Daxos is baxos. This is the second time I've resurrected him but that's because he's a blast to play and is such an unusual Enchantress, especially once you see all the new versions they printed in C18.
There has been a complete overhaul, making the deck less competitive, as such I cannot exactly say what's come in or gone out from the transition from above and below.
Daxos sure likes his mana. You lucky, lucky person, what with your Serra's Sanctum and all, so adding the remaining two "big mana pieces" (Gilded Lotus and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx) should not be too much of a problem. Plus, both of them can easily go in other EDH decks later if you get bored of this one. Get them.
In terms of stuff for the core of the deck, Sphere of Safety immediately comes to mind. Probably in place of Altar of Shadows, what's that card even doing in here?
Note that I didn't barge in saying "clone my 99 or you're a peon" Lamia's super strong and merits a slot even without more discard to back her up though.
I'm surprised that Black Market isn't that good but the deck wants to be flexible, dropping Daxos tokens or Luminarch Angels EOT. Adding more to the Pillowfort plus a few upgraded creatures/wraths.
Casting another vote in favor of Faith's Reward. It's been excellent whenever I've cast it. Even something as innocuous as "sac a couple of enchantment creatures, Faith's Reward to bring them back and trigger Constellation" is a fine play.
Luminarch Ascension is another one of those "please attack me" cards, in the same vein as Bloodchief Ascension, that may end up being more trouble than it's worth.
Running Exquisite Blood is another one of those "more trouble than it's worth" scenarios, as people will see it and automatically think of the Sanguine Bond instagib and go after you. You don't even have the Sanguine Bond instagib as an option in the 99 to merit the aggression you're gonna receive Luminarch Ascension is likely to get you into trouble as well, as already pointed out, so keep an eye on it.
I like all of the changes you made, with the exception of probably Austere Command - given that the deck likes having both mana rocks and copious amounts of sparkly enchantments, you're going to inevitably be placed in a position where you're killing a lot of your own stuff.
If you're after the artifact/enchantment removal, give Return to Dust a try. It's a great value card. If you feel you need another sweeper, I've always been a fan of Necromantic Selection - it's a good "kill all the dudes and do this other thing" card, in the same vein as Austere Command.
The thing is, you can adapt on the fly. You can just wrath the creatures. Sometimes someone else will be holding onto dear mana rock life as you only have a Orzhov Signet, which seems like a reasonable sacrifice to make to eat double digits of brownstuff across the table. Other times you may even be okay with enchantments going away, as somebody else will have something really harshing your mellow and you won't really have anything noteworthy. Not a bad card to run. I don't use one myself as my main meta is Knowledge Exploitation city, and it would be infuriating to get my field swept with my own Command
Ajani's Chosen is a non-Enchantment and I don't forsee it winning the game for me. Grave Betrayal certainly can.
Hissing Miasma is just doubling-down on the Pillow Fort. I just happened to find a foil in my collection, so I've thrown it in. I have no allusions that it'll stick. I'll test it out. Genju of the Fields was the weakest Pillowfort, if you could even call it that. As the Enchantment quality goes up, it gets harder to make cuts.
Planar Collapse is an Enchantment-based Innocent Blood, so it replaces that.
Miasma was short lived. The one life wasn't enough of a detriment to make people go away, so I'm adding in a card that will make their creatures go away with Attrition. I plan on using my various token creatures to set up a soft lock.
Authority of the Consuls is amazing, negating a lot of aggro strategies especially if they start swinging at others instead of you. That life piles up quick! I didn't really know how to cut and simply went with the most disappointing non-Enchantment card, the Kor Sanctifiers.
Sigil of the Empty Throne was a hard decision to cut, as I now have no defence against Fliers; however, I set up a lot of ways to stop attackers and made more tokens with Heliod. I also have another inevitable attacker who is Indestructible. The tokens being Enchantments is also great with Serra Sanctum. This addition pushes me to try to find a slot for Martyr's Bond.
I needed unrestricted spot removal, Seal of Doom is the same CMC as Anguished Unmaking so I made that decision. Though I do understand that Seal might come back with Sun Titan being added to the deck. Kind of a synergy. Grave Betrayal was too slow and didn't have an immediate impact. I would need to add way more Wraths, I already have trouble protecting Daxos and have him stick.
