Rápidus Mortem (Golgari)

Legacy BG (Golgari) Combo

Solomon

Creature (19)

• 1x Angel of Glory's Rise
• 1x Azami, Lady of Scrolls
• 4x Balustrade Spy
• 3x Elvish Spirit Guide
• 1x Laboratory Maniac
• 4x Narcomoeba
• 4x Undercity Informer
• 1x Wild Cantor

Artifact (16)

• 4x Chrome Mox
• 4x Lion's Eye Diamond
• 4x Lotus Petal
• 4x Serum Powder

Sorcery (9)

• 2x Dread Return
• 3x Gitaxian Probe
• 4x Infernal Tutor

Instant (16)

• 4x Cabal Ritual
• 4x Culling the Weak
• 4x Dark Ritual
• 4x Summoner's Pact

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Sideboard

Sorcery (9)

• 1x Ill-Gotten Gains
• 3x Infernal Contract
• 4x Land Grant
• 1x Tendrils of Agony

Land (2)

• 1x Bayou
• 1x Dryad Arbor

Artifact (4)

• 4x Goblin Charbelcher

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What maximizes the chances of achieving a Turn One Victory?

Article

Table of Contents

1. The Principal Idea
2. Game One
3. Suggested Swap
4. Game Two
5. Wild Cantor
6. Speed
7. Sample Plays
8. Hints and Tips
9. Feedback
10. Latest Update

Rapidus Mortem
Exploration of Golgari Combo
Solomon's Final Revision

The Principal Idea:

To date, I've spent a significant amount of time mulling over possible concepts (some thought up, others published online) for a fast and capable Combo list. Eventually, I stumbled across this thread on the Salvation forums, and was very surprised to discover the behemoths of Pact Spanish Inquisition and Oops All Spells!. Eventually, I decided to assemble a list focused on maximizing consistency without sacrificing the speed and potential of these strategies. In doing so, I have humbly incorporated my personal take on some of the approaches I've come across.

In his primer on MTG Salvation, Vacrix writes,

"You have heard of the Spanish Inquisition, right? In [the] 1500s, tribunal officers went door-to-door asking the question Is Jesus Christ divine? hoping to purge Spain and Portugal of Jews and Christian heretics. Well, SI and its derivatives ask a similar question: Do you have Force of Will? No, SI players are not purposely beating the [profanity] out of Jews and Christian Heretics. Actually, we just indiscriminately beat the [profanity] out of anyone that does not play Force of Will. Unfortunately, you do not get to torture your opponents either while they scream for repentance. It is over very quickly."

Embracing the spirit of his words, this deck focuses on maximizing the possibility of a Turn One victory by furthering the Mulligan mechanic to its full potential in hopes of achieving the optimal opening hand, taking advantage of the "surprise" factor between games in a traditional three-round match (explained later on), and harnessing the deck's incredibly explosive capabilities. The following article explains the list in two parts, one for Game One, and the other for Game Two.

Game One:

The strategy for our first game is swift and straightforward. Implementing Balustrade Spy and Undercity Informer in a deck without lands, our initial battle plan focuses on successfully executing a variant of the renowned Oops All Spells! combo.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with this version of Oops All Spells!, I will explain it here.

To paraphrase a Mr. Frampypants, this approach uses card draws like Gitaxian Probe and Manamorphose along with mana creators like Chrome Mox, Lotus Petal, Elvish Spirit Guide, Cabal Ritual, and Dark Ritual to play Balustrade Spy or Undercity Informer, milling your entire deck with their abilities because you have no lands.

As you mill cards from the top of your library, the unique effect of Narcomoeba will allow it to return to life, causing it to enter the battlefield instead of the grave. If everything goes well, between three to four copies of this creature will enter play.

This should be enough to pay the flashback cost of Dread Return, allowing you effectively to Reanimate any creature you like from the graveyard (which was your library not so long ago).

From here, you decide to reanimate Angel of Glory's Rise with Dread Return. The creature's ability to "return all Human creature cards from your graveyard to the battlefield" brings back Azami, Lady of Scrolls, and Laboratory Maniac.

You then activate Azami, Lady of Scrolls' effect by tapping her, obligating you to draw a card. Laboratory Maniac's effect causes you to win the game "if you would draw a card while your library has no cards in it". Since your library is nonexistent at this stage of the game (after full execution of the combo), you have just successfully achieved a victory!

