Aristocratic Apocalypse

Commander / EDH Aristocrats Attrition BG (Golgari) Multiplayer Sacrifice Toolbox Value Engine

Hijjak

Mana Land (37)

• 1x Bayou
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Boseiju, Who Endures
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Deathcap Glade
• 1x Field of the Dead
• 1x Forest
• 1x Golgari Rot Farm
• 1x Llanowar Wastes
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Nurturing Peatland
• 1x Overgrown Tomb
• 1x Phyrexian Tower
• 5x Snow-Covered Forest
• 5x Snow-Covered Swamp
• 1x Spymaster's Vault
• 1x Swamp
• 1x Tainted Wood
• 1x Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• 1x Twilight Mire
• 1x Verdant Catacombs
• 1x Volrath's Stronghold
• 1x Windswept Heath
• 1x Wooded Foothills
• 1x Woodland Cemetery
• 1x Woodland Chasm
• 1x Yavimaya Hollow
• 1x Agadeem's Awakening  ^Flip
• 1x Disciple of Freyalise  ^Flip

Targeted Removal (11)

• 1x Boseiju, Who Endures
• 1x Assassin's Trophy
• 1x Cankerbloom
• 1x Golgari Charm
• 1x Faceless Butcher
• 1x Foundation Breaker
• 1x Skinrender
• 1x Vraska, Golgari Queen
• 1x Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
• 1x Noxious Gearhulk
• 1x Virtue of Persistence

Tutors (8)

• 1x Fauna Shaman
• 1x Fiend Artisan
• 1x Rushed Rebirth
• 1x Eldritch Evolution
• 1x Birthing Pod
• 1x Vile Entomber
• 1x Sidisi, Undead Vizier
• 1x Vivien on the Hunt

Combo C (3)

• 1x Eternal Witness
• 1x Pitiless Plunderer
• 1x Living Death

Combo A (2)

• 1x Skinrender
• 1x Mikaeus, the Unhallowed

Recursion (16)

• 1x Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• 1x Volrath's Stronghold
• 1x Trailtracker Scout
• 1x Agadeem's Awakening  ^Flip
• 1x Coati Scavenger
• 1x Eternal Witness
• 1x Liliana, Heretical Healer  ^Flip
• 1x Six
• 1x Victimize
• 1x Body Launderer
• 1x Liliana, Death's Majesty
• 1x Living Death
• 1x Blood on the Snow
• 1x Demon of Dark Schemes
• 1x Metamorphosis Fanatic
• 1x Virtue of Persistence

Sacrifice Outlets (12)

• 1x Phyrexian Tower
• 1x Carrion Feeder
• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x Viscera Seer
• 1x Altar of Dementia
• 1x Fiend Artisan
• 1x Ashnod's Altar
• 1x Birthing Pod
• 1x Vraska, Golgari Queen
• 1x Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
• 1x Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools
• 1x Vivien on the Hunt

Ramp (11)

• 1x Phyrexian Tower
• 1x Birds of Paradise
• 1x Elves of Deep Shadow
• 1x Elvish Mystic
• 1x Veteran Explorer
• 1x Prosperous Innkeeper
• 1x Sakura-Tribe Elder
• 1x Trailtracker Scout
• 1x Ashnod's Altar
• 1x Wood Elves
• 1x Pitiless Plunderer

Protection (8)

• 1x Yavimaya Hollow
• 1x Spore Frog
• 1x Tamiyo's Safekeeping
• 1x Golgari Charm
• 1x Heroic Intervention
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots
• 1x Mikaeus, the Unhallowed

Combo D (3)

• 1x Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
• 1x Gray Merchant of Asphodel
• 1x Mikaeus, the Unhallowed

Commander (1)

Card Draw (13)

• 1x Spymaster's Vault
• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x Callous Bloodmage
• 1x Dark Prophecy
• 1x Fecundity
• 1x Spinner of Souls
• 1x Body Launderer
• 1x Vraska, Golgari Queen
• 1x Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
• 1x Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools
• 1x Disciple of Freyalise  ^Flip
• 1x Liliana, Dreadhorde General
• 1x Vivien on the Hunt

Sacrifice Payoffs (12)

• 1x Spymaster's Vault
• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x The Meathook Massacre
• 1x Dark Prophecy
• 1x Fecundity
• 1x Spinner of Souls
• 1x Pitiless Plunderer
• 1x Savra, Queen of the Golgari
• 1x Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest
• 1x Demon of Dark Schemes
• 1x Liliana, Dreadhorde General
• 1x Butcher of Malakir

Mass Removal (8)

• 1x Golgari Charm
• 1x The Meathook Massacre
• 1x Savra, Queen of the Golgari
• 1x Liliana, Death's Majesty
• 1x Living Death
• 1x Blood on the Snow
• 1x Demon of Dark Schemes
• 1x Butcher of Malakir

Combo B (3)

• 1x Pitiless Plunderer
• 1x Demon of Dark Schemes
• 1x Avenger of Zendikar

Misc (3)

• 1x Field of the Dead
• 1x Accursed Marauder
• 1x Callous Bloodmage

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Gameplan / Tips / Deckbuilding choices

This deck accrues resources through various sacrifice engines, using Meren to grind out of parity if possible. It usually takes a controlling role, tutoring for interaction pieces that can be recurred throughout the game as needed before attacking for the win, draining opponents to death with Gary, or assembling an infinite sacrifice combo.

