After some searching, I didn't see any Ishkanah decks on here, which surprised me! If someone else has posted one, please let me know - I'd love to compare.
This is something of an exercise - I'd like to see if delirium is worth pursuing in EDH. I don't normally play graveyard decks, so I'd definitely appreciate the input of the community in letting me know which of these cards work, and which end up underperforming.
I do in fact have an Ishkanah, Grafwidow deck in the works. You went WAY deeper on the tribal theme than I did and I think it's awesome. Come on over and compare if you feel like. Already I see cards I may have missed like Scout the Borders and Stitch Together. I might have to find a way to include those two. If you find the time come tell me what you think. Have a great day
I just built one! Havent put the list up yet but it has a loose Swarmyard theme to go augment the spider theme. Stuff like Hornet Queen help give a little more rattlesnake power when building up your spiders. Pretty much every Grisly Salvage variant i could find and even an Urza's Bauble to help hit delirium early and often. I am not sure if i am going to start throwing real money at the deck with Crucible of the Worlds an Life from the Loam engine. So far the deck is 1-0 lifetime taking down a pretty dicey game. My general was Arrested early which i used to my advantage as people more or less ignored me most of the game. I had a Nantuko Vigilante in hand a saved it to when i had enough spiders/mana to threaten with Ishkanah, Grafwidow. I finished 2/4 players quickly but had to gind out the Narest Enchantress deck which had 50+ life and a nice pillowfort up. Thankfully he couldn't stop 18 point spider drains so a few turns of him not drawing an answer i sealed the deal.
Anyway, awesome card and good deck building potential.
In addition to Urza's Bauble, there are a few more low opportunity cost cards that can get you to delirium faster (though you probably don't want to run all of them):
Getting to 3 is usually a breeze especially if you get a Mulch early. The 4th can be difficult and usually enchantment/artifact are the more rare with this kind of deck. Also if you are worried about getting your graveyard exiled you can just hold back your baubles to reload the graveyard post Tormod's Crypt
I'll take the 20 cent bauble over the $20 bauble any day.
I picked up my playset of Mishra's Baubles at the Coldsnap pre-release because I've always had a thing for Urza's Bauble. Had no idea it got so expensive; definitely not worth it for this deck.
Also if you are worried about getting your graveyard exiled you can just hold back your baubles to reload the graveyard post Tormod's Crypt
Now that you mention it, Tormod's Crypt is playable graveyard hate that helps you hit delirium.
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You would never guess, at the terrifying sight of the man, that Hunding was as charming a companion as one could wish for.
Personally working on my own version(yet to post sorry ) which I opted to not go nuts on the spider theme but focus more on 3 mass spider generators Spider Spawning and Arachnogenesis which are pretty straight forward for the spider theme; Conspiracy in my opinion is the best option of them all as enchantments are typically harder to deal with once on the board. I have found a more goodstuff.deck approach alot more interactive and fun. Using cards you have already listed Parallel Lives and friends to get the maximum output of spiders for casting your commander, I have found simple sac outlets like Ashnod's Altar with grave pact effects an excellent way to control the board
Hi all, thanks for the opinions! Conspiracy is an excellent suggestion - I think that has to go in! Can't believe I hadn't thought about it yet. Lodestone Bauble is also very cool, I'll consider that. As you can all see, I'm still trying to slowly trim down; I'd like to debut this deck this weekend, so hopefully I can make the cuts by then. Keep an eye on this thread!
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"The sword blazed bright as he held it high, filling him with righteous might." - Book 4, Tome of Kor-Nevan
Was looking though my deck and I realized I forgot to mention an awesome combo which is really for some fun shenanigans life // death with conspiracy and if your feeling extra lucky ashnod's altar ends games very quickly.
Excellent point. And with even just these few changelings in the deck, Cateran Summons becomes pretty good. It's a 1 CMC sorcery that replaces its self and it can find a cheap spider (Skeletal Changeling), a good spider (Chameleon Colossus) or a removal spell with two more card types (Nameless Inversion).
Hey I finally got my list up Spider Cannon, just thought you should know as I remembered that your post said you where looking of other decks for comparison. Hope your list goes well
Hey I finally got my list up Spider Cannon, just thought you should know as I remembered that your post said you where looking of other decks for comparison. Hope your list goes well
Thanks for the update! I'll definitely take a look at your list as well. I've finally got mine down to 100 - would appreciate any feedback! I'm a little worried that I cut a few too many of my sac outlets and sorcery speed delirium enablers, I'm definitely going to need to do some playtesting!
