Seasons Past needs a good "to hand" tutor like Dark Petition. Run 3. Also play Demonic Tutor if it's an option. You don't need a million copies of Hailfire/Exsang, 1-2 is enough. I tend to run 0 myself and win via Smallpox recursion but that's only because I'm a monster.
Dark Petition needs cheap spells so cut STEve for Nature's Lore. It says FOREST, not BASIC FOREST, so it grabs Tomb. It can also put Tomb into play untapped meaning that its virtual mana cost is 1 and it color fixes. Card is bonkers and worth running as a 4-of even in a Seasons Past deck because it's the best possible turn 2 play. Three Visits also works.
You need lifegain but Warhammer is garbage. Want to know the OP OP? Roots of Life baby. Yes, that works EXACTLY how you want it to with Urborg. Yes, the card has been errata'd to say EACH opponent. Not "target," EACH. Yes, it's STUPID :). The other card worth mentioning is Grim Feast because that card is equally ridiculous alongside Toxic Deluge et al. They're the only cards that I even consider for the job. Just so we're all on the same page Grim Feast is also errata'd to say "each opponent" so it's not remotely fair either.
FWIW "Seasons Past Control" is one of my favorite decks (I play it in EDH too) so if you have questions/comments/concerns/outbursts about what to field to counter what I'd be more than happy to help. This deck, moreso than most, rewards you for thinking outside the box when it comes to what spells you play and why. Not only do you need lots of spells but you also need to vary your mana costs in smart ways (Massacre is a free 4 drop, Search for Tomorrow counts as a 3 drop but only costs 1 mana, etc). Want to kill creatures? Curtains' Call has a CMC of 50 (more or less) but only costs 3 to play (usually). Since your deck won't have other 50 CMC spells you can always get it back so it's a "free" double Doom Blade. Snuff Out, much like Massacre, is a free spell that's great when your deck has broken lifegain. Nature's Claim is an awesome 1 drop, Beast Within is a bonkers 3 drop, 2 CMC has things like Nature's Lore, you get the idea. Basically this isn't a deck that wants 4x Doom Blade. It would rather field 1x Nature's Claim, 1x Smallpox, 1x Massacre and 1x Curtains' Call.
FWIW, a Seasons Past control deck is also one of my very favorite decks and one of my most powerful. I mostly use the sketch Prid3 has provided, but my tutor spread is a bit more diversified by using 2x Dark Petition 1x Beseech the Queen and 1x Mastermind's Acquisition. The Acquisition lets you play with a wishboard filled with even more silver bullets.
One thing that I would change about your list is to add more ramp spells like the full Search for Tomorrows since you want to be able to cast Seasons Past quickly. Nissa's Renewal was a card used in the old Standard Seasons Past deck that I like since it helps me stabilize, but there are probably better choices. My deck plays more multiples, like Innocent Blood, Languish, and Pernicious Deed to deal with my permanent heavy meta-game. It also uses Sylvan Primordial and Sepulchral Primordial to help control or finish games in addition to your win conditions. I also suggest a Field of Ruin or Tectonic Edge, depending on your meta. Finally, I'm testing Tendershoot Dryad, since Prid3 speaks so highly of it.
This isn't an aggro deck and so I dislike the Zombie theme. I prefer playing with generic good stuff creatures that have ETB triggers.
Seasons Past loops are expensive. Self-mill is decent but ramp is also very important. Remember, this deck can always go turn 2 Fellwar Stone, turn 3 Sidisi, Brood Tyrant to get some self mill going so you don't need too much more than that. EDH is a very broken format because you get to start the game with an 8-9 card hand with one of them being of your choosing. It may seem counter-intuitive but self-mill becomes much less important when you know that you're going to draw at least one spell every game.
If you need help with cuts I can quickly throw some suggestions.
