B/G Gitrog Aggro for FNM

[skeri]

This is the deck I'm thinking about taking to FNM this week. Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated, especially for tempo since that is everything in aggro!

Since this is a new build I don't expect it to go perfectly, but so far it looks like I can consistently get the Gitrog Monster or Morkrut Necropod out by turn 3-4. Occasionally in a longer game I can have them on the board together swinging for 13 damage with menace and deathtouch. Bloodbriar really reaps the benefits of land sacs.

http://deckstats.net/decks/63728/535817-g-b-gitrog-aggro?saved=1&lng=en 

[KouriNick]

Hey Skeri! sweet Gitrog Tempo deck you got here

When looking through, the one card that came to mind was Tireless Tracker. He seems like he'd be really good with all the extra land-drops off Gitrog. Lets you stack up a bunch of clues for when you have extra mana, and sacrificing those clues only makes Bloodbriar bigger. Plus the deck seems low on 3 drops (though I guess with ramp that isn't a bad thing), so Tireless Tracker could fit nicely there.

In terms of what to replace, the only guy that jumps out at me is Permeating Mass. When your strategy relies on being able to get through with these giant creatures, giving your opponent the possibility to freely transform your win-cons into 1/3 masses seems risky. They may be good in the sideboard to bring in against Ulamog or something, but against tokens or CoCo, Permeating Mass just seems like a bigger risk than benefit.

If you wanted to keep up the 1 drop count, maybe look into Kessig Prowler. 1 for a 2/1 is already good for tempo, and being able to dump mana into him late game to make a 4/4 who can't be gang blocked seems like a nice alternative. Just something to think about.

I'm glad to hear Bloodbriar has found a home in your deck! I hope it works well for you at FNM this week    

[skeri]

Hey Skeri! sweet Gitrog Tempo deck you got here

When looking through, the one card that came to mind was Tireless Tracker. He seems like he'd be really good with all the extra land-drops off Gitrog. Lets you stack up a bunch of clues for when you have extra mana, and sacrificing those clues only makes Bloodbriar bigger. Plus the deck seems low on 3 drops (though I guess with ramp that isn't a bad thing), so Tireless Tracker could fit nicely there.

In terms of what to replace, the only guy that jumps out at me is Permeating Mass. When your strategy relies on being able to get through with these giant creatures, giving your opponent the possibility to freely transform your win-cons into 1/3 masses seems risky. They may be good in the sideboard to bring in against Ulamog or something, but against tokens or CoCo, Permeating Mass just seems like a bigger risk than benefit.

If you wanted to keep up the 1 drop count, maybe look into Kessig Prowler. 1 for a 2/1 is already good for tempo, and being able to dump mana into him late game to make a 4/4 who can't be gang blocked seems like a nice alternative. Just something to think about.

I'm glad to hear Bloodbriar has found a home in your deck! I hope it works well for you at FNM this week

I hadn't thought about Tireless Tracker for this, but you make a good point. I've been meaning to see if anyone at my shop as a couple they'd like to trade, but I may end up purchasing a pair of them for this because I plan on playing it for a little while. Kessig Prowler is also a great idea, I have one copy of him from the pre-release so I can probably get my hands on a few more.

And holy moly, I didn't realize that permeating mass's copy also had his ability... I thought it just reduced the creature to the same power/toughness. That actually could be really self destructive... the last thing I need is a useless Gitrog monster.

I haven't ever played green aggro in a tournament deck so we'll see how it goes.

Thanks for the suggestions!

[Jabilac]

Have you considered Ulvenwald Captive instead of Loam Dryad?  Loam Dryad requires you to tap 2 creatures to get 1 mana and I don't think that leads to any kind of advantage in the game.  Ulvenwald Captive will tap for G and allows you to dump some mana into and get a 4/6 creature without defender that can tap for 2 colorless mana later in the game. 

Also Drownyard Temple could also be an option for this deck since you will hopefully be sacrificing lands in the late game (The Gitrog Monster, Morkrut Necropod) and that land can come back from the graveyard to be sac'ed as many times as needed.

I definitely like adding Tireless Tracker to this deck.  Getting clues and sacrificing them will also feed Bloodbriar and make him bigger.

Gnarlwood Dryad might fit in this deck well being deathtouch with Prey Upon and Rabid Bite as removal options.

I would bring in some Natural State or Naturalize into the sideboard for those pesky artifacts and enchantments.  Maybe some Grasp of Darkness, Murder, or Ultimate Price for some more creature removal in the sideboard.

[skeri]

I haven't worked on the sideboard yet but it will probably be murder, grasp of darkness, and root out for sure. I'm a bit on the fence with swapping loam dryad for ulvenwald captive because I lose my access having loam dryad on turn one so that I can use it turn two, but it might be worth trying.  I also considered blisterpod in this to combo with bloodbriar, but I'm not too sure about the tempo on it either. Gnarlwood dryad would be a good partner for loam dryad, I could tap it for mana or use it for deathtouch removal and then if the delirium trigger hits it gets even better.

[ushiikun]

This deck is crying out for Splendid Reclamation.  Pull all your lands (basic and non-basic) out of the graveyard at once, getting multiple landfall triggers for Tireless Tracker, and allowing you to keep going with The Gitrog Monster and Morkut Necropod!  Not sure how many, probably 2-of so you could trim 1 Groundskeeper and 2 Stoic Builder, then maybe add a second Grapple with the Past, because the lands in the graveyard are eventually going to come out regardless, so you can pull the creatures you need and dump the lands.

[skeri]

Omg that is amazing! I hadn't seen that card yet... but now I need it and I want this Gitrog Aggro to be a thing.........

I think I may try a copy of cryptolith rite and minus one of the loam dryad's to see how that works. I'm going to test it against my aggro vampires which I usually place with at my local shop. If the tempo can keep up against that then we're off to a good start.

[Mnemosyne]

You are getting much better at deck creation Skeri, well done. =]

[skeri]

You are getting much better at deck creation Skeri, well done. =]

Thank you I've been working really hard at it! I've been playing Magic for 4 months now and this site and everyone on it has helped me learn very quickly.