There was a number of anticipation for the brand new Secret Lair: Raining Cats and Dogs deck. If you have been fortunate sufficient to get your fingers on one, then congratulations! However, even in the event you didn’t get one, you continue to might build a comparatively efficient model from already printed playing cards. That being mentioned, let’s take a look at design selections and the place they could possibly be altered. Our goal is both a extra flavorful or functionally highly effective Dog and Cat based mostly deck. (For the report, Cats rule, Dogs drool. I digress.)
The Obvious Non-Includes
At a downright inexpensive $2, Felidar Sovereign looks like the sort of card a deck that desires to play Cats would come with. It is available in at 3% of all decks registered on EDHrec, which suggests it sees piles of play. On a card degree, it threatens to win the sport as quickly as it’s out. That mentioned, Six mana and an repairs set off will not be “game over” – removed from it! Your opponents see it coming! They have a flip to cease it, both with removing or dealing even one level of harm.
There are different playing cards you would possibly count on to see within the deck as nicely that merely didn’t make it. What are a few of the extra highly effective and performed Cats all through Magic which might be lacking? Leonin Arbiter seems in lots of stax decks. Felidar Guardian is banned in Pioneer, a part of a great deal of infinite combos, and is a pleasant worth piece for decks with a lot of enters the battlefield results, one thing Raining Cats & Dogs, or RCAD does fairly a bit.
Qasali Pridemage has made it into many Commander decks merely as a Disenchant on an Exalted 2/2 Cat, however is lacking right here. Raining Cats & Dogs is drastically low on removing of every kind, so why would you not embody extra removing on a Cat physique like Enlightened Ascetic?
That’s simply a part of the Cat commentary. What about Dogs?
Did Wizards Forget Hounds?
Let’s play a sport! This is an identical sport. Tell me which two mana card is a Dog, Ainok Guide or Farseek? It’s not a trick query as all Hounds are actually Dogs.
Obviously, these two playing cards will not be equivalent in energy. Farseek ramps you out a land and fixes your mana. If you need a instrument that capabilities as each a risk and fixing, nonetheless, Ainok Guide is official and a Dog. Raining Cats & Dogs needs numerous creatures normally and keys off numbers of Dogs and Cats. It behooves you to stuff the deck stuffed with them.
Goldhound will not be a really thrilling card, however in a deck that wants extra mana whereas additionally needing as many creatures as attainable, it’s merely price a slot over one of many quite a few six mana creatures you’ll be able to’t handle to forged earlier than the sport is ending.
Why is Selfless Savior not within the deck? There aren’t any safety results or anti-boardwipe tech in the complete deck. None. At finest, there are some flash creatures that bounce one among your creatures. Bouncing your personal creature as a save is a large tempo loss. The reply to somebody eradicating your creature? You take away it for them. Yeah, not very environment friendly.
This may be very uncommon contemplating the excessive commonplace most of the new pre-cons have achieved. Could it as an alternative be…as a result of Selfless Savior has a Secret Lair print already? That is an apparent potential reply. Luckily, on this case, an extraordinary copy of the cardboard may be very cheap, however there may be zero official motive to not embody this card to guard your commander or excessive worth creatures.
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Absolutely Zero Vintage Cards
We talked about performance and the place the bottom deck is developing just a little brief. How about on the flavour finish? Many gamers do get pleasure from tapping mana and casting spells with out a want for the perfect, most optimum playing cards. For some, the novel inclusion of a collection of flavorful full-art basic lands do so much to swing the flavour evaluation in Raining Cats & Dogs in its favor. The nostalgia issue with this deck, nonetheless, is lackluster.
How the mighty (30 years in the past) have fallen! Savannah Lions was once the marquee card for white weenie and zoo decks many years in the past. A 2/1 for one mana and a uncommon at that. Now in Dominaria: Remastered it has been reprinted at frequent. At least it’s pauper authorized! This card has no business being in a deck as we speak, proper? Maybe in a purely Cat deck you can make some sort of case. But when you additionally introduce one other theme, Dogs, and one more theme, tokens, you don’t have room for the whole lot.
The similar goes for one among my favourite “Dogs” of all time and in addition a well-known card from Magic’s historical past Wild Mongrel. An image is price 1000 phrases right here.
The Secret Lair print of Wild Mongrel has the sort set to Dog. All different variations have the unique sort, Hound. Unfortunately there may be zero synergy within the pre-con. It can be a monumental enterprise to attempt to warp the complete deck to legitimize its inclusion. C’est la vie. There definitely are legitimate causes to not embody some traditional however not very playable playing cards.
The Disclaimer, Gameplay Scenarios Imagined
I don’t personal the deck. I’ve not performed with the deck. However, it’s a secure assumption to think about how the deck can play out.
If there’s a board wipe on flip 4, 5 – 6, you in all probability lose. That couldn’t have been very enjoyable. Playing three or 4 issues, shedding all of them and recasting your commander for six.
In an alternate sport with none wipes, the story is totally different. You performed 4 extremely synergistic token producing results. Then made a gazillion tokens, and at last proceeded to delete everybody else on the desk flip six or seven. That could have been a enjoyable sport for you however the remainder of the desk in all probability felt fairly powerless. It looks like a weak formulation. There’s no “give and take” or “back and forth” – you’re both fully overpowering the desk or doing nothing.
