Hey there. i have been looking at the three golgari commanders I own (Well actually i have a few more, but i don't feel like buiding Meren, and Nath is in my Leovold deck, so yea)
Anyway the ones that I hav avilble and that interest me are
Mairek is probably going to be the most fun. A flying commander with a decent cost and decent Body. It also has a very nice way to pump up not only himself but your entire team. A few sac outest and ways to produce a fair amount of tokens (Like Awakening zone) could become a very deadly creature. Grave Pact can do wonders in this deck.
Skullbriar is fun and a quick guy to use who can get big fast. A few ways to add more +1/+1 counters and he si golden. though he is easily chump blocked. I would need ways to give him trample. Which can be done with cards like Rancor, or getting brawn in the grave.
Reyhan seems more of a 99 type card but she can still be used as a commander. More of s support creature tan anything, she can make the use of pumping creatures great. her own ability allows her death to not be in vain. She would probably be more useful in mazirrek but she can also do her own thing, and would be a very obscure general.
So I ask the community to pitch ideas. While Mazirek is the most appealing at the moment, I could be persuaded to shift towards the other two. My mind is not yet made up.
I only have experience with mazirek, kraul death priest and skullbriar, the walking grave. i've found that mazirek can get very threatening very fast if left unchecked. and it does so in a way that people see coming, so you can easily become the archenemy at the table. skullbriar, the walking grave was more fun for me, but that's because i like more low-curve, control-ish type things, and that's how i built him. He provides a consistent threat, and the rest of the deck just supports his beatdown.
Hmm, with my playgroup being focused on another person i think mazirek could hold his own. As for skullbiar. I am curious abiut this low curve. While can come out turn 1 with tbe right opening hand. He too is an easily seen threat. Maybe i will build bkth and keep tbe one i lile more.
To my mind,Skullbriar, the walking Grave is the odd one out here - I can see the other two guys being focused in a more attrition-y build with lots of Grave Pact etc etc, the usual sac stuff. To me, while I have decks like that (and enjoy them), it's been done and it's not a challenge.
I would go for Skullbriar. Very much an aggro general, you could almost play him voltron style. So long as you can stop him getting bounced (can't be that hard to give him pro-blue) I would think it would be a lot of fun. Things like Hardened Scales, Retribution of the Ancients, Forgotten Ancient, and you're good. From memory of my wife's skullbriar build, it's hard to defend against when he swings so early - and really, there's not a lot of reason not to swing, it's not like he's going to get smaller unless you want him to.
To my mind,Skullbriar, the walking Grave is the odd one out here - I can see the other two guys being focused in a more attrition-y build with lots of Grave Pact etc etc, the usual sac stuff. To me, while I have decks like that (and enjoy them), it's been done and it's not a challenge.
I would go for Skullbriar. Very much an aggro general, you could almost play him voltron style. So long as you can stop him getting bounced (can't be that hard to give him pro-blue) I would think it would be a lot of fun. Things like Hardened Scales, Retribution of the Ancients, Forgotten Ancient, and you're good. From memory of my wife's skullbriar build, it's hard to defend against when he swings so early - and really, there's not a lot of reason not to swing, it's not like he's going to get smaller unless you want him to.
My 0.02
I did play a rafiq votron deck, so I have the equipment still. But Skullbriar is still a fairly basic creature. Add a few tutors and I can run him at people all day long. Though i fear it will turn out to be like Rafiq which did get dull. (On of my strongest decks to date but got dull as it was the same idea every game. Eve my leovold deck is starting to bore me as I built it to deal wth one person and I get archenemied way too often.)
I'd go Skullbriar, simply for cool points. The pseudo-stax golgari archetype is probably the way to win the most games, but a) it's been done to death B) it's tedious.
If you simply want to smash face with a ZOMBIE ELEMENTAL though, supplemented with removal, draw, and buffs, you might strike some gold there. Heck, you could probably throw in Hatred too, why not?
i mean if it is voltron it is going to be the same strategy every game. but the same could be said of golgari-sac-for-value. and i think Skullbriar could play much more aggressively and all-in than rafiq could, which comes with its own set of challenges. and you're right that he's an easily seen threat, but he's also harder to deal with, since only bounce or repeated removal will significantly slow him down.
you asked for some card suggestions so here goes:
I'd probably run a few ways to try and get him in on turn 1 - lotus petal or chrome mox come to mind, but also other mana acceleration like dark ritual would be good, since you're trying to win asap
probably a set of solid buff and evasion effects, preferably cheap - rancor, maybe also bonesplitter, and of course things like umezawa's jitte and the swords. brawn and filth would also be solid.
anyway just some suggestions from the top of my head, it's been a while since i played him. you could include any number of other effects, from reanimation (since that's a cheaper way to bring Skullbriar back, and you could get your opponent's creatures too), to an infect theme (you're in the right colors after all, and if you give him infect you'll be in business), to heavy discard or even enchantress.
i just like the idea of turn 1 hardened scales into turn 2 Skullbriar into turn 3 rancor + tainted strike +berserk or something (hell even just the first two turns are pretty hard for a lot of decks to deal with).