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"The sword blazed bright as he held it high, filling him with righteous might." - Book 4, Tome of Kor-Nevan
Interesting! Seems very similar to my build, I was considering a lot of these same cards. I think he's missing a couple cards that have the potential to be really amazing in this deck, like Foster and Living Death, but overall it looks good. Thanks for the link.
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"The sword blazed bright as he held it high, filling him with righteous might." - Book 4, Tome of Kor-Nevan
Thanks! Just about all of these were in the deck at one point or another, but unfortunately didn't make it in the cuts down to 100. Assault Formation is an excellent card, but ultimately I decided that my win con will likely be Ishkanah, not attacking. Crop Sigil and Vessel of Nascency made it all the way to the very end, they were a few of the last cuts I had to force myself to make. They could definitely come back at some point, I unfortunately haven't had the opportunity to playtest the deck yet!
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"The sword blazed bright as he held it high, filling him with righteous might." - Book 4, Tome of Kor-Nevan
I'd definitely reconsider Crop Sigil and Vessel of Nascency. Extra card selection is always nice, and both cards have really low initial mana costs. It's easy to drop one when you have spare mana open, and then crack it to help get the one card you need.
Assault Formation is useful when you can't always rely on Ishkanah. At least give it a second thought as well.
Finally, one card I noticed was missing was Altar of Dementia. If the game goes late and you have Sewer Nemesis/Lord of Extinction out, you can sac it to mill your opponent down to nothing.
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EDH/Commander
(W/U)(W/U)Raff Capashen, Ship's Mage: The New da Vinci (historic control)
(W/B)(W/B)Teysa Karlov: Death Be Not Kind (aristocrats)
(R/G)(R/G)Hallar, the Firefletcher: Yavimaya Burning (kicker and counters)
(B/G)(G/U)Sidisi, Brood Tyrant: Queen of the Damned (dredge)
Maybe Build
(W/U)(U/B)Aminatou, the Fateshifter: And a Child Shall Lead Them (superfriends)
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This is something of an exercise - I'd like to see if delirium is worth pursuing in EDH. I don't normally play graveyard decks, so I'd definitely appreciate the input of the community in letting me know which of these cards work, and which end up underperforming.
5 Ishkanah, Grafwidow
Creature (25)
2 Deadly Recluse
2 Juvenile Gloomwidow
2 Obsessive Skinner
3 Frostweb Spider
3 Nyx Weaver
3 Shambling Shell
3 Sporecap Spider
4 Graverobber Spider
4 Kessig Recluse
4 Penumbra Spider
4 Sewer Nemesis
4 Swift Spinner
4 Yeva, Nature's Herald
5 Acid Web Spider
5 Lord of Extinction
5 Sentinel Spider
5 Silklash Spider
5 Spitting Spider
5 Stingerfling Spider
5 Watcher in the Web
6 Arachnus Spinner
6 Archetype of Finality
6 Gleancrawler
6 Skysnare Spider
7 Jungle Weaver
Instant (8)
2 Golgari Charm
2 Grapple with the Past
2 Grisly Salvage
2 Urborg Justice
3 Arachnogenesis
3 Harrow
4 Second Harvest
4 Sudden Reclamation
2 Life from the Loam
3 Maelstrom Pulse
4 Splendid Reclamation
5 Living Death
5 Parallel Evolution
5 Spider Spawning
6 Seasons Past
6 Verdant Confluence
9 Rise of the Dark Realms
Artifact (6)
3 Ashnod's Altar
3 Crucible of Worlds
3 Rings of Brighthearth
4 Bonehoard
5 Conjurer's Closet
Enchantment (12)
1 Vampiric Rites
1 Vessel of Nascency
2 Cryptolith Rite
2 Steely Resolve
3 Arachnus Web
3 Attrition
3 Crawling Sensation
4 Deathreap Ritual
4 Foster
4 Parallel Lives
5 Dictate of Erebos
6 Deadbridge Chant
Planeswalker (2)
5 Vraska the Unseen
7 Garruk, Apex Predator
Land (38)
11 Forest
4 Swamp
1 Barren Moor
1 Blighted Woodland
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Dakmor Salvage
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Golgari Guildgate
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Grim Backwoods
1 Hissing Quagmire
