Well deserved! Still trying to slap together my artifact build. It's pretty rough to focus on any one thing with the new commanders out.
Slightly related, Maz in both Atraxa and Sakisa has been awesome. He Alesha, who Smiles at Death, and Sun Titan with some other creatures sprinkled in with a sac outlet was one of the funnest engines I've ever got going.
I hope my thread can continue to serve as a guide to those looking into this commander and/or the many strategies it enables. I love this deck so I will definitely continue to work on it as more magic sets and new cards continue to come out. Mazirek is a very versatile commander so it took me quite a while to test so many things and compile even more things into the comprehensive primer you have before you. So I hope it's of good use to the community.
Once again, thanks to all those who've had any kind of interest and input in my thread!
Congratulations! Definitely well deserved; hope to see this primer grow as time passes.
Living Plane is an auto-include in my builds. I actually just had it sweep a table after the dreaded Cyclonic Rift. Sure you gotta get a good amount of lands out first and stack counters, but that really isn't hard even by midgame. It was pretty cool to pay four mana and turn on like 90+ power. I need to really solidify the highlights of everything I've said over the year in case you can mine any worthy info.
Well deserved! Still trying to slap together my artifact build. It's pretty rough to focus on any one thing with the new commanders out.
Slightly related, Maz in both Atraxa and Sakisa has been awesome. He Alesha, who Smiles at Death, and Sun Titan with some other creatures sprinkled in with a sac outlet was one of the funnest engines I've ever got going.
Thanks for the support!
Yeah, if I hadn't been using Atraxa for superfriends, I would have Mazirek in it. However, having similar strategies with two different commanders is something I'd like to avoid. That being said, Mazirek has always been an amazing support creature in many decks. I used it brokenly in both Sidisi, Brood Tyrant and Shattergang Brothers.
I hope my thread can continue to serve as a guide to those looking into this commander and/or the many strategies it enables. I love this deck so I will definitely continue to work on it as more magic sets and new cards continue to come out. Mazirek is a very versatile commander so it took me quite a while to test so many things and compile even more things into the comprehensive primer you have before you. So I hope it's of good use to the community.
Once again, thanks to all those who've had any kind of interest and input in my thread!
Congratulations! Definitely well deserved; hope to see this primer grow as time passes.
Living Plane is simply too broken. I'm forever grateful to Welgo for pointing it out to me. Even if it's out of one's budget, it can be substituted for Nature's Revolt. Including it is simply too broken. Granted, even though I don't run Titania, Protector of Argoth, I do run The Gitrog Monster. And yes, it gets ridiculous - especially if you run all the possible fetchlands and lands that sacrifice themselves as part of their ability.
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!
Living Plane is simply too broken. I'm forever grateful to Welgo for pointing it out to me. Even if it's out of one's budget, it can be substituted for Nature's Revolt. Including it is simply too broken. Granted, even though I don't run Titania, Protector of Argoth, I do run The Gitrog Monster. And yes, it gets ridiculous - especially if you run all the possible fetchlands and lands that sacrifice themselves as part of their ability.
Indeed, it dawned on me that it makes Gaea's Cradle even more busted.
So a card recently caught my attention that may be ripe for abuse: Amulet of Vigor. It is really quite good with lists running CIPT lands; but is just nutty when Scapeshift and Splendid Reclamation get resolved. I personally do not run any CIPT lands, but am running into some decks which force permanents to enter the battlefield tapped. This card may be more of a meta call, or decks revolving around a Lands Matter Strategy, but definitely something to consider!
One suggestion, though. Panharmonicon in the main build instead of From Beyond would be a good thing to add. I am playing it in my Gonti deck and it is really brutal.
Thanks!
Panharmonicon is a great card but I don't really see it here; the list is super tight as it is. I only have 9 creatures that have triggers when they enter the battlefield. Had I more creatures then I would definitely include it. Again, great card, but given what mileage I can get out of it, From Beyond will always be useful whereas Panharmonicon - though it double the etb effects of my creatures - is much more limited in the main build.
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Now, I have no idea whatsoever what their decks are about 'caused I ruined their entire game next turn.
Turn 4: Draw Merciless Executioner. Play Swamp. Tapped Swamp, Bayou, Tainted Wood, and Forest to cast Living Plane.
