A while ago I built an aggro deck based on Heartless Summoning, for the youngsters & noobs to enjoy playing bigger stuff.
Playing with 5-cmc to 7-cmc beaters and clone's etc.
Aggro deck is aggro, and I'm looking to change it up, even if it is effective enough for teaching noobs.
Okay, so question #1;
Thinking about silly territory, but no infinite combo's, so no Myr Retriever-loop into a storm finisher.
I like the interaction between Heartless Summoning & Fecundity (redundancy in Grim Haruspex)
The rough idea is to drop HS & a draw engine (preferably 2), then proceed to churn out a heap of 2-cmc colourless creatures each turn.
Some coloured options could be stuff like Elvish Visionary, Steve, Ghast etc. but I'm aiming for colourless.
I'm also considering Myr Superion & Dark Ritual. I may up the land count dependent on where the decks ends up.
So you may notice there is no win-con here. This is where I'm looking for some advice. Falkenrath Noble is the obvious one here as it's on-colour, but I'm curious what other options are out there, as I'm repulsed by this as a win-con.
Is there something/anything else I can use?
Alrighty, Question #2.
What else can be done with Heartless Summoning? Besides aggro acceleration or weenie-killing combo, what else can this card do?
It's "technically" not an infinite combo since the cards don't get returned until end of turn. My playgroup frowns upon infinite combos as well and they were okay with it.
Have you considered Dark Prophecy over Grim since it triggers off of tokens? Otherwise w.r.t to win cons you're not really going to find anything "fun." Technically you can run things like Gavony Unhallowed but it would be absolutely awful and incredibly unlikely to actually work. Like it or not you're playing a combo deck and all of your cards are worthless on their own so unless you're doing something busted in the end then it's going to be miserable to play.
I played around with a deck similar to this for kicks. Ended up playing 4x Tortured Existence and 4x Golgari Thug to fuel it. I helped me keep things like Noble and Shirei in play which was handy. I had millions of 2 drops so I cut Dark Prophecy for Immortal Servitude which was fine. At that point Myr Retriever was too enticing to omit but it obviously goes infinite with 2 copies of itself. Dryad Arbor was abysmal and I cut them after 2 games. Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker was awesome but I only played 2 so I didn't see him very often.
For a win con, how about Mortal Combat? You need a few more creatures for it, and Golgari Thug should be a good way to keep going through your library and filling the graveyard. It is not insta win, everyone gets one more turn to twart you, and there are plenty of ways to interrupt, so if you do win, it should not feel cheap but earned.
edit:
Another idea would be Ghoultree, Nemesis of Mortals, Avatar of Woe, and/or big delve creatures to use your full graveyard for getting some cheap big critters.
Enduring Renewal could allow you to recast the same creatures over and over (assuming that they die when they come into play) if you find a way around the fact that you must discard the creatures that you draw (Scroll Rack maybe ?)...this would force you to play white and would be another step toward a combo deck, which I know you dont want, but I'm tossing the idea anyway.
Thanks for the replies everyone.
Since I last posted I've been doing some testing, and I've arrived to a point where I just don't like this deck idea.
I've tried a few different lists, so far nothing is really jumping out and shaking me.
But I DO like the card-draw part of Grim Haruspex, Fecundity &/or Dark Prophecy, it's just a question of how to make it work.
And yes, I'm strongly considering all 3 in the deck.
(win cons) you're not really going to find anything "fun." ..... Like it or not you're playing a combo deck and all of your cards are worthless on their own so unless you're doing something busted in the end then it's going to be miserable to play.
Yep, I've considered those too. I'm not stuck on any colour requirements at present, I'm unsure which way to take the deck, as I'm not happy with where it is. FWIW, I have been considering Priest of Gix & Priest of Urabrask too.
One version I've been testing with runs these with a swag of rainbow lands, evoke creatures, Mana creatures etc. with Living Death. It's silly, but also slightly less potent than a dedicated Living Death deck I like to run.
Total Wombat isn't my kind of card - Hermit Druid makes it far too easy.
I had thought about Ghoultree/Nemesis etc., but it kinda feels like a different deck.
I'm thinking of playing some Mortivore in the deck....I really need a creature that is still a threat even with -2/-2. I like Undying Evil because it can save my teammate's creatures and it works nice with the evoke of the Mulldrifter
A while ago I built an aggro deck based on Heartless Summoning, for the youngsters & noobs to enjoy playing bigger stuff.
Playing with 5-cmc to 7-cmc beaters and clone's etc.
Aggro deck is aggro, and I'm looking to change it up, even if it is effective enough for teaching noobs.
