MTG Salvation

Where do you guys think this deck will stand in the new standard? It seems well positioned in an aggro-biased meta, and the haunted dead / prized amalgam shell lets you grind very effectively. We lost gather the pack and tiny jace with rotation but gained filigree familiar as great emerge fodder so I think it should still be playable. Here's what I'm working with so far:



Sideboard is just a draft atm so you can safely ignore it. The mana is also kinda rough because of how high the coloured mana requirements are on elder deep-fiend, even though we have 2 fastlands and sunken hollow. So it might end up that RUG Emerge is better choice overall because of how much more useful Kozilek's Return becomes and how much easier the mana is. What do you think?

Also it's possible that playing some number of Scrapheap Scrounger is correct, but in my testing I've found that 2cmc means it's non-optimal for emerge and 4x haunted dead is consistent enough at reanimating prized amalgams that I feel running extras of that effect is unnecessary. Most of the time you're not going to have many expendable creatures in the graveyard so advanced stitchwing is probably a better choice in that slot (if it's necessary).

I think the deck needs enablers to replace Gather the Pack. It might be Corpse Churn; it might be Contingency Plan; it might be something else entirely. I've seen lists that incorporate Smuggler's Copter as the Jace replacement - that may be an area to explore.

I don't like Filigree Familiar much in this deck. The deck doesn't lack emerge fodder given all the recursion, and it just doesn't advance the game plan.

Catacomb Sifter and Foul Emissary are great emerge targets

I think Noose Constrictor would be much better if it were Scrapheap Scrounger.

@ Rondiggity Noose Constrictor is necessary so we can discard haunted deads stuck in our hand to reanimate them for cheap. I don't think I'd ever cut them tbh

Also @ jar75, what would you replace the Filigree Familiar's with? Contingency Plan seems fine in this deck but we might also want Pilgrim's Eye to smooth our land drops (but eye also dies to liliana, so it's less useful as an emerge target)

Consider replacing Filigree Familiar with Scrapheap Scrounger. It's an artifact for Ishkanah and other delirium but it also is good to mill or discard and makes Prized Amalgams even better. I know that it is 2 instead of 3 for emerge but the upside does seem worthwhile.

Quote from Chilli_Axe »

@ Rondiggity Noose Constrictor is necessary so we can discard haunted deads stuck in our hand to reanimate them for cheap. I don't think I'd ever cut them tbh

Also @ jar75, what would you replace the Filigree Familiar's with? Contingency Plan seems fine in this deck but we might also want Pilgrim's Eye to smooth our land drops (but eye also dies to liliana, so it's less useful as an emerge target)

This is where I'd start:



I haven't done any testing; I'm going to see how the first week of standard plays out before really diving in.

Contingency Plan might be a necessary evil. I've certainly cast Gathers where I've purposefully chosen nothing, but that card is so bad in a vacuum that I don't know if I can justify it. This deck would kill for a Satyr Wayfinder.

I'm going a slightly different route, and still working on it. Testing little by little each day.



The land base is much better imo with the fast lands. I haven't tested kld cards yet, except fast lands. I was trying grim flayer, but had mediocre results. Might test him again to be sure. I know lots of people are against lili, especially being bb, but I find her a very useful piece of the puzzle. Kiora reeeeally shines in the mirror, where you can untap your elder deep in the elder deep wars... lol.