this is a Shadowborn Apostle deck.
how this deck wins: ramps up a ton of mana, use it on Exsanguinate, Death Cloud, Stronghold Overseer
if those get countered, or if exsanguinating for 40 just doesn't tickle your testicles, you can always go the more traditional route and just beat everyone up with beefy demons. fun!
so why Sisters of Stone Death as the commander? well, to be honest, mostly just for the colors. this deck stands pretty well on its own without a commander. sisters serves as a reliable use of all that mana ramp as some extra removal.
this deck mostly consists of: ramp, draw, and a reactionary toolbox of demons (as well as the apostles we use to summon them)
ramp:
Crypt Ghast: pretty standard black mana ramp
Oracle of Mul Daya: fantastic way to get more lands out quick - not to mention works great with Mirri's Guile and Sensei's Divining Top, as well as the fact that we draw quite a bit in this deck.
Soldevi Adnate: i certainly don't mind sacrificing a big demon like Kuro, Pitlord to help fuel an Exsanguinate. also, never hurts to have a good sac outlet handy.
Rites of Flourishing: like Oracle of Mul Daya, but gives you extra draw power. the drawback is that it affects everyone at the table. the gamble is that it will help you more than it will help everyone else.
Earthcraft: im going to go ahead and count this as mana ramp. with one basic swamp and Earthcraft on the field, you can play every single apostle in your hand. with the amount of apostles that will be on the field, earthcraft gets you a pretty considerable amount of extra mana.
Black Market: some of the most powerful ramp in this deck. every time you pull out a demon, it gets 6 more counters, not to mention whenever anything else at the table dies.
ye olde Cabal Coffers + Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
combo.
Crypt of Agadeem: very powerful in this deck, what with all the apostles that end up in the 'yard
Lake of the Dead: #spooky. no, but really, extra mana in a pinch, very useful here.
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx: turns out to be huge. you're going to end up with lots of devotion, with enchantments like Necropotence and Phyrexian Arena, not to mention that most demons have at least 2 black mana symbols in their casting cost. or maybe you just Thrumming Stoned out every single apostle in the deck.
card draw:
Skullclamp: apostles are the perfect fodder for skullclamp
Seizan, Perverter of Truth: 2x Phyrexian Arena fun for the whole table!
Dark Tutelage: surprisingly good here. you have a 2/3 chance of paying 1 or less life to draw an extra card in your upkeep. it only gets better when supported with Mirri's Guile and Sensei's Divining Top
Phyrexian Arena: classic black draw power staple
Necropotence: my favorite way to draw. you pay life every time you draw, but you can draw as much as you want.
demon toolbox:
spot removal: Reaper from the Abyss, Overseer of the Damned, and Kuro, Pitlord
board wipe: Pestilence Demon and, to a lesser extent, Archfiend of Depravity
tutor: Rune-Scarred Demon can pull anything else you might need, be it artifact/enchantment removal or a win condition.
card draw: Seizan, Perverter of Truth. if im unlucky enough to not run into any card draw (Necropotence, Phyrexian Arena, etc), then seizan is often my first choice to pull out.
beaters: Nefarox, Overlord of Grixis, and Stronghold Overseer. nefarox is especially fantastic for slowing down pesky voltron commanders. stronghold overseer gets surprisingly effective with the frankly ludicrous amount of ramp in this deck, as well as being nigh unblockable.
miscellaneous:
recursion: Patriarch's Bidding, Yawgmoth's Will, Noxious Revival, Oversold Cemetery, Haunted Crossroads, and Bloodbond March.
GET MORE APOSTLES NOW: Thrumming Stone and Bloodbond March
enchantment/artifact removal: Krosan Grip, Pernicious Deed, and Nullmage Shepherd
board wipes: Pernicious Deed and Toxic Deluge
supporting card draw: Scroll Rack, Sensei's Divining Top, and Mirri's Guile. Scroll Rack is great for getting demons out of your hand and into your library, where you can summon them with apostles.
alternative b/g commanders:
Varolz, the Scar-Striped: a sac outlet is always nice, and scavenging apostles is pretty efficient.
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord: a sac outlet that costs mana, but can be a win condition. gets beefy with all those apostles in the graveyard.
