Green Black Gravepact style control deck. No Infinite combos.
Recursion, creature control, graveyard reuse, and plenty of utility make this deck one of my favorites to play. I dislike playing "oops I win" combo decks, and love overlapping synergistic cards that can perform multiple services to the deck (such as Garruk Relentless and Skeletal Vampire).
I love the deck, and it's very strong at being able to keep players in check, especially creature based decks, however my issue with the deck is the very few methods it has to actually win the game. Many times I find myself having to slowly beat down my opponent with small utility creatures (occasionally larger in the case of Terastodon and Woodfall Primus), or using one of the tutor effects to find Craterhoof Behemoth and just instantly win with a handful of tokens normally used for sack fodder.
Any suggestions for other win conditions (I like winning by different methods, to keep the deck from becoming stagnant), or single card discussions, are appreciated.
I'm also trying to decide what to take out for Vraska.
Awkwardly, I think I want to cut pattern of rebirth from the deck as it essentially only grabs one of 3 cards (ever): Sheoldred for recursion + edict, Sylvan Primordial for utility removal, and Craterhoof behemoth to win. Should make the deck a little more interactive, and a little less "1 card = win".
Plus I've wanted to find room for Vraska for awhile.
If you have any suggestions for different win conditions for the deck (almost always seems to be Kamahl/Craterhoof overrunning tokens), please let me know. I just don't like infinite combos.
Also, be careful when you play this deck. I would hate for your mom to walk in on you sacking off.
I originally had braids in the deck, but she ended up being too much of a lock out if I sol ring'd/mana crypt'd into her (which is what she's ment to do, but doesn't lead to a fun game for others. I think smokestack would sadly lead to the same issue.)
Any ideas for other win conditions? Looking for ones that don't lock out other players so hard (as the deck can already do that), but can actually close out a game.
Living death is an all star, especially in decks with sack outlets (I'll sack all my creatures, then cast living death to return them and you guys lose your field).
I'm always careful playing this deck. I only do it in public to be sure
Genesis Wave if you have big mana (Gaea's Cradle) or Urbog + Coffers or else major ramping.
Hmm, I always thought I had more non-permanents in the deck, but I guess I only have 14 in total, the majority of that being removal and tutors. I don't run the urborg + coffers engine, but I do run cradle and perilous forays ( ususally + bloodghast) ramps me very quickly.
I used to run Jared, but the issue I had was the vast majority of creatures were 2 or less power, so he was a sack outlet that cost 3 mana per sacrifice, and creatures didn't stay in the yard too long.
How did blood artist work out for you being able to only target one player?
Since I'm a creature based deck I went with the creature ramp based options (Sakura-Tribe Elder, Wood Elves, Farhaven Elf, etc... ) since I can sacrifice them later on for value. Sol ring and Mana Crypt may only produce colorless, but they are by far the most efficient mana ramp spells in the game, putting you a full 2 turns ahead for 0 or 1 mana.
Explosive Vegetation, Kodama's Reach, and Cultivate are also all much stronger cards in 3+ color decks where they need to make sure to hit their colors properly while also trying to ramp. In a 2 color deck like Savra, it's not as needed, and they get cut for more powerful spells.
I do agree that artifact mana ramp in a green deck feels wasted the vast majority of the time (or even just more volatile), which is why I stopped at sol ring & Mana crypt (the two most efficient ramp spells in the game), and didn't add in cards like Golgari Signet, Chromatic Lantern, or Gilded Lotus, as strong as they all are.
Since I'm a creature based deck I went with the creature ramp based options (Sakura-Tribe Elder, Wood Elves, Farhaven Elf, etc... ) since I can sacrifice them later on for value.
The nice thing about wood elves, sakura-tribe elder, and farhaven elf is that they put the land into play, actually ramping you and not just fixing (sadly one of the reasons I ended up cutting Yavimaya elder). Sylvan and Borderland Rangers (And civic wayfinder as borderland's older elven brother) sadly just don't accelerate.
Ive played Savra alot in EDH. My main wincons have always been tokens and Beastmaster Ascension.
Grave titan + Nim Deathmantle + Ashnod's Altar. The cards are all good in the deck on their own, and then randomly gives you infinite mana and 2/2s if you get them out together.
Ive played Savra alot in EDH. My main wincons have always been tokens and Beastmaster Ascension.
Grave titan + Nim Deathmantle + Ashnod's Altar. The cards are all good in the deck on their own, and then randomly gives you infinite mana and 2/2s if you get them out together.
