The decklist presented just a bit further is the result of a week seeking shelter in a brainstormtank. I originally posted a request for help in the regular Commander section of the forums. The question was quite simple. I needed some advice/guidance/help in general building an Alesha deck with a 25 euro budget restriciton in mind. There was no rarity limitation, just a budgetary one. Local LGS has set up this budget limitation to make it challenging as a deckbuilding exercise.
I've had some response on the thread, but not much. Never the less Zombie Shakespear commented with his commons only build. This got me thinking as it would merge my 2 favorite formats into one. The deck presented is the result of theorycrafting. It hasn't been tested yet, but I hope I can match it up against standard Commander decks at the kitchen table.
Alesha needs fuel tho. Several card drawing effects along with the necessary sacrifice outlets and discard outlets should make the deck run pretty smooth. Tortured existence can somewhat back up Alesha when needed. On a sidenotde: Selfmill is also present. The graveyard can be seen as your hand from which you can select the answer needed when problems arise.
These fill in multiple roles: They either tutor or do whatever says on the card. Benefit of both Brainspoil and the Houseguard is that they are also reusable with out recurring engine.
What are the main targets? Combopieces:
The deck contains a combo that can end the game on the spot. It is a 4 pieces combo tho, so it can be rough to set it up. It requires these cards:
The idea is to give Phantom Noble (or a substitute) persist. Then sacrifice it to the Altar to gain 2. Persist will trigger bringing back Phantom Noble and thus triggering Impact Tremors and/or Falkenrath Noble. The +1/+1 counters will cancel out the -1/-1 counter which resets the "loop".
But hey: "Antler Skulkin" isn't good on his own in the deck. It cannot be recurred with Alesha.
This is true, but there are other ways to get it back (Tortured existence, Macabre Waltz, Death's Duet, Cadaver Imp and Gravedigger come to mind). Never the less it's an all star combined with most of our white creatures. Tho I must confess that adding some more valuable white creatures will make the crazy scarecrow better.
There, now you have it. I'm glad I've taken the time to write this all down. As always, I'm looking forward to what you are thinking about the list. Did I miss some hidden gem or any other good interaction? Let me know about it!
PS: Keep in mind I'd like to keep this commons only
Moving forward from the above deckbuilding challenge, I stepped it up and moved to commons only. Anything Pauper and Commander legal can go into the deck. This resulted in the list below. I have yet to check the totalprice of this deck, but as for now I'm looking at this as a deckbuilding exercise.
As always, I'm very willing to hear from you guys. What are your thoughts on this list? Do you have any ideas to make this list stronger? Share them, please!
First, a disclaimer: i have not checked the prices of the cards.
I assume this is for duels (there are a number of strong multiplayer cards missing like syphon mind) Then, maybe discard? There are a fair few discard creatures in black. The only one thats good if it is for multiplayer is Lilianas spectre and to a lesser extend Okiba-Gang Shinobi.
In either case, Do you typically have many creatures in GY? (you have many creatues, but I guess your commander brings one back a turn or so, so it depends). If so, reaping the graves and to a lesser extend death denied are very good. Soul Stair Expedition is very efficient as well - outside topdeck mode (if topdeck mode is a concern, stack up on these cards)...
Thanks for the input. As stated in my previous post, this deck has not been playtested yet. It's the result of some brainstorming and pondering over what to play if I'd play commons only. You do make some valid points.
There is a reason why I did not include recursion cards like Reaping the Graves and Death Denied. They just cannot be recurred with Anarchist. If WRB had a common option to recur instants from the grave, I'd probably run a couple of those. Same for the instant speed creature removal. I like them, but I find it sad that they aren't reusable in this colorcombination. SYphon Mind on the other hand might be a good add, Corpse Churn could be left out as we already have some self mill on bodies.
I might need to make room for Liliana's Spectre tho. It was on my original list which had too many cards. In the end Haunted Cadaver took it's place. This might be the most obvious switch. The other option that could be the cut is probably Makindi Shieldmate. Besides being a substitute part for the combo, she holds no other value.
