Saskia's Affliction

Commander / EDH* BRGW

Draken44

Creature (30)

• 1x Alesha, Who Smiles at Death
• 1x Alms Collector
• 1x Arbor Elf
• 1x Avacyn's Pilgrim
• 1x Aven Mindcensor
• 1x Blight Mamba
• 1x Collector Ouphe
• 1x Dark Confidant
• 1x Deathrite Shaman
• 1x Elves of Deep Shadow
• 1x Elvish Mystic
• 1x Flesh-Eater Imp
• 1x Fyndhorn Elves
• 1x Glistener Elf
• 1x Grand Abolisher
• 1x Hand of the Praetors
• 1x Ichor Rats
• 1x Llanowar Elves
• 1x Phyrexian Crusader
• 1x Plague Myr
• 1x Plague Stinger
• 1x Razor Swine
• 1x Silverblade Paladin
• 1x Spirit of the Labyrinth
• 1x Tangle Angler
• 1x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
• 1x Tymna the Weaver *f-etch*
• 1x Vexing Shusher
• 1x Viridian Corrupter
• 1x Yawgmoth, Thran Physician

Artifact (8)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Chrome Mox
• 1x Mana Crypt
• 1x Mox Diamond
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Sword of Truth and Justice
• 1x Tangle Wire
• 1x Veilstone Amulet

Land (30)

• 1x Arid Mesa
• 1x Badlands
• 1x Bayou
• 1x Blood Crypt
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x City of Brass
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 1x Forest
• 1x Gaea's Cradle
• 1x Gemstone Caverns
• 1x Godless Shrine
• 1x Inkmoth Nexus
• 1x Mana Confluence
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 1x Nurturing Peatland
• 1x Overgrown Tomb
• 1x Pendelhaven
• 1x Plateau
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Savannah
• 1x Scalding Tarn
• 1x Scrubland
• 1x Stomping Ground
• 1x Taiga
• 1x Temple Garden
• 1x Verdant Catacombs
• 1x Windswept Heath
• 1x Wooded Foothills

Sorcery (5)

• 1x Demonic Tutor
• 1x Imperial Seal
• 1x Postmortem Lunge
• 1x Scale Up
• 1x Waves of Aggression

Commander (1)

Instant (13)

• 1x Abrupt Decay
• 1x Berserk
• 1x Nature's Claim
• 1x Pyroblast
• 1x Red Elemental Blast
• 1x Savage Beating
• 1x Silence
• 1x Soul's Fire
• 1x Temur Battle Rage
• 1x Vampiric Tutor
• 1x Veil of Summer
• 1x Worldly Tutor
• 1x Zealous Persecution

Enchantment (9)

• 1x Aggravated Assault
• 1x Blind Obedience
• 1x Carpet of Flowers
• 1x Duelist's Heritage
• 1x Necropotence
• 1x Phyresis
• 1x Rhythm of the Wild
• 1x Stony Silence
• 1x Sylvan Library

Planeswalker (4)

• 1x Ajani, Caller of the Pride
• 1x Domri, Anarch of Bolas
• 1x Elspeth, Knight-Errant
• 1x Nissa, Voice of Zendikar

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Maybeboard

Creature (6)

• 1x Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder *f-etch*
• 1x Grateful Apparition
• 1x Manglehorn
• 1x Ranger-Captain of Eos
• 1x Stoneforge Mystic
• 1x Thalia, Heretic Cathar

Planeswalker (1)

• 1x Samut, the Tested

Sorcery (5)

• 1x Assault Strobe
• 1x Diabolic Intent
• 1x Fury of the Horde
• 1x Relentless Assault
• 1x Wheel of Fortune

Enchantment (1)

• 1x Rest in Peace

Instant (4)

• 1x Blazing Shoal
• 1x Boros Charm
• 1x Guttural Response
• 1x Uncaged Fury

Artifact (1)

• 1x Embercleave

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Introduction:

In competitive EDH, win cons that don’t involve infinite loops (Kiki Jiki + X untapper, dramatic reversal + isochron scepter or gitrog loops) or on the spot wins (Thassa’s Oracle, Jace, Wielder of Mysteries, Laboratory Maniac) are few an far between. In fact, relying on creature beatdowns is often a deck’s plan C, D, E or not at all. Commander damage is almost completely irrelevant as is milling opponents. However, one of the other alternative win conditions that is not explored at all is infect damage.

