@LeaPlath, thanks for the advice. I have seen a couple lists now that run cursecatcher like creatures. My only concern with them is you dont see a lot of people rocking cards like that in other EDH decklists meaning they are only good if Marchesa is in play. Do you find in playtesting they do really well or is it only a good card in the early game and horrable in the late? Does anyone else vouch for these creatures? I have seen Spiketail Hatchling on another decklist as well.
Also i can gladly report that so far Lightning Mauler was a success. I only played one match with him but i was able to drop him turn 3, marchesa turn 4 and give her haste. Then i sac'd him to the carrion feeder i droped turn 1 to exile him and bring him back unpaired at the end of my opponents turn to give Fulminator Mage haste next turn. Idk if it will always be that sweet but so far so good.
Secondly while Sygg is an extremely powerful tempo commander, the way they gain the tempo advantage and play is pretty different. Sygg draws you a LOT of cards and those cards can be any card type so loading the deck with sorceries and instants is more viable then Marchesa. Marchesa gains tempo by making creatures more difficult to eliminate and by re-triggering come into play effects. Creatures with enters the battlefield or leaves the battlefield is what Marchesa NEEDS so the deck needs to be extreamly creature heavy. Karador is a good example of a general who is "creature-centric" his abilities like marchesa's require creatures and because of this most of the karador decks that are winning the 3 star tournaments are running close to 50 creatures with less then 20 non-creature spells. Now i realize that as a red/blue player i wont be able to do such an extreme ratio, however i will try to put in as many creatures as i'm able to get away with as i can.
Right. But what we're saying, is you're wanting to play a tempo deck, but Sygg is an easier tempo deck and it is more natural. All Sygg has to do is "bash for three and not lose" while Marchesa has a lot of other steps involved in her strategy. Not that I'm one to tell you "you're doin' it wrong" - but it's food for thought.
Avalanche Riders: I have actually considered this card before and it's powerful. I will re-consider using it again. What does Fulminator Mage do for me that the Riders doesn't you ask? well is 1 mana cheaper to start. It curves nicely into marchesa playing it turn 3 then playing her turn 4, swing with the mage, get dethrone then sac after combat to blow up a land, then he comes back and you can either blow up a second land or wait till next turn to get another counter on him before sacking again. the problem with echo is you cant wait to play marchesa the turn after, in order to recycle the effect you HAVE to have marchesa out on your next upkeep or you just get 1 land. Again its not that hes a bad card, its just the mage is better.
Devil's advocate here, the Echo is a boon as a built-in sac outlet. But more importantly, it's one mana more but it has haste and hits basics - that is a HUGE upside. Since you're painting a picture, imagine this;
You drop Marchesa, then next turn you drop Riders to hit their Maze, bash six, grow Riders, then on upkeep fail to pay, they die, then come back and nuke their Island.
Stifle: a really good card but i still think its more of a classic control card then an aggro or midrange one. Also i think you may be over-estimating it. You can only counter activated/triggered abilities, not spells, you cant counter stone rain or time walk with it. It simply stalls an ability for one turn. I find it a bit underwhelming tbh but a lot of pro's use it so i guess i should try it.
Shadow of Doubt: it seems like a cheaper more situational exclude that targets tutors instead of creatures.I believe this is meant to chill in your hand with a bunch of other counterspells like exclude and negate and you just choose the correct counter based on what your opponent casts. I dont think this strategy works very well when your tapping out often to play your creature spells.
I'll lump Shadow of Doubt into this reply as well, since they're doing similar things. I think you're misinterpreting me. When I use terms like "stone rain" or "time walk", I am not referring to the actual spells, moreso the virtual advantage of targeting fetchland activations, Pod triggers, Equip triggers, Planeswalker abilities, and etc. Shadow of Doubt is doing the same thing here, only sometiems better because it cycles itself.
Over estimating? No - you can't over-estimate a card of such ubiquitous power.
