Do Your Worst - Simic Burn

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kamahl&#039;s Druidic Vow" href="#" target="_blank">Kamahl&#039;s Druidic Vow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://noahbradley.com/products/kamahls-druidic-vow">Noah Bradley</a>)</h6>
<h2>Introduction</h2>
<p>Welcome to <em>Rolebuilding,</em> where I blend my fraternal-twin hobbies of tabletop roleplaying games and <em>Magic: The Gathering</em> for your delight and amusement! In this series we’ll choose a role or character from the realms of <em>Dungeons &amp; Dragons</em> and embark on a quest based on their motivations. The quest will serve as our guide when building the deck’s strategy and win conditions. Sound fun? Of course! Who says you can’t play two games at once?</p>
<hr />
<h1>Stepping Out Your Door</h1>
<p>In this inaugural installment we’ll be assuming the role of Melora, goddess of nature and the sea. According to the <em>Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition Player’s Handbook</em>, Melora is revered by hunters and rangers as the protector of wilderness and is a staunch opponent of civilized sprawl. We embolden our followers to reclaim places that were once wild and to hunt unnatural abominations. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the <a href="https://edhrec.com/tribes">tribes</a> page on EDHREC and see what sort of disciples we can recruit to support our agenda.</p>
<p>A few options immediately jump off the page: Elves, Merfolk, and Elementals. All have powerful tribal synergies and a broad card pool to choose from in colors that fit our disposition. These are viable options, but let’s look deeper. One of the handy features on the tribes page is that it shows you the most commonly played creature from each tribe. These paragon creatures are often indicative of what we’ll find within each tribe, but in this case it leads us right to our new chief priest:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gilt-Leaf Archdruid"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gilt-Leaf Archdruid" href="#" target="_blank">Gilt-Leaf Archdruid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> rewards us with card draw for playing more Druids, and then we can tap those creatures to <del>steal</del> reclaim our opponents' lands. What better way to protect the wilderness than by securing all of it under our control? The Archdruid is the only card that can take all of an opponent’s lands in one fell swoop (sorry, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Herald of Leshrac" href="#" target="_blank">Herald of Leshrac</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you're too slow). As our chief priest, he will form the centerpiece of our strategy.</p>
<p>Our quest has taken shape: reclaim lands on behalf of the wilderness in order to protect the natural realms. Once we’ve reclaimed these lands, we still need to win the game, and quickly, lest our fictitious quest invite the real-life wrath of our now landless opponents. We’ll complete our quest in poetic fashion by beating the trespassers into submission with the very lands they previously claimed as their own. Nature is savage and that’s OK.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kamahl, Fist of Krosa"></div></div></span></p>
<p>Though <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kamahl, Fist of Krosa" href="#" target="_blank">Kamahl, Fist of Krosa</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is not the commander for this deck, we'll be using him as our primary quest finisher/win con. I like to have my end goal in mind both when roleplaying and deckbuilding.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Every God Needs Worshippers</h2>
<p>We know that green can tutor for creatures, often quite effectively, so finding our key Druids shouldn't be much of a problem. There are two important questions we need to answer. First, what sort of ramp strategy will we deploy to pull off this resource-heavy strategy? Second, how do we assemble seven Druids quickly and sneakily without our opponents disrupting our strategy? Let’s start with the <a href="https://edhrec.com/tribes/druids">Druid tribes page</a> and see what we can find.</p>
<p><a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/high-synergy-cards_druids-2.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-44256" src="https://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/high-synergy-cards_druids-2.png" alt="" width="1211" height="691" /></a></p>
<p>That answers our first question! Druids like ramping, and most ramp druids belong in one of two camps: mana dorks and land untappers. We’ll focus on the land untappers since it fits the flavor of asking our followers to safeguard the land. It also synergizes with the gameplan of reclaiming our opponents' lands and attacking with them.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Krosan Restorer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Argothian Elder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ley Weaver"></div></div>
<p>In addition to early pieces like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Voyaging Satyr" href="#" target="_blank">Voyaging Satyr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we’ll want some bigger payoffs like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krosan Restorer" href="#" target="_blank">Krosan Restorer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for ramping into our mid-game strategies. Not only will these creatures accelerate our gameplan, but they'll become important combo pieces late in the game. More to come on that, later.</p>
<p>Some Druids provide us with raw card advantage, including all-stars like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Beast Whisperer" href="#" target="_blank">Beast Whisperer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Voice of Many" href="#" target="_blank">Voice of Many</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coiling Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">Coiling Oracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Beast Whisperer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Voice of Many"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Coiling Oracle"></div></div>
