You don't need to play Call the Scions after Abomination. If you play it on curve, the Scions should still be there.
Vampiric Rights seems terrible especially with nothing to abuse the life gain trigger which seems it's purpose.
I really don't think you will be sacrificing enough creatures in a small enough time window for Cutthroat to be worth it. He is extemely vulnerable and decks like aristocrats had lots of early aggression and generally used Blood Artist for the final push. This deck doesn't have much early aggression- and woul rely on Cutthroat sticking around while you sacrifice guys a couple at a time over multiple turns. At that point it just seems like it would be better as something more directly impactful, especially that against the decks where you want the life gain the most, they will most assuredly have shock effects that your deck would otherwise effectively blank as decent removal- you're just turning those shocks into good cards.
Playing Hangarback for 0 to flip liliana is beyond awful- you just wasted a creature to be able to get creatures back from the yard?
You really don't have a tun of ways to sacrifice creatures at instant speed outside of scions. The only cheap ones are Nantuko Husk (which is pretty bad in a format full of creatures and removal) and Evolutionary Leap (which is dead in multiples so you won't want to run a full set).
Call the Scions wouldn't be playable on its own- but the extreme synergy with Abominaion puts it over the top. It is just good enough without Abomination to be serviceable, especially with the other potential synergies- it ends up giving you lots of options.
Smothering Abomination plus scion makers seems like it will be amazing. You can sacrfice your scions even the turn you play him if they have removal and draw a card for each one- you can put the colorless mana to good use with the Hangarbacka that you will want to run anyway. I think the main scion makers you want are Catacomb Sifter (him plus abomination is great letting you scry before every draw), Call the Scions, Blisterpod (or potentially Thrall if there's a lot of two toughness guys you want to block), with a couple Brood Butcher.
The deck would give you lots of options as you can use the scions to jump the curve on mana, or plenty of other things.
Zulaport Cutthroat is actually worse than Blood Artist- since it doesn't trigger on opponent's creatures. I actually don't think this deck would want Cutthroats- since even though you will be sacrificing a lot of tokens- you don't have a large amount of early pressure, so the damage from Cutthroat won't be sealing the game right away. Blood Artist was used in decks like the Aristocrats for the final push of damage. Like you would attack them down to low enough that them wiping your board would kill them or sac all your dudes for lethal. In this potential deck Cutthroat would be pinging them for 2 or 3 here and there which I really don't think is worth it. Decks where you would really want the life gain should be able to kill it with ease.
I think the best additional sac outlet is Evolutionary Leap. With so many cards bringing a scion with them, you can end up creating immense card advantage just sacking scions and thopters to get whole new creatures.
I see this deck functioning very much like the old old school rock decks with phyrexian plaguelord and hermit Druid. Even have a plaguelord replacement in Brood Butcher. Lots of grindy card advantage. Greenwarden of Murassa should be great here with the extra mana coming from scions. I think the black edict land will also be a great addition as an amazing way to deal with Ojutai.
People I think are really underestimating the Abomination. It can provide an absurd amount of card draw, and already has nice stats and evasion- especially with Lightning Strike and Bile Blight leaving.
DarklingScribe - you could run a 2nd Tasigur but you would want to drop a Murderous Cut if you did because you don't want too much delve since it can take away from Corpseweft. Icebreakers is just not a good card. 4 copies of Sidisi is never an issue as it's the card you most want to draw early and she dies relatively easy. With Corpseweft in play it can even be worth it to cast the second one just to get creatures in the yard and the zombie token- it's rare tho that the first one doesn't die anyway- in combat if nothing else. Nyx Weaver also isn't that great on its own- it is synergistic with Sidisi and Corpseweft- but I havnt really had any trouble fueling it between Wayfinder, Sidisi, and just creatures dying on their own- and would rather run cards that carry their weight without help. Yo would have to cut Deathdealers or Silumgars for it and both of those cards are capable of winning the game- where Weaver is pretty much never going to be better than mediocre.
