Last night I lent my werewolf deck to Mike, a friend who was coming back to play Magic after a long hiatus.  He played in a four-rounder and managed a 0-3-1 record.  His first round matchup was against a Jund werewolf deck piloted by none other than another good friend named Pong.  Mike lost when he played a Daybreak Ranger instead of letting his Scorned Villager to transform.  He could have done it without losing tempo because he had a Wolfir Avenger to flash in should Pong burn the Villager.  After that loss, Mike's confidence was shaken and he suffered two more losses before drawing with a Bant Control deck which I defeated a week ago.

     I brought up what happened to Mike as an eye-opener for me as a deck designer and for the future of werewolves.  As a designer, it was imperative that the cards in the deck be powerful and not just cute.  Watching Mike agonize over plays told me that he felt the cards in his hand were not effective at handling the threats he was facing.  This pointed to a flaw in the sideboard, too.  As a werewolf fanatic, the onus was on me to consider the changing landscape of Standard and incorporate new threats or answers.  For instance, with the rise of werewolves in our local game store, tech for the mirror became more important as when Pong used Sever the Bloodine in sideboarded games against Mike.

     All these served to warn me of complacency.  It was time to shake things up and to arrive at a better, strong werewolf deck. 

Werewolves Rising

     I've been hearing from people how werewolves is on the rise, that more people are playing it.  In fact, at the local game store I frequent, the dealers have been selling numerous copies of Mayor of Avabruck and other "lycans."  This could pose a problem as I would need to dedicate sideboard slots for the mirror match which would then affect my chances against other popular decks.

     So far I'm comfortable running my "Growth" version of werewolves, burning people out in a sense with Titanic Growth and Giant Growth.  This isn't such a hot idea with zombies and Selesnya on the loose but I have to make sure that I can beat Thragtusk and Angel of Serenity in game one so that I can have some leeway in the followup games.  If the metagame shifts back to zombies then I will probably maindeck Moonmist again.  In the meantime, it's just in the sideboard for the aggressive decks in the field.

     I played against Carlos' UWR Humans and I lost a game en route to winning three or four against him.  The werewolves rampaged against his smaller guys even though I take heavy damage every game in the first couple of turns.  He even maindecked Elite Inquisitor which kept me stymied in the game that I lost.  I could have blocked it with a Wolfir Silverheart but he cast Feeling of Dread.

     It's time to play werewolves again.  I'll make a few changes to the deck later and then try it out at Regran.  I hope that I can sell enough to cover the tourney fee.
   
     With the shift to zombies again, it should be easier for me to win.  The question is whether my sideboard is good enough to meet the threats presented by aggressive strategies.  I know that control and ramp will die to the zombie apocalypse.  I just hope that I can win my games even at two life points like I always do against the undead.

     I'm actually excited to go into battle again.  I haven't written a tournament report in a while immersed as I have been in selling cards to get pieces for my Rakdos and Golgari decks.  This should be a good day for both testing out my favorite tribe's chances in the new metagame and for trading in cards.  I am looking forward to strengthening the project decks mentioned above.

     I haven't been playing a lot lately because my focus is on selling cards.  It has been a wonderful experience so far and I hope to sell more in the coming days.  Aside from enjoying the interactions with other people, selling has allowed me to acquire cards for deckbuilding projects.

     Take for instance my Golgari deck.  I have bought a playset of Lotleth Troll and tinkering with this bad boy has revealed just how powerful it is.  Sure it's vulnerable but if the opponent doesn't have the right answers then it can finish things in a hurry.  Regeneration and Trample in a creature? Get out of here!

     I have three decks thus far and though I know it will be tough to invest money in them it is very tempting to do so.  Seeing my friends borrow and enjoy the decks yesterday have opened my eyes to the possibilities inherent in the Golgari and Rakdos tribes.  I hope that I will be given the opportunity to improve them with prudent trades and acquisitions before the month is over.  Otherwise I will just sell them.

     My werewolves have also seen action in the hands of my friends.  They have been amazed by its power.  Third turn Huntmaster of the Fells followed by a fourth turn Wolfir Silverheart can do that.  I am encouraged by their liking of the deck so I will probably play it before the month is out.

