Glad to hear you like my list
It still isn't complete yet, I have to invest in the lands I'm missing.
Unfortunately only 2 out of 4 opponent's have lists that are comparable in competitiveness. This leads to one player dominating every night. I'm mostly a player that tries out new deck ideas instead of going fully competitive but I feel like I am the one who has to bring a bit of balance back. So I'm playing Sidisi every now and then to remind the other player who wins 75% of the time that winning isn't everything
I will post a review how it went on friday night or saturday morning, depending on how tired I am after playing.
EDIT: Okay, played a few games online. Opponents were Tishana, Voice of Thunder and Mogis, God of Slaughter. I killed Tishana but lost to the constant damage the Mogis player was dealing. I had a board full of zombies and big creatures but then the Sulfuric Vortex came out and I was at 2 life, so yeah, that was my death.
I feel like this deck needs a way to sacrifice creatures for life. So, something like Diamond Valley... but that is expensive as f***. Miren, the Moaning Well, maybe? I thought about Gray Merchant of Asphodel but that won't make enough life, I guess. And it's not as easy to cut for than for an utility land.
Also, Sequestered Stash doesn't synergize well with Mesmeric Orb. In most cases you mill the card again that you put on top of your library the turn before. And if you do it after you milled yourself, you lose a lot of mana for the turn. That would be the first card I'd cut if I put in a lifegain land.
Pros of Miren:
- Lifegain
- Sac Outlet
- Doesn't sacrifice itself
Cons:
- Doesn't help with artifact recursion
- Only makes colorless mana
Dunno... I would test it, probably.
Thanks to Game Knights' new episode I just realised the interaction between Glen Elendra Archmage and Path of Discovery o_o
Makes Path even better, because with enough blue mana you can just counter every noncreature spell. In the few games I played by now it was always a good card, especially with two Doubling Seasons, everytime I explored a creature into the graveyard I got 4 new zombies that explored again. It's just way too awesome.
Thanks to Game Knights' new episode I just realised the interaction between Glen Elendra Archmage and Path of Discovery o_o
Makes Path even better, because with enough blue mana you can just counter every noncreature spell. In the few games I played by now it was always a good card, especially with two Doubling Seasons, everytime I explored a creature into the graveyard I got 4 new zombies that explored again. It's just way too awesome.
Path of Discovery is definitely an amazing card because it works great on own (which is super important) but it has so many interactions with so many other cards. The only problem I see with indefinitely countering noncreature spells with Glen Elendra Archmage is if the top card of the library is a land card. You'd have to manipulate the top deck a bit for it to be a nonland card. That way you can just leave it there and counter every noncreature spell until you have to draw your next card.
My YouTube Channel: The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
After a single game with Sidisi this evening everyone was mad at me again for playing it... because the strongest player wasn't there today and so I easily won :/
Well, I won by sacrificing my buffed zombies from Undead Warchief into Altar of Dementia to mill my opponents and get more zombies from Undead Alchemist, so I had a good chance to get 1-2 new zombies from every milling.
I also think I made a mistake regarding the sorting of triggers, but I'm unsure:
I resurrected World Shaper with Atzal, Cave of Eternity, sacrificed it in Altar of Dementia to mill myself for three (I had a lot of lands in the grave at that time) and milled Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre. I wasn't sure and didn't want to cheat, so I didn't get any lands back and shuffled my graveyard into my library. But now that I think about it, I believe I could have gotten the lands back into play before the shuffling happened.
Well, in any case, since Ulamog entered the graveyard due to the mill, there's still things on the stack. Sacrificing World Shaper meant you decided to resolve Altar of Dementia before resolving World Shaper's triggered ability. However, since Ulamog's triggered entered the stack after World Shaper's, I'm pretty sure that it'll resolve before World Shaper's. I'm not entirely sure this is the case, but due to the order of the triggers entering the stack, I don't know if you can choose the order of resolution or if it's LIFO order regardless.
My YouTube Channel: The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
Oh, I guess you are right... another thing to keep in mind when I want to mill myself
So next time, I'll get my lands back before I mill myself, I guess.
