Historic - Selesnya Nornsense

18
23
22
14
0
24
Combo
Jank
TCGPlayer $212
Cardmarket €157
Cardhoarder 7 Tix
Main 60 cards (15 distinct)
Creature (22)
$0.20€0.100.03
$0.25€0.130.03
$0.25€0.160.03
$0.20€0.100.03
$0.29€0.190.03
$17.90€15.010.02
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (14)
$4.84€3.770.02
$0.15€0.050.03
$54.02€40.881.51
$0.50€0.38
Land (24)
$0.56€0.170.04
$2.930.81
$0.35€0.190.04

Simulating MTG Arena Best of 1 starting hand
(Simplified, true algorithm in MTGA not revealed by Wizards yet)

COMPARE WITH AETHERHUB COLLECTION

Add at least 100 different cards to your collection and set it as your Compare Collection on the manage page to see what cards from this deck you are missing.

COMPARE WITH MTG ARENA COLLECTION

Compare your MTG Arena Collection with AetherHub decklists or any other decks found on the web with the MTGA Assistant extension. Syncing your account will automatically upload your collection so you can see what cards you are missing right here.

Learn more Download For Windows MTGA Assistant

Description

Good evening folks, Shdorsh here again with a very janky deck. I don't know why, but lately I've been kinda stuck on Selesnya. On another note, I've been harvesting coins to get Anthology 5, which I have to say is pretty good value for historic janks. It comes with the Phyrexian Praetors, that are funny as hell. I've found Ilharg, the Raze-Boarimage and Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augurimage to be a ridiculous draw combo, but that's not what we're here for today, no no...

So, what are we going to jank today?

imageimage

"Phyrexia's purity leaves room for no other"

- Xantcha

This is the main combo. "What's so combo about this?" You may ask. Well, to put it simple, Overwhelming Splendorimage removes all abilities and rules text from any opponent creature in play. Very funny when someone tries to remove your Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobiteimage with Plaguecrafterimage, Ravenous Chupacabraimage, Kogla, the Titan Apeimage or other funny stuff. It also turns them into 1/1, where this combo comes into real play:

Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobiteimage meanwhile, gives all opponent creatures -2/-2, and 1/1 plus -2/-2 is what the end combo is all about: Denying an opponent's every creature spell so long as he can't deal with the combo and his creatures come into play with -1/-1. At this point, you also get a nice bonus to your own creatures, +2/+2 for all of them weaponizing them further and setting yourself up for the big winning swing.

Problem with this is that our 2 main pieces cost a lot, so we will have to figure something out about how to get mana quickly or put the card right onto the battlefield.

Tons and tons of ramp

imageimageimageimage

The only way to get this mana is obviously by ramping up as fast as we can. You might remember the Dowsing Dagger // Lost Valeimage, which I used to ramp up my Azorius Hammertime deck. It comes back in here, with a good little friend: Battlefield Raptorimage, which enables you to fly past the barrier you just created.

Migratory Greathornimage also works nicely with this, as it buffs up your creatures and puts a land into play for each mutation. This synergizes especially well with the Battlefield Raptorimage, as it gets both first strike and flying from it.

The Arboreal Grazerimage is a good way to start the game, as you get a wall with reach that saves you some time and becomes a real attacker with Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobiteimage and puts an additional land onto the battlefield.

Other than this we got now some fresh Harrowimage from jumpstart. What can you not love about this card? It is instant speed so you can sneak it past blue counterspells. The lands also come in untapped, so it is quicker than the usual Cultivateimage or Roiling Regrowthimage, as you can chain Harrowimages after only 4 mana or use a Dowsing Dagger // Lost Valeimage right after it. It also compresses the deck more as you remove 2 land cards from it, assuring you to draw your combo pieces easier.

Carddraw and cheating stuff onto the board

imageimageimageimage

With as much mana as we will be generating, The Great Hengeimage will work out nicely: You get to draw for each time you put a creatue in play. With Auspicious Starriximage, and a bit of luck on the creature-side, this can be actually quite nice. Not only this, but Auspicious Starriximage gives you a chance to put some of your expensive 7 mana or 8 mana combo pieces onto the board for nothing. What a bargain!

Sixth Senseimage and Oakhame Adversaryimage are other good ways to draw cards. While Oakhame Adversaryimage acts as an additional threat and might be a target for removal spells, Sixth Senseimage is actually a good second turn play on Battlefield Raptorimage, as it is our main evasion creature.

Good interactions vs bad interactions

There are some things that I need to warn you about, with this deck, though, just so you know where you stand:

Dowsing Dagger // Lost Valeimage can interact in funny ways with this deck. You should be careful if you played tons of them and filled your opponent's battlefield with 0/2 plants.  This means the following:

  • Your Overwhelming Splendorimage will turn the 0/2 green plant creatures with defender into 1/1 creatures without defender, effectively weaponizing the dagger's effect against you. This can provide your opponent with a lethal swing if he managed to bring you low enough while you were ramping up.
  • It forces your opponent into having a green creature, which lowers the cost of your Oakhame Adversaryimage. This means also that your Oakhame Adversaryimage will have to attack through walls if you want to get an additional card.
  • Your opponent won't be getting any token 0/2 plant creatures if Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobiteimage is in play, and any 0/2 will be removed upon having Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobiteimage enter the battlefield, unless the opponent manages to put a +1/+1 counter on it.

