Hello and welcome back to Casual MTG Encounters.
First, let me tell you a story of a man by the name of Adrian Coe. He is the twin brother of the friend I mentioned in my last article, (An Intro). He received an awesome nickname from playing football, but, before I give the nickname, I would like to share how he got it. He would show up to practice in the same ol’ raggedy green shirt for about two weeks straight. During what is considered “hell week,” which is the first week of conditioning to weed out the weak, Adrian showed off fast speed that didn’t match up with his HUGE size; he was then given the nickname GREEN MACHINE.
With that said, the deck for this week is a deck with green and artifacts that I consider to be revolved around the nickname. First, let me tell you it is DIFFICULT to make a deck with both green and artifacts in it. Green is usually a huge anti-artifact color that tends to destroy artifacts, which is why I chose to run arcbound creatures. Arcbound creatures come in with modular (x). Modular reads, “This enters the battlefield with x +1/+1 counters on it. When it dies, you may put its +1/+1 counters on target artifact creature.” So the idea is, since I’m mostly running artifact creatures, to help each of the artifact creatures out. Since there are, in all, sixteen creatures with arcbound they are able to, when they die, give off their +1/+1 counters to each other. To get rid of creatures that, are better off dead, like the 1/1 (zero ability) arcbound worker there are cards like Tel-Jilad Justice that enable you to destroy your own creature (and scry 2 with it), to enable you to share the +1/+1 love. There is, also, the Throne of Geth which, when you tap it, lets you sacrifice an artifact to proliferate. Proliferate reads, “You choose any number of permanents and/or players with counters on them, then give each another counter of a kind already there.” So, not only are you sacrificing a modular creature that share’s it’s +1/+1 counters, you are able to add one more +1/+1 counter on each of the creatures you own. There are also three more ways you are able to add the +1/+1 counters on your creatures. The first is the other artifact creature Steel Overseer that, when you tap it, puts a +1/+1 counter to each artifact creature you own. Then, there is the cheap to play, but somewhat expensive to proliferate, Contagion Clasp that, when it comes into play, you may put a -1/-1 counter on any creature; then you may tap 4 mana, and tap it, to proliferate. Then there’s the big beast Plaguemaw Beast that, when you tap it, lets you sacrifice a creature to proliferate.
Now that all your artifact creatures are dead, what can you do to bring them back to your hand? There are two cards that will enable this! There is Glissa, the Traitor who is a 3/3 first strike, deathtouch that has the ability that reads “Whenever a creature an opponent controls dies, you may return target artifact card from your graveyard to your hand.” So whenever she kills a creature your opponent controls, or whenever one of your HUGE artifacts kills a creature your opponent controls, you can return any of your artifacts in your graveyard to your hand. Then, there is the one green, or two life, mana costing instant Noxious Revival. Noxious Revival reads, “Put target card from a graveyard on top of its owner’s library,” so any of your artifacts that are in your graveyard go on top of your library.
Now, the sideboard. There are four rampant growths, which are in the sideboard if you feel the mana is just not coming fast enough. Then there is the Decree of Savagery, which costs nine mana that gives all creatures you control four +1/+1 counters and it gives you a chance to cycle it for six mana and at the same time enables you to put four +1/+1 on one creature. Why isn’t in the main deck? The answer to that is purely its mana cost. An expensive card, but when it comes into play you are able to distribute three +1/+1 counters on any creatures. This is a solid sideboard card for an additional blocking creature or even small game ender. Then there are battlegrowths, which is a one green mana instant that lets you put a +1/+1 counter on a creature; another way to strengthen a creature. Then finally, if you don’t have enough flying control, there is the three Wing Puncture, which destroys a creature with flying, for two mana.
Now, the controversy, if any, of this deck: the two artifact lands. These artifact lands are banned in many game types because they have been labeled broken (too good to be in the game). In many cases they are broken, such as in decks with affinity for artifacts, which reads “This spell costs less to cast for each artifact you control.” It’s a free artifact in play that you use to play the affinity spell. Quite broken. However, in this deck I don’t see these lands as broken, but I do feel they are a bit OP; which is ok, because OP decks are more fun to play with.
The last thing is the Llanowar Reborn lands. They have an ability called Graft 1 which reads, “This land enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it. Whenever a creature enters the battlefield, you may move a +1/+1 counter from this land onto it.” This just helps feed the +1/+1 love. I wanted to add in some graft creatures, but I felt this was the better strategy.
So the strategy really revolves around getting as many creatures you can out and at the same time killing those creatures to get other creatures bigger, then proliferating to make the creatures even bigger, then returning those dead creatures to rinse, lather, and repeat.
This deck can be a bit more advanced in gameplay, but if played correctly, can be a strong competitor casually. So without further ado, here is The Green Machines:
Spells
2 Arcbound Bruiser
3 Arcbound Crusher
3 Arcbound Fiend
4 Arcbound Worker
4 Arcbound Stinger
2 Contagion Clasp
3 Tel-Jilad Justice
3 Steel Overseer
3 Throne of Geth
2 Plaguemaw Beast
4 Noxious Revival
4 Glissa, the Traitor
Lands
9 Forest
2 Swamps
4 Llanowar Reborn
4 Tree of Tales
4 Vault of Whispers
Sideboard
4 Decree of Savagery
4 Rampant Growth
4 Battlegrowth
3 Wing Puncture
It may seem that the decks I am making are going to revolve around decks for other, unknown to most, people. This is going to be true for many of the decks. However, I feel that if the deck doesn’t have someone in mind to play it, the deck won’t be very good. Each deck I have ever made has been inspired by or for someone. Lucky for you my readers, these people won’t always be mentioned.
