I've received a few PMs recently from new players interested in competitive 1v1 EDH, but unsure how to build an effective deck. A couple of people have asked if I could share some of my decklists, to see what goes into a tuned competitive deck.
While I don't want to encourage net-decking, I do believe in sharing tech. I figure that if people are going to net-deck, they'll do so whether I post some tuned lists or not, so I may as well provide. My emphasis in this thread is primarily on unusual strategies that can stand toe-to-toe with the tier 1 decks. Even at the top tier of competition, there are many more viable strategies than most people realize. Hopefully this thread can open some eyes to underplayed generals for 1v1.
Some of these decks are my own creations, but many of them were designed by others. I have not asked permission to repost their lists in this thread, but assume it's okay, as they've all been posted in public forums previously. In many cases, I've taken the liberty of modifying the decks to my own preferences, and it is these versions that I will post. I hope no one will feel that I mangled their deck, but please PM me if you have any problems.
Also, I greatly prefer the 1v1 French/MTGS banned list, but most people still use the multiplayer banned list. Rather than try to convert decks between banned lists, I'll just tell you which list they go with. It should be a fairly simple matter to make the switch, if you desire.
For what it's worth, every deck I include here has my personal seal of approval, meaning I consider it to be both competitive and well-built: every card is specifically chosen because it's the best choice for what the deck is trying to do (ideally...I won't claim that any of these decks are perfect). I have no problem with decks that are built for flavor, but all of these decks are designed to win.
This is a very unusual deck. It runs far more land than is typical, and a tremendous amount of artifact acceleration on top of that. In fact, it has very few real spells: most of the rest of the deck consists of an assortment of land destruction spells.
This deck is entirely focused around the general. The high land count is to ensure that you never miss a land drop, and the acceleration lets you easily unmorph or even hard-cast Akroma quickly (and repeatedly, if need be). The land destruction isn't meant to shut down an opponent permanently--just to slow them down long enough to win via general damage, which usually only takes 2 swings. Despite the huge reliance on the general, this strategy works because of Akroma's unique protections and uncounterability. All of the cards commonly used to deal with generals permanently are white or blue, and Akroma neatly dodges them (just be very, very careful to NEVER play her morphed if there's the slightest possibility of her meeting Hinder or Bant Charm or the like). Many decks, even very competitive ones, simply have no effective way to stop Akroma, or can't play the ones they do have through the land destruction.
Overall, this deck is surprisingly good, though it is something of a one trick pony. There are very few ways to effectively combat Akroma, but if you happen to run into one there's probably nothing you can do about it. Though this can be frustrating, the deck is still a fun and competitive choice.
Variations:
A similar deck can be built around Ashling the Pilgrim. Ashling gives the deck significant board control capabilities, giving you somewhat more disruption and better ability to race the rare aggro deck that is faster than you. However, Ashling is significantly slower to deal 21 general, and is much more vulnerable to being blown out by Hinder and friends than Akroma. Overall, not as strong a choice.
Weaknesses:
Removal-heavy mono-black control decks:
If they can weather the land destruction and just keep killing Akroma, they'll win eventually.
Non-white or blue general disablers:
There aren't many of these that see any play, and most of the ones that do that can be dealt with through artifact/land destruction (Icy Manipulator, Maze of Ith, etc.). However, there are still some rare cards like Lignify that can very difficult to beat.
Doran, the Siege Tower:
Quick aggro decks can be troublesome for Akroma; especially Doran, who is almost impossible to beat (at cmc 3, he comes out too quickly to be prevented with LD, and, because he limits her to 6 damage a turn, Doran can easily race Akroma).
Azusa, Lost but Seeking - KCizzle (multiplayer BL)
Now here is a deck that got an awfully big boost out of Rise of the Eldrazi. To be honest, I'm a little surprised to have come across a competitive, non-Rofellos, green deck that wouldn't be better off with Rofellos as the general. However, this is such a one, though the style of the deck is very similar to Rofellos.
So why play Azusa over Rofellos? You lose a little speed and the possibility of Staff of Domination/Umbral Mantle shenanigans...but you gain an awful lot of resiliency. You see, Rofellos is a known quantity by now. People have finally figured out that you need to play lots of spot removal to beat fast, general-based decks, and the best decks have incorporated that removal. And let me tell you--a Rofellos deck without Rofellos sucks. I have personally brought an entire Rofellos deck to its knees solely through the lowly Sparksmith. Against most modern competitive decks, Rofellos is simply not all that good--there are just too many decks he performs poorly against.
Enter Azusa. Though she's slower than Rofellos, and has a little less room for spells, she is next to impossible to stop with removal. Even if she gets killed, she always has at least one turn to do her thing first, and that gives you enough mana to replay her the next time you need her. No matter how much removal you have, she's going to mana-ramp regardless. (She's also far stronger against land destruction than Rofellos, though this isn't as important a consideration.) Though Rofellos certainly has his advantages, I think Azusa is better a significant percentage of the time.
Because you have more consistent access to oodles of mana late-game, you can safely afford to run all the huge monsters you want. We're talking about a deck that can consistently hardcast Emrakul before the extreme lategame.
Weaknesses:
Armageddon effects:
Spot land destruction isn't a problem, but Armageddons hurt. Crucible of Worlds and Life from the Loam do allow you to recover, especially if the Armageddon is popped fairly early, but it's still not good for you.
Fast combo:
This deck is very resilient to most kinds of disruption, but it's not super-fast. It has about as much disruption of its own as a mono-green deck can, but that's still not all that much. A deck that is fast enough to just combo off and win before any Eldrazi can come out to play stands a pretty good chance of outracing this one.
I could write pages about this deck, but I'll abstain. Suffice it to say that I can defend every single card choice in this deck. As it's quite similar to Surging Chaos' deck, you can read more about how it works in his excellent primer.
Basically, this is a prison deck, and a versatile toolbox deck. It runs an extreme amount of acceleration so that Sisay can always be played on turn 2 or 3, and then uses her to lock up the game with Gaddock Teeg, Hokori, and/or Kataki, while generating lots of mana with Gaea's Cradle and/or Rofellos. The game can go several ways from here, depending on the situation: you can get Kamahl, overrun a few times and beat down; you can add Crovax to machine-gun lands with Kamahl; you can combo Umbral Mantle and Rofellos for a few infinitely large, trampley attackers; you can get an infinite lock with Yosei, Reya, and Miren (usually facilitated by Wild Pair); you can go infinite with Reveillark and Mirror Entity in a number of ways, you can just play Iona in some cases...the possibilities are endless.
This is the list I'm playing in the current MTGS tournament. While I'm currently at a modest 3-2 record, I feel that the deck is extremely competitive--both of my losses were close games that I might have won with a little more luck. This deck can stand up to just about anything, though it does take a considerable amount of practice to learn how to play quickly and correctly.
Weaknesses:
General disablers:
While this deck can certainly win without using the general, it's much harder to do. Cards like Pithing Needle or Declaration of Naught can dramatically slow you down until you draw into an answer. Similarly, Control Magic effects are very strong against Sisay, especially Teeg-proof ones like Gilded Drake and Sower of Temptation--this deck has a fairly difficult time recovering her once she's been stolen.
Empress Galina: Empress Galina eats this whole deck alive if she resolves. Fortunately, she's not very commonly played.
This deck looks very similar in some ways to the Captain Sisay deck above, yet it plays completely differently. Gaddock Teeg is one of the main reasons why the Sisay deck is viable in the first place--by running him as your general, you lose Sisay's versatility, but you gain a lot of resiliency. If Teeg gets killed in the Sisay deck, he's very likely gone for good--here, you just need to replay him. Also, because you don't need to spend so many slots on a narrow legendary toolbox, you can just run overall stronger cards instead. The combos in this deck are cheaper and cleaner than in Sisay, and there's plenty of room for powerful utility cards. Some risky but powerful cards like Rites of Flourishing and Heartbeat of Spring are also viable in this deck, as Teeg breaks their symmetry against most opponents.
A major emphasis in this deck is on protecting Gaddock Teeg--there are many ways to give him shroud or protection, which leaves very few cards that can actually deal with him. Many decks are severely crippled by this--most combo decks can't even win against a shrouded Teeg. Because there are so many protective cards, we also include some creatures that dominate the game if not dealt with, like Platinum Angel, Willow Satyr, and Peacekeeper.