Just played the list, with Path to Discovery for Sudden Reclamation, and just loved. Only card I hated was Crypt of Agadeem, it was terrible. Might play a Nykthos in its place.
Just played the list, with Path to Discovery for Sudden Reclamation, and just loved. Only card I hated was Crypt of Agadeem, it was terrible. Might play a Nykthos in its place.
My YouTube Channel: The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
I also think I made a mistake regarding the sorting of triggers, but I'm unsure:
I resurrected World Shaper with Atzal, Cave of Eternity, sacrificed it in Altar of Dementia to mill myself for three (I had a lot of lands in the grave at that time) and milled Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre. I wasn't sure and didn't want to cheat, so I didn't get any lands back and shuffled my graveyard into my library. But now that I think about it, I believe I could have gotten the lands back into play before the shuffling happened.
Since World Shapers is a death trigger and sacrificing for the altar is a cost you can't mill 3 first, World Shapers ability would resolve before the altar. You would get all the lands currently in the grave, then mill 3, then resolve the Ulamog trigger that popped up.
Only time you decide the order of triggers is when they happen simultaneously, for example if in those three cards you killed both a Narcomeba and an Ulamog. In this case you could either stack narcomeba on top of Ulamog to get into play before shuffling, or vice-versa to send narcomeba back to the deck.
I also think I made a mistake regarding the sorting of triggers, but I'm unsure:
I resurrected World Shaper with Atzal, Cave of Eternity, sacrificed it in Altar of Dementia to mill myself for three (I had a lot of lands in the grave at that time) and milled Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre. I wasn't sure and didn't want to cheat, so I didn't get any lands back and shuffled my graveyard into my library. But now that I think about it, I believe I could have gotten the lands back into play before the shuffling happened.
Since World Shapers is a death trigger and sacrificing for the altar is a cost you can't mill 3 first, World Shapers ability would resolve before the altar. You would get all the lands currently in the grave, then mill 3, then resolve the Ulamog trigger that popped up.
Only time you decide the order of triggers is when they happen simultaneously, for example if in those three cards you killed both a Narcomeba and an Ulamog. In this case you could either stack narcomeba on top of Ulamog to get into play before shuffling, or vice-versa to send narcomeba back to the deck.
Thanks for clearing that up. I went with a pessimistic assumption but the fact that it dies due to a cost means that it goes first. That's something that's also important with commanders like Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest.
My YouTube Channel: The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
Indeed thanks for clearing that up. Makes sense now.
I'm still unsure about Miren, the Moaning Well, but the deck really needs some lifegain, it has lots of cards that need you to pay life or deal damage to you (Razaketh, the Foulblooded, Phyrexian Reclamation, City of Brass, Mana Confluence, Ancient Tomb, the shock duals...) but nothing to gain life so sometimes a few attacking creatures of my opponents are everything that's needed to kick me out of the game. Sometimes I need just one more turn to win, but I don't get that turn because I'm low at lifepoints.
I'm going more Battlecruiser than you are KitsuLeif, but that's exactly why I added lifegain to my list because of times I've been painted in a corner and was at too low life to go off. Since then, I've put in:
And I still feel like I'm still off a little life-wise. I'm currently considering Twilight Prophet as my next card but as always with Sidisi I'm finding any swaps difficult because the deck list is so tight.
I can say that Miren, the Moaning Well probably isn't going to help as you are paying "4 mana" to gain 2 life from a Zombie. Miren works wonders in my Daxos the Returned deck because my fodder is easily 5+ toughness. High Market would be a better fit.
I thought about Gray Merchant of Asphodel as well, but I think there's not enough black devotion for him to actually work out well. I will probably test him, though.
Yeah, the problem with devotion is that the colors are nearly evened out. It was one reason I didn't run Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx but I'm considering it as a swap for Crypt of Agadeem.
