Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Jank Rank Part 2

Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Jank Rank Part 1

Jank No More - The Legendary Power of Vanilla

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dual Shot" href="#" target="_blank">Dual Shot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.sarabwintersart.com/">Sara Winters</a>)</h6>
<h1>Introduction</h1>
<p>We find ourselves in a foundational place. The experiment’s inauguration. The ground isn’t exactly unbroken, but it is covered in a low fog, obscuring patches of what might’ve once been footprints.</p>
<p>This is <em>Dual Shot</em>, where we hide decks inside of other decks.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dual Shot"></div></div>
<hr />
<h2>What We’re Up To</h2>
<p>Now, before the obvious dub of "deck-ception" is applied, I would remind you that “inception” referred not to the nesting of dreams within dreams, but to the implantation of an idea. With any luck, I can do both. However, the layers don’t go limbo-deep. Just two steps:</p>
<p>Pick a deck, or rather, the outline of a deck. The theme, the archetype, the plan of attack. What kind of deck do you want?</p>
<p>Now pick another sort of deck. Got it? All set.</p>
<p>The plan is this: take a deck theme or archetype as it is typically built, and then see how much of it we can remove while keeping the identity of the deck intact. Then we fill that new space with a different deck’s strategy, presenting now as a subtheme.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Silent Submersible"></div></div>
<p>No, not a Submersible, a subtheme. For instance, if you're building an Aura deck like it’s... well, an Aura deck... then it’s shaped like itself, isn’t it? It works more or less as intended, with all the expected variance of a game of EDH. Your opponents see you piloting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Estrid, the Masked" href="#" target="_blank">Estrid, the Masked</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and they can immediately begin to guess at which cards you’ll be playing and how you’ll be playing them.</p>
<p>If you go to the <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes">Themes</a> page, you’ll find that Estrid makes for one of the most popular commanders within the Aura archetype, standing at the helm for 12.6% of submitted Aura decks. Dig a little deeper, however, and you’ll find that she makes for one of the <em>least</em> popular generals for a planeswalker theme, commanding a paltry 0.65% of those deck submissions.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Estrid, the Masked"></div></div>
<p>Estrid is an unpopular Superfriends general simply because there are much better options for that particular theme. Still, she is a planeswalker, and Bant certainly enables <em>some</em> of the typical superfriends EDH strategies.</p>
<p>But I’m not suggesting that you build Estrid as a Superfriends commander instead of an Aura commander.</p>
<p>I’m saying, “Do both!”</p>
<p><em>At the same time.</em></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancestral Mask"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tamiyo, Field Researcher"></div></div>
<p>The obvious problem is this: a good Aura deck will have most (if not all) of the 99 in direct support of that strategy. The same is true for pretty much any “good” deck. By taking what amounts to half of an Aura deck and mixing it with half of a planeswalker deck, you’re weakening both strategies. You’re reducing your likelihood to draw components for either gameplan, and you’re reducing the number of functional pieces for either approach.</p>
<p>That all sounds bad, but what if...</p>
<hr />
<h2>Flex Tape®</h2>
<p>...what if we minimize that huge drawback? We’ll get to the “how” in a moment. If we can reduce the disadvantages of effectively splitting our deck, we have created a Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon scenario (as film metaphors go, this one is a bit ungainly, so bear with me) in that we are hiding our deck’s true purpose.</p>
<p>All right, so it’s not the deck’s <em>true</em> purpose; rather, a secondary purpose. Something greater than an alternate win condition, but without becoming so unwieldy as to be a hindrance to the deck’s main goal.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Chain Veil"></div></div>
<p>This allows you to keep your opponents on their toes and guessing. Perhaps they’ll be thinking, “Oh, an Estrid deck. Auras and enchantments, sure, nothing new. Oh, wait, is that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Chain Veil" href="#" target="_blank">The Chain Veil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>? I guess they’re doing some hipster Superfriends brew. Oh, no, they’re still playing enchantments-matter cards. Maybe they don’t know what they’re doing....”</p>
<p>And maybe we don’t. But <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ObfuscatingStupidity">obfuscating stupidity</a> is certainly a viable tactic!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Licking Our Wounds</h2>