3Drinks. Im not running any x cost counters so im not sure what you meant there. Unless u mean counter unless they pay x but even then im only running the one mana leak.
Apologies again, I was unclear. I meant playing just three counters in any kind of blue/X deck is just not correct - not that you're playing the "counter unless you pay X" spells (though these are fantastic in three colour decks like you have here, as they're easier to splash). In a deck like this, an ideal counter suite should look something like this;
Then I'd add a few ubiquitous counters, such as Counterspell (ol' faithful) and Cryptic Command, because it does anything you want so 1UUU is an acceptable cost. And then since you're so reliant on creatures and reusing ETBs, I'd feel comfortable playing Familiar's Ruse for deck synergy. In fact, Snapcaster Mage + Familiar's Ruse is a pretty strong, fascinating interaction.
Consider a card like Gigadrowse to set up a game winning attack turn.
all those tutors and card draw you want me to run like read the bones is good but again A) not creatures B) if you go to overboard with them you end up drawing into more card draw. I'm running 10 card advantage cards as it is, any more is a bit overkill.
Consider more guys like Phyrexian Rager and Phyrexian Gargantua then? Combine the CA on a body. Since you want to attack so much...Pain Seer for Bob #2? (it is quite a bit worse than Bob, of course).
Thought Gorger: I dont get it...why would I run him over another creature with large stats like abyssal persecutor? if you're in topdeck mode he doesn't get any counters. Early game he gets rid of your hand so your counters that you need to prevent your opponents from going off or ruining your board position are gone. what am i not seeing that you are?
You're using the top deck scenario as justification for why this card is bad, but many other cards you play aren't winning the game if you're in top deck mode, either. If you're on top deck, you're a sitting duck just waiting for your opponent to kill you. So let's get that mentality out of the way.
Gorger lets you recycle your hand - you have a large beatstick that opponents don't want to kill, but they have to deal with. When they do, you get a brand new grip. Add to that the natural synergy with Marchesa and...hopefully I've explained it's purpose a bit better. He gives your opponent two awful choices to decide between. "Do I keep taking this 4-5 in the face? Or do I give him an Ancestral Recall?" Neither are good for the opponent.
Stormbreath Dragon/True-Name Nemesis: both amazingly solid cards. I have debated using them time and time again. I will try to find a spot to put them back in. The only reason i took them out is because i didn't know what else to take out to fit them in. When push came to shove i decided that because they don't really synergize with marchesa particularly well i took them out for stuff that do.
I think True-Name Nemesis is too good not to play, and especially even better with a commander that brings it back.
3Drinks, its really nice to see a new person on here. I appreciate your time and input!
Cryptic command is amazing, i'm not going to debate that. But when running 3 colors i find the tripple blue on a 4 cost kinda hard to pull off sometimes and thats why I dont run it. The same logic applies to Grave Pact. Do you guys ever find that to be a problem? TBH i havent actually tried it in the deck, i've just had that problem in other tri-coloured decks i've had in the past.
I'm really appreciating that last post. Im gonna add in a few of those counters you mentioned.
I have personally found that the deck likes having around 33 creatures (1/3 of the deck) give or take a couple cards. I used to run 25 but i found a significant improvement in performance when i bumped it up to over 30. Taking the 37 lands into consideration that leaves 29 slots for non-land/ non-creature spells. In your opinion 3drinks, what should those 29 look like? How many counters; mana ramp; card draw; targeted creature removal; artifact removal; board wipes; combo pieces (like Unspeakable Symbol); planeswalkers should i run?
You mentioned a card named adamant negation? Is that a card or did u mean pact of negation?
I like a bunch of the counters you mentioned and most of them have made their way in and out of the deck over the last couple years. As I said previously the deck needs at LEAST 30 creatures minimum (you just going to have to take me for my word on that one). I like 33. So if i'm going to have 15 counterspells that leaves me with 14 (17 if i go down to 30 creatures which is as low as I would consider slots for other cards like Jokelhaups, unspeakable symbol, board wipes etc. What should I take out for all these counters?
