RekdaahTelambar
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Commander
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Commander
Jolrael, Voice of Zhalfir
At the beginning of combat on your turn, up to one target land you control becomes an X/X green and blue Bird creature with flying and haste until end of turn, where X is the number of cards in your hand. It's still a land.
Whenever a land creature you control deals combat damage to a player, draw a card.
Whenever a land creature you control deals combat damage to a player, draw a card.
Legendary Creature - Human Druid
Commander
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Animator
Lithoform Engine
, : Copy target activated or triggered ability you control. You may choose new targets for the copy.
, : Copy target instant or sorcery spell you control. You may choose new targets for the copy.
, : Copy target permanent spell you control. (The copy becomes a token.)
, : Copy target instant or sorcery spell you control. You may choose new targets for the copy.
, : Copy target permanent spell you control. (The copy becomes a token.)
Legendary Artifact
Spark Double
You may have this creature enter as a copy of a creature or planeswalker you control, except it enters with an additional +1/+1 counter on it if it's a creature, it enters with an additional loyalty counter on it if it's a planeswalker, and it isn't legendary.
Creature - Illusion
Animator
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Board Wipe
Board Wipe
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Draw
Wiretapping
Hideaway 5 (When this enchantment enters, look at the top five cards of your library, exile one face down, then put the rest on the bottom in a random order.)
Whenever you draw your first card during each of your draw steps, draw a card. Then if you have nine or more cards in hand, you may play the exiled card without paying its mana cost.
Whenever you draw your first card during each of your draw steps, draw a card. Then if you have nine or more cards in hand, you may play the exiled card without paying its mana cost.
Enchantment
Draw
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Go Hug Myself
Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student
Flying
Whenever Tamiyo attacks, investigate. (Create a Clue token. It's an artifact with ", Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.")
When you draw your third card in a turn, exile Tamiyo, then return her to the battlefield transformed under her owner's control.
Whenever Tamiyo attacks, investigate. (Create a Clue token. It's an artifact with ", Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.")
When you draw your third card in a turn, exile Tamiyo, then return her to the battlefield transformed under her owner's control.
Legendary Creature - Wizard Moonfolk
Go Hug Myself
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Group Hug
Group Hug
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Hand Size
Hand Size
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Land
Path of Ancestry
This land enters tapped.
: Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity. When that mana is spent to cast a creature spell that shares a creature type with your commander, scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.)
: Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity. When that mana is spent to cast a creature spell that shares a creature type with your commander, scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.)
Land
Land
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Protection
Protection
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Ramp
Tempt with Discovery
Tempting offer — Search your library for a land card and put it onto the battlefield. Each opponent may search their library for a land card and put it onto the battlefield. For each opponent who searches a library this way, search your library for a land card and put it onto the battlefield. Then each player who searched a library this way shuffles.
Sorcery
Ramp
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Recursion
Recursion
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Removal
Removal
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Reset
Reset
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Win Con
Win Con
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Maybeboard
Garruk's Uprising
When this enchantment enters, if you control a creature with power 4 or greater, draw a card.
Creatures you control have trample. (Each of those creatures can deal excess combat damage to the player or planeswalker it's attacking.)
Whenever a creature you control with power 4 or greater enters, draw a card.
Creatures you control have trample. (Each of those creatures can deal excess combat damage to the player or planeswalker it's attacking.)
Whenever a creature you control with power 4 or greater enters, draw a card.
Enchantment
Hall of Storm Giants
If you control two or more other lands, this land enters tapped.
: Add .
: Until end of turn, this land becomes a 7/7 blue Giant creature with ward . It's still a land. (Whenever it becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays .)
: Add .
: Until end of turn, this land becomes a 7/7 blue Giant creature with ward . It's still a land. (Whenever it becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays .)
Land
Hunting Wilds
Kicker (You may pay an additional as you cast this spell.)
Search your library for up to two Forest cards, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
If this spell was kicked, untap all Forests put onto the battlefield this way. They become 3/3 green creatures with haste that are still lands.
Search your library for up to two Forest cards, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
If this spell was kicked, untap all Forests put onto the battlefield this way. They become 3/3 green creatures with haste that are still lands.
Sorcery
Kamahl's Will
Choose one. If you control a commander as you cast this spell, you may choose both instead.
• Until end of turn, any number of target lands you control become 1/1 Elemental creatures with vigilance, indestructible, and haste. They're still lands.
• Choose target creature you don't control. Each creature you control deals damage equal to its power to that creature.
• Until end of turn, any number of target lands you control become 1/1 Elemental creatures with vigilance, indestructible, and haste. They're still lands.
• Choose target creature you don't control. Each creature you control deals damage equal to its power to that creature.