There are several ways to win this deck. It includes a number of "I-win" combos that can be played under Teeg, such as Earthcraft + Squirrel Nest and Stuffy Doll + Guilty Conscience, plus tutors to assemble them. You also have the pieces for an infinite Reveillark combo or a Yosei lock. When all else fails, it's also totally viable to just boost your creatures with equipment and plink away from the win, while your opponent is struggling to get by Teeg.
Weaknesses:
Creature-heavy decks:
Few competitive decks really load up on creatures, but the ones that do can mostly ignore Teeg, and just do their thing. What's more, their creatures are likely to be better than your utility dudes. Peacekeeper + protection goes a very long way towards stalling these matchups until you can assemble a combo, but it's still not an easy battle.
General-damage decks:
Decks that intend to kill you by dealing 21 damage with their general, like Uril or Akroma, can be difficult to beat, as Teeg doesn't slow down generals very well, if at all. Once again, finding and protecting Peacekeeper is by far your best chance of victory.
Update: Honestly, I think I was wrong in my assessment of this deck's weaknesses. I've played it a great deal on MWS in the last couple months (it's currently my go-to deck), and I've hardly lost to anything at all. I've played against plenty of creature-heavy decks and general-damage decks, and I've had very little trouble dealing with either. Peacekeeper is absolutely phenomenal against both, but there are plenty of other great defensive cards in here too. I can't remember the last match I lost with this deck, so it may even be undefeated thus far. I'll update this section when I figure out what its real weaknesses are.
Never underestimate the power of tutors, even a limited tutor like Godo, in a highlander format. Mono-red is probably the weakest color combination in EDH, as it tends to have issues with both consistency and card advantage--Godo helps on both fronts, tutoring whatever equipment you need directly into play. He's also an extremely fast clock--aided by his equipment, he can quite easily deal 21 damage in as little as turn 2 turns. The small goblin package also helps consistency, as Moggcatcher, Goblin Matron, and Imperial Recruiter are amongst the best tutors available in red.
This deck takes a Stax approach with a heavy emphasis on nonbasic land hate, hoping to prey on decks with expensive manabases. It also runs a fair bit of land destruction, especially of the recursive variety--the two dwarfs are backbreaking against certain deck, and Goblin Settler + Kiki-Jiki can do something similar against any deck. Between the smattering of land destruction and cards like Sphere of Resistance and Tangle Wire, we aim to slow opponents down long enough for Godo to get rolling. With the tremendous amount of artifact acceleration in this deck, it's not difficult to replay him multiple times if necessary, netting more equipment each time.
Though this deck is advantaged against 3-5 color decks just due to the nonbasic hate, it doesn't throw away its matchups against mono-colored decks either. Due to a reasonably high count of spot removal spells, it does fairly well against decks reliant on a cheap general, like Rofellos, Braids, and Arcum. It is frequently capable of slowing these decks down for long enough to fetch an equipment that can shut the general down indefinitely.
Weaknesses:
1-2 color control decks (especially white):
Control decks with mostly basic manabases can do well against this deck. Much of the nonbasic land hate is ineffective, and these decks usually play enough removal to handle both Godo and his equipment. Base white decks are by far the worst, as the white sweepers that destroy artifacts can crush this deck's mana development, making it difficult to keep powering out Godo.
Other red decks:
Though fairly uncommon, other red decks don't care about the Moons at all, and will likely be even faster than Godo. They also tend to pack a lot of artifact destruction, which is quite dangerous for this deck.
An old-school control deck with an EDH twist. This creatureless, combo-free deck just tries to take complete control of the game, and eventually wins through Horde of Notions beatdown once things are locked up. It plays a ton of counterspells, but its most unique element is the choice of removal spells. Its designer recognized that many of the decks to beat in this format revolve around their generals and are very, very fast--you need a lot of removal to neutralize these generals, but that removal tends to be terrible in other matchups. His solution was to play all the cycling removal spells he could--all the stuff like Spark Spray, Sicken, and Pyrite Spellbomb is useful removal in the necessary matchups, but replaces itself at minimal cost when not needed. This tech gives you access to enough cheap removal to win matchups like Rofellos, while not hurting your chances against other control decks at all. As such, this is perhaps the most powerful pure control deck in the format.
While the general isn't especially conducive to the control plan, access to all 5 colors is important to get enough removal. Horde of Notions is simply the best 5c general that doesn't require building around.
Weaknesses:
Heavy discard:
As a permission-based control deck, this deck can be vulnerable to a barrage of discard--without a grip full of answers, you've got nothing.
This deck is also very good at not dying to most offensive strategies. It has numerous ways of holding off both attacking generals and creature swarms. Pariah/Pariah's Shield on Cho-Manno, Revolutionary or Stuffy Doll makes you immune to all damage, including general damage, for as long as you can keep the combo together.
Finally, the deck can go aggro very effectively. It plays the best equipment in the game, as well as several equipment tutors, and can quickly pump out an army of rebels, including Mirror Entity, who can make that army huge.
For more information, check out urdjur's excellent primer on this deck.
Weaknesses:
Combo:
Though this deck is excellent at defending against creatures, it plays a very interactive game. It's not very good at defending against non-interactive combo strategies. Though it does contain a decent amount of artifact/enchantment removal to disrupt combos, it's still slower than most combo decks, and can struggle to win these matchups.
Mana denial:
This deck is very mana-hungry, and can have trouble with cards like Winter Orb and Armageddon.
Lyzolda, the Blood Witch - Moondust/French championships (1v1 BL)
This is the most violent EDH deck ever conceived. Just looking at it makes me flinch. I'm replacing the older Lyzolda list I had here, which was fun, but not quite up to the caliber of the other decks in this thread. This one is; a similar deck recently took 2nd at the French championships (a big tournament). It is the very essence of aggro.
The problem with the older list I had was that it focused on using Lyzolda's ability to generate card advantage, making it a sort of creature control deck. The biggest problem with this is that Lyzolda sucks up a lot of mana when used this way, and R/B doesn't really have any options for consistently making enough mana to both use Lyzolda and play good spells. Lyzolda is still quite good against the competitive metagame though, as she's great against popular 2-toughness generals like Arcum, Azami, Sisay, and Gaddock Teeg.
This list focuses on another aspect of Lyzolda: her impressive, top-heavy body (I mean the 3/1 part, of course). Those are pretty decent stats for an aggressive creature: her ability is just delicious gravy on top of that, allowing you to squeeze additional damage or removal out of creatures that would probably be dying anyway. This deck is really focused: lots of the most aggressive creatures ever printed alongside the best burn red can offer, with a healthy dose of discard (critical for black decks in 1v1) mixed in. This might not seem fancy, but if you know what it can do, it's terrifying. While everyone else is dinking around with counterspells or trying to assemble a combo, this savage list just goes for the throat and aims to kill you before you know what hit you. If you've ever been a fan of RDW or Suicide Black, you'll like this one too.
Weaknesses:
Combo:
Combo decks that don't rely on their general or specific creatures may be able to go off quicker than you. You don't have all that much disruption besides burn, so all you can really do is race and hope you're fast enough.
Crovax, Ascendant Evincar/Night of Soul's Betrayal:
Many of the creatures in this deck, including the general, have just 1 toughness. A static -1/-1 effect is quite difficult to work around, and both Crovax and NoSB are very difficult to remove, unless you're lucky enough to get them discarded.
I give you soft-lock Pox Rock. It's a blast to play, and is one of my favorite decks right now. It has several token producers (including Nath), combined with powerful, quasi-symmetrical lockdown effects that require sacrificing permanents, like Braids, Cabal Minion, Smokestack, Contamination, and The Abyss. There is also a strong emphasis on discard, as this fuels Nath's token-producing abilities (and is just generally very important for black decks in 1v1). Few things are as brutal as Nath + Sadistic Hypnotist, for instance--I've yet to see the control deck that can maintain any sort of hand against this one. There are also a few silver bullets like Chains of Mephistopheles and Null Rod that are just disgusting against vulnerable decks.