Cryptic command is amazing, i'm not going to debate that. But when running 3 colors i find the tripple blue on a 4 cost kinda hard to pull off sometimes and thats why I dont run it. The same logic applies to Grave Pact. Do you guys ever find that to be a problem? TBH i havent actually tried it in the deck, i've just had that problem in other tri-coloured decks i've had in the past.
I'm really appreciating that last post. Im gonna add in a few of those counters you mentioned.
I have personally found that the deck likes having around 33 creatures (1/3 of the deck) give or take a couple cards. I used to run 25 but i found a significant improvement in performance when i bumped it up to over 30. Taking the 37 lands into consideration that leaves 29 slots for non-land/ non-creature spells. In your opinion 3drinks, what should those 29 look like? How many counters; mana ramp; card draw; targeted creature removal; artifact removal; board wipes; combo pieces (like Unspeakable Symbol); planeswalkers should i run?
You mentioned a card named adamant negation? Is that a card or did u mean pact of negation?
With a proper manabase in conjunction with fetching appropriately, you should be able to play Cryptic on t4 (U lands should be a priority to fetch first anyway). And I'd firmly tell you, it is worth stretching your manabase every bit to include. This doesn't mean I'd play any card that has three mana symbols in it, but if the card is powerful (Cryptic, or Necro in traditional Commander). You mentioned Grave Pact - I don't believe that is strong enough to be worth stressing your mana for, although you have Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth so B shouldn't be an issue (I don't think it's a strong enough card, personally).
Ya, the larget problem i have had in the past with using to much stuff like Oona's Blackguard (which blatently says that without marchesa giving +1/+1 counters this card is complete garbage) is Meddling Mage and Nevermore. I find i like playing cards that are still good on their own even if you dont have your general in play. I have the same problem with Thought Gorger. Its really only good in marchesa because she can give more counters making u draw more then discard.
Also my question about non creature spells wasnt really what should they be and more about how many of each category should i have. Also when u look at my decklist, what would you take out for these cards your sugget.
Im still not sold on stifle. My problem with it and Trickbind is how I look at it. Ultimately its a 1 for 0. Just like "bounce" effects are (which im not a fan of eithor). You spend 1 card to temporarily slow an opponent a turn and you just delay the enevitable. Shadow of doubt however is amazing and i will add it to the list. Its basically a 0 for 1 because u permanently screw them a tutor or fetch land while you draw a card.
Im trying to fit in most of your suggestions but i dont know what to take out to do it. Could you look at my list and tell me what you think i should axe for cards your suggesting? Just remember i insist on at LEAST 30 creatures.
Stifle is not a 1-for-0. It's a one-for-one at the minimum, and a huge tempo play. Planeswalker ultimates, fetchlands (how many people keep a two land hand thinking it's good but then get blown out by a Stifle on their t1/t2 fetch? Trickbind is similar but a bit slower at two mana...but having [i]Split Second[/c] more than makes up for that - it can slow an Ezuri deck's overrun by a whole turn, giving you chance to dig for a clutch Damnation. As well as everything Stifle does. These kinds of cards are never dead.
As for the specific cuts, I'd need some time to go over it again. But Blackguard doesn't need Marchesa to do anything - with just bitterblossom alone it is making 2/2 Abyssal Specters.
Ill just have to take your word on stifle. I'll see if i can get my hands on a copy and try it out. I see its usefulness against sac lands and the RARE walker ultimate, but otherwise i see it as a 1 for 0 just like bounce.
As for blackguard i dont even use bitterblossum and i have 0 roguee in the deck. 1 when i add in True Name Nemesis. Its a combo piece that relys on Marchesa to put counters on creatures. Trust me I have tested it. When it goes off its great, when it doesnt it does nothing. Maybe this is a playstyle difference between you and I. I prefer cards that dont require my general to be good. They should be good on there own and your general should just make them better.