I play Reyhan with Ishtai. Mazirek is in the 99 and is one of the combo pieces.
Reyhan is one of those generals that goes infinite very easily. In a strictly Golgari build, there's Reyhan + Bloodspore Thrinax + Ant Queen + Crystalline Crawler + any sac outlet to generate infinite mana, infinite power, infinite tokens.
Mazirek can also helm these types of combos. Reyhan is better with Blade of Selves.
These are the two that are the most interesting to me.
I really think this is a "What kind of player am I?" type deal, and not something I can really tell you one way or the other.
Mazirek is a very explosive general with a lot of moving parts. You have to be comfortable with taking long turns, managing complicated board states and analyzing decision trees. If you like mental puzzles, want a deck with a solid learning curve and room for growth, are attentive towards what happens each turn (remember to track enemy fetchlands) and want variety in your game, Mazirek is probably a riot. However, if you struggle with analysis paralysis, or just like simple and effective strategies, having to deal with Rishkar, Peema Renegade, Smothering Abomination, Sifter of Skulls, Catacomb Sifter, Gyre Sage, Life from the Loam, Eldritch Evolution, Altar of Dementia and/or a Westvale Abbey and then trying to figure out how to take your turn, might just not be your cup of tea. It's a daunting choice, but potentially a very rewarding one.
Skullbriar is, well, Skullbriar. You try to attack people with him, and ideally they die. He's almost unique as a Voltron general in that if you put the effort into making him big, he remains big throughout the rest of the game, assuming no -1/-1 counters. Because your commander itself is such a threat, you have a lot of flexibility to add a bit of flavor into your deck (+1/+1 counter tribal, ramp package, more disruption, graveyard synergy, etc), but your gameplan will ultimately be fairly linear and rely on getting into the red zone. If sitting on a massive hasty monster in your command zone and chomping at the bit to unleash it pleases your inner Timmy, go ahead, you know what you're getting into. The latest years have been pretty nice to him, with the tuck change and a lot of +1/+1 counter synergy to go around.
Reyhan, I don't really know where to go with. She probably ends up in some creature-oriented +1/+1 counter tribal deck, or as a combo facilitator. Kind of like Mazirek, but more down-to-earth. You can keep her around along with a White—, Red— and Blue—Black/Green commander and a selection of appropriate cards you swap out for each, which is kind of spicy.
Ultimately, it comes down to what you enjoy doing in a game of Magic. I don't find any of them very appealing, but that doesn't really matter, because I'm not the one going to be playing them.
You could try a slightly different approach than the usual 'sac for value' with Mazirek, since it's rather flexible in the wording: 1.) permanent and 2.) a player. So you do things besides saccing small saccable creatures all day.
My mind went to saccing Clue tokens(and other artifacts that sac for cards) and forcing opponents to sacrifice stuff with edicts - a controll-y approach - while piling counters on things like Dauthi Horror and Dryad Sophisticate. Seeing if one could build a Mazirek deck where the point isn't saccing creatures all day. Not the obvious power approach, but could be fun to try.
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You could try a slightly different approach than the usual 'sac for value' with Mazirek, since it's rather flexible in the wording: 1.) permanent and 2.) a player. So you do things besides saccing small saccable creatures all day.
My mind went to saccing Clue tokens(and other artifacts that sac for cards) and forcing opponents to sacrifice stuff with edicts - a controll-y approach - while piling counters on things like Dauthi Horror and Dryad Sophisticate. Seeing if one could build a Mazirek deck where the point isn't saccing creatures all day. Not the obvious power approach, but could be fun to try.
I was actually thinking of running Mazirek with the old school eldrazi (Annihilator) and get some "Force sac" like Fleshbag Marauder. I will also be running It that betrays because, reasons.
I was planning to run a colorless eldrazi tribal deck, so i already have the eldrazi. Mazirek is the most appealing right now and I guess I could run the other two in the 99. SO what if my opening hand is Swamp, Elvish Spirit Guide and Skullbriar? That is doing exactly what I would do with him, just he is not always coming back. Plus with Maz I can add some recursion. Sac and recur.
