I built a The Gitrog Monster deck the day after it was spoiled. Since then, I have been tweaking it slightly to make it a little more consistent and resilient. I have avoided infinite combos, so that is why you won't see Dakmor Salvage in my deck. Note that all of my decks are built to compete, but not necessarily to dominate the table. I want to win, but I also want to be able to scale the deck as I am playing it to make it more fun for the people I am playing against if I am playing against players with less than tuned decks.
The main engine of the deck is Skirge Familiar, Life from the Loam, and Gitrog. As mentioned, it doesn't go infinite, but it can keep going if I get enough lands to keep discarding to generate a large amount of mana.
I don't want to go card by card to explain why I am playing the card, but I will highlight some of my favorites or ones that may seem worth highlighting.
The deck is trying to get to as many lands as possible and then just control the game with creatures. Wood elves, and the like, help ramp into Gitrog and bigger creatures. Massacre Wurm is one of my favorite cards as is let's me get rid of token armies and punish opponents for a large amount of creatures. I can cast it or reanimate it again and again to stack the -2/-2 trigger to get rid of bigger threats. Strands of Night is great for this as it let's me keep reanimating creatures.
Kozilek and Ulamog are in here for 2 reasons, beyond their cast triggers; to shuffle my library and to gain a bunch of life off Diamond Valley and Miren. I rarely cast them with the intent of attacking with them and my meta generally tried to prevent me from attacking with them anyway.
Crucible of Worlds is huge in this deck as I am sacrificing a lot of lands and I need a way to keep getting them back. Tilling Treefolk and Life from the Loam help with this as well.
Bazaar of Baghdad works wonders in this deck. I am able to draw 2 cards and if 1 of the 3 cards I discard is a land, I get to draw another card. This effectively turns it into a Draw 2, Discard 3, Draw 1. Bazzar also helps me save my graveyard if I have an Eldrazi in my hand or in the top 2 cards of my library.
Strands of Night was suggested to me as a way to reanimate creatures and it is highly synergistic with the deck. As long as Gitrog is in play, I get to reanimate a creature and draw a card all for the low cost of BB, 2 life, and Sacrificing a Swamp.
I don't run Dakmor Salvage (for reasons already mentioned) or Squandered Resources. SR is a somewhat common inclusion for this deck, but I didn't like the idea of sacrificing even more lands just to get mana. It was on my initial list, but I felt it was better to forgo that particular card. I am sure there are other cards I have not included that others have included or can think of, but I am sure I have thought about most card inclusions. However, if anyone can think of a card I should consider, I can at least think about it or explain why I chose not to go that direction.
Feel free to ask any questions or suggest new cards.
Edge of Autumn is a decent card due to being able to draw 2 cards (with Gitrog in play) at instant speed. However, most of the time it was underwhelming. I decided to cut it to make room for new cards.
Genesis was also decent, but I found myself never wanting to use the ability since I had Strands of Night or Phrexian Reclamation which just did it better.
In place of these I put in Horn of Greed to facilitate card draw. I know it helps others as well but my thought is that with the number of lands I am potentially playing I could easily make more use out of it than my opponents. I haven't had a chance to actually get it into play yet, so I will see how it actually works in practice.
Splendid Reclamation seems like it was made for this deck. With the number of lands I will be putting in the graveyard, from dredging or sacrificing or discarding, this is a great way to get them all back to the battlefield. This is a more recent addition and I have not actually had a chance to get it into play. This card is making me rethink leaving out Squandered Resources. I am still not sure I want it, but since I have a potential way of getting those sacrificed lands back, Squandered Resources may make more sense. I will continue testing and see if it makes sense to add it.
I found that I am frequently having a hard time closing out a game in time. This deck wants to play the long game and eventually attack in with a bunch of creatures. However, I play in a league where each round is limited to one hour and even when I play elsewhere, I sometimes just need a way to win on the current turn. I can't necessarily count on Combat since I may not be able to attack for lethal yet and fog effects exist.
So, I decided to add two non-combat win conditions. Crypt Rats and Maga, Traitor to Mortals are both ways to use a large amount of mana to kill players. Maga only kills one player, but it is a creature which plays better with Volrath's Stronghold and Phyrexian Arena so I can do it over and over. Crypt Rats hits everyone and every creature for a way to clear the board or end the game. It too can come back with Stronghold and Reclamation and I can also get it back with Chainer, Dementia Master.
Glacial Chasm is added for two reasons; a fog effect when I need it (I can get it off Crop Rotation) and to stop the damage to me from Crypt Rats.
