Some of that list seems weak for Athreos. Bonesplitter, carrion feeder, cabal interrogator, resembling skeleton, sword of the meek, dawn charm. Look at him more as a stax/repeated lava spike. Ashnod/Phyrexian altar make a better free sacred outlet. I think Thoughtpicker witch can be an undercity informer. I'm on the fence about how much deathtouch you have... doomed traveler should be in here. The new fleshbag reprint as well. Reliquary monk for disenchanting and some sweeps like killing wave, toxic deluge or black sun's zenith. Maybe an X burn-esque style card like death grasp/exsanguinate for a finisher?
Xanthic, the list isn't bad, but why the do nothing aggro like gravecrawler, bloodsoaked champion and such. By my guess, most of the other top tier TL decks won't care about them. The Spiteful Returned will always hit for 2, which is good, gravecrawler will get blocked if reasonable, and now you have to recast, eating time and mana for other things. 1v1 black should ALWAYS have discard. Ravenous rats, black cat or even sorcery discard would serve you better then the useless aggro creatures.
Xanthic, the list isn't bad, but why the do nothing aggro like gravecrawler, bloodsoaked champion and such. By my guess, most of the other top tier TL decks won't care about them. The Spiteful Returned will always hit for 2, which is good, gravecrawler will get blocked if reasonable, and now you have to recast, eating time and mana for other things. 1v1 black should ALWAYS have discard. Ravenous rats, black cat or even sorcery discard would serve you better then the useless aggro creatures.
Xanthic, I think your missing the point of athreos, you want to give them a choice... what incentive does your opponent have to pay 3 life for your bloodghast? They will say, can't block, and if I return it to your hand, you pay 2 mana to re-cast, rather than the 1 for gravecrawler. No player will pay life when you can just put it in from the grave. It's the same problem as reassembling skeleton. You are playing the deck like Teysa, not Athreos.
Some of that list seems weak for Athreos. Bonesplitter, carrion feeder, cabal interrogator, resembling skeleton, sword of the meek, dawn charm. Look at him more as a stax/repeated lava spike. Ashnod/Phyrexian altar make a better free sacred outlet. I think Thoughtpicker witch can be an undercity informer. I'm on the fence about how much deathtouch you have... doomed traveler should be in here. The new fleshbag reprint as well. Reliquary monk for disenchanting and some sweeps like killing wave, toxic deluge or black sun's zenith. Maybe an X burn-esque style card like death grasp/exsanguinate for a finisher?
I like all these ideas, I am thinking going more towards a staxy/hand destruction approach, and be less reliant on the attack phase because most everyone else in my meta is trying to build agro. Going to try to pick up some of the suggestions on Wednesday.
I like all these ideas, I am thinking going more towards a staxy/hand destruction approach, and be less reliant on the attack phase because most everyone else in my meta is trying to build agro. Going to try to pick up some of the suggestions on Wednesday.
In this way, you can maximize Athreos' ability and at the same time, you could be on aggro mode. Surely for the most part, your opponent will likely pay the 3 life because returning these to your hand will cause more discard problems for them.
My concept here is to keep bringing back creatures so annoying, it forces my opponent to just take the 3 damage, then I bring them back anyway.
Currently this is only an outline, but I wanted to get the thread started.
3 Athreos, God of Passage
Creatures - 19
1 Carrion Feeder
1 Festering Goblin
1 Mother of Runes
1 Pharika's Chosen
1 Ruthless Ripper
1 Typhoid Rats
1 Viscera Seer
2 Abyssal Gatekeeper
2 Blood Artist
2 Bloodghast
2 Gatekeeper of Malakir
2 High Priest of Penance
2 Inquisitor Exarch
2 Reassembling Skeleton
2 Stinkweed Imp
3 Bone Shredder
3 Fleshbag Marauder
3 Geralf's Messenger
3 Merciless Executioner
1 Dark Ritual
1 Swords to Plowshares
2x Death Denied
2 Diabolic Edict
2 Orzhov Charm
2 Smother
Sorceries - 2
1 Unearth
2 Night's Whisper
Artifacts - 3
1 Altar of the Brood
1 Bonesplitter
2 Altar of Dementia
Enchantments - 1
1 Porphyry Nodes
Land -18
0 Bloodstained Mire
0 Bojuka Bog
0 Command Tower
0 Snow-Covered Swamp
0 Windswept Heath
0 Other Land x 13
1 Duress
1 Erase
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Kami of False Hope
2 Cabal Interrogator
2 Mesmeric Fiend
2 Ravenous Rats
2 Revoke Existence
3 Crypt Rats
3 Engineered Plague
Change Log
January 27, 2015
+ Merciless Executioner
- Thoughtpicker Witch
+++
Azusa - Derevi - Glissa - Mizzix - Sharuum - Wanderer - Wort
1x Athreos, God of Passage
Creatures (24)
1x Archetype of Courage
1x Blood Artist
1x Bloodsoaked Champion
1x Brimaz, King of Oreskos
1x Cartel Aristocrat
1x Dark Confidant
1x Gatekeeper of Malakir
1x Gnarled Scarhide
1x Grand Abolisher
1x Gravecrawler
1x Herald of Torment
1x Master of the Feast
1x Mesmeric Fiend
1x Mother of Runes
1x Soldier of the Pantheon
1x Spiteful Returned
1x Tidehollow Sculler
1x Tithe Drinker
1x Tormented Hero
1x Underworld Coinsmith
1x Vampire Hexmage
1x Vampire Lacerator
1x Viscera Seer
1x Xathrid Necromancer
1x Dark Ritual
1x Smother
1x Swords to Plowshares
1x Wake the Dead
1x Night's Whisper
1x Toxic Deluge
1x Phyrexian Arena
Lands (18)
1x Command Tower
1x Flooded Strand
1x Godless Shrine
1x Isolated Chapel
1x Marsh Flats
1x Phyrexian Tower
1x Reflecting Pool
1x Scrubland
1x Temple of Silence
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1x Verdant Catacombs
1x Windswept Heath
3x Swamp
3x Plains
1x Aegis of the Gods
1x Attrition
1x Black Sun's Zenith
1x Immortal Servitude
1x Kataki, War's Wage
1x Perish
1x Phyrexian Revoker
1x Ratchet Bomb
1x Revoke Existence
1x Virtue's Ruin
As to deathtouch... I found in pauper, creatures with deathtouch tend to hose up agro plans, so I am giving it a try here.
..
Azusa - Derevi - Glissa - Mizzix - Sharuum - Wanderer - Wort
After some tests, I'll be including some Ravenous Rats and perhaps Bloodghast as well. I'm considering Thoughtseize, Inquisition of Kozilek, Duress and/or Black Mail for the discard.
I like all these ideas, I am thinking going more towards a staxy/hand destruction approach, and be less reliant on the attack phase because most everyone else in my meta is trying to build agro. Going to try to pick up some of the suggestions on Wednesday.
+ Merciless Executioner
- Thoughtpicker Witch
..
Azusa - Derevi - Glissa - Mizzix - Sharuum - Wanderer - Wort
If you plan on the hand disruption approach, then add creatures with discard abilities like:
Hypnotic Specter
Shrieking Grotesque
Liliana's Specter
Black Cat
Ravenous Rats
Drainpipe Vermin
In this way, you can maximize Athreos' ability and at the same time, you could be on aggro mode. Surely for the most part, your opponent will likely pay the 3 life because returning these to your hand will cause more discard problems for them.