My first attempt at an EDH. Always loved the sacrifice concept and decided to go mono black when everybody else is going multicolored.
I want this deck to make opponents hate their lives, feel frustrated and want to concede.
Idea behind the deck is to put as many tutors in as possible to get to the cards that will balance the game based on what my opponent is playing, putting as many utility creatures on the board as possible, and letting Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker bring them back over and over again.
The deck is therefore heavily creature-based (zombie feel - many cards won't indicate zombie on the print, but the types have been changed to include zombie) with a few cards that can spell out a win condition.
I chose to stay away from many artifacts and enchantments due to the number of removals players have in EDH, and chose creature-based abilities rather than instants or sorceries that really only are one-use (versus creatures that I can use over and over again).
I also chose to go with sacrifice effects that does not target a player (Grave Pact, Butcher of Malakir, Call to the Grave, Sheoldred, Whispering One) in the event they play hexproof themselves (Witchbane Orb, Leyline of Sanctity, Ivory Mask, Imperial Mask).
If the target creature destruction (Bone Shredder, Stronghold Assassin) cannot work due to protection, hexproof, shroud, then forcing a player to sacrifice will take care of them.
Before we start the list, here are the creature that may not be currently listed as Zombies on the cards but have since been re-classified as zombies:
Apprentice Necromancer
Lord of the Undead
Stronghold Assassin
Zombie Master
Note:
I will not discuss all of the combinations in here as there are way too many, and the fun is in finding them, sometimes by chance!. Just imagine sacrificing creatures, having them come back because of Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker or the multitude of other put into play/your hand creatures and having their abilities trigger, over and over again. That or sacrificing creatures that again come back as a casting cost just to have another interesting ability trigger (destroy, discard, etc). Take Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker and Bone Shredder as an example. Essentially a Doom Blade on each of your turns. Add Mikaeus, the Unhallowed on the board plus a sacrifice outlet such as Fallen Ideal and it's three Doom Blades on each of your turns. And then add a grave-pact in the mix and not only can you destroy three creatures, you'll make each opponent sacrifice three creatures as well. Insane and terribly frustrating...
Sample Combos:
With Mikaeus, the Unhallowed on the board (he is the general afterall):
Wipe out all of your opponent's creatures: (Grave Pact or Butcher of Malakir) +
-
Tatterkite
and a recurring sac outlet (Nezumi Bone-Reader, Fallen Ideal or Skullclamp on taterkite itself)
- one zombie + Gravecrawler + the same recurring sac outlet + a bit of mana to recast
-
Workhorse
by itself (that's why he's called workhorse!)
Unlimited black mana: Bog Initiate +
Workhorse
(Exsanguinate anyone?)
Drain all of your opponent's life: Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond + (1 damage of any kind or 1 life gain of any kind)
Get all of your zombies in your hand: Reliquary Tower + Fallen Ideal + Hex Parasite + Grave Defiler
Make your opponents discard their hands: Nezumi Bone-Reader +
Tatterkite
+ some mana
Unlimited direct damage: Triskelion
Protect your general: Zombie Master or Stromgald Cabal against white spells
Counter-spell:
Stromgald Cabal (Mikaeus, the Unhallowed or Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker can protect your creatures from destruction and lethal damage, but they need protection themselves from board removals (Day of Judgment, Wrath of God, Retaliate, Rout, Akroma's Vengeance, Austere Command, Phyrexian Rebirth, Planar Cleansing, etc) or pesky white removal spells (creatures: Condemn, Path to Exile,
Reciprocate
, Crib Swap,
Smite
,
Rebuke
, etc;enchantments/artifacts: Disenchant, Solemn Offering, Ray of Distortion, etc).
If your opponent plays white, then this creature will also keep the opponent's general off the board. Pretty important.
I keep it in my sideboard and put it in my deck once I see which general I'm facing.
