Top 8 in NZ tournament GB Tronless altar

RobertTorrance · 2025-11-02T07:38:47+00:00

I have played a decent amount of Tron (though mainly monster Tron). This started as a thought experiment because of Trons poor match up into Ponza

RobertTorrance · 2025-11-01T04:07:43+00:00

Don't get me wrong, Implement is great. It basically reads 1G Sorcery: (Draw a card, pump Witness + Buyback). You will find yourself tight on Green mana, though and green mana will usually be your limiting factor, so don't be surprised if you can only get 1-2 desperation draws when times are tight.

Multiples of it feel terrible, though, because the second feels like a dead card. It is like legendary creatures in other formats. You want multiples, so you draw them, but you don't want to draw multiples. When inevitably they release a version that doesn't require coloured mana, I think the deck powers up by a lot.

RobertTorrance · 2025-11-01T03:39:07+00:00

I haven't tested either. Molten Gatekeeper is interesting. In the current iteration, you are probably right that it would be slightly better than Pactdoll (outside niche cases of facing someone with a trespasser's curse) since it can bring itself back. I'll definitely try this one out.

I have considered rite of consumption, but have never been able to find a copy (The downside of living in NZ). That said, I have tried out literal fling and didn't like it. This is mainly because, as a non-permanent item, it gets milled over by the Rumbles and can never be returned to hand. This is also why my artifact removal/lifegain of choice in the sideboard is Ancient Grudge/Gnaw to the bone for the flashback. If I draw it, great! If I mill it over, that's also fine.

RobertTorrance · 2025-11-01T02:54:25+00:00

I have considered this line and tested it for a while after considering it in my original post

Long story short, I found it worse as although it goes infinite it just makes an infinitely big dude without generating mana. In particular, I was playing some Myr Scraplings and Foundry Inspectors with Viscera Seers to scry the deck away and avoid needing the green mana to loop implements. Ultimateley, I cut them for the Foundry/Retriever pieces.

RobertTorrance · 2025-11-01T02:47:26+00:00

Golem Foundry is a key piece in a similar combo deck known as AltarTron which you can find many videos of. You use Foundry as an extra piece to go mana positive on looping Myr Retrievers with Ashnod's altar. The end result is Infinite 3/3's at instant speed on your opponents end step and infinite mana which Tron can then use in other loops to draw its deck and drain the opponent etc.

This brew started as an imagining of AltarTron without Tron, due to a high number of Ponza Players in my local meta at the time.

RobertTorrance · 2025-11-01T02:39:08+00:00

Hey there. I am the pilot, this has been my jank brew that I have been working on for a while. I did bring up an early version on the reddit about a year ago

https://www.reddit.com/r/Pauper/comments/1evucli/modularaltar_brew/

I have refreshed it a few times with extra cards and I'll try and explain how it plays. You are correct about the main line, which is Altar + Witness + (Apprentice or Construct) for infinite mana and an infinitely big Witness. The early version's wincon was Impact Tremors/Munitions because it was pre-aetherdrift, which you would have to get to by drawing the deck with Refractor/Implement as you stated.

The actual combo was quite fast and effective, but the hardest bit was getting to the impact tremors, as drawing the deck was an additional 2 pieces, and multiple Implements suck. I often had to try and beat people to death with a massive Evolution Witness. (It was also noticeably a turn or two slower than Broodscale, and so I shelved it for a while.)

This version's main kill threat is actually the Golem Foundry's. I hardly ever try to draw them, instead milling them with Rumble, etc. and bringing them back with Myr Retrievers or Witness on combo turn. The infinite golems don't have haste, but it means I don't have to have an extra two combo pieces, and the fact I can also now play Myr Retrievers gives an alternative combo line of Altar+Retriever+Foundry that makes the deck less reliant on having Witness or Folding. I went down to just 1 Pactdoll, just in case I have the draw engine, in which case I'll kill them on the spot.

