MTG Salvation

This is a cleric tribal deck that mainly has spells that cost 1, 2, and 4 mana so the deck can curve out with its 2 commanders.



What do you guys think?

Honestly, I was just contemplating doing more or less this same concept. The one big difference for me was I was looking at a Shadowborn Apostle build with this with some demons sprinkled in (Probably like 5 or 6 demon targets). Given that a lot of the clerics seem kind of mehhh already what do you think of moving to some sort of shadowborn build? The downside I guess would be if you don't already own the apostles they would be really expensive to buy now days.

Heliod, God of the Sun - makes cleric tokens and mass vililance seems decent.

Ancestor's Prophet / Battletide Alchemist / Master Apothecary they seem like some good cleric lords.

Cover of Darkness tribal evasion.

I don’t own any shadowborn apostles, I want to keep the deck cleric focused for nostalgic purposes, and I don’t run any search mechanics because of Leonin Arbiter. I think a turn 1 mom and turn 2 Arbiter would be a great start for the deck, and I also have these cards to protect arbiter:

• Crimson acolyte
  
• Obsidian acolyte
  
• Eight-and-a-half tails
  
• Selfless spirit
  
• Battlefield medic

Plus I picked up a pair of lightning greaves which should help.

I’m not sure how much Cover of Darkness would actually help, since I have creatures with protection, shadow, and flying, so I’m not sure how much that would actually help. It is awesome with creatures with protection from black.

Good call on Heliod, Ancestor’s Prophet, and Battletide Alchemist. I picked them up and love playing with them. However, I’m hesitant to include cards that cost 5 or 3 mana, because of my commanders, which is why I haven’t picked up Master Apocatherapy yet...I’m on the fence about him, although I think Rotlung Reanimator is worth including. Other cards that I’m on the fence about are

• Soltari Visionary
  
• Glowrider
  
• Frontline medic
  
• Devout lightcaster
  

.

I realized that with the commanders I have, I really want more 1 and 2 drop creatures with evasion, and more creatures makes a lot of cards better, like:

• Obelisk of urd
  
• Battlefield medic
  
• Battletide Alchemist
  
• Vile Deacon
  
• Doubtless One
  
• Pontiff of blight
  
• Goldknight Commander
  
• Custodi soulbinders
  
• Twilight prophet
  
• Syndic of tithes
  
• Suture priest
  
• Auriok champion
  
• Soul warden
  
• Souls’ attendant
  
• Rotlung Reanimator
  
• Edgewalker

Also, a lot of cards haven’t been that good. Underworld Coinsmith doesn’t make sense in a build with so few enchantments, etc.

I edited the OP, I ditched Leonin arbiter for a bunch of tutors. It seems silly to build a deck around a card that I don’t see most games. I also tried to add a bunch of evasive creatures for Tymna.

Any thought on Karlov of the Ghost Council or Archangel of Thune? I could see both of them being rather impressive when paired with Soul Warden or some of the other life gaining clerics. They aren't clerics but Karlov is still a cheap guy you can cast before Tymna.

Quote from ISBPathfinder »

Any thought on Karlov of the Ghost Council or Archangel of Thune? I could see both of them being rather impressive when paired with Soul Warden or some of the other life gaining clerics. They aren't clerics but Karlov is still a cheap guy you can cast before Tymna.

Those are great suggestions! I should put Ajani’s Pridemate back in there, I don’t know why I cut him in the first place?

What cards should I cut? I figure I could cut a land with my low curve.

Then maybe Devout lightcaster because it’s too situational, the scariest things from black are tutors and board wipes, I already have a lot of pro-black creatures(although I really like pro-black with cover of darkness), and it has the same CMC as Tymna and I’m trying to limit those.

Then I was thinking Witch Hunter seems underwhelming, but it could prevent people from attacking me and using the Return ability on commanders seems really good.

Quote from NZB2323 »

Those are great suggestions! I should put Ajani’s Pridemate back in there, I don’t know why I cut him in the first place?

What cards should I cut? I figure I could cut a land with my low curve.

Then maybe Devout lightcaster because it’s too situational, the scariest things from black are tutors and board wipes, I already have a lot of pro-black creatures(although I really like pro-black with cover of darkness), and it has the same CMC as Tymna and I’m trying to limit those.

Then I was thinking Witch Hunter seems underwhelming, but it could prevent people from attacking me and using the Return ability on commanders seems really good.

