Hi everyone. I love some of the gimmicks that arrived in the RTR block. I think my favorite that should convert to EDH well was extort. Mostly it is due to the ability affecting all opposing players so 1-on-1 and multiplayer games will be effective.
My friends and I play a fun yet somewhat competitive EDH with cool combos and the games can last longer than most other games that I have been in or watched. Mainly, I am not looking for infinite combos nor first turn wins (if that is possible)
Soul Link too, another useful one in your colours.
You may need to consider artifacts for your mana accel. Expedition Map is a favourite, especially if you happen to go into recursion a bit more a la Sun Titan
It's too bad there isn't a black or white City of Solitude. That would be so damn tech with this general D:
OH WAITAMINUTE. Yes there is. Grand Abolisher($3). Course, they could always take out the abolisher... but with how much reanimating you do, it's bound to be annoying for them. Still, would be nice to have this on a non-creature...
Oh. Just add Lifeline($1), though i guess that has some disynergy with your general strategy of getting rid of/stealing your opponents dead creatures. Course, there's always Twilight Shepherd($2) for returning wrath victims to hand, but that's not as good as back on the field =\ Cauldron of Souls($2) and Mikaeus, The Unhallowed($3) are probably your best options for mass reviving your own creatures multiple times.
Grave Defiler would be sweet if you ran a more zombie heavy build.
On the reanimation front, I'd suggest Crucible of Worlds($20), Unholy Grotto($5), Volrath's Stronghold($14), and Tortured Existence(<$1) as a nice secondary reanimation suite that doesn't cut into your existing design space too much. Ostensibly stays in flavor too, I'd wager. Some of those are a bit pricier, but Unholy Grotto and Tortured Existence are likely auto-adds here. If you want, adding in some juice for the existence would be an interesting idea. Say... Golgari Thug(<$1), Undead Gladiator(<$1), Veilborn Ghoul(pennies)... or Oversold Cemetary($4) as a non-creature option that's just dandy by itself (and you can definitely support it here with this shell + a few more 'sac for profit' stuff thrown in like Skullclamp($2), Sadistic Hypnotist(<$1), Infernal Tribute(<$1)(again), etc).
Phyrexian Reclamation(pennies) is another option, but since this is extort, and you'd rather be casting stuff, Maybe Grim Harvest(pennies) or Disturbed Burial(pennies) is better, now that I think about it. At least one of these to go along with your mass-reanimation/return to hand suite seems legit.
I have no idea why Sedraxis Alchemist is in this deck, other than he is a zombie (zombie wizard, YUS!). Cremate seems kinda pointless. If you need the effect that bad, profit off of it with Necromancer's Covenant. Mourning Thrull is a hold out from the previous shell that seems like good early pressure, but should probably be removed for something with a bit more utility, such as Bitterblossom($15), Blood Artist($2)(sucks that it doesn't hit everyone, vengeful dead being the reluctant replacement), Bloodghast($4), etc. Zombies are great at coming back. Run stuff like Syphon Flesh, Innocent Blood, Barter in Blood, Small Pox, etc.
If you are more interested in the full on "lifelink in the skies" sorta deal with the warhammer, you should probably include some more life-linking equipments, auras, enchantments (True Conviction lol), or creatures that bestow lifelink on your whole field(like Victory's Herald(pennies), though it is quite mana/color intensive), or even cards that give you perks for gaining life, such as Archangel of Thune and Rhox Faithmender(maybe). I mean this in that, including lifelink would be more effective if the card that has the effect, gives it to all your creatures, or does extort, or synergizes in some other way, so that you don't waste design space.
Also, No Mercy has never functioned how I envisioned it should =\ I'd rather just run Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts(pennies) even at 3 more mana. If it works for you and your playgroup, then keep truckin' i guess.
Cards I think you wouldn't miss, or are easily replaced with one of the above similar spells: Quest for the gravelord, faith's fetters, pillory of the sleepless, Piranha Marsh, Leechridden Swamp, Cremate, Raise Dead, festering goblin, zombify, moan of the unhallowed, Soulless One, Maggot Carrier, Akroma Angel of Wrath, and Stromgald Crusader.
