Hi y'all. It's that girl who used to play Demon Tribal. I recently started a new term at my community college, and had to leave my bag outside the bookstore when I went to buy my textbooks. My EDH, Modern and Legacy deck were stolen along with my wallet. I am very disappointed, but dwelling on it after I've done all that I can do is not a successful way to go about things. Since this happens, and most of friends have sold out of the game (and my shop is full of homophobic, sexist men. My LGS is bad, not all y'all.), I am going to start moving strictly to MTGO. If you have any MTGO advice, I would love it!
But since I am moving onto MTGO, I can buy into something more competitive. I am also super excited for the Janky buy-a-box legend coming out. And with those together, I present to you The Haunt of Hightower
The Haunt is my favorite legend I have ever seen. Each individual card going to the 'yard triggers him. He's such a build around, but you still just get some of the best cards in EDH. I won't be able to play this deck until RNA comes out, but I don't exactly have the cash right now anyways, and that's why I am here for advice.
Lands [38]:
24 Swamps
My favorite part of not playing Shadowborn Apostles is that I get the good mana doublers, which means I don't need to play Snow-Covered Swamps with Extraplanar Lens
1 Cabal Coffers
The staple land of EDH. This land is mono-black mana ramp.
1 Buried Ruin
This is a voltron, big mana deck. Mana doublers and equipment are worth the land sacrifice.
1 Deserted Temple
This is the combo! combo! combo! with Coffers. Helps make extra mana with Coffers. Pretty much only here for that purpose. (Uncreative, I know)
1 Dust Bowl
Repeatable land destruction, which helps keep scary lands away from doing massive amounts of production. (Cradle, Haven, Hideaways, other Coffers)
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
For the price of three mana, this card reads "Put three +1/+1 counters on The Haunt of Hightower, and get rid of a dead card in hand" It can be absurd if no one can interact with The Haunt
1 Homeward Path
My least favorite cards in magic involve Knowledge Pool, Rise of the Dark Realms and Keiga. This card negates those and so many other cards, even if it is the 3rd most expensive card in the deck.
1 Lake of the Dead
Turn 1 sol ring, turn 2 lake and my commander? 4 mana on a land seems absolutely great, even if it costs a land.
1 Myriad Landscape
Just some ramp on a land
1 Scavenger Grounds
I don't run Bojuka Bog due to how it can just be bad sometimes, but I very much like grounds as Gravehate over it.
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
This can just one shot people, and that seems like a good idea, imo. Giving an evasive creature more evasion seems like a good idea. There are 6 other legends in this deck also, so I have that going for me
1 Strip Mine
Sometimes, there are problematic lands, and you need a quick way to get rid of them. This is a one time, free dust bowl
1 Thespian's Stage
Copy Coffers, I think? Either that or Deserted Temple, whichever gives me more mana in the end
1 Vesuva
See Thespian's Stage
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Coffers and 13 non-swamps is a problem, unless there is a possibility that everything becomes a swamp with a land or something. Oh wait!
One CMC or fewer [8]:
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
Immediate add ins for practically any MTGO deck. They're not even 8 dollars all together. Helps power out Haunt faster
1 Expedition Map
Looking for a Coffers? A Deserted Temple? Urborg? Already have those three, why not a Vesuva? Or even Thespian Stage? Your opponent's Coffers giving you fits? Grab a Strip Mine or a Dust Bowl
1 Bloodchief Ascension
Cards hit the yard a lot with this deck, and with Ascension active, I can gain some life. Also, there is an infinite combo... oops
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
The commander tax will get expensive for The Haunt, and reclamation will help with that issue
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Imperial Seal
Woah, 2 one mana tutors. These are just auto includes for practically any black deck in EDH. Vamp is strictly better, but redundancy can't be bad, can it?
Two CMC [13]:
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Lightning Greaves
Easiest way to protect The Haunt. Dumping 6 mana only to not untap with his would be a crime
1 Demonic Tutor
This searches for anything and sticks it in your hand. It's an auto-include.
1 Go for the Throat
I usually hate to play this card, however there may be an issue where MTGO doesn't have my removal spell of choice yet, so I am stuck with it instead of say Curtains' Call.
1 Torment of Hailfire
1 Dread Summons
Did you hear about all that mana I may or mayn't been trying to make off Coffers(s) and Deserted Temple(s) [Seriously, if you know which one nets me more mana, lemme know]? These are the pay offs and they grow The Haunt.
1 Mindcrack
"I hit you for 3, put three counters on The Haunt" are words I would love to hear come out of my mouth in game. Also... infinite combo, oopsies.
1 Mesmeric Orb
Have you ever just wanted to play your commander, and then a durdly artifact, so when it comes back to your turn, he might be a 25/25 with Flifelink? Me too... me too.
1 Jet Medallion
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Mind Stone
1 Grim Monolith
Cheap mana ramp, one being much better than the other for reasons.
1 Waste Not
Since The Haunt says from anywhere, the third theme of the deck (Board control, Mill and now Discard) reveals itself. These are some of the addition pay offs for making an opponent discard, and sometimes just blow out someone who wants to wheel.
