I decided I wanted to play Omnath, Locus of Rage as soon as it was spoiled. During the pre-release I opened one and set to work. Fortunately and unfortunately a friend began work as well. He gathered about 12 cards before he switched to Noyan Dar. I bought those cards off of him, complied my decklist, proxied it and began playing with it in about 5 days after I traded for those cards. I have played this deck from then to now and it still continues to be one of my favorite EDH decks I have ever built.
Personal Bio:
I began playing magic when I was around 10. My very first deck was a worldwake intro deck that featured Mordant Dragon and several landfall creatures. I was a complete noob and eventually combined two intro decks because I thought a bigger deck was a better deck. After that I stopped for several years and began again during the theros block. About a month after getting back into MTG I was surrounded by some very competitive players and quickly picked up advanced rules and deckbuilding strategies. When commander 2013 was announced I got supper excited and waited for it to release. I picked the Derevi deck and immedietly fell in love with the chaotic multiplayer game. I won that game after one player slowly annihilated player after player with 52 2/2 zombies. He swung at me then conceded. My favorite color combination is Temur (red, blue, green) so my first EDH deck I built was Intet, The dreamer. It was a crazy deck that led so several massive games. Alas I retired it for Riku after everyone in my play group said Intet was a bad commander (just so you guys know, there is no such thing as a bad commander). Since then I gave up standard and I have pretty much solely played EDH.
You might like Omnath if...
-You like winning with damage: Most games end with a massive swing or sacrificing a bunch of elementals to kill players with 12-15 lightning bolts
-You like tokens: There are several token generators in this deck including the general himself. They play a pretty big role in this deck all the way from chump blocking to swinging for a win.
-You like to play big stompy monsters: Spoilers, if you love spellslinging this deck is not for you. Most of the strategy is play big things, attack, win.
-You like decks with generals that play an important role in the deck: Omnath is probably our primary win condition due to his strong abilities.
You might not like Omnath if...
-You like combos: If there is any Omnath isn't, its a combo general. There is a total of one combo and its power ranges from being a blowout to doing almost nothing. (I will explain further on).
-You like cheap commanders: Omnath is 7 mana and has no real evasion. If you don't like playing your commanders only to have it die, don't play Omnath.
-You like to win: Omnath is powerful and fun, but it won't win you every game you play.
Other RG Generals:
Omnath is the general I chose to pilot this deck, but he isn't the only RG general out there.
-Mina and Denn, Wildborn- When I built this deck, this card was not yet released. Mina and Denn offer an excelent ability, but wouldn't be a crucial part of a deck of their own. I see them as better in the 99 than as the 1.
-Rosheen Meanderer- This card has an awesome ability and is a great commander for hydras, but lacks in other regards. If you want to make a hydra deck this general is much beter than Omnath, which is more elemental based.
-Ulasht, the Hate Seed- By far the better token generator, Ulasht is very powerful. I, personally, am a fan of fat, stompy cards and Omnath is much better in that regard. For me a condition 5/5 token is better than a guaranteed 1/1 token.
-Stonebrow, Krosan Hero- An excelent card, very stompy. However... Don't you feel like its a little one sided? Don't get me wrong I love swinging with big dudes! Except, I love more than just swinging with big dudes, I want to interact more with the field. Omnath can do that.
-Thromok, the Insatiable- see above /\. Thromok is slightly more interactive than Stronebrow, but not much.
-Xenagos, God of Revels- Not crucial enough for the deck. I like my generals to be important to the game plan. Xenagos is strong, but not important.
-Ruric Thar, the Unbowed- For the player that despises storm, or any spellslinging deck for that matter. I want to be able to do more than just shove fatties into my deck. Omnath won't hurt me if I play a ramp spell, or a enchantment that gives my stuff haste.
-Wort, the Raidmother- Sorta the exact opposite of Ruric Thar. Tokens and spellslinging. Kinda a weird mix if you ask me. I'm sure its powerful, but if I want to sling spells I'm not going to play RG.