On a side note, should I be running bitterblossum? I have seen other lists running it. I just dont know what to take out for it. Its a solid card, i just hate when it kills you lol.
What is your opinion on mana rocks? Im tempted to just take out all of my artifacts including the lightning greaves to fit in all these counters i need to add.
I think Blossom is too good not to play, esp in this kind of deck.
I wouldn't say there's a playstyle difference between us because I'd play Blackguard; but I do think if a card provides overwhelming advantage with your commander, it can be worth a slot even if its bad on its own. In this scenario, you can mind twist someone with the synergy - that is plenty strong.
Alright, you have convinced me with the blackguard if I put bitterblossum in. As long as there is 1 other synergy it makes me feel a bit better. My buddy who is better then I am at Magic is the one who convinced me to not run it using the same logic I just gave you. Ill put it back and try it again.
It is one of those cards I use to bog the game down. a 1/1 for 2 is fine for holding equipment and it sometimes catches people out. It might be better in a tempo build though and right now, I'm starting to build full out aggression.
So, on another guys marchesa thread (solrune's) someone brought up Goblin Flectomancer. What do you guys think of him? Seems like i card i should have been running since day 1 to me.
Narrow? Targeted Removal, Counterspells, Discard, card draw like sign in blood, burn. Still think the card is limited, with marchesa potentially letting him do it over and over again?
I tried dualcaster, didnt like him, he sat in my hand never to be played. Also you cant recycle his effects with marchesa, the goblin's can. I guess i wont use eithor
I think in an allied shard you've got three signets, two talismans, & with a bit of finesse, can justify two borderposts. Obligatory mention to Coldsteel as well, for obv flexibility reasons.
Well I suggested seven so...it's a matter of preference between signets/talismans/borderposts and coldsteel/fellwar and etc. You're the pilot, it's your call.
Id like to run 6-7 rocks, but i just dont have room with all the counters i just added in as per your recommendation. Ill try 4 and see if i find i need more or not.
I've been pondering about this deck for a while now, as I'm searching for an aggro deck that is not in junk colors.
The problem I see is that you want to have cost-effective creatures to out-value your opponent, UB disruption and abuse the recursion effects of Marchesa, to grind the control match-ups.
I know you don't want to have cards recommend that are over 50 bucks, but I think that this deck might benefit a lot from Vendillion Clique. That's something I'll try on my own and see how it works.
Black Sun's Zenith interacts very poorly with this deck and the commander, and if you playing so few counterspells, maybe remand should step aside for another counter like miscalculation or spell pierce. Instead of cantriping, having it not delaying but actually countering the spell might be better, even if it's a soft counter.
There is no reason not to play gitaxian probe here. You want to take the 2 damage, it's nice to see the opponents hand to check if you are safe for another turn, and it replaces itself.
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
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BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
Right. But what we're saying, is you're wanting to play a tempo deck, but Sygg is an easier tempo deck and it is more natural. All Sygg has to do is "bash for three and not lose" while Marchesa has a lot of other steps involved in her strategy. Not that I'm one to tell you "you're doin' it wrong" - but it's food for thought.
Devil's advocate here, the Echo is a boon as a built-in sac outlet. But more importantly, it's one mana more but it has haste and hits basics - that is a HUGE upside. Since you're painting a picture, imagine this;
You drop Marchesa, then next turn you drop Riders to hit their Maze, bash six, grow Riders, then on upkeep fail to pay, they die, then come back and nuke their Island.
I'll lump Shadow of Doubt into this reply as well, since they're doing similar things. I think you're misinterpreting me. When I use terms like "stone rain" or "time walk", I am not referring to the actual spells, moreso the virtual advantage of targeting fetchland activations, Pod triggers, Equip triggers, Planeswalker abilities, and etc. Shadow of Doubt is doing the same thing here, only sometiems better because it cycles itself.