Token swarms:
All the "sacrifice a creature/permanent" don't look so good against hordes of expendable tokens. If you expect to encounter lots of token or other aggro-swarm decks, you probably want to squeeze Damnation and/or Decree of Pain into the list somewhere.
You won't make many friends playing this deck, but you'll win a lot. You play a bunch of mana artifacts and plink away at their manabase, then try to resolve one of your many mass land-kill spells when you get the opportunity. There's also a lot of artifact destruction, to get rid of any mana artifacts your opponent might have. There's no real rush with the land destruction--even if your opponent gets ahead of you a bit, a single Armageddon can fix all that for you. When you have the chance, Numot comes down and either helps you plink away at lands, or seals the game after an Armageddon effect. The planeswalkers help to kick your opponent while he's down, and also provide alternate win conditions.
This particular list is not set in stone. There's quite a lot of wiggle room for individual choices, and it could probably be improved upon bit more. It's certainly good enough to win games as is though.
Weaknesses:
Sacred Ground/Terra Eternal:
No one really plays these cards, but they're a huge pain to deal with if you happen to run into them.
This deck doesn't have any especially weak matchups, but it doesn't have any really good ones either. As long as you're on your game, you should be able to do well against any deck.
This is a great spike deck, for those who like to feel in control of their games. It's combo/control, emphasis on the combo, that plays very similarly to the Thopter Depths deck ruling T1.x, though it doesn't play either of the namesake combos.
When additional colored mana is needed to play Oona and win immediately (which is often), Gemstone Array can generate as much as you need, and is easily tutored for. Dark Ritual and Cabal Ritual can also help provide the necessary colored mana. Also, keep in mind that Beseech the Queen (getting Gemstone Array) can be cast without colored mana once you've gone infinite. Stroke of Genius provides a backup win condition if Oona is somehow disabled.
There's also the backup combo of Leyline of the Void + Helm of Obedience, which has ended games for me as soon as turn 2. Oona is usually not played until she can be used for the kill, but it's worth noting that she's very impressive as a control card too--if creatures are giving you trouble, she's great at stabilizing the battlefield for you. In those occasional awkward games where no one can seem to draw what they need, she's quite capable of putting the game away by herself.
It's also worth noting that this deck contains a slightly absurd amount of graveyard hate, between Leyline of the Void, Relic of Progenitus, Bojuka Bog, Shred Memory and all the specialized tutors that can find these cards (also Timetwister and Time Spiral, to some extent). This wasn't exactly the intention, but they're all very strong cards in this deck anyways, so the extremely strong matchup against graveyard-dependent decks is just gravy.
On top of the combos, we simply play the best cards available in this deck, from the two strongest colors in EDH. Without getting too focused in any one area (except perhaps tutors), we have the best tutors, the best card draw, the best counterspells, the best acceleration, and the best removal. What's not to like? All of the control cards chosen are among the best ever printed, so this deck plays control very well, even though the control cards are somewhat diluted by combo elements.
This deck is particularly powerful because, as a control deck, it tends to get more and more powerful as the game goes long...but it also has a very good chance of just comboing off and winning around turn 2 to turn 5. You don't get a god hand every game, of course, but just having the potential of winning extremely quickly if you draw well is one of the hallmarks of a great competitive deck. This deck has the best chance of getting god hands of any deck I know. I would play it again, card for card.
Weaknesses:
This is a difficult deck to attack, because it can win from so many different ways, and has solutions to whatever cards you might hate on it with. These are the best ways to try to gun for it though:
Instant speed artifact/enchantment removal:
All of the combos are somewhat vulnerable to artifact/enchantment removal. Destroying a key artifact (especially, say, in response to Power Artifact) will set this deck back significantly. Krosan Grip is the best choice, as this deck often has counterspell protection when trying to combo.
Null Rod/Damping Matrix:
These are fairly effective at stopping this deck from comboing, though they'll only work until Oona finds some bounce.
Aven Mindcensor/Mindlock Orb:
This deck plays a lot of tutors. Mindlock Orb would actually be quite troublesome, though I've never seen anyone actually play that card.
Aggro meets land destruction, simple and effective. Radha is like a mini-Rofellos with access to red: though not as explosive as Rofellos, she makes up for it with better land destruction and removal, culminating in game-ending green threats. This deck is also far less vulnerable to removal than Rofellos.
This deck comes out of gates fast, often dropping Radha on turn 1 and destroying a land on turn 2. It keeps pressure on both an opponent's mana and life total, aiming to kill the opponent before they ever recover and catch up on lands. It also packs a fair bit of burn and artifact destruction to deal with early acceleration.
When playing this deck, always be the aggressor. If the game goes too long, you're likely to lose--but this deck is tuned to be as aggressive as possible, and should be able to deal 30 damage before most decks can stabilize.
Weaknesses:
Creature-heavy control decks:
Decks that spit out enough creatures to gum up the ground can make it difficult for Radha and her bears to get through. All that incremental damage adds up fast--any deck that can make attacking difficult stands a good chance of surviving long enough to take over the late-game.
The coin flip:
Going first makes a big difference for Radha; this deck is significantly better when on the play. With a good hand on the play, this deck is extremely difficult for any other deck to beat--nothing beats turn 1 Radha, turn 2-4 LD, turn 5 monster. But with an average hand on the draw, it's much less dominating. Unfortunately, there's little that be done about this variance...just hope to get lucky, I suppose.
Scion of the Ur-Dragon - Kilikua/Moondust/Khymera (1v1 BL)
This is probably the fastest and most consistent combo deck in the format. It's been a well-kept secret amongst EDH deckbuilders on MWS for many months now. Many people have worked on it, some independently: I first became aware of it when I got stomped by an early version piloted by one Kilikua. A couple months later, I encountered it again, as my friend Moondust was developing a very similar deck. The list posted here is a composite list I developed and tested, taking the best elements from both lists.
I'm sure that this list still isn't perfect, but it's very, very strong. I'm releasing it to the public in the hope that the collective minds here at MTGS can help develop it even further. Do note that this is an extremely difficult deck to pilot optimally...it would be not be an overstatement to say that this is the toughest deck I've ever played in any format, and I've played them all. It's powerful enough to still win most games with poor play, but it takes a master (and a lot of practice) to play it at its full potential.
So, why is this deck so good? It has a blazingly fast and resilient primary win condition, a powerful and disruptive secondary win condition, more tutors than any other deck in the format, and it still has room for a hefty and versatile disruption package. It's also as lean and efficient as they come: the curve tops out at 3, and most of the spells cost only 1 or 2. There's no dead weight here.
The simplest version of the kill is: activate Hermit Druid. Win. Yes, it's actually that easy. There are no basic lands in this deck, so a single Hermit Druid activation mills your whole deck. Narcomoeba pops into play. Unearth Fatestitcher, make sure the coast is clear with Cabal Therapy (if you have an extra creature), and flashback Dread Return on Crypt Champion, which returns Saffi Eriksdotter. With the other Crypt Champion trigger on the stack, sacrifice Saffi targeting the Champion, and repeat that loop a billion times. Then use Crypt Champion to return Caller of the Claw. That gives you a billion bears, and thanks to Anger, they all have haste. Ta da! Dead opponent. If Hermit Druid isn't destroyed on sight, this happens relatively consistently by turn 3.
Obviously, it's not always that simple, but there's a lot of resiliency built into this plan. Apprentice Necromancer and Shallow Grave help ensure that Hermit Druid is able to do his thing. Cephalid Illusionist and Lightning Greaves offer an alternate means of milling yourself if something happens to the Druid. The suite of flashback removal spells can deal with just about anything that might stop you from winning post-milling. This plan is remarkably hard to stop: it can even beat instant-speed graveyard hate sometimes, though it's somewhat painful to do so. By looping Krosan Reclamation and Pull from Eternity, you can (slowly) draw whatever cards you need, even if your whole graveyard and library are exiled!
An alternate kill, which is extremely efficient even if the rest of the deck isn't coming together, involved just beating down with Scion of the Ur-Dragon. This list only contains 2 dragons, but that's all it needs to kill in 2 attacks. Strike first as Nicol Bolas, wiping out your opponent's answers. Then swing as Dragon Tyrant, pump once, and that's 21 general damage. It says a lot about this deck that a strategy as efficient as this one is a distant plan B.