     So I bought the two Return to Ravnica Event decks and tweaked them a little with cards from my own binder.  Against casual decks, they performed better than I expected.  The Rakdos deck was fast, featuring a set of Lightning Mauler that gave haste to monsters like Desecration Demon and Rakdos, Lord of Riots.  Burn spells fried many a mage to a fine crisp which brought back memories of when I piloted Demigod Red some years ago.  The Golgari deck was more an attrition-type strategy, grinding out victories with small guys and then clogging the board with Vraska the Unseen.  Both decks played differently and I had fun piloting them both in lieu of my werewolf deck which was on hiatus.

     Of the Event Decks, I think these two are the best.  They have decent cards, some power, and lots of synergy.  It's easy to add cards and the possibilities are numerous.  I probably won't buy another pair but I can certainly recommend the products to my friends.

     I had a friend insist that Rancor deserved a slot in werewolves.  Of course, he was wrong because he didn't understand how the tribe works, how Full Moon's Rise already grants trample and a power boost.  Yet he maintained that he was right even though he couldn't back up his claim.

     Rancor is better in Selesnya, in decks that have overpowered creatures needing trample to get damage through.  Put the aura on a Strangleroot Geist or a Loxodon Smiter and you have a winner.  Put it on a 1/1 Mayor of Avabruck who really doesn't want to die because he needs to generate tokens later on and increase everybody's power/toughness stats and you are out of your mind.  This is why Rancor has no place in werewolves. 

     Another friend said add burn.  Well, their werewolves have burn.  Lots of it actually.  And they get two at least.  I don't have burn and I have the same winning percentage as them.  So burn isn't necessary in the deck.  It can help but in a world where Thragtusk gains an opponent five life points and Angel of Serenity has 6 toughness, direct damage isn't that effective.

     This is the reason why I have Full Moon's Rise.  To make sure that my damage does get through and negate whatever lifegain the opponent has in his deck.  This is the reason why I have 26-30 creatures at any given time because the best way to reduce an opponent from 20-0 is via combat.  This is why I maintain that the only kind of burn I might consider in a werewolf deck is Bonfire of the Damned.  Other than that, I prefer using Giant Growth and Titanic Growth because they help my creatures survive combat and continue to punish the opponent for relying on lifegain.  Because if he is gaining life then he isn't dealing damage.  I feel that I am winning in that scenario.  Have you ever seen me cast Titanic Growth on my Nightfall Predator and fight Angel of Serenity?  So much fun!

     Werewolves can win in this metagame but it needs to be built right.  No Rancor, no burn.  Okay, maybe a little burn.  But that's it.  Rely on the pack and the pack will see you through the end. In style.

Change Up

     I want to try something different with the deck this week.  While adding Giant Growth and Titanic Growth allowed me to race many of my opponents the past couple of days, I would like to take the classic route of Moonmisting everyone now that Silver Paladin and zombies are back in the fray.  Reckless Waif is going back in and Scorned Villager is on hiatus until I figure out where exactly in the metagame are my werewolves positioned.

     The list:

     Creatures: 30

     4  Reckless Waif

     4  Wolfbitten Captive

     4  Mayor of Avabruck

     4  Daybreak Ranger

     4  Kruin Outlaw

     4  Huntmaster of the Fells

     4  Instigator Gang

     2  Immerwolf

     Spells: 7

     4  Full Moon's Rise

     3  Moonmist

     Lands: 23

     4  Rootbound Crag

     3  Kessig Wolf Run

     8  Forest 

     8  Mountain

     Sideboard: 15

     1  Moonmist

     3  Blasphemous Act

     4  Wolfir Avenger

     3  Grafdigger's Cage

     3  Ground Seal

     1  Tormod's Crypt

     In Game Ones, this build is all about overpowering the opposition with a pack of wolves protected by Full Moon's Rise and eventually transforming for the alpha strike via Moonmist.  Game two is adding defense against swarm or graveyard strategies and countermagic.  Blasphemous Act can sweep tokens made by Lingering Souls or various planeswalkers like Sorin, Lord of Innistrad or Garruk, Primal Hunter.  Act can also decimate Selesnya armies who overextend themselves right into a mass removal effect that only targets them as Full Moon's Rise grants regeneration.  Wolfir Avenger pressures blue decks with their bounce spells by providing a cheap beater with flash.  The regeneration isn't too shabby either.  There are seven cards against reanimator strategies as Angel of Serenity and Unburial Rites are proving to be difficult spells to fight effectively.

