Something very important to be noted is that using Trickster's Elk as removal via bestow won't trigger Rendmaw's ability. It's decent if you just want to play a 3/3 and make some birds and have it be able to pivot as removal, but it can't do both at the same time, you get forced to choose: "On the stack, a spell with bestow is either a creature spell or an Aura spell. It's never both, although it's an enchantment spell in either case."
That’s a good distinction to make. It’s a nice modular removal spell, where it can either be cast as a creature to trigger Rendmaw OR as a bestow enchantment to transform an opponents creature. Admittedly, casting it just as a generic 3/3 is pretty boring, but I do like the fact it can serve different purposes depending on what you need in the moment.
I snagged this list and have been tweaking it a little: - Tarmogoyf Nest is a great include. 2 card types, and creates bodies where card-types in the graveyard matter. At the very least you'll generally be able to make 4/5 tokens for 2 mana (sorcery, instant, artifact-creature, etc) - Gothmog, Morgul Lieutenant also grants your creature tokens deathtouch (no attacking necessary) - meaning even if your opponents have beefy blockers when your own crows swing out they'll be taking things down with them. - Oasis Gardener - good mana dork that fits the scarecrow theme - The Swarmweaver - multi-type, creates bodies, and provides an anthem to other bodies you create using things like twitching doll - Strionic resonator, Lithoform Engine, Roaming Throne - copy commander triggers (need more scarecrows for best benefit on the throne) - Rootgrapple - dual card type non-creature permanent removal and card draw - Formless Genesis - repeatable dual-type sorcery (hopefully with the various card draws you'll have plenty of lands to discard) I'm sure there's more but these are what I found in my tinkering so far. I'm excited to try this deck out.
Awesome! Yeah, those all sound like great includes. There's so many different ways to build with Rendmaw, it'll be exciting to see what cards others use and how they build it out.
Sadly, whip of Erebos won't trigger Rendmaw when reanimating a creature from grave, as Rendmaw specifies "play" Otherwise, nice list. I'm snatching up that Raking Canopy tech for myself
Oh wow, thanks for pointing that out! I completely missed that that interaction doesn’t work. I’ll have to make a note of that error in the description. Thanks again!
So the bird tokens are just there as physical representation of the objects if you want to use them. When you make tokens, you can make as many as the game will allow, and can use anything to represent them. Wizards provides some cards to do this, but technically you can use anything you want: backsides of Magic cards, pennies, dice, whatever. What I usually do is I use a single token and then put a D20 on it to represent how many of those tokens exist. But you aren’t limited to how many physical token cards you have; you can make as many tokens as you want per game actions, and can simply represent them on the board however you want. Hopefully that makes sense!
i dont understant why killing other peoples crows if they are goaded, they are literally beneficial to you because is damage your opponents have to deal with and you cant be targeted by it
It’s specifically for when you have only one opponent left. When it’s just you and one other player, those goaded birds of theirs have to attack you. It’s the one real downside of goad, the eventual 1v1, since goad says they have to attack another player “if able”. Since they can no longer attack another player, they have to attack you. So the bird killing spells are for when it’s the end game, so you don’t get killed by the creatures you created for your opponent.
Cloudstone curio works pretty well with rendmaw, as the crows can trigger it
Something very important to be noted is that using Trickster's Elk as removal via bestow won't trigger Rendmaw's ability. It's decent if you just want to play a 3/3 and make some birds and have it be able to pivot as removal, but it can't do both at the same time, you get forced to choose: "On the stack, a spell with bestow is either a creature spell or an Aura spell. It's never both, although it's an enchantment spell in either case."
That’s a good distinction to make. It’s a nice modular removal spell, where it can either be cast as a creature to trigger Rendmaw OR as a bestow enchantment to transform an opponents creature. Admittedly, casting it just as a generic 3/3 is pretty boring, but I do like the fact it can serve different purposes depending on what you need in the moment.
I snagged this list and have been tweaking it a little:
- Tarmogoyf Nest is a great include. 2 card types, and creates bodies where card-types in the graveyard matter. At the very least you'll generally be able to make 4/5 tokens for 2 mana (sorcery, instant, artifact-creature, etc)
- Gothmog, Morgul Lieutenant also grants your creature tokens deathtouch (no attacking necessary) - meaning even if your opponents have beefy blockers when your own crows swing out they'll be taking things down with them.
- Oasis Gardener - good mana dork that fits the scarecrow theme
- The Swarmweaver - multi-type, creates bodies, and provides an anthem to other bodies you create using things like twitching doll
- Strionic resonator, Lithoform Engine, Roaming Throne - copy commander triggers (need more scarecrows for best benefit on the throne)
- Rootgrapple - dual card type non-creature permanent removal and card draw
- Formless Genesis - repeatable dual-type sorcery (hopefully with the various card draws you'll have plenty of lands to discard)
I'm sure there's more but these are what I found in my tinkering so far. I'm excited to try this deck out.
Awesome! Yeah, those all sound like great includes. There's so many different ways to build with Rendmaw, it'll be exciting to see what cards others use and how they build it out.
Wurmcoil engine
Steel hellkite
Insidious roots
Sandworm emergance
Restless cottage
The Whip won’t get a Rendmaw trigger, since you aren’t playing the returning creature. I still like the Whip though.
Sadly, whip of Erebos won't trigger Rendmaw when reanimating a creature from grave, as Rendmaw specifies "play"
Otherwise, nice list. I'm snatching up that Raking Canopy tech for myself
Oh wow, thanks for pointing that out! I completely missed that that interaction doesn’t work. I’ll have to make a note of that error in the description. Thanks again!
How are you supposed to make so many birds when you only get four tokens in the deck? Are you supposed to buy more
So the bird tokens are just there as physical representation of the objects if you want to use them. When you make tokens, you can make as many as the game will allow, and can use anything to represent them. Wizards provides some cards to do this, but technically you can use anything you want: backsides of Magic cards, pennies, dice, whatever. What I usually do is I use a single token and then put a D20 on it to represent how many of those tokens exist. But you aren’t limited to how many physical token cards you have; you can make as many tokens as you want per game actions, and can simply represent them on the board however you want. Hopefully that makes sense!
i dont understant why killing other peoples crows if they are goaded, they are literally beneficial to you because is damage your opponents have to deal with and you cant be targeted by it
It’s specifically for when you have only one opponent left. When it’s just you and one other player, those goaded birds of theirs have to attack you. It’s the one real downside of goad, the eventual 1v1, since goad says they have to attack another player “if able”. Since they can no longer attack another player, they have to attack you. So the bird killing spells are for when it’s the end game, so you don’t get killed by the creatures you created for your opponent.