MTG Salvation

My degenerate non-French 1v1 EDH tournament deck. The prime weaknesses of the deck that I can see are needing 3 colors of mana, and having a fairly predictable game plan that relies so much on resolving and attacking with Zur. When those obstacles can be surmounted and Zur's trigger resolves, the game is usually won, but getting to that point is quite a challenge against equally prepared decks.

I typically mulligan aggressively for some fast mana and try to draw into the cheap counters or discard spells to protect Zur. Transmute artifact is my preferred way of getting helm online when I have rest in peace. Necropotence is typically the first enchantment fetched with Zur but occasionally board state demands another line of play. Winning is technically achieved through general damage or rip/Helm combo but the game is more decided in a fight to land and protect Zur. It is typically better to save counters and discard to push Zur through rather than impeding the opponents strategy unless they are threatening something that could prevent Zur from getting in an activation. Zur's ability can deal with just about anything on board and necropotence allows us to dominate the stack so as long as what they do wont kill you or Zur before he gets an activation it usually isn't worth worrying about.

As for sideboarding:
it depends on the opponent but generally path to exile, liliana of the veil, into the roil, darksteel mutation, and aura of silence are usually first to come out of maindeck for sideboarding options.


If I were to play Zur in a competitive multiplayer group a few cards I would want in the deck would be:

• 1 greater auramancy
  
• 1 hall of the bandit lord
  
• 1 torpor orb
  
• 1 propaganda
  
• 1 mystic remora
  
• 1 cursed totem
  
• 1 arcane denial
  
• 1 mistveil plains
  

I would first remove discard, force spike, and planeswalkers.

Where's Helm of Obedience?

Technically, Zur is the one of the top tier decks in overall meta.

FYI you have boseiju, who shelters all in the mainboard and sideboard. Hall of the Bandit Lord seems like it could be good with giving Zur haste or is the ETB tapped to slow? Faith's Reward seems like it would be good when they play and uncounterable wrath.

Vanishing protects Zur better. And yes, Zur's greedy color reqs make Hall a dubious play in the early game if you're not already colorfixed, and an even worse card in the mid-game when the opponent is more likely to an established board from which to disrupt even a hasty Zur.

Cataclysm over Armageddon though? I can see either being nasty, and both likely to close out a game post-Zur. Still, I think the hit from geddon is worse. Then again, cataclysm hits mana rocks. Hmm.

helm of obedience is in, a bit hidden in the artifacts. Helm/RIP has been absurdly powerful, I've even just used helm to mill away a topdeck tutor for the lulz.
Boseiju moved to sideboard and added city of traitors to the main. hall of the bandit lord was initially included but has been cut, there's too much non-basic land hate, not enough creatures, and the life loss directly translates into less necropotence and as my friend once said "all Zur decks are just necro, zur, and 98 other cards no one really cares about."
faith's reward seems a bit too mana intensive and vanishing is generally the first aura that I use for Zur.

Cataclysm vs Armageddon FIGHT
this is indeed a tough choice I like cataclysm better post-Zur but I think I'd rather play armageddon Pre-Zur so maybe thats a good reason to make the swap. I do like cataclysm perhaps it should be in the sideboard as it crushes some matchups.

ever thought about putting Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale in this deck. it would basically shut down the Edric decks or at least tie up a lot of their mana