== General == 1x Teneb, the Harvester (Choice between this and Doran, this reanimates and is better on it's own. Doran is just big and stupid.)
== Big 'uns == 1x Golgari Grave-Troll (Seriously, it's even larkable. Awesome as hell.) 1x Karmic Guide (Zombify+creature+larkable, why not?) 1x Puppeteer Clique (One of the best black cards around, really versatile, really strong.) 1x Eternal Dragon (Same, but for white.) 1x Protean Hulk ("Uh, oh, I think I just won"-guy.) 1x Corpse Connoisseur (Practically a tutor. Twice.) 1x Lord of Extinction (So, let me see.. 20+/20+'s for 5? Sure, thanks!) 1x Deranged Hermit (A lot of tokens = Wincon?) 1x Grave-Shell Scarab (Decent body, dredges, draws cards. In short: Good.)
== Stuff to get rid of creatures == 1x Big Game Hunter (Deals with everything that matters.) 1x Faceless Butcher (Really good one.) 1x Bone Shredder 1x Keening Banshee (Doesn't seem to do enough.) 1x Shriekmaw 1x Nekrataal 1x Duplicant (Probably the best, deals with just about anything.) 1x Fleshbag Marauder (This would be removed in seconds if it didn't deal with shrouders. 1x Predatory Nightstalker (This seems better, however.) 1x Wei Assassins (And this..) 1x Garza's Assassin (The recover.. Well, might be a bad thing most of the time, as I don't think I want to pay it too often, and if I don't, this gets removed from the game..) 1x Liutenant Kirtar (Only deals with attacking creatures, sadly..)
== Misc-things == 1x Gwyllion Hedge-Mage 1x Hag Hedge-Mage 1x Llanowar Empath (Good "card-draw" or semi-tutoring.) 1x Knight-Captain of Eos (No combat damage when I don't like it..) 1x Spike Weaver (Check previous..) 1x Fierce Empath (Awesome, AWESOME, tutor.) 1x Glory (Nuts.) 1x Sacred Guide (The remove is risky, but still seems like a powerful effect.) 1x Saffi Eriksdotter (Versatile little thing that can save more important things, or let me use some things twice? Yes please!) 1x Knight of the Religuary (Can get big, but more importantly tutors for ANY land in my deck. Crop Rotation on a body?) 1x Teysa, Orzhov Scion (Makes tokens, removes stuff. Doesn't seem too bad, but really slow.)
The Sage is occupied with the unspoken
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
I have a Teneb deck that tries to do exactly the same thing you are going for...it should be in the Deck Database. I'd recommend you check it out.
My deck has been able to come back from all manner of explosions, including Obliterate, Jokulhaups, Pernicious Deed, Akroma's Vengeance, and most wrath-effects.
The ONLY weakness of the deck, and it's a HUGE one, is graveyard-hate like Tormod's Crypt and Relic of Progenitus. Those two cards WILL ruin your day.
How come you'd be cutting Haru-Onna if you aren't going to cut Striped Bears? It seems to me that the Onna, apart from dying to cycled Slice and Dice, is pretty much superior in this format. I might actually use the second ability sometime. Agreed, though, these two cards are the ones close to getting cut in my book.
Wei Assassins and Predatory Nightstalker aren't going to go away. They are my only way to deal with Shrouded, trollshrouded and Prot: Evil creatures. In addition to this fact, they are more often than not 2:1 deals, which is never bad, and quite probably tempo advantage to boot.
While I disagree with your argument that Faceless Butcher "can be dealt with"="it is bad", I don't think that it's really good card either. The one, and the best, argument against it I've heard is the following: "The format is filled with mass removal. Faceless Butcher might actually help your opponent by shielding one of their creatures from a Wrath, Damnation or somesuch."
Hag Hedge-Mage allows me to reuse my tutors, which can lead to really g ood times. It is not real reanimation, I know. It is a reanimation target.
I agree on the rest of your choices. I would like to test Heart Warden, though, it seems like it could work out pretty well.
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The Sage is occupied with the unspoken
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
1x Teneb, the Harvester (Choice between this and Doran, this reanimates and is better on it's own. Doran is just big and stupid.)
== Big 'uns ==
1x Golgari Grave-Troll (Seriously, it's even larkable. Awesome as hell.)
1x Karmic Guide (Zombify+creature+larkable, why not?)
1x Puppeteer Clique (One of the best black cards around, really versatile, really strong.)
1x Eternal Dragon (Same, but for white.)
1x Protean Hulk ("Uh, oh, I think I just won"-guy.)
1x Corpse Connoisseur (Practically a tutor. Twice.)
1x Lord of Extinction (So, let me see.. 20+/20+'s for 5? Sure, thanks!)
1x Deranged Hermit (A lot of tokens = Wincon?)
1x Grave-Shell Scarab (Decent body, dredges, draws cards. In short: Good.)
== Recurrers ==
1x Pit Keeper
1x Eternal Witness
1x Reveillark (Win.)
1x Genesis (There is no reason NOT to include this, is there?)
1x Gravedigger
1x Deadwood Treefolk (Slow, but the card advantage.. mmm..)
1x Loyal Retainers (Worth considering, IMO.)
1x Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed (Brings stuff back, is virtually unblockable.. What's not to like?)
1x Doomed Necromancer
== Stuff to get rid of creatures ==
1x Big Game Hunter (Deals with everything that matters.)
1x Faceless Butcher (Really good one.)
