General: Make sure our opponents know what phase we're in (e.g., saying "At the beginning of End Step" for
Prized Amalgam
triggers, and "At the end of your Second Main ..." for
Shriekhorn
activations).
Bloodghast
:
- Bloodghast's trigger is a 'may' effect, so we don't have to put it on the battlefield (e.g., if we're playing around an opponent's Gravehate or
Anger of the Gods
)
- It's often good to play Lands in our Second Main, to return any Blooodghasts killed during an Attack.
- Bloodghast's Haste effect can be very relevant though, so sometimes it's better to Dredge for
Creeping Chill
or target our opponent with
Conflagrate
to drop them below 10 Life, then play a Land during our First Main to recur a Bloodghast for extra damage.
Conflagrate
: We can cast Conflagrate for 0 (targeting nothing) to get it into our graveyard.
Darkblast
:
- We can kill X/2 Creatures by casting Darkblast during our Upkeep, Dredging Darkblast for our Draw step, and then Darkblasting the Creature again.
- If we have a
Prized Amalgam
stuck in the graveyard, sometimes the correct line is to
Darkblast
our own
Bloodghast
and then return it (and the Amalgam) with a land drop.
Fetchlands:
- We can use Fetchlands to trigger a
Bloodghast
to avoid gravehate (e.g., in response to a
Relic of Progenitus
or
Scavenging Ooze
trigger). If we do this at the end of our opponent's Second Main we can play around
Anger of the Gods
and still return any
Prized Amalgam
in our graveyard (at the beginning of our opponent's End Step).
- It kind of goes without saying, but I'll say it anyways: In the late game, we need to check the graveyard and make sure a relevant card is still in our deck before cracking that Fetch :-D
Golgari Thug
: Can be used to chump-block and then put a
Narcomoeba
on top of our Library. Watch out though, because it's not a may effect.
Memory's Journey
:
Narcomoeba
:
- Narco' triggers don't go on the stack until the spell (e.g.,
Faithless Looting
) or ability (e.g., Dredge 3) finishes resolving.
- Narco's trigger is a 'may' effect, so we don't have to put it on the battlefield (e.g., if we're playing around an opponent's
Anger of the Gods
).
Nature's Claim
: We can target our own
Shriekhorn
if we need the life.
Prized Amalgam
:
- Amalgam's trigger is not a may effect, so be careful when choosing to return a
Bloodghast
or
Narcomoeba
to the battlefield.
- An Amalgam returning at the end of our End Step will sometimes trigger another Amalgam, which will return at the end of our opponent's End Step.
Shriekhorn
:
- Sometimes (especially on the first use) it's best to activate it on an opponent's Second Main, so if we hit a
Narcomoeba
, it will return
Prized Amalgam
at the beginning of their End Step.
- If we have a Dredger in the graveyard, it's generally best to Dredge first, and then activate the Shriekhorn in response to any
Narcomoeba
triggers.
- If we have plenty of action in the graveyard post-board, it's often correct to leave a counter on Shriekhorn, so we can get started again if our opponent finds more graveyard hate.
- It's a total edge-case, but sometimes the best line is to target our opponent. For example, after top-deck manipulation by UW Control, or to mill out our opponent if they're dangerously low on cards.
Stinkweed Imp
:
- It kind of goes without saying, but I'll say it anyways: Imp can be a VERY good blocker.
- Imp doesn't have Deathtouch; it has a triggered ability that can be stifled (e.g., by
Nimble Obstructionist
).
