Commander 2018 - Bant Enchant

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Happy Friday MTG peeps,

We had picked up the recent Magic: the Gathering preconstructed Commander 2018, 'Adaptive Enchantment'.  This is Bant coloured ( Green / White / Blue ) with an invested enchantment / aura theme.  Although MTG and other playing cards have had a 10% tariff applied (final cost was $56.49) here in Canada, we still do not think this unreasonable in order to ensure that the local Magic: the Gathering gaming community stays intact and that there is a mortar-and-bricks location where friends can meet and play.  

The Commander products continue to deliver an excellent foundation for your further innovation and this year's offering is no different.  Before we do take this for a spin at our local gaming store or with our playgroup, we will need to remove and replace a large number of cards in order to personalise this.  This also affords us an opportunity to showcase some gems we already have in our collection.  We will post later about upgrading Adaptive Enchantment's spells and mana base, but for now, here is a blurb from Wizards of the Coast to provide a baseline of this list's present potential :

"Adaptive Enchantment" is all about playing enchantments.  Your goal should be to craft a wall of magical wards while imbuing your own creatures with powerful Auras.  By defending yourself with protective enchantments and attacking with huge creatures, you can defeat one opponent at a time while they struggle to defend themselves on all sides.

Few Planeswalkers know more about the power of enchantments than Estrid, the Masked.  When playing with Estrid, you're going to want to enchant as many of your permanents as possible to take full advantage of here ability to untap enchanted permanents.  No Auras in your hand?  No problem.  Her Mask tokens provide protective totem armor to your creatures, making them durable threats.  In a pinch, you can even put Masks on your lands so that her first ability can generate mana.

You could also try your hand at beating down with Kestia, the Cultivator.  Your deck's Auras and enchantment creatures make for a potent offense, and the card flow Kestia creates can give you a bounty of options.  As the first legendary creature with bestow, Kestia is particularly  durable - your opponent will need more than one removal spell to slow Kestia down.  Don't be afraid to be aggressive !

Between Estrid's long game and Kestia's quicker offensive style, there's Tuvasa the Sunlit.  Designed to command "enchantress" decks, Tuvasa ensures you can access a steady stream of enchantments turn after turn.  Build your board up slowly, drawing the maximum number of cards, then start pressuring opponents once your commander is big enough to threaten lethal damage. 

Here is a brief but excellent trip to Flavour-Town ->

ESTRID, THE MASKED, PRIMARY COMMANDER
Constantly striving for self-perfection, Estrid fashions magical masks that imbue her with the strengths and skills of the creatures they represent. Calm and collected in times of danger, Estrid takes pride in her flexibility. She is always ready with the right face–and set of talents–for whatever challenge she encounters. As Estrid journeys through the Multiverse, she seeks mighty creatures with unique fighting styles and weaves their powers into new masks.

KESTIA, THE CULTIVATOR, SECONDARY COMMANDER
The nymphs of Theros are associated with the wilds of nature–lush plains, verdant forests, and rushing waters. Kestia is a unique creation of the gods, and the cultivated fields that sustain human life are her domain. A benevolent steward of the earth's bounty, she oversees fertile fields, crop growth, and irrigation.

TUVASA THE SUNLIT, SECONDARY COMMANDER
Among the River Heralds of Ixalan, most shamans feel close affinity with the winds and waters, or with the verdant growth of the jungle. Tuvasa believes the light of the sun is the power that unites them both, giving life to plants and warming coastal waters.

Other :: (suggest this goes straight into your Momir Vig build)

ARIXMETHES, SLUMBERING ISLE
The kraken Arixmethes is so large that he is frequently mistaken for an island. While he slumbered, an entire city was built on his back. When he awakened–as the Planeswalker Kiora battled the sea god Thassa – he wrought destruction beyond any the hapless citizens of the "island" had ever known.

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Tiny Leaders - Jenara

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

Next weekend at our local gaming store, OMG! Games, here in Barrie, Ontario, they are planning on running the first ever Tiny Leaders event.  We will admit that this made-in-Canada alternate Magic: the Gathering format looks pretty exciting and here at MTG Realm, we definitely want to get in on the action.  