- The Atarka's (Atarka, World Render, and Dragonlord Atarka)- Dergons! But that's kinda it. Not central enough for me.
-Borborygmos Engraged- Very similar to Omnath, except, I'd rather have my lands I play, get a 5/5 and then get the bolt, over just the bolt.
Early Game (Pre-Omnath phase)
The pre-Omnath phase is the set-up phase. It's dominated by ramp with some board set-up. For the set up, imagine your boss told you they are coming in 30 mins, and you have to prepare your office. Aside from ramp you want to lay down some early creatures, Sakura-tribe elder is great, and Bloodbraid elf is a two for one. You will also need some enchantments/artifacts, almost all noncreature permenmants with a lower cost are good before Omnath: Rite of the Raging Storm? Great. Kalhni heart expedition? Fantastic. Seer's Sundial? Why not. You can't really go wrong. I would highly suggest you not use all available ramp spells because they are great with Omnath out as well. Whatever you do, DO NOT play Omnath if you can't follow him up with a land or a ramp spell the same turn you play him. You want to follow him up with a Kalhni heart expedition, a land, aSakura-tribe elder, or a land and one of those cards. No matter what you want Omnath to produce one elemental the turn he is played. Either way he will likely be removed and if you get an elemental you benefit more.
Mid/late game (Token phase)
During this phase Omnath should be out as much as possible while you produce tokens and benefit. One card with a nice mix is Rite of the Raging Storm. The tokens don't last forever, but they can spawn (trigger Purphuros or Warstorm Surge) they can attack (and other players can attack eachother with a little persuasion) and they will die for a bolt off of Omnath. Other good cards are Purphuros, God of the Forge, Surge, Zendikar's Roil, Parallel lives for more tokens, and pretty much mostly anything. There aren't too many dull cards in this deck. Just produce, benefit, and widdle down opponents life-totals. Don't call attention to yourself and if you find an opponent deciding whether or not to kill Omanth, work your charisma and see if you can get that target shifted to a "more important threat" :D.
Late/very late game (Beatdown phase) At this point you're probably already down a player, you've been playing threats, you've been producing tokens, and you may or may not be running low on lands and/or cards in hand. There are three ways I like to close out games:
1. There can only be one- you survived by being nice, not threatening, and now you power through with a sudden burst of tokens or a large amount of elementals that die to a board wipe or sacrificed to destroy the opposition.
2. The Dictator- You've gotten this far by keeping others down or pitting enemies against enemies (using charisma) until they are can't fight back. You can end it with a large horde of tokens, or use a sac outlet, or go for a Surge or Purphoros kill. Anything goes.
3. The Underdog- You start behind and you end things with a surprise Craterhoof Behemoth or a surprise sac into killing several low lifed opponents.
If these fail, or you're set back, just return to phase two.
This concludes the decklist and whatnot. Comment if you have any questions or would like to make suggestions!
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Introduction and Deck History:
I decided I wanted to play Omnath, Locus of Rage as soon as it was spoiled. During the pre-release I opened one and set to work. Fortunately and unfortunately a friend began work as well. He gathered about 12 cards before he switched to Noyan Dar. I bought those cards off of him, complied my decklist, proxied it and began playing with it in about 5 days after I traded for those cards. I have played this deck from then to now and it still continues to be one of my favorite EDH decks I have ever built.
Personal Bio:
I began playing magic when I was around 10. My very first deck was a worldwake intro deck that featured Mordant Dragon and several landfall creatures. I was a complete noob and eventually combined two intro decks because I thought a bigger deck was a better deck. After that I stopped for several years and began again during the theros block. About a month after getting back into MTG I was surrounded by some very competitive players and quickly picked up advanced rules and deckbuilding strategies. When commander 2013 was announced I got supper excited and waited for it to release. I picked the Derevi deck and immedietly fell in love with the chaotic multiplayer game. I won that game after one player slowly annihilated player after player with 52 2/2 zombies. He swung at me then conceded. My favorite color combination is Temur (red, blue, green) so my first EDH deck I built was Intet, The dreamer. It was a crazy deck that led so several massive games. Alas I retired it for Riku after everyone in my play group said Intet was a bad commander (just so you guys know, there is no such thing as a bad commander). Since then I gave up standard and I have pretty much solely played EDH.