Everyone groaned but still stayed in the game. Ataxa player sacrificed Godless Shrine and Drowned Catacomb (I'm assuming no land was dropped due to my heinous combo). Feldon player sacrificed two Mountains and didn't drop a land, either.
Turn 5: Draw Smallpox. Get an Eldrazi Spawn token. I'm surprised at my relative mana screw but it didn't matter since I had advantage. I sac the token and tap out to cast Mazirek. I'm able to cast Smallpox with leftover mana and that's where everyone scooped.
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Now you're seeing the true fury of Living Plane. Honestly everywhere I play this now it's amazing. One sided board wipes are rare, cyclonic rift is nonland, and it deters a plethora of annoying cards. Really happy I got it back when it was half what is now. I'm not sure what exactly made it spike so much since I got it, but I can understand it.
It spiked this summer when a bunch of the reserved list was bought out. It is a Legends card, so EDH demand alone is probably enough to keep the price up since there are so few in circulation.
Now you're seeing the true fury of Living Plane. Honestly everywhere I play this now it's amazing. One sided board wipes are rare, cyclonic rift is nonland, and it deters a plethora of annoying cards. Really happy I got it back when it was half what is now. I'm not sure what exactly made it spike so much since I got it, but I can understand it.
Yeah, Living Plane is too broken in many places. Even on its own because it's a good deterrent against wraths and boardwipes. You can even use it to your advantage in many ways. A very broken card.
It spiked this summer when a bunch of the reserved list was bought out. It is a Legends card, so EDH demand alone is probably enough to keep the price up since there are so few in circulation.
It's fine because Nature's Revolt only costs 1 more so it's not so difficult to find a suitable substitute for it.
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Been interested in trying out Possessed Portal....seems to be quite good in the artifact build as it can be tutored with our normal tutors as well as Inventor's Fair.
Would really push the stax theme further, anyone care to shed some light on why this card might be good/bad for this deck? I do happen to be running Necropotence so having both of these out would be very powerful.
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I'm intrigue by the portal. Once things are going, stuff from the hand really doesn't matter. Shutting down other player's draw, even if it included my own is worth looking into. I usually have the strongest board-state and have been a tad more controlly.
I'm intrigue by the portal. Once things are going, stuff from the hand really doesn't matter. Shutting down other player's draw, even if it included my own is worth looking into. I usually have the strongest board-state and have been a tad more controlly.
This is my line of thought; once we have established control, the portal becomes a very powerful lock. We have access to numerous tutors in the deck to get round drawing such as Evolutionary Leap, the black sorcery tutors, GSZ, and chord. It also acts as an additional sac outlet which is great if Maz is on the field, or something like Titania, and as previously mentioned, Necropotence.
The cons that I see for running the portal is High CMC and it is a card that does nothing for us if we have no board presence, other than serve as a nuisance for other players. Still, I will be running some games with it to see if it deserved a slot.
More changes are abound with my list. I've kicked out Tempt with Discovery and thrown in Amulet of Vigor. People I play against have learned to never take the offer now as I can get absurd lands. My meta also has a few decks which run Kismet type effects, so it is really good at preventing being slowed down tremendously (fetchlands ETB tapped is really bad). This card is also absolutely busted with Scapeshift and Splendid Reclamation, leading to even more ways to have huge explosive turns. All for 1 mana, not too shabby.
I've been running into issues with other Reanimator decks, so I've kicked out one the 1 drop elves for Deathrite Shaman. I've also added in Scavenging Ooze to further prohibit such strategies. I've also had to give in and throw in Bojuka Bog. I really dislike ETB lands, but it can be tutored into play in a variety of ways, and possibly in response to a reanimation spell with Crop Rotation. This deck has enough ways to bring it back when it goes to GY, so it should prove to be useful, even if does enter in tapped.
I've been play testing Demon of Dark Schemes as it combos with Living Plane but i think it will be getting the boot. It is too slow, and surprisingly, I have not won most games where I have assembled the combo. More than likely due to misplays, but I feel Massacre Wurm is just better as it can kill opponents. Archfiend of Depravity is some pretty sweet tech, but slots are very tight in this list.
