timid spoke
Hey, could anyone take a look at my cat deck and tell me what you think of it? I put a lot of cards in the Consideration pile too if you could look at them as well. Any input would be appreciated:)
I'm trying to make this as comprehensive and effective as possible
mortal lichen
are you willing to use proxy's? if so i have a cat deck i was thinking of making for my GF if you're interested in looking at it
it used [[arahbo, roar]] as the commander
twilit pulsarBOT
Legendary Creature ā Cat Avatar
Eminence ā At the beginning of combat on your turn, if Arahbo is in the command zone or on the battlefield, another target Cat you control gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
Whenever another Cat you control attacks, you may pay 
. If you do, it gains trample and gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is its power.
5/5
mortal lichen
if not i dont have much to offer haha
mortal lichen
https://scryfall.com/card/c17/35/arahbo-roar-of-the-world
thats not the right art oops
i mention proxy'ing because theres a lot of cat creatures that have cute secret lair arts
tidal trellis
Any budget restrictions?
timid spoke
Any budget restrictions?
None. But I'd obviously have an issue buying a 100 dollar card haha.
Most of these cards I already own - so no worries
tidal trellis
Gotcha ā have a wedding reception to attend but I'll try to take a look some time in the next such-and-such hours.
timid spoke
Gotcha ā have a wedding reception to attend but I'll try to take a look some tim...
I appreciate it!
timid spoke
@tidal trellis how's the reception?
tidal trellis
Fun, good food, just got back.
Felidar Sovereign can tend to get some hate at lower power tables since it doesn't feel very interactive.
Have you considered running Snow-Covered Plains alongside [[Scrying Sheets]]? The SLD one is just about $2 iirc and it's an easy way to slightly upgrade the land base for cheap.
twilit pulsarBOT
Snow Land
: Add 
.
, : Look at the top card of your library. If that card is snow, you may reveal it and put it into your hand. ( can be paid with one mana from a snow source.)
timid spoke
Between bracket 2 and 3
@tidal trellis right now I feel like I have a pretty solid setup. Can you help me decide which 16 cards I should cut?
tidal trellis
<@243209324728418305> right now I feel like I have a pretty solid setup. Can you...
You need to cut 17, no?
timid spoke
Should only be 16
tidal trellis
It says 117 on my end
timid spoke
F5 š³
tidal trellis
Ah there we go
timid spoke
Sorry, I wish I could give more input
tidal trellis
3 lands, Ajani's Mantra, Garrison Cat, Pride Guardian, Skyhunter Prowler, Hall of Triumph, Oreskos Sun Guide, Savannah Sage, Idyllic Tutor, Ephemerate, Flowering of the White Tree, Smothering Tithe (since it's better to go firmly down into B2 than straddle), Anointed Procession, Inspiring Leader
Actually, I sorta think Prava is a better cut than Flowering of the White Tree, but that's kinda up in the air.
Anthem effects can be good but you don't really have enough token effects (despite your general) to go all in on token-specific anthems, and you also don't really have enough legendaries to go all-in on legendary anthems. That said... Yeah, Flowering is better because it still buffs the tokens for cheaper while also buffing your commander and a small selection of your creatures.
Happy to go into more detail on any of those suggestions, though my response might be a bit slow.
timid spoke
Happy to go into more detail on any of those suggestions, though my response mig...
Yes please haha
I'm a little sad you removed Anointed Procession - but I think I understand
abstract bronze
Feels like the quality of the cards vary pretty wildly. I personally would consider dropping some of the lower quality creatures (like Pride Guardian) and figure out where you wanna go in terms of token creation / buffing vs "oops all cats".
Looking for individual card upgrades, I'd suggest Archaeomancer's Map over Gift of Estates, and maybe [[G'raha Tia]] as a flavour draw power that synergises with your tokens coming in swinging š¤
twilit pulsarBOT
cyan cargo
I'd probably cut Inspiring Leader. Because you want your token buffers to work after your general is dead
Also Felidar Retreat. You're not a landfall deck, you can't really effectively pretend to be one.
Unless it's an "oops, all Ajani" deck, I'd cut Ajani's Welcome and Ajani's Mantra
timid spoke
Unless it's an "oops, all Ajani" deck, I'd cut Ajani's Welcome and Ajani's Mantr...
I'll cut Ajani's Mantra - but Ajani's Welcome is too good to pass up
timid spoke
Feels like the quality of the cards vary pretty wildly. I personally would consi...