Life loss could be a major issue with the deck considering that most of its mana sources are detrimental in nature. Most games I haven't had a problem with life because I'm usually able to defend my board presence some what. But the threat is not negligible. Tev's suggestion of Twilight Prophet is good because it's cheap to hardcast and relatively easy on the color constriction. I don't really like drawing into the deck as much as I like self-milling and reanimating. I don't want to run discard outlets in order to cheat things into play; I'd rather mill them for value. However, I do see the potential of cards like Twilight Prophet. If you're sacrificing a lot of your creatures or killing opponents' creatures than cards like Blood Artist are great as well. I run them to much success in my Mazirek deck; then again, that deck is devoting to sacrificing. I am aware that with Blood Artist in play the Narcomoeba + Mortuary + Altar of Dementia combo will also give you infinite life. Exsanguinate is good but if you're already producing a lot of mana to take advantage of it then it could just as easily win you the game. I'm not entirely against it though, but I just wish that all nonland cards of the deck were creatures . In this case, I think that Whip of Erebos is the best card to include to gain life. It's consistent, so it's not a one-time affair like casting Exsanguinate. It's also easy to recur since artifacts are easier to recur than sorceries are. It can also reanimate a creature in a pinch (like Craterhoof Behemoth for the win). Although not a creature, I would definitely choose it over Gray Merchant of Asphodel and Twilight Prophet.
If you want some good blockers you could also add Eldrazi Monument to make your blockers even better than Akroma's Memorial does. The sacrifice clause in this kind of deck is negligible and it also protects you from wraths. However, having an Eldrazi Monument in play usually paints a huge target on you and your field. So use with caution.
My YouTube Channel: The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
Speaking of ways to gain life, I had Pontiff of Blight for a while in my deck. It will cost a bit mana but it fit decks towards a zombie theme.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
EDH BGU Sidisi, Brood Tyrant - Lurking Zombies. GBG Sapling of Colfenor - Forest Growth and Destruction. RWU Zedruu the Greathearted - Blinking and trading. GWB Teneb the Harvester - Enchantments, you lose life I gain life. RRR Neheb the Eternal - Ping people for mana burn.
Speaking of ways to gain life, I had Pontiff of Blight for a while in my deck. It will cost a bit mana but it fit decks towards a zombie theme.
I'm not completely discounting Pontiff of Blight because it has a unique lord ability. If you have a bunch of tokens and/or creatures that have extort, then it becomes a great mana sink for Cabal Coffers and/or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx that essentially functions as an Exsanguinate. Analyzing it in that light, I would consider Pontiff of Blight for players who run Exsanguinate as a potential swap for it. (Well, imagining that you can only pay black mana for the X in Exsanguinate's casting cost.)
My YouTube Channel: The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
First match against Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest (a Jeskai tempo build).
Game one I was fast enough to kill him quickly. 1-0
Game two I didn't draw my mana. 1-1
Game three I beat him down to 1 lifepoint while I am at 13, but he manages to pump Shu Yun three times and gives him double strike and protection from black. 1-2
Second match my opponent was Zacama, Primal Calamity (a dinosaur midrangey build from what I saw).
Game one I had an awesome start and killed him before he had the chance to bring Zacama out. 1-0
Game two no blue mana. I gave up so we could go in game three. 1-1
Game three time was running out. I killed him in my first extra turn with a horde pumped by a reanimated Craterhoof Behemoth. 2-1
Third match was against Atraxa, Praetors' Voice (Infect).
First game we both had great starts but he poisoned me before I could get a creature out. Game was over by turn 5 or so. 0-1
Second game seemed a little more balanced, but it was over as he got Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite out and killed nearly all of my creatures. I tried to copy Elesh with Clever Impersonator, but that didn't save me from a flying infect creature that was pumped up to 5/5 trample. 0-2
Fourth match against Purphoros, God of the Forge (Goblin Tokens for burning).
First game he killed me way too fast. I considered to give up the second game because I saw no chance. 0-1
Second game he was mana screwed. I took my chance, copied his Purphoros and and killed him with his own strategy. 1-1
Third game was way too close, he got Vicious Shadows out but it was one turn too late. I was at 10 life when I killed him. 2-1
We were eight players and I got to fifth place. I wanted to try out Sidisi in duel and realised, it needs to be a lot faster, because almost all the time I didn't do anything before turn 4.
