to be part of one hilarious moment when a desperate opponent used Etali, Primal Storm to dig for answers to a board state that was about to get him (and likely me as well) killed. The trigger hit Phytohydra from my library and Blasphemous Act from his own library. Eventually, one of my opponents was able to overwhelm the whole table. Still, I got to see and play some cool cards.

If I keep bringing this deck to random games, eventually it'll win one somehow...