This is my first deck creation post on MTGSalvation, so please bear with me if everything is not totally in order.
I have tinkered quite a bit with Golgari since the final spoilers came out and initially started with a pure midrange deck using a lot of removal spells. It didn't feel quite powerful enough though and was very vulnerable to aggressive decks like Stompy and Boros, which is why I wanted to try to lever all of the beautiful reanimation mechanics the new GRN set has provided us with.
Please feel free to comment on card choices or bring new ideas to the table. Thanks!
Many of the creatures are chosen either because of their ETB abilities or they graveyard-synergy abilities. ETB abilities are especially powerful with reanimation such as Journey to Eternity (JTE), e.g. a Ravenous Chupacabra or Plaguecrafter suddenly becomes a removal spell instead of simple creature when you can recur it every turn. Obviously, you want to enchant JTE on something with a powerful ETB ability, like Golgari Findbroker.
Also, we have don't have many playsets, except our engine, but a lot of different and versatile cards. This is because we want to fill our graveyard with as many different things as possible and then have the option to reanimate whatever we need in any given situation.
Stitcher's Supplier + Glowspore Shaman: No explanation needed I guess. Fills our graveyard and provides chump-blockers/pressure for early stages of the game.
Dusk Legion Zealot: Provides us with another nice 2-drop and can provide value late game when reanimating.
Ravenous Chupacabra: As I mentioned before, this card becomes crazy when you can sac it and recur it every turn. In combination with Vraska, Golgari Queen this is just too good to pass up on. Might have to run two instead of one.
Plaguecrafter: This card can hit evasive creatures with hexproof, flying or indestructible. Very flexible and insane synergy with our reanimation spells.
Golgari Findbroker: The engine of the deck together with the graveyard fillers. Brings back our important creatures and works wonders with JET, as it gets to trigger twice. Just insane. You can also target another Golgari Findbroker in the graveyard and start a nice value chain.
Poison-Tip Archer: I am still testing this card out, but I believe that I can significantly slow down opponents with aggressive and evasive creatures like Nightveil Predator or Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice. The -1 life to opponents when something dies also fits nicely into our sacrifice sub-theme.
Underrealm Lich: A powerhouse of a card. Good body, fills our graveyard and lets us sort of draw the way we want it. Provides a good clock and an insane blocker (you can activate the ability even though Underrealm Lich is tapped). Nuts? Yes. Provides for some nice combat tricks.
Doom Whisperer: This card is too good not to play. 6/6 flying, trample for 5 CMC? AND you get to instant tutor with the Surveil ability. You can activate this if a removal spell targets Doom Whisperer and use his ability before he dies.
Izoni, Thousand-Eyed: Haven’t had the pleasure of using this yet. It might be insanely good, but it might also be mediocre and situational. Don’t know yet, but worth testing.
Instants
Necrotic Wound: The new Fatal Push of Standard, at least in a graveyard deck as ours. Very good and we need some removal to stay alive until midge.
Mausoleum Secrets: Instant tutor, that basically lets us tutor every card in our deck at any point in the game after turn 2-3. Can be used to find situational removal like Assassin’s Trophy, Plaguecrafter or useful sideboard cards.
Assassin’s Trophy: You all know this. I am only running 2-of, however, because if used too early, it will ramp the opponent too much, and I would rather have cheap removal like Necrotic Wound earlier on. And, we also have plenty of removal already with Plaguecrafter, Ravenous Chupacabra and Vraska, Golgari Queen.
Enchantments
Journey to Eternity: This card, in this deck. Wow. Just get it on a creature with ETB or even a Stitcher’s Supplier and you are good to go. When it is transformed, you get to instantly put a creature from the graveyard to the battlefield for 5 CMC, which is not a lot in a deck with 24 lands. This is so much fun to play and has synergies with many cards in the deck, including Vraska, Golgari Queen and all of the ETB triggers.