Burnished Hart never seemed necessary since I am ramping with so many other cards and it seemed a little slow in this deck. Meren of Clan Nel Toth was never relevant as I am so focused on lands. Graveborn Muse because superfluous as I am drawing quite a few cards off Gitrog already. These 3 cards have been cut to make room for the 3 additions above.
It seemed that the deck was having a hard time closing the game but I'm liking the changes you have made so far to help against that. I was at Dreamers on Wednesday and played against you actually. I was the Mishra Deck. But on the actual deck:
I was thinking a card that seems very useful for you is Dread Return. It allows you to have it sit in your graveyard and be able to have it useable when you need. Otherwise I felt Hermit Druid with the intent on not comboing would be a fun way for you to enable the graveyard more.
It seemed that the deck was having a hard time closing the game but I'm liking the changes you have made so far to help against that. I was at Dreamers on Wednesday and played against you actually. I was the Mishra Deck. But on the actual deck:
I was thinking a card that seems very useful for you is Dread Return. It allows you to have it sit in your graveyard and be able to have it useable when you need. Otherwise I felt Hermit Druid with the intent on not comboing would be a fun way for you to enable the graveyard more.
That's awesome. Always nice to know someone else on the forums
I don't know if I want to go as far as Hermit Druid. There is the potential I mill a lot more than I want since I actively try to get basics out of my deck with the ramp I have. And, with Ulamog and Koziek, it will probably backfire more often than not and just shuffle my graveyard into my library anyway.
Dread Return on the other hand is interesting. I will have to see if it has a spot in the deck. The only concern I have is that I typically don't have 3 creatures I want to sacrifice (except the Plant tokens of course) to get one back, especially at Sorcery speed. It is the reason I have Strands of Night and Chainer in the deck. There is a lot I want to recur but I really want it at instant speed. And, with the mana I generate, returning it to my hand with Phyrexian Reclamation is just as good (and sometimes better depending on the creature).
I guess the concern is what creatures do I really want to recur? Crypt Rats is good. Avenger could be relevant. Chainer would be fantastic. But, I don't know that there are any other creatures worthwhile to recur. Most others I would want to do at Instant speed, such as Massacre Wurm in response to a bunch of tokens. However, this is one of those cards that really needs to be tested in a real environment though since every game plays differently and it may be stronger than I give it credit for. So, I will slot it in for now and see what it does.
With that said, I have been feeling pretty lukewarm on Mazirek. I felt that this was the perfect deck for it, but it falls into the same camp as creatures such as Avenger in that I have to attack to make it usable and any board wipe resets any progress I make with it. I have honesty never had a game where those counters truly mattered, even when I get 8 or 9 on each creature due to how (relatively) light I am on creatures and most don't have any good evasion. It works wonders with Woodfall Primus, but it shuts off Mikaeus and I prefer the latter over the former.
So, I will update the list like this and see how it goes:
I like Throne because I think I can control the board in such a way as to remain the Monarch and the land is sacrificed so it draws me a card immediately. It is effectively a draw 2 for 4 mana and I can keep getting it back to keep re-using it as necessary. I am not sure how much (more) of a target this will make me, but if it becomes too much, I can always cut it.
Selvala just seems ridiculous for mana production. With just her on turn 3, I can ramp into my general on turn 4 (at the latest). Then, it just scales from there as I get bigger creatures out. The potential card draw is nice and since my general is 6/6 I think I can stop my opponents from drawing off her pretty easily. It stops me too, but I don't think the lack of card draw for me or the extra card draw for my opponents will be that relevant.
Looking through my list, I think I like Thunderfoot Baloth the least. As mentioned above, the deck already has a hard time ending the game and while the Baloth conditionally grants Trample to force through damage, I think Selvala can help speed the game up so my other creatures can attack into less developed boards anyway. She also feeds into Crypt Rats as needed. Perhaps this cut will be a mistake, but Selvala is too good not to include and I can't think of anything else I want to cut.
As for some of the new cards that could be available come 9/24/16:
Architect of the Untamed, Aetherworks Marvel, Ghirapur Orrery, and Blooming Marsh. Blooming Marsh is one of the new enemy fast lands, which should be easy to get into play untapped when you're running low on lands or early game. Ghirapur Orrery is another way to drop an additional land per turn. Architect of the Untamed gives energy counters when lands enter play which, depending on how the energy counter mechanic is dealt with in this new set, can have a potential for brokenness. Aetherworks Marvel should produce energy counters like crazy in this deck. This should allow you to very easily consistently cast things for free in the deck.