Thanks for that report! Besting a Purphoros token deck with Sidisi is commendable. Those tend to be ridiculously fast. But, since you were able to close the god then you turned the tables. This is why Clever Impersonator was in the deck the moment I built it. Against what happened to you with Atraxa it was probably bad luck especially with how well it went for that player. There really isn't a lot to do in the face of infect and once you get a single counter proliferate will get you. But I feel that it's too situational to make any changes to the deck about it. I am surprised that you won 5 games out of 11 in duel games; I did not engineer this deck to be for 1v1 matches.
Yeah, I take advantage of Sidisi being unassuming in order to not have to start being a problem from the get-go. The deck isn't really reactive although it has ways to deal with threats. I can play more or less regardless of what's happening elsewhere on the board because once it's set up and you're not in any immediate danger, you can generally win the match, similar to how it happened for you in leviathan. That's what's good about multiplayer. Sure, you have more threats against you, but similarly, so does everybody else. And people don't usually proactively waste resources on the player who can simply recover those things destroyed; they tend to save them for when you're the aggressor. But by the time you become the aggressor, it's too late.
My YouTube Channel: The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
I was trying to find room for World Shaper and Path of Discovery and was having trouble figuring out what to replace. I ended up settling on replacing Narcomoeba and Mortuary. While nice, neither one felt like they had a dramatic effect on game. They exception being when Altar of Dementia was on the battlefield, but Altar is good by itself as a sac outlet and a potential way to go infinite with Doubling Season.
I was trying to find room for World Shaper and Path of Discovery and was having trouble figuring out what to replace. I ended up settling on replacing Narcomoeba and Mortuary. While nice, neither one felt like they had a dramatic effect on game. They exception being when Altar of Dementia was on the battlefield, but Altar is good by itself as a sac outlet and a potential way to go infinite with Doubling Season.
Yeah, that combo is definitely a pet of mine. Although all three components can pull their own weight, you're right in that they're not dramatic effects. So if you do those swaps it would definitely be good for the deck. The deck does have a hard time finding cuts so eventually I'll have to make tougher choices with the release of more new cards.
My YouTube Channel: The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
Thanks! You've really put together a great resource here. Some additional cards I've been mulling over in my head... Phyrexian Tower: It's an additional sac outlet, EtB untapped, and can provide ramp. Hedron Crab and The Gitrog Monster. Hedron crab provides an early way to consistently mill yourself, and Gitrog Monster turns your mill into card draw as well. Would probably want to throw in some fetches as well to with those two.
The reason I don't play Hedron Crab is because the first version of this deck ran cards that only self-milled. Although effective at self-milling, don't really do stuff on their own. However, other cards that self-mill do other things (like Mulch and the like). The Gitrog Monster is a great card and I previously tried it but didn't really like it because I don't want to be digging into the deck by drawing; I'd rather be filtering the top of the deck for things to toss to the graveyard or place in my hand. So I ended up cutting it. As for Food Chain, maybe I'm missing something? Sure, I could exile a whole bunch of zombie tokens for an extra mana each time but then I could only use the mana for creature spells. And there are no creatures I would actually exile considering that up to now, exiling is pretty much permanent removal. I would rather run Phyrexian Altar which would still give me 1 mana of any color, and I would be sacrificing creatures. Again, unless I'm missing or overlooking something with Food Chain.
My YouTube Channel: The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
Great primer, I love it. Thanks for all the effort you put into it!
This said, I am in the lucky position of playing M:tG for more than 20 years (with some breaks in between that is) now. Owning stuff from Legends and other older sets for more than 15 years now means there are nearly no budget constraints for me for this format. This leads me to the question whether you considered Adding a Chains of Mephistopheles somewhere in your 100? Also, when looking at the Satyrs, Mulch & Grisly Salvage, is there a way to incorporate Commune with the Gods? How fond are you on cutting Victimize?
Thanks! Yeah, it was my first primer and I had worked a lot on it! I'm glad it's helpful!
Maybe if I ran more enchantment cards I could consider Commune with the Gods. However, it's more or less balanced out with artifacts and planeswalkers while being the same amount as instants and sorceries. That being said, if you want to run it given that you have more of the same amount of enchantments than I do then yes, go for it; it is similar to Mulch, etc. in this sense.
