Boros Learner Solitarie Deck for Guilds of Ravnica

This deck has cards I want to learn to play with for this guild. The deck has a minor Auras and Equipment theme to trigger extra card draw and to buff up specific Mentor cards.

Mentor is all about attacking, which fits what this guild's cards are about. Just like Evolve for Simic in Gatecrash, it's all about how the creatures land on the board, and if you draw well, they will land in increasing order, therefore creating an chain of Mentor triggers, until all creatures that could be mentored have been.

The deck has a very fast clock. Turn 3 in solitaire is like turn 4 in constructed play against a real opponent.

Haazda Marshall is a perfect Mentor target since it needs to be made bigger to continue kicking out tokens.

Once all creatures match the top creature with Mentor, the chain ends.

Here, I was able to obtain the city's blessing (by controlling at least ten permanents).

Tajic hits fast and hard.

Not much need for Mentor here.

In this board state, I am drawing to played creatures with Mentor of the Meek (great name given the Mentor ability-I just realized this coincidence!).

Valduk!!! (What else can I say? It's such a fun creature).

Most of these games played out very fast. They would be four or five turns to the win in normal games, barring board wipes.

Wizards Direct + Amazon = Success

The 1990s LGS model, by which many LGSs are modeled, is not going to survive the Amazon onslaught. Instead of attacking WOTC for what looks like a very pragmatic, and even forward-thinking move, we should ask LGSs to evolve out of the 'game tables and water bottles' era.

I think WOTC is making the best move they can. Amazon's logistics and willingness to take short term losses for market share have worked well for the company. Why fight a losing battle and defend the outdated LGS model? It's way smarter to have a balanced approach (which is what WOTC is doing) by throwing LGSs a few bones while their ranks thin to the new LGS model (where all of the profit comes from food and entertainment and not from selling packs), and get direct-sale profits out of Amazon.

It sucks for LGSs, true enough. It does. I used to go to bookstores. Now I don't. The new model is at the home tables of casual players. It's no surprise that four-player Commander is such a huge success. I am sure WOTC ran the numbers and realized that the LGSs and even competitive play account for small percents and the lion's share of profits comes out of retail direct to casuals.

Movie theaters have already made this evolution. Now you go to a movie theater and can sit on a gigantic sofa. The new LGS will be an entertainment center, a leisure center, it will have great food, even TVs showing competitive coverage. You can go there once a month and have an experience.

Trostani Selesnya Commander Build (Ravnica I + II)

I picked a solid selection from both blocks for this build.

I can't wait to enrich this deck with three more sets of Ravnica!

Crown of Convergence is very interesting. I am forced to choose between keeping something on top of my deck that I need but is not a creature, therefore cannot buff, such as a land; or a creature that is one or both colors (latter is a +2/+2 buff, which is great).

It's a tokens deck!

Conclave's Blessing can be used to make quite the fat butt on a creature.

Enchanting Privileged Position with Elemental Resonance generate five additional mana every turn.

Here, I only get a +1/+1 buff from Sunspire Griffin.

Here is the great buff from Collective Blessing.

Armada Wurm generates a 5/5 Wurm, and this is exactly the token I need for Populate triggers.

I can keep making 5/5 tokens for 1WG from Trostani.

And on top of the Populate benefit, I can buff +2/+2 in this board state.

And then keep making more 5/5 tokens.

And even more 5/5 tokens.

White/Green for Selesnya ahead of Guilds of Ravnica

And using only creature and non-creature spells that will be Standard legal when Guilds of Ravnica (GRN) comes out in a few weeks.

I am playing several enchantments to trigger Satyr Enchanter, even though I did not get to cast it in this game.

Shalai is great, and so is Skymaster Aspirant. It's relatively easy to get Ascend in a tokens-heacy build.

Even though this is a solid board, it will probably be better to only build to Kicker or only build to enchantments, but not to both in the same deck.

The same goes for Ajani's Pridemate. This deck is not going specifically for incremental mana gain, and that's the deck in which Ajani's Pridemate shines.

Finally an example in which I trigger Satyr Enchanter.

Here is an instance where Druid of Horns to good use.

This deck is just to try out various strategies specific to these two colors. All of these cards are not going in the exact same direction. Benalish Marshall, for example, is not a good fit for multicolor builds. If we get some sort of devotion thing going later in Standard, then this card will be perfect for those builds.

Selesnya in Ravnica II (Return to Ravnica)

Continue with my look at Selesnya, here is another Modern singleton deck, now only with cards from Ravnica II. Maybe it's because I did not play when Ravnica I was in Standard, and I played a ton of Ravnica II when it was in Standard, but I am finding the second installment to make for more enjoyable casual decks.

The Boros white weenies help Selesnya a lot.

Here is a solid finishing board state after casting Advent of the Wurm.

An early game Tablet of the Guilds is a ton of life gain since it is triggered by every spell you cast,

And even though Collective Blessing is a six drop, when on the board, it's quite the pump.

Here is Wild Beastmaster pumping my army.

Another solid winning board state.

This time I enchanted Wild Beastmaster to increase the pump.

Another example of Boros creatures helping a Selesnya build.

Phantom is not a great card, but it does boost tokens...

Here is Selesnya Keyrun as a token creature.