Following this thread, I've been working on an Pauper Aristocrats deck, which seems fairly promising in the post Treasure Cruise meta. This kind of deck got a gift from the heavens in the form of Vulturous Aven, which alongside Unearth effects and Black's discard critters gives us a pretty solid form of card advantage to work with, all of this coupled with useful sac outlets and creatures that give us benefits upon dying, increasing even more our card advantage. I believe the deck could be made in both Orzhov and Golgari colors, with Rakdos coming a close second thanks to Mogg War Marshal and Hissing Iguanar. I'm currently working on an Orzhov one, which has some solid sacrificial lambs, Pauper's Lingering Souls in Battle Screech and a good handful of Humans, which are important to the deck (now you'll know why). Without further ado, I present you the decklist:
The deck can attack from so many angles and is so resilient that it puts up a good fight against practically all matchups. It can attack swarming with a myriad of creatures, from the air with Spirit tokens, Torturer and Aven, equipping an evasive creature with Bonesplitter or simply throwing powerful punches in the back of giant creatures. I would want to include some things that could be pretty brutal though. Upping the count on both Wakedancer and Battle Screech would be a great start. Pushing in 1-2 removal with Flashback (or maybe a 3/3 split with Tragic Slip) to further increase the card advantage would be stellar (For your info, the two best flashback removal spells available in our colors are Chainer's Edict, which also helps against Bogles, and Crippling Fatigue, which can be flashed back earlier at the cost of taking out some life. There's also Gaze of Justice which can be a pseudo path to exile, but it's hard to cast from the grave as your opponent can simply keep you off from having 3 white creatures).
These flashback spells are important to the deck and are the main reason I chose Rotting Rats over Butcher Ghoul is that the former is a repeatable source of disruption on a stick that can be sacrificed twice. It's Unearth cost can't be interrupted by counterspells, and when played right, it can create huge advantages. Dropping a creature like Wakedancer to bring back two bodies for just B with Unearth is pretty brutal, so is bringing back a discarded Falkenrath Torturer. Granting Doomed Traveler or Loyal Cathar two extra lives isn't out of question either. Add to the mix some of the flashback removal spells + Battle Screech and we have a pseudo Liliana of the Veil engine in Pauper.
The final card I'd like to add the mix is the most forgettable one, since all of the above is more important than a huge beater. It is Unruly Mob, a creature that becomes bigger when something dies, and adds another lightningrod to our selection of creatures that can simply grow big. It's on Unearth range, it's a human for Falkenrath Torturer, and it's white so it taps for Battle Screech's flashback.
I believe there's a lot of brewing potential and we could eventually make this into a Primer deck like with Caw Blade. I know a green version is possible with Brindle Shoat, Young Wolf and Viridian Emissary, but those would need another aristocrat since the deck would lack humans, so I'd prefer we discuss the white version first and then move to the green one. Any help will be appreciated!
I like the look of the deck and I brewed up a similar deck a long time ago that was Mono Black. Here is the Thread.
I see the attraction of Unruly Mob, but it requires other sac outlets to be good. This can make it a bad top deck option. I feel it might be a trap.
I love Unearth for decks like this, but have you considered Dutiful Attendant? It's a higher CMC than Unearth and doesn't put the creature in play, but it adds more creatures to the deck while being a Human to trigger Torturer and it can bring back any creature from the Grave. It seems like it might be worth testing.
I'd add: Font of Return for late game makes more sense to me than Unearth - you wont be the fastest aggro. 2/2 split?
3/3 Cathar/Bonespitter split, since Cathar is mana heavy. Kabira Crossroads if it turns out Fountain keeping you off colour matters too much
Sideboard.
Font of Return is super slow to cast and activate, and since at the end of the day I'm still beating face, I'm not sure I will want it. Unearth means recycling a guy with a very heavy cost reduction, which is where this deck wants to be. This can lead to explosive turns and makes it easier to abuse Rotting Rats.
About Crossroads, I'll try to adjust the manabase for them but initially I wanted fountain because it comes into play untapped.
I like the look of the deck and I brewed up a similar deck a long time ago that was Mono Black. Here is the Thread.
I see the attraction of Unruly Mob, but it requires other sac outlets to be good. This can make it a bad top deck option. I feel it might be a trap.
