Listen: I was playing my maelstrom wanderer deck a week ago at my LGS and one player commented my deck was the 'archvillain' of the table because I was so far ahead on board by turn 6. I ended up losing that game to a spore frog recurred endlessly with Meren of Clan Nel Toth and learned a valuable lesson about the importance of graveyard hate.
But the point is this: the best rap album of 2004 was indisputably Madvillainy, the collaboration between rapper MF DOOM and producer Madlib. Give it a listen. I can wait.
I've never wanted to build a theme deck before, always considered it deliberately crippling oneself in game. But now I believe building a theme deck around villainy/criminal behavior would be pretty alright.
I'm thinking a grixis deck with a big late game, maybe. Lots of 2:1 removal, big options. Cards symbolic of power, money and fame too. And then also Murder. Maybe 2 copies if I can get away with it.
Orzhov features that crime feel. Many of its effects are slow bleed, though, so that does not sound what you want...I still think Esper might be an option.
There are a TON of steal-y cards you can use, too.
Esper would probably be your best bet in that regard: you'll be able to play some of the best theft cards from blue and black, and white can provide a little buffer if you need it with some protection.
My Merieke deck in my sig has a number of theft cards for you to look at and consider; let us know how it goes as you get closer to a playable build.
EDIT: Okay, after a refresher look through my decklist, it's NOT as heavy on the theft as I thought it was(likely, I was thinking of an earlier build). Some of the cards I don't have in Merieke are stuff like Aethersnatch, Commandeer, and Blatant Thievery. Bribery is another good one if you've got the dough and don't mind oaths of retribution thrown your way.
Playing a villainous deck is more of a mindset rather than something you need to design around. Any color combination can work for this. It's all in how you project yourself to the rest of the table. What's most important about being a villain is being able to lose in a fun way. You don't want to make it easy for them but to be able to take on the entire table and almost win, or play a more conniving style to undermine the rest of the players. Either way ham it up and enjoy giving them some sort of struggle to overcome.
It's like playing out the role of Cobra Commander or Skeletor. It's really fun, especially when you don't state it out loud but let the players fall into the roles of the heroes while you set up your doomsday devices and torture machines.
Edit: That's not saying you need to purposefully lose. Villains can win too, taking advantage of the heroes' weaknesses.
It's a bit overdone at this point, but the cEDH combo of Doomsday and Laboratory Maniac fits the supervillain archetype perfectly. You could water it down to give the heroes a chance to escape!
In my local playgroup there is (or at least was) a Nicol Bolas deck that effectively achieved the supervillain feel. It's mainly good cards, with no combos that I recall. It has a few nice synergies, such as a Dragon Tempest. I've seen it win a number of games with Torment of Hailfire.
Riku of Two Reflections - Copy, then copy again | Shattergang Brothers - Token Sac&Recur | Gahiji, Honored One - Multiple attack steps | Karametra, God of Harvests - Landfall, Creaturefall, Shroud | Ruhan of the Fomori - Stop hitting yourself | Zurgo Helmsmasher - Equipment&Wraths | Crosis, the Purger - Dragon Tribal Reanimator | Derevi, Empyrial Tactician - No stax, just tap and untap fun | Anafenza, the Foremost - Enduring Ideal Enchantress | Sharuum, the Hegemon - Sphinx Tribal Control | Noyan Dar - Spellslinger | The Mimeoplasm - Counterpalooza
Lists can be found here.
Still convinced the guy on Beseech the Queen is wearing a Mitra-type hat. Wake up sheeple!