BeastMaster Ascension is a thing I could get behind. Even the early mana/utility creatures can power it up before the armies in a can come out. Also makes nether traitor and bloodghast more relevant other than for just recurable sack fodder. I also like it because it's something people can see coming, so if they decide it's a worthy threat, they can stop it.
I always am playing a dangerous line of going infinite with ashnod's altar, and I'd like to not cross that line.
Interestingly enough, black market was originally in the deck, but I sat there staring at that mana and had nothing to do with it the vast majority of the time, and literal fireballs seem like the easy/non-interactive way out. I think If I generated a lot of mana, I'd probably add back in Jarad, Golgari Lich lord as a fireball that people can interact against/can't necessarily kill everyone. It's much worse, but less "Oops I won". Also I don't want to use death cloud (even with as insanely good it is in my deck) because it basically Armageddon's, something our playgroup has on an in-house banned list.
Kokusho is another interesting option that acts like exsanguinate, but I think could be more interactive and takes a lot more work to actually kill someone with.
Hey! I know this thread is a bit old but I've just started playing EDH again and I've always loved savra but I've also feel like sometimes I can't close out games.
Some really cool alternative wins I found areBitter ordeal or Altar of dementia with Nim deathmantle and Ashnod's altar with a reoccurring creature to deck people. Throwing stuff jarad is also cool! I also really like Sanguine bond with Savra out and green tokens, often off of Avenger of zendikar to cause life loss and drain people out. Its pretty sneaky too, people often won't see it coming, once or twice anyways! I also think Mazirek, kraul death priest and anything with persist or a way to get tokens is nuts. I think he's really strong.
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1 Savra, Queen of the Golgari
Utility Lands: 8
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Grim Backwoods
1 High Market
1 Khalni Garden
1 Miren, The Moaning Well
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Volrath's Stronghold
Mana Lands: 28
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Bayou
1 Command Tower
11 Forest
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Overgrown Tomb
8 Swamp
1 Twilight Mire
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Woodland Cemetary
Sack Engines: 7
1 Viscera Seer
1 Varolz, the Scar-Striped
1 Dimir House Guard
1 Sadistic Hypnotist
1 Ashnod's Altar
1 Phyrexian Altar
1 Perilous Forays
1 Butcher of Malakir
1 Grave Pact
Token Creators: 10
1 Marsh Flitter
1 Sengir Autocrat
1 Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder
1 Deranged Hermit
1 Grave Titan
1 Skeletal Vampire
1 Avenger of Zendikar
1 Army of the Damned
1 Bitterblossom
1 Primeval Bounty
Overrun Effects: 2
1 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
Sack-Me Creatures: 3
1 Reassembling Skeleton
1 Bloodghast
1 Nether Traitor
Planeswalkers: 2
1 Garruk Relentless
1 Vraska the Unseen
Recursion: 7
1 Eternal Witness
1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
1 Victimize
1 Dread Return
1 Living Death
1 Mimic Vat
Tutor: 4
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Diabolic Intent
1 Birthing Pod
1 Disciple of Bolas
1 Harvester of Souls
1 Skullclamp
1 Sylvan Library
1 Moonlight Bargain
1 Promise of Power
Wrath & Spot Removal: 6
1 Massacre Wurm
1 Beast Within
1 Putrefy
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Mutilate
1 Decree of Pain
Non-Creature Removal: 4
1 Acidic Slime
1 Sylvan Primordial
1 Terastodon
1 Woodfall Primus
Grave Hate: 3
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Withered Wretch
1 Necrogenesis
Mana Ramp: 7
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Viridian Emissary
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Wood Elves
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
Green Black Gravepact style control deck. No Infinite combos.
Recursion, creature control, graveyard reuse, and plenty of utility make this deck one of my favorites to play. I dislike playing "oops I win" combo decks, and love overlapping synergistic cards that can perform multiple services to the deck (such as Garruk Relentless and Skeletal Vampire).
I love the deck, and it's very strong at being able to keep players in check, especially creature based decks, however my issue with the deck is the very few methods it has to actually win the game. Many times I find myself having to slowly beat down my opponent with small utility creatures (occasionally larger in the case of Terastodon and Woodfall Primus), or using one of the tutor effects to find Craterhoof Behemoth and just instantly win with a handful of tokens normally used for sack fodder.
Any suggestions for other win conditions (I like winning by different methods, to keep the deck from becoming stagnant), or single card discussions, are appreciated.
I'm also trying to decide what to take out for Vraska.
My Common/Uncommon Cube - I need to update the online list badly...