The topic has come up time and again that infect just does not cut it in cEDH as not only are decks too fast and outpace infect-based strategies, but the task of dealing 30 points of infect is very difficult to do. Typically, relying on a glistener elf to attack once a turn just is not going to cut it. A while back, someone once asked if infect was a viable strategy. This had me wondering if there is a way to make it work in cEDH while not getting completely bowled over. How could I have a creature split itself so that it can attack more than one opponent per combat? Then it hit me: Saskia the Unyielding lets you do just that! Her effect is such that combat damage will be dealt to other opponents as well as the one that is being attacked. If you creature happens to have infect, then the other opponent is getting infected as well!

This had me then wondering: “sure I can knock out two opponents pretty quickly, but what about the third?” The answer: stax. Thus, I can up with the brew here today: Saskia’s Affliction.

The build capitalizes on Saskia’s unique ability to “double” attacking creatures and hit opponents with cheap infect creatures in order to end the game quickly. The deck incorporates cheap hate pieces in order to slow opponents down enough to get an infecter out and start swinging. Cheap and repeatable pump spells/walkers allow the creatures to become huge and win out of nowhere, while black and green based card advantage allows you to refill once opponents get knocked off.

With the banning of flash, it is anticipated that many local metas will turn to more grindy-styled decks in order to gain card advantage over opponents and formulate one of the above win conditions. This deck attemps to go underneath those decks through stax pieces in order to knock out opponents quickly before they can assemble their combo lines. This deck also helps play to the fact that many cEDH decks don’t have multiple sources of spot removal. While wraths are very, very good, sometimes killing an opponent who may be looking to wrath can be a line to keep the creatures on your board.

Card Choices:

Creatures:

The backbone of the deck. The creature selection is split fourfold-infectors, ramp, card advantage and disruption.

Infectors: The win conditions of the deck. Cheap threats that hope to end the game early. Although the list is more inclusive, these are the cheapest threats that can also serve a secondary utility.

-Blight Mamba-the regeneration can serve as an excellent blocker as well as a neat interaction with berserk to attack for a lot of damage and keep going. The added benefit of being semi-immune to spot removal is an added bonus.

-Flesh-Eater Imp: A flying threat that can use up irrelevant mana dorks and tokens to make combat math difficult.

-Glistener-Elf: The fastest infect threat available. Able to kill on T2 with mana acceleration and berserk+scale up.

-Hand of the Praetors: A lord that can help get around stalled board states.

-Ichor Rats: A more expensive infect threat with the bonus of giving a poison counter with an ETB effect.

-Phyrexian Crusader: More expensive, but highly resilient threat that is also difficult to manage in combat.

-Plague Myr: Doubles duty as a mana dork.

-Plague Stinger: A cheap, flying infector.

-Razor Swine: Slightly more expensive but higher power and a good combat ability.

-Tangle Angler: More expensive but excellent ability to shrink or kill opponents’ creatures (especially mana dorks).

-Viridian Corrupter: Infector with the excellent shatter attached.

Honorary Infect -Silverblade Paladin: Helps to give infectors a permanent buff.

-Yawgmoth, Thran Physician. More expensive but allows extra mana to be dumped into killing opponents at instant speed without having to attack.

Ramp: Straightforward. These help advance our hate pieces and CA quickly to get out ahead of opponents.

-Arbor elf, Avacyn’s Pilgrim, Deathrite Shaman, Elves of Deep Shadow, Elvish Mystic, Fyndhorn Elves, Llanowar Elves, (Plague Myr)

Card Advantage: Allowing the deck to help get ahead of opponents.

-Alesha, Who Smiles at Death: Rebuy almost all infectors (and have them attacking!) as well as other creatures that may have died.

-Alms Collector: Also a disruptive piece, helps against the many blue-based decks by trying to even the playing field.

