Problem is, Soul-Scar Mage neutralizes Pestilent Spirit, because it replaces the damage event with something other than damage. So deathtouch on your Electrickery doesn't work anymore. Spirit still works with Everlasting Torment, though, because with wither, damage is still dealt, just its result changes.
Yes, true. In my mind, Soul-Scar gives me early game into Necroskitter before eating removal, and 'skitter gives me mid-game into the wither shenanigans and such as finishers.
If people catch wise and start leaving the mages around, I can always reboot with Starstorm.
My original version of this deck had thicker butts and more combat resiliency but with Pestilent Spirit turning Electrickery into Plague Wind and Necroskitter turning that into Rise of the Dark Realms (less your own 'yard, of course) and Anger turning that into Insurrection, well, I figured it was time to revisit this combo.
Maybe something close to this? I really like having access to Sylvan Primordial in Jarad decks since he can fetch infinite Overgrown Tombs and he enables you to hardcast LoE on turn 3 without the need for ramp/reanimation.
Another fun way to build the deck is with Varolz, the Scar-Striped and Phyrexian Dreadnought. PD is an ET trigger so you can sac it with the trigger on the stack to Jarad and then Varolz can eat from the GY for value.
I like it, and better yet I have everything save the full playset of Grim Flayer(but I do have Hermit Druids).
Seems like a really healthy engine for black splashes in red decks. It encourages optimal lines of play, self-fuels (for a hefty price, admittedly), and synergizes beautifully with black and red strategies even when it's not its own engine.
Yes, it has limitations, but unlike a lot of mono-R card advantage engines, it allows access to cards previously exiled by it.
I want to build the same Prime Speaker Vannifar/Intruder Alarm bombo deck that the whole world wants to build. Thankfully, the initial Intruder Alarm price spike seems to be on the decline.
Grindstone too "powered" for what you're thinking? The card is not that expensive to buy but at the same time, it's only ever had one "real" reprint in a Masterpiece, which is more expensive than the original version.
I have a couple of copies of that in another deck, so it's accessible if I need it. I have a couple Mesmeric Orbs too if I really want to draw hate.
I've had a Golgari Jarad/Reanimator deck for a while which I've enjoyed playing but never found too particularly competitive. UMA's printing of Lord of Extinction brought the price down to buy-a-playset levels and I'd like to re-tool around these two cards for something more focused than the bin-generic-green-and-black-fatties approach my deck has relied on.
What's the latest and greatest in shells for this combo? Mulch/Hermit Druid/etc. can fill my 'yard but don't do much for others'. Brawn seems like a no-brainer since LoE lacks built-in evasion (beating face with a big LoE seems like a solid backup plan should Jarad get hated out). I'd rather not go for a full-on traditional reanimator setup, but I'm willing to entertain suggestions.
Ob Nixilis isn't the best demon, except when he is.
That about sums up my experience. A member of our group jammed him into a Shadowborn Apostle build. Nothing like tutoring him into play in response to a fetchland.
Contract/Apostle could do some silly things. Shame the latter is pushing $4.00 right now.
(edit, just checked, it’s from 2010 only, I thought it was older)
Which is still 8 years ago lol. Why are we so old :(?
Krav seems abysmal. Why are you adding him? Just curious.
Best Demon-bodied optional draw engine I have at my disposal that wasn't already in the list. That slot is still effectively a question mark.
I've also been toying around with Soulflayer and Necropolis Fiend in place of Archfiend of Depravity. They obviously have tension with Songs of the Damned, but they'll happily munch on the leftover lands and used ramp spells.
I don't hate the idea of the whip, and I could easily replace one of the existing demons with Pestilence Demon. Not sure what I'd drop for either, but I'm pretty confident I could make it work.
After some goldfishing, I went ahead and dropped the land count to 20 and added 4x Dark Ritual.
-1 Ob Nixilis, Unshackled
-1 Demon of Dark Schemes
-4 Innocent Blood
+1 Krav, the Unredeemed
+1 Baleful Ammit
+2 Stinkweed Imp
+1 Whip of Erebos
+1 Elixir of Immortality
Damn those demons! Why can't they just cooperate? In between the life lost to Liliana's Contracts (plural; one often finds another) and the beatings from my opponent while I durdle around trying to assemble the "combo", my life total often gets so low that Belzenlok and particularly Kothophed (aided by Fleshbag triggers) do me in after I cast Twilight's Call.
This just feels so right, somehow. That said, I'm swapping Harvester of Souls in for Koth even though I'm not running Belz.
