When monsoons devastated the land of Drakkus, the herds drowned and the harvests washed away. The humans there were forced to the fungal forests to find sustenance, and find it they did—in the form of the mycoids and their saproling offspring. What the humans saw as salvation, the mycoids called genocide, and they declared war on the invading mammals. Mages tore through the sporeborn troops with fire and steel. Only when the mycoid hero Ghave, Guru of Spores emerged did the tide finally turn. Gifted with mystic influence over the sporeborn, Ghave sculpted the fungal matter of his people into an ever-mutating army and reclaimed his forest home.
Introduction
Ghave, Guru of Spores is an incredible commander. With the best colors for tutor, removal, wrath and recursion, he provides versatility unparalleled by other commanders. A lot of Ghave decks are built around combo, while others create tokens and win with aggro. I chose to build around a control theme, also splashing tokens with stax effects and a few combo pieces for a perfect synergy. This versatility allows for multiple win conditions and a lot of flexibility in play style.
Strategy
Game plan one: Infinite combo. With all the tutors in the deck, it's fairly easy to set up a winning combo. Ghave is the grand centerpiece for each combo. Ghave + Doubling Season/Parallel Lives + Earthcraft/Ashnod's Altar. If any of the pieces are destroyed, either tutor up another one or use any of the deck's many recursion cards, Eternal Witness and Yawgmoth's Will being the best among them.
Game plan two: Token overrun! If all else fails, you've got quite a few tokens on your side and aggro is a great stalling strategy and even a win condition (who knew?). Cards like Awakening Zone and Bitterblossom can be superstars for adding counters to Ghave, sacrificing to stax effects or creating mana. Oh, and Skullclamp is nuts.
These game plans aren't in any particular order, and usually depend on what I have in my hand. Also, I never limit myself to just sticking to one strategy. More often times than not, it is beneficial to do both at once! Sometimes I won't be doing any at all, and will just be tutoring for answers to my opponent's combo pieces. Tutoring plays a very important role in the strategy, and that is usually where most of the mistakes in playing this deck are made.
Removal Beast Within - One of the best removal cards in the format. Gets any permanent at instant speed. Maelstrom Pulse - Also Sorcery speed, and although it doesn't grab lands, it will wipe out a token swarm or any clones. Oblivion Ring - I run enough Enchantment tutors to make this easy to fetch. Putrefy - Instant speed creature or artifact removal with no setbacks for three mana seems good. Scavenging Ooze - Mostly in here just to account for the strong reanimator deck in my meta, but it comes in handy for other circumstances too. Swords to Plowshares - The best creature removal in the format. It's instant speed, one mana, and passes the Ulamog test.
Wrath Armageddon - This card is great in this deck. With all my recursion and mana acceleration, I emerge unscathed while most, if not all, of my opponents are essentially out of the game. Austere Command - One of the best wraths in the format and definitely the most versatile. Can hit a variety of threats while potentially avoiding my own. Hallowed Burial - Good wrath for indestructible creatures and for Commanders. I don't run many wraths because usually the only creatures on the board should be mine. Merciless Eviction - This is a new addition, but it seems almost as versatile as Austere Command with the added bonus of exile.
Tokens Awakening Zone - I was pleasantly surprised at how good this addition turned out to be. One game in particular when I was stuck on three lands, I used this card to produce enough tokens and mana to still win the game! Bitterblossom - Cheaper than Awakening Zone and produces flyers which is usually irrelevant. Elspeth, Knight-Errant - A great token producer with the added bonus of making all your permanents indestructible for the rest of the game! Garruk Relentless - As much of a pain as it is to run flip cards, this guy is definitely worth it. Can produce tokens indefinitely and bolt a creature. If you choose to flip him, he can create more tokens, tutor for creatures, or overrun your tokens. Underestimated and powerful planeswalker. Sorin, Lord of Innistrad - Produces good tokens, creates an emblem that makes your creatures better without messing up Skullclamp, and has the potential to be powerful removal. Luminarch Acension - This becomes active very easily and very early in multiplayer. It produces powerful tokens at a low cost. The only downside is that this card puts a target on your head. Squirrel Nest - Produces tokens once a turn, but also infinite combo's with Earthcraft. Doubling Season - Doubles your tokens, doubles your counters! Pair with Ghave and a mana outlet to use as an infinite combo. Pair with a planeswalker for some real fun. Parallel Lives - Doubling Season's little brother. Doesn't do anything with planeswalkers or counters, but still goes infinite!
