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Jul 13, 2012 -- 6:17AM, SoulStorm wrote:

Jul 13, 2012 -- 6:13AM, Davincie wrote:

How are you playing a deck that isn't in the game yet?

I'm using a different program.  

There is also a bug that allows you to play in 2HG(non multiplayer the other option) When you select Talrand deck and it loads up the opponent's deck will be Saving Aura's instead of Garruk. I've played against it a few times just for fun. It doesn't seem too impressive.

Jul 13, 2012 -- 8:31AM, GamerXYZ wrote:

I can play all the DLC decks (I have modded the game to get them all to show up), and Azorius is the most deadly opponent. The first couple of turns is generally a piece of cake, but then the deck really gets going. Much more so than the other DLC decks do. 

I didn't say it wasn't powerful, just unimpressive. It seems like a deck any newb playing magic could come up with. Lets put the invisible stalker in with a bunch of aura's. Woot. Just sayin...

The auras in the deck seem to have a lot of utility and little in the way of sheer power and toughness.  I guess that should be expected in the move from green to blue.  I don't think we will see as many 13/13 hexproof flying vigilance first strike lifelinking trample monstrosities.  So it seems like the kor spirit dancer (the 0/2) won't be as ludicrous as she could be in auramancer.

That said it is obvious the deck is going to rely on hexproof plus pump plus lifelink to race effectively with other decks.  So I think that most decks will look very close to the one posted by soulstorm for most of the auras he is running, plus the 4 spirit dancers and 4 invisible stalkers.  Anything with totem armor is pretty good and the daybreak halos should be awesome.

Soulstorm's decklist has  alot of recursion elements added on.  Sun titan, the mythmaker, the 3 mana 2/2 white lady (forget the name) and fool's demise. 

I guess I am just concerned about the deck's racing potential.  The power and toughness will be nothing like 2012 auramancer, but it should have an easier time finding good creatures to slap the auras on. 

Is the racing potential good?  There are a lot of control elements in this deck I find exciting:

Narcolepsy / pacifism:  Not terribly exciting, but with a kor spirit dancer this is removal for two mana that draws you a card.  On the other hand there may be more synergy in pumping your own creatures.

Winds of rath:  No other deck in the game has access to a board wipe that is this one way. 

Sigil of the Empty Throne:  I think you probably made the right decision to exclude this.  It seems like it may be a somewhat slower win condition that requires more control, such as winds of rath. 

Aven mimeomancer:  this doesn't seem to have synergy, but it is incredible.  First, you can give your invisible stalker +2 / +0 for the rest of the game, or give your kor spirit dancer (whatever it's called) +2 / -1.  On the other hand you can also significantly weaken your opponent's biggest threats.

Godhead of awe:  As I understand it, this would probably hurt you vs Odric or Goblns but help vs any other deck.  ANy pump effects your enemy has will still be scary.  But it should be hilarious vs Garruk.

Three dreams:  Tutor once?  Overpowered at 5 mana.  Tutor twice?  Great deal, at one more mana than what Liliana pays, you get an extra aura.  THREE tutors for five mana?  Great deal.

Grand Arbiter:  I just love the flavor of this card.  Not so sure that it is terribly useful in this environment.

I think it depends on the deck's actual speed / consistency in practice and how you want to play it.  I think I just have to run winds of rath though... a one way board wipe is a beautiful thing.

Nice Observations HenWen,

I thought about trying a heavy control build, but I just don't think it works vs. the fastest decks such as Peacekeepers and Krenko, which is why I chose Peecekeepers as my opponent.  They just put too many creatures on the board too fast for that to be an effective strategy.

I've thought about a build that includes Winds of Rath , and may try one at some point.  There aren't too many decks that use auras so it may be a good choice.

Actually, I did include Sigil of the Empty Throne .  It's an awesome card that has performed very well for me.

My first build included Aven Mimeomancer .  I really like the card, unfortunately, it just didn't perform for me the way I wanted it to.  It was nice making Invisible Stalker 3/1 flying and gimping the occasional fatty, but more often than not, there were no good targets for the ability, and I never felt like  Aven Mimeomancer  helped me win.  I was running 2 x Aven Mimeomancer instead of 2 x Aven Fleetwing .  Aven Fleetwing just performs so much better in this deck.  Maybe if I ran both together, but I just don't know what I would drop to add them.

Godhead of Awe is a fun card, but interacts poorly with Sigil of the Empty Throne , Sun Titan , and Wall of Reverence .  Also, as you stated, it would be a dead card vs. two of the strongest decks in the game which would be the opposite of the direction I want to go.

Three Dreams is a great card no doubt, and at some point I may try a build that includes it.  My problem is that I'm usually still trying to stabilize the board at 5 mana, which makes Three Dreams a dead card if I draw it too early.  And if I draw Three Dreams late, I'm already drawing so many card that I don't need it anymore.  However, the ability to draw Pariah more consistently could make the card worth including.

I don't know how one way Winds of Rath will be in practice.  I often have several unenchanted creatures on the board.  However, even one enchanted creature on the board vs. the opponent's 0 is a huge advantage.  You have me rethinking my build in this regard.  I just need to consider what I would drop to add them. 

I am curious to see what your build would look like, please post when you have the opportunity.

I'd also like to point out a few cards that I believe would make Aura Servants more fun to play:

Aura Thief :  What an awesome card!
Enchanted Evening :  Seems broken in combination with  Aura Thief , but it's a 3 card combo to pull off by yourself, and the combo can be circumvented or even turned against you in numerous ways.
Aura of Silence :  Every deck should have enchantment/artifact removal IMO.  Also makes a nice combo with Enchanted Evening , Auramancer , and Sun Titan .
Marshal's Anthem : Completes a recursion loop with Auramancer and Sun Titan .

Jul 14, 2012 -- 1:16AM, Bereas wrote:

How can you make assumptions on how the deck is going to play to itself out without actually playing it --

You absolutely MUST go into the Izzet deck thread.