Harbingers of Destruction

Commander / EDH* Casual Counters Five Color Tribal

IcyLightning

Creature (28)

• 1x Apocalypse Hydra
• 1x Avatar of the Resolute
• 1x Clockwork Hydra
• 1x Corpsejack Menace
• 1x Deathbringer Thoctar
• 1x Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch
• 1x Fathom Mage
• 1x Fertilid
• 1x Forgotten Ancient
• 1x Fungal Behemoth
• 1x Gaea's Herald
• 1x Genesis Hydra
• 1x Gyre Sage
• 1x Hooded Hydra
• 1x Hydra Broodmaster
• 1x Kalonian Hydra
• 1x Lifeblood Hydra
• 1x Marath, Will of the Wild
• 1x Master Biomancer
• 1x Mikaeus, the Lunarch
• 1x Mistcutter Hydra
• 1x Primordial Hydra
• 1x Protean Hydra
• 1x Suncrusher
• 1x Triskelion
• 1x Ulasht, the Hate Seed
• 1x Vorel of the Hull Clade
• 1x Zameck Guildmage

Land (39)

• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Buried Ruin
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Evolving Wilds
• 8x Forest
• 1x Frontier Bivouac
• 1x Gavony Township
• 1x Golgari Rot Farm
• 1x Gruul Turf
• 4x Island
• 1x Jungle Shrine
• 1x Kessig Wolf Run
• 2x Mountain
• 1x Opal Palace
• 1x Opulent Palace
• 2x Plains
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Rupture Spire
• 1x Seaside Citadel
• 1x Simic Growth Chamber
• 1x Simic Guildgate
• 1x Skarrg, the Rage Pits
• 2x Swamp
• 1x Terramorphic Expanse
• 1x Transguild Promenade

Enchantment (8)

• 1x Asceticism
• 1x Bred for the Hunt
• 1x Fires of Yavimaya
• 1x Grave Betrayal
• 1x Hardened Scales
• 1x Oblivion Ring
• 1x Retribution of the Ancients
• 1x Rite of Passage

Artifact (10)

• 1x Armillary Sphere
• 1x Darksteel Ingot
• 1x Elixir of Immortality
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Mask of Avacyn
• 1x Power Conduit
• 1x Ring of Kalonia
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots
• 1x Whispersilk Cloak

Instant (7)

• 1x Bioshift
• 1x Fate Transfer
• 1x Inspiring Call
• 1x Jund Charm
• 1x Savage Summoning
• 1x Solidarity of Heroes
• 1x Wrap in Vigor

Sorcery (7)

• 1x Boundless Realms
• 1x Cultivate
• 1x Diabolic Tutor
• 1x Give / Take
• 1x Increasing Savagery
• 1x Tezzeret's Gambit
• 1x Urban Evolution

Commander (1)

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Maybeboard

Creature (30)

• 1x Animar, Soul of Elements
• 1x Archetype of Endurance
• 1x Bramblewood Paragon
• 1x Chasm Skulker
• 1x Chronomaton
• 1x Feral Hydra
• 1x Hamletback Goliath
• 1x Heroes' Bane
• 1x Hydra Omnivore
• 1x Ivorytusk Fortress
• 1x Keeper of Progenitus
• 1x Khalni Hydra
• 1x Marchesa, the Black Rose
• 1x Nessian Wilds Ravager
• 1x Phytohydra
• 1x Plaxcaster Frogling
• 1x Polukranos, World Eater
• 1x Prime Speaker Zegana
• 1x Prophet of Kruphix
• 1x Rattleclaw Mystic
• 1x Rosheen Meanderer
• 1x Savageborn Hydra
• 1x Scourge of Skola Vale
• 1x Spincrusher
• 1x Sporeback Troll
• 1x Sprouting Phytohydra
• 1x Surrak Dragonclaw
• 1x Tuskguard Captain
• 1x Vastwood Hydra
• 1x Vigor

Land (1)

• 1x Ancient Ziggurat

Enchantment (8)

• 1x Aspect of Mongoose
• 1x Doubling Season
• 1x Inexorable Tide
• 1x Ion Storm
• 1x Khalni Heart Expedition
• 1x Leyline of Lifeforce
• 1x Primal Vigor
• 1x Prismatic Omen

Artifact (2)

• 1x Chromatic Lantern
• 1x Expedition Map

Instant (2)

• 1x Esper Charm
• 1x Momentous Fall

Sorcery (4)

• 1x Hunt the Weak
• 1x Lead the Stampede
• 1x Savage Twister
• 1x Treasured Find

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Sever one head, two more will take its place

This is my first EDH deck, so please give any suggestions about the deck you may have!

The main goal of this deck is to utilize +1/+1 counters in various combos to deal damage, draw cards, destroy creatures, generate tokens, even gain life. Creating Terrible, Giant, Monstrous Hydras that can smash through an opponent's defense with Trample or Unblockable is just a bonus.