The 3rd Corpseweft is in the board for more controlling/attrition based matchups. I don't think you want the 3rd MB because the second copy doesn't do anything and vs some decks (like red deck wins) the game pretty much gets decided before you would ever even play it. There are also the 2 Undead Viziers to tutor for it- I havnt really ever had trouble finding it once I need it. The 3rd copy in the board tho is definitely needed for Esper and Abzan control where it is so clutch and will win the game on its own. But vs faster decks drawing too many could definitely be a liability.
Tself55 - There is no Urborg because you need at least 2 basic swamps for the Polluted Delta and Evolving Wilds, and you want the other black sources to produce other colors to meet your mana requirements. Not once have I regretted not having Urborg- with Sylvan Caryatid there are 21 black sources and Satyr Wayfinder helps you find them as well. It isn't like you need all the lands to produce black- you most often won't ever need more than BB in a single turn anyway.
Meecht - I have taken your advice and added Torrent Elemental to the main. While I believe Herald of Tormenf is better in most matchups, when Torrent Elemental is good it's a slam dunk- so I came to the conclusion having the silver bullet main is better than the overall more solid card since it is a 1x that can be tutored for and it then frees up a sideboard slot.
So MB the change is -1 Herald of Torment, +1 Torrent Elemental.
And in the SB -1 Torrent Elemental, +1 Duress
Torrent Elemntal is lackluster vs the two most played archtypes (Esper and Red). The reanimation is just not necessary with the amount of bodies Corpseweft provides late game. It's just redundant. He is only really wanted in matchups where you want to stop them from blocking which is mostly just the green devotion decks and anything with Hornet Queen/Hornet Nest. If these decks become more prevelant he will get the nod mb. It's possibls that he is necessary enough in these matchups to warrant mb inclusion but Elsewhere he is just overcosted a lot of the time. If you test the deck and see what Corpseweft is capable of you'll see it is not at all like the classic Whip decks and vs most decks he is just win-more, where early game threats and interaction are just more important. Corpseweft really gives you just about the best late-game out there- so more of the same just isn't needed mb.
If you are set on playing him the best cut is the Herald of Torment, as they serve a similar function, but through testing I have come to prefer Herald for the pseudo haste and option to be played turn 3, which can be important against the red decks as a blocker. When played for the same mana cost, Herald also comes back for free without having to exile him first- which is important because the deck is relatively mana hungry.
While this deck is very similar to Sultai Whip, the change from Whip of Erebos to Corpseweft fundamentally changes the direction of the deck. The big mana haymakers like Hornet Queen are no longer necessary as Corpseweft gets just as much gas from a lowly Satyr Wayfinder as it does any 7 drop. This lets you lower the curve and run more early pressure, such as Rakshasa Deathdealer, making you more able to seize the initiative against decks like Esper Dragons. Corpseweft also gives you a leg up on enchantment removal such as Dromoka's Command, since you will be unlikely to activate Whip the turn you cast it, where with Corpseweft you will be able to make at least one large creature in response to them destroying your enchantment.
The large presence of this archtype is probably the strogest reason to play Sultai Corpseweft. The matchup often comes down to one thing and one thing only: resolve a Corpeseweft. I have tested this matchup extensively, and things have to go very wrong for you for Esper to beat an active Corpseweft. It is just nearly impossible for them to beat a seemingly infinite supply of endstep 4/4s. Their only real hopes to beat Corpseweft are an early Ojutai that they are able to protect for long enough to kill you or a perfectly timed Ugin. Deathdealer is great here because they have very few ways to get around regeneration, and with enough mana he can attack through any of their blockers and swing for large chunks of damage. Thoughtseize is great here for obvious reasons.
Here you pretty much want to gum up the ground, trade as much as possible, and kill Fleecemand Lions on sight. Later on the goal is to gain control of the board with Dragonlord Silumgar after you have exhausted their removal or get Corpseweft online. Corpseweft will beat any ground assault if given the small window of time it needs to do its thing. Herald of Torment can be great here to provide evasion to Sidisi to swing for large chunks in the air while you produce 2/2 chump blockers to win the race.
SB Guide
+2 Ashiok, + 2 Bile Blight
-2 Sultai Charm, -1 Thoughtseize, -1 Rakshasa Deathdealer
The argument could be made here to leave in the Thoughtseize to strip removal or Rhinos. I guess you would shave more Deathdealer as they are somewhat of a liability against Abzan Charm. You could also argue against Bile Blight as it has limited scope here, but you really want extra removal for the Lions so you can save Downfalls and Cuts for Rhinos and Anenza. Bile Blight is also good here as a combat trick as long as you don't they can blow you out with removal.