When playing the deck, ignore any and all instincts to preserve resources. Use all of your mana every turn and make bad exchanges if it'll extend the game. All you care about is ramping, Wrathing, ramping, Wrathing and then ultimately setting up your infinite value loop that will enable you to grind past through any quantity of (non-Counterspell) interaction. If your meta starts becoming more and more Blue you'll need to field more permission, "Defense Grids" and discard yourself. You can still go ahead and field things like Mind Twist, Duress, Swan Song and Negate because they're good recur targets for Season Past. There aren't many 1 drops that beat Mind Twist :P.
For clarification, you would lean less on the value that Sidisi provides, moving away from the "free zombie" theme?
I would like some ideas on cuts - and also an idea of how many of each type of spell to be running, ie x wraths, x ramps, x draw, x removal, whether or not to run reanimation package, etc.
I've never actually owned a commander deck, so any advice is welcome and will be taken.
So you want big Exsanguinate & Torment of Hailfire?
I have a deck that does this.
I use Cloudpost's, Glimmerpost's (& B/G lands) together with Magus of the Candelabra to generate big mana.
I have all the usual Expedition Map, Sylvan Scrying and Hour of Promise to get the land engine up and running, plus a couple of Glacial Chasm to protect me. I run a few small creatures too.
Other than that, you can run whatever finisher you want. The deck allows me a tonne of mana quick enough to nuke the table. I've actually changed the deck up a bit lately though, running big X-spells got a bit dull - but smacking a Hydra Broodmaster down and paying 40+ mana to make it monstrous is too funny to pass up.
EDIT: I should mention I run a set of Crop Rotation too.
Surefire includes are some Hour of Promise and other land-based ramp - maybe a Season's Past package.
Any awesome gems?
4 Cabal Coffers
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Forest
4 Swamp
2 Cool Utility Lands You Recommend
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Tireless Tracker
1 Courser of Kruphrix
1 Skullwinder
4 Korlash, Heir to Blackblade
2 Ulvenwauld Hydra
1 Sylvan Primordial
1 Razaketh, the Foulblooded
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
1 Loxodon Warhammer
1 Toxic Deluge
2 Phyrexian Arena
1 Journey to Eternity
1 Mastermind's Acquisition
1 Massacre
1 Languish
1 Syphon Mind
4 Hour of Promise
1 Necrologia
2 Torment of Hailfire
3 Exsanguinate
1 Season's Past
(The latter is pricey...)
My meta: 3 or 4 player free for all, anything goes but boring games or broken decks cause a vote to end that game.
Seasons Past needs a good "to hand" tutor like Dark Petition. Run 3. Also play Demonic Tutor if it's an option. You don't need a million copies of Hailfire/Exsang, 1-2 is enough. I tend to run 0 myself and win via Smallpox recursion but that's only because I'm a monster.
Dark Petition needs cheap spells so cut STEve for Nature's Lore. It says FOREST, not BASIC FOREST, so it grabs Tomb. It can also put Tomb into play untapped meaning that its virtual mana cost is 1 and it color fixes. Card is bonkers and worth running as a 4-of even in a Seasons Past deck because it's the best possible turn 2 play. Three Visits also works.
You need lifegain but Warhammer is garbage. Want to know the OP OP? Roots of Life baby. Yes, that works EXACTLY how you want it to with Urborg. Yes, the card has been errata'd to say EACH opponent. Not "target," EACH. Yes, it's STUPID :). The other card worth mentioning is Grim Feast because that card is equally ridiculous alongside Toxic Deluge et al. They're the only cards that I even consider for the job. Just so we're all on the same page Grim Feast is also errata'd to say "each opponent" so it's not remotely fair either.
This deck doesn't need revival engines such Reclamation/Stronghold. Revival is almost pointless in a Seasons Past deck. You want cheap/free spells like Noxious Revival, Innocent Blood, Search for Tomorrow and Massacre. Being able to cast Seasons Past, Massacre weenies away and Innocent Blood fatties away is essentially a hard lock and it only costs 7 mana.
