Sideboard


Maybeboard


Hello to all and thanks for viewing.

This deck has come together over the past couple of years. It is an absolute kick to play in that you can come out fighting or you can reach wincons through multiple combo options. While this deck is not a copy of anyone else's, it is heavily influenced by the decks and conversations of stubear89, The_Munchkin, Doombeard1984, and Mortlocke. My special thanks to those folks.

I realize that I tend to attach large "Maybeboards" to many of my decks which may seem ridiculous to some, but I find it helpful as I play test and ponder new ideas. Hopefully, it also helps others to have a handy list of the most commonly used cards for a given deck archetype readily available in one location. Think of it as a template as you begin to design your own Sliver deck.

I am always interested in hearing ideas for improvements to my decks.

Once I decide that I am going to construct a new deck around a given archetype (i.e. tribal, affinity, combo, control, mill, etc.) and flavours (i.e. Vampires, Slivers, weenie, stompy, etc.); my first thought is, "What game mechanics do I want to incorporate to create a deck that is fresh, fun, interesting, and reasonably competitive?"

Once I have a general idea what I want, my next thought is, "How am I going to win the game?". From there I begin considering my Wincons and studying what cards will take me to my desired end state.

When building a deck, I feel it is important that one can quickly and easily articulate a purpose/reason/mission for each and every card in the deck. Trying to decide what to pull when considering a new card for the deck should be a painful experience.


Typically, when I decide to construct a new deck, I consider how I want to win the game very early in the deck building process. This deck was a little different as it evolved over time from a prepackaged deck - essentially, the Wincons evolved along with the deck itself.

Wincons:

  1. Assembling, pumping, and augmenting a large Sliver horde and kicking butt.

  2. One of many Infinite Combo possibilities.

  3. Any combination of the above.

One of the things which makes this deck so much fun to play is the multiple paths to victory you can choose from as the battle develops; you can go tall, you can go wide, or you can win by playing any one (or more) combo(s) assembled from a huge list of possibilities. Over time, the deck has morphed more and more into a Combo deck, but it still has the capability to function in battle as well.

I can not begin to tell you the amount of hate a deck of this nature generates. In a pod where I often face as many as 5 opponents, I always face a coordinated and constant onslaught of counterspells, removal, and boardwipes up to and including Jokulhaups - I LOVE it!! You have to plan very carefully how you build your board, how to protect your board, what to hold in reserve, and when to strike. This is not an easy deck to play - there are so many subtle options, paths to victory, stack timing idiosyncrasies, and so much hate to deal with. It took me quite a few games to learn this before the deck began to win games and I still sometimes make mistakes which cost me the game.

I never keep an opening hand which does not contain at least one land.

Resourcing the Hive:

My priority in the early game is always followed closely by . Once I have sources established, usually becomes the priority for the remainder of the game though multiple sources for all mana colours are critical. This deck is loaded with the best Multicolour and fetch lands available in the game. Likewise for mana producing artifacts (known as Mana rocks, or simply "Rocks") to include Arcane Signet, Mana Crypt, Sol Ring, Chromatic Lantern, and Mox Diamond. Overall, it is a rare game that I get mana hosed.

Manaweft Sliver and Gemhide Sliver project their mana producing ability to every Sliver in the Brood - even the tokens!!. I generally hold one of the mana Slivers in reserve if I have the other out as they are always prime targets for removal. Besides their obvious turn by turn mana producing benefit, they are also key combo pieces.

Once I have a few Slivers on the board, Gaea's Cradle and/or Mana Echoes can often put the game away. Most Sliver abilities are fueled with colourless mana and Mana Echoes can often create an ongoing supply faster than I can spent it. Mana Echoes's ability is an Enter the Battlefield (ETB) effect and loads into my mana pool for every Sliver on my board to include the Sliver/Sliver token just cast or created. Mana Echoes is another important Combo piece.

Basal Sliver is another important Combo piece and should be protected as much as possible. Beyond that, Basal Sliver can also be quite handy during turn by turn play - sacrificing a token for is not a bad deal in a pinch!!

