It's a small sample size, but a Cryptolith Rites deck put all five of its pilots through to day 2 of Pro Tour Amonkhet. It also doesn't have Gideon or Marvel in it, so I'm excited. Estimated decklist from mtggoldfish:
After putting this through a league I have to say I'm surprised at the resiliency. Vizier, Rites, and Duskwatch Recruiter let you fill up the battlefield and your hand at the same time. Zulaport Cutthroat and Bontu drain hard. Yehenni... well, she doesn't quite measure up to Nantuko Husk but sometimes you just want the free sac outlet.
The maindeck Manglehorns are, I think, a concession to the fact that the deck has a little trouble fending off aggro. I got pretty much run over by BW zombies. Their hands were pretty good both games (Cryptbreaker, Wandering Servant, Dark Salvation, Liliana's Mastery game one, then Cryptbreaker, Fatal Push + Dread Wanderer, Lord, Dec Stone + Dread Wanderer game two) but the complete lack of main deck removal leaves you vulnerable to those kind of hands. The Manglehorn helps against Mardu but I'm not sure what the plan is against zombies.
Does this deck have legs going forward?
ETA: Another deck featuring a go-wide approach with Cryptolith Rites comes from Sam Black:
First off, props to Sam Black for bringing Sacred Cat to the pro tour. You have to admire the chutzpah if nothing else. Eyeballing the list I have to wonder a little bit about the anti-Marvel plan. In theory you could go wide against Ulamog but in practice I'm not sure you'll have so much pressure that knocking out two key permanents won't swing the game. Also in my experience Lost Legacy is just not good against them. Sam Black did in fact go 0-2 against Marvel. He may have gotten a little unlucky, or the matchup could use some shoring up.
Overall I'm excited to try this one out. Looks like I might have to violate my personal vow never to buy Gideon AOZ.
I'd really like for some variation of the go-wide Rites strategy to be good.
Zombies is indeed the question this deck needs to solve. I think the lack of removal is a problem, maybe the revolt guy who gives something -3/-3 will help. It's definitely possible to race zombies, but I'm not clear that this deck is equal or favored vs. them.
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Current Awesome Deck: UWAll-In GiftsWU Consistent, Resiliant, and way overpowered, making multiple 4/4s per turn.
GB Electric Dreams BG Deal 20 in one shot, or discard their hand?
GWUFree Stuff MidrangeUWG Slowly bury the opponent with more threats and answers than they can handle.
Karsten did an excellent article showing relative win percentages on the mothership that got promptly buried by relative fluff. While the numbers were small, this deck did well against Mardu, but poorly against Marvel and Zombies.
In addition, there was an Abzan Tokens deck by Sam Black that used Cryptolith Rites. I recommend you clarify whether this thread is for just the Golgari Rites deck or whether it is more inclusive. There were video deck techs for both decks: Golgari Rites and Abzan Tokens. These could help finalize your decklist(s).
Fair points. It looks like the Golgari version didn't manage six wins in the standard section of the tournament (or at least I couldn't find it on the list. I think both decks are similar enough spiritually in seeking to go hyper-wide with Cryptolith Rites that it makes some sense to discuss both. I'll update the original post accordingly.
My first impression of the Abzan token deck is that it feels like a bad combo deck. You have a lot of cards that do very little until the combo is assembled. Even when the combo is assembled, what you're doing isn't necessarily more powerful than what the other deck is doing. When you "combo" Anointed Procession and Hidden Stockpile you are getting a 1/1 servo and a scry every turn. An opponent playing Diregraf Colossus and literally any card in their deck will outclass that production. You don't really feel like you're going off until you have three pieces together (two salvage and a procession, two procession and a salvage, or a procession, salvage, and embalmed Anointer Priest). Even then things can get dicey if your opponent has fliers, permission, or sweepers. Or a Diregraf Colossus and a horde of zombies. You aren't really getting any incidental damage in, so the only way to win is to drown your opponent in a wave of tokens.
The mana base feels bad. I think trying to play three colors plus Westvale Abbey with no real color fixing is super greedy (Cryptolith Rite doesn't count--you need to have green and white to have it and a creature in play). I got hit with a lot of color screw and a lot of key land drops coming into play tapped.
By contrast the BG deck has fairly consistent mana and the Vizier + Rites combo lets you immediately tear through your deck. It feels more powerful to me, although I guess the PT results say otherwise. Maybe I'm missing something in the Abzan deck.