EDIT:
Almost forgot to mention Wave of Vitriol. You get triggers for your nonbasics being destroyed and also get to replace them with basics. This also hinders opponents.
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Both synergize beautifully and are another win condition for the deck.
Scapeshift was brought up by a friend of mine and I am not sure I really want it. It is really good and easily gets me quite a few lands I want (Cabal Coffers, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, Diamond Valley, etc. I prefer Realms Uncharted though I might come around on it eventually if I ever feel I have a weak slot in the deck or that I really want more land tutoring. The main thing I fear is that Scapeshift always becomes "tutor for Urborg and Coffers". I know I run a few tutors, but I don't like the idea of one that basically does the same thing every game.
Ob Nixilis on the other hand is one I never seriously considered. I think I had it in the very early drafts of the build, but I didn't think his ability was consistent enough as he is easily killed early on and I would always prefer to play Gitrog over him when I have 5 mana which means I won't often have "extra" lands to keep triggering him. However, with Splendid Reclamation he becomes so much better and I could see him become an actual win condition. I will pick one up and see if I can ever find a spot for him.
I played against a Gitrog deck that did ugly things with Worm Harvest. That is all I have.
Cheers!
I had thought about this card at one time, but there are a couple reasons why I never did anything with it. First, in my meta, having a bunch of 1/1's potentially kills you. Massacre Wurm becomes a one shot kill and I don't have a good way to get rid of all my creatures in response to Massacre Wurm. Second, I always felt that I would have much better things to do with 5 mana and a land than create a bunch of 1/1's and draw a card. Avenger is in here for that exact reason. While Avenger only creates 0/1's, he also has a built in way of pumping them up and they keep getting bigger as I play lands. Worm Harvest tokens will always be 1/1's. Third, it isn't a creature. I have a bunch of creature recursion and Worm Harvest stops being good as I play my lands. I want all my lands on the battlefield so discarding them (beyond the cycling lands) is something I try to avoid.
It is a good suggestion, but I don't think it is what I want me deck to be doing with the mana.
As for some of the new cards that could be available come 9/24/16:
Architect of the Untamed, Aetherworks Marvel, Ghirapur Orrery, and Blooming Marsh. Blooming Marsh is one of the new enemy fast lands, which should be easy to get into play untapped when you're running low on lands or early game. Ghirapur Orrery is another way to drop an additional land per turn. Architect of the Untamed gives energy counters when lands enter play which, depending on how the energy counter mechanic is dealt with in this new set, can have a potential for brokenness. Aetherworks Marvel should produce energy counters like crazy in this deck. This should allow you to very easily consistently cast things for free in the deck.
EDIT:
Almost forgot to mention Wave of Vitriol. You get triggers for your nonbasics being destroyed and also get to replace them with basics. This also hinders opponents.
Psychosis Crawler is another wincon that's very easy to pull off with this frog.
Colausbraalso mentioned Ob Nixilis and I think it is a good suggestion. I will pick one up and see if I can find a spot for him.
Squandered Resources is on my radar, but it might actually be too strong with Splendid Reclamation. I want my decks to compete, and to win, but this deck can already play 5 minute turns and do explosive things. I don't really want to make that worse by adding Squandered Resources to the mix. I will still keep it in the back of my mind, but right now it isn't something I want to add.
The reason I have both Eldrazi is to recover my graveyard if necessary. They both work much better, and much easier, than Elixir and I don't want to cut another card trying to find a spot for it.
Creeping Renaissance and Praetor's Counsel aren't too bad though. I like Praetor's Counsel better, but both could fit into the deck. The main thing right now is that Splendid Reclamation and Life from the Loam do the job so much better. I don't mind adding more recursion, but they might bog it down a bit. I will keep watching to see if there are times I might want either one though.
For Wave of Vitriol, I don't have nearly enough basics to make it worthwhile. And, even if I did, my non basics are important enough that I doubt I will ever want to cast it.
Pox is too big an effect and Smallpox is too small. Death Cloud may be alright, but, as with Pox, I am not all that interested in Land Destruction in general. And that goes for my playstyle, not just due to this deck. As such, I don't think I will ever find a time I will want to include them.
I don't like Herald. 7 mana to steal a land next turn and then watch him die does not seem to be the best use of a turn/mana. It is doubtful he will really every keep going to stel 2, 3, 4, (and so on) lands each turn without someone aiming a Swords to Plowshares at it.
I have considered Zuran Orb. I don't think the impact is high enough (I rarely need to gain life) but I might decide to include it at some point.
Sylvan Safekeeper is a great idea. I will have to find a spot for it.