Thought Vessel was removed just for my Talrand EDH. Marble Diamond is a close enough switch, as the amount of times I need colored mana is quite surprising.
No, I do not. And I brought it up to dissuade you from Plea for Guidance, which seems like an OK card until you recall Diabolic Revelation exists, and then you realise you don't run that and have very little incentive to change that.
Darksteel Mutation cuts the Knight just because it's the same CMC. At first, I cut Oreskos Explorer but then I realized it was easier to cast and provided more lands. I changed that. Norn's Annex is part of the pilowfort tech and it's something I'd like to put back in perhaps, but I just swapped Pillowfort piece for piece. Making someone answer that would be great.
My current problem with Daxos is that I rush him out, play an Enchantment or two and then he dies to either a Wrath or forcing myself to Wrath to deal with the overdeveloped board state. I am starting to completely understand the reasoning for why you have all of the Staxy Control. You can't keep up with it. B/W likes to stroll onto the battlefield, all of these blazing fast decks seem to outpace me or put me in a bad spot. I'm not sure what to do here, as I dislike the idea of a straight up netdeck but your particular strategy seems to be the one Daxos requires to make everybody cool their jets.
Flickering Ward, Shackles and Cage of Hands for repeatable experience counters. Cage and Shackles are good as pseudo removal, ward can be used for defense early game and unblockable offence later in the game when you start pumping out huge tokens.
Is it really net-decking if you arrived at the same conclusion from your own building and testing journey? Maybe a different suite of control elements are needed in your meta. I've changed out a few pieces myself to be less mean to my friends (like Runed Halo instead of Nevermore).
Exactly. You have a Marchesa, and your Marchesa is similar to other Marchesas out there, but it's yours. So this can be a similar story without going hard netdeck just keep developing the 99 while keeping in mind what works and what doesn't, keeping your own spin on the idea.
I'm going to be honest, I was pretty close to dismantling my Daxos. I didn't want to play something super oppressive yet that seemed to be the only way to play him. I got thinking over what to play next and I thought of Nath of the Gilt-Leaf which made me slap myself. I don't want to play oppressive discard strategies, yet here I'm fantasizing about the very same strategy. I put on my big boy pants and decided to add the control suite. I avoided the 'you only draw 1' cards because they felt wrong to me, that's too much to take away from someone - and that was before I played Leovold, Emissary of Trest. Speaking of which, I played two games against Leovold today and it was... educational. I'm surprised that guy dodged the latest ban considering it was some of the least fun Magic I've played in a long time.
While I didn't draw any of my new cards in my game of Daxos vs Leovold (with the 2 new Kings and Tasigur), I learned that Daxos is inevitability. You get enough experience counters and you can start pooping out impressively sized creatures. It probably didn't help that one of my opponents played Collective Voyage for 11. While we were stuck in that game for a long time, it did confirm that slowing the game and wrecking with peoples hands is constructive so... Yay? I'll have to get a few games in with the new cards to see if they're 'fair enough' - though I am indoctrinated of years of Type 4 Magic so I don't think one spell per turn is too bad.
The first cut was easy, Sacred Mesa has been disappointing these last few games. While I thought the 2 mana upkeep of sacrificing Pegasuses was cheap, it screwed me over on multiple occasions. It wasn't a Mobilization or Luminarch Ascension which I could 'set and forget'. Eidolon of Rhetoric is an Enchantment Creature, felt like a fitting exchange. Rule of Law follows up, cutting another creature with Mesa Enchantress - I already have enough trouble keeping Daxos alive, don't need to compound it even if she is a 'draw engine' which is something you can only really say loosely.
Burnished Hart is the next creature that got cut, I just didn't have time for it. It was replaced with the triple discard suite of Bottomless Pit, Necrogen Mists and Oppression. Plea for Guidance wasn't even play tested but I've learned to trust my commentors, so I cut it. The next card I cut was something else I never cast because I just didn't have time for it, so Open the Vaults is gone. Now, when the deck gets more refined this seems like a card that could easily make a comeback. Overall, these changes have probably dramatically improved my mana curve.
Don't worry, the stuff you put in is more of an inconvenience than anything else for most people. You'd need to sculpt a super particular hand to even come close to what something like Leovold offers on a per-game basis with an average draw. I'm also surprised he's still legal, but it took quite a while for Prophet of Kruphix to get banhammered. Also, the rules committee has that hazy principle that bannings are for cards that create unfun states on accident... and say what you will, nobody's gonna make accidental ugliness with Leovold.
If you're considering pulling Daxos apart because of power level, this toolbox isn't going to magically fix everything. Daxos is a slow, grindy deck by default, and this set of cards will help you hit an equilibrium where you start channeling that inevitability you mentioned quicker than you otherwise would. It'll make life easier, but it won't suddenly turn you into a true competitive deck or anything
Don't want to be so competitive. I was sold on the derpy Orzhov Commander you sold me, I just needed to come to grips that my build would have to be close to yours to get that derp control. I've made a few additions to Daxos by pulling some cards from my Type 4 Cube. I haven't had much success in having players try it out, so I'm putting the cards to use.
In theory, the Planar Collapse was supposed to be an Enchantment-based Innocent Blood Wrath; however, it just became a case of 'beat the crap outta that Daxos!' So, Merciless Eviction doesn't give a warning and is very flexible at getting rid of what needs to go. Fumigate is a decent enough Wrath but Fated Retribution is an instant, something I can use on other people's turns especially if a Rule of Law is up - killing Planeswalkers is ano added bonus. I didn't know what to cut for the Utter End so I went with the cheapest card I felt that I could cut. The Explorer doesn't ramp, just does card selection and selectively at that. Kor Haven is added to deter more attacks, it's also the perfect activation price of itself, one colourless and one white. That means a Swamp, Plains and Kor Haven will get rid of an attacker or make me a Daxos dork.
The first thing you'd notice is a lot of lands cut. This is because I was at 39, so I made a bunch of cuts and included Vault of the Archangel as well as the two Cycle Lands. I've been slowly testing those out and they're great for the random card draw with very little opportunity cost. Night's Whisper is another card to help smooth things over in my quest to pit us all in a prison and then beat them to death.
Cloudstone Curio and Heliod, God of the Sun were too slow for my purposes. By the time I might want to start bouncing and replaying my Enchantments, I could spend that mana making 7/7s and start delivering pamphlets to my opponents. The Enchantments that have come in in contrast are incredibly useful. Martyr's Cause was picked because it only requires you to sacrifice tokens instead of pay mana or life to stop the beats, unlike Rumpy's Daxos Primer which mentions Righteous Aura. By the rules, Aura is better if something is doing sustained damage like a Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle and 10 Mountains coming into play at the same time, while I'm just looking for ways to stop a single massive damage. The Seal of Doom is just for more control-kill and an experience counter to boot.
Merciless Eviction was a hard choice. It has a lot of utility, but it could only hit one thing at a time. That made Austere Command too attractive to cut. Extinguish All Hope is practically suited for this deck, leaving my Daxos-men alone and clearing the field for them to swing in. Rout and Fated Retribution are Instant Speed, which is very important because of the limitations of one spell per turn. My opponents have had massive blow outs for coming at me with a Hasty Enabler only to have their whole turn turn to naught. So, Eviction went in place of Elspeth, Sun's Champion who can Wrath, make defensive tokens and have an Ultimate I don't think I would ever really use.
Angelic Renewal is just so damned good in Daxos, I fully recommend it for every variation. It's important to get an Experience counter and then keep Daxos alive. It's even sweeter if you're using a Wrath to clear the board yet Daxos still stands when everything is all said and done.
As for the name change, I've had Daxos win a whole bunch and come close against others. Normally, I would think that I'm screwed but I don't get focused because I only make 1/1s and my Commander isn't some dangerous combo/aggro beast. Before they know it, I made 5/5s and we're in an awful prison of discarding cards or one play per turn. Just like Rorschach in the Watchmen media, it's too late for my opponents to realize that I'm not stuck in here with them but they are stuck in this pod with me.
Cloudstone Curio and Heliod, God of the Sun were too slow for my purposes. By the time I might want to start bouncing and replaying my Enchantments, I could spend that mana making 7/7s and start delivering pamphlets to my opponents.
