Korvold, Fae Cursed King (with Primer)

Commander / EDH* BRG (Jund)

CarefulStudy_SweetOlBob

Land (32)

• 1x Ancient Tomb
• 1x Blood Crypt
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Cabal Coffers
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Dragonskull Summit
• 1x Emergence Zone
• 1x Exotic Orchard
• 1x Fabled Passage
• 1x Field of the Dead
• 1x Forbidden Orchard
• 5x Forest
• 2x Mountain
• 1x Overgrown Tomb
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Rootbound Crag
• 1x Snow-Covered Forest
• 1x Snow-Covered Mountain
• 1x Snow-Covered Swamp
• 1x Stomping Ground
• 1x Strip Mine
• 2x Swamp
• 1x Tarnished Citadel
• 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1x Windswept Heath
• 1x Wooded Foothills

Artifact (8)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Chrome Mox
• 1x Cursed Totem
• 1x Lotus Petal
• 1x Mana Vault
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Talisman of Indulgence
• 1x Talisman of Resilience

Creature (20)

• 1x Arbor Elf
• 1x Birds of Paradise
• 1x Bloom Tender
• 1x Boreal Druid
• 1x Collector Ouphe
• 1x Deathrite Shaman
• 1x Dockside Extortionist
• 1x Dryad of the Ilysian Grove
• 1x Elves of Deep Shadow
• 1x Elvish Mystic
• 1x Eternal Witness
• 1x Llanowar Elves
• 1x Mayhem Devil
• 1x Oakhame Adversary
• 1x Orcish Lumberjack
• 1x Priest of Titania
• 1x Ramunap Excavator
• 1x Squee, the Immortal
• 1x Temur Sabertooth
• 1x Tinder Wall

Enchantment (11)

• 1x Burgeoning
• 1x Carpet of Flowers
• 1x Cindervines
• 1x Curse of Opulence
• 1x Food Chain
• 1x Goblin Bombardment
• 1x Kenrith's Transformation
• 1x Necropotence
• 1x Rhythm of the Wild
• 1x Squandered Resources
• 1x Underworld Breach

Planeswalker (2)

• 1x Domri, Anarch of Bolas
• 1x Vivien, Champion of the Wilds

Commander (1)

Instant (18)

• 1x Abrupt Decay
• 1x Ad Nauseam
• 1x Assassin's Trophy
• 1x Autumn's Veil
• 1x Culling the Weak
• 1x Dark Ritual
• 1x Entomb
• 1x Fire Covenant
• 1x Flame Sweep
• 2x Force of Vigor
• 1x Imp's Mischief
• 1x Nature's Claim
• 1x Noxious Revival
• 1x Pyroblast
• 1x Reap
• 1x Red Elemental Blast
• 1x Veil of Summer

Sorcery (8)

• 1x Demonic Tutor
• 1x Diabolic Intent
• 1x Gamble
• 1x Life from the Loam
• 1x Massacre
• 1x Scheming Symmetry
• 1x Summer Bloom
• 1x Toxic Deluge

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Maybeboard

Instant (4)

• 1x Cabal Ritual
• 1x Crop Rotation
• 1x Plunge into Darkness
• 1x Rain of Filth

Artifact (1)

• 1x Altar of Dementia

Sorcery (3)

• 1x Bitter Ordeal
• 1x Bubbling Muck
• 1x Eldritch Evolution

Creature (1)

• 1x Azra Oddsmaker

Land (1)

• 1x Barbarian Ring

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Getting to know the deck:

Why should you play Korvold?

