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Ken Yukuhiro is fast becoming one of my favorite Magic players.
Ken brought a wild looking Orzhov Auras deck to Players Tour Brussels which paired Sram, Senior Edificer with a bunch of new Theros Beyond Death cards and took it all the way to the finals of the event; a monumental achievement for a brew that was likely the only copy of the deck in the room. I did a lot of work with Sram early on in the Pioneer format and it's awesome to see the deck fully come together with additions from the new set.
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Alseid of Life's Bounty and Hateful Eidolon both provide insane upgrades to the somewhat lackluster Hopeful Eidolon and Nyxborn Shieldmate, giving the deck a new protection angle as well as a card draw engine that helps offset aura losses in addition to Sram. Lifelink on both is huge, and Karametra's Blessing provides even more protection and sweeper insurance. Throw in some Sentinel's Eyes and Aphemia, the Cacophony and we've got something pretty sweet!
Time Stamps:
Match 1 - 00:08:25
Match 2 - 00:39:31
Match 3 - 00:58:58
Match 4 - 01:16:11
Match 5 - 01:38:29
Sram Auras | Pioneer | Ken Yukuhiro, 2nd Place Players Tour Nagoya
- Creatures (17)
- 2 Favored Hoplite
- 4 Alseid of Life's Bounty
- 4 Hateful Eidolon
- 3 Aphemia, the Cacophony
- 4 Sram, Senior Edificer
- Spells (23)
- 4 Karametra's Blessing
- 3 Gryff's Boon
- 4 All That Glitters
- 4 Cartouche of Solidarity
- 4 Ethereal Armor
- 4 Sentinel's Eyes
- Lands (20)
- 1 Swamp
- 6 Plains
- 1 Mana Confluence
- 4 Caves of Koilos
- 4 Concealed Courtyard
- 4 Godless Shrine
- Sideboard (15)
- 3 Apostle of Purifying Light
- 2 Baffling End
- 2 Gideon of the Trials
- 3 Brain Maggot
- 1 Grafdigger's Cage
- 2 Dead Weight
- 2 Thoughtseize
The new cards really impressed!
While Aphemia was a bit underwhelming as the Zombie tokens didn't feel super impactful, Hateful Eidolon was well worth the splash. A fantastic vessel for auras, Hateful Eidolon picked up the slack in the games we didn't draw Sram and allowed us to not fall behind on cards. The unassuming Sentinel's Eyes also helps with the midgame staying power.
I must say though that I did miss Helm of the Gods I had in my version. Having yet another repeatable All That Glitters effect helps to make sure we are sized up properly, while also playing very well against removal and sweepers. And it still draws a card off Sram and pumps All That Glitters! I don't know if you want the full playset but I would definitely add in at least two or three.
Otherwise the deck was a blast to play and worked fairly well. It is fast and surprisingly resilient, while also being relatively inexpensive to build. If you're looking to get into Pioneer for the first time, Sram Auras is a very fun place to start.