There are many other subtle and effective gameplans with this deck, such as the early Life from the Loam lock or the Quiet Speculation flashback control plan. The most difficult part of piloting this deck is figuring out how to use all the tutors, since there's a tremendous array of options, and not all of the tutors will be able to get the card you want most. For instance, do you Entomb for Anger? Life from the Loam? Hermit Druid? Ancient Grudge? All of these (and more) can be the correct answer; learning to recognize when to get what with each tutor takes a lot of foresight, practice, and skill. Learning the best ways to play around hate is also important. This deck has the answers to beat anything, but recognizing how to use those answers can be very challenging.
Weaknesses:
Aven Mindcensor:
With so many tutors and only 2 cards that kill it, this little bird can be incredibly annoying to deal with.
Graveyard hate:
This deck has the tools to beat graveyard hate, either by powering through it or by circumventing it with Scion of the Ur-Dragon. Even so, this is a heavily graveyard-based deck, and graveyard hate is still the best way to fight it. Instant speed surprise hate like Shred Memory, Ravenous Trap, or Crop Rotation into Bojuka Bog is best, but stuff like Relic of Progenitus is decent too.
Spot removal:
Again, though this deck has the tools to beat spot removal, removal is still helpful for not getting immediately slaughtered by Hermit Druid. Spells like Swords to Plowshares are frequently the difference between a turn 2-3 blowout and a real game.
This deck is my baby. It was my first EDH deck, and has passed through a number of different versions over the years. It's also exceptionally good--I believe I've played more games with it than any other deck, yet it has the highest win:lose ratio of any non-Clique deck I've ever played.
This is a combo deck through and through, but it's a very broad, versatile, and resilient one. Every game plays out differently. There are 3 "I-win" combos in the deck: Sculpting Steel + Sharuum + Glassdust Hulk/Extractor Demon/Bitter Ordeal, Sensei's Divining Top + Future Sight + Etherium Sculptor/Cloud Key, and Leyline of the Void + Helm of Obedience. These are by no means the only ways to win though--Mindslaver recursion with Sharuum, though non-infinite, always results in a win, and Magister Sphinx or Memnarch can easily win games by themselves. This deck has a very high concentration of tutors, and can find answers to just about anything. It also plays control quite well, as Sharuum offers such potent recursion. In long games, Salvaging Station generates backbreaking card advantage.
Weaknesses:
Artifact hate:
This deck is all artifacts, and wants a lot of mana to function properly. Cards that attack the artifact manabase are most effective: things like Null Rod, Energy Flux, and Shattering Spree give this deck headaches, though none of them are insurmountable.
Graveyard hate:
While this deck doesn't need to use the graveyard to win, it usually wants to. Cards like Relic of Progenitus and Leyline of the Void generally do a good job of slowing down this deck.
Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon - MCR/mutedequilibrium/Khymera (1v1 BL)
I think of this deck as "Shotgun Skittles." I find it incredibly frightening. It plays like the bastard lovechild of the infamous Vendilion Clique and Evergreen's Iname, Death Aspect deck. If you're at all familiar with those decks, you should know how terrifying that is.
Like Vendilion Clique, Skithiryx is such a rapid and efficient win condition that no other is needed--he gets the job done by himself, very well. Since we don't need to play win conditions, the entire deck can be packed with disruption, overloading an opponent's resources. Where Clique has counterspells and bounce, we have discard and removal...just about as good really. We also have a couple of advantages over Clique. We have just as good card draw, but also have access to tutors, letting us run some really great silver bullet cards, some of which are spectacularly lethal. Also, whereas Clique kills pretty consistently around turn 12-18, Skittles is really. freaking. fast. REALLY fast. Turn 3 kills are possible. Undisrupted (and all the discard does a good job of dealing with disruption), this deck wins on average around turn 5-7, faster than most opponents will be be able to when faced with the disruption that is our whole deck. The large amount of artifact acceleration plays an important role in this blazing speed.
Like Iname, we play all the best discard, removal, and acceleration available to mono-black. All that good stuff is in here. Unlike Iname, who has to mess around with all those dinky little spirits and reanimation spells, we have room to just stuff in even more discard, removal, and acceleration. We also have room for a few unique cards: Unspeakable Symbol and Nightmare Lash both let Skithiryx threaten to kill in 1 hit at any time. Death Cloud is absolutely brutal: with all this acceleration, it frequently leaves an opponent with no lands, no creatures, and no hand. It does that to us too, but we ought to have enough artifact mana to play Skittles soon and dispatch our crippled opponent. And then we have Yawgmoth's Will, the go-to lategame tutor target, which basically just wins the game once you have enough stuff in the graveyard.
There are really two ways games with this deck can go. The beauty is that we have access to both strategies without diluting or compromising either one. The approach you want to take depends upon your opponent's deck and to some extent upon your starting hand.
1) Pure speed: accelerate like mad while tossing off a few disruption spells, attack with Skittles on turn 3 or 4, and just kill your opponent before he knows what hit him. Unspeakable Symbol is extremely effective in these games, and is frequently the tutor target of choice.
2) Badass control: Everything dies. Just leave Skittles in the command zone and kill everything. With so much disruption, very few decks will be able to successfully execute any kind of plan. Eventually, when your opponent runs out of resources (or just removal), Skittles can come down and clean up, often killing in 1 hit with the help of Nightmare Lash.
Weaknesses:
Anything that permanently disables generals:
Since we absolutely need Skittles to win, anything that can stop him indefinitely is big trouble. Tuck effects like Condemn and Hinder are very dangerous, though we do have a few tutors to find him again. Pacifism type cards are also bad...we can always kill Skithiryx with our own removal or mass removal, but it's annoying to have to do. Control Magic effects are even worse, since it's not too hard to just die to our own general. Basically, when playing against white or blue, be really careful to protect Skittles from these kind of effects. Try to minimize his time in play, always have him attacking with haste, and make sure to check your opponent's hand for danger with discard before playing him. It's usually a bad idea to try to go for the fast kill in these matchups.
Ensnaring Bridge/Null Rod:
We can't kill artifacts unless we manage to hit them with discard. We flat-out can't beat Ensnaring Bridge if it hits play; luckily, it doesn't see much action in EDH. Null Rod sees more play, and hurts, but is still quite beatable. If it's combined with land destruction though, you might be in for some trouble.
This is one of those aggro decks made viable by playing with 30 starting life. It's obviously not pure aggro, with all the counterspells, but it definitely wants to be the aggressor in every game. The decks works because it's designed to generate card advantage every turn--with the aggressive creatures, Sygg should be drawing you extra cards by turn 3. Dark Confidant, Phyrexian Arena, Shadowmage Infiltrator, and Gravemuse Muse augment this plan. By drawing more cards than your opponent, you ought to be able to keep throwing creatures at them til they die. Unlike most aggro decks, this one isn't very fragile or vulnerable to mass removal--you'll also be drawing into enough permission to make sure the game goes your way. This is very much a tempo deck: as long as it can play aggressively, it can usually delay an opponent's gameplan long enough to get there with the creatures.
Weaknesses:
Other aggro decks:
This is basically a suicide black deck with counterspells and epic card advantage. It can do a lot of damage to you over the course of a game, and the creatures are chosen to be evasive attackers, not blockers. Other fast aggro decks, assisted by your self-inflicted life loss, may be able to race you effectively.
Ordinarily I wouldn't post a deck this fresh here, but it's been testing extraordinarily well. I didn't find anything I wanted to change in several days of testing, so the core of the deck is probably complete, though a few cards may end up changing.
Most Teysa lists pursue a token theme. I tried that strategy for a long time, and just couldn't make it work for me. The token-producers just aren't strong enough on their own to cut it in EDH. With Teysa, they give you access to a lot of potential removal...but that only helps much against creature decks, and is reliant on Teysa.
Instead, I ended up dropping the token theme, and going for a reanimator/combo deck. Here are the main ways to win with this deck:
1. Iona, Shield of Emeria + Painter's Servant, to lock out all spells. Iona costs too much to realistically play early enough, so we reanimate her--there are several ways to discard her if you draw her, but we also run Entomb and Buried Alive to get her directly into the graveyard. Victimize and Living Death are capable of putting both creatures directly into play, though Painter's Servant is also easy to cast if you draw it.