A lot hinges on the deck thinning capabilities of Serum Powder and its (very) distant relative Gitaxian Probe. Together, these spells not only have the potential to lower the deck size to a mere 29 cards, thereby greatly increasing your chances of drawing the sought-after Turn One Finisher, but they come with bonus effects as well. The former fully replenishes your hand with a brand new set of cards, while the latter allows you to perform a mana-less Peek, giving you a pristine idea of what you're up against. Since you can mulligan whenever you want, you can also think of Serum Powder as a shoe-in for Gitaxian Probe (albeit a little sub-par without the Peek effect), as long as your hand consists of one card.

As you assemble your perfect opening hand, the smug look of satisfaction slowly creeping over your face really packs on the pressure; for your opponent, defeat lurks just around the corner.

After the first game, every combo piece except for Laboratory Maniac and one copy of Undercity Informer will board out, remodeling our deck for the next round.

Suggested Swap:

After game one, please complete the switches in the order described below.

Bayou == Angel of Glory's Rise

Dryad Arbor == Azami, Lady of Scrolls

Goblin Charbelcher == Balustrade Spy

Land Grant == Narcomoeba

Infernal Contract == Undercity Informer

Ill-Gotten Gains and Tendrils of Agony == Dread Return

Key: Board In == Board Out

After the swap, your deck should look like this:

Rapidus Mortem, Post-Swap

Sorcery (16):		Artifact (20):		Sideboard (15):
3x Gitaxian Probe		4x Chrome Mox		1x Angel of Glory's Rise
1x Ill-Gotten Gains		4x Goblin Charbelcher		1x Azami, Lady of Scrolls
3x Infernal Contract		4x Lion's Eye Diamond		4x Balustrade Spy
4x Infernal Tutor		4x Lotus Petal		2x Dread Return
4x Land Grant		4x Serum Powder		4x Narcomoeba
1x Tendrils of Agony

          3x Undercity Informer 

          Creature (7):           

Instant (16):          1x Dryad Arbor4x Cabal Ritual          3x Elvish Spirit Guide4x Culling the Weak          1x Laboratory Maniac4x Dark Ritual          1x Undercity Informer4x Summoner's Pact          1x Wild Cantor 

Land (2):1x Bayou1x Dryad Arbor

Game Two:

This is really where the "surprise" factor really hits. Following the aforementioned swap, our list focuses on smuggling in an all-new approach to victory, right under your opponent's nose! The strategy for Game Two runs on two win conditions: ten or more simultaneous copies of Tendrils of Agony via Storm, and the activated ability of Goblin Charbelcher, which exploits the deck's two-land count.

Supported by an explosive, yet wacky mana base (described in-depth later on), this deck can win using a method similar to The Epic Storm, through proper exploitation of the Ill-Gotten Gains Loop (requires Five Floating Mana, Any Mana Acceleration Card e.g. Dark Ritual, Infernal Tutor, Lion's Eye Diamond, Ill-Gotten Gains, and Tendrils of Agony).

For those of you unfamiliar with the Iggy (Ill-Gotten Gains) Loop, I will explain it here.

With five floating mana (at least one should be Black, so let us assume BGGGG), we can cast Infernal Tutor (GGG left). While Infernal Tutor is on the stack, we use the activated ability of Lion's Eye Diamond, cracking it for three Black mana (BBBGGG). We use Infernal Tutor to search for Ill-Gotten Gains. Using two Black mana and two Green mana, we play the spell, returning up to three cards from our graveyard; in this case, we choose Infernal Tutor, Lion's Eye Diamond, and any mana acceleration card, say Elvish Spirit Guide (BG). Removing Elvish Spirit Guide from the game, we gain one Green mana (BGG). Casting Infernal Tutor, we search for Tendrils of Agony (G). Once again, while Infernal Tutor is on the stack, we use the activated ability of Lion's Eye Diamond, cracking it for three Black mana (BBBG). Using our last four mana, we cast Tendrils of Agony, which, depending on the Storm count, can deal potentially fatal damage to our opponent.

You will notice that even when running the worst-case scenario, we reach a Storm count of six by playing the loop itself. We can assume that several other mana-acceleration spells had to be played in order to successfully arrange the initial five-mana requirement (BGGGG). Thus, with our wacky mana base, reaching the necessary Storm count should not be much of a problem.