Instant
Liege of the Tangle
Trample
Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, you may choose any number of target lands you control and put an awakening counter on each of them. Each of those lands is an 8/8 green Elemental creature for as long as it has an awakening counter on it. They're still lands.
Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, you may choose any number of target lands you control and put an awakening counter on each of them. Each of those lands is an 8/8 green Elemental creature for as long as it has an awakening counter on it. They're still lands.
Creature - Elemental
Nissa, Vital Force
+1: Untap target land you control. Until your next turn, it becomes a 5/5 Elemental creature with haste. It's still a land.
−3: Return target permanent card from your graveyard to your hand.
−6: You get an emblem with "Whenever a land you control enters, you may draw a card."
−3: Return target permanent card from your graveyard to your hand.
−6: You get an emblem with "Whenever a land you control enters, you may draw a card."
Legendary Planeswalker - Nissa
Nissa, Who Shakes the World
Whenever you tap a Forest for mana, add an additional .
+1: Put three +1/+1 counters on up to one target noncreature land you control. Untap it. It becomes a 0/0 Elemental creature with vigilance and haste that's still a land.
−8: You get an emblem with "Lands you control have indestructible." Search your library for any number of Forest cards, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
+1: Put three +1/+1 counters on up to one target noncreature land you control. Untap it. It becomes a 0/0 Elemental creature with vigilance and haste that's still a land.
−8: You get an emblem with "Lands you control have indestructible." Search your library for any number of Forest cards, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
Legendary Planeswalker - Nissa
Nissa, Worldwaker
+1: Target land you control becomes a 4/4 Elemental creature with trample. It's still a land.
+1: Untap up to four target Forests.
−7: Search your library for any number of basic land cards, put them onto the battlefield, then shuffle. Those lands become 4/4 Elemental creatures with trample. They're still lands.
+1: Untap up to four target Forests.
−7: Search your library for any number of basic land cards, put them onto the battlefield, then shuffle. Those lands become 4/4 Elemental creatures with trample. They're still lands.
Legendary Planeswalker - Nissa
Primal Adversary
Trample
When this creature enters, you may pay any number of times. When you pay this cost one or more times, put that many +1/+1 counters on this creature, then up to that many target lands you control become 3/3 Wolf creatures with haste that are still lands.
When this creature enters, you may pay any number of times. When you pay this cost one or more times, put that many +1/+1 counters on this creature, then up to that many target lands you control become 3/3 Wolf creatures with haste that are still lands.
Creature - Wolf
Timeless Witness
When this creature enters, return target card from your graveyard to your hand.
Eternalize (, Exile this card from your graveyard: Create a token that's a copy of it, except it's a 4/4 black Zombie Human Shaman with no mana cost. Eternalize only as a sorcery.)
Eternalize (, Exile this card from your graveyard: Create a token that's a copy of it, except it's a 4/4 black Zombie Human Shaman with no mana cost. Eternalize only as a sorcery.)
Creature - Human Shaman
Titania's Command
Choose two —
• Exile target player's graveyard. You gain 1 life for each card exiled this way.
• Search your library for up to two land cards, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
• Create two 2/2 green Bear creature tokens.
• Put two +1/+1 counters on each creature you control.
• Exile target player's graveyard. You gain 1 life for each card exiled this way.
• Search your library for up to two land cards, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
• Create two 2/2 green Bear creature tokens.
• Put two +1/+1 counters on each creature you control.
Sorcery
Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
When Uro enters, sacrifice it unless it escaped.
Whenever Uro enters or attacks, you gain 3 life and draw a card, then you may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield.
Escape—, Exile five other cards from your graveyard. (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its escape cost.)
Whenever Uro enters or attacks, you gain 3 life and draw a card, then you may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield.
Escape—, Exile five other cards from your graveyard. (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its escape cost.)
Legendary Creature - Elder Giant
Wrenn and Realmbreaker
Lands you control have ": Add one mana of any color."
+1: Up to one target land you control becomes a 3/3 Elemental creature with vigilance, hexproof, and haste until your next turn. It's still a land.
−2: Mill three cards. You may put a permanent card from among the milled cards into your hand.
−7: You get an emblem with "You may play lands and cast permanent spells from your graveyard."
+1: Up to one target land you control becomes a 3/3 Elemental creature with vigilance, hexproof, and haste until your next turn. It's still a land.
−2: Mill three cards. You may put a permanent card from among the milled cards into your hand.
−7: You get an emblem with "You may play lands and cast permanent spells from your graveyard."
