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Sek'kuar *Gravestorm* (optimized EDH)

Commander / EDH* BRG (Jund)

goldlion

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Playtest v1
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Land (30)

Easy Storm (5)

Storm Draw (5)

Storm Enabler (4)

Ramp (14)

Interaction (8)

Recursion (8)

Tutor (5)

Cost Reducers (3)

Commander (1)

Commander: Sek'Kuar, Deathkeeper

Card Advantage (13)

Sacrifice (6)

Storm Payoff (5)

Haste (1)

Other (1)

Sideboard

Storm Payoff (5)

Sacrifice (2)

Easy Storm (1)

Haste (1)

Storm Draw (1)

Card Advantage (4)

Interaction (3)

Recursion (1)

Tutor (1)

Ramp (4)

Other (3)

Maybeboard

Other (35)

Interaction (1)

Recursion (1)

Disclaimer: I am not experienced with cEDH, either in play or deck design. This is an experiment :).

The goal of this deck is to pull off one of many slightly convoluted combos to fill the board with creatures—usually infinite tokens—and run everyone over, or produce infinite mana and draw into Exsanguinate.

My playgroup and I are looking at optimizing a few decks to create some (very) lower tier cEDH inspired gameplay. Sek'Kuar was a deck I had built before that always wanted to lean into more combo type stuff, but the table wasn't quite ready for it - so now's my chance.

It started around the idea of Aluren as an Abzan deck, abusing the death trigger on Athreos, God of Passage. Not affording an Athreos or having the right Abzan commander to lead the deck, I found Pia's Revolution and decided to put to work the Sek'kuar that was in my binder, along with artifact creatures. This put to use the myrs that tapped for mana and the Scrap Trawler suite, but also had a bunch of the non-artifact creatures that are in here.

As I wasn't going all in on Pia's Revolution, other synergies and combo cycles performed better so I've left that behind for now to bring focus to what I already knew to work well. That's how we got to be here.

While it started with Aluren, cycling 3cmc and less through the yard and back onto the field, it can function very easily without Aluren in many ways. That diversity gives it some theoretical resilience and I can often draw into combos rather than have to tutor.

The additions of new cards like Liliana's Standard Bearer and Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge, or brilliant finds like Matter Reshaper have upped its game. After finding multiple ways to accomplish what Aluren does, I still give priority to 3cmc or less creatures. This has kept its mana cost more optimized as well.

The high cmc aside, besides being flavourful (so very important) Sek'Kuar is functionally great for this deck. He fuels a storm with extra tokens to sac for mana, cards, and doubling the death triggers. But, there's even more to him here.

Having many ways to create infinite death triggers, Sek'Kuar, Deathkeeper seems to me an overlooked commander for lower tier cEDH. He's one of those rare generals with a win-con built right on him. While the usual bar is "can the general make use of infinite mana or draw cards", Sek'Kuar can make use of infinite death triggers which—as this deck shows—can easily be achieved.

Note: So far, the fastest win has been turn 4 with a lucky draw. Turn 1 land, sol ring. Turn 2 Matter Reshaper. Turn 3 Phyrexian Altar. Turn 4 Mortuary. I could sacrifice Matter Reshaper for any colour then play him for free from the top of the library from is triggered ability. This provided infinite mana. With the first 5 mana, I played Sek'Kuar, Deathkeeper from the zone, then continued the cycle to produce infinite 3/1s with haste for the win.

I'm still working this out, so excuse the mess.

"Storm Draw" refers to the cards that will trigger for draw while we are gravestorming, and includes: Fecundity, Grim Haruspex, Liliana's Standard Bearer, Midnight Reaper, and Glimpse of Nature for the cast combos.

"Storm Payoff" refers to what's either going to win me the game after a storm, or give me a big advantage and includes: Bontu's Monument, Caller of the Claw, Exsanguinate, Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge, Genesis Chamber, Liliana's Standard Bearer and, lord Sek'Kuar, Deathkeeper himself.

"Easy Storm” refers to the cards that, with a few other pieces, will have little to no problem going infinite. These include: Burning-Tree Emissary, Cathodion, Dockside Extortionist, Endless Cockroaches, and Matter Reshaper

Cast Endless Cockroaches into Genesis Chamber getting a myr, sac both creatures to Phyrexian Altar as well as the graveborn created by Sek'Kuar, Deathkeeper with Bontu's Monument = win

The combos are so convoluted and overlapping that I'm still goldfishing this to figure them all out. As I learn more of them, I'm sure I'll see more patterns to help organize this more cohesively.

Here's a few of the machines that could be assembled:

Mortuary + Midnight Reaper or Fecundity type draw triggers + sac engine + any of the "Easy Storm" cards = infinite storm.

Mortuary + Caller of the Claw + Phyrexian Altar and a draw on cast or die = infinite bears, drawing until Concordant Crossroads shows up for a swing.