You might like Omnath if...
-You like winning with damage: Most games end with a massive swing or sacrificing a bunch of elementals to kill players with 12-15 lightning bolts
-You like tokens: There are several token generators in this deck including the general himself. They play a pretty big role in this deck all the way from chump blocking to swinging for a win.
-You like to play big stompy monsters: Spoilers, if you love spellslinging this deck is not for you. Most of the strategy is play big things, attack, win.
-You like decks with generals that play an important role in the deck: Omnath is probably our primary win condition due to his strong abilities.
You might not like Omnath if...
-You like combos: If there is any Omnath isn't, its a combo general. There is a total of one combo and its power ranges from being a blowout to doing almost nothing. (I will explain further on).
-You like cheap commanders: Omnath is 7 mana and has no real evasion. If you don't like playing your commanders only to have it die, don't play Omnath.
-You like to win: Omnath is powerful and fun, but it won't win you every game you play.
Other RG Generals:
Omnath is the general I chose to pilot this deck, but he isn't the only RG general out there.
-Mina and Denn, Wildborn- When I built this deck, this card was not yet released. Mina and Denn offer an excelent ability, but wouldn't be a crucial part of a deck of their own. I see them as better in the 99 than as the 1.
-Rosheen Meanderer- This card has an awesome ability and is a great commander for hydras, but lacks in other regards. If you want to make a hydra deck this general is much beter than Omnath, which is more elemental based.
-Ulasht, the Hate Seed- By far the better token generator, Ulasht is very powerful. I, personally, am a fan of fat, stompy cards and Omnath is much better in that regard. For me a condition 5/5 token is better than a guaranteed 1/1 token.
-Stonebrow, Krosan Hero- An excelent card, very stompy. However... Don't you feel like its a little one sided? Don't get me wrong I love swinging with big dudes! Except, I love more than just swinging with big dudes, I want to interact more with the field. Omnath can do that.
-Thromok, the Insatiable- see above /\. Thromok is slightly more interactive than Stronebrow, but not much.
-Xenagos, God of Revels- Not crucial enough for the deck. I like my generals to be important to the game plan. Xenagos is strong, but not important.
-Ruric Thar, the Unbowed- For the player that despises storm, or any spellslinging deck for that matter. I want to be able to do more than just shove fatties into my deck. Omnath won't hurt me if I play a ramp spell, or a enchantment that gives my stuff haste.
-Wort, the Raidmother- Sorta the exact opposite of Ruric Thar. Tokens and spellslinging. Kinda a weird mix if you ask me. I'm sure its powerful, but if I want to sling spells I'm not going to play RG.
- The Atarka's (Atarka, World Render, and Dragonlord Atarka)- Dergons! But that's kinda it. Not central enough for me.
-Borborygmos Engraged- Very similar to Omnath, except, I'd rather have my lands I play, get a 5/5 and then get the bolt, over just the bolt.
AND NOW, THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!
THE DECKLIST!
