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Magical Admonishment: More Tribal Fun

By Paul Emerson Leicht 3-12-10

This week is brought to you by the letter A. As in Admonition. I don't know about you but I often find myself telling my inner child to do better. Doing better is often not easy. In the middle of creating this deck series, I posted a relatively cryptic comment on Facebook: "Admonition Angel disappoints!" to which a friend responded (in paraphrased quote) "Wouldn't it be funny if you had an Angel following you around telling you off for every little misdeed?". Indeed, I thought, funny but that would soon become insanely frustrating:

"Now now, don't forget to tip that waitress extra for that extra cup of coffee..." "yeah, yeah"

"Hey don't cut that old man off!" "OK, OK!"

"You know that bagel is going straight to your ..." "Hey! Shut the *@!#% up already!"*

*(censored for the sake of any minors and pure of thought who may be reading this. I am certain the rest of you can fill in the blank with ease.)

 

I'm sure glad it isn't so. Going to Heck** on the wings of an angel is probably no fun at all. Meanwhile the above card has caught my imagination but initially I had no idea how to properly abuse it.

**(I should note I don't actually believe in such a place but in the reality where angels exist such a place probably does too.)

 

I talked about Admonition Angel with my friend AJ_Impy and he suggested some cards that go with it like spaghetti goes with meatballs (my analogy). AJ being a well respected innovator, particularly in tribal often says things that at first blush require some thought. He said: Natural Affinity & Ghostway. It took about 10mins and a lengthy conversation for me to get the gist of the idea. When I did parse the concept it caught fire in my brain and set into motion trades on my part that landed me cards with which to play the following deck:

 

Thankfully Natural Affinity is dirt cheap (at something like 8 cents a card), Angels were not so cheap but I found bots where the prices were below par and eventually netted 3 for 6 tickets. Ghostway was be a little harder to find but it is still within budget range if you have a few tickets to spare for a set. Here is how it should work. You stall till you get 6 mana out via your cheaper angels, you play an Admonition Angel. Next turn during your opponent's second main phase you cast Natural Affinity and then Ghostway. At the beginning of your opponent's end step you get your lands and creatures back and suddenly your op should have no nonland permanents or too few to help them stay alive. That's the theory. In practice the deck's flying beats usually win before 6 mana is available. Either through concession or just plain beat down. Emeria Angel helps a lot in that regard and is often the better choice for a turn 4 creature than Serra Avenger because it will provide lots of little fliers with the Verges and Harrows.

Some games to illustrate the deck:

game 1 vs AJ_Impy playing Unblockable Spirits

My hand of 7 consists of Forest, Natural Affinity, Serra Avenger, Emeria Angel, Plains, Guardian Seraph, Plains.
AJ starts with a Godless Shrine, tapped
I draw Harrow. play a plains.
AJ plays a snow covered island and Dimir Infiltrator.
I draw Exalted Angel and play plains #2.
AJ plays another snow covered island and brings in an Azorius Herald for 4 life. He swings at me for 1. (19-24)
I draw a plains, play the forest, and bring in Exalted Angel morphed.
Aj plays a tapped Watery Grave and brings another Azorius Herald for 4 life and swings at me for 3. (16-28)
I draw terramorphic expanse, play the plains and attack with the angel and unmorph it. (20-24)
AJ swings for 5 (15-24) and plays a Ghostly Prison.
I draw Guardian Seraph. Attack with the angel (19-20) play the terramorphic and harrow. (Perhaps I should have cast Emeria Angel instead here but I wanted to get to 6 mana for some reason. As it is I missed the opportunity to land 3 bird tokens. on the other hand with the prison on the table, tokens would be less impressive as attackers and not useful at all as blockers.)
AJ plays a Watery Grave Swings with his guys and zealously persecutes for +3 damage(11-20)
I draw a plains swing with the angel (15-16) and play a Guardian Angel. Then I crack the terramorphic. (I guess I decided having not drawn the Admonition Angel I should ramp as much as possible to accommodate the prison.)
AJ swings with just the two heralds (13-16) and plays Hunted Phantasm giving me 5 goblins.
I draw another Guardian Angel and swing with the 2 angels on the table. (paying 4 to the prison.) (13-9)
AJ plays another Godless Shrine this time untapped (13-7), swings with his 4 guys then casts Zealous Persecution x2 bring me to a perilous life total(4-7)
I swing in for the win on my turn.