From your list up above I guess the ones I would highlight as potentially your weaker creatures in the list would be:

Death Speakers - it seems like he has some of the worst evasion of your evasion creatures with no added utility.
Daru Spiritualist - its cool and its sort of a cleric lord but how often do you see damage based creature targeting in commander? It also still dies to Lightning Bolt which is awkward.
Leonin Relic-Warder - I get that its an answer for artifact / enchantments but I like it a LOT more in a deck with sac outlets so you can control this effect better and turn this effect into an exile if you want.
True Believer - player shroud can be HUGE but its so rarely relivant. There is also the question of if you can get this guy into play before its needed and keep him for a long time to keep that at bay. Most of the time my thought is that its not reliable enough to run player shroud on something that isn't on a land (I am unaware of a land which grants this) or your commander.
Suncleanser - It could be really big against experience counter commanders but that seems really narrow.
Devout Lightcaster - it costs the same as your commander. Also you have it in your list twice. Its effect is kind of narrow but its cool that it can exile anything black which could be like Necropotence or a planeswalker / commander.

I think it’s ironic that you created a thread stating that Phurphurous, God of the Forge should be banned and then recommended I cut an answer to him.

I have Ayli, eternal pilgrim as a sacrifice outlet and I forgot to put Starlit sanctum in the list but I have that also. Those two with lightning greaves and Daru Spiritualist can allow me to gain infinite life, if I need to.

I cut death speakers and Devout lightcaster; the deck already has enough pro black creatures.

Athreos, God of Passage is my current cleric commander. I would probably put it in the 99 if it wasn't my commander. It does the things that it needs to do. It allows me to run more boardwipes.

I would toss in a sacrifice effect and a recursion effect like nim deathmantle or the enchantment that brings a creature back if dead. The reason is things like False Prophet is a nigh constant boardwipe and clerics like to recur. In black you have some good sac effects to help clear the board. I would go for clerics rather than an aggressive deck, but a control type deck using controlling enchanments like Dictate of erebos and other like things to help control the board while getting synergy and value from the clerics you have. Academy Rector can help get the needed enchantments.

Clerics have a lot of ETB effects and the prevention of damage means you can play political. The fact that your clerics aren't big presents little problems surviving into the late game.

You play a patient game dealing with what is one the board, by boardwiping and keeping it clear until you get value either from returning clerics to your hand or the battlefield while the rest have to deal with your value and answers.

I like Athreos, but the issue is I like a lot of 3 drops and I don’t want to run too many with Tymna. I like all these cards but don’t run them:

• Vindicate
  
• Anguished unmaking
  
• Righteous War
  
• Liliana, heretical healer
  
• Battlefront medic
  
• Bygone bishop
  
• Devout lightcaster

The other thing is with Ravos and Emeria, I’m not sure if I need Athreos.

Suncleanser is actually pretty versatile. In my last 2 games he’s been able to target karlov of the ghost council and then he killed a hydra.

I’m thinking about adding more evasive effects like

• righteous War
  
• Filth
  
• Odric, master tactician

. When I’m able to seal combat damage to u
Opponents and draw cards off of Tymna the deck is really rolling.

Quote from NZB2323 »

Suncleanser is actually pretty versatile. In my last 2 games he’s been able to target karlov of the ghost council and then he killed a hydra.

I’m thinking about adding more evasive effects like

• righteous War
  
• Filth
  
• Odric, master tactician

. When I’m able to seal combat damage to u
Opponents and draw cards off of Tymna the deck is really rolling.

Suncleanser it can be really good, my question is more that it seems like one of those cards that will be like 5% of the time useful. If it interacts with an opponent's commander then it will be really good but that leaves it very open to what your opponents are playing as to how useful it probably is.

Reconnaissance might be another card to keep in mind for evasion. You can untap all of your creatures after damage is done so it acts like mass vigilance but you can also use it to pull out of any block that is not beneficial for you which lets you be a little more liberal in your attacks.

I made same changes to the deck.

Out:

• 1 death speakers
  
• 1 devout lightcaster
  
• 2 daru spiritualist
  
• 2 battlefield medic
  
• 2 containment priest
  
• 4 alms collector
  
• 4 goldknight Commander
  
• 2 crimson acoytle
  
• 2 obsidian acolyte
  
• 2 eight-and-half tails
  
• 4 akroma’s devoted
  
• 4 vile deacan
  
• 4 custodi soulbinders
  
• 2 lightning greaves
  
• 2 shared triumph
  
• 4 profane prayers

In:

• 2 Karlov of the ghost council
  
• 3 bygone bishop
  
• 3 atheros, god of passage
  
• 3 frontline medic
  
• 4 Odric, Master Tactician
  
• 4 filth
  
• 4 Heliod, God of the Sun
  
• 5 Archangel of Thune
  
• 7 Elesh Norn, Grand Centobite
  
• 1 land tax
  
• 1 entomb
  
• 2 smuggler’s copter
  
• 3 righteous War
  
• 5 Eldrazi Monument
  
• 6 true conviction

I took advice for taking out death speakers, Daru spiritualist, and devout lightcaster.