Finally, I need to find a slot for Bloodghast. This card is so bonkers it isn't even funny. It is excellent sac fodder as it keeps coming back due to landfall. With the amount of fetches being run, two landfall triggers is nothing to sneeze at when we have cards such as Skullclamp, and the altars for getting more mana.
I am curious if cards such as Splendid Reclamation create multiple landfall triggers. If so, we could sac Bloodghast to one of the altars to create alot of mana in response to each trigger. I think this card will be very key in this deck, and is definitely deserving of a spot. It is also very effective with Possessed Portal, especially so if we leave fetches open for each turn so we remain at card parity.
Will try to post an updated list once I get enough chances to play test the new additions.
I am curious if cards such as Splendid Reclamation create multiple landfall triggers. If so, we could sac Bloodghast to one of the altars to create alot of mana in response to each trigger.
If Bloodghast is in your graveyard and you return, say, 11 lands with Splendid Reclamation then the ghast's landfall ability will trigger 11 times. However, because a card becomes a different object in the game when it changes zones, the first of those triggers that you resolve would bring it back to the battlefield and the other 10 will not be able to find the object they would return even if you sacrificed Bloodghast before they resolved. And once Bloodghast is back in the graveyard, the lands are already on the battlefield, so they won't trigger landfall again. What you'd have to do for the loop you're thinking of is a repeatable Restore-style effect and alternate it and Bloodghast to bring the lands back one at a time.
Quote from Gatherer »
10/1/2009 - Bloodghast’s landfall ability triggers only if it’s already in your graveyard at the time a land enters the battlefield under your control.
I'm intrigue by the portal. Once things are going, stuff from the hand really doesn't matter. Shutting down other player's draw, even if it included my own is worth looking into. I usually have the strongest board-state and have been a tad more controlly.
This is my line of thought; once we have established control, the portal becomes a very powerful lock. We have access to numerous tutors in the deck to get round drawing such as Evolutionary Leap, the black sorcery tutors, GSZ, and chord. It also acts as an additional sac outlet which is great if Maz is on the field, or something like Titania, and as previously mentioned, Necropotence.
The cons that I see for running the portal is High CMC and it is a card that does nothing for us if we have no board presence, other than serve as a nuisance for other players. Still, I will be running some games with it to see if it deserved a slot.
More changes are abound with my list. I've kicked out Tempt with Discovery and thrown in Amulet of Vigor. People I play against have learned to never take the offer now as I can get absurd lands. My meta also has a few decks which run Kismet type effects, so it is really good at preventing being slowed down tremendously (fetchlands ETB tapped is really bad). This card is also absolutely busted with Scapeshift and Splendid Reclamation, leading to even more ways to have huge explosive turns. All for 1 mana, not too shabby.
I've been running into issues with other Reanimator decks, so I've kicked out one the 1 drop elves for Deathrite Shaman. I've also added in Scavenging Ooze to further prohibit such strategies. I've also had to give in and throw in Bojuka Bog. I really dislike ETB lands, but it can be tutored into play in a variety of ways, and possibly in response to a reanimation spell with Crop Rotation. This deck has enough ways to bring it back when it goes to GY, so it should prove to be useful, even if does enter in tapped.
I've been play testing Demon of Dark Schemes as it combos with Living Plane but i think it will be getting the boot. It is too slow, and surprisingly, I have not won most games where I have assembled the combo. More than likely due to misplays, but I feel Massacre Wurm is just better as it can kill opponents. Archfiend of Depravity is some pretty sweet tech, but slots are very tight in this list.
Finally, I need to find a slot for Bloodghast. This card is so bonkers it isn't even funny. It is excellent sac fodder as it keeps coming back due to landfall. With the amount of fetches being run, two landfall triggers is nothing to sneeze at when we have cards such as Skullclamp, and the altars for getting more mana.
I am curious if cards such as Splendid Reclamation create multiple landfall triggers. If so, we could sac Bloodghast to one of the altars to create alot of mana in response to each trigger. I think this card will be very key in this deck, and is definitely deserving of a spot. It is also very effective with Possessed Portal, especially so if we leave fetches open for each turn so we remain at card parity.
Will try to post an updated list once I get enough chances to play test the new additions.