games: 1-0

Game 2: Vs Mitsubishi_Mitch playing Typical Treefolk

Mulled to this after 2 consecutive hands of 1 land + noncastables: (Terramorphic Expanse x2), Plains, Admonition Angel, (Twilight Angel).
I start by playing terramorphic and cracking it into a forest.
MM plays forest into Treefolk Harbinger and fetches a Leaf-Crowned Elder
I draw Natural Affinity play the other Terramorphic.
MM plays forest and Bosk Banneret
I draw Pristine Angelplay the plains.
MM plays Mosswort Bridge and swings with the bosk at which point I finally crack the expanse and fetch another plains. (19-20)
On my turn I draw and play another plains and pass the turn.
MM plays Leaf-crowned Elder and swings again. (18-20)
I draw and play Selensya Sanctuary bouncing a plains.
MM gets nothing off the trigger from the elder. He casts rampant growth then primal below on bosk and swings (10-20).
I play Pristine Angel (hoping to stop the beatings I guess...I should have played the Admonition Angel in case my top deck was a land. That would have been a surer stop to the beats.
MM trigger reveals (Root Grapple) which takes out Selesnya Sanctuary and he attacks with just the elder which I block with the angel. After he casts Timber Protector.
I don't draw more land instead I see Serra Avenger. I swing with the angel then untap it after as I cast Guardian Seraph.
MM Swings his indestructibles and I block all but the 1 power guy, resulting in no change to my life. He reveals Leaf-Crowned Elder from the Mosswort Bridge and then lays another down and casts rampant growth #2.
I untap into Harrow. attack with my Pristine Angel and untap it with the harrow, (fetching more plains) and then cast Serra Avenger out.
MM trigger reveals another Timber Protector and a Lignify at which point I concede.

games: 1-1

Game 3: vs Mdt5038 playing Samurai

I start with a 1 land hand and mulligan to Admonition Angel, Serra Avenger, Reflecting Pool, Plains, Guardian Angel, Terramorphic Expanse.

I lead off with the Terramorphic and crack it on his turn for a forest after he plays a plains.
On my turn I draw Emeria Angel and lay down the Reflecting Pool (feeling that this gives my opponent less information than playing the plains.) He plays Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep.

I draw Oblivion Ring, play the plains and pass.

He plays Mountain, Kitsune Blademaster.
I draw harrow and sac a plains into double plains for Serra Avenger.

He plays Glory of Warfare and swings (16-20)
I draw Twilight Shepherd and play O-ring targeting the enchantment on his side. Not sure that was so great a target but I figured that would slow the beats a little. I swing with the Avenger. (16-17)
He untaps plays a plains and attacks again. (14-17) then plays one of my favorite new cards:

I draw another O-ring and put the Ogre tyrant under it. I swing back (14-14). (Yes I could have blocked the fox samurai with my vigilant angel but this seems like a bad idea since I am going to win any race between the two creatures.)

He swings at me (12-14) then plays (Eijano Castle), Fumiko the Lowblood, and Hand of Honor.

On my turn I swing back (12-11) and play Guardian Seraph.

He plays Araba Mothrider and does not swing. He plays Boros Garrison returning a plains.

I swing in with both angels of which he blocks one (12-8) and then I play another Guardian Seraph. He concedes on his turn.