The Great Henge is an especially interesting card. If I have one of my big Slivers on the board, I can essentially cast it for free - yes, it will cost me to cast, but then it can instantly pay back that cost once it resolves. From there, it provides per turn,, plus life gain,, plus card draw,, plus it permanently pumps my non-token Slivers as they enter the Battlefield. That's a LOT - even if I do not have one of my biggest Slivers out and have to pay a little extra to get the Henge on the board.

The deck relies heavily on creature abilities. Heartstone and Training Grounds are included to reduce the mana cost of those abilities and are also key combo pieces.

The deck is loaded with some of the best Tutors available to help me pull the cards I need from the Library. Tutor Lands as needed using Fetchlands, Three Visits, and Skyshroud Claim. Obviously, the original Dual Lands are my primary fetch targets as they come into play untapped. For general purpose tutors, I chose Demonic Tutor, Vampiric Tutor, Imperial Seal, Grim Tutor, Eladamri's Call, and Enlightened Tutor for their complimentary abilities and their efficiency in both utility and casting cost. The Sliver Overlord is a bottomless Sliver tutor once he hits the board.

I included several cards in the deck to maintain card advantage over my opponents. Rhystic Study, Sylvan Library, and The Great Henge provide ongoing card draw benefits. Sensei's Divining Top, Mirri's Guile and Scroll Rack provide top deck manipulation. When I am dissatisfied with the cards I have loaded at the top of my Library, I can crack a Fetchland, or play a Tutor, or activate Sliver Overlord's 1st ability to force a shuffle - timing is everything!

Lavabelly Sliver and The Great Henge keep my life points up as the game progresses. Further, Lavabelly Sliver is also a Combo piece which can generate infinite life.

Assemble the Brood:

My game plan often changes several times during the course of a match due to boardwipes and such. Regardless of the path to victory I choose to pursue, the key cards in the game are Sliver Overlord followed by Sliver Queen. Both are fierce warriors should I decide to initiate combat, both have awesome abilities, and both are key Combo pieces. I can count on a LOT of hate from around the table, so the trick is to keep these cards on the battlefield once I bring them out, Build your board carefully - I go into some details on how I do this in the next panel, "Protect the Brood".

The Sliver Overlord's 1st ability permits me to tutor to my hand any Sliver I need at a given moment. It is not a tap ability so I can use it repeatedly as long as I have mana available - even on my opponent's turn and even if he is tapped! Under some circumstances, it is possible to tutor out, and play, every Sliver in the deck in a single turn (say if Mana Echoes is on the Battlefield for one example)!! His 2d ability allows me to permanently steal any Slivers my opponents control. By coincidence, Amoeboid Changeling, which the Overlord can tutor out as a Sliver, allows me to transform my opponent's Creatures into Slivers (evil grin).

The First Sliver is an interesting card which some folks actually run as the Commander in their EDH Sliver decks. In a perfect world, his Cascade ability works in close coordination with the top deck manipulation cards I mentioned in the Resources panel. it is possible to cast several free Slivers in one play where each cascades off the previously played Sliver. As an added bonus, the Cascade effect can bring out non-Sliver cards at no cost as well. A quick note though, if, upon casting The First Sliver it should result in the casting of a free Sliver, the free Sliver will not have Cascade because The First Sliver is still on the stack. Once The First Sliver resolves and is on the Battlefield, all of my Sliver spells have the Cascade ability.

Sliver tokens are an important asset. In the earlier turns, create tokens to provide cheap blockers, generate mana, and as a source of sacrificial fodder. In the later turns, the tokens themselves can become a huge unstoppable army, each with significant power. The Sliver Queen, Brood Sliver (not currently in my deck), and Sliver Hive are my available engines to generate tokens. The Sliver Queen's ability is not a tap ability and therefore can be used repeatedly as long as I have mana available - think Mana Echoes for one example which can easily fuel the creation of an army of infinite Sliver tokens in a single turn. The Queen's ability can also be used during my opponent's turns!

Protect the Brood:

Crystalline Sliver (Shroud)
Sliver Hivelord (Indestructible)
Root Sliver/Cavern of Souls (Can’t be countered)
Hibernation Sliver (Return to hand)
Sedge Sliver/Crypt Sliver (Regenerate)
Frenetic Sliver (Exile until end of turn)

One of my primary goals in the early game is to get Crystalline Sliver on the board, followed close behind by Sliver Hivelord. At that point, all Slivers have Shroud and are Indestructible so the only thing that can affect them is a mass exile. I use Hibernation Sliver, Crypt Sliver, and Sedge Sliver to protect my Slivers from exile, destruction, poison, etc. If I can get Root Sliver (not currently in my deck) and/or Cavern of Souls on the board, Sliver spells can not be countered.

