Death's with Benefits

Commander / EDH* IDontMakeSense

SCORE: 4 | 125 COMMENTS | 2956 VIEWS | IN 4 FOLDERS


IDontMakeSense says... #1

Definitely keeping Thornbite Staff in.

November 19, 2015 4:58 p.m.

ibstudent2200 says... #2

Before I get started on my rant, I have a few things to say. Grave Pact, Rune-Scarred Demon, Avatar of Woe, Massacre Wurm, Baleful Force, Larceny, Graveborn Muse, Attrition.

Darkleus31, I hate to say this, but your advice is terrible. To break it down:

Barren Moor is fine. I don't like Polluted Mire as much, but it's not unreasonable to play both. You cycle them if you're getting flooded, and play them if you need the land drops. Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx are both good cards, and Magus of the Coffers is decent, but you don't want to go too far below 38 lands in this format unless you have a clear reason to do so, especially if the commander costs 5 or more.

Indulgent Tormentor is awful. It's bad enough that you'd have to pay me to play it in casual games, and I run Discombobulate and Haze Frog. The effect you actually want from Indulgent Tormenter is drawing cards, and it takes 3 turns under the best circumstances to top Phyrexian Gargantua's card draw, and Gargantua leaves behind a juicy body to be sacrificed to Gisa. Even Demon of Death's Gate is better, and that's a french vanilla creature on the battlefield.

Thornbite Staff is WAY better than Deathrender, because it untaps the equipped creature (namely, Gisa). Also, you technically don't cast the creature that Deathrender cheats out. Your opponents don't even get to see what creature is coming until the trigger resolves, so they have to make decisions without all the information they might need.

You should not recommend playing 2-card combos like Army of the Damned + Endless Ranks of the Dead in EDH based entirely on the merits of the combo, unless you play 10+ tutors. You can't depend on drawing the cards together, so the cards have to be worth playing on their own. Army isn't a terrible card, but it's not one I'd recommend in a "power matters" sacrifice-themed deck, because the tokens aren't any larger than what Gisa makes.

As far as Filth, you run into the same logic error as I mentioned in the previous paragraph, only far worse. Urborg is good in this list because it doesn't take up any spell slots, and it synergizes with Cabal Coffers. Filth is almost useless without Urborg, and you're going to draw it far more often without Urborg than you'll draw it with Urborg.

November 19, 2015 9:06 p.m.

Lanzo493 says... #3

ibstudent2200, you are a little uneducated in the terms of, well, giving advice. You gave more advice on how somebody else is stupid than you gave advice on the own cards you're suggesting. You offer no incentive for your cards to be seen as good suggestions. In fact, you even make your suggestions look bad by your actions in the rest of the comment. The only time when you need to be against somebody else's suggestions is when the person making the deck actually agrees to them and changes the deck based on that. Then you can make an argument to reverse the changes. If that doesn't happen, there's no need to be a critic on someone else's work.

November 20, 2015 8:46 a.m.

Darkleus31 says... #4

Thank you for defending my comments for the Death's with Benefits deck, Lanzo493! I know some of my suggestions may not be the best but they work very well the way I implement them! I'm still new to Magic so my knowledge of what qualifies as a good card is limited to the cards in my decks and the decks I have played against!

November 20, 2015 9:17 a.m.

IDontMakeSense says... #5

- I'm just a spectator to this.

I will take into consideration each suggestion, and if I don't comment a response to them, it's mainly because I don't want to flood the comment section.

November 20, 2015 noon

CuteSnail says... #7

I agree with all of those except 2.

  • Liliana of the Dark Realms is a reoccurring source of Swamp. Very powerful, generally underated.
  • Thran Dynamo is better than jar.
  • November 20, 2015 1:45 p.m.

    IDontMakeSense says... #8

    I'd at least like to test the two for now, then see if it works for me.

    November 20, 2015 1:47 p.m.

    IDontMakeSense says... #9

    TheHamster, are there any other good LTB things that would be good in my deck? I'm curious after seeing your post on the other sacrifice based deck

    November 21, 2015 7:50 p.m.

    TheHamster says... #10

    Corpse Augur from the new commander set is Insane value

    November 21, 2015 8:02 p.m.

    CuteSnail says... #11

    Don't do it! Its not a may! You will die

    November 21, 2015 8:06 p.m.

    Thanks TheHamster!! I've found extremely fun combos of Burnished Hart + Gravespawn Sovereign + Mikaeus, the Unhallowed to just get plenty of mana out easy.

    November 21, 2015 8:09 p.m.

    Sir NecroPony as through each and every one of my games and play tests, I can choose myself for that ability as if I get milled and have creatures in grave there are plenty of ways for me to choose myself then end up with only losing a little life.

    November 21, 2015 8:12 p.m.

    TheHamster says... #14

    just for sake of Argument with NecroPony if he follows it up with a Disciple of Bolas or even has any lifegain, (e.g. Whip of Erebosor Vampiric Rites) it wouldn't matter the life loss is so minimal, especially if he doesn't recur it, which he totally can. but honestly it's cheap card advantage, and it doesn't hurt as much as say Phyrexian Arena or BOB would hurt you being the alternative cards advantage options in the long run

    November 21, 2015 8:16 p.m.

    CuteSnail says... #15

    Scourge of Nel Toth! "Get 6 2/2s then sac 2 to get it back for . Net result is pay for 4 2/2s!"

    November 22, 2015 11:39 a.m.

    Lanzo493 says... #16

    Considering, under most circumstances, Gisa's ability can only be activated once a turn I suggest Nim Devourer. You bring her back for and sacrifice for at least 4 zombies. You will probably, on average, get around 6 zombies for .

    November 22, 2015 11:55 a.m.

    Lanzo493 I like the idea, but I have enough tutors to get my Gravespawn Sovereign out and as long as I have the zombies, I don't need to worry about having another "I can bring myself back" creature.

    NecroPony, I was already planning on that one.

    November 22, 2015 12:32 p.m.

    Added a High Market in place of a Swamp.

    NecroPony and TheHamster. Can I have your opinions if I'm starting to run too few swamps? I'm getting a little worried.

    November 23, 2015 11:59 a.m.

    Darkleus31 says... #19

    I'd maybe add two more swamps by taking out Polluted Mire and Ghost Quarter.

    November 23, 2015 12:03 p.m.

    Heck to the no! Darkleus31

    Ghost Quarter is a need because if someone else is running a Cabal Coffers or something equally good or better, I can't allow it. Need the ability to take care of it.

    November 23, 2015 12:05 p.m.

    Darkleus31 says... #21

    Then Why not replace Ghost Quarter with something even better such as Strip Mine.

    November 23, 2015 12:09 p.m.

    Money.

    November 23, 2015 12:12 p.m.

    Darkleus31 says... #23

    I don't even think Strip Mine is more than a dollar.

    November 23, 2015 12:14 p.m.

    CuteSnail says... #24

    It's $5 at cheapest last I looked.

    November 23, 2015 12:16 p.m.

    Darkleus31 says... #25

    Wow! It went up really recently then!

    November 23, 2015 12:18 p.m.

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