Vish Kal, Arbiter of Combos

Commander / EDH* cosmicteapot

SCORE: 19 | 62 COMMENTS | 13428 VIEWS | IN 4 FOLDERS


MollyMab says... #1

To beat the evil decks, some stuff to suggest.

Unexpectedly Absent to tuck a commander or just value.

Darksteel Mutation to shut off a commander.

Aven Mindcensor and Leonin Arbiter .

Toxic Deluge over BSZ.

November 30, 2013 2:27 p.m.

cosmicteapot says... #2

Okay, I will check if those cards could fit in the deck, and how they would work. Thanks for suggesting :)

November 30, 2013 2:32 p.m.

I'm curious about your suggestion of Toxic Deluge over Black Sun's Zenith . It would seem the Zenith is the better choice by far. You don't have to pay any life, the counters stay on the creature(s) just in case you're facing an opponent with Beefy Beefington on the field, and BSZ gets shuffled back into your deck once you use it. I don't see any reason not to run Zenith.

December 28, 2013 10:19 a.m.

zandl says... #4

I find your lack of Scrubland disturbing.

January 8, 2014 4:13 a.m.

cosmicteapot says... #5

I find it also disturbing. Money is the problem here, but.. what the heck, I'll get it soon as possible, that's my plan :P

January 8, 2014 4:18 a.m.

zandl says... #6

Well, I was going to ask if budget was an issue, but that didn't appear to be the case after scanning over some of your other card choices.

Aside from that, maybe Elspeth, Sun's Champion ? She's the useful part of an Austere Command and gives you lots of dudes to play with.

January 8, 2014 4:22 a.m.

cosmicteapot says... #7

I agree that Elspeth, Sun's Champion would be good at some points, and it also gives free creatures to sac on Vish Kal, Blood Arbiter . Aside from that, I don't see it has enough synergy with the rest of the deck. Plus I have no idea what card it could replace, as all the other cards seem to do more for this deck.

But I'll keep Elspeth in mind, if I notice it would have potential to this deck, I'll add her. Thanks for suggestion :)

January 8, 2014 4:37 a.m.

rathalos3000 says... #8

What do you think about Yawgmoth's Will ?

January 8, 2014 5:41 p.m.

cosmicteapot says... #9

I think it's interesting. I probably should test it actually, to see how it works. Do you have an idea which card it could replace?

January 8, 2014 11:26 p.m.

rathalos3000 says... #10

I think Tidehollow Sculler is not very good in multiplayer ;)

January 9, 2014 3:43 p.m.

rathalos3000 says... #11

When he leaves the field, your opponent get the card back ;)

January 9, 2014 3:45 p.m.

cosmicteapot says... #12

I guess that's pretty true. Tidehollow Sculler is in the deck only because I wanted to try it out, probably taking it out really soon. Thing with it is that it can be sacced to its ETB stack, so the card stays in exile.

Gonna replace it with Yawgmoth's Will , I have a hunch that it could do more :D

January 9, 2014 4:14 p.m.

rathalos3000 says... #13

Good idea, this card is awesome, I'm playing it in my Vish Kal deck xD

January 9, 2014 4:36 p.m.

Insanity_Teck says... #14

i hate you. +1

January 23, 2014 6:13 a.m.

cosmicteapot says... #15

I love you <3

January 23, 2014 1:25 p.m.

Casey4321 says... #16

Well you seem to be running a combo based deck for wincons (Aside from just generally being awesome +1) So if you're running Black Mike you might as well run Triskelion

January 26, 2014 3:44 a.m.

cosmicteapot says... #17

Most of the times I've actually won with just commander damage, as the combos are quite fragile. The reason I'm not running Triskelion is that my playgroup targets me first, if they know I have that combo :D Other reason is that it doesn't do very much on it's own. But thanks anyway, you're awesome too :)

January 26, 2014 4:08 a.m.