Three cmc [15]:
1 Darksteel Plate
1 Whispersilk Cloak
These are both protection with upside. Cloak makes The Haunt unblockable. Plate doesn't seem to have upside, but The Haunt living through sweepers is very good. Whether it's my damnation or Ghave's Wrath of God, the counters left over from his triggers will be absurd
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Merciless Executioner
1 Plaguecrafter
The original, the Michael Bay remake and the book. Good, good with cool aspects (I like the art and creature type), and the best one. Plaguecrafter practically guarantees that I have three +1/+1 counters coming for The Haunt
1 Liliana, Heretical Healer
Mediocre creature in this deck, but death isn't hard to trigger with some self-sacrifice in the deck. The walker is great. She discards, she reanimates Fleshbag Marauders and her ultimate wins games.
1 Burnished Hart
More ramp, just continuing up the curve. Sometimes, he is played to attack too. He isn't as bad as Steve in that department
1 Hero's Downfall
The uncontested best removal spell in EDH for mono-black. Kills all the issues, practically. So, yeah. I think that explains it
1 Read the Bones
Selective refuel. Having lifelink on a commander makes this not hurt like it might hurt others
1 Phyrexian Arena
Continuous draw for a slight price, that is counteracted by The Haunt.
1 Bottomless Pit
1 Oppression
Some discard engines. Pit/Oppression ensure that cards make it to the yard somehow.
1 Sword of Body and Mind
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Trepanation Blade
These 3 equipment do some of the biggest damage. Feast and Famine helps cast everything we need to, well also putting a counter on The Haunt. Body and Mind puts 10 counters on The Haunt for the next attack step, while also leaving behind a little chump blocker. Trepanation Blade is absurb with The Haunt. Instead of reading that as +1/+0, read it as +2/+1 , and that happens before damage, unlike the swords. (Is fireshrieker worth it to give double strike so Body and Mind can be an auto-finisher?)
Four CMC [9]:
1 Damnation
Sweepers are a requirement for EDH. With an indestructible The Haunt, sometimes a Damnation reads "Kill target player and gain like 20 life"
1 Price of Fame
Risky, but it's either a better Hero's Demise, or a worse Murder. Barring 39 indestructible legends or planeswalkers that can be commanders, this card hits every commander for 2, or it kills a scary looking Avenger of Zendikar for 4 mana
1 Hedron Archive
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Crypt Ghast
Just more ramp continuing up the curve. Archive offers the upside of draw later in games, and Solemn on death draws. Ghast doubles mana, in a way that doesn't punish like say a certain lens could, also it extorts
1 Sangromancer
To quote a friend "You need Sangromancer// Such a stupid card in discard decks" and I think I agree. The card seems good, like really good to keep me stabilized
1 Mindslicer
I love this card. I don't exactly know if it's good, but I know it will grow The Haunt like no other 4 mana card will.
1 Syphon Mind
Discard to grow The Haunt and card draw for me also
Five CMC [5]:
1 Sidisi, Undead Vizier
I really like tutors, and this is a way to kill Solemn, or Flip Liliana while searching for a card. I really enjoy the ability to tutor in EDH, and going for a Body/Mind to start killing scrubs seems so good.
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Black Market
Both of these are great ways to get big mana. Gauntlet is another mana doubler, with the downside of possibly helping everyone else at the table, if they tap their basics for black when I have an Urborg out they get 2 black too. Black Market can't add double mana, but it can still add quite a bit
1 Painful Quandry
Better Oppression, but also somewhat worse. It doesn't stop being good if someone is hellbent, but it does say "pay 5 life, don't put any counters on The Haunt" which is sad... he just wants to count. One! One dead opponent. Two! Two Dead opponents. (I've typed 'The Count' instead of 'The Haunt' the first time practically this whole post)
1 Hatred
This is a great way to end a game in just a matter of 5 mana. Can't blown out if you keep your opponent's hand empty
Six CMC [5]:
1 Nirkana Revenant
1 Caged Sun
Mana doublers continue. This deck wants all the mana possible to be able to cast The Haunt whenever he may make it back to the Command Zone
1 Scythe Specter
1 Urgoros, the Empty One
I almost built Urgoros Specters, but quickly transitioned into The Haunt. These are the two specters that made it to the end. Urgoros because he says the words "draw a card" and Scythe because makes all opponents discard on damage
1 Beseech the Queen
I think this is the next best tutor after the others that I play. Please let me know if I am wrong!
Seven CMC and More [6]:
1 Karn Liberated
1 Scour From Existence
1 All Is Dust
Mono-black struggles with enchantments and artifacts. These help with those (All is dust enchantments mostly) although, I am debating on playing Spine of Ish Sah over All is Dust so I can keep The Haunt alive, and put the card in the Graveyard, where Scour and Karn exile
1 Decree of Pain
Just another Wrath with upside, growing The Haunt if it's indestructible and drawing me cards
1 Myojin of Night's Reach
You ever see a card when building an EDH deck and say, "This goes in what I am building." Welcome to my feelings towards this card
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
I would love to pretend I put him in here to be a finisher or more permanent removal, but my immediate reasoning was "What if I Mesmeric Orb myself to death?" But he's good regardless of his trigger.
Leave me your suggestions please! (Only cards on MTGO though)