Recursion Eternal Witness - Was torn between this and Regrowth, because in most cases that card is better. But this guy can be recurred with the rest of my recursion. (Yo dawg, I heard you like recursion so I recur my recursion so I can recur more recursion.) Sun Titan - Grabs my lands, Eternal Witness, most of my Enchantments and most of my Artifacts. Life from the Loam - So good with fetches and land destruction. Crucible of Worlds - Equally good with aforementioned fetches and land destruction. Yawgmoth's Will - Wait, I can play anything in my graveyard as if it were in my hand? Hey control deck, can you mill me real quick?
Stax Smokestack - Signature card and archetype namesake. This is an auto-include for anyone running a stax suite. Braids, Cabal Minion - So good she got banned as a Commander. Aura Shards - Really good removal for artifacts and enchantments, made even better when I've got token engines online. Grave Pact - I'm already sacrificing creatures to Ghave, combo, or stax effects. This just ensures that my opponents won't think about getting creatures of their own.
Tutors Vampiric Tutor - Arguably the best tutor in the format. Instant speed for one mana that gets any card. Imperial Seal is the same thing at Sorcery speed, but I will never include that card because I can't justify spending the money on it, nor will I feel right proxy-ing it. It wouldn't be fair to my friend who actually attained one. Demonic Tutor - A close contender for best tutor. It isn't an instant, but it puts it right to your hand for just one mana more. Diabolic Intent - Demonic Tutor with the extra cost of sacrificing a creature. In a token deck, this isn't hard to do. Cruel Tutor - Grim Tutor but it goes on top of your deck instead of into your hand. Still very worth running. Diabolic Tutor - It costs four and it's Sorcery speed, but there is no life loss and it goes right to your hand. Beseech the Queen - At best, it's a Grim Tutor without the life loss. At worst, it costs twice as much. As long as we have a solid mana base though, the cost should never be a problem. Liliana Vess - At the very least, tutors for one card on top of your library. If it sticks around, you can get several tutors and even get some card advantage. Rune-Scarred Demon - With a few creature tutors, this card provides an extra way to tutor for any card and leaves an extra body too. Chord of Calling - I don't run many creatures, but the fact that it can put one directly into play is very powerful. If I have enough tokens out, I can tutor an Ulamog into play for free at instant speed. Eladamri's Call - Just a really good creature tutor. Instant speed into hand for two mana. Worldly Tutor - Also a pretty good creature tutor, this one costs one less but puts it on top of your library. Sylvan Tutor comes close, but I don't run enough creatures to warrant running it. Enlightened Tutor - A great tutor for Artifacts and Enchantments. Instant speed for just one mana. Sterling Grove - Can protect your combo pieces, or you can sacrifice it to grab your other piece. Versatile and cheap. Idyllic Tutor - I run this only because I have a lot of Enchantments, and because I can assemble an infinite combo with just Enchantments. Academy Rector - I'm running it for the same reason as Idyllic Tutor. It's easy to get it to the grave with all of my sac outlets. Praetor's Grasp - Great utility for pulling out an important combo piece in an opponent's deck, or grabbing an answer when I, by some bizarre chance, don't have a tutor. Sylvan Scrying - The first ability of Reap and Sow, but it puts it in your hand instead of in play for half the cost. Crop Rotation - The same as Sylvan Scrying, but puts it into play for just one mana and the additional cost of sacrificing a land. Expedition Map - Another Sylvan Scrying for an extra mana, but I'm not sure I need this many land tutors. This may get cut.