I love Unearth for decks like this, but have you considered Dutiful Attendant? It's a higher CMC than Unearth and doesn't put the creature in play, but it adds more creatures to the deck while being a Human to trigger Torturer and it can bring back any creature from the Grave. It seems like it might be worth testing.
I initially thought as Mob as another big beater that grows fast, and can even grow a bit by it's own just by using combat, although that's very poor. However, the main reason to squeeze 2-3 copies in is that besides from beating, it has additional uses as Falkenrath Torturer fodder and helps flashing back Battle Screech when it's small.
Instead of Dutiful Attendant, which packs a very high CMC and an abysmal body, I was thinking in Pit Keeper. Still a Human, will surely bring back a creature (to the hand though, that hurts) because we can sac creatures or discard them to Rats to meet it's requirement and has a better body and manacost.
Proactive sacrificing will be met with removal and card disadvantage. I've learned a lot from my BR deck that has a similar strategy. The biggest difference is that my creatures generate some sort of advantage when they die, rather than the "aristocrats" netting you something when they sacrifice.
Falkenrath Torturer doesn't seem nearly strong enough to warrant a human sub-theme to himself. I think there are stronger sac outlets available.
I don't think you're running enough removal to be able to really clear the way of threats your opponents will play.
Battle Screech's might be harder to play than you think. You're not actually running all that many white creatures. Loyal Cathar even becomes Black when he flips.
22 lands might be too few. If the deck was mono-coloured, this might not the the case. However, needing multiple kinds of mana can often restrict you to playing a single spell per turn, even if you have more mana available. Considering you have many spells that cost 3+, I think you'll find that you always want more land drops.
I think the idea would need a lot of work to be good. Getting the ball rolling is the hardest part. I think the deck looks linear and easy to disrupt. Through testing and improving, I'm sure it could get better.
I chose Falkenrath Torturer mainly for it's ability to grow big (something Bloodthrone Vampire or Nantuko Husk can't claim), the fact that it can sacrifice creatures for free (Gutless Ghoul and Phyrexian Broodlings fail to accomplish this) and it grants itself evasion to bring the beats through the air, even trading with Delver unpumped. If there's a better sac outlet in my colors, I would like to know since I have scoured Gatherer and found nothing better!
The humans are good enough by themselves to warrant their inclusion even without Torturer. Doomed Traveler and Loyal Cathar are standard creatures in sacrifice decks for their ability to have "two" lives, which makes them useful not only as a sacrificial lamb but as a resilient creature.
Wakedancer means 4 power for 3 mana, divided in two bodies, that I can get with a single Black mana thanks to Unearth. However, I'm also considering Sandsteppe Outcast, which produces only 3 power, but one of the bodies has evasion, he can be a 3/2 if I need to hold down 1/X's or a X/3, can tap for Battle Screech and is still a Human for Torturer which can come back as an Unearth target.
I was exploring similar lines with a mono-black deck, but saccing dudes to power out Gurmag Angler. Since you've got black here, might be worth a 1x slot. Not sure though, since it looks like your slots are crammed already.
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Could be worth exploring since another angle of attack for the deck won't hurt at all. Currently it can win by flying beats, Bonesplitter, token swarm and huge Aristocrats, so Angler as another must answer threat isn't definitely off the chart.
Many of the creatures you use will only net one single +1/+1 counter anyways, since they turn into spirits or zombies. Sacrificing a creature just for the flying is a terrible trade (would you really trade a sacrifice and your Torturer for a Delver?). I encourage you to try out the Nantuko Husk. He's a powerhouse with two-life creatures, and can be extremely tricky in combat.
Sandsteppe Outcast has less hoops to jump through in order to be useful, on top of being a white creature. I think this would be a decent improvement.
Falkenrath Torturer was being pretty good for me, but I will try with Nantuko Husk as well, but I feel that an overcosted Black Atog will compare to something that holds on the counters.
I was thinking in adding Perilous Myr as well since it's removal on a stick, can deal with X/3s by himself, acts as reach, and most importantly, all these things can be repeated thanks toUnearth, which allows for an incredible amount of recursive board control, like a toned down Punishing Fire + Grove of the Burnwillows. I think this one will be a key card for the deck.
I'm surprised no one mentioned Grim Harvest yet! It can really add some longevity to the deck. The recover cost is very manageable with all the free sac outlets you have. It can be strong as a 1 or 2-of. If you can't fit it in main deck then it should definitely be a SB choice in grindy matchups and against control.
