Coming For You, Shockwave

I have been able to play a bunch of games with Grimlock, Dinobot Leader and...they've been pretty good! Mana has been remarkably stable, Grimlock presents a pleasantly aggressive mode that can help other creatures or, after a board wipe, appear on the battlefield as an 8/8 trampler for six mana. That's a pretty good deal, too.

Everybody loved dinosaurs, and everybody hated dinosaurs. So that was positive, too!

Hoooooooowever. I lost games, lots of them, and it was because I could not handle artifacts or enchantments.

Humility, Hammer of Nazahn, Wound Reflection, Mirari's Wake; my losses have come not at the hands of creatures-although they were the finishing blow-but instead because of the added value of these permanents and others like them.

I need a way to deal with them beyond Zacama. Which is a bummer because the mana ramp is there! I can do a lot of giant dino things!

But I get my ass kicked by the ephemeral and tools. Which makes some sense, thematically, but there's got to be a way to fix this. I hate having to sit there paralyzed and there's 99 freakin' slots in this deck. There must be room to make this better.

The problem is, I'm starting to run out of cutable creatures. I don't want to axe the cheap commons because they help give me something to do in the early game. Similarly, I don't want to get rid of the vehicles: They've been all-stars when it comes to making use of big creatures who would just stand there, otherwise.

However, there is a good question about where to go with it? Should I just be looking to overwhelm with card draw? Do I go for a more utility approach? Sweeping effects like Shatterstorm or Wave of Vitriol (both cards I adore) really put a cramp on what I want to do.

One suggestion I got from a player at the Tonic was Rogue's Passage. That is something I hadn't even considered! But if I can make a 14/12 monster on turn 5 (Ghalta + Grimlock), why not attack with it for the full amount of damage? Whispersilk Cloak might be even better: less mana investment over time and better protection for a creature like Gishath, Sun's Avatar. The advantage of having the unblockable effect come from a permanent type that isn't easy to destroy might not be worth it. I suppose I could try both...

It wouldn't be an answer so much as a workaround but maybe a workaround is all I need.

Finally: It's my birthday this week, so there won't be a Thursday post. Back on next week. Cheers!