Mana Ramp Oracle of Mul Daya - Putting an extra land into play each turn is very good. Preventing dead draws is also very good. While Oracle is fragile, being a creature and all, it will most likely get the job done and can be recurred if needed. Nature's Lore - Gets any Forest. This includes duals, shocks, and Murmuring Bosk. Reap and Sow - I have a lot of powerful lands to grab, and blowing up one of my opponent's lands is just an added bonus. Earthcraft - A surprisingly impressive ramp spell in token decks. Also what I consider the most important combo piece in the deck. Mana Reflection - I considered running Mirari's Wake instead, but it ruins Skull Clamp synergy. Ashnod's Altar - A replacement for Earthcraft in the combo. Makes for a good sac outlet and ramp as well. Exploration - This slot used to be held by Chrome Mox, but I didn't like the exile pitch. I'd rather have an ability for an extra mana that ramps me more in the long run. I don't run Burgeoning because with any land destruction effect I might be playing, I don't really want my opponents to make their land drops. Mana Crypt - They took Sol Ring... and made it better. Who cares about the damage? In fact, I'm the unluckiest person in the world and will take damage each turn, but it is still well worth running. Mox Diamond - Much better than Chrome Mox because it will tap for any color and because the land is discarded instead of exiled. This allows you to still play the land from your grave. Sol Ring - Just one of the best ramp spells in the game. No big deal. Garruk Wildspeaker - While this guy also makes tokens, his novel use is his ability to untap two lands. Even untapping basics makes him worth running, but the fact that he can hit your Cabal Coffers or Gaea's Cradle makes him invaluable.
Card Advantage Mentor of the Meek - This is a new addition to the deck. In fact, I haven't tested it with my playgroup yet so it may end up getting cut. It costs a mana each time instead of Fecundity, but doesn't help your opponents. Necropotence - Just a very powerful draw engine, and an auto-include in any competitive black deck. Sylvan Library - Better than Sensei's Divining Top. Usually I'll just tank the damage. Skullclamp - This card is insane with tokens. It's like a colorless Ancestral Recall that you can use any number of times. Genesis Wave - There's nothing like ending a game with a bang, and this card is how you get it done.
Lands Original Duals - Self explanatory, I can fetch them and they come in untapped. Shock Lands - Just like the duals, except I take two life to let them come into play untapped. Life is negligible to me in Commander. Pain Lands - Very useful in that they come into play untapped and only deal me damage when it's necessary that I tap them for a color. Filter Lands - Great mana fixers. Come into play untapped and give me up to two more of a color that I didn't have before the land drop. Innistrad Taplands - It is rare that these will come into play untapped, they've been useful. Fetch Lands - Currently running the three in my colors, plus two more for Forests. Gets my duals, shocks, basics and Murmuring Bosk. Especially good with all the recursion I run in my deck. Ancient Tomb - Fast ramp for negligible life loss. Volrath's Stronghold - Get back any of my few creatures, or just tap for mana. Strip Mine - A staple that should go in essentially every Commander deck. Gets rid of your opponent's Cabal Coffers for 0 mana. Dust Bowl - I originally had Wasteland in this spot, but Dust Bowl has better synergy with Life from the Loam. Command Tower - One of the best lands in Commander for multicolored decks. City of Brass - A must run, its essentially another Command Tower. Murmuring Bosk - Command Tower that comes into play tapped, but I can fetch for it! Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth - One of the best color fixers in black. Careful not to allow your opponents to take advantage of this card before you do. Cabal Coffers - Gets a dope amount of mana when paired with Urborg. Phyrexian Tower - With all the tokens I have in my deck, you might as well consider this an Ancient Tomb that produces color and doesn't deal you damage. Gaea's Cradle - There's a reason this card is expensive. It's nuts in creature decks. Serra's Sanctum - I run a decent amount of Enchantments, so this is definitely worth the include. Flagstones of Trokair - Good recovery for land wrath or stax effects (usually my own). Basic Lands - Currently running one of each in case someone Path to Exiles one of my guys, or to fetch for if I already have duals and shocks