Validation

     This is my tournament report from yesterday's Gateway event at Regran.  There were more than sixteen participants so we played four rounds.  Most of the decks there were aggressive or midrange with a couple sporting reanimator.

     I used the werewolf list from the previous article "Growth."  Nothing was changed.  Even though I wasn't confident about the manabase, I decided to enter the tourney hoping to learn more about the deck's strengths and weaknesses.

     Bant was first up.  I kept a fast hand containing a couple of lands, Wolfbitten Captive, Mayor of Avabruck and Full Moon's Rise.  He went down to six cards.  I basically deployed my creatures while he stumbled on mana, which allowed my werewolves to transform.  Wolfpack Alpha was particularly brutal producing three 2/2 tokens that closed out the game quickly.  In the second game his Centaur Healers undid the damage I inflicted which enabled his comeback with Restoration Angels and Tamiyo, the Moon Sage.  For the decider, he kept me at bay with Thragtusks and Restoration Angels but eventually Full Moon's Rise, Instigator Gang and Wolfir Silverheart got through for enough trample damage.

     In the second round I faced Frites.  I tried to race him with my creatures but he flashbacked Unburial Rites to put Angel of Serenity into play which got rid of my pack.  He then summoned a Thragtusk to put himself beyond my reach before stomping my face with his big creatures.  Game two was more of the same: me trying to race him while he dumped cards in the graveyard.  I drew triple Titanic Growth which allowed me to force a third game.  Our last battle was similar to the previous in that my guys bolted out the gates and he was without any defensive spell.

     Jund was my third round match-up, which scared me quite a bit.  He attacked me with Strangleroot Geists while I tried to assemble a team and defend myself.  With three cards in hand, he cast Rakdos's Return which sent Huntmaster of the Fells, Mayor of Avabruck and Instigator Gang to the bin.  I was up a creek without a paddle but I passed the turn to transform my guys and dissuade him from attacking.  He drew and played a Thundermaw Hellkite that put me to thirteen life points.  I struck back and he found himself down to two.  After combat Huntmaster of the Fells upped my life to fifteen.  I was safe for the moment but he still had Kessig Wolf Run to pump his flyer.  He boosted his life back to seven with Thragtusk and Falkenrath Aristocrat arrived on the scene but it had to block instead of swinging in.  I charged in again and the game was mine.  The followup was bad for my opponent as he was mana-screwed.  A Scorned Villager allowed me to cast spells even though I was also stuck on two lands as he was.  I won albeit I expected a harder fight with all of Jund's removals.

     The last match was against Frites.  It was built differently though.  His Restoration Angels provided defense on the fourth turn while he dug for lands and I was unable to make any headway.  It didn't help that I kept a one-lander after I had taken a mulligan to six.  The second game I got him down to eight with two Titanic Growth in my hand but not enough mana to cast them both.  He, of course, gained life with Thragtusk the next turn before reanimating Angel of Serenity and I saw the handwriting on the wall.

     So I was 3-1 and in sixth or seventh place (horrible tiebreaks).  I felt a little sad that my run had ended badly.  A single pack was my reward which didn't brighten my mood a bit until I opened it.  Inside were Temple Garden and a foil Detention Sphere.  Thank you, God! 

     Overall, I thought the deck was right for the metagame as I didn't encounter a lot of bounce spells and countermagic.  The "growth" effects were key as they maximized Full Moon's Rise tremendously.  The mana-base wasn't great but serviceable.  Also the sideboard needed upgrades as I wasn't impressed with Wolfir Avenger, Moonmist, Blasphemous Act, and Grafdigger's Cage.  I was basically playing my mainboard most of the time.

Growth

     Growth means transformation, expanding from something that was limited into another form that encompasses the old and what it has learned.  Well, I've discovered aplenty and now it's time for the werewolves to be different.  This is probably the riskiest decision I've made yet.

     I have literally added seven(!) growth spells that boost power and toughness.  Instead of burn spells, I've resorted to green's strong suit: creature pumping.  This means that I can pass the turn and protect them from direct damage spells and oncoming creatures at instant speed.  Giant Growth and Titanic Growth are the innovations along with a trio of Wolfir Silverheart to remain on theme.

