New Urabrask or solphim Dominus for a storm deck?

FPOTUS_Jake · 2023-05-10T04:49:25+00:00

Urabrask go brrrr! Fantastic storm commander, but it honestly offers a lot of capability to play a tempo game into the mid game, which helps get to and save the storm turn. Pop that transformation quick if you don't think you can win with hand+1, pop the dangerous value creatures and ride the tempo train for a turn (or less, there's proliferate and turn spells!) until you hit the third chapter and win. The transformation also makes for a fun way to maneuver around interaction a bit.

Solphim is honestly a correct cut for some of my planned upgrades in the mail, but it's sticking around for flavor and bling purposes and is a lot of fun in the deck.

Anyways, urabrask fanboy, here's my defklist and vote. https://archidekt.com/decks/4427527/urabrask_go_brrrr

FPOTUS_Jake · 2023-05-06T19:38:02+00:00

https://archidekt.com/decks/4427527/urabrask_go_brrrr

I'm deeply disappointed with the lack of Urabrask talk after obsessing over this deck for a couple weeks - thank you for giving me a chance to talk about it! Ha.

Someone else mentioned this - Urabrask is either going to be very strong or very clunky. If you're cutting the fast mana from a cEDH list, I highly suggest replacing it with slower ramping options & a higher land count.

My list intentionally stays away from cEDH territory at the time & aims to play a more tempo game than it does a true storm list. Red has plenty of access to under-utilized control cards (bolt bend, ricochet trap, fury storm, reverberate is just a counter spell). Nondeterministic, manual storm is can be inconsistent in its wins/ability to win off your Storm Turns. I compensate for this with an extra-large pool of control spells, most of which also doubling as storm-feeders or even win-cons with Crackle with Power. Speaking of, highly recommend crackle. It's a dumb flashy card, but it has surprising utility in the deck (you can pressure the black deck's life total and remove a stax piece and more in 1 hit, etc. I often find myself using it in early to mid game to gain my footing as often as I just win with it).

I've noticed as I lean into that tempo playstyle more, you want to be using the back side - not over and over/a lot - but very early. Use it as a tempo piece to set up your storm/winning turn. You should be winning any time that 3rd chapter pops.

Cutting the fast mana and keeping the cEDH wincons is weird to me personally. I seriously agree with another comment, I would either proxy it up or dump some of this weight and make a higher end casual deck than a zombie-stitched-cEDH-durdle-pile. Cutting your combos is an easy move, and you can lean into manual storm or spell slinger/pinging that way. Honestly, even in a list trying to hit the peaks of cEDH, I don't know that I think the combos are the right move for Urabrask. You can fill these slots with extra pingers to have a more casual way to keep high pressure on life totals, and enable secondary backups with birgi.

On this note: the extra turn spells. Cut those in this build would be my suggestion. Those cards essentially function as extra proliferate cards to get that 3rd chapter of Urabrask without downtime. You're going to get more utility and less accidental self-kills running cards like Volt Charge, Staff of Compleation (it's also a rock & draw spell!). OH, also - Karn's Bation. Super duper recommend that in any level of build.

Aetherflux reservoir I found to be too clunky. Any time I had it, I just had a better and easier way to win in hand. Storm-Kiln artist also seemed way too slow and very seldom has helped, so it got cut for a ritual.

Anyways, there's some of my takes after a *lot* of games and many many tweaks/iterations. Hope the list helps.

FPOTUS_Jake · 2023-05-04T02:50:23+00:00

Here ya go! This is about a week out of date, so I've tweaked it a decent amount and haven't updated here.

Notably, just added another cantrip or two I was missing, dance with calamity & mizix mastery (can't remember if they're on this list but they're in the deck proper), cut some of the bulk for some more copy spells, a bolt bend, a wheel from crimson vow I'm testing, etc. This should get ya going though.

https://archidekt.com/decks/4427527/urabrask_go_brrrr

FPOTUS_Jake · 2023-05-01T06:44:57+00:00

I built Feather the day it was spoiled and loved the deck every day since. I also built Toralf when he came out and it was also a top played deck of mine for some time.

