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Aluren (played by Kang Jisang;
courtesy of sideboard.com)
Land (23)
3 Forest
3 Island
2 Swamp
3 City of Brass
4 Hickory Woodlot
4 Polluted Delta
4 Yavimaya Coast
Creatures (14)
1 Soul Warden
1 Cloud of Faeries
3 Raven Familiar
4 Birds of Paradise
2 Wirewood Savage
3 Cavern Harpy
Other (23)
4 Brainstorm
3 Intuition
4 Cabal Therapy
3 Vampiric Tutor
4 Living Wish
4 Aluren
1 Pernicious Deed
Sideboard (15)
1 City of Brass
1 Soul Warden
1 Monk Realist
1 Academy Rector
2 Gilded Drake
1 Raven Familiar
1 Maggot Carrier
2 Bone Shredder
1 Faceless Butcher
1 Genesis
1 Cavern Harpy
2 Pernicious Deed
Please note that this is a more reckless version than I would recommend.
Aside from the fewer number of fetchlands, the deck does not have some
kind of protection against counters in the sideboard, such as Orim's
Chant, or my favorite, Defense Grid. I believe you should have at least
3 Chant/Grid in the sideboard, along with a Monk Idealist to fetch a
whacked Aluren. Or just give Deed another go.
Then again, I don't play this deck, nor did I make top 8 at Hiroshima,
just don't take my word as a decree. And now, Aluren.
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Aluren is a combo deck. It seeks to play and keep an Aluren out to abuse
the cheap creatures with their own respective abilities. When Aluren is
out, the deck freely casts Cavern Harpy over and over, either into a
Wirewood Savage or continuous bounce of Raven Familiar until it hits
Cloud of Faeries and Soul Warden to create infinite mana and gain
infinite life. At this point, the deck should cast Living Wish for
Maggot Carrier and bounce with Harpy for the kill (granted you did play
Soul Warden and gained lots of life).
The combo is hard to stop if an opponent isn't prepared for it. However,
the deck does rely on Aluren and Cavern Harpy to make the deck work, so
specific cards that beat one or the other can cripple Aluren. Cards
likes Pernicious Deed in response to Cavern Harpy (which would make
Living Wish worthless until they let Aluren die) or an Urborg
Shambler/Stronghold Taskmaster (to knock out Cavern Harpy) are common
hate cards. Luckily, only Deed is being played more now, since Aluren
has given way to faster decks.
The basic game of Aluren is rather simple: find the pieces and win on
the same turn Aluren is cast. This makes the combo more solid than most
others because you don't need more mana investments than the ones you've
put in to get Aluren out. Once it gets going, Cloud of Faeries will
untap the land for Living Wish.
The basic game play is simple enough: just search fast enough to win
before you lose. So I'm going for a card-by-card analysis instead of a
play-by-play.
Birds of Paradise/Hickory Woodlot: These are just acceleration. DO NOT
make them a priority. In fact, they are only really necessary against
counters and weenie decks, when you don't have time to carefully find
pieces. You only need 1 of them out, and only when you don't have better
plays. These should not be played in excess before any search card; even
Intuition.
Soul Warden: Gets you life for Maggot Carrier kill. Not necessary if you
have Cloud of Faeries to untap land to Living Wish. You usually will
play it quickly though. It makes for a less painful experience if you
don't have Wirewood Savage (you have to bounce Raven Familiar with
Harpy).
Cloud of Faeries: This card is VERY important. I'm shocked Jisang isn't
using at least 2. This card should take priority over Soul Warden
because it allows for a win the turn Aluren is played. Yeah, you usually
draw it, but if it is killed accidentially, it could cost you the game
if you can't pull off the combo in the same turn.
Raven Familiar: Considered to be better than Wirewood Savage because it
does something other than enabling the combo. In a pinch, it will act as
Brainstorm #5 through 7. Echo SHOULD NOT be paid at this point (you have
to be pretty desperate to actually cast it without Aluren).
Wirewood Savage: Not needed, but it does save life instead of running
Familiar through Harpy. Note how it doesn't do anything outside of the
combo, yet it will take priority over Familiar if you go off.
Cavern Harpy: The reason the deck even works at such a competitive
level. No other explanation needed; just make sure you use it's fading
to bounce itself instead of paying the life.
Brainstorm: Arguably the best search card in the deck because it
combines so well with everything else. Note how you can shuffle the
cards put back on top with fetchlands (a BIG reason why I think Jisang
should have used more) and Vampiric Tutor. Because the nature of the
deck relies heavily on search, the top 3 cards could easily reveal the
combo piece, or even more search cards. And it's in the deck's primary
color? That's why it goes higher than Living Wish and Vampiric Tutor.
Intuition: The weakest of the search cards, IMHO. It is dangerous; all
there is to it. Use it sparingly, and only to find Therapy, Wish, or
Aluren. The creatures should be pulled out before Aluren, so Intuition
is really the last card to play before you go off (other than Cabal
Therapy).
Cabal Therapy: The deck's protection. It is better than Duress because
you don't need excess BoPs; it doesn't hurt that the format is
inherently creature-oriented. Greatest assest is that it is free coming
out of the grave. This is the only real card that benefits from excess
acceleration (lets you Therapy and flashback before going off).
Vampiric Tutor: Just cool. The best Tutor happens to be the second best
search in the deck, IMHO. For the cost of one black, one topdeck, one
card, and two life, you get any card you want outside of active
Millstones in play. Can't argue with that; killer plays with Brainstorm.
Living Wish: Basically the win for the deck. It pulls that Cavern Harpy
in a pinch; or Maggot Carrier to take the game. More on the powerful
sideboard later.
Aluren: Duh...
Pernicious Deed: I have no clue why it's here, but it's here. If you
have trouble with Sligh, you should have more. But one? Not worth the
trouble; especially when you only have 3 Tutors. Best as a sideboard
card; Living Wish for Monk Realist is sufficient enchantment control.
The sideboard is going to make this way too long. So I'll only discuss
the creatures that are needed. I mean, it's pretty obvious what Faceless
Butcher, Bone Shredder, and Gilded Drake is used for (why he has 2
Shredder/2 Drake is beyond me...).
City of Brass: Why? Believe me, the deck has no mana problems, and this
is a worthless filler of a slot. The best thing I can think of is
Wasteland here, but don't expect to waste a Wish for anything that isn't
creature in this deck. Should go towards Chant/Grid.
Academy Rector: I don't think this should be here... Wishing to get
another search card for Aluren seems strange; why not just use another
Tutor? However, it does combo with Cabal Therapy, and will make Sligh
hold back a little (yeah, that's not going to happen; just try and
imagine Rector holding Piledriver for fear of Deed ).
Maggot Carrier: As stated, it's the kill card.
Genesis: Another questionable slot. Why again. It needs to die, so you
can't exactly count on the 3 mana Raise Dead. Yet you don't have too
many cards dedicated to having 6 mana on the board. If you fear control,
just use Defense Grid.
Thus ends the analysis. Looking back, I should have gotten my own
version. Oh well.
Aluren is a nice deck to use. It is fairly consistent, and few people
bother trying to hate it out. The closest comparison I can make is to
Angry Hermit. It gives up speed for consistency; explosiveness for
stronger late games. If you like combo, this is probably the best
non-Hermit deck to use. |
