In a meta that might be looking to control the game with a lot of one-for-one removal, Gruesome Menagerie is a powerful card to get a pure 3 for 1 if built around. That's one card to put three creatures onto the board. The last time we saw something like this was with Collected Company, and that was a slow burner for people to figure out it's worth.
After researching potential color combinations, including just trying to do a straight up mono-black deck, black-red seems to be the best choice.
The downside of this color combination going into the Guilds of Ravinca Standard block is that the untapped duel lands are limited to Dragonskull Summit. So there is a trade off of power and synergy, for consistency of Turn 1 plays.
But we are looking to curve out each game with a one..two..three punch of creatures, then turn four is for collecting card advantage and dealing with the board. Turn five is then the Gruesome Menagerie to really push ahead.
Right so let's reflect on this sequence. We essentially drew 4 extra cards on Turn 4 and then completely recouped our board presence on Turn 5, in fact gaining another creature.
If opponents are trying to deal with your threats on a one-for-one basis then they'll almost have no chance. Then of course if they are running board sweepers, there is no card better to bounce back than Gruesome Menagerie to immediately have a board presence again. This deck lines up very well against any control matchup.
Any aggressive deck you might be against is going to find it hard to trade off creatures in combat as you have an innate ability to recover the losses. It's very hard for your opponents to purposefully attack into your creature base hoping to clear a path through the board. One Gruesome Menagerie later and you've probably literally gone 3 for 1 on your opponents cards.
The aggressive nature of the deck is also backed up with using Ghitu Chronicler kicked to bring back a Gruesome Menagerie. So it's very hard for your opponents to grind you out as you can just keep deploying threats on a 3 for 1 card basis.
I like what you're thinking. I tested something very similar to this as soon as I saw Gruesome Menagerie and Midnight Reaper. The engine of Skirk Prospector, Midnight Reaper, and a bunch of goblins is definitely worth investigating. That being said, I do think this deck is close to unplayable without better mana. I'm putting it on the shelf until the next Ravnica, where I hope to see Goblins, Blood Artist effects, a good sac outlet, or a decent recursive creature.
I like what you're thinking. I tested something very similar to this as soon as I saw Gruesome Menagerie and Midnight Reaper. The engine of Skirk Prospector, Midnight Reaper, and a bunch of goblins is definitely worth investigating. That being said, I do think this deck is close to unplayable without better mana. I'm putting it on the shelf until the next Ravnica, where I hope to see Goblins, Blood Artist effects, a good sac outlet, or a decent recursive creature.
Yeah it's a bit of a weird holding pattern at the moment where a lot of the decks I think have strong card combinations are in the Ravnica Allegiance guilds.
So going to have to wait for Blood Crypt, Hallowed Fountain, Stomping Ground, Breeding Pool and Godless Shrine unfortunately.
I was looking at other Three-Drop creature to gain value and Plaguecrafter is a nice fit. I could maybe even literally play it over Goblin Chainwhirler. But that will just be dependent on if the boogeyman is still going to keep one toughness creatures away from the format.
I actually looked at an all Goblin build, but didn't pull the trigger. What could be really great is a couple of Siege-Gang Commander to give the deck reach, which would needed against certain match-ups, where your creatures are simply too small, i.e. against Green stompy.
In that build I could see Legion Warboss being a key card.
After researching potential color combinations, including just trying to do a straight up mono-black deck, black-red seems to be the best choice.
The downside of this color combination going into the Guilds of Ravinca Standard block is that the untapped duel lands are limited to Dragonskull Summit. So there is a trade off of power and synergy, for consistency of Turn 1 plays.
But we are looking to curve out each game with a one..two..three punch of creatures, then turn four is for collecting card advantage and dealing with the board. Turn five is then the Gruesome Menagerie to really push ahead.
4 Stitcher's Supplier
4 Skirk Prospector
Two-Drop
4 Goblin Cratermaker
4 Dark-Dweller Oracle
4 Dismissive Pyromancer
2 Ghitu Chronicler
4 Midnight Reaper
2 Goblin Chainwhirler
Spells
3 Lightning Strike
2 Vraska's Contempt
4 Gruesome Menagerie
4 Dragonskull Summit
10 Mountain
9 Swamp
Turn 1)
Stitcher's Supplier -OR- Skirk Prospector
Turn 2)
Dark-Dweller Oracle -OR- Goblin Cratermaker -OR- Dismissive Pyromancer
Turn 3)
Midnight Reaper
Turn 4)
Sacrifice Stitcher's Supplier to Dark-Dweller Oracle.
