Of the lands you mentioned, I like ebon best, since it's at least always a reliable source of black. I'm a little iffy on the swamp count already, and I think it needs homeward path and high market against blue already.
I might cut steel, blade, and club.
As long as we're going all in on infect, may as well throw in plague myr and phyrexian vatmother.
Yeah, English is hard sometimes I think you can cut buried ruin, vesuva, high market, Hall of the bandit lord and Maze of Ith if you want to free up more black space. You have tutors to get lands you need, so you don't need the redundancy of high market and Skith can already haste himself. I forgot plague myr - he is awesome. Bob is a must though, as sometimes he comes down turn 2 and just steals the game.
There is no primer but if you go to MTGO TOP 8 the Commander section has all the winning skith lists if you want to consult those.
The Great One is Great, just concerned that the average cmc is too high = too much pain.
The more I play this, the more convinced I am that it needs to go in a much more aggro direction. A little more like the black beatdown decks of yore, with duress/hymn/sinkhole, negator/hippie/shade, plus tutoring and rituals and a few broken cards (yawg will/necro/etc.) and a few utility spells for the meta.
There isn't enough mana disruption in black to be viable in edh, but I think there are enough solid discard spells to make hand disruption a viable strategy.
Two Mana Ramp (6): 1 Jet Medallion (turn 1 duress/inquisition/thoughtseize, turn 2 medallion, turn 3 wrench mind + stupor...) 1 Charcoal Diamond 1 Coldsteel Heart 1 Mind Stone (I really like that it cantrips later on in case you get mana flooded) 1 Plague Myr (also a beater) 1 Everflowing Chalice (if you're flooded then it generates even more mana... idk 2 mana ramp is hard to turn down) 1 Fellwar Stone
Equipment/Pump (6) 1 Bonesplitter (very cheap way to make a plague stinger scary, very cheap pump in general) 1 Lightning Greaves (haste is a big deal for an aggro deck trying to swing for 10 asap) 1 Grafted Wargear (free to equip, a little clunkier than bonesplitter, but boosts toughness also) 1 Ronin Warclub (same idea as with wargear) 1 Unspeakable Symbol (fantastic) 1 Lashwrithe (expensive but creates a board presence b/c of the germ, and can be a devastatingly large boost)
The one-for-one selective discards (6): 1 Duress (most edh decks are not packed to the gills with creatures, since everyone has a creature they can cast in their command zone, still it can whiff sometimes and that's frustrating, but at 1 mana it's a really strong 1 for 1) 1 Inquisition of Kozilek ((can also whiff, but again 1 mana is strong for a selective 1 for 1) 1 Thoughtseize (best 1 mana discard, generally doesn't whiff) 1 Distress (solid 1 for 1) 1 Unmask (useful to just pitch a card and check their hand before going all-in on hasted skittles ftw)
The 2 mana 2-for-1 discards (3): 1 Wrench Mind (might be 1 for 1 if they pitch an artifact, which maybe sucks too much, maybe it's okay) 1 Hymn to Tourach 1 Augur of Skulls (doubles as a blocker later on in a pinch, and wearing some equipment can actually kill things on defense)
Also: 1 Funeral Charm (can double as a finisher, i.e. swing for 2 infect, they take it, pump creature to 4/x gg, or it can just give fear to one of our non-evasive beaters, and sometimes it just forces them to pitch the last card in their hand, very useful) 1 Mind Shatter (expensive to get value from it, but exceptional against the many decks that keep their hand stocked, and any deck that wants to go a little long, i.e. controllish decks)
Recursion (2) 1 Yawgmoth's Will 1 Profane Command (4-6 mana to kill something and return one of our guys to play is a sweet deal)
The deck is pretty light on traditional removal (just a toxic deluge, a dismember, and a pithing needle). We get away with it by emptying their hand in the first few turns, and then swinging quickly for 10 poison. We also get away with it by tutoring for the removal if/when we need it (6 tutors that fetch deluge or dismember).
Caress isn't really working out. Transmute tutors may not be good enough. Diabolic tutor might be too expensive. Solemn Simulacrum may be better as another land.