Given the above, I think artifact ramp is still your best bet. Get a sol ring($8) if you can afford it. They did just reprint them. There's a comprehensive list of artifact ramp stickied in the commander forum. You definitely want Skirge Familiar and Nykthos, though. Nykthos is a tad pricey for what I'm guessing is your limit.
Drawing multiple cards
I actually have a list I made of black draw that I keep around for reference. Not all of these are Budget:
Selenia, Dark Angel could be an alternate choice for a commander. She has built in protection at instant speed and can be recast from your hand again and again for extort. She's smaller than Obzedat, but also has evasion and dodges even more removal than Obzedat does.
Erebos, God of the Dead was the commander I looked at. God of the Dead makes him sound like a good zombie commander too. You could either go zombie tribal with some extort/devotion, or go heavier on the extort/devotion. Basically a lot of cheap B critters, plus all the black extort things. So basically you'd have an endless stream of guys cuz of Erebos's draw engine. Then you'd abuse gray merchant/extort. After you get one or two extorts the mana becomes less of a problem. Once you really get going nykthos can make it crazy. Extort and devotion seem like they can so easily go hand in hand if you can get enough gas.
Erebos, God of the Dead was the commander I looked at. God of the Dead makes him sound like a good zombie commander too. You could either go zombie tribal with some extort/devotion, or go heavier on the extort/devotion. Basically a lot of cheap B critters, plus all the black extort things. So basically you'd have an endless stream of guys cuz of Erebos's draw engine. Then you'd abuse gray merchant/extort. After you get one or two extorts the mana becomes less of a problem. Once you really get going nykthos can make it crazy. Extort and devotion seem like they can so easily go hand in hand if you can get enough gas.
I was looking to put him in my deck and not as a commander. I know that my friends and I play some modified rules of EDH and we agreed that the split mana symbols for an extorting card would make it so that we need a black/white commander. I am not sure if that is a true EDH rule or not but Ia m not here to ask nor dispute it.
A big thanks for suggesting the planewalker, Liliana! I think she will be an automatic in when I trade for her.
My friends and I play a fun yet somewhat competitive EDH with cool combos and the games can last longer than most other games that I have been in or watched. Mainly, I am not looking for infinite combos nor first turn wins (if that is possible)
1 Obzedat, Ghost Council
Land
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Godless Shrine
1 Tainted Field
1 Piranha Marsh
1 Vivid Marsh
1 Leechridden Swamp
13 Swamp
14 Plains
Instant
1 Gravepurge
1 Cruel Revival
1 Footbottom Feast
1 Kor Dirge
1 Cremate
1 Mortify
Enchantments
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Quest for the Gravelord
1 Blind Obedience
1 Debtors Knell
1 Grave PAct
1 Gift of Orzhova
1 No Mercy
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Grave Betrayal
1 Pillory of the Sleepless
1 Akroma's Vengeance
1 Unburial Rites
1 Cruel Tutor
1 Syphon Mind
1 Moan of the Unhallowed
1 Midnight Recovery
1 Zombify
1 Rise from the grave
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Raise Dead
1 Plague Wind
1 Demonic Collusion
1 Merciless Eviction
1 Obzedat's Aid
1 Profane Command
1 Grim Discovery
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Day of Judgment
Artifiact
1 Loxodon Warhammer
Planeswalker
1 Sorin Markov
Creatures
1 Pontiff of Blight
1 Stromgald Crusader
1 Noxious Ghoul
1 Gempalm Polluter
1 Cemetery Reaper
1 Vengeful Dead
1 Death Baron
1 Shepherd of Rot
1 Maggot Carrier
1 Soulless One
1 Festering Goblin
1 Undead Warchief
1 Lord of the Undead
1 Sedraxis Alchemist
1 Syndic Tithes
1 Syndicate Enforcer
1 Akroma Angel of Wrath
1 Lim-Dul the Necromancer
1 Crypt Ghast
1 Knight of Obligation
1 Basilica Screecher
1 Thrull Parasite
1 Soul Warden
1 Vizkopa Confessor
1 Butcher of Malakir
1 Vizkopa Guildmage
1 Kingpin's Pet
1 Kor Sanctifiers
1 Mourning Thrull
If you didn't notice I dismantled a lifelink deck to make this one. There are some useful cards but maybe not the best for this deck.