Korvold will allow you to see most (if not all) of your deck in most of your matches

Korvold, Fae-Cursed King - like other powerful commanders - has "Draw a card" printed in the rules text. This shouldn't be overlooked when considering ANY legendary creature as your commander. I would urge many folks (if they haven't come to the conclusion already) to look at any collaborative "Tier List" of commanders and decide if it's causation or correlation that the "Draw a card" text (or very similar effect) is present on the higher tier commanders. While not as low on the spectrum for CMC as other "Draw a card" commanders such as Thrasios, Triton Hero or Tymna the Weaver, instant speed sacrifice outlets allow for the effective use of Korvold's rules text to get a significant card advantage over opponents in bursts. This is crucial to understanding why this commander has a higher CMC. If Tymna and Korvold are played on rate (no ramp, not countered), Tymna could potentially draw 6 cards by the time Korvold is played. Korvold could draw any number of cards when it enters the battlefield on the turn that it is played. Additionally, if he is allowed to remain on the battlefield, commander damage is a surprisingly viable method of player removal. Most high-powered commanders do not remain on the battlefield as a siege-engine without multiple (or infinite) combat steps, but this X/X dragon with flying poses a very real threat.

Why shouldn't you play Korvold?

Turns aren't neat and compact.

This deck generally has long turns and large, swinging plays that are akin to storm plays. Korvold enables card draw, therefore it is a tool to dig deep and play as efficiently as allowed by your hand composition. Mulligans and hand sculpting can reduce variability to make sure that you are able to cast the most appropriate cards to win a match as neatly and as compact as possible. Due to the nature of the "burst-card-draw" that Korvold enables, you have many decisions that need to be made quickly. The pilot of this deck has to be familiar with the cards. If you aren't familiar with the cards or what their utility is, it is easy to get overwhelmed with deciding the optimal plays.

What does this deck do?

As obvious as this may sound, this deck sacrifices permanents- lots of them.

It is safe to assume that you will have several synergies from many, many sacrifice outlets. A significant number of these outlets are mana-centric. If you aren't generating mana, you're fixing it. Generating mana is crucial in any commander deck, so this angle should come as no surprise. The added benefit of this comes from casting Korvold as quickly as possible. Korvold enables a secondary mechanic for any permanent that is sacrificed...

It draws cards in bursts

Once Korvold is out on the battlefield, sacrificing permanents almost becomes a single-minded addiction. Each permanent you sacrifice draws you a card. Having access to your more cards in your deck imbalances the game state. It pushes parity aside for advantage. While drawing cards is important for the game of Magic: the Gathering, simply drawing cards doesn't win you the game with any specific card in this deck (Laboratory Maniac). Expect opportunities to draw your entire deck. Be wary. This much card draw can put you in a compromising position of unintentionally decking yourself. You should have many outlets to seek a win if this is the case, but be cognizant of digging a little too deep. Once you've found a tutor, you can stave off your desire to draw cards with a precise selection that could either enable a win on the spot, or loom large with a very intimidating Korvold.

Key Combos and Interactions

Combos

Food Chain + Squee, the Immortal

Temur Sabertooth + Dockside Extortionist

Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth + Bubbling Muck

Interactions

Read Korvold, Fae-Cursed King and change the deck filter to "custom" to see their synergies.

Sample Hands

Hand 1

Cards Show

Fabled Passage, Talisman of Resilience, Squee, the Immortal, Polluted Delta, Mayhem Devil, Squandered Resources, Demonic Tutor

Analysis Show

Passage is not exactly a "Turn One" fetch that would encourage me to keep it. I love to draw into this, but when it's in the first 7, its not a keeper. It's too slow.

ToR is a card that I love to see in an opening hand. Mana ramp is always good.

Squee is a dead card. I would much rather have him in the graveyard, library, or exile.

Polluted Delta is a fetch land that can fix with Overgrown Tomb or Blood Crypt. Perfect to have one of these fetches on turn one.

Mayhem Devil is a good card to have in an opening hand, if you can cast it quick. This hand makes this card hit the board on "Turn 3," which is when I'd want to be casting Korvold

I want to keep every hand that has Squandered Resources because it is a great ramp piece. When Korvold is on the battlefield, you sac, pump, draw, and add one mana to your mana pool. Unfortunately, this hand isn't good enough for me to want to hold on to my favorite piece in the deck.

