MTG Salvation

Now that we've seen the biggest Dragon set in history, I really wanted to make a Dragon deck to end all Dragon decks, a build with some of the best Dragons throughout Magic history. As much as I wanted to go into Temur to use the new Sarkhan Unbroken, I felt constricted by the fact that there would only be one Dragon Commander, Intet, which someone in my playgroup already uses for a cool Primal Surge deck. Ultimately, I ended up in Jund, to facilitate the most Dragons possible, since only on Tarkir have they really been in blue and white. To lead my swarm of winged doom, I tapped Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund, which felt fitting and suitably fear-inspiring. Since I'm an unabashed Timmy, this concept will share some similarities with my other EDH decks: cheat and ramp large creatures into play, enter red zone, kill.

EDIT (8/17/2018): Another decklist getting an update! I enjoy playing this deck in my casual meta, the cost reducers don't usually get targeted too heavily.



Other cards considered:

I have had a Karrthus deck for several years, and here are some of my experiences:
-Your curve is quite top heavy. I tend to find ramp far more effective than cost reducers and Elvish Piper type effects. Kodama's Reach, Cultivate, and Explosive Vegetation are all cards I would look at adding. Sakura-Tribe Elder and Wood Elves also provide good mileage. I also like Farseek and Nature's Lore, but they work better if you have more dual lands to find. I have had much better luck with ramp options that are on the lower end of the curve.
-I have not pulled it off yet, but Karrthus + Descent of the Dragons is something I very much want to do.
-Overwhelming Instinct seems quite...underwhelming. Phyrexian Arena would be more consistent at the same CMC (granted, more expensive in $$$)
-I would run a little more spot removal. Putrefy, Hero's Downfall, and Silence the Believers should not be underestimated. I also like Maelstrom Pulse for utility.
-Phyrexian Reclamation, Bladewing the Risen, and Eternal Witness can give you some solid recursion options.

Quote from iccarus »

I have had a Karrthus deck for several years, and here are some of my experiences:
-Your curve is quite top heavy. I tend to find ramp far more effective than cost reducers and Elvish Piper type effects. Kodama's Reach, Cultivate, and Explosive Vegetation are all cards I would look at adding. Sakura-Tribe Elder and Wood Elves also provide good mileage. I also like Farseek and Nature's Lore, but they work better if you have more dual lands to find. I have had much better luck with ramp options that are on the lower end of the curve.
-I have not pulled it off yet, but Karrthus + Descent of the Dragons is something I very much want to do.
-Overwhelming Instinct seems quite...underwhelming. Phyrexian Arena would be more consistent at the same CMC (granted, more expensive in $$$)
-I would run a little more spot removal. Putrefy, Hero's Downfall, and Silence the Believers should not be underestimated. I also like Maelstrom Pulse for utility.
-Phyrexian Reclamation, Bladewing the Risen, and Eternal Witness can give you some solid recursion options.

Thanks for your post! You bring up several points that I was considering already.
- I'll definitely reconsider the ramp vs. cost reduction effects after a bit of playtesting, the current setup appeals a little more to my Timmy side.
- Yeahh, I think you're right about Descent of the Dragons, that definitely needs to get added. I had it in the deck earlier, ended up slashing it, but I think I was underestimating the effect of it with Karrthus. What's the cut, though? Hmm.
- I was just looking at Overwhelming Instinct as a matter of fact, I think Arena or Mind's Eye could be a better fit

I'll make some tweaks to the build in the OP

Cool deck! I love dragons, I too run a Karrthus deck so I'll try and make a couple suggestions based on what's worked in my experiences.
I agree with Iccarus that having a solid ramp package tends to help more than cost reduction does. Also talking land, since you are three colors and run black I would suggest swapping one swamp for an Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth as it just comes in handy sometimes. On P/T boosting effects Obelisk of Urd and Adaptive Automaton are nice, and Door of Destinies gets out of hand very quickly if left unchecked. Purphoros, God of the forge becomes stupid good, stupid fast with your token generators (Utvara Hellkite, Dragon Broodmother, Dragonmaster Outcast).
Something to consider that I feel is important to mention when using Karrthus as your general is that although he is very potent at what he does (being a badass haste-enabling beatstick), your playgroup will eventually figure out to just start packing lots of clone effects which really hoses you if you have any sort of board state with dragons out already. An alternative general is Prossh, Skyraider of Kher, which then warrants the inclusion of Xenagos, God of Revels for a 1-shot kill via general damage (cast general, sac all the tokens, get the +X from the god = win). I'd say include Prosh as 1 of the 99 so you could swap if you know your group is playing lots of clone-esque effects and go back to Tyrant if they're not. Either way, just in case I'd put in ways to resteal what's yours such as Homeward Path and Gruul Charm.
Hope I helped, happy brewing fellow dragon master!