Okay, so question #1;
Thinking about silly territory, but no infinite combo's, so no Myr Retriever-loop into a storm finisher.
I like the interaction between Heartless Summoning & Fecundity (redundancy in Grim Haruspex)
The rough idea is to drop HS & a draw engine (preferably 2), then proceed to churn out a heap of 2-cmc colourless creatures each turn.
4 Dryad Arbor
4 Heartless Summoning
4 Fecundity
4 Grim Haruspex
4 Commune with the Gods
4 Myr Sire
4 Epochrasite
4 Myr Moonvessel
1 Elixir of Immortality
6 Flex SLots?
Some coloured options could be stuff like Elvish Visionary, Steve, Ghast etc. but I'm aiming for colourless.
I'm also considering Myr Superion & Dark Ritual. I may up the land count dependent on where the decks ends up.
So you may notice there is no win-con here. This is where I'm looking for some advice.
Falkenrath Noble is the obvious one here as it's on-colour, but I'm curious what other options are out there, as I'm repulsed by this as a win-con.
Is there something/anything else I can use?
Alrighty, Question #2.
What else can be done with Heartless Summoning? Besides aggro acceleration or weenie-killing combo, what else can this card do?
Cheers
It's "technically" not an infinite combo since the cards don't get returned until end of turn. My playgroup frowns upon infinite combos as well and they were okay with it.
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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
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edit:
Another idea would be Ghoultree, Nemesis of Mortals, Avatar of Woe, and/or big delve creatures to use your full graveyard for getting some cheap big critters.
Former Rules Advisor
"Everything's better with pirates." - Lodge
(The Gamers: Dorkness Rising)
"Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science."
(Girl Genius - Fairy Tale Theater Break - Cinderella, end of volume 8)
Mulldrifter's evoke cost would be only U to draw 2 cards, add Undying Evil to repeat it and keep the creature...too bad you dont play blue.
Add Vedalken Archmage for massive card draw.
You may as well field Falkerath Noble since it's only 2 mana and has significantly more inherent value.
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
This was specifically stated as being undesired by the OP.
Former Rules Advisor
"Everything's better with pirates." - Lodge
(The Gamers: Dorkness Rising)
"Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science."
(Girl Genius - Fairy Tale Theater Break - Cinderella, end of volume 8)
Since I last posted I've been doing some testing, and I've arrived to a point where I just don't like this deck idea.
I've tried a few different lists, so far nothing is really jumping out and shaking me.
But I DO like the card-draw part of Grim Haruspex, Fecundity &/or Dark Prophecy, it's just a question of how to make it work.
And yes, I'm strongly considering all 3 in the deck.
And this is pretty much how I feel about it too.
Yep, I've considered those too. I'm not stuck on any colour requirements at present, I'm unsure which way to take the deck, as I'm not happy with where it is. FWIW, I have been considering Priest of Gix & Priest of Urabrask too.
One version I've been testing with runs these with a swag of rainbow lands, evoke creatures, Mana creatures etc. with Living Death. It's silly, but also slightly less potent than a dedicated Living Death deck I like to run.
Yeah it does, I'm gonna stay away from anything infinite.
Total Wombat isn't my kind of card - Hermit Druid makes it far too easy.
I had thought about Ghoultree/Nemesis etc., but it kinda feels like a different deck.
I'm thinking Heartless Summoning is better suited to jamming into a greedy aggro deck like a dullard, and I should stop trying to make it more.
I'm also thinking, that a dedicated deck focused on Grim Haruspex, Fecundity & Dark Prophecy-style perms, should just field creatures that satisfy these perms, like STeve, Fleshbag Marauder/Merciless Executioner, Soldevi Adnate, Children of Korlis, Demon of Death's Gate etc. (these are just off the top of my head, not intended to be the same deck).
This is where my testing is going for now.
2 Dack's Duplicate
4 Solemn Simulacrum
4 Mulldrifter
2 Duplicant
1 Etali, Primal Storm
2 Diluvian Primordial
2 Sphinx of Uthuun
1 Molten Primordial
2 Sepulchral Primordial
1 Sol Ring
Enchantment (8)
4 Heartless summoning
4 Necromancy
Spells (9)
4 Undying Evil
2 Vona's Hunger
2 Time Warp
1 Blasphemous Act
6 Island
8 Swamp
5 Mountain
2 Cascade Bluffs
1 Sunken Ruins
I'm thinking of playing some Mortivore in the deck....I really need a creature that is still a threat even with -2/-2. I like Undying Evil because it can save my teammate's creatures and it works nice with the evoke of the Mulldrifter
UB Wight Phantasm
RB Burn
UR Faerie Rites of Initiation
Legacy:
R Burn
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