3. Teysa, Orzhov Scion + Painter's Servant/Darkest Hour + sacrifice outlet + any creature. This combo enables infinite sacrifices. With Altar of Dementia, you can win right there--the other sacrifice outlets don't necessarily win immediately, but are more versatile.
This deck also has access to a couple of truly ridiculous card advantage engines. Skullclamp + the dynamic duo of Bloodghast and Nether Traitor is disgustingly good in any deck, and becomes twice as good with Teysa out. (I frequently Entomb/Buried Alive these spirits, and tutor for Skullclamp as soon as I can.)
Also, turn 1 Weathered Wayfarer, turn 2 fetch and play Library of Alexandria results in phenomenal card advantage, as Wayfarer helps you keep your hand at 7.
This deck contains a lot of powerful synergies and different ways to win, making it difficult to attack. There is no one card or strategy necessary for this deck to win--it always has another combo. It also contains quite a lot of discard and decent amount of removal, making it fairly disruptive to an opponent's plans.
Weaknesses:
Graveyard hate:
Most (though not all) of the combos in this deck utilize the graveyard to some extent. If you have to fight a lot of graveyard hate with this deck, it will probably slow you down significantly.
Mana denial:
This deck doesn't need a lot of mana to win, but it generally does need to get to around 4-5 lands. A dedicated land destruction deck, or a deck packed with Armageddons, stands a decent chance of manascrewing this deck before it can combo off.
This is the rare deck that can be aggro, combo, and control, all at the same time. It's exceptionally versatile. It's also better than one would think upon first looking at it, mostly because of Goblin Recruiter.
Goblin Recruiter is really, really good. I cannot overemphasize how good Goblin Recruiter is in EDH. Though it's very narrow, I could make a case for Goblin Recruiter being the most powerful card in the entire format. A 2-mana tutor for 6-8 cards (even if you don't get them directly to your hand) is ridiculously strong. Despite that power, this is the only deck that can really abuse Goblin Recruiter, and that makes it very scary.
Aggro is viable with 30 life. As this deck plays all the best specimens of the most aggressive tribe, it's no surprise that this deck can produce some devastating attack phases. It's not as consistent as Legacy goblins, but it gets the job done. It's also extremely resilient, due to Wort, Boggart Auntie and tutors.
While you're beating face with goblins, you can play some control too, at least against creature-dependent decks. This deck has a LOT of removal, and most of it is tribal or attached to goblins, making it easily tutored and very easily recurred. Against decks that use creatures (which, on the whole, is most decks), recurring Warren Weirding, Gempalm Incinerator, or Nameless Inversion each turn is extremely difficult to beat. There are also many other cards to accrue card advantage as the game goes long, like Phyrexian Arena and the 3 planeswalkers. Also, Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon have the potential to just win games by themself in many matchups.
Finally, there are a couple of good instant-win combos conveniently slotted in here. The primary combo is assembled entirely through Goblin Recruiter. Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, Lightning Crafter, and a sacrifice outlet (Skirk Prospector or Mogg Raider work) results in infinite damage. (Have them all in play, copy Lightning Crafter with Kiki-Jiki, championing the tapped Kiki-Jiki. Tap for 3 damage, sacrifice the token, Kiki-Jiki comes back untapped. Rinse and repeat.)
The beautiful thing about Goblin Recruiter is that it lets you pursue the aggro and combo gameplans at the same time. Recruiter is usually my first tutor target. I then get a stack something like [Goblin Ringleader, Goblin Warchief, Warren Instigator, Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, Lightning Crafter, Gempalm Incinerator, Skirk Prospector, Siege-Gang Commander, Goblin Matron]. The cards chosen and the order vary quite a bit depending on the board state, but this is a fairly typical example (and Goblin Ringleader is always first). A stack like this lets you drown your opponent in goblins, and set up the combo at the same time. If one strategy doesn't work, you always have the other available.
For all the different ways this deck can win, it's quite focused. There are few cards that are ever really dead, no matter what you're doing, and it has a lot of tutors and answers. The only cards that are often not of much use are Living Death and Patriarch's Bidding, but those are important resets that can win you games if you happen to be losing.
Weaknesses:
Fast combo, especially storm:
This deck is pretty fast, but most dedicated combo decks are faster. This deck is fairly cold to decks that can win quickly without relying on any creatures: it has only a couple of discard spells and the Moons to slow them down. These matchups aren't unwinnable, but they're not favorable.
Sweeper-heavy control:
A deck that can play multiple sweepers per game and keep Wort out of play (through a tuck effect or by just killing her a bunch of times) stands a good chance of outlasting this deck. This is where the mass-reanimation spells really shine--thanks to Goblin Piledriver and Goblin Chieftain, I've sometimes been able to attack in the late-game for 40+ damage out of nowhere.
This is probably the most focused non-infinite combo deck in the format. Barring significant disruption, it also consistently goldfishes faster than just about any other deck. Factor in a great matchup against blue decks, due to extremely high threat density and a couple of silver bullets, and you can see why this deck is a force to be reckoned with.
It's difficult to describe how to play this deck, because it never combos off the same way twice. That said, it is frequently possible to win the turn after resolving Wort (if she sticks)--it's just a matter of knowing the deck well enough to make the right plays. Sometimes you can even win the same turn you play Wort, as early as turn 4 or 5.
This is a generalized sequence of plays:
1. Accelerate. Rofellos and Gaea's Cradle are the holy grails of acceleration, and should be tutored for if possible.
2. Disrupt. Blow up your opponent's lands.
2. Play Wort when you can. If you can conspire one of the sorceries that fetches two lands, your mana problems ought to be over.
3. Make lots of tokens.
4. Make more mana, draw lots of cards.
5. Banefire ftw.
There are many potential ways to accomplish each of these steps--most of the effects can be obtained by sorceries, creatures, or sorceries that find creatures. This is the general pathway of the combo. Notably powerful mid-combo cards include Phyrexian Altar/Ashnod's Altar/Earthcraft, which allow you to squeeze mana out of your excess tokens, fueling more spells. Conspiring Early Harvest or Rude Awakening also results in huge mana gains. Most of the spells played are very efficient already, and Wort doubles their efficiency--as a result, you just keep building up ever more mana and cards as you continue to play spells, eventually culminating in a lethal Banefire (yes, there's only one real kill card, and yes, that's enough). Practice enough with this deck, and it will reward you. Few decks can compare to it for raw power and consistency.
Weaknesses:
This deck is fast enough that it's not notably weak to any archetype (sweeper-heavy control is probably the worst, but it's still not a bad matchup). However, there are specific cards that it's very weak against.
Gaddock Teeg:
One of the problems with playing a deck so focused is that it has very limited space for answers. Gaddock Teeg stomps all over this deck, and there are very few ways to remove him. Running enough spot removal to consistently kill Teeg is out of the question--it dilutes the combos too much. As a result, Gaddock Teeg is kind of an auto-loss. If you encounter Gaddock Teeg a lot, Grim Lavamancer is a reasonable addition that can help you steal some games, but it will still be an uphill battle.
Aether Flash/Tainted Aether/Arcane Laboratory/etc.:
There are plenty of hosers out there that can slow this deck to a crawl. There are answers to these cards, but not very many.
This is an extremely resilient mono-black control list. It has a heavy emphasis on acceleration and discard, the idea being that an opponent with no hand is probably not very dangerous. It also contains lots of card draw and tutors.
Xiahou Dun is deceptively powerful. In this deck, he will rarely go to the command zone after dying--it's usually easier to chain-reanimate him via Corpse Dance or Profane Command. Usually, the first tutor finds Corpse Dance, and from there you can reuse that tutor (or whatever else you have) every turn. Once you have enough mana, looping Profane Command a few times will give you the win. This deck is nice because it makes extremely effective use of the general, but doesn't need to rely on the general--all the cards are still powerful without him.
There's a sort of pseudo-combo plan B to this deck, taking advantage of Xiahou Dun's virtual unblockability. If you have an opening, you can always just slam an 18 point Hatred on Xiahou Dun for a very quick victory: this can happen as early as turn 3 or 4. In the late game, Sigil of Distinction does something similar, and is a little more resilient to removal.
