{"ops":[{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Leech Wood Forrest: God, Spirit, Apex"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n\t\t\tBefore I start I want to give a little lore to the deck. This is my very first deck I ever put together, it started as a single card shopping spree, turned into a story telling deck (still is), and since has been dialed in. If you would like to see the final stages of v1 and 2 they are listed on my account. Now we are on V3 now and hopefully this will be the lock for its B2 journey. However, there might be some changes over the next few weeks (9/9/26) That said lets step into the tragedy of leech wood forest. \n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Story Theme Lore:"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":" \n\tLeechwood Forest wasn't always this twisted place. Before it became a living deathtrap, it was a peaceful forest with a healthy population of elves and animal habitats.\nHowever, this all changed when some unknown group attempted to summon their god in the middle of the forest. The ritual went wrong, and chaos ensued. They managed to summon a deity—but it wasn't theirs.It was "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Pharika, God of Affliction"},{"insert":".Being summoned by false worshippers, Pharika went into a frenzy, releasing a plague of pests, demons, and many more creatures upon the land. Now, with a god living somewhere it doesn't belong, the presence of Pharika has affected not only the elven population, but the animals and the forest itself.What you'd expect to happen to the elves and creatures is just about what happened. Creatures have mutated or evolved to survive the affliction. The apex of the forest, "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Beledros Witherbloom"},{"insert":", wanders freely with his mate, "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Witherbloom, the Balancer"},{"insert":".The elven population has dwindled, and villages have been destroyed, leaving behind treasures for wandering travelers to discover. However, the spirit ("},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Sapling of Colfenor) "},{"insert":"of the forest seems to have been affected the most.\n\tIt seems to be enraged by the damage Pharika has inflicted upon it—and now it seeks revenge on any living soul who dares to enter.\n\nREAL MECHANICS:"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\tWhile having a story telling deck is fun. So, is winning. Or at least having a deck that functions. That said lets get into it. The main engine you will see no matter the commander you choose (there are four) is the story. Mechanically the real main engine is going to be Drain and Life gain. But if you take it from the stories perspective that's just part of being in leech wood forest. The engine will still develop into creatures that are threats (big stompies) the deeper into the forest you get. There are also a few death zones (combos, 2 card non infinite and 3 card) spread throughout the forest. The commander choices just either renforce the passive engine or add a little twist. \n\nHow to Play Leechwood V3 "},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Before the game:"},{"insert":" Choose your commander. This determines how you should approach the game and which parts of the Leechwood engine you should prioritize.\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Early game:"},{"insert":" Ramp, develop your board, and begin setting up your engine while keeping enough interaction to survive.\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Mid game:"},{"insert":" Start converting your creatures, graveyard, and tokens into value while following the playstyle of your chosen commander.\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Late game:"},{"insert":" Use the value you've built to overwhelm your opponents, drain their life, or finish the game with one of your combo lines.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Commander Options:"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\tI love how some precons give you the option of two commanders, so I took that to an extreme. Each commander works with the deck's engine in their own way. Depending on the commander you choose, it will dictate the playstyle you should use. However, with this many options and differences, sometimes it can leave you wishing you had chosen a different commander. Figuring out which one suits you best will raise the ceiling of the deck.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Pharika, God of Affliction — God"},{"insert":"\nPharika is the commander for players who want to lean into the forest's ability to grind their opponents down. Her game plan is focused on attrition, using the graveyard, creatures, and incremental value to slowly overwhelm the table. She doesn't only give you tokens however. She makes the affliction spread to opponents decks as well allowing for some nice politicking and strategic death touch placement. She pairs well with insidious roots and tortured existence. In my experience this is the least competitive commander out of the 4. \n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Sapling of Colfenor — The Spirit"},{"insert":"\nSapling is for players who want to make their creatures difficult to get rid of and continuously turn them into value. Rather than trying to explode onto the battlefield immediately, this playstyle focuses on building a board that can survive removal and keep coming back. Sapling rewards a more creature-focused and resilient approach to the deck. This commander also allows for a reliable source of draw and possible life gain, it's cheaper than the next two so I find i can cast it from command zone more consistently. This also pairs well with the few tree folk I have in the deck, quietus spike, and of course swift foot boots. \n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Beledros Witherbloom — The Apex (Alpha)"},{"insert":"\nBeledros is the commander for players who want to get the Leech wood engine running as quickly as possible. Her ability to generate enormous amounts of value makes her the deck's biggest engine commander. The goal is to establish your board, generate resources, and use those resources to snowball into an overwhelming position before your opponents can recover. When you play Beldros you HAVE to lean into the engine (drain/lifegain). It's an expensive commander (7 mana) but once she's out its passive helps the engine stay running. And her pay 10 life ability to untap lands has helped me so many times! 10 life sounds like a lot but when you lean into the engine you should have plenty of life to spare. \n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Witherbloom, the Balancer — The Apex (Beta)"},{"insert":"\nWitherbloom is for players who want to play the role of the forest's natural balance. Rather than focusing entirely on overwhelming the table, his game plan revolves around controlling the board and keeping threats in check. He rewards careful timing, knowing when to remove a threat, when to preserve your resources, and when to let the forest's engine take over. The affinity for creature lets you cast this 5/5 flying death touch monster out of command zone so much sooner than his wife, however this just brings out a threat and gives you access to some board control with that death touch. it doesn't enchance any aspect of the engine as it is. And there are only 10 sorcery and instants in the deck. So, the benefit of that second ability is limited but useful. But the 9/10 that are in there are to specifically control the board, the remaining 1 is a key combo piece that would normally cost 7.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Combos/Key Componets:"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\tSo we all love some good combos especially ones that keep us in B2... am i right? But I don't love typing as much as the current 1147 word count says. so these are the cards that are used in combos, if oyu want ot know how htey work or what prerequisites there are check the combo list on the deck...\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Combos:"},{"insert":" Viscera Seer/Woe Strider/Ashnod's Altar/Persist Creature/Gorma/Tree of Perdition/Wound Reflection/Jaws of Defeat/Overkill/Plague of Vermin/Mirkwood Bats/Quietus Spike/Triskaidekaphobia/Warlock Class/Tortured Existence/Insidious Roots/Nadier's Nightblade\nKey Engine Cards: Any card that has if gain life opponent loses and any gain life cards really. then also keep an eye out for the planeswalkers and colosification, sneaky finishers.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n\n"}]}