While it is not a major question. Would Reyhan + Mickey + Sac outlet work? Undying brings creature back with a +1/+1. Sac. Move counter to another creature, no counters, undying brings it back. Or would it see the counter first prevnting undying from being amazing?
While it is not a major question. Would Reyhan + Mickey + Sac outlet work? Undying brings creature back with a +1/+1. Sac. Move counter to another creature, no counters, undying brings it back. Or would it see the counter first prevnting undying from being amazing?
Doesn't work for multiple reasons. Reyhan doesn't actually move counters around, even if that's how people are likely to play in practice. She sees a creature with counters die then her triggered ability puts an equal number of counters on a creature. In addition, the intervening if in undying's trigger just looks to see if an undying creature had one or more +1/+1 counters when it died, not whether it has any while in the GY (which is a feat on its own, seeing as Skullbriar is the only creature in the game that can currently do that). Even if you could somehow move the counters around, it would have to happen before the creature died.
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While it is not a major question. Would Reyhan + Mickey + Sac outlet work? Undying brings creature back with a +1/+1. Sac. Move counter to another creature, no counters, undying brings it back. Or would it see the counter first prevnting undying from being amazing?
Doesn't work for multiple reasons. Reyhan doesn't actually move counters around, even if that's how people are likely to play in practice. She sees a creature with counters die then her triggered ability puts an equal number of counters on a creature. In addition, the intervening if in undying's trigger just looks to see if an undying creature had one or more +1/+1 counters when it died, not whether it has any while in the GY (which is a feat on its own, seeing as Skullbriar is the only creature in the game that can currently do that). Even if you could somehow move the counters around, it would have to happen before the creature died.
Anyway the ones that I hav avilble and that interest me are
Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest
SkullBriar, the Walking Grave
and
Reyhan, Last of the Abzan
Mairek is probably going to be the most fun. A flying commander with a decent cost and decent Body. It also has a very nice way to pump up not only himself but your entire team. A few sac outest and ways to produce a fair amount of tokens (Like Awakening zone) could become a very deadly creature. Grave Pact can do wonders in this deck.
Skullbriar is fun and a quick guy to use who can get big fast. A few ways to add more +1/+1 counters and he si golden. though he is easily chump blocked. I would need ways to give him trample. Which can be done with cards like Rancor, or getting brawn in the grave.
Reyhan seems more of a 99 type card but she can still be used as a commander. More of s support creature tan anything, she can make the use of pumping creatures great. her own ability allows her death to not be in vain. She would probably be more useful in mazirrek but she can also do her own thing, and would be a very obscure general.
So I ask the community to pitch ideas. While Mazirek is the most appealing at the moment, I could be persuaded to shift towards the other two. My mind is not yet made up.
UB Vela the Night-Clad BUDecklist
WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores GBW
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just my two cents
Tymna & Ishai, ie Esper Edric
Crosis Turbotrash
Do you have card suggestions?
UB Vela the Night-Clad BUDecklist
WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores GBW
WUBRGThe Ur-DragonWUBRGDecklist
I would go for Skullbriar. Very much an aggro general, you could almost play him voltron style. So long as you can stop him getting bounced (can't be that hard to give him pro-blue) I would think it would be a lot of fun. Things like Hardened Scales, Retribution of the Ancients, Forgotten Ancient, and you're good. From memory of my wife's skullbriar build, it's hard to defend against when he swings so early - and really, there's not a lot of reason not to swing, it's not like he's going to get smaller unless you want him to.
My 0.02
I did play a rafiq votron deck, so I have the equipment still. But Skullbriar is still a fairly basic creature. Add a few tutors and I can run him at people all day long. Though i fear it will turn out to be like Rafiq which did get dull. (On of my strongest decks to date but got dull as it was the same idea every game. Eve my leovold deck is starting to bore me as I built it to deal wth one person and I get archenemied way too often.)
UB Vela the Night-Clad BUDecklist
WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores GBW
WUBRGThe Ur-DragonWUBRGDecklist
If you simply want to smash face with a ZOMBIE ELEMENTAL though, supplemented with removal, draw, and buffs, you might strike some gold there. Heck, you could probably throw in Hatred too, why not?
you asked for some card suggestions so here goes:
I'd probably run a few ways to try and get him in on turn 1 - lotus petal or chrome mox come to mind, but also other mana acceleration like dark ritual would be good, since you're trying to win asap
probably a set of solid buff and evasion effects, preferably cheap - rancor, maybe also bonesplitter, and of course things like umezawa's jitte and the swords. brawn and filth would also be solid.
a set of card-draw so you don't run out of gas - night's whisper and co. could work, but also keen sense or hunter's insight and other green power-matters could be good. greater good could be interesting.
