This is my first attempt at a deck for Izoni, Thousand-Eyed - who appeals to me because she can do a lot of classic Golgari shenanigans without being quite as ubiquitous and quite as big a target on your head as Meren of Clan Nel Toth. The deck is one part sacrifice for value, one part Grave Pact control and one part recursion. It usually looks to win by bleeding the enemy to death, either through many cuts or by looping Gray Merchant of Asphodel or Kokusho, the Evening Star a few times.
Two things I'm still uncertain about:
- Do I need more backup token creators? If my grave gets exiled, Avenger of Zendikar and Abhorrent Overlord can still bring a token army to the field. But should I add some more like Tendershoot Dryad, or would that be superfluous beside Izoni herself?
- Do I need more self-mill? I have some of the usual staples, but perhaps some more wouldn't go amiss. However, I had trouble finding more self-mill cards that are actually good. Life from the Loam is the only obvious one I think I'm missing right now because I don't have it, but I may get it for the deck. Mesmeric Orb is also great at milling, but it doesn't grant any value besides that and mills the Karador player as well, so I'm on the fence about it.
Let me know what you think! I couldn't find many lists for this Commander yet, so I'm looking forward to your suggestions!
cloudstone curio + earthcraft and enoughcreatures in the yard is infinite tokens, and mana, and draw
nim deathmantle + phyrexian altar/ashnod's altar and enough duders in the yard thats also infinite duders, mana, and draw in the case of phyrexian altar
demon of dark schemes + earthcraft/phyrexian altar + enough dudes in the graveyard, thats infinite tokens and mana and draw too (you'll need another sac outlet without the altar)
dread return seems like a given
have you considered more cards with dredge?
if they're there, my apologies, your formatting is incredibly difficult to process
Earthcraft is unfortunately a bit outside my budget, but I added the Demon and Dread Return - not sure how I even missed that. I'm also considering Nim Deathmantle.
I did consider more cards with Dredge, but my issue is that most of them aren't all that good outside of Dredge. I have the Golgari Grave-Troll and the Stinkweed Imp and also added Dakmor Salvage. Life from the Loam will be put in there as soon as I get one, too. Are there any other dredge cards you would have added?
After some rounds of playtesting, I'm very happy with the deck so far, but have made some changes. The primary goal was to bring down mana costs and add more cards with immediate effects (as opposed to longterm but easily disrupted effects like Deadbridge Chant):
I'm not sure if you're on a budget, but I can name some cards that could help your plan.
Fecundity: If you can abuse this effect more than your opponent you could draw a lot of cards. Could abuse dredge this way if you have a discard outlet to freely discard them.
Beseech the Queen: If you can't afford to get the more expensive tutors like Demonic Tutor or Vampiric Tutor, this tutor is good enough to do what you want.
Hornet Queen: Another token generator. Also helps that it's tokens have deathtouch and flying which are good against flyers. If you have Nim Deathmantle + Ashnod's Altar and this card , it can help you make infinite flyers.
Triskelion and/or Walking Ballista: Well you have Mikeaus, the Unhallowed in your deck... If you're not unapposed to using infinite combos either one works. Triskelion is budget friendlier than Walking Ballista at the moment.
Reanimate,Animate Dead, Necromancy: Cheaper reanimation effects that don't have conditions like victimize that you are currently running now. Animate Dead is currently cheaper than the other two card iirc.
This is my first attempt at a deck for Izoni, Thousand-Eyed - who appeals to me because she can do a lot of classic Golgari shenanigans without being quite as ubiquitous and quite as big a target on your head as Meren of Clan Nel Toth. The deck is one part sacrifice for value, one part Grave Pact control and one part recursion. It usually looks to win by bleeding the enemy to death, either through many cuts or by looping Gray Merchant of Asphodel or Kokusho, the Evening Star a few times.
Two things I'm still uncertain about:
- Do I need more backup token creators? If my grave gets exiled, Avenger of Zendikar and Abhorrent Overlord can still bring a token army to the field. But should I add some more like Tendershoot Dryad, or would that be superfluous beside Izoni herself?
- Do I need more self-mill? I have some of the usual staples, but perhaps some more wouldn't go amiss. However, I had trouble finding more self-mill cards that are actually good. Life from the Loam is the only obvious one I think I'm missing right now because I don't have it, but I may get it for the deck. Mesmeric Orb is also great at milling, but it doesn't grant any value besides that and mills the Karador player as well, so I'm on the fence about it.
Let me know what you think! I couldn't find many lists for this Commander yet, so I'm looking forward to your suggestions!