 

Games: 2-1

I played one game with Kingritz (playing combo Clerics) and it lasted for what seemed like an eternity because I could not finish him with his Master Apothecary, Benevolent Bodyguard, and (Order of White Clay) combo out. I conceded after almost 40 turns. I won't give you all the details of that game because they seemed so unnecessary but suffice to say once the cleric engine gets going it is particularly hard to stop. A Wrath of God would have been a clincher I think. Admonition Angel hit the table but was eventually plowed away with being very effective. Kings design was not typical either from what I could see. Most people seem to run the Scion of Darkness combo but he was running something very stally and controlling.

games: 2-2

I played vs AJ_Impy again this time playing Ogres (not the same deck as the one I promised below below though.)

To summarize, AJ got me to two life with  a Taurean Mauler before I managed to stabilize with an Admonition Angel on the table, and Ghostway/Natural Affinity in hand. After that the game became very one side quickly in the opposite direction. Kazuul made another brief appearance only to disappear under land after I cast the combo on my own turn. AJ did not draw the extra land needed to win with Valakut and I ended up taking the game.

games 3-2

At some point I realized I wasn't typically drawing my combo pieces. I was winning or losing before I ever got to 6 mana usually. I talked to AJ about it and he recommended adding black for Dimir Machinations. I did that and added tutors (see 1.5 below) and played with it some more. I also added in Wraths because I realized how good they are with Ghostway and of course what white deck doesn't want sweepers?

 

Some more games:

 Game 1 vs Mangiafucco with Eldrazi Elves.

Synopsis. He played lots of elves and archdruids...then managed to get Eldrazi Monument on the battlefield the turn before I was going to wrath the board. This pretty much ended the game in his favor since his indestructible flying beefy hoard vastly outnumbered my little bird tokens. Game ended on turn 5.

games: 0-1

vs Major Domo playing Rogues. 

Synopsis: By turn 3 he had 4 rogues in play. Two of which had counters on them from Oona's Blackguard, so I decided that discretion was the better part of valor here. My hand was doomed be discarded before I could stabilize.

games: 0-2

vs Pultritudinous (who wins just because of his name) playing Big Cats (with a full set of Cloudposts)

I kept Krosan Verge, Murmuring Bosk, Dimir Machinations x2, Natural Affinity and Plains x2

I start off playing the Verge.
P plays Graypelt Refuge.
I draw Oblivion Ring and play Murmuring Bosk.
P plays a Plains.
I draw Twilight Shepherd and play a Plains.
P plays a Cloudpost and a Loam Lion after which I crack the Verge for an Overgrown Tomb and a Godless Shrine at the beginning of his end step.
I draw a Natural Affinity, play a plains.
P attacks with the lion and I cast Natural Affinity blocking the 1/1 with a Plains.
On my turn I draw a ghostway, and transmute a Dimir Machinations for a Harrow.
P plays another Cloudpost and Marisi's Twinclaws enter the battlefield.
I draw a ghostway and cast harrow on my turn and then put the doublestriking cat under an Oblivion Ring.
P plays Spirit of the Hearth and suddenly I see why the cloudposts are in the deck.
I draw a plains and play a Twilight Shepherd.
P plays another Spirit of the Hearth.
I draw Krosan Verge. I transmute Dimir Machinations for an Oblivion Ring and put one of his big cats under it.
P enchants my Shepherd with Pariah.
I draw another Machinations.
P plays a Horned Cheetah and an Artic Flats.
I draw Emeria Angel and play it.
P plays Mirri, Cat Warrior and I crack the Verge in response fetching 2 lands and making bird tokens.
I draw land.
P plays a Noble Panther.
I draw and play Volrath's Stronghold (getting another bird token).
P plays Graypelt Refuge (20-22) and then attempts to Cast Swords to Plowshares on my Emeria Angel. I respond by casting Natural Affinity then Ghostway. He attacks me to 8 (He could have attacked me to -4 if he thought of it (since his lands were 2/2s) and yes the Ghostway was an awful play in that circumstance. I got greedy to pull off the Emeria Angel token combo. He let me. Instead he disenchants my oblivion ring to get his Spirit of the Hearth back and casts a Loam Lion. At the end of his turn I get my Twilight Angel, Emeria Angel and 9 tokens (from the returning lands) back and my O-ring returns to my hand (thanks to the shepherd trigger). (8-24)

On my turn I O-ring one of his Cat Spirits again then attack with the angels and 4 birds (8-12) play a land and transmute Dimir Machinations for Harrow.