Mazirek does lend itself to some pretty cruel and epic stax. It seems that you want a more devoted stax package than anything. In my case, stax is a secondary theme to the deck. I only use it as an engine to pump my creatures. It provides enough disruption to hinder opponents enough until I can overrun them with creatures or get a one-shot win with Mazirek. That being said, sometimes I get into situations where I can outright force scoops due to the insane stax. Though not the main focus of the deck, I like how I can different ways of piloting it depending on the cards I draw into. For example, I only run one tutor, which is Sidisi, Undead Vizier. And I just look for one piece I may need to complete a combo I pretty much have already set up save for one piece.
I am interested on how you'll manage a deck completely devoted to stax. I fear that it may be a bit slow due to the high casting cost of most cards, but with a lot of tutors and Necropotence you should be able to get into it more quickly. I suggest running Reliquary Tower and some ways to gain life in order to be able to draw ridiculous amounts of cards with Necropotence.
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I am curious if cards such as Splendid Reclamation create multiple landfall triggers. If so, we could sac Bloodghast to one of the altars to create alot of mana in response to each trigger.
If Bloodghast is in your graveyard and you return, say, 11 lands with Splendid Reclamation then the ghast's landfall ability will trigger 11 times. However, because a card becomes a different object in the game when it changes zones, the first of those triggers that you resolve would bring it back to the battlefield and the other 10 will not be able to find the object they would return even if you sacrificed Bloodghast before they resolved. And once Bloodghast is back in the graveyard, the lands are already on the battlefield, so they won't trigger landfall again. What you'd have to do for the loop you're thinking of is a repeatable Restore-style effect and alternate it and Bloodghast to bring the lands back one at a time.
Quote from Gatherer »
10/1/2009 - Bloodghast’s landfall ability triggers only if it’s already in your graveyard at the time a land enters the battlefield under your control.
Shucks, thanks for clarifying.
Quote from DementedKirby »
Mazirek does lend itself to some pretty cruel and epic stax. It seems that you want a more devoted stax package than anything. In my case, stax is a secondary theme to the deck. I only use it as an engine to pump my creatures. It provides enough disruption to hinder opponents enough until I can overrun them with creatures or get a one-shot win with Mazirek. That being said, sometimes I get into situations where I can outright force scoops due to the insane stax. Though not the main focus of the deck, I like how I can different ways of piloting it depending on the cards I draw into. For example, I only run one tutor, which is Sidisi, Undead Vizier. And I just look for one piece I may need to complete a combo I pretty much have already set up save for one piece.
I am interested on how you'll manage a deck completely devoted to stax. I fear that it may be a bit slow due to the high casting cost of most cards, but with a lot of tutors and Necropotence you should be able to get into it more quickly. I suggest running Reliquary Tower and some ways to gain life in order to be able to draw ridiculous amounts of cards with Necropotence.
Initially, I also felt that stax was a secondary theme, and even in my list, it somewhat is. I am not running [card}Winter Orb[/card] like effects, but I do prioritize keeping ahead of my opponents by denying resources. I feel that this deck is at its best when we can stay ahead on resources and never let our opponents get a chance to get off the ground. I would prefer not to morph this deck into a devoted stax build; much of my local meta is fairly casual, and this deck already blows many decks out of the water. In fact, I have to refrain from playing this deck against certain playgroups as they have been vocal on how oppressive this deck can get.
I would love to reduce the amount of tutors, but my main playgroup is a bit more competitive than the majority of my local meta. Many decks run a plethora of boardwipes, removal, and disruption, so it is very rare that I can close out games with just combat damage. Reliquary Tower is quite good with Necropotence, but is a land I would rather not see in almost any other scenario. I do like to discard on occasion so i can reanimate targets later on, or bring cards back in some other ways.
Still have yet to draw into Possessed Portal; I am getting the sneaking suspicion it may just be win more but I will need to get a chance to actually play with it before I can decide.
I figured as much. Possessed Portal is bad if you draw it early and if you draw it when you don't have the appropriate board state. Even then, if you draw it when you have the appropriate board state, you should be winning anyways. It seems great in theory but I don't think as much in practice. I'd rather include cards I could use at any moment or during most of the game than a specific moment. There are just so many great cards for this deck that finding space for all cards is impossible - let alone niche cards. I also avoided cards that were winmore.
