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Gnawing Away With Rats

Commander / EDH Casual Mono-Black

brabes


Marrow-Gnawer Rat Tribal EDH!!! All card suggestions are welcome!

The Objective of the deck is to have them empty thier hand with discard while swarming the table with Rats. Ink-Eyes can be used as an alternative Commander depending on your meta, Marrow-Gnawer is only a support card. The cards that can cause discard are Drainpipe Vermin , Gnat Miser , by reducing hand size, Locust Miser, also reduces hand size, Nezumi Bone-Reader , Nezumi Shortfang , which can also deal damage after entire hand has been discarded, Okiba-Gang Shinobi , Ravenous Rats, Rotting Rats , Sadistic Hypnotist, one of the best black EDH cards, regardless of the deck your playing, and Stronghold Rats , because shadow makes it easy to get some ninjutsu action, and if his damage goes through causes discard.

Ichor Rats and Septic Rats are run as a separate win-con (poison) but also draw away blockers.

Utility Creatures---Adaptive Automaton, counts as a rat and gives all other rats a bonus, Guul Draz Specter, it's easy to get off the discard for the +3/+3 bonus, Ogre Slumlord, free tokens, sign me up, Pack Rat, one of the best rats, I ran four in my Relentless Rats deck. Combos great with Marrow-Gnawer. Pestilence Rats and Swarm of Rats are Pack Rat with a set toughness, Rabbid Rats goes with making blockers weaker while staying back, can be sacked to Attrition afterwards for more defensive plays, and Ratcatcher gives you a rat into your hand every turn. Sewer Rats easily falls under radar and can be pumped to 4 damage from an attack, Sidisi, Undead Vizier can exploit a token for a tutor and you have a 4/6, all for only 5 mana. Skullsnatcher puts the discarded stuff into exile and Throat Slitter can destroy something after ninjutsuing off a token.

Artifacts are really just for boosts or mana. Others for utility--- Akroma's Memorial, Caged Sun, Coat of Arms, Door of Destinies, Eldrazi Monument, and Obelisk of Urd all boost the Rats. Eldrazi Monument's price can be paid with tokens. Altar of the Brood takes advantage of sacrifice's to mill. Jet Medallion makes all black cards cheaper. Mind Stone can tap for mana early on, sac for a card later. Sol Ring. Shut up, its a staple. If you don't think its a staple, get help. Lightning Greaves and Swiftfot Boots to protect your commander or any other creature. Soul Foundry gets you more Pack Rats for 2, more Ratcatchers for 6, more of anything you want.

Most of the enchantments just assist with gaining help and making it harder for your opponents. Attrition can let you sac a 1/1 token for a big blocker at the cost of one mana. Bad Moon can boost other decks, but since ours is mono black with lots of creatures, other decks will feel it as being more of a downside. Contamination is literally a black Blood Moon for the cheaps. Dictate of Erebos: You- pay one black mana and sac a token for Attrition. Opponent- Loses two creatures. Liliana's Caress + Necrogen Mists for 2 damage and a discard every turn, and Shrieking Affliction for an extra 3 when they get low. Phyrexian Arena lets you draw an extra card every turn. Its only 1 damage from 40 health.

Instants are pretty basic----Culling the Weak for the better Dark Ritual, Foul-Tongue Shriek because the tokens deal another damage, the life gain doesn't matter, and Tragic Slip because -13/-13 for one mana is insane, and you have enough stuff to ensure the morbid.

Only Planeswalker is Sorin Markov, because his -3 is insane and his ultimate can essentially win the game.

Like the enchantments, most of the sorceries are for utility----Beacon of Unrest steal cards from graveyards, shuffle into deck, repeat. Beseech the Queen is a fun tutor for three, which is where the deck has most of its cards. Damnable Pact is just an editable Sign in Blood that can kill other player by damage or deck. Decree of Pain for the wrath. Diabolic Tutor, because the grin. Exsanguinate, it exists only as a finisher. Mutilate for a wrath, hopefully won't ever need it. Patriarch's Bidding choosing rat. Works well after someone plays a wrath.

The mana base is pretty simple----27xswamps for basic black mana, Barren Moor for the Cycling, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx because our devotion will get high with all of the creatures we hope to play. Arcane Lighthouse makes it easier to use spot removal and Reliquary Tower grants no maximum hand size. Swarmyard can tap to regenerate any rat, Temple of the False God is essentially Sol Ring. Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth will allow Swarmyard , Temple of the False God, Reliquary Tower, and Arcane Lighthouse to tap for black mana.

Thank You for looking at my deck! Any and all suggestions are welcome!

(http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/commander-edh/multiplayer-commander-decklists/211583-marrow-gnawer-tribal-rats) (https://edhrec.com/commanders/marrow-gnawer)

Link to the forum from which I drew a lot of inspiration and ideas.

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Date added 8 years
Last updated 7 years
Key combos
Legality

This deck is Commander / EDH legal.

Rarity (main - side)

4 - 0 Mythic Rares

31 - 0 Rares

22 - 0 Uncommons

16 - 0 Commons

Cards 100
Avg. CMC 3.26
Tokens Copy Clone, Rat 1/1 B
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