First up, we suggest that if you have not yet tried this format, pop on over to the Tiny Leaders site and become familiar with the rules and the suggested ban list.  Essentially, this is a one-on-one singleton format with a total of 50 cards with life totals starting at 25.  All cards including your 'general' or 'commander' must be equal to or under a converted mana cost of three and all cards in your list conforms to the commander's colour identity.

To this end, we put together our very first decklists over the weekend.  Specifically, we had tried out two lists - one featuring Thassa, God of the Sea, and the other Jenara, Asura of War as our very first foray into this format.  Today we want to yatter about that Bant Angel, Jenara.  We chose this one as we have a measure of nostalgia for her.  Giving this spell's ability to put a +1/+1 counter on itself, we went with a related counter theme to focus on.

Jenara, Asura of War, GWU
Legendary Creature - Angel
Flying
1W: Put a +1/+1 counter of Jenara, Asura of War.
3/3

30 Spells / 20 Land
Some lands of note - 
• Gavony Township - counter party
• Oran-Rief, the Vastwood

Creatures - 18
• Noble Hierarch - Mana Fix
• Birds of Paradise - Mana Fix
• Experiment One - Evolve / early chump block
• Scute Mob - Late game beater
• Slippery Bogle - not a good fit 
• Cloudfin Raptor - Evolve / Flyer
• Sylvan Caryatid - Mana Fix
• Scavenging Ooze - anti-recursion / beater
• Fleecemane Lion - Indestructible defence / beater
• Predator Ooze - Indestructible defence / beater
• Boon Satyr - big pump
• Champion of Lambholt - possible win condition
• Banisher Priest - removal
• Fiend Hunter - removal
• Abzan Falconer - team evasion
• Geist of Saint Traft - not the best fit
• Dauntless Escort - anti-sweeper
• Elusive Krasis - evolve blocker / beater

Spells - 12
• Hardened Scales - counter theme
• Forced Adaptation - counter party
• Path to Exile - removal
• Distortion Strike - two for one unblockable
• Ordeal of Heliod - counters and life gain
• Feat of Resistance - protection / counter
• Cyclonic Rift - sweeper / control
• Reap What is Sown - counter party
• Behemoth Sledge - beat stick
• Ajani, Caller of the Pride - counter / evasion
• Oblivion Ring - removal
• Banishing Light - removal

This list was most definitely fun to play and was a decent first step in trying out the Tiny Leaders format.  We might further develop this decklist as our familiarity with this game evolves.  Our group talked about a number of other possible lists and we are excited to brew up a number of other stacks.

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Evasive Maneuvers

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps, 

We have for you today part one of five separate articles we are doing on the new Commander 2013 decks just recently released by WotC to a very welcoming Magic: the Gathering fan base.  Each of these new Commander pre-constructed decks provides a ready to play stack of 100 cards including a choice of three legendary creatures to act as your general which may be also represented by an oversized foil card.  The card list is a solid foundation which you can easily adjust to taste - we'll likely throw a few of our nostalgic favourites we've picked up from MTG Mint Card into the original mix. 

The is the overview / review for Commander 2013's 'Evasive Maneuvers' deck and we've prepared a video with our good friend Jon from 'Command Tower' on Tumblr.  

 

See the rest of the videos in this series:
• Evasive Maneuvers
• Eternal Bargain
• Mind Seize
• Power Hungry
• Nature of the Beast

 This Bant deck (green / white / blue) has the following Commanders to choose from:

Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
A 2/3 flying bird wizard for three (bang) mana allows you to tap or untap a target permanent when either Derevi enters the battlefield or when a creature you control lands damage.  The most exciting ability on this card may be able to cast Derevi from the command zone onto the battlefield for only four mana (one and a 'bant') getting around the 'commander tax' requiring your pay an additional two accumulative mana for every time you cast the general.

Roon of the Hidden Realm
Here's a solid 4/4 Rhino Soldier costing five (two colourless and a 'bant').  Also equipped with vigilance and trample, this already seems like a decent inclusion but let's have a look at the final ability.  Feed this two colourless and tap it you can blink a target creature.  Exiling and returning one of your own critters with a sweet 'enters the battlefield' effect or perhaps removing an opponent's attacker or blocker is downright great.

Rubinia Soulsinger
This flightless 2/3 Faerie costs five (two and a 'bant').  This first ability allowing you to choose not to untap Rubinia won't make much sense until you read the second one.  Just tap her and you can now take control of a target creature for as long as she's tapped - not bad at all to remove a potential threat.