Furthermore, can this deck compete with most of the pre-cons made within the final two years? It’s mid degree at finest because it lacks board wipes, safety results and interplay. Certainly it’s a very grasping deck. It will attempt to generate a enormous quantity of tokens. But this solely works in case your opponents don’t have any wipes or interplay. That being mentioned, different pre-cons do the identical factor however quicker. This deck is gradual all else being equal. So how can we repair this going ahead?
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The Best Upgrade
It’s arduous to beat Changelings for worth in numerous decks and when it comes to Rin and Seri, Inseparable they offer you quadruple worth. When we’re speaking about energy and utility, you can not flip down that a lot worth. In mixture with Temur Sabertooth you’ll be able to very cheaply bounce and recast Universal Automaton as your finest play each single flip. Consider the interplay with Herald’s Horn as a result of that makes casting and recasting the Automaton free.
For the bottom mana attainable, it’s arduous to beat this. Compare this to a six or eight mana card sitting in your hand, and there’s no alternative. This logic would substitute Dogs and Cats with Changelings, however that can doubtless injury the flavour of the deck. Use your judgement right here.
Remove Fleetfoot Panther however be sure you maintain Whitemane Lion. Simply put, the Panther is means an excessive amount of mana and has concentrating on restrictions which make it lower than best.
On the opposite hand, Whitemane Lion can simply get into a price state of affairs. Bouncing itself and recasting at finish of flip for white mana is extremely priceless in Raining Cats & Dogs. That’s one of many attainable explanation why there are such a lot of basic Plains within the deck, and is one thing to remember whereas ramping and fetching. Whitemane Lion with Herald’s Horn, Rin and Seri and Impact Tremors is fairly near peak effectivity for this deck. Effectively, it’s pay white mana to win. Keep in thoughts that this builds up Bloodline Pretender and triggers Vanquisher’s Banner, Qasali Slingers and Oketra’s Monument. Whitemane Lion is virtually the hidden commander for this deck, because it stands.
A Slow Engine
For a really worth oriented deck, contemplate Snow Hound. It can defend your inexperienced creatures, fairly a couple of contemplating multicolored creatures, and supply you triggers. Since it is just one white mana, and two generic, it may be decreased all the way down to only one white. Furthermore, with Haste enabled, you are able to do this a number of instances per flip late sport. It will not be a quick choice, however opens the deck to different methods as a worse Whitemane Lion.
Finally, there’s The Lost Caverns of Ixalan as a really well timed set to sort things. It’s received Cats like Kuzil, Malamet Exemplar and the unbelievable Sovereign Okinec Ahau that supply nice our bodies that draw you playing cards and finish the sport whereas additionally being very low mana. It’s additionally received “Robot Cat” Roaming Throne that makes the deck even crazier. These are auto consists of on each degree and hopefully you pulled them from packs!
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Cards to Remove
Ditch Nacatl-War-Pride, Jazal Goldmane, Jinnie Fay, Jetmir’s Second and Phabine, Boss’s Confidant. Hard to forged, costly and “win more” are all phrases I’d use to explain these playing cards.
Also take out Showdown of the Skalds. It’s not a Dog or Cat or token generator and 4 mana is an excessive amount of for that.
Consider eradicating Lurking Predators. It’s a good card and the deck does have a important mass of creature playing cards, however six mana is so much. If it will get eliminated earlier than it did sufficient, Lurking Predators was a foul embody. In slower pods it might probably work, however the quicker and extra highly effective the group, the more severe it’s.
Warp World is similar basic thought. Eight mana is a ton of mana. Casting Whitemane Lion 4 instances might be higher. Sometimes, although, you Warp right into a state of affairs that wins the sport from an unwinnable pre-Warp position.
The Usual Commander Staples
Enlightened Tutor and Worldly Tutor are going to be arduous to go up. The solely motive to not play them is if you wish to maintain the facility degree of the deck low. The similar could be mentioned about taking part in a costlier, and practical, mana base. Furthermore, any creature deck within the colours is at all times going to run Rhythm of the Wild or Fires of Yavimaya and Concordant Crossroads. Other staples which might be much more necessary are Boros Charm, Heroic Intervention, Teferi’s Protection and different related results. You’re taking part in a creature deck and wish some degree of security from board wipes and removing, this isn’t non-obligatory!
Do you, your self, want to incorporate board wipes? It’s a strategic transfer to make the most of the wipes on the desk in your personal profit whereas not working any. When it really works, it’s nice. When you want a board wipe, you simply want one. Blasphemous Act might be your finest wager if you wish to embody one. Everything Comes to Dust is an attention-grabbing choice in the event you’re attempting to go for a one sided wipe, however it may be fairly dangerous with too many Changelings.
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Wrapping up
Wizards did this Secret Lair in a different way, beginning with altering the best way they’re producing and promoting the product. Rather than paying over retail worth for the deck on the secondary market, contemplate making your personal model. It will probably be cheaper, have the precise playing cards you need, and play with a particular objective in thoughts. It gained’t have these new artwork playing cards although. If that’s what you need, and also you missed it, you’re out of luck.
Furthermore, the look of the RCAD will not be fairly a token deck, a Dog deck or a Cat deck. It’s an excessive amount of of a mixture of all of the parts and has means too many wincons. Simultaneously it’s lacking sufficient early sport setup to get to the win. Because it lacks tutors and draw energy, you need to hope you draw the appropriate combination of playing cards. Luckily there are easy changes utilizing cheap playing cards that make for a extra constant sport plan whereas holding theme.
While I’m not contemplating buying RCAD, I do stay up for a possible future product. Secret Lair Duel Deck: Cats Vs Dogs when Wizards?
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