While I am not new to commander. Varina, Lich Queen is my first real attempt at doing a tribal deck. I am not posting a decklist on the decklist because I dont think I need help with the list, its more of I feel like I need help figuring out the strategy and when I get that downpact I will consider posting the list. It is also very simillar to another list posted by another member here so I feel like it may not be necessary.
So right now my game plan does like this.
Main Plan: Have a bunch of zombies and zombie tokens in order for more Varina triggers and more importantly get damage through.This will also helo me find what I need when, I need it. This leads into plan B
Plan C: With enough filtering/drawing and tutoring It is entirely possible to acquire the pieces for Rooftop Storm/Grave crawler with a Vengeful Dead on board.
These are the issues I am currently having. Right now I am only relying on the suite of zombie lords I have in the deck as anthem effects. I would list them but I'll make it easy on everyone and say its the usual suspects. I feel like I need something else more impactful. as I was writing this thread, I thought of Eldrazi Monument What do people think about Coat of Arms? the boost it would give is what I'm looking for but I feel the drawback of helping other decks with tokens, tribal etc is too big a risk to warrant inclusion. Does anyone know of any other good anthems worth considering.
One other issue is save servant and merchant, there is nothing I can think of that has great impact when it comes to mass reanimator. If those two arent in the graveyard the plan is, hope I can get to my next turn without getting board wiped, or if I do get wiped the dies trigger everyone takes a life does some work.
Wonder and Filth are great cards to discard. If you want to bin specific cards to reanimate, Buried Alive and Entomb are great for that. You could put Archaeomancer in the yard and get back the Living Death every time. Mitigates board wipes and gets more of use out of that Wayward Servant.
If you are looking for mass-Haste to swing in with the Zombie Horde after a Mass-Reanimation spell, Akroma's Memorial is really your only bet.
If you are looking for a way to get your guys through unblocked, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth plus Zombie Master or Filth would do the trick by giving all your Zombies Swampwalk and giving your opponents Swamps.
And I'm finding that board wipes are less and less a problem with Varina now. Along with all the mass-reanimate spells (Patriarch's Bidding, Living Death, Zombie Apocalypse, you have so many available ways to recur those creatures (Oversold Cemetery, Lord of the Undead, Gisa and Geralf, Havengul Lich), or turn them into Zombie tokens (Varina, Lich Queen, Cemetery Reaper, The Scarab God) that board wipes are just speed bumps. You can win any protracted war of attrition given the amount of card advantage you can generate, and you really only have to fear a non-creature based combo or a deck that deploys an army bigger and faster than yours.
Ive only used Zombie Master but i will take a closer look at Wonder and Filth
A card i saw in an edhrec article Diviner's Wand actually seems like a way to get Varina through and possible provide a wincon through commander damage.
Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
So right now my game plan does like this.
Main Plan: Have a bunch of zombies and zombie tokens in order for more Varina triggers and more importantly get damage through.This will also helo me find what I need when, I need it. This leads into plan B
Plan B: Mass reanimate with Zombie Apocalypse Patriarch's Bidding and Living Death This will help me recover from a board wipe and becomes a really good win condition if I so happen to have Wayward Servant and Gray Merchant (most of the stuff I have have a lot of black mana symbols)
Plan C: With enough filtering/drawing and tutoring It is entirely possible to acquire the pieces for Rooftop Storm/Grave crawler with a Vengeful Dead on board.
These are the issues I am currently having. Right now I am only relying on the suite of zombie lords I have in the deck as anthem effects. I would list them but I'll make it easy on everyone and say its the usual suspects. I feel like I need something else more impactful. as I was writing this thread, I thought of Eldrazi Monument What do people think about Coat of Arms? the boost it would give is what I'm looking for but I feel the drawback of helping other decks with tokens, tribal etc is too big a risk to warrant inclusion. Does anyone know of any other good anthems worth considering.
One other issue is save servant and merchant, there is nothing I can think of that has great impact when it comes to mass reanimator. If those two arent in the graveyard the plan is, hope I can get to my next turn without getting board wiped, or if I do get wiped the dies trigger everyone takes a life does some work.
Dragons of Legend, Lead by Scion of the UR-Dragon
The Gitrog Monster
Gonti, Lord of Luxury
Shogun Saskia
Hive World
Atraxa hates fun
Abzan
Anointed Procession and Cathars' Crusade make a great combo, there is also Cover of Darkness for getting through. Can also recommend Aven Wind Guide as a surprisingly good "lord" for zombie tokens, that can also embalm as a zombie itself. Reconnaissance is also really good for Varina so you can swing regardless of board state.
My decklist, in case you're interested: http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/varina-zombie-queen/
If you are looking for a way to get your guys through unblocked, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth plus Zombie Master or Filth would do the trick by giving all your Zombies Swampwalk and giving your opponents Swamps.
And I'm finding that board wipes are less and less a problem with Varina now. Along with all the mass-reanimate spells (Patriarch's Bidding, Living Death, Zombie Apocalypse, you have so many available ways to recur those creatures (Oversold Cemetery, Lord of the Undead, Gisa and Geralf, Havengul Lich), or turn them into Zombie tokens (Varina, Lich Queen, Cemetery Reaper, The Scarab God) that board wipes are just speed bumps. You can win any protracted war of attrition given the amount of card advantage you can generate, and you really only have to fear a non-creature based combo or a deck that deploys an army bigger and faster than yours.
I personally do not runCoat of Arms in my Varina deck given that you already have so many good Zombie lords. If you are considering Coat of Arms, perhaps you might like Door of Destinies or even Obelisk of Urd.
Jalira, Master Polymorphist | Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder | Bosh, Iron Golem | Ezuri, Renegade Leader
Brago, King Eternal | Oona, Queen of the Fae | Wort, Boggart Auntie | Wort, the Raidmother
Captain Sisay | Rhys, the Redeemed | Trostani, Selesnya's Voice | Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight | Obzedat, Ghost Council | Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind | Vorel of the Hull Clade
Uril, the Miststalker | Prossh, Skyraider of Kher | Nicol Bolas | Progenitus
Ghave, Guru of Spores | Zedruu the Greathearted | Damia, Sage of Stone | Riku of Two Reflections
Ive only used Zombie Master but i will take a closer look at Wonder and Filth
A card i saw in an edhrec article Diviner's Wand actually seems like a way to get Varina through and possible provide a wincon through commander damage.
On phasing: