{"ops":[{"insert":"Chulane Creaturestorm"},{"attributes":{"header":1},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n\nThe Basics"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Chulane, Teller of Tales"}},{"insert":" is a mid-range value commander that has lost some of its shine in recent years. Not being in black or red means you miss out on the best tutors, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Underworld Breach"}},{"insert":" lines, and possibly the single best card in the format in "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Dockside Extortionist"}},{"insert":". We also play a lot of x/1 mana dorks, and we draw a "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"ton "},{"insert":"of cards, both of which make us exceptionally vulnerable to a well-timed "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Orcish Bowmasters"}},{"insert":".\n\nIt's not all bad news, however. Being a creature-based deck means we dodge a lot of the interaction pieces in the current meta. Our commander shares a creature type with both "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Grand Abolisher"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ranger-Captain of Eos"}},{"insert":", which means we can profitably run "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Cavern of Souls"}},{"insert":". And recent sets have focused on making White a viable cEDH color, giving us some new toys in "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Trouble in Pairs"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Delney, Streetwise Lookout"}},{"insert":". Chulane is also well-positioned in the current midrange-heavy meta; with only a handful of turbo decks in the format and everyone well aware of what they are and what they can do, we are well-suited to letting other decks eat interaction, then following up on the window that creates. The longer the game goes, the better our chances, because we will simply generate so much more mana than almost any other deck. Our lands stick around forever; the same can't be said of Treasures and rituals.\n\nWe also have an advantage in that many of our cards are one-card combos. Landing a single haymaker card can snowball into winning the game very easily.\n\n\nThe Opening Hand"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"We're not a turbo deck, and we're never going to compete with something like RogSi on speed. Our opening hand wants a value engine, one or two sources of mana acceleration, and a couple lands. Landing an early Trouble in Pairs or "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Rhystic Study"}},{"insert":" or "},{"insert":{"card-link":"The One Ring"}},{"insert":" goes a long way towards getting the deck rolling.\n\n\nThe Game Plan"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"The first two turns are going to be development turns. Reading the pod is a tremendously important skill with a deck that plays this many dorks. You don't want to play four dorks and get them all eaten by a single Bowmasters. Get your value engine set up and rolling, and get Chulane down. Again, we're not a turbo deck. You don't need to go all-in on a T2 Chulane. You "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"do "},{"insert":"want him out early enough that you can be threatening but not the clear threat.\n\n\nThe Combos"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"As mentioned, we have a lot of one- and two-card combos. Our main combo lines are obvious:\n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Earthcraft"}},{"insert":" - we're running nine basics and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Prismatic Vista"}},{"insert":". Landing Earthcraft turns every single creature we have into a mana dork and lets you deterministically draw your deck with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Shrieking Drake"}},{"insert":".\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Intruder Alarm"}},{"insert":" - we're running 8 dorks and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Destiny Spinner"}},{"insert":". Intruder Alarm means infinite mana. Infinite mana is good.\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Cloudstone Curio"}},{"insert":" - the most (in)famous combo piece in the deck. Play a creature, Chulane triggers, put a land into play, return a land to hand, return a creature to hand. Play the creature you bounced, draw a card, put the land you bounced into play, bounce another land and another creature.\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Aluren"}},{"insert":" - all our creatures are free. This one's obvious. Be careful because your opponents can also cast creatures for free at flash speed, so playing this means someone can layer a Thoracle on top of your win attempt. You want to have a Grand Abolisher or other "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Silence"}},{"insert":" effect out. Even "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Lavinia, Azorius Renegade"}},{"insert":" can be enough.\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Blind Obedience"}},{"insert":" - this is more of a backup combo but it enables a wincon without Chulane or through certain hate pieces. You'll need a repeatable way to generate a blue and a white mana - "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Bloom Tender"}},{"insert":" with Intruder Alarm; Aluren and Earthcraft; or something along those lines. Then you can simply cast Shrieking Drake infinitely and pay the extort cost to drain out the table.\n\nWe're also running two creatures that bounce themselves. Shrieking Drake and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Whitemane Lion"}},{"insert":" fill the same niche of a creature that can be played infinitely in order to trigger Chulane and draw through our deck. Whitemane Lion plays at Flash speed, which means you can execute a win attempt on top of someone else's interaction or own win attempt.\n\nFinally, Delney gives us an entirely creature-based combo with Shrieking Drake and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Quirion Ranger"}},{"insert":". With Delney in play, play Quirion Ranger. Use its ability to bounce a land and untap a creature. Play Shrieking Drake, put the land you bounced into play, and bounce Quirion Ranger and Shrieking Drake. You just need either a dork to untap, a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Lotus Cobra"}},{"insert":" effect, or a second land in the four draws that you get from each loop to be deterministically infinite.