Curio's function is much more than that though. It also acts as a wonderful protection shield, keeping your stuff from dying to all sorts of things. "Wrath? Well, I guess I'd better scoop Daxos back up to my hand then", "Acidic Slime my No Mercy? Fine, you can have one swing at me, but it's coming back next turn", that sort of stuff. We don't like having our stuff blown up, with the commander in particular being prone to accidental deaths a lot of the time because he's a freaking bear, and this helps us rescue stuff if need be.
Martyr's Cause was picked because it only requires you to sacrifice tokens instead of pay mana or life to stop the beats, unlike Rumpy's Daxos Primer which mentions Righteous Aura. By the rules, Aura is better if something is doing sustained damage like a Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle and 10 Mountains coming into play at the same time, while I'm just looking for ways to stop a single massive damage.
Note that you need a body to throw at Martyr's Cause. Daxos isn't always around, and he's your best source of disposable chumps. Even then, compare the "fixed" Oracle wording for the two: " : do damage prevent thing" vs " , 2 life: do damage prevent thing". Martyr's Cause isn't bad by any means, but there's a nonzero chance you'll find yourself severely disappointed by your ability to put up shields being reliant on the presence of creatures.
So, Eviction went in place of Elspeth, Sun's Champion who can Wrath, make defensive tokens and have an Ultimate I don't think I would ever really use.
You'll be surprised actually. I've won off it like two or three times by now, it's a godsend in awkward stalled out games when everybody has massive, gunked up boards. Nowhere near the main reason for running her, but also nowhere near as useless as expected
1 Daxos the Returned
Creatures - 13
3 Mesa Enchantress
4 Agent of Erebos
4 Erebos, God of the Dead
4 Kor Cartographer
4 Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker
4 Solemn Simulacrum
5 Doomwake Giant
6 Dread
6 Sun Titan
7 Angel of the Dire Hour
7 Emeria Shepherd
7 Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts
8 Razaketh, the Foulblooded
Enchantments - 29
1 Authority of the Consuls
1 Flickering Ward
1 Land Tax
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
1 Reconnaissance
2 Arguel's Blood Fast
2 Blind Obedience
2 Gossamer Chains
2 Oath of Lieges
2 Righteous Aura
2 Seal of Cleansing
3 Aura of Silence
3 Fanatical Devotion
3 Grasp of Fate
3 Necropotence
3 Phyrexian Arena
3 Underworld Connections
4 Anointed Procession
4 Aurification
4 Cast Out
4 Grave Pact
4 Greed
4 No Mercy
4 Smothering Tithe
4 Whip of Erebos
5 Dictate of Erebos
5 Skybind
6 Ethereal Absolution
6 Martyr's Bond
6 True Conviction
2 Demonic Tutor
8 Play of the Game
Instants - 7
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Remove Enchantments
1 Vampiric Tutor
3 Anguished Unmaking
4 Comeuppance
4 Settle the Wreckage
4 Utter End
Artifacts - 9
1 Sol Ring
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
2 Dowsing Dagger
2 Journeyer's Kite
2 Sword of the Animist
2 Thaumatic Compass
3 Cloudstone Curio
3 Mirage Mirror
4 Conqueror's Galleon
Basic Lands - 20
11 Snow-Covered Plains
9 Snow-Covered Swamp
Lands - 19
0 Arch of Orazca
0 Bojuka Bog
0 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
0 Fetid Heath
0 Geier Reach Sanitarium
0 Godless Shrine
0 Isolated Chapel
0 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
0 Miren, the Moaning Well
0 Myriad Landscape
0 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
0 Orzhov Basilica
0 Scrying Sheets
0 Tainted Field
0 Terrain Generator
0 Thespian's Stage
0 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
0 Vault of the Archangel
0 Zoetic Cavern
1 Angel of the Dire Hour
1 Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker
1 Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts
1 Dread
1 Aurification
1 Martyr's Bond
1 Remove Enchantments
1 Settle the Wreckage
1 Cloudstone Curio
1 Comeuppance
1 Revel in Riches
1 Island Sanctuary
1 Martyr's Cause
1 Polluted Bonds
1 Attrition
1 Dark Prophecy
1 Endless Horizons
1 Hour of Revelation
1 Solitary Confinement
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Ethereal Absolution
