4
Broodhatch Nantuko
1 Gigapede
4 Living Hive
2 Nantuko Vigilante
1 Stag Beetle
2 Symbiotic Wurm
2 Tribal Forcemage
2 Xantid Swarm
4 Alpha Status
2 Coat of Arms
4 Journey of Discovery
4 One Dozen Eyes
4 Vernal Bloom
20 Forest
4 Tranquil Thicket |
 Breaking
out in Hives.
Description of deck by it's author
(quoted):
 Normal
mana acceleration doesn't help too much. Rampant Growth would get us
from 2 lands to 3. Explosive Vegetation would get us from 4 lands to 6.
We need 8 to play Liv! That's when I remembered a bad little rare that I
like to trot out every once in a while: Vernal Bloom. It's liable to
backfire if your opponent is playing with Forests. Unlike the permanent
boosts generated by land-fetchers, Vernal Bloom provides fragile
acceleration that depends on keeping it in play. But it will jump you
from 4 mana to 8 mana immediately, and that's just what this deck wants.
The other mana accelerator I included in this deck is Journey of
Discovery. There are a lot of choices out there: the aforementioned
Growth and Vegetation, Krosan Tusker, Sprouting Vines, forestcyclers,
Vine Trellis, Wirewood Channeler, and more. Why go on the Journey?
Partially because it's new. But I really like how it interacts with
Vernal Bloom. On turn 3, it can fetch two Forests to set you up to play
the Bloom on turn 4. Later in the game, with a Bloom in play, you can
tap three Forests to play Journey with entwine, fetch two Forests from
your library, and put them both into play untapped. You've spent only
two mana to increase your total mana supply by four!
How do we take advantage of our Insects? It's unclear that we need to.
If we're smashing in with a 6/6 trampler that is shedding free creatures
into play, we're winning the game, right? But as long as we've got
potential for lots of 1/1 critters that share a creature type, let's go
tribal! Broodhatch Nantuko is an early defender that will create more
Insects if your opponent is foolish enough to attack into it. One Dozen
Eyes is an instant infestation. Nantuko Vigilante is an Insect that can
dispatch Platinum Angel. (This should become a question you ask yourself
every time you build a casual deck from now on: Can I get rid of
Platinum Angel? All of today's decks can.) Gigapede keeps coming back.
Symbiotic Wurm is a dare to your opponent, though you unfortunately have
no way to sacrifice it yourself. All of this sets up a giant Stag Beetle
or a way to create giant attacking swarms via Coat of Arms or Tribal
Forcemage. My favorite idea is to slap an Alpha Status on a Xantid Swarm
(who says green creatures can't fly?) and swing in.
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