Legendary Planeswalker - Wrenn
Maybeboard
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Deck Info
Deck stats
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Deck extras (0)
Description
{"ops":[{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"Short version of Primer for TL; DR"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"As an EDH player who wants to experience as many archetypes as possible I was eventually going to build a group hug deck. Jolrael stood out to me because of the beautiful art on all versions of the card, and the interesting lands matter ability of turning a land into an X/X bird land with haste. After a few failed brews, I realised the deck doesn’t really care about lands, but about drawing cards. However, no-one wants to see a simic deck draw cards and win, so I thought it would be fun to let everyone draw cards; thus group hug."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent"},"insert":"It's got some staple-y group hug cards like Howling Mine, Kami of the Cresent Moon and Dictate of Kruphix, and some not so friendly group hug cards like Pir’s Whim, Tidal Barracuda and Druid of Putrefaction. The deck tries to win with bird land combat damage with cards like Berserk and Choose your Weapon, but has other ways to win like Triskaidekaphile."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"It’s a fun deck, because it’s very obvious when the group hug is turned on and off. It’s sunshine and lollipops one minute, then Jolrael is played and people are trying to block a big/big bird land. I haven’t won with the deck yet, but had loads of fun with it; and I think that’s the best outcome for a group hug deck."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"Jolrael, Voice of Zalphir - EDH Group Hug (Full Primer)"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"Introduction"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"As I play more and more EDH and brew more and more decks, I am now more than ever on the lookout for new deck archetypes to add to my roster to give me new experiences. Jolrael, Voice of Zalphir grabbed me immediately with its incredible art, and its vague hint to a different kind of land matters deck. But, after several failed brews, I realised the deck uses lands, but isn't really a land matters deck. So, I considered what deck archetype I didn't have in my roster and noticed I didn't have a group hug deck, and the rest is history."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"The Commander"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Jolrael, Voice of Zhalfir reads:"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"‘At the beginning of combat on your turn, up to one target land you control becomes an X/X blue and green bird creature with flying and haste until end of turn, where X is the number of cards in your hand. It's still a land."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Whenever a land creature you control deals damage to a player, draw a card.’"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"So, it sounds like we want to use our lands to deal combat damage to draw cards to make bigger lands to hit harder. However, that is a little misleading. That deck does exist and people have brewed it, but what the card says to me is; ‘I want to make the biggest bird land you've ever seen. Draw cards and start hitting people for 9 on turn 4 please.’ However, no-one in their right mind is going to tolerate that in a casual game of EDH, so how do we soften the blow? Group hug."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"Hypothesis"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Can we win with a group hug deck in simic?"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Can we talk our way into people's good graces while attacking them with a massive/massive bird?"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Can we make the play experience of a group hug deck fun without giving the game to another player, or running eleven counterspells?"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"The Method"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"Ramp and Hand Size"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"The ramp in this deck may go against convention a little bit. Surely, you'd want to ramp on turn one or two to play Jolrael on turn two or turn three and possibly another spell. However, Jolrael only has a mana value of three and we only really care about hitting our land drop per turn, getting our indestructible lands, and drawing cards. So, ramp isn't really at the forefront of the deck unless it can do one of those things."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"So, we start with Cultivate, Kodama’s Reach and Sol Ring. Sol ring is too good not to include. Cultivate and Kodama's Reach puts an extra land to hand while ramping, replacing itself and keeping our hand size neutral. Leyline Immersion gives our commander ward 2 and lets it tap for five mana. We are never going to attack with Jolrael, so we might as well make her a mana dork with ward. Decanter of Endless Water and Thought Vessel gives us no maximum hand size. Tempt with Discovery is a classic group hug card and lets us grab one of our indestructible lands, possibly multiple if people take the tempt. Kruphix, God of Horizons helps us hang onto excess mana we don't use, or help us conserve mana if we are playing at flash speed."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"The other side of the ramp in the deck is playing lands from the top of the library. Playing our land for turn, but keeping our hand size. So, Oracle of Mud Daya does this and lets us play and extra land per turn. Courser of Kruphix lets us play a land from the top and gains us a bit of life, mitigating that early chip damage. Future Sight lets us play lands and spells from the top. Thrasios, Triton Hero scrys, and either lets us either play a land or draw a card; everything we want."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"Draw"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Drawing cards is the main focus of the deck, so it will appear in several forms throughout this primer. However, there are several cards in the deck that only let us draw cards. Eureka Moment and Urban Evolution are basically the same card, draw cards and play an extra land this turn. We don't play Growth Spiral, because, although it is the cheaper version of this effect, we end up with one card less in hand. We could just not play the land, but then in that case why not play a different draw spell?"