So, my attempt at Skullbriar dredge was a bit of a bust, and sadly, I'm not quite sure why. I'm going to leave the decklist in a spoiler below and move on to something slightly different. I've retooled the decklist to be a Glissa, the Traitor Dredge with a bit of an -1/-1 theme; I shall see how this goes.
Again, I'm using leftovers that I have on hand, but have started conjuring a wishlist together...so there may be further updates to come. Comments and suggestions welcome.
All my decks try to adhere to these guidelines:
1) Be able to win.
2) Be mostly true to a flavor and a theme.
3) Be good against one or multiple opponents.
5) Be fun to pilot or to play against and interactive.
6) Have multiple paths to victory.
7) Have lots of cool interactions and synergy.
8) Play out differently every game to keep it fun over a long time.
9) Be streamlined and fast to play without excessive upkeep, time-consuming play or overcomplicated boardstates.
10) Integrate the Commanders abilities into the strategy at least a little, but be able to win without ever playing the commander.
The number in front of the card will denote CMC of the creature/spell.
I like the idea of building up the +1/+1 counters on Skullbriar, as you're currently doing with Varolz. A turn 1 Hardened Scales could help Skullbriar get out of control quickly. Forgotten Ancient too.
I finally re-catalogued my Skullbriar deck after all th e changes, and you might enjoy some of the ideas in there: http://deckbox.org/sets/761053
My version is very low to the ground and has a lot of neat dredge tech you might like:
1) nighthowlwer has been insane for me. If your idea is to fill the yard for fun and profit, he's a fantastic thing to put on Skullbriar.
2) It's a little expensive but Survival of the Fittest is amazingly good in this deck.
3) Living Death is a nuts sweeper, and should be included.
4) Birthing Pod is a good way to put Skullbriar in the yard for value if needed (e.g. if you think someone is going to sweep you can store SkullB in the yard and then animate him or something later.
5) Skullclamp + Gravecrawler go really well with SkullB, given his status as a zombie. Bloodghast too.
6) Vigor is a card I would never leave home without, with Skullbriar, since it makes them damned both ways -- blocking is just as bad as not blocking a lot of times.
7) Hermit druid and Life from the Loam go really well with the plan and help you hit land drops.
So, my attempt at Skullbriar dredge was a bit of a bust, and sadly, I'm not quite sure why. I'm going to leave the decklist in a spoiler and move on to something slightly different.
I've retooled the decklist to be a Glissa, the Traitor Dredge with a bit of an -1/-1 theme; I shall see how this goes. I wanted to steer clear of the typical Glissa builds that focused on mini-artifact recursion; though I'm sliding the strongest synergy cards in.
However, I'm still having some trouble getting my -1/-1 counter subtheme to take off. It seems that I have all the catalysts cards available for when I need them (Blowfly Infestation, Crumbling Ashes, and Necroskitter), but getting my enablers out to place those -1/-1 counters onto creatures has been tough.
I've tried some other cards already during testing or earlier builds that just wasn't panning out: Grim Poppet, Incremental Blight, and Core Prowler.....just can't seem to find the right ones. (which may be the reason why -1/-1 counters isn't very competitive....)
Any suggestions on how I could pull this off a little better? (decklist in OP)
Again, I'm using leftovers that I have on hand, but have started conjuring a wishlist together...so there may be further updates to come. Comments and suggestions welcome.
All my decks try to adhere to these guidelines:
1) Be able to win.
2) Be mostly true to a flavor and a theme.
3) Be good against one or multiple opponents.
5) Be fun to pilot or to play against and interactive.
6) Have multiple paths to victory.
7) Have lots of cool interactions and synergy.
8) Play out differently every game to keep it fun over a long time.
9) Be streamlined and fast to play without excessive upkeep, time-consuming play or overcomplicated boardstates.
10) Integrate the Commanders abilities into the strategy at least a little, but be able to win without ever playing the commander.
The number in front of the card will denote CMC of the creature/spell.