P attacks and I Harrow in response creating two more bird tokens. He attacks and I block 3 of his creatures with my 3 recently summoned tokens. (6-14) He plays another Horned Cheetah and hardcasts a Qasali Ambusher.

I draw a Wrath of God. I attack with everything and he blocks the Emeria Angel with a Spirit of the Hearth and Twilight Shepherd with Qusali Ambusher. (6-5) After combat I cast Ghostway and then Wrath of God. On my end step I get the Shepherd back who gives me Emeria Angel from the graveyard.

On his turn he plays nothing. On mine I draw another Wrath and attack for 5 and the game.

games: 1-2

In summary I was very unhappy with this build. I liked the transmuting flexibility of the machinations but disliked the still very slow draw of the deck. It felt like too much was going on for it to be good consistently. It could get blow out draws either way. Either an "I win" hand or an "I can't win unless you concede right now" hand. Not very much in between. The one game I won of the three I should have lost to misplay and the first game vs Kingritz I think had potential for me to win if I had played the interactions correctly.

Build a better angel...

A day later I was talking to another eminent 'Johnny/Spike' deck innovator and all around nice guy (and regular WotC commentator/columnist), Brian David-Marshall. I mentioned I was trying to break Admonition Angel in a casual fringe format and Brian suggested the following cards: Summer Bloom, Amulet of Vigor, and Ravnica Bounce lands. (Author's Note: This was suggested as a general combo by Jacob von Luren to Brian in passing from what I understand and has also been on several forums around the internet.) I was stunned. Usually I think of Summer Bloom as one of those bad rares they had to put into the core sets to pump their numbers. I made a list in a text file since Modo was down for maintenance.  As soon as I had a chance later that night I went shopping for the pieces I needed ($5.25 total additional cost) with the remaining tickets at my disposal. (Thanks MTGOtraders for having just what I needed :D.) 

 

How this version works: turn 1) play a land (A Forest or Plains hopefully or a painland if necessary), play Amulet of Vigor. turn 2) play a Ravnica Bounce land (Selesnya Sanctuary or Orzhov Basilica most likely) and untap it with the amulet's trigger. Tap it for mana. Then play Summer Bloom and bounce the bounce land. Do this until you have and 3 other mana and cast Admonition Angel. Yes that is right. In theory this deck can play a turn 2 angel. Not likely, but it can happen. Usually what happens is you get an Amulet and an Angel but no Bounce lands or vice versa. Azusa, Lost but Seeking was another suggested card by BDM that helps make the combo a bit more resillient assuming your op doesn't kill her.

Some more games still:

game 1 vs BingoBongo playing Vedalkens.

Summary: I got the amulet out turn 1 and played an Oblivion Ring turn 2 to kill his one artifact, a (Spring-leaf Drum) thus killing his only land draw Glimmervoid as well for 6 turns. After that it was inevitable that my 3 Serra Avengers would finish unopposed.  I've played vs BB many games and with many different decks. It surprised me that he kept a 1 land hand with Vedalkens since he knows that deck well. But everyone has bad days.There was another game but it is lost to posterity.  He is a good player and I will have to retry him later on.

games: 1-0

vs Gaeter playing Birds

I keep 7 on the play: Krosan Verge, Forest, Plains, Wrath of God, Guardian Seraph, Emeria angel and Summer Bloom.

Turn 1 I play verge.
Gaeter plays an island
I draw another Seraph and play a forest
Gaeter plays an island and Sage Owl, sorting the top of his deck
I play a plains.
G plays a Stormscape familiar and an island. He swings (19-20)
I play Godless Shrine taking 2 damage (17-20) and play out Emeria Angel.
G plays Aven Envoy at which point I wonder if he is just playing with the few cards he got from the free bots plus whatever starting cards he got. I forget sometimes that other players start out with very few good cards. Tribal Wars Classic may be a fringe format but it is also somewhat expensive for a new player. Sure you can build budget decks under 20 tickets but that is still a fortune if you don't have it.
After I played Admonition Angel out turn 6 he conceded.

games: 2-0

game vs Phuz42 Beasts.

