[Standard] GW Cat Fight

[CardAgain Sweater]

Budget Standard (<$100) Tournament Deck

First thoughts - Not enough draw or interaction.

I know, it is 'short' one cat

Use lifelink to stay in games, use combat tricks to protect cat lords. Probably needs a board wipe or two.

I used to have soul separator in this deck just for the fun of being able to use it on regal caracal while annointed procession was on the board. Thats a lot of work to get that done. Without the soul separator / regal caracal combo, just pride Sovereign and appeal // authority is great for a different wincon. Pride sovereign having cmc of 3, and playing both halves of the aftermath card with the big cat's activated ability cost being a total of 4 mana, the curve is sweet.  Having 2 Sovereigns out when you do this for 5 mana is just crazy if you exert them both after declaring attackers.

Then I looked at key to the city for draw, but I don't have discard synergy or another way to tap it. Its a shame, as I need more 2 drops. I settled on mirage mirror as it looks like it could be useful in this deck. Feral Prowler got looked at for draw, and so did Lifecrafter's bestiary - feral prowler is too random and Lifecrafter's bestiary should have a deck with more creatures than I have in this one, right?

Appeal to Authority is great - if it hits. At sorcery speed, you still get good stuff, but an opponent can 'do stuff' to whatever creature you gave the appeal side. That's where blossoming defense comes in. It can also buff adorned pouncer for 4 more damage.

Acrobatic Maneuver seems like the worst card right now. I don't know. Its nice to be able to save from removal and it is card draw, this deck is desperate for that.

Sideboard - artifact and enchantment removal; solemnity for negative counters, energy, constrictor; more flyers; some more removal; serpopod for control decks. This area could use some work.

[CardAgain Sweater]

This deck has evolved from a jank combo deck I wanted to spring on friends around kitchen table: use 1 drops with discard costs for beneficial abilities  (stampede driver and llanowar mentor) to get regal caracal in graveyard. If necessary, the white cat lord usually dies quick, but that takes until t5 to cast. The idea was have soul separator and anointed procession out with regal caracal in graveyard in time for t5. 5 mana sac separator on caracal reuslting in two 2/2 white flying cat spirit tokens with lifelink, eight 3/3 white cat tokens with lifelink, and two 3/3 black zombies.

Well, it proved hard to get everything in line, and I looked at changes. Changes led to me making more changes, then just changing the whole thing to Standard legal.

I've included removal in cast out and sideboarded for some different potential advisary decks. Draw is a problem, and I feel no board wipes might be a big hole in strategy. Some of the 4 ofs could come down to plug these holes. Suggestions welcome, remembering this is for Standard.

[CardAgain Sweater]

Better land choice, was avoiding it due to cost.

Added 1 fumigate to make the sb 15.

Still short on draw and board wipe, but there are so many interactions to make tokens fast to keep up with wide strategies and recover from opponent's wipe.

Still not sold on acrobatic maneuver.

Revision 2

Added/removed cards:
-2 Nephalia Academy
+2 Westvale Abbey
+1 (SB) Fumigate

Changed amounts:

[Ovenmitt]

Endless sands land basically does the same thing as acrobatic maneuver, except its on a land card, and you can use it more then once (until you sac the land to revive everything). It has synergy with itself if you have more then one out. Defend with cat lord (or if its targeted, or not), tap with 2 mana, exile it so it doesnt die, then sac the land to bring it back into play with 2 fresh tokens. Repeat.

[Ovenmitt]

With as many plains as you're running you could toss 4 of them for 4 endless sands and still have enough W to supplement the colorless and gain massive utility from endless sands' abilities, plus it can be used to trigger more procession. Just my thoughts.

[CardAgain Sweater]

With as many plains as you're running you could toss 4 of them for 4 endless sands and still have enough W to supplement the colorless and gain massive utility from endless sands' abilities, plus it can be used to trigger more procession. Just my thoughts.

9 plains is a lot, but there are no gw manlands in standard or I would put those in to help with creature count. Several of the cards in this deck require 2 W in their casting costs,  so plains. Also, technically I have too much green mana as it is for how the maindeck is configured. The green mana is there forr the many green sideboard cards, and I guess the basic land forests help out the fortified village and canopy vista coming in untapped.

I have thought about the cycling deserts to help with draw. Based on the games I've played with close versions of this deck, I think the mana costs for endless sands are too high.

[CardAgain Sweater]

Well, it works. Maybe too well. My casual opponent, with whom I enjoy playing very much, did not care for the pride Sovereign/anointed procession/mirage mirror combo. That is not the kind of thing I'm going for. I'm not going to change the deck, but I do think I'll be careful with that combo. My opponent was not getting good lands, so that added to the frustration. I really didnt need to do that combo to win, so I guess I should think about pulling that particular punch when appropriate.

Good news is the aerial responders worked great, the chance for combat tricks makes adorned pouncer a very dangerous card when blocking is considered. Even acrobatic maneuver pulled its weight, bouncing an exerted pride Sovereign. This was all done with 100% basic lands, so with rotation coming up, I kay not splurge for the nonbasic lands on the deck list. Probably should and will if I ever play this in a serious event.

[CardAgain Sweater]

Sideboard ideas:

Another fumigate, and 2x authority of the consuls to fight against red desert wins decks; I like the idea of being able to tap all their haste creatures as they etb, and I think this archtype will be a big part of standard for a while to come. Fumigate is nice if I have a limited board presence and the lifegain works against RDW. Probably remove fragmentize to make room, and something else...?