There are a lot of neat cards in this deck such as Azami, Lady of Scrolls for draw, Deceiver Exarch to play into the tap / untap theme, or the witty Borrowing 100,000 Arrows.  The list looks rather robust to address a variety of situations on the ever developing battlefield but we would rather take the chassis out and build upon it a singular theme.
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Commander Spoiler 10-07

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,

EDIT - late day spoiler added - see below !

Today's post will be focusing on the new Commander 2013 product due to be released November 1st, 2013.  Commander (aka EDH / Elder Dragon Highlander), is a much loved casual singleton format consisting of 99 cards and 1 'general' or commander.  Since the release of the pre-constructed deck back in June 2011, a lot of players we know has climbed on board this fun and social game format.  We have to say that we're rather excited to go to the midnight prerelease at OMG! Games here in Barrie and will be following up with some singles purchased at MTG Mint Card to tweak the deck(s) we're getting to adjust for personal taste.

The five new pre-cons being release next month feature the tri-colours most associated with the Shards from the Alara block (2008).  Specifically, Bant (White / Green / Blue)
Esper (Blue / White / Black)
Grixis ( Black / Blue / Red)
Jund (Red / Black / Green)
Naya (Green / Red / White)

Two previews had been provided to date - Prossh, Skyraider of Kher (Jund), and Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge (Grixis) with the latest coming from the Commander 'mothersite' MTGCommander.Net - say hello to this bird from bant . . .Derevi, Empyrial Tactician, gwu
Legendary Creature — Bird Wizard, Mythic Rare
Flying
Whenever Derevi, Empyrial Tactician enters the battlefield or a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you may tap or untap target permanent.
1{G}{W}{U}: Put Derevi onto the battlefield from the command zone.
2/3
~Derevi may not be the 'go-to' Bant general that many would rather see Rafiq of the Many (or perhaps Jenara) take but there are some very cool and relevant abilities on Derevi.  The basic stats of just one 'bant' (gwu) provides a 2/3 flyer.  The next conditional ability to tap or untap target permanent is very delicious.  Imagine being able to untap a Serra's Sanctum - for a Bant Enchant strategy or perhaps a Gaea's Cradle (for a creature-heavy build) . . . dang.

The last ability is the unique and honestly something we do not ever recall seeing before - a rules reference on a card to the command zone.  This essentially by-passes the additional and sometimes expensive recasting cost.  For those new to Commander, a player may cast his or her commander from the command zone for its normal costs plus an additional 2 Mana for each previous time it had been cast.
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Edit - late day spoiler

From Chris Kluwe (from YoMTG Taps) - the actual box!

Olora, Ageless Ascetic, 3WUB
Legendary Creature - Giant Soldier, Mythic Rare
At the Beginning of your upkeep, you gain 2 life.
Whenever you gain life, you may pay 1. If you do, draw a card and each opponent loses 1 life.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if Oloro, Ageless Ascetic is in the Command Zone, you gain 2 life.
4/5

Here is yet another card rules reference to the Command Zone - and this one has a lovely trigger while in the Command Zone.  Although life gain in the Commander format is not the best strategy, we're likeing the possibility of some sweet 'n' repeatable card advantage here - Makes us want to incorporate life gain shenanigans in this Esper build with Exquisite Blood, etc.

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Anywhoos - here's the corporate 4.1.1. -
For the MSRP of just $30 per deck, you too can acquire on November the first a new Commander deck.  A few players we know are getting all five new Commander decks.  Each contain two new three-color legendary creatures and 13 other never-before-printed cards.  There are 51 unique new cards spread across the five decks, with some cards appearing in multiple decks.
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What I'm Playing 7

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Just taking a quick break from the Zendikar land spoilers to drop yet another edition of 'What I'm Playing'. This is a MTG Realm feature where we post a real deck of physical cardboard goodness and yatter about it's particular qualities.
We also ask you, the blog reader, to provide constructive input as to how to tweak it.

(!) Just before we get into the nitty-gritty of the decklist and you provide comments, just know that these decks are intended to play casual at a sanctioned 'Friday Night Magic' event (standard constructed format) and that, because money does not grow on trees (at least, not around here), we often are unable to get a deckset of the latest hotness (although we wish we could). Let's go . . .