Draw a card from Midnight Reaper.
Exile a land from Dark-Dweller Oracle, play the land.
Sacrifice Dark-Dweller Oracle.
Draw a card from Midnight Reaper.
Exile Goblin Cratermaker from Dark-Dweller Oracle and cast Goblin Cratermaker.
Turn 5)
Gruesome Menagerie bringing back Stitcher's Supplier, Dark-Dweller Oracle and Goblin Chainwhirler.
With Stitcher's Supplier putting 6 cards into your graveyard you're bound to hit another 3-Drop to target.
Right so let's reflect on this sequence. We essentially drew 4 extra cards on Turn 4 and then completely recouped our board presence on Turn 5, in fact gaining another creature.
If opponents are trying to deal with your threats on a one-for-one basis then they'll almost have no chance. Then of course if they are running board sweepers, there is no card better to bounce back than Gruesome Menagerie to immediately have a board presence again. This deck lines up very well against any control matchup.
Any aggressive deck you might be against is going to find it hard to trade off creatures in combat as you have an innate ability to recover the losses. It's very hard for your opponents to purposefully attack into your creature base hoping to clear a path through the board. One Gruesome Menagerie later and you've probably literally gone 3 for 1 on your opponents cards.
The aggressive nature of the deck is also backed up with using Ghitu Chronicler kicked to bring back a Gruesome Menagerie. So it's very hard for your opponents to grind you out as you can just keep deploying threats on a 3 for 1 card basis.
You'll be generating a lot of card draw out of Dark-Dweller Oracle and Midnight Reaper.
You can grind opponents out of creatures with recurring Goblin Cratermaker or Dismissive Pyromancer.
Goblins in the deck for Skirk Prospector including itself are Goblin Cratermaker, Dark-Dweller Oracle, Goblin Chainwhirler.
You can use it as an alternative to get ahead on mana sequencing, perhaps looking to simple get the draw out of Midnight Reaper and looking for a Turn 4 Gruesome Menagerie instead.
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
Feather, the Redeemed
Estrid, the Masked
Teshar
Tymna/Ravos
Najeela, Blade-Blossom
Firesong & Sunspeaker
Zur the Enchanter
Lazav, the Multifarious
Ishai+Reyhan
Click images for decks->
-Prime Speaker Vannifar
---------------------Will & Rowan Kenrith
If you do still want to play it, Makeshift Munitions, Plaguecrafter, and Legion Warboss seem like slam dunk inclusions.
So going to have to wait for Blood Crypt, Hallowed Fountain, Stomping Ground, Breeding Pool and Godless Shrine unfortunately.
I was looking at other Three-Drop creature to gain value and Plaguecrafter is a nice fit. I could maybe even literally play it over Goblin Chainwhirler. But that will just be dependent on if the boogeyman is still going to keep one toughness creatures away from the format.
I actually looked at an all Goblin build, but didn't pull the trigger. What could be really great is a couple of Siege-Gang Commander to give the deck reach, which would needed against certain match-ups, where your creatures are simply too small, i.e. against Green stompy.
In that build I could see Legion Warboss being a key card.
So that deck would look like this;
4 Stitcher's Supplier
4 Skirk Prospector
Two-Drop
4 Goblin Cratermaker
4 Dark-Dweller Oracle
Three-Drop
3 Goblin Chainwhirler
3 Legion Warboss
1 Goblin Warcheif
4 Midnight Reaper
2 Siege-Gang Commander
Spells
2 Lightning Strikes
1 Vraska's Contempt
4 Gruesome Menagerie
Land (24)
4 Dragonskull Summit
10 Mountain
10 Swamp
I still would like the full quota of Stitcher's Supplier and Midnight Reaper as non-goblins for the sheer power they bring to the deck.
Bring on the Blood Crypt's!!!
Niv-Mizzet Reborn
Feather, the Redeemed
Estrid, the Masked
Teshar
Tymna/Ravos
Najeela, Blade-Blossom
Firesong & Sunspeaker
Zur the Enchanter
Lazav, the Multifarious
Ishai+Reyhan
Click images for decks->
-Prime Speaker Vannifar
---------------------Will & Rowan Kenrith