Not your everyday etrata deck
I went a different way with the deck than I first expected.
First I wanted to be winning EDH games by getting 9 hit counters on my opponents.
This is honestly almost impossible, or at the very least highly unlikely, in the deck I had constructed it required at least 3 combat phases with opponents at least 3 nontoken creatures.
After pondering over giving my opponents creatures and circumventing the legend rule I came to 2 conclusions:
1: If I want to otk a board with nonlegendary Etrata's I can't do it on a budget.
2: A deck that needs opponents to have creatures to function is forced to play a lot of poor cards.
So if the deck does not want to be super bad, Etrata the silencer can not be the primary wincon. However as they say in Chess; "The threat is more dangerous than the execution", we don't need to be winning with her, the fact that opponents with 1 counter on em are afraid of playing more than 1 creature is half the way to winning in itself.
Flickr value
The deck uses flickr effects like Ghostly Flicker and Essence Flux to outvalue opponents.
Archaeomancer + Ghostly Flicker
is a continual flickr effect and basically all the creatures in the deck will be able to benefit from this.
Strionic Resonator Can double all enters the battlefield effects while also being able to double an Etrata-trigger, Narset trigger, surveryor's scope trigger or a Peregrine Draketrigger for insane mana cheating
Archaeomancer +a flicker effect in the graveyard is pure gas
Wishclaw Talisman +a flicker effect is an extra 1mana tutoring.
The combos
Winning
Archaeomancer + Ghostly Flicker + Peregrine Drake
- Infinite mana - once you have infinite mana most of the games just end.
Archaeomancer + Mimic vat + manifold key + ghostly flicker + Peregrine drake - Infinite tokens: Ghostly flicker can also flickr artifacts so after you've established infinite mana you can flickr the manifold key for infinite untaps of Mimic vat and kill your opponent with infinite balefulstrix's or whatever you feel like(not etrata, legend rule applies)
Wishclaw Talisman and a flickr effect or a bounce spell gives you additional 1-mana tutoring
Commit / Memory + Notion Thief draws you 28 cards and empties your opponent's hands, narset also comboes with it.
Mana cheating
Remember that using a flickr effect on Peregrine Drake will generally net you positive mana.
Release to the wind is a flickr effect that goes accross turns so it can be utilised for some serious mana cheating:
Strionic Resonator Will make you capable of floating an extra 5 mana when casting Peregrine Drake
Fairytale christmasland boardstate turn 3: Sol-ring+3 lands on the field -> Play Peregrine Drake + Release to the Wind
-> end turn.
Turn 4: Play land -> float 4 mana -> Play Peregrine Drake for free netting you 8 mana(rocks not included) on turn 4.
In fairytale christmasland you can sometimes win on turn 4 with this infinite.
Alternate win-con
Etrata, the Silencer is the decks "alternate" win-con. But more often than not she'll be utilised more as a "not-lose" con or a "i have nothing to play in my hand so i play this for future tempo" and to scare off the dumb-dumbs trying to kill me.
However:
Etrata can make an opponent lose the game with Etrata, the Silencer + Manifold Key + Strionic Resonator
5 mana - 3 card combo with summoning sickness. Not the most impressive BUT we do have tutors for our 2 non-commander cards in the combo.
Etrata can also shuffle the library to combo with brainstorm or ponder.
Upgrades
In regards to upgrades
+Muddle the Mixture %Negate - Muddle the mixture can tutor a tap-land Jwari Disruption
, a value/combo piece Strionic Resonator, a blocker/haster Crashing Drawbridge and Haste boots to make etrata hasty.
Another line you could take the deck is more etrata focused with some lithoform and helm of the host shenanigans, none of these cards are very budgetty though: Dramatic Reversal, Helm of the Host and Lithoform Engine. This will make the decks engine much much stronger. It will also make it more common to take out 2 players in a turn instead of only 1 with etrata, it also makes it possible for etrata to otk the whole board if you live for the meme.