Regarding Psychosis Crawler: I don't think I draw enough cards at once to make him worth it. He will most definitely get in a bit of damage, but he is easily destroyed and I don't really want to rely on getting my engine going to win with him. Besides, if I really get things going, I don't think I need him as I have other ways to win.
New cards: If I add lands, they need to do more than fix mana, so Blooming Marsh is out. As to the others, I have been watching the spoilers for any cards that could help any of my decks. I haven't made a decision one way or the other on anything yet.
Thanks for the suggestions and I will see if I can find spots for some of the cards.
I understand your points, but saying that creatures are just gonna get killed is not enough reason to not run them. Crypt Rats requires mana to hit all creatures and players but that hits also your creature and you. Psychosis Crawler hits all opponents with no investment in mana. If you combo (without even going infinite) you can easily draw more than 40 cards in a single turn and kill everyone. You have other creatures with bigger spots on their back for removal like Azusa, Lost but Seeking and Oracle of Mul Daya.
Praetor's Counsel also gives you a sizeless hand for when you're drawing a fat hand and want to keep it. Remember also that Wave of Vitriol gets rid of enchantments as well because Blind Obedience, Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void, etc. are a thing in multiplayer EDH and they basically screw over your monster frog.
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Sure, saying a creature is going to die isn't a good enough reason on its own to say it is not worth running. However, Psychosis Crawler takes a lot more effort than Crypt Rats to do anything. I have never gotten to the point where I am drawing 40 cards in a single turn. Can it happen? Probably, but it hasn't yet and I don't think trying to make it happen is what I want to spend my turn doing. As mentioned, my turns can take long enough as it is.
And dying easily, which Psychosis Crawler does, still factors into the decision not to run it, even if it is not the sole reason. It is inconsistent as it is only really good once I have my "engine" going. At least Oracle and Azusa have an impact right away and if they die, I still get value out of them.
Yes, Crypt Rats hits me and my creatures too, but it gives me so much more versatility in terms of the board state. It hits all creatures (so it acts as a wrath in the early game) and only costs mana. In this deck, it is so much easier to generate large amounts of mana than it is to draw a bunch of cards though, arguably, both are somewhat "easy".
Maybe I will eventually decide to include Crawler, but as of right now the card doesn't impress me and I can't think of anything I would want to cut to make room for it.
Assuming I ever decided to run Wave of Vitriol, I would never cast it if someone had a Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void on the board. Not only does this totally mess up my lands (as mentioned above) those cards would then also exile all the nonbasics I sacrifice meaning I can never get them back. Wave of Vitriol has its uses, but getting rid of grave hate enchantments is one of the worst uses for it (for this deck anyway). This is what Bane of Progress and Woodfall Primus are for. In fact, Bane of Progress is a much better Wave of Vitriol since it doesn't mess with my lands and it is easier to recur.
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Bane of Progress is my preferred choice as well because it is also much more tutorable than the wave.
In any case, Crypt Rats does some useful utility work here mostly because this type of deck isn't particularly fast and therefore would use more ways of stabilizing the board, preferably ways that keep a big 6/6 frog alive.
I played a game the other night with these changes and these two cards basically won me the game. Early on, I cast Splendid Reclamation to get 8 lands back. Then, later in the game, I got Eternal Witness to get back Reclamation and I ended up with Sylvan Safekeeper and Ob Nixilis on the battlefield. This let me sacrifice most of my lands to give my three creatures Shroud and then cast Splendid Reclamation again to have one player lose 33 life and another lose 12. This let me end up with a 51/51 Ob Nixilis that I could win with next turn.
So, even after just 1 game, these two inclusions have already been very good.
I am still testing Throne of the High City but even though I got it a couple times in that game, I never wanted to play it or activate it. With the amount of card draw this deck has, this addition may end up being somewhat superfluous and might get cut again for another Swamp or Forest. In fact, I might try to cut a few different colorless lands to up my colored land count. There are a couple other colorless lands I am not fond of, such as Miren the Moaning Well and Drownyard Temple. The Temple seemed like it would be so much better, but I rarely find that I want to spend 3 mana to get it back.
Most likely, I will just add basics to make my fetches worthwhile later in the game, though I may try out Geier Reach Sanitarium. I am just finding that my green sources are scarce when I actually need them whereas I always have all the black mana I want.
If you find that there are lands that aren't really pulling their weight, I agree that you should cut them for some basics; you could get more value out of ramping.
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I'll give Lotus Cobra a look. I am not sure if I have a spot for it, but it is something I hadn't thought about. It seems like it would work fantastically with Splendid Reclamation.