Planeswalkers
Vraska, Golgari Queen: A must-have in a deck like ours. Her +2 ability is basically free, as we have a lot of resources for reanimation + many of our creatures kinda of lose their value once they have entered the battlefield. Proves sustenance and card draw, and her -9 is game winning, especially if you have a Doom Whisperer on the board.
I am not going to give a complete explanation of the sideboard cards, as they are prone to change coming the actual GRN release and the fact that we don’t know what the meta will look like. However, I believe that the meta will be control/burn heavy with of course some creature decks, which is why I have boarded mainly against these two archetypes.
Alright, that was it I think. Please feel free to come with feedback guys and changes/ideas to the deck.
In my experience with journey you need more consistent ways to trigger it. Like brontodon or desecration demon. I use to play jund with siege gang. Recurring that was a win con itself
In my experience with journey you need more consistent ways to trigger it. Like brontodon or desecration demon. I use to play jund with siege gang. Recurring that was a win con itself
It is true that as of right now, the only reliable trigger for JET is Vraska. I haven't done enough testing to see, if I need more sac outlets, but I considered Thallid Soothsayer for drawing purposes and sac outlet. What you think? Brontodon is also an option, but maybe I would only use that if the meta proves to contain a lot of artifacts/enchantments.
Brontodon is just good because it's a solid body without the effect.
Hits azcanta and binding in uw/bant nexus.
Trades with steel leaf
Blocked everything in red and dodges lightning strike.
You can also run blood fast which won me a few games.
I think if you don't want brontodon then maxing out on plaguecrafter is probably the right move and might be enough with veaska. I'm also a fan of instant speed discard once JTE is online you can basically lock them out of their draw step.
I played everything up to 5 colour JTE (just because I enjoyed reanimating cataclysmic gearhulk every turn). Unfortunately most of what I used goes with rotation.
This list in really intriguing, as is Mausoleum Secrets! I feel like that card should be a 2 of at least (maybe even a 3 of!) then we can cut down on the non-creature cards cards like JTE, Vraska, and non-creature removal, (which, as much as I love Necrotic Wound, do we really need it with access to Plaguecrafter and Chupacabra?)
Other cards I'd consider main or side
Kraul Harpooner: This with 2 creatures in the yard kills a Lyra, kills the Resplendent Angel by itself.
Merfolk Branchwalker: I like this over the Zealot, it can draw you into lands as this deck seems like it would be mana hungry late game with a flipped JTE,
it can bin creatures for undergrowth or recursion and trade up/ block a Steel-Leaf if it gets a counter.
yea, i can see how that can be an issue if you are going all in on it. gaea's blessing can help get it back from the graveyard. and there are a few cards that search for cards out of the library.
I wouldn't go all in on the JTE plan if it was me. The card is to dependant on your opponent not being able to interact with it ever. With assassin's trophy and field of ruin being played in pretty much everything, you are going to have a hard time winning with it. It is a good secondary wincon, but i wouldn't build around it.
This is why I like reducing the number of JTE and increasing the Maus Secrets, You can go get an Trophy if you need to kill a Teferi, or if if the opp has used their likely 1-of Field of Ruin on a Memorial, you can search up the FTE. I don't see a way in BG to make non-creature permanents indestructible now that the green Ajani spell is rotating. So perhaps the Gaea's blessing in the side to save them from your GY is a possible loop, perhaps out of the board? Oooh that reminds me, we still have access to Mastermind's Acquisition! Perhaps we put a JTE in the board to protect it from Unmoored Ego
There is an army of midrange creatures in that deck that can win. I recommend something like bone dragon or doom whisperer as finishers. They are solid and hard as heck to handle quickly.
I posted some constructive ideas for BG midrange, however, i dont think it can stand up to boros in standard atm. 4x trophies aren't enough to hand the non-creature threats you need to handle. I think you have to splash a 3rd color to hedge your bets. Maybe blue (most likely blue) and use hadana's climb as well. kitesail freebooter should probably be in there somewhere too.