BIG BANT

click to enlarge

This deck is called 'Big Bant' as it gets big. Rather an original name we thought. It has been played about a dozen times at the kitchen table and has also been out to a FNM perhaps thrice now and has performed rather well to date. Altough it does not yet have a sideboard, it did take us to semi-finals (with a participating crowd of 25 to 35 players or so) during said FNM plays. We just need you to help us out to take spot number one at least once or twice to call it a solid build.

Anywhoos - We include six mana accelerators found within four Nobles and two BOP to provide juice for the engine. Nobles outweigh the Birds as not only they tap for Bant colours but also it provides exalted. Also you should know that there have not been any games to date that Knight of New Alara has not come out at least once per match (quite usually once or more per game) . . . perhaps I have an akwardly-placed lucky horseshoe.

Here is the next critter. The two-drop Bant Sureblade, although a 2/1, easily becomes a 3/2 with first strike with all the multi-colour deck love and typically gets a huge boost from the Knight to sprout it into a honk'n 6/5 by turn 3. At the moment I am considering Esper Stormblade over the Sureblade to give me a 5/4 flier instead.


Next up - Giltspire provides elimination should I take a hit from a creature. Most players in my neck of the woods take the Avenger seriously and takes him out first before doing anything. The life-linking 3/4 Rhox War Monk also grows to a 6/5 with the Knight. Unfortunately, I have only 3 Jenara presently and must admit this creature is awesome in play. With the Knight, this thing is a sizeable 6/6 flier and I have often been able to dump extra mana to drop additional counters on her.

I'm not altogether sure of the cascading Captured Sunlight. I do ejoy dropping a Jenara or a Rhox Monk but presently think this card's inclusion is somewhat shaky. Knight of New Alara has made this deck shine in past games and, as mentioned earlier, has always seen play. Moreover, I cannot count the times I have top-decked this cardboard win. This essentially gives 5 of my 9 creatures a full 3 power boost.

Next on the list is some critical control for late game. We have a full set of the Bant-coloured four-drop 3/4 Stoic Angel to greatly restrict our opponent's ability to untap more than one creature. To couple this is another set of Murkfiend Liege. This creature really is a 'horror' as a follow-up to Stoic. He (or it?), not only bumps all your blue and green creatures by +2/+2 but also allows you to untap all your blue / green critters at your opponent's upkeep, essentially providing vigilence to your critters.


Quite similar to always having the knack of drawing Knight of new Alara, I seem to have very good luck being able to have the Stoic / Murkfiend couple out (just slightly more than half my games).

Here is the list shizzle . .

BIG BANT

37 Spells
23 Lands

4 x Noble Hierarch
2 x Bird of Paradise
4 x Bant Sureblade
4 x Giltspire Avenger
4 x Rhox War Monk
3 x Jenara, Asura of War
4 x Captured Sunlight
4 x Stoic Angel
4 x Knight of New Alara
4 x Murkfiend Liege

4 x Seaside Citadel
9 x Forest
5 x Plain
5 x Island

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Sideboard Assistance

Sideboard is currently non-existent but I do have some half-formed ideas.
Reborn Hope may be a candidate to provide some recursion. Esper Stormblade may be swapped out for Bant Sureblade for better aerial defence. Favour of the Overbeing is a decent aura to provide most critters flying / vigilence and a +1/+1 pump. Snakeform is a hilarious card and make most opponents cry - there really is no other reason for sideboard inclusion other than having an insurance policy against a your opponent's Fatty McFatster.

Anywho - Please drop us a comment and help us fix this up ! Thnx !

Empyrial Herald

Firstly, Bant week wraps up on Wizards. We were treated to a lovely Shards of Alara wallpaper featuring Stoic Angel . . . Not only is this a great card providing a solid measure of control and a great fit in any Bant Exalted deck, the artwork by Volkan Baga is exceptional.

Last week, fellow Blogger Norm over at Casual Magic had a good write-up on the Shards of Alara fetch creatures known as Heralds. Prior to this, I did not spend much time evaluating the Herald cycle of cards. It was then that I had re-evaluated the usefullness of these ucommon one-drop critters. Today's article on Wizards by Mike Turian also made me pause to reflect how to include any of these Heralds into your deck to pull off a great bluff. Here is what Mike writes,

"The Herald's bluff is simple. Put a Herald into your appropriately colored Draft deck when you don't have the mythic rare to fetch! Your opponent may very well be fooled into wasting a removal spell on the poor little Herald so that you aren't able to fetch out your non-existent mythic rare. It may not be the best strategy in the world to run this bluff, but the first time it works you will be satisfied knowing your little 1/1 bluffed them."