All that being said, experimentation is not without its merits. So when you are able to draw it or then play it, I'm interesting to see how it goes. I predict that it will be one of the three situations previously described: you either draw it too early, or when you're not in a position to use it, or when you're about to close the game and would've liked to draw into something else.
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Definitely worth consideration. I did take out Hardened Scales from the Main Build but this is a creature. Meaning it will benefit from potentially "doubling +1/+1 counters" (just like Hardened Scales did). Notice also that it doesn't specify counters. Meaning that charge counters and any special counters are also affected. However, that also means that any -1/-1 counters will also be counted. Depending on its price, I will definitely try to find a slot for it in the Budget Build.
Additionally, since I run Meren of Clan Nel Toth, this helps to give me two experience counters when I would normally receive one per each of my creatures that dies. I imagine that many Atraxa, Praetors' Voice players will consider this for their proliferation deck.
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Definitely worth consideration. I did take out Hardened Scales from the Main Build but this is a creature. Meaning it will benefit from potentially "doubling +1/+1 counters" (just like Hardened Scales did). Notice also that it doesn't specify counters. Meaning that charge counters and any special counters are also affected. However, that also means that any -1/-1 counters will also be counted. Depending on its price, I will definitely try to find a slot for it in the Budget Build.
Additionally, since I run Meren of Clan Nel Toth, this helps to give me two experience counters when I would normally receive one per each of my creatures that dies. I imagine that many Atraxa, Praetors' Voice players will consider this for their proliferation deck.
Definitely worth consideration. I did take out Hardened Scales from the Main Build but this is a creature. Meaning it will benefit from potentially "doubling +1/+1 counters" (just like Hardened Scales did). Notice also that it doesn't specify counters. Meaning that charge counters and any special counters are also affected. However, that also means that any -1/-1 counters will also be counted. Depending on its price, I will definitely try to find a slot for it in the Budget Build.
Additionally, since I run Meren of Clan Nel Toth, this helps to give me two experience counters when I would normally receive one per each of my creatures that dies. I imagine that many Atraxa, Praetors' Voice players will consider this for their proliferation deck.
The Atraxa superfriends pilots aren't going to care for it.
Lol, yeah, Atraxa superfriends aren't gonna care about it. But Atraxa proliferate will. There are many who use Atraxa for charge counters and +1/+1 counters. I have a jank version of Atraxa that seeks to abuse charge counters, energy counters, and experience counters. I may add it there as well.
True, Meren doesn't really need all that help in this deck, lol.
Hm, I had forgotten about poison counters, as well. It would suck to have this in play and then face against poison counters.
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Looks like Æther Revolt is the gift that keeps on giving. We're gonna get some great cards for the artifact build: some new eggs and a new "Triskelion". Unfortunately, the black egg costs 2... However, Implement of Ferocity and Walking Ballista can definitely be included in the deck. Walking Ballista is much cheaper than Triskelion, although if I wanted it to be like Triskelion it would cost 6 (nice math, WotC). But paying 4 for a Triskelion-like creature is pretty good.
Gonti's Aether Heart is another great way to get and when you have enough you can get an extra turn. The extra turn may seem winmore but the is great for those who want a more janky build.
I'm already making some slight changes to the Budget Build but I'm pretty certain that if Walking Ballista and Winding Constrictor are cheap then they'll also go into the Budget Build.
Once Æther Revolt is completely revealed I'll post the cards that go with Mazirek for all three builds. So far, the Artifact Build and Budget Build are getting some great cards. Let's see what else we get!
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Yeahhhhhh they're printing pieces I like, theorized when I was figuring out combos. The new Triskellion is even a 0 cmc artifact which has a lot of upsides...My friends have experimented with 2color leaders allowed to splash a color (I've heard good stories of old Olivia + white) Gonna try suggesting that we do that again so I can run some blue, I think it needs to be done for science. I know it'll end up being one of those things you post in the variant thread page or w/e but I'll still leave it here/message you it. You've always seemed to have an appreciation for the homebrew formats
Slightly related, Maz in both Atraxa and Sakisa has been awesome. He Alesha, who Smiles at Death, and Sun Titan with some other creatures sprinkled in with a sac outlet was one of the funnest engines I've ever got going.