Perilous Myr is definitely a big bonus to decks like this. A Shock that can be brought back with Unearth and Grim Harvest is a big threat!
If you end up using Nantuko Husk over Torturer then Ghoulcaller's Chant would be a nice option for the deck since you'll have a lot of targets for it.
Perilous Myr is one of the best creatures for this archetype, as it is also a source of colourless damage, which has been pretty important. It's capable to finish off opponents very easily (I've had my share of Husk/Perilous-related victories).
But in your deck, what can you cut for it? You are somewhat dependant on White Human creatures. Anything that doesn't fit that criteria should be under scrutiny.
I want to include 3 Perilous Myr and at least 1 more Rotting Rats, 2 if possible, because the Unearth / Flashback engine while disrupting on top of being a body that can be sacrificed twice has proven to be pretty good. What to take out is the question, since everything's so stacked and serves a purpose. Perhaps cutting the Battle Screech? Although they are good and can gum up the air while being discard bait...
Would Cenn's Enlistment be better than Screech? Sure the evasion is better, but Cenn's Enlistment can keep turning out guys (as you know from your experience with Cawblade). It will also allow you to rub 1 or 2 copies of it so you can free up some space for Perilous Myr or other options.
I will try taking out 4 Battle Screech for 2 Cenn's Enlistment since they're suppossed to be Rat fodder and 1 isn't enough, and then add the remaining 2 Rats. I suspect I will miss the lack of evasion of the tokens and that I will end up swapping them again, but for the moment I'll have to think in what to swap for 3 Perilous Myr
2 Bonesplitter
The Aristocrats (7)
4 Carrion Feeder
3 Falkenrath Torturer
Sacrificial lambs (12)
4 Doomed Traveler
4 Loyal Cathar
4 Rotting Rats
2 Wakedancer
3 Battle Screech
Card advantage (8)
4 Vulturous Aven
4 Unearth
Removal (4)
4 Tragic Slip
2 Orzhov Basilica
2 Radiant Fountain
4 Scoured Barrens
8 Plains
6 Swamp
The deck can attack from so many angles and is so resilient that it puts up a good fight against practically all matchups. It can attack swarming with a myriad of creatures, from the air with Spirit tokens, Torturer and Aven, equipping an evasive creature with Bonesplitter or simply throwing powerful punches in the back of giant creatures. I would want to include some things that could be pretty brutal though. Upping the count on both Wakedancer and Battle Screech would be a great start. Pushing in 1-2 removal with Flashback (or maybe a 3/3 split with Tragic Slip) to further increase the card advantage would be stellar (For your info, the two best flashback removal spells available in our colors are Chainer's Edict, which also helps against Bogles, and Crippling Fatigue, which can be flashed back earlier at the cost of taking out some life. There's also Gaze of Justice which can be a pseudo path to exile, but it's hard to cast from the grave as your opponent can simply keep you off from having 3 white creatures).
These flashback spells are important to the deck and are the main reason I chose Rotting Rats over Butcher Ghoul is that the former is a repeatable source of disruption on a stick that can be sacrificed twice. It's Unearth cost can't be interrupted by counterspells, and when played right, it can create huge advantages. Dropping a creature like Wakedancer to bring back two bodies for just B with Unearth is pretty brutal, so is bringing back a discarded Falkenrath Torturer. Granting Doomed Traveler or Loyal Cathar two extra lives isn't out of question either. Add to the mix some of the flashback removal spells + Battle Screech and we have a pseudo Liliana of the Veil engine in Pauper.
The final card I'd like to add the mix is the most forgettable one, since all of the above is more important than a huge beater. It is Unruly Mob, a creature that becomes bigger when something dies, and adds another lightningrod to our selection of creatures that can simply grow big. It's on Unearth range, it's a human for Falkenrath Torturer, and it's white so it taps for Battle Screech's flashback.
I believe there's a lot of brewing potential and we could eventually make this into a Primer deck like with Caw Blade. I know a green version is possible with Brindle Shoat, Young Wolf and Viridian Emissary, but those would need another aristocrat since the deck would lack humans, so I'd prefer we discuss the white version first and then move to the green one. Any help will be appreciated!
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
I see the attraction of Unruly Mob, but it requires other sac outlets to be good. This can make it a bad top deck option. I feel it might be a trap.