Progenitus is the Commander simply because he is supremely bad-ass and he fits the theme of the deck quite beautifully, even though there are almost certainly better commanders from a strategic point of view. The Commander is not the main win con for this deck, but if you can get the Soul of the World out on the field, might as well, because I doubt the opponent is going to have a Final Judgement just sitting around waiting for it specifically, so its more a "win-more" Commander.

I have divided the cards into 3 distinct groups: Generating Counters, Moving Counters, and Utilizing Counters

Generating Counters

Generating counters is the bread and butter for this deck. Most Hydras in the deck have , allowing you to dictate how many counters come out depending how much mana you have to utilize. Primordial Hydra can generate a lot of counters given a few turns. Mistcutter Hydra can be put out for counters with the added benefit that it can't be countered and it has haste.

Cards such as Corpsejack Menace, Solidarity of Heroes, and Kalonian Hydra all Double the amount of counters on creatures. Not only is just one such of these cards on the field great alone, but having several out at once is devastating.

Evolve is used in the deck as well, like Gyre Sage or Fathom Mage

Since the deck uses counters as a utility, generating counters is necessary to give the deck the options needed to respond to threats. Cards such as Rite of Passage and Gavony Township can help generate counters that can then be used for whatever is needed.

Moving Counters

Moving counters can be done with a variety of cards in the deck. Bioshift, Fate Transfer, Power Conduit, Mikaeus, the Lunarch and Forgotten Ancient all give the option to move counters amongst creatures.

Being able to move counters from one creature to another is not only useful, but potentially game winning. Bioshift the counters from an 8/8 Primordial Hydra onto Deathbringer Thoctar or Triskelion and swing them away. Even better, if Corpsejack Menace is out, that 8/8 you shifted is now a 16/16.

Utilizing Counters

This is where the flexibility and options of using the counters accumulated on cards comes into play.

Damage and Destruction

Creatures such as Apocalypse Hydra, Clockwork Hydra, Deathbringer Thoctar and Triskelion can remove +1/+1 counters to deal damage to a creature or player.

Suncrusher can outright destroy a creature.

Retribution of the Ancients is cheap removal using counters.

Moving counters onto these guys is the main win con of the deck, attacking for big damage with a Deathbringer Thoctar then removing a number of counters to add to the damage or destroy creatures which in turn generates even more counters is powerful.

Card Advantage/ Mana Ramp

Drawing is always good, and Etched Oracle, Fathom Mage and Zameck Guildmage all use counters to help draw cards.

Inspiring Call draws cards and grants indestructible for turn.

Bred for the Hunt also gives card draw.

Gyre Sage can flood the field with mana with even a few counters on her

Tokens/ Lifegain/ Other Options

Several cards can use counters in other ways to benefit you in some manner.

Hooded Hydra generates tokens on its death.

Marath, Will of the Wild can deal damage, generate tokens, and move counters.

Ulasht, the Hate Seed can deal damage or generate tokens.

Simic Manipulator can take control of an opponent's creature.

When Lifeblood Hydra dies, you gain life and draw cards equal to its power.

Cards such as Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch bestows Haste to creatures with +1/+1 counters, while Crowned Ceratok gives Trample. The interactions between creatures and counters and how you use them all depends on what the situation calls for.

Land

The land in this deck is something of a utility box to supplement the creatures on the board.

Gavony Township is an obvious choice for a deck centered around counters.

Kessig Wolf Run and Skarrg, the Rage Pits grant Trample.

Opal Palace could be used to bring Progenitus out with some extra counters

Reliquary Tower allows you to hold cards for longer if you want to build up some mana before casting a Hydra without feeling rushed to empty your hand.

Rogue's Passage gives Unblockable, which could be absolutely lethal in this deck

The rest are dual color or tri color lands, or fetch lands.

Final Thoughts

As I stated above, this is my first EDH deck, as in I've never even played the format before, and have yet to even buy some of the cards let alone playtest this, but I do want to try it out and making this deck has been amazingly fun.

As it stands right now, I feel like the deck could use some more exile or destroy creature removal, maybe a few counterspells to aid in getting the hydras out.

I'm also a little unsure about the land and how much ramp vs. tapped lands/bounce lands I should be running. I read in a few forums that for every 3 land ramp/fetch lands/mana dorks/ you can remove 1 land from the 40 standard, but this deck is certainly a mana intensive deck. It has the option to be low cost, but to really take advantage of the deck you need to put the hydras out for +5 at least I feel.

Aiming to keep the cost at or around $100, which is why some cards that are PERFECT for this deck coughcough, Doubling Season, Animar, Soul of Elements are excluded. Maybe I'll add them in if I really enjoy this deck and end up wanting to keep it for years to come.

Please leave any comments or suggestions you may have!

Date added	9 years
Last updated	4 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	8 - 0 Mythic Rares 28 - 0 Rares 32 - 0 Uncommons 14 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.26
Tokens	Elemental X/X G, Hydra */* G, Morph 2/2 C, Saproling 1/1 G, Snake 1/1 G
Folders	EDH, Others, Z-Decks to Monitor