Anointed Procession is a combo with everything in the deck. Stockpile makes an extra token, Embalm makes two tokens, Gideon makes two tokens, Catacomb Sifter makes 2 scions. Thraben Inspector makes 2 clues. And it combos with itself, as 2 Anointed Procession means all the above cards make 4 tokens. It quite seems like a better Panharmonicon, except when that deck was good it had Reflector Mage. So with that established, the key to the deck is to use its cards to assemble the combo. Get Stockpile and Catacomb Sifter and aggressively scry into more Stockpiles and more Anointed Procession. And then there's the lifegain. Even as you aren't building up an infinite board presence, you are gaining life every turn. As for the mana, that's why he has 25 lands. This makes for 23 colored sources, and the scry/draw and Cryptolith Rite fixes it.
All that said, I feel the deck has potential but changing up a few cards may be necessary.
The GB deck is fun but it seems it can't usually explode as fast as zombies. Early Ormendahl would put it over the top though.
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Current Awesome Deck: UWAll-In GiftsWU Consistent, Resiliant, and way overpowered, making multiple 4/4s per turn.
GB Electric Dreams BG Deal 20 in one shot, or discard their hand?
GWUFree Stuff MidrangeUWG Slowly bury the opponent with more threats and answers than they can handle.
I looked at the Abzan list and just laughed. I couldn't see how it would win.
But we put it together and ran it against Sultai Marvel and GB Energy Snek. Without really understanding the deck, the matches were close. I was very impressed.
With an early Rites, the deck can start to take off. The thing that makes it amazing is when you get two Anointed Procession out. Something like embalming a Priest with a Priest out gives 6 tokens and 72 life.
It's fun when your opponent is polite enough to allow you to play a stockpile, find and play a procession, and find and play another procession without interrupting you. WB Zombies feels almost unwinnable with the fast clock, gas from cryptbreaker, and Anguished Unmaking. Marvel can just Ulamog or Negate your key pieces and then sweep the board. I could see the deck keeping up with GB: the ideal opponent for Abzan tokens is a deck that attacks with non-evasive fatties and doesn't do anything too tricky.
I don't know. I took it to 2-3 in one friendly league and 3-2 in another. The wins feel lucky and the losses were abject beatings. I could be misplaying horribly, I guess. I'm curious to see if anybody but Sam Black can put up results with it.
Eldrazi Displacer in the abzan deck can work marvels. First there's the infinite combo with Catacomb Sifter and 2 Annointed Procession. 3 mana to blink makes 4 new scions. So now you have infinite scions and scrying. If you have a Priest, infinite life. Either way, you'll win next turn. It also can prevent Ulamog from attacking (or blocking) if you cast it after they marvel into Ulamog. It also can enable revolt without losing a creature if you have another nontoken creature. With Thraben it can produce 1 or 2 or 4 more clues.
To support it, you want a Waste to target with Evolving Wilds, and I'd suggest Spire of Industry (clue, servo enable color). Blisterpod is another option. Multiplied scions when it dies seems good.
Also, just one Second Harvest once you've built a board can be nutty.
Removed-
4 Loam Dryad - I used to play this version when Nantuko Husk and Collected Company was part of it and anytime I drew Loam Dryad I was never pleased when I drew them. They don't speed you up that much and are a terrible draw in the late game. I just don't believe they add that much value to the deck and you already have a ton of creatures.
3 Manglehorn - He is decent and if you have a ton of Marvel in your meta, definitely put him in the main, but if you're going into a wide meta (like mine), then he is preferable in the side.
1 Vizier of the Menagerie - I agree that this guy can make things really nice, but he's not a must have for the deck. The deck can run well without him, he just turbos it up. Is a real bummer if you can't scry and have a land pocket sitting on top. I've split him up 1 main / 1 side.
1 Bontu the Glorified - Only have 2 of them, but after playing a few games not sure if 2 or 3 is the right number. Still testing.
Added-
4 Fatal Push - I'd rather have a way to stop Heart of Kiran, Cryptbreaker, Servant of the Conduit, and a host of others than be staring at a 1/2 do hardly anything (looking at you Loam Dryad). With being able to sac things pretty easily revolt shouldn't be hard either for even more targets.
2 Transgress the Mind - Helps to shore up the Marvel matchup before it hits the board. Unless you're into the late game it's hardly ever a dead card and is easily sideboarded out.
2 Rhonas the Indomitable - This guy fits so well into this deck. With so many creatures to target and with the ability to churn out obscene amounts of mana, he's great......and Bontu automatically activates Rhonas as well (BG tag team!!).
3 Bone Picker - I thought of him at the last minute. Why not in a sacrifice deck? Seems to be an natural inclusion and can give good beats.