Hedonist's Trove and Gilded Drake haven't been mentioned yet. Cruel Ultimatum probably qualifies due to flavor text and being big and bad (the original Alara artwork is the best, in my opinion). Mind Twist is always a good option for if you really want to let someone know you really aren't very fond of them.
good grixis commander options are... Sedris, the Traitor King (has traitor right there in the name; is a 'fair' general that still makes a good reanimator deck) Marchesa, the Black Rose (murderous advisor who would probably like to steal things; +1/+1 counter theme; in my experience dethrone means you will almost always have the most life and be the 'archenemy') Admiral Beckett Brass (is a pirate, steals stuff) Thraximundar (is a zombie assassin; is high-cost, high-impact and requires minimal support from the rest of the deck) Garza Zol, Plague Queen (pretty similar advantages to Thraximundar; is a vampire instead of a zombie assassin)
although frankly any legend in those colors is pretty villainous, other than maybe Tetsuo Umezawa
EDIT: ooh! also Twisted Justice. Lots of Dimir cards feel crime-y.
Hedonist's Trove and Gilded Drake haven't been mentioned yet. Cruel Ultimatum probably qualifies due to flavor text and being big and bad. Mind Twist is always a good option for if you really want to let someone know you really aren't very fond of them.
good grixis commander options are... Sedris, the Traitor King (has traitor right there in the name; is a 'fair' general that still makes a good reanimator deck) Marchesa, the Black Rose (murderous advisor who would probably like to steal things; +1/+1 counter theme; in my experience dethrone means you will almost always have the most life and be the 'archenemy') Admiral Beckett Brass (is a pirate, steals stuff) Thraximundar (is a zombie assassin; is high-cost, high-impact and requires minimal support from the rest of the deck) Garza Zol, Plague Queen (pretty similar advantages to Thraximundar; is a vampire instead of a zombie assassin)
although frankly any legend in those colors is pretty villainous, other than maybe Tetsuo Umezawa
Thraximundar feels very much like Deathstroke the Terminator to me when I played him. There are few things more joyous than Thraximundar getting targeted by a Seize the Day or even more evil, Thraximundar getting targeted by a kicked Rite of Replication with Dictate of Erebos out to grow up into one-shot range.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Sufferer of EDHD
Commander - Currently Playing: RCRDaretti: Superfriends Forever RCR WGBDoran: Ent-mootWBG GGGMultani: Group Bear HugGGG GB(B/G)The Gitrog Monster: Dredgefall DurdleGB(B/G) RGWGahiji, the Honored Group Hug MonsterRGW UB(U/B)Yuriko, Ninja Trinket AggroUB(U/B) WUBRGAtogatog: Assembling a OHKOWUBRG
Another potential option is, once you've designed your deck to work as a stand-alone theme deck, make a literal 20-card Archenemy deck for it in case the opportunity arises. Archenemy tends to be a lot more fun with 'fair' and flavorful decks that don't just try to combo or lockdown. Maybe choose archenemy schemes that specifically punish that kind of play in your opponents; exiling graveyards and picking apart hands and such.
But the point is this: the best rap album of 2004 was indisputably Madvillainy, the collaboration between rapper MF DOOM and producer Madlib. Give it a listen. I can wait.
I've never wanted to build a theme deck before, always considered it deliberately crippling oneself in game. But now I believe building a theme deck around villainy/criminal behavior would be pretty alright.
I'm thinking a grixis deck with a big late game, maybe. Lots of 2:1 removal, big options. Cards symbolic of power, money and fame too. And then also Murder. Maybe 2 copies if I can get away with it.
Suggestions?
There are a TON of steal-y cards you can use, too.
(U/B)(U/B)(U/B) JUMP IN THE LINE, ROCK YOUR BODY IN TIME
(R/W)(R/W)(R/W) RISING FROM THE NEON GLOOM, SHINING LIKE A CRAZY MOON
(U/R)(R/G)(G/U) STEALIN' WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUYIN'
Esper would probably be your best bet in that regard: you'll be able to play some of the best theft cards from blue and black, and white can provide a little buffer if you need it with some protection.
My Merieke deck in my sig has a number of theft cards for you to look at and consider; let us know how it goes as you get closer to a playable build.
EDIT: Okay, after a refresher look through my decklist, it's NOT as heavy on the theft as I thought it was(likely, I was thinking of an earlier build). Some of the cards I don't have in Merieke are stuff like Aethersnatch, Commandeer, and Blatant Thievery. Bribery is another good one if you've got the dough and don't mind oaths of retribution thrown your way.
EDH decks: 1. RGWMayael's Big BeatsRETIRED!
2. BUWMerieke Ri Berit and the 40 Thieves
3. URNiv's Wheeling and Dealing!
4. BURThe Walking Dead
5. GWSisay's Legends of Tomorrow
6. RWBRise of Markov
7. GElvez and stuffz(W)
8. RCrush your enemies(W)
9. BSign right here...(W)
amazingly epic sig courtesy of DarkNightCavalier at Heroes of the Planes.
DECKLIST IN ALL CAPS PLEASE
In Progress
GBIshkanah, Grafwidow ~ BWGRTymna the Weaver & Tana, the Bloodsower ~ UGRashmi, Eternities Crafter ~ RGAtarka, World Render
People will probably let you use it since it was legal for a month or so without the format breaking.
Pioneer:UR Pheonix
Modern:U Mono U Tron
EDH
GB Glissa, the traitor: Army of Cans
UW Dragonlord Ojutai: Dragonlord NOjutai
UWGDerevi, Empyrial Tactician "you cannot fight the storm"
R Zirilan of the claw. The solution to every problem is dragons
UB Etrata, the Silencer Cloning assassination
Peasant cube: Cards I own
It's like playing out the role of Cobra Commander or Skeletor. It's really fun, especially when you don't state it out loud but let the players fall into the roles of the heroes while you set up your doomsday devices and torture machines.
Edit: That's not saying you need to purposefully lose. Villains can win too, taking advantage of the heroes' weaknesses.
Beating Face with Bane
Beatrice, the Golden Witch
In my local playgroup there is (or at least was) a Nicol Bolas deck that effectively achieved the supervillain feel. It's mainly good cards, with no combos that I recall. It has a few nice synergies, such as a Dragon Tempest. I've seen it win a number of games with Torment of Hailfire.
Tamanoa - Welcome to the Jungle
Lists can be found here.
Ashes to Ashes, Phyrexian Purge, Reckless Spite, Hellfire (pricey), and Fire Covenant are all pretty evil-sounding and are each at least 2-for-1.
good grixis commander options are...
Sedris, the Traitor King (has traitor right there in the name; is a 'fair' general that still makes a good reanimator deck)
Marchesa, the Black Rose (murderous advisor who would probably like to steal things; +1/+1 counter theme; in my experience dethrone means you will almost always have the most life and be the 'archenemy')
Admiral Beckett Brass (is a pirate, steals stuff)
Thraximundar (is a zombie assassin; is high-cost, high-impact and requires minimal support from the rest of the deck)
Garza Zol, Plague Queen (pretty similar advantages to Thraximundar; is a vampire instead of a zombie assassin)
although frankly any legend in those colors is pretty villainous, other than maybe Tetsuo Umezawa
EDIT: ooh! also Twisted Justice. Lots of Dimir cards feel crime-y.
- Rabid Wombat
Thraximundar feels very much like Deathstroke the Terminator to me when I played him. There are few things more joyous than Thraximundar getting targeted by a Seize the Day or even more evil, Thraximundar getting targeted by a kicked Rite of Replication with Dictate of Erebos out to grow up into one-shot range.
RCRDaretti: Superfriends Forever RCR
WGBDoran: Ent-mootWBG
GGGMultani: Group Bear HugGGG
GB(B/G)The Gitrog Monster: Dredgefall DurdleGB(B/G)
RGWGahiji, the Honored Group Hug MonsterRGW
UB(U/B)Yuriko, Ninja Trinket AggroUB(U/B)
WUBRGAtogatog: Assembling a OHKOWUBRG
Embrace My Diabolical Vision
Every Hope Shall Vanish
My Wish is Your Command
Into the Earthen Maw
There's also cards that help you ramp into your big spells faster...
Realms Befitting My Majesty
This World Belongs to Me
Your Fate is Thrice Sealed
Behold My Grandeur
Power Without Equal
- Rabid Wombat