1 Polluted Bonds
1 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
1 Snow-Covered Plains
1 First Response
1 Glistening Oil
1 Temple of the False God
1 Snow-Covered Swamp
1 True Conviction
1 Zoetic Cavern
1 Exquisite Blood
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Smothering Tithe
1 Endless Horizons
1 No Mercy
1 First Response
1 Glistening Oil
1 Revel in Riches
1 Temple of the False God
1 Thespian's Stage
1 Tainted Field
1 Tymna the Weaver
1 Burnished Hart
1 Vampiric Rites
1 Circle of Despair
1 Spirit Bonds
1 Diabolic Intent
1 Sanguine Bond
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Mistveil Plains
1 Westvale Abbey
1 Vampiric Rites
1 Hour of Revelation
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Dark Prophecy
1 Underworld Connections
1 Mesa Enchantress
1 Polluted Bonds
1 Revel in Riches
1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
1 Isolated Watchtower
1 Journeyer's Kite
1 Razaketh, the Foulblooded
1 Expedition Map
1 Luminarch Ascension
1 Phyrexian Scriptures
1 Strands of Night
1 Twilight Prophet
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Circle of Despair
1 Strands of Night
1 Terrain Generator
1 Gift of Immortality
1 True Conviction
1 Cabal Stronghold
1 Fetid Heath
1 Temple of Silence
1 Cabal Stronghold
1 Concealed Courtyard
1 Fanatical Devotion
1 Plains
1 Animate Dead
1 Swamp
1 Grave Pact
1 Dance of the Dead
1 Gossamer Chains
1 Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim
1 Solitary Confinement
1 Crackdown
1 Dust Bowl
1 Slaughter the Strong
1 Tragic Arrogance
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Rout
1 Hour of Revelation
1 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Tower of the Magistrate
1 Cascading Cataracts
1 Arch of Orazca
1 Plains
1 Island Sanctuary
1 Righteous Aura
1 Seal of Doom
1 Karmic Guide
1 High Market
1 Scoured Barrens
1 Spirit Bonds
1 Grim Guardian
1 Oath of Lieges
1 Emeria Shepherd
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Night's Whisper
1 Journeyer's Kite
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
1 Mind Stone
1 Swamp
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Kor Haven
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Read the Bones
1 Swamp
1 Land Tax
1 Swamp
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Marble Diamond
1 Whip of Erebos
1 Grasp of Fate
1 Scavenger Grounds
1 Thespian's Stage
1 Angelic Chorus
1 Banishing Light
1 Swamp
1 Plains
1 Attrition
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Tower of the Magistrate
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Temple of the False God
1 Thaumatic Compass
1 Burnished Hart
1 Arguel's Blood Fast
1 Skullclamp
1 Utter End
1 Mirage Mirror
1 Extinguish All Hope
1 Norn's Annex
1 Swamp
1 Concealed Courtyard
1 Secluded Steppe
1 Barren Moor
1 Necropotence
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Angelic Chorus
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Fated Retribution
1 Orzhov Guildgate
1 Swamp
1 Hour of Revelation
1 Scoured Barrens
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Command Tower
1 Planar Cleansing
1 Swamp
2 Plains
1 Sword of the Animist
1 Orzhov Cluestone
1 Cover of Darkness
1 Angelic Renewal
1 Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Utter End
1 Swamp
1 Cast Out
1 Agent of Erebos
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Anointed Procession
1 Cascading Cataracts
1 Thopter Arrest
1 Syphon Mind
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
1 Grave Betrayal
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Gift of Immortality
1 Debtors' Knell
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Animate Dead
1 Thought Vessel
1 Underworld Connections
1 Sigil of the Empty Throne
1 Grim Guardian
1 Greed
1 Flickering Ward
1 Ophiomancer
1 Nezumi Graverobber
1 Mortify
1 Marchesa's Decree
1 Crypt Ghast
1 Debtors' Knell
1 Painful Quandary
1 Barren Moor
1 Secluded Steppe
1 Vault of the Archangel
1 Night's Whisper
1 Seal of Doom
1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1 Martyr's Cause
4 Plains
1 Cloudstone Curio
1 Merciless Eviction
1 Heliod, God of the Sun
1 Angelic Renewal
1 Swamp
1 Merciless Eviction
1 Fated Retribution
1 Utter End
1 Kor Haven