3 Glissa, the Traitor
//Planeswalker (1)
5 Vraska the Unseen
//Creatures (25)
2 Necropede
3 Stinkweed Imp
3 Vampire Nighthawk
3 Burnished Hart
3 Sylvok Replica
3 Necroskitter
3 Necroplasm
4 Bonehoard
4 Mortivore
4 Skinrender
4 Solemn Simulacrum
4 Soul Snuffers
4 Wickerbough Elder
4 Creakwood Liege
5 Decimator Beetle
5 Vulturous Zombie
5 Acidic Slime
5 Ant Queen
6 Steel Hellkite
6 Ulvenwald Hydra
6 Carnifex Demon
6 Noxious Gearhulk
6 Wurmcoil Engine
7 Grim Poppet
7 Sandstone Oracle
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
1 Vampiric Rites
1 Nihil Spellbomb
3 Elemental Bond
3 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
4 Momentous Fall
4 Vigor Mortis
4 Dread Return
5 Necromantic Summons
//Buff Spells (5)
1 Tainted Strike
1 Rancor
2 Throne of Geth
3 Nest of Scarabs
4 Trading Post
//Control Spells (15)
1 Executioner's Capsule
2 Go for the Throat
2 Thornbite Staff
2 Unravel the Æther
2 Deglamer
2x Black Sun's Zenith
3 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Putrefy
3 Murder
3 Sudden Spoiling
3 Oblivion Stone
4 Nevinyrral's Disk
5 Murderous Cut
6 Contagion Engine
9 In Garruk's Wake
1 Sol Ring
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
2 Mind Stone
2 Golgari Signet
3 Darksteel Ingot
3 Golgari Keyrune
3 Golgari Cluestone
//Land (37)
0 Command Tower
0 Evolving Wilds
0 Terramorphic Expanse
0 Temple of the False God
0 Opal Palace
0 Gilt-Leaf Palace
0 Tainted Wood
0 Jungle Hollow
0 Golgari Guildgate
0 Svogthos, the Restless Tomb
0 Rogue's Passage
0 Phyrexia's Core
0 Buried Ruin
12 Forest
12 Swamp
100 cards in decklist!
3 Arachnogenesis
3 Nest of Scarabs
/High Cost
5 Golgari Grave-Troll
2 Life from the Loam
3 Dismember
4 Meren of Clan Nel Toth
3 Plague Boiler
2 Fevered Convulsions
July 1 2015:
Initial Build
Sept 17 2015:
Drooling Groodion >> Go for the Throat
Armillary Sphere >> Expedition Map
Spider Umbra >> Whip of Erebos
Fecunity >> Soul's Magesty
Essence Warden >> Garruk Wildspeaker
Imp's Mischief >> Thornbite Staff
Cankerous Thirst >> Life's Finale
Scattershot Archer >> Oblivion Stone
Treasure Find >> Dread Return
Mitotic Slime >> Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Tukatongue Thallid >> Splinterfright
Deity of Scars >> Bonehoard
Virulent Swipe >> Nightmare Void
Gift of the Deity >> Spider Spawning
Gravepurge >> Greater Mossdog
Gorgon Flail >> Forest
Swiftfoot Boots >> Swamp
Sept 28 2015:
Garruk Wildspeaker >> Vraska the Unseen
Swamp >> Grisly Salvage
Lhurgoyf >> Shambling Shell
Necrogenesis >> Murder
Feb 11 2016:
Onyx Mage >> Golgari Thug
Forest >> Jungle Hollow
April 4 2016:
Skullbriar, the Walking Grave >> Glissa, the Traitor -- new General
Glissa, the Traitor >> Carnifex Demon
Greenweaver Druid >> Sakura-Tribe Elder
Farhaven Elf >> Yavimaya Elder
Greater Mossdog >> Contagion Engine
Sapling of Colfenor >> Grim Poppet
Nath of the Gilt-Leaf >> Throne of Geth
Doomgape >> Army of the Damned
Nightmare Void >> Executioner's Capsule
Forest >> Caged Sun
Life's Finale >> Black Sun's Zenith
April 9 2016:
Grisly Savage >> Necropede
Splinterfright >> Necroskitter
Fresh Meat >> Core Prowler
Army of the Damned >> Wurmcoil Engine
Deadly Allure >> Crumbling Ashes
April 19 2016:
Skullmulcher >> Necromatic Summons
Yavimaya Elder >> Vampiric Rites
Sakura-Tribe Elder >> Korozda Guildmage
Grim Poppet >> Brood Butcher
Eyeblight's Ending >> Grip of Desolation
Swamp >> Rogue's Passage
Acidic Slime >> Sylvok Replica
Core Prowler >> Blowfly Infestation
Deadly Recluse >> Nevinyrral's Disk
Thornweald Archer >> Skinrender
Varloz, the Scar-Striped >> Incremental Blight
Liliana's Shade >> Grim Poppet
May 17 2016:
Harmonize >> Serrated Arrows
Beast Within >> Sol Ring
July 1 2016:
Brood Butcher >> Acidic Slime
Grip of Desolation >> Forest
July 15 2016:
Swamp >> Tainted Wood
Soul's Majesty >> Tainted Strike
Serrated Arrows >> Solemn Simulacrum
Whip of Erebos >> In Garruk's Wake
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord >> Soul Snuffers
Nov 11 2016:
Korozda Guildmage >> Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper (I think Korozda is still good, but putting in Ghave for now)
Golgari Germination >> Necroplasm
Dec 18 2016:
Deathrender >> Noxious Gearhulk
Oracle of Mul Daya >> Wayfarer's Bauble (need Oracle elsewhere..)