8/2/2013
- Forest
- Reflecting Pool
+ Misty Rainforest
+ Wooded Foothills 8/10/2013
- Wasteland
- Wrath of God
- Land Tax
- Chrome Mox
+ Dust Bowl
+ Hallowed Burial
+ Luminarch Ascension
+ Exploration 8/12/2013
- Expedition Map
+ Weathered Wayfarer 8/23/2013
- Grim Tutor
- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
- Vindicate
+ Squirrel Nest
+ Oblivion Ring
+ Rune-Scarred Demon 8/28/2013
- Liliana of the Veil
- Three Visits
- Fecundity
- Weathered Wayfarer
- Terramorphic Expanse
+ Scavenging Ooze
+ Liliana Vess
+ Mentor of the Meek
+ Expedition Map
+ Dryad Arbor 9/2/2013
- Scavenging Ooze
+ Reprocess 9/4/2013
-Wooded Foothills
-Misty Rainforest
-Smokestack
-Braids, Cabal Minion
-Maelstrom Pulse
+Grim Backwoods
+Vault of the Archangel
+Fecundity
+Mycoloth
+Elspeth, Sun's Champion
Suggestions are encouraged. I'm a very competitive player and I'm always looking for the next best card. Also, please feel free to model your own Ghave deck off of mine. I will point out, however, that piloting the deck (especially if you're not very familiar with it) is extremely difficult because it requires that you know exactly what to tutor for at the right times. Once mastered, I believe this is in the top percentile of competitive decks. If you have any personal questions, you can also PM me.
When monsoons devastated the land of Drakkus, the herds drowned and the harvests washed away. The humans there were forced to the fungal forests to find sustenance, and find it they did—in the form of the mycoids and their saproling offspring. What the humans saw as salvation, the mycoids called genocide, and they declared war on the invading mammals. Mages tore through the sporeborn troops with fire and steel. Only when the mycoid hero Ghave, Guru of Spores emerged did the tide finally turn. Gifted with mystic influence over the sporeborn, Ghave sculpted the fungal matter of his people into an ever-mutating army and reclaimed his forest home.
Introduction
Ghave, Guru of Spores is an incredible commander. With the best colors for tutor, removal, wrath and recursion, he provides versatility unparalleled by other commanders. A lot of Ghave decks are built around combo, while others create tokens and win with aggro. I chose to build around a control theme, also splashing tokens with stax effects and a few combo pieces for a perfect synergy. This versatility allows for multiple win conditions and a lot of flexibility in play style.
Strategy
Game plan one: Infinite combo. With all the tutors in the deck, it's fairly easy to set up a winning combo. Ghave is the grand centerpiece for each combo. Ghave + Doubling Season/Parallel Lives + Earthcraft/Ashnod's Altar. If any of the pieces are destroyed, either tutor up another one or use any of the deck's many recursion cards, Eternal Witness and Yawgmoth's Will being the best among them.
Game plan two: Token overrun! If all else fails, you've got quite a few tokens on your side and aggro is a great stalling strategy and even a win condition (who knew?). Cards like Awakening Zone and Bitterblossom can be superstars for adding counters to Ghave, sacrificing to stax effects or creating mana. Oh, and Skullclamp is nuts.
These game plans aren't in any particular order, and usually depend on what I have in my hand. Also, I never limit myself to just sticking to one strategy. More often times than not, it is beneficial to do both at once! Sometimes I won't be doing any at all, and will just be tutoring for answers to my opponent's combo pieces. Tutoring plays a very important role in the strategy, and that is usually where most of the mistakes in playing this deck are made.