I would like to make the suggestion of Mesmeric Orb. It may mill a lot, but each land card milled will trigger The Frog, so it can draw a boatload of cards easily.
Nissa, Vital Force's -6 did a lot of work for me in my last night out with my version of this deck. The +1 untapping my Cabal Coffers was nice too.
That is a card I have been looking to potentially include. Her ultimate is just really good for this deck and you are right that untapping Coffers or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx is very good. They only thing that kind of sucks about her first ability is that she turns the land into a creature until your next turn so it dies to targeted creature removal and Wraths. And with Coffers especially being a high on the list of targets already, I can see this backfiring fairly often.
Nissa, Vital Force's -6 did a lot of work for me in my last night out with my version of this deck. The +1 untapping my Cabal Coffers was nice too.
That is a card I have been looking to potentially include. Her ultimate is just really good for this deck and you are right that untapping Coffers or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx is very good. They only thing that kind of sucks about her first ability is that she turns the land into a creature until your next turn so it dies to targeted creature removal and Wraths. And with Coffers especially being a high on the list of targets already, I can see this backfiring fairly often.
Getting a free 5/5 that draws you a card if it dies is bad?
Here is the decklist
1 The Gitrog Monster
Lands
1 Barren Moor
1 Bayou
1 Bazaar of Baghdad
1 Blasted Landscape
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Diamond Valley
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Dust Bowl
7 Forest
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Glacial Chasm
1 High Market
1 Lake of the Dead
1 Lotus Vale
1 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Polluted Delta
1 Polluted Mire
1 Slippery Karst
6 Swamp
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Winding Canyons
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Agent of Erebos
1 Avenger of Zendikar
1 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
1 Bane of Progress
1 Big Game Hunter
1 Chainer, Dementia Master
1 Crypt Rats
1 Duplicant
1 Eternal Witness
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Maga, Traitor to Mortals
1 Massacre Wurm
1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
1 Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Protean Hulk
1 Realm Seekers
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
1 Seedguide Ash
1 Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
1 Sidisi, Undead Vizier
1 Skirge Familiar
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Spike Weaver
1 Sylvan Safekeeper
1 Tilling Treefolk
1 Titania, Protector of Argoth
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
1 Ulvenwald Hydra
1 Wood Elves
1 Woodfall Primus
1 World Breaker
1 Yavimaya Dryad
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Constant Mists
1 Corpse Dance
1 Crop Rotation
1 Entomb
1 Harrow
1 Realms Uncharted
1 Vampiric Tutor
Sorceries
1 Damnation
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Harvest Season
1 Life from the Loam
1 Splendid Reclamation
1 Toxic Deluge
Artifacts
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Horn of Greed
1 Nihil Spellbomb
Enchantments
1 Exploration
1 Greater Good
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
1 Strands of Night
1 Survival of the Fittest
Planeswalkers
1 Nissa, Vital Force
The main engine of the deck is Skirge Familiar, Life from the Loam, and Gitrog. As mentioned, it doesn't go infinite, but it can keep going if I get enough lands to keep discarding to generate a large amount of mana.
I don't want to go card by card to explain why I am playing the card, but I will highlight some of my favorites or ones that may seem worth highlighting.
The deck is trying to get to as many lands as possible and then just control the game with creatures. Wood elves, and the like, help ramp into Gitrog and bigger creatures. Massacre Wurm is one of my favorite cards as is let's me get rid of token armies and punish opponents for a large amount of creatures. I can cast it or reanimate it again and again to stack the -2/-2 trigger to get rid of bigger threats. Strands of Night is great for this as it let's me keep reanimating creatures.
Kozilek and Ulamog are in here for 2 reasons, beyond their cast triggers; to shuffle my library and to gain a bunch of life off Diamond Valley and Miren. I rarely cast them with the intent of attacking with them and my meta generally tried to prevent me from attacking with them anyway.
Crucible of Worlds is huge in this deck as I am sacrificing a lot of lands and I need a way to keep getting them back. Tilling Treefolk and Life from the Loam help with this as well.
Bazaar of Baghdad works wonders in this deck. I am able to draw 2 cards and if 1 of the 3 cards I discard is a land, I get to draw another card. This effectively turns it into a Draw 2, Discard 3, Draw 1. Bazzar also helps me save my graveyard if I have an Eldrazi in my hand or in the top 2 cards of my library.
Strands of Night was suggested to me as a way to reanimate creatures and it is highly synergistic with the deck. As long as Gitrog is in play, I get to reanimate a creature and draw a card all for the low cost of BB, 2 life, and Sacrificing a Swamp.