7 Omnath, Locus of Rage
Creatures:30
1 Dragonmaster Outcast
1 Scute Mob
2 Apocalypse Hydra
2 Lotus Cobra
2 Sakura-Tribe Elder
3 Archetype of Aggression
3 Burnished Hart
3 Courser of Kruphix
3 Eternal Witness
3 Undergrowth Champion
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Mina and Denn, Wildborn
4 Purphoros, God of the Forge
4 Rakka Mar
4 Solemn Simulacrum
5 Acidic Slime
5 Titania, Protector of Argoth
6 Cyclops of Eternal Fury
6 Grave Sifter
6 Greenwarden of Murasa
6 Oblivion Sower
6 Phytotitan
6 Rampaging Baloths
6 Woodland Bellower
7 Avenger of Zendikar
7 Gaea's Revenge
8 Craterhoof Behemoth
8 Liege of the Tangle
8 Walker of the Grove
8 Woodfall Primus
1 Sol Ring
2 Swiftfoot Boots
2 Sword of the Animist
3 Ashnod's Altar
4 Seer's Sundial
Enchantments: 10
2 Evolutionary Leap
2 Goblin Bombardment
2 Khalni Heart Expedition
3 Elemental Bond
3 Fires of Yavimaya
4 Parallel Lives
5 Perilous Forays
5 Rite of the Raging Storm
5 Zendikar's Roil
6 Warstorm Surge
Instants: 4
1 Worldly Tutor
3 Chaos Warp
3 Harrow
3 Krosan Grip
Sorceries: 10
1 Animist's Awakening
1 Tempt with Vengeance
2 Hull Breach
3 Cultivate
3 Genesis Wave
4 Chain Reaction
4 Explosive Vegetation
5 Creeping Renaissance
5 Shamanic Revelation
9 Blasphemous Act
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
5 Nissa, Worldwaker
Lands:38
0 Blighted Woodland
0 Cinder Glade
0 Command Tower
0 Evolving Wilds
14 Forest
0 Gruul Guildgate
0 Mosswort Bridge
12 Mountain
0 Reliquary Tower
0 Stomping Ground
0 Temple of Abandon
0 Temple of the False God
0 Terramorphic Expanse
0 Wooded Foothills
Early Game (Pre-Omnath phase)
The pre-Omnath phase is the set-up phase. It's dominated by ramp with some board set-up. For the set up, imagine your boss told you they are coming in 30 mins, and you have to prepare your office. Aside from ramp you want to lay down some early creatures, Sakura-tribe elder is great, and Bloodbraid elf is a two for one. You will also need some enchantments/artifacts, almost all noncreature permenmants with a lower cost are good before Omnath: Rite of the Raging Storm? Great. Kalhni heart expedition? Fantastic. Seer's Sundial? Why not. You can't really go wrong. I would highly suggest you not use all available ramp spells because they are great with Omnath out as well. Whatever you do, DO NOT play Omnath if you can't follow him up with a land or a ramp spell the same turn you play him. You want to follow him up with a Kalhni heart expedition, a land, aSakura-tribe elder, or a land and one of those cards. No matter what you want Omnath to produce one elemental the turn he is played. Either way he will likely be removed and if you get an elemental you benefit more.
Mid/late game (Token phase)
During this phase Omnath should be out as much as possible while you produce tokens and benefit. One card with a nice mix is Rite of the Raging Storm. The tokens don't last forever, but they can spawn (trigger Purphuros or Warstorm Surge) they can attack (and other players can attack eachother with a little persuasion) and they will die for a bolt off of Omnath. Other good cards are Purphuros, God of the Forge, Surge, Zendikar's Roil, Parallel lives for more tokens, and pretty much mostly anything. There aren't too many dull cards in this deck. Just produce, benefit, and widdle down opponents life-totals. Don't call attention to yourself and if you find an opponent deciding whether or not to kill Omanth, work your charisma and see if you can get that target shifted to a "more important threat" :D.
Late/very late game (Beatdown phase)
At this point you're probably already down a player, you've been playing threats, you've been producing tokens, and you may or may not be running low on lands and/or cards in hand. There are three ways I like to close out games:
1. There can only be one- you survived by being nice, not threatening, and now you power through with a sudden burst of tokens or a large amount of elementals that die to a board wipe or sacrificed to destroy the opposition.
2. The Dictator- You've gotten this far by keeping others down or pitting enemies against enemies (using charisma) until they are can't fight back. You can end it with a large horde of tokens, or use a sac outlet, or go for a Surge or Purphoros kill. Anything goes.
3. The Underdog- You start behind and you end things with a surprise Craterhoof Behemoth or a surprise sac into killing several low lifed opponents.
If these fail, or you're set back, just return to phase two.
This concludes the decklist and whatnot. Comment if you have any questions or would like to make suggestions!