This is a part of a series of semi-competitive, budget-friendly, kitchen-table builds which attempt to pay on average no more than 1$ per card and are designed with 'fun' rather than 'winning' as a main priority.
Strategy:
This deck attempts to abuse Living Lore in tandem with Cruel Ultimatum and utilize elements of cruel control to sabotage and help out-tempo the opponent.
Non-Creature Spells-
Draw:
Faithless Looting: A cheap tool to help locate and dump Cruel Ultimatum in anticipation of Living Lore. Also provides gas mid-late game with flashback.
Chart a Course: An additional tool to help locate and dump Cruel Ultimatum if needed but can also be used after attacking with a Insectile Aberration or two if your combo is already set up.
Night's Whisper: The Final tool in locating the combo, the 2 life wont hurt so bad after your Cruel Ultimatum engine comes online, speaking of Cruel Ultimatum...
Cruel Ultimatum: What can I say? The 'return target creature card to your hand' clause combos nicely with a freshly sacrificed (or discarded) Living Lore.
Control:
Anchor to the Aether: This card combined with Magus of the Moon can wreck greedy decks and really starts to shine once they are top-decking, it's pure tempo gold; disrupting your opponent's board-state and draw while letting you set up your next move, and gets better the longer the game goes. By keeping creatures off the board you can also better direct the sacrifice trigger from your Cruel Ultimatum. Speaking of Cruel Ultimatum...
Cruel Ultimatum: What else can I say? The 'return target creature card to your hand' clause combos nicely with a freshly sacrificed (or discarded) Living Lore still.
Reanimation:
Postmortem Lunge: With all the discarding going on around you sometimes you're left with Living Lore in the bin. This card allows you to bum-rush the opponent and catch them off guard. Living Lore commits sepuku and returns itself with Cruel Ultimatum before the exile trigger.
Creature Spells-
Delver of Secrets
: With a total of 21 sorceries in the deck, it doesn't take long for them to hatch. At best it's a 3/2 Flying for , at worst it can chump block and await to be returned to your hand with Cruel Ultimatum.
Magus of the Moon: This guy adds a whole other punch to the deck that can ruin your opponent's day. Retrievable with Cruel Ultimatum and able to trigger Chart a Course in a pinch, 7 dollar Blood Moon on a stick.
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest: Insectile Aberration with doublestrike will simultaneously rip off your chest hair and kick you in the privates so hard that your pubic hair catches on fire.
Living Lore: The bread and butter of this gang. Gobbles up a Cruel Ultimatum and proceeds to make you opponent weep uncontrollably. a 7/7 body means a 3 turn clock.
Hypersonic Dragon: If all else fails you've got 2 of these babies to back up your swarm of Insectile Aberrations and you can fall back on plan B, hardcasting a Cruel Ultimatum on your opponent's turn.
Thanks for reading this and looking at my cardboard. Suggestions welcome, but keep the budget in mind, please!