a few other creatures that are just threatening or utility - creakwood liege has good synergy, and reclamation sage, eternal witness, even deathrite shaman could find places here
a selection of +1 counters matters cards - hardened scales, winding constrictor, etc
a number of instant speed protection effects - imp's mischief and heroic intervention, for example
some protection for yourself - no mercy, damnation
some cards that can make Skullbriar kill out of nowhere - tainted strike, berserk, hatred, become immense
anyway just some suggestions from the top of my head, it's been a while since i played him. you could include any number of other effects, from reanimation (since that's a cheaper way to bring Skullbriar back, and you could get your opponent's creatures too), to an infect theme (you're in the right colors after all, and if you give him infect you'll be in business), to heavy discard or even enchantress.
i just like the idea of turn 1 hardened scales into turn 2 Skullbriar into turn 3 rancor + tainted strike +berserk or something (hell even just the first two turns are pretty hard for a lot of decks to deal with).
Tymna & Ishai, ie Esper Edric
Crosis Turbotrash
Reyhan is one of those generals that goes infinite very easily. In a strictly Golgari build, there's Reyhan + Bloodspore Thrinax + Ant Queen + Crystalline Crawler + any sac outlet to generate infinite mana, infinite power, infinite tokens.
Mazirek can also helm these types of combos. Reyhan is better with Blade of Selves.
These are the two that are the most interesting to me.
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Mazirek is a very explosive general with a lot of moving parts. You have to be comfortable with taking long turns, managing complicated board states and analyzing decision trees. If you like mental puzzles, want a deck with a solid learning curve and room for growth, are attentive towards what happens each turn (remember to track enemy fetchlands) and want variety in your game, Mazirek is probably a riot. However, if you struggle with analysis paralysis, or just like simple and effective strategies, having to deal with Rishkar, Peema Renegade, Smothering Abomination, Sifter of Skulls, Catacomb Sifter, Gyre Sage, Life from the Loam, Eldritch Evolution, Altar of Dementia and/or a Westvale Abbey and then trying to figure out how to take your turn, might just not be your cup of tea. It's a daunting choice, but potentially a very rewarding one.
Skullbriar is, well, Skullbriar. You try to attack people with him, and ideally they die. He's almost unique as a Voltron general in that if you put the effort into making him big, he remains big throughout the rest of the game, assuming no -1/-1 counters. Because your commander itself is such a threat, you have a lot of flexibility to add a bit of flavor into your deck (+1/+1 counter tribal, ramp package, more disruption, graveyard synergy, etc), but your gameplan will ultimately be fairly linear and rely on getting into the red zone. If sitting on a massive hasty monster in your command zone and chomping at the bit to unleash it pleases your inner Timmy, go ahead, you know what you're getting into. The latest years have been pretty nice to him, with the tuck change and a lot of +1/+1 counter synergy to go around.
Reyhan, I don't really know where to go with. She probably ends up in some creature-oriented +1/+1 counter tribal deck, or as a combo facilitator. Kind of like Mazirek, but more down-to-earth. You can keep her around along with a White—, Red— and Blue—Black/Green commander and a selection of appropriate cards you swap out for each, which is kind of spicy.
Ultimately, it comes down to what you enjoy doing in a game of Magic. I don't find any of them very appealing, but that doesn't really matter, because I'm not the one going to be playing them.
My mind went to saccing Clue tokens(and other artifacts that sac for cards) and forcing opponents to sacrifice stuff with edicts - a controll-y approach - while piling counters on things like Dauthi Horror and Dryad Sophisticate. Seeing if one could build a Mazirek deck where the point isn't saccing creatures all day. Not the obvious power approach, but could be fun to try.
I was actually thinking of running Mazirek with the old school eldrazi (Annihilator) and get some "Force sac" like Fleshbag Marauder. I will also be running It that betrays because, reasons.
I was planning to run a colorless eldrazi tribal deck, so i already have the eldrazi. Mazirek is the most appealing right now and I guess I could run the other two in the 99. SO what if my opening hand is Swamp, Elvish Spirit Guide and Skullbriar? That is doing exactly what I would do with him, just he is not always coming back. Plus with Maz I can add some recursion. Sac and recur.
While it is not a major question. Would Reyhan + Mickey + Sac outlet work? Undying brings creature back with a +1/+1. Sac. Move counter to another creature, no counters, undying brings it back. Or would it see the counter first prevnting undying from being amazing?
UB Vela the Night-Clad BUDecklist
WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores GBW
WUBRGThe Ur-DragonWUBRGDecklist
Damn, but i kinda figured that would be the case.
UB Vela the Night-Clad BUDecklist
WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores GBW
WUBRGThe Ur-DragonWUBRGDecklist