On the one hand, dropping rocks opens up slots for removal etc. On the other hand, it seems like the deck would become so slow without them. And creature kill is almost dead against many decks.
Eh, cards go in and out of fashion, just test it with your meta and see how it works out. Or you could try cockatrice.
I've been playing on cockatrice. Has really helped me tune the deck. Unfortunately it seems there are a lot of tradeoffs in terms of trying to beat aggro vs combo vs control. Skithiryx is a reasonably fast clock, but he doesn't take control of the game like other generals, nor is he versatile like others.
Eh, cards go in and out of fashion, just test it with your meta and see how it works out. Or you could try cockatrice.
I've been playing on cockatrice. Has really helped me tune the deck. Unfortunately it seems there are a lot of tradeoffs in terms of trying to beat aggro vs combo vs control. Skithiryx is a reasonably fast clock, but he doesn't take control of the game like other generals, nor is he versatile like others.
I'm thinking maybe the deck should be taken in a more death cloud /pox/smallpox direction.
One the innovations is to run reanimate. It lets you put a dead skittles right back into play, give it haste, and send it in. The other is to just jam in more tutors. This is basically a control deck with a fast clock as a wincon, and it's important to have the particular card you need, rather than just running a bunch of narrow removal and/or card draw and hoping you happen to draw into what you need.
before gilded lotus i would definitely playlake of the dead because if you are in the situation that you need that mana it is there for you earlier. do not see it as land but ritual.
Oh Nixilis can be good... But it often feels too slow.
I don't like Lake. The more I play, the more I'm convinced you can't just power out skithiryx and win, you need development. Setting yourself back on land drops leaves you very vulnerable. Then again, now that I have Griselbrand and Army, the idea of casting them on turn 4 is pretty spicy.
The problem with boseiju is that it's so bad against decks besides control. We don't have the raw goldfish speed of a buried alive deck, so the tempo loss can be pretty damaging. Cavern of souls does a lot of work against control, but without boseiju's downsides.
I'm testing the below version with Army and Griselbrand. I also threw in boseiju and lake of the dead, since I think this version takes advantage of those two lands more than the previous version. Also added peat bog and crystal vein back in, since powering out Army/Grisel as early as possible is so strong. Trying to fit in all of these lands resulted in upping the land count to 42, and also adding Myriad Landscape to sorta "increase the swamp count," since Coffers/Lake/Lashwrithe are swamp hungry.
Notably I also dropped the lightning greaves, since its primary purpose was to protect skittles, and the newer version doesn't need to as much b/c it has Army/Grisel backup.
Also took out Dark Tutelage, b/c hitting Army/Grisel with it hurts, and I've never been terribly impressed with it. I put in Ancient Craving and Ambition's Cost. Most commander games are effectively decided early, even if they don't conclude until much later. These two spells give you the cards now, which can be a big deal. Turn 4 could be completely different b/c you drew deeper into your deck, whereas tutelage/arena only give you the very next card.
As I look at your list now I can't help but think you'd simply be better off dumping Skithyrix and playing Griselbrand instead. I mean, without all the skith combo pump they both kill in three turns and grisel helps tie you into the more grindy build you seem to favour.
They both kill in three swings, but skittles starts swinging three turns earlier, and can kill in two swings or even one swing with a little help.
Narset is difficult because your general doesn't grant you any tactical advantage or inevitability, and Narset will quickly decimate you in the late game. Ultimately skittles is just a dumb beater for five mana, which is terrible against control.
Griselbrand is a better choice. If you make tight plays and run a healthy number of edicts and sweepers, you can sneak him into play, and bury Narset in card advantage.
The build we had that was a good match up against control had more hand disruption. l don't see the Dragon as just a dumb beater. He is a hasty 3 combat steps (at most) win-con that protcts himself against plenty of removal.
You can run the same number of "right removal" for the field and can apply more pressure. You never win the CA war against Narset.
