MTG Salvation

Hello All,

I have been fascinated with the idea of having Gonti, Lord of Luxury helm a deck which just aims to disrupt what everyone else is doing and then do a Nim Deathmantle + Ashnod's Altar win. I want the deck to capitalize on Gonti as a sac target, so the deck has to have some sac outlets and a lot of reanimator spells, as well as cards that give value when sacrificing Gonti. In order to pull this off, the deck has to have a lot of mana rocks with some rocks able to produce any color of mana (for activated abilities). I'd like to keep the deck cost to under $200, so expensive rocks like Mana Crypt as well as expensive lands like Cabal Coffers are immediately out of the picture.

I did try to have some sort of "reanimate fatties" kind of strategy but ultimately didn't like it. I want the deck to be as disruptive as possible and to mess with hoe people play with their deck. Once I have the core cards for the strategy identified, I

Here is the list of core cards I'm considering. Do note that this is more of an exhaustive list and can be cut down to what is really wanted for the deck.

Sac Outlets

1. Thoughtpicker Witch - exile the best of 2 cards off the top of the library and has no timing restriction
2. Mindslash - a repeatable Thoughtseize that doesn't hurt
3. Attrition - repeatable removal
4. Razaketh, the Foulblooded - tutor on a stick
5. Viscera Seer
6. Ashnod's Altar
7. Skullclamp - not for Gonti, but for tokens
8. Ghoulcaller Gisa - great for gumming up the board with tokens, provides sac fodders, but ultimately slow

Benefits from Sacrificing Gonti

1. Sifter of Skulls/Pawn of Ulamog - provides sac fodder and ways to ramp
2. Pitiless Plunderer - provides ramp
3. Zulaport Cutthroat - should I include this one?????

ETB Support

1. Panharmonicon
2. Conjurer's Closet
3. Erratic Portal

Reanimator Effects - I think the deck wants some surefire way of reanimating Gonti

1. Corpse Dance
2. Animate Dead
3. Supernatural Stamina
4. Undying Evil
5. Abnormal Endurance
6. Dread Return
7. Victimize
8. Dawn of the Dead - just don't forget to sac the dude so it doesn't get exiled
9. Wake the Dead
10. Phyrexian Reclamation
11. Palace Siege
12. Nim Deathmantle - not quite reanimation
13. Cauldron of Souls - same as Nim Deathmantle

Kindly share your suggestions. Thanks!

Gonti Control can be LOTS of fun

https://www.mtgsalvation.com/decks/3281-by-hook-or-by-crook

Quote from Taleran »

Gonti Control can be LOTS of fun

https://www.mtgsalvation.com/decks/3281-by-hook-or-by-crook

Nice read. Thanks!

I think you want Genesis Chamber to help your Ashnod's Altar / Nim Deathmantle combo, but keep in mind that your opponents will get double the tokens when Panharmonicon is in play.

Bitter Ordeal fits into the deck pretty well. Also Sadistic Sacrament, Praetor's Grasp, Nightmare Incursion..

You may also want Black Market to get extra mana.

Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Cauldron of Souls work well together. Just saw the price on Mikaeus... sorry for the suggestion... it is being reprinted in UMA though!)

Zulaport Cutthroat is okay.... I would play it or I would play Gray Merchant of Asphodel... otherwise after exiling all of your opponents' best cards, the game can drag on. You need a way to close it.

For Sac Outlets, I kinda like Anowon, the Ruin Sage for this. Sac Gonti on your upkeep, edict your opponents..

I think you have a nice shell, and should probably fill the rest of the deck with card draw, ramp and removal. Don't forget Crypt Ghast!

Quote from Dunharrow »

I think you want Genesis Chamber to help your Ashnod's Altar / Nim Deathmantle combo, but keep in mind that your opponents will get double the tokens when Panharmonicon is in play.

Bitter Ordeal fits into the deck pretty well. Also Sadistic Sacrament, Praetor's Grasp, Nightmare Incursion..

You may also want Black Market to get extra mana.

Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Cauldron of Souls work well together. Just saw the price on Mikaeus... sorry for the suggestion... it is being reprinted in UMA though!)

Zulaport Cutthroat is okay.... I would play it or I would play Gray Merchant of Asphodel... otherwise after exiling all of your opponents' best cards, the game can drag on. You need a way to close it.

For Sac Outlets, I kinda like Anowon, the Ruin Sage for this. Sac Gonti on your upkeep, edict your opponents..

I think you have a nice shell, and should probably fill the rest of the deck with card draw, ramp and removal. Don't forget Crypt Ghast!

Thank you! I think Black Market may be too cute for ramp when the deck plays Sifter of Skulls/Pawn of Ulamog. I might be wrong though, so it's definitely on the maybe list. Anyway, for ramp, I'm thinking of Crypt Ghast, Cabal Stronghold, Crypt of Agadeem, and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx(just so happens I already have this card).

Anowon, the Ruin Sage seems like a good option alongside Dawn of the Dead. I'm bringing Chainer, Dementia Master in to maybe help enable this nasty synergy.

I forgot to include it in the initial list but Gray Merchant of Asphodel, Kokusho, the Evening Star, Sepulchral Primordial, and Puppeteer Clique are in the short list. Though I don't know if reanimating opponent's creatures is what I want to be doing.

Anyway, here is the list of creatures that helps to produce tokens that can gum up the board, ramp, or be sac fodder:

1. Sifter of Skulls/Pawn of Ulamog - chump blockers and/or ramp
2. Ogre Slumlord - because deathtouch snakes are a great defense and great for skullclamp
3. Sengir Autocrat/Weaponcraft Enthusiast - just chump blockers and sac fodders, and cheap too
4. Marionette Master/Abhorrent Overlord - both can end games relatively fast

What do you think?

Those token makers make Ashnod's Altar and Nim Deathmantle go infinite. They are all solid.

As for ramp, pleases be sure to include things like Mind Stone, Thought Vessel, Hedron Archive.... and probably another 4-5 rocks.

What is your card draw and tutoring, other than Skullclamp and Razaketh? You can play Grim Haruspex. I like Ob Nixilis Reignited.
Phyrexian Arena may be out of budget but I think it goes in every control deck that plays black.

I like Sign in Blood and Read the Bones to make sure I can dig for lands early.

Here are the things I have in my short list for mana rocks and card draw/tutoring...

Mana Rocks:

1. Sol Ring
2. Mind Stone
3. Prismatic Lens
4. Star Compass
5. Fellwar Stone
6. Everflowing Chalice
7. Worn Powerstone

Card Draw/Tutors:

1. Sign in Blood
2. Night's Whisper
3. Read the Bones
4. Phyrexian Arena - got this from another deck of mine
5. Ancient Cravings
6. Vulturous Aven
7. Morbid Curiosity
8. Damnable Pact
9. Greed - might cost a bit too much to draw cards though
10. Live Fast
11. Sidisi, Undead Vizier
12. Rune-Scarred Demon
13. Beseech the Queen