Some of my concerns are finding cards that allow me to...
Of course any suggestions would be welcome.
BURWGSliver Hivelord's alt wincon deck at Maze's EndBURWG
GWBSidar Kondo and Ikra Shidiq likes big butts
RUMizzix of the Izmagnus Super ThiefRU
BURWGGeneral Tazri, The Megazord AllyBURWG
BURJeleva Mill and Kill BUR
BRGrenzo's get out from under that deck!BR
WUG Roon's Enchanted Evening (enchantment deck) WUG
BUG The Undersea World of Tasigur CousteauBUG
BWGAnafenza, Counter QueenBWG
Soul Link too, another useful one in your colours.
You may need to consider artifacts for your mana accel. Expedition Map is a favourite, especially if you happen to go into recursion a bit more a la Sun Titan
Legacy - Solidarity - mono U aggro - burn - Imperial Painter - Strawberry Shortcake - Bluuzards - bom
To really take advantage of Extort, you need a ton of mana. That means including Nirkana Revenant and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth. Expedition Map will help you get your specialty lands. Caged Sun and Magus of the Coffers may be worth considering even though you are a 2 color deck.
You have a lot of recursion, but I don't think you'll need all of it. You can probably take a few of them out for token creators like Syphon Flesh, Army of the Damned, Grave Titan and Cemetery Reaper. These will come in handy when you get Pontiff of Blight into play.
Most recently looking at Morinfen!
OH WAITAMINUTE. Yes there is. Grand Abolisher($3). Course, they could always take out the abolisher... but with how much reanimating you do, it's bound to be annoying for them. Still, would be nice to have this on a non-creature...
Oh. Just add Lifeline($1), though i guess that has some disynergy with your general strategy of getting rid of/stealing your opponents dead creatures. Course, there's always Twilight Shepherd($2) for returning wrath victims to hand, but that's not as good as back on the field =\ Cauldron of Souls($2) and Mikaeus, The Unhallowed($3) are probably your best options for mass reviving your own creatures multiple times.
Also, you seem to have a large amount of mana symbols on your cards. Would Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx($9) be an option? Along with Deserted Temple($4), Vesuva($7), Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth($12), and Thespian's Stage(<$1) so you can double up on the mana with redundancy or copy a coffers/cradle/etc.
Some synergistic mana makers would be Black Market($5), Crypt of Agadeem(maybe. 25cents), Skirge Familiar(pennies), Carnival of Souls(pennies), and Nirkana Revenent($10) I guess.
Some card draw I think works well with your setup would be Well of Lost Dreams($3), Graveborn Muse(<$1), Infernal Tribute(<$1), Slate of Ancestry(<$1), Decree of Pain($4), or Thought Gorger(pennies).
Grave Defiler would be sweet if you ran a more zombie heavy build.
On the reanimation front, I'd suggest Crucible of Worlds($20), Unholy Grotto($5), Volrath's Stronghold($14), and Tortured Existence(<$1) as a nice secondary reanimation suite that doesn't cut into your existing design space too much. Ostensibly stays in flavor too, I'd wager. Some of those are a bit pricier, but Unholy Grotto and Tortured Existence are likely auto-adds here. If you want, adding in some juice for the existence would be an interesting idea. Say... Golgari Thug(<$1), Undead Gladiator(<$1), Veilborn Ghoul(pennies)... or Oversold Cemetary($4) as a non-creature option that's just dandy by itself (and you can definitely support it here with this shell + a few more 'sac for profit' stuff thrown in like Skullclamp($2), Sadistic Hypnotist(<$1), Infernal Tribute(<$1)(again), etc).
Phyrexian Reclamation(pennies) is another option, but since this is extort, and you'd rather be casting stuff, Maybe Grim Harvest(pennies) or Disturbed Burial(pennies) is better, now that I think about it. At least one of these to go along with your mass-reanimation/return to hand suite seems legit.