Control:
Contamination
(get Gravecrawler plus another zombie or Reassembling Skeleton in play with this baby and chances are your opponents won't be able to play anymore. Keep drawing and having your way with them until they're toast)
Card Removal:
WIN-CON Bitter Ordeal (infinitely sacrifice tatterkite and exile all cards from a player's library)
Special Lands:
Cavern of Souls (use this to ensure that your key creature spells (Zombie?) will not be countered)
Exotic Orchard (use this in the event Puppeteer Clique nets you a creature or artifact that requires a non-black activation cost)
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth (useful to turn your non-swamp lands into swamps and for them to all produce black mana. Also key in making your opponent's lands become swamps in combination with Zombie Master)
Destroy Creatures:
Bone Shredder (non-black)
Stronghold Assassin (any as long as I sac a creature)
Forced Sacrifice (Opponent):
Grave Pact
Call to the Grave
Butcher of Malakir (a grave pact that I can get back on the battlefield through digging)
Sheoldred, Whispering One
Direct Damage:
Triskelion (paired with Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and a sac outlet, infinite damage. With Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker and a sac outlet, 3 damage extra damage at every turn - Thanks to metalmagic for this one)
Blockers:
Mutavault
(with Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Death Baron on the board, for one mana you get a 3/3 zombie with deathtouch that comes back into play with a +1/+1 counter on it. Remove the counter with Hex Parasite and you've got a land killing machine)
Reassembling Skeleton (cast from graveyard)
Geralf's Messenger (attack, I'll block, come back and make you lose two more life)
Death Baron (who would attack skeletons and zombies with deathtouch early on? Oh, by the way, most of my creatures are zombies)
Phyrexian Crusader (protection against white/red and automatic kill with Death Baron's deathtouch)
Zombie Master (all of my othe zombies have regen)
Korlash, Heir to Blackblade (regen and I get bigger the more swamps I draw)
Grave Defiler (regen)
Bloodline Keeper
(flying tokens can block pretty much anything)
Phyrexian Obliterator (come get me, I'll make you sacrifice permanents)
Vengeful Pharaoh (deathtouch, if he dies, can destroy an attacking creature from the graveyard)
Reaper from the Abyss (any creature dies this turn, one of your opponent's dies as well)
Wurmcoil Engine (deathtouch, lifelink, generates tokens when it dies)
Dread (I'll take your damage but your creature is destroyed)
Token Generators:
Bitterblossom (Flying faeries. Good blockers or to sacrifice)
Skirsdag High Priest (gotta love those 5/5 flyer demon tokens)
Pawn of Ulamog (very effective once gravepact is on the board, and extra mana)
Bloodline Keeper
(more flying blockers)
Grave Titan (more zombies for Death Baron)
Discard:
Nezumi Bone-Reader (recursive discard with Gravecrawler or Reassembling Skeleton)
Cinderhaze Wretch
Graveyard Digging:
Apprentice Necromancer
Cadaver Imp
Lord of the Undead
Hell's Caretaker
Puppeteer Clique
Sheoldred, Whispering One
Life Gain (because you lose quite a bit of life):
Wurmcoil Engine (nets you a minim of 9 life - 6 for the creature, 3 for its token when it dies - bring it back over and over and not only will you gain life, but you will generate tons of good tokens - deathtouch and lifelink)
Sangromancer
(great with Grave Pact or Nezumi Bone-Reader / Cinderhaze Wretch in play)
[blood-artist]
Venser's Journal (combined with Necropotence can bring you as many cards from your library into your hand with no life loss. Also works to reduce the life loss from Phyrexian Arena, Bloodgift Demon or Graveborn Muse)
Exquisite Blood (use your swampwalk, fear, intimidate abilities to deal damage and get some life back)
WIN-CON Sanguine Bond (as a bonus for a win condition with Exquisite Blood on the board. Deal one damage to any opponent - use Leechridden Swamp to add insult to injury - and an infinite loop gets created. Dead in 60 seconds, unless one of them has a cannot lose condition such as the one I put in the deck: Platinum Angel. Then the game ends in a draw)