Looks like a good start. I'll be curious to hear how it plays out once you've had an opportunity to get in some games.
Of note I'm only counting 98 cards excluding Alesha. 44 creatures, 19 non-creature spells, and 35 lands. Also Ashnod's Altar is 3 mana so Shred Memory cannot transmute for it sadly. Still a good inclusion.
98? Odd .. I'd have to check which cards I overlooked while listing them up here. Getting some games in durings this healthcrisis will be hard unless I spend some time on MTGO.
I'll look into possible options today.
Edit: 1 card was indeed missing: Returned Centaur
That should make 100 now.
Managedto turn in 3000 bulk cards on MTGO into 98% of the deck. Took a look at some digital dealers to get my hands on the 2 monarch enablers. Unfortunately they're 10 euros each on MTGO so I took them of the (digital) list.
Game 1: 4 man game vs tribal wolves, UB mill and Thrasios/Tymna partners.
The Wolves deck was a casual beatdown deck that ran quite fluently. The other 2 were more combo orientated.
I kept up until turn 6 or 7, spent my time clogging the board and managed to set up a Gary Loop to drain my opponents 3 times for a total of 45 dmg.
Sadly enough T/T comboed of after that with infinite mana, some eldrazi's and a huge Walking Ballista.
Opinion after this game: Commons only takes lot of time to get going compared to normal Commander decks.
Game 2: 4 man game against Jhoira of the Gitu, Oketra and Aminatou
Jhoira was a chaos deck, the more the marrier which was quite fun none the less. Oketra ramped into the god and played alot of low cmc creatures and built an army. Aminatou did her thing blinking stuff in and out. I was manascrewed which the other 3 aknowledged so they went head to head, seeing I was only running commons they wanted to see what I could do.
Jhoira's boardstate started to look pretty scary so the Aminatou pilot comboed out (Demonic Consultation into Thassa's Oracle, GG)
Opinion after game 2: same as after game 1, yet I felt dissappointed I wasn't really part of the game.
The deck needs more:
- speed: mana and gas
- more tricks to bring creatures back to the field.
Current changes in the online list:
Out > In
Thorn of the black Rose > Syphon Mind
Palace Sentinels > Syphon Mind
Haunted Cadaver > Liliana's Spectre
I'll ponder about what changes could be made after a night's rest.
Anyone willing to contemplate, let me know. We might be able to discuss via these forums or over Discord.
Note: Sorry for not using cardtags, writing this up on my phone
After the previous 2 games I went online and did some digging for information. I came across a new pauper combo deck within our Mardu colors. Satisfying to know that the cards for the combo can be retrieved with Alesha or Auramancer.
I also completely overhauled the decklist after starting from scratch again. I added much needed carddrawing effects, some removal and more early game mana fixing and accelerating.
The idea is to cast CoF on Tethmos triggering his Heroic ability to bring back a creature with CMC 2 or less. In this case Mogg War Marshal. Skirk Prospector generates the red mana needed to bounce and recast the Crown. MWM and his token(s) will be used to fuel the Prospector. This results in one of 2 things:
1. A very large amount of 1/1 Goblins
2. A very large amount of red mana which can be used for the Crown sequence but bringing back Mogg Fanatic / Fanatical Firebrand / Welder Automaton for the kill.
Already ran this new set up in a 3 man game vs Mikaeus Zombies and Tribal Bolas. I actually won the game after removing 2 Sheoldreds with Faceless Butcher tricks, which allowed me to kill the 2 Bolas planeswalkers. The zombie player scooped after seeing 2 Sheoldreds (1 original, 1 Body doubled) stay online for 3 rounds. I kept fighting with a Beetleback loop via Alesha (attacking the zombie player).
Opinion on the deck after this game:
1. I didn't hit any combopiece for the Combo 1. Had 1 in hand for combo 2. In the end took the beatdown plan to bring home the victory.
2. Mana was on point, so was the tempo of the deck.
3. I think running the combos gives the deck an extra edge when need be. Unfortunately, I haven't managed to pull them of yet. Reason why: Pauper lacks effects (besides transmute) to actually got fetch the pieces you need.