Over estimating? No - you can't over-estimate a card of such ubiquitous power.
Apologies again, I was unclear. I meant playing just three counters in any kind of blue/X deck is just not correct - not that you're playing the "counter unless you pay X" spells (though these are fantastic in three colour decks like you have here, as they're easier to splash). In a deck like this, an ideal counter suite should look something like this;
1 Cursecatcher
1 Daze
1 Dispel
1 Force Spike
1 Power Sink
1 Spell Pierce
1 Stifle
1 Stubborn Denial
1 Remand
1 Mana Leak
1 Miscalculation
1 Memory Lapse
1 Shadow of Doubt
1 Spiketail Drakeling
1 Spiketail Hatchling
1 Trickbind
1 Complicate
1 Exclude
Then I'd add a few ubiquitous counters, such as Counterspell (ol' faithful) and Cryptic Command, because it does anything you want so 1UUU is an acceptable cost. And then since you're so reliant on creatures and reusing ETBs, I'd feel comfortable playing Familiar's Ruse for deck synergy. In fact, Snapcaster Mage + Familiar's Ruse is a pretty strong, fascinating interaction.
Consider a card like Gigadrowse to set up a game winning attack turn.
Consider more guys like Phyrexian Rager and Phyrexian Gargantua then? Combine the CA on a body. Since you want to attack so much...Pain Seer for Bob #2? (it is quite a bit worse than Bob, of course).
You're using the top deck scenario as justification for why this card is bad, but many other cards you play aren't winning the game if you're in top deck mode, either. If you're on top deck, you're a sitting duck just waiting for your opponent to kill you. So let's get that mentality out of the way.
Gorger lets you recycle your hand - you have a large beatstick that opponents don't want to kill, but they have to deal with. When they do, you get a brand new grip. Add to that the natural synergy with Marchesa and...hopefully I've explained it's purpose a bit better. He gives your opponent two awful choices to decide between. "Do I keep taking this 4-5 in the face? Or do I give him an Ancestral Recall?" Neither are good for the opponent.
I think True-Name Nemesis is too good not to play, and especially even better with a commander that brings it back.
No problem. You're stuck with me now, lol.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
I'm really appreciating that last post. Im gonna add in a few of those counters you mentioned.
I have personally found that the deck likes having around 33 creatures (1/3 of the deck) give or take a couple cards. I used to run 25 but i found a significant improvement in performance when i bumped it up to over 30. Taking the 37 lands into consideration that leaves 29 slots for non-land/ non-creature spells. In your opinion 3drinks, what should those 29 look like? How many counters; mana ramp; card draw; targeted creature removal; artifact removal; board wipes; combo pieces (like Unspeakable Symbol); planeswalkers should i run?
You mentioned a card named adamant negation? Is that a card or did u mean pact of negation?
I like a bunch of the counters you mentioned and most of them have made their way in and out of the deck over the last couple years. As I said previously the deck needs at LEAST 30 creatures minimum (you just going to have to take me for my word on that one). I like 33. So if i'm going to have 15 counterspells that leaves me with 14 (17 if i go down to 30 creatures which is as low as I would consider slots for other cards like Jokelhaups, unspeakable symbol, board wipes etc. What should I take out for all these counters?
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
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I meant Stubborn Denial. Although Pact of Negation and Force of Will could have a home - FoW is a maybe though, you have to look at your U cards and which are pitchable.
With a proper manabase in conjunction with fetching appropriately, you should be able to play Cryptic on t4 (U lands should be a priority to fetch first anyway). And I'd firmly tell you, it is worth stretching your manabase every bit to include. This doesn't mean I'd play any card that has three mana symbols in it, but if the card is powerful (Cryptic, or Necro in traditional Commander). You mentioned Grave Pact - I don't believe that is strong enough to be worth stressing your mana for, although you have Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth so B shouldn't be an issue (I don't think it's a strong enough card, personally).
