This deck is built was originally built for zombie based aggro but has evolved into more of a Necromany/MBC deck. I pulled all of the zombies and plan on making a new tribal deck in the near future, and have made this one into more of a control/tempo deck. I like the deck being able to run multiple generals to change up the play style, but it mainly runs Chainer, Dementia Master as he can abuse the multiple ETB/LTB effects in the deck. Other potential generals for the deck include Geth, Lord of the Vault, Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed, Kagemaro, First to Suffer, Sheoldred, Whispering One, and I just recently added Ob Nixilis, Unshackled. I haven't had a chance to try the new Ob as a general, but I think depending on the decks I'm facing, he could be brutal. Xiahou Dun and Sheoldred both play similar to Chainer in that they are both recursion engines. Geth functions in a similar vein but works on your opponents yards instead of your own. This can be a double edged sword depending on the decks you're facing. Kagemaro can be a great swap when you are facing a meta that has a lot of difficult to kill generals and creatures (hexproof, Eldrazi, protection, indestructible).
I've completely rebuilt this deck and have updated the thread to the most current iteration.
Cards I'm currently testing or plan on trying:
Pristine Talisman - Hat Tip to jmdt and his Chainer Primer. I came across his primer after switching to Chainer as the main general, looking for some ways to help mitigate the life loss he brings to the table. I found that we were running a lot of the same cards and that he'd found a few I'd never heard of like the Talisman and Infernal Tribute.
Ob Nixilis, Unshackled - I pulled Harvester of Souls for the new demon as soon as I got one last week. I have high hoped for him, and he's a beast on paper, but only play testing will prove he gets the spot.
Waste Not - It seems like getting this out early and popping a Mindslicer could make you the official mayor of value town, but I don't think the deck runs enough discard to make this consistently effective. If I decide to run Waste not I'll probably also slot in Oppression.
Liliana of the Dark Realms - Swamps are relevant to this deck, ramp is always good, another way to deal with problem creatures, and super ramp if I cam ultimate her... I just need to figure out what she should replace...
If anyone has any comments or suggestions, they are always appreciated!
This looks like a great, fun monoblack graveyard deck. Nicely done :). Just a few notes/thoughts:
- Beseech the Queen has generally been superior to Diabolic Tutor in most of my black-heavy commander decks. Its drawback is rarely relevant, and the one mana saved can make the difference.
- Corpse Dance is neat but having to exile seems like a major drawback (albeit one that can be dodged with a sac outlet). Have you thought about trying Victimize or Rescue from the Underworld in its place? Or maybe (even though it also exiles) Whip of Erebos?
Hope that helps!
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Commander - Currently Playing: RCRDaretti: Superfriends Forever RCR WGBDoran: Ent-mootWBG GGGMultani: Group Bear HugGGG GB(B/G)The Gitrog Monster: Dredgefall DurdleGB(B/G) RGWGahiji, the Honored Group Hug MonsterRGW UB(U/B)Yuriko, Ninja Trinket AggroUB(U/B) WUBRGAtogatog: Assembling a OHKOWUBRG
I actually just got a copy of Beseech the Queen and was planning on swapping it with Diabolic Tutor
Sorin was actually in the deck originally but got pulled for Karn Liberated. Dropping someone to 10 was awesome, but he rarely if ever made it around a full turn, and I think the direct lifeloss this deck provides (Koko, Gary, Exsanguinate) can hold its own. I honestly got a lot of hate for playing him from my playgroup, and I needed answers for artifacts and enchantments which is why Karn and Spine of Ish Sah got slotted in. Shriekmaw was also originally in the deck but got swapped with Bone Shredder. I liked that Shrikmaw had evasion and the ability to evoke its ability, but I feel like I've gotten more value out of Bone Shredder because its a lot cheaper to cast and it sacs itself for recursion. I was skeptical at first but he's proven to be an allstar. That being said, if I ever decide that I need more targeted removal for a given matchup, I always have a copy of Shriekmaw in my deck case to slot in just in case.