RED AGGRO/ REDgreen AGGRO
Mainboard MVPs
Courser of Kruphix
Sidisi, Brood Tyrant
Satyr Wayfinder
Game one is really tough here. Wayfinder can trade with many of their attackers while while making sure you hit your land drops, and Sidisi can make multiple bodies to stop them from winning from going wide. Courser is obviously great here to block and gain life. Don't be afraid to use your Deathdealers to trade with an attacker early get much better games 2 and 3 when you gain Bile Blight and Minister of pain to deal with early threats or token hordes.
SB Guide
+4 Bile Blight, +2 Minister of Pain
-3 Thoughtseize, -2 Deagonlord Silumgar, -1 Corpseweft
If you suspect anthem effects add the 2 Reclamation Sage with potential cuts being Corpseweft, Herald of Torment, and Sidisi, Undead Vizier.
Their Seige Rhinos are a lot less threatening than the aggro version as they aren't spreading your removal as thin. Undead Vizier is great here as he tangles favorably with all of their creatures while searching out whatever answer or threat you may need. Being able to steal an Elspeth or Rhino with Silumgar can be absurd, and he has a better chance of sticking than you would first believe since you present them with so many must-answer threats. Corpseweft should easily outpace them late game.
SB Guide
+1 Corpseweft, +2 Disdainful Stroke
-1 Rakshasa Deathdealer, -2 Sultai Charm
Bringing in the 4th Thoughtseize for a Courser, Deathdealer, or Caryatid would also be reasonable.
All the large fliers can be tough to deal with if you have a removal light draw, but Silumgar is s huge trump here as Crater's Claws is their only out to it.
SB Guide
- 2 Rakshasa Deathdealer
+2 Disdainful Stroke
Adding Ashiok over 2 Thoughtseize is an option, but I would rather be able to strip their Crater's Claws to take over the game with Silumgar. You would just remove some creatures for the Ashioks, but you need to keep the creature count high for Sidisi and Corpseweft
GREENwhite DEVOTION
Mainboard MVPs
Dragonlord Silumgar
Sultai Charm
Herald of Torment
Whisperwood Elemental can take over the game easily if you don't have an answer for it, as can Drokoma. Dragonlord Silumgar is great here since it is very hard for them to answer. Herald of Torment is great since they have a hard time dealing with fliers. Game 2 and 3 get much easier since you gain more enchantment removal and Torrent Elemental to stop them from blocking. Since the board gets so gummed up the games usually come down to either deck's signature enchantment taking over the game- unles you find your Torrent Elemental which completely changes the dynamic of the game.
SB Guide
+1 Torrent Elemntal, +2 Reclamation Sage, +2 Disdainful Stroke, +1 Minister of Pain, +1 Corpseweft
-1 Courser of Kruphix, -1 Herald of Torment, -3 Rakshasa Deathdealer, -2 Thoughtseize
If they run lots of Hornet Queen it's a safe bet to add the second Minister or a Bile Blight. Possibly correct to leave in more Thoughtseize- but don't know what else to remove- have not tested this matchup too extensively- but it has seemed in our favor so far- tho the sample size is too limited to be sure.
While I wouldn't run either I think that Ascendency is much better than Siege in a deck like this.
The deck has 17/23 green sources in the lands and 4 caryatid. 1x Arbor Colossus isn't really a strain on the mana at all.
I made the switch of the mb Command for the sb Downfall. Right now I have a 2nd Minister of Pain in the board, tho it may become Feed the Clan.
Earlier today I was able to Silumgar an Ashiok vs Sultai Control with 7 counters and a rack of creatures exiled. That was a damn good feeling. Dragonord Silumgar is the nuts.
I think Herald of Torment seems better than Strike Leader. Herald also can provide multiple bodies (sort of) except you still get the extra advantage from him if the creature immediately eats removal. He has evasion, where Strike Leader is somewhat anemic and won't be able to get through vs a lot of opponents. Also is great with the small lifelink guys in the same way Siege is except more so since he provides evasion. Herald on lifelink creatures will win a lot of races. He is also great with Brimaz, putting him in the air with 7 toughness so you can keep churning out tokens and block anything and still live.
