Oversoul
The Tentacled One
Probably everyone who still visits the CPA has noticed my incessant posting of my EDH decklists, at a rate of about one new deck per week. There's no rule for how long each deck sticks around, but I try to give them a chance to shine, to do their thing to my satisfaction, before moving on and dismantling them for parts to use in new decks. Some decks have lasted for several months, while others I found myself dismantling after just two weeks.
Well, I only own so many copies of certain green cards, and this time around I can't decide on my own, so I wish to leave the choice to the people. Which deck is next on the chopping block? There are three candidates...
Contestant #1: Bourbon Vanilla
Start date: September 14th
Commander: Jasmine Boreal of the Seven
Moxfield link. TappedOut link.
Statement for (dismantling this deck): This deck is the oldest of the three, the one that has seen the most games, and the one that has the most wins. This deck has run its course. The all-vanilla creature gimmick is cute, but only one actual win has resulted from combat damage by vanilla creatures. The deck sees its greatest success when broken enchantments come together for stupid looping combos. The cards involved are strong. They're staples. I've used them before and I'll probably use them again. The whole "I can attack someone with my Ironroot Treefolk" thing is cool and all, but I've done it. I know what it looks like.
Statement against (dismantling this deck): This deck is unique. It tends to dish out some damage and then get reined in, but being a big threat is fun and this deck does it in style. My Limited Edition Savannah Lions and Unlimited Edition Grizzly Bears make me happy. And then I get obscure stuff like Barbary Apes and Sir Shandlar of Eberyn. Once this deck is dismantled, I imagine that it might be the last time in my life I ever use some of these cards. Now, I'm not keeping it around forever, but both of the other two decks in this contest are Loam decks. Do I really need two? One of those can go first, and I can keep the dream of lethal Durkwood Boars alive just a bit longer.
Contestant #2: I Collect Spores
Start date: September 21st
Commander: Thelon of Havenwood
Moxfield link. TappedOut link.
Statement for: This deck has seen several games and has consistently underperformed. I have found myself poaching pieces from it to temporarily slot in other decks, and even now that it's back together, I hardly play it anymore. Yeah, I have a soft spot for this deck, but it's the weakest of the three, and just doesn't line up to the power level I generally encounter at my LGS. Running all the old Fallen Empires fungi struck me as neat and still does, but this 1994 mechanic doesn't hold up anymore in 2022. I should admit when it's time to call it quits. If I do choose to keep this deck around, it's quite possible that it'll sit in my bag, unused, because it's even jankier than the newer decks I've built, which will get prioritized at first.
Statement against: This is the only deck of the three that has yet to win a single game. I certainly don't have a rule that a deck has to win before I'm allowed to dismantle it, but I am averse to dismantling a deck that never even gets to show off why I built it in the first place. And there are some really cool tricks that this deck could do with spore counters, if games didn't end way before I ever got a chance. I had been wanting to build a thallid deck for the past few years, and I had a rough draft of this decklist started before the commanders of the other decks existed. Intellectually, I might recognize that this deck has an uphill battle, but emotionally, it's the one I'm most attached to. If I can find myself in even one low-power pod, this deck is perfect.
Contestant #3: Life from the Loess
Start date: October 12th
Commander: Hazezon, Shaper of Sand
Moxfield link. TappedOut link.
Statement for: This deck did what it was meant to do. I knew from the start that I was building something super-gimmicky. Running all 16 possible desert cards in my color identity was an easy way to hobble my own manabase, and dedicating multiple slots just to the potential to give an opponent a desert so that my commander can get in for unblockable damage was another layer of deliberate silliness. I can say that I did it and I can say that it worked. Sure, only once, but that one game was an epic slugfest and I got to showcase just about everything I liked in this deck. After a win like that, there isn't really anywhere to go but down. I've found myself hesitant to use it and have opted to play other decks instead. And if I'm not going to play the deck because I don't feel like playing the deck, then it's time to take this one apart.
Statement against: This is the youngest deck of the three, and it occurs to me that I've only actually played it twice. I had thought that it might have been more, but nope. Between mulligans and the sheer amount of turns it took this deck to stabilize on mana in both of its actual games, then the drawn-out length of the second game, which lasted so long because two of my three opponents essentially had a truce and were working together against me, it just seemed like this deck got played a lot. But no. Two games. That was it. Both of the other decks have gotten way more chances than that. Also, I had to purchase a foil copy of Bazaar Trader for this deck because I didn't already own the card and the foil was the only copy that West Coast Sports Cards had for sale. I haven't gotten my money's worth yet. Looking over the deck, although it makes multiple concessions toward gimmicks (Desert Nomads, Gauntlets of Chaos, etc.), I actually think this pile is the strongest of the three, and the one most likely to compete with the more powerful decks I usually go up against these days.
