Rakavolver
04-27-2009, 09:56 AM
Been a while since I saw such a passionate post as the following by our newest poster, brazil. It's all about the T1 excitement over the new Alara Reborn card: Lorescale Coatl (http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/magic_single_card.asp?cn=Lorescale%20Coatl&sn=Alara%20Reborn). Welcome aboard, brazil.
Gro has long been a dominant archetype in vintage for quite some time. Stephen Menendian won 2007 vintage worlds with his Gro deck. Now with the printing of Lorescale Coatl, a new Gro has emerged. Quirion Dryad has been deprecated in legacy for a while now, being replaced by Tarmogoyf.
In this article I will first provide a list of cards used as a base for the deck and then follow-up with a primer on how the deck should be run and why the selections were made. This is an idea not only from myself but also from m03, a longtime MtG player, who helped me with some of the card selections.
Coatl Gro
by: Dylan Fleming
Mana 22:
4x Tropical Island
1x Breeding Pool
4x Wasteland
3x Flooded Strand
2x Windswept Heath
1x Academy Ruins
2x Island
1x Forest
4x Mox Diamond
Threats 12:
4x Cold-Eyed Selkie
4x Tarmogoyf
4x Lorescale Coatl
Draw 14:
4x Sylvan Library
4x Brainstorm
3x Sensei's Divining Top
3x Life from the Loam
Counter Utility 12:
4x Force of Will
4x Daze
2x Counterbalance
2x Favor of the Overbeing
Mana:
The manabase is a derivative of the Threshold manabase with the addition of Academy Ruins simply as a utility to bring back lost Sensei's Divining Tops and Mox Diamonds lost to dredge. The Mox Diamonds are chosen due to the loam engine involved in the deck.
Synergies:
Sylvan Library + Life from the Loam
With Sylvan Library actually drawing the cards you get to look at, you can easily replace the draws with dredge to dig deeper for another library on the table to work to your advantage. The Sylvan also has a Top effect that helps a lot with determining when and when not to dredge.
Sylvan Library + Lorescale Coatl
Once again, you actually draw the cards off of Sylvan, and thus triggers Lorescale Coatl's grow ability. This means that each turn that at least one Sylvan and a Coatl are on the table, the Coatl will grow by +3 +3. Addition of extra Sylvans means that even if you are choosing not to dig deeper by drawing for 4 life or dredging, you still get the additional +2 +2 to the Coatl.
Sensei's Divining Top + Lorescale Coatl
While not only providing a nice way to create card quality, the Sensei's Divining Top in pairs causes a nice grow engine for the Coatl. Drawing with one Top, then drawing with the second Top and recasting the first. Rinse and redo to add +1 +1 counters with your unspent mana during each turn.
Brainstorm + Lorescale Coatl
Providing a nice permanent Giant Growth for your Coatl is what Brainstorm does best in this deck.
Counterbalance + Sensei's Divining Top
This is already a well known and established combo from Threshold decks. Sylvan Library also provides a weaker form of this as well.
Cold-Eyed Selkie + Lorescale Coatl
While not only dealing 1 damage of Islandwalk in an Island heavy metagame, this guy also helps to pump your Coatl. With a Favor of the Overbeing on this guy, you're sure to have a nice stack of cards in your hand with more options. Favor of the Overbeing also helps to provide a type of evasion for the Lorescale Coatl as well.
Life from the Loam + Wasteland
This is taken straight out of Aggro Loam, where pitching lands to Mox Diamonds without a worry and Wastelocking your opponent is common place.
Summary:
With all the synergies and control aspects readily available to this shell you are sure to find an answer to any metagame you play in. This deck can easily splash white or black for more board control and sideboard options as well. With some work and time, Coatl Gro will surely become a tier deck worth piloting.
Gro has long been a dominant archetype in vintage for quite some time. Stephen Menendian won 2007 vintage worlds with his Gro deck. Now with the printing of Lorescale Coatl, a new Gro has emerged. Quirion Dryad has been deprecated in legacy for a while now, being replaced by Tarmogoyf.
In this article I will first provide a list of cards used as a base for the deck and then follow-up with a primer on how the deck should be run and why the selections were made. This is an idea not only from myself but also from m03, a longtime MtG player, who helped me with some of the card selections.
Coatl Gro
by: Dylan Fleming
Mana 22:
4x Tropical Island
1x Breeding Pool
4x Wasteland
3x Flooded Strand
2x Windswept Heath
1x Academy Ruins
2x Island
1x Forest
4x Mox Diamond
Threats 12:
4x Cold-Eyed Selkie
4x Tarmogoyf
4x Lorescale Coatl
Draw 14:
4x Sylvan Library
4x Brainstorm
3x Sensei's Divining Top
3x Life from the Loam
Counter Utility 12:
4x Force of Will
4x Daze
2x Counterbalance
2x Favor of the Overbeing
Mana:
The manabase is a derivative of the Threshold manabase with the addition of Academy Ruins simply as a utility to bring back lost Sensei's Divining Tops and Mox Diamonds lost to dredge. The Mox Diamonds are chosen due to the loam engine involved in the deck.
Synergies:
Sylvan Library + Life from the Loam
With Sylvan Library actually drawing the cards you get to look at, you can easily replace the draws with dredge to dig deeper for another library on the table to work to your advantage. The Sylvan also has a Top effect that helps a lot with determining when and when not to dredge.
Sylvan Library + Lorescale Coatl
Once again, you actually draw the cards off of Sylvan, and thus triggers Lorescale Coatl's grow ability. This means that each turn that at least one Sylvan and a Coatl are on the table, the Coatl will grow by +3 +3. Addition of extra Sylvans means that even if you are choosing not to dig deeper by drawing for 4 life or dredging, you still get the additional +2 +2 to the Coatl.
Sensei's Divining Top + Lorescale Coatl
While not only providing a nice way to create card quality, the Sensei's Divining Top in pairs causes a nice grow engine for the Coatl. Drawing with one Top, then drawing with the second Top and recasting the first. Rinse and redo to add +1 +1 counters with your unspent mana during each turn.
Brainstorm + Lorescale Coatl
Providing a nice permanent Giant Growth for your Coatl is what Brainstorm does best in this deck.
Counterbalance + Sensei's Divining Top
This is already a well known and established combo from Threshold decks. Sylvan Library also provides a weaker form of this as well.
Cold-Eyed Selkie + Lorescale Coatl
While not only dealing 1 damage of Islandwalk in an Island heavy metagame, this guy also helps to pump your Coatl. With a Favor of the Overbeing on this guy, you're sure to have a nice stack of cards in your hand with more options. Favor of the Overbeing also helps to provide a type of evasion for the Lorescale Coatl as well.
Life from the Loam + Wasteland
This is taken straight out of Aggro Loam, where pitching lands to Mox Diamonds without a worry and Wastelocking your opponent is common place.
Summary:
With all the synergies and control aspects readily available to this shell you are sure to find an answer to any metagame you play in. This deck can easily splash white or black for more board control and sideboard options as well. With some work and time, Coatl Gro will surely become a tier deck worth piloting.