Main weaknesses: Heavy early pressure, strategies we can't interact with, anti-trigger effects

The normal swamp & forest are included to contribute to Field of the Dead. Search for them after getting at least four snow lands (to be able to reanimate Meren with Blood on the Snow).

Volrath's Stronghold is mainly included for Metamorphosis Fanatic.

Sacrifice Faceless Butcher with its ETB trigger on the stack to permanently exile the creature it targets.

Veteran Explorer and Fecundity are used, despite helping our opponents, because they help us a lot more when used correctly.

Combos

Combo A (Infinite)

Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Skinrender

With Mikaeus on the field, sacrifice Skinrender to any free sacrifice outlet. When undying brings it back, target Skinrender with its own ability, removing the +1/+1 counter. Repeat for infinite etb/death triggers and whatever resource the sacrifice outlet provides.

Combo B (Infinite)

Avenger of Zendikar + Demon of Dark Schemes + Pitiless Plunderer

Sacrifice the avenger and 3 plant tokens with any free sacrifice outlet, gaining 4 treasures from the plunderer and 4 energy counters from the demon. Use 3 mana and 4 energy to reanimate the avenger, creating 4+ more plant tokens. Repeat to generate treasures, plants, and death triggers (also energy by sacrificing more than three tokens each time).

Combo C (Infinite)

Eternal Witness + Living Death + Pitiless Plunderer

With Eternal Witness, Pitiless Plunderer, and at least four other nontoken creatures on the battlefield, sacrifice all of your creatures to any free sacrifice outlet (generating at least five treasures), then cast Living Death. On ETB, use the witness to return Living Death to your hand. Repeat for infinite ETB and death triggers for all creatures on the battlefield and in graveyards, plus infinite treasures if you have extra creatures.

Combo D (Pseudo-Infinite)

Gray Merchant of Asphodel + Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Yawgmoth, Thran Physician (+ any other nonhuman creature)

Sacrifice Gary to Yawgmoth, putting a -1/-1 counter on another nonhuman creature you control and drawing a card. Gary comes back with a +1/+1 counter because of undying from Mikaeus, draining each opponent on ETB. Sacrifice the other nonhuman creature, targeting Gary to cancel out his +1/+1 counter with a -1/-1 counter. That creature comes back with a +1/+1 counter. Repeat to drain each opponent and draw cards until your entire deck is in your hand.

Another nonhuman creature can take Gary's place as long as either Prosperous Innkeeper or Moldervine Reclamation is there to mitigate Yawgmoth's life loss.

Alternate Cards

Cards I'm still trying to fit in: Krosan Grip, Fyndhorn Elves, Chthonian Nightmare

Cards to consider: Grim Haruspex, Moldervine Reclamation, Solemn Simulacrum, Panharmonicon, Liliana, Waker of the Dead, Noxious Revival, Phyrexian Reclamation, Saw in Half, Journey to Eternity  , Grim Servant, Drivnod, Carnage Dominus, Season of Loss, Skyfisher Spider, Awakening Zone, Strionic Resonator, Pattern of Rebirth, Woodfall Primus, Toxic Deluge, Phyrexian Delver, Wickerbough Elder, Crystalline Crawler, Puppeteer Clique, Grist, the Hunger Tide

Cards that would get me ostracized by my friends and family: Black Cat, Contamination, Hope of Ghirapur, Mesmeric Fiend, Mind Slash, Mindslicer, Nezumi Bone-Reader, Sadistic Augermage, Sadistic Hypnotist, Tergrid, God of Fright  

Exclusions

Sol Ring because it's neither necessary nor enjoyable in non-competitive games.

Demonic Tutor and the like because unconditional tutors aren't very interesting.

Warren Soultrader, Phyrexian Altar, Blood Artist, Forsaken Miner, and Razaketh, the Foulblooded *f-etch* because they raised the deck's power level in a boring way. Opinion might change in the future if I want to lean more into combo.

Other IPs because their inclusion in this game disgusts me. Might commission an MTG version of Sanguinary Priest at some point, but I will not use the advertisement version.

Date added	3 years
Last updated	2 hours
Key combos	Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Skinrender Gray Merchant of Asphodel + Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Yawgmoth, Thran Physician Avenger of Zendikar + Demon of Dark Schemes + Pitiless Plunderer Eternal Witness + Living Death + Pitiless Plunderer
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	17 - 0 Mythic Rares 40 - 0 Rares 19 - 0 Uncommons 11 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.40
Tokens	Emblem Liliana, Defiant Necromancer, Emblem Vraska, Golgari Queen, Energy Reserve, Experience Token, On an Adventure, Pest 1/1 BG, Plant 0/1 G, Rhino Warrior 4/4 G, Thrull 0/1 B, Treasure, Zombie 2/2 B
Folders	Commander - Main