FWIW "Seasons Past Control" is one of my favorite decks (I play it in EDH too) so if you have questions/comments/concerns/outbursts about what to field to counter what I'd be more than happy to help. This deck, moreso than most, rewards you for thinking outside the box when it comes to what spells you play and why. Not only do you need lots of spells but you also need to vary your mana costs in smart ways (Massacre is a free 4 drop, Search for Tomorrow counts as a 3 drop but only costs 1 mana, etc). Want to kill creatures? Curtains' Call has a CMC of 50 (more or less) but only costs 3 to play (usually). Since your deck won't have other 50 CMC spells you can always get it back so it's a "free" double Doom Blade. Snuff Out, much like Massacre, is a free spell that's great when your deck has broken lifegain. Nature's Claim is an awesome 1 drop, Beast Within is a bonkers 3 drop, 2 CMC has things like Nature's Lore, you get the idea. Basically this isn't a deck that wants 4x Doom Blade. It would rather field 1x Nature's Claim, 1x Smallpox, 1x Massacre and 1x Curtains' Call.
Guilds of Ravnica - Commander 2018 - Core 2019 - Battlebond - Dominaria - Rivals of Ixalan - Ixalan - Commander 2017 - Hour of Devastation - Amonket - Aether Revolt - Commander 2016 - Kaladesh - Conspiracy 2 - Eldritch Moon - Shadows Over Innistrad - Oath of the Gatewatch - Commander 2015 - Battle for Zendikar - Magic Origins - Dragons of Tarkir
Green - Blue - Red - White - Gold
1 Innocent Blood
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Smallpox
3 Life from the Loam
1 Torment of Hailfire
1 Exsanguinate
1 Roots of Life
1 Grim Feast
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Massacre
1 Snuff Out
1 Curtain's Call
1 Noxious Revival
1 Nature's Claim
1 Beast Within
1 Search for Tomorrow
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Mastermind's Acquisition
2 Dark Petition
3 Hour of Promise
1 Season's Past
1 Decree of Pain
4 Cabal Coffers
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Overgrown Tomb
5 Forest
1 Barren Moor
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Maze of Ith
2 Swamp
I literally couldnt think of enough cards to put in, so I would love more suggestions along this line.
Since I have everyone who's interested in Seasons Past's attention, I figured this would be the time to cash in on it!
1 Burnished Hart (c14)
1 Corpse Connoisseur (ala)
1 Diregraf Captain (ddq)
1 Filth (ju)
1 Gempalm Polluter (le)
1 Gravespawn Sovereign (on)
1 Krosan Restorer (tr)
1 Krosan Tusker (arc)
1 Lord of the Accursed (akh)
1 Nezahal, Primal Tide (riv)
1 Nullmage Shepherd (rav)
1 Nyx Weaver (jou)
1 Plague Belcher (akh)
1 Razaketh, the Foulblooded (hou)
1 Satyr Wayfinder (bng)
1 Undead Alchemist (isd)
1 Sidisi, Undead Vizier (dtk)
1 Skullwinder (c15)
1 Wonder (ju)
1 Wood Sage (cns)
1 Zombie Trailblazer (tr)
1 Zulaport Cutthroat (bfz)
40 Non-Creature Spells
1 Altar of Dementia (cns)
1 Animate Dead (4e)
1 Beast Within (c16)
1 Buried Alive (cmd)
1 Carpet of Flowers (us)
1 Compost (ud)
1 Corpse Churn (ogw)
1 Curtains' Call (c16)
1 Dance of the Dead (ia)
1 Dark Petition (ori)
1 Embalmer's Tools (akh)
1 Fact or Fiction (jvc)
1 Fellwar Stone (4e)
1 Grapple with the Past (emn)
1 Grim Feast (mr)
1 Grisly Salvage (fnmp)
1 Hour of Promise (hou)
1 Innocent Blood (ddr)
1 Life (Life/Death) (ap)
1 Life from the Loam (ddj)
1 Manifold Insights (c16)
1 Massacre (ne)
1 Mulch (isd)
1 Mystic Remora (med)
1 Nature's Lore (5e)
1 Noxious Revival (nph)