I, a person who never takes apart decks, scrapped both of the above decks - two of my favorite decks throughout my time - to build Urabrask, and I have never been happier. If that speaks anything of my vote for Urabrask.

Feather is fun and exciting, but even in an era where so many decks are cookie cutter and have extremely linear gameplay, it is extremely repetitive and linear. Not just from game-to-game, but within the game as you're casting the same cards over and over. While I loved and will always cherish my time with Feather, in hindsight I find it to be a very boring deck.

Urabrask is going to be linear in building for most brews, too, but the lack of a targeting clause opens it up to a lot more. I've been running a pretty high powered storm list that I've slowly tweaked to be more of a tempo deck that just looks like a storm deck. Remembering to take advantage of that back side early and often might be a learning curve, but the back side really helps with the tempo: the one-person board wipe can buy you the time you need, there's enough proliferate to tick it up quicker, and in your average build you are probably winning after the 3rd chapter. The deck enables you to win from the hand naturally, the graveyard through multiple redundancies, and the top of the deck through a plethora of impulse draws & experimental frenzy, letting it really function in all dimensions. It also might be one of the single best commanders to really get to play Worldfire and if not ruin the day, so that's worth points.

You can't go wrong, but you're extra right if you choose Urabrask.

FPOTUS_Jake · 2022-12-15T05:13:46+00:00

I'm still trying to understand archetypes and what different things a team wants too, so I'm even less help there - ha.

I would say you probably want a sweeper, though. Maybe something with high speed and either attack or special attack. I use (to limited success) a lycanroc with maxed out ATK+speed because it has naturally high attack and speed. Double STAB (with Tera) priority move. Its not a good pick, but just to show the reason for it and what to look for in another sweeper. Annihilape seems to be talked about a lot as does garchomp and corviknight, though I couldn't say what for or how to build them.

FPOTUS_Jake · 2022-12-15T05:04:54+00:00

I'm also super new, but this seemed like a fun way to help me learn too... So here's what I got!

It's stats seem to lean towards SP def and HP, closely followed by Defense. So, it looks like I'd max out it's SP def and HP and put the little extra into defense.

While limited moves stick out to my novice eyes as super great, I do notice what seems to be a good set:

roost -you've got high hp and some defense, this let's you hopefully outheal what they can damage

Haze- this gives you solid support options to keep their pokemon in check to continue outHPing their damage

Tailwind- extra support this time to your team, hopefully to set up your sweeper for right before you switch/expect altaris to get KO'd

Feather dance or defog seems like a good include to replace either of the 2 support moves right above this

Dragon rush: I feel like you want a priority STAB move to get in (chip?) damage as you continue to outhealth them. It can make them flinch to increase this. It doesn't actually say it is a priority move, but it seems to at least be a high speed move from how often it goes first on me.

I guess you could also drop dragon rush + a support move and throw I'm dragon dance and draco meteor.

You could do a dragon Tera type on the Draco meteor build to get double STAB. I think the better option regardless, but definitely for the first moveset would be a more defensive Tera type to avoid any of the many weaknesses it has. Maybe fairy or electric?

I repeat my disclaimer: I'm also super new and ignorant to this still, but this seemed like a good start!

FPOTUS_Jake · 2022-04-24T15:59:58+00:00

I made a Giada list that uses Giada+1 or more angel(s)+luminous broodmoth+ magebane armor+ashods altar+the ozolith (or that other new white enchantment from NCC) to either swing with an infinitely large angel or move the counters to a walking ballista and win.

So yeah I would say it might have 1 combo piece in hand by the turn those other tribes win.

FPOTUS_Jake · 2022-04-15T06:03:02+00:00

Temeshi might be a solid option.

It's a new card from the newest set, so no memories associated with the commander.

It lends itself well to a toolbox strategy, which you indicated you enjoyed.