This win condition is far more straightforward. With the help of Lion's Eye Diamond, it requires only four mana to set off, one less than the previous combo. With only two lands implemented in the entire deck, the chances of dealing twenty or more damage on the first activation of Goblin Charbelcher is quite high. Additionally, spells like Summoner's Pact and Land Grant help the chances of success by pulling Bayou and Dryad Arbor directly out of the deck into your hand.

These lovely spells supplement the deck's low land count, providing turn one mana acceleration for the player in hopes of reinforcing the speed of the build. Provided that you generate four or five mana of the right colors on the first turn, (that's two Dark Rituals, one successful Culling the Weak, etcetera), the combo goes off immediately, granting you a potential win on Turn One!

Before concluding, I'd like to run over some of the other cards that also made the Game Two list.

Wild Cantor can be a color fixer, a sacrifice to Culling the Weak, a green imprint on Chrome Mox, or a free storm count depending on how you want to use him. A trick I learned related to color fixing involves the use of Summoner's Pact to draw him out; with one Elvish Spirit Guide and one Summoner's Pact in your hand (or two copies of Summoner's Pact), you can use Wild Cantor to generate one Black mana by retrieving, playing, and sacrificing him.

Summoner's Pact, in addition to performing the above mana tactic, can simply be used to retrieve Elvish Spirit Guide, ultimately generating one Green mana and one Storm count.

Bayou is usually retrieved using Land Grant, as it counts as both a Forest and a Swamp. It is very useful for initiating the mana acceleration ramps, since it can produce either Black or Green mana. Since much of the mana core in this deck is ritual-based, an initial mana investment source as versatile as the dual land proves to be extremely useful.

Dryad Arbor, being both a Forest and a Green Creature, can be retrieved with either Land Grant or Summoner's Pact. It is usually seen as a convenient and costless sacrifice to Culling the Weak, being easily attainable, playable, uncounterable, and usable. It has proved to be a pivotal card in many of my trial games.

Infernal Contract is a staple of the original Spanish Inquisition archetype introduced in 2006. Known as a D4 (Draw Four) card, this spell grants you leeway at the cost of half your life total, giving your four more cards to attain the rest of your combo/mana-acceleration. I lowered the count from eight (Cruel Bargain poses as the twin) to three; for some reason, I found this spell to be more often a liability than an asset. For the sake of sticking with convention, however, I have kept three copies of it on the list.

Last but not least, while these creatures may be considered "dead draws" in Game Two, reality seems to prove otherwise, revealing a number of ways in which they can be useful. Undercity Informer imprints Black onto your favorite copy of Chrome Mox, allowing the artifact to generate mana in this much-desired color. When played alongside Laboratory Maniac, the Human Rogue also offers a third, non-interactive win condition that can boot up in case all else fails. It may not be the most powerful back-up plan, but it is certainly better than nothing.

Wild Cantor:

Hailing from the set of Guildpact, this amazing creature stands easily as one of the deck's most useful elements. As one of its most versatile enablers, Wild Cantor proves itself as an extremely useful tool. One of the few mana producing one-drops in Magic the Gathering, this incredible Druid remains as one of my most satisfying finds.

As a red and green creature, Wild Cantor imprints both colors onto the artifact Chrome Mox. It can serve as a color fixer, a chump blocker, or a much-needed sacrifice for Culling the Weak. Together with Dryad Arbor, this card makes up one of the deck's two played creatures.

Wild Cantor wields great synergy with many spells of the deck. It can be retrieved via Summoner's Pact, making it an easily accessible resource despite its single count. When paired with another Summoner's Pact or an Elvish Spirit Guide, the Druid can convert the Spirit's green mana into one of any color.

Unlike Dryad Arbor, Wild Cantor doesn't count as a land, allowing you to simulcast it with Bayou. When used with the Dual Land or a copy of Land Grant, Culling the Weak can generate three additional mana through offering the Human Druid as a sacrifice.

If playing Tendrils of Agony afterwards, the creature proves even more useful by pumping the spell's Storm ability; since you can sacrifice it for one mana of any color, Wild Cantor pays back its casting cost in full, allowing you to increment your Storm count for free.

For a combo deck seeking an upgrade in mana generation, color fixing, defense, and speed, Wild Cantor demonstrates itself as an incredibly useful addition that is a must-have in anyone's Magic shopping list.