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Non-French:
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Wasteland
1 Vesuva
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Cathedral of War
1 Strip Mine
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 Maze of Ith
1 Buried Ruin
28 Snow-Covered Swamp
Equipment/Pump (9)
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Hero's Blade
1 Grafted Wargear
1 Bonesplitter
1 Ronin Warclub
1 Unspeakable Symbol
1 Cranial Plating
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Lashwrithe
Rock Ramp (17)
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Commander's Sphere
1 Mind Stone
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Sol Ring
1 Jet Medallion
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Coalition Relic
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Mana Crypt
1 Grim Monolith
1 Mana Vault
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
1 Chrome Mox
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
Tutors (8)
1 Expedition Map
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Dimir House Guard
1 Shred Memory
1 Grim Tutor
Removal (4)
1 Dismember
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Karn Liberated
1 Dystopia
Card Draw (3)
1 Night's Whisper
1 Sign in Blood
1 Necropotence
Beatsticks (1)
1 Phyrexian Crusader
Discard (10)
1 Duress
1 Thoughtseize
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Mind Twist
1 Addle
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Distress
1 Mind Shatter
1 Unmask
1 Persecute
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Dark Ritual
1 Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed
1 Sculpting Steel
1 Profane Command
1 Pithing Needle
And here is a French list:
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Wasteland
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Vesuva
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Cathedral of War
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 Maze of Ith
1 Buried Ruin
28 Snow-Covered Swamp
Equipment/Pump (9)
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Hero's Blade
1 Lashwrithe
1 Grafted Wargear
1 Bonesplitter
1 Ronin Warclub
1 Unspeakable Symbol
1 Cranial Plating
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
Rock Ramp (13)
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Commander's Sphere
1 Mind Stone
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Jet Medallion
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Coalition Relic
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
1 Chrome Mox
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
Tutors (7)
1 Expedition Map
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Dimir House Guard
1 Shred Memory
1 Grim Tutor
Removal (5)
1 Dismember
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Karn Liberated
1 Crux of Fate
1 Dystopia
Card Draw (4)
1 Read the Bones
1 Night's Whisper
1 Sign in Blood
1 Caress of Phyrexia
Beatsticks (3)
1 Plague Stinger
1 Ichor Rats
1 Phyrexian Crusader
Discard (9)
1 Addle
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Distress
1 Duress
1 Thoughtseize
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Mind Shatter
1 Unmask
1 Persecute
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Dark Ritual
1 Cabal Ritual
1 Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed
1 Sculpting Steel
1 Infernal Darkness
1 Profane Command
1 Pithing Needle
Any suggestions/input/insight? If you suggest adding something, please also suggest what to cut for it, and also vice versa.
You mean dark tutelage and ebon stronghold?
Of the lands you mentioned, I like ebon best, since it's at least always a reliable source of black. I'm a little iffy on the swamp count already, and I think it needs homeward path and high market against blue already.
I might cut steel, blade, and club.
As long as we're going all in on infect, may as well throw in plague myr and phyrexian vatmother.
I'd overlooked dark petition, that's pretty hot.
Is there a skittles primer?
The Great One is Great, just concerned that the average cmc is too high = too much pain.
The more I play this, the more convinced I am that it needs to go in a much more aggro direction. A little more like the black beatdown decks of yore, with duress/hymn/sinkhole, negator/hippie/shade, plus tutoring and rituals and a few broken cards (yawg will/necro/etc.) and a few utility spells for the meta.
There isn't enough mana disruption in black to be viable in edh, but I think there are enough solid discard spells to make hand disruption a viable strategy.
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Wasteland
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord (would never cut this, it's free haste on our guys which just wins games)
1 Crystal Vein
1 Cathedral of War
1 Ebon Stronghold
1 Homeward Path
1 Marsh Flats
1 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Verdant Catacombs
24 Snow-Covered Swamp
Zero Mana Ramp (2):
1 Chrome Mox
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
Two Mana Ramp (6):
