The Retired: Golden Blunders

 As much as I wanted this to work, it just didn't. 

1 Apocalypse Hydra
4 Vigean Hydropon
2 Simic Guildmage
4 Animar, Soul of Elements
4 Fertilid
2 Protean Hydra
4 Primordial Hydra
3 Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur

4 Abundant Growth

1 Evolution Charm
4 Cytoshape
4 Manamorphose

11 Forest
7 Island
5 Mountain

I did a writeup on this deck back in 2012 (whoa!) but looking at it now, I just have to admit: no. I never wanted to play this deck. If I don't ever want to play a deck that means something about it is unfun and since I have so many choices, there's no reason to keep a deck going that isn't entertaining.

To put it succinctly: the payoffs really didn't do what I would hope. By getting multiple counters on Animar, my payoff cards didn't fundamentally shift the game, excepting for Jin-Gitaxias. Couple that with removal spells that were reliant on me having a Vigean Hydropon in play to work and you've got a recipe for a deck that just isn't very engaging. It wanted to do cool idea things but...the cool things it did weren't cool enough.

I did all this work to get the mana to happen and...it feels a little bad. However, there's a phrase for continuing to do something even when it isn't working, and I am trying to get better about letting things go. 

That said: I have a plan (to be revealed Thursday)...