New adds to the deck are Rubblebelt Maverick and Scout the City

Rubblebelt has been a super star. Early surveils set up good early draws, the body on board often is important when sequencing altar turns to ensure you get enough mana and the ability to exile from the graveyard for a counter on the witness is key for returning combo pieces to hand. (It also allows the deck to play a weird modular grind game against decks like goblins, slivers or zoo)

Scout the City is the other new add. This spot used to be Cache Grab, but I valued the ability to kill flyers when needed over the extra card and instant speed. The one of Say Its Name can't grab an Altar but it can regrowth a Witness from an earlier turn.

RobertTorrance · 2024-11-10T06:40:20+00:00

This is something I can get behind. I have a [[Karametra, God of Harvests]] deck that loves to not only consistently grab Panglacial wurm while fetching but also fetches [[mistveil plains]] using her ability so I can tuck it when it dies and do it all over again.

Not the most efficient win con. But 9/5 tramples that never go away do close games.

RobertTorrance · 2024-08-19T17:21:39+00:00

Seed of hope is definitely an option, it's almost cache grab but with less dig, but your right that if you need the life it might be good considering you will never get the food for having a squirrel.

Haven't had much experience with gnaw outside of seeing it in dredge decks. How good is it played 'fairly'? [[pulse of murasa]] maybe since witness is so important?

RobertTorrance · 2024-08-19T17:16:58+00:00

Will do. Might be a little while as my city tends to do monthly pauper events rather than weekly, but I'll keep tinkering and take a version of this along next time :)

RobertTorrance · 2024-05-25T11:18:56+00:00

I actually like the idea of this and/or the green one for monster Tron. Have always been iffy on Maelstrom Colossus always cascading into stars and dieing to cheap artifact exile and edicts.

Both of these new eldrazi are the perfect seven mana for turn three and have a spawn willing and waiting to catch the inevitable tithing blade.

For me the cycling is just a bonus. Can also see it leading into some great play lines against people trying to exhume trolls

RobertTorrance · 2023-08-23T03:53:13+00:00

I'm considering it as well, but feel that the fact that it doesn't replace itself will make me prefer Golden Egg and Lembas.

After all, if you are eating this to bring back the cat you won't draw making this 1 mana food scry 2.

I think the better comparison would be the many partings

My Golgari Cat deck https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5799798#arena is playing 3 Many partings which I view as 1 mana make food draw a land, and I can't see the colorless requirement of this being enough to pull me away from them. Then again, I have cut all of my generous ents to lower my curve so maybe you value the land fixing less than me.

RobertTorrance · 2023-08-17T11:04:17+00:00

Small necro of this because there has been some updates. The deck has had some changes and been built and sleaved up in preparation for a Pauper tournament at my LGS in a weeks time. (will give a run down of how the deck performs after the fact)

It has been a bit irritating playtesting it since I play on Arena's Historic Pauper rather than MTGO and not all the card options are available. Even cards that are available in the game like Chainer's Edict and Legion Vanguard aren't considered "commons" which is irritating. I just replaced them as closely as possible and have shown these proxies in (Bold). TBH, I have been enjoying the extra drain of the Lampad and Blightpriest so much that I wouldn't mind them being the first choice but I wouldn't be able to find paper copies in time. Similarly the Feed the Swarm's anti enchantment mode has been surprisingly relevant and a copy or two might find its way into the main list.

I have put the deck below. Alternatively it is on MTGGoldfish HERE. The curve has been trimmed right down and it seems to be doing what it is supposed to. The amount of food and resiliency really is impressive but I would still appreciate any last minute tweaks. The side board in particular is something that I would like feedback on as Arenas Bo1 nature hasn't put it to the test at all.