     Here's the list:

     Creatures: 26

     4 Wolfbitten Captive

     4 Scorned Villager

     4 Mayor of Avabruck

     4 Daybreak Ranger

     3 Instigator Gang

     4 Huntmaster of the Fells

     3 Wolfir Silverheart

     Spells: 11

     3 Giant Growth

     4 Titanic Growth

     4 Full Moon's Rise

     Lands: 23

     3 Kessig Wolf Run

     4 Rootbound Crag

     11 Forest

     5 Mountain

     Sideboard: 15

     4 Blasphemous Act

     4 Wolfir Avenger

     4 Moonmist

     3 Grafdigger's Cage

     The idea is to deploy as many werewolves as possible and just go to town on the opponent's life total.  It's relatively safe to empty one's hand with Full Moon's Rise on the board.  One can then just swing for lots of damage or take a turn off to transform everyone.

     As for the sideboard, it addresses four match-ups. Blasphemous Act wipes the board clean of tokens or Selesnya armies. Wolfir Avenger comes in against tricky blue mages with their bounce spells and countermagic. Grafdigger's Cage locks down zombies, reanimator strategies, and flashback spells.  Moonmist "Fogs" aggressive red and black decks.

     The design this time is simple, organic, and easy to execute.  I've cut down on attempts to make the deck cute by removing one-ofs and other cards that seem good but are quite ineffective in the metagame.  Werewolves are now intent on making the other guy sweat instead of the other way around.  

     Come to think of it, this is exactly the kind of growth I talked about in the beginning of the article.  I am improving, tailoring my deck to the sort of plays I want to make so that I can avoid mistakes and make better decisions in-game.  I am not stuck to ideas that don't work.  I'd rather win more than be "right."

Werewolves Forever

     I experimented with a zero-spell werewolf deck the past couple of days.  The results were mixed.  Sometimes I won with an overwhelming advantage.  At other times, I was craving Moonmist and Full Moon's Rise.  As such, I decided to put back those two spells and to make other changes as well.

     Here is the new list:

     Creatures: 24

     4 Reckless Waif

     4 Wolfbitten Captive

     4 Mayor of Avabruck

     4 Daybreak Ranger

     4 Immerwolf

     4 Huntmaster of the Fells

 

     Planeswalker: 1

     1 Garruk Relentless

     Spells: 11

     3 Ranger's Guile

     4 Moonmist

     4 Full Moon's Rise

 

     Lands: 24

     3 Kessig Wolf Run

     4 Rootbound Crag

     5 Mountain

     12 Forest

     Sideboard: 15

     1 Increasing Savagery

     4 Wolfir Avenger

     2 Wolfir Silverheart

     3 Ground Seal

     2 Gnaw the Bone

     3 Blasphemous Act

     The first thing one notices is that the land count has been upped to twenty-four to reliably reach four to five mana each game.  There are two key tricks to this deck.  One is casting Mayor of Avabruck and then following it up with Moonmist to provide an instant power boost and a 2/2 wolf token.  The other is to cast Immerwolf and once again follow up with Moonmist to lock in the transformation the werewolves undergo.  Other than being able to perform the tricks, cards like Increasing Savagery, Blasphemous Act, and Wolfir Silverheart require lots of mana so twenty-four lands is the right number.  The second thing to note about the manabase is that the deck is predominantly green splashing for red.  This enables the powerful sideboard strategies that require double-green mana.  In the future, Stomping Grounds and Cavern of Souls will further strengthen the manabase while ensuring that the right colored mana is available when it is needed.

Finally, a third Kessig Wolf Run is there as a mana-sink and as a utility land that also functions as endgame reach.

     Coincidentally, there are twenty-four creatures also.  With the exception of Immerwolf, they are all werewolves and thus eligible to receive the bonuses from Full Moon's Rise.  Reckless Waif and Wolfbitten Captive pressure control players who usually adopt a draw-go style of play.  Against beatdown, these two can trade with the opponent's creatures to preserve life points and slow down the attack.  Mayor of Avabruck pumps each werewolf and together with Full Moon's Rise can inflict huge amounts of damage.  Immerwolf is another useful tribal lord in that it pumps wolves whereas the Mayor doesn't.  Daybreak Ranger is mainly a defensive card but it can also become a fearsome force when necessary.  This card is good in creature matchups and deals with pesky flyers like Restoration Angel and Olivia Voldaren.  Huntmaster of the Fells and Garruk Relentless are the answers to Supreme Verdict, Sever the Bloodline, Mizzium Mortars, and Terminus.  They provide a pack of wolves ready to resume the battle after a mass removal spell wipes out the first wave of werewolves.

