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Making some changes to adapt to the state of the current competitive meta (on Cockatrice).

The popularized implementation of this list (over on mtgs) prioritizes racing to the combo over stymieing opponent lines of play. Yes, if you evaluate an opener and racing looks unprofitable, there are ways to slow down the table until you find an opening, but the focus is on finding the combo and executing it fast.

As the meta has grown aware of this and has adapted with ample lines of response, the climate of combo-first focus has become more challenging. Early Entombs or Carrion Feeders commonly get disrupted when the coast otherwise looks clear. Storm decks and other combo decks routinely find their pieces faster than expected. Reliably finding the win seems to indicate more and more the need to disrupt first before seeking the combo almost in every case. Thus, a shift to support that focus makes sense.

The plan is still to retain the pieces to support fast access to the combo, but more pieces devoted to disruption are warranted and the overall strategy is changing to consider disruption first rather than making combo the highest priority.

The main new pieces afford resource denial. The success of Thalia in the list has led to the inclusion of Thorn of Amethyst, Vryn Wingmare, Glowrider, and Hokori, Dust Drinker. The taxers don't hurt us too much given the density of creatures in the list (though we do feel some pain in casting tutors). The benefits definitely outweigh the drawbacks as each of these impede fast artifact mana, Storm, noncreature combos, removal, and counterspells. Hokori buys lots of time (which is all we're looking for with denial) as we rely on dorks and artifacts to keep working.

Some tough cuts had to be made to get these pieces in, so out go Sidisi, Undead Vizier, Buried Alive, Pernicious Deed, Harmonic Sliver, and Necromancy. Sidisi was a hard cut to make, but often felt dead in hand and got pushed aside for stronger pieces when Loyal Retainers came around. Buried Alive and Necromancy both come out because of the shift away from combo first. Buried Alive is the most expensive tutor (behind Sidisi) and is no help to us when we're looking to lock the table down and need pieces in hand to establish disruption. Necromancy is the most expensive of the reanimation effects and, though its presence is missed, we still have plenty of options for pulling content out of the hard for the fast win. Harmonic Sliver was the most cost intensive of the enchantment/artifact removal trio, so out it goes. Two sources of this kind of removal is just fine. Finally Pernicious Deed becomes much harder to play as it runs counter to our desire to keep dorks on the table and maintain control with hatebears and taxers. Yes, its great when we're behind, but most games it came into hand, it was painful to work around.

In order to keep agile with the added resource denial, a little more strength in mana support makes sense, so Bloom Tender comes in to replace Sakura-Tribe Elder and Gaea's Cradle, Ancient Tomb, and Weathered Wayfarer come in to increase explosive land ramp capability. (Brushland and Woodland Cemetery come out to make room)

Sylvan Tutor comes in to replace Altar of Bone. The difference in cost (including the creature sac) is worth the loss of tempo, especially given the resource denial pieces added to the list.

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Game 1
3 player against Mayael and Narset

Opening hand:
Animate Dead, Forest, Vampiric Tutor, Altar of Dementia, Carrion Feeder, Verdant Catacombs, Wood Elves

T1.
Draw Reveillark
Play Verdant Catacombs -> Bayou
(eot for last opponent)
Vampiric Tutor for Entomb

T2.
Draw Entomb
Play Forest
Play Altar of Dementia

T3.
Draw Godless Shrine
Play Godless Shrine
Play Entomb putting Boonweaver Giant in the yard
Play Animate Dead on Boonweaver Giant
gg

Game 2
4 player against Nahiri, Kruphix, and Derevi

Opening hand:
Llawnmower Elves, Diabolic Intent, Swamp, Phyrexian Tower, Animate Dead, Iona, Shield of Emeria, Windswept Heath

T1.
Draw Forest
Play Windswept Heath -> Bayou
Play Llawnmower Elves

T2.
Draw Spore Frog
Play Swamp
Tap elves and play Spore Frog
Play Diabolic Intent sacking Frog -> Survival of the Fittest

T3.
Draw Enlightened Tutor
Play Forest
Play Survival of the Fittest
(eot for last opponent)
Activate Survival discarding Iona -> Boonweaver Giant
Activate Survival discarding Boonweaver -> Carrion Feeder

T4. (Derevi player had played Rising Waters, so only Bayou untaps)
Draw Brushland
Play Phyrexian Tower
Play Carrion Feeder
Activate Phyrexian Tower on Llawnmower Elves for BB
Play Animate Dead on Boonweaver
gg

Game 3
4 player against Jhoira, Kruphix, and Derevi (same players as game 2, but with Nahiri swapping to Jhoira)

Opening Hand
- I have a terrible opening hand and even after mulling down to 5, only have 1 land in hand. Sakura-Tribe Elder is in there and I don't want to go to 4, so I keep.