URXSurf's Up, Mizz Magnus!XRU
URGWKynaios and Tiro's Multiplayer MenagerieWGRU
Congratulations! Definitely well deserved; hope to see this primer grow as time passes.
So I am currently in the process of testing out Living Plane. This card is just bonkers if I can ever get counters on the lands and cast something like Toxic Deluge, or have backup such as Splendid Reclamation. Even without backup, having Titania, Protector of Argoth or The Gitrog Monster on the field can make the effect quite asymmetrical.
Will report back on how this works out.
URXSurf's Up, Mizz Magnus!XRU
URGWKynaios and Tiro's Multiplayer MenagerieWGRU
Thanks for the support!
Yeah, if I hadn't been using Atraxa for superfriends, I would have Mazirek in it. However, having similar strategies with two different commanders is something I'd like to avoid. That being said, Mazirek has always been an amazing support creature in many decks. I used it brokenly in both Sidisi, Brood Tyrant and Shattergang Brothers.
Thanks for the support!
Living Plane is simply too broken. I'm forever grateful to Welgo for pointing it out to me. Even if it's out of one's budget, it can be substituted for Nature's Revolt. Including it is simply too broken. Granted, even though I don't run Titania, Protector of Argoth, I do run The Gitrog Monster. And yes, it gets ridiculous - especially if you run all the possible fetchlands and lands that sacrifice themselves as part of their ability.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
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Indeed, it dawned on me that it makes Gaea's Cradle even more busted.
So a card recently caught my attention that may be ripe for abuse: Amulet of Vigor. It is really quite good with lists running CIPT lands; but is just nutty when Scapeshift and Splendid Reclamation get resolved. I personally do not run any CIPT lands, but am running into some decks which force permanents to enter the battlefield tapped. This card may be more of a meta call, or decks revolving around a Lands Matter Strategy, but definitely something to consider!
Thanks!
Panharmonicon is a great card but I don't really see it here; the list is super tight as it is. I only have 9 creatures that have triggers when they enter the battlefield. Had I more creatures then I would definitely include it. Again, great card, but given what mileage I can get out of it, From Beyond will always be useful whereas Panharmonicon - though it double the etb effects of my creatures - is much more limited in the main build.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
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I was using the Creatures Matters build against an Atraxa, Praetors' Voice and Feldon of the Third Path. I won the die roll.
Opening Hand: Bayou, Tainted Wood, Birds of Paradise, Elvish Mystic, Awakening Zone, Archfiend of Depravity, and Living Plane. Although light on lands, there was no way I was gonna mulligan. Even if I drew no further lands, as long as I didn't get my mana dorks killed or my lands destroyed, I could have Archfiend of Depravity and Living Plane in play by turn 4. So I kept.
Turn 1: Draw Swamp. Play Bayou. Cast Elvish Mystic.
Turn 2: Draw Forest. Play Tainted Wood. Tap all three things for Awakening Zone.
Turn 3: Draw Garruk Relentless. Get an Eldrazi Spawn token. Drop Forest. Tap Bayou, Tainted Wood, Elvish Mystic, Forest, and sac the token to cast Archfiend of Depravity.
At the end of turn 3, my opponents have the following in play:
Atraxa player: Godless Shrine, Drowned Catacombs, City of Brass, Dueling Grounds, and Fog Bank.
Feldon player: 2 Mountains, Hanweir Battlements, and Lightning Greaves.
Now, I have no idea whatsoever what their decks are about 'caused I ruined their entire game next turn.
Turn 4: Draw Merciless Executioner. Play Swamp. Tapped Swamp, Bayou, Tainted Wood, and Forest to cast Living Plane.
Everyone groaned but still stayed in the game. Ataxa player sacrificed Godless Shrine and Drowned Catacomb (I'm assuming no land was dropped due to my heinous combo). Feldon player sacrificed two Mountains and didn't drop a land, either.
Turn 5: Draw Smallpox. Get an Eldrazi Spawn token. I'm surprised at my relative mana screw but it didn't matter since I had advantage. I sac the token and tap out to cast Mazirek. I'm able to cast Smallpox with leftover mana and that's where everyone scooped.