     As for the spells, it has been mentioned that Full Moon's Rise protects against control decks packing mass removal but this enchantment also does double duty in that it grants trample to each werewolf.  This ability ensures that chump-blocking is not an option the enemy enjoys.  In effect, this answers Lingering Souls and other cards that create 1/1 tokens like Sorin, Lord of Innistrad.  As with Rise, Moonmist also has additional value beyond fog-ging an alpha strike.  It can be a combat trick to save either Mayor or Huntmaster from removal.  Lastly, Ranger's Guile protects the pack from Detention Sphere and Sever the Bloodline.  This instant spell is loads better than Sundering Growth because it retains tempo.

     Regarding the sideboard, I have targeted certain strategies as popular and dominant so those are the ones the deck is prepared to handle.  The first is aggro which is usually comprised of Red Deck Wins (RDW) or Zombies.  The plan is to use Gnaw the Bone to gain life and make time for Wolfir Silverheart to come online.  In the event of tokens or a swarm strategy, Blasphemous Act works in concert with Full Moon's Rise to decimate the other side of the table while preserving the pack from destruction.  The second is control which is a good matchup for this deck but one can never have enough threats for that kind of strategy.  So there is Wolfir Avenger to flash in during the opponent's end turn and get him to use countermagic.  The Avenger's regeneration is also relevant against Supreme Verdict so this creature is more than an adequate threat to bring in.  The third is reanimator which should be shut down by Ground Seal and overran by the pack.  Last but not least is Increasing Savagery to be employed in the mirror match.

     I hope that this design is more effective than its predecessors.  If it's not yet obvious, I really love werewolves and hope that they help me take down tournament after tournament.  Even when they don't, they are really fun to play with as they mess up combat math and get my opponents to read cards they don't usually encounter in high-level play.

Eating My Words

     Sometime ago I said that werewolves don't need burn.  Well, I backtracked and incorporated Brimstone Volley just to see if it could deal with pesky life gain, flyers, planeswalkers, and blockers.  I was only able to test it against a friend's UW Tempo deck and it didn't prove crucial in the matchup as he just bounced my dudes instead of killing them.  Sphinx's Revelation put his life above my reach and the red spell became a defensive weapon as it killed his creatures deigning to carry Runechanter's Pike to my head.

     It was an even match, one that would have been tilted in my favor if I had Cavern of Souls to prevent his countermagic on stuff that he had bounced back to my hand with Unsummon or to the top of my library with Azorius Charm.  Still I was wary of adding the expensive land since it couldn't be used to activate my Kessig Wolf Run or cast spells like Moonmist.  I also felt that the Ground Seal in the sideboard would neuter his deck, preventing him from using flashback effectively.

     Here was the list I used earlier:

     Creatures: 26

     4 Reckless Waif

     4 Wolfbitten Captive

     4 Mayor of Avabruck

     2 Immerwolf

     4 Kruin Outlaw

     4 Daybreak Ranger

     4 Huntmaster of the Fells

     Spells: 11

     4 Full Moon's Rise

     3 Moonmist

     4 Brimstone Volley

     Lands: 23

     2 Kessig Wolf Run

     4 Rootbound Crag

     9 Mountain

     8 Forest

     Sideboard: 15

     1 Moonmist

     3 Sundering Growth

     4 Instigator Gang

     3 Ground Seal

     2 Electrickery

     2 Immerwolf

     I wasn't able to test the sideboard so I don't have any inkling as to what cards in there are worth it.  The fourth Moonmist is for aggressive decks.  Sundering Growth deals with Keyrunes and Detention Spheres.  Instigator Gang is for when I want to go big and trample all over someone.  Ground Seal handicaps reanimator strategies and decks relying on flashback or Angel of Serenity to win.  Immerwolf is for those games when I need my werewolves to remain their monstrous selves and not revert to their small human forms.  Lastly, Electrickery is for tokens and any deck that relies on 1/1 critters to get things going.