I have no idea why Sedraxis Alchemist is in this deck, other than he is a zombie (zombie wizard, YUS!). Cremate seems kinda pointless. If you need the effect that bad, profit off of it with Necromancer's Covenant. Mourning Thrull is a hold out from the previous shell that seems like good early pressure, but should probably be removed for something with a bit more utility, such as Bitterblossom($15), Blood Artist($2)(sucks that it doesn't hit everyone, vengeful dead being the reluctant replacement), Bloodghast($4), etc. Zombies are great at coming back. Run stuff like Syphon Flesh, Innocent Blood, Barter in Blood, Small Pox, etc.
If you are more interested in the full on "lifelink in the skies" sorta deal with the warhammer, you should probably include some more life-linking equipments, auras, enchantments (True Conviction lol), or creatures that bestow lifelink on your whole field(like Victory's Herald(pennies), though it is quite mana/color intensive), or even cards that give you perks for gaining life, such as Archangel of Thune and Rhox Faithmender(maybe). I mean this in that, including lifelink would be more effective if the card that has the effect, gives it to all your creatures, or does extort, or synergizes in some other way, so that you don't waste design space.
Also, No Mercy has never functioned how I envisioned it should =\ I'd rather just run Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts(pennies) even at 3 more mana. If it works for you and your playgroup, then keep truckin' i guess.
I see you also have Grave Betrayal and Debtors Knell. Along with mikaeus and cauldron (again), there's also Sheoldred, Whispering One($4), Puppeteer Clique($3), or Balthor the Defiled($2) would be interesting.
Cards I think you wouldn't miss, or are easily replaced with one of the above similar spells: Quest for the gravelord, faith's fetters, pillory of the sleepless, Piranha Marsh, Leechridden Swamp, Cremate, Raise Dead, festering goblin, zombify, moan of the unhallowed, Soulless One, Maggot Carrier, Akroma Angel of Wrath, and Stromgald Crusader.
To answer your initial queries:
Given the above, I think artifact ramp is still your best bet. Get a sol ring($8) if you can afford it. They did just reprint them. There's a comprehensive list of artifact ramp stickied in the commander forum. You definitely want Skirge Familiar and Nykthos, though. Nykthos is a tad pricey for what I'm guessing is your limit.
1 Overwhelming Forces
1 Decree of Pain
1 Harrowing Journey
1 Moonlight Bargain
1 Necrologia
1 Ad Nauseam
1 Ancient Craving
1 Ambition's Cost
1 Promise of Power
1 Reprocess
1 Plunge into Darkness
1 Dregs of Sorrow
1 Cruel Bargain
1 Infernal Contract
1 Blood Scrivener
1 Underworld Connections
1 Casting of Bones
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Nihilistic Glee
1 Thought Gorger
1 Oath of Lim-Dûl
1 Greed
1 Disciple of Bolas
1 Bloodgift Demon
1 Seizan, Perverter of Truth
1 Null Profusion
1 Harvester of Souls
1 Necropotence
1 Dark Prophecy
1 Infernal Tribute
1 Lich
1 Nefarious Lich
1 Gravestorm
1 Altar's Reap
1 Skeletal Scrying
1 Night's Whisper
1 Skulltap
1 Read the Bones
1 Pain's Reward
1 Minions' Murmurs
1 Hoarder's Greed
1 Sign in Blood
Here's some colorless multiple draw cards:
- Memory Jar
- Mind's Eye
- Slate of Ancestry
- Staff of Nin
- Well of Lost Dreams
- Skullclamp
- Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
- Diviner's Wand
Again, not all of these are budget.What, you mean Geth's Grimoire? Or more like Syphon Mind? I wish there were more syphon mind-type cards too. =<
Hope that at least a portion of this was useful to you.
edit: started making this post last night, then fell asleep lol
didn't realize 2 more posts were up. ^ Agree with that last guy completely. Also agree with Sun Titan, Necromancer's Covenant, Grave Titan, Expedition Map, and Syphon Flesh.
http://officeofstrategicinfluence.com/spam/ <---- kills spam, fyi.