I think Ascendency is a great card, just don't think it would be great mb here as you really don't want to spend the time to cast it vs aggressive decks. You could put it in the board, but I tend to think SB slots should address specific problems or be very high impact vs certain strategies- which Ascendency doesn't do. I wouldn't fault anyone for running 1 or 2 copies and it may be worth trying since it does work so well with Corpseweft and Sidisi. With red decks so popular right now tho I don't think now is the time for it- I would like that not to be the case becauss I really like the card.
I have updated the original post to show the current build that I am running.
I have added an Arbor Colossus to the board since the card is just so absurd against GR dragons- stopping everything they do - being unanswerable outside of a big Crater's Claws. The help would definitely be appreciated since we are somewhat soft to fliers. It is also just a solid big beater that you can bring in in place of something like Reclamation Sage against opponent's who lack targets for it. It is good to have creatures in the board that provide utility, since you don't want to side out too many creatures for non-creature spells because of Sidisi and Corpseweft. This is also the reason for Minister of Pain over the 4th Bile Blight- which could prove even better vs mono red, potentially wiping most of if not all of their board. I could see Minister potentially moving up to 2 copies. I am also considering a copy of Feed the Clan in the board to tutor for, considering with ferocious it pretty much just ends the game vs mono red. More testing is in order to see if it is necessary, but I suppose to make room I would cut the Brain Maggot from the main and move either a Downfall or Ashiok to the mb out of the side. Either that or replace the mb command with Downfall and take the downfall out of the board. Command can be awesome to tutor for, but Downfall is usually a better natural draw.
Whisperwood could definitely fit- but I. Have no idea what you would replace it with. Sidisi is generally superior in this deck, and I definitely wouldn't drop Silumgar- and you don't want to be too top heavy. Plus he is strongest in places where this deck already shines. Corpseweft does s much better job of fighting through attrition. Maybe in the board tho he could work.
Sultai Ascndency could potentially fit - but it is really slow vs aggressive decks. Like Whisperwood only seems good in matchups that are already in your favor. It can also be a liability- using 3 mana and not effecting the board.
It isn't really that Corpsweft is the default tutor for, just that you are more likely to search for it than any other given card. For instance I tend to search for Silumgar about as much, with his Command being something that is often searched for as well. It is just that having access to the tutor lets me only run two, so I can draw it naturally a reasonable amount of time and tutor for it if I don't- without risking drawing multiple copies that would otherwise be dead. You really don't want dead cards with such a grindy deck. Though seeing how prevelant Dromoka's Command is- I could see adding the 3rd mb- tho you're never going to cast it without being able to immediately use it either way. The deck is also plenty capable of winning without ever seeing Corpseweft- it's not like it is all in on the card. An army from Sidisi backed up by some pinpoint discard and a Silumgar is often enough.
Also having a default tutor for doesn't really make the card less good- you still have the option to get other stuff as needed- and if it said "search your library for a card name Corpsweft" I would still run it. You're still trading away a near useless card for it- and it still lets me get away with running less copies of Weft- thereby increasing the creature count and decreasing potential dead draws.
After more extensive testing I have to mention how absurdly strong the matchup vs Ux control is. They just cannot keep up with Corpseweft. Their only hope is Elspeth- which we have plenty of ways to deal with if they even run it. The 3rd copy always comes in vs them, regardless of if they have ways to remove it or not. If they have lots of counters the strategy is almost always to bait their counters until you can sneak in a Corpseweft and just quickly end the game from there. I've had them side in the all tokens get -2/-2 card vs me a lot- and that barely ends up slowing Corpseweft down. It's just crazy to have one card that gives you a stream of beaters for very little mana and in their end step.
I definitely think the Corpseweft version has more game vs green devotion, Ux control, abzan control, and the pseudo mirror- while the Whip version is better against stuff like abzan aggro, RG Dragons, and tokens.
it isnt really- you're just as likely to naturally draw corpseweft as you are Vizier. And with 2 copies you're more likely to draw it naturally than not in a game of reasonable length. You also don't really want it in your starting 7. I do see your point with 1x Torrent, but wonder how often you would actually want to tutor for it. I giess just gotta test and see.