Deck List
1 Ghave, Guru of Spores
Removal (6)
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Beast Within
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Putrefy
1 Aura Shards
1 Grave Pact
Wrath (4)
1 Armageddon
1 Hallowed Burial
1 Austere Command
1 Merciless Eviction
Tokens (11)
1 Bitterblossom
1 Luminarch Ascension
1 Awakening Zone
1 Squirrel Nest
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Garruk Relentless
1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1 Mycoloth
1 Parallel Lives
1 Doubling Season
Recursion (5)
1 Life from the Loam
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Eternal Witness
1 Sun Titan
Tutors (19)
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Diabolic Intent
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Sterling Grove
1 Cruel Tutor
1 Idyllic Tutor
1 Chord of Calling
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Academy Rector
1 Liliana Vess
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
1 Praetor's Grasp
1 Crop Rotation
1 Sylvan Scrying
1 Expedition Map
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Diamond
1 Sol Ring
1 Exploration
1 Nature's Lore
1 Earthcraft
1 Ashnod's Altar
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Reap and Sow
1 Mana Reflection
Card Advantage (7)
1 Skullclamp
1 Sylvan Library
1 Mentor of the Meek
1 Fecundity
1 Necropotence
1 Reprocess
1 Genesis Wave
Lands (36)
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Strip Mine
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Grim Backwoods
1 Vault of the Archangel
1 City of Brass
1 Command Tower
1 Murmuring Bosk
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Windswept Heath
1 Marsh Flats
1 Bayou
1 Savannah
1 Scrubland
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Brushland
1 Caves of Koilos
1 Wooded Bastion
1 Fetid Heath
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Temple Garden
1 Godless Shrine
1 Woodland Cemetery
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Swamp
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Forest
1 Serra's Sanctum
1 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Plains
1 Ghave, Guru of Spores
Creatures (7)
1 Eternal Witness
1 Mentor of the Meek
1 Academy Rector
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Mycoloth
1 Sun Titan
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
Artifact (7)
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Diamond
1 Sol Ring
1 Skullclamp
1 Expedition Map
1 Ashnod's Altar
1 Crucible of Worlds
Enchantment (16)
1 Exploration
1 Bitterblossom
1 Earthcraft
1 Sterling Grove
1 Sylvan Library
1 Luminarch Acension
1 Fecundity
1 Aura Shards
1 Awakening Zone
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Squirrel Nest
1 Necropotence
1 Grave Pact
1 Parallel Lives
1 Doubling Season
1 Mana Reflection
Instant (9)
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Crop Rotation
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Beast Within
1 Putrefy
1 Chord of Calling
1 Armageddon
1 Austere Command
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Cruel Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Diabolic Intent
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Genesis Wave
1 Hallowed Burial
1 Idyllic Tutor
1 Life from the Loam
1 Merciless Eviction
1 Nature's Lore
1 Praetor's Grasp
1 Reap and Sow
1 Reprocess
1 Sylvan Scrying
1 Yawgmoth's Will
Planeswalker (6)
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Garruk Relentless
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
1 Liliana Vess
1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
Land (36)
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Bayou
1 Brushland
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Caves of Koilos
1 City of Brass
1 Command Tower
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Fetid Heath
1 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Forest
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Godless Shrine
1 Grim Backwoods
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Marsh Flats
1 Murmuring Bosk
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Plains
1 Savannah
1 Scrubland
1 Serra's Sanctum
1 Strip Mine
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Swamp
1 Temple Garden
1 Twilight Mire
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Vault of the Archangel
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Bastion
1 Woodland Cemetery
Average CMC: 3.06
Lands: 36
0 CMC: 2
1 CMC: 9
2 CMC: 11
3 CMC: 18
4 CMC: 14
5 CMC: 3
6 CMC: 5
7 CMC: 1
B Symbols: 19, 30.65%
G Symbols: 26, 41.94%
W Symbols: 17, 27.42%
B Sources: : 16, 34.78%
G Sources: 15, 32.61%
W Sources: 15, 32.61%
Beast Within - One of the best removal cards in the format. Gets any permanent at instant speed.
Maelstrom Pulse - Also Sorcery speed, and although it doesn't grab lands, it will wipe out a token swarm or any clones.
Oblivion Ring - I run enough Enchantment tutors to make this easy to fetch.
Putrefy - Instant speed creature or artifact removal with no setbacks for three mana seems good.
