AoS/Squirrelcraft Thoughts

[Anonymous]

The following lines should be considered as a newbie's thoughts, so critisise just everything   .

So the DCI now has restricted Earthcraft. Well, I don't really understand it, but that doesn't matter anyway...
But, will this restriction really kill the famous (?) AoS/Squirrelcraft Deck? Well, let's start with this (unpowered(!)) UGw listing from essentialmagic.com (Womprax):

2   Flooded Strand
4   Forest  
6   Island  
2   Savannah    
1   Strip Mine    
4   Tropical Island    
1   Tundra        
2   Wasteland    
2   Windswept Heath    

4   Squirrel Nest  
3   Earthcraft  
1   Sylvan Library  
2   Cunning Wish  
1   Enlightened Tutor    
1   Fact or Fiction  
4   Impulse  
4   Intuition
2   Misdirection  
1   Mystical Tutor    
3   Counterspell    
4   Force of Will  
2   Memory Lapse  
1   Balance  
1   Regrowth  
1   Replenish  
1   Sol Ring  

Sideboard:

1   Circle of Protection: Black    
1   Abeyance  
1   Capsize  
3   Disrupt    
1   Misdirection  
1   Naturalize  
1   Stroke of Genius  
2   Swords to Plowshares  
1   Teferi's Response  
3   Deep Analysis  

I have some suggestions. Tell me if I'm wrong, I never played this deck competetivly.

a) I really think the white splash is necessary against Gro/GroAtog etc. StP and Abeyance help you against Gro.

b) Well, we lose 2 Earthcraft, which have to be replaced with tutoring, because otherwise the combo wouldn't be reliable enough by any means. I'd suggest to replace these 2 Earthcraft with Sterling Groves. Admitted, this is a lot slower than if we had more Earthcrafts in these slots... On the other hand, it has great synergy with Replenish, and last but not least it protects your combo elements. If you manage to get two Groves into play, Allay, Disenchant and Naturalize get useless. For that reason, I suggest adding another Replenish.

c) There is no chance to outcounter Gro with this deck and still have reliable tutoring/combo protection. I think this deck really needs Abeyances/Orim's Chants.

Ummm, I think that's all for now, I'll post more if I get some more ideas.

Now, smash me

Thanks,

Yeti

[Anonymous]

Sorry for the typos. As you will have noticed, the description should say "dead now" instead of "dead know".

[Anonymous]

As a viable dueling concept it's going to be struggling I think. Kind of like Academy if you Extact/Cap/etc.. their Academy. If someone removes your one Earthcraft your kind of stuck. Winning with finite Squirrels could work I guess but isn't exactly quick. May need to pack a Morphling or at least a Living Wish to go get an alternate win condition.

The Sterling Groves seem to be the way to go and they do have synergy with the Squirrelcraft combo obviously and give you another way to tutor for it. Could try Sylvan Library as an alternate, limited search spell, that gains protection with a Grove out. Not sure the 4 Intuitions should stay in as you can only go Earthcraft, Regrowth, Replenish as a way to get it out.

Maybe splashing black for the Demonic and Vampiric would be more consistent? Doesn't open you up for graveyard hate quite as bad as Intuition.. With a Squirrel Nest already out you could easily run Diabolic Intent as well. You could also run Yawgmoth's Will to replay the combo if it gets countered/destroyed. Black gains you sideboard or main Duress as well which is pretty strong against control or the newer aggro/control.

You could include a Gaea's Cradle for some truly abusive X spells once you make enough squirrels. Mind Twist, Stroke, Fireball (always split to a Squirrel to avoid Misdirection), and so on. This works pretty good even if you don't have a million squirrels and gets around Moat's OK.

If you want to stay U/G you could include a Reclaim as an alternate Intuition target: Earthcraft, Regrowth, Reclaim.

I still like it as a multiplayer deck though but only play it when the people you typically play against play combo to It was much faster with 3 Earthcrafts but with Planar Portal and it being multiplayer (slower) it should still be viable.

I run Bloody Squirrels that really hoses up alot of people's multi-player decks/combos, especially heavy type one combo's that rely on Dual Lands.

It's just a multiplayer deck but it does still uses Squirrels

                                  Bloody Squirrels

Green – 25

Birds of Paradise (G – RV) – 4
Kamal, Fist of Krosa (GG4 - ON) – 1
Gigapede(GG3 - ON) - 1
Spellbane Centaur(G2 - OD) - 1
Verdant Force (GGG5 - TM) – 1
Wall of Blossoms (G1 – SH) - 4

City of Solitude (G2 - VI) – 4
Dense Foliage (G2 - WL) - 1
Earthcraft (G1 – TM) – 1
Squirrel Nest (GG1 – OD) – 3

Regrowth (G1 – RV) – 1
Taste of Paradise (G3 – AL) - 1

Naturalize (G1 – ON) - 1
Vitalize (G – WL) - 1

Red – 13

Anger (R3 - JG) – 1
Goblin Sharpshooter (R2 - ON) – 2
Gorilla Shaman (R - AL) - 1

Blood Moon (R2 – CH) – 4

Fireball(RX – RV) - 1

Red Elemental Blast (R – RV) - 4

Artifact – 4

Altar of Dementia (2 – TM) – 1
Planar Portal (6 – IN) - 1
Soldevi Digger (2 - AL) – 1
Tormod’s Crypt (0 - TD) - 1

Land – 24

Forest (MG) - 10
Gaea’s Cradle (US) – 2
Mountain (MG) - 7
Strip Mine (4th) – 1
Wasteland ( TM) – 4

[Anonymous]

If you are worried about getting around a moat, worship, recursive spore frog/Spike Weaver. Ali from Cario  you can use Altar of Demntia in the Sideboard or Goblin Bombartment.  The only deck that stops the Altar is Oath.  Bombartment is hosed by worship.

[j_orlove]

He has cunning wish and stroke in the board. He can just wait a turn for all his squirrels to untap, and then use earthcraft to get enough mana to deck them.  

[Anonymous]

MY bad I only play in 1.5....I was thinking of solutions in 1.5; where stroke is banned.