Archfiend of Depravity + Living Plane is no joke. If you can't afford Living Plane then by all means acquire Nature's Revolt. That combo is too broken.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
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G Azusa, Wherever I May Roam
UG Rashmi Simic Power
WB Kambal Life Gain Kills
URG Maelstrom Wanderer Howdy
URXSurf's Up, Mizz Magnus!XRU
URGWKynaios and Tiro's Multiplayer MenagerieWGRU
G Azusa, Wherever I May Roam
UG Rashmi Simic Power
WB Kambal Life Gain Kills
URG Maelstrom Wanderer Howdy
Thanks! I've been testing a lot of decks recently so I haven't had an opportunity to continue playing with Mazirek.
Yeah, Living Plane is too broken in many places. Even on its own because it's a good deterrent against wraths and boardwipes. You can even use it to your advantage in many ways. A very broken card.
It's fine because Nature's Revolt only costs 1 more so it's not so difficult to find a suitable substitute for it.
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!
Would really push the stax theme further, anyone care to shed some light on why this card might be good/bad for this deck? I do happen to be running Necropotence so having both of these out would be very powerful.
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!
URXSurf's Up, Mizz Magnus!XRU
URGWKynaios and Tiro's Multiplayer MenagerieWGRU
This is my line of thought; once we have established control, the portal becomes a very powerful lock. We have access to numerous tutors in the deck to get round drawing such as Evolutionary Leap, the black sorcery tutors, GSZ, and chord. It also acts as an additional sac outlet which is great if Maz is on the field, or something like Titania, and as previously mentioned, Necropotence.
The cons that I see for running the portal is High CMC and it is a card that does nothing for us if we have no board presence, other than serve as a nuisance for other players. Still, I will be running some games with it to see if it deserved a slot.
More changes are abound with my list. I've kicked out Tempt with Discovery and thrown in Amulet of Vigor. People I play against have learned to never take the offer now as I can get absurd lands. My meta also has a few decks which run Kismet type effects, so it is really good at preventing being slowed down tremendously (fetchlands ETB tapped is really bad). This card is also absolutely busted with Scapeshift and Splendid Reclamation, leading to even more ways to have huge explosive turns. All for 1 mana, not too shabby.
I've been running into issues with other Reanimator decks, so I've kicked out one the 1 drop elves for Deathrite Shaman. I've also added in Scavenging Ooze to further prohibit such strategies. I've also had to give in and throw in Bojuka Bog. I really dislike ETB lands, but it can be tutored into play in a variety of ways, and possibly in response to a reanimation spell with Crop Rotation. This deck has enough ways to bring it back when it goes to GY, so it should prove to be useful, even if does enter in tapped.
I've been play testing Demon of Dark Schemes as it combos with Living Plane but i think it will be getting the boot. It is too slow, and surprisingly, I have not won most games where I have assembled the combo. More than likely due to misplays, but I feel Massacre Wurm is just better as it can kill opponents. Archfiend of Depravity is some pretty sweet tech, but slots are very tight in this list.
Finally, I need to find a slot for Bloodghast. This card is so bonkers it isn't even funny. It is excellent sac fodder as it keeps coming back due to landfall. With the amount of fetches being run, two landfall triggers is nothing to sneeze at when we have cards such as Skullclamp, and the altars for getting more mana.
I am curious if cards such as Splendid Reclamation create multiple landfall triggers. If so, we could sac Bloodghast to one of the altars to create alot of mana in response to each trigger. I think this card will be very key in this deck, and is definitely deserving of a spot. It is also very effective with Possessed Portal, especially so if we leave fetches open for each turn so we remain at card parity.
Will try to post an updated list once I get enough chances to play test the new additions.
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R Zada Arcane Storm
RBU Marchesa
GWU Estrid
GWR Samut?
URB Kess
(R/W)(U/B) Akiri & Silas
BWR Alesha
R Neheb Dragons
G Nylea Wurms
W Darien
U Tetsuko
Mazirek does lend itself to some pretty cruel and epic stax. It seems that you want a more devoted stax package than anything. In my case, stax is a secondary theme to the deck. I only use it as an engine to pump my creatures. It provides enough disruption to hinder opponents enough until I can overrun them with creatures or get a one-shot win with Mazirek. That being said, sometimes I get into situations where I can outright force scoops due to the insane stax. Though not the main focus of the deck, I like how I can different ways of piloting it depending on the cards I draw into. For example, I only run one tutor, which is Sidisi, Undead Vizier. And I just look for one piece I may need to complete a combo I pretty much have already set up save for one piece.