Summary: Starting with a terrible misplay on my part (failed to wrath before he could attack with his 2 Ember Beasts because I wanted to catch him with more guys in play) this game was just a total train wreck. Very quickly I went from 20 to 14- to dead after he succeeded in landing 2 Aether Charges one of which I removed with an Oblivion Ring. If I had wrathed turn 5 I would have still be in the game for an extra turn at least.

games: 2-1

vs Mdt5038 playing (Monoblack) Assassins
We both mull to 6. I keep a hand of: Golgari Rot Farm, Overgrown Tomb, Orzhov Basilica, Guardian Seraph, Summer Bloom, Wrath of God
turn 1 he plays Shizo, Death's Storehouse.
I play Overgrown Tomb.
he plays nothing.
I play Golgari Rotfarm bouncing the tomb.
he plays a swamp.
I play tomb again.
He plays another swamp and Sign in blood (20-18).
I play another tomb untapped (18-18) and diabolic tutor for an amulet of vigor.
He plays a swamp.
I play Amulet of Vigor and Orzhov Basilica after playing Summer Bloom.
I play and bounce the basilica back 3x after tapping it for mana and get out Emeria Angel (with two bird tokens) then Guardian Seraph. He casts Nameless Inversion on the Angel at the beginning of my end step.
He casts Infest then Scarblade Elite on his turn.
On mine I play a forest and swing (18-15).
He plays a Nekrataal and swings (16-15).
I play Selesnya Sanctuary bouncing the forest.
He swings (12-15).
I cast Wrath of God on my turn after bouncing the Basilica to itself.
He plays Garza's Assassin.
I remove the Assassin with Oblivion Ring.
I bounce the basilica enough times to generate 7 mana for Desolation Angel and destroy all our lands. He concedes on his turn.

games: 3-1

Deck Summary: Overall I think I agree with Kingritz's initial assessment of the idea when I discussed it with him: The deck isn't broken, the combos are too weak for tourney play but they fit right into casual play being neither too strong nor too weak. I love the Ravnica Bounce Lands + Amulet interaction and Amulet + Summer Bloom is great fun. Admonition Angel is, as AJ pointed out, a creature that must be killed if it hits the table or it will wreak havoc. I am certain there are better builds than mine. But I enjoyed playing with it in its various incarnations. And the occasional blow out is just "Wow!!" Mdt5038 remarked on  Amulet + Summer Bloom being broken. Not sure I agree with that, but it is certainly one of many things in any Classic format that you have to look out for when considering your options for decks.

Ogres galore!!!

I promised above I would share my Ogres tribal wars deck with you so here it is below:

 

One of the fun things I discovered about this deck was that Ogre Enforcer is really a pain for many decks. Another is the interaction with Chain Reaction and beefy creatures. It is not a horrible idea to cast it if you are facing 3 creatures to your 1 fatty for example. Usually your guy lives and theirs die. Chain Reaction is almost as much fun as Kazuul himself. I tossed the Mordant Dragons in because every deck needs a way to deal with fliers and I am pretty exciting by them despite their heft red investment. They evade via the air then they kill something nasty. Hard to argue with that. The Everflowing Chalices are not the most exciting pieces of the deck but they do help when in need of a little extra mana. I usually just kick them once for the best results. They make the higher casting costs of the Ogre tribe a bit less painful. (Ogre Shaman) are a finishing beating if you land one and Menacing Ogres are outright mean. Your opponent has to play the mind game with you to avoid  losing life then taking more damage on top of it. Singe-Minds are really just filler but can be randomly dangerous. Over all this deck is super casual but has some game vs other casual decks.

Anyway that is all for this month. Have fun. :)

Magically Yours,

Paul Emerson Leicht aka Winter.Wolf on Modo.