Rankle

Commander / EDH* Mono-Black

Chrisomagik

Creature (25)

• 1x Archfiend of Ifnir
• 1x Auntie's Snitch
• 1x Ayara, First of Locthwain
• 1x Bloodsoaked Champion
• 1x Bone Miser
• 1x Crypt Ghast
• 1x Dread Wanderer
• 1x Dreamstealer
• 1x Filth
• 1x Fleshbag Marauder
• 1x Grave Scrabbler
• 1x Graveshifter
• 1x Grim Haruspex
• 1x Gutterbones
• 1x Pawn of Ulamog
• 1x Plaguecrafter
• 1x Ravenous Chupacabra
• 1x Reassembling Skeleton
• 1x Sanitarium Skeleton
• 1x Sheoldred, Whispering One
• 1x Soul of Innistrad
• 1x Tenacious Dead
• 1x Veilborn Ghoul
• 1x Vindictive Lich
• 1x Viscera Seer

Enchantment (6)

• 1x Animate Dead
• 1x Dreadhorde Invasion
• 1x Gift of Doom
• 1x Necropotence
• 1x Phyrexian Reclamation
• 1x Waste Not

Artifact (20)

• 1x Ashnod's Altar
• 1x Bontu's Monument
• 1x Caged Sun
• 1x Captain's Claws
• 1x Cloak and Dagger
• 1x Coldsteel Heart
• 1x Expedition Map
• 1x Fellwar Stone
• 1x Fireshrieker
• 1x Geth's Grimoire
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Mask of Memory
• 1x Mind Stone
• 1x Nightmare Lash
• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Star Compass
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots
• 1x Umezawa's Jitte
• 1x Whispersilk Cloak

Sorcery (8)

• 1x Ambition's Cost
• 1x Ancient Craving
• 1x Call to the Netherworld
• 1x Decree of Pain
• 1x Mutilate
• 1x Promise of Power
• 1x Read the Bones
• 1x Sign in Blood

Commander (1)

Land (37)

• 1x Arcane Lighthouse
• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Buried Ruin
• 1x Cabal Stronghold
• 1x Ghost Quarter
• 1x High Market
• 1x Myriad Landscape
• 1x Phyrexian Tower
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Sanctum of Eternity
• 1x Scavenger Grounds
• 24x Swamp
• 1x Temple of the False God
• 1x Witch's Cottage

Instant (4)

• 1x Dismember
• 1x Go for the Throat
• 1x Hero's Downfall
• 1x Price of Fame

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Maybeboard

Instant (7)

• 1x Dark Withering
• 1x Defile
• 1x Murder
• 1x Murderous Cut
• 1x Scour from Existence
• 1x Vraska's Contempt
• 1x Withering Boon

Land (1)

• 1x Snow-Covered Swamp

Creature (6)

• 1x Cabal Therapist
• 1x Carrion Feeder
• 1x Earwig Squad
• 1x Magus of the Will
• 1x Meteor Golem
• 1x Sadistic Hypnotist

Enchantment (1)

• 1x Raiders' Wake

Artifact (3)

• 1x Nevinyrral's Disk
• 1x Trailblazer's Boots
• 1x Unstable Obelisk

Sorcery (2)

• 1x Necromantic Selection
• 1x Night's Whisper

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Rankle

OVERVIEW...

You need the prankster to stick. Playing the deck IRL showed that if he sticks, the discard and sac abilities control the board. Having a critical mass of RtB or RtHand cards was critical to keep the engine online.

Win cons were combat and commander damage.

Weaknesses were flyers limiting players open for a rankle attack. GY hate threatened to stop the recursion engine. My spot removal and sweepers came at the right times.

DECK BUILDING...

Categories. A) Evasion, B) Protection, C) Finshers/Force Mulipliers, D) Ramp, E) Draw, F) Removal & Wipes, G) Lands, H) Colour restrictions...no enchantment/artifact removal, etc, I) Mono-benefits...utility lands, devotion, high % of untapped lands, J) Dealing with non-bows e.g. GY synergies vs necropotence, shroud vs stacking equip, etc.

Numbers. Land 37, Ramp 9, Removal/Wipes 10, Draw 9, Protection 4, Evasion 2, RtHand or RtB 16, Payoff 7, Finishers 2, Utility balance..still working on the balance. Some cards have multiple functions but i nominate a primary function to slot into the 100 cards when crunching the numbers.

Building restrictions. While this isn’t a true budget deck, most card mods from this point on draw outside my collection. Cards under $5 I would consider for mods. Not sure this deck is a keeper yet but has been fun so far.

DECK MODIFICATIONS...

Potential changes. A) More single target removal to eliminate flyer blockers. B) Exile or -1/-1 removal to get around indestructible. C) More multiple sac effects to get around hexproof indestructible effects. D) Thinking of changing out Nightmare Lash for Whispersilk Cloak . While the Lash can put large power on the table suddenly and kill an open player, the cloak will enable early to mid game (also the late game for that matter) better.

Card exclusions. A) Bag of Holding exiles limiting use of GY engine cards e.g. Gutterbones . B) Sangromancer allows you to stabilise life once you are already ahead but doesn't let you win the game or let you recover if you are too far behind to get and stick rankle. C) Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder only lasts a few turns unless you get an unconditional sac-outlet online. There are only a few in the deck so the chance of drawing them with him in play is relatively low. The tokens are useful but a small payoff for the 5 cmc slot. D) Basilisk Collar was sided out for Umezawa's Jitte . The Jitte has a higher power ceiling, enables combat tricks and permits life gain if needed.

Keeps. A) Ashnod's Altar - useful for commander tax and lets you use the recurable sac fodder. If rankle is on-line it don't do a lot. B) Ayara, First of Locthwain - supports most things the deck can do with or without rankle in play. Sac, draw, be a sac target, minor stabiliser...C) Expedition Map - allows to toolbox a utility land e.g. High Market for a sac outlet, Bojuka Bog or even the less ideal Scavenger Grounds to stop a GY deck winning, Buried Ruin to get back protection artifact, e.g. Cloak and Dagger , or engine card like Geth's Grimoire , simply ramp early, e.g. Myriad Landscape , ramp late Cabal Stronghold , or deal with hexproof/shroud Arcane Lighthouse .

OPENING PLAYS...

Opening Hand. Swamp x3, Bloodsoaked Champion RtB Engine, Fellwar Stone Ramp, Filth Evasion, Draw/Protection/Discard Engine

By Turn 4, Lightning Greaves Protection, Gutterbones Discard engine

By Turn 5, Draw/removal/disruption

By Turn 6, Geth's Grimoire Payoff engine

By Turn 7, Rebuild

By Turn 8, Nightmare Lash Finisher

Turns. 1) Bloodsoaked Champion RtB Engine. 2) Fellwar Stone Ramp. 3) Rankle, Master of Pranks (In Hand Filth Evasion). 4) Lightning Greaves Protection (In Hand Gutterbones Discard Engine). 5) Draw/Removal/Disruption, 6) Geth's Grimoire Value Payoff. 7) Rebuild, 8-12) Nightmare Lash Finisher.

Date added	5 years
Last updated	5 years
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	5 - 0 Mythic Rares 25 - 0 Rares 37 - 0 Uncommons 10 - 0 Commons
Cards	101
Avg. CMC	3.00
Tokens	Demon X/X B, Dreamstealer 4/4 B, Eldrazi Spawn 0/1 C, Kor Ally 1/1 W, Morph 2/2 C, Zombie 2/2 B, Zombie Army 0/0 B
Folders	02. Old Favorites