Before anything else, I'd like to assert that our commander, The Scorpion God, shall be referred to shorthand simply as, "Dwayne."
In case you can't make out Dwayne's abilities because the Amonkhet masterpiece borders are uglier than sin, he's 6/5, costs 3BR, has "draw a card whenever a creature with a -1/-1 counter on it dies," "1BR: put a -1/-1 counter on target creature," and "Whenever Dwayne dies, return him to your hand at the next end step." We'll be making use of all three.
Now, for a little history lesson. I played Magic a lot during the Ravnica block but I hardly played at all during the Time Spiral block and only a bit in Lorwyn. When Shadowmoor came out however, my frequency in playing exploded again. It wasn't competitive, mostly just casual multiplayer, so when new sets like this came out, I'd always get one of the precons and, in the case of Shadowmoor, I found one I just totally latched onto. I thought Army of Entropy, the BR preconstructed deck, was by far the coolest and that Cinders were the absolute best tribe. This deck runs a lot of cards that were in that deck or of the same play-style. I'm also very fond of the Scars of Mirrodin block, so there's a little more nostalgia packed into the deck from that, too. Though this deck is very nostalgic for me to run, I still build primarily for synergies.
If you've been following the Commander format since the release of Amonkhet a couple months ago, you'll notice that this list shares a lot of similarities with Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons. It's a little hard to avoid that since the pool of cards that synergize well with -1/-1 counters is pretty small, coming mainly from the Shadowmoor, Scars, and Amonkhet blocks. However, this makes the deck all the more varied from the standard fare.
So why not just build a Hapatra deck since green is a better color for long games than red? GB even has a greater card pool to choose from for -1/-1 counter synergies. It's because red is a more explosive color. With red, we can progress faster and cripple life totals harder. Additionally, Dwayne is way hardier than Hapatra - he's got a 6/5 body that just keeps on coming back and ready to dish out more punishment. Dwayne is also a source of card advantage which, as anyone who's played a lot of multiplayer Commander should know, is invaluable for staying relevant after the first one or two board wipes.
The deck was just assembled today (6/24/17), with Dwayne obviously being proxied until Hour of Devastation releases, and it hasn't been played in any games yet. The deck feels like it's going to need some real testing before I start moving it in one direction or another, but until then, I imagine it'll play out like a midrange deck with a particularly heavy suite of removal.
Nest of Scarabs should be amazing with mass counter distribution. Hit Zenith with Nest on the field and I imagine we'll have around 20-50 Insect tokens.
Proliferate shenanigans benefit our two Planeswalkers and Demon of Dark Schemes, too.
Mass counter distribution among opponents' creatures is particularly effective with Kulrath Knight on the field to lock them down.
Really loving your take on The Scorpion God. Yes, I can smell it .
I'm still fine-tuning a Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons deck and was disheartened when the ability wasn't on a Jund-colored legend. Was once again disheartened when Dwayne was revealed to not be Jund, either.
From what I've gathered on Cockatrice testing my The Scarab God deck, many consider The Scorpion God to be way worse than its two brethren. However, I still the potential. Hell, the rest of Hour of Devastation hasn't finished being fully spoiled. So who are we to say?
Since Hapatra plays very similarly yet simultaneously differently from Dwayne, I will recommend this because it's still in your colors: Torture. Enchanting Carnifex Demon with it is simply magical.
Making creatures acquire lower toughness is also great with having them die easier.
I also like the combo aspect of the deck. Are you going to eventually lean more into it? You should be drawing into a bunch of cards, after all. So you'll definitely be able to assemble combo piece much quicker.
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 got one game in with the deck yesterday, buuut it was tainted by a group hug deck and the other decks were better at taking advantage of that. Nonetheless, the deck was fun, Dusk Urchins draws lots of cards, and Necroskitter stole me a few creatures.
Since Hapatra plays very similarly yet simultaneously differently from Dwayne, I will recommend this because it's still in your colors: Torture. Enchanting Carnifex Demon with it is simply magical.
I also like the combo aspect of the deck. Are you going to eventually lean more into it? You should be drawing into a bunch of cards, after all. So you'll definitely be able to assemble combo piece much quicker.
Thank you for the feedback! I'm glad you like it.
The thing about Torture is that our commander does the same thing to anyone for one more mana. I can see how Torture would be very good with Hapatra, but why spend a precious card slot on something our commander already does?
I can see Pestilence effects being pretty good with the right cards, including Everlasting Torment, but I think, until there are more cards printed that say "damage is dealt in -1/-1 counters," our best bet for doing something similar will be including creatures that can deal damage to many things at once and granting them Wither. Right now, I'm thinking things like Pestilence Demon (the original but in creature form) and Hammerfist Giant. Yeah, Mikaeus is definitely worth a slot, I just haven't mustered the will power to spend $20 on another copy of him yet. He also concerns me with his mana cost - we've got a big top end and not a whole lot of ramp. My concern is that Guys like Mikaeus, Demon of Dark Schemes, Midnight Banshee, Sheoldred, etc, will get stuck in our hand for far longer than want we want. And yeah, Siege Dragon's fun, but I'd sooner take his older brother, Balefire Dragon.