1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Kokusho, the Evening Star
1 Poison-Tip Archer
1 Zulaport Cutthroat
Sacrifice Outlets
1 Altar of Dementia
1 Ashnod's Altar
1 Phyrexian Altar
1 Spawning Pit
1 Viscera Seer
1 Yahenni, Undying Partisan
Recursion
1 Dread Return
1 Eternal Witness
1 Living Death
1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
1 Phyrexian Delver
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
1 Rise of the Dark Realms
1 Victimize
Other Synergy
1 Abhorrent Overlord
1 Avenger of Zendikar
1 Golgari Grave-Troll
1 Stinkweed Imp
Draw
1 Corpse Augur
1 Evolutionary Leap
1 Grisly Salvage
1 Growing Rites of Itlimoc
1 Krav, the Unredeemed
1 Moriok Replica
1 Necropotence
1 See the Unwritten
1 Smothering Abomination
1 Vulturous Aven
Tutor
1 Birthing Pod
1 Eldritch Evolution
1 Final Parting
1 Jarad's Orders
1 Protean Hulk
1 Sidisi, Undead Vizier
Mana
1 Black Market
1 Dawntreader Elk
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Path of Discovery
1 Perilous Forays
1 Pitiless Plunderer
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Satyr Wayfinder
1 Sol Ring
1 Wood Elves
1 World Shaper
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Attrition
1 Bane of Progress
1 Beast Within
1 Butcher of Malakir
1 Demon of Dark Schemes
1 Dictate of Erebos
1 Grave Pact
1 Havoc Demon
1 Loaming Shaman
1 Night Incarnate
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Vraska, Relic Seeker
Lands
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Command Tower
1 Crypt of Agadeem
1 Dakmor Salvage
1 Evolving Wilds
10 Forest
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Grim Backwoods
1 High Market
1 Khalni Garden
1 Svogthos, the Restless Tomb
12 Swamp
1 Tainted Wood
1 Temple of the False God
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Westvale Abbey
nim deathmantle + phyrexian altar/ashnod's altar and enough duders in the yard thats also infinite duders, mana, and draw in the case of phyrexian altar
demon of dark schemes + earthcraft/phyrexian altar + enough dudes in the graveyard, thats infinite tokens and mana and draw too (you'll need another sac outlet without the altar)
dread return seems like a given
have you considered more cards with dredge?
if they're there, my apologies, your formatting is incredibly difficult to process
Earthcraft is unfortunately a bit outside my budget, but I added the Demon and Dread Return - not sure how I even missed that. I'm also considering Nim Deathmantle.
I did consider more cards with Dredge, but my issue is that most of them aren't all that good outside of Dredge. I have the Golgari Grave-Troll and the Stinkweed Imp and also added Dakmor Salvage. Life from the Loam will be put in there as soon as I get one, too. Are there any other dredge cards you would have added?
After some rounds of playtesting, I'm very happy with the deck so far, but have made some changes. The primary goal was to bring down mana costs and add more cards with immediate effects (as opposed to longterm but easily disrupted effects like Deadbridge Chant):
-1 Agent of Erebos
-1 Archfiend of Depravity
-1 Blood Artist
-1 Deadbridge Chant
-1 Deathreap Ritual
-1 Elvish Rejuvenator
-1 Falkenrath Noble
-1 Massacre Wurm
-1 Merciless Executioner
-1 Miren, the Moaning Well
-1 Razaketh, the Foulblooded
-1 Regal Force
-1 Wake the Dead
-1 Woodfall Primus
-1 Journey to Eternity
+1 Bojuka Bog
+1 Dakmor Salvage
+1 Dawntreader Elk
+1 Demon of Dark Schemes
+1 Final Parting
+1 Havoc Demon
+1 Living Death
+1 Loaming Shaman
+1 Moriok Replica
+1 Night Incarnate
+1 See the Unwritten
+1 Spawning Pit
+1 Vraska, Relic Seeker
+1 Yavimaya Elder
+1 Dread Return
+1 Victimize
Fecundity: If you can abuse this effect more than your opponent you could draw a lot of cards. Could abuse dredge this way if you have a discard outlet to freely discard them.
Beseech the Queen: If you can't afford to get the more expensive tutors like Demonic Tutor or Vampiric Tutor, this tutor is good enough to do what you want.
Hornet Queen: Another token generator. Also helps that it's tokens have deathtouch and flying which are good against flyers. If you have Nim Deathmantle + Ashnod's Altar and this card , it can help you make infinite flyers.
Triskelion and/or Walking Ballista: Well you have Mikeaus, the Unhallowed in your deck... If you're not unapposed to using infinite combos either one works. Triskelion is budget friendlier than Walking Ballista at the moment.
Reanimate,Animate Dead, Necromancy: Cheaper reanimation effects that don't have conditions like victimize that you are currently running now. Animate Dead is currently cheaper than the other two card iirc.
Craterhoof Behemoth, Great Oak Guardian: Any buff effect for your creatures in case your primary win cons (Bleeding effects from what I can see in your decklists) are unavailable for some reason. Beastmaster Ascension, Triumph of the Hordes, Garruk Wildspeaker works as well.