1 Jet Medallion (turn 1 duress/inquisition/thoughtseize, turn 2 medallion, turn 3 wrench mind + stupor...)
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Mind Stone (I really like that it cantrips later on in case you get mana flooded)
1 Plague Myr (also a beater)
1 Everflowing Chalice (if you're flooded then it generates even more mana... idk 2 mana ramp is hard to turn down)
1 Fellwar Stone
Three Mana Ramp (3):
1 Coalition Relic
1 Commander's Sphere (a little questionable, but like mind stone I like that it cantrips if you're flooded)
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Solemn Simulacrum
Beaters (4)
1 Plague Stinger
1 Ichor Rats (a little iffy b/c X/1 and along with no evasion and no protections)
1 Phyrexian Crusader
1 Phyrexian Vatmother (no evasion, but pretty beastly at least)
Equipment/Pump (6)
1 Bonesplitter (very cheap way to make a plague stinger scary, very cheap pump in general)
1 Lightning Greaves (haste is a big deal for an aggro deck trying to swing for 10 asap)
1 Grafted Wargear (free to equip, a little clunkier than bonesplitter, but boosts toughness also)
1 Ronin Warclub (same idea as with wargear)
1 Unspeakable Symbol (fantastic)
1 Lashwrithe (expensive but creates a board presence b/c of the germ, and can be a devastatingly large boost)
Tutors (8)
1 Expedition Map
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Shred Memory
1 Dimir Machinations
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Grim Tutor
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Dark Petition
Card Draw (8)
1 Dark Confidant (he's just too good not to run, he doubles as a blocker after he's drawn some cards!)
1 Night's Whisper
1 Sign in Blood
1 Read the Bones
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Dark Tutelage
1 Caress of Phyrexia (can't decide how much I like this)
1 Pithing Needle (cheap way to turn off bomby planeswalkers)
1 Dismember (sudden death? slaughter pact?)
1 Toxic Deluge
The one-for-one selective discards (6):
1 Duress (most edh decks are not packed to the gills with creatures, since everyone has a creature they can cast in their command zone, still it can whiff sometimes and that's frustrating, but at 1 mana it's a really strong 1 for 1)
1 Inquisition of Kozilek ((can also whiff, but again 1 mana is strong for a selective 1 for 1)
1 Thoughtseize (best 1 mana discard, generally doesn't whiff)
1 Distress (solid 1 for 1)
1 Unmask (useful to just pitch a card and check their hand before going all-in on hasted skittles ftw)
The 2 mana 2-for-1 discards (3):
1 Wrench Mind (might be 1 for 1 if they pitch an artifact, which maybe sucks too much, maybe it's okay)
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Augur of Skulls (doubles as a blocker later on in a pinch, and wearing some equipment can actually kill things on defense)
The 3 mana 2-for-1 discards (5):
1 Stupor
1 Deception
1 Mind Rot
1 Rakshasa's Secret
1 Waking Nightmare
Also:
1 Funeral Charm (can double as a finisher, i.e. swing for 2 infect, they take it, pump creature to 4/x gg, or it can just give fear to one of our non-evasive beaters, and sometimes it just forces them to pitch the last card in their hand, very useful)
1 Mind Shatter (expensive to get value from it, but exceptional against the many decks that keep their hand stocked, and any deck that wants to go a little long, i.e. controllish decks)
Recursion (2)
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Profane Command (4-6 mana to kill something and return one of our guys to play is a sweet deal)
Rituals (2)
1 Dark Ritual
1 Cabal Ritual
The deck is pretty light on traditional removal (just a toxic deluge, a dismember, and a pithing needle). We get away with it by emptying their hand in the first few turns, and then swinging quickly for 10 poison. We also get away with it by tutoring for the removal if/when we need it (6 tutors that fetch deluge or dismember).
Putting mox diamond back in.