1 Opposition (7e)
1 Pieces of the Puzzle (soi)
1 Roots of Life (mr)
1 Scout the Borders (ktk)
1 Search for Tomorrow (mma)
1 Seasons Past (soi)
1 Snuff Out (gvl)
1 Sol Ring (cedi)
1 Splendid Reclamation (emn)
1 Three Visits (me3)
1 Toxic Deluge (c13)
1 Trade Secrets (cmd)
1 Victimize (c14)
1 Worn Powerstone (c14)
1 Cabal Coffers (fnmp)
1 Evolving Wilds (m13)
9 Forest (m10)
1 Golgari Guildgate (c13)
1 Golgari Rot Farm (c13)
5 Island (guru)
1 Rogue's Passage (c15)
1 Temple of the False God (ddo)
7 Swamp (cma)
1 Dimir Aqueduct (c16)
1 Dimir Guildgate (c13)
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth (m15)
1 Simic Growth Chamber (c15)
1 Simic Guildgate (dgm)
1 Opulent Palace (ktk)
1 Mortuary Mire (bfz)
1 Nephalia Drownyard (isd)
//sideboard-1
1 Sidisi, Brood Tyrant (ktk)
[/deck]
I'm especially on the lookout for dudes who have spell-like effects that I can utilize for both Seasons Past and Sidisi, Brood Tyrant.
This isn't an aggro deck and so I dislike the Zombie theme. I prefer playing with generic good stuff creatures that have ETB triggers.
Seasons Past loops are expensive. Self-mill is decent but ramp is also very important. Remember, this deck can always go turn 2 Fellwar Stone, turn 3 Sidisi, Brood Tyrant to get some self mill going so you don't need too much more than that. EDH is a very broken format because you get to start the game with an 8-9 card hand with one of them being of your choosing. It may seem counter-intuitive but self-mill becomes much less important when you know that you're going to draw at least one spell every game.
You don't have enough hard tutors.
I would play Cyclonic Rift, Restore, Ramunap Excavator, World Shaper, Diabolic Tutor, Yahenni's Expertise, Razaketh's Rite. Rishkar's Expertise, Beseech the Queen and Coastal breach. Tutors, lands and "free" spells are all amazing in Seasons Past decks. For example, if you have Rishkar's Expertise you get to cast your Diabolic Tutor/Dark Petition "for free" afterwards so it's essentially a 1-2 CMC draw spell on your loop turn. Even if it only draws 2 cards that's still great (because sometimes it'll draw 5). Otherwise the dream is to chain Expertise into Hour of Promise every turn. Now THAT is where the fun begins.
If you need help with cuts I can quickly throw some suggestions.
When playing the deck, ignore any and all instincts to preserve resources. Use all of your mana every turn and make bad exchanges if it'll extend the game. All you care about is ramping, Wrathing, ramping, Wrathing and then ultimately setting up your infinite value loop that will enable you to grind past through any quantity of (non-Counterspell) interaction. If your meta starts becoming more and more Blue you'll need to field more permission, "Defense Grids" and discard yourself. You can still go ahead and field things like Mind Twist, Duress, Swan Song and Negate because they're good recur targets for Season Past. There aren't many 1 drops that beat Mind Twist :P.
Guilds of Ravnica - Commander 2018 - Core 2019 - Battlebond - Dominaria - Rivals of Ixalan - Ixalan - Commander 2017 - Hour of Devastation - Amonket - Aether Revolt - Commander 2016 - Kaladesh - Conspiracy 2 - Eldritch Moon - Shadows Over Innistrad - Oath of the Gatewatch - Commander 2015 - Battle for Zendikar - Magic Origins - Dragons of Tarkir
Green - Blue - Red - White - Gold
For clarification, you would lean less on the value that Sidisi provides, moving away from the "free zombie" theme?