Grafted Exoskeleton >> Elemental Bond
Mar 19 2017:
Phyrexian Reclamation >> Lifecrafter's Bestiary
Golgari Rot Farm >> Buried Ruin
Blowfly Infestation >> Nihil Spellbomb
Crumbling Ashes >> Mind Stone
Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper >> Scarecrone
Ohran Viper >> Trading Post
Incremental Blight >> Burnished Hart
April 14 2017:
Shambling Shell >> Shambling Shell
Spider Spawning >> Nest of Scarabs
Fallen Ideal >> Phyrexian Reclamation
Naturalize >> Unravel the Æther
Sept 2 2017:
Expedition Map >> Ant Queen
Caged Sun >> Sandstone Oracle
Oct 24 2017:
Scarecrone >> Ulvenwald Hydra
Golgari Charm >> Murderous Cut
Golgari Thug >> Decimator Beetle
| B Erebos, God of VampiresB | GYeva SmashG | RBosh ArtifactsR | GURAnimar +1 BeatsGUR | RBVial's Secret Hot SauceRB | UBRNekusar, Draw if you DareUBR | RGBDarigaaz'z DragonsRGB | GBSlimeFEETGB | UBOn-Hit LazavUB | URBrudiclad's Artificer InventionsUR | GUBMuldrotha's ElementalsGUB | WUGKestia's EnchantmentsWUG | GUTatyova - Draw, Land, Go!GU | WGArahbo's EquipmentWG | BUWVarina's ZOMBIE HORDESBUW | WLyra's Angelic SalvationW | WBChurch of TeysaWB | UAzami...WizardsU
Skullbriar deck:
2 Skullbriar, the Walking Grave
//Planeswalker (1)
5 Vraska the Unseen
//Creatures (27)
2 Deadly Recluse
2 Thornweald Archer
2 Golgari Thug
3 Glissa, the Traitor
3 Stinkweed Imp
3 Greenweaver Druid
3 Ohran Viper
3 Varolz, the Scar-Striped
3 Farhaven Elf
3 Vampire Nighthawk
3 Splinterfright
3 Shambling Shell
4 Bonehoard
4 Greater Mossdog
4 Oracle of Mul Daya
4 Mortivore
4 Liliana's Shade
4 Wickerbough Elder
4 Creakwood Liege
4 Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
5 Sapling of Colfenor
5 Acidic Slime
5 Skullmulcher
5 Vulturous Zombie
5 Nath of the Gilt-Leaf
6 Steel Hellkite
7 Doomgape
3 Golgari Germination
4 Fresh Meat
5 Spider Spawning
//Buff Spells (4)
1 Deadly Allure
1 Rancor
2 Golgari Charm
3 Fallen Ideal
//Control Spells (14)
2 Naturalize
2 Deglamer
2 Go for the Throat
2 Thornbite Staff
3 Eyeblight's Ending
3 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Putrefy
3 Beast Within
3 Murder
3 Sudden Spoiling
3 Oblivion Stone
4 Nightmare Void
6 Life's Finale
//Draw/Recur/Tutor Spells (8)
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
2 Grisly Salvage
4 Harmonize
4 Momentous Fall
4 Vigor Mortis
4 Whip of Erebos
4 Dread Return
5 Soul's Majesty
1 Expedition Map
2 Golgari Signet
3 Cultivate
3 Kodama's Reach
3 Darksteel Ingot
3 Golgari Keyrune
3 Golgari Cluestone
//Land (36)
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Temple of the False God
1 Opal Palace
1 Gilt-Leaf Palace
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Jungle Hollow
1 Golgari Guildgate
1 Svogthos, the Restless Tomb
15 Forest
12 Swamp
| B Erebos, God of VampiresB | GYeva SmashG | RBosh ArtifactsR | GURAnimar +1 BeatsGUR | RBVial's Secret Hot SauceRB | UBRNekusar, Draw if you DareUBR | RGBDarigaaz'z DragonsRGB | GBSlimeFEETGB | UBOn-Hit LazavUB | URBrudiclad's Artificer InventionsUR | GUBMuldrotha's ElementalsGUB | WUGKestia's EnchantmentsWUG | GUTatyova - Draw, Land, Go!GU | WGArahbo's EquipmentWG | BUWVarina's ZOMBIE HORDESBUW | WLyra's Angelic SalvationW | WBChurch of TeysaWB | UAzami...WizardsU
I like the idea of building up the +1/+1 counters on Skullbriar, as you're currently doing with Varolz. A turn 1 Hardened Scales could help Skullbriar get out of control quickly. Forgotten Ancient too.
