If you are updated with Standard, you’ll know that Birthing Pod decks had been increasingly popular in the recent MTGO Daily’s and on SCG Open tournaments. The popular color combination of the deck archetype is Red Green White, or short-termed as Naya Pod.
Here is a typical decklist:
Naya Pod by Kaitai
MTGO Standard Daily (4-0) – Week of 3/26/12
Main Deck
1 Acidic Slime
1 Archon of Justice
4 Avacyn’s Pilgrim
4 Birds of Paradise
3 Blade Splicer
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
2 Fiend Hunter
1 Geist-Honored Monk
3 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Stonehorn Dignitary
4 Strangleroot Geist
1 Sun Titan
1 Viridian Emissary
1 Wurmcoil Engine
4 Birthing Pod
2 Oblivion Ring
4 Copperline Gorge
5 Forest
2 Gavony Township
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Mountain
2 Plains
4 Razorverge Thicket
2 Rootbound Crag
3 Sunpetal Grove
Green and White are the deck’s core colors, and adding Red due to consistency of SOM’s Red/Green dual land and the power of Huntmaster of the Fells.
Yes, these are the typical builds but I am thinking of the other color to combine with Green. I just then got inspired by this article and remembered the Black Green Pod I made just before Zendikar block rotated out. I’ve checked out some references and came up with this list:
Black Green Birthing Pod by Mark Ian Alloso
Main deck
Lands
4 Woodland Cemetery
1 Grim Backwoods
1 Evolving Wilds
11 Forest
7 Swamp
Creatures
4 Strangleroot Geist
1 Entomber Exarch
2 Young Wolf
1 Glissa, the Traitor
3 Viridian Emissary
4 Birds of Paradise
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
2 Wakedancer
1 Skinrender
1 Grave Titan
1 Geralf’s Messenger
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
2 Acidic Slime
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Sylvok Replica
1 Perilous Myr
Spells
4 Birthing Pod
1 Mortarpod
4 Tragic Slip
The deck can purely do the “go aggro” plan with Geists and Young Wolf while abusing Morbid on the Pod with Wakedancers and Tragic Slips. Also, Glissa can do a combo with Sylvok Replica or Perilous Myr. One “God draw”-ish scenario would be:
Turn 1 Forest, Birds
Turn 2 Woodland Cemetery, cast Birthing Pod
Turn 3 Forest, Cast Strangleroot Geist, Pod to Wakedancer with trigger Morbid, Bash
Turn 4 Swamp, Bash, Pod Wakedancer to Entomber Exarch, Return Wakedancer to hand, Cast Wakedancer
Turn 5 Swarm the opponent with critters!
That last part was overrated but pod into geist to Wakedancer has a high chance of happening.
Sideboards will then again be based on local meta, but I’d advise you prepare against Wolf Run Ramp as it is the bad matchup of the deck.
Anyhow, I suggest you try the list in your FNM’s or other regular (less serious) tournaments. It’s the new system PWP so don’t be afraid to lose. Play for fun and enjoy the game.
Until next post!