Dryad Sligh

Hey guys and gals, and welcome to this month’s deck article. I decided to go through some historical decks and choose one to talk about today, while adjusting to improve and personalize it a bit. The interesting thing here is that I am pretty sure every single card today has been mentioned in various decks previously posted. I think that’s pretty cool though; that you can take pieces amongst various completely unrelated brews/styles and enjoy something that is its own. So with that being said, let’s check out Dryad Sligh.

So why Dryad Sligh? Admittedly I am not sure on the history entirely, as this is not an original deck idea. I imagine however, that its name is due to the high Red spell count, obviously in relation to the original Sligh decks themselves’, as well as the general aggro strategy.  The plan here is pretty streamlined and the deck has a great mana curve to match its design.  You want to hit the opponent hard and quick, and then keep them on their heels as you pummel them down to 0.

D. Sligh’s interesting because it balances creatures and spells pretty well, employing both to achieve its goal. The creatures are cheap and strong, while some also allow some impressive versatility. This is also true with regards to its spells and their roles; heck, just look at Seal of Fire’s versatility. You can play it whenever and then use it whenever. Simple and strong.

Now let’s look at the singletons. Rancor might not seem necessary, particularly as a 1x copy, but I included it because it helps a) our pumping strategy and b) its trampliness helps negate chump blockers. It also goes back to your hand should it or its creature die, which is obviously a nice bonus. The other glaring example is the 1x Werebear, which made me sad. I obviously wanted to include our arms bearing buddy’s buddies’ to the deck, but it works directly against the Dryad strategy. The reason there’s even one is because it does work nicely as a spare Dryad and the lone Rancor can really make it do some damage to the opponent.

I’m not sure any other pieces here really need an explanation, but I obviously recommend you take a peek and consider each card’s role and how it would work in your own D. Sligh deck. Aggro strategies in RG have some really great options, and any deck builder worth their salt can surely dive in and discover some cool tech. I hope you enjoy the journey. Happy Brewing!

Dryad Sligh

Land

4 Mountain

1 Forest

4 Taiga

8 Fetch lands

4 Wasteland

Total: 21

Creatures

4 Quirion Dryad

4 Grim Lavamancer

4 Mogg Fanatic

4 Kird Ape

1 Werebear

Total: 17

Spells

4 Lightning Bolt

4 Chain Lightning

4 Incinerate

4 Seal of Fire

4 Kindle

1 Rancor

1 Char

Total: 22

Sideboard

4 Ground Seal

2 Red Elemental Blast

4 Naturalize

2 Pyroblast

1 Pyroclasm

2 Ensnaring Bridge