It's been a while since I last updated this deck list; I know I've gone through various small changes over time, so I'm starting with a blank slate!
That being said, this was my first commander deck, which all began with Nicol Bolas. He was my original commander. Over time the deck morphed into what we have today!
Marchesa, the Black Rose is the unspoken Undying commander, and I've capitalized on that idea in many ways. At a glance, this deck will sacrifice every piece of flesh it can in order to win! With Marchesa on the field, +1/+1 counters enable a whirlwind of death and rebirth, which creates a Circle of Value! As this comes online, we're doing whatever necessary to keep our opponents destitute or otherwise bleeding. This often means we have a commanding presence on the field because they had to commit blood sacrifices at my behest.
To begin, let us consider our Undying section.
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed allows our many non-Humans to gain undying, so when those creatures inevitably feel the knife, they are rushed back to life with a +1/+1 counter. Once that counter is in place, and Marchesa is on the field, our Circle of Value is complete. If you do not know this card, Undying Evil, please consider it for every Black deck. It offers a quick and easy level of safety for a creature. Under Marchesa's heartless eye, she is safe from destruction or one of her minions rushes back to serve her again. Butcher Ghoul and Pyreheart Wolf are both baseline minions in this sacrificial whirlwind. They are great chump blockers early on or they make excellent sacrifice fodder further into a match. Later on Flayer of the Hatebound gives our Circle of Value some damage output, and River Kelpie continues to feed the bloody maw. One of the most important cards of the deck is Unspeakable Symbol. With this and Marchesa on the field we are able to turn our life into +1/+1 counters. Here is the primeval creation of the Circle of Value.
Now we need to figure out exactly what serves as Sacrificial Value.
We have a number of options, ranging from card draw to damage, and lots in between! Disciple of Bolas gives us cards and life. Disciple of Griselbrand also gives us life; these two cards have given me an extended stay on the battlefield despite long odds! Do not disregard these two minions. Skullclamp and
Erebos, Bleak-Hearted offer us tangential card draw as our creatures are sent to oblivion. Additionally, Erebos gives us another route toward defeating an indestructible creature! Not necessarily a problem, given how much forced sacrifice is in the deck, but you never know. I've found it useful in its short time in the deck already! Dreadhorde Butcher is a great early game threat on the field, and it serves as useful fodder for death when it has some counters on it, which allows us to ping any target that requires attention, especially planeswalkers. Additionally, the Butcher generates its own +1/+1 counters, so Marchesa and dethrone are not necessary here. Finally we have Pitiless Plunderer which creates more mana from our bloodrites! Another sleeper in the deck is Sparring Construct. This little guy is a great chump blocker at the onset of the match, but when it dies, we can start the Circle of Value.
As we move along in the match, we often have to deal with our opponents' many threats. We have two options here, and I'll first consider Control.
Gilded Drake is the king of this category by a long stretch. A two drop forever thief, which, given the remainder of our deck, will likely leave the opponent's control quickly and return to our side of the field! Mark of Mutiny allows us temporary control of a creature, however, with Marchesa on the field, and some handy sacrificing, that creature will find itself on our side for almost ever. Warning, do not expect to get your opponent's commander via Marchesa's effect. That creature will just fly off to the command zone, so we won't get to keep it. These next cards are nice temporary steals, Dominus of Fealty and Captivating Crew. Slave of Bolas takes the creature and forces a sacrifice, which is always hilarious. Finally, Hostage Taker allows us to snatch up a problematic artifact!
If control isn't an option, then we have our Eye for an Eye strategy. These cards force the opponent(s) to make some tough choices! Barrin's Spite is an excellent example! Dictate of Erebos and Grave Pact make our Circle of Value really hurt! And if one of those is on the field, we're likely going to dominant the board. Next we have Vona's Hunger, a fine showing from the spell category. This card is especially nice if you can wait until the City's Blessing is in effect. Finally we have Fleshbag Marauder, Plaguecrafter, and some day (when I remember), Merciless Executioner. With our Circle of Value in effect, these cuddly bodies become repeatable death bombs!
Now, as we utilize our Circle of Value allow me to introduce the backup plan, Graveyard Shenanigans. Sometimes a board wipe hits at an inopportune moment or one too many board wipes occur, which leaves us destitute and scrambling. Here we have Sheoldred, Whispering One, who hammers at each opponent and allows our fleshy value bags to once again find life. Chainer, Nightmare Adept is a fun addition, who allows us to throw away lands or other chaff to also fund our shenanigans. Finally, Feldon of the Third Path wills the dead to lead a dim mockery of life. It all works the same for Marchesa, as she hardly notices that her minions aren't actually alive again. Feldon happens to offer a fine segue into the next section.
Going Fishing
The deck has a number of big nasties that, should they come onto the field ahead of curve, they can often guarantee victory! Early game we have Search for Azcanta
which is a cheap and free way to fill the graveyard. Also, there are a number of ways to scry or otherwise manipulate the top of the deck, so we can prepare the library for things that are not useful in the moment. Otherwise Jalira, Master Polymorphist is our Master Angler. She takes our blood-filled minions, slits their throats, and uses their death throes to lure those big nasties forward. Unfortunately she won't get the legendaries, but nonetheless. There is value to be had with creatures like Tuktuk the Explorer or especially Reef Worm. Another important card in the deck is Shifting Shadow. This card does some serious work! Especially in tandem with other aspects of the deck. Imagine gaining a creature through Dragonlord Silumgar or Gilded Drake, only to send it to hell, and getting more fodder from our deck in its stead!
I leave you with this, a memorial to the foundations of this deck.
Nicol Bolas in his various forms. At one point, I think I had 4 different iterations of Nicol Bolas in the deck, which broke the structure, and the Marchesa deck lost much more often. So this clean slate, in part, is to remedy those fateful changes! Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
is a solid creature with a fun ETB which can be exploited through our Circle of Value. If he transforms, then even better! Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker does everything the deck wants. In particular, it destroys problematic things, especially enchantments. That planeswalker can also gain control of more fodder for the blood wheels!
This deck is incredibly flexible, and it often proves slippery. At the top I mentioned some of the life gain possible, and I want to remind you of it again. Even though it's small, it adds up, and it gives Marchesa some staying power. All Praise to the Circle of Value!
I'm incredibly happy with the deck, but please, if you notice anything that might be useful for consideration, do not hesitate to pass it along.