<p>Hold on. Coiling Oracle? Aren’t Druid decks mono-green? We are the goddess of the sea, so blue does fit the bill. Less than 1% of all Druid Tribal decks are Simic, but that doesn’t mean great options don’t exist for Druid commanders in these colors. It’s about time for us to pick a commander!</p>
<hr />
<h2>One With the Land</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seton, Krosan Protector" href="#" target="_blank">Seton, Krosan Protector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> commands more Druid Tribal decks than all of the other Druid commanders combined. But we’ve already determined that we aren’t as interested in the mana dork side of Druidity, so we can take a pass on him. There is one clear option that fits the flavor bill of our quest and incorporates our sea domain.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tatyova, Benthic Druid"></div></div>
<p>As the most popular Simic commander, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tatyova, Benthic Druid" href="#" target="_blank">Tatyova, Benthic Druid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> helms a whopping 1,623 decks at the time of this writing. Despite having Druid in her name, she pilots just seven Druid tribal decks. Seven! I love that EDHREC filters can bring this sort of gold to the surface by casting a broad net. If I had started with a commander-first approach and found myself on <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders/tatyova-benthic-druid">Tatyova’s Commander page</a>, I could have found Druid Tribal nestled at the bottom of the Themes section despite only .003% of Tatyova decks meeting the requirements for Druid Tribal. If you want to build a fringe strategy with an established commander, you don't have to be on a delusional mission like I am; you can approach the situation from several angles.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tatyova, Benthic Druid" href="#" target="_blank">Tatyova, Benthic Druid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> hits all three notes for us: flavor, power, and supporting our quest as a Druid. Now that we’ve settled on a commander, we’re better-positioned to satisfy the other burning question: how do we assemble seven Druids?</p>
<hr />
<h2>These Are Not The Druids You’re Looking For</h2>
<p>You may have noticed that the High Synergy and Top Cards sections of the <a href="https://edhrec.com/tribes/druids">Druids Tribal page</a> are regrettably devoid of token-creators. Unlike Elves, Druids don't excel at self-replication. In fact there are only two cards in all of <em>Magic</em> that create Druid tokens, not including cards that create <em>Changeling</em> tokens or that let you decide the creature type, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Riptide Replicator" href="#" target="_blank">Riptide Replicator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Freyalise, Llanowar’s Fury"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Llanowar Mentor"></div></div>
<p>We’ll include both of these for good measure, but we’re going to need more help in order to reach critical Druid mass. We <em>could</em> stick close to the Druid tribal theme, plan on hard-casting loads of dorky, suboptimal Druids, and cross our fingers that a board wipe doesn’t set us way back. But since we’ve introduced blue to the mix, new avenues of play present themselves. We no longer need to create seven Druids, like a Seton deck would need to. We just need to make seven creatures and then convert them to Our New Druid Way™, the brand-new religion of Melora that I just created right now. I have spoken.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arcane Adaptation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Xenograft"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Standardize"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Standardize" href="#" target="_blank">Standardize</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is particularly powerful here as it allows us to execute our strategy on an opponent’s end step with total surprise. Let’s say we start with an innocuous board state of two land-untappers and four tokens (say, Saprolings or Elves). On our opponent's end step we cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chord of Calling" href="#" target="_blank">Chord of Calling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to play Gilt-Leaf Archdruid from our library, cast Standardize choosing Druid, and then activate the Archdruid to nab all of that opponent's lands just before our untap step. Cool!</p>
<p>Let’s take a trip past the Tokens Theme page to see what would-be Druid-makers we can recruit.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tendershoot Dryad"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nissa, Voice of Zendikar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Avenger of Zendikar"></div></div>
<p>Saprolings, Thopters and Plants are some low-cost tokens we can generate in our colors. From the <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/tokens">Tokens page</a>, we can click Related Info to find more specifics on Saprolings or Thopters. Since <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/saproling-tokens">Saprolings</a> fit our all-natural theme, let’s head that direction.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sprout Swarm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jade Mage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mycoloth"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mycoloth" href="#" target="_blank">Mycoloth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>’s power is undeniable, and he puts a great deal of pressure on our opponents. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sprout Swarm" href="#" target="_blank">Sprout Swarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jade Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Jade Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, though not very efficient, have the added benefit of being useful instant-speed mana sinks if we're able to generate infinite mana. Remember earlier when I said our land-untapping Druids would also be combo pieces?