Update, so far good results against Oko decks and Esper Dance (roughly even MUs). Mono R is tough pre-board, Gruul is ok.
Destroys other rogue/jank decks.
Found something worth another post. Bolas's Citadel is a potential insta-win. This deck already has the ability to keep the life high even under pressure. Once the Citadel hits, it's very likely to slam 5+ cards onto the battlefield while dealing some life loss. If you hit a land on the top, Reaper, Ayara and Castle Locthwain can all keep you going. Then The Citadel's sac ability comes in...
I may test the deck without the main combo, but
1) Mausoleum Secrets finds the Familiar with just 1 creature in the graveyard
2) Spare food gets consumed by the Familiar when it hits the field for a burst of life loss, life gain and even cards. So I need to only draw 1 out of 6 cards to make profit of all the food I can make. It works very consistently.
3) Familiar can still be sac'd to Ayara after chump blocking and brought back later when I draw the Oven. I just play 2 so I don't get flooded with them. Usually 1 is enough, but the other is a solid backup.
Looking at the cards you suggest, Pitiless Pontiff is good on defense, but can't really help me win the game, which is what Oven + Familiar does while being quite resilient to disruption when online. Plaguecrafter is again good, but without more removal it will only take out 1-2 drops that don't really matter. 3cmc is already very clogged and the deck needs some early plays. Priest of Forgotten Gods I've also tried, but same thing as above applies: It rarely hit something good, getting it to activate was tough and I never felt 100% good about it. What would I sac willingly? Ayara? Celebrant? Reaper? Not really.
Is there any card I could bring here to make Oko's life harder?
Looking for optimization suggestions.
I've tried Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord but Seraph proves more useful so far.
I'm not sure about Cavalier of Night, I think 5cmc is too much in a deck that just produces and sacs bodies. Yarok's Fenlurker is good, but I find other creatures better.
Considered Corpse Knight over Cruel Celebrant... idk. I like how it works with already built boards.
With the recent flux of decent Red midrange cards I was brewing something, but it wasn't there at the time. With ELD this has well changed. Here goes the first draft I'm going to test:
General idea:
Synergies everywhere.
Draw/discard works with the Bag for tremendous CA if not disrupted and damage with Pyromancer/Buccaneer. Torbran makes everything hit like a truck. Raptor accelerates Legends and swings. Big Chandra doubles as a "catch-all" answer and a finisher.
Destroys other rogue/jank decks.
4 Castle Locthwain
9 Swamp
1 Witch's Cottage
4 Temple of Silence
4 Godless Shrine
2 Scoured Barrens
1 Cauldron Familiar
4 Cruel Celebrant
3 Blacklance Paragon
1 Piper of the Swarm
4 Ayara, First of Locthwain
4 Midnight Reaper
4 Murderous Rider
4 Seraph of the Scales
4 Witch's Oven
1 Wishclaw Talisman
1 Bolas's Citadel
Instants/Sorceries | 5
3 Mausoleum Secrets
1 The Elderspell
1 Spark Harvest
2 Cavalier of Night
1 Deathless Knight
1 Noxious Grasp
2 Mortify
1 Crush Contraband
2 Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord
1 Liliana, Dreadhorde General
1 The Elderspell
1 Legion's End
2 Kaya's Wrath
These belong in the aggro version of the deck. This one is midrange with much more emphasis put on Feather.
Bolas's Citadel is a potential insta-win. This deck already has the ability to keep the life high even under pressure. Once the Citadel hits, it's very likely to slam 5+ cards onto the battlefield while dealing some life loss. If you hit a land on the top, Reaper, Ayara and Castle Locthwain can all keep you going. Then The Citadel's sac ability comes in...
4 Godless Shrine
4 Temple of Silence
2 Scoured Barrens
4 Castle Locthwain
1 Witch's Cottage
9 Swamp
Creature (24):
2 Cauldron Familiar
4 Cruel Celebrant
2 Piper of the Swarm
1 Blacklance Paragon
4 Ayara, First of Locthwain
4 Midnight Reaper
4 Murderous Rider
3 Seraph of the Scales
4 Mausoleum Secrets
1 Spark Harvest
1 The Elderspell
Artifact (4):
4 Witch's Oven
2 Bolas's Citadel
1 Blightbeetle
3 Dreadhorde Invasion
1 The Elderspell
1 Noxious Grasp
2 Blacklance Paragon
2 Mortify
3 Legion's End
2 Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord
1) Mausoleum Secrets finds the Familiar with just 1 creature in the graveyard
2) Spare food gets consumed by the Familiar when it hits the field for a burst of life loss, life gain and even cards. So I need to only draw 1 out of 6 cards to make profit of all the food I can make. It works very consistently.