As for Chains of Mephistopheles, I see it more of a card to use in decks like Nekusar, the Mindrazer or Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix + Vial Smasher the Fierce, etc. Very rarely would I draw more than one card in my turn and even less have 0 cards in my hand after doing so in order to self-mill. In the deck I don't like to draw or discard. I like to manipulate what goes into my hand and graveyard. I'm okay with cutting Victimize since my top priority for the deck is getting in as many creatures with abilities as possible.
My YouTube Channel: The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
Chains was more ment to be a disruption against opponents trying to draw additional cards in order to handle our board. Imagine a Brainstorm when Chains is down... We on the other side won't be affected at all. But maybe this isn't even necessary.
Yeah, I've never had a problem with opponents drawing. I'm more proactive than reactive but I do have some cards just to protect my strategies a bit - but only if it's in creature form (like Glen Elendra Archmage).
My YouTube Channel: The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
It still isn't complete yet, I have to invest in the lands I'm missing.
Unfortunately only 2 out of 4 opponent's have lists that are comparable in competitiveness. This leads to one player dominating every night. I'm mostly a player that tries out new deck ideas instead of going fully competitive but I feel like I am the one who has to bring a bit of balance back. So I'm playing Sidisi every now and then to remind the other player who wins 75% of the time that winning isn't everything
I will post a review how it went on friday night or saturday morning, depending on how tired I am after playing.
EDIT: Okay, played a few games online. Opponents were Tishana, Voice of Thunder and Mogis, God of Slaughter. I killed Tishana but lost to the constant damage the Mogis player was dealing. I had a board full of zombies and big creatures but then the Sulfuric Vortex came out and I was at 2 life, so yeah, that was my death.
I feel like this deck needs a way to sacrifice creatures for life. So, something like Diamond Valley... but that is expensive as f***. Miren, the Moaning Well, maybe? I thought about Gray Merchant of Asphodel but that won't make enough life, I guess. And it's not as easy to cut for than for an utility land.
Also, Sequestered Stash doesn't synergize well with Mesmeric Orb. In most cases you mill the card again that you put on top of your library the turn before. And if you do it after you milled yourself, you lose a lot of mana for the turn. That would be the first card I'd cut if I put in a lifegain land.
Pros of Miren:
- Lifegain
- Sac Outlet
- Doesn't sacrifice itself
Cons:
- Doesn't help with artifact recursion
- Only makes colorless mana
Dunno... I would test it, probably.
Makes Path even better, because with enough blue mana you can just counter every noncreature spell. In the few games I played by now it was always a good card, especially with two Doubling Seasons, everytime I explored a creature into the graveyard I got 4 new zombies that explored again. It's just way too awesome.
Path of Discovery is definitely an amazing card because it works great on own (which is super important) but it has so many interactions with so many other cards. The only problem I see with indefinitely countering noncreature spells with Glen Elendra Archmage is if the top card of the library is a land card. You'd have to manipulate the top deck a bit for it to be a nonland card. That way you can just leave it there and counter every noncreature spell until you have to draw your next card.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
Well, I won by sacrificing my buffed zombies from Undead Warchief into Altar of Dementia to mill my opponents and get more zombies from Undead Alchemist, so I had a good chance to get 1-2 new zombies from every milling.
I also think I made a mistake regarding the sorting of triggers, but I'm unsure:
I resurrected World Shaper with Atzal, Cave of Eternity, sacrificed it in Altar of Dementia to mill myself for three (I had a lot of lands in the grave at that time) and milled Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre. I wasn't sure and didn't want to cheat, so I didn't get any lands back and shuffled my graveyard into my library. But now that I think about it, I believe I could have gotten the lands back into play before the shuffling happened.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
So next time, I'll get my lands back before I mill myself, I guess.
That's a great change. I thought I had Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx in the deck. But I checked and I didn't. So I'm definitely swapping out Crypt of Agadeem for Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx too.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
Since World Shapers is a death trigger and sacrificing for the altar is a cost you can't mill 3 first, World Shapers ability would resolve before the altar. You would get all the lands currently in the grave, then mill 3, then resolve the Ulamog trigger that popped up.