Testing the deck further this evening and tomorrow. At the moment considering leaving out the combos in favor of more toolboxy creatures. Not quite sure just yet.
As always, opinions and feedback is very much appreciated
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The decklist presented just a bit further is the result of a week seeking shelter in a brainstormtank. I originally posted a request for help in the regular Commander section of the forums. The question was quite simple. I needed some advice/guidance/help in general building an Alesha deck with a 25 euro budget restriciton in mind. There was no rarity limitation, just a budgetary one. Local LGS has set up this budget limitation to make it challenging as a deckbuilding exercise.
1 Alesha, Who Smiles at Death
Creatures:
1 Fume Spitter
1 Kami of False Hope
1 Thoughtpicker Witch
1 Tireless Tribe
1 Viscera Seer
1 Crypt Creeper
1 Dusk Legion Zealot
1 Felidar Cub
1 Goblin Instigator
1 Keening Apparition
1 Mesmeric Fiend
1 Mogg War Marshal
1 Phantom Nomad
1 Reckless Reveler
1 Stingscourger
1 Torch Fiend
1 Attended Knight
1 Auramancer
1 Bloodflow Connoisseur
1 Cadaver Imp
1 Crow of Dark Tidings
1 Makindi Sieldmate
1 Merchant of the Vale
1 Nantuko Husk
1 Phyrexian Rager
1 Pilgrim's Eye
1 Sandsteppe Outcast
1 Stinkweed Imp
1 Vampire Hounds
1 Balustrade Spy
1 Beetleback Chief
1 Dimir Houseguard
1 Faceless Butcher
1 Falkenrath Noble
1 Goblin Gardener
1 Gravedigger
1 Haunted Cadaver
1 Palace Sentinels
1 Returned Centaur
1 Thorn of the Blackrose
1 Anarchist
1 Antler Skulkin
1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Sensor Splicer
1 Ponyback Brigade
1 Boros Signet
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Rakdos Signet
1 Ashnod's Altar
1 Darksteel Ingot
Enchantments:
1 Tortured Existence
1 Impact Tremors
1 Fanatical Devotion
Instants:
1 Corpse Churn
1 Shred Memory
Sorceries:
1 Bone Splinters
1 Faithless Looting
1 Macabre Waltz
1 Severed Strands
1 Shenanigans
1 Angelic Purge
1 Death's Duet
1 Swirling Sandstorm
1 Brainspoil
Lands:
1 Bloodfell Caves
1 Boros Guildgate
1 Command Tower
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Grixis Panorama
1 Jund Panorama
1 Naya Panorama
1 Nomad Outpost
1 Orzhov Guildgate
1 Rakdos guildgate
1 Terramorphic Expanse
9 Mountain
9 Swamp
6 Plains
So this pile of cardboard comes in at 23,62€ nicely within the aforementioned budget. (We use Scryfall for pricechecks)
But what's the gameplan?
The main gameplan is to grind it out. Alesha, Who Smiles at Death is the engine that keeps the deck running. As with all "powered down" commander decks, the actual commander is a big part of it all. We tend to go wide with tokens and chip damage in here and there.
Token generators: Goblin Instigator, Attended Knight, Sandsteppe Outcast, Beetleback Chief, Sensor Splicer and Ponyback Brigade.
Paired up with Impact Tremors and Falkenrath Noble the deck is aiming to get the damage in.
As a second, we try to manipulate the boardstate in our favor. We're not a dedicated control deck but the tools are present and can be recurred with Alesha:
Fume Spitter, Kami of False Hope, Crypt Creeper, Felidar Cub, Keening Apparition, Mesmeric Fiend, Reckless Reveler, Stingscourger, Torchfiend, Faceless Butcher, Goblin Gardener, Haunted Cadaver and a few sorceries were selected to keep the board in check from pesky permanents. Anarchist is there to keep cycling those sorceries.
Alesha needs fuel tho. Several card drawing effects along with the necessary sacrifice outlets and discard outlets should make the deck run pretty smooth. Tortured existence can somewhat back up Alesha when needed. On a sidenotde: Selfmill is also present. The graveyard can be seen as your hand from which you can select the answer needed when problems arise.