Nightshade Peddler is probably better than Onyx Mage
http://deckbox.org/sets/761053
My version is very low to the ground and has a lot of neat dredge tech you might like:
1) nighthowlwer has been insane for me. If your idea is to fill the yard for fun and profit, he's a fantastic thing to put on Skullbriar.
2) It's a little expensive but Survival of the Fittest is amazingly good in this deck.
3) Living Death is a nuts sweeper, and should be included.
4) Birthing Pod is a good way to put Skullbriar in the yard for value if needed (e.g. if you think someone is going to sweep you can store SkullB in the yard and then animate him or something later.
5) Skullclamp + Gravecrawler go really well with SkullB, given his status as a zombie. Bloodghast too.
6) Vigor is a card I would never leave home without, with Skullbriar, since it makes them damned both ways -- blocking is just as bad as not blocking a lot of times.
7) Hermit druid and Life from the Loam go really well with the plan and help you hit land drops.
UW Ephara Hatebears [Primer], GB Gitrog Lands, BRU Inalla Combo-Control, URG Maelstrom Wanderer Landfall
I've retooled the decklist to be a Glissa, the Traitor Dredge with a bit of an -1/-1 theme; I shall see how this goes. I wanted to steer clear of the typical Glissa builds that focused on mini-artifact recursion; though I'm sliding the strongest synergy cards in.
Decklist is in OP.
As always, advice is welcome.
| B Erebos, God of VampiresB | GYeva SmashG | RBosh ArtifactsR | GURAnimar +1 BeatsGUR | RBVial's Secret Hot SauceRB | UBRNekusar, Draw if you DareUBR | RGBDarigaaz'z DragonsRGB | GBSlimeFEETGB | UBOn-Hit LazavUB | URBrudiclad's Artificer InventionsUR | GUBMuldrotha's ElementalsGUB | WUGKestia's EnchantmentsWUG | GUTatyova - Draw, Land, Go!GU | WGArahbo's EquipmentWG | BUWVarina's ZOMBIE HORDESBUW | WLyra's Angelic SalvationW | WBChurch of TeysaWB | UAzami...WizardsU
My Glissa, the Traitor Dredge is working out better than I have ever imagined. Her high threat synergy with cards like Executioner's Capsule, Oblivion Stone and Wurmcoil Engine really lock down the board well. The recursion of Phyrexian Reclamation and Vampiric Rites are also very powerful.
However, I'm still having some trouble getting my -1/-1 counter subtheme to take off. It seems that I have all the catalysts cards available for when I need them (Blowfly Infestation, Crumbling Ashes, and Necroskitter), but getting my enablers out to place those -1/-1 counters onto creatures has been tough.
I've tried some other cards already during testing or earlier builds that just wasn't panning out: Grim Poppet, Incremental Blight, and Core Prowler.....just can't seem to find the right ones. (which may be the reason why -1/-1 counters isn't very competitive....)
Any suggestions on how I could pull this off a little better? (decklist in OP)
Thanks
| B Erebos, God of VampiresB | GYeva SmashG | RBosh ArtifactsR | GURAnimar +1 BeatsGUR | RBVial's Secret Hot SauceRB | UBRNekusar, Draw if you DareUBR | RGBDarigaaz'z DragonsRGB | GBSlimeFEETGB | UBOn-Hit LazavUB | URBrudiclad's Artificer InventionsUR | GUBMuldrotha's ElementalsGUB | WUGKestia's EnchantmentsWUG | GUTatyova - Draw, Land, Go!GU | WGArahbo's EquipmentWG | BUWVarina's ZOMBIE HORDESBUW | WLyra's Angelic SalvationW | WBChurch of TeysaWB | UAzami...WizardsU