The emerge mechanic in EMN is loads of fun to play with and has a seriously pushed power level. This deck has been built to abuse the mechanic as much as possible, especially the tempo aspect of dropping an 8cmc creature for half its cost. The basic idea is to stall until you've drawn one of your emerge Eldrazi and then use it to dominate the board. Here's what the cards are doing:
Foul Emissary
: this card serves two very important roles in this deck - it is your most desirable target for casting emerge creatures, and it lets you dig through your deck to find a creature. Optimally you would play this on turn 3 and emerge something from it turn 4.
It of the Horrid Swarm
: being able to put 3-4 bodies on the board on turn 4 is pure value, but even in a stalled game this Eldrazi does a good job of breaking up stalemates. The 1/1 insect tokens are especially relevant when facing Wx humans since they can potentially trade when blocking.
Distended Mindbender: the mindbender is generally going to be better in the early game because of its ability to force your opponent to discard, but the 5/5 for 4 mana is value even if your opponent is only losing 1 card.
Elder Deep-Fiend: a more late game play, but great for opening up attacking opportunities since you're tapping out any four permanents. The flash here is extremely useful since you can potentially rob your opponent of a turn early in the game, or act as insurance against combat tricks by tapping down their open mana.
Eldrazi Host Bodies - these are the 3 drop cards that keep this deck running properly, making sure that if you hit your land drops you have plays to make.
Beastcaller Savant: sometimes the double blue and double black mana costs on your Elrazi are going to be hard to get to on turn 4 or 5, which is why this card was included. The beauty is you can tap him for mana and sac him to the Eldrazi in the same turn.
Eldrazi Skyspawner: a flyer who produces an extra body is good, but when that body also leaves you with an extra mana available it's even better. This scion could be the difference between saving your Eldrazi with Turn Aside and losing it to removal.
Geist of the Archives: in addition to costing 3cmc this card also helps protect you from weenies early on if you find yourself having to dig, and it enables that digging by having you scrye 1 each turn.
2 Drop Board Stall - Sometimes you aren't going to find your Eldrazi without digging (or at all), and these cards are the ones who can help buy you the time to grind out a win. They can also be used to emerge Eldrazi later in the game if you can't find a 3 drop.
Duskwatch Recruiter: with reasonable stats, a repeatable card filtering mechanic, and the chance to reduce the cost of your emerge creatures further this card shines here. This also gives you a reasonable turn 3 play if he's the only creature you can field.
Lambholt Pacifist
: this card can do a lot of work early game to keep you alive against aggro decks and serves as a reasonable threat once it flips.
Sylvan Advocate: another creature that provides value in the early game and scales in the late game if you end up grinding.
Spells - This few spells in this deck serve to help you filter your library, remove threats, and keep your Eldrazi alive.
Read the Bones: a relatively cheap option for digging through upto 4 cards in a pinch.
Vessel of Nascency: another instance of 4 card filtering, and a reasonable use of mana to flip a werewolf if you're stuck with them early game.
Ruinous Path: efficient removal that can target planeswalkers is a good thing any time.
Turn Aside: a cheap way to keep your creatures alive, if only for one more turn.
Sideboard - five more utility cards.
Watcher in the Web
: helps address spirit decks with reach and the ability to block multiple creatures.
Naturalize: to remove enchantments and artifacts.
Convolute
: a good counter, mainly to deal with spells like Dromoka's Command, Languish and Collected Company.
Dead Weight: cheap weenie hate can make a big difference against humans.
Self-Inflicted Wound: because having something that targets Green and White in this standard is a safe bet.
Additional Notes: This deck does fairly well in most match ups where you can make good tempo plays off emerging Eldrazi, and can grind against creature heavy decks if necessary. More controlling decks can be problematic if they can remove your three drops before you get any use out of them.
If you like this deck be sure to upvote! Comments, suggestions and upvotes are always appreciated!
