Is Melira, Sylvok Outcast + Everlasting Torment an actual good combo?
Modern Deck Help forum
Posted on May 27, 2016, 11:23 a.m. by GodzillaDontCry
This combo pretty makes your creatures indestructibles. Melira, Sylvok Outcast prevents your creatures getting -1/-1 counters from damage received when Everlasting Torment is on the field. I know there are plenty of cards to remove any of these cards, but with other cards to protect them and a good sinergy, could you make a competitive, strong deck?
Xica - I don't see how Corrosive Mentor would be of any help.
The interaction he's referring to is that it's impossible for his opponent's creatures to harm his. All creatures have Wither from Everlasting Torment but none of his creatures can have -1/-1 counters placed on them due to Melira, Sylvok Outcast. This is what he was referring to.
Whether or not it's good, ehhh...
May 27, 2016 11:55 a.m.
Titilanious says... #4
I think it would be more of an addition to a deck rather then the only combo in itself. If it was added to a say abzan combo deck it may work as a one of just to be something extra.
May 27, 2016 1:47 p.m.
GodzillaDontCry says... #5
Thanks for the suggestions and your time. I think that the interaction is pretty sweet but too fragile. I'd try creating a competitive deck with this. I only have to think the rest of it. Thanks again!
May 27, 2016 2:21 p.m.
I think the only downside is that it shuts off Kitchen Finks from helping you gain infinite life (or just large amounts of it), especially since Everlasting Torment is black (meaning you'd play Viscera Seer).
Really interesting sideboard tech for Abzan Company, though. Pretty sure it'd be insane against a deck like Jeskai Control, who tries to nuke your board with Anger of the Gods and stay ahead via Lightning Helix.
May 27, 2016 4:58 p.m.
Baz-Turadan says... #8
You could also add in the Murderous Redcap infinite damage combo on top of all that. that would be virtually impossible to deal with. they cant kill your creatures with damage, you can deal infinite damage, and even if none of that works you still have some good tools to do something like a token sideboard plan.
May 27, 2016 5:09 p.m.
JohnnyBaggins says... #9
It doesn't save your creatures from Terminate, Path to Exile, Abrupt Decay or Liliana of the Veil and either card dies to Decay. If you don't actually intent to use Melira for a combo, including her just for Everlasting Torment is bad, since neither card will not do anything without the other and if you intend to use Melira for a combo, Spiteful Visions isn't necessary because you'll just win, even without it. Indestructible is not a very relevant effect in modern, either.
In other words: While it's a decent synergy and certainly strong in Casual//Kitchen Table play, it's not good enough for a format as powerful as modern.
May 27, 2016 7:21 p.m.
GodzillaDontCry says... #10
Thank you all again for the feedback and the answers. JohnnyBaggins So to make a strong, competitive deck for modern I should combine Melira with other cards rather than Everlasting Torment or leave this synergy as part of the deck but not as the main strategy? I knew that the combo was too fragile for modern, but yes the main idea was to build the deck around these two cards, but now I think that is not suitable.
May 27, 2016 8:21 p.m.
JohnnyBaggins says... #11
Melira excels with Persist creatures. Melira can be (ab)used with Persist creatures. Consider this, a deck that runs 4x Melira and 4x Torment. If there's no immediate pay-off for either of those spells, what do they do if they happen to be drawn on their own?
Melira: You now have a 2/2 for 2. That's... not very good. Other players are casting Tarmogoyfs for that.
Everlasting Torment: You now have an enchantment that literally does nothing. Your creatures die to Path to Exile and Lightning Bolt just the same. Lighting Bolt even gets better. You opponents Siege Rhino gets a little worse but... that's about it?
You see, either card on its own is awful.
Now, what happens if you draw both cards together?
Quite something, but is it amazing? You're now advantaged in combat and Lightning Bolt is not a removal spell for now. But there's still plenty of ways to answer this and you're also not progressing by much in the Game. T2 Melira into T3 Torment is nothing that pressures anyone and other than Burn decks, there should be no deck that can't answer Melira. Affinity just runs you over, Jund has Decay and Terminate, Abzan has Path and Decay, any Black deck has access to Liliana and control decks don't give a flying fuck about Melira, they have Wrath of God, Supreme Verdict, Damnation and others. Burn probably also runs you over and points burn at the face.
On the other hand, Melira, Sylvok Outcast
+
Murderous Redcap
+
Viscera Seer
is something else. The opponent is dead. On the spot. No matter what they did up to that point. You just combo off, there's no way to stop it.
The key point being, contrary to your inital post, your creatures are far from indestructible, they're just save from Damage. In a format where this is decent, but far from game-breaking because this can easily be answered or just raced, this isn't impressive.
Again: I'm not saying it's a bad idea. It's fantastic, actually, if you're thinking more Casual play. But what does this combo do to stop Turn 1 Gobin Guides? What does it do to stop Jund's absurd power level? Not enough. Not if it's answerable that easy.
May 27, 2016 8:44 p.m.
@GodzillaDontCry: You're in luck because there's already a deck (that others have talked about in this thread) called "Abzan Company."
It's basically the old Birthing Pod deck, but since that got banned, you play Collected Company instead. The deck works by generating a ton of value and card advantage by dumping powerful, low-cost creatures into play. Your opponent isn't able to answer all of your threats, since they either come back or because you chain Collected Company and Chord of Callings together.
Melira, Sylvok Outcast is there with Viscera Seer as an "Oops, I win?" since you gain infinite life, scry infinite times, find a Murderous Redcap, then do infinite damage (like JohnnyBaggins described in his post).
There's a ton of different decklists. You can find some here and here.
May 28, 2016 4:08 a.m.
GodzillaDontCry says... #13
JohnnyBaggins, I see your point. I've never played in a competitive way, so i don't know the basics for a competitive deck.
Everyone here helped in some kind of way and wanted to thank you all and thanks sylvannos for the links to those decks. They really helped me out.
Thanks all!
Xica says... #2
Well, why not use Corrosive Mentor instead?
(you would need to protect only 1 card in this case)
P.s.:Many people would not call it a combo, jsut an interestin interaction. And while it can make a deck better, alone its not strong enough (and non-creature deck exist).
May 27, 2016 11:36 a.m.