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Wasteland
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 Crystal Vein
1 Cathedral of War
1 Ebon Stronghold
1 Homeward Path
1 Peat Bog
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 Marsh Flats
1 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Verdant Catacombs
24 Snow-Covered Swamp
Zero Mana Ramp (3):
1 Chrome Mox
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
1 Mox Diamond
Two Mana Ramp (7):
1 Jet Medallion
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Mind Stone
1 Plague Myr (also a beater)
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Coalition Relic
1 Commander's Sphere
1 Worn Powerstone
Four Mana Ramp (1):
1 Thran Dynamo
Beaters (3)
1 Plague Stinger
1 Phyrexian Crusader
1 Phyrexian Vatmother
Equipment/Pump (6)
1 Bonesplitter (very cheap pump)
1 Lightning Greaves (free to equip, haste and shroud)
1 Grafted Wargear (free to equip)
1 Ronin Warclub (free to equip)
1 Unspeakable Symbol (fantastic)
1 Lashwrithe (free to equip, creates a blocker)
Tutors (6)
1 Expedition Map
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Grim Tutor
1 Dark Petition
Card Draw (8)
1 Dark Confidant
1 Night's Whisper
1 Sign in Blood
1 Read the Bones
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Dark Tutelage
Removal (4)
1 Funeral Charm
1 Pithing Needle
1 Dismember
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Crux of Fate
1 Hero's Downfall
1 Duress
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Thoughtseize
1 Distress
1 Unmask
The 2 mana 2-for-1 discards (3):
1 Wrench Mind
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Augur of Skulls
The 3 mana 2-for-1 discards (5):
1 Stupor
1 Deception
1 Mind Rot
1 Rakshasa's Secret
1 Waking Nightmare
Also:
1 Mind Shatter
Recursion (2)
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Profane Command (doubles as removal)
Rituals (2)
1 Dark Ritual
1 Cabal Ritual
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Wasteland
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 Crystal Vein
1 Cathedral of War
1 Ebon Stronghold
1 Homeward Path
1 Peat Bog
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 Marsh Flats
1 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Verdant Catacombs
24 Snow-Covered Swamp
Zero Mana Ramp (3):
1 Chrome Mox
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
1 Mox Diamond
Two Mana Ramp (11):
1 Jet Medallion
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Mind Stone
1 Plague Myr (also a beater)
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Fractured Powerstone
1 Guardian Idol
1 Thought Vessel
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Coalition Relic
1 Commander's Sphere
1 Worn Powerstone
Four Mana Ramp (1):
1 Thran Dynamo
Beaters (3)
1 Plague Stinger
1 Phyrexian Crusader
1 Phyrexian Vatmother
Equipment/Pump (5)
1 Lightning Greaves (free to equip, haste and shroud)
1 Grafted Wargear (free to equip)
1 Unspeakable Symbol (fantastic)
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Lashwrithe (free to equip, creates a blocker)
Tutors (5)
1 Expedition Map
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Grim Tutor
1 Dark Petition
Card Draw (5)
1 Dark Confidant
1 Night's Whisper
1 Sign in Blood
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Dark Tutelage
Removal (6)
1 Funeral Charm
1 Pithing Needle
1 Dismember
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Crux of Fate
1 Hero's Downfall
1 Duress
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Thoughtseize
1 Distress
The 2 mana 2-for-1 discards (3):
1 Wrench Mind
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Augur of Skulls
The 3 mana 2-for-1 discards (5):
1 Stupor
1 Deception
1 Mind Rot
1 Rakshasa's Secret
1 Waking Nightmare
Also:
1 Mind Shatter
Recursion (2)
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Profane Command (doubles as removal)
Rituals (2)
1 Dark Ritual
1 Cabal Ritual
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Wasteland
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 Crystal Vein
1 Cathedral of War
1 Ebon Stronghold
1 Homeward Path
1 Peat Bog
1 Lake of the Dead
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 Marsh Flats
1 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Verdant Catacombs
23 Snow-Covered Swamp
Zero Mana Ramp (3):
1 Chrome Mox
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
1 Mox Diamond
One Mana Ramp (2):
1 Dark Ritual
1 Bubbling Muck
Two Mana Ramp (8):
1 Cabal Ritual
1 Jet Medallion
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Mind Stone
1 Plague Myr (also a beater)
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Thought Vessel
1 Coalition Relic
1 Commander's Sphere
1 Worn Powerstone
Four Mana Ramp (1):
1 Thran Dynamo
Five Mana Ramp (1):
1 Gilded Lotus
Beaters (5)
1 Plague Stinger
1 Ichorclaw Myr
1 Whispering Specter
1 Phyrexian Crusader
1 Phyrexian Vatmother
Equipment/Pump (6)
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Grafted Wargear
1 Unspeakable Symbol (fantastic)
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Lashwrithe
1 Hatred
Tutors (5)
1 Expedition Map
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Grim Tutor
1 Dark Petition
Card Draw (8)
1 Dark Confidant
1 Night's Whisper
1 Sign in Blood
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Dark Tutelage
1 Ambition's Cost
1 Ancient Craving
1 Caress of Phyrexia
1 Funeral Charm
1 Pithing Needle
1 Dismember
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Ashes to Ashes
1 Hero's Downfall
Discard (7):
1 Duress
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Thoughtseize
1 Distress
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Parallax Nexus
1 Mind Shatter
Recursion (2)
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Profane Command
Also Peat Bog just leads to too many awkward lines of play/decisions. At least Lake of the Dead, Ebon Stronghold, and Crystal Vein always tap for B, and both Lake and Vein come into play untapped.
