Sultai Ground Seal graveyard

Commander Deck Help forum

Posted on April 20, 2020, 7:28 p.m. by ulysses2009

Hello, I recently found out that Ground Seal can work with Tasigur, the Golden Fang as a commander. Now, i am looking for cards to interact with my graveyard as good as possible having it in play, as i find it appealing to play a graveyard deck while softlocking other similar decks at the table.

Do you have ideas for cards to include or combos that would work with this kind of restriction? I am glad for every interesting idea :)

abby315 says... #2

From a Scryfall search, here are cards that work with your graveyard without targeting:

Corrupted Grafstone

Creeping Renaissance

Deadbridge Chant

Desecrator Hag

Gruesome Menagerie

Mission Briefing

The key note being that they, like Tasigur, say "choose" and not "target." I'm pretty sure they all work under Ground Seal. Enjoy!

April 21, 2020 9:58 a.m.

Tylord2894 says... #3

I don't think it's ever a good idea to build an EDH deck around one card (other than your commander) unless that card will win you the game. I would look for other effects like Ground Seal. Cards like Grafdigger's Cage and Leyline of the Void are great contenders for this.

As for strategies for the deck, what is your preferred playstyle? Do you like splashy spells and big creatures or do you like combos? Or both? Tasigur is a pretty blank canvas, so let me know what you're interested in.

Lastly, there are some really good cards that fit into most Tasigur builds.

That's all of my generalized Tasigur specific advice. If you're interested, I have a Tasigur decklist that I'm putting the finishing touches on, but it's probably different than what you're interested in. The point of the deck is to got to one of the main combos, but provided my opponents with ways to stop me. I really like combo decks, but not everyone likes playing against them. This is my way to help with that.

Tas's Tutelage

April 21, 2020 12:15 p.m.

ulysses2009 says... #4

Thank you for taking youre time :)

I absolutely agree that a deck should not be built around one single card, and i propably would include Leyline of the Void. I am not quite sure about Grafdigger's Cage, because I wouldn't want to hinder effects that work well with Ground Seal, but still reanimate (i was thinking to use Gruesome Menagerie or Connive / Concoct perhaps, as i think they don't target up to resolution and are therefore unaffected). But up to now, i haven't found a combination of creatures for Gruesome Menagerie to make it worthwhile.

Btw. does Animate Dead work with Ground Seal? On the one hand it has to have a target, on the other hand it doesn't say it targets a creature.

As for the deck, i was thinking about a control plan that eventually wins as soon as it generates infinite mana, either with Tasigur, the Golden Fang or with a Seasons Past+Tutor loop as a backup to then loop cards like Reality Shift to win.

I like combo as a wincondition and a playstile and i don't mind going a little on the competitive side, but i always want to have synergy in the things i am doing and i want the deck to feel unique.

I am a little curious you added Emergent Ultimatum to your List. Is there a pile that goes with it? I suppose it is a win somehow with Thassa's Oracle? I am still trying to figure out what combination of creatures goes with it (i am trying to make it work with creatures to perhaps be able to use Defense of the Heart as an alternative way to set the combo in play). For me, it would be enough if it generates infinite colored mana, from there i think there will be a way to win (the same goes for Gruesome Menagerie btw.).

As you see, i am just at the beginning building this deck, but i hope you got an impression of some of my ideas and where i want to go with it.

What are your thoughts?

April 22, 2020 5:40 a.m.

ulysses2009 says... #5

As for your mentioned cards, Ramunap Excavator and things like it are a great idea, Wheels as well, but for the delve Cards i would disagree. I propably will still run Titans' Nest, just for the graveyard filling, but i don't want to overdo it, as i want to have enough cards there for Tasigur, the Golden Fang, and i might have cards in my grave i don't want to get rid of. In this case, they seem to be just highly overcosted.

April 22, 2020 5:46 a.m.

Tylord2894 says... #6

The Emergent Ultimatum pile is Thassa's Oracle, Demonic Consultation, and Tainted Pact. It's a little convoluted, but if you don't get to keep your Oracle, you use the Pact to find Oracle (which you probably won't), and then you cast it. You then cast Consultation to exile your library and win. The Oracle and Consultation combo is a common high-power wincon. Alternatively, you can find Shared Summons, Tooth and Nail, and Nyxbloom Ancient. You probably won't get to keep your Tooth and Nail, so you cast Summons to find two creatures that will create infinite mana (usually Deadeye Navigator and Peregrine Drake). The Ancient helps make sure you have the mana available to cast both of the creatures. Then, you just win through Tasigur.