1 Planar Collapse
1 Fumigate
1 Oreskos Explorer
1 Swamp
1 Eidolon of Rhetoric
1 Rule of Law
1 Bottomless Pit
1 Necrogen Mists
1 Oppression
1 Mesa Enchantress
1 Burnished Hart
1 Sacred Mesa
1 Plea for Guidance
1 Open the Vaults
1 Darksteel Mutation
1 Crackdown
1 Knight of the White Orchid
1 Norn's Annex
1 Anguished Unamking
1 Plea for Guidance
1 Marble Diamond
1 Sun Titan
1 Seal of Doom
1 Ancient Craving
1 Thought Vessel
1 Grave Betrayal
1 Attrition
1 Authority of the Consuls
1 Heliod, God of the Sun
1 Hissing Miasma
1 Kor Sanctifiers
1 Sigil of the Empty Throne
1 Grave Betrayal
1 Hissing Miasma
1 Planar Collapse
1 Ajani's Chosen
1 Genju of the Fields
1 Innocent Blood
0 Godless Shrine
1 Expedition Map
2 Dance of the Dead
2 Animate Dead
3 Worn Powerstone
5 Gilded Lotus
6 Austere Command
0 Swamp
1 Bloodchief Ascension
2 Coldsteel Heart
2 Luminarch Ascension
2 Prismatic Lens
4 Day of Judgment
5 Exquisite Blood
1 Erebos, God of the Dead
1 Crypt Ghast
1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Luminarch Ascension
1 Reconnaissance
1 No Mercy
1 Blind Obedience
1 Exquisite Blood
1 Painful Quandary
1 Sphere of Safety
1 Fumigate
1 Rout
1 Skullclamp
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Altar of Shadows
1 Treasury Thrull
1 Banshee of Dread Choir
1 Nighthowler
1 Silent Sentinel
1 Cage of Hands
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Pillory of the Sleepless
1 Necromancer's Covenant
1 Black Market
1 Exsanguinate
1 Deadly Tempest
1 Death Grasp
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Altar of Shadows
1 Cloudstone Curio
1 Mind Stone
1 Syphon Mind
1 Sacred Mesa
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Knight of the White Orchid
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Genju of the Fields
1 Innocent Blood
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Swamp
1 Plains
1 Sandstone Oracle
1 Secluded Steppe
1 Dreadbringer Lampads
1 Barren Moor
1 Ghostblade Eidolon
1 Dictate of Heliod
1 Crytsal Chimes
1 Monk Idealist
1 Corpse Augur
1 Celestial Archon
1 Herald of the Host
1 Righteous Confluence
1 Dawn to Dusk
1 Fate Unraveler
1 Grave Peril
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
In terms of stuff for the core of the deck, Sphere of Safety immediately comes to mind. Probably in place of Altar of Shadows, what's that card even doing in here?
While I do like Thoughtrender Lamia, I'm conflicted with going with your Discard heavy build.
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
1 Erebos, God of the Dead
1 Crypt Ghast
1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Luminarch Ascension
1 Reconnaissance
1 No Mercy
1 Blind Obedience
1 Exquisite Blood
1 Painful Quandary
1 Sphere of Safety
1 Fumigate
1 Rout
1 Skullclamp
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Altar of Shadows
1 Treasury Thrull
1 Banshee of Dread Choir
1 Nighthowler
1 Silent Sentinel
1 Cage of Hands
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Pillory of the Sleepless
1 Necromancer's Covenant
1 Black Market
1 Exsanguinate
1 Deadly Tempest
1 Death Grasp
1 Rogue's Passage
I'm surprised that Black Market isn't that good but the deck wants to be flexible, dropping Daxos tokens or Luminarch Angels EOT. Adding more to the Pillowfort plus a few upgraded creatures/wraths.
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
Luminarch Ascension is another one of those "please attack me" cards, in the same vein as Bloodchief Ascension, that may end up being more trouble than it's worth.
Luminarch Ascension, Exquisite Blood and Bloodchief Ascension put big targets on my head. So, I made some changes after a few trades.
0 Godless Shrine
1 Expedition Map
2 Dance of the Dead
2 Animate Dead
3 Worn Powerstone
5 Gilded Lotus
6 Austere Command
0 Swamp
1 Bloodchief Ascension
2 Coldsteel Heart
2 Luminarch Ascension
2 Prismatic Lens
4 Day of Judgment
5 Exquisite Blood
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
If you're after the artifact/enchantment removal, give Return to Dust a try. It's a great value card. If you feel you need another sweeper, I've always been a fan of Necromantic Selection - it's a good "kill all the dudes and do this other thing" card, in the same vein as Austere Command.
