MTG Salvation

My Marchesa, the Black Rose deck was long overdue for an overhaul. The more I looked into and thought about infinite combos for this deck, the more I found. There isn't a complete deck list yet, but there are quite a few combos in it already. Please let me know if you have any more combos or good support cards for these combos in mind.


So, we have infinite sac/damage output combos up first:
Walking Ballista or Murderous Redcap or Triskelion+ Mikaeus, the unhallowed or Metallic Mimic+Sac. Outlet=Infinite damage
Then we can also go with Persist creature+Mikaeus or Metallic Mimic+Goblin Bombardment or (Sac. outlet+Blood artist)=Infinite damage
Same cards as above but with Viscera Seer out as the sac. outlet=Scry through your entire deck
Same cards but Ashnod's Altar instead of Viscera Seer=Infinite colorless mana+Exanguinate=steal everyone's life

Then we've got our "Make infinite haste creatures and attack combos
Deceiver Exarch or Pestermite or Zealous Conscripts + Kiki-Jiki Mirror breaker or Splinter Twin

Anyone else have some combos I could add in?

Alright, I'm thinking about finding more infinite mana combos and adding Fireball to complement the Exsanguinate. Now that I think about it Walking Ballista does infinite damage with infinite mana as well.

Niv-Mizzet, the firemind+Curiosity=Draw as many cards as you want and deal a damage for each card drawn

Triskelion+Scythe of the Wretched+Sac. outlet or Blood Artist=Infinite damage

Hellkite Charger+Sword of feast and famine+7 land=Infinite combat phases and attacks with Hellkite

***Edit*** I knew Flayer of the Hatebound was in the combo category for some reason. He can substitute for Blood Artist for infinite sac. creatures loop to deal infinite damage.

Why helm this list with Marchesa? My assessment of The Black Rose is that she's a value and attrition engine, allowing you to build and maintain a board state, and gain incremental value by reusing EtB or LtB effects. For a dedicated combo deck, I feel like there are probably better commanders that either act as a combo piece, or help you get to your combo pieces. Here, you have very few pieces that really benefit from having Marchesa around,

Quote from yeti1069 »

Why helm this list with Marchesa? My assessment of The Black Rose is that she's a value and attrition engine, allowing you to build and maintain a board state, and gain incremental value by reusing EtB or LtB effects. For a dedicated combo deck, I feel like there are probably better commanders that either act as a combo piece, or help you get to your combo pieces. Here, you have very few pieces that really benefit from having Marchesa around,

That is a good point. I have considered changing the commander. I checked out the other Grixis commanders and didn't come up with anything I liked. Do you have a recommendation for me in Grixis colors?

I have a bunch of other good cards for the deck set aside from previous builds. That I can add in. I found even more combos recently. Now, I'm evaluating the combos based on things like "How many cards does this take to work?" "How much synergy/strength do the cards within the combo work to add on their own outside of the combo?" "How much mana does this combo cost?" et.

I will probably weed out 1-3 winning combos from where I'm currently at. I have a bunch of other "Marchesa good stuff shenanigan cards" that I didn't take the time to type into the list. There are plenty of great cards out there that can help Marchesa put up road blocks to opponent's winning before I get a combo off.

• Fleshbag Marauder
  
• Merciless Executioner
  
• Ravenous Chupacabra
  
• Hostage Taker
  
• Dictate of Erebos
  
• Midnight Reaper
  
• Spellskite
  
• Liliana's Specter
  

After looking through the Grixis commanders, I think Marchesa may be one of the best. She helps keep my creature combo pieces on the board for longer at least. Let me know your recommendations please!

Marchesa does provide for some interesting synergies among all of the moving parts I have.

For example, Goblin Bombardment plus Flayer of the Hatebound plus Marchesa. I have Marchesa and bombardment out, play flayer, deal 4 damage. Sac. flayer, deal 5+1 damage off bombardment, Sac. flayer again 1 damage, he goes to the graveyard. Get him back on the end step, deal 4 damage. Next opponent's turn, Save flayer for blocking, after blocking with flayer, sac. him to bombardment, deal 5+1, sac. him again deal 1. End step he returns, deals 4 damage.