<p>By using simple metrics on EDHREC, we can find inclusion rates for cards in various archetypes. With high enough percentages, it’s safe to call certain cards “staples” within particular themes. Sometimes there’s overlap. For example, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flux Channeler" href="#" target="_blank">Flux Channeler</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evolution Sage" href="#" target="_blank">Evolution Sage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> each show up with a 40%-60% inclusion rate in recommendations for planeswalker decks, +1/+1 counters decks, and <em>Infect</em> decks. It’s reasonable to infer that these are flexible cards that work well with a variety of strategies.</p>
<p>There exist similar overlaps for cards across the recs on this site, and while they’re not always quite so robust, they do provide a starting point. Combine that with a flexible commander, and you’ve found yourself a launch pad for a <em>Dual Shot</em> at brewing!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Crowd Goes Wild"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Deafening Silence"></div></div>
<p>(Depending on your predilections, your reaction is likely somewhere along the lines of one of the two cards depicted above)</p>
<p>Anyway, in addition to potentially flummoxing your opponents, incorporating a secondary theme (or subtheme) into the brewing process can unveil some unexpected cross-theme synergies. Earlier this year, <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/mechanically-minded-gates/">Kyle Massa wrote an article</a> on EDHREC about building around a Gates theme. Incredibly, a functional deck is built out of something that <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/gates">doesn’t even have a Theme page</a> on the site. There aren’t many Gates, and there aren’t many Gates-matter cards. In this sense, something like Gates looks to be a perfect subtheme to include, as it’s already extremely difficult to present as a primary theme in itself, and it has a number of good payoffs and alternate win conditions.</p>
<p>Taking one established theme and merging it with another requires a bit more restraint, and perhaps a lowering of expectations. In any case, in the spirit of obfuscation, here’s Estrid:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Estrid, the Enchantress (Who Moonlights as a Planeswalker)" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Estrid, the Masked
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Tuvasa the Sunlit
*1 Kestia, the Cultivator
*1 Hanna, Ship’s Navigator
*1 Captain Sisay
*1 Satyr Enchanter
*1 Bioessence Hydra
*1 Elderwood Scion
*1 Shalai, Voice of Plenty
*1 Heavenly Blademaster
*1 Arena Rector
*1 Ajani&#039;s Chosen
*1 Celestial Ancient
*1 Djeru, With Eyes Open
*1 Mesa Enchantress
*1 Starfield Mystic
*1 Thalia&#039;s Lancers
*1 Spark Double
*1 Flux Channeler
*1 Nylea&#039;s Colossus
*1 Verduran Enchantress
*1 Herald of the Pantheon
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Sterling Grove
*1 Oath of Teferi
*1 Soul Snare
*1 Oath of Ajani
*1 Oath of Gideon
*1 Sage&#039;s Reverie
*1 Sphere of Safety
*1 Unquestioned Authority
*1 Humility
*1 Starfield of Nyx
*1 Oath of Jace
*1 Mirrormade
*1 Ever-Watching Threshold
*1 Eel Umbra
*1 Oath of Nissa
*1 Fertile Ground
*1 New Horizons
*1 Unbridled Growth
*1 Ancestral Mask
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Bant Charm
*1 Dovin&#039;s Veto
*1 Ignite the Beacon
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Fuel for the Cause
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Call the Gatewatch
*1 Winds of Rath
*1 Urza&#039;s Ruinous Blast
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 The Chain Veil
*1 Contagion Clasp
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Mana Geode
[/Artifacts]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Tamiyo, Field Researcher
*1 Ajani Unyielding
*1 Ajani, the Greathearted
*1 Kiora, the Crashing Wave
*1 Tamiyo, Collector of Tales
*1 The Wanderer
*1 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
*1 Kasmina, Enigmatic Mentor
*1 Garruk Wildspeaker
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Command Tower
*1 Hall of Heliod&#039;s Generosity
*1 Interplanar Beacon
*1 Karn&#039;s Bastion
*1 Forge of Heroes
*1 Serra&#039;s Sanctum
*1 Seaside Citadel
*1 Yavimaya Coast
*1 Irrigated Farmland
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Cascading Cataracts
*1 Hinterland Harbor
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Azorius Chancery
*1 Canopy Vista
*1 Temple of Mystery
*1 Blossoming Sands
*1 Thornwood Falls
*5 Plains
*4 Island
*9 Forest
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>Trying to go 50/50 with this approach to merging decks <em>does not work</em>. The consistency for either tactic plummets – you’re missing components for each half-deck, and you’re less likely to find what remains. By aiming for something that approximates more of an 80/20 split, and by trying to reconcile the dual nature of the end product by including “cross-theme staples,” you can get a functional deck that’ll make your playgroup ask you if everything is okay.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Oath of Teferi"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Eidolon of Blossoms"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sigil of the Empty Throne"></div></div>