Scavenging Ooze - Mostly in here just to account for the strong reanimator deck in my meta, but it comes in handy for other circumstances too.
Swords to Plowshares - The best creature removal in the format. It's instant speed, one mana, and passes the Ulamog test.
Wrath
Armageddon - This card is great in this deck. With all my recursion and mana acceleration, I emerge unscathed while most, if not all, of my opponents are essentially out of the game.
Austere Command - One of the best wraths in the format and definitely the most versatile. Can hit a variety of threats while potentially avoiding my own.
Hallowed Burial - Good wrath for indestructible creatures and for Commanders. I don't run many wraths because usually the only creatures on the board should be mine.
Merciless Eviction - This is a new addition, but it seems almost as versatile as Austere Command with the added bonus of exile.
Tokens
Awakening Zone - I was pleasantly surprised at how good this addition turned out to be. One game in particular when I was stuck on three lands, I used this card to produce enough tokens and mana to still win the game!
Bitterblossom - Cheaper than Awakening Zone and produces flyers which is usually irrelevant.
Elspeth, Knight-Errant - A great token producer with the added bonus of making all your permanents indestructible for the rest of the game!
Garruk Relentless - As much of a pain as it is to run flip cards, this guy is definitely worth it. Can produce tokens indefinitely and bolt a creature. If you choose to flip him, he can create more tokens, tutor for creatures, or overrun your tokens. Underestimated and powerful planeswalker.
Sorin, Lord of Innistrad - Produces good tokens, creates an emblem that makes your creatures better without messing up Skullclamp, and has the potential to be powerful removal.
Luminarch Acension - This becomes active very easily and very early in multiplayer. It produces powerful tokens at a low cost. The only downside is that this card puts a target on your head.
Squirrel Nest - Produces tokens once a turn, but also infinite combo's with Earthcraft.
Doubling Season - Doubles your tokens, doubles your counters! Pair with Ghave and a mana outlet to use as an infinite combo. Pair with a planeswalker for some real fun.
Parallel Lives - Doubling Season's little brother. Doesn't do anything with planeswalkers or counters, but still goes infinite!
Recursion
Eternal Witness - Was torn between this and Regrowth, because in most cases that card is better. But this guy can be recurred with the rest of my recursion. (Yo dawg, I heard you like recursion so I recur my recursion so I can recur more recursion.)
Sun Titan - Grabs my lands, Eternal Witness, most of my Enchantments and most of my Artifacts.
Life from the Loam - So good with fetches and land destruction.
Crucible of Worlds - Equally good with aforementioned fetches and land destruction.
Yawgmoth's Will - Wait, I can play anything in my graveyard as if it were in my hand? Hey control deck, can you mill me real quick?
Stax
Smokestack - Signature card and archetype namesake. This is an auto-include for anyone running a stax suite.
Braids, Cabal Minion - So good she got banned as a Commander.
Aura Shards - Really good removal for artifacts and enchantments, made even better when I've got token engines online.
Grave Pact - I'm already sacrificing creatures to Ghave, combo, or stax effects. This just ensures that my opponents won't think about getting creatures of their own.
Tutors
Vampiric Tutor - Arguably the best tutor in the format. Instant speed for one mana that gets any card. Imperial Seal is the same thing at Sorcery speed, but I will never include that card because I can't justify spending the money on it, nor will I feel right proxy-ing it. It wouldn't be fair to my friend who actually attained one.
Demonic Tutor - A close contender for best tutor. It isn't an instant, but it puts it right to your hand for just one mana more.
Diabolic Intent - Demonic Tutor with the extra cost of sacrificing a creature. In a token deck, this isn't hard to do.
Cruel Tutor - Grim Tutor but it goes on top of your deck instead of into your hand. Still very worth running.
Diabolic Tutor - It costs four and it's Sorcery speed, but there is no life loss and it goes right to your hand.
Beseech the Queen - At best, it's a Grim Tutor without the life loss. At worst, it costs twice as much. As long as we have a solid mana base though, the cost should never be a problem.