R4a9s - The backup copy of Corpseweft for if they have enchant removal is in the board. It is a dead card in multiples so you don't ever want more than 1. It is also entirely unecessary to win, both sidisis and especially Dragonlord Silumgar pull plenty weight. Torrent Elemental is great in some matchups but it is pretty slow and the recursive part of it isn't even that necessary since Corpseweft makes zombies out of any creature. I admit I overlooked him but I definitely don't think he is needed mb. There's no need to tap down blockers in most matchups where you are just overwhelming them on the board. So, I would rather mb something that helps me get to my late game, instead of something that lets me be stronger once I already have. I will probably try 1x Tasigur main, as you are right that all the shaft I don't want to bring back is creatures so Corpseweft helps there. He still comes down early so could easily replace a Maggot or Deathdealer.
Chainedtotherock - Exectutioner was only usually good vs Ux control- I thought the pump and to all zombies would be better in other matchups than it turned out to be. The problem was that since he couldn't block- he really just served as a 4 mana anthem to just some of my creatures since you really want to halt damage until you can overwhelm them. I stl think he's feasible in the side 100percent- as of know I just feel like other options are more necessary.
I originally had a Crux in the side, I think tho going forward that Torrent Elemental will be the better SB slot for green devotion- since you can just make huge unblockable zombies and not even worry about their board. Plus you can always make bigger blockers than their attackers, so I havnt found crux necessary.
Caesarion - raptor is great but only with other morphs (which you have in your list). Your list seems to be lacking any really worthwhile whip targets tho- I would definitely switch to Corpseweft- which is basically the whole point of this thread anyway.
Peterforrence - I have had absolutely no trouble having plenty of fodder for Corpseweft- creatures do die without milling- especially stuff like Wayfinders so that is always helping too.
Vampiric Rights seems terrible especially with nothing to abuse the life gain trigger which seems it's purpose.
I really don't think you will be sacrificing enough creatures in a small enough time window for Cutthroat to be worth it. He is extemely vulnerable and decks like aristocrats had lots of early aggression and generally used Blood Artist for the final push. This deck doesn't have much early aggression- and woul rely on Cutthroat sticking around while you sacrifice guys a couple at a time over multiple turns. At that point it just seems like it would be better as something more directly impactful, especially that against the decks where you want the life gain the most, they will most assuredly have shock effects that your deck would otherwise effectively blank as decent removal- you're just turning those shocks into good cards.
You really don't have a tun of ways to sacrifice creatures at instant speed outside of scions. The only cheap ones are Nantuko Husk (which is pretty bad in a format full of creatures and removal) and Evolutionary Leap (which is dead in multiples so you won't want to run a full set).
Call the Scions wouldn't be playable on its own- but the extreme synergy with Abominaion puts it over the top. It is just good enough without Abomination to be serviceable, especially with the other potential synergies- it ends up giving you lots of options.
The deck would give you lots of options as you can use the scions to jump the curve on mana, or plenty of other things.
Zulaport Cutthroat is actually worse than Blood Artist- since it doesn't trigger on opponent's creatures. I actually don't think this deck would want Cutthroats- since even though you will be sacrificing a lot of tokens- you don't have a large amount of early pressure, so the damage from Cutthroat won't be sealing the game right away. Blood Artist was used in decks like the Aristocrats for the final push of damage. Like you would attack them down to low enough that them wiping your board would kill them or sac all your dudes for lethal. In this potential deck Cutthroat would be pinging them for 2 or 3 here and there which I really don't think is worth it. Decks where you would really want the life gain should be able to kill it with ease.
I think the best additional sac outlet is Evolutionary Leap. With so many cards bringing a scion with them, you can end up creating immense card advantage just sacking scions and thopters to get whole new creatures.
I see this deck functioning very much like the old old school rock decks with phyrexian plaguelord and hermit Druid. Even have a plaguelord replacement in Brood Butcher. Lots of grindy card advantage. Greenwarden of Murassa should be great here with the extra mana coming from scions. I think the black edict land will also be a great addition as an amazing way to deal with Ojutai.
