INTRODUCTION:
Orzhov Constellation is the first deck I made to delve into competitive Standard. Much of the basis of this deck was taken from the Pantheon's Power Intro Pack for Journey Into Nyx, but with the addition of much more powerful cards like
Herald of Torment
and Athreos, God of Passage. I wanted to make it as competitive as possible without having to resort to cards like Elspeth, Sun's Champion. The goal of the deck is to set up a great board state, limit the effectiveness of opponents' combat steps, and win through evasive threats. A lot of games were won on the backs of cards that people just don't give a lot of attention to but should.
THE TWO-MANA TRIO (the core of the deck):
Underworld Coinsmith
---This deck simply wouldn't work without him. He's a powerhouse, and I'm honestly surprised he doesn't see more play. He increases the gap between life totals for you and can deal the finishing blow with his ability.
Nyx-Fleece Ram---The best stone wall a deck can ask for. Aggro decks hate this card, and it can help mitigate damage from other sources. Also, it's a goddamn sheep.
Brain Maggot
---It's basically Thoughtseize on a stick. Due to its leave-the-battlefield nature, sometimes its best to just take a removal spell with it. But that's okay, considering our other cards.
THE E-TEAM (other enchantment creatures):
Athreos, God of Passage---He plays a big role in solidifying an excellent board state, and makes enemy removal much more awkward (outside of exile, of course). I only have one because of Deicide; besides, he isn't exactly a necessity most of the time.
Doomwake Giant
---There are a lot of matchups where he's simply not that great in, but also just as many where he kicks ass. Aggro decks also hate this card, and sometimes I simply need a bigger meatshield than my sheep.
Erebos, God of the Dead---One area that the deck almost has none of is card draw. Erebos fills that hole nicely, and can be incredibly powerful once I have enough devotion to black. Again, I limited the number of copies of him due to Deicide and legendary rules.
Grim Guardian---Terrifying in multiples, and just as good if he's the only one on the field. And yes, I have won games with him; it's quite hilarious beating $500+ Junk Reanimator decks with three 25 cent commons.
Herald of Torment
--I was torn between playing him and Master of the Feast, but then decided Herald was the better option. Losing a life per turn is negligible with this deck; giving your opponent cards is not. Also, he has bestow, and is a BIG threat with the right cards.
OTHER CARDS:
Banishing Light---A "more fair" reprint of Oblivion Ring is exactly what the doctor ordered (by doctor I mean me). I run four copies due to its synergy with the rest of the deck and ability to hit more than just creatures.
Suspension Field
---Basically a strictly worse Journey to Nowhere. It hits a ton of valuable targets in this format, not the least of which is Courser of Kruphix. Being two mana is huge in a deck that relies on cheap constellation triggers.
Hero's Downfall---Good ole' fashioned removal.
Extinguish All Hope
--Auto-win in some matchups and completely dead in others. This is one of those cards I can easily side out depending on what I'm up against.
While I'm beyond happy that Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth was reprinted, it could end up helping my enemy more than myself, so I don't know for sure how many to run when I get them. I also don't know how many fetch lands I'm supposed to run, since I don't have very much experience with them. Let me know what you think! Thanks for checking out my Orzhov Constellation deck, and any constructive criticism is appreciated!
