Streywood Aviary

[Reddicediaries]

How is it doing in this meta? New card additions?

The book always surpised me at how it won Gen Con even though having very simple counters.

[MrBubu]

Well looking at silverclawgrizzly's deck
http://forum.arcanewonders.com/index.php?topic=17780.0

he also runs 6 falcons, but with more big creatures.
using lots of creatures from a spawnpoint was also kind of what the Turtle Necro did last year.
I think most decks have some anti-swarm capabilities so being flexible and switching gears certainly helps.
That's what the Fang of the first moon is doing in a way.

I must say however that my own experiences are very very limited. I am mostly judging from what I see some of the more experienced people doing.

[iNano78]

The book always surpised me at how it won Gen Con even though having very simple counters.

Group think. Everybody "knew" that a Beastmaster swarm couldn't win because there were too many easy counters. And since everybody knew it couldn't win, everyone also knew no one would bring one... which meant nobody needed to waste valuable sbp's on counters to something they knew they wouldn't have to face. And since everybody knew that, it was the perfect thing to bring. Only in the final (?) did somebody have a good counter (Chain Lightning) and it fizzled due to a bad roll. That, and the champ who brought the Aviary knew exactly what he was doing... knew how to pilot it flawlessly.

[silverclawgrizzly]

Ok couple things, it's dirt cheap to get this running. Literally ten spell points gets you 6 birds and two Rajan Furies. That gives you 110 more points to go with "some other crap in case this doesn't work." Yes you can counter the aviary but those counters won't also work on a buffed up mage or some solid big guys(bears don't care that you have a damage barrier they've got....well bear.)

The single greatest strength of the Straywood Beast Master is his versatility and ability to build books that adapt very easily. High Armor? You've got Rhino Hide, Gator Toughness, Wychwood Ironvine, Animal Kinships and the only Acid resistant chest piece in the game all in school. Beat down? You've got Bear Strength, Wolf Fury and again Animal Kinships all in school. Range game? You've got two good range quick actions with Hawkeye in school. Cheap tricks used by Biblofilter? Straywood INVENTED the ole Force Push em through a Wall of Thorns game. Nature does passive healing better than any other school and while a Beast Master is NOT a Druid on that level they still Have Regrowth, Regrowth Belt, Wychwood Ironvine, Etherian Life Tree, Mohktari Great Tree of Life, Iguana Regrowth, Bulls Endurance, and Gator Toughness all in school to heal/extend their lives.

While Beast Masters might not be THE best at anything(and I'd argue they still swarm better than anyone) they're at least SECOND best at a host of things.

[ExcaliburTK]

i'd have to say that the resident beastmaster expert Silverclaw said it best and pretty much gave every reason why it can be an amazing book My interest in the aviary tactic is to look at the addition of kajarah and the hunting spear (cripple is so good/Damn you pesky necro) to see how with both the johktari and straywood could effectively give artillery support to the birds and anything else that you throw out. quick action ranged weapons are so versatile and imo open up alot of strategy that was missing in the beastmasters (especially straywood) before the were released.

[Kelanen]

The book always surpised me at how it won Gen Con even though having very simple counters.

It was more a metagame choice than the precise book. Swarms could be hated out by a few silver bullets, therefore people stopped playing swarms, which led to people dropping those bullets. The player correctly judged the metagame as being at the right point where he could bring a book easily hated out, but where most people had dropped the cards to do so. The skill of reading the metagame is one of the most important out there...

That's not to dismiss the book, though - as Silverclaw says, the core of the book is very low on SBP, letting it play lots of expensive answers (Purge Magic, Banish, etc), and have a very versatile book to react with.

I'm not sure Straywoods are 2nd best at many things, but they are good enough at many things, and definitely the best at Swarm.

[Reddicediaries]

The book always surpised me at how it won Gen Con even though having very simple counters.

It was more a metagame choice than the precise book. Swarms could be hated out by a few silver bullets, therefore people stopped playing swarms, which led to people dropping those bullets. The player correctly judged the metagame as being at the right point where he could bring a book easily hated out, but where most people had dropped the cards to do so. The skill of reading the metagame is one of the most important out there...

That's not to dismiss the book, though - as Silverclaw says, the core of the book is very low on SBP, letting it play lots of expensive answers (Purge Magic, Banish, etc), and have a very versatile book to react with.

I'm not sure Straywoods are 2nd best at many things, but they are good enough at many things, and definitely the best at Swarm.

Very true! I suppose silverclaw plays a variation of the aviarym although he has more flexible options and less removal.

[Reddicediaries]

How would another mage use a similar strat to the aviary?

[Kelanen]

How would another mage use a similar strat to the aviary?

There's nothing as efficient as Thunderift Falcon or Rajan's Fury, nor the Quick Summoning ability.

That book does what it does better than any other mage can.

[littlenog]

Hmm,

Wychwood Hounds seem pretty viable and you could combine them with Red Claw.

* +1 Melee / +1 Armor if a hound is in the same square.
* More damage with Red Claw cause Canine

5 mana cost / 10 a Turn for 2
They have 7 health for a 5 cost creature

If all 6 are in a zone they have +1Armor /+1 Melee
lvl 1 canine so it works with Kinship to get your some more melee later after they are out.

[bigfatchef]

Hmm,

Wychwood Hounds seem pretty viable and you could combine them with Red Claw.

* +1 Melee / +1 Armor if a hound is in the same square.
* More damage with Red Claw cause Canine

5 mana cost / 10 a Turn for 2
They have 7 health for a 5 cost creature

If all 6 are in a zone they have +1Armor /+1 Melee
lvl 1 canine so it works with Kinship to get your some more melee later after they are out.

They totally rock! With redclaw and slavorg and and all those minor-creature-buffs I tend to overlook like joined strength.