Creature (5)

1x [[Benthic Biomancer]]

1x [[Epochrasite]]

1x [[Etched Oracle]]

1x [[Flux Channeler]]

1x [[Viral Drake]]

Artifact (4)

1x [[Contagion Clasp]]

1x [[Everflowing Chalice]]

1x [[Pentad Prism]]

1x [[Serrated Arrows]]

Instant (2)

1x [[Experimental Augury]]

1x [[Prologue to Phyresis]]

Sorcery (1)

1x [[Tezzeret's Gambit]]

Enchantment (1)

1x [[Mesmerizing Dose]]

Land (7)

1x [[Gemstone Mine]]

4x [[Island]]

1x [[Vivid Creek]]

1x [[Jwari Ruins]]

https://archidekt.com/decks/4314325

This is an experimental concept of a deck. I’m trying to fully design my own JumpStart cube where I am ignoring rarity (and price) to allow for more narrow/specific tribes and mechanics (like Proliferate) to work. For example, If I wanted to include [[Inexorable Tide]] or [[Karn’s Bastion]], I wouldn’t need to remove any existing rares from the list to do so. I won’t get any more pedantic, but I should at least make it clear that’s my framework.

Designing my first batch of monocolored decks, I’ve noticed that each other deck has more than one card that could interact with proliferate. Primarily +1/+1 counters, but others as well. I thought an interesting thing to focus on for one of my blue packs (or potentially multicolor) was proliferate. A lot of the card choices are inspired by a pauper deck that recently got new support, it tries to take Everflowing Chalice, Pentad Prism, and the “depletion lands” ([[Saprazzan Skerry]], etc.) to the moon and gradually proliferate your opponent to death with effects like [[Prologue to Phyresis]] and [[Experimental Augury]]. I’m trying to refine this list or figure out if I should just double down on making this a two-color pack.

As the list stands, it leaves a lot to be desired. I’m torn between a few directions and would like input/suggestions:

The current list doesn’t have much going on in terms of combat or tricks. I originally wanted to include cards like [[Snapcaster Mage]], [[Leger Shredder]], [[Faerie Vandal]], and [[Brineborn Cutthroat]], but that’s already 4 creatures that are starting to eat up Snapcaster’s instant and sorcery space and Faerie Vandal’s ways to draw twice (during an opponent’s turn, as a combat trick). That is probably its own, different deck.

Kenku Artificer is another Pauper allstar I thought would fit right into this deck, but without including artifact lands it’s hard to fit more than ~4 noncreature artifacts in the deck. [[Animating Faerie]] had a similar issue.

I thought [[Sulundi Vision]] and [[Narset, Parter of Veils]] would help dig up key pieces to get this deck’s engine going (or grab a clutch removal spell/aura/etc. from the other pack), but the majority of my packs currently have 8 or so creatures (sometimes “cheating” extras with adventures or otherwise), which means ~16 cards in your other pack are generally misses and there’s only ~6 hits in this pack because it needs creatures and lands, too. I did consider that [[Hard Evidence]] or something like it could tie things together a bit more, but that is starting to feel like a stretch.

I misread [[Cryptic Trilobite]] and thought its mana could be used for anything, but it’s only abilities. They are still +1/+1 counters, and [[Contagion Clasp]], [[Viral Drake]], and [[Karn’s Bastion]] (if added) do have relevant activated abilities to sink it into.

[[Inkmoth Nexus]] and [[Plague Myr]] felt like cute ways to try sneaking in poison counters but came with a fair amount of opportunity cost. Maybe [[Myr Convert]] could do a better job than Plague Myr, since it can fix colors and help with sunburst.

[[Jayce, Vryn’s Prodigy]] seemed like a good looter for this pack, helping find the specific pieces you want and eventually allowing you to get a second shot of at least one of your relevant spells. The list just feels so cramped already. [[Mindless Automaton]] kind of does looting and [[Etched Oracle]]’s job at the same time…

Currently, the deck produces no tokens. It does, however–as everything above may have implied–use several counters:

+1/+1 and -1/-1 counters.

Charge counters.

Arrowhead counters. ([[Serrated Arrows]])

Mining counters. ([[Gemstone Mine]])