This is a fun combo deck that revolves around Deathrender and its ability to cheat in big creatures light Blightsteel Colossus. So, without further ado, I present the deck "Death Begets Life". It's still rough around the edges, but I found it to be pretty fun, and can be quite powerful in more casual modern play. I am trying to make it more competitive, so any suggestions are appreciated.
Example play (with perfect opening hand)
Turn 1
Turn 2
Turn 3
All on opponent's turn:
Turn 4
Deathrender + Sacrifice Outlet
Basically the deck runs on Deathrender becoming equipped to a creature that can easily die (such as Viscera Seer or
Sakura-Tribe Elder
, then replacing it with a giant monster. It is a righteous sacrifice so Blightsteel Colossus or It That Betrays can come out turn 4-5.
Sacrifice Outlets
There are a few sacrifice outlets, and many of the creatures are capable of sacrificing themselves. Evolutionary Leap is excellent, especially if you have a creature in hand to continually loop (as long as you have green mana). Viscera Seer works great as well, especially with topdeck cards such as Matter Reshaper.
Getting the right cards
Obviously you need Deathrender, so usually I mulligan until I have it or a Steelshaper's Gift to tutor for it. You can also use Sidisi, Undead Vizier if you really need to, but there are more interesting interactions with him.
The odds of drawing a Blightsteel Colossus or a It That Betrays are somewhat slim, so there are a few ways to get those guys in your hand. The most efficient is having Sidisi, Undead Vizier in your hand, with a way to put it on the battlefield with Deathrender (suicidal creature with sword). You can exploit with Sidisi, Undead Vizier by sacrificing itself, triggering both Deathrender and a tutor for a card. By ordering the triggers correctly, you can search for any creature and put it onto the battlefield.
Other ways of getting these cards is using topdeck search mechanics such as Evolutionary Leap and Matter Reshaper. Both of these guys allow for a bunch of creatures to chain together with Deathrender and a sacrifice engine until you get what you want.
Recursion
Eternal Witness is a wonderful card. Especially when you can cheat it out to return that self-sacrificed Sidisi, Undead Vizier back to your hand, sacrifice Eternal Witness, and go get another big baddie.
Removal & Protection
There's a good amount of removal in this deck, but much of it is reserved in the sideboard at the moment. Abrupt Decay is the only spell removal in the main deck, and can deal with those pesky early-game permanents.
Avacyn, Angel of Hope exists to protect Deathrender and my other permanents, as I can get her out at instant speed using any of the sacrifice engines with the combo.
Sideboard
In the sideboard, Ashen Rider and Woodfall Primus do some seriously good removal, and with recursion, can be the difference between winning and losing. I've also added
Sunblast Angel
for good measure, as you'll probably have a creature or two on the battlefield even after a board wipe. Vampire Hexmage is a great way to control any decks that use permanent counters, and can sacrifice itself, thus feeding the combo. Dismember is excellent for dealing with larger creatures, and can pick up the slack if Abrupt Decay is unable to.