I'm torn on Dictate of Erebos. Ever since it got spoiled I was certain that it would find a spot in the deck, and although I like redundancy, I haven't found that I've ever been sitting at the table thinking, "Man, I wish I had another copy of Grave Pact right now!" I also have that sitting in my deck box, and perhaps it warrants some testing. I didn't even know Attrition was a card! I'm going to have to grab a copy of that and try it out. I normally prefer free sac outlets in the deck, but the benefit is huge when you need targeted removal, especially when it can be repeatable with Bloodghast or Reassembling Skeleton. Great suggestion!
I'm liking Victimize as well the more I've been considering it. I'm not crazy about Rescue from the Underworld since it exiles itself after resolution so I can't reuse it like I could with Victimize and Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed. With all of the sac outlets I run in the deck, the only real downside to Corpse Dance is the top creature in the graveyard restriction. But I've found the buyback ability to be worth it. Normally I'll just get whatever ETB/LTB creature I want to make dance on the field first and then sac him to the top of the yard to start the loop. The reason I don't run Whip of Erebos is because there is no way around the exile clause since it triggers EOT or if he leaves the battlefield. The lifelink would be so money for this deck with all of the self destruction it throws on you, but the whole purpose of the deck is to reuse the creatures for their value triggers. While one extra activation of Gary could be a huge life swing in my favor, if it doesn't win the game, there's a good chance I'm going to wish he was back in the yard to use again.
Ob Nixilis, Unshackled - I pulled Harvester of Souls the new demon as soon as I got one last week. I have high hoped for him, and he's a beast on paper, but only play testing will prove he gets the spot.
5 Chainer, Dementia Master (main general)
4 Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed
5 Kagemaro, First to Suffer
6 Geth, Lord of the Vault
6 Ob Nixilis, Unshackled
7 Sheoldred, Whispering One
Creatures (24)
2 Bloodghast
2 Reassembling Skeleton
2 Blood Artist
3 Fleshbag Marauder
3 Bone Shredder
3 Crypt Rats
3 Pawn of Ulamog
4 Solemn Simulacrum
4 Crypt Ghast
4 Falkenrath Noble
4 Disciple of Bolas
4 Dimir House Guard
4 Braids, Cabal Minion
4 Graveborn Muse
4 Mindslicer
4 Sangromancer
5 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
5 Bloodgift Demon
5 Ogre Slumlord
6 Duplicant
6 Massacre Wurm
6 Nirkana Revenant
6 Kokusho, the Evening Star
7 Rune-Scarred Demon
2 Demonic Tutor
2 Night's Whisper
2x Exsanguinate
3 Yawgmoth's Will
3 Toxic Deluge
3 Buried Alive
4 Damnation
4 Diabolic Tutor
Instants (3)
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Entomb
3 Corpse Dance
Planeswalkers (1)
7 Karn Liberated
Artifacts (15)
1 Sol Ring
1 Skullclamp
1 Expedition Map
2 Lightning Greaves
2 Spawning Pit
2 Mind Stone
2 Altar of Dementia
2 Jet Medallion
2 Nim Deathmantle
3 Pristine Talisman
3 Phyrexian Altar
3 Rings of Brighthearth
4 Trading Post
6 Caged Sun
7 Spine of Ish Sah
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
2 Bitterblossom
3 Contamination
3 Phyrexian Arena
3 Infernal Tribute
3 Necropotence
4 Grave Pact
Lands (35)
0 Ancient Tomb
0 Buried Ruin
0 Cabal Coffers
0 Deserted Temple
0 High Market
0 Homeward Path
0 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
0 Petrified Field
0 Phyrexian Tower
0 Terrain Generator
0 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
0 Vesuva
0 Volrath's Stronghold
22 Swamp
EDH Decks:
GGG Omnath, the Sultan of Stomp GGG
BB Marrow-Gnawer... Or... Rats! Foiled again! BB
BB The Army of Evil (Necromancy for fun and profit) BB
RW Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, and her Samurai Army WR
UB Vela the Night-Clad... Ninjas be Sneaky and Stuff, Yo!!!1! BU
BGU Vorash, the Hunter... Voltron Vorash' Viciously Violent Victory UGB
BBB Ghoulcaller Gisa and the Return of the Night of Living Dead Part XIII BBB
WUBRG Sliver Overlord... Because Having Friends is Completely Overrated GRBUW
XXXXX Kozilek, Butcher of Youth or This is Vintage EDH... Get Off My Damn Lawn! XXXXX
You cannot make time, you can only take time. If you never take time, how can you ever have time?