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Finale of Revelation is our big draw spell, but does so much more. If we get the X to be big enough, we get to reset our graveyard into our library, draw X cards, untap five lands, and you have no maximum hand size for the rest of the game. It costs a lot of mana to pull off, but worth it if we ever hit it. Gush is perfect for this deck. The spell is free if we bounce two lands to our hand, increasing our hand size by three. Perfect. Wiretapping is a personal favourite. A six mana phyrexian arena in blue with hideaway 5, and if we have nine cards in hand we get to cast the spell for free. "},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"Removal and Board Wipes"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"The removal is quite boring, so we won't dwell on it. Beast Within; Broken Bond in case we need to ramp; Pongify, Resculpt, and Return to Nature. All very good, all standard fair. Druid of Purification is a huge removal spell that the whole table can participate in. I get to remove what I want and then remove some other ancillary things that the table cares about. Our board wipes are a little strange. Curse of the Swine will exile the creatures that can block our flyers. A bit crap if we can't target the cards, but c’est la vie. Flood of tears is the perfect board wipe for this deck. Bounce every to our hands, but replay Jolrael; go to combat and smack someone with a colossus/colossus bird."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"Protection and Recursion and Resetting"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Recursion is simple. Conduit of Worlds plays a land from our graveyard, so we keep our hand size and hit our land drops. Also, we can play a crucial permanent if the need arises."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Protection is crucial. This isn't a control deck and I don't want it to be a control, but I've found that I need to see about two counterspells a game to keep myself from being killed two quickly. Eight counterspells seems to be a good number, and I'm classing Heroic Intervention as a counterspell, because it basically is one. Portal Mage is a funny redirect. If someone is trying to kill me with a voltron creature, I might be able to redirect it."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Resetting is also important. There are only a few cards in the deck that give me no maximum hand size, so being able to shuffle my library back into my library is key. I've found four spells is a bit of overkill, but they have changed the tempo of a game before."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"Group Hug"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"The standard plethora of group hug cards are here. Dictate of Kruphix, Folio of Fancies, Font of Mythos, Howling Mine, Kami of the Crescent Moon, and Well of Ideas let me and my opponents draw extra cards. Academy Loremaster gives all players the option to draw a card, but there spells will cost more this turn. Great for us, because sometimes we just want that extra card and it can slow some opponents down. Struggle for Project Purity is a new Fallout card which lets our opponents draw a card on our upkeep then we draw three cards. Once again, perfect for this deck, it's just a shame its a universe's beyond card. Ghirapur Orrery and Rites of Flourishing allow all players to play extra lands and draw extra cards. Pir’s Whim allows everyone to search for any land, but can also be used to remove problematic artifacts or enchantments."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"Go Hug Myself and Animators"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"As we all know, group hug is a scam. This section details where the scam occurs in this deck."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"The go hug myself section is a little bit of protection for myself (and possibly other people) to help close out the game. "},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Arboria means that I can't be targeted if I essentially skip my turn. At points in the game, I don't need to play spells or lands, I just need to keep my hand size and attack with a monstrosity/monstrosity bird land. Leyline of Anticipation and Tidal Barracuda gives the deck the option to play at instant speed, with Tidal Barracuda letting everyone play at instant speed except on my turn. Propaganda is another layer of protection for my life total. Wandering Archaic is a monster, but in my mind, if I’m letting people play lands and draw cards, I should be given the option to have a copy of their spells."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Animators are either clones that ignore the legendary rule, or artifacts that will copy Jolrael’s triggered ability. Double Major and Spark Double are the clones and Lithoform Engine and Strionic Resonator are the doublers."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"Lands"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Lands aren’t too exciting. The only lands of note are Reliquary Tower for another chance at getting no maximum hand size, and the indestructible lands like Tanglepool Bridge and Darksteel Citadel. This means we can make a huge/huge bird have indestructible too."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"Win Con"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"There are two types of win con in this deck. Damage doublers like Berserk, Choose your Weapon, Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse and Unnatural Growth. This gives our goliath/goliath bird a chance to one shot a player. Or there is Triskaidekaphile, which is a cute, silly win con. Once again, another chance for no maximum hand size and a chance to win the game out of nowhere. This isn’t how I enjoy winning games, but the game has to end at some point."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"Conclusion"},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"I don’t know how this compares against traditional group hug decks, because they come in all shapes and sizes and I don’t see many of them throwing ungodly/ungodly birds at people. I have enjoyed playing the deck. It's fun to let people have their fun for a while and then see how they can cope when the bird lands start diving their life totals. Also, I like putting my lands at risk, because if people remove the birds then they set you back in a meaningful way and leave you alone for a while; then they enjoy the group hug and you rebuild and keep playing. I don’t think this is the kind of group hug deck for everyone, but I’m enjoying it."},{"insert":"\n\n\n"}]}