That same flow can be accomplished with blood artist plus a different sac. outlet and marchesa out as well, except I gain life for each sacrifice.

I believe that's about 15 damage per turn, including the turn I play him! Not too mention, I get him as a blocker back for each turn.

Kiki-jiki, mirror breaker targeting ravenous chupacabra

Zealous Conscripts plus sac. outlet means I swing with a creature, maybe get a +1/+1 counter on it through dethrone, if my opponent's stolen creature also dies, it comes back under my control again. If not, use a sac. outlet after attacking with it so my opponent doesn't get their creature back. conscripts+ Gilded Lotus+ Deadeye Navigator=Infinite colored mana

Thinking about adding in Mob Rule and Mass Mutiny to complement all of the sac. outlets.

The synergy is there. It's just hard too see. My fault for not having a more fully fledged game plan to show everyone.

Keep checking in though, this deck looks like it's coming together nicely.

Unspeakable Symbol plus Mob Rule and Mass Mutiny and sac. outlet and Marchesa means I steal all creatures, put counters on those I want to keep, sac. them, I get them back at the end step.

Unspeakable Symbol plus persist means pay 3 life for every 1 of 2 sacrifice activations. Also allows me to drain my own life to manipulate dethrone.

Any kind of creatures out with +1/+1 counters on them, plus Marchesa out, plus a boardwipe means I get all of my creatures back and my opponents get none.
Jokulhaups is basically a wincon with Marchesa as well, can't say that about any other Grixis commanders.

Magmasaur was already in the list and isn't going anywhere. Have Marchesa out, play him. Sac. on your next turn, deal 5 damage to each creature without flying and each player. Then he comes back as a 5/5 on the end step.

Murderous Redcap + Ashnod's Altar + Nim Deathmantle = Infinite Damage

Redcap enters, 2 damage. Sac. to altar, add 2 mana deal 1 damage. Pay 4, attach Nim Deathmantle to Murderous Redcap, sac. it, add 2 mana, deal 4 damage, redcap returns. Sac. it, add 2 mana, attach Nim Deathmantle, et.

I have a decklist flushed out, minus the lands actually entered into it. It took a lot of time on the cutting board, but to great results I believe.

Let me introduce you to Spark Double plus Murderous Redcap plus Sac. outlet. Spark Double will retain persist if it copies redcap, then dies. It comes back with both a +1/+1 counter and a -1/-1 counter, which cancel each other. Double still has persist, so sac it again, it deals damage, et. That's infinite damage with 3 cards and one of them pretty interchangeable.

There are more infinite combos in this deck than I can count. Though I should mention Grave Titan + Ashnod's Altar + Nim Deathmantle as well. This leads to infinite zombies, and infinite times to equip nim deathmantle back on titan should there be a boardwipe. If you add in blood artist or Judith, the Scourge Diva you get infinite damage alongside your infinite mana and zombies.

Here's a more refined list. The deck will have 38 lands in it.

There are many hidden synergies in the deck that are quite brutal even without infinite combos going off. Flayer of the Hatebound and Grave Titan for instance. Also many of the pieces support Marchesa in unexpected ways. My goal was to have every combo piece function add some synergy to Marchesa's abilities as well. I think the deck needs another boardwipe, but other than that she should be ready to pilot.

New combo I just realized: Sage of Fables + Ashnod's Altar + Flayer of the Hatebound Just remove the counter when flayer undies, then sac. it to add 2, remove the counter when it re-enters, sac. it add 2...

NICE!

Alright, I just threw in the much better black tutors. Dropped Kiki-jiki because I don't have the money for him, and triple red looks a little tough. Generally, I needed to weed out even more of the "lesser" combo pieces that were not versatile enough/cost too much. I put in another land bringing it up to 39. Added another cheap card draw spell too.

Right now I'm using a solo-simulator on tappedout.net to see how smoothly it runs in the first few turns. I'll be piloting it this wednesday most likely. Should be the first of many! Note I'm just substituting basic lands for the actual pile I have set aside for now. I just have yet to type them all into the deck list.

***Edit*** the cmc is too high. Card draw is a bit overwhelming in cmc cost, if not number. Overall deck cmc is a bit high. I need more tutors. Still, the guts of the deck seem solid.