Looking for other sideboard staples that would be useful against the most-played standard decks; sideboard construction is new to me.

Looking through every G or W spell 3 mana and under, so far have added Nature's Way as a maybe. Combat trick and removal in green.

[CardAgain Sweater]

Another good result with this deck. Two aerial responders gained enough life over a few turns to let me absorb 26 damage to the face (Sun Titans and Flayer of the Hatebound gy deck) my opponent got in over two turns. Bought me enough time to use mirage mirror to copy regal caracal and double the boost to other cat tokens, now 3/3 lifelink cats.

Aethersphere harvester is my backup plan if mirage mirror gets banned. I think splashing blue for aven wind guide might be too greedy.

[CardAgain Sweater]

Played HOU Game Day and a FNM with about 25-30 opponents at each. Did not do well facing the top tier Standard decks, but hey - that is why they are tier 1.

Still, upgrades need to be made, and upcoming rotation will necessitate other changes:

ROTATION CARDS - Lone Rider; all nonbasic lands. SunPetal Grove being in Ixilan helps. Other land changes will probably be dependent on nonland card changes, but losing a finisher in Westvale Abby will be a big loss. Barring new 2 drops from new set, Lone Rider will be replaced by Longtusk Cub.

REPLACEMENTS BEFORE ROTATION - Appeal // Authority; its a blowout when the combo hits, but without other combo pieces it is just 2 very cheap combat tricks at sorcery speed.  Possible replacment in Aethersphere Harvester or Longtusk Cub to increase (quasi)creature count, or Lifecrafter's Bestiary to help out with card draw later in game. Longtusk Cub fits best in curve as 3drop slot is crowded, and fits theme  

Acrobatic Maneuver has never been needed, room for 2 in sideboard (maybe move Authority of the Councils without Lone Rider come rotation). SB need 3 boardwipes, and another solemnity.

If adding Longtusk Cub while losing color fixing at rotation, replacing 4 basics with 4 attune with aether and replacIng 4 dualcolor lands with aether hubs seems good. Maybe do attunes now to thin out deck.

[CardAgain Sweater]

Upgrades are good, I think. I'll post results after I play it. Obvious other changes would be dropping a Pride Sovereign or two now that I have fewer ways to untap them after exertion or play with vigilance in a similar way.

Freeing up 3 slots, taking from Pride Sovereign, Mirage Mirror, or Blossoming Defense would let me put in a few Lifecrafter's Bestiary to help with card advantage or Suncrested Mare if I want to go all in on lifegain and spend some $.

Revision 6

Added/removed cards:
-3 Appeal // Authority
+4 Attune with Aether
+3 Longtusk Cub
-2 (SB) Acrobatic Maneuver
+1 (SB) Hour of Revelation

Changed amounts:
-1 Canopy Vista
-1 Fortified Village
-2 Plains

[lysdexicnick]

4 annointed processions for a deck that can only somewhat produce tokens. you're better off using 2 AP's and then adding more creatures/token producers.

[CardAgain Sweater]

4 annointed processions for a deck that can only somewhat produce tokens. you're better off using 2 AP's and then adding more creatures/token producers.

I agree, 4 Anointed Processions is probably too much, especially with mirage mirror to act as additional copies - as this deck has changed, many of the 'token synergy' cards (untap, blink) have been replaced. I could cut either 2 Anointed Processions or 1 Pride Sovereign and an Anointed Procession to make room.

Oketra's Monument looks promising, but it is susceptible to abrade which is prevalent in many of the tier standard decks right now; if I feel like dropping a little cash, Crested Sunmare seems appropriate in a white token lifegain deck.

Thank you for the constructive comment; I enjoy hearing new perspectives that might slip by me being so close to the deck. Cheers!

[lysdexicnick]

Actually, you're probably better off running 3-4 oketra's monuments, even if to bait their abrades and keep your creatures alive. if you do have a procession out with oketra, you're set.

[CardAgain Sweater]

Played 3 rounds at the LGS. Mana flood in 1st game of both rounds 1 and 2 made things difficult. Variance - no way this deck has too many lands.

When land hit right, things went well, just not good enough to win out against better tuned decks with more impactful cards. Not sure I can change that without going over my self-imposed $100 limit, or switching out of G/W, or splashing a 3rd.

With very little in the way of creature removal, this deck is not fast enough to replace casualties nor does it have draw to refill gas tank as the lifegain usually keeps me in until late game if I have any decent board state. The closest thing i have to interaction with another player is making them not attack for fear of me gaining life - but that is a losing proposition, as opponent will just increase their board state and I soon run out of cards in hand.

Oketra's Monument was very good, probably go up to 3. Longtusk Cub was a good addition, as the games went long and I played 2,, 3, and even all 4 Attunes in nearly all games - the Cub was a great rattlesnake that has synergy with Regal Caracal, Pride Sovereign, and Mirage Mirror. The Attunes help make the most out of my basic draw 1 per turn strategy, and made sure I hit land drops in nonflood games.  Did not get to try out Sunmare. Solemnity and boardwipes continue to be sideboard all stars. Lifecrafter's Bestiary is looking like the best fix for improving card advantage.

Revision 7

Added/removed cards:
+1 Crested Sunmare
+2 Oketra's Monument
-2 (SB) Bonds of Mortality

Changed amounts:
-2 (Main) +2 (SB) Authority of the Consuls
-1 (Main) +1 (SB) Pride Sovereign