Joraga Warcaller

Yesterday, one of the first waves of Worldwake spoilers raise up a new Elf Lord, named Joraga Warcaller. First of all, he is an Elf Warrior, it’s been a while since we have an Elf Warrior. The last ones we have are Imperious Perfect and Bramblewood Paragon. Will this be a sign of more Elf Warriors coming in from Worldwake? I hope so.

Now Joraga Warcaller may not be the 1st-turn play despite his 1-converted mana cost, but I believe he is an awesome late game play. I surely wouldn’t mind topdecking one of this. He has a great synergy with Elvish Archdruid which also boosts your Elves and produces a bunch of mana to multikick him.

Other cards that went well with Joraga Warcaller are the ones that can be used to put +1/+1 counters on him. Popular example, and a very good one, is Oran-Rief, the Vastwood. You can play Joraga Warcaller with or without the multikick, and you can still kick him more with one or multiple Oran-Riefs. I’ve already been imagining many wild scenarios with Garruk Wildspeaker in play..

Another card that’s not commonly used is Quest for the Gemblades, which can move four +1/+1 counters onto Joraga Warcaller at instant speed, provided you have performed at least one creature vs. creature battle previously. Giving your Elves +4/+4 at an instant speed for free (zero mana) is not something that most opposing decks can handle.

Too bad, in the current Standard environment (pre-Worldwake), there aren’t too many good Elves available for an Elves-only deck. Nissa Revane and Nissa’s Chosen alone would not cut it. I guess that’s why Eldrazi Green brings Ant Queen and Master of the Wild Hunt alongside Eldrazi Monument.

Eldrazi Monument

Ant Queen

I myself prefer to play G/W version instead of the mono Green version. By splashing White, I’m able to add tools to handle opposing’s threats (via Path to Exile), and also to give me alternate winning conditions and more synergy with the deck.

Elves decks are very prone to Day of Judgment and other mass removal spells. Even though Eldrazi Monument is a very good card to have in an Elves deck, I also prefer to bring in Dauntless Escort for additional protection. Dauntless Escort is very good in the Jund matchup and in almost any early game, because he does not require us to sacrifice a creature.

And, because we are protected by Dauntless Escort and/or Eldrazi Monument, I’d also like to bring Day of Judgment and Martial Coup myself for one-sided wrath effects. I also love the synergy between Garruk Wildspeaker and Martial Coup. Using Garruk’s +1 ability to untap two lands allows us to Coup sooner than 7th turn, and is threatening the opponents for lethal damage (Overrun on five or more 1/1 white Soldiers) next turn.

Garruk Wildspeaker

Martial Coup

Then, for more synergy, I bring in one Ranger of Eos and one Scute Mob (It’s so hard to resist playing a mid-to-late game Scute Mob). Right now, the Ranger is even better, since he can easily fetch a late game Joraga Warcaller. Ranger of Eos is also a very good card to keep in hand, just in case your opponents are able to cast mass removal spells successfully. He always allows us to make great comebacks with the Scute Mob and Joraga Warcaller.

Last, but not least, Ajani Goldmane is a very good planeswalker in this deck. He can pump our creatures, and we’ll get double effects with pumping Joraga Warcaller along with the other Elves. And, I even had one game where I used his +1 ability multiple times, just to get back in the game (in terms of life), i.e. to stay out of direct damage range.

Here’s my initial take on G/W Elves post-Worldwake:

Ajani Goldmane

4 Llanowar Elves
4 Juraga Warcaller
4 Nissa Chosen
4 Elvish Archdruid
2 Dauntless Escort
1 Ranger of Eos
1 Scute Mob
1 Ant Queen
1 Master of the Wild Hunt
1 Thornling

3 Garruk Wildspeaker
3 Nissa’s Revane
1 Eldrazi Monument
1 Day of Judgment
1 Martial Coup
1 Ajani Goldmane
3 Path to Exile

3 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
4 Sunpetal Grove
4 Graypelt Refuge
10 Forest
3 Plains

Please feel free to comment and give suggestions, or discuss what you think of Joraga Warcaller and post-Worldwake Elves deck. Until then, I hope more spoilers are coming from Worldwake..

As I was going through the uncommon piles from Alara block, I came across Sigil Captain. It’s a card I wanted to build around so much. And, here’s my initial version on the deck:

Sigil Captain

4x Elvish Visionary
4x Vedalken Heretic
4x Sigil Captain
3x Emeria Angel
1x Ant Queen

3x Flurry of Wings
3x Conqueror’s Pledge
4x Cancel
2x Into the Roil
3x Journey to Nowhere
4x Armillary Sphere

4x Seaside Citadel
3x Sejiri Refuge
2x Graypelt Refuge
1x Gargoyle Castle
1x Magosi, the Waterveil
4x Island
6x Plains
4x Forest

Channel Fireball (12/28/09): $24.59

Elvish Visionary

Flurry of Wings

I’ve tested this a few times. It needs a lot of tweaking but overall I love the idea of Elvish Visionary coming in as a 3/3 for 1G that draws a card as it comes into play. And, opponents are absolutely wrecked with Flurry of Wings producing a bunch of 3/3 white Bird Soldiers with flying. I just love the looks on their faces when they learn that these guys fly and they have flash..