Speed:

I haven't playtested the deck enough to be able to accurately assess its speed. However, as it appears now, the game approaches victory after about one turn of play.

Sample Plays:

Here are a couple of "goldfish" samples hoping to better explain how the list can be played. Note that these demonstrations are not by any means a comprehensive summary of the approaches taken while piloting the deck; with this library, many other ways of accomplishing the Turn One win exist. Please allow the videos a couple of seconds to load.

Oops All Spells! - First Game

Pact Spanish Inquisition - Second Game

Hints and Tips:

Posted here are some tips and tricks that I've come across while piloting this list, as well as some quick facts I like to keep in mind while sitting at wheel of this particular library. I will pair my thoughts with advice from other sources concerning Pact Spanish Inquisition and Oops All Spells!, our deck's two primary components. Hopefully, together, these bits of knowledge will help you better understand how to play the list more effectively. Feel free to read or disregard this section, depending on your knowledge and experience with the deck's two approaches.

For Game One:

1. Oops All Spells! "is a huge glass cannon", but "every extra turn you can wait is another card, which increases your chances [of success] drastically." Note: if you glance at the deck's Card Odds, you may better appreciate what he means by this. -Adam Prosak
2. In Game One, mana generation is critical to the livelihood of Oops All Spells! "To make [enough] starting mana, we'll have to play [every possible] way of generating our first mana". -Adam Prosak
3. If you draw Undercity Informer or Balustrade Spy, you will need to float at least four mana in order to successfully execute the desired combo.
4. If you draw Undercity Informer and Lion's Eye Diamond, excluding what is produced by Lion's Eye Diamond, you will need to float at least three mana in order to successfully execute the desired combo.
5. If you draw Infernal Tutor and one copy of Lion's Eye Diamond, remember that, excluding what is produced by the artifact, you will need to float at least three mana in order to successfully mill your way to victory.
6. If you draw Infernal Tutor and two or more copies of Lion's Eye Diamond, excluding what is produced by the latter, you will need to float at least two mana in order to successfully mill your way to victory.

For Game Two:

1. Regarding Pact Spanish Inquisition "knowing when to mulligan and when to keep is crucial to playing SI. When looking at your seven, you ought to quickly identify initial mana sources, [combo pieces], and acceleration. If you cannot identify a keepable hand quickly, your opponent might put you on combo and mulligan for hate." -Vacrix
2. "In game [two] against an unknown opponent, you should try to get a fast hand. If your hand is all mana sources and acceleration, you might want to mulligan that hand for a hand that can go off on the first turn." -Vacrix
3. "Whenever you have invested resources into a draw 4, you must constantly evaluate the odds. How much business is left in the deck? What do you need to continue the spell chain? Do you have mana floating?" -Vacrix
4. If you draw Infernal Tutor and one copy of Lion's Eye Diamond, excluding what is produced by Lion's Eye Diamond, you will need to float at least five mana (four if you hold Dark Ritual) in order to successfully execute the victory combo.
5. If you draw Infernal Tutor and two or more copies of Lion's Eye Diamond, excluding what is produced by the artifact, you will need to float at least two mana in order to successfully execute the victory combo.
6. If you draw Goblin Charbelcher and Lion's Eye Diamond, excluding what is produced by the latter, you will need to float at least four mana in order to successfully go off.
7. If you draw Infernal Contract and Lion's Eye Diamond, and you wish to bet on a new hand of four, you will need to float at least three mana using your opening hand. Following the execution of this step, you may need to generate between zero and two additional mana with your new hand before you can successfully go off.

Feedback:

I can see plenty of potential weaknesses in this deck.

As I am still relatively new to Magic the Gathering, I would indeed greatly appreciate any suggestions and/or constructive criticism that you may have to offer.

Top Ranked	Achieved #1 position overall 11 years ago
Date added	11 years
Last updated	7 years
Legality	This deck is not Legacy legal.
Rarity (main - side)	8 - 0 Mythic Rares 22 - 10 Rares 8 - 1 Uncommons 22 - 4 Commons
Cards	60
Avg. CMC	1.80
Folders	cool decks, ones I like, Public, Favorites, Mine, decks of interest, Deck I'd Like to Playtest, Other's Deck, Other good ideas!, temp