Here is the skinny on Angel's Herald;

Angel's Herald, {W}
Creature - Human Cleric, Uncommon
2{W}, {T}, Sacrifice a green creature, a white creature, and a blue creature: Search your library for a card named Empyrial Archangel and put it into play. Then shuffle your library.
1/1


The Rules :
1) To play the ability, you must sacrifice three different creatures. You can't sacrifice just one three-colored creature, for example.
2) You may sacrifice multicolored creatures as part of the cost of the search ability. For example, you may sacrifice a red-green creature, a green-white-blue creature, and a blue creature to pay for Angel's Herald's ability. If you sacrifice a multicolored creature this way, specify which part of the cost that creature is satisfying.
3) You may sacrifice the Herald itself to help pay for the cost of its ability.

It is doubtful that I or any other casual Magic Player I know will actually own a deck set of these so the Herald is perfect to fetch out your one and only card. Rather more effecient and economical is having a deck set of the Herald itself.

Let's have a look at the mana cost to get Ms. Empyrial out on the board . . .
You are either going to have to dole out 8 mana for her or try to get a Wal-Mart price for it. The best you can possible do is sacrificing 3 one-drop critters (if you had them out) and then with an additional 3 mana to get the Herald to tap the Empyrial out your bill comes to a reasonable 6 mana. At the worst, you might be sacrificing 2 two-drop critters and the Herald which will work out to the same cost as Empyrial Arcangel herself, but hey, since you have only one in your deck, how is she ever going to get the invitation to the party ?

Green Creatures : Wild Nacatl {G}, Steward of Valeron {G}{W}
White Creatures : Angel's Herald {W}
Blue Creatures : Cathartic Adept {U}, Deft Duelist {W}{U}

Empyrial Archangel, 4{G}{W}{W}{U}
Creature - Angel, Mythic Rare
Flying, shroud
All damage that would be dealt to you is dealt to Empyrial Archangel instead.
5/8

If you are able to get Empyrial Arcangel out into play, you will most likely win the game. With her shroud and a very solid 8 toughness, chances are you are not going to succumb to combat damage. You can even swing with her and still be able to have her eat the take-out damage. Hopefully when you do send her out over the trenches alone, you will be able to pick up an exalted ability from somewhere on your field for a sweet 5+ swing.

Happy Thanksgiving y'awl !

Alara Art Spoiler 4

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More art, More flavour . . .

ALARA -
Another Plane, Another Time. In The Age Of Wonder. This Plane was multicoloured and good, Until it was rent assunder . . .

Where there was one, there are now five separate planes : the Shards. Each plane was all but severed from two of the five colours of mana. This mana imbalance caused the Shards to evolve in wildly distinct directions of the course of thousands of years. Now their environments and denizens could hardly differ more.

- BANT -

Primarily a white world that does have blue and green mana. The good citizens of Bant have never seen fire magic, and necromancy. A world cut off from red and black mana for hundreds of years has evolved to be a very orderly utopian society. This plane is populated by knights, angels, aven, and rocs. Should combat occur, it is very chivalrous, honorable and generally takes place between champions selected from each side.

- GRIXIS -

This plane is totally cut off from green or white mana. So there is no access to life mana there. What few humans that are left here, are constantly evading necromancers who intend steal their life energy to fuel their spells. It is a horrible world of decay populated by demons, vampires, goblins, and skeletons.

- JUNT -

Primarily red world, a world of chaos and fire. Humans here are barbaric. The apex predators of the food chain on this plane are the dragons. Sarkhan Vol is a denizen of Junt.

- NAYA -

Primarily green world, a bountiful world of growth and life. This plane are populated by elves, cat people, and humans, as well as very large beasts.

- ESPER -

Primarily blue world. Denizens here have organised themselves into a strict orderly society. The denizens here focused on measuring things, and preoccupied with knowledge and wisdom. Even the clouds are measured in Esper.








Until next time, Happy & Safe Gaming !
Don't forget to head out to FNM at your local gaming store tonight.
~ CopySix