Three decks. I like them all, but one of them has got to go.
Well, I only own so many copies of certain green cards, and this time around I can't decide on my own, so I wish to leave the choice to the people. Which deck is next on the chopping block? There are three candidates...
Contestant #1: Bourbon Vanilla
Start date: September 14th
Commander: Jasmine Boreal of the Seven
Moxfield link. TappedOut link.
Statement for (dismantling this deck): This deck is the oldest of the three, the one that has seen the most games, and the one that has the most wins. This deck has run its course. The all-vanilla creature gimmick is cute, but only one actual win has resulted from combat damage by vanilla creatures. The deck sees its greatest success when broken enchantments come together for stupid looping combos. The cards involved are strong. They're staples. I've used them before and I'll probably use them again. The whole "I can attack someone with my Ironroot Treefolk" thing is cool and all, but I've done it. I know what it looks like.
Statement against (dismantling this deck): This deck is unique. It tends to dish out some damage and then get reined in, but being a big threat is fun and this deck does it in style. My Limited Edition Savannah Lions and Unlimited Edition Grizzly Bears make me happy. And then I get obscure stuff like Barbary Apes and Sir Shandlar of Eberyn. Once this deck is dismantled, I imagine that it might be the last time in my life I ever use some of these cards. Now, I'm not keeping it around forever, but both of the other two decks in this contest are Loam decks. Do I really need two? One of those can go first, and I can keep the dream of lethal Durkwood Boars alive just a bit longer.
Contestant #2: I Collect Spores
Start date: September 21st
Commander: Thelon of Havenwood
Moxfield link. TappedOut link.
Statement for: This deck has seen several games and has consistently underperformed. I have found myself poaching pieces from it to temporarily slot in other decks, and even now that it's back together, I hardly play it anymore. Yeah, I have a soft spot for this deck, but it's the weakest of the three, and just doesn't line up to the power level I generally encounter at my LGS. Running all the old Fallen Empires fungi struck me as neat and still does, but this 1994 mechanic doesn't hold up anymore in 2022. I should admit when it's time to call it quits. If I do choose to keep this deck around, it's quite possible that it'll sit in my bag, unused, because it's even jankier than the newer decks I've built, which will get prioritized at first.
Statement against: This is the only deck of the three that has yet to win a single game. I certainly don't have a rule that a deck has to win before I'm allowed to dismantle it, but I am averse to dismantling a deck that never even gets to show off why I built it in the first place. And there are some really cool tricks that this deck could do with spore counters, if games didn't end way before I ever got a chance. I had been wanting to build a thallid deck for the past few years, and I had a rough draft of this decklist started before the commanders of the other decks existed. Intellectually, I might recognize that this deck has an uphill battle, but emotionally, it's the one I'm most attached to. If I can find myself in even one low-power pod, this deck is perfect.
Contestant #3: Life from the Loess
Start date: October 12th
Commander: Hazezon, Shaper of Sand
Moxfield link. TappedOut link.
Statement for: This deck did what it was meant to do. I knew from the start that I was building something super-gimmicky. Running all 16 possible desert cards in my color identity was an easy way to hobble my own manabase, and dedicating multiple slots just to the potential to give an opponent a desert so that my commander can get in for unblockable damage was another layer of deliberate silliness. I can say that I did it and I can say that it worked. Sure, only once, but that one game was an epic slugfest and I got to showcase just about everything I liked in this deck. After a win like that, there isn't really anywhere to go but down. I've found myself hesitant to use it and have opted to play other decks instead. And if I'm not going to play the deck because I don't feel like playing the deck, then it's time to take this one apart.
Statement against: This is the youngest deck of the three, and it occurs to me that I've only actually played it twice. I had thought that it might have been more, but nope. Between mulligans and the sheer amount of turns it took this deck to stabilize on mana in both of its actual games, then the drawn-out length of the second game, which lasted so long because two of my three opponents essentially had a truce and were working together against me, it just seemed like this deck got played a lot. But no. Two games. That was it. Both of the other decks have gotten way more chances than that. Also, I had to purchase a foil copy of Bazaar Trader for this deck because I didn't already own the card and the foil was the only copy that West Coast Sports Cards had for sale. I haven't gotten my money's worth yet. Looking over the deck, although it makes multiple concessions toward gimmicks (Desert Nomads, Gauntlets of Chaos, etc.), I actually think this pile is the strongest of the three, and the one most likely to compete with the more powerful decks I usually go up against these days.
Three decks. I like them all, but one of them has got to go.
