A Murder Mystery: Abzan Investigate

Commander / EDH BGW (Abzan, Junk) Investigate Partner Sacrifice

Mojomuffin

Department Resources (34)

• 1x Bountiful Promenade
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Fabled Passage
• 1x Fetid Heath
• 4x Forest
• 1x Fortified Village
• 1x Godless Shrine
• 1x Havengul Laboratory  ^Flip
• 1x High Market
• 1x Indatha Triome
• 1x Isolated Chapel
• 1x Krosan Verge
• 1x Murmuring Bosk
• 1x Overgrown Tomb
• 4x Plains
• 1x Sunpetal Grove
• 4x Swamp
• 1x Tainted Field
• 1x Tainted Wood
• 1x Temple Garden
• 1x Twilight Mire
• 1x Undergrowth Stadium
• 1x Vault of Champions
• 1x Wooded Bastion
• 1x Woodland Cemetery

Murder Weapons (8)

• 1x Anguished Unmaking
• 1x Damn
• 1x Day of Judgment
• 1x Druid of Purification
• 1x Reclamation Sage
• 1x Shriekmaw
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Tragic Slip

Witnesses (7)

• 1x Agent of the Iron Throne
• 1x Chatterfang, Squirrel General
• 1x Disciple of the Vault
• 1x Grinding Station
• 1x Jaheira, Friend of the Forest
• 1x Marionette Master
• 1x Nadier's Nightblade

Accomplices (9)

• 1x Body Launderer
• 1x Grim Haruspex
• 1x Life Insurance
• 1x Morbid Opportunist
• 1x Poison-Tip Archer
• 1x Renegade Rallier
• 1x Syr Konrad, the Grim
• 1x Teysa Karlov
• 1x Zulaport Cutthroat

First Responders (9)

• 1x Brought Back
• 1x Ephemerate
• 1x Gleancrawler
• 1x Luminous Broodmoth
• 1x Lurrus of the Dream-Den
• 1x Malakir Rebirth  ^Flip
• 1x Meren of Clan Nel Toth
• 1x Moira, Urborg Haunt
• 1x Saffi Eriksdotter

Support Staff (9)

• 1x Abzan Charm
• 1x Archivist of Oghma
• 1x Drumbellower
• 1x Eladamri's Call
• 1x Eternal Witness
• 1x Ranger-Captain of Eos
• 1x Seedborn Muse
• 1x Veil of Summer
• 1x Welcoming Vampire

Detectives (7)

• 1x Academy Manufactor
• 1x Briarbridge Patrol
• 1x Search the Premises
• 1x Tamiyo's Journal
• 1x Thorough Investigation
• 1x Tireless Tracker
• 1x Ulvenwald Mysteries

Commanders (2)

Additional Funding (8)

• 1x Birds of Paradise
• 1x Bronze Walrus
• 1x Chromatic Lantern
• 1x Cryptolith Rite
• 1x Faeburrow Elder
• 1x Fellwar Stone
• 1x Sakura-Tribe Elder
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum

Suspects (7)

• 1x Ashnod's Altar
• 1x Fiend Artisan
• 1x Plaguecrafter
• 1x Ravenous Squirrel
• 1x Ruthless Technomancer
• 1x Viscera Seer
• 1x Woe Strider

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Good morning. Today’s case is an investigation into the attack on one Wernog R. Chaplain, which occurred at 1:47 AM at 23 Moorland Court, Gavony township, Innistrad. He is currently located at Gavony General Hospital, on the brink of death. It is unclear whether he will survive another 24 hours. Your job is to collaborate with our detectives and draw out possible witnesses, accomplices, and suspects from your library. Next to your library you’ll find the head surgeon as well as the victim, both of which have expressed desire to help you in your investigation. Now, draw your opening hand and get started!

Hello, and welcome! This is an Abzan investigate/sacrifice deck, with Wernog, Rider's Chaplain and Othelm, Sigardian Outcast as its core engine. At its most basic, the combo relies on a sacrifice outlet (or suiciding Wernog into combat/blocking) to trigger Wernog, then immediately reanimating him with Othelm, resulting in either a Clue and some damage or lots of Clues for everyone. I came up with this idea while watching a show about a murder-mystery, so all the custom categories are all themed around the idea of there being an investigation into the murder-slash-attempted-murder of Wernog.

Categories

I don’t usually make categories like this, but I decided to have a bit of fun, since it was late and felt on-theme.
The detectives serve as the leads in the investigation, creating or affecting the creation of clues in some way, and their suspects are all the sacrifice outlets who didn’t have an alibi at the time of the murder.
The detectives have assembled witnesses and possible accomplices to help them gather their evidence. Witnesses affect the use of clues, while accomplices all stand to gain something from Wernog’s death. (The anonymous Agent of the Iron Throne is an accomplice, as well, but they chose to request immunity in exchange for their testimony as a witness. Doesn’t mean they can’t also profit off the murder, though.)
Of course, when Wernog was found in a pool of his own blood, an ambulance was called as well as the cops. The first responders all have a chance at saving the victim— if they get there in time. (Except for Lurrus and Meren. They can get there later, too. They’re more like second responders.)
The murder weapons gathered by the detectives all could’ve played a role in the death of Wernog, though they are really more likely to play a role in the death of whatever else is on the board.
Back at the station, the support staff work tirelessly in the background to help things run smoothly, and they all add utility to the deck in some way.
Finally, your additional funding, consisting of generous third party benefactors and reappropriated ill-gotten gains, makes sure that all your investigations can happen on or ahead of schedule, and that you don’t get mana screwed— ahem, I mean, that you don’t exhaust the department’s budget. (The budget being lands, of course.)

Besides the theme, I really think this is a fun deck to play. Wernog’s ability adds an interesting table dynamic— they can choose to get clues, potentially giving you enough to draw into more and better payoffs, or they can take the damage, which, while denying you additional resources, may be the last bit of life they needed to win the game down the line. Othelm is also not particularly overwhelming in terms of strength. He synergizes well with Wernog, but has a 2-mana and tapped activated ability, which impairs infinite combos. While you can go infinite with Thornbite Staff on Othelm along with either Jaheira, Friend of the Forest, Ashnod's Altar, or Academy Manufactor, it’s not a win without some way to turn it into damage, and, I mean, at that point it’s a 5-card sorcery-speed combo. It’s not exactly easy or broken, and if your opponents aren’t running creature removal that hits one of the 4 (potentially 5) creatures that make up the combo that’s on them. All in all, it’s a deck with a slow card advantage engine in the command zone, an aristocrats/investigate theme and murder-mystery flavor. If that sounds like your style, give it a try or adapt it to your own preferences.

Date added	2 years
Last updated	2 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	7 - 0 Mythic Rares 50 - 0 Rares 25 - 0 Uncommons 6 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.95
Tokens	Clue, Companion Zone, Dungeon: Dungeon of the Mad Mage, Dungeon: Lost Mine of Phandelver, Dungeon: Tomb of Annihilation, Experience Token, Food, Goat 0/1 W, Goblin 1/1 R, Human Soldier 1/1 W, Morph 2/2 C, Servo 1/1 C, Skeleton 1/1 B, Squirrel 1/1 G, The Atropal, Treasure