There's a Planeswalker for that! - Child of Alara, Mono-Planeswalker EDH
Savra Sack Off - Savra, Queen of the Golgari, Grave Pact Control EDH
Anthems of Heliod - Heliod, God of the Sun, Token & Anthem EDH
Plus I've wanted to find room for Vraska for awhile.
If you have any suggestions for different win conditions for the deck (almost always seems to be Kamahl/Craterhoof overrunning tokens), please let me know. I just don't like infinite combos.
My Common/Uncommon Cube - I need to update the online list badly...
There's a Planeswalker for that! - Child of Alara, Mono-Planeswalker EDH
Savra Sack Off - Savra, Queen of the Golgari, Grave Pact Control EDH
Anthems of Heliod - Heliod, God of the Sun, Token & Anthem EDH
I really like Living Death in every deck ever. I love combining it with Blood Artist and Massacre Wurm in my Xiahou Dun deck.
Also, be careful when you play this deck. I would hate for your mom to walk in on you sacking off.
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG
I originally had braids in the deck, but she ended up being too much of a lock out if I sol ring'd/mana crypt'd into her (which is what she's ment to do, but doesn't lead to a fun game for others. I think smokestack would sadly lead to the same issue.)
Any ideas for other win conditions? Looking for ones that don't lock out other players so hard (as the deck can already do that), but can actually close out a game.
Living death is an all star, especially in decks with sack outlets (I'll sack all my creatures, then cast living death to return them and you guys lose your field).
I'm always careful playing this deck. I only do it in public to be sure
My Common/Uncommon Cube - I need to update the online list badly...
There's a Planeswalker for that! - Child of Alara, Mono-Planeswalker EDH
Savra Sack Off - Savra, Queen of the Golgari, Grave Pact Control EDH
Anthems of Heliod - Heliod, God of the Sun, Token & Anthem EDH
I used Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord, Blood Artist, Kamahl, Fist of Krosa, Vraska The Unseen and Kessig Cagebreakers (this doesn't work in a deck more focused around token sac however) as primary win cons. It only really worked because of how much attrition was in it.
Grave Betrayal also possible?
Hmm, I always thought I had more non-permanents in the deck, but I guess I only have 14 in total, the majority of that being removal and tutors. I don't run the urborg + coffers engine, but I do run cradle and perilous forays ( ususally + bloodghast) ramps me very quickly.
I used to run Jared, but the issue I had was the vast majority of creatures were 2 or less power, so he was a sack outlet that cost 3 mana per sacrifice, and creatures didn't stay in the yard too long.
How did blood artist work out for you being able to only target one player?
My Common/Uncommon Cube - I need to update the online list badly...
There's a Planeswalker for that! - Child of Alara, Mono-Planeswalker EDH
Savra Sack Off - Savra, Queen of the Golgari, Grave Pact Control EDH
Anthems of Heliod - Heliod, God of the Sun, Token & Anthem EDH
Also, Mana Crypt in a green deck seems kinda strange.
Neheb
Marath
Yidris
Sharuum
Yidris
Exsanguinate could work. I think it's kind of a toss up between that and Genesis wave though... not sure which is better.
Why is Mana Crypt weird? Especially if Sol ring isn't... I'm confused.
My Common/Uncommon Cube - I need to update the online list badly...
There's a Planeswalker for that! - Child of Alara, Mono-Planeswalker EDH
Savra Sack Off - Savra, Queen of the Golgari, Grave Pact Control EDH
Anthems of Heliod - Heliod, God of the Sun, Token & Anthem EDH
Cause you're playing green... You have access to a numerous amound of ramp, and you prefer artifact ramp.
Cultivate, Kodama's Reach, Skyshroud Claim, Explosive Vegetation
Sorry find it a bit odd :p.
Neheb
Marath
Yidris
Sharuum
Yidris
Since I'm a creature based deck I went with the creature ramp based options (Sakura-Tribe Elder, Wood Elves, Farhaven Elf, etc... ) since I can sacrifice them later on for value. Sol ring and Mana Crypt may only produce colorless, but they are by far the most efficient mana ramp spells in the game, putting you a full 2 turns ahead for 0 or 1 mana.
In something like an Omnath, Locus of Mana deck (or even Azusa, Lost but Seeking) where the vast majority of your deck/gameplan is 6+ mana, Skyshroud Claim and Explosive Vegetation are a lot more relevant since they put you into that big mana spot right when you want it. Same goes for Sol Ring & Mana Crypt in more utility based deck where they want to hit mid mana (4+) as fast as possible to start dropping their synergistic spells (Garruk Relentless, Sadistic Hypnotist, Perilous Forays, and even Savra, Queen of the Golgari herself).