People I think are really underestimating the Abomination. It can provide an absurd amount of card draw, and already has nice stats and evasion- especially with Lightning Strike and Bile Blight leaving.
The 3rd Corpseweft is in the board for more controlling/attrition based matchups. I don't think you want the 3rd MB because the second copy doesn't do anything and vs some decks (like red deck wins) the game pretty much gets decided before you would ever even play it. There are also the 2 Undead Viziers to tutor for it- I havnt really ever had trouble finding it once I need it. The 3rd copy in the board tho is definitely needed for Esper and Abzan control where it is so clutch and will win the game on its own. But vs faster decks drawing too many could definitely be a liability.
Tself55 - There is no Urborg because you need at least 2 basic swamps for the Polluted Delta and Evolving Wilds, and you want the other black sources to produce other colors to meet your mana requirements. Not once have I regretted not having Urborg- with Sylvan Caryatid there are 21 black sources and Satyr Wayfinder helps you find them as well. It isn't like you need all the lands to produce black- you most often won't ever need more than BB in a single turn anyway.
Meecht - I have taken your advice and added Torrent Elemental to the main. While I believe Herald of Tormenf is better in most matchups, when Torrent Elemental is good it's a slam dunk- so I came to the conclusion having the silver bullet main is better than the overall more solid card since it is a 1x that can be tutored for and it then frees up a sideboard slot.
So MB the change is -1 Herald of Torment, +1 Torrent Elemental.
And in the SB -1 Torrent Elemental, +1 Duress
If you are set on playing him the best cut is the Herald of Torment, as they serve a similar function, but through testing I have come to prefer Herald for the pseudo haste and option to be played turn 3, which can be important against the red decks as a blocker. When played for the same mana cost, Herald also comes back for free without having to exile him first- which is important because the deck is relatively mana hungry.
4 Satyr Wayfinder
3 Rakshasa Deathdealer
4 Courser of Kruphix
1 Herald of Torment
4 Sidisi, Brood Tyrant
2 Sidisi, Undead Vizier
2 Dragonlord Silumgar
1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
3 Thoughtseize
3 Murderous Cut
2 Hero's Downfall
2 Sultai Charm
2 Corpseweft
2 Temple of Malady
1 Temple of Mystery
2 Evolving Wilds
3 Polluted Delta
4 Llanowar Wastes
2 Yavimaya Coast
2 Forest
2 Swamp
1 Island
1 Corpseweft
4 Bile Blight
2 Minister of Pain
1 Thoughtseize
2 Disdainful Stroke
2 Reclamation Sage
1 Torrent Elemental
2 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
While this deck is very similar to Sultai Whip, the change from Whip of Erebos to Corpseweft fundamentally changes the direction of the deck. The big mana haymakers like Hornet Queen are no longer necessary as Corpseweft gets just as much gas from a lowly Satyr Wayfinder as it does any 7 drop. This lets you lower the curve and run more early pressure, such as Rakshasa Deathdealer, making you more able to seize the initiative against decks like Esper Dragons. Corpseweft also gives you a leg up on enchantment removal such as Dromoka's Command, since you will be unlikely to activate Whip the turn you cast it, where with Corpseweft you will be able to make at least one large creature in response to them destroying your enchantment.
MATCHUP GUIDE
ESPER DRAGONS
Mainboard MVPs
Corpseweft
Thoughtseize
Rakshasa Deathdealer
The large presence of this archtype is probably the strogest reason to play Sultai Corpseweft. The matchup often comes down to one thing and one thing only: resolve a Corpeseweft. I have tested this matchup extensively, and things have to go very wrong for you for Esper to beat an active Corpseweft. It is just nearly impossible for them to beat a seemingly infinite supply of endstep 4/4s. Their only real hopes to beat Corpseweft are an early Ojutai that they are able to protect for long enough to kill you or a perfectly timed Ugin. Deathdealer is great here because they have very few ways to get around regeneration, and with enough mana he can attack through any of their blockers and swing for large chunks of damage. Thoughtseize is great here for obvious reasons.