Edit - Just realized that Siege Dragon doesn't need to connect to do damage. Huh, never realized that. He might be up for inclusion.
I've got a couple policies on combos. I try to stay away from infinite combos as much as I can because pressing the "I win" button just isn't much fun for anyone at the table. I do really enjoy the semi-infinite combos though, but I won't spend extra card slots for tutors to get said combo. Complete linearity in a commander deck just doesn't appeal much to me. So, if I find cards or there are new cards printed that support the Sneak Attack combo that also synergize with other parts of the deck, I will gladly include them, but I won't lean in on one specific combo.
Blowfly Infestation needs to be included for ridiculous combo chaining, doing very well with nest of scarabs. Take out that crappy Liliana for it.
EDIT: I missed it in your list. Oops.
Smooth, John, smooth. But seriously, Nest of Scarabs is nuts in this deck. I can't wait for the day I have it on the field and cast Black Sun's Zenith for 10.
Hm, you have a good point on Torture. I just mentioned it because it is cheaper than The Scorpion God, after all. And yes, because it worked wonders with Hapatra. That and I like to use cards from Homelands whenever I can .
Yeah, my point with Siege Dragon was precisely because it triggers just by attacking - you don't even need to connect for it to do what it has to do.
Maybe if you went more cutthroat and kamikaze it'd be worth including cards like Hammerfist Giant, Everlasting Torment, Pestilence, and Pyrohemia. There are many ways to recover from your own wipes and you'd be digging deep into what you'd need in order to finish opponents off.
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!
In case you can't make out Dwayne's abilities because the Amonkhet masterpiece borders are uglier than sin, he's 6/5, costs 3BR, has "draw a card whenever a creature with a -1/-1 counter on it dies," "1BR: put a -1/-1 counter on target creature," and "Whenever Dwayne dies, return him to your hand at the next end step." We'll be making use of all three.
Now, for a little history lesson. I played Magic a lot during the Ravnica block but I hardly played at all during the Time Spiral block and only a bit in Lorwyn. When Shadowmoor came out however, my frequency in playing exploded again. It wasn't competitive, mostly just casual multiplayer, so when new sets like this came out, I'd always get one of the precons and, in the case of Shadowmoor, I found one I just totally latched onto. I thought Army of Entropy, the BR preconstructed deck, was by far the coolest and that Cinders were the absolute best tribe. This deck runs a lot of cards that were in that deck or of the same play-style. I'm also very fond of the Scars of Mirrodin block, so there's a little more nostalgia packed into the deck from that, too. Though this deck is very nostalgic for me to run, I still build primarily for synergies.
1 The Scorpion God
Lands
9 Swamp
9 Mountain
1 Command Tower
1 Blood Crypt
1 Canyon Slough
1 Dragonskull Summit
1 Foreboding Ruins
1 Temple of Malice
1 Rakdos Carnarium
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Myriad Landscape
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Temple of the False God
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Arcane Lighthouse
1 Blighted Fen
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Barren Moor
1 Polluted Mire
1 Forgotten Cave
1 Smoldering Crater
Artifacts
1 Sol Ring
1 Pyramid of the Pantheon
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Thought Vessel
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Fire Diamond
1 Rakdos Signet
1 Contagion Clasp
1 Blight Sickle
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Alhammarret's Archive
1 Cauldron of Souls
1 Contagion Engine
1 Soul-Scar Mage
1 Bloodsoaked Champion
1 Bloodghast
1 Stigma Lasher
1 Generator Servant
1 Fang Skulkin
1 Burnished Hart
1 Serrated Biskelion
1 Dusk Urchins
1 Corrosive Mentor
1 Archetype of Aggression
1 Necroskitter
1 Drana, Liberator of Malakir
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Anger
1 Skinrender
1 Kulrath Knight
1 Urabrask the Hidden
1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Puppeteer Clique
1 Flayer of the Hatebound
1 Carnifex Demon
1 Midnight Banshee
1 Demon of Dark Schemes
1 Hateflayer
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
Instants
1 Puncture Blast
1 Volt Charge
1 Grim Affliction
1 Spread the Sickness
1 Incremental Blight
1 Chandra's Ignition
1 Liliana's Influence
1 Black Sun's Zenith
Enchantments
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
1 Braid of Fire
1 Crumbling Ashes
1 Fists of the Demigod
1 Nest of Scarabs
1 Blowfly Infestation
1 Cartouche of Ambition
1 Everlasting Torment
1 Sneak Attack
1 Whip of Erebos
1 Black Market
1 Palace Siege
1 Warstorm Surge
Planeswalkers
1 Chandra, Flamecaller
1 Liliana, Death Wielder
If you've been following the Commander format since the release of Amonkhet a couple months ago, you'll notice that this list shares a lot of similarities with Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons. It's a little hard to avoid that since the pool of cards that synergize well with -1/-1 counters is pretty small, coming mainly from the Shadowmoor, Scars, and Amonkhet blocks. However, this makes the deck all the more varied from the standard fare.
