Why play Progenitus?
1. You like to ramp.
2. You have a lot of orphaned cards. Things you love, but don't fit in any other deck.
3. You EDH group likes to play big, flashy spells, and you want to have the biggest, flashiest spells since Emrakul, the Aeons Torn was banned.
Why not to play Progenitus?
1. Your opponents run mass-LD strategies. Most of my playgroup doesn't, but when I run into someone who does I switch decks. This deck is totally unplayable against mass-LD.
2. You like decks that don't rely totally on your commander. This deck needs Progenitus to win. The only other win con is generating 80 mana and using Legacy Weapon to exile everyone's permanents, but that is even trickier than tutoring for him and playing him again.
3. You have to win every game. Progenitus is not a tier 1 commander. He loses his fair share of games. Ramping up too slow, and having a few lands picked off by a Sylvan primordial can spell the end for this deck.
Deck History / About Me
I started playing EDH last summer, and have played Magic on and off (mostly off) since I was about 8 or 9. When I pulled a foil Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, my brother suggested I make an EDH deck with her. I had never heard of this format, but as luck would have it some of my friends had just recently started playing commander. 6 short months later, and I had 5 fairly well tuned decks, my most recent addition being my Karn, Silver Golem deck. Having completed a colorless deck, the next logical choice was to build a 5 colored deck. Since I grew up when the coolest and best Magic cards (at least to my 8 year old self) were things like Shivan Dragon and Keldon Warlord, I wanted my commander to be the biggest, baddest creature around. Progenitus was born.
At first, Progenitus was a planeswalker control deck, with Progenitus + Rafiq as the win con. But as my meta moved more into green and their decks became ramp heavy, with big flashy creatures, I decided to take the ramping up a notch, and see how quick I could get Progenitus out, while still doing all the other fun stuff I wanted.
Strategy
Part of the strategy is borne out of the aforementioned views on magic I had as a youth. That is, play big bigs and start swinging. Generally with this deck I want my opening hand to have as much ramp as possible, with 2-4 lands, and maybe a draw spell or genesis wave. I also won't reject a beseech the queen or other tutor, but I'm perfectly happy to take a hand consisting only of lands and ramp, and seeing what I top deck into. I know it's overrated, but this deck does thin itself out so much in the process of ramping and fixing that I get better than average top decks. Once Progenitus is out you go for an "infinite" attack phase combo, or just keep swinging with him while you play some defensive cards.
Q/A
Does this deck win?
Yes! In fact, I would say it is my "worst" deck, but probably wins most often for exactly that reason. People know I'm a threat once Progenitus is out, but since I'm just sitting there ramping, maybe helping them draw cards, people tend to leave me alone. Planeswalkers work as good shields, and I have some removal to deal commanders before they voltron out and kill me.
Cascaders: Some of you might notice a cascade subtheme in this deck. At one point this was going to be a Maelstrom Wanderer deck, but if I was gonna do cascade I wanted to use Maelstrom Nexus. These (and other cascade cards) remain in because I like the randomess aspect of cascade, and Maelstrom Wanderer gives him haste.
The Planeswalkers:
Planeswalkers takes hits while you ramp. They also have handy, reusable abilities. Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker is in here because he is epic, flashy, and pretty damn good removal. Garruk Wildspeaker is more ramp, as well as sometimes giving me useful chump blockers. Also in case I don't draw into something else to buff Progenitus, his ultimate is the difference between 3 swings for a kill and 2. Jace Beleren earns me friends and draws me cards. Sorin Markov dropping someone's life total to 10 makes Progenitus swing for lethal in one hit. Vraska the Unseen I'm on the fence about her. If I ever get another Karn Liberated he will replace her, but for now she works as decent removal.
Creatures (non-ramp): Rafiq of the Many Him + Progenitus = 1 hit kill Phyrexian removal One word: versatile Clone Not as versatile, but still great legend removal or general creature copy Maelstrom Wanderer Gives Progenitus haste, and has cascade. Avacyn, Angel of Hope Fills a whole left by Progenitus' protection from everything.