BURWGSliver Hivelord's alt wincon deck at Maze's EndBURWG
GWBSidar Kondo and Ikra Shidiq likes big butts
RUMizzix of the Izmagnus Super ThiefRU
BURWGGeneral Tazri, The Megazord AllyBURWG
BURJeleva Mill and Kill BUR
BRGrenzo's get out from under that deck!BR
WUG Roon's Enchanted Evening (enchantment deck) WUG
BUG The Undersea World of Tasigur CousteauBUG
BWGAnafenza, Counter QueenBWG
WUBRGCommander Decklists - PaperWUBRG
CCCCCommander Decklists - TheorycraftCCCC
Sig Credit: Pegasus Bishop
Erebos, God of the Dead was the commander I looked at. God of the Dead makes him sound like a good zombie commander too. You could either go zombie tribal with some extort/devotion, or go heavier on the extort/devotion. Basically a lot of cheap B critters, plus all the black extort things. So basically you'd have an endless stream of guys cuz of Erebos's draw engine. Then you'd abuse gray merchant/extort. After you get one or two extorts the mana becomes less of a problem. Once you really get going nykthos can make it crazy. Extort and devotion seem like they can so easily go hand in hand if you can get enough gas.
I was looking to put him in my deck and not as a commander. I know that my friends and I play some modified rules of EDH and we agreed that the split mana symbols for an extorting card would make it so that we need a black/white commander. I am not sure if that is a true EDH rule or not but Ia m not here to ask nor dispute it.
A big thanks for suggesting the planewalker, Liliana! I think she will be an automatic in when I trade for her.
BURWGSliver Hivelord's alt wincon deck at Maze's EndBURWG
GWBSidar Kondo and Ikra Shidiq likes big butts
RUMizzix of the Izmagnus Super ThiefRU
BURWGGeneral Tazri, The Megazord AllyBURWG
BURJeleva Mill and Kill BUR
BRGrenzo's get out from under that deck!BR
WUG Roon's Enchanted Evening (enchantment deck) WUG
BUG The Undersea World of Tasigur CousteauBUG
BWGAnafenza, Counter QueenBWG
Check out Greed too
WUBRGCommander Decklists - PaperWUBRG
CCCCCommander Decklists - TheorycraftCCCC
Sig Credit: Pegasus Bishop
I did. I got it in one of the new commander decks.
BURWGSliver Hivelord's alt wincon deck at Maze's EndBURWG
GWBSidar Kondo and Ikra Shidiq likes big butts
RUMizzix of the Izmagnus Super ThiefRU
BURWGGeneral Tazri, The Megazord AllyBURWG
BURJeleva Mill and Kill BUR
BRGrenzo's get out from under that deck!BR
WUG Roon's Enchanted Evening (enchantment deck) WUG
BUG The Undersea World of Tasigur CousteauBUG
BWGAnafenza, Counter QueenBWG
1 Swamp
1 Vesuva
1 Tespian's Stage
1 Command Tower
1 Debt to the Deathless
1 Well of Lost Dreams
1 Army of the Damned
1 Greed
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Read the Bones
1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Wight of Precinct Six
1 Phyrexian Delver
1 Unexpectedly Absent
1 Armillary Sphere
1 Plains
1 Piranha Marsh
1 Vivid Marsh
1 Leechridden Swamp
1 Akroma's Vengeance
1 Profane Command
1 Cremate
1 Soul Warden
1 Gempalm Polluter
1 MAggot Carrier
1 Midnight Recovery
1 Raise Dead
1 Sedraxis Alchemist
1 Mourning Thrull
1 Festering Goblin
Thoughts
Taking out Judgment Day for Wrath of God.
Creating a sideboard for one-on-one EDH that includes cards that target single players that include life lost = life gain
I am torn between using Nevinyrral's Disk or Akroma's Vengeance
When I get a Liliana I will remove Sorin
BURWGSliver Hivelord's alt wincon deck at Maze's EndBURWG
GWBSidar Kondo and Ikra Shidiq likes big butts
RUMizzix of the Izmagnus Super ThiefRU
BURWGGeneral Tazri, The Megazord AllyBURWG
BURJeleva Mill and Kill BUR
BRGrenzo's get out from under that deck!BR
WUG Roon's Enchanted Evening (enchantment deck) WUG
BUG The Undersea World of Tasigur CousteauBUG
BWGAnafenza, Counter QueenBWG