If ever there was a time to be afraid of the dark, that time is now. An endless stretch of muck and swamp stretches before you, a lone mansion in the distance mocking your journey through this abandoned graveyard.
Homicidal Seclusion has been calling to me since it was printed. Use me, it says, let the madness flow unto your minions, and I will make them strong. Except minions, even deranged ones, tend to die to removal. Sweepers. Things of that nature.
Then we were gifted one of the most overlooked cards in Standard - Volatile Rig. Go ahead, read it. Then read it again. Yes. Are the odds solid on it sweeping the board for you? No. Not one bit. But there is a chance that everything will eat 4 damage, and you might even redirect the 4 from your opponent to one of their precious Planeswalkers. Homicidal Seclusion happens to grant Volatile Rig lifelink too, and look whos doing the damage. Yepp. Rig goes boom? You're gaining 4c+4e life, where c= creatures on the board, and e= opponents.
One nasty beater isn't enough though, we needed more. We cried out to the shadows, the night, the palpable darkness that makes grown men hurry through dark corridors, and another fine offering was placed on our altar. Haunted Platemail doesn't die to Sorcery Speed anything. It doesn't die to Searing Spear or Pillar of Flame. It doesn't get bottomed out by Terminus (most of the time.) And it can be attached to our Volatile Rig for an extra beating, or even another animated Haunted Platemail. In a pinch, we can even animate them in response to one another, but we never really want to.
4 Each of Mutilate and Barter in Blood get us around hexproof very nicely, as well as most other things with skin, flesh, or any other semblance of life to it.
Tribute to Hunger and Devour Flesh fit much the same bill, and can help us deal with otherwise problematic creatures like AEtherling, as well as continuing the aggression against hexproof or regenerating creatures.