3) Familiar can still be sac'd to Ayara after chump blocking and brought back later when I draw the Oven. I just play 2 so I don't get flooded with them. Usually 1 is enough, but the other is a solid backup.
Looking at the cards you suggest,
Pitiless Pontiff is good on defense, but can't really help me win the game, which is what Oven + Familiar does while being quite resilient to disruption when online.
Plaguecrafter is again good, but without more removal it will only take out 1-2 drops that don't really matter. 3cmc is already very clogged and the deck needs some early plays.
Priest of Forgotten Gods I've also tried, but same thing as above applies: It rarely hit something good, getting it to activate was tough and I never felt 100% good about it. What would I sac willingly? Ayara? Celebrant? Reaper? Not really.
Is there any card I could bring here to make Oko's life harder?
4 Godless Shrine
4 Temple of Silence
2 Scoured Barrens
4 Castle Locthwain
2 Witch's Cottage
8 Swamp
Creature (24):
2 Cauldron Familiar
4 Cruel Celebrant
2 Piper of the Swarm
1 Blacklance Paragon
4 Ayara, First of Locthwain
4 Midnight Reaper
4 Murderous Rider
3 Seraph of the Scales
4 Mausoleum Secrets
1 Spark Harvest
1 The Elderspell
1 Legion's End
1 Revival // Revenge
Artifact (4):
4 Witch's Oven
1 Blightbeetle
3 Dreadhorde Invasion
1 The Elderspell
1 Noxious Grasp
2 Blacklance Paragon
2 Mortify
3 Legion's End
2 Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord
Looking for optimization suggestions.
I've tried Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord but Seraph proves more useful so far.
I'm not sure about Cavalier of Night, I think 5cmc is too much in a deck that just produces and sacs bodies.
Yarok's Fenlurker is good, but I find other creatures better.
Considered Corpse Knight over Cruel Celebrant... idk. I like how it works with already built boards.
4 Blood Crypt
4 Godless Shrine
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Temple of Silence
2 Temple of Triumph
2 Fabled Passage
2 Plains
1 Mountain
1 Swamp
4 Bishop of Wings
4 Feather, the Redeemed
3 Kaalia, Zenith Seeker
4 Seraph of the Scales
3 Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice
1 Sephara, Sky's Blade
Instant/Sorcery (8):
4 Gods Willing
1 Defiant Strike
1 Bedeck // Bedazzle
1 The Elderspell
1 Legion's End
4 Wishclaw Talisman
1 Prison Realm
Planeswalker (4)
2 Gideon Blackblade
2 Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord
1 Castle Embereth
23 Mountain
1-drops:
4 Bag of Holding
4 Shock
2-drops:
1 Chandra's Regulator
4 Marauding Raptor
4 Thrill of Possibility
4 Irencrag Pyromancer
4 Glint-Horn Buccaneer
4-drops:
4 Neheb, Dreadhorde Champion
4 Torbran, Thane of Red Fell
6-drops:
3 Chandra, Awakened Inferno
4 Fry
4 Robber of the Rich
4 Unchained Berserker
3 Flame Sweep
General idea:
Synergies everywhere.
Draw/discard works with the Bag for tremendous CA if not disrupted and damage with Pyromancer/Buccaneer. Torbran makes everything hit like a truck. Raptor accelerates Legends and swings. Big Chandra doubles as a "catch-all" answer and a finisher.
Thoughts and ideas are welcome
When exactly a creature stops being considered an "attacking creature"?
God's Willing makes Dive Down obsolete.
Moment of Heroism enables race mode
Season of Growth anything with Feather is a CA engine
Gnarlback Rhino another CA engine with Feather
Rienne, Angel of Rebirth also has some potential
T1 Kor Duelist
T2 Sigarda's Aid Colossus Hammer, swing for 22
T2 Ancestral Blade
T3 Saheeli, Sublime Artificer, Blade becomes the Hammer, swing for 11
I don't see it, but hey, maybe 15 years in Magic is just not enough.