Weaknesses:
Very fast general-based decks:
Lacking much cheap removal, this deck relies on discard to disrupt an opponent's gameplan. It has a bit more trouble dealing with things already on the board, so decks that can unload quickly on the board can get the jump on Xiahou Dun.
Lockdown artifacts:
Artifacts are a pain for any mono-black deck...once they hit the board, only Oblivion Stone can remove them. Since this deck likes its mana, lockdown artifacts like Winter Orb and Mishra's Helix can be very difficult to deal with if they hit play. Even a little Pithing Needle can be annoying.
Please do NOT post decklists in this thread. If you have a deck that you think belongs here, please feel free to PM it to me, and if I agree I will include it. Please don't be offended if I choose not to add it: as I said at the start, this is not meant to be a listing of every competitive list that people dream up--just some good examples of different archetypes.
Awesome idea, Khymera! I think this will be an excellent resource for mtgsalvation EDH players once it's completed. I was just reading through what you've got already, and here are a few thoughts:
1. Your Teeg list is still so darn cool, but I especially like your analysis of it. I never thought of how it relates in concept and strategy to Captain Sisay decks, except for colors (and consequently some of the cards). Does this mean that you decided against Brown Ouphe in the long run?
2. The cheap cycling removal in the Horde of Notions deck is probably the neatest thing I've seen all day -- props to frogboy for finding an elegant solution to an important problem. The deck looks fun and challenging to play, as well: there are no simple "I win" combos that just end the game; you have to fight for the advantage and hold it.
3. In the Xiahao Dun, the One-Eyed list, why no Nevinyrral's Disk? You already have Oblivion Stone (which you referred to as Oblivion Ring in the write-up, by the way), but if artifacts are one of the biggest weaknesses of the deck, why not shore up those matchups a little? It's not like Disk is bad in other games, either
4. Dang, I got all excited when I saw Evergreen's deck on the list -- here's to hoping he lets us in on his super secret tech!
Keep up the good work, dude!
EDIT: I also see you added Lignify to the Teeg deck. Top-notch stuff, and good to see we're on the same page!
under the Horde write up. However I can tell you from lots of play testing, Horde lists like these are good but have large room for improvement (mine included/especially).
This thread is awesome btw.
Also looking forward to the big reveal of Evergreens long awaited super secret deck.
2. Yeah, the cycling removal works nicely. I'm incorporating into other decks where I can as well. Your comments on that deck are accurate, as are Narglfrob's--especially with a deck with so many options, there's certainly room for improvement.
3. I just don't like Nev's Disk. It's too slow. I often can't afford to wait a turn between playing it and using it--sometimes I might lose in the intervening turn, but more often the Disk just gets destroyed by something. I also don't like playing Disk early and just leaving it in play until I need it--it's just too easy for an intelligent opponent to play around. Since I can hardly think of a realistic situation where I'd prefer Disk to Oblivion Stone, I'd rather just run another tutor instead of Disk. Yeah, there might be a problem if I need to wipe the board twice in a game, but that situation hasn't occurred for me yet. If you like Disk though, go ahead and run it. It's certainly true that it shores up a weakness of this deck...I just don't think it does it very well.
4. No promises on Evergreen's deck, but yeah, I'm hoping too.
This is a great idea, there is not nearly enough information about competitive EDH, and focusing on overlooked but still very competitive strategies is a great place to start. For those complaining about there only being a few viable decks choices when playing competitively I suggest taking a long hard look at this thread.
As a side note I am very flattered to see so much interest in my deck. I was planning on writing a primer on playing Iname competitively at the conclusion of the previous tournamet, but other obligations got in the way. I'll be happy to post my deck list at the conclusion of the current tournament, which should be relatively soon, and perhaps finally finish my primer. I only hope that it can live up to the hype :).
@ Evergreen: You've got so many of us chomping at the bit. I've never had the opportunity to play against you but I have heard a great deal about your masterpiece. I only hope someday so see it in action if I ever get around to committing to a tourney. I myself built Iname a few months back but have been holding off posting it since I'm sure it will pale in comparison to yours and I didn't want to undermine your efforts to keep some of the competetive Iname tech private. Glad to hear you're on board. Great idea Khymera.
I think the hype built around Evergreen's deck is hilarious. It puts a smile on my face to see that so many people (myself included) are interested in one person's decklist, only because it has been withheld from us.
What do you think is creating this small phenomenon? Is it the the fact that he performed excellently in a tourney with a criminally underused general? Is it the mystery of the unknown?
I think the hype built around Evergreen's deck is hilarious. It puts a smile on my face to see that so many people (myself included) are interested in one person's decklist, only because it has been withheld from us.
What do you think is creating this small phenomenon? Is it the the fact that he performed excellently in a tourney with a criminally underused general? Is it the mystery of the unknown?
He has done extremely well in tournaments here with the deck.
The fact that Iname is a general that you would NEVER expect to be a fully tuned 1v1 competitive deck only makes the hype that much better.
I'm interested in seeing your Wort, the Raidmother 1v1 list. My multiplayer version of the deck is my baby, and I consider it pretty well tuned. It's win:loss ratio in multiplayer games is very, very good.
@Khymera: Are these decks all paper decks you have built, or are they MWS files? Props if you actually assembled these, I though six decks was too much already.
Iname is indeed a fine general. Probably one of the most underrated generals in the format in my opinion. But I digress.
I think this thread is exactly what the EDH community needs. EDH is fun. Its even more fun when you win. Its even MORE fun molding and tuning your decks to run like well-oiled machines (which is amazing to do with a bunch of singletons). I applaud the decklists posted thusfar. They are a real testament to the complexity of this format. Hopefully I'll feel comfortable enough to post a few decklists of my own soon. I really hope this thread blossoms into something great (moreso than it already has).
From prior playing experience, Iname is probably the most explosive general in multiplayer because it can with on the first couple of turns as long as it doesn't get hit by graveyard hate. When I designed it, it was like a belcher deck (lots of mana accel to go off as soon as possible).
When I tried to rebuild my Iname deck for 1vs1 it was nowhere near consistent as it was for multiplayer so I'm definitely interested in Evergreen's list.
I can help you out with the Wort list as soon as the tourney is finished. I've got a lot of good responses from the people I've played against so far, and it's been doing fairly good so far. Probably not tier 1, more likely tier 2 right now, but with potential to become better.
It was brought up by yawg07 and this seems like where they'd end up. At the conclusion of Clem's tournament I'll be posting my Braids list and at the conclusion of Falknir's I'll be posting my Karona list. They've not done terribly. Both my Braids losses in the last tournament were to Evergreen playing Bloodghast et al and in the current one to Clique and Azami. Karona won the Clan's EDH tournament and is headed to the quarterfinals of the Blitz tournament (Allies! Whooooo!). Figure I'm doing something right (though I still make all sorts of play errors with Karona :P).
Well I posted my two lists in the blog section, more for archival purposes than anything but feel free to question/comment. I know a couple people are waiting for the non-blitz tournament to finish up.
I've been playing your Sharuum list, and I think it is absolutely beautiful. Every card is so purposefully inserted, and there is no room for dead space.
I do however have a few questions should you find time to answer:
- Is there more to Masticore than I am seeing? I think one of the main things that happen with Masticore is the fact that I can discard things to it, meaning when I have cards for Sculpting Steel combos (or even just so I can bring them back via Sharuum), I can pitch it to Masticore given I don't have enough mana to cast them. Other than that, its first activated ability to ping things might be situationally useful. I'm wondering - is it necessary? Is there better?
- Tutoring and Intuition piles. I'll admit I'm still very amateur at the deck. While I understand a lot of the combos at hand, I often times feel like I fail at tutoring. If I start with absolutely nothing (with just lots of mana and a tutor, for example), should I be going straight for combo pieces, or spells that allow me to draw into them like Fact or Fiction, or even straight for Intuition. It might be too hard to give a straight answer out of context, but I'd still like to hear how you prefer piloting the deck. (Also, is the correct "I win now" Intuition pile = Mana Artifact / Sculpting Steel / Extractor Demon?)