Mortuary + Concordant Crossroads + Birds of Paradise + sac outlet = infinite mana. With a "Storm Draw" cards, you draw the deck.

Sek'Kuar, Deathkeeper + Matter Reshaper + Mortuary + Ashnod's Altar = Infinite hastey 3/1 Graveborn tokens. No "storm draw" needed

No Rest for the Wicked and Eternal Witness can do incredible work, especially with a few other pieces, such as Phyrexian Altar, and Sek'Kuar. One loop I got into included Eternal Witness, Dockside Extortionist, Ashnod's Altar and an Exsanguinate as well as an Imperial Recruiter to find other pieces if need be.

Phyrexian Altar + either Bontu's Monument or Thundercape Familiar + Endless Cockroaches and Sek'Kuar or Genesis Chamber = Infinite death triggers

Deathrender + Cadaver Imp + Eternal Witness and sac outlet = infinite death triggers.

Deathrender + Endless Cockroaches and a sac outlet = infinite death triggers

Genesis Chamber out for a few turns makes sure dropping a Dockside Extortionist gives us the treasure payoff we want. It also provides some payoff for storming.

Matter Reshaper + Sylvan Library, or Golgari Thug especially with the help of buried alive.

Underworld Breach + Phyrexian Altar + Golgari Thug + a Fecundity type card and eitherSek'Kuar, Deathkeeper or Genesis Chamber means you can get all your combo pieces.

Korvold, Fae-Cursed King is the natural replacement for Sek'kuar to optimize this. While he doesn't have the onboard wincon, he can draw into it easily and keep the deck moving forward without being reliant on Fecundity type draw triggers. It's all on board. Chandra's Ignition could be a easy option for a wincon.

I do recognize Impact Tremors or the Blood Artist type creatures as possible includes as well.

Aetherflux Reservoir could be another wincon and Bolas's Citadel would be a potential value piece that'd work nicely with the reservoir.

Underworld Breach is the poor man's Yawgmoth's Will (for now), and it'd be great to abuse it as such. Cabal Ritual type effects for explosive turns and a few more dredge spells could be good. Sac abilities with the "when a creature you control dies draw a card" for board wipes and exiles to help fill the graveyard but restock the hand can speed myself into the Underworld Breach value. With the right ramp I can often cast many creature spells in one turn, and with fragile but high density win cons to lose and then replace, this could be a resilient strategy.

I'm curious about adding Weather the Storm to save me when I'm drawing my deck with Midnight Reaper, get greedy with a Sylvan Library or if I fall short and need to make it until my next turn. It could be a dead card much of the time, and I may wait until I can more consistently get the storm engines going.

Haunted Crossroads or Decaying Soil could act as backups for Mortuary. They both have their benefits and could really boost the consistency.

Decimator of the Provinces could be a helpful wincon if we get stopped short but have a large army of tokens to overrun... It's hard to know goldfishing, so I'll have to keep this in mind when playing. I could see games where I don't have my token producers but can get out 10 or more small creatures he can power up for a charge.

Shaman of Forgotten Ways could be a great alternate wincon as well as provide big mana for creature spells, which is what we give priority to here.

Vexing Shusher might be a great way to help stop opponents from protecting their own board while also protecting my win-con.Veil of Summer could be another fantastic protection. First I want to get the engine running smooth.

Yisan, the Wanderer Bard may be a good creature tutor to include to help increase consistency in the deck. He'll be useless after the 3rd verse, but by that point he'll either be in the graveyard, or will have gotten us close enough to a win.

As I can easily draw my deck, it could be helpful to put in Riftsweeper if I loose all of my wincons - not needed now as I likely have more than enough win-cons. Perhaps eventually, for this deck to compete at a higher level, I'll have to narrow down my wincons and Riftsweeper will be essential.

Carnival of Souls + Haunted Crossroads + a Midnight Reaper trigger.

Sek'kuar or Genesis Chamber + Phyrexian Altar + Nether Traitor equals infinite mana of any colour.

Here's another competitive concept-deck version in the works, focusing a little more on the creatures that replace themselves with mana, like Priest of Urabrask.

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Casual

97% Competitive

Revision 12 See all

(4 years ago)

+1 Dark Confidant main
-1 Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge side
+1 Oakhame Adversary main
+1 Springleaf Drum side
Top Ranked
Date added 4 years
Last updated 4 years
Legality

This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)

3 - 0 Mythic Rares

46 - 9 Rares

25 - 9 Uncommons

14 - 5 Commons
Cards 97
Avg. CMC 2.33
Tokens Bear 2/2 G, Beast 3/3 G, Eldrazi Scion 1/1 C, Graveborn 3/1 BR, Morph 2/2 C, Myr 1/1 C, Treasure
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