I wish my 4/4s with haste and first strike that acted as Goblin Warchiefs were better and didn't die to instants and overshadowed all other 4 drops in the format. And that they had evasion too, and some way to dodge wrath effects.
Tough call.. I have a Drana deck, but sub in Geth as the general about 40-50% of the time . There's just something special about reanimating your opponents stuff and beating them with it
I run a mono black deck with a rotating set of generals. Originally, Sheoldred was the general, but now I roll a die to randomly pick one of the many legends in the deck as a general:
I am going to speak up for MOST mono-black deck's general. Cabal Coffers.
Cabal Coffers is so beast and black has so many dandy ways to abuse the massive amount of mana you can make with it. With black's massive tutor package you WILL get it every game. Thanks to some gems like Petrified Field and Grim Discovery you can make sure it comes out to play a few times a game if it has to leave briefly. Add in a Deserted Temple or Vesuva and you now have twice the fun! Throw in Magus of the Coffers for a creature version of your general. Works wonders when combined with doublers like Caged Sun, Extraplanar Lens, Gauntlet of Power, Bubbling Muck and Nirkana Revenant.
Cabal Coffers is such a diverse general it allows me to play these three dudes in my command zone who all LOVE big mana. Maga, Traitor to Mortals, Geth, Lord of the Vault, and Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief can interchange out of my deck. I do run Maga the majority of time and have cards such as Tawnos's Coffin and Rite of Consumption specifically to complement Maga. Running Maga also allows me to run a VERY low creature count and put in cards like Lethal Vapors and Spreading Plague that work wonders at keeping the board clear during Cabal Coffer's vulnerable set up stage.
EDH, on the other hand, is more like a monster truck rally. It's more about the spectacle than the race, the games go long, and it's not usually clear who's in the lead until there's only one truck left.*
Single player EDH is like two guys smacking each other with pillows... until one of them pulls out a shotgun.
The gisa value train made my friends quit playing with me for a while. She doesn't take much genius to know how to run her, and you sac some pretty valuable creatures. Just to reanimate them later.
Not to mention deathrender cheats, turn 5 ceaseless hunger? Done
How about a turn 5 xathrid to help with making sure you get a death trigger?
Done
Plus with lords and dampers you can make only your tokens relevant and shut down other token strats with virulent plague and the like, and boost your stuff with things like bad moon.
I'm pretty sure a well crafted Sidisi deck can win much faster than that. Casting her T2 isn't too much of a stretch with the fast mana available - T3 at the latest - at which point you can grab something like Ad Nauseam and go off the next turn.
But when it comes to the original question, gotta be Chainer, Dementia Master for me. I'm not going to claim he's the most powerful, but for having a fun game, instant speed reanimation from anyone's GY in the command zone is perfect
he is strong, and offers hand advantage, but he doesn't help your boardstate too much. he may be the best black control commander however.
I try to forget about theros, I actually didn't remember him.
his effectiveness is limited to control shells. This makes a deck with a higher skill cap, forcing you to play retroactively, and in turn, make decisions. the more decision your deck makes, the more likely you are to make that one "nail in the coffin" mistake.
that said i may need to pick up some stuff from theros, it appears i've missed some gems
I'm actually taking him apart to play Ghoulcaller Gisa for a while in a more casual meta, but if someone said "Only one black general, ever again!" it's gotta be Xiahou Dun, The One-Eyed. There are just so many diverse ways you can build him, he never gets old.
he is strong, and offers hand advantage, but he doesn't help your boardstate too much. he may be the best black control commander however.
I try to forget about theros, I actually didn't remember him.
his effectiveness is limited to control shells. This makes a deck with a higher skill cap, forcing you to play retroactively, and in turn, make decisions. the more decision your deck makes, the more likely you are to make that one "nail in the coffin" mistake.
that said i may need to pick up some stuff from theros, it appears i've missed some gems
I'm going to disagree with the idea that he's only good in a control shell. Erebos enables a few unique strategies unavailable elsewhere in mono-black. He ensures you're never out of cards mid-to-late game. He's indestructible when turned on - which also enables cards like The Abyss and every Pestilence effect to be even more effective. He also has the non-useless effect of shutting off everyone else's lifegain.
True, in the most competitive environment a Sidisi might be a better general for that - but over all - from casual to competitive, I think Erebos is going to be able to be a powerhouse.
His indestructible is very nice, and I guess you could abuse that for a voltron if you wanted. I am just saying that he would work best in a control shell or pillowfort, until you can combo out with something. Just opinion, of course.
Pauper: UR some horrible homebrew izzet deck
My current decks!
http://tappedout.net/users/ThePhasewalker/
BRGWTana and TymnaBRGW
RTeneb, the EternalR
UBRNekusar, Mind RazerUBR
Rakdos, Lord of Riots
BGWGhave, Guru of SporesBGW
Aurelia, the Warleader
BDrana, Kalastria BloodchiefB
WBROros, the AvengerWBR
- Sheoldred
- Mikeaus
- Geth
- Drana
- Chainer
Still trying to decide on who number 6 will be.
None of these generals really requires a dedicated build so they can rotate in and out pretty easily.
My EDH Decks
:Chainer, Dementia Master - Mono black recursion - :Titania - Token hordes
: Teysa - Sacrifice and tokens - : Brago, King Eternal - Blink - :Sygg, River Cutthroat - I draw cards; you discard -
: Melek, Izzet Paragon - Copy spells, don't win.