- While we're on the subject of tutors and mana, I cannot afford an Imperial Seal nor Mishra's Workshop. I have the entire rest of the deck, including the Mana Drain, but do not have access to these two cards. Although playing with proxies is okay, I was wondering if you could offer possible alternatives. I see that Fabricate is missing from your deck - and while it isn't an Imperial Seal, do you think that might make an okay replacement?
- What is your general strategy versus decks that pack a lot of answers and/or permission to impede your strategies? Do you often just forget going for combos and aiming for massive mana and then following up with game ending spells like Sundering Titan or Magister Sphinx?
- How has Jace 2.0 been for you? I've always felt like he didn't need to be here, but he is great as a distraction.
- Lastly, if I were to take Sharuum to a multiplayer table, what general (or specific) changes would you suggest in order to deal with the greater concentration of anti-artifact cards as well as using cards that can kill the whole table (like Disciple of the Vault)?
Thanks a lot!
(PS, this might be a stupid question, but do you have to pay 1 for the Helm activation in order to trigger the Helm/Leyline combo?)
Concerning the Iname talk. I'm surprised to hear that it's underrated or some such. I stand by the idea that if anything says "Any number of..." then it's probably break-able.
Just having Songs of the Damned and any Living Death effects means you win with 7 mana barring instant-speed graveyard removal and counterspells. But that's why we're black and have hand disruption cards!
I have an Iname list but I'll bow down to Evergreen for the purposes of this thread. Though after I clean up my Erayo build I'll see if you want to include that here.
Great idea, love it and the descriptions for the deck you make. Those are probably the things I'm most excited about.
(PS, this might be a stupid question, but do you have to pay 1 for the Helm activation in order to trigger the Helm/Leyline combo?)
You do - Helm explicity says "X cannot be 0", so you need to pay 1 to trigger it.
Also, I think this thread is a great idea too - even if you don't want to play these particular lists, there are a lot of cool ideas in here that could fit into whatever you're building. It's also nice to see such an emphasis on decks that synergize well and have answers and flexible strategies rather than "here are 40 cards that all cost at least 7 mana and are awesome". So all in all, very cool and I look forward to seeing the rest of the lists that come up.
While I don't want to encourage net-decking, I do believe in sharing tech. I figure that if people are going to net-deck, they'll do so whether I post some tuned lists or not, so I may as well provide. My emphasis in this thread is primarily on unusual strategies that can stand toe-to-toe with the tier 1 decks. Even at the top tier of competition, there are many more viable strategies than most people realize. Hopefully this thread can open some eyes to underplayed generals for 1v1.
Some of these decks are my own creations, but many of them were designed by others. I have not asked permission to repost their lists in this thread, but assume it's okay, as they've all been posted in public forums previously. In many cases, I've taken the liberty of modifying the decks to my own preferences, and it is these versions that I will post. I hope no one will feel that I mangled their deck, but please PM me if you have any problems.
Also, I greatly prefer the 1v1 French/MTGS banned list, but most people still use the multiplayer banned list. Rather than try to convert decks between banned lists, I'll just tell you which list they go with. It should be a fairly simple matter to make the switch, if you desire.
For what it's worth, every deck I include here has my personal seal of approval, meaning I consider it to be both competitive and well-built: every card is specifically chosen because it's the best choice for what the deck is trying to do (ideally...I won't claim that any of these decks are perfect). I have no problem with decks that are built for flavor, but all of these decks are designed to win.
Akroma, Angel of Fury - frankwu (multiplayer BL)
1 Akroma, Angel of Fury
Lands:
31 Mountain
1 Barbarian Ring
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Urza's Factory
1 Forgotten Cave
1 Dust Bowl
1 Spinerock Knoll
1 Dwarven Ruins
1 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
1 Mishra's Workshop
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Arid Mesa
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Rishadan Port
1 Gemstone Caverns
Creatures:
1 Goblin Ruinblaster
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Avalanche Riders
1 Goblin Settler
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Lotus Bloom
1 Chrome Mox
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Fire Diamond
1 Mox Diamond
1 Mind Stone
1 Grim Monolith
1 Coalition Relic
1 Sisay's Ring
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Extraplanar Lens
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Mana Crypt
1 Heart of Ramos
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Khalni Gem
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Ur-Golem's Eye
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Expedition Map
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Blood Moon
1 Braid of Fire
Sorceries:
1 Boom/Bust
1 Sunder from Within
1 Plunder
1 Rain of Salt
1 Wildfire
1 Burning of Xinye
1 Seismic Spike
1 Wheel of Fate
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Aftershock
1 Stone Rain
1 Pillage
1 Molten Rain
1 Demolish
1 Earth Rift
1 Icefall
1 Dwarven Landslide
1 Flowstone Flood
Instants:
1 Fissure
1 Rain of Rust
1 Fork
This deck is entirely focused around the general. The high land count is to ensure that you never miss a land drop, and the acceleration lets you easily unmorph or even hard-cast Akroma quickly (and repeatedly, if need be). The land destruction isn't meant to shut down an opponent permanently--just to slow them down long enough to win via general damage, which usually only takes 2 swings. Despite the huge reliance on the general, this strategy works because of Akroma's unique protections and uncounterability. All of the cards commonly used to deal with generals permanently are white or blue, and Akroma neatly dodges them (just be very, very careful to NEVER play her morphed if there's the slightest possibility of her meeting Hinder or Bant Charm or the like). Many decks, even very competitive ones, simply have no effective way to stop Akroma, or can't play the ones they do have through the land destruction.
Overall, this deck is surprisingly good, though it is something of a one trick pony. There are very few ways to effectively combat Akroma, but if you happen to run into one there's probably nothing you can do about it. Though this can be frustrating, the deck is still a fun and competitive choice.
Variations:
A similar deck can be built around Ashling the Pilgrim. Ashling gives the deck significant board control capabilities, giving you somewhat more disruption and better ability to race the rare aggro deck that is faster than you. However, Ashling is significantly slower to deal 21 general, and is much more vulnerable to being blown out by Hinder and friends than Akroma. Overall, not as strong a choice.
Weaknesses:
Removal-heavy mono-black control decks:
If they can weather the land destruction and just keep killing Akroma, they'll win eventually.
Non-white or blue general disablers:
There aren't many of these that see any play, and most of the ones that do that can be dealt with through artifact/land destruction (Icy Manipulator, Maze of Ith, etc.). However, there are still some rare cards like Lignify that can very difficult to beat.
Doran, the Siege Tower:
Quick aggro decks can be troublesome for Akroma; especially Doran, who is almost impossible to beat (at cmc 3, he comes out too quickly to be prevented with LD, and, because he limits her to 6 damage a turn, Doran can easily race Akroma).
Azusa, Lost but Seeking - KCizzle (multiplayer BL)
1 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
Lands:
22 Snow-Covered Forest
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Windswept Heath
1 Thawing Glaciers
1 Temple of the False God
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
1 Dust Bowl
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Scrying Sheets
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Vesuva
1 Eye of Ugin
1 Petrified Field
1 Mouth of Ronom
Creatures:
1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Eternal Witness
1 Masticore
1 Wickerbough Elder
1 Acidic Slime
1 Indrik Stomphowler
1 Krosan Tusker
1 Duplicant
1 Rampaging Baloths
1 Avenger of Zendikar
1 Sundering Titan
1 Woodfall Primus
1 Terastodon
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Grim Monolith
1 Journeyer's Kite
1 Armillary Sphere
1 Scroll Rack
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Rings of Brighthearth
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Horn of Greed
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Planar Portal
1 Mindslaver
1 Possessed Portal
Enchantments:
1 Sylvan Library
1 Lignify
1 Mana Reflection
1 Eldrazi Conscription
Sorceries:
1 Channel
1 Life from the Loam
1 Regrowth
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Journey of Discovery
1 Harmonize
1 Skyshroud Claim
1 Seek the Horizon
1 Woodland Guidance
1 Primal Command
1 Plow Under
1 Stunted Growth
1 Restock
1 Rude Awakening
1 Desert Twister
1 All Is Dust
1 Tooth and Nail
1 Nostalgic Dreams
1 Realms Uncharted
1 Momentous Fall
So why play Azusa over Rofellos? You lose a little speed and the possibility of Staff of Domination/Umbral Mantle shenanigans...but you gain an awful lot of resiliency. You see, Rofellos is a known quantity by now. People have finally figured out that you need to play lots of spot removal to beat fast, general-based decks, and the best decks have incorporated that removal. And let me tell you--a Rofellos deck without Rofellos sucks. I have personally brought an entire Rofellos deck to its knees solely through the lowly Sparksmith. Against most modern competitive decks, Rofellos is simply not all that good--there are just too many decks he performs poorly against.