WIN-CON Bond of Agony (not life gain, but if you end up with more life than everybody else, play it with Boseiju, Who Shelters All and you win)
Tutors:
Demonic Tutor (any)
Diabolic Intent (any)
Vampiric Tutor (any)
Death Wish (for any late-game, really important card from my sideboard - see how important this could be in the Sideboard section below. That plus nets you an additional 15 card possibility. Huge advantage. Who cares if you lose half you life, especially late game. Chances are you'll get it back with the multitude of life gaining possibilities in the deck. And if you don't, well you're going in there for a reason, to win pretty soon)
Liliana of the Dark Realms (for swamps)
Shred Memory (get mana cost 2)
Dimir Machinations (get mana cost 3)
Dimir House Guard (get mana cost 4)
Brainspoil (get mana cost 5)
Netherborn Phalanx (get mana cost 6)
Citanul Flute (fetch any creature)
Corpse Harvester (get zombie and swamp)
Corpse Connoisseur (search for creature and put in graveyard, twice. Good to get your creatures for infinite combos such as
Tatterkite
or
Workhorse
or for typical sacrifice combos with Reassembling Skeleton or Gravecrawler)
Fleshwrither (get Hell's Caretaker with his ability and recursively get mana cost 4 creatures into play each turn by combining Hell's Caretaker - sacrifice another creature to bring Fleshwrither back - and Fleshwrither's transfigure ability)
Draw:
Bloodgift Demon
Grave Defiler (with Mikaeus, the Unhallowed or Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker on the board, sac him to fetch you some zombies)
Graveborn Muse (if you have enough cards, sac her. Grave dig for her as required)
Necropotence (combined with Reliquary Tower for large hand size)
Phyrexian Arena
Skullclamp (obvious choice when your mechanic revolves around sacrificing your creatures)
Mana Rampers:
Cabal Coffers (I found it to be the only ramping I need due to the low mana curve of the deck and the number of draw outlets)
Liliana of the Dark Realms (as a bonus with her third ability)
Workhorse
Phyrexian Tower
Sideboard: (re-arrange your deck before starting or during play, fetch with Death Wish):
Before game starts:
Hex Parasite (swap with Spike Cannibal based on preference)
Phyrexian Crusader (switch with Korlash, Heir to Blackblade if playing against red/white)
Stromgald Cabal (switch with Vengeful Pharaoh if playing against white)
During Play:
Altar of Dementia (if
Workhorse
or [tatterkite]] and an infinite sac outlet is on the board)
Army of the Damned (if Zombie Master and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth are on the board)
Black Sun's Zenith (need a board-wipe to survive)
Butcher of Malakir (want to get rid of opponent's creatures and keep yours)
Exsanguinate (enough mana to kill off your opponents)
Geth, Lord of the Vault (need a specific artifact or creature in an opponent's graveyard)
Grave Betrayal (creatures your opponents control come with a +1/+1 counter when they die. They will return to your opponent's graveyard instead of their battlefield when they die (resolves the issue of stealing your opponent's creatures because of Mikaeus, the Unhallowed's undying ability). Not only that, but they get bigger (with the counter) and are zombies. If you have Zombie Master and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth on the battlefield you're plowing your way into your opponents as those creatures will be unblockable.Plague Wind (need a board wipe and keep your creatures)
Platinum Angel (about to lose the game on many fronts and need him to survive)
Repay in Kind (kill off an opponent if they have lost/will lose enough life)
Sheoldred, Whispering One (need to bring your creatures back onto the battlefield - good combo with Mikaeus, the Unhallowed)
Sorin Markov (your opponent has a ridiculous amount of life and you need to bring them back down to 10, or you have enough to kill them off if they are brought down to 10 life)