There is a veritable plethora (whatever that means) of Counter spells (Counterspell, Countersquall, Mana Drain, Mana Leak, Dovin's Veto, Pact of Negation, Negate, Swan Song, Disallow) and Removal spells (Anguished Unmaking, Cyclonic Rift, Krosan Grip, Generous Gift, Swords to Plowshares) in the deck - hence the "Control" aspect of the deck title. As this is a 5 colour deck, I was able to draw Counter/Removal spells from throughout the colour spectrum to get those providing the best utility for the most efficient costs (a special shout-out to Mortlocke for doing virtually all of the brain work on this). Hold mana in reserve to cast said spells as necessary. Further, Harmonic Sliver and Necrotic Sliver project their abilities to every Sliver/Sliver token in the Hive turning my Slivers into veritable engines of removal.

Quick Sliver

Force Multipliers:

The Great Henge permanently pumps my Slivers by +1/+1 as they come onto the battlefield. Sliver Legion assumes the role typically held by Coat of Arms/Shared Animosity in Tribal decks by pumping the entire Brood +1/+1 for each other Sliver on the Battlefield.

Heart Sliver and Cloudshredder Sliver provide Haste to the Brood and are important pieces to many Combos. Galerider Sliver and Cloudshredder Sliver give the Brood Flying to help my attackers get to their targets and to block my opponent's flyiers. Providing Vigilance, Sentinel Sliver allows all of my Slivers to attack without tapping.

Flash introduces an element of surprise by allowing players to cast Creatures during an opponent's turn and/or onto a loaded stack. The ability to respond with a specific Sliver when an opponent has something "bad" on the stack is quite powerful. Quick Sliver not only has Flash itself, but grants Flash to all other Slivers as well. I suggest that you not underestimate the value of Quick Sliver!!

Lavabelly Sliver grants all of my Slivers the abilty to deal damage to a Player or Plainswalker as an ETB effect which can be huge in a deck that produces a lot of tokens.

Striking Sliver provides First Strike and Bonescythe Sliver provides Double Strike to every Sliver in the Brood.

ANY damage dealt by a Creature with Deathtouch, to another Creature, destroys the receiving Creature; the damage does not have to be combat damage. This can be useful because it allows even a 1/1 Sliver to destroy a Creature with vastly greater Power and Toughness. Your 1/1 may also die, but not before doing significant damage to an opponent's board. This reality acts as a form of Creature removal and tends to force your opponents to think twice before initiating combat against you. Venom Sliver projects Deathtouch to every Sliver in the Brood. Deathtouch combined with Firststrike or Double Strike is a devastating attack as the opposing Creature will die before normal combat damage is assigned and your Slivers will survive unscathed. Venom Sliver combined with Thorncaster Sliver or Cautery Sliver (neither in my deck at this time) will turn a few Sliver tokens into a boardwipe.

An interesting card in it's own right, Aggravated Assault is also a Combo piece. Aggravated Assault allows me to have multiple Main Phases and Combat Phases in a single turn. In a Combo, it can potentially grant infinite Combat Phases.!

REINFORCEMENTS:

Yawgmoth's Will, Patriarch's Bidding, and Volrath's Stronghold are included in the deck to bring my Slivers (and other cards) back from the Graveyard.

Amoeboid Changeling adds insult to injury by turning my opponent's creatures into Slivers allowing me to steal them with Sliver Overlord's 2d ability and bringing them under my control. It always tickles me to whomp my opponents with their own critters. One caveat to this is that if I try to pull it off while Crystalline Sliver is on the board, it will backfire horribly - once the opposing Creature is changed into a Sliver, I can not steal it because it has Shroud. So then, my opponent gets to keep the Creature which now has all the abilities provided my MY Slivers plus still has all the abilities it had to begin with!!! (Yep, learned that one the hard way chuckle)


Most of the material here comes from sources other than myself. My hope is that this gathers a wealth of information from multiple sources and locations, brings it to one place, and presents it in an organized format.