DiamondFlavor says... #18

Maaaybe Cauldron of Souls ? It's CMC is kinda high, but it will keep Vish Kal going almost always and be used to double up on ETBs, etc. and makes your Sun Titan, Lark, and Guide do nastier things in the absence of combo loops.

Altar of Dementia is another win-con with any of the infinite sacrifice conditions.

Phyrexian Altar / Ashnod's Altar and any of the sacrifice loops generates infinite mana, which can be used to Debt to the Deathless or Exsanguinate for the win if something is stopping you from swinging clear.

That's about all I got. Looks really good and I love sacrifice loop combos. +1

February 2, 2014 10:01 a.m.

DiamondFlavor says... #19

Another thought: Puppeteer Clique or anything with undying / ETB with -1/-1 counters becomes an infinite sacrifice fodder with Mikaeus, the Unhallowed .

February 2, 2014 10:04 a.m.

cosmicteapot says... #20

I have also been thinking about Cauldron of Souls , although I feel that in most cases it wouldn't do enough. Also the CMC is nasty, like you said. Have to think about it, maybe test it sometime.

Altar of Dementia is really good, but the reason I don't run it is because a friend of mine has lots of those damn eldrazi creatures in his deck :D

I'm careful not to run cards that most of the time don't do anything. Blasting Station for example doesn't usually do much, but it is in the deck for possible infinite combos and cards like Angel of Serenity . Always good to have a sac outlet against blue :)

I had Puppeteer Clique in the deck for some time, but eventually other cards replaced it. It is a fine card especially for a deck like this, but it also depends what the opponents have in their graveyards. It is still a possible card for the deck.

Thanks for your suggestions and opinions, I'm really trying to make this deck as good as it can be, so all the help is appreciated.

February 2, 2014 10:33 a.m.

the5ervant says... #21

I never saw an Orzhov EDH until I built one myself last week, and it's around saccing, no less! +1

What about using cards that benefit from saccing, like Grave Pact , Dark Prophecy , Blood Artist , etc.? That's the route I took with mine, and I'm curious about your strategy. For ideas or just compare/contrast, my deck is Reduce. Reuse. Recycle..

February 5, 2014 12:14 a.m.

cosmicteapot says... #22

As for this deck, the cards you mentioned would not do enough I think, because I'm not sacrificing that many creatures (I mostly sac to my commander and for the combos). As for Blood Artist , I had it in the deck for a while and it mostly gained me like 5 life. Don't get me wrong though, It's a good card and also won me a game once :D

Few suggestions for your deck: Yosei, the Morning Star and Kokusho, the Evening Star could work extremely well. Also Elspeth, Sun's Champion is really good with your commander. And maybe Martyr's Bond ?

As for my strategy, I use a lot of removal to slow down my opponents, while setting up my own game as best I can. I'm usually trying not to look very threatening, but it can be hard with Necropotence in play. Sometimes I just try to be as fast as possible, if my opponents decks seem to be slow. Once I have a good setup, I'm able to win the game quickly, for example with commander damage.

Thanks for your suggestions :)

February 7, 2014 6:39 a.m.

Aelorith2117 says... #23

What about Reya Dawnbringer ? Also if you want you could add Putrid Imp or Tireless Tribe and be able to play a creature first turn and still have your discard. This feels a bit like my Karador, Ghost Chieftain EDH. Check it out if you want. Second turn WHAT!?!?!?!?

February 18, 2014 4:12 p.m.

cosmicteapot says... #24

I don't see a reason to run Reya Dawnbringer if I have Sheoldred, Whispering One , which is better in almost every aspect. Putrid Imp and Tireless Tribe really wouldn't do anything, because I almost never need discarding. They don't fit my strategy. The chance to get the perfect hand for turn 3 win is not very likely. Still, thanks for your ideas :)

February 24, 2014 12:20 p.m.

iosullenuvole says... #25

Great Deck :) There are really good combos inside!

March 25, 2014 10:08 a.m.

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