I am interested on how you'll manage a deck completely devoted to stax. I fear that it may be a bit slow due to the high casting cost of most cards, but with a lot of tutors and Necropotence you should be able to get into it more quickly. I suggest running Reliquary Tower and some ways to gain life in order to be able to draw ridiculous amounts of cards with Necropotence.
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!
Shucks, thanks for clarifying.
Initially, I also felt that stax was a secondary theme, and even in my list, it somewhat is. I am not running [card}Winter Orb[/card] like effects, but I do prioritize keeping ahead of my opponents by denying resources. I feel that this deck is at its best when we can stay ahead on resources and never let our opponents get a chance to get off the ground. I would prefer not to morph this deck into a devoted stax build; much of my local meta is fairly casual, and this deck already blows many decks out of the water. In fact, I have to refrain from playing this deck against certain playgroups as they have been vocal on how oppressive this deck can get.
I would love to reduce the amount of tutors, but my main playgroup is a bit more competitive than the majority of my local meta. Many decks run a plethora of boardwipes, removal, and disruption, so it is very rare that I can close out games with just combat damage. Reliquary Tower is quite good with Necropotence, but is a land I would rather not see in almost any other scenario. I do like to discard on occasion so i can reanimate targets later on, or bring cards back in some other ways.
Still have yet to draw into Possessed Portal; I am getting the sneaking suspicion it may just be win more but I will need to get a chance to actually play with it before I can decide.
All that being said, experimentation is not without its merits. So when you are able to draw it or then play it, I'm interesting to see how it goes. I predict that it will be one of the three situations previously described: you either draw it too early, or when you're not in a position to use it, or when you're about to close the game and would've liked to draw into something else.
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!
Definitely worth consideration. I did take out Hardened Scales from the Main Build but this is a creature. Meaning it will benefit from potentially "doubling +1/+1 counters" (just like Hardened Scales did). Notice also that it doesn't specify counters. Meaning that charge counters and any special counters are also affected. However, that also means that any -1/-1 counters will also be counted. Depending on its price, I will definitely try to find a slot for it in the Budget Build.
Additionally, since I run Meren of Clan Nel Toth, this helps to give me two experience counters when I would normally receive one per each of my creatures that dies. I imagine that many Atraxa, Praetors' Voice players will consider this for their proliferation deck.
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!
The Atraxa superfriends pilots aren't going to care for it.
old thread
old thread
old thread
R Zada Arcane Storm
RBU Marchesa
GWU Estrid
GWR Samut?
URB Kess
(R/W)(U/B) Akiri & Silas
BWR Alesha
R Neheb Dragons
G Nylea Wurms
W Darien
U Tetsuko
Lol, yeah, Atraxa superfriends aren't gonna care about it. But Atraxa proliferate will. There are many who use Atraxa for charge counters and +1/+1 counters. I have a jank version of Atraxa that seeks to abuse charge counters, energy counters, and experience counters. I may add it there as well.
True, Meren doesn't really need all that help in this deck, lol.
Hm, I had forgotten about poison counters, as well. It would suck to have this in play and then face against poison counters.
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!
URXSurf's Up, Mizz Magnus!XRU
URGWKynaios and Tiro's Multiplayer MenagerieWGRU
Gonti's Aether Heart is another great way to get and when you have enough you can get an extra turn. The extra turn may seem winmore but the is great for those who want a more janky build.
I'm already making some slight changes to the Budget Build but I'm pretty certain that if Walking Ballista and Winding Constrictor are cheap then they'll also go into the Budget Build.
Once Æther Revolt is completely revealed I'll post the cards that go with Mazirek for all three builds. So far, the Artifact Build and Budget Build are getting some great cards. Let's see what else we get!
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!
URXSurf's Up, Mizz Magnus!XRU
URGWKynaios and Tiro's Multiplayer MenagerieWGRU