\n\n\nThe Spice"},{"attributes":{"header":2},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#008a00"},"insert":"Thassa's Oracle"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Thassa's Oracle"}},{"insert":" in a Chulane deck?\n\nYep. I'm a firm believer in three things.\n\nFirst, backup win conditions are good. Your standard Chulane deck has "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Finale of Devastation"}},{"insert":" as a win condition and nothing else. If that Finale is gone, so is your deck. The cost of playing Thoracle is one creature. That's worth it.\n\nSecond, as much as possible, you want to be playing good cards. A card that says \"You win the game for doing something you want to be doing anyway\" is a good card. This list runs 33 creatures. What's the 33rd-best creature in your standard Chulane list? Is it really something you're happy to see? Thoracle's floor is \"Look at the top 3 cards of your library, put 0 or 1 of them on top, and bottom the rest.\" That alone is a pretty decent effect; you wouldn't play it just for that, but it's not visibly worse than whatever you'd consider the worst creature in the deck. Thoracle's "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"ceiling"},{"insert":", on the other hand, is \"You win the game.\" That's a very good ceiling. And unlike almost every other deck, playing Thoracle out early doesn't mean it's unusable later, because we can bounce it back to hand when we need it.\n\nThird, you build to the meta. There's a card that's flown under the radar a bit in cEDH but is gradually attracting notice. It's called The One Ring, and the first line of text reads \"When The One Ring enters the battlefield, if you cast it, you gain protection from everything until your next turn.\" That's a bit of an issue if you intend to win through combat damage. With the number of clone and copy effects flying around, it's not impossible to see three straight turn cycles where someone can't be killed via combat damage. That's a big problem. You either have to kill two players and hope you can piece another Finale together on your next turn - if you get one - or you just lose.\n\nOr, you could play Thoracle and win outright. Your game plan is to draw through your deck. Why are you not playing Thoracle? Why would you ever pass the turn back to your opponents if you didn't absolutely have to?\n\nIt also gives you a way to win out from under an opponent's Ranger-Captain of Eos. Those are two meta-agnostic staples that hose the normal Chulane wincon. Making them have it is one thing, but you'd better have a game plan for cards that see play in basically every deck. Thoracle gives us that game plan.\n\nAlso, it's maybeboarded for now, but playing "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Emergence Zone"}},{"insert":" or "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Borne Upon a Wind"}},{"insert":" gives you the ability to win at instant speed on top of someone else's win attempt. Finale can't do that. Thoracle also gives you the ability to win on your second main, which can be valuable if you need the extra mana from a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Carpet of Flowers"}},{"insert":" that you just drew.\n\nBasically, Thoracle's a really good card and if your game plan is \"draw through your entire deck,\" you had better have a really good reason to "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"not"},{"insert":" play it.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#008a00"},"insert":"Glimpse of Nature"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Another card that gets cut from a lot of lists. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Glimpse of Nature"}},{"insert":" isn't quite a second Chulane trigger, but it gives you a second (or third, with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Eternal Witness"}},{"insert":") draw for each creature you play. If you haven't been able to drop one of your haymaker cards yet, Glimpse gets you there. It can also be tutored up with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Mystical Tutor"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Spellseeker"}},{"insert":".\n"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#008a00"},"insert":"Containment Priest"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Containment Priest"}},{"insert":" is a meta call. It shuts down "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy"}},{"insert":", it makes "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sisay, Weatherlight Captain"}},{"insert":" pause briefly (as much as anything can), and if "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Winota, Joiner of Forces"}},{"insert":" sees play where you are, it'll shut her down as well. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Weathered Runestone"}},{"insert":" is certainly better, but it doesn't advance "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"our"},{"insert":" game plan. That said, it's a personal call to swap and I don't think playing Runestone is wrong, especially if Sisay and Kinnan are a big part of the meta you expect to see.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#008a00"},"insert":"Dauntless Dismantler"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Dauntless Dismantler"}},{"insert":" is a weaker "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Blind Obedience"}},{"insert":", but again, it's a creature. We're looking for a balance between shutting down our opponents and playing our own game. Stax as a strategy is useful for buying time, but it won't win you the game on its own. Dauntless Dismantler turns off Dockside loops briefly, which can open a window for you to win the game.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#008a00"},"insert":"Stern Scolding"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Stern Scolding"}},{"insert":" hits Thoracle, Dockside, Kinnan, Sisay, Tymna, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Opposition Agent"}},{"insert":", Bowmasters, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Drannith Magistrate"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Grand Abolisher"}},{"insert":", and lots of other nasty stuff. Card's good. Play it.