: Oloro, Ageless Ascetic Card Draw - :Karador, Ghost Chieftain - Graveyard shenanigans - :Tariel, Reckoner of Souls - Angels and Demons theme - :Marath, Will of the Wild - Token Hordes
: Marchesa - Steal and sacrifice - : Shattergang Brothers - Everything gets blown up - : Animar, Soul of Elements - All creatures
Cabal Coffers is so beast and black has so many dandy ways to abuse the massive amount of mana you can make with it. With black's massive tutor package you WILL get it every game. Thanks to some gems like Petrified Field and Grim Discovery you can make sure it comes out to play a few times a game if it has to leave briefly. Add in a Deserted Temple or Vesuva and you now have twice the fun! Throw in Magus of the Coffers for a creature version of your general. Works wonders when combined with doublers like Caged Sun, Extraplanar Lens, Gauntlet of Power, Bubbling Muck and Nirkana Revenant.
Cabal Coffers is such a diverse general it allows me to play these three dudes in my command zone who all LOVE big mana. Maga, Traitor to Mortals, Geth, Lord of the Vault, and Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief can interchange out of my deck. I do run Maga the majority of time and have cards such as Tawnos's Coffin and Rite of Consumption specifically to complement Maga. Running Maga also allows me to run a VERY low creature count and put in cards like Lethal Vapors and Spreading Plague that work wonders at keeping the board clear during Cabal Coffer's vulnerable set up stage.
The Mimeoplasm
Maga, Traitor to Mortals
Rhys the Redeemed
Merieke Ri Berit
Nekusar, the Mindrazer
Cromat Wurm Tribal
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
Looking for Green friendly EDH players/groups in the Toronto area. PM me if this is you.
On building a Celestial Kirin Stax EDH:
Decks I play:
-Friedrich Nietzsche
You can use the undead infinite damage combo with Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Triskelion by turn 7 if you have the mana.
[center][color=Blue]
Edric Spy and die
Azami the lady of the draw
Naya Zoo
Past decks
Orloro
sharuum the hegemond
Mono black control
splinter twin
In a mono black commander thread
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest WUR Voltron Control
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun WU Unblockable Mirror Trickery
Ra's al Ghul (Sidar Kondo) and Face-Down Ninjas
Brudiclad, Token Engineer
Vaevictis (VV2) the Dire Lantern
Rona, Disciple of Gix
Tiana the Auror
Hallar
Ulrich the Politician
Zur the Rebel
Scorpion, Locust, Scarab, Egyptian Gods
O-Kagachi, Mathas, Mairsil
"Non-Tribal" Tribal Generals, Eggs
Not to mention deathrender cheats, turn 5 ceaseless hunger? Done
How about a turn 5 xathrid to help with making sure you get a death trigger?
Done
Plus with lords and dampers you can make only your tokens relevant and shut down other token strats with virulent plague and the like, and boost your stuff with things like bad moon.
With Mikaeus as your commander you can build your deck in so many ways (e.g. Mono-black good stuff, sacrifice, combo, voltron).
Modern: URW Madcap Experiment
Pauper: MonoU Tempo Delver
My EDH Commanders:
Aminatou, The Fateshifter UBW
Azami, Lady of Scrolls U
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed B
Edric, Spymaster of Trest UG
Glissa, the Traitor BG
Arcum Dagsson U
I'm pretty sure a well crafted Sidisi deck can win much faster than that. Casting her T2 isn't too much of a stretch with the fast mana available - T3 at the latest - at which point you can grab something like Ad Nauseam and go off the next turn.
But when it comes to the original question, gotta be Chainer, Dementia Master for me. I'm not going to claim he's the most powerful, but for having a fun game, instant speed reanimation from anyone's GY in the command zone is perfect
I try to forget about theros, I actually didn't remember him.
his effectiveness is limited to control shells. This makes a deck with a higher skill cap, forcing you to play retroactively, and in turn, make decisions. the more decision your deck makes, the more likely you are to make that one "nail in the coffin" mistake.
Animate Dead, target - this thread!
I'm actually taking him apart to play Ghoulcaller Gisa for a while in a more casual meta, but if someone said "Only one black general, ever again!" it's gotta be Xiahou Dun, The One-Eyed. There are just so many diverse ways you can build him, he never gets old.
UTeferi, Temporal ArchmageU's prison: blue is the new orange is the new black.
Mizzix Of The Izmagnus : wheels on fire... rolling down the road...
BSidisi, Undead VizierB: Bis zum Erbrechen
GTitiania, Protector Of ArgothG: Protecting Argoth, by blowing it up!
GYisan, The Wanderer BardG: Gradus Ad Elfball.
Duel EDH: Yisan & Titania.
In Progress: Grand Arbiter Augustin IV duel; Grenzo, Dungeon Warden Doomsday.
I'm going to disagree with the idea that he's only good in a control shell. Erebos enables a few unique strategies unavailable elsewhere in mono-black. He ensures you're never out of cards mid-to-late game. He's indestructible when turned on - which also enables cards like The Abyss and every Pestilence effect to be even more effective. He also has the non-useless effect of shutting off everyone else's lifegain.
True, in the most competitive environment a Sidisi might be a better general for that - but over all - from casual to competitive, I think Erebos is going to be able to be a powerhouse.
also, Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker has some funny interactions with say heartless summoning and 1/1s with ETB/dies triggers like Big Game Hunter, bone shredder, Perilous Myr and necropede. its an endless cycle of killing things and whatnot, over and over and over... easy to disrupt though, but eh... its a funky soft-lock
Legacy - Solidarity - mono U aggro - burn - Imperial Painter - Strawberry Shortcake - Bluuzards - bom
Although most of the others mentioned serve her loyally (until she gets hungry and eats them).