Draining Pests

Commander / EDH BG (Golgari) Lifegain Sacrifice Tokens

iSacs1987

Creature (27)

• 1x Accomplished Alchemist
• 1x Beledros Witherbloom
• 1x Blex, Vexing Pest  ^Flip
• 1x Blood Artist
• 1x Callous Bloodmage
• 1x Daemogoth Titan
• 1x Daemogoth Woe-Eater
• 1x Deathgreeter
• 1x Deathrite Shaman
• 1x Disciple of Griselbrand
• 1x Essence Warden
• 1x Falkenrath Noble
• 1x Lampad of Death's Vigil
• 1x Marauding Blight-Priest
• 1x Nadier's Nightblade
• 1x Professor of Zoomancy
• 1x Sakura-Tribe Elder
• 1x Savra, Queen of the Golgari
• 1x Scavenging Ooze
• 1x Sedgemoor Witch
• 1x Tymaret, Chosen from Death
• 1x Valentin, Dean of the Vein  ^Flip
• 1x Veinwitch Coven
• 1x Viscera Seer
• 1x Witherbloom Apprentice
• 1x Witherbloom Pledgemage
• 1x Zulaport Cutthroat

Enchantment (6)

• 1x Bastion of Remembrance
• 1x Blight Mound
• 1x Deathreap Ritual
• 1x Moldervine Reclamation
• 1x Sanguine Bond
• 1x Vampiric Rites

Land (35)

• 1x Blighted Woodland
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Exotic Orchard
• 7x Forest
• 1x Gingerbread Cabin
• 1x Golgari Guildgate
• 1x Golgari Rot Farm
• 1x High Market
• 1x Jungle Hollow
• 1x Llanowar Wastes
• 1x Myriad Landscape
• 1x Radiant Fountain
• 1x Sapseep Forest
• 12x Swamp
• 1x Tainted Wood
• 1x Temple of Malady
• 1x Terramorphic Expanse
• 1x Witherbloom Campus

Instant (9)

• 1x Altar's Reap
• 1x Beast Within
• 1x Crushing Disappointment
• 1x Harrow
• 1x Mortality Spear
• 1x Plumb the Forbidden
• 1x Tend the Pests
• 1x Village Rites
• 1x Vraska's Contempt

Planeswalker (1)

• 1x Vraska, Golgari Queen

Commander (1)

Sorcery (14)

• 1x Basic Conjuration
• 1x Containment Breach
• 1x Culling Ritual
• 1x Cultivate
• 1x Deadly Brew
• 1x Devouring Tendrils
• 1x Environmental Sciences
• 1x Essence Pulse
• 1x Hunt for Specimens
• 1x Kodama's Reach
• 1x Pest Infestation
• 1x Pest Summoning
• 1x Rampant Growth
• 1x Search for Tomorrow

Artifact (7)

• 1x Alhammarret's Archive
• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Pristine Talisman
• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Talisman of Resilience
• 1x Well of Lost Dreams

---

Brief Overview

With Strixhaven we got new Pre-Constructed Commander Decks and I decided to build some new Decks around some of the Pre-Constructed Commanders as well as around some of the Legends from the Main Set. The third of this Decks resolves around Dina, Soul Steeper and her ability to drain all my opponents whenever I gain life. Therefor this deck resolves around the new Pest-Tokens as well as an Aristocrats theme, so that I can drain my opponents multiple times in each turn.

Main Strategy

The main Strategy of this deck is pretty straight forward. By gaining small amounts of life multiple times every turn I try to drain my opponents with the help of Dina's ability. To Accomplish this Cards like Beledros Witherbloom or Valentin, Dean of the Vein   were included to generate me some small little Pest Tokens, which can gain me life when they die. Furthermore cards like Deathgreeter , Essence Warden and even Removal spells like Vraska's Contempt or Devouring Tendrils can gain me life so that I can drain my opponents even further. This whole strategy is accompanied by an Aristocrats theme resolving around cards like Zulaport Cutthroat , Blood Artist or Bastion of Remembrance , which each drain my opponents and gain me life. With one of these cards and my Commander on the battlefield, each dying creature results in a difference of three lifepoints (I gain 1 life an dmy opponents lose 2 life). These numbers can add up really quickly and drain my opponents very effectively.

Aristocrats

Nearly 25% of my nonland cards are part of the Aristocrats theme resolving around Sacrifice outlets like Viscera Seer , Lampad of Death's Vigil or Vampiric Rites . As payoffs cards like Blood Artist , Bastion of Remembrance or Savra, Queen of the Golgari were included to drain my opponents and give me a life boost, which in turn can also drain my Opponents. With Cards like Sanguine Bond , Marauding Blight-Priest , Epicure of Blood and my Commander this drain effect can be further increased. Main Sacrifice-Targets are Pest Tokens created via Pest Summoning , Beledros Witherbloom or Callous Bloodmage . Since these creatures gain me life then they die, I can drain my opponents even better. Draining my Opponents for 5 or more life by sacrifing only 1 Pest-Token is more than realistic.

Summary

All in all this deck is pretty fun to play, and the Aristocrats theme in combination with Dina's ability can drain my opponents very effectively. Especially the inclusion of cards like Blood Artist , Marauding Blight-Priest and Lampad of Death's Vigil allows this deck to drain opponents for massive amounts of life by sacrifing only one small creature. The new Pest-Tokens are ideal Sacrifices since their ability to let me gain life can drain my opponents even further. By Including Removal and Card-Draw Spells that fit to the whole theme of this deck even plays like dealing with a problematic creature can give me the oppertunity to drain my opponents.

Date: May 8, 2021

Date added	3 years
Last updated	3 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	4 - 0 Mythic Rares 21 - 0 Rares 27 - 0 Uncommons 27 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.80
Tokens	Beast 3/3 G, Emblem Vraska, Golgari Queen, Food, Human Soldier 1/1 W, Pest 1/1 BG
Folders	Commander