I don't run Dakmor Salvage (for reasons already mentioned) or Squandered Resources. SR is a somewhat common inclusion for this deck, but I didn't like the idea of sacrificing even more lands just to get mana. It was on my initial list, but I felt it was better to forgo that particular card. I am sure there are other cards I have not included that others have included or can think of, but I am sure I have thought about most card inclusions. However, if anyone can think of a card I should consider, I can at least think about it or explain why I chose not to go that direction.
Feel free to ask any questions or suggest new cards.
-Edge of Autumn
-Genesis
+Splendid Reclamation
+Horn of Greed
Edge of Autumn is a decent card due to being able to draw 2 cards (with Gitrog in play) at instant speed. However, most of the time it was underwhelming. I decided to cut it to make room for new cards.
Genesis was also decent, but I found myself never wanting to use the ability since I had Strands of Night or Phrexian Reclamation which just did it better.
In place of these I put in Horn of Greed to facilitate card draw. I know it helps others as well but my thought is that with the number of lands I am potentially playing I could easily make more use out of it than my opponents. I haven't had a chance to actually get it into play yet, so I will see how it actually works in practice.
Splendid Reclamation seems like it was made for this deck. With the number of lands I will be putting in the graveyard, from dredging or sacrificing or discarding, this is a great way to get them all back to the battlefield. This is a more recent addition and I have not actually had a chance to get it into play. This card is making me rethink leaving out Squandered Resources. I am still not sure I want it, but since I have a potential way of getting those sacrificed lands back, Squandered Resources may make more sense. I will continue testing and see if it makes sense to add it.
-Burnished Hart
-Graveborn Muse
-Meren of Clan Nel Toth
+Crypt Rats
+Maga, Traitor to Mortals
+Glacial Chasm
I found that I am frequently having a hard time closing out a game in time. This deck wants to play the long game and eventually attack in with a bunch of creatures. However, I play in a league where each round is limited to one hour and even when I play elsewhere, I sometimes just need a way to win on the current turn. I can't necessarily count on Combat since I may not be able to attack for lethal yet and fog effects exist.
So, I decided to add two non-combat win conditions. Crypt Rats and Maga, Traitor to Mortals are both ways to use a large amount of mana to kill players. Maga only kills one player, but it is a creature which plays better with Volrath's Stronghold and Phyrexian Arena so I can do it over and over. Crypt Rats hits everyone and every creature for a way to clear the board or end the game. It too can come back with Stronghold and Reclamation and I can also get it back with Chainer, Dementia Master.
Glacial Chasm is added for two reasons; a fog effect when I need it (I can get it off Crop Rotation) and to stop the damage to me from Crypt Rats.
Burnished Hart never seemed necessary since I am ramping with so many other cards and it seemed a little slow in this deck. Meren of Clan Nel Toth was never relevant as I am so focused on lands. Graveborn Muse because superfluous as I am drawing quite a few cards off Gitrog already. These 3 cards have been cut to make room for the 3 additions above.
I was thinking a card that seems very useful for you is Dread Return. It allows you to have it sit in your graveyard and be able to have it useable when you need. Otherwise I felt Hermit Druid with the intent on not comboing would be a fun way for you to enable the graveyard more.
I don't know if I want to go as far as Hermit Druid. There is the potential I mill a lot more than I want since I actively try to get basics out of my deck with the ramp I have. And, with Ulamog and Koziek, it will probably backfire more often than not and just shuffle my graveyard into my library anyway.
Dread Return on the other hand is interesting. I will have to see if it has a spot in the deck. The only concern I have is that I typically don't have 3 creatures I want to sacrifice (except the Plant tokens of course) to get one back, especially at Sorcery speed. It is the reason I have Strands of Night and Chainer in the deck. There is a lot I want to recur but I really want it at instant speed. And, with the mana I generate, returning it to my hand with Phyrexian Reclamation is just as good (and sometimes better depending on the creature).
I guess the concern is what creatures do I really want to recur? Crypt Rats is good. Avenger could be relevant. Chainer would be fantastic. But, I don't know that there are any other creatures worthwhile to recur. Most others I would want to do at Instant speed, such as Massacre Wurm in response to a bunch of tokens. However, this is one of those cards that really needs to be tested in a real environment though since every game plays differently and it may be stronger than I give it credit for. So, I will slot it in for now and see what it does.
With that said, I have been feeling pretty lukewarm on Mazirek. I felt that this was the perfect deck for it, but it falls into the same camp as creatures such as Avenger in that I have to attack to make it usable and any board wipe resets any progress I make with it. I have honesty never had a game where those counters truly mattered, even when I get 8 or 9 on each creature due to how (relatively) light I am on creatures and most don't have any good evasion. It works wonders with Woodfall Primus, but it shuts off Mikaeus and I prefer the latter over the former.
