#Jolly Balloon Man: help with my first deck

72 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

kindred galleon
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https://www.moxfield.com/decks/SBlSdxMa8k-T2H04ssa36Q

Hey! I picked up the Zinnia precon, played with it a bit, then decided I wanted to pivot it to Jolly Balloon Man. I was hoping for some help putting this together. Everything in the main deck are cards I own, sideboard are cards I'm considering.

My main goal is to go all in on Impact Tremors effects, and to keep the deck at a modest lower level, without the absurd $50 cards.

Am I in the right direction here? Any fundamentals I'm missing for a commander deck?

Moxfield
Balloon Dad - Commander (The Jolly Balloon Man)

A deck created using the deck building website, Moxfield.

kindred galleon
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anyone able to give this a look over? 🙂

ripe ledge
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I'd guess you want to cut a few of the less impactful creatures for more instant speed interaction. Your commander can only ever copy one creature at time (barring untap effects) so you're almost always copying your best creature each turn. For instance, Clockwork Percussionist is almost never going to be copied if you have another option.

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You definitely want a decent number of creatures so you always have an option or two (and you definitely want a variety of effects as well), but 39 creatures is a lot for a deck that is about doubling up your best creature (i.e., they can't all be the best creature). Cutting 3–6 of the least ipactful creatures for either instant speed interaction or ways to find your best creature would help the deck perform more consistently

kindred galleon
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awesome, thanks for the advice! Any staples in red/white you think would fit the job?

ripe ledge
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Personally, I'd recommend some [[wear // tear]] effects as it looks like you're a little light on dealing with artifacts and enchantments

pliant shoalBOT
kindred galleon
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can you play both sides of that card at once?

ripe ledge
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yep! you can see it has the "fuse" ability which allows you to cast both

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If you get clever with their filter options (you can filter by budget, card type, specific cards, all sorts of things) you can help yourself find the cards you're after

kindred galleon
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excellent, appreciate the help!

ripe ledge
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Moxfield even has an EDHrec integration you can select directly from the deck building page (just beneath the search bar). Highly useful

kindred galleon
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Cleaned up the deck a bit. I'm a little worried the populate effects aren't going to be as effective as they would be in a Zinnia build since its harder to make tokens that stick around in the deck

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sideboard are cards I'm still interested in, considering are the cards I am no longer considering

ripe ledge
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Notably, populate does not copy effects/triggers from the token it copies. So a token with a "sacrifice this at end of turn" effect will not be copied to a populated token. I use this same effect in my [[Satya]] deck to great effect!

pliant shoalBOT
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https://scryfall.com/card/m3c/3/satya-aetherflux-genius

Satya, Aetherflux Genius <:mana1:292901508373282827><:manau:292901508754702338><:manar:292901508796645397><:manaw:1007102126813610074>

Legendary Creature — Human Artificer
Menace, haste
Whenever Satya, Aetherflux Genius attacks, create a tapped and attacking token that's a copy of up to one other target nontoken creature you control. You get manaemanae (two energy counters). At the beginning of the next end step, sacrifice that token unless you pay an amount of manae equal to its mana value.
3/5

ripe ledge
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I'd recommend shaving 1 or 2 lands as 37/38 is a little high for a deck with a low mana curve and a sizeable number of mana rocks as well. Personally I'd cut the Evolving Wilds/Terramorphic Expanse (partly because they're tap lands, partly because I dislike needing to shuffle) and in their place slot in 2 of the following: Zealous Conscripts, Generous Gift, Stroke of Midnight.

kindred galleon
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yeah reshuffling for lands is annoying 😂

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Zealous Conscripts is to either untap Balloon Man, or steal enemy cards (maybe sac them with Goblin Bombardment)?

ripe ledge
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I'm also just eternally amazed at just how damn versatile conscripts is. Stealing a Planeswalker and ulting from under your opponent (or just using the minus in a destructive way), taking a formidable blocker, stealing an anthem enchantment, the list goes on

kindred galleon
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sounds incredible

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I also really want to try and squeeze in Patron of the Arts

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its gotta be better than piggy bank

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SpawnGang commander also is just better than SiegeGang I think? I'd much rather have a mana source than the goblin tribal. The main role of them is just a high value etb that procs impact tremors a lot

regal relic
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why are you running "Spawn-Gang Commander",? to me it seem like "Enduring Courage" or "Arabella, Abandoned Doll" work better for you.

ripe ledge
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Piggybank is one less mana, which isn't nothing? But yeah, I'd expect the Patron to be better

kindred galleon
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I don't think Courage fits too well, Balloon Man already gives haste, and not sure the attack buff is enough to build for. The deck also surprisingly doesn't maintain a lot of units in play, so Arabella seems a little hard to work with, not to mention lacking haste and the legend rule playing poorly with Balloon Man