Planeswalkers in Grixis? I'd be looking at Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Liliana of the Veil, & Chandra, Pyromaster automatically to start. Then I'm a fan of Jace Beleren so I'd always play him - others will say Jace, Architect of Thought which probably isn't wrong either - but I prefer baby Jace. You might play both though. With enough artifacts, you might play Tezzeret the Seeker or Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas. I myself have a soft spot for Sarkhan the Mad - but he isn't everyone's cup of tea. Of course if you can reliably get to eight in a game, Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker is a win if it resolves (and he's my top reason for going Grixis).
With all the +1/+1 counters, you know of the synergy with Oona's Blackguard, right?
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
Also my question about non creature spells wasnt really what should they be and more about how many of each category should i have. Also when u look at my decklist, what would you take out for these cards your sugget.
Im still not sold on stifle. My problem with it and Trickbind is how I look at it. Ultimately its a 1 for 0. Just like "bounce" effects are (which im not a fan of eithor). You spend 1 card to temporarily slow an opponent a turn and you just delay the enevitable. Shadow of doubt however is amazing and i will add it to the list. Its basically a 0 for 1 because u permanently screw them a tutor or fetch land while you draw a card.
Im trying to fit in most of your suggestions but i dont know what to take out to do it. Could you look at my list and tell me what you think i should axe for cards your suggesting? Just remember i insist on at LEAST 30 creatures.
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
Glad you came around on how amazing Shadow of Doubt is.
As for the specific cuts, I'd need some time to go over it again. But Blackguard doesn't need Marchesa to do anything - with just bitterblossom alone it is making 2/2 Abyssal Specters.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
As for blackguard i dont even use bitterblossum and i have 0 roguee in the deck. 1 when i add in True Name Nemesis. Its a combo piece that relys on Marchesa to put counters on creatures. Trust me I have tested it. When it goes off its great, when it doesnt it does nothing. Maybe this is a playstyle difference between you and I. I prefer cards that dont require my general to be good. They should be good on there own and your general should just make them better.
On a side note, should I be running bitterblossum? I have seen other lists running it. I just dont know what to take out for it. Its a solid card, i just hate when it kills you lol.
What is your opinion on mana rocks? Im tempted to just take out all of my artifacts including the lightning greaves to fit in all these counters i need to add.
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
I wouldn't say there's a playstyle difference between us because I'd play Blackguard; but I do think if a card provides overwhelming advantage with your commander, it can be worth a slot even if its bad on its own. In this scenario, you can mind twist someone with the synergy - that is plenty strong.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
But I do think Dualcaster Mage would be a stronger version of this effect as now it takes a tutour, wins a counter war, & mirrors removal.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
I think in an allied shard you've got three signets, two talismans, & with a bit of finesse, can justify two borderposts. Obligatory mention to Coldsteel as well, for obv flexibility reasons.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
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BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
The problem I see is that you want to have cost-effective creatures to out-value your opponent, UB disruption and abuse the recursion effects of Marchesa, to grind the control match-ups.
I know you don't want to have cards recommend that are over 50 bucks, but I think that this deck might benefit a lot from Vendillion Clique. That's something I'll try on my own and see how it works.
Black Sun's Zenith interacts very poorly with this deck and the commander, and if you playing so few counterspells, maybe remand should step aside for another counter like miscalculation or spell pierce. Instead of cantriping, having it not delaying but actually countering the spell might be better, even if it's a soft counter.
There is no reason not to play gitaxian probe here. You want to take the 2 damage, it's nice to see the opponents hand to check if you are safe for another turn, and it replaces itself.
I had some sucess playing with more LD-effects such as wildfire and avalanche riders.
Perhaps because I play in such a heavy-control meta I prefer self-recouring threats like bloodghast, Bloodsoaked champion, Gravecrawler and Geralf's messenger.