Memento (GB Handbuff)

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I’ve worked on this on and off for a while now. I think I’m happy with this version though I’d love some feedback. Hopefully at the very least it’s novel ^v^"

Playing this deck effectively involves striking a balance between letting conventionally good cards like Frog-Tosser, Shifting Octopus, and Deepwood Stalker shine while also maximizing value from hand buffs. Older versions of this deck were too focused on making a few massive ‘fight’/haste creatures or rushing to fill the hand for wide Verduran Emissary buffs. While they (especially Frog-Tosser) could be worth a lot the turn they were played, it was never worth the price in tempo for what amounted to some fancy single target removal (basically trying to force a GB creature based deck into becoming like a super RY removal based one XD). Avoid getting caught up in wringing out tons of value out of each creature and focus on playing to tempo/favorable trades while building towards your opponent.

The Buffers:

  • The Spirit of Rebirth inclusion marked the shift to a more midrange play style for the deck and is also it’s namesake. It’s there so you can grab a bit of extra value from your damaged or traded ‘fight’ creatures, from your Failed Experiment subjects, and from your small utility creatures.

  • Verduran Emissary should be played flexibly. Ideally it trades and you have a few creatures in your hand for it to buff (bonus points if you have a Spirit of Rebirth out), but you should be just as open to using Failed Experiment with it for a value trade with one of your ‘fight’ creatures or even just playing it as a buffed beater. The idea is to get as much out of it before it dies as you can, but also still putting it into situations where it WILL die.

  • Priest of Everlife and Eredon are pretty self explanatory includes for a handbuff deck, but there are two things I’d like to mention:

  1. I’m only running two Priest of Everlife because although their buff its very nice, I don’t like how unpredictable it is and that it’s attached to a 3F 1/1.
  2. I’m not running Time of Legends to increase the odds of getting Eredon’s buff. I’ll expand on this in the Possible Modifications section, but suffice to say I don’t think it increases the consistency enough. I still think it’s a perfectly reasonable include though.

-Long-Horned Yak is a nice early game collector and is great for giving your ‘fight’ creatures the chance to trade up. It also has nice synergy with Spirit of Rebirth, which makes sure its own delayed buff still results in an immediate one.

The Buffy’s:

  • Deepwood Stalker, Ninja Toad, and Frog-Tosser are the main benefactors of your buffs. Your turning what were already good value creatures into even better ones. I just want to make note here that you shouldn’t be afraid to use Failed Experiment with one of your ‘fight’ creatures, even buffed ones. Frog-Tosser obviously still leaves a creature behind, but even just paying 2F for 4 or more damage is pretty nice.

  • Water Elemental and Shifting Octopus are also great buff recipients, but you should also feel free to just play them as is. Shifting Octopus especially is designed to be used flexibly.

  • Long-Horned Yak (that’s right, it gets two sections), while not the best creature to go out of your way to buff, can at least pass any attack increases it gets to another creature.

The Utility’s:

  • Curious Biomancer is a cheap way to refuel your hand with buffers and at least one of your buffy’s: Deepwood Stalker. Since it doesn’t grab Frog Tosser or Ninja Toad, it’s a bit worse than other draw options, but I appreciate that I can Failed Experiment it out in a pinch. Definitely able to be substituted, but this deck appreciates at least some draw.

  • Failed Experiment is just the main facilitator of this deck. It mostly just enables Eredon and Verduran Emissary, but it’s also great for cheating out your ‘fight’ creatures for tempo (especially if they were going to trade anyways).

  • Frogify helps with value trades but the deck is so removal focused already I don’t think you need more than one or two.

Possible Modifications:

  • As mentioned earlier, Time of Legends is worth considering for getting off Eredon buffs more consistently. In the short term, an Eredon buff doesn’t play much differently than a good Verduran Emissary buff, but in a longer game it obviously creates a lot of value. Leave it up to preference and expected match ups, but I don’t run it.

  • Court Jester is an okay idea, it’s the fastest handbuff effect in the game and the taunt isn’t nothing. It being a 0/2 means it’s easily sniped though, and also I can’t stand the voice line XD.

  • Humbling Vision definitely wouldn’t hurt, my suggestion being to substitute the Long-Horned Yak for them.

  • Rainforest Explorer is another possible sub for Long-Horned Yak. Good value creature on it’s own, made even better with buffs. Even just as a 4F 5/7, who could complain. If you’re unimpressed with Long-Horned Yak’s buff it’s definitely, worth considering (It’s probably what I’m going to end up doing XD).

  • The Curious Biomancers can be substituted for some other draw, or even for Time of Legends and an extra Frogify. I prefer the draw, and I like it over Lore Thief because it can draw more for the same Faeria cost, and over Triton Stargazer because I feel it spreads your Failed Experiments too thin.

I recommend looking for Water Elemental, Verduran Emissary, Spirit of Rebirth, or Failed Experiment in your opening hand, just to get the ball rolling. Long-Horned Yak and Shifting Octopus are also nice keeps. Afterwards I like to build lake>forest next to the orb, towards my opponent. You can hold off on the second forest until you need it, focus on building up lakes for Frogify and Ninja Toad.

I don’t think this is a stellar deck, but it’s fun. It challenges you to be creative with your hand and isn’t the easiest thing for your opponent to play around (kind of like Flash decks from MtG, very reactive). I’d love if you gave it a try and shared your thoughts ^v^

-Kaerukero

(yes I know it’s very weak to Husk by nature, shhh)

Land type(s): Neutral, Forest, Lake
Faeria cost: 3.6
Difficulty: Intermediate

2x NINJA TOAD (4f 3L)
1x FROGIFY (4f 4L)
3x WATER ELEMENTAL (4f 1L)
3x FAILED EXPERIMENT (1f 1L)
2x SPIRIT OF REBIRTH (3f 2F)
1x EREDON, VOICE OF ALL (5f 2F)
2x LONG-HORNED YAK (3f)
3x DEEPWOOD STALKER (3f 2F)
2x CURIOUS BIOMANCER (3f 2L 2W)
3x SHIFTING OCTOPUS (4f 1L 1F 1W)
3x FROG-TOSSER (5f 2L 2F 2W)
3x VERDURAN EMISSARY (5f 1F)
2x PRIEST OF EVERLIFE (3f 2F)