So, I will update the list like this and see how it goes:
-Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest
+Dread Return
Thanks for the suggestions.
I like Throne because I think I can control the board in such a way as to remain the Monarch and the land is sacrificed so it draws me a card immediately. It is effectively a draw 2 for 4 mana and I can keep getting it back to keep re-using it as necessary. I am not sure how much (more) of a target this will make me, but if it becomes too much, I can always cut it.
Selvala just seems ridiculous for mana production. With just her on turn 3, I can ramp into my general on turn 4 (at the latest). Then, it just scales from there as I get bigger creatures out. The potential card draw is nice and since my general is 6/6 I think I can stop my opponents from drawing off her pretty easily. It stops me too, but I don't think the lack of card draw for me or the extra card draw for my opponents will be that relevant.
Looking through my list, I think I like Thunderfoot Baloth the least. As mentioned above, the deck already has a hard time ending the game and while the Baloth conditionally grants Trample to force through damage, I think Selvala can help speed the game up so my other creatures can attack into less developed boards anyway. She also feeds into Crypt Rats as needed. Perhaps this cut will be a mistake, but Selvala is too good not to include and I can't think of anything else I want to cut.
So, my updates are:
-Swamp
-Thunderfoot Baloth
+Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
+Throne of the High City
What about Scapeshift and Ob Nixilis, the Fallen?
Both synergize beautifully and are another win condition for the deck.
Thanks to cards like Splendid Reclamation, Squandered Resources should be added 100%. The mana production is just ridiculous.
Other cards I'd like to suggest is Creeping Renaissance, Elixir of Immortality, and Praetor's Counsel. Elixir of Immortality helps recover your deck, basically, and Praetor's Counsel fills your hand with your graveyard basically giving you more lands to play and discard. Creeping Renaissance can also get you your hands back into your hand.
As for some of the new cards that could be available come 9/24/16:
EDIT:
Almost forgot to mention Wave of Vitriol. You get triggers for your nonbasics being destroyed and also get to replace them with basics. This also hinders opponents.
Herald of Leshrac and Zuran Orb for some added fun!
You can also add cards like Pox, Smallpox, and Death Cloud which punishes everyone but at least you get to draw cards for your troubles.
Sylvan Safekeeper is a must to protect that frog horror.
Psychosis Crawler is another wincon that's very easy to pull off with this frog.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
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Krichaiushii on PucaTrade.
Ob Nixilis on the other hand is one I never seriously considered. I think I had it in the very early drafts of the build, but I didn't think his ability was consistent enough as he is easily killed early on and I would always prefer to play Gitrog over him when I have 5 mana which means I won't often have "extra" lands to keep triggering him. However, with Splendid Reclamation he becomes so much better and I could see him become an actual win condition. I will pick one up and see if I can ever find a spot for him.
Thanks for the suggestions.
It is a good suggestion, but I don't think it is what I want me deck to be doing with the mana.
Squandered Resources is on my radar, but it might actually be too strong with Splendid Reclamation. I want my decks to compete, and to win, but this deck can already play 5 minute turns and do explosive things. I don't really want to make that worse by adding Squandered Resources to the mix. I will still keep it in the back of my mind, but right now it isn't something I want to add.
The reason I have both Eldrazi is to recover my graveyard if necessary. They both work much better, and much easier, than Elixir and I don't want to cut another card trying to find a spot for it.
Creeping Renaissance and Praetor's Counsel aren't too bad though. I like Praetor's Counsel better, but both could fit into the deck. The main thing right now is that Splendid Reclamation and Life from the Loam do the job so much better. I don't mind adding more recursion, but they might bog it down a bit. I will keep watching to see if there are times I might want either one though.
For Wave of Vitriol, I don't have nearly enough basics to make it worthwhile. And, even if I did, my non basics are important enough that I doubt I will ever want to cast it.
Pox is too big an effect and Smallpox is too small. Death Cloud may be alright, but, as with Pox, I am not all that interested in Land Destruction in general. And that goes for my playstyle, not just due to this deck. As such, I don't think I will ever find a time I will want to include them.
I don't like Herald. 7 mana to steal a land next turn and then watch him die does not seem to be the best use of a turn/mana. It is doubtful he will really every keep going to stel 2, 3, 4, (and so on) lands each turn without someone aiming a Swords to Plowshares at it.