Demonic Tutor is always a great card to have. The context of the hand isn't very god for me to know exactly what to tutor for that could make this hand better.

Verdict Show

• Lands: 2
• Turn one plays: 0
• Speed (1-5): 1
• Turn Korvold ETBs: 5

Score: Unfavorable

Mulligan this one. It's a one-drop away from a keeper.

Hand 2

Cards Show

Stomping Ground, Scheming Symmetry, Dark Ritual, Terramorphic Expanse, Forest, Eldritch Evolution, Forest

Analysis Show

Stomping Ground, good for color fixing. The context of the hand infers that I could have all of my commander's colors by turn 3.

Scheming Symmetry is fantastic with Korvold. The context of this hand shows Korvold on the battlefield on turn 3, so this card provides a great deal of versatility, considering I can draw the tutored card on the turn that Scheming Symmetry was cast.

Dark Ritual will help me ramp to get Korvold on turn 3.

Terramorphic Expanse fixes your mana through use of basic lands. Good drop, but a little slow as they ETB tapped.

Forest basic land. Hit drops on rate.

Eldritch Evolution could help me at a certain point to fetch a Card:Dockside Extortionist|Dockside or Sabertooth to draw the deck with Korvold out.

Forest basic land. Hit drops on rate.

Verdict Show

• Lands: 4
• Turn one plays: 1
• Speed (1-5): 2
• Turn Korvold ETBs: 3

Score: Playable

No shame on keeping or pitching this one. It's playable from the onset and the play lines would get more clear on your 3 draws before playing Korvold. Personally, I would keep.

Hand 3

Cards Show

Swamp, Diabolic Intent, Rhythm of the Wild, Forest, Sakura-Tribe Elder, Mountain, Arcane Signet

Analysis Show

Swamp basic land. Hit drops on rate.

Diabolic Intent is amazing with Korvold. However, the context of this hand doesn’t have Korvold on the battlefield until turn 4 at the earliest and no available creature to sacrifice. This card doesn’t provide any opportunities for it to shine with this hand.

Rhythm of the Wild is bananas. If this card is on the battlefield, all of your dorks are now – functionally – uncounterable non-artifact mana rocks. Korvold can swing out the turn he’s cast, and you can draw into more good cards.

Forest basic land. Hit drops on rate.

Sakura-Tribe Elder is a solid two-drop to help ramp, fix, or chump-block. In starting hands, he usually ramps.

Mountain basic land. Hit drops on rate.

Arcane Signet is mana ramp and fixing all in one. A definite all star in opening hands.

Verdict Show

• Lands: 3
• Turn one plays: 0
• Speed (1-5): 2
• Turn Korvold ETBs: 4

Score: Less Playable

No shame on keeping or pitching this one. It's playable but dawdling. Personally, I would pitch.

Hand 4

Cards Show

Forbidden Orchard, Culling the Weak, Nature's Claim, Exotic Orchard, Forest, Wooded Foothills, Elves of Deep Shadow

Analysis Show

Forbidden Orchard Excellent land for fixing. Taps for any color with a minor drawback of giving someone a 1/1. Our big attacker has flying so it’s minimally disconcerting.

Culling the Weak is amazing with a one-drop creature. The context of this hand catapults Korvold on the battlefield on turn 2! This statement alone makes it an instant keeper for me.

Nature's Claim hits problematic permanents. Rhystic Study, Mystic Remora, Isochron Scepter, Aetherflux Reservoir, and Tangle Wire all come to mind. This is a generally versatile and efficient piece of removal.

Exotic Orchard is great if there is color diversity amongst your pod. I don’t know of a cEDH level Kozilek deck or anything, so you’ll generally grab 1 color every game, and almost certainly 2.

Forest basic land. Hit drops on rate.

Wooded Foothills is a fetch land that can fix with Overgrown Tomb or Blood Crypt. Perfect to have one of these fetches on turn one, but even better after Korvold is on the battlefield.