Liliana Vess - At the very least, tutors for one card on top of your library. If it sticks around, you can get several tutors and even get some card advantage.
Rune-Scarred Demon - With a few creature tutors, this card provides an extra way to tutor for any card and leaves an extra body too.
Chord of Calling - I don't run many creatures, but the fact that it can put one directly into play is very powerful. If I have enough tokens out, I can tutor an Ulamog into play for free at instant speed.
Eladamri's Call - Just a really good creature tutor. Instant speed into hand for two mana.
Worldly Tutor - Also a pretty good creature tutor, this one costs one less but puts it on top of your library. Sylvan Tutor comes close, but I don't run enough creatures to warrant running it.
Enlightened Tutor - A great tutor for Artifacts and Enchantments. Instant speed for just one mana.
Sterling Grove - Can protect your combo pieces, or you can sacrifice it to grab your other piece. Versatile and cheap.
Idyllic Tutor - I run this only because I have a lot of Enchantments, and because I can assemble an infinite combo with just Enchantments.
Academy Rector - I'm running it for the same reason as Idyllic Tutor. It's easy to get it to the grave with all of my sac outlets.
Praetor's Grasp - Great utility for pulling out an important combo piece in an opponent's deck, or grabbing an answer when I, by some bizarre chance, don't have a tutor.
Sylvan Scrying - The first ability of Reap and Sow, but it puts it in your hand instead of in play for half the cost.
Crop Rotation - The same as Sylvan Scrying, but puts it into play for just one mana and the additional cost of sacrificing a land.
Expedition Map - Another Sylvan Scrying for an extra mana, but I'm not sure I need this many land tutors. This may get cut.
Mana Ramp
Oracle of Mul Daya - Putting an extra land into play each turn is very good. Preventing dead draws is also very good. While Oracle is fragile, being a creature and all, it will most likely get the job done and can be recurred if needed.
Nature's Lore - Gets any Forest. This includes duals, shocks, and Murmuring Bosk.
Reap and Sow - I have a lot of powerful lands to grab, and blowing up one of my opponent's lands is just an added bonus.
Earthcraft - A surprisingly impressive ramp spell in token decks. Also what I consider the most important combo piece in the deck.
Mana Reflection - I considered running Mirari's Wake instead, but it ruins Skull Clamp synergy.
Ashnod's Altar - A replacement for Earthcraft in the combo. Makes for a good sac outlet and ramp as well.
Exploration - This slot used to be held by Chrome Mox, but I didn't like the exile pitch. I'd rather have an ability for an extra mana that ramps me more in the long run. I don't run Burgeoning because with any land destruction effect I might be playing, I don't really want my opponents to make their land drops.
Mana Crypt - They took Sol Ring... and made it better. Who cares about the damage? In fact, I'm the unluckiest person in the world and will take damage each turn, but it is still well worth running.
Mox Diamond - Much better than Chrome Mox because it will tap for any color and because the land is discarded instead of exiled. This allows you to still play the land from your grave.
Sol Ring - Just one of the best ramp spells in the game. No big deal.
Garruk Wildspeaker - While this guy also makes tokens, his novel use is his ability to untap two lands. Even untapping basics makes him worth running, but the fact that he can hit your Cabal Coffers or Gaea's Cradle makes him invaluable.
Card Advantage
Mentor of the Meek - This is a new addition to the deck. In fact, I haven't tested it with my playgroup yet so it may end up getting cut. It costs a mana each time instead of Fecundity, but doesn't help your opponents.
Necropotence - Just a very powerful draw engine, and an auto-include in any competitive black deck.
Sylvan Library - Better than Sensei's Divining Top. Usually I'll just tank the damage.
Skullclamp - This card is insane with tokens. It's like a colorless Ancestral Recall that you can use any number of times.
Genesis Wave - There's nothing like ending a game with a bang, and this card is how you get it done.
Lands
Original Duals - Self explanatory, I can fetch them and they come in untapped.