I have considered Zuran Orb. I don't think the impact is high enough (I rarely need to gain life) but I might decide to include it at some point.
Sylvan Safekeeper is a great idea. I will have to find a spot for it.
Regarding Psychosis Crawler: I don't think I draw enough cards at once to make him worth it. He will most definitely get in a bit of damage, but he is easily destroyed and I don't really want to rely on getting my engine going to win with him. Besides, if I really get things going, I don't think I need him as I have other ways to win.
New cards: If I add lands, they need to do more than fix mana, so Blooming Marsh is out. As to the others, I have been watching the spoilers for any cards that could help any of my decks. I haven't made a decision one way or the other on anything yet.
Thanks for the suggestions and I will see if I can find spots for some of the cards.
Praetor's Counsel also gives you a sizeless hand for when you're drawing a fat hand and want to keep it. Remember also that Wave of Vitriol gets rid of enchantments as well because Blind Obedience, Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void, etc. are a thing in multiplayer EDH and they basically screw over your monster frog.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
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And dying easily, which Psychosis Crawler does, still factors into the decision not to run it, even if it is not the sole reason. It is inconsistent as it is only really good once I have my "engine" going. At least Oracle and Azusa have an impact right away and if they die, I still get value out of them.
Yes, Crypt Rats hits me and my creatures too, but it gives me so much more versatility in terms of the board state. It hits all creatures (so it acts as a wrath in the early game) and only costs mana. In this deck, it is so much easier to generate large amounts of mana than it is to draw a bunch of cards though, arguably, both are somewhat "easy".
Maybe I will eventually decide to include Crawler, but as of right now the card doesn't impress me and I can't think of anything I would want to cut to make room for it.
Assuming I ever decided to run Wave of Vitriol, I would never cast it if someone had a Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void on the board. Not only does this totally mess up my lands (as mentioned above) those cards would then also exile all the nonbasics I sacrifice meaning I can never get them back. Wave of Vitriol has its uses, but getting rid of grave hate enchantments is one of the worst uses for it (for this deck anyway). This is what Bane of Progress and Woodfall Primus are for. In fact, Bane of Progress is a much better Wave of Vitriol since it doesn't mess with my lands and it is easier to recur.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
In any case, Crypt Rats does some useful utility work here mostly because this type of deck isn't particularly fast and therefore would use more ways of stabilizing the board, preferably ways that keep a big 6/6 frog alive.
The Unidentified Fantastic Flying Girl.
EDH
Xenagos, the God of Stompy
The Gitrog Monster: Oppressive Value.
Marchesa, Marionette Master - Undying Robots
Yuriko, the Hydra Omnivore
I make dolls as a hobby.
Here are the updates I made:
-Swamp (I found I had 43 lands and, even for this type of deck, I think that is too many)
-Decree of Pain
+Sylvan Safekeeper
+Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
I played a game the other night with these changes and these two cards basically won me the game. Early on, I cast Splendid Reclamation to get 8 lands back. Then, later in the game, I got Eternal Witness to get back Reclamation and I ended up with Sylvan Safekeeper and Ob Nixilis on the battlefield. This let me sacrifice most of my lands to give my three creatures Shroud and then cast Splendid Reclamation again to have one player lose 33 life and another lose 12. This let me end up with a 51/51 Ob Nixilis that I could win with next turn.
So, even after just 1 game, these two inclusions have already been very good.
I am still testing Throne of the High City but even though I got it a couple times in that game, I never wanted to play it or activate it. With the amount of card draw this deck has, this addition may end up being somewhat superfluous and might get cut again for another Swamp or Forest. In fact, I might try to cut a few different colorless lands to up my colored land count. There are a couple other colorless lands I am not fond of, such as Miren the Moaning Well and Drownyard Temple. The Temple seemed like it would be so much better, but I rarely find that I want to spend 3 mana to get it back.
Most likely, I will just add basics to make my fetches worthwhile later in the game, though I may try out Geier Reach Sanitarium. I am just finding that my green sources are scarce when I actually need them whereas I always have all the black mana I want.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
Also, no Lotus Cobra?
Should still be incredibly good even if you don't have the land ramp density that I have.
The Unidentified Fantastic Flying Girl.
EDH
Xenagos, the God of Stompy
The Gitrog Monster: Oppressive Value.
Marchesa, Marionette Master - Undying Robots
Yuriko, the Hydra Omnivore
I make dolls as a hobby.
Getting a free 5/5 that draws you a card if it dies is bad?
Keep in mind that the order on cards like Deathcloud is important.
As you sacrifice creatures first, then lands, so its not that cool with the frog.
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