Only time you decide the order of triggers is when they happen simultaneously, for example if in those three cards you killed both a Narcomeba and an Ulamog. In this case you could either stack narcomeba on top of Ulamog to get into play before shuffling, or vice-versa to send narcomeba back to the deck.
Thanks for clearing that up. I went with a pessimistic assumption but the fact that it dies due to a cost means that it goes first. That's something that's also important with commanders like Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
I'm still unsure about Miren, the Moaning Well, but the deck really needs some lifegain, it has lots of cards that need you to pay life or deal damage to you (Razaketh, the Foulblooded, Phyrexian Reclamation, City of Brass, Mana Confluence, Ancient Tomb, the shock duals...) but nothing to gain life so sometimes a few attacking creatures of my opponents are everything that's needed to kick me out of the game. Sometimes I need just one more turn to win, but I don't get that turn because I'm low at lifepoints.
I can say that Miren, the Moaning Well probably isn't going to help as you are paying "4 mana" to gain 2 life from a Zombie. Miren works wonders in my Daxos the Returned deck because my fodder is easily 5+ toughness. High Market would be a better fit.
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
Life loss could be a major issue with the deck considering that most of its mana sources are detrimental in nature. Most games I haven't had a problem with life because I'm usually able to defend my board presence some what. But the threat is not negligible. Tev's suggestion of Twilight Prophet is good because it's cheap to hardcast and relatively easy on the color constriction. I don't really like drawing into the deck as much as I like self-milling and reanimating. I don't want to run discard outlets in order to cheat things into play; I'd rather mill them for value. However, I do see the potential of cards like Twilight Prophet. If you're sacrificing a lot of your creatures or killing opponents' creatures than cards like Blood Artist are great as well. I run them to much success in my Mazirek deck; then again, that deck is devoting to sacrificing. I am aware that with Blood Artist in play the Narcomoeba + Mortuary + Altar of Dementia combo will also give you infinite life. Exsanguinate is good but if you're already producing a lot of mana to take advantage of it then it could just as easily win you the game. I'm not entirely against it though, but I just wish that all nonland cards of the deck were creatures . In this case, I think that Whip of Erebos is the best card to include to gain life. It's consistent, so it's not a one-time affair like casting Exsanguinate. It's also easy to recur since artifacts are easier to recur than sorceries are. It can also reanimate a creature in a pinch (like Craterhoof Behemoth for the win). Although not a creature, I would definitely choose it over Gray Merchant of Asphodel and Twilight Prophet.
If you want some good blockers you could also add Eldrazi Monument to make your blockers even better than Akroma's Memorial does. The sacrifice clause in this kind of deck is negligible and it also protects you from wraths. However, having an Eldrazi Monument in play usually paints a huge target on you and your field. So use with caution.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
But now I have to consider, which card to cut for it.
BGU Sidisi, Brood Tyrant - Lurking Zombies.
GBG Sapling of Colfenor - Forest Growth and Destruction.
RWU Zedruu the Greathearted - Blinking and trading.
GWB Teneb the Harvester - Enchantments, you lose life I gain life.
RRR Neheb the Eternal - Ping people for mana burn.
I'm not completely discounting Pontiff of Blight because it has a unique lord ability. If you have a bunch of tokens and/or creatures that have extort, then it becomes a great mana sink for Cabal Coffers and/or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx that essentially functions as an Exsanguinate. Analyzing it in that light, I would consider Pontiff of Blight for players who run Exsanguinate as a potential swap for it. (Well, imagining that you can only pay black mana for the X in Exsanguinate's casting cost.)
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
I played a Leviathan duel commander tournament yesterday and these were my swaps:
Ancient Tomb, Entomb, Intuition and Sol Ring out (cause they're banned in Leviathan); Dryad Arbor, Birds of Paradise, Prophet of Kruphix and Grisly Salvage in.
First match against Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest (a Jeskai tempo build).