I'll gladly make up a list that is a little more standard/competitve minded than this. OP's list is fine, he will win games, but most tier decks will slaughter em. If you are wanting a deck to be 100% re animator tho, i dont think the cards are there yet.
I wanted to ask what you all thought about Desecrated Tomb as a niche card for a Golgari deck?
Benefits:
- Creates a 1/1 flying body anytime you return a creature from the graveyard to your hand, or to play (or exile if you are playing Troll). Good blockers, sac outlets, or pesky bodies for control to deal with.
- Creates 1/1 bats when opponents try and interact with our graveyard.
Cons:
- 3 mana artifact that doesn't do anything at all when entering the battlefield, easy to remove with a swath of removal options in the format.
- Slow/dead card vs. fast aggro.
Plan:
1-2 of in sideboard for mid-range and control match ups? Can come in game 2/3 to provide additional support for the deck in it's grindy game-plan and help offset their graveyard hate.
besides having to craft for copies of JTE, how can u get it in your hand in time before aggro kills you or control removes it? are there any cards that prevents control from removing JTE ( cause i think is the win condition of the deck)?
have mercy i'm new to the game
You will not always have it in your opening hand, but you can tutor it with Mausoleum Secrets or Golgari Findbroker, if JTE is in the graveyard. And yes, you are right, it is the win condition of the deck, but it is possible to win without, mainly through Doom Whisperer or an army of small creatures.
There is an army of midrange creatures in that deck that can win. I recommend something like bone dragon or doom whisperer as finishers. They are solid and hard as heck to handle quickly.
I posted some constructive ideas for BG midrange, however, i dont think it can stand up to boros in standard atm. 4x trophies aren't enough to hand the non-creature threats you need to handle. I think you have to splash a 3rd color to hedge your bets. Maybe blue (most likely blue) and use hadana's climb as well. kitesail freebooter should probably be in there somewhere too.
kraul harpooner
vraska, relic seeker
thrashing brontodon
these cards should be in here somewhere
I'll gladly make up a list that is a little more standard/competitve minded than this. OP's list is fine, he will win games, but most tier decks will slaughter em. If you are wanting a deck to be 100% re animator tho, i dont think the cards are there yet.
After testing some more, I agree that I don't think a deck that is 100% aimed at reanimating can stand in the new-to-be meta game. It is way too fast. So reducing the number of JTE from 4 to 2 or even 1 is probably the right thing.
Can you explain why you don't find these cards good?
And please, if you have some ideas for improving the list to go actual competitive, I would very much like to see it! I love playing Golgari and really want to make some results with it in the new Standard
My old JTE deck ran 5c (grixis splash GW) with 3 JTE main and 1 in side. 2 mastermind acquisition and then basically my entire side was 1 of silver bullets and reanimate targets (nerzahal, cataclysmic gearhulk, demon of dark schemes, hour of devastation, Chandra ToD, lost legacy etc..)
I think the deck is a lot weaker post rotation without champion of wits which was the only thing I ran 4 of.
It was a control deck with only 9/10 main deck creatures
You survive aggro with arguels blood fast moment of craving and veaska contempt
Like 70% of that is gone but the idea would be the same. Unfortunately noxious gearhulk was my main saviour vs aggro so that will be hard to replace
My old JTE deck ran 5c (grixis splash GW) with 3 JTE main and 1 in side. 2 mastermind acquisition and then basically my entire side was 1 of silver bullets and reanimate targets (nerzahal, cataclysmic gearhulk, demon of dark schemes, hour of devastation, Chandra ToD, lost legacy etc..)
I think the deck is a lot weaker post rotation without champion of wits which was the only thing I ran 4 of.
It was a control deck with only 9/10 main deck creatures
You survive aggro with arguels blood fast moment of craving and veaska contempt
Like 70% of that is gone but the idea would be the same. Unfortunately noxious gearhulk was my main saviour vs aggro so that will be hard to replace
Eldest reborn is excellent.
