First, an anecdotal story that explains the origin of my modern Guild themes. In 2006, I had given up on Magic. The sets at the time didn't interest me; they didn't ignite my imaginative spark. Then, Dissension and GuildPact came out. I found what I had been looking for in Magic. The idea of several guilds fighting each other appealed to me. So, when I heard that Ravnica was being revisited, I couldn't wait to see what would come out! I was not disappointed in the slightest. :D
Golgari. A guild of scavengers and death worshippers that have been forced to live underground in Rot Farms and Sewers. I tried to build on this idea when I was creating this deck. The magic of Golgari involves weakening and decay. The older Golgari set would turn a graveyard into another library; this new set focuses on drawing power from those resources instead. Let's look at it card by card.
Slitherhead
The earlier you can dump this guy into your graveyard, the quicker you can reap the benefits of Scavenge. Lotleth Troll, Varolz, the Scar Striped, and Jarad, Golgari Lichlord are great ways to get this little creep back into the ground.
Deathrite Shaman Very rare card but I got lucky getting mine. It grants several boons, but relies on either your graveyard or your opponent's. Watch for early game removal.
Abrupt Decay Excellent early game removal. Whether it's an enchantment, creature, or artifact, get it in the graveyard. The fact that it can't be countered makes it reliable against blue players who enjoy low cost enchants as well as counterspells.
Golgari Charm The charm is interesting because it is able to give you a couple of options at Instant speed. Either give creatures -1/-1, regenerate each creature you control, or destroy target enchantment. In a game as variable as Magic, I like options.
Lotleth Troll This guy is amazing. Begin dumping creatures from your hand into the graveyard to give this 2 drop an amazing field presence. If your opponent comes short of exiling it, always keep a Swamp open for that easy regeneration.
Korozda Guildmage With much better options than it's predecessor, the Golgari Guildmage, this card can potentially make one of your creature's unblockable or sacrifice it to create a swarm of saprolings. The sac mechanic works fantastically with Savra.
Treasured Find You may lose a creature or an enchantment to your opponent's guile (or quite possibly, your own). If that happens, Treasured Find is there for you.
Dark Heart of the Wood
Typically, destroying your own Forests is not the best idea. However, the 3 life gain from Dark Heart can sometimes be the difference between a killing or glancing blow. Just don't abuse the sac effect or you will ultimately regret it.
Putrefy This card works as a great mid or late game removal card in place of Abrupt Decay. Spot removal is good.
Varolz, the Scar-Striped Legendary Maze Runner. Not only does it give your dead creatures Scavenge, but sometimes this is enough to reduce Scavenge costs for several of your dead creatures. Sac a creature to keep Varolz healthy.
Dreg Mangler
These guys are vicious. When they come out turn three, the Haste is rather nice.
Gaze of Granite This card is an extremely effective means of field removal. Also, if Grave Betrayal is in play, you've essentially turned the fight on it's head. The dead will rise, and they rise for you.
Sluiceway Scorpion
2/2 with Deathtouch is often enough to stymie your opponent from being wreckless with attacks. Or not. Either way, the Scorpions can be Scavenged rather cheaply.
Deadbridge Goliath At the same converted 4 drop cost as the Sluiceway Scorpions, the Goliath is a nice beefy 5/5 that Scavenges as well.
Corpsejack Menace Get the most from using Scavenge and 1/1 counters with the Menace. Beware: draws field presence.
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord Golgari Pahrun. The newly risen Jarad has a couple of nice offensive and defensive tricks that allows him to stay in against most conventional situations. Sac some creatures to deal some Direct Damage, or use him as a chump block and regenerate. Either way, the more creatures resting in your graveyard, the harder Jarad will hit back.
Savra, Queen of the Golgari Ex- Golgari Pahrun. The Golgari always recycle. Same could be said of their guild leaders. Savra supplements some of the Sac mechanics in the deck. Having your opponent Sac creatures whenever you Sac is nice. Considering most creatures in this deck are Gold, you'll either gain 2 Life or make your opponent Sac as well.
Korozda Gorgon
Deathtouch with a beefy toughness. It can also remove counters from your own creatures to bestow -1/-1 counters on your opponent's creatures.
Gleancrawler
A very interesting creature; 6/6, trample, and if you have had any creature hit your graveyard in the turn, Gleancrawler will put them back into your hand. Sometimes, a Gaze of Granite can clear the field and Gleancrawler will repurpose the dead.
Woodwraith Corrupter
Pairing with
Dark Heart of the Wood
, in a pinch, the Corrupter can turn your land into a base force. If said Forest comes under fire, just Sac it with the Dark Heart for that easy 3 life. If Savra is in play, that is easilly 5 Life. If none of these cards are present, the Corrupter is still a 4/6 and intimidating to smaller attackers or blockers.
Death's Presence Don't lose those hard earned counters. As long as Death's Presence is in play, you can constantly recycle your counters. Just keep a creature handy so the counters don't go to Limbo.
Grave Betrayal Your opponent will be a little less inclined to loose creatures to you once this hits play. Gain control of your opponent's dead creatures with this expensive enchantment. If you're in a late game and this is in play, all those removal spells like Putrefy and Abrupt Decay come into their own to remove the threat and make your own.
Sisters of Stone Death Golgari Champion. The Sisters are devestating, especially paired in any combination with the big enchantments of this deck. Acting like a mini Grave Betrayal, their activated abilities give you some control over battle and if they destroy a creature, it gets repurposed. This card epitomizes Golgari mechanics.
In your early game, it's all about what you can get onto the field as well as into your graveyard. The early game Slitherheads are great for their Scavenge 0, and Lotleth Troll can become quite the force for your opponent. dreg Manglers are great assets for any readied attack. Use your early removal, and try to get as much damage in as you can.
Mid-game comes your Legendaries. You also begin to see your Sac mechanics with the Korozda Guildmage. You have many others ways of sacrificing your creatures. These mostly involve your Legendary Golgari figureheads; Varolz, the Scar-Striped and Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord. Either of these two synchronize well with Savra, Queen of the Golgari to get the best benefit from sacrificing your creatures. Deadbridge Goliath and
Sluiceway Scorpion
can be excellent Sac fodder, depending on which Sac mechanic you choose to use.
The longer the game can go on, the better your options get. Corpsejack Menace+
Korozda Gorgon
make an excellent pair. The extra counters Menace grants can still pump your creatures while removing some to remove threatening or board setting creatures. Gaze of Granite is great in a pinch, and the high risk enchantments help to give you some board presence. Sisters of Stone Death and other high CMC creatures can withstand your own Gaze. Level the playing field and go for the win!
Thank you very much for your review! If you have any suggestions, I keep my decks themed, so please consider any cards from old and new Ravnica for this deck. Thanks again and I look forward to hearing from the tappedout.net community!