EDH Decks:
GGG Omnath, the Sultan of Stomp GGG
BB Marrow-Gnawer... Or... Rats! Foiled again! BB
BB The Army of Evil (Necromancy for fun and profit) BB
RW Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, and her Samurai Army WR
UB Vela the Night-Clad... Ninjas be Sneaky and Stuff, Yo!!!1! BU
BGU Vorash, the Hunter... Voltron Vorash' Viciously Violent Victory UGB
BBB Ghoulcaller Gisa and the Return of the Night of Living Dead Part XIII BBB
WUBRG Sliver Overlord... Because Having Friends is Completely Overrated GRBUW
XXXXX Kozilek, Butcher of Youth or This is Vintage EDH... Get Off My Damn Lawn! XXXXX
You cannot make time, you can only take time. If you never take time, how can you ever have time?
Cards I'm currently testing or plan on trying:
Pristine Talisman - Hat Tip to jmdt and his Chainer Primer. I came across his primer after switching to Chainer as the main general, looking for some ways to help mitigate the life loss he brings to the table. I found that we were running a lot of the same cards and that he'd found a few I'd never heard of like the Talisman and Infernal Tribute.
Ob Nixilis, Unshackled - I pulled Harvester of Souls for the new demon as soon as I got one last week. I have high hoped for him, and he's a beast on paper, but only play testing will prove he gets the spot.
Waste Not - It seems like getting this out early and popping a Mindslicer could make you the official mayor of value town, but I don't think the deck runs enough discard to make this consistently effective. If I decide to run Waste not I'll probably also slot in Oppression.
Liliana of the Dark Realms - Swamps are relevant to this deck, ramp is always good, another way to deal with problem creatures, and super ramp if I cam ultimate her... I just need to figure out what she should replace...
If anyone has any comments or suggestions, they are always appreciated!
EDH Decks:
GGG Omnath, the Sultan of Stomp GGG
BB Marrow-Gnawer... Or... Rats! Foiled again! BB
BB The Army of Evil (Necromancy for fun and profit) BB
RW Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, and her Samurai Army WR
UB Vela the Night-Clad... Ninjas be Sneaky and Stuff, Yo!!!1! BU
BGU Vorash, the Hunter... Voltron Vorash' Viciously Violent Victory UGB
BBB Ghoulcaller Gisa and the Return of the Night of Living Dead Part XIII BBB
WUBRG Sliver Overlord... Because Having Friends is Completely Overrated GRBUW
XXXXX Kozilek, Butcher of Youth or This is Vintage EDH... Get Off My Damn Lawn! XXXXX
You cannot make time, you can only take time. If you never take time, how can you ever have time?
- Beseech the Queen has generally been superior to Diabolic Tutor in most of my black-heavy commander decks. Its drawback is rarely relevant, and the one mana saved can make the difference.
- Sorin Markov, Dictate of Erebos, Shriekmaw, and Attrition seem like some major omissions, but to be fair I'm not sure what you should cut. Maybe Infernal Tribute and Sangromancer?
- Corpse Dance is neat but having to exile seems like a major drawback (albeit one that can be dodged with a sac outlet). Have you thought about trying Victimize or Rescue from the Underworld in its place? Or maybe (even though it also exiles) Whip of Erebos?
Hope that helps!