So why not just build a Hapatra deck since green is a better color for long games than red? GB even has a greater card pool to choose from for -1/-1 counter synergies. It's because red is a more explosive color. With red, we can progress faster and cripple life totals harder. Additionally, Dwayne is way hardier than Hapatra - he's got a 6/5 body that just keeps on coming back and ready to dish out more punishment. Dwayne is also a source of card advantage which, as anyone who's played a lot of multiplayer Commander should know, is invaluable for staying relevant after the first one or two board wipes.
The deck was just assembled today (6/24/17), with Dwayne obviously being proxied until Hour of Devastation releases, and it hasn't been played in any games yet. The deck feels like it's going to need some real testing before I start moving it in one direction or another, but until then, I imagine it'll play out like a midrange deck with a particularly heavy suite of removal.
Notable Synergies:
Cards to think about for future inclusion are:
1 Magmatic Force
1 Forbidden Orchard
1 Grasping Dunes
1 High Market
1 Illusionist's Bracers
1 Lightning Reaver
1 Deathbringer Thoctar
1 Phyrexian Purge
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
1 Soul Snuffers
1 Lightning Coils
1 Talisman of Indulgence
This deck will be a work in process for a while but it looks very fun. Suggestions are welcome, and back massages are free if your name is Rhonas.
I'm still fine-tuning a Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons deck and was disheartened when the ability wasn't on a Jund-colored legend. Was once again disheartened when Dwayne was revealed to not be Jund, either.
From what I've gathered on Cockatrice testing my The Scarab God deck, many consider The Scorpion God to be way worse than its two brethren. However, I still the potential. Hell, the rest of Hour of Devastation hasn't finished being fully spoiled. So who are we to say?
Since Hapatra plays very similarly yet simultaneously differently from Dwayne, I will recommend this because it's still in your colors: Torture. Enchanting Carnifex Demon with it is simply magical.
Also, Soul-Scar Mage is just begging for some Pyrohemia or Pestilence. If you do add these pestilence type effects then Mikaeus, the Unhallowed is definitely going to be worth it slot. Siege Dragon also works well with Soul-Scar Mage.
Making creatures acquire lower toughness is also great with having them die easier.
I also like the combo aspect of the deck. Are you going to eventually lean more into it? You should be drawing into a bunch of cards, after all. So you'll definitely be able to assemble combo piece much quicker.
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!
EDIT: I missed it in your list. Oops.
Thank you for the feedback! I'm glad you like it.
The thing about Torture is that our commander does the same thing to anyone for one more mana. I can see how Torture would be very good with Hapatra, but why spend a precious card slot on something our commander already does?
I can see Pestilence effects being pretty good with the right cards, including Everlasting Torment, but I think, until there are more cards printed that say "damage is dealt in -1/-1 counters," our best bet for doing something similar will be including creatures that can deal damage to many things at once and granting them Wither. Right now, I'm thinking things like Pestilence Demon (the original but in creature form) and Hammerfist Giant. Yeah, Mikaeus is definitely worth a slot, I just haven't mustered the will power to spend $20 on another copy of him yet. He also concerns me with his mana cost - we've got a big top end and not a whole lot of ramp. My concern is that Guys like Mikaeus, Demon of Dark Schemes, Midnight Banshee, Sheoldred, etc, will get stuck in our hand for far longer than want we want. And yeah, Siege Dragon's fun, but I'd sooner take his older brother, Balefire Dragon.
Edit - Just realized that Siege Dragon doesn't need to connect to do damage. Huh, never realized that. He might be up for inclusion.
I've got a couple policies on combos. I try to stay away from infinite combos as much as I can because pressing the "I win" button just isn't much fun for anyone at the table. I do really enjoy the semi-infinite combos though, but I won't spend extra card slots for tutors to get said combo. Complete linearity in a commander deck just doesn't appeal much to me. So, if I find cards or there are new cards printed that support the Sneak Attack combo that also synergize with other parts of the deck, I will gladly include them, but I won't lean in on one specific combo.
Smooth, John, smooth. But seriously, Nest of Scarabs is nuts in this deck. I can't wait for the day I have it on the field and cast Black Sun's Zenith for 10.
As for Pestilence Demon, Crypt Rats was the original Pestilence on a stick . Man did I love my Crypt Rats WB deck back in the day...
Yeah, my point with Siege Dragon was precisely because it triggers just by attacking - you don't even need to connect for it to do what it has to do.
Maybe if you went more cutthroat and kamikaze it'd be worth including cards like Hammerfist Giant, Everlasting Torment, Pestilence, and Pyrohemia. There are many ways to recover from your own wipes and you'd be digging deep into what you'd need in order to finish opponents off.
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!
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