SB Guide
+1 Corpseweft, +1 Thoughtseize, +2 Disdainful Stroke,
-2 Sultai Charm, -2 Murderous Cut
ABZAN AGGRO
Mainboard MVPs
Dragonlord Silumgar
Sidisi, Brood Tyrant
Corpseweft
Here you pretty much want to gum up the ground, trade as much as possible, and kill Fleecemand Lions on sight. Later on the goal is to gain control of the board with Dragonlord Silumgar after you have exhausted their removal or get Corpseweft online. Corpseweft will beat any ground assault if given the small window of time it needs to do its thing. Herald of Torment can be great here to provide evasion to Sidisi to swing for large chunks in the air while you produce 2/2 chump blockers to win the race.
SB Guide
+2 Ashiok, + 2 Bile Blight
-2 Sultai Charm, -1 Thoughtseize, -1 Rakshasa Deathdealer
The argument could be made here to leave in the Thoughtseize to strip removal or Rhinos. I guess you would shave more Deathdealer as they are somewhat of a liability against Abzan Charm. You could also argue against Bile Blight as it has limited scope here, but you really want extra removal for the Lions so you can save Downfalls and Cuts for Rhinos and Anenza. Bile Blight is also good here as a combat trick as long as you don't they can blow you out with removal.
RED AGGRO/ REDgreen AGGRO
Mainboard MVPs
Courser of Kruphix
Sidisi, Brood Tyrant
Satyr Wayfinder
Game one is really tough here. Wayfinder can trade with many of their attackers while while making sure you hit your land drops, and Sidisi can make multiple bodies to stop them from winning from going wide. Courser is obviously great here to block and gain life. Don't be afraid to use your Deathdealers to trade with an attacker early get much better games 2 and 3 when you gain Bile Blight and Minister of pain to deal with early threats or token hordes.
SB Guide
+4 Bile Blight, +2 Minister of Pain
-3 Thoughtseize, -2 Deagonlord Silumgar, -1 Corpseweft
If you suspect anthem effects add the 2 Reclamation Sage with potential cuts being Corpseweft, Herald of Torment, and Sidisi, Undead Vizier.
ABZAN CONTROL
Mainboard MVPs
Sidisi, Undead Vizier
Corpseweft
Dragonlord Silumgar
Their Seige Rhinos are a lot less threatening than the aggro version as they aren't spreading your removal as thin. Undead Vizier is great here as he tangles favorably with all of their creatures while searching out whatever answer or threat you may need. Being able to steal an Elspeth or Rhino with Silumgar can be absurd, and he has a better chance of sticking than you would first believe since you present them with so many must-answer threats. Corpseweft should easily outpace them late game.
SB Guide
+1 Corpseweft, +2 Disdainful Stroke
-1 Rakshasa Deathdealer, -2 Sultai Charm
Bringing in the 4th Thoughtseize for a Courser, Deathdealer, or Caryatid would also be reasonable.
RED/GREEN DRAGONS
Mainboard MVPs
Dragonlord Silumgar
Murderous Cut
Hero's Downfall
All the large fliers can be tough to deal with if you have a removal light draw, but Silumgar is s huge trump here as Crater's Claws is their only out to it.
SB Guide
- 2 Rakshasa Deathdealer
+2 Disdainful Stroke
Adding Ashiok over 2 Thoughtseize is an option, but I would rather be able to strip their Crater's Claws to take over the game with Silumgar. You would just remove some creatures for the Ashioks, but you need to keep the creature count high for Sidisi and Corpseweft
GREENwhite DEVOTION
Mainboard MVPs
Dragonlord Silumgar
Sultai Charm
Herald of Torment
Whisperwood Elemental can take over the game easily if you don't have an answer for it, as can Drokoma. Dragonlord Silumgar is great here since it is very hard for them to answer. Herald of Torment is great since they have a hard time dealing with fliers. Game 2 and 3 get much easier since you gain more enchantment removal and Torrent Elemental to stop them from blocking. Since the board gets so gummed up the games usually come down to either deck's signature enchantment taking over the game- unles you find your Torrent Elemental which completely changes the dynamic of the game.