1x Bone Shredder
1x Keening Banshee (Doesn't seem to do enough.)
1x Shriekmaw
1x Nekrataal
1x Duplicant (Probably the best, deals with just about anything.)
1x Fleshbag Marauder (This would be removed in seconds if it didn't deal with shrouders.
1x Predatory Nightstalker (This seems better, however.)
1x Wei Assassins (And this..)
1x Garza's Assassin (The recover.. Well, might be a bad thing most of the time, as I don't think I want to pay it too often, and if I don't, this gets removed from the game..)
1x Liutenant Kirtar (Only deals with attacking creatures, sadly..)
== Stuff to get rid of everything else ==
1x Wickerbough Elder
1x Indrik Stomphowler
1x Woodfall Primus (Big and expensive but really worth it.)
1x Viridian Zealot
1x Qasali Pride-Mage (Probably the best of the bunch, cheap, larkable, etc.)
1x Necrotic Sliver (Even as the only sliver here, this will be nuts.)
1x Carven Caryatid
1x Citanul Woodreaders (Not that good when reanimated... =()
1x Wall of Blossoms (Awsum sooc.)
1x Nantuko Shaman
1x Phyrexian Rager
1x Haru-Onna
1x Striped Bears
1x Elvish Visionary
1x Masked Admirers
1x Multani's Acolyte
1x Wall of Mulch (Like blossoms, just worse.. Still good though.)
== Mana? ==
1x Civic Wayfinder
1x Fertilid
1x Wood Elves
1x Knight of the White Orchid
1x Veteran Explorer
1x Farhaven Elf
1x Yavimaya Dryad
1x Yavimaya Elder (Accel+Card Draw.)
1x Sakura Tribe-Elder
1x Solemn Simulacrum
1x Krosan Tusker
1x Heart Warden (Card draw AND mana accel, really nice.)
== Misc-things ==
1x Gwyllion Hedge-Mage
1x Hag Hedge-Mage
1x Llanowar Empath (Good "card-draw" or semi-tutoring.)
1x Knight-Captain of Eos (No combat damage when I don't like it..)
1x Spike Weaver (Check previous..)
1x Fierce Empath (Awesome, AWESOME, tutor.)
1x Glory (Nuts.)
1x Sacred Guide (The remove is risky, but still seems like a powerful effect.)
1x Saffi Eriksdotter (Versatile little thing that can save more important things, or let me use some things twice? Yes please!)
1x Knight of the Religuary (Can get big, but more importantly tutors for ANY land in my deck. Crop Rotation on a body?)
1x Teysa, Orzhov Scion (Makes tokens, removes stuff. Doesn't seem too bad, but really slow.)
== Non-creatures ==
1x Pernicious Deed
1x Chord of Calling
1x Primal Command
1x Tooth and Nail
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Unearth
1x Survival of the Fittest
1x Debtor's Knell
1x Mirari's Wake
1x Oversold Cemetery
1x Vindicate
1x Mortify
1x Putrefy
1x Greater Good
1x Grave Pact
1x Oblivion Ring
1x Fecundity
1x Skullclamp (I run like, 50 creatures, so why not?)
1x Profane Command
1x Restock
1x Regrowth
1x Life from the Loam
1x Maelstrom Pulse (Very versatile removal.)
1x Akroma's Vengeance
1x Eladamri's Call (Tutor any creature, pretty good.)
1x Volrath's Stronghold
1x Yavimaya Village
1x Krosan Verge
1x Terramorphic Expanse
1x Miren, the Moaning Well
1x Nantuko Monastery
1x Strip Mine
1x Wasteland
1x Yavimaya Hollow
1x Barren Moor
1x Drifting Meadow
1x Polluted Mire
1x Secluded Steppe
1x Slippery Karst
1x Tranguil Thicket
1x Scrubland
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
My deck has been able to come back from all manner of explosions, including Obliterate, Jokulhaups, Pernicious Deed, Akroma's Vengeance, and most wrath-effects.
The ONLY weakness of the deck, and it's a HUGE one, is graveyard-hate like Tormod's Crypt and Relic of Progenitus. Those two cards WILL ruin your day.
Yeva (88/92 foils)
Raff
Scarab
Rakdos
Wort ($50 budget, 94/97 foils)
Trostani
For a reason, I take it.
How come you'd be cutting Haru-Onna if you aren't going to cut Striped Bears? It seems to me that the Onna, apart from dying to cycled Slice and Dice, is pretty much superior in this format. I might actually use the second ability sometime. Agreed, though, these two cards are the ones close to getting cut in my book.
Wei Assassins and Predatory Nightstalker aren't going to go away. They are my only way to deal with Shrouded, trollshrouded and Prot: Evil creatures. In addition to this fact, they are more often than not 2:1 deals, which is never bad, and quite probably tempo advantage to boot.
While I disagree with your argument that Faceless Butcher "can be dealt with"="it is bad", I don't think that it's really good card either. The one, and the best, argument against it I've heard is the following: "The format is filled with mass removal. Faceless Butcher might actually help your opponent by shielding one of their creatures from a Wrath, Damnation or somesuch."
Veteran Explorer is a meta-choice. We have a bunch of obliterates flying around and I need Veteran Explorer to recover faster.
Hag Hedge-Mage allows me to reuse my tutors, which can lead to really g ood times. It is not real reanimation, I know. It is a reanimation target.
I agree on the rest of your choices. I would like to test Heart Warden, though, it seems like it could work out pretty well.
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.