Special note on transmute cards (Shred Memory, Brainspoil and Dimir Houseguard):
These fill in multiple roles: They either tutor or do whatever says on the card. Benefit of both Brainspoil and the Houseguard is that they are also reusable with out recurring engine.
What are the main targets? Combopieces:
The deck contains a combo that can end the game on the spot. It is a 4 pieces combo tho, so it can be rough to set it up. It requires these cards:
The idea is to give Phantom Noble (or a substitute) persist. Then sacrifice it to the Altar to gain 2. Persist will trigger bringing back Phantom Noble and thus triggering Impact Tremors and/or Falkenrath Noble. The +1/+1 counters will cancel out the -1/-1 counter which resets the "loop".
But hey: "Antler Skulkin" isn't good on his own in the deck. It cannot be recurred with Alesha.
This is true, but there are other ways to get it back (Tortured existence, Macabre Waltz, Death's Duet, Cadaver Imp and Gravedigger come to mind). Never the less it's an all star combined with most of our white creatures. Tho I must confess that adding some more valuable white creatures will make the crazy scarecrow better.
There, now you have it. I'm glad I've taken the time to write this all down. As always, I'm looking forward to what you are thinking about the list. Did I miss some hidden gem or any other good interaction? Let me know about it!
PS: Keep in mind I'd like to keep this commons only
Moving forward from the above deckbuilding challenge, I stepped it up and moved to commons only. Anything Pauper and Commander legal can go into the deck. This resulted in the list below. I have yet to check the totalprice of this deck, but as for now I'm looking at this as a deckbuilding exercise.
1 Bloodfell Caves
1 Boros Guildgate
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Terramorphix Expanse
1 Grixis Panorama
1 Jund Panorama
1 Naya Panorama
1 Orzhov Guildgate
1 Rakdos Guildgate
8 Swamp
6 Plains
8 Mountain
Mana fixing and accelerating:
1 Traveler's Amulet
1 Wanderer's Twig
1 Armillary Sphere
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Rakdos Signet
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Mana Geode
1 Seer's Lantern
1 Gold Myr
1 Iron Myr
1 Leaden Myr
Draw:
1 Faithless Looting
1 Altar's Reap
1 Skulltap
1 Thrill of Possibility
1 Tormenting Voice
1 Funeral Rites
1 Read the Bones
1 Syphon Mind
1 Crow of Dark Tidings
1 Phyrexian Rager
1 Merchant of the Vale
1 Rummaging Goblin
Removal:
1 Ghastly Demise
1 Severed Strands
1 Victim of Night
1 Shenanigans
1 Angelic Purge
1 Snuff Out
1 Swirling Sandstorm
1 Stingscourger
1 Felidar Cub
1 Mesmeric Fiend
1 Reckless Reveler
1 Crypt Rats
1 Stinkweed Imp
1 Liliana's Specter
1 Faceless Butcher
Recursion:
1 Tortured Existence
1 Macabre Waltz
1 Death's Duet
1 Ghitu Chronicler
1 Auramancer
1 Cadaver Imp
1 Anarchist
1 Beetleback Chief
1 Sensor Splicer
1 Ponyback Brigade
Combo 1:
1 Crown of Flames
1 Mogg Fanatic
1 Skirk Prospector
1 Mogg War Marshal
1 Tethmos High Priest
Extra / alternative pieces:
1 Fanatical Firebrand
1 Welder Automaton
1 Akki Rockspeaker
1 Ghitu Firebreathing
1 Goblin Instigator
1 Heliod's Pilgrim
1 Goblin Matron
Combo 2:
1 Phantom Nomad
1 Antler Skulkin
1 Viscera Seer
1 Fanatical Devotion
1 Nantuko Husk
1 Ashnod's Altar
Fits in combo 1 and 2:
1 Impact Tremors
As always, I'm very willing to hear from you guys. What are your thoughts on this list? Do you have any ideas to make this list stronger? Share them, please!
Do keep in mind I'm keeping this commons only.
