I have a PTQ coming up. I am probably going to play my two-for-one Cascade deck as detailed in Rhox Meditant Again (ironically with no Rhox Meditants… replaced them with Ajani Vengeant), but I wanted to work on a fallback deck that would require less processing power and allow me to play more quickly through a long tournament. Inspired by the standout G/W decks of Pro Tour Honolulu, I decided to explore, um, a different Rhox Mediatant deck.

Steward of Valeron dot dec

2 Behemoth Sledge

4 Kitchen Finks
4 Steward of Valeron

4 Chameleon Colossus
4 Cloudthresher
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Thornling

3 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
3 Path to Exile
4 Ranger of Eos

4 Brushland
10 Forest
4 Mosswort Bridge
2 Plains
4 Wooded Bastion

sb:
1 Behemoth Sledge
3 Primal Command
1 Burrenton Forge-Tender
4 Celestial Purge
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Path to Exile
4 Rhox Meditant

I am not sure that this deck isn’t just worse than G/W Tokens. However there are certain synergies that are just irresistable, for example Chameleon Colossus + Elspeth, Knight-Errant. You get these crazy mana acceleration draws sometimes that go like Noble Hierarch, Steward of Valeron, multiple Hierarchs, in… then you have Exalted for tons of damage the next turn, plus Cloudthresher mana. It’s really quite strange.

Ranger of Eos is a really high quality card in this deck despite there being only four total targets main. You don’t usually play a long enough game to “run out” of one mana creatures, even if you are stuck drawing some. There is usually something else you can play on four or five mana.

For those of you who haven’t played Thornling yet… Start. I can’t believe I am saying this, but Thornling is better than Chameleon Colossus most of the time. Indestructable is a powerful ability, as is trample. When combined with Indestructable and multiple Noble Hierarchs, +1/-1 is really quite dizzying.

All that said, this deck might not be as strong as the now Rhox Meditant-free Rhox Meditant Again deck, or some of the others. It is, however, straightforward to run and fun to play, which are compelling features when approaching a long day that promises to be an arduous struggle of rounds.

I really like a Thornling

---

So for those of you who didn’t know yet, we just started taking preorders on My Files by my good friend Zvi Mowshowitz. This volume of My Files is like Zvi’s Deckade, only Zvi is a Pro Tour Champion instead of just a master of, you know, life like YT.

I know you guys are all going crazy to sign up to pick up your copy of My Files, so I’ll just run out the link to Top 8 Magic now, and let you go about your business: My Files at Top 8 Magic

LOVE
MIKE

Currently Reading: Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 1)