Yeah, maybe reanimator is not the way to go in this format (yet), but damn it is satisfying to play when you have your JTE Flipped and you just put big creatures on the battlefield!
I didn't go all-in on Stitcher's Supplier + Glowspore Shaman only playing 2x of the latter and 0x of the former because I kept the explore cards (Branchwalker + Jadelight) for milling purposes as they're better as standalone threats and also have Llanowar Elves to speed up this (otherwise rather) slow deck.
This is my first deck creation post on MTGSalvation, so please bear with me if everything is not totally in order.
I have tinkered quite a bit with Golgari since the final spoilers came out and initially started with a pure midrange deck using a lot of removal spells. It didn't feel quite powerful enough though and was very vulnerable to aggressive decks like Stompy and Boros, which is why I wanted to try to lever all of the beautiful reanimation mechanics the new GRN set has provided us with.
Please feel free to comment on card choices or bring new ideas to the table. Thanks!
4 Sticher's Suppliers
4 Glowspore Shaman
2 Dusk Legion Zealot
2 Plaguecrafter
1 Ravenous Chupacabra
4 Golgari Findbroker
2 Poison-Tip Archer
2 Underrealm Lich
2 Doom Whisperer
1 Izoni, Thousand-Eyed
2 Necrotic Wound
1 Mausoleum Secrets
2 Assassin's Trophy
Enchantments (4)
4 Journey to Eternity
Planeswalkers (3)
3 Vraska, Golgari Queen
Lands (24)
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Woodland Cemetery
5 Forest
1 Detection Tower
1 Field of Ruin
9 Swamp
2 Kitesail Freebooter
2 Divest
4 Duress
1 Assassin's Trophy
2 Carnage Tyrant
2 Ritual of Soot
2 Deadeye Tracker
General
Many of the creatures are chosen either because of their ETB abilities or they graveyard-synergy abilities. ETB abilities are especially powerful with reanimation such as Journey to Eternity (JTE), e.g. a Ravenous Chupacabra or Plaguecrafter suddenly becomes a removal spell instead of simple creature when you can recur it every turn. Obviously, you want to enchant JTE on something with a powerful ETB ability, like Golgari Findbroker.
Also, we have don't have many playsets, except our engine, but a lot of different and versatile cards. This is because we want to fill our graveyard with as many different things as possible and then have the option to reanimate whatever we need in any given situation.
Some of the cards are must-haves in the deck, such as the engine cards Stitcher's Supplier, Glowspore Shaman and Golgari Findbroker + some others. Other cards are "maybe"-cards and I am still testing out whether they belong in the deck, e.g. Poison-Tip Archer and Dusk Legion Zealot.
Card choices
Creatures
Stitcher's Supplier + Glowspore Shaman: No explanation needed I guess. Fills our graveyard and provides chump-blockers/pressure for early stages of the game.
Dusk Legion Zealot: Provides us with another nice 2-drop and can provide value late game when reanimating.
Ravenous Chupacabra: As I mentioned before, this card becomes crazy when you can sac it and recur it every turn. In combination with Vraska, Golgari Queen this is just too good to pass up on. Might have to run two instead of one.
Plaguecrafter: This card can hit evasive creatures with hexproof, flying or indestructible. Very flexible and insane synergy with our reanimation spells.
Golgari Findbroker: The engine of the deck together with the graveyard fillers. Brings back our important creatures and works wonders with JET, as it gets to trigger twice. Just insane. You can also target another Golgari Findbroker in the graveyard and start a nice value chain.
Poison-Tip Archer: I am still testing this card out, but I believe that I can significantly slow down opponents with aggressive and evasive creatures like Nightveil Predator or Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice. The -1 life to opponents when something dies also fits nicely into our sacrifice sub-theme.