Use Sliver Overlord, Homing Sliver, and tutors to pull specific cards from your library. Patriarch's Bidding , Yawgmoth's Will, and Volrath's Stronghold will bring key cards in your graveyard back into the game.

Mana Slivers:
Manaweft Sliver
Gemhide Sliver

Haste Slivers:
Blur Sliver
Heart Sliver
Cloudshredder Sliver
Firewake Sliver

Sliver Combos:

Infinite Slivers:

1 Sliver Queen + (Heartstone or Training Grounds or Biomancer's Familiar) + a mana Sliver + a haste Sliver
This combo creates infinite tapped 1/1 Sliver Creature tokens and one untapped 1/1 Sliver token. Consider playing this combo at the end of turn of the player before you.

2 Intruder Alarm + Sliver Queen + a mana Sliver
This combo creates infinite untapped 1/1 Sliver tokens. Begin the cycle by tapping Sliver Queen and your mana Sliver to add two mana of any colour to your mana pool. Use that mana to generate a Sliver token, courtesy of the Sliver Queen. As the new token comes into play, Intruder Alarm untaps both the Sliver Queen and your mana Sliver. Repeat until you have an unstoppable army. Your newly hatched tokens will have summoning sickness unless you also have a haste Sliver in play so you may want to do this at the end of turn of the player before you.

Infinite Slivers and Mana:
3 Mana Echoes + Sliver Queen : (Colorless Mana)
Create a Sliver Creature token using the Sliver Queen's ability. Mana Echoes generates mana for the two (or more) Slivers in play. Use that mana to generate another Sliver token. Repeat as desired. Your newly hatched Sliver tokens, while untapped, will never-the-less have summoning sickness unless you also have a haste Sliver in play so consider doing this at the end of the turn of the player before you. With a mana Sliver AND a haste Sliver in play, this combo creates infinite battle ready Slivers and infinite mana of all colours

4 Basal Sliver + Sliver Queen + (Training Grounds or Heartstone or Biomancer's Familiar): (Black Mana )
Having Training Grounds or Heartstone or Biomancer's Familiar in play, makes Sliver Queen's ability cost . To kick off the combo, create a Sliver token using the Sliver Queen's ability. Sacrifice the new Sliver token for courtesy of Basal Sliver's ability. Use that mana to create two new Sliver tokens (Sliver Queen) and then sacrifice them for . Make four more Slivers and so on, so forth, ad infinitum. Though untapped, they will have summoning sickness unless you also have a haste Sliver in play so consider doing this at the end of the turn of the player before you.

4a Ashnod's Altar + Sliver Queen + (Training Grounds or Heartstone or Biomancer's Familiar) (Colorless Mana)
Same mechanics as #4 resulting in infinite Slivers and infinite colourless mana.

5 Basal Sliver + Sliver Queen + a mana Sliver + a haste Sliver: (All colours of Mana)
Create a 1/1 Sliver token (via Sliver Queen's ability). Having haste, you may immediately tap the new token for one mana of any color and then sacrifice the token for (Basal Sliver's ability). Use the to create another Sliver token... rinse, wash, repeat. Once you have infinite mana, use the Sliver Queen’s ability to create infinite untapped Slivers with Haste.

6 Combo #1, #2, #3, or #4 + Gaea's Cradle: (Green Mana )
Make infinite slivers and then Gaea's Cradle for infinite

Infinite Combat Phases and Mana:
7 Aggravated Assault + a mana Sliver + 5 other Slivers
A minimum of five other Slivers because you need one to attack. Manaweft Sliver/Gemhide Sliver lets all Slivers produce one mana of any color, and Aggravated Assault's ability untaps all of (only) your creatures and establishes a second Combat Phase. As long as you keep your five Slivers ready you can do this as long as you need. This combo can also be used to generate infinite mana of all colours.

