Super Budget Mana Base- Vigorous Nullification
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(First real post)
What if there was a multicolor manabase that did not feature any activated Artifacts? What if it also protected spellslingers from Thalia tax and tap effects? How about if it naturally got stronger in bursts as the game progressed (even on turn one or two)? How about if it also featured 4x null rods to shut down others? Or conversely it weaponized Time Vault immediately and featured the cheaper (street price) mana accelerants? And all this is with cheap $5 duals. Is there a possible deck here?
The manabase utilizes 4x Amulets of Vigor in combination with lands that have bursty synergies with the card. These lands have limited negatives the are not only alleviated by the Amulets, but become a feature as they can potentially be tapped multiple times per turn. The Amulets also provides protection from Thalia tax and tap effects and do not fear null rods (in fact, work well with).
The manabase:
4x Amulet of Vigors- the more you have in play the more triggers there are.
3-4x Ravnica Karoos- Could potentially supply 8 mana a turn and bounce lands to reset them providing CA. They are the riskiest to have Wasted, but they have alot of upside.
4x Fast Lands- Act as a dual in the early turns and can trigger Amulets later. Up to 4 mana a turn.
4x Shocklands- Act as a dual (with a kick) but can also trigger Amulets later. Up to 4 mana a turn.
4x Crumbling Visage- The weakest of the lot, but can provide colorless mana and can supply up to 5 mana a turn (they float and trigger).
And then whatever other lands fit the curve/strategy.From here one could go more accelerants with Mana Crypt, Vault and Sol Ring; however, the more synergistic route may be with Null Rods.
The above is not as strong as a X thousand dollar mana base or as holistic as the Eldrazi base, but it functions pretty well and could be a winning concept with the right kind of deck.
Cheers and salute!
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I suspect it wouldn't be GREAT, but it's different enough from anything that I've tested that I can't say for sure.
The Karoos are the scariest part - running them into Wastelands seems horrifying to me ... basically an automatic concession to stax ... but I understand they're key to making Amulet generate mana. If you decide to run the Karoos, I would be absolutely sure you have enough non-karoo mana to reasonable curve out against a Workshop deck without them.
A fun old card that has synergy with this gameplan is [[Root Maze]]. It doesn't affect your manabase at all (or even helps you), and completely messes with your opponent's fetchlands.
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Hehe, I knew about that card, but it hadn't struct me that it would double up everything. Hmmmm. Also Orb of Dreams.
Also, the Karoos aren't mandatory, they help quite a bit, but even without them there are gains to be had.
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I'm actually curious about this. There is a lot of untapped potential here (see what I did there?) for mana acceleration and it appears like it should work beautifully to load up on mana each turn. What I'd be more concerned about is what happens when you don't get the amulets in place. If you do any play testing with this I'd love to hear some results and thoughts.
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I played Modern Amulet Titan while it had Summer Bloom as an option, and I really enjoyed the nature of its mana generation as well. My biggest worry with a deck relying on this mana is the natural enemies you'll face, as well as the delayed gratification you'll get from your mana. Mental Misstep and Wasteland are very real issues for this type of mana, and I imagine most of what you'll face from Tier decks is one or the other at a minimum. Additionally, you lose a turn setting up an early Amulet if you aren't using Moxen or Spirit Guides, while your opposition is gleefully deploying. While I'm not going to tell you not to try it, it'll take a lot of tailoring to make this mana work. Good luck!
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I have been goldfishing quite a bit, and it is pretty smooth. With the Karoos, the risk is to get two in hand in the opening seven, but the rest of the mana should function fine even without the Amulets (the fast lands tap from #4 on up). To be fair, most of my goldfishing has been with the crypt, vault, sol ring version sans null rods.
Even with moxen and lotus, one can hit bad patches.
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@The-Gremlin-Lord Spirit guides would make an interesting buffer for sure. The good thing about the Crumbling Vestiges and Karoos is that the set them selves up in turn two (three mana total). For example:
T1. Seachrome into Deliver
T2. Tap Seachrome cast amulet and play Azorius Chancery (untapped while bouncing Seachrome ) or Crumbling Vestige (float + tapable).The Karoos can screw you up for sure so 3 may be the correct number to play.
Adding rootmaze to a nullrod core would be all kinds of interesting hate.
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After thinking a bit about this overnight, the manabase could go in a few different directions (with possibly a few spirit guides in the mix):
- Taxing and Nullifying with Root Maze/Orb of Dreams, Null Rod and Stripmine effects
- Drop in for the standard 24 card manabase with Sol, Crypt and Vault and a few others
- Spit-balling and completely ungoldfished All In mana concept (possible infinite mana/storm):
4x Amulet of Vigors
3-4x Ravnica Karoos (Perhaps optional)
4x Fast Lands
4x Shocklands
4x Crumbling Visage
This below package maybe should be in another deck, but I look forward to trying it out with this manabase.
3x Gemstone Caverns (replacing the Karoos or Crumbling?)
4x Chrome Mox
4x Misthollow Griffin- a card that based on its cc is an unimpressive harder to cast Phantom Monster. But along with Force of Will, Caverns and Chrome, there may be enough critical mass to put it to good use. It makes the three cards CA neutral, enables them and extends your hand/creates a mana sink. Maybe most useful in a moat deck. Its too bad the Eldrazi Processors can't process you own exile zone, perhaps there could be some hijinks if so. Also goes infinite with Food Chain. -
@Teazia if you cast Misthollow Griffin from exile when it was exiled due to imprint on a mox, doesn't the mox lose the ability to be a mana source?
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@boxian said in Super Budget Mana Base- Vigorous Nullification:
@Teazia if you cast Misthollow Griffin from exile when it was exiled due to imprint on a mox, doesn't the mox lose the ability to be a mana source?
Yes it does.
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I played a tournament with a build of Powerless Eldrazi that ran 4 Eternal Scourge and 3 Gemstone Caverns. It was not good, even after getting the "combo" off.
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@The-Gremlin-Lord Interesting. Would Gemstone Caverns, Chrome Mox, and force of will (misdirection) plus misthollow (and maybe a torrent elemental or two) combined with several draw sevens have been better? (Don't think it will work with the Amulet mana base, it floped when goldfishing together).
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Lotus cobra, anyone?
My go-to for non-powered decks if i can get away with it. (90% of my decks)
And Tolaria West.. -
@Ten-Ten Cobra would be great in a fetch land deck for sure. This is even more budget than that
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@Teazia Possibly. I was able to run Eternal Scourge because Matter Reshaper was "good enough" and Eternal Scourge had the same or better power and toughness for the same cost. I'm not entirely sure if the same is true for Misthollow Griffin.
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I'm thoroughly amused by the interaction between Fastbond, Amulet, any any karoo land. Basically a half-priced Channel.
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@Cambriel Well, that is going in the deck! Woot! How about some idea for beaters? Right now I have idea for Swarm, Dryad militants, Managorger Hydra (not very synergistic) and Trygon. What else could work in a lock down Simic Deck?
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If your goal is mega ramp, Ballista seems good.
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@The-Gremlin-Lord Breiwing up a deck with discard creatures, Gemstone Caverns, Chrome Moxen, Forces, as well as Laylines of Anticipation and 4x Days undoing. Not sure if will work, but seems powerful and worth trying out. Ramp, extended hand, flash spells, and 4x 3/4 Time Walk/Time Twister that refills hand after all that pitching. Maybe adding Notion Thief for extra hijinks.