Deck's looking good, mate - keep it up!
1 Grave Betrayal
1 Hissing Miasma
1 Planar Collapse
1 Ajani's Chosen
1 Genju of the Fields
1 Innocent Blood
Hissing Miasma is just doubling-down on the Pillow Fort. I just happened to find a foil in my collection, so I've thrown it in. I have no allusions that it'll stick. I'll test it out. Genju of the Fields was the weakest Pillowfort, if you could even call it that. As the Enchantment quality goes up, it gets harder to make cuts.
Planar Collapse is an Enchantment-based Innocent Blood, so it replaces that.
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
1 Attrition
1 Authority of the Consuls
1 Heliod, God of the Sun
1 Hissing Miasma
1 Kor Sanctifiers
1 Sigil of the Empty Throne
Authority of the Consuls is amazing, negating a lot of aggro strategies especially if they start swinging at others instead of you. That life piles up quick! I didn't really know how to cut and simply went with the most disappointing non-Enchantment card, the Kor Sanctifiers.
Sigil of the Empty Throne was a hard decision to cut, as I now have no defence against Fliers; however, I set up a lot of ways to stop attackers and made more tokens with Heliod. I also have another inevitable attacker who is Indestructible. The tokens being Enchantments is also great with Serra Sanctum. This addition pushes me to try to find a slot for Martyr's Bond.
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
1 Anguished Unamking
1 Plea for Guidance
1 Marble Diamond
1 Sun Titan
1 Seal of Doom
1 Ancient Craving
1 Thought Vessel
1 Grave Betrayal
Thought Vessel was removed just for my Talrand EDH. Marble Diamond is a close enough switch, as the amount of times I need colored mana is quite surprising.
Ancient Craving should probably be a Night's Whisper, but I'm going to try a Plea for Guidance. Getting 2 Enchantments that I need now is wonderful.
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
Compare Plea for Guidance to Diabolic Revelation
That is a card I've been contemplating using in my Erebos, God of the Dead EDH. Do you run it?
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
1 Darksteel Mutation
1 Crackdown
1 Knight of the White Orchid
1 Norn's Annex
My current problem with Daxos is that I rush him out, play an Enchantment or two and then he dies to either a Wrath or forcing myself to Wrath to deal with the overdeveloped board state. I am starting to completely understand the reasoning for why you have all of the Staxy Control. You can't keep up with it. B/W likes to stroll onto the battlefield, all of these blazing fast decks seem to outpace me or put me in a bad spot. I'm not sure what to do here, as I dislike the idea of a straight up netdeck but your particular strategy seems to be the one Daxos requires to make everybody cool their jets.
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
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
1 Eidolon of Rhetoric
1 Rule of Law
1 Bottomless Pit
1 Necrogen Mists
1 Oppression
1 Sacred Mesa
1 Mesa Enchantress
1 Burnished Hart
1 Plea for Guidance
1 Open the Vaults
While I didn't draw any of my new cards in my game of Daxos vs Leovold (with the 2 new Kings and Tasigur), I learned that Daxos is inevitability. You get enough experience counters and you can start pooping out impressively sized creatures. It probably didn't help that one of my opponents played Collective Voyage for 11. While we were stuck in that game for a long time, it did confirm that slowing the game and wrecking with peoples hands is constructive so... Yay? I'll have to get a few games in with the new cards to see if they're 'fair enough' - though I am indoctrinated of years of Type 4 Magic so I don't think one spell per turn is too bad.
The first cut was easy, Sacred Mesa has been disappointing these last few games. While I thought the 2 mana upkeep of sacrificing Pegasuses was cheap, it screwed me over on multiple occasions. It wasn't a Mobilization or Luminarch Ascension which I could 'set and forget'. Eidolon of Rhetoric is an Enchantment Creature, felt like a fitting exchange. Rule of Law follows up, cutting another creature with Mesa Enchantress - I already have enough trouble keeping Daxos alive, don't need to compound it even if she is a 'draw engine' which is something you can only really say loosely.
