MTG Salvation

Philosophy

"A live body and a dead body contain the same number of particles. Structurally, there's no discernible difference. Life and death are unquantifiable abstracts."

- Jon Osterman

The goal of this deck is to put in as many little two-card combos as possible, to reflect the Golgari philosophy. Life needs death as death needs life. They are nowhere near as powerful forces when separate as they are when joined in an endless circle. Hand, graveyard... same thing for Savra.

Notable Cards/Combos

Shambling Shell, Grave-Shell Scarab: Team up with Savra to turn her into The Abyss. Shell with Garruk's Packleader or Scarab alone can be dredged multiple times in a turn provided you have the mana (and it's there if you want it) to slowly chew away at everyone else's army.

Life from the Loam, Raven's Crime, and Barren Moor: Retrace Raven's Crime, cast LftL to bring back Barren Moor and two other lands, cycle Barren Moor to dredge back LftL, repeat.

Kamahl, Fist of Krosa and Ascendant Evincar: "G: Destroy target land." These two are also fine on their own: Kamahl obviously provides Overruns, but doesn't Evincar kill a lot of your dudes too? He does, but some of them are better off in the graveyard (Viridian Emissary and Yavimaya Elder), and think about casting Tooth and Nail for Butcher of Malakir and Avenger of Zendikar while Ascendant Evincar is out.

Pestilence Demon and Vigor: This is one of those combos where the other players have to pick up the cards and read them again, and then they slump in their chairs because they realise the way in which the game has suddenly gone very poorly for them.

Filth and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth: Wins games.

Abundance and Sylvan Library: Draw three cards a turn, never miss a land drop? Seems good. Abundance also prevents decking out, which is a legitimate concern after a massive Genesis Wave.

Doomed Necromancer: Sacrifice? Return to the battlefield? Black creature? Why was I not running this card earlier?

Golgari Thug: Most lists would use Reassembling Skeleton instead, but the Thug can recur any creature, not just himself, and he can put a lot of cards in the graveyard during a single turn with Skullclamp, where they're often more valuable.

Skeletal Vampire: Is better than Grave Titan, because Batman can eat his own tokens.

Birthing Pod: The whole deck is a Pod chain. Most of them lead to Sheoldred, Whispering One, who can then reboot the chain at any point. I would like another 1-drop (to start a chain from tokens), but I don't really like any of the Black options.

Dread Return: Whenever I cast this for its actual mana cost, I feel like I'm cheating.

Living Death: Is as much a sweeper as it is a mass reanimation spell.

Scapeshift: Typically the goal is to fetch Urborg, Coffers, Deserted Temple, Twilight Mire, and G-producing tech lands if possible. Life from the Loam somewhat prevents being completely blown out, but this is probably the most dangerous spell I play in any deck.

Nath of the Gilt-Leaf and Sadistic Hypnotist: Are not in here because I already had a discard combo and I wanted to make room for the Kamahl LD trick. I did lose a sac outlet though, but I think I have enough once-per-turn effects to not actually need a card that lets me tear up my whole board.

Doomgape: Gain back some of the life that Savra requires. Doomgape also will eat itself if you need to keep creatures around.

Mindslicer: This card was practically made to be put in Birthing Pod chains.

Phyrexian Delver: I've been thinking about this guy as a way to reset Birthing Pod chains, and with Primeval Titan getting the axe it opens up a slot.

Vraska the Unseen: Vraska seems quite appealing off a Genesis Wave, where things like Maelstrom Pulse and Pernicious Deed do not. Her +1 kills creatures and strikes fear in the heart of players, so that's a bonus.

2012-08-08: -Archdemon of Unx, Brawn, +Doomgape, Mindslicer
2012-09-19: -Primeval Titan, +Phyrexian Delver
2012-11-23: -Hall of the Bandit Lord, Executioner's Capsule, Glissa, the Traitor, +Verdant Catacombs, Shriekmaw, Vraska the Unseen
2013-01-20: -Sylvok Replica, +Viridan Zealot
2013-01-27: -Vesuva, +Thespian's Stage
2013-04-20: -Golgari Grave-Troll, +Apprentice Necromancer
2013-05-30: -Apprentice Necromancer, + Doomed Necromancer

Quillspike doesn't really do much on its own, though - can't beat down, can't self-recur, doesn't do much if it dies (although it is Black and Green)... it just seems too frail, even with Cauldron of Souls. Cauldron of Souls alone, though, is interesting but I think ultimately inferior to Eldrazi Monument - Cauldron is fiddly reanimation and I have enough non-fiddly reanimation, Monument turns an army of chumps into threats and is a free sacrifice outlet.

Where are Demonic and/or Vampiric Tutor?

Why do you play Executioner's Capsule? Isn't Seal of Doom a better choice? You dont have to keep the mana open for Seal.

I don't see the use of Raven's Crime, if you want to retrace, isn't Wurm Harvest better? It also gives you lot of tokens for Savra.

Looks like a nice deck for those cheap reanimate spells like: Reanimate, Animate Dead, Dance of the Dead, Necromancy maybe even Corpse Dance.

Maybe it's an idea to include Fetchlands? I personally think the Vivid lands are not that good at all.
High Market? Pretty nice sac outlet right there.
Temple of the False God, would be a shame to draw early game. How about Ancient Tomb?
Why play Hall of the Bandit Lord? Savra, nor most other dudes need haste.

Just my 2 cents (and a friend of mine ;))

Quote from Koruam

Where are Demonic and/or Vampiric Tutor?

Busy being not as good as Diabolic Intent and Birthing Pod. There's only so much room for tutors and I'm going to use the ones that improve the deck over the ones that are generically good.

Why do you play Executioner's Capsule? Isn't Seal of Doom a better choice? You dont have to keep the mana open for Seal.

Because Glissa.

I don't see the use of Raven's Crime, if you want to retrace, isn't Wurm Harvest better? It also gives you lot of tokens for Savra.

Raven's Crime discards. Worm Harvest makes tokens. They do two different things. I have other cards that make tokens. I don't need more.

Looks like a nice deck for those cheap reanimate spells like: Reanimate, Animate Dead, Dance of the Dead, Necromancy maybe even Corpse Dance.

Not really. None of those can be used from the graveyard (Dread Return), also sacrifice a creature (Victimize), or aren't a spell (Volrath's Stronghold). Synergy good. Generic goodstuff spells bad.

Maybe it's an idea to include Fetchlands? I personally think the Vivid lands are not that good at all.

Of course it's an idea of include fetches. But I have nine decks. That's this one and eight others. I'm already running Terramorphic Expanse and Evolving Wilds. The priority on adding fetches to the manabase of a Green deck is pretty low.

High Market? Pretty nice sac outlet right there.

Not better than Grim Backwoods. There's already too many colourless lands in the deck, I'm not going to put in one that doesn't do much other than be a sac outlet. Also, isn't Phyrexian Tower a better suggestion?

Temple of the False God, would be a shame to draw early game. How about Ancient Tomb?

I'm aware of Temple of the False God's problems and they're minimal in most cases. I don't really want a land that chews into my life total when I have a general that does the same.

Why play Hall of the Bandit Lord? Savra, nor most other dudes need haste.

Random big creatures get better with haste. The drawback of Hall of the Bandit Lord is negated by Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, and having haste on a land means I don't need to waste a spell slot on Lightning Greaves.