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@TheDeathMessage: Thanks again for a great post. I totally agree with Black Market which is why I don't run it in the first place. If I did want to produce more colored mana, then Nykthos is definitely worth the inclusion (and will be included down the road). And yep. You noticed that I am essentially black devotion because 1) budget as discussed and 2) believe it or not I wanted to max out my ability to abuse Vampire Nocturnus which is such a beater when active, especially with Edgar. Some people bend over backwards to fit red in for Stromkirk Captain or Olivia, Mobilized for War (but mostly for Shared Animosity which I totally get). I went the other way and focused on Nocturnus. You average, and I'm being very modest here, six vampires in play at any given time. With an active Nocturnus alone, that's at least 20 damage in the air assuning Nocutrnus and five 1/1s. It was his casting cost, ability and other cards such as Necropolis Regent, Dark Prophecy and Beseech the Queen that pretty much birthed the concept of sticking to essentially mono black. The deck I have on tapped out is actually called Mono Black Edgar so good eye on you.
Mana Echoes will produce an insane amount of colorless mana which is good if you're running cards with a higher casting cost or several mana sinks. My deck doesn't run either save for Dark Imposter. Still, Urza's Incubator on steroids is Urza's Incubator on steroids. It would be a worthy addition in builds that are more readily able to fully benefit or that could affors the mana base and actual card.
Being a long time budget player, I often try to focus on a main color while avoiding any double colored mana on off color cards. This has worked incredibly well for me and has made my decks consistent while also benefiting from tools that would otherwise not be available to me in my main color. It's the only reason I haven't added Cathars Crusade... Yet. Because realistically, I should be able to run and drop it on curve without a problem so my fears are not quite warranted. And it is such a strong card in swarm decks. I'll find a spot for it.
Speaking of mana bases. I've been testing my current budget base and have found that it is surprisingly balanced. I usually have access to at least one source of red mana in the early game which means casting Edgar on turn 6 is something that I can now do. The tweak was well worth it. Budget options and/or staples like Command Tower, the new Path of Ancestry, Sulfurous Springs, Exotic Orchard, Mana Confluence and Tainted Peak (and the less budget Graven Cairns) allow me to actually cast my general without breaking the bank and without bogging myself down by playing tap lands or having to worry about having the wrong colors or not enough of a particular color at any given time.
With regards to boardwipes. The creature density means you'll be up and running so fast it will make their heads spin. Be cautious of everextending but if you keep a couple of mid range beaters in hand, you can cast them post wipe and you're back with four creatures on the board ready to keep the pressure going.
If anything, I would probably add an Oath of Ghouls or another form of repeatable recursion engine and wipes will hurt even less.
I am not entirely convinced on the aristocrats angle. It could be fine. I'm running the sac outlets and pingers anyway but I'm thinking Bontu's Monument might be better off as Grave Pact.
I still want to test it though. It does hit everyone at the table. These things stack up and could be a good way to wittle down life totals.
I want to suggest maybe Phyrexian Reclamation for your decklist if you're looking for cheap reanimation effects. The life loss is pretty irrelevant considering there's a lot of ways to gain life, and with sacrifice outlets you can really get some mileage out of it.
EDIT: Nevermind I see you already have it lol I must have skimmed over it the first time. The deck looks pretty good honestly. I know you say you can't flex the mana for the OG Olivia but man, she is so fun. But...
What I can recommend is Yahenni, Undying Partisan. It's a free sacrifice outlet, potentially indestructible and a big beater, and hasty. I'm running it in my Edgar Markov deck and it has really shined.
Bloodcrazed Paladin: Replace one of the smaller vamps. I am not crazy about this guy but he can come down as a huge post-wrath beater. At two mana, he's better than some of the other generic vampires you could run.
Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle: He is an obvious include. While not particularly broken or anything, Mavren does help the deck do what it wants to do, i.e. overwhelm your opponents by attacking with a legion of blood sucking fiends. Even if he only drops an extra token a turn, he does so at no cost whatsoever save for having to tap guys sideways.
Sanctum Seeker: Replaced Kalitas for budget reasons. This guy is probably the biggest boon to come out of Ixalan for this particular deck. Swing and deal 5-10 damage no matter what happens.
Legion's Landing: At first, I wasn't too excited about this card. Then I realized that it give us the ability to play the long game. The deck wasn't originally designed to play out long grindy match-ups but cards like this are giving us the ability to regain some ground mid to late game. It doubles as ramp and a mana sink. Combine with Skullclamp for silliness.
Campaign of Vengeance: Much like Sanctum Seeker, this adds to our bleeding theme which the deck tries to achieve through incremental damage as opposed to running cards like Sanguine Bond or Exquisite Blood which go for bigger chunks of damage at a time.