Burnished Hart is the next creature that got cut, I just didn't have time for it. It was replaced with the triple discard suite of Bottomless Pit, Necrogen Mists and Oppression. Plea for Guidance wasn't even play tested but I've learned to trust my commentors, so I cut it. The next card I cut was something else I never cast because I just didn't have time for it, so Open the Vaults is gone. Now, when the deck gets more refined this seems like a card that could easily make a comeback. Overall, these changes have probably dramatically improved my mana curve.
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
If you're considering pulling Daxos apart because of power level, this toolbox isn't going to magically fix everything. Daxos is a slow, grindy deck by default, and this set of cards will help you hit an equilibrium where you start channeling that inevitability you mentioned quicker than you otherwise would. It'll make life easier, but it won't suddenly turn you into a true competitive deck or anything
1 Merciless Eviction
1 Fated Retribution
1 Utter End
1 Kor Haven
1 Planar Collapse
1 Fumigate
1 Oreskos Explorer
1 Swamp
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
1 Barren Moor
1 Secluded Steppe
1 Vault of the Archangel
1 Night's Whisper
1 Seal of Doom
1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1 Martyr's Cause
1 Angelic Renewal
4 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Cloudstone Curio
1 Merciless Eviction
1 Heliod, God of the Sun
Cloudstone Curio and Heliod, God of the Sun were too slow for my purposes. By the time I might want to start bouncing and replaying my Enchantments, I could spend that mana making 7/7s and start delivering pamphlets to my opponents. The Enchantments that have come in in contrast are incredibly useful. Martyr's Cause was picked because it only requires you to sacrifice tokens instead of pay mana or life to stop the beats, unlike Rumpy's Daxos Primer which mentions Righteous Aura. By the rules, Aura is better if something is doing sustained damage like a Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle and 10 Mountains coming into play at the same time, while I'm just looking for ways to stop a single massive damage. The Seal of Doom is just for more control-kill and an experience counter to boot.
Merciless Eviction was a hard choice. It has a lot of utility, but it could only hit one thing at a time. That made Austere Command too attractive to cut. Extinguish All Hope is practically suited for this deck, leaving my Daxos-men alone and clearing the field for them to swing in. Rout and Fated Retribution are Instant Speed, which is very important because of the limitations of one spell per turn. My opponents have had massive blow outs for coming at me with a Hasty Enabler only to have their whole turn turn to naught. So, Eviction went in place of Elspeth, Sun's Champion who can Wrath, make defensive tokens and have an Ultimate I don't think I would ever really use.
Angelic Renewal is just so damned good in Daxos, I fully recommend it for every variation. It's important to get an Experience counter and then keep Daxos alive. It's even sweeter if you're using a Wrath to clear the board yet Daxos still stands when everything is all said and done.
As for the name change, I've had Daxos win a whole bunch and come close against others. Normally, I would think that I'm screwed but I don't get focused because I only make 1/1s and my Commander isn't some dangerous combo/aggro beast. Before they know it, I made 5/5s and we're in an awful prison of discarding cards or one play per turn. Just like Rorschach in the Watchmen media, it's too late for my opponents to realize that I'm not stuck in here with them but they are stuck in this pod with me.
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
Curio's function is much more than that though. It also acts as a wonderful protection shield, keeping your stuff from dying to all sorts of things. "Wrath? Well, I guess I'd better scoop Daxos back up to my hand then", "Acidic Slime my No Mercy? Fine, you can have one swing at me, but it's coming back next turn", that sort of stuff. We don't like having our stuff blown up, with the commander in particular being prone to accidental deaths a lot of the time because he's a freaking bear, and this helps us rescue stuff if need be.
Note that you need a body to throw at Martyr's Cause. Daxos isn't always around, and he's your best source of disposable chumps. Even then, compare the "fixed" Oracle wording for the two: " : do damage prevent thing" vs " , 2 life: do damage prevent thing". Martyr's Cause isn't bad by any means, but there's a nonzero chance you'll find yourself severely disappointed by your ability to put up shields being reliant on the presence of creatures.
You'll be surprised actually. I've won off it like two or three times by now, it's a godsend in awkward stalled out games when everybody has massive, gunked up boards. Nowhere near the main reason for running her, but also nowhere near as useless as expected