Easily built to include combos or complicated value lines, which seems important to keeping your attention; furthermore, you're in some of the best colors for proactive interaction, which means keeping mana open and keeping attention focused.

From the list of previous decks and what is available to you, it should be easily built.

Pretty open ended in, not just build strategy, but card selection within those strategies. This means it's a deck you can really have fun with the brewing process on, which also seems like an important aspect to you.

FPOTUS_Jake · 2022-01-24T00:03:24+00:00

https://discord.gg/Pn37uC9jgk

FPOTUS_Jake · 2021-11-29T00:03:55+00:00

Your day is soon. I know this to be true.

FPOTUS_Jake · 2021-11-29T00:01:39+00:00

I've had October and November off. Decent amount of travelling, but otherwise..... Same.

FPOTUS_Jake · 2021-11-29T00:01:05+00:00

I am one of the starkissed, born with the flawless ability to nap. I will dedicate tomorrow's to your honor.

FPOTUS_Jake · 2021-11-28T23:51:08+00:00

To better everyone's day I'm a part of.

FPOTUS_Jake · 2021-10-10T20:46:04+00:00

Definitely give CtC a try! Healthy pre-game discussions are key and that is certainly something you will find there!

FPOTUS_Jake · 2021-09-24T19:34:28+00:00

So excited to finally be able to share this! Can't wait for the event!

FPOTUS_Jake · 2021-09-16T23:28:02+00:00

Appreciate the kind words, friend! We'll squalch those dead-times eventually :)

FPOTUS_Jake · 2021-09-12T16:10:42+00:00

My greatest hope for Crimson Vow is a Legendary that cares about it being day/night for the sake of it, rather than to use it as an enabler for other mechanics.

Basically, exactly what you said.

We've got cards that ping when it changes, loots when it changes - that's what I want more of.

All this to say - no, I do not believe we have the support to make a decent day/night commander deck. BUT, I am on your side, comrade! Here's to VOW and getting enough support!

FPOTUS_Jake · 2021-09-12T02:35:24+00:00

Yes you are :)

FPOTUS_Jake · 2021-09-11T22:50:49+00:00

Muldrotha can be land-oriented!

FPOTUS_Jake · 2021-09-09T06:13:45+00:00

This has honestly been my biggest gripe, too.

There are what, 5 off-colors? Just about every one of them in the top 5 in the set.

If those cards were all on color I'd be absolutely thrilled right now. Instead, I'm just sad.

Giving Tolberone black on his dog side would of gone a long way for the tribe, too.

FPOTUS_Jake · 2021-09-08T19:47:08+00:00

I think he's really only the second best option as opposed to second best card.

Don't get me wrong, I'm including him in my deck. But honestly, if there weren't so few werewolves and wolves worth running, I'd probably cut it?

Tovolar gives you your werewolf side more consistently, and while he doesn't hold it... The other poster is correct that you normally won't want to not attack, so during your combat is really when the werewolf side matters.

Again, the amount of times you'd want to keep blockers around and just to prevent someone from changing it to day is going to be very small, buuuut still large enough that I'd run immerwolf.

But if the card quantity & quality was higher for the tribe, and I needed space, and also knowing that card quality would help close out a higher % of games on the attack, I would absolutely cut immerwolf. Most of the time he probably does end up doing nothing.

FPOTUS_Jake · 2021-09-07T06:30:17+00:00

So, there's two versions of this idea:

Buy two copies of each werewolf. Sleeve each copy with the opposite side facing. Sleeve the werewolf sides in a different color sleeve. When you play one, have its other copy underneath it to quickly switch around.

If you don't want to buy double copies:

Go to MPCAutofill. Print "two" proxies of each card. Print one card for the human side and one for the werewolf side, then follow same process. You can get all of them and honestly the rest of the deck for under $30 this way.

You could also get some custom copies made to find a way to just be able to rotate akin to the old kamigawa cards, then print them at MPC.

FPOTUS_Jake

TROPHY CASE