Mutating on the top can be abused in many ways. I did a vehicle deck where I first crewed, then mutated them to have permanent creatures as their old type gets removed and they become the card with mutate, only with added rules text. This can be used to mutate away legendary creature type, and enhance your Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobiteimage in funny ways:

Since you can't control what you draw with an Auspicious Starriximage, you might end up with 2 legendaries on the battlefield, having to sacrifice one of them (Shut up with your laughter, Tergrid, this isn't going to happen).  in that case, putting the Auspicious Starriximage on Norn Elesh, Grand Cenobite might make it squishier by 1 toughness, but it gains 2 strenght and you can play an additional Elesh Norn without having to sacrifice either. In other words: Opponent creatures get a whopping -4/-4, all your creatures gain +4/+4 except for the Elesh Norn-Starrixes, they get +2/+2 .

This is an unlikely scenario though, as normally, Elesh Norn either ends the game or gets removed.

Good Matchups:

In general, every creature deck that relies on squishy creatures, though some more than others:

  • Scute Swarmimage suffers massively from both pieces of the main combo: It loses its ability to reproduce massively, if it wasn't already fully removed by Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobiteimage.
  • Rat Colonyimage doesn't fare much better, as it gets turned into regular 1/1s or die outright just in the same fashion.
  • White decks are especially reliant on their triggers. Would be kinda bad if something happened to those, eh?
  • If you ramp your mana fast enough, goblin decks will be especially fun with this: Since most goblins buff up others, it can be a chain reaction of destruction, as Elesh Norn rips through them as she enters the battlefield.

Bad Matchups:

One special creature deck archetype and mostly non-creature decks maybe?

  • If your opponent has a deck that gives its creatures quick +1/+1 counters without creature triggers, you're going to have some big trouble. Hydra's Growthimage is not advisable.
  • If you encounter a mill deck with Ruin Crabimage, all you can hope for is that you draw into a Battlefield Raptorimage and just mutate it to kill the opponent while disregarding his milling. Since this deck draws a lot of your lands away, it is going to be tough, though it is possible.
  • Normally, I'd be scared about Izzet spells matter decks, but it seems they can't really kill the big hitters like Aspicious Starrix or Norn Elesh, Grand Cenobite without running out of spells to fling onto your face. Anything black control with destroy effects will be a severe pain in the butt, though. Then again, isn't that always the case?

In conclusion

A very funny and janky creature denial deck, that I believe gives Xantcha's quote a new meaning. Yes, as I start reading more and more into the lore, I kinda find myself getting some Vorthos kind of traits.

Disregard the following passage if you aren't into Vorthos pedantry...

 
To be fair, the mutate ability doesn't really fit the theme of "Phyrexia's purity", but then again, that's old Phyrexia and maybe the Phyrexians on Mirrodin have their own take on it. That much being said, now that Vorinclex has gotten hold of a bit of the Tyrite stone, what's the first thing they are going to invade, as they use it to power better gates to go from plane to plane? I know it is going to take some time before they might finish developping it and Kaldheim would be the most logical choice, but how about something else, let's say a malfunction that sends them elsewhere? What if they make it to Ikoria? It would be funny, as I believe we could all use a few more mutate cards. Mutate is highly interactive anyway and doesn't need a "mutate" kind of block to really be strong anywhere else. Also, since The Phyrexians believe that they should bring "Phyrexia's magnificience"TM to other worlds, wouldn't a reprint of Overwhelming Splendor make sense? Kinda making this combo canon? *wink wink*

Anyway, this is a funny deck when it triggers. Just seeing other people play some random 10/10 creature, only for it to be sent directly to the graveyard is priceless. I had people returning a big chunk of their graveyard with this deck, only to have it go flying in their face. Very funny. That's why you should read the cards, folks.

The problem is that this deck has quite many mythic cards and some rares, so it might be a bit difficult to complete. Anyway, if you're a historic player, I'd advise you should get the fifth anthology, as there's many funny cards that could be nice finishers. The fifth anthology is I believe still sold until the 12. August as far as I know and there's a chance there will be a 6th one that will be out soon if it overlaps just like before.

I still am waiting to get some more mythics so I can maybe get more Ilharg, the Raze-Boarimage, which could be very meme-y as I said before. Anyway, that's it for today's jank, hope you liked it. As usual, feel free to leave me a follow to see what other shenanigans I can come up with and until then, stay fresh, stay cool and I'll see you next time!

Latest Articles

Comments

Login to comment

0 comments

Last Updated: 27 Aug 2021
Created: 24 Jul 2021
1189 665 0

Enter The Battlefield Prepared

With the MTGA Assistant deck tracker MTGA Assistant
Mana Curve
Color Breakdown
Main/Sideboard Rarity Count
17 8 7 8 0
0 0 0 0 0
Mana Calculator
Symbols Percentage Lands