Underrealm Lich: A powerhouse of a card. Good body, fills our graveyard and lets us sort of draw the way we want it. Provides a good clock and an insane blocker (you can activate the ability even though Underrealm Lich is tapped). Nuts? Yes. Provides for some nice combat tricks.
Doom Whisperer: This card is too good not to play. 6/6 flying, trample for 5 CMC? AND you get to instant tutor with the Surveil ability. You can activate this if a removal spell targets Doom Whisperer and use his ability before he dies.
Izoni, Thousand-Eyed: Haven’t had the pleasure of using this yet. It might be insanely good, but it might also be mediocre and situational. Don’t know yet, but worth testing.
Instants
Necrotic Wound: The new Fatal Push of Standard, at least in a graveyard deck as ours. Very good and we need some removal to stay alive until midge.
Mausoleum Secrets: Instant tutor, that basically lets us tutor every card in our deck at any point in the game after turn 2-3. Can be used to find situational removal like Assassin’s Trophy, Plaguecrafter or useful sideboard cards.
Assassin’s Trophy: You all know this. I am only running 2-of, however, because if used too early, it will ramp the opponent too much, and I would rather have cheap removal like Necrotic Wound earlier on. And, we also have plenty of removal already with Plaguecrafter, Ravenous Chupacabra and Vraska, Golgari Queen.
Enchantments
Journey to Eternity: This card, in this deck. Wow. Just get it on a creature with ETB or even a Stitcher’s Supplier and you are good to go. When it is transformed, you get to instantly put a creature from the graveyard to the battlefield for 5 CMC, which is not a lot in a deck with 24 lands. This is so much fun to play and has synergies with many cards in the deck, including Vraska, Golgari Queen and all of the ETB triggers.
Planeswalkers
Vraska, Golgari Queen: A must-have in a deck like ours. Her +2 ability is basically free, as we have a lot of resources for reanimation + many of our creatures kinda of lose their value once they have entered the battlefield. Proves sustenance and card draw, and her -9 is game winning, especially if you have a Doom Whisperer on the board.
Lands
Detection Tower: Am testing this, but I think it has value considering all of the hexproof creatures in the format, e.g. Nullhide Ferox, Vine Mare and Nightveil Specter.
Field of Ruin: 1-of, to kill nasty utility lands.
Sideboard
I am not going to give a complete explanation of the sideboard cards, as they are prone to change coming the actual GRN release and the fact that we don’t know what the meta will look like. However, I believe that the meta will be control/burn heavy with of course some creature decks, which is why I have boarded mainly against these two archetypes.
Alright, that was it I think. Please feel free to come with feedback guys and changes/ideas to the deck.
It is true that as of right now, the only reliable trigger for JET is Vraska. I haven't done enough testing to see, if I need more sac outlets, but I considered Thallid Soothsayer for drawing purposes and sac outlet. What you think? Brontodon is also an option, but maybe I would only use that if the meta proves to contain a lot of artifacts/enchantments.
Hits azcanta and binding in uw/bant nexus.
Trades with steel leaf
Blocked everything in red and dodges lightning strike.
You can also run blood fast which won me a few games.
I think if you don't want brontodon then maxing out on plaguecrafter is probably the right move and might be enough with veaska. I'm also a fan of instant speed discard once JTE is online you can basically lock them out of their draw step.
I played everything up to 5 colour JTE (just because I enjoyed reanimating cataclysmic gearhulk every turn). Unfortunately most of what I used goes with rotation.
this card will see a crap ton of play.
Other cards I'd consider main or side
Kraul Harpooner: This with 2 creatures in the yard kills a Lyra, kills the Resplendent Angel by itself.
Merfolk Branchwalker: I like this over the Zealot, it can draw you into lands as this deck seems like it would be mana hungry late game with a flipped JTE,
it can bin creatures for undergrowth or recursion and trade up/ block a Steel-Leaf if it gets a counter.