Game one I was fast enough to kill him quickly. 1-0
Game two I didn't draw my mana. 1-1
Game three I beat him down to 1 lifepoint while I am at 13, but he manages to pump Shu Yun three times and gives him double strike and protection from black. 1-2
Second match my opponent was Zacama, Primal Calamity (a dinosaur midrangey build from what I saw).
Game one I had an awesome start and killed him before he had the chance to bring Zacama out. 1-0
Game two no blue mana. I gave up so we could go in game three. 1-1
Game three time was running out. I killed him in my first extra turn with a horde pumped by a reanimated Craterhoof Behemoth. 2-1
Third match was against Atraxa, Praetors' Voice (Infect).
First game we both had great starts but he poisoned me before I could get a creature out. Game was over by turn 5 or so. 0-1
Second game seemed a little more balanced, but it was over as he got Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite out and killed nearly all of my creatures. I tried to copy Elesh with Clever Impersonator, but that didn't save me from a flying infect creature that was pumped up to 5/5 trample. 0-2
Fourth match against Purphoros, God of the Forge (Goblin Tokens for burning).
First game he killed me way too fast. I considered to give up the second game because I saw no chance. 0-1
Second game he was mana screwed. I took my chance, copied his Purphoros and and killed him with his own strategy. 1-1
Third game was way too close, he got Vicious Shadows out but it was one turn too late. I was at 10 life when I killed him. 2-1
We were eight players and I got to fifth place. I wanted to try out Sidisi in duel and realised, it needs to be a lot faster, because almost all the time I didn't do anything before turn 4.
Yeah, I take advantage of Sidisi being unassuming in order to not have to start being a problem from the get-go. The deck isn't really reactive although it has ways to deal with threats. I can play more or less regardless of what's happening elsewhere on the board because once it's set up and you're not in any immediate danger, you can generally win the match, similar to how it happened for you in leviathan. That's what's good about multiplayer. Sure, you have more threats against you, but similarly, so does everybody else. And people don't usually proactively waste resources on the player who can simply recover those things destroyed; they tend to save them for when you're the aggressor. But by the time you become the aggressor, it's too late.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
I was trying to find room for World Shaper and Path of Discovery and was having trouble figuring out what to replace. I ended up settling on replacing Narcomoeba and Mortuary. While nice, neither one felt like they had a dramatic effect on game. They exception being when Altar of Dementia was on the battlefield, but Altar is good by itself as a sac outlet and a potential way to go infinite with Doubling Season.
Yeah, that combo is definitely a pet of mine. Although all three components can pull their own weight, you're right in that they're not dramatic effects. So if you do those swaps it would definitely be good for the deck. The deck does have a hard time finding cuts so eventually I'll have to make tougher choices with the release of more new cards.
Oh, and welcome to the forums!
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
Phyrexian Tower: It's an additional sac outlet, EtB untapped, and can provide ramp.
Hedron Crab and The Gitrog Monster. Hedron crab provides an early way to consistently mill yourself, and Gitrog Monster turns your mill into card draw as well. Would probably want to throw in some fetches as well to with those two.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
Thanks! Yeah, it was my first primer and I had worked a lot on it! I'm glad it's helpful!
Maybe if I ran more enchantment cards I could consider Commune with the Gods. However, it's more or less balanced out with artifacts and planeswalkers while being the same amount as instants and sorceries. That being said, if you want to run it given that you have more of the same amount of enchantments than I do then yes, go for it; it is similar to Mulch, etc. in this sense.
As for Chains of Mephistopheles, I see it more of a card to use in decks like Nekusar, the Mindrazer or Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix + Vial Smasher the Fierce, etc. Very rarely would I draw more than one card in my turn and even less have 0 cards in my hand after doing so in order to self-mill. In the deck I don't like to draw or discard. I like to manipulate what goes into my hand and graveyard. I'm okay with cutting Victimize since my top priority for the deck is getting in as many creatures with abilities as possible.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
Yeah, I've never had a problem with opponents drawing. I'm more proactive than reactive but I do have some cards just to protect my strategies a bit - but only if it's in creature form (like Glen Elendra Archmage).
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!