4 Blisterpod
4 Loam Dryad
4 Duskwatch Recruiter
4 Zulaport Cutthroat
3 Bontu the Glorified
4 Catacomb Sifter
3 Manglehorn
2 Yahenni, Undying Partisan
3 Vizier of the Menagerie
4 Blooming Marsh
7 Forest
2 Hissing Quagmire
5 Swamp
4 Westvale Abbey
After putting this through a league I have to say I'm surprised at the resiliency. Vizier, Rites, and Duskwatch Recruiter let you fill up the battlefield and your hand at the same time. Zulaport Cutthroat and Bontu drain hard. Yehenni... well, she doesn't quite measure up to Nantuko Husk but sometimes you just want the free sac outlet.
The maindeck Manglehorns are, I think, a concession to the fact that the deck has a little trouble fending off aggro. I got pretty much run over by BW zombies. Their hands were pretty good both games (Cryptbreaker, Wandering Servant, Dark Salvation, Liliana's Mastery game one, then Cryptbreaker, Fatal Push + Dread Wanderer, Lord, Dec Stone + Dread Wanderer game two) but the complete lack of main deck removal leaves you vulnerable to those kind of hands. The Manglehorn helps against Mardu but I'm not sure what the plan is against zombies.
Does this deck have legs going forward?
ETA: Another deck featuring a go-wide approach with Cryptolith Rites comes from Sam Black:
4 Thraben Inspector
4 Anointer Priest
4 Catacomb Sifter
3 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
4 Fatal Push
1 Anguished Unmaking
3 Cryptolith Rite
4 Hidden Stockpile
4 Anointed Procession
4 Concealed Courtyard
4 Evolving Wilds
1 Forest
1 Fortified Village
4 Plains
2 Scattered Groves
2 Shambling Vent
1 Swamp
2 Westvale Abbey
1 Swamp
4 Grasp of Darkness
2 Anguished Unmaking
3 Lost Legacy
1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 Ajani Unyielding
3 Dusk // Dawn
First off, props to Sam Black for bringing Sacred Cat to the pro tour. You have to admire the chutzpah if nothing else. Eyeballing the list I have to wonder a little bit about the anti-Marvel plan. In theory you could go wide against Ulamog but in practice I'm not sure you'll have so much pressure that knocking out two key permanents won't swing the game. Also in my experience Lost Legacy is just not good against them. Sam Black did in fact go 0-2 against Marvel. He may have gotten a little unlucky, or the matchup could use some shoring up.
Overall I'm excited to try this one out. Looks like I might have to violate my personal vow never to buy Gideon AOZ.
I'd really like for some variation of the go-wide Rites strategy to be good.
GB Electric Dreams BG Deal 20 in one shot, or discard their hand?
GWU Free Stuff Midrange UWG Slowly bury the opponent with more threats and answers than they can handle.
My greatest hits:
GURFate Reforged Temur Ascendancy COMBORUG
GUDragons of Tarkir Whisperwood Forever UG
In addition, there was an Abzan Tokens deck by Sam Black that used Cryptolith Rites. I recommend you clarify whether this thread is for just the Golgari Rites deck or whether it is more inclusive. There were video deck techs for both decks: Golgari Rites and Abzan Tokens. These could help finalize your decklist(s).
RNA Standard: Grixis Midrange, Jund Deathwhirler, Sultai Vannifar
GRN Standard: Red Midrange, Mono-Blue Tempo, Wr Aggro, Gruul Experimental Dinosaurs, Sultai Midrange, Jeskai Midrange
Modern: Bant Spirits
Forcing a single archetype in all formats: too many colors, bad mana.
The mana base feels bad. I think trying to play three colors plus Westvale Abbey with no real color fixing is super greedy (Cryptolith Rite doesn't count--you need to have green and white to have it and a creature in play). I got hit with a lot of color screw and a lot of key land drops coming into play tapped.
By contrast the BG deck has fairly consistent mana and the Vizier + Rites combo lets you immediately tear through your deck. It feels more powerful to me, although I guess the PT results say otherwise. Maybe I'm missing something in the Abzan deck.
All that said, I feel the deck has potential but changing up a few cards may be necessary.
The GB deck is fun but it seems it can't usually explode as fast as zombies. Early Ormendahl would put it over the top though.
GB Electric Dreams BG Deal 20 in one shot, or discard their hand?
GWU Free Stuff Midrange UWG Slowly bury the opponent with more threats and answers than they can handle.
My greatest hits:
GURFate Reforged Temur Ascendancy COMBORUG
GUDragons of Tarkir Whisperwood Forever UG
But we put it together and ran it against Sultai Marvel and GB Energy Snek. Without really understanding the deck, the matches were close. I was very impressed.