I also wanted my list to be more aggressive so I took out cards that are mana sinks like eight-and-a-half tails, obsidian Acolyte, and crimson acolyte. If I’m leaving mana open in this deck I at least want to discourage everyone from attacking me with cards like witch hunter and exorcist. Battlefield medic often times does little to nothing for me.

Containment Priest has negative synergy with Emeria, but also it, like alms collector, need to be kept in hand and played at the right time, and an aggro deck like this doesn’t need to keep mana up.

Goldknight commander isn’t good because a lot of times this deck has no cards in hand and is drawing 3 cards after attacking. I want those clerics to be able to attack the next turn, or at least be in play, so I don’t want hold onto them until the next turn just to get a 1 turn bonus. He’s basically a worse door of destinies. I’m not really scarred of boardwipes with 2 commanders I can replay, as well as selfless spirit, Rotlung reanimator, and athreos.

Akroma’s devoted is a worse Heliod.

Vile Deacon and Custodi Soulbinders are worse Doubtless Ones.

Lightning greaves, shared triumph, and profane prayers have disappointed me, and they don’t help the deck be an explosive aggro deck.

Karl and the Archangel can help the deck a lot, and they get a boost from true conviction, which can be helpful when my life is running low.

Filth, Odric, Righteous War, and Eldrazi Monument give the deck more evasion. Eldrazi Monument is the best when Heliod or Hamweir Militia Captain are farting out tokens. Filth can be put in the graveyard with Entomb, which can also grab Elesh Norn, who can be brought back with Ravos. I want to look at more ways to abuse entomb without changing the aggro nature of this deck too much. Elesh Norn just seems too good to not play.

Land tax, bygone bishop, and smuggler’s copter are great for drawing cards.

Athreos and Frontline Medic help keep my guys alive.

I kind of want to add grave pact. It seems really good and fits my curve, but 3 black mana on turn 4 is a lot for my deck, and it kind of hurts the aggressive nature of the deck.

I also want to add Vanquisher’s banner, but it’s the same cost as Ravos and I’m not sure what to cut.

Reconnaissance I tested and it disappointed me. I also like suncleanser, but my playgroup plays a lot of hydras, commanders with experience counters, and Karlov.

I made these changes:

Out

• exorcist
  
• sun cleanser
  
• syndic of tithes
  
• frontline medic
  
• witch hunter
  
• utter end
  
• true believer

In:

• kindred domination
  
• vanquisher’s banner
  
• arena rector
  
• elspeth, knight errant
  
• elspeth, sun’s champion
  
• Sorin Markov
  
• Karn Liberated

I cut some weak cards for Arena Rector, powerful planeawalkers and powerful cards in Kindred Domination and Vanquisher’s Banner. Exorcist, Witch Hunter, and Utter End are good cards, but they require me to hold up mana early in the game, which this deck doesn’t want to do because it wants to play small creatures to attack and draw cards with Tymna.

Elspeth-knight errant can be great when played turn 4 and make Tymna get +3/+3 and flying until end of turn. That turn, we can gain 5 life from Tymna, damage 3 opponents, and pay 3 life and draw 3 extra cards. When this deck is rolling, it draws 4 cards per turn from turn 4 onwards. Big Elspeth can be a one-sided board wipe since all my creatures are small, and so can Kindred dominance. Sorin Markov is great when an opponent gains a bunch of life, and otherwise his +2 is great with Karl and Archangel of Thune. Karn is very versatile with his -3, and Academy Rector can put any of them on the battlefield with Starlit Sanctum, Diabolic Intent, Eldrazi Monument, Sorin’s -2, Ayli, chump blocking, or having Odric make a bigger creature block the rector. Odric can also activate high priest of penance by making an opponent block him with a big creature.

I should probably get Academy Rector with some powerful enchantments but he’s so pricey.

I’m excited to test out these cards for this deck:

• Font of agonies
  
• Priest of the forgotten gods
  
• Imperious Oligarch
  
• Pitiless pontiff
  
• Smothering Tithe
  
• Ethereal Absolution

I updated this thread to include cards from the newest set. I now have academy and arena rector and have powerful enchantments and artifacts. I also have a lot of sacrifice outlets for them, other creatures that are good to sacrifice, and cards that create value when I sacrifice creatures.

I’m also still trying to limit the amount of 3 drops and 5 drops, and ended up cutting some quality 3 and 5 drops because that’s what my commanders cost and I want it to curve well.