Yes, true. In my mind, Soul-Scar gives me early game into Necroskitter before eating removal, and 'skitter gives me mid-game into the wither shenanigans and such as finishers.
If people catch wise and start leaving the mages around, I can always reboot with Starstorm.
My original version of this deck had thicker butts and more combat resiliency but with Pestilent Spirit turning Electrickery into Plague Wind and Necroskitter turning that into Rise of the Dark Realms (less your own 'yard, of course) and Anger turning that into Insurrection, well, I figured it was time to revisit this combo.
Here's what I'm thinking:
4x Soul-Scar Mage
4x Necroskitter
4x Pestilent Spirit
2x Humble Defector
1x Kulrath Knight
1x The Scorpion God
1x Anger
4x Nest of Scarabs
2x Everlasting Torment
Other Spells (13)
4x Faithless Looting
4x Electrickery
2x Mizzium Mortars
2x Tormenting Voice
1x Starstorm
24x TBD
I like it, and better yet I have everything save the full playset of Grim Flayer(but I do have Hermit Druids).
Man, PD would be a blast.
Seems like a really healthy engine for black splashes in red decks. It encourages optimal lines of play, self-fuels (for a hefty price, admittedly), and synergizes beautifully with black and red strategies even when it's not its own engine.
Yes, it has limitations, but unlike a lot of mono-R card advantage engines, it allows access to cards previously exiled by it.
This thing feels like it could do work.
Smothering Tithe and Simic Ascendancy are on my shortlist.
I also like Emergency Powers. Hard to break, maybe, but a potentially fun game-ender.
I have a couple of copies of that in another deck, so it's accessible if I need it. I have a couple Mesmeric Orbs too if I really want to draw hate.
What's the latest and greatest in shells for this combo? Mulch/Hermit Druid/etc. can fill my 'yard but don't do much for others'. Brawn seems like a no-brainer since LoE lacks built-in evasion (beating face with a big LoE seems like a solid backup plan should Jarad get hated out). I'd rather not go for a full-on traditional reanimator setup, but I'm willing to entertain suggestions.
Any inspiration?
That about sums up my experience. A member of our group jammed him into a Shadowborn Apostle build. Nothing like tutoring him into play in response to a fetchland.
Contract/Apostle could do some silly things. Shame the latter is pushing $4.00 right now.
Does Ob-Nixilis do a lot of lifting for you? I pulled it from my Contract deck, but it's still sitting in my maybeboard.
Best Demon-bodied optional draw engine I have at my disposal that wasn't already in the list. That slot is still effectively a question mark.
I've also been toying around with Soulflayer and Necropolis Fiend in place of Archfiend of Depravity. They obviously have tension with Songs of the Damned, but they'll happily munch on the leftover lands and used ramp spells.
I don't hate the idea of the whip, and I could easily replace one of the existing demons with Pestilence Demon. Not sure what I'd drop for either, but I'm pretty confident I could make it work.
After some goldfishing, I went ahead and dropped the land count to 20 and added 4x Dark Ritual.
-1 Ob Nixilis, Unshackled
-1 Demon of Dark Schemes
-4 Innocent Blood
+1 Krav, the Unredeemed
+1 Baleful Ammit
+2 Stinkweed Imp
+1 Whip of Erebos
+1 Elixir of Immortality
Here's where I am now:
4 Stitcher's Supplier
4 Fleshbag Marauder
4 Merciless Executioner
2 Stinkweed Imp
1 Baleful Ammit
1 Krav, the Unredeemed
1 Demon of Dark Schemes
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
1 Archfiend of Depravity
1 Carnifex Demon
1 Harvester of Souls
1 Razaketh, the Foulblooded
4 Dark Ritual
4 Songs of the Damned
Sorcery
4 Twilight's Call
Enchantment
4 Liliana's Contract
Artifact
1 Whip of Erebos
1 Elixir of Immortality
20 Swamp
This just feels so right, somehow. That said, I'm swapping Harvester of Souls in for Koth even though I'm not running Belz.
Green has some sneaky good stuff this time around. I'm fine with that. Might keep prices under control. I want to brew with Whiptongue Hydra too.
This is definitely a flavor win, if nothing else. Style points galore.
You could try mass reanimation. Keep the Animate Deads, but maybe replace Diabolic Servitude with Living Death/Living End binning cards like Massacre Wurm or Demon of Dark Schemes (more budget) along with Jin-Gitaxias, so it's harder for them to hit you before they have to discard.