Enchantments Sterling Grove Protects and tutors for important mana doublers Spirit of Resistance If I can't drop something to win the turn I play Progenitus, this at least gives me a shot of staying alive once around the table Privileged Position Protects important permanents Nature's Will Mostly this exists to make an infinite attack phase combo with Aggravated Assault, but is also good on its own Mirari's Wake Mana ramp and make Progenitus kill in two swings instead of three? Swoosh! Mana Reflection Ramp ramp ramp Maelstrom Nexus See my section on cascade Future Sight No top to combo with it, so there are probably better card draw choices, but play-a-card draw-a-card is the most fun, and this doesn't work in any of my other decks Finest Hour One turn kill with Progenitus Copy Enchantment Copies mana doublers, but for extra fun and slightly less profit you can copy Maelstrom Nexus Collective Restraint People often forget to leave the mana open to pay for this, and it protects against tokens Aggravated Assault Combos with Nature's Will and good on its own Rites of Flourishing I just like this card. It's compact, it wins me friends, and since this is a pretty casual deck, I don't mind accelerating what everyone else is doing.
Sorceries Wargate Really great for tutoring my win-cons into play Violent Ultimatum This has been harder to cast since I took Joiner Adept out of the deck, but it's such an epic removal spell I haven't be able to take it out Urban Evolution Ramp and draw, all in one Terminus My favorite removal spell in the format. Rite of Replication I like copying things Increasing Ambition Tutor with flashback is handy, especially in longer games Genesis Wave This is almost a win-con in itself. I cast it for 15, and sometimes end up with nearly that much mana back from all the mana doubling enchantments and lands I get Gaea's Blessing This is mostly just anti-mill. Sadly, the one time it would have saved me I scooped because I got hit by a 40+ Mind Grind and forgot I put this in... Diabolic Tutor Can't rely totally on top decking... Conflux See above ^^ Plus it is big and flashy Beseech the Queen Yet another great tutor All Suns' Dawn GY recursion is handy Blue Sun's Zenith New addition. Have yet to actually play it. Beast Within Versatile removal Bituminous Blast Kills most commanders and has cascade Cyclonic Rift Asymmetrical instant speed board wipe? Yes please. Putrefy Versatile and prevents regeneration Terminate Less versatile but still goo spot removal Fist of Suns Makes my commander cost exactly one half less... Legacy Weapon Do you know what this is? Suppose it is a moon base. That's right. A moon base I can use to exile any permanent. And it costs all of 90 cents (get the original art so you can appreciate the moon though). Chromatic Lantern This card is great, but a huge target. Make sure you are still conscious of what lands you are tutoring for, in case this gets removed. Darksteel Ingot I don't like running artifact ramp in this deck (more about that later) but this is indestructible and taps for any color, so I allowed it Sol Ring Is it even an EDH deck without one of these? Gilded Lotus New addition. It's a good ramp piece.
I don't feel like going into all my ramp cards, as they are pretty self-explanatory. But please if you have suggestions let me know.
Why so little artifact ramp?
Both because green does the job well enough, and because I have two EDH decks Gisela, Blade of Goldnight and Karn, Silver Golem which already focus on this. Why make a third? Additionally, I like that lands are the hardest permanent to get rid of, and I don't have to rebuild my entire mana engine after a cyclonic rift.
That's my deck. First list posted. Constructive criticism very welcome (that includes spelling and formatting!)
Why play Progenitus?
1. You like to ramp.
2. You have a lot of orphaned cards. Things you love, but don't fit in any other deck.
3. You EDH group likes to play big, flashy spells, and you want to have the biggest, flashiest spells since Emrakul, the Aeons Torn was banned.
Why not to play Progenitus?
1. Your opponents run mass-LD strategies. Most of my playgroup doesn't, but when I run into someone who does I switch decks. This deck is totally unplayable against mass-LD.
2. You like decks that don't rely totally on your commander. This deck needs Progenitus to win. The only other win con is generating 80 mana and using Legacy Weapon to exile everyone's permanents, but that is even trickier than tutoring for him and playing him again.
3. You have to win every game. Progenitus is not a tier 1 commander. He loses his fair share of games. Ramping up too slow, and having a few lands picked off by a Sylvan primordial can spell the end for this deck.
Deck History / About Me
I started playing EDH last summer, and have played Magic on and off (mostly off) since I was about 8 or 9. When I pulled a foil Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, my brother suggested I make an EDH deck with her. I had never heard of this format, but as luck would have it some of my friends had just recently started playing commander. 6 short months later, and I had 5 fairly well tuned decks, my most recent addition being my Karn, Silver Golem deck. Having completed a colorless deck, the next logical choice was to build a 5 colored deck. Since I grew up when the coolest and best Magic cards (at least to my 8 year old self) were things like Shivan Dragon and Keldon Warlord, I wanted my commander to be the biggest, baddest creature around. Progenitus was born.