     Playing those games against my friend helped me see the importance of having creatures with hexproof.  It was debilitating to have my guys go to the top of my library and therefore prevent me from drawing something new.  I couldn't pump Krallenhorde Killer with confidence because I was afraid of losing an entire turn's mana to a bounce spell. 

     What became clearer as I tested this version of the deck was that I needed to go faster to beat the slow, ponderous, but overwhelmingly powerful decks littering the metagame at this point.  Brimstone Volley was certainly a step towards this but without further data I'm not sold on it beating Geist of Saint Traft, Thragtusk, and Angel of Serenity anytime soon.

Maybe Not

     Increasing Savagery was not what the doctor ordered.  With the metagame shifting towards control and non-zombies beatdown decks (Where have I read this before?), I need manpower not spellpower to push through damage as early in the game as possible.  So, the 4cc-sorcery is going out and replacing it are good ol' Reckless Waifs.  A 1-3 record with Scorned Villager and Increasing Savagery was enough to convince me that returning to aggro mode is my best bet in the new environment sans zombies.

     I'm also contemplating adding burn as Olivia Voldaren wrecks my deck completely.  Or at least something that gets rid of flyers and planeswalkers.  Magmaquake is more than adequate for one job but not for the other.  Maybe I should just depend on Moonmist...

     The sideboard is a mess.  I need to put my trumps there and not in the main.  This is going to be a long night...

Increasing Savagery

With the growing popularity of control strategies, I have decided to make some radical changes to werewolves.  First is the four-of Full Moon's Rise to counter burn and Supreme Verdict.  Another is taking out Moonmist completely and relegating two copies to the sideboard.  Third is adding Garruk Relentless to provide more firepower ala-Huntmaster of the Fells by having two targets the control player can't simultaneously deal with.  The last improvement is adding a set of Increasing Savagery to boost the deck's power and to act as a mana-sink since I've added a land.  The deck is now heavily green so Kruin Outlaw and Instigator Gang had to go.  In their absence, I have put in two Wolfir Silverheart as finishers.

The list:

Creatures: 26

4 Wolfbitten Captive

4 Scorned Villager

4 Mayor of Avabruck

4 Daybreak Ranger

4 Immerwolf

4 Huntmaster of the Fells

2 Wolfir Silverheart

Spells: 10

2 Garruk Relentless

4 Full Moon's Rise

4 Increasing Savagery

Lands: 24

4 Rootbound Crag

2 Kessig Wolf Run

12 Forest

6 Mountain

I haven't come up with a complete sideboard yet but after today's tournament I might solidify my choices.

No Burn? No Problem!

     Over the course of three tournaments, twelve matches, and thirty-one games, I have learned several things about werewolves that will surprise most people, eliciting strong reactions which I hope will lead to meaningful discourse over how best to proceed with my favorite tribe.  The first is that burn has no place in the deck because of the popularity of lifegain.  You won't see Pillar of Flame or Brimstone Volley because these cards don't advance the way werewolves want to win even though you could be saying to yourself with good reason that these direct damage spells do a lot against zombies and control decks respectively.  The second is that Full Moon's Rise is the most important spell so you don't let it get countered by blue mages and you never cash it in unless necessary.  This unassuming enchantment boosts power and grants trample and regeneration to all werewolves.  Supreme Verdict, Mizzium Mortars and chump-blocking simply won't cut it.  Only Terminus and Sever the Bloodline defends against the pack and even then, it's easy to rebuild with a sandbagged Huntmaster of the Fells or a sideboarded Garruk Relentless.  The third and most important lesson is to use Moonmist on offense.  With thirty creatures in the main, casting this instant is almost always backbreaking if not lethal most of the time.  The current metagame is teeming with creatures and this Fog-variant trumps them all not just because it can negate combat damage but also because it transforms your meek humans into game-ending monsters.

     I know my build is controversial because it ignores the common wisdom of using RG's traditionally strong cards like Pillar of Flame, Brimstone Volley, Strangleroot Geist, Hellrider, etc.  Yet I am convinced by my two top four finishes this week that I have designed something that exploits the holes in the prevailing metagame.  I won't deny that it's unconventional but it is effective and that's all that matters to me as a deck designer.