I'd rather have Demonic Tutor in there over the 3rd Exsanguinate, for example. I could find another card to shave for a Vampiric Tutor as well. The cards do cost $, but they also go into just about every Black deck.
I think you are missing the point, anyway. Exsanguinate is used as a late game play to finish things up. I wouldn't be casting it before turn 5, like, ever. When would I cast Demonic Tutor? If I cast it on turns 2-5, I am working at odds with my deck's desire to pump out devotion. If I play it after that, it means that I either HAVEN'T built up my devotion by this time and am looking for a card to do so (in which case I likely die anyway), or I HAVE built up devotion, but need to search for a finisher... in which case, had I put that card in FOR Exsanguinate, it means I would have actually simply HAD Exsanguinate in my hand to begin with pre-edit, and I simply waste a turn. Same deal for Vampiric Tutor. Either way, the list is better without them.
It's your deck, so you can safely ignore any of the following.
I am aware of how the deck functions.
Exsanguinate can't fetch Vampire Hexmage to deal with a near-ultimate PW, a Nykthos to add +5 to X on that other Exsanguinate already in hand, any piece of the Fleshbag, GP, Unholy Grotto synergy, etc. It also can't act like a virtual 5th Gary.
Tutors might also allow additional diversification of answers. This benefit is less apparent when goldfishing, but more important when facing a range of opposing strategies. For example, I might run one copy of No Mercy and one copy of Grave Pact and feel like I have two of both. Or tutor into the singleton Syphon Mind to draw 7 cards when my hand is empty and my board has been Planar Cleansing-ed.
You use the Legacy B&R list, so VT and DT are always going to be out regardless, I get that.
An option that is Legacy legal - I'm not sure it fits in your deck, but works great in Grave Pact-heavy decks, might be Diabolic Intent. It comes with all the benefits of a Demonic Tutor, but also acts as an excellent single-use sacrifice outlet - perhaps to loop Gary or perhaps just to trigger Grave Pact.
For the record when people say "tutors" I don't just assume that they mean Vampiric and Demonic because that point things like Sol Ring, Mana Vault, Skullclamp, Yawgmoth's Will, etc. should also be legal. You're talking about a very different deck at that point.
I disagree that Demonic Tutor can basically ever be a bad card. I don't think that Vampiric Tutor is very good in fair decks, -1 card and -2 life is a steep cost, but even then I'll always play it if it's legal. If we're assuming that these specific tutors are legal, sure, you'd obviously run them. My point is simply that fair tutors are not what this kind of deck what to be playing. All things being equal I'd much rather slam a Phyrexian Arena variant because devotion is what you need more than any one specific card. I would never ever recommend playing Diabolic Tutor over it for example and I don't think that Diabolic Intent is remotely playable outside of EDH.
That's exactly the point. If I played a deck with Demonic or Vampiric Tutor in it, it would NOT be this deck. It would end up being a deck that would be far too oppressive for our casual play group. But, within the bounds of this deck, as stated, the deck is better served jamming the devotion generating permanents available to it.
I think you are missing the point, anyway. Exsanguinate is used as a late game play to finish things up. I wouldn't be casting it before turn 5, like, ever. When would I cast Demonic Tutor? If I cast it on turns 2-5, I am working at odds with my deck's desire to pump out devotion. If I play it after that, it means that I either HAVEN'T built up my devotion by this time and am looking for a card to do so (in which case I likely die anyway), or I HAVE built up devotion, but need to search for a finisher... in which case, had I put that card in FOR Exsanguinate, it means I would have actually simply HAD Exsanguinate in my hand to begin with pre-edit, and I simply waste a turn. Same deal for Vampiric Tutor. Either way, the list is better without them.
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I am aware of how the deck functions.
Exsanguinate can't fetch Vampire Hexmage to deal with a near-ultimate PW, a Nykthos to add +5 to X on that other Exsanguinate already in hand, any piece of the Fleshbag, GP, Unholy Grotto synergy, etc. It also can't act like a virtual 5th Gary.
Tutors might also allow additional diversification of answers. This benefit is less apparent when goldfishing, but more important when facing a range of opposing strategies. For example, I might run one copy of No Mercy and one copy of Grave Pact and feel like I have two of both. Or tutor into the singleton Syphon Mind to draw 7 cards when my hand is empty and my board has been Planar Cleansing-ed.
You use the Legacy B&R list, so VT and DT are always going to be out regardless, I get that.
An option that is Legacy legal - I'm not sure it fits in your deck, but works great in Grave Pact-heavy decks, might be Diabolic Intent. It comes with all the benefits of a Demonic Tutor, but also acts as an excellent single-use sacrifice outlet - perhaps to loop Gary or perhaps just to trigger Grave Pact.
I disagree that Demonic Tutor can basically ever be a bad card. I don't think that Vampiric Tutor is very good in fair decks, -1 card and -2 life is a steep cost, but even then I'll always play it if it's legal. If we're assuming that these specific tutors are legal, sure, you'd obviously run them. My point is simply that fair tutors are not what this kind of deck what to be playing. All things being equal I'd much rather slam a Phyrexian Arena variant because devotion is what you need more than any one specific card. I would never ever recommend playing Diabolic Tutor over it for example and I don't think that Diabolic Intent is remotely playable outside of EDH.
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My Powered 610 card Vintage Multiplayer Cube
cEDH: WUBR Blue Farm WUBR, UG Kinnan Flips UG, U Urza Scepter U