Elves of Deep Shadow is a dork that ramps for one life. On the second turn, we will use the Elves to cast Culling the Weak.

Verdict Show

• Lands: 4
• Turn one plays: 1
• Speed (1-5): 5
• Turn Korvold ETBs: 2

Score: Very Favorable

Instant keep. Turn 1, Forest, tap Forest for Elves. Turn 2, Forbidden Orchard, tap Elves to cast Culling the Weak. Tap Forest, tap Forbidden Orchard for red, cast Korvold, sac Forest.

Hand 5

Cards Show

Burgeoning, Elvish Mystic, Noxious Revival, Nature's Claim, Swamp, Mountain, Forest

Analysis Show

Burgeoning is a card that is good to have on the battlefield and is even better on Turn One. Even if it get’s removed, you have the option of using the Noxious Revival to bring it back. I would probably hold off on reviving a burgeoning. The distraction of starting without 3 lands on turn 2 could make you the archenemy for a few turns. It would be reasonable to expect that since we have a Nature’s Claim in our hand, an opponent could have one as well. Basically, all that I’m saying is be happy that it is there, but don’t get too attached.

Elvish Mystic is an essential one-drop creature. In my opinion, it’s superseded by a more powerful one-drop enchantment. I can see the value of playing either on Turn One depending on your position in the turn order.

Noxious Revival is a “free-to-cast” card to use on your upkeep to recur something to your hand by way of your draw step. I’ve used it to dodge commander taxes and to re-buy into another mystic remora in the past. Excellent card.

Nature's Claim hits problematic permanents. Rhystic Study, Mystic Remora, Isochron Scepter, Aetherflux Reservoir, and Tangle Wire all come to mind. This is a generally versatile and efficient piece of removal.

Swamp basic land. Hit drops on rate.

Forest basic land. Hit drops on rate.

Mountain basic land. Hit drops on rate.

Verdict Show

• Lands: 3
• Turn one plays: 1
• Speed (1-5): 4
• Turn Korvold ETBs: 3

Score: Favorable

I would likely keep this hand for the reasons discussed above.

Flex Slots and Maybe Board:

Flex Slots

1x Mountain - leaving for Barbarian Ring

7x Forest

1x Swamp

In an effort to keep the deck to a true singleton format, these cards will likely be replaced in favor of other lands, utility or otherwise.

Gamble - leaving for Plunge into Darkness

Ashnod's Altar - leaving for Cindervines

Maybe Board

Azra Oddsmaker

Bitter Ordeal

Bolt Bend

Impact Tremors

Cindervines

Exploration

Entomb

Red Elemental Blast

Walking Ballista

Thunderscape Familiar

Flame Sweep

Chrome Mox

Veil of Summer

Krark-Clan Shaman

Revisions:

1/30/2020

Grave Pact out, Demonic Consultation in.

Grave Pact is too passive. It is a great piece to have out on the battlefield when combined with Mayhem Devil but the utility of having a tutor (for 3 less mana and at instant speed) seems like a better fit for a deck that plays with a strategy that is less passive or staxxy.

Phyrexian Altar out, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove in.

This deck does a lot of work with very little resources. One thing that this deck currently struggles with is having creatures outside of the early turns, and Phyrexian Altar magnifies this shortcoming even more. It is nice to have a dork, tap it for a color and then sacrifice it for another, all the while drawing a card and placing another counter on Korvold. With all of the OTHER mana sources available, it seems like another option amongst a sea of options. Since my sample size has been so low, Phyrexian Altar will remain on the maybe board.

2/17/2020

Nightmare Shepherd out, Diabolic Intent in.