I assume this is for duels (there are a number of strong multiplayer cards missing like syphon mind) Then, maybe discard? There are a fair few discard creatures in black. The only one thats good if it is for multiplayer is Lilianas spectre and to a lesser extend Okiba-Gang Shinobi.
In either case, Do you typically have many creatures in GY? (you have many creatues, but I guess your commander brings one back a turn or so, so it depends). If so, reaping the graves and to a lesser extend death denied are very good. Soul Stair Expedition is very efficient as well - outside topdeck mode (if topdeck mode is a concern, stack up on these cards)...
You Could perhaps add a few more strong removal spells like victim of night or Snuff out.
Maybe soul sisters would be good with your combo? Infinite life does not directly win, but I imagine that many of your oppeonts cant deal with it.
Thanks for the input. As stated in my previous post, this deck has not been playtested yet. It's the result of some brainstorming and pondering over what to play if I'd play commons only. You do make some valid points.
There is a reason why I did not include recursion cards like Reaping the Graves and Death Denied. They just cannot be recurred with Anarchist. If WRB had a common option to recur instants from the grave, I'd probably run a couple of those. Same for the instant speed creature removal. I like them, but I find it sad that they aren't reusable in this colorcombination. SYphon Mind on the other hand might be a good add, Corpse Churn could be left out as we already have some self mill on bodies.
I might need to make room for Liliana's Spectre tho. It was on my original list which had too many cards. In the end Haunted Cadaver took it's place. This might be the most obvious switch. The other option that could be the cut is probably Makindi Shieldmate. Besides being a substitute part for the combo, she holds no other value.
Of note I'm only counting 98 cards excluding Alesha. 44 creatures, 19 non-creature spells, and 35 lands. Also Ashnod's Altar is 3 mana so Shred Memory cannot transmute for it sadly. Still a good inclusion.
I'll look into possible options today.
Edit: 1 card was indeed missing: Returned Centaur
That should make 100 now.
Managedto turn in 3000 bulk cards on MTGO into 98% of the deck. Took a look at some digital dealers to get my hands on the 2 monarch enablers. Unfortunately they're 10 euros each on MTGO so I took them of the (digital) list.
Game 1: 4 man game vs tribal wolves, UB mill and Thrasios/Tymna partners.
The Wolves deck was a casual beatdown deck that ran quite fluently. The other 2 were more combo orientated.
I kept up until turn 6 or 7, spent my time clogging the board and managed to set up a Gary Loop to drain my opponents 3 times for a total of 45 dmg.
Sadly enough T/T comboed of after that with infinite mana, some eldrazi's and a huge Walking Ballista.
Opinion after this game: Commons only takes lot of time to get going compared to normal Commander decks.
Game 2: 4 man game against Jhoira of the Gitu, Oketra and Aminatou
Jhoira was a chaos deck, the more the marrier which was quite fun none the less. Oketra ramped into the god and played alot of low cmc creatures and built an army. Aminatou did her thing blinking stuff in and out. I was manascrewed which the other 3 aknowledged so they went head to head, seeing I was only running commons they wanted to see what I could do.
Jhoira's boardstate started to look pretty scary so the Aminatou pilot comboed out (Demonic Consultation into Thassa's Oracle, GG)
Opinion after game 2: same as after game 1, yet I felt dissappointed I wasn't really part of the game.
The deck needs more:
- speed: mana and gas
- more tricks to bring creatures back to the field.
Current changes in the online list:
Out > In
Thorn of the black Rose > Syphon Mind
Palace Sentinels > Syphon Mind
Haunted Cadaver > Liliana's Spectre
I'll ponder about what changes could be made after a night's rest.
Anyone willing to contemplate, let me know. We might be able to discuss via these forums or over Discord.
Note: Sorry for not using cardtags, writing this up on my phone
After the previous 2 games I went online and did some digging for information. I came across a new pauper combo deck within our Mardu colors. Satisfying to know that the cards for the combo can be retrieved with Alesha or Auramancer.
I also completely overhauled the decklist after starting from scratch again. I added much needed carddrawing effects, some removal and more early game mana fixing and accelerating.
