Thanks for taking a look at my take on Chainer, Dementia Master. I built this out of my singleton "cube" of EDH cards. That means I may have slotted an obvious choice into another deck already. If you see a strong case for something that is missing, please let me know. I may avoid playing Vampiric Tutor, Demonic Tutor and Mana Crypt for example, but I'd like to hear your thought regardless.
My Perspective on Chainer
Filling the Graveyards and extending the game all play to this deck's strengths. Towards that end I have packed it with disruption, removal, ramp, card draw and recursion that targets any graveyard.
Of course this all comes at a cost. One difficulty of extending the game is the real risk of killing myself due to life loss (Chainer, Necropotence, Phyrexian Arena, Pestilence Demon, etc.. I've included a significant lifegain sub-theme to help offset those losses. I am hesitant to use sorcery lifegain spells (Exsanguinate for example) because this deck has a hard time fighting on the stack. I have opted for enchantments, artifacts and creatures. Any thoughts?
Doomsday!
Finally, I've been wanting to play Doomsday as a win condition for a very long time. Chainer already plays well with Triskelion and Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, so combining that two card combo with Victimize and Twilight Bargain seemed like a reasonable move. There are a number of other Doomsday stacks for mono-black but they tend to include cards that are sub-optimal on their own.
My Perspective on Chainer
Filling the Graveyards and extending the game all play to this deck's strengths. Towards that end I have packed it with disruption, removal, ramp, card draw and recursion that targets any graveyard.
Of course this all comes at a cost. One difficulty of extending the game is the real risk of killing myself due to life loss (Chainer, Necropotence, Phyrexian Arena, Pestilence Demon, etc.. I've included a significant lifegain sub-theme to help offset those losses. I am hesitant to use sorcery lifegain spells (Exsanguinate for example) because this deck has a hard time fighting on the stack. I have opted for enchantments, artifacts and creatures. Any thoughts?
Doomsday!
Finally, I've been wanting to play Doomsday as a win condition for a very long time. Chainer already plays well with Triskelion and Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, so combining that two card combo with Victimize and Twilight Bargain seemed like a reasonable move. There are a number of other Doomsday stacks for mono-black but they tend to include cards that are sub-optimal on their own.
One reasonable alternative would be Twilight Bargain, Ashnod's Altar, Reassembling Skeleton, Order of the Ebon-Hand and Blood Artist, but I don't see much value in Order of the Ebon-Hand. If I find myself needing more incremental lifegain and another sac outlet then I might go for the other option.
Cards I'm Not Sure About
Creatures
2 Reassembling Skeleton
3 Pilgrim's eye
3 Crypt Rats
3 Burnished Hart
4 Solemn Simulacrum
4 Crypt Ghast
4 Xiahou dun, the One-Eyed
4 Magus of the Abyss
4 Disciple of Bolas
4 Graveborn Muse
4 Braids, Cabal Minion
5 Bloodgift Demon
5 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
5 Corpse Connoisseur
5 Shriekmaw
6 Kokusho, the Evening Star
6 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
6 Triskelion
6 Geth, Lord of the Vault
6 Nirkana Revenant
7 Rune-Scarred Demon
8 Pestilence Demon
Enchantments
1 Tortured Existence
2 Heartless Summoning
3 Necropotence
3 Phyrexian Arena
3 Contamination
4 Greed
4 Death Match
5 Exquisite Blood
1 Entomb
2 Grim Harvest
3 Sudden Spoiling
3 Slaughter Pact
4 Snuff Out
5 Moonlight Bargain
Sorceries
3 Buried Alive
3 Beseech the Queen
3 Yawgmoth's Will
3 Victimize
3 Pox
3 Deathcloud
3 Doomsday
4 Mutilate
4 Damnation
5 Beacon of Unrest
6 Black Sun's Zenith
6 Life's Finale
Ramp
0 Everflowing Chalice
1 Sol Ring
1 Expedition Map
2 Fellwar Stone
2 Mind Stone
2 Jet Medallion
2 Fractured Powerstone
3 Worn Powerstone
6 Gauntlet of Power
1 Skullclamp
1 Codex Shredder
3 Loxodon Warhammer
4 Helm of Possession
4 Whip of Erebos
5 Batterskull
Lands
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Cabal Coffers
1 High Market
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Verdant Catacombs
29 Swamp
This lists by card function. Cards are listed multiple times if they fulfill more than one function.
1 Chainer, Dementia Master
Mana Sources, Ramp &
Cost Reducers
29 Swamp
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Verdant Catacombs
0 Everflowing Chalice
1 Sol Ring
1 Expedition Map
2 Heartless Summoning
2 Jet Medallion
2 Mind Stone
2 Fellwar Stone
2 Fractured Powerstone
3 Pilgrim's Eye
3 Burnished Hart
4 Solemn Simulacrum
3 Worn Powerstone
4 Crypt Ghast
5 Gauntlet of Power
6 Nirkana Revenant
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
Lifegain
1 High Market
3 Loxodon Warhammer
4 Whip of Erebos
4 Disciple of Bolas
5 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
5 Batterskull
5 Exquisite Blood
6 Kokusho, the Evening Star
1 Skullclamp
3 Phyrexian Arena
3 Necropotence
4 Greed
4 Disciple of Bolas
4 Graveborn Muse
5 Bloodgift Demon
5 Moonlight Bargain
Tutors
1 Expedition Map
1 Entomb
3 Doomsday
3 Beseech the Queen
3 Buried Alive
5 Corpse Connoisseur
7 Rune-Scarred Demon
Sacrifice Outlets
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 High Market
4 Helm of Possession
Recursion
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Tortured Existence
1 Codex Shredder
2 Grim Harvest
3 Yawgmoth's Will
3 Victimize
4 Whip of Erebos
4 Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed
5 Beacon of Unrest
6 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
6 Geth, Lord of the Vault
3 Contamination
3 Pox
4 Death Match
4 Magus of the Abyss
4 Braids, Cabal Minion
3 Death Cloud
8 Pestilence Demon
Mass Removal
3 Crypt Rats
3 Sudden Spoiling
4 Damnation
4 Mutilate
6 Life's Finale
2 Black Sun's Zenith
Spot Removal
3 Slaughter Pact
4 Helm of Possession
4 Snuff Out
5 Shriekmaw
Doomsday Stack
5 Twilight Bargain
3 Victimize
6 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
6 Triskelion
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