1 Jund Panorama
1 Jungle Hollow
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Svogthos, the Restless Tomb
1 Swarmyard
1 Temple of Malady
1 Temple of the False God
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Tree of Tales
1 Vault of Whispers
1 Winding Canyons
1 Woodland Cemetery
2 Deadly Recluse
2 Juvenile Gloomwidow
3 Frostweb Spider
3 Nyx Weaver
3 Sporecap Spider
4 Graverobber Spider
4 Kessig Recluse
4 Penumbra Spider
4 Swift Spinner
5 Acid Web Spider
5 Ishkanah, Grafwidow
5 Sentinel Spider
5 Silklash Spider
5 Spitting Spider
5 Stingerfling Spider
5 Watcher in the Web
6 Arachnus Spinner
6 Skysnare Spider
7 Jungle Weaver
Self-Mill/Ramp
1 Vessel of Nascency
2 Grapple with the Past
2 Grisly Salvage
2 Life from the Loam
3 Crawling Sensation
3 Harrow
3 Shambling Shell
4 Sudden Reclamation
4 Foster
6 Verdant Confluence
3 Crucible of Worlds
4 Splendid Reclamation
5 Living Death
6 Deadbridge Chant
6 Gleancrawler
6 Seasons Past
9 Rise of the Dark Realms
Tokens
4 Parallel Lives
4 Second Harvest
5 Conjurer's Closet
5 Parallel Evolution
5 Spider Spawning
Protection/Removal
2 Golgari Charm
2 Steely Resolve
2 Urborg Justice
3 Arachnogenesis
3 Arachnus Web
3 Attrition
3 Maelstrom Pulse
4 Yeva, Nature's Herald
5 Dictate of Erebos
5 Vraska the Unseen
6 Archetype of Finality
7 Garruk, Apex Predator
Card Draw
1 Vampiric Rites
4 Deathreap Ritual
Win Condition(s)
2 Obsessive Skinner
3 Rings of Brighthearth
4 Bonehoard
4 Sewer Nemesis
5 Lord of Extinction
3 Ashnod's Altar
2 Cryptolith Rite
11 Forest
4 Swamp
1 Barren Moor
1 Blighted Woodland
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Dakmor Salvage
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Golgari Guildgate
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Grim Backwoods
1 Hissing Quagmire
1 Jund Panorama
1 Jungle Hollow
1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Svogthos, the Restless Tomb
1 Swarmyard
1 Temple of Malady
1 Temple of the False God
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Tree of Tales
1 Vault of Whispers
1 Winding Canyons
1 Woodland Cemetery
Other cards considered:
- Aquastrand Spider
- Keeper of the Dead
- Adaptive Automaton
- Quagmire Druid
- Splinterfright
- Sporecap Spider
- Creakwood Liege
- Plated Spider
- Somberwald Spider
- Arachnoid
- Tangle Spider
- Champion of Stray Souls
- Fell Shepherd
- Druid's Deliverance
- Tower Defense
- Krosan Grip
- Realms Uncharted
- Gloomwidow's Feast
- Commune with the Gods
- Fork in the Road
- Gather the Pack
- Mulch
- Stitch Together
- Gaze of Granite
- Scout the Borders
- Bitter Revelation
- Grim Flowering
- Necromantic Selection
- Lodestone Bauble
- Skeleton Key
- Stoneforge Masterwork
- Altar of Dementia
- Urza's Incubator
- Door of Destinies
- Riptide Replicator
- Crop Sigil
- Hidden Spider
- Vessel of Nascency
- Assault Formation
- Dense Canopy
- Evolutionary Leap
- Seal of Primordium
- Fecundity
- Conspiracy
- Palace Siege
- Perilous Forays
- Lurking Predators
Current EDH decks:
WBG Doran, the Siege Tower (I Like Big Butts)
URG Surrak Dragonclaw (Guttural Response)
UG Ezuri, Claw of Progress (Phyrexia's Claw)
BR Kaervek the Merciless (Keep Kaervek Alive)
BG Ishkanah, Grafwidow (Descend into Delirium)
W Eight-and-a-Half-Tails (Mark 8.5)
U Thassa, God of the Sea (Here There Be Monsters)
I do in fact have an Ishkanah, Grafwidow deck in the works. You went WAY deeper on the tribal theme than I did and I think it's awesome. Come on over and compare if you feel like. Already I see cards I may have missed like Scout the Borders and Stitch Together. I might have to find a way to include those two. If you find the time come tell me what you think. Have a great day
U Azami, Lady of Scrolls - Knowledge is Power U [Primer]
R Heartless Hidetsugu - The Art of Ending Games R
GB Ishkanah, Grafwidow - The Cluster HungersBG
Anyway, awesome card and good deck building potential.
In Progress
GBIshkanah, Grafwidow ~ BWGRTymna the Weaver & Tana, the Bloodsower ~ UGRashmi, Eternities Crafter ~ RGAtarka, World Render
Font of Fertility i should pick up and add.