Explosive Vegetation, Kodama's Reach, and Cultivate are also all much stronger cards in 3+ color decks where they need to make sure to hit their colors properly while also trying to ramp. In a 2 color deck like Savra, it's not as needed, and they get cut for more powerful spells.
I do agree that artifact mana ramp in a green deck feels wasted the vast majority of the time (or even just more volatile), which is why I stopped at sol ring & Mana crypt (the two most efficient ramp spells in the game), and didn't add in cards like Golgari Signet, Chromatic Lantern, or Gilded Lotus, as strong as they all are.
My Common/Uncommon Cube - I need to update the online list badly...
There's a Planeswalker for that! - Child of Alara, Mono-Planeswalker EDH
Savra Sack Off - Savra, Queen of the Golgari, Grave Pact Control EDH
Anthems of Heliod - Heliod, God of the Sun, Token & Anthem EDH
What about Sylvan Ranger and Borderland Ranger?
Neheb
Marath
Yidris
Sharuum
Yidris
The nice thing about wood elves, sakura-tribe elder, and farhaven elf is that they put the land into play, actually ramping you and not just fixing (sadly one of the reasons I ended up cutting Yavimaya elder). Sylvan and Borderland Rangers (And civic wayfinder as borderland's older elven brother) sadly just don't accelerate.
My Common/Uncommon Cube - I need to update the online list badly...
There's a Planeswalker for that! - Child of Alara, Mono-Planeswalker EDH
Savra Sack Off - Savra, Queen of the Golgari, Grave Pact Control EDH
Anthems of Heliod - Heliod, God of the Sun, Token & Anthem EDH
Grave titan + Nim Deathmantle + Ashnod's Altar. The cards are all good in the deck on their own, and then randomly gives you infinite mana and 2/2s if you get them out together.
I know you said you dont like infinite combos, but tooth and nail into Mikaeus and Triskelion is always an option.
Black Market and/or mana reflection and Exsanguinate/Death Cloud is decent because the cards are good on their own often.
Another one I use alot is Kokusho, the Evening Star and a lot of recursion. Often with the help of genesis and survival of the fittest.
BeastMaster Ascension is a thing I could get behind. Even the early mana/utility creatures can power it up before the armies in a can come out. Also makes nether traitor and bloodghast more relevant other than for just recurable sack fodder. I also like it because it's something people can see coming, so if they decide it's a worthy threat, they can stop it.
I always am playing a dangerous line of going infinite with ashnod's altar, and I'd like to not cross that line.
Interestingly enough, black market was originally in the deck, but I sat there staring at that mana and had nothing to do with it the vast majority of the time, and literal fireballs seem like the easy/non-interactive way out. I think If I generated a lot of mana, I'd probably add back in Jarad, Golgari Lich lord as a fireball that people can interact against/can't necessarily kill everyone. It's much worse, but less "Oops I won". Also I don't want to use death cloud (even with as insanely good it is in my deck) because it basically Armageddon's, something our playgroup has on an in-house banned list.
Kokusho is another interesting option that acts like exsanguinate, but I think could be more interactive and takes a lot more work to actually kill someone with.
Edit:
Also: Woot! Made Page 2!
My Common/Uncommon Cube - I need to update the online list badly...
There's a Planeswalker for that! - Child of Alara, Mono-Planeswalker EDH
Savra Sack Off - Savra, Queen of the Golgari, Grave Pact Control EDH
Anthems of Heliod - Heliod, God of the Sun, Token & Anthem EDH
Some stuff that really kicks butt though I have noticed:
On a side note, while I do not run Beastmaster Ascension, I did Praetor's Grasp it away from an opponent once, and then killed them with it. If you have alot of tokens (e.g. Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder), it can get pretty insane.
Contamination, while not a win-con, can be a hard-lock sometimes. I took it out though because it was too mean.
I want to try out Necropolis Regent too. It could get pretty nuts, and its a pretty solid Birthing Pod target.
Some really cool alternative wins I found areBitter ordeal or Altar of dementia with Nim deathmantle and Ashnod's altar with a reoccurring creature to deck people. Throwing stuff jarad is also cool! I also really like Sanguine bond with Savra out and green tokens, often off of Avenger of zendikar to cause life loss and drain people out. Its pretty sneaky too, people often won't see it coming, once or twice anyways! I also think Mazirek, kraul death priest and anything with persist or a way to get tokens is nuts. I think he's really strong.