I would like some ideas on cuts - and also an idea of how many of each type of spell to be running, ie x wraths, x ramps, x draw, x removal, whether or not to run reanimation package, etc.
I've never actually owned a commander deck, so any advice is welcome and will be taken.
1 Nezahal, Primal Tide (riv)
1 Razaketh, the Foulblooded (hou)
1 Satyr Wayfinder (bng)
1 Sidisi, Undead Vizier (dtk)
1 Skullwinder (c15)
1 Animate Dead (4e)
1 Beast Within (c16)
1 Buried Alive (cmd)
1 Carpet of Flowers (us)
1 Compost (ud)
1 Curtains' Call (c16)
1 Dance of the Dead (ia)
1 Dark Petition (ori)
1 Fact or Fiction (jvc)
1 Fellwar Stone (4e)
1 Grapple with the Past (emn)
1 Grim Feast (mr)
1 Grisly Salvage (fnmp)
1 Hour of Promise (hou)
1 Innocent Blood (ddr)
1 Life // Death (ap)
1 Life from the Loam (ddj)
1 Manifold Insights (c16)
1 Massacre (ne)
1 Mulch (isd)
1 Mystic Remora (med)
1 Nature's Lore (5e)
1 Noxious Revival (nph)
1 Roots of Life (mr)
1 Search for Tomorrow (mma)
1 Seasons Past (soi)
1 Snuff Out (gvl)
1 Sol Ring (cedi)
1 Splendid Reclamation (emn)
1 Three Visits (me3)
1 Toxic Deluge (c13)
1 Trade Secrets (cmd)
1 Worn Powerstone (c14)
1 Evolving Wilds (m13)
9 Forest (m10)
1 Golgari Guildgate (c13)
1 Golgari Rot Farm (c13)
5 Island (guru)
1 Rogue's Passage (c15)
1 Temple of the False God (ddo)
7 Swamp (cma)
1 Dimir Aqueduct (c16)
1 Dimir Guildgate (c13)
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth (m15)
1 Simic Growth Chamber (c15)
1 Simic Guildgate (dgm)
1 Opulent Palace (ktk)
1 Mortuary Mire (bfz)
1 Nephalia Drownyard (isd)
These are the cards that I like. I've cut anything that I wouldn't play. If possible try to add around 6 powerful mass removal spells with Toxic Deluge and Massacre being two of them. My top choices are probably Cyclonic Rift, Ugin, the Spirit Dragon, Damnation, Coastal Breach, All is Dust, Nevinyrral's Disk, Crux of Fate, Boompile and Perilous Vault in roughly that order.
Guilds of Ravnica - Commander 2018 - Core 2019 - Battlebond - Dominaria - Rivals of Ixalan - Ixalan - Commander 2017 - Hour of Devastation - Amonket - Aether Revolt - Commander 2016 - Kaladesh - Conspiracy 2 - Eldritch Moon - Shadows Over Innistrad - Oath of the Gatewatch - Commander 2015 - Battle for Zendikar - Magic Origins - Dragons of Tarkir
Green - Blue - Red - White - Gold
1x Tasigur, the Golden Fang
Lands (34)
34x Land
Creatures (16)
1x Sakura-Tribe Elder
1x Lotus Cobra
1x Courser of Kruphix
1x Azusa, Lost but Seeking
1x Ramunap Excavator
1x Skullwinder
1x Eternal Witness
1x Manglehorn
1x World Shaper
1x Aura Thief
1x Oracle of Mul Daya
1x Consecrated Sphinx
1x Sire of Stagnation
1x Nezahal, Primal Tide
1x Razaketh, the Foulblooded
1x Emrakul, the Promised End
Spells (50)
1x Sol Ring
1x Carpet of Flowers
1x Burgeoning
1x Exploration
1x Utopia Sprawl
1x Wild Growth
1x Nature's Claim
1x Swan Song
1x Entomb
1x Vampiric Tutor
1x Training Grounds
1x Green Sun's Zenith
1x Mystic Remora
1x Pongify
1x Fellwar Stone
1x Dimir Signet
1x Golgari Signet
1x Simic Signet
1x Compost
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Abrupt Decay
1x Negate
1x Counterspell
1x Life // Death
1x Life from the Loam
1x Animate Dead
1x Dance of the Dead
1x Cyclonic Rift
1x Reality Shift
1x Nature's Lore