7a Aggravated Assault + a mana Sliver + Sentinel Sliver + 3 other Slivers

Infinite Life:
8 Combo #1, #2, #3, #4, or #5 + Darkheart Sliver
Create infinite Slivers. With Darkheart Sliver you can sacrifice those Sliver tokens to give yourself infinite life. Then create infinite Slivers,,, again

Infinite Card Draw:
9 Combo #1, #2, #3, #4, or #5 + Dormant Sliver

10 Basal Sliver + Dormant Sliver + Sliver Queen
Start by creating a Sliver token via the Sliver Queen’s ability. Dormant Sliver’s ability requires you to draw a card as the token hits the battlefield. Sacrifice the token for ,,, Rinse, Wash, Repeat. You can potentially draw out your whole deck and find a means of winning on that turn.

Permanent Destruction:
11 Combo #1, #2, #3, #4, or #5 + Necrotic Sliver
Necrotic Sliver's ability only costs with Training Grounds or Biomancer's Familiar on the table; with Heartstone out, it costs . You can sacrifice any number of the infinite Sliver Tokens with any amount of the infinite mana to destroy as many permanents as you desire.

12 (Sliver Queen or Brood Sliver or Sliver Hive) + (Harmonic Sliver and/or Constricting Sliver and/or Necrotic Sliver)
Create a Sliver token with Sliver Queen, Brood Sliver, or Sliver Hive. Harmonic Sliver causes all Slivers, upon entering the battlefield to destroy an enchantment or artifact. You might want to have Hibernation Sliver around to bounce Harmonic Sliver before your own enchantments and artifacts are targeted. Constricting Sliver allows the option to temporarily exile a creature. Necrotic Sliver allows you to sacrifice a Sliver and pay to destroy a target permanent. Remember; if you sacrifice a Sliver you used to exile an enemy creature (via Constricting Sliver’s ability), said exiled creature will bounce back to the battlefield.

Creature Stealing:
13 Sliver Overlord + (Amoeboid Changeling or Unnatural Selection)
(Ensure Crystalline Sliver is not in play as it provides Shroud to targeted Slivers)
Amoeboid Changeling or spend to activate Unnatural Selection’s ability to turn any target creature into a Sliver. Then pay to activate Sliver Overlord's ability to take control of target Sliver. There is no specified length of time on the ability, so even if it ceases to be a Sliver or if you lose the Overlord, the stolen critter is still yours. Using Unnatural Selection allows multiple thefts per turn.

Infinite Power and Toughness:
14 Combo #1, #2, #3, #4, or #5 + (Sliver Legion or Coat of Arms)
Create infinite Slivers. Sliver Legion gives every Sliver +1/+1 for each other Sliver in play.

Creature Destruction:
15 (Striking Sliver or Bonescythe Sliver) + Venom Sliver
First strike or Double strike combined with Deathtouch is a devastating attack. First Strike damage resolves before combat damage even begins, so when your opponent is attacking or blocking, the creature unfortunate enough to be the Sliver's target will receive First Strike damage first, which happens to be Deathtouch damage.

16 (Thorncaster Sliver or Acidic Sliver or Cautery Sliver) + Venom Sliver
ANY damage done by a creature with deathtouch is enough to destroy the defender. Thorncaster Sliver allows all Slivers to deal 1 damage to target creature or player whenever they attack. Combo with Venom Sliver, and it is a death sentence for the targeted creature.

Force Protection:
17 Crystalline Sliver + Root Sliver + Sliver Hivelord
All Slivers gain Shroud, Indestructible, and cannot be countered. The only thing that can affect them is mass exile. Use Hibernation Sliver and Sedge Sliver to protect Slivers from exile, destruction, poison, etc. Even if you do not have Root Sliver on the board, Sliver spells still can not be countered if you use Cavern of Souls in their casting.

Player Destruction:
18 Lavabelly Sliver + Sliver Queen + (Basal Sliver or Ashnod's Altar):
Pay to activate the Sliver Queen's ability to create a Sliver token. That token will inherit Lavabelly Sliver's ETB effect, allowing you to target a player (or Planeswalker) for 1 point of damage while gaining 1 life for yourself. Sacrifice the token to trigger Basal Sliver's ability to generate which you will use to again activate Sliver Queen's ability, triggering another activation of Lavabelly Sliver's ability. Repeat the cycle of creating and sacrificing Sliver tokens until all opponents are eliminated.

19 Combo #1, #2, #3, #4, or #5 + (Lavabelly Sliver or Acidic Sliver or Cautery Sliver)

20 Combo #1, #2, #3, #4, or #5 + Purphoros, God of the Forge
Create infinite Sliver tokens. Purphoros, God of the Forge deals 2 damage to each opponent for each Sliver created this way.

21 Combo #1, #2, #3, #4, or #5 + Throne of the God-Pharaoh
Create Slivers and so on, so forth, ad infinitum. Tap your Slivers to attack, create mana, etc. A mana Sliver and/or a haste Sliver may need to be included in the combo. At the end of your turn Throne of the God-Pharaoh deals infinite direct damage to each opponent.

22 Blasphemous Act + Sliver Hivelord + Spiteful Sliver
This one works to destroy Planeswalkers and/or opponents

22a Blasphemous Act + Spiteful Sliver

23 Horned Sliver + Sliver Legion
Power ramp combined with Trample

Play all Slivers in one turn:
24 (Intruder Alarm or Paradox Engine) + Sliver Overlord + a mana Sliver + a haste Sliver
Intruder Alarm causes ALL creatures to untap each time a creature comes onto the battlefield. Use Sliver Overlord's first ability to pull your Sliver of choice from your Library. Manaweft Sliver/Gemhide Sliver enables all Slivers to create mana of any colour. The haste Sliver allows the new Slivers you put on the battlefield to immediately add to your mana pool. If you have the resources and are smart about how you develop your battlefield, you can play all your Slivers in one turn. (Note: Paradox Engine was banned from the Commander format in 2019)

25 Mana Echoes + Morophon, the Boundless + Sliver Overlord
Morophon, the Boundless lowers the cost of each Sliver by , so the only remaining costs to cast your Slivers are for the generic mana. You will need mana to kick off the onslaught. (Mana Echoes provides at least on the turn you play the second of Sliver Overlord or Morophon, the Boundless). Once Sliver Overlord and Morophon, the Boundless are in play. tutor for Crystalline Sliver (for protection) followed by all of the Slivers and Cloudshredder Sliver (for haste). Each of these will net positive mana from Mana Echoes as they come on to the battlefield which you can then use to pay the generic mana costs as you tutor out the rest of your hive.

26 Intruder Alarm + Morophon, the Boundless + Sliver Overlord + a mana Sliver
your 3 Slivers for to use Sliver Overlord's ability to tutor for Crystalline Sliver (for protection). Cast Crystalline Sliver at no cost (thanks to Morophon) to trigger Intruder Alarm and all your Slivers. Repeat the process to bring out all of your Slivers and Cloudshredder Sliver (for haste). You will then be able to tap Slivers as needed to being out every Sliver in the deck.

Return From Exile:
27 (Unnatural Selection or Amoeboid Changeling or Arcane Adaptation) + Hibernation Sliver + Riftsweeper
Riftsweeper brings ANY card back from exile and places the card in its owner’s library. Change Riftsweeper into a Sliver and bounce her back to your hand via Hibernation Sliver’s ability. Rinse, wash, repeat as needed.

Sliver Token Generation:
28 Bonescythe Sliver + Brood Sliver
Definition of the Combat Damage Step: "All creatures in combat deal combat damage at the same time, except when one or more creatures have first strike or double strike. In this case there are two damage assignment steps." With Double strike, you have two damage assignment steps when dealing combat damage to a target player, therefore you get one sliver token per damage assignment step. Work this concept into Combo #7/7a, and it potentially becomes a Queenless wincon by creating infinite Sliver tokens and infinite mana of any colour.

Play All Slivers For Free
29 Fist of Suns + Morophon, the Boundless
This little combo lets you cast all the Slivers in your deck, for free. Fist of Suns modifies the casting cost of your Slivers to . Morophon, the Boundless then reduces the casting cost by for a final cost of . Adding Future Sight to the combo allows you play any Sliver on the top of your library for free! This combo would work in ANY Tribal deck.


WEAKNESSES:

STRENGTHS:

UPGRADES UNDER CONSIDERATION:

I am currently using the "Sideboard" to hold cards which I am play testing and/or want to move into the main deck.

I am thinking that it is time to replace Intruder Alarm. It's only function in the deck is as a combo piece. While the 3 Combos I might use the card in are all great, potentially game ending Combos, I sense that it's value is too narrow and the slot could be better utlilized with a more versatile card.

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