I love Unearth for decks like this, but have you considered Dutiful Attendant? It's a higher CMC than Unearth and doesn't put the creature in play, but it adds more creatures to the deck while being a Human to trigger Torturer and it can bring back any creature from the Grave. It seems like it might be worth testing.
Font of Return is super slow to cast and activate, and since at the end of the day I'm still beating face, I'm not sure I will want it. Unearth means recycling a guy with a very heavy cost reduction, which is where this deck wants to be. This can lead to explosive turns and makes it easier to abuse Rotting Rats.
About Crossroads, I'll try to adjust the manabase for them but initially I wanted fountain because it comes into play untapped.
I initially thought as Mob as another big beater that grows fast, and can even grow a bit by it's own just by using combat, although that's very poor. However, the main reason to squeeze 2-3 copies in is that besides from beating, it has additional uses as Falkenrath Torturer fodder and helps flashing back Battle Screech when it's small.
Instead of Dutiful Attendant, which packs a very high CMC and an abysmal body, I was thinking in Pit Keeper. Still a Human, will surely bring back a creature (to the hand though, that hurts) because we can sac creatures or discard them to Rats to meet it's requirement and has a better body and manacost.
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
Falkenrath Torturer doesn't seem nearly strong enough to warrant a human sub-theme to himself. I think there are stronger sac outlets available.
I don't think you're running enough removal to be able to really clear the way of threats your opponents will play.
Battle Screech's might be harder to play than you think. You're not actually running all that many white creatures. Loyal Cathar even becomes Black when he flips.
22 lands might be too few. If the deck was mono-coloured, this might not the the case. However, needing multiple kinds of mana can often restrict you to playing a single spell per turn, even if you have more mana available. Considering you have many spells that cost 3+, I think you'll find that you always want more land drops.
I think the idea would need a lot of work to be good. Getting the ball rolling is the hardest part. I think the deck looks linear and easy to disrupt. Through testing and improving, I'm sure it could get better.
Dutiful Attendant could be interesting. Pit Keeper has historically been a good card.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
The humans are good enough by themselves to warrant their inclusion even without Torturer. Doomed Traveler and Loyal Cathar are standard creatures in sacrifice decks for their ability to have "two" lives, which makes them useful not only as a sacrificial lamb but as a resilient creature.
Wakedancer means 4 power for 3 mana, divided in two bodies, that I can get with a single Black mana thanks to Unearth. However, I'm also considering Sandsteppe Outcast, which produces only 3 power, but one of the bodies has evasion, he can be a 3/2 if I need to hold down 1/X's or a X/3, can tap for Battle Screech and is still a Human for Torturer which can come back as an Unearth target.
Your thoughts?
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
Sandsteppe Outcast has less hoops to jump through in order to be useful, on top of being a white creature. I think this would be a decent improvement.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
I was thinking in adding Perilous Myr as well since it's removal on a stick, can deal with X/3s by himself, acts as reach, and most importantly, all these things can be repeated thanks to Unearth, which allows for an incredible amount of recursive board control, like a toned down Punishing Fire + Grove of the Burnwillows. I think this one will be a key card for the deck.
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
Perilous Myr is definitely a big bonus to decks like this. A Shock that can be brought back with Unearth and Grim Harvest is a big threat!
If you end up using Nantuko Husk over Torturer then Ghoulcaller's Chant would be a nice option for the deck since you'll have a lot of targets for it.
But in your deck, what can you cut for it? You are somewhat dependant on White Human creatures. Anything that doesn't fit that criteria should be under scrutiny.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
4 Carrion Feeder
3 Falkenrath Torturer / Nantuko Husk
Card Advantage (8)
4 Vulturous Aven
4 Unearth
Sacrificial Lambs (10)
4 Doomed Traveler
4 Loyal Cathar
2 Rotting Rats
3 Tragic Slip
3 Chainer's Edict
Token Generators (7)
3 Sandsteppe Outcast
4 Battle Screech
Lands (22)
2 Kabira Crossroads
4 Scoured Barrens
8 Plains
8 Swamp
I want to include 3 Perilous Myr and at least 1 more Rotting Rats, 2 if possible, because the Unearth / Flashback engine while disrupting on top of being a body that can be sacrificed twice has proven to be pretty good. What to take out is the question, since everything's so stacked and serves a purpose. Perhaps cutting the Battle Screech? Although they are good and can gum up the air while being discard bait...
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!