Magosi, the Waterveil

I haven’t tried this, but attacking with a bunch of creatures with Sigil Captain and Magosi, the Waterveil online while having Flurry of Wings in hand looks like it will seal the deal.

Try it, you may like it as I’ve loved it. Maybe you would try to build a Naya version instead with Dragon Fodder, Goblin Assault, Siege-Gang Commander, Dragon Broodmother, etc. Please do so, be creative and let me know what works and what doesn’t.

Other cards to note: Beastmaster Ascension, Reborn Hope, and Naya Charm (for the Naya version).

Until next time, may the creative deck building spirit rocks within you..

Since I’m playtesting for a prerelease event, I assumed I’ll have 5 rare cards, 15 uncommon cards, and many common cards. Although it’s simply impossible for me to create a two-color deck containing all my rare & uncommon cards, I decided to give it a try, just for the sake of playtesting as many cards as possible. For the rares & uncommons that have been spoiled so far, I’m selecting the ones that have lower casting costs and I’m focusing on creatures instead of other card types.

Here’s the final R/G decklist that I came up with:
(I sort them in rarity order)

Creatures

2 Boggart Arsonists – common
1 Morselhoarder
1 Scuzzback Marauders
2 Mudbrawler Raiders
2 Devoted Druid
1 Ashenmoor Gouger – uncommon
1 Roughshod Mentor
1 Tattermunge Witch
1 Drove of Elves – rare
1 Vexing Shusher
1 Ryhs the Redeemed
1 Bloodmark Mentor

Spells

1 Scar – common
1 Burn Trail
1 Traitor’s Roar
1 Power of Fire
1 Shield of the Oversoul
1 Mercy Killing – uncommon
1 Firespout
1 Stone Jaws
1 Knollspine Invocation – rare

Lands

1 Sapseep Forest – uncommon
8 Forest
7 Mountain

After playtesting 4x in MWS solo mode against the same deck, here are some conclusions I’ve taken:

Commons

• Burn Trail is too strong for Limited format. Possible 6 direct damage to an opponent is quite scary. Watch out for this when you’re in a stalemate against an opponent who has at least two red creatures.
• Traitor’s Roar is a late-game breaker. Two (out of four) winnings during the play test are triggered by this card. It’s able to clear two of the most significant blockers that your opponent has, deals damage equal to the total power, and clear the way for your attackers that had waited during the stalemate.
• Scuzzback Marauder has card advantage written all over it. If you combine it with Shield of the Oversoul, a 6/3 indestructible could possibly become a common scenery in the prerelease. You’d better pick up a regenerator or a Pacifism-type of card.
• Scar is quite handy, although its uses are quite limited (even in Limited).
• Boggart Arsonist – I haven’t had the chance to use any of its abilities. I hope these abilities can be tested better against a white opponent.
• Devoted Druid is rarely used for its mana ability. Sad but true, it’s just a chump blocker.

Uncommons

• Ashenmoor Gouger, being a {B/R} {B/R} {B/R} creature in a R/G deck, is quite easy to be cast. I hadn’t had any problem in casting it on turn 3 or 4 using the R/G deck. Having at least 7 red mana sources (mountain) in a 40-card deck is enough to get him on board by turn 4. It’s huge and simply doesn’t want to stop attacking (smile).
• Tattermunge Witch – I haven’t had the chance to play its activated ability, but it’s a consistent turn 2-drop. So, it’s a must have in a R/*, G/*, or R/G deck
• Sapseep Forest is quite useful. 1 life/turn is quite easy to achieve with all the hybrid cards in the deck. Just remember that it’s not a mana source.
• Firespout is very handy. It’s a great board cleaner. 3 damage to all creatures is better than Steam Blast.
• Stone Jaws usually deals 3 to 4 damage, and I always use it to gain card advantage by clearing opponent’s board. I hadn’t found myself in a situation where I need to use it to deal lethal damage to my opponent.

Rares

• Knollspine Invocation is broken. The game is easier to win while it’s in play. I had one game where I lost the game even when Knollspine was in play. It’s due to the late start, while my opponent has enough removal to clear the way for 2nd turn Tattermunge Witch and 3rd turn Ashenmoor Gouger. A Burn Trail finished me off.
• Bloodmark Mentor has proven its significant contribution. When combined with Power of Fire, it holds the ground for my defense and let one of my 2nd grade red creature to enter the Red Zone.
• Drove of Elves is not that good, especially when it’s only 1/1 or 2/2. It’s quite hard to maintain a horde of green creatures when you’re playing a heavy removal R/* deck.
• Rhys the Redeemer is too easy to die. You’ll need the Shield of the Oversoul to protect her.

Some of the other cards that I haven’t commented yet are simply unplayed during the four games. I hope this post can start a discussion about R/G deck possibility during the prerelease.

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