At first, Progenitus was a planeswalker control deck, with Progenitus + Rafiq as the win con. But as my meta moved more into green and their decks became ramp heavy, with big flashy creatures, I decided to take the ramping up a notch, and see how quick I could get Progenitus out, while still doing all the other fun stuff I wanted.
Strategy
Part of the strategy is borne out of the aforementioned views on magic I had as a youth. That is, play big bigs and start swinging. Generally with this deck I want my opening hand to have as much ramp as possible, with 2-4 lands, and maybe a draw spell or genesis wave. I also won't reject a beseech the queen or other tutor, but I'm perfectly happy to take a hand consisting only of lands and ramp, and seeing what I top deck into. I know it's overrated, but this deck does thin itself out so much in the process of ramping and fixing that I get better than average top decks. Once Progenitus is out you go for an "infinite" attack phase combo, or just keep swinging with him while you play some defensive cards.
Q/A
Does this deck win?
Yes! In fact, I would say it is my "worst" deck, but probably wins most often for exactly that reason. People know I'm a threat once Progenitus is out, but since I'm just sitting there ramping, maybe helping them draw cards, people tend to leave me alone. Planeswalkers work as good shields, and I have some removal to deal commanders before they voltron out and kill me.
Deck list
1x Bad River
1x Crumbling Necropolis
1x Dragonskull Summit
1x Drowned Catacomb
1x Exotic Orchard
1x Flood Plain
4x Forest
1x Hallowed Fountain
4x Island
1x Isolated Chapel
1x Jungle Shrine
3x Mountain
1x Overgrown Tomb
4x Plains
1x Rocky Tar Pit
1x Sacred Foundry
1x Savage Lands
1x Seaside Citadel
1x Steam Vents
1x Sunpetal Grove
3x Swamp
1x Temple Garden
1x Watery Grave
Artifacts
1x Chromatic Lantern
1x Darksteel Ingot
1x Fist of Suns
1x Legacy Weapon
1x Rings of Brighthearth
1x Gilded Lotus
1x Sol Ring
1x Beast Within
1x Bituminous Blast
1x Cyclonic Rift
1x Harrow
1x Putrefy
1x Terminate
1x Blue Sun's Zenith
Sorceries
1x All Suns' Dawn
1x Beseech the Queen
1x Boundless Realms
1x Conflux
1x Cultivate
1x Diabolic Tutor
1x Explosive Vegetation
1x Farseek
1x Gaea's Blessing
1x Search for Tomorrow
1x Genesis Wave
1x Increasing Ambition
1x Kodama's Reach
1x Nature's Lore
1x Rampant Growth
1x Reap and Sow
1x Rite of Replication
1x Skyshroud Claim
1x Terminus
1x Urban Evolution
1x Violent Ultimatum
1x Wargate
1x Aggravated Assault
1x Collective Restraint
1x Copy Enchantment
1x Finest Hour
1x Future Sight
1x Maelstrom Nexus
1x Mana Reflection
1x Mirari's Wake
1x Nature's Will
1x Privileged Position
1x Spirit of Resistance
1x Sterling Grove
1x Rites of Flourishing
Creature
1x Avacyn, Angel of Hope
1x Clone
1x Maelstrom Wanderer
1x Oracle of Mul Daya
1x Phyrexian Metamorph
1x Rafiq of the Many
1x Sakura-Tribe Elder
1x Solemn Simulacrum
1x Sylvan Primordial
1x Wood Elves
1x Yavimaya Dryad
Planeswalkers
1x Garruk Wildspeaker
1x Jace Beleren
1x Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
1x Sorin Markov
1x Vraska the Unseen
Why that card?
Cascaders: Some of you might notice a cascade subtheme in this deck. At one point this was going to be a Maelstrom Wanderer deck, but if I was gonna do cascade I wanted to use Maelstrom Nexus. These (and other cascade cards) remain in because I like the randomess aspect of cascade, and Maelstrom Wanderer gives him haste.
The Planeswalkers:
Planeswalkers takes hits while you ramp. They also have handy, reusable abilities.
Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker is in here because he is epic, flashy, and pretty damn good removal.
Garruk Wildspeaker is more ramp, as well as sometimes giving me useful chump blockers. Also in case I don't draw into something else to buff Progenitus, his ultimate is the difference between 3 swings for a kill and 2.
Jace Beleren earns me friends and draws me cards.
Sorin Markov dropping someone's life total to 10 makes Progenitus swing for lethal in one hit.
Vraska the Unseen I'm on the fence about her. If I ever get another Karn Liberated he will replace her, but for now she works as decent removal.
Creatures (non-ramp):
Rafiq of the Many Him + Progenitus = 1 hit kill
Phyrexian removal One word: versatile
Clone Not as versatile, but still great legend removal or general creature copy
Maelstrom Wanderer Gives Progenitus haste, and has cascade.
Avacyn, Angel of Hope Fills a whole left by Progenitus' protection from everything.
Enchantments
Sterling Grove Protects and tutors for important mana doublers
Spirit of Resistance If I can't drop something to win the turn I play Progenitus, this at least gives me a shot of staying alive once around the table
Privileged Position Protects important permanents
Nature's Will Mostly this exists to make an infinite attack phase combo with Aggravated Assault, but is also good on its own
Mirari's Wake Mana ramp and make Progenitus kill in two swings instead of three? Swoosh!
Mana Reflection Ramp ramp ramp
Maelstrom Nexus See my section on cascade
Future Sight No top to combo with it, so there are probably better card draw choices, but play-a-card draw-a-card is the most fun, and this doesn't work in any of my other decks
Finest Hour One turn kill with Progenitus
Copy Enchantment Copies mana doublers, but for extra fun and slightly less profit you can copy Maelstrom Nexus
Collective Restraint People often forget to leave the mana open to pay for this, and it protects against tokens
Aggravated Assault Combos with Nature's Will and good on its own
Rites of Flourishing I just like this card. It's compact, it wins me friends, and since this is a pretty casual deck, I don't mind accelerating what everyone else is doing.
Sorceries
Wargate Really great for tutoring my win-cons into play
Violent Ultimatum This has been harder to cast since I took Joiner Adept out of the deck, but it's such an epic removal spell I haven't be able to take it out
Urban Evolution Ramp and draw, all in one
Terminus My favorite removal spell in the format.
Rite of Replication I like copying things
Increasing Ambition Tutor with flashback is handy, especially in longer games
Genesis Wave This is almost a win-con in itself. I cast it for 15, and sometimes end up with nearly that much mana back from all the mana doubling enchantments and lands I get
Gaea's Blessing This is mostly just anti-mill. Sadly, the one time it would have saved me I scooped because I got hit by a 40+ Mind Grind and forgot I put this in...
Diabolic Tutor Can't rely totally on top decking...
Conflux See above ^^ Plus it is big and flashy
Beseech the Queen Yet another great tutor
All Suns' Dawn GY recursion is handy
Blue Sun's Zenith New addition. Have yet to actually play it.
Beast Within Versatile removal
Bituminous Blast Kills most commanders and has cascade
Cyclonic Rift Asymmetrical instant speed board wipe? Yes please.
Putrefy Versatile and prevents regeneration
Terminate Less versatile but still goo spot removal
Fist of Suns Makes my commander cost exactly one half less...
Legacy Weapon Do you know what this is? Suppose it is a moon base. That's right. A moon base I can use to exile any permanent. And it costs all of 90 cents (get the original art so you can appreciate the moon though).
Chromatic Lantern This card is great, but a huge target. Make sure you are still conscious of what lands you are tutoring for, in case this gets removed.
Darksteel Ingot I don't like running artifact ramp in this deck (more about that later) but this is indestructible and taps for any color, so I allowed it
Sol Ring Is it even an EDH deck without one of these?
Gilded Lotus New addition. It's a good ramp piece.
I don't feel like going into all my ramp cards, as they are pretty self-explanatory. But please if you have suggestions let me know.
Both because green does the job well enough, and because I have two EDH decks Gisela, Blade of Goldnight and Karn, Silver Golem which already focus on this. Why make a third? Additionally, I like that lands are the hardest permanent to get rid of, and I don't have to rebuild my entire mana engine after a cyclonic rift.
That's my deck. First list posted. Constructive criticism very welcome (that includes spelling and formatting!)