  Shamans
Trounce 2009.
Description of deck by its author
(quoted):
 The deck curves very well and wins by
attacking for 20 damage. Rage Forger is key in a deck like this. The
amount of damage caused by an attack that follows a Rage Forger is quite
impressive. Flamekin Harbinger always searches for Rage Forger.
If your opponent plays a Knight of Meadowgrain or
Knight of the White Orchid it's important to set up a double Rage Forger
play. Play out all your creatures and set up a board that makes it
difficult for your opponent to attack into you. Once you have a healthy
army it's time to spring your trap. Playing a pair of Rage Forgers gives
each of your attacking creatures +2/+2 and each of the Rage Forger
abilities trigger before blocks. Five attacking creatures deal 10 damage
before blocks have been declared. The double Rage Forger play ends the
game most of the time. When it doesn't finish it off immediately, a
well-timed Flame Javelin will finish it off more often than not.
I'll start by explaining the card choices. I've
received a good number of emails asking me about optimal play with my
decks. This week I'd like to explain my card choices and explain how to
properly play each of the cards. Hopefully, this will give you more
insight into the intricacies of the deck.
Elvish Visionary: Getting a cantrip out of a Shaman is
incredible. You should play your Visionaries before your Sensation
Gorgers and Rage Forgers, but after your other creatures. You want to
play your creatures with higher power first to maximize the amount of
damage you break through with in the early game. If you're playing
against a control deck with Pyroclasm, Volcanic Fallout, or Jund Charm,
then playing Elvish Visionary a little earlier is probably your best
bet. I'd play a Wolf-Skull Shaman and then play my Visionaries and try
to bait the Pyroclasm effect. I like to hold Rage Forgers in my hand to
punish my opponent if he or she taps out for card draw or a threat of
their own instead of playing their Pyroclasm effect early.
Bosk Banneret: The Banneret is a very important card
in this deck. Playing a pair of Rage Forgers is very easy to do when
they only cost two mana apiece. Bosk Banneret can give you some
explosive draws that end the game quickly and decisively. The 3
toughness is actually quite nice, as it allows you to play these without
fear of Pyroclasm effects.
Wolf-Skull Shaman: Wolf-Skull Shaman is very good
against other midrange aggro decks, but an endless stream of 2/2s is
good against anyone. Wolf-Skull Shaman is interesting because it doesn't
have much effect on the board right away, but cards like this demand
removal spells from your opponent if the game is going longer than
expected. There are rare situations when you don't want to reveal the
Rage Forger you hit with kinship. If the board is already clogged it may
actually benefit you to keep the Rage Forger to yourself until you know
you can crash in for a lethal hit.
Flamekin Harbinger: Always get Rage Forger with your
Harbinger. Don't chump with this or any of your other creatures unless
you absolutely must. Even the random 1/1s turn into a lot of damage when
you rip a Rage Forger off the top.
Rage Forger: The most important piece of the deck.
I've already explained the value of slow-rolling Rage Forgers, but it's
important to remember that if you're curving out properly, then playing
your Rage Forgers quickly is key to stealing wins in the early turns of
the game.
Leaf-Crowned Elder: Free spells are great. Getting to
cast them for free is even better. The card advantage provided by
Leaf-Crowned Elder is really powerful. If your opponent doesn't have a
removal spell at the ready, the card advantage this provides can get out
of hand quickly. It's really impressive when you flip up a Flamekin
Harbinger or Rage Forger. The former of the two searches for a Rage
Forger which you draw that very turn. You can go from having no hand and
being behind in board position to having your opponent in chump-block
mode in one draw step.
Colossal Might: Alara Reborn gave us this new gem.
Don't put yourself in a situation where you're trading the Colossal
Might for your opponent's turn-two play and a little bit of damage.
(Unless it's something like Knight of Meadowgrain.) You want to play
your threats before your burn in a deck like this. Think of this pump
spell like a burn spell. If your opponent taps out in the midgame don't
be afraid to use it for a free four damage. Likewise, if your opponent
has one white mana open and five cards in hand, then it probably isn't
wise to play this card, as you're likely going to get two for oned by
Path to Exile. (Path doesn't really two for one, but you get what I'm
saying.)
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