{"ops":[{"insert":"Toph the Aristocrat"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Commander:"},{"insert":" Toph, Hardheaded Teacher | "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Colors:"},{"insert":" Gruul (Red/Green) | "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Format:"},{"insert":" Commander | "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Bracket:"},{"insert":" [3/4]\nThe Commander"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Toph's attitude throughout Avatar was genuinely refreshing and instantly loveable, and when her card came out it flew completely under the radar due to the other Toph cards grabbing all the attention. That was actually part of the appeal. The card enables something genuinely unique, taking the aristocrats archetype into Gruul which is not a direction most people would ever consider. The result is a deck that surprises people constantly and does things Gruul decks simply aren't supposed to do.\nHow to Win"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"The gameplan is getting "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Toph"},{"insert":" out and animating lands to sacrifice them for damage triggers. "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Anax"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Hissing Iguanar"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Spiteful Prankster"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Vicious Shadows"},{"insert":", and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Goblin Bombardment"},{"insert":" are your primary ping engines, converting every sacrificed land creature into direct damage that adds up faster than opponents expect. "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Titania"},{"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Baloth Prime"},{"insert":" generate bodies every time you sacrifice an earthbent land, keeping your board stocked with fresh sacrifice fodder. The landfall package adds another dimension with "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Sabotender"},{"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Tannuk"},{"insert":" burning opponents on each land drop, "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Springheart Nantuko"},{"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Scute Swarm"},{"insert":" going wide, and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Moraug"},{"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Omnath"},{"insert":" generating additional combats and damage when the board is developed enough to close out the game.\nNotable Cards"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"The utility land package is one of the most satisfying parts of the deck. "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Ghost Quarter"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Dust Bowl"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Scavenger Grounds"},{"insert":", and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Talon Gates of Madara"},{"insert":" all generate tremendous value when animated and sacrificed, giving you interaction and damage simultaneously. The land destruction angle is a particularly spicy element here, "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Ghost Quarter"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Demolition Field"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"From the Ashes"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Keldon Arsonist"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Raze"},{"insert":", and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Shivan Harvest"},{"insert":" give you a consistent package to punish expensive mana bases. There are few things more satisfying than hitting an opponent with a two thousand dollar mana base hard with repeated "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Ghost Quarter"},{"insert":" effects.\nThe draw package is surprisingly robust for Gruul. "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Meltstrider Eulogist"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Elvish Brushrider"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Skullclamp"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Tributary Instructor"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Aggressive Mining"},{"insert":", and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Dark-Dweller Oracle"},{"insert":" give you consistent ways to keep the gas flowing that most Gruul decks simply don't have access to. "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Evolutionary Leap"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Fecundity"},{"insert":", "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Spinner of Souls"},{"insert":", and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Evolving Door"},{"insert":" add additional value generation that feels uniquely Gruul in how it operates.\nPiloting the Deck"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Get "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Toph"},{"insert":" out and start animating lands as quickly as possible. The key is identifying which lands to earthbend for maximum value, prioritizing your utility lands like "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Ghost Quarter"},{"insert":" and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Scavenger Grounds"},{"insert":" to get double value from their abilities and their sacrifice trigger. Keep your ping engines online and stack as many as possible before you start sacrificing in earnest since each additional "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Hissing Iguanar"},{"insert":" or "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Spiteful Prankster"},{"insert":" multiplies the damage output significantly. If land destruction is relevant at your table don't be shy about deploying it early, shutting down an expensive mana base in the first few turns can completely change the dynamic of a game in your favor.\nWeaknesses"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"The deck relies heavily on "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Toph"},{"insert":" being on the field to animate lands so targeted removal aimed at her consistently can slow the engine down significantly. Decks that don't play many creatures are also trickier to close out against since "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Vicious Shadows"},{"insert":" and similar effects scale with opponents creature counts. The deck also needs a reasonable number of lands to sacrifice so land hate aimed back at you can be problematic if you don't have enough redundancy in your draw package to rebuild.\nOpening Hand"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"You want three to four lands with green mana to get "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Toph"},{"insert":" out on curve and start earthbending immediately. At least one draw piece in your opener is ideal since the deck rewards keeping the gas flowing consistently. Going to six to find that combination is worth it, the earlier "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Toph"},{"insert":" is online the more value you can extract from your land sacrifice triggers.\nMaybeboard"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"The maybeboard is things I've been testing off and on that I'm not totally sold on but require more testing to be definitive. \n"}]}