1 Bloodfell Caves
1 Boros Guildgate
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Terramorphix Expanse
1 Grixis Panorama
1 Jund Panorama
1 Naya Panorama
1 Orzhov Guildgate
1 Rakdos Guildgate
8 Swamp
6 Plains
8 Mountain
Mana fixing and accelerating:
1 Traveler's Amulet
1 Wanderer's Twig
1 Armillary Sphere
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Rakdos Signet
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Mana Geode
1 Seer's Lantern
1 Gold Myr
1 Iron Myr
1 Leaden Myr
Draw:
1 Faithless Looting
1 Altar's Reap
1 Skulltap
1 Thrill of Possibility
1 Tormenting Voice
1 Funeral Rites
1 Read the Bones
1 Syphon Mind
1 Crow of Dark Tidings
1 Phyrexian Rager
1 Merchant of the Vale
1 Rummaging Goblin
Removal:
1 Ghastly Demise
1 Severed Strands
1 Victim of Night
1 Shenanigans
1 Angelic Purge
1 Snuff Out
1 Swirling Sandstorm
1 Stingscourger
1 Felidar Cub
1 Mesmeric Fiend
1 Reckless Reveler
1 Crypt Rats
1 Stinkweed Imp
1 Liliana's Specter
1 Faceless Butcher
Recursion:
1 Tortured Existence
1 Macabre Waltz
1 Death's Duet
1 Ghitu Chronicler
1 Auramancer
1 Cadaver Imp
1 Anarchist
1 Beetleback Chief
1 Sensor Splicer
1 Ponyback Brigade
Combo 1:
1 Crown of Flames
1 Mogg Fanatic
1 Skirk Prospector
1 Mogg War Marshal
1 Tethmos High Priest
Extra / alternative pieces:
1 Fanatical Firebrand
1 Welder Automaton
1 Akki Rockspeaker
1 Ghitu Firebreathing
1 Goblin Instigator
1 Heliod's Pilgrim
1 Goblin Matron
Combo 2:
1 Phantom Nomad
1 Antler Skulkin
1 Viscera Seer
1 Fanatical Devotion
1 Nantuko Husk
1 Ashnod's Altar
Fits in combo 1 and 2:
1 Impact Tremors
The combos:
Combo 2: Can be found in the old decklist
Combo 3: Tethmos High Priest combo:
Needs: Tethmos High Priest, Skirk Prospector, Mogg War Marshal, Crown of Flames, Mogg Fanatic / Fanatical Firebrand.
The idea is to cast CoF on Tethmos triggering his Heroic ability to bring back a creature with CMC 2 or less. In this case Mogg War Marshal. Skirk Prospector generates the red mana needed to bounce and recast the Crown. MWM and his token(s) will be used to fuel the Prospector. This results in one of 2 things:
1. A very large amount of 1/1 Goblins
2. A very large amount of red mana which can be used for the Crown sequence but bringing back Mogg Fanatic / Fanatical Firebrand / Welder Automaton for the kill.
Already ran this new set up in a 3 man game vs Mikaeus Zombies and Tribal Bolas. I actually won the game after removing 2 Sheoldreds with Faceless Butcher tricks, which allowed me to kill the 2 Bolas planeswalkers. The zombie player scooped after seeing 2 Sheoldreds (1 original, 1 Body doubled) stay online for 3 rounds. I kept fighting with a Beetleback loop via Alesha (attacking the zombie player).
Opinion on the deck after this game:
1. I didn't hit any combopiece for the Combo 1. Had 1 in hand for combo 2. In the end took the beatdown plan to bring home the victory.
2. Mana was on point, so was the tempo of the deck.
3. I think running the combos gives the deck an extra edge when need be. Unfortunately, I haven't managed to pull them of yet. Reason why: Pauper lacks effects (besides transmute) to actually got fetch the pieces you need.
Testing the deck further this evening and tomorrow. At the moment considering leaving out the combos in favor of more toolboxy creatures. Not quite sure just yet.
As always, opinions and feedback is very much appreciated