The deck stands at 96 cards including Edgar at the moment. Coat of Arms and Cathars' Crusade are likely going to the make the cut but the slots are open to suggestions.
What are your thoughts on Conqueror's Galleon as another source of late game recursion?
Vanquisher's Banner is another interesting option especially for the card draw. But at 5 mana, it is a bit up there on the curve.
There's also Dark Triumph over something like Rally the Peasants mostly because it is essentially free to play and could possibly take out an opponent when they least expect it. It would be more of a pet card but I enjoy throwing in some sneaky tech whenever possible.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
~Lil Kalki
Proud Disciple of the Church of the Wary
Mana Echoes will produce an insane amount of colorless mana which is good if you're running cards with a higher casting cost or several mana sinks. My deck doesn't run either save for Dark Imposter. Still, Urza's Incubator on steroids is Urza's Incubator on steroids. It would be a worthy addition in builds that are more readily able to fully benefit or that could affors the mana base and actual card.
Being a long time budget player, I often try to focus on a main color while avoiding any double colored mana on off color cards. This has worked incredibly well for me and has made my decks consistent while also benefiting from tools that would otherwise not be available to me in my main color. It's the only reason I haven't added Cathars Crusade... Yet. Because realistically, I should be able to run and drop it on curve without a problem so my fears are not quite warranted. And it is such a strong card in swarm decks. I'll find a spot for it.
Speaking of mana bases. I've been testing my current budget base and have found that it is surprisingly balanced. I usually have access to at least one source of red mana in the early game which means casting Edgar on turn 6 is something that I can now do. The tweak was well worth it. Budget options and/or staples like Command Tower, the new Path of Ancestry, Sulfurous Springs, Exotic Orchard, Mana Confluence and Tainted Peak (and the less budget Graven Cairns) allow me to actually cast my general without breaking the bank and without bogging myself down by playing tap lands or having to worry about having the wrong colors or not enough of a particular color at any given time.
With regards to boardwipes. The creature density means you'll be up and running so fast it will make their heads spin. Be cautious of everextending but if you keep a couple of mid range beaters in hand, you can cast them post wipe and you're back with four creatures on the board ready to keep the pressure going.
If anything, I would probably add an Oath of Ghouls or another form of repeatable recursion engine and wipes will hurt even less.
I still want to test it though. It does hit everyone at the table. These things stack up and could be a good way to wittle down life totals.
EDIT: Nevermind I see you already have it lol I must have skimmed over it the first time. The deck looks pretty good honestly. I know you say you can't flex the mana for the OG Olivia but man, she is so fun. But...
What I can recommend is Yahenni, Undying Partisan. It's a free sacrifice outlet, potentially indestructible and a big beater, and hasty. I'm running it in my Edgar Markov deck and it has really shined.
Dunes of Zairo
SHANDALAR
Innistrad - The Darkest Night
~THE RAVNICAN CONSORTIUM~
A Community Set
Commander: Allies & Adversaries
Bloodcrazed Paladin: Replace one of the smaller vamps. I am not crazy about this guy but he can come down as a huge post-wrath beater. At two mana, he's better than some of the other generic vampires you could run.
Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle: He is an obvious include. While not particularly broken or anything, Mavren does help the deck do what it wants to do, i.e. overwhelm your opponents by attacking with a legion of blood sucking fiends. Even if he only drops an extra token a turn, he does so at no cost whatsoever save for having to tap guys sideways.
Sanctum Seeker: Replaced Kalitas for budget reasons. This guy is probably the biggest boon to come out of Ixalan for this particular deck. Swing and deal 5-10 damage no matter what happens.
Legion's Landing: At first, I wasn't too excited about this card. Then I realized that it give us the ability to play the long game. The deck wasn't originally designed to play out long grindy match-ups but cards like this are giving us the ability to regain some ground mid to late game. It doubles as ramp and a mana sink. Combine with Skullclamp for silliness.
Campaign of Vengeance: Much like Sanctum Seeker, this adds to our bleeding theme which the deck tries to achieve through incremental damage as opposed to running cards like Sanguine Bond or Exquisite Blood which go for bigger chunks of damage at a time.
The deck stands at 96 cards including Edgar at the moment. Coat of Arms and Cathars' Crusade are likely going to the make the cut but the slots are open to suggestions.
What are your thoughts on Conqueror's Galleon as another source of late game recursion?
Vanquisher's Banner is another interesting option especially for the card draw. But at 5 mana, it is a bit up there on the curve.
There's also Dark Triumph over something like Rally the Peasants mostly because it is essentially free to play and could possibly take out an opponent when they least expect it. It would be more of a pet card but I enjoy throwing in some sneaky tech whenever possible.
Added Settle The Wreckage
Added Cathars' Crusade