Alrighty... I have toiled over this for a while and went out and bought some cards and put together my first deck all by my lonesome. The idea of it, at least in my mind, is to get out a bunch of big creatures, some with sacrifice mechanics, and make Thraximundar big over time. There are some control elements in the deck, some card draw and some ramp and lots of removal. In my mind the deck works well, but as a new player, I would be open to some suggestions on how to improve it.
What comes to mind first is tutoring as I only have one such card. Is there anything else?
There are TONS of options for tutoring in your colors.
Some of the best are: Demonic Tutor - Two mana and unconditional, it doesn't get much better than this Vampiric Tutor - One mana, instant speed, but costs 2 life and puts it on top of your deck. Still pretty darn good. Imperial Seal - Slightly weaker than Vampiric and TONS more expensive to acquire, but still one of the best tutors if you can afford it. Diabolic Intent - If you've got a lot of creatures to sac, especially expendable fodder like Bitterblossom tokens, Reassembling Skeleton, Bloodghast, Gravecrawler, this is a cheap and great tutor. Grim Tutor - Expensive $-wise, but cheap to cast and unconditional Beseech the Queen - Can be cast for 3 and generally gets whatever you need. Increasing Ambition - Can get three cards from a single one Diabolic Revelation - Can get a huge number of cards from a single one Mystical Tutor - Gets any instant or sorcery extremely cheaply Intuition - Gets three cards as long as you don't mind two of them ending up in your yard (you can often use this to your advantage) Gamble - Extremely cheap, but a little risky.
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Currently Playing:
Legacy: Something U/W Controlish EDH Cube
Hypercube! A New EDH Deck Every Week(ish)!
[EDH] It's built to be a casual format and to a specific vision, and if you don't like the vision, there's nothing wrong with that, but it's not going to change to accommodate everyone. Big tent is not a goal.
Any other cards I should take a look at grabbing for the deck? I have quite a few cards kicking around and am not opposed to spending some cash on ones to beef it up. Also, what are fastlands? (noob)
Fastlands are lands that come in to play tapped unless you control two or fewer lands, Darkslick Shores for example. In the early game, sure they're great. But if you draw one on turn 5 and you have 4 lands in play and a sol ring, guess what? Thrax is delayed. I hate them.
Sign in Blood is excellent as is opportunity. Blue Sun's Zenith is good because it reshuffles itself, but I don't particularly like X cost spells for draw unless I'm building around big mana. Mercurial Chemister is cute, but he's so slow and fragile - he needs to survive a whole turn before you can use him. Temple Bell is bad unless you have ways to punish others for drawing - giving an opponent gas is never good in my opinion (outside of my Nekusar list).
Aside from the things listed above in my post and in Wildfire's post about tutors: Withered Wretch is good GY hate, Ashnod's Altar is always good and especially so in a Thrax list, Spell Crumple is a good counterspell as is Dismiss or Remand, Recurring Insight can get you great card advantage mid to late game.
[EDH] It's built to be a casual format and to a specific vision, and if you don't like the vision, there's nothing wrong with that, but it's not going to change to accommodate everyone. Big tent is not a goal.
Thanks Van! I have most of those cards sitting around here so my next question is, what should I cut? Lands I understand but to put in some of these other cards, what should I take of the deck to make room?
I also have Mulldrifter, which seems like a cheap draw spell if you just sacrfice him, also good synergy with Thrax.
What comes to mind first is tutoring as I only have one such card. Is there anything else?