Shock Lands - Just like the duals, except I take two life to let them come into play untapped. Life is negligible to me in Commander.
Pain Lands - Very useful in that they come into play untapped and only deal me damage when it's necessary that I tap them for a color.
Filter Lands - Great mana fixers. Come into play untapped and give me up to two more of a color that I didn't have before the land drop.
Innistrad Taplands - It is rare that these will come into play untapped, they've been useful.
Fetch Lands - Currently running the three in my colors, plus two more for Forests. Gets my duals, shocks, basics and Murmuring Bosk. Especially good with all the recursion I run in my deck.
Ancient Tomb - Fast ramp for negligible life loss.
Volrath's Stronghold - Get back any of my few creatures, or just tap for mana.
Strip Mine - A staple that should go in essentially every Commander deck. Gets rid of your opponent's Cabal Coffers for 0 mana.
Dust Bowl - I originally had Wasteland in this spot, but Dust Bowl has better synergy with Life from the Loam.
Command Tower - One of the best lands in Commander for multicolored decks.
City of Brass - A must run, its essentially another Command Tower.
Murmuring Bosk - Command Tower that comes into play tapped, but I can fetch for it!
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth - One of the best color fixers in black. Careful not to allow your opponents to take advantage of this card before you do.
Cabal Coffers - Gets a dope amount of mana when paired with Urborg.
Phyrexian Tower - With all the tokens I have in my deck, you might as well consider this an Ancient Tomb that produces color and doesn't deal you damage.
Gaea's Cradle - There's a reason this card is expensive. It's nuts in creature decks.
Serra's Sanctum - I run a decent amount of Enchantments, so this is definitely worth the include.
Flagstones of Trokair - Good recovery for land wrath or stax effects (usually my own).
Basic Lands - Currently running one of each in case someone Path to Exiles one of my guys, or to fetch for if I already have duals and shocks
2 Hallowed Burial
3 Luminarch Ascension
4 Genesis Wave
5 Expedition Map
6 Squirrel Nest
7 Rune-Scarred Demon
2 Juniper Order Ranger
3 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
4 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
5 Triskelion
6 Tooth and Nail
7 Deathrite Shaman
8 Aven Mindcensor
9 Karmic Guide
10 Reveillark
11 Gaddock Teeg
13 Krosan Grip
14 Serra Ascendant
16 Gavony Township
18 Pattern of Rebirth
19 Ad Nauseam
20 Contamination
- Forest
- Reflecting Pool
+ Misty Rainforest
+ Wooded Foothills
8/10/2013
- Wasteland
- Wrath of God
- Land Tax
- Chrome Mox
+ Dust Bowl
+ Hallowed Burial
+ Luminarch Ascension
+ Exploration
8/12/2013
- Expedition Map
+ Weathered Wayfarer
8/23/2013
- Grim Tutor
- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
- Vindicate
+ Squirrel Nest
+ Oblivion Ring
+ Rune-Scarred Demon
8/28/2013
- Liliana of the Veil
- Three Visits
- Fecundity
- Weathered Wayfarer
- Terramorphic Expanse
+ Scavenging Ooze
+ Liliana Vess
+ Mentor of the Meek
+ Expedition Map
+ Dryad Arbor
9/2/2013
- Scavenging Ooze
+ Reprocess
9/4/2013
-Wooded Foothills
-Misty Rainforest
-Smokestack
-Braids, Cabal Minion
-Maelstrom Pulse
+Grim Backwoods
+Vault of the Archangel
+Fecundity
+Mycoloth
+Elspeth, Sun's Champion
Suggestions are encouraged. I'm a very competitive player and I'm always looking for the next best card. Also, please feel free to model your own Ghave deck off of mine. I will point out, however, that piloting the deck (especially if you're not very familiar with it) is extremely difficult because it requires that you know exactly what to tutor for at the right times. Once mastered, I believe this is in the top percentile of competitive decks. If you have any personal questions, you can also PM me.
Sharuum | Damia | Hermit Druid