<p>For example, in the above decklist, the Oaths function as staples for the Superfriends package while also at the very least supporting your commander (if you don’t draw any walkers) and checking enchantment triggers. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Chain Veil" href="#" target="_blank">The Chain Veil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is such a common inclusion for this archetype that it feels silly to ignore it, even if it will wind up as a truly dead card for many of your games. There will be plenty of matchups where you draw into Oaths with no walkers on board or in hand. However, they can still provide utility by drawing cards through <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eidolon of Blossoms" href="#" target="_blank">Eidolon of Blossoms</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tuvasa the Sunlit" href="#" target="_blank">Tuvasa the Sunlit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and other Enchantresses, or by widening the board state through <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sigil of the Empty Throne" href="#" target="_blank">Sigil of the Empty Throne</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ajani’s Chosen" href="#" target="_blank">Ajani’s Chosen</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>There is also the less obvious drawback of an 80/20 split to be considered: the inconsistency of the “20” side. It is meant to be an alternate approach to gameplay, and if you draw into it, great; if not, there can be some feel-bads. As an example, cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Deploy the Gatewatch" href="#" target="_blank">Deploy the Gatewatch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> simply do not work. A card like that works better when the risk is much lower, helping to ensure the reward (e.g., in a dedicated Superfriends deck). In the spirit of planeswalking with pals, you should use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Call the Gatewatch" href="#" target="_blank">Call the Gatewatch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> instead.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>Once your playgroup realizes what you’re doing, you may remain wily! The thing is, doing something like this doesn’t attract a lot of attention. At least, not the dangerous kind of attention. While you can win games through attrition, Group Hug strategies, and letting everyone else fight while you timidly set up esoteric win conditions, these things are relatively difficult and require patience and politicking.</p>
<p>This Estrid Deck (Prepared Two Ways) was extremely fun to pilot, providing a radically different kind of variance. Some games, you're simply playing another deck than you were the game before. Some games you’re spread too thin, and the element of surprise really only works once. This brew is very susceptible to removal (though <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sterling Grove" href="#" target="_blank">Sterling Grove</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> helps), but it fares very favorably in combat – cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ever-Watching Threshold" href="#" target="_blank">Ever-Watching Threshold</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sphere of Safety" href="#" target="_blank">Sphere of Safety</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> should provide just enough cover to keep you entrenched while keeping apace through Enchantress card draw.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ever-Watching Threshold"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sphere of Safety"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Garruk Wildspeaker"></div></div>
<p>Eventually, assuming there aren’t any Turn-4 win conditions at the table, you can overwhelm the opposition by going wide enough and/or tall enough in typical Enchantress fashion. The planeswalker package here generally only provides utility and keeps you alive long enough to win through damage, but it might provide some spectacular moments (like getting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Garruk Wildspeaker" href="#" target="_blank">Garruk Wildspeaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>’s ultimate to go off with a couple of Kiora’s Krakens and about a dozen 2/2 Cat tokens on board).</p>
<p>It’s worth mentioning that this was all tested in casual environments with friends, and in less-than-competitive queues on MTGO. Ultimately, these brewing experiments have proven to provide a great deal of entertaining variance (as opposed to the regular kind of variance), and to be, eh, <em>somewhat</em> reliable.</p>
<p>I’d had this idea for subthematic brewing a long time ago, and it arose from necessity – that is, not having enough cards to build the decks I wanted. Over time, it turned into something a bit less fumbling than that, but I’m happy just to have given it a shot... a <em>dual </em>shot<em>....</em></p>
<p>Oh, <em>Theros</em> Gods, give me strength.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Baffling End"></div></div>
<p>That's the baffling end of this installment of <em>Dual Shot! </em>Let me know about any decks where you've managed to simultaneously play two different themes in the comments below!</p>


jank

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