I feel like it's important to trust your gut whenever you draw a card and you aren't exactly thrilled to see it come off of the top of your library. Nightmare Shepherd was that card for me. As with Grave Pact, the card is too passive, retaining value from cards that are TO BE sacrificed, and - more specifically - only creatures. It put me in an awkward spot where every card in hand at almost every opportunity was a better play. There are occasions where I would much rather have a creature on the battlefield then cast a Kodama's Reach or other similar effect, but even with fetching a land, it is doing something when I cast the card rather than wait for an opportunity to gather another '...enters the battlefield," effect off of a value piece. It is also "non-bo" with Underworld Breach, removing fuel from that fire to save a Birds of Paradise or Llanowar Elves, which would be better to exile to recast literally anything from my graveyard. Due to playtesting, it's a hard pass on Nightmare Shepherd. It has been removed from the decklist entirely, and won't find a seat on the maybeboard.

TL;DR it's a trap.

2/19/2020

Swamp out, Emergence Zone in.

Basic Land out for a Utility land. Sometimes instant speed casts are good, especially with Underworld Breach.

Swamp out, Strip Mine in.

Basic Land out for a Utility land.

Sidisi, Undead Vizier out, Scheming Symmetry in.

To be frank, Sidisi, Undead Vizier was a thicc booty blocker with a sacrifice trigger and tutor attached. It doesn't seem necessary when I have the ability to tutor with Scheming Symmetry, use any instant speed sac outlet (that would likely net mana; not spend it) to draw it and set up a win.

Razaketh, the Foulblooded out, Pyroclasm in.

Razaketh, the Foulblooded is a big beefy tutor boi that I have no way to cheat out reliably. Sorry dude. You're out. Pyroclasm is in to deal with elves, tokens, and Tymnas. Pyroclasm slaps.

Golgari Locket out, Mana Vault in.

Cheaper mana positive rock than Golgari Locket. No sac outlet attached, but swift mana production.

Sacrifice out, Culling the Weak in.

Any elf that Sacrifice hits, Culling the Weak hits better. More ramp, same speed.

2/20/2020

Birthing Pod out, Eldritch Evolution in.

The pod hasn't been a desireable card whenever I draw into it. It is often shuffled to the back of my hand and forgotten. Eldritch Evolution needs testing, but I haven't drawn it and been disappointed... yet.

Kodama's Reach out, Skullclamp in.

This one is a recent revelation to me. I'm playing a LOT of elves. If I have the clamp out on the battlefield, the odds of drawing into land are pretty high, especially if Korvold is out on the battlefield. I'm just testing this out, but it feels right.

2/22/2020

Forest out, Lotus Field in.

Removing a basic land and the addition of a non-basic, that taps for three of any color, and supports the sacrifice theme of the deck.

Rakdos Signet out, Fellwar Stone in.

The signet is a great mana rock, but I don’t always enjoy filtering mana for the activation. It may be necessary for the deck to operate, so it has been added to the maybe board. The stone can fix mana, and if a Command Tower is placed on the battlefield by another player, it will operate as well as the Rakdos Signet intended.

Beast Within out, Noxious Revival in.

From removal to revival. A mana efficient way to recur value when a spell cast - unprotected, and in error - is recalled to carry out its original purpose.

Autumn's Veil in, Sylvan Scrying out.

Removing a linear fetch piece and replacing it with a more versatile interaction piece. Veil of Summer will almost certainly make it in to the deck, but until then (and maybe after), the other veil will slot in nicely.

Massacre in, Skullclamp out.

This should be read as "a 1 CMC artifact has been removed for a "free" sweeper." Massacre has an alternative casting cost. This is great for removing Swan Song birds, Tymnas, and dorks.

2/25/2020

Chrome Mox in, Gilded Goose out.

Chrome Mox doesn't have the versatility afforded by Gilded Goose, but it never requires mana for activation. All around more mana efficient.

Flame Sweep in, Pyroclasm out.

Instant speed reaction to a Tymna cast. Shut out a card draw engine when it hits the battlefield vs. after one activation.

Date added	4 years
Last updated	4 years
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	7 - 0 Mythic Rares 44 - 0 Rares 23 - 0 Uncommons 14 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.00
Tokens	Gold, Spirit 1/1 C, Treasure, Zombie 2/2 B