-Dark Confidant: Excellent cost and a low mana curve allow confidant to do work here.

-Tymna the Weaver: The deck is an attacking-style deck that plays well with her ability.

Disruption: The last piece to making the deck hum. Annoying roadblocks for opponents to either be locked out or stumble briefly, allowing the cheap infectors to attack for the win.

-(Alms Collector), Aven Mindcensor, Collector Ouphe,

-Grand Abolisher: Allows the deck to utilize pump effects without fear of interaction.

-Spirit of the Labrynth: Plays well with Confidant.

-Vexing Shusher.

Artifacts:

The majority of artifacts here are typical cEDH mana rocks. The others further the infect and disruption game plans. Arcane Signet, Chrome Mox, Mana Crypt, Mox Diamond, Sol Ring. All mana Rocks.

-Sword of Truth and Justice: Help creatures to dodge common white removal (path, swords), increase the power of infectors through the static and counter ability. Lastly, the proliferate is key to dealing extra damage. Also plays nice with ….

-Tangle Wire: Getting this out early can severely hamper opponents while cheap infectors attack for the win.

-Veilstone Amulet: Fantasitc for protection, turns all pump spells into effective vines of the vastwood.

Lands:

Again, straightforward with a few notables.

-Gemstone Cavern: Helps get a cheap infector out as well as a mana dork to accelerate into CA or very quick pump spell kills.

-Inkmoth Nexus: An uncounterable, evasive infect threat.

-Pendelhaven: An insane, repeatable pump effect that makes combat math a nightmare.

Sorcery:

Typical cEDH tutors in Demonic Tutor and Imperial Seal. Other choices:

-Postmortem Lunge: Win from a completely empty board state.

-Scale Up: Can allow for a lightning fast kill as well as overrun a board to kill the table in one swing.

-Waves of Aggression: A repeatable extra combat spell.

Instant:

Removal and disruption and pump with a few notables.

-Berserk: Win. Out. Of. Nowhere.

-Savage Beating: Helps steal wins.

-Soul’s Fire. Fun trick to just kill someone out of nowhere.

-Zealous Persecution: A pump spell and mana dork killer all wrapped into one.

Enchantment:

Furthering the infect plan, CA and disruption.

-Aggravated Assault: Not only helps to deliver more poison counters, but can help to infinite with enough mana dorks.

-Blind Obedience: An early one can severely hinder opponents.

-Carpet of Flowers: Amazing ramp.

-Duelist’s Heritage: A repeatable source of double strike. Can also be used politically to help opponents kill each other.

-Necropotence: CA

-Phyresis: Can turn non-infectors into real threats. Excellent to drop on Saskia.

-Rhythem of the Wild: Uncounterability as well as haste is excellent.

-Stony Silence: Premier stax piece.

-Sylvan Library: CA

Planeswalker:

Yes, planeswalkers. These help to provide repeated sources of pump to creatures.

-Domri, Anarch of Bolas. All relevant abilities. A mana dork that provides a buff to attackers, uncounterable creatures (and not just one using mana from his ability) and the ability to fight with an infector (preferable post-buff) allows him to shine here.

-Elspeth, Knight-Errant. Provides a constant source of tokens, but is really here for her “jump” ability to increase the infect clock. The ultimate, while likely far off makes the board insanely difficult to deal with.

-Nissa, Voice of Zendikar. Provides a constant source of pump while an easily attainable ultimate is card advantage.

Conclusion

Although the deck is new and not a “typical” cEDH deck, with the recent shakeups to the format, alternative win conditions are strategies are not only possible now, they provide a fun alternative to traditional win conditions while still attempting to be as competitive as possible. Hope you guys enjoyed! A few cards are in the maybeboard that I had to cut for deck space. Many include hate pieces such as rest in piece that can be included to tailor to one’s meta.

Date added	4 years
Last updated	4 years
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	16 - 0 Mythic Rares 51 - 0 Rares 15 - 0 Uncommons 17 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.17
Tokens	Cat 2/2 W, Emblem Elspeth, Knight-Errant, Plant 0/1 G, Soldier 1/1 W