I'm still confused by the overall theme of it too. It used to be about token making but it slowly evolved to lifegain - which isn't bad either
If you take a peak at the cards under "Consideration" it might give you a better idea
abstract bronze
Hm. Lifegain as an archetype is kind of unfortunate
It often leads to feeling like you lack agency
And I think it's kind of against the core tribal idea of cats? Like if I wanted to play monowhite lifegain, one of the best choices is probably [[Saint Celestine]]
twilit pulsarBOT
timid spoke
True. So perhaps sticking with the token archetype is better?
And have them buffed from its artifacts and creature abilities
abstract bronze
(And in general, I'd probably look at multicolour lifegain like [[Betor]] or [[Hope Estheim]]
abstract bronze
True. So perhaps sticking with the token archetype is better?
Probably, yeah
Then you could do things like [[Intangible Virtue]]
twilit pulsarBOT
timid spoke
The tokens Brimaz creates already has vigilance
Maybe I can re-add [[inspiring leader]]?
twilit pulsarBOT
abstract bronze
The tokens Brimaz creates already has vigilance
They do, it's mostly for the rest od the tokens, like the Ocelot and Caracal ones
timid spoke
Makes sense to me
I'm going to take a break for now, but you're more than welcome to continue sifting through the deck if you're bored. I really appreciate your help by the way
I have a lot of cards saved under consideration that I'm hesitant to go through haha
timid spoke
I went and took a look again and I think I found a good median. Could you check when you have time @abstract bronze @tidal trellis
tidal trellis
Land count ā unless your curve is insanely high, 35-36 is usually a good range. You have some tutoring and draw so 35 is fine.
cyan cargo
Lifegain isn't an archetype. It's a trap.
timid spoke
Lifegain isn't an archetype. It's a trap.
What do you mean?
cyan cargo
What do you mean?
It doesn't win games. Finishing the game on one life vs finishing the game on eighty makes very little difference.
At its fundamentals, I would consider about fifteen life to be equal to one [[Fog]].
So if you're gaining life, what you really need is to use it as an enabler (stuff like [[Archangel of Thrune]] or Aetherflux). Or have a way of turning the life into something useful.
cyan cargo
And if you are running the enablers, your deck isn't a life-gain deck. It's whatever the enablers do.
A [[Test of Endurance]] deck is a Test of Endurance deck. Not a lifegain deck
twilit pulsarBOT
timid spoke
A [[Test of Endurance]] deck is a Test of Endurance deck. Not a lifegain deck
Using that logic I suppose this is a [[Felidar Sovereign]] deck
twilit pulsarBOT
timid spoke
And I need more enablers
timid spoke
After some consideration I've decided to switch commanders
I think [[Arahbo, the first fang]] is a better fit tactically
twilit pulsarBOT
tidal trellis
Seems legit.
mortal lichen
just know thats only white so u cant run any green cards anymore
ik i said already but unless ur tryna go for like a mono white life win strat this arahbo is super good for cat tribal
timid spoke
ik i said already but unless ur tryna go for like a mono white life win strat th...
I agree that's its really good. But for simplicity I'm sticking with mono white
timid spoke
A friend of mine handed this to me today. I might be able to incorporate it somehow
abstract bronze
I went and took a look again and I think I found a good median. Could you check ...
Okay, so looking at this new version and bearing in mind what you said about complications:
Coat of Arms is a general pain because it's a symmetrical, boardwide 'check all types of all creatures at all times' effect. Banner of Kinship is a much better version of this effect in terms of simplicity and lacking the risk that the Dino player's Ghalta is a 23/23 two turns later. I'd suggest leaving the Coat of Arms out to save yourselves the headache.
If you do want to lean into Felidar Sovereign, [[Dawn of Hope]] and [[Wellspring of Dreams]] can offer solid life gain -> card draw patterns.
I still think an [[Archaeomancer's Map]] can do a lot of work in keeping up with any green player shenanigans, and even at worst, it's two thirds of a Cultivate.
[[Legion's Landing]] is a solid lifelink token generator that is essentially a tapland in disguise, and [[Arcane Lighthouse]] is a tool that I'd recommend in almost any deck, but especially in mono colour.
twilit pulsarBOT
Enchantment
Whenever you gain life, you may pay 
. If you do, draw a card.
: Create a 1/1 white Soldier creature token with lifelink.
"To wage war, secure peace within yourself." āEmmara
Adanto, the First Fort
Legendary Land
(Transforms from Legion's Landing.)
: Add .
, : Create a 1/1 white Vampire creature token with lifelink.
Land
: Add .