I wouldn't go all in on the JTE plan if it was me. The card is to dependant on your opponent not being able to interact with it ever. With assassin's trophy and field of ruin being played in pretty much everything, you are going to have a hard time winning with it. It is a good secondary wincon, but i wouldn't build around it.
I posted some constructive ideas for BG midrange, however, i dont think it can stand up to boros in standard atm. 4x trophies aren't enough to hand the non-creature threats you need to handle. I think you have to splash a 3rd color to hedge your bets. Maybe blue (most likely blue) and use hadana's climb as well. kitesail freebooter should probably be in there somewhere too.
golgari findbroker
underrealm lich
poison-tip archer
vraska, golgari queen
These cards aren't good.
kraul harpooner
vraska, relic seeker
thrashing brontodon
these cards should be in here somewhere
I'll gladly make up a list that is a little more standard/competitve minded than this. OP's list is fine, he will win games, but most tier decks will slaughter em. If you are wanting a deck to be 100% re animator tho, i dont think the cards are there yet.
There are several 3 power creatures and the mythic demon in the first list above.
Benefits:
- Creates a 1/1 flying body anytime you return a creature from the graveyard to your hand, or to play (or exile if you are playing Troll). Good blockers, sac outlets, or pesky bodies for control to deal with.
- Creates 1/1 bats when opponents try and interact with our graveyard.
Cons:
- 3 mana artifact that doesn't do anything at all when entering the battlefield, easy to remove with a swath of removal options in the format.
- Slow/dead card vs. fast aggro.
Plan:
1-2 of in sideboard for mid-range and control match ups? Can come in game 2/3 to provide additional support for the deck in it's grindy game-plan and help offset their graveyard hate.
You will not always have it in your opening hand, but you can tutor it with Mausoleum Secrets or Golgari Findbroker, if JTE is in the graveyard. And yes, you are right, it is the win condition of the deck, but it is possible to win without, mainly through Doom Whisperer or an army of small creatures.
After testing some more, I agree that I don't think a deck that is 100% aimed at reanimating can stand in the new-to-be meta game. It is way too fast. So reducing the number of JTE from 4 to 2 or even 1 is probably the right thing.
Can you explain why you don't find these cards good?
And please, if you have some ideas for improving the list to go actual competitive, I would very much like to see it! I love playing Golgari and really want to make some results with it in the new Standard
I think the deck is a lot weaker post rotation without champion of wits which was the only thing I ran 4 of.
It was a control deck with only 9/10 main deck creatures
You survive aggro with arguels blood fast moment of craving and veaska contempt
Like 70% of that is gone but the idea would be the same. Unfortunately noxious gearhulk was my main saviour vs aggro so that will be hard to replace
Eldest reborn is excellent.
Did you mind posting your ideas to improve the list, to make it more competitive viable?
Yeah, maybe reanimator is not the way to go in this format (yet), but damn it is satisfying to play when you have your JTE Flipped and you just put big creatures on the battlefield!
4x Llanowar Elves
4x Merfolk Branchwalker
2x Glowspore Shaman
4x Thrashing Brontodon
4x Jadelight Ranger
3x Plaguecrafter
2x Ravenous Chupacabra
1x Golgari Findbroker
1x Demonlord Belzenlok
4x Journey to Eternity
Planeswalker (2)
2x Vraska, Golgari Queen
Instant (4)
4x Assassin's Trophy
Land (25)
4x Overgrown Tomb
4x Woodland Cemetery
7x Forest
6x Swamp
4x Field of Ruin
2x Kitesail Freebooter
3x Deathgorge Scavenger
1x Ravenous Chupacabra
1x Vivien Reid
4x Duress
3x Vraska's Contempt
1x Golden Demise
I didn't go all-in on Stitcher's Supplier + Glowspore Shaman only playing 2x of the latter and 0x of the former because I kept the explore cards (Branchwalker + Jadelight) for milling purposes as they're better as standalone threats and also have Llanowar Elves to speed up this (otherwise rather) slow deck.