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#e60000"},"insert":"Kor Skyfisher"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"strike":true},"insert":"Traditionally this slot has gone to "},{"attributes":{"strike":true},"insert":{"card-link":"Dream Stalker"}},{"attributes":{"strike":true},"insert":" since it's slightly better with Earthcraft, because your islands are hits for both it and Shrieking Drake and Drake is your best bounce creature. However, "},{"attributes":{"strike":true},"insert":{"card-link":"Talion, the Kindly Lord"}},{"attributes":{"strike":true},"insert":" exists and is both extremely good and extremely popular. Talion will always come down on either 1 or 2. Dream Stalker triggers Talion on both; "},{"attributes":{"strike":true},"insert":{"card-link":"Kor Skyfisher"}},{"attributes":{"strike":true},"insert":" only triggers Talion on 2."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Knock knock."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Who's there?"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Aven."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Aven wh-"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"AVEN INTERRUPTER."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#e60000"},"insert":"Fetchlands"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Yes, we're only running four fetchlands out of a potential ten. Fetchlands are amazing for mana fixing. They're very good with one or more Lotus Cobra effects in play. But they're "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"terrible "},{"insert":"when you are trying to go off, draw one, crack it, and fail to find. You want lands that generate mana and do so immediately. For the same reason, the MKM surveil lands ("},{"insert":{"card-link":"Lush Portico"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Hedge Maze"}},{"insert":", and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Meticulous Archive"}},{"insert":") are unplayable for us.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#e60000"},"insert":"Arbor Elf"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Arbor Elf"}},{"insert":" has been an include in these lists since the deck was first built. Arbor Elf is bad. Out of our 26 non-fetch lands, it untaps 10 of them. If there was a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Birds of Paradise"}},{"insert":" that said \"Roll a d10. On a 4 or less, add one mana of any color,\" would you play it? Of course not. Arbor Elf sucks. Play better creatures.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#e60000"},"insert":"Sylvan Library"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"I love "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sylvan Library"}},{"insert":", but it's 30 years old and showing its age. 8 life is no longer a meaningless amount, since you're paying life into The One Ring, potential beats from "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Tymna the Weaver"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Kraum, Ludevic's Opus"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Atraxa, Grand Unifier"}},{"insert":", or "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Tivit, Seller of Secrets"}},{"insert":", and random damage from things like Orcish Bowmasters or Talion. The One Ring and Trouble in Pairs may be more expensive to cast, but won't get you killed and don't take a full turn cycle to start working.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#e60000"},"insert":"Mana Breach"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Yes, it's a combo piece, but "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Mana Breach"}},{"insert":" is a combo piece I'm never really happy to see. Playing it feels bad. Trying to use it to turn into a win feels worse unless you have one of your bounce creatures anyway, at which point Mana Breach becomes nearly superfluous. At this point I'd rather play one more value engine and draw into a better combo piece. "},{"attributes":{"strike":true},"insert":"Notably, "},{"attributes":{"strike":true},"insert":{"card-link":"Trophy Mage"}},{"attributes":{"strike":true},"insert":" is close to being cut for a similar reason, but first there needs to be something worth cutting it for."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#e60000"},"insert":"Trophy Mage"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Murders at Karlov Manor gave us the Delney bounce line, which I'm finding surprisingly easy to assemble and less vulnerable to stack interaction than Cloudstone Curio. Curio's still really good and will almost certainly never be cut, but after playing the deck a number of times with Delney in it, I'm comfortable saying that we no longer need to play a bad 3-CMC creature whose only purpose is finding Curio. Cutting Trophy Mage creates space to put "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Aven Mindcensor"}},{"insert":" back in, which is an extremely valuable inclusion for my local meta because Sisay is "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"everywhere. "},{"insert":"If you'd prefer a flexible removal piece like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Skyclave Apparition"}},{"insert":" or another tutor like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Invasion of Ikoria // Zilortha, Apex of Ikoria"}},{"insert":" here, go nuts.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#e60000"},"insert":"Delighted Halfling"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"This is one I go back and forth on, but "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Delighted Halfling"}},{"insert":" just doesn't quite get there for me. It only affects five cards in the deck, and one of those is colorless anyway. For anything else it's a Mind Stone that probably doesn't even cantrip. It's pretty meh, but if you want to include it I won't argue against it.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#e60000"},"insert":"Carpet of Flowers"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"I know, I know. Midrange meta, lots of blue, there should be two islands on someone's board. But man, in practice, "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Carpet of Flowers"}},{"insert":" just "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"has not"},{"insert":" performed. Its floor is just so low and its ceiling isn't much higher because of all the 4c and 5c soup out there. I've cut it and have not felt any loss. Your mileage may vary by local meta.\n"}]}