SB Guide
+2 Reclamation Sage, +1 Torrent Elemental, +2 Ashiok
-3 Thoughtseize, -1 Courser of Kruphix, -1 Rakshasa Deathdealer
SULTAI WHIP
SB Guide
+1 Torrent Elemntal, +2 Reclamation Sage, +2 Disdainful Stroke, +1 Minister of Pain, +1 Corpseweft
-1 Courser of Kruphix, -1 Herald of Torment, -3 Rakshasa Deathdealer, -2 Thoughtseize
If they run lots of Hornet Queen it's a safe bet to add the second Minister or a Bile Blight. Possibly correct to leave in more Thoughtseize- but don't know what else to remove- have not tested this matchup too extensively- but it has seemed in our favor so far- tho the sample size is too limited to be sure.
The deck has 17/23 green sources in the lands and 4 caryatid. 1x Arbor Colossus isn't really a strain on the mana at all.
I made the switch of the mb Command for the sb Downfall. Right now I have a 2nd Minister of Pain in the board, tho it may become Feed the Clan.
Earlier today I was able to Silumgar an Ashiok vs Sultai Control with 7 counters and a rack of creatures exiled. That was a damn good feeling. Dragonord Silumgar is the nuts.
I have updated the original post to show the current build that I am running.
I have added an Arbor Colossus to the board since the card is just so absurd against GR dragons- stopping everything they do - being unanswerable outside of a big Crater's Claws. The help would definitely be appreciated since we are somewhat soft to fliers. It is also just a solid big beater that you can bring in in place of something like Reclamation Sage against opponent's who lack targets for it. It is good to have creatures in the board that provide utility, since you don't want to side out too many creatures for non-creature spells because of Sidisi and Corpseweft. This is also the reason for Minister of Pain over the 4th Bile Blight- which could prove even better vs mono red, potentially wiping most of if not all of their board. I could see Minister potentially moving up to 2 copies. I am also considering a copy of Feed the Clan in the board to tutor for, considering with ferocious it pretty much just ends the game vs mono red. More testing is in order to see if it is necessary, but I suppose to make room I would cut the Brain Maggot from the main and move either a Downfall or Ashiok to the mb out of the side. Either that or replace the mb command with Downfall and take the downfall out of the board. Command can be awesome to tutor for, but Downfall is usually a better natural draw.
Sultai Ascndency could potentially fit - but it is really slow vs aggressive decks. Like Whisperwood only seems good in matchups that are already in your favor. It can also be a liability- using 3 mana and not effecting the board.
Also having a default tutor for doesn't really make the card less good- you still have the option to get other stuff as needed- and if it said "search your library for a card name Corpsweft" I would still run it. You're still trading away a near useless card for it- and it still lets me get away with running less copies of Weft- thereby increasing the creature count and decreasing potential dead draws.
After more extensive testing I have to mention how absurdly strong the matchup vs Ux control is. They just cannot keep up with Corpseweft. Their only hope is Elspeth- which we have plenty of ways to deal with if they even run it. The 3rd copy always comes in vs them, regardless of if they have ways to remove it or not. If they have lots of counters the strategy is almost always to bait their counters until you can sneak in a Corpseweft and just quickly end the game from there. I've had them side in the all tokens get -2/-2 card vs me a lot- and that barely ends up slowing Corpseweft down. It's just crazy to have one card that gives you a stream of beaters for very little mana and in their end step.
Chainedtotherock - Exectutioner was only usually good vs Ux control- I thought the pump and to all zombies would be better in other matchups than it turned out to be. The problem was that since he couldn't block- he really just served as a 4 mana anthem to just some of my creatures since you really want to halt damage until you can overwhelm them. I stl think he's feasible in the side 100percent- as of know I just feel like other options are more necessary.
I originally had a Crux in the side, I think tho going forward that Torrent Elemental will be the better SB slot for green devotion- since you can just make huge unblockable zombies and not even worry about their board. Plus you can always make bigger blockers than their attackers, so I havnt found crux necessary.
Caesarion - raptor is great but only with other morphs (which you have in your list). Your list seems to be lacking any really worthwhile whip targets tho- I would definitely switch to Corpseweft- which is basically the whole point of this thread anyway.
Peterforrence - I have had absolutely no trouble having plenty of fodder for Corpseweft- creatures do die without milling- especially stuff like Wayfinders so that is always helping too.