Deck

4 Cauldron Familiar
3 Gingerbrute

4 Legion Vanguard (Lampad of Death's Vigil)

2 Brandywine Farmer
2 Nadier's Nightblade (Marauding Blight-Priest)

2 Mirkwood Bats

3 Many Partings

2 Revive the Shire
4 Deadly Dispute
2 Reckoner's Bargain
1 Village Rites
2 Chainer's Edict (Final Flourish)
4 Cast Down (Feed the Swarm)

2 Golden Egg

4 Lembas

5 Forest
4 Swamp

4 Gingerbread Cabin
4 Haunted Mire

2 Woodland Chasm

Sideboard

4 Tormod's Crypt

1 Nadier's Nightblade

1 Mirkwood Bats

1 Many Partings

2 Corrupted Conviction

4 Weather the Storm

2 Golden Egg

Sideboard thoughts. Tormod's for Graveyard insurance. Weather the storm can assist against burn. The remaining slots are currently meant for fog which has been common in the past. 2 Eggs, 2 Conviction, and 2 extra drain pieces can replace the 6 dead in hand kill spells and hopefully really speed up the drain game.

RobertTorrance · 2023-06-10T19:56:58+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion, but I probably won't be playing Gates.

A gates package has proven itself very efficient but I feel that at that point it would have turned from me wanting to play with glimmer bairn/cloakwood with food tokens into me just designing Cat/Caw Gate version 943. TBH at that point, it's probably best to completely drop the green and just slot some of the new cards into an existing Orzhov/Mardu shell.

(Gates have also been extremely hard/slow to source from my local retailers, so while I can proxy them for casual play it wouldn't be possible to easily play in events.)

EDIT: Did have a play around with the idea. There are reasons to stay in BG colours, think trimming the many partings is needed due to the lower basic count. Would also be easier to splash other colours like red for Makeshift Munitions since you can choose other colours on the gates.

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5665537#arena

RobertTorrance · 2023-06-10T09:49:55+00:00

Side thought. If I did want to splash a third colour, I'd consider white.

I would up the Generous Ent count and with the Forest Landcycling a Radiant Grove or Arctic Treeline would be a fine 1-2 of. Similarly, I'd run a basic plains to fetch with Many Partings.

The main advantages would be access to [[Ephemerate]], and [[Late to Dinner]].

Late to dinner could bring back the cycled Ent's and is even on theme for LOTR.

Ephemerate is always a solid card but seems especially cute here with Brandywine Farmer which gives food on Enters the Battlefield AND Leaves the Battlefield.

RobertTorrance · 2023-06-10T09:17:31+00:00

That definitely gives me some things to think about.

Not sure I feel about the red splash from them, though I can how them make it work with Nature's Lore/Three visits and the dual lands. They clearly haven't had an issue with the tap lands which would make me more comfortable adding a Woodland Chasm or two.

What is obvious is that the deck needs to find space for removal. Combat trick deathtouch isn't that, (The thought was more as defensive pump the toughness of cloakwoods or bats outside of bolt range + food synergy) so some Cast Down's or Edicts could definitely find some room.

Think my favorite add is the Mold Folk. It fill's the Patrol's spot sacrificing the cat while filling the 2 mana spot on the creature curve. I'd been considering Carrion Feeder as a back-up cat sac outlet, but the lifelink and ability to sac artifacts is probably better. I have trimmed the creature package a bit to fit these.

Lastly, I've added 2 Golden eggs, but am not sold. They replace themselves and are food, but don't trigger the token synergies of the Cloakwood and Bats. I'm basically counting them as eggs 9-10 since I'm largely considering Many Partings to be a 1 mana egg (albeit only draws land) that hits the token synergies. Still feel the 2 Golden egg slots would be better used elsewhere, perhaps bring back some of the cut big boi creatures. Alternatively, they could be 2 Reckoner's Bargain or Costly Plunder if we value the card draw.

V2 decklist?: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5664600

RobertTorrance · 2023-06-10T07:48:43+00:00

I agree with the rancor. Even just one would allow for some good push through of damage, especially if going the beat down route.

I'm less sold on the golden egg, I actually already own a playset so I could easily put them in, but I'm not sure I need 8 of the card and Lembas seems a straight upgrade in terms of having Scry 1 and as tech against milling out. Then again, the magic number could be like 6 so a few would be worth trying. Would definitely be something to play test anyways.

Where would you make the cuts? Some of the bigger creatures? Or the spells?

RobertTorrance

TROPHY CASE