With an early Rites, the deck can start to take off. The thing that makes it amazing is when you get two Anointed Procession out. Something like embalming a Priest with a Priest out gives 6 tokens and 72 life.
The deck seemed close to being good and extremely fun.
Edit: Joel Larsson discusses the GB Rites deck at Channelfireball.
RNA Standard: Grixis Midrange, Jund Deathwhirler, Sultai Vannifar
GRN Standard: Red Midrange, Mono-Blue Tempo, Wr Aggro, Gruul Experimental Dinosaurs, Sultai Midrange, Jeskai Midrange
Modern: Bant Spirits
Forcing a single archetype in all formats: too many colors, bad mana.
I don't know. I took it to 2-3 in one friendly league and 3-2 in another. The wins feel lucky and the losses were abject beatings. I could be misplaying horribly, I guess. I'm curious to see if anybody but Sam Black can put up results with it.
4 Blooming Marsh
2 Hissing Quagmire
5 Swamp
7 Forest
4 Blisterpod
4 Loam Dryad
4 Zulaport Cutthroat
4 Duskwatch Recruiter
4 Catacomb Sifter
3 Bontu the Glorified
2 Yahenni, Undying Partisan
3 Manglehorn
3 Vizier of the Menagerie
3 Walking Ballista
1 Lost Legacy
2 Dispossess
2 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
2 Tireless Tracker
2 Distended Mindbender
2 Ob Nixilis Reignited
1 Grasp of Darkness
1 Hissing Quagmire
2 Never // Return
He mostly seems concerned about the Marvel matchup and relatively sanguine about Mardu/Zombies.
To support it, you want a Waste to target with Evolving Wilds, and I'd suggest Spire of Industry (clue, servo enable color). Blisterpod is another option. Multiplied scions when it dies seems good.
Also, just one Second Harvest once you've built a board can be nutty.
Zombies? I'd suggest Yahenni's Expertise or Dusk // Dawn. Our stuff dies, but we rebuild easily.
GB Electric Dreams BG Deal 20 in one shot, or discard their hand?
GWU Free Stuff Midrange UWG Slowly bury the opponent with more threats and answers than they can handle.
My greatest hits:
GURFate Reforged Temur Ascendancy COMBORUG
GUDragons of Tarkir Whisperwood Forever UG
3 Cryptolith Rite
3 Fatal Push
2 Transgress the Mind
2 Rhonas the Indomitable
2 Bontu the Glorified
4 Blisterpod
4 Catacomb Sifter
4 Duskwatch Recruiter
4 Walking Ballista
4 Zulaport Cutthroat
1 Vizier of the Menagerie
2 Yahenni, Undying Partisan
3 Bone Picker
4 Blooming Marsh
3 Hissing Quagmire
2 Westvale Abbey
7 Swamp
6 Forest
1 Fatal Push
2 Never // Return
2 Transgress the Mind
1 Lost Legacy
2 Dispossess
3 ?? Dread Wanderer / Narnam Renegade
1 Vizier of the Menagerie
2 Manglehorn
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
In comparison to Joel Larsson's deck:
Removed-
4 Loam Dryad - I used to play this version when Nantuko Husk and Collected Company was part of it and anytime I drew Loam Dryad I was never pleased when I drew them. They don't speed you up that much and are a terrible draw in the late game. I just don't believe they add that much value to the deck and you already have a ton of creatures.
3 Manglehorn - He is decent and if you have a ton of Marvel in your meta, definitely put him in the main, but if you're going into a wide meta (like mine), then he is preferable in the side.
1 Vizier of the Menagerie - I agree that this guy can make things really nice, but he's not a must have for the deck. The deck can run well without him, he just turbos it up. Is a real bummer if you can't scry and have a land pocket sitting on top. I've split him up 1 main / 1 side.
1 Bontu the Glorified - Only have 2 of them, but after playing a few games not sure if 2 or 3 is the right number. Still testing.
Added-
4 Fatal Push - I'd rather have a way to stop Heart of Kiran, Cryptbreaker, Servant of the Conduit, and a host of others than be staring at a 1/2 do hardly anything (looking at you Loam Dryad). With being able to sac things pretty easily revolt shouldn't be hard either for even more targets.
2 Transgress the Mind - Helps to shore up the Marvel matchup before it hits the board. Unless you're into the late game it's hardly ever a dead card and is easily sideboarded out.
2 Rhonas the Indomitable - This guy fits so well into this deck. With so many creatures to target and with the ability to churn out obscene amounts of mana, he's great......and Bontu automatically activates Rhonas as well (BG tag team!!).
3 Bone Picker - I thought of him at the last minute. Why not in a sacrifice deck? Seems to be an natural inclusion and can give good beats.
Have fun!