I'm also not sure there are enough swamps to support Bubbling Muck
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Wasteland
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 Crystal Vein
1 Cathedral of War
1 Ebon Stronghold
1 Homeward Path
1 Lake of the Dead
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 Marsh Flats
1 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Verdant Catacombs
23 Snow-Covered Swamp
Zero Mana Ramp (3):
1 Chrome Mox
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
1 Mox Diamond
One Mana Ramp (1):
1 Dark Ritual
Two Mana Ramp (9):
1 Cabal Ritual
1 Jet Medallion
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Mind Stone
1 Plague Myr
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Thought Vessel
1 Coalition Relic
1 Commander's Sphere
1 Worn Powerstone
Four Mana Ramp (1):
1 Thran Dynamo
Five Mana Ramp (1):
1 Gilded Lotus
Beaters (5)
1 Plague Stinger
1 Ichorclaw Myr
1 Whispering Specter
1 Phyrexian Crusader
1 Phyrexian Vatmother
Equipment/Pump (8)
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Grafted Wargear
1 Whispersilk Cloak
1 Unspeakable Symbol
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Lashwrithe
1 Hatred
Tutors (5)
1 Expedition Map
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Grim Tutor
1 Dark Petition
Card Draw (9)
1 Dark Confidant
1 Night's Whisper
1 Sign in Blood
1 Read the Bones
1 Dark Tutelage
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Ambition's Cost
1 Ancient Craving
1 Caress of Phyrexia
1 Funeral Charm
1 Pithing Needle
1 Dismember
1 Profane Command
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Ashes to Ashes
1 Hero's Downfall
Discard (7):
1 Duress
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Thoughtseize
1 Distress
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Parallax Nexus
1 Mind Shatter
Recursion (1)
1 Yawgmoth's Will
http://mtgtop8.com/event?e=10474&d=259909&f=EDH
http://mtgtop8.com/event?e=10474&d=259911&f=EDH
http://mtgtop8.com/event?e=8925&d=250933&f=EDH
On the one hand, dropping rocks opens up slots for removal etc. On the other hand, it seems like the deck would become so slow without them. And creature kill is almost dead against many decks.
I've been playing on cockatrice. Has really helped me tune the deck. Unfortunately it seems there are a lot of tradeoffs in terms of trying to beat aggro vs combo vs control. Skithiryx is a reasonably fast clock, but he doesn't take control of the game like other generals, nor is he versatile like others.
I'm thinking maybe the deck should be taken in a more death cloud /pox/smallpox direction.
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Wasteland
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Homeward Path
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 Gemstone Caverns
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Marsh Flats
1 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Verdant Catacombs
28 Snow-Covered Swamp
Zero Mana Ramp (3):
1 Chrome Mox
1 Mox Diamond
1 Lotus Bloom
One Mana Ramp (1):
1 Dark Ritual
Two Mana Ramp (7):
1 Jet Medallion
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Mind Stone
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Star Compass
1 Coalition Relic
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Basalt Monolith
Four Mana Ramp (1):
1 Solemn Simulacrum
Equipment/Pump (2):
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Lashwrithe
Tutors (10):
1 Expedition Map
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Shred Memory
1 Dimir Machinations
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Grim Tutor
1 Dimir House Guard
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Dark Petition
1 Brainspoil
Card Draw (6)
1 Dark Confidant
1 Night's Whisper
1 Sign in Blood
1 Dark Tutelage
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Skeletal Scrying
Multipurpose/Utility (5):
1 Funeral Charm
1 Pithing Needle
1 Dystopia
1 Liliana of the Dark Realms
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
1 Dismember
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Hero's Downfall
1 Snuff Out
1 Damnation
1 Crux of Fate
1 All is Dust
Discard (13):
1 Duress
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Thoughtseize
1 Appetite for Brains
1 Mire's Toll
1 Distress
1 Brain Maggot
1 Mesmeric Fiend
1 Transgress the Mind
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Unmask
1 Mind Sludge
1 Mind Shatter
Recursion (1):
1 Reanimate
One the innovations is to run reanimate. It lets you put a dead skittles right back into play, give it haste, and send it in. The other is to just jam in more tutors. This is basically a control deck with a fast clock as a wincon, and it's important to have the particular card you need, rather than just running a bunch of narrow removal and/or card draw and hoping you happen to draw into what you need.