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Intruder Alarm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Retreat to Coralhelm"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Intruder Alarm" href="#" target="_blank">Intruder Alarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to go infinite in a dizzying number of ways, as this card tends to do. If we can keep creating tokens with Sprout Swarm or Jade Mage and untapping our Druids like Krosan Restorer, then we can make as many tokens as we fancy, or we can finish off the table with a lethal <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Squall Line" href="#" target="_blank">Squall Line</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. The untap party is all the more potent if we’ve dropped a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dictate of Karametra" href="#" target="_blank">Dictate of Karametra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or flipped our <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Growing Rites of Itlimoc" href="#" target="_blank">Growing Rites of Itlimoc</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It’s not easy to tutor for a three-mana enchantment in our colors, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drift of Phantasms" href="#" target="_blank">Drift of Phantasms</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Long-Term Plans" href="#" target="_blank">Long-Term Plans</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can fetch either of the above, as well as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Arcane Adaptation" href="#" target="_blank">Arcane Adaptation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, making them important consistency pieces as we try to get our fledgling religion off the ground.</p>
<p>We aren't formally a Landfall deck, so <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Retreat to Coralhelm" href="#" target="_blank">Retreat to Coralhelm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> seems a little out of place in this menagerie until we put the final pieces into place. Behold, the final converts to our reclaimers' crusade:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sakura-Tribe Scout"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Llanowar Scout"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Walking Atlas"></div></div>
<p>These supplicants come down early and work swimmingly with our commander. I’m not surprised to find that they're played in 48% (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Llanowar Scout" href="#" target="_blank">Llanowar Scout</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), 43% (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sakura-Tribe Scout" href="#" target="_blank">Sakura-Tribe Scout</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) and 36% (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Walking Atlas" href="#" target="_blank">Walking Atlas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) of all Tatyova decks. Looking further down Tatyova’s Commander page, I <em>am</em> surprised to see only 18% of her decks run <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghost Town" href="#" target="_blank">Ghost Town</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. With one of the scouts above, Retreat to Coralhelm, and Tatyova on the battlefield, you can repeatedly flicker Ghost Town on your opponent's upkeep to draw your deck and gain tons of life, then cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Squall Line" href="#" target="_blank">Squall Line</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> from your hand for 60-ish damage to kill everyone else at the table. Sometimes gods need to take matters into their own hands.</p>
<p>Now that we’ve outlined our quest, goals, and side quests, a.k.a alternative win cons, we need to throw down the decklist. Here is what Melora, Goddess of Nature and the Sea’s deck might look like if she wanted to take back nature from trespassing mortals.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Get Off My Reclaimed Lawn" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Tatyova, Benthic Druid
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Sakura-Tribe Scout
*1 Magus of the Candelabra
*1 Llanowar Mentor
*1 Llanowar Scout
*1 Lotus Cobra
*1 Kiora&#039;s Follower
*1 Thrasios, Triton Hero
*1 Coiling Oracle
*1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
*1 Voyaging Satyr
*1 Walking Atlas
*1 Jade Mage
*1 Krosan Restorer
*1 Drift of Phantasms
*1 Springbloom Druid
*1 Reclamation Sage
*1 Eternal Witness
*1 Elvish Harbinger
*1 Imperious Perfect
*1 Ley Weaver
*1 Argothian Elder
*1 Beast Whisperer
*1 Voice of Many
*1 Mycoloth
*1 Tendershoot Dryad
*1 Gilt-Leaf Archdruid
*1 Seedborn Muse
*1 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
*1 Woodland Bellower
*1 Avenger of Zendikar
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Crop Rotation
*1 Worldly Tutor
*1 Mystical Tutor
*1 Standardize
*1 Muddle the Mixture
*1 Cyclonic Rift
*1 Sprout Swarm
*1 Squall Line
*1 Counterspell
*1 Heroic Intervention
*1 Long-Term Plans
*1 Chord of Calling
*1 Krosan Grip
*1 Beast Within
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Green Sun&#039;s Zenith
*1 Curse of the Swine
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Lightning Greaves
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Exploration
*1 Quest for Renewal
*1 Intruder Alarm
*1 Retreat to Coralhelm
*1 Arcane Adaptation
*1 Growing Rites of Itlimoc
*1 Defense of the Heart
*1 Parallel Lives
*1 Dictate of Karametra
*1 Kindred Discovery
*1 Xenograft
[/Enchantments]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
*1 Freyalise, Llanowar’s Fury
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Alchemist’s Refuge
*1 Blighted Woodlands
*1 Ghost Town
*1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
*1 Command Tower
*1 Reliquary Tower
*1 Terrain Generator
*1 Bant Panorama
*1 Esper Panorama
*1 Misty Rainforest
*1 Breeding Pool
*1 Hinterland Harbor
*1 Scavenger Grounds
*1 Simic Growth Chamber
*1 Temple of the False God
*1 Prismatic Vista
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Field of Ruin
*11 Forest
*9 Island
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<hr />
<p>Though Melora is above reproach, I am curious to hear your thoughts on the first installment of <em>Rolebuilding</em>. Were there some cards I missed that would have tickled Melora’s fancy? What are your thoughts on structuring the deck around a particular D&amp;D character and quest? I’d really appreciate it if you dropped a comment below! Until next time, happy games!</p>


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Do Your Worst - Simic Burn

Rolebuilding - Nature’s Crusade