, : Until end of turn, creatures your opponents control lose hexproof and shroud and can't have hexproof or shroud.
abstract bronze
Oh, hold on, [[Well of Lost Dreams]]
twilit pulsarBOT
Artifact
Whenever you gain life, you may pay 
, where X is less than or equal to the amount of life you gained. If you do, draw X cards.
Some say the knowledge lost during the Ritual of Rebuking is returned through the well's waters.
abstract bronze
A friend of mine handed this to me today. I might be able to incorporate it some...
This is just a very solid card. I'd take it over Rebuff the Wicked any day.
timid spoke
This is just a very solid card. I'd take it over Rebuff the Wicked any day.
It pretty much is Rebuff the Wicked isn't it? Haha
With so many more options
I'm still reading your essay, but I really appreciate all the thought you put into it
@abstract bronze do you think this would be a good addition too?
abstract bronze
Yes, Heliod's Intervention is great utility and it gives you a tool that can deal with Voltron (which otherwise might leave you helpless with Protection From White)
timid spoke
Can you help me figure out which instant to replace it with?
abstract bronze
š¤
timid spoke
I'm thinking Stroke of midnight
abstract bronze
The most obvious choice is Disenchant, but there's an extent to which that leaves you where you started.
abstract bronze
I'm thinking Stroke of midnight
I actually really like Stroke of Midnight, I think its flexibility really helps, since it can flex both as creature and artifact or enchantment removal
Not quite as flexible as Generous Gift, since it can't hit lands, but in any other case it's slightly better
timid spoke
I see your point
abstract bronze
I think Disenchant might be the choice, (slightly awkward if you only hit one, but allows you to flex...). They Shall Know No Fear is another option, but I honestly think I'd rather cut a creature at that point
timid spoke
Yeah. They Shall Know NO Fear is too good to pass up
I'm reconsidering Konda's Banner. Do you think it should keep a place in the deck?
abstract bronze
It's a good buff, but without protection it can really create weakpoints
Imagine you swing a board of 5 cats + Arahbo with the Banner. Before blockers, a Murder hits Arahbo. You've now need 7 mana to cast & re-equip Arahbo, and your cats just lost 3 power/toughness
timid spoke
I understand. So maybe not include it
abstract bronze
Yeah, I think if there were more legendaries it could work, esp one with Hexproof
But there's 4 + Arahbo, so it won't be uncommon to only see Arahbo by the time you need it
timid spoke
That leaves us with 2 open spots
abstract bronze
Hmm
timid spoke
A friend of mine recommended [[Mirror Entity]]. But I'm curious to know what you think
twilit pulsarBOT
Creature ā Shapeshifter
Changeling (This card is every creature type.)
: Until end of turn, creatures you control have base power and toughness X/X and gain all creature types.
Unaware of Lorwyn's diversity, it sees only itself, reflected a thousand times over.
1/1
abstract bronze
Honestly, I think 4 cards are on my mind as inclu-
Huh
Heh, that's a funny card
timid spoke
Yeah haha
timid spoke
Honestly, I think 4 cards are on my mind as inclu-
As you were saying š³
abstract bronze
https://scryfall.com/card/otc/83/mirror-entity
I could see an argument for swapping out Prowling Felidar for this - it's filling a similar role but boardwide and temporary instead of concentrated and single target
abstract bronze
Honestly, I think 4 cards are on my mind as inclu-
Right, right
if you lack Card Draw in testing, Dawn of Hope is my immediate suggestion
if the playgroup includes any green player, and/or you don't always go first, Archaeomancer's Map
if the playgroup includes frequent artifact or enchantment nonsense, Disenchant, or more flexibly [[Get Lost]]
And finally, to amp up the token generation and lifegain, Legion's Landing is a very nice way to get blockers and tokens
twilit pulsarBOT
Instant
Destroy target creature, enchantment, or planeswalker. Its controller creates two Map tokens. (They're artifacts with ", , Sacrifice this token: Target creature you control explores. Activate only as a sorcery.")
abstract bronze
It's basically a matter of what playgroups you see and how the deck feels. I often play a lot of utility stuff and fewer creatures, so I tend to lean that way a lot just because of my playstyle.
timid spoke
Thanks for your recommendations. Your input has been really valuable
I suppose now I'll just have to decide what I want to go with
@abstract bronze I've decided to go with Cat Collector & Arcane Lighthouse
cyan cargo
[[Charitable Levy]]
twilit pulsarBOT
Enchantment
Noncreature spells cost more to cast.
Whenever a player casts a noncreature spell, put a collection counter on this enchantment. Then if there are three or more collection counters on it, sacrifice it. If you do, draw a card, then you may search your library for a Plains card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
timid spoke
[[Three Tree City]]