Probably cut brainspoil, mind sludge, appetite for brains, and X (not sure).
Oh Nixilis can be good... But it often feels too slow.
I don't like Lake. The more I play, the more I'm convinced you can't just power out skithiryx and win, you need development. Setting yourself back on land drops leaves you very vulnerable. Then again, now that I have Griselbrand and Army, the idea of casting them on turn 4 is pretty spicy.
The problem with boseiju is that it's so bad against decks besides control. We don't have the raw goldfish speed of a buried alive deck, so the tempo loss can be pretty damaging. Cavern of souls does a lot of work against control, but without boseiju's downsides.
Notably I also dropped the lightning greaves, since its primary purpose was to protect skittles, and the newer version doesn't need to as much b/c it has Army/Grisel backup.
Also took out Dark Tutelage, b/c hitting Army/Grisel with it hurts, and I've never been terribly impressed with it. I put in Ancient Craving and Ambition's Cost. Most commander games are effectively decided early, even if they don't conclude until much later. These two spells give you the cards now, which can be a big deal. Turn 4 could be completely different b/c you drew deeper into your deck, whereas tutelage/arena only give you the very next card.
It's 100 cards right now, so taking suggestions.
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 Wasteland
1 Homeward Path
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Crystal Vein
1 Myriad Landscape
1 Peat Bog
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Marsh Flats
1 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Verdant Catacombs
28 Snow-Covered Swamp
Zero Mana Ramp (3):
1 Chrome Mox
1 Mox Diamond
1 Lotus Bloom
One Mana Ramp (1):
1 Dark Ritual
Two Mana Ramp (7):
1 Jet Medallion
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Mind Stone
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Star Compass
1 Coalition Relic
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Basalt Monolith
Four Mana Ramp (2):
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Thran Dynamo
Five Mana Ramp (1):
1 Gilded Lotus
Equipment (1):
1 Lashwrithe
Alternate Win (2):
1 Army of the Damned
1 Griselbrand
Tutors (9):
1 Expedition Map
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Shred Memory
1 Dimir Machinations
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Grim Tutor
1 Dimir House Guard
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Dark Petition
Card Draw (7)
1 Dark Confidant
1 Night's Whisper
1 Sign in Blood
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Ambition's Cost
1 Ancient Craving
1 Skeletal Scrying
1 Funeral Charm
1 Pithing Needle
1 Dystopia
1 Liliana of the Dark Realms
Removal (6):
1 Dismember
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Hero's Downfall
1 Snuff Out
1 Damnation
1 All is Dust
Discard (11):
1 Duress
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Thoughtseize
1 Mire's Toll
1 Distress
1 Brain Maggot
1 Mesmeric Fiend
1 Transgress the Mind
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Unmask
1 Mind Shatter
Recursion (1):
1 Reanimate
They both kill in three swings, but skittles starts swinging three turns earlier, and can kill in two swings or even one swing with a little help.
Is it true? Could Skithirix be what I'm looking for? I really hope so because mono black control is one of my very favourite archetypes.
Do you guys find Narset to be a problem or can you beat it with at least a 50% win/ loss ratio?
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
Griselbrand is a better choice. If you make tight plays and run a healthy number of edicts and sweepers, you can sneak him into play, and bury Narset in card advantage.
You can run the same number of "right removal" for the field and can apply more pressure. You never win the CA war against Narset.