Getting to 3 is usually a breeze especially if you get a Mulch early. The 4th can be difficult and usually enchantment/artifact are the more rare with this kind of deck. Also if you are worried about getting your graveyard exiled you can just hold back your baubles to reload the graveyard post Tormod's Crypt
In Progress
GBIshkanah, Grafwidow ~ BWGRTymna the Weaver & Tana, the Bloodsower ~ UGRashmi, Eternities Crafter ~ RGAtarka, World Render
I picked up my playset of Mishra's Baubles at the Coldsnap pre-release because I've always had a thing for Urza's Bauble. Had no idea it got so expensive; definitely not worth it for this deck.
Now that you mention it, Tormod's Crypt is playable graveyard hate that helps you hit delirium.
Current EDH decks:
WBG Doran, the Siege Tower (I Like Big Butts)
URG Surrak Dragonclaw (Guttural Response)
UG Ezuri, Claw of Progress (Phyrexia's Claw)
BR Kaervek the Merciless (Keep Kaervek Alive)
BG Ishkanah, Grafwidow (Descend into Delirium)
W Eight-and-a-Half-Tails (Mark 8.5)
U Thassa, God of the Sea (Here There Be Monsters)
Chameleon Colossus
Cairn Wanderer
Changeling Titan
Skeletal Changeling
Also maybe Adaptive Automaton?
Excellent point. And with even just these few changelings in the deck, Cateran Summons becomes pretty good. It's a 1 CMC sorcery that replaces its self and it can find a cheap spider (Skeletal Changeling), a good spider (Chameleon Colossus) or a removal spell with two more card types (Nameless Inversion).
Also, Vault of Whispers and Tree of Tales are low opportunity cost ways to help with delirium if you mill them over. Terramorphic Expanse and Jund Panorama are basically two more copies of Evolving Wilds without the pricetag of something like Verdant Catacombs.
Cuts down to 105, but it's getting tough!!
Current EDH decks:
WBG Doran, the Siege Tower (I Like Big Butts)
URG Surrak Dragonclaw (Guttural Response)
UG Ezuri, Claw of Progress (Phyrexia's Claw)
BR Kaervek the Merciless (Keep Kaervek Alive)
BG Ishkanah, Grafwidow (Descend into Delirium)
W Eight-and-a-Half-Tails (Mark 8.5)
U Thassa, God of the Sea (Here There Be Monsters)
Thanks for the update! I'll definitely take a look at your list as well. I've finally got mine down to 100 - would appreciate any feedback! I'm a little worried that I cut a few too many of my sac outlets and sorcery speed delirium enablers, I'm definitely going to need to do some playtesting!
Current EDH decks:
WBG Doran, the Siege Tower (I Like Big Butts)
URG Surrak Dragonclaw (Guttural Response)
UG Ezuri, Claw of Progress (Phyrexia's Claw)
BR Kaervek the Merciless (Keep Kaervek Alive)
BG Ishkanah, Grafwidow (Descend into Delirium)
W Eight-and-a-Half-Tails (Mark 8.5)
U Thassa, God of the Sea (Here There Be Monsters)
http://www.channelfireball.com/home/commander-ishkanah-grafwidow/
Interesting! Seems very similar to my build, I was considering a lot of these same cards. I think he's missing a couple cards that have the potential to be really amazing in this deck, like Foster and Living Death, but overall it looks good. Thanks for the link.
Current EDH decks:
WBG Doran, the Siege Tower (I Like Big Butts)
URG Surrak Dragonclaw (Guttural Response)
UG Ezuri, Claw of Progress (Phyrexia's Claw)
BR Kaervek the Merciless (Keep Kaervek Alive)
BG Ishkanah, Grafwidow (Descend into Delirium)
W Eight-and-a-Half-Tails (Mark 8.5)
U Thassa, God of the Sea (Here There Be Monsters)
Thanks! Just about all of these were in the deck at one point or another, but unfortunately didn't make it in the cuts down to 100. Assault Formation is an excellent card, but ultimately I decided that my win con will likely be Ishkanah, not attacking. Crop Sigil and Vessel of Nascency made it all the way to the very end, they were a few of the last cuts I had to force myself to make. They could definitely come back at some point, I unfortunately haven't had the opportunity to playtest the deck yet!
Current EDH decks:
WBG Doran, the Siege Tower (I Like Big Butts)
URG Surrak Dragonclaw (Guttural Response)
UG Ezuri, Claw of Progress (Phyrexia's Claw)
BR Kaervek the Merciless (Keep Kaervek Alive)
BG Ishkanah, Grafwidow (Descend into Delirium)
W Eight-and-a-Half-Tails (Mark 8.5)
U Thassa, God of the Sea (Here There Be Monsters)
Assault Formation is useful when you can't always rely on Ishkanah. At least give it a second thought as well.
Finally, one card I noticed was missing was Altar of Dementia. If the game goes late and you have Sewer Nemesis/Lord of Extinction out, you can sac it to mill your opponent down to nothing.