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I'm running spawn gang as a high value etb to copy and trigger impact tremors a bunch, and also getting a big mana refund

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Maybe I'm underestimating Arabella though

regal relic
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You run Sundial of the Infinit and assemble the legion to make Arabella good

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And token copy effects like Nesting Dovehawk copy the token but not the sacrifice trigger

regal relic
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Halo Fountain,Fanatic of Mogis, and Cathars' Crusade seem like they help you, it definitely depends on if you're doing more impact tremors I'll kill everyone eventually or more bored value and overwhelm

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Cathars' Crusade plus Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might plus impact tremors and your commander is going to close out games against decks that aren't dedicated life gain decks

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Like 6 etbs would kill anyone with that

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I would run both Dollmaker's Shop and Cathars' Crusade if you're play group can handle turn 8 wins buy you getting both on the bord with enough etb damage 🔥

visual grotto
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an interesting sub package to try is modular creatures, but there aren't many of those in boros.

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top end pieces to swing out with can be things like [[harmonius archon]]

pliant shoalBOT
visual grotto
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[[overlord of the boilderbilges]]

pliant shoalBOT
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https://scryfall.com/card/dsk/146/overlord-of-the-boilerbilges

Overlord of the Boilerbilges <:mana4:292901508712890379><:manar:292901508796645397><:manar:292901508796645397>

Enchantment Creature — Avatar Horror
Impending 4—mana2manarmanar (If you cast this spell for its impending cost, it enters with four time counters and isn't a creature until the last is removed. At the beginning of your end step, remove a time counter from it.)
Whenever Overlord of the Boilerbilges enters or attacks, it deals 4 damage to any target.
5/5

visual grotto
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[[sunspine lynx]]

pliant shoalBOT
visual grotto
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[[meteor golem]]?

pliant shoalBOT
visual grotto
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a mini solemn simulacrum [[circuit mender]]

pliant shoalBOT
visual grotto
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since you are running a boros token deck. thoughts for [[neyali]]

pliant shoalBOT
visual grotto
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[[agrus kos]] is another way to copy your ability but with a wide board fills your board with balloon creatures.

pliant shoalBOT
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Multiple cards match “agrus kos”, can you be more specific?

visual grotto
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[[agrus kos soldier]]

pliant shoalBOT
visual grotto
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[[hofri ghostforge]]

pliant shoalBOT
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https://scryfall.com/card/stx/192/hofri-ghostforge

Hofri Ghostforge <:mana3:292901508771610624><:manar:292901508796645397><:manaw:1007102126813610074>

Legendary Creature — Dwarf Cleric
Spirits you control get +1/+1 and have trample and haste.
Whenever another nontoken creature you control dies, exile it. If you do, create a token that's a copy of that creature, except it's a Spirit in addition to its other types and it has "When this creature leaves the battlefield, return the exiled card to its owner's graveyard."
4/5

visual grotto
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[[coercive recruiter]] for a way to steal ppls creatures on an etb ability

pliant shoalBOT
visual grotto
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[[myr battlesphere]]

pliant shoalBOT
visual grotto
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also that spawn gang commander is on cast you probably want the original one. [[siege gang commander]]

pliant shoalBOT
kindred galleon
kindred galleon
kindred galleon
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[[ajani, nacatl]] seems pretty good, but a bit pricy

pliant shoalBOT
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https://scryfall.com/card/mh3/237/ajani-nacatl-pariah-ajani-nacatl-avenger

Ajani, Nacatl Pariah <:mana1:292901508373282827><:manaw:1007102126813610074>

Legendary Creature — Cat Warrior
When Ajani, Nacatl Pariah enters, create a 2/1 white Cat Warrior creature token.
Whenever one or more other Cats you control die, you may exile Ajani, then return him to the battlefield transformed under his owner's control.
His pride denied him; his brother did not.
1/2

Ajani, Nacatl Avenger
Legendary Planeswalker — Ajani
+2: Put a +1/+1 counter on each Cat you control.
0: Create a 2/1 white Cat Warrior creature token. When you do, if you control a red permanent other than Ajani, Nacatl Avenger, he deals damage equal to the number of creatures you control to any target.
−4: Each opponent chooses an artifact, a creature, an enchantment, and a planeswalker from among the nonland permanents they control, then sacrifices the rest.
Loyalty: 3

ripe ledge
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If you're trying to index into quantity of tokens specifically, you can also use [[Evangel of Heliod]] as copies of it will include mana cost. So Jolly Balloon Man + original Evangel + balloon copy of Evangel would be 5 tokens per balloon copy at a minimum

pliant shoalBOT
kindred galleon
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white soldiers don't add to devotion right?

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Yeah I do think quantity of tokens in the high end of the deck is a good idea as a way to put the Tremors to work as a win condition.
Build up a board of enchantments, then try to win through sheer explosiveness of burn