Here is my decklist:
1 Thraximundar
Creatures
1 Charmbreaker Devils
1 Melek, Izzet Paragon
1 Clone
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
1 Evil Twin
1 Sedris, the Traitor King
1 Nightscape Familiar
1 Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
1 Trinket Mage
1 It That Betrays
1 Crypt Angel
1 Geth, Lord of the Vault
1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
1 Grimgrin, Corpse-Born
1 Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
1 Phyrexian Obliterator
1 Deathbringer Thoctar
1 Deadeye Navigator
1 Reiver Demon
1 Ashling, the Extinguisher
1 Harvester of Souls
1 Lord of the Void
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
1 Rakdos, Lord of Riots
Removal
1 Terminate
1 Crosis's Charm
1 Spine of Ish Sah
1 Dreadbore
1 Decree of Pain
1 Starstorm
1 Tragic Slip
1 Black Sun's Zenith
1 Spin into Myth
1 Diabolic Tutor
Mana Rocks
1 Sol Ring
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Izzet Signet
1 Dimir Signet
1 Rakdos Signet
Counterspells
1 Soul Manipulation
1 Counterspell
1 Hinder
Artifacts
1 Skullclamp
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Mimic Vat
1 Nim Deathmantle
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Tormod's Crypt
Other fun stuff
1 Rooftop Storm
1 Cruel Ultimatum
1 Propaganda
1 Ponder
1 Rakdos Charm
1 Army of the Damned
1 Brainstorm
1 Slave of Bolas
1 Life's Finale
Lands
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Command Tower
1 Crosis's Catacombs
1 Crumbling Necropolis
1 Darkslick Shores
1 Dragonskull Summit
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Grixis Panorama
4 Island
1 Rakdos Carnarium
1 Akoum Refuge
1 Opal Palace
1 Rupture Spire
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Lavaclaw Reaches
3 Mountain
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Molten Slagheap
1 Snow-Covered Island
1 Snow-Covered Swamp
1 Steam Vents
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Sulfurous Springs
4 Swamp
1 Temple of the False God
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Underground River
1 Urza's Factory
1 Vivid Creek
1 Vivid Marsh
Some of the best are:
Demonic Tutor - Two mana and unconditional, it doesn't get much better than this
Vampiric Tutor - One mana, instant speed, but costs 2 life and puts it on top of your deck. Still pretty darn good.
Imperial Seal - Slightly weaker than Vampiric and TONS more expensive to acquire, but still one of the best tutors if you can afford it.
Diabolic Intent - If you've got a lot of creatures to sac, especially expendable fodder like Bitterblossom tokens, Reassembling Skeleton, Bloodghast, Gravecrawler, this is a cheap and great tutor.
Grim Tutor - Expensive $-wise, but cheap to cast and unconditional
Beseech the Queen - Can be cast for 3 and generally gets whatever you need.
Increasing Ambition - Can get three cards from a single one
Diabolic Revelation - Can get a huge number of cards from a single one
Mystical Tutor - Gets any instant or sorcery extremely cheaply
Intuition - Gets three cards as long as you don't mind two of them ending up in your yard (you can often use this to your advantage)
Gamble - Extremely cheap, but a little risky.
Currently Playing:
Legacy: Something U/W Controlish
EDH Cube
Hypercube! A New EDH Deck Every Week(ish)!
Melek, Izzet Paragon --> Melek is a build-around-me general, not a creature in a Grixis Deck.
Clone --> Swap for Phyrexian Metamorph, way more utility than a basic clone.
Sedris, the Traitor King -->Again, another general that doesn't need to play second fiddle to Thrax
Nightscape Familiar --> Put in a mana rock for him Talisman of Indulgence or Dominance, Chromatic Lantern, Coalition Relic
Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur --> Very good if you can cheat him into play, not so good if you can't take advantage of him
Reiver Demon --> If you need another sweeper, put a sweeper in. A sweeper with a hoop isn't worh it.
Skullclamp is awesome, if you have a way to use it. I don't see much token production or low toughness creatures to pitch to it.
I'd drop the fastlands from your mana base as well as Urza's factory and the other CIPT lands (keep necropolis and catacombs). Put in more basics.
Some card draw I have on hand are:
I also have Counterflux and Claws of Gix, if they would be of use.
Sign in Blood is excellent as is opportunity. Blue Sun's Zenith is good because it reshuffles itself, but I don't particularly like X cost spells for draw unless I'm building around big mana. Mercurial Chemister is cute, but he's so slow and fragile - he needs to survive a whole turn before you can use him. Temple Bell is bad unless you have ways to punish others for drawing - giving an opponent gas is never good in my opinion (outside of my Nekusar list).
Aside from the things listed above in my post and in Wildfire's post about tutors: Withered Wretch is good GY hate, Ashnod's Altar is always good and especially so in a Thrax list, Spell Crumple is a good counterspell as is Dismiss or Remand, Recurring Insight can get you great card advantage mid to late game.
I also have Mulldrifter, which seems like a cheap draw spell if you just sacrfice him, also good synergy with Thrax.