1x Three Visits
1x Rhystic Study
1x Manifold Insights
1x Necromancy
1x Toxic Deluge
1x Eldritch Evolution
1x Beast Within
1x City of Solitude
1x Necropotence
1x Buried Alive
1x Damnation
1x Massacre
1x Snuff Out
1x Yahenni's Expertise
1x Hour of Promise
1x Seasons Past
1x Beseech the Queen
1x Recurring Insight
1x Coastal Breach
1x Army of the Damned
Guilds of Ravnica - Commander 2018 - Core 2019 - Battlebond - Dominaria - Rivals of Ixalan - Ixalan - Commander 2017 - Hour of Devastation - Amonket - Aether Revolt - Commander 2016 - Kaladesh - Conspiracy 2 - Eldritch Moon - Shadows Over Innistrad - Oath of the Gatewatch - Commander 2015 - Battle for Zendikar - Magic Origins - Dragons of Tarkir
Green - Blue - Red - White - Gold
1 Coiling Oracle
1 Eternal Witness
1 Fierce Empath
1 Kozilek, the Great Distortion
1 Manglehorn
1 Mulldrifter
1 Nezahal, Primal Tide
1 Razaketh, the Foulblooded
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Satyr Wayfinder
1 Sidisi, Undead Vizier
1 Sire of Stagnation
1 Skullwinder
1 Void Winnower
1 Wood Elves
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Animate Dead
1 Beast Within
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Buried Alive
1 Coastal Breach
1 Compost
1 Counterspell
1 Curtains' Call
1 Crop Rotation
1 Dance of the Dead
1 Dark Petition
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Dimir Signet
1 Duress
1 Exsanguinate
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Golgari Signet
1 Grisly Salvage
1 Hour of Promise
1 Innocent Blood
1 Life (Life/Death)
1 Life from the Loam
1 Manifold Insights
1 Massacre
1 Mastermind's Acquisition
1 Mind Twist
1 Mystic Remora
1 Nature's Lore
1 Noxious Revival
1 Not of This World
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Recurring Insight
1 Rishkar's Expertise
1 Search for Tomorrow
1 Seasons Past
1 Snuff Out
1 Sol Ring
1 Splendid Reclamation
1 Simic Signet
1 Skullclamp
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Torment of Hailfire
1 Victimize
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Myriad Landscape
9 Forest
1 Golgari Guildgate
1 Golgari Rot Farm
5 Island
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Temple of the False God
7 Swamp
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Dimir Guildgate
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Simic Guildgate
1 Opulent Palace
1 Shrine of the Forsaken Gods
1 Nephalia Drownyard
The deck is very budget except for the few cards I already own, but I am still totally open to any suggestions / feedback.
I have a deck that does this.
I use Cloudpost's, Glimmerpost's (& B/G lands) together with Magus of the Candelabra to generate big mana.
I have all the usual Expedition Map, Sylvan Scrying and Hour of Promise to get the land engine up and running, plus a couple of Glacial Chasm to protect me. I run a few small creatures too.
Other than that, you can run whatever finisher you want. The deck allows me a tonne of mana quick enough to nuke the table. I've actually changed the deck up a bit lately though, running big X-spells got a bit dull - but smacking a Hydra Broodmaster down and paying 40+ mana to make it monstrous is too funny to pass up.
EDIT: I should mention I run a set of Crop Rotation too.