Enough about my deck though. There are a couple things that stuck out to me in what you said. Firstly, there are always cards that you want to get rid of. A better way to think about Tasigur's ability is that he gives you back the worst card in your graveyard (except for lands). You can use delve spells to get rid of the card that you don't want/don't need to win. This improves the quality of the cards that you get from Tasigur. Most of the time, you're going to be spending four mana to get a card, so you want that card to be worth the mana. Secondly, once you have infinite mana, you don't need a wincon other than Tasigur. In my experience, explaining your wincon in as few words as possible greatly helps you. "Active Tasigur until I have put every card from my deck into my graveyard and then into my hand. Cast X and win. Game?"

Lastly, I have a couple of generalized suggestions. First, Frantic Search is a great card, especially here. Tasigur can use a lot of mana. A great place to start is with signets (like Golgari Signet) and talismans (like Talisman of Curiosity).

Hope this helps!

April 22, 2020 10:46 a.m.

ulysses2009 says... #7

I know that Tasigur generally wins as soon as i have the mana. I wanted to have Seasons Past as a good Value card that doesn't cost more than its own spot and can practically work as a second noncreature Tasigur if an opponent has something like Drannith Magistrate in play (assuming i have any tutor to loop it).

Talking about infinite mana, Peregrine Drake seems great. Are there other combos you could think of (apart from the usual Dramatic Reversal combo)?

April 22, 2020 11:03 a.m.

ulysses2009 says... #8

The combo with Consultation and Pact sounds great by the way, but is a little out of my comfort zone, as those cards are only used and only really good when comboing out a win, and i don't want to invest those spots, even if i power the deck down a little that way.

The second Pile seems interesting to me, but how consistent is it? I assume you don't have a lot of things left to tap when playing Emergent Ultimatum.

April 22, 2020 11:13 a.m.

Tylord2894 says... #9

Really, you only need two or three things left untapped (or just one signet). Once you play the Ancient, your mana it tripled. You should be able to play Peregrine Drake which will give you plenty of mana to finish things off. I prefer to use mana rocks as my main source of ramp, so I don't run into the issue of not having mana to pull off that combo often.

I don't blame you for not wanting the Consultation win. It's pretty spiky, and if it's not what you're looking for, then you shouldn't play it.

If you want other combos, you could try a Necrotic Ooze or Triskelion combo. Both of those use the graveyard, but the Ooze uses it better. The problem with the Ooze combo is that it takes up at least 3 slots into your deck. Both combos benefit from Buried Alive, though.

April 22, 2020 11:26 a.m.

ulysses2009 says... #10

I thought about Ultimatum a little and i think i found something that works for me, even if it requires a bit of setup. I will have to use land enchantments to generate some more mana with Peregrine Drake and i have to have any sac outlet in play.

If i get there Sidisi, Undead Vizier, Peregrine Drake and Protean Hulk can be a win if i then find Havengul Lich to generate infine mana playing the drake enough times. If i have an extra creature in play Pattern of Rebirth works as well as a replacement for Hulk. And i can find Lich and Drake with Defense of the Heart.

Perhaps i can make it a little more consistent if i add Phyrexian Tower. But i haven't found a pile yet if i am missing the sac outlet.

April 23, 2020 4 a.m.

ulysses2009 says... #11

Pattern of Rebirth also is not that difficult to use, even with an empty board, because Tasigur, the Golden Fang can be used as a 1-mana-creature to sac and start the combo.

April 23, 2020 4:06 a.m.

ulysses2009 says... #12

One other thing: Are you sure your combo works as you want it to? The two cards should go on the stack ignoring the usual timing. How do you play Thassa's Oracle inbetween without flash?

Or am i missing something?

April 23, 2020 4:35 a.m.

Tylord2894 says... #13

The Sidisi pile seems a little convoluted for my tastes, but if it works for your playstyle, go for it. I don't think that Phyrexian Tower will increase your consistency all that much, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. If you don't have a spare, I would wait to get one. You might not like that line and decide to go a different route.

This is the really nice thing about Tasigur, though. You can take the deck in just about any direction, and Sultai has a lot of great game-ending combos.

Pattern of Rebirth is a workable card, but I prefer Natural Order. Order is more restrictive, but it doesn't require as much setup. If you want to go the Hulk route, Order is a good way to get Hulk out.

As for your Emergent Ultimatum question, my first pile does work, but there are a few more steps involved that I didn't go over. If you get to keep oracle, you stack the cast so that Consultation/Pact resolve first. You exile your library and win if Oracle hits the field. If you don't keep Oracle, you resolve Pact first to find Oracle. You then resolve Consultation and exile your library. You then play Oracle. As you might have picked up, both of these require that your opponents don't counter the Oracle.

April 23, 2020 10:42 a.m.

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