RCRDaretti: Superfriends Forever RCR
WGBDoran: Ent-mootWBG
GGGMultani: Group Bear HugGGG
GB(B/G)The Gitrog Monster: Dredgefall DurdleGB(B/G)
RGWGahiji, the Honored Group Hug MonsterRGW
UB(U/B)Yuriko, Ninja Trinket AggroUB(U/B)
WUBRGAtogatog: Assembling a OHKOWUBRG
I actually just got a copy of Beseech the Queen and was planning on swapping it with Diabolic Tutor
Sorin was actually in the deck originally but got pulled for Karn Liberated. Dropping someone to 10 was awesome, but he rarely if ever made it around a full turn, and I think the direct lifeloss this deck provides (Koko, Gary, Exsanguinate) can hold its own. I honestly got a lot of hate for playing him from my playgroup, and I needed answers for artifacts and enchantments which is why Karn and Spine of Ish Sah got slotted in. Shriekmaw was also originally in the deck but got swapped with Bone Shredder. I liked that Shrikmaw had evasion and the ability to evoke its ability, but I feel like I've gotten more value out of Bone Shredder because its a lot cheaper to cast and it sacs itself for recursion. I was skeptical at first but he's proven to be an allstar. That being said, if I ever decide that I need more targeted removal for a given matchup, I always have a copy of Shriekmaw in my deck case to slot in just in case.
I'm torn on Dictate of Erebos. Ever since it got spoiled I was certain that it would find a spot in the deck, and although I like redundancy, I haven't found that I've ever been sitting at the table thinking, "Man, I wish I had another copy of Grave Pact right now!" I also have that sitting in my deck box, and perhaps it warrants some testing. I didn't even know Attrition was a card! I'm going to have to grab a copy of that and try it out. I normally prefer free sac outlets in the deck, but the benefit is huge when you need targeted removal, especially when it can be repeatable with Bloodghast or Reassembling Skeleton. Great suggestion!
I'm liking Victimize as well the more I've been considering it. I'm not crazy about Rescue from the Underworld since it exiles itself after resolution so I can't reuse it like I could with Victimize and Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed. With all of the sac outlets I run in the deck, the only real downside to Corpse Dance is the top creature in the graveyard restriction. But I've found the buyback ability to be worth it. Normally I'll just get whatever ETB/LTB creature I want to make dance on the field first and then sac him to the top of the yard to start the loop. The reason I don't run Whip of Erebos is because there is no way around the exile clause since it triggers EOT or if he leaves the battlefield. The lifelink would be so money for this deck with all of the self destruction it throws on you, but the whole purpose of the deck is to reuse the creatures for their value triggers. While one extra activation of Gary could be a huge life swing in my favor, if it doesn't win the game, there's a good chance I'm going to wish he was back in the yard to use again.
EDH Decks:
GGG Omnath, the Sultan of Stomp GGG
BB Marrow-Gnawer... Or... Rats! Foiled again! BB
BB The Army of Evil (Necromancy for fun and profit) BB
RW Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, and her Samurai Army WR
UB Vela the Night-Clad... Ninjas be Sneaky and Stuff, Yo!!!1! BU
BGU Vorash, the Hunter... Voltron Vorash' Viciously Violent Victory UGB
BBB Ghoulcaller Gisa and the Return of the Night of Living Dead Part XIII BBB
WUBRG Sliver Overlord... Because Having Friends is Completely Overrated GRBUW
XXXXX Kozilek, Butcher of Youth or This is Vintage EDH... Get Off My Damn Lawn! XXXXX
You cannot make time, you can only take time. If you never take time, how can you ever have time?
Which half are you playing?
Misc. EDH Stuff: Commander Cube | Zombies (Horde)
Resources:Commander Rulings FAQ | Commander Deckbuilding Guide
Follow me on Twitter! @cryogen_mtg
Just the bottom half... it has the important stuff and makes the converted mana cost 0
EDH Decks:
GGG Omnath, the Sultan of Stomp GGG
BB Marrow-Gnawer... Or... Rats! Foiled again! BB
BB The Army of Evil (Necromancy for fun and profit) BB
RW Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, and her Samurai Army WR
UB Vela the Night-Clad... Ninjas be Sneaky and Stuff, Yo!!!1! BU
BGU Vorash, the Hunter... Voltron Vorash' Viciously Violent Victory UGB
BBB Ghoulcaller Gisa and the Return of the Night of Living Dead Part XIII BBB
WUBRG Sliver Overlord... Because Having Friends is Completely Overrated GRBUW
XXXXX Kozilek, Butcher of Youth or This is Vintage EDH... Get Off My Damn Lawn! XXXXX
You cannot make time, you can only take time. If you never take time, how can you ever have time?