Early Turns
- Derevi player gets off to a really fast start, planting Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, Derevi, Edric, and a bunch of mana dorks.
- Jhoira player seems to have mana trouble. He plants Jhoira T4 and suspends Worldgorger Dragon for some reason.
- Kruphix player sets up his mana base while disrupting some of Derevi player's moves. It's evident that this list is very similar to mine, being a counterspell.dec which means he'll be unstoppable if he's allowed to establish a big cache of mana.
- I don't wind up hitting a second land until T6. Midgame
- Derevi player was really looking like he was going to run away with the game. Kruphix player lands Prophet of Kruphix and Derevi steals it with Gilded Drake.
- Jhoira player buys everyone some time by resolving Blasphemous Act. He then feels the sadness when his Worldgorer Dragon resolves effectively giving him nothing to do (we're all happy to leave him with no land).
- Kruphix player is glad to have the extra time as he sits there stockpiling mana.
- The gap created from my early mana trouble is closing as I've been able to ramp modestly and the Blasphemous Act makes the difference in development less pronounced. I am able to land Hermit Druid, which I'm hoping will help me dig for a win con before Kruphix locks everyone down.

Key Moment
- I've had to activate Hermit Druid three times (kind of dissappointing as now I'm finding all that missing land), but my yard is now stocked with notables including Boonweaver Giant, Sun Titan, Fiend Hunter, and Karmic guide. I'm not going to be able to do the usual Boonweaver dance, since most of his Pattern of Rebirth targets are in the yard instead of the library.
- My hand has Animate Dead, Necromancy, Viscera Seer, Altar of Dementia, Eternal Witness and Shred Memory. Looking at the yard, I've got a win con with Altar of Dementia coupled with Fiend Hunter and either Sun Titan or Karmic Guide. All I've got to do is resolve Altar and reanimate a guy to win. With the Kruphix player online, that will take some work.
- The Kruphix player has all of his land untapped with some 20 colorless in the cache. He has 2 cards in hand with Kruphix and Mystic Remora in play. Against this kind of Kruphix deck you need to assume that every single card is a counter, so I want to draw those out before playing the win con.
- During my turn I'll have access to 8 mana, which should be enough to play Viscera Seer, Altar, Animate Dead, and Necromancy. Since he only has 2 potential counters, if I sequence this right and Kruphix counters each, I should be able win.
- Key Misplay Before untapping for my turn I had an open mana and Qasali Pridemage on the field. I didn't account for fact that the Kruphix Player's Mystic Remora would draw him a card on each of my casts. I only considered the 2 cards in hand. The correct play would have been to destroy the Remora before untapping for my turn.
- I play Viscera Seer hoping he'll counter... resolves.
- I play Altar of Dementia. Remora triggers and Kruphix player draws and ... resolves. (!!!)
- I play Necromancy, Kruphix player draws and counters.
- I play Animate Dead, Kruphix player draws and counters.
- This was the moment where the game was winnable and it passed.
End Game
- On my next turn, I activate Pridemage and destroy Remora.
- I play Eternal Witness... resolves and I get Animate Dead back.
- I play Animate Dead and Kruphix responds with Time Stop, exiling Animate Dead.
- On his turn, Kruphix player lands Spawnsire of Ulamog. I inform him that I didn't agree to sideboard rules, but would let it slide because we weren't playing for prizes or anything. Derevi player concedes.
- Jhoira player is still way behind because no one will interact with his Worldgorger, but he stays in.
- My turn again, I transmute Shred Memory into Dance of the Dead and cast ... countered.
- I play Karador ... resolves.
- Karador returns Eternal Witness... resolves and returns Dance of the Dead.
- I play Dance of the Dead... countered.
- Kruphix players turn, he activates Spawnsire... and gets Trickbinded by Jhoira player!
- Back to my turn, I can try the Eternal Witness into Dance of the Dead again, but Kruphix has 3 cards and will probably counter. He doesn't have the mana to activate Spawnsire on my turn (but will when he untaps) and doesn't have haste so I'll have one turn more before getting attacked by an army of Eldrazi. I choose to cement my position and try for the win next turn instead so...
- I play Birthing Pod... Kruphix thinks for awhile and seeing only Karador, Hermit, and Viscera Seer, lets it resolve.
- I target Karador with Birthing Pad to go get Iona naming Blue. Counters be damned.
- Kruphix players turn, he untaps and passes. Hmm.
- Jhoira untaps and passes.
- Back to me. I cast Eternal Witness... no responses and get Dance of the Dead.
- I play Dance of the Dead... Kruphix responds with what everyone expected. He activates Spawnsire to cast all the eldrazi, Ulamag kills Iona, Kozilek draws 4, and Dance gets countered.
- gg

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Date added 10 years
Last updated 7 years
Legality

This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.

Rarity (main - side)

11 - 0 Mythic Rares

57 - 0 Rares

18 - 0 Uncommons

8 - 0 Commons

Cards 100
Avg. CMC 2.32
Tokens Morph 2/2 C, Spirit 1/1 C
Folders Karador, EDH, Cool!, Karador Deck Ideas, test, folder, EDH, Copy, Good EDH, EDH reference
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