Enter Azusa. Though she's slower than Rofellos, and has a little less room for spells, she is next to impossible to stop with removal. Even if she gets killed, she always has at least one turn to do her thing first, and that gives you enough mana to replay her the next time you need her. No matter how much removal you have, she's going to mana-ramp regardless. (She's also far stronger against land destruction than Rofellos, though this isn't as important a consideration.) Though Rofellos certainly has his advantages, I think Azusa is better a significant percentage of the time.
Because you have more consistent access to oodles of mana late-game, you can safely afford to run all the huge monsters you want. We're talking about a deck that can consistently hardcast Emrakul before the extreme lategame.
Weaknesses:
Armageddon effects:
Spot land destruction isn't a problem, but Armageddons hurt. Crucible of Worlds and Life from the Loam do allow you to recover, especially if the Armageddon is popped fairly early, but it's still not good for you.
Fast combo:
This deck is very resilient to most kinds of disruption, but it's not super-fast. It has about as much disruption of its own as a mono-green deck can, but that's still not all that much. A deck that is fast enough to just combo off and win before any Eldrazi can come out to play stands a pretty good chance of outracing this one.
Captain Sisay - Khymera (1v1 BL)
1 Captain Sisay
Lands:
17 Snow-Covered Forest
2 Snow-Covered Plains
1 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
1 Flooded Strand
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Bastion
1 Savannah
1 Temple Garden
1 Dust Bowl
1 Kor Haven
1 Yavimaya Hollow
1 Mistveil Plains
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Marsh Flats
1 Arid Mesa
1 Mouth of Ronom
Creatures:
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Boreal Druid
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Priest of Titania
1 Bloom Tender
1 Quirion Elves
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Harmonic Sliver
1 Eternal Witness
1 Mirror Entity
1 Academy Rector
1 Acidic Slime
1 Reveillark
1 Karmic Guide
1 Genesis
1 Duplicant
1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Saffi Eriksdotter
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Mangara of Corondor
1 Hokori, Dust Drinker
1 Glissa Sunseeker
1 Meng Huo, Barbarian King
1 Arashi, the Sky Asunder
1 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
1 Crovax, Ascendant Hero
1 Yosei, the Morning Star
1 Reya Dawnbringer
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Myojin of Life's Web
Artifacts:
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Umbral Mantle
1 Thousand-Year Elixir
1 Selesnya Signet
1 Talisman of Unity
1 Chrome Mox
Enchantments:
1 Mirri's Guile
1 Sylvan Library
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Steely Resolve
1 Lignify
1 Aura Shards
1 Wild Pair
1 Steelshaper's Gift
1 Search for Tomorrow
1 Three Visits
1 Nature's Lore
1 Rampant Growth
1 Farseek
1 Into the North
Instants:
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Oblation
Basically, this is a prison deck, and a versatile toolbox deck. It runs an extreme amount of acceleration so that Sisay can always be played on turn 2 or 3, and then uses her to lock up the game with Gaddock Teeg, Hokori, and/or Kataki, while generating lots of mana with Gaea's Cradle and/or Rofellos. The game can go several ways from here, depending on the situation: you can get Kamahl, overrun a few times and beat down; you can add Crovax to machine-gun lands with Kamahl; you can combo Umbral Mantle and Rofellos for a few infinitely large, trampley attackers; you can get an infinite lock with Yosei, Reya, and Miren (usually facilitated by Wild Pair); you can go infinite with Reveillark and Mirror Entity in a number of ways, you can just play Iona in some cases...the possibilities are endless.
This is the list I'm playing in the current MTGS tournament. While I'm currently at a modest 3-2 record, I feel that the deck is extremely competitive--both of my losses were close games that I might have won with a little more luck. This deck can stand up to just about anything, though it does take a considerable amount of practice to learn how to play quickly and correctly.
Weaknesses:
General disablers:
While this deck can certainly win without using the general, it's much harder to do. Cards like Pithing Needle or Declaration of Naught can dramatically slow you down until you draw into an answer. Similarly, Control Magic effects are very strong against Sisay, especially Teeg-proof ones like Gilded Drake and Sower of Temptation--this deck has a fairly difficult time recovering her once she's been stolen.
Empress Galina:
Empress Galina eats this whole deck alive if she resolves. Fortunately, she's not very commonly played.
Gaddock Teeg - d0su/Khymera (1v1 BL)
1 Gaddock Teeg
Lands:
5 Forest
5 Plains
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Windswept Heath
1 Flooded Strand
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Arid Mesa
1 Marsh Flats
1 Savannah
1 Temple Garden
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
1 Brushland
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Sungrass Prairie
1 Stirring Wildwood
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Krosan Verge
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Yavimaya Hollow
1 Kor Haven
1 High Market
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
1 Dust Bowl
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Secluded Steppe
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Mother of Runes
1 Sylvan Safekeeper
1 Saffi Eriksdotter
1 Tajuru Preserver
1 True Believer
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Peacekeeper
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Preacher
1 Stonecloaker
1 Mirror Entity
1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Eternal Witness
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Yavimaya Dryad
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Willow Satyr
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Reveillark
1 Karmic Guide
1 Stuffy Doll
1 Genesis
1 Acidic Slime
1 Archon of Justice
1 Adarkar Valkyrie
1 Yosei, the Morning Star
1 Duplicant
1 Platinum Angel
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Scroll Rack
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
Enchantments:
1 Land Tax
1 Guilty Conscience
1 Sylvan Library
1 Lignify
1 Sterling Grove
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Earthcraft
1 Squirrel Nest
1 Snake Umbra
1 Aura Shards
1 Aura of Silence
1 Rites of Flourishing
1 Heartbeat of Spring
Sorceries:
1 Steelshaper's Gift
1 Life from the Loam
1 Idyllic Tutor
1 Kodama's Reach
Instants:
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Condemn
1 Tithe
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Oblation
1 Krosan Grip
A major emphasis in this deck is on protecting Gaddock Teeg--there are many ways to give him shroud or protection, which leaves very few cards that can actually deal with him. Many decks are severely crippled by this--most combo decks can't even win against a shrouded Teeg. Because there are so many protective cards, we also include some creatures that dominate the game if not dealt with, like Platinum Angel, Willow Satyr, and Peacekeeper.
There are several ways to win this deck. It includes a number of "I-win" combos that can be played under Teeg, such as Earthcraft + Squirrel Nest and Stuffy Doll + Guilty Conscience, plus tutors to assemble them. You also have the pieces for an infinite Reveillark combo or a Yosei lock. When all else fails, it's also totally viable to just boost your creatures with equipment and plink away from the win, while your opponent is struggling to get by Teeg.
Weaknesses:
Creature-heavy decks:
Few competitive decks really load up on creatures, but the ones that do can mostly ignore Teeg, and just do their thing. What's more, their creatures are likely to be better than your utility dudes. Peacekeeper + protection goes a very long way towards stalling these matchups until you can assemble a combo, but it's still not an easy battle.
General-damage decks:
Decks that intend to kill you by dealing 21 damage with their general, like Uril or Akroma, can be difficult to beat, as Teeg doesn't slow down generals very well, if at all. Once again, finding and protecting Peacekeeper is by far your best chance of victory.
Update: Honestly, I think I was wrong in my assessment of this deck's weaknesses. I've played it a great deal on MWS in the last couple months (it's currently my go-to deck), and I've hardly lost to anything at all. I've played against plenty of creature-heavy decks and general-damage decks, and I've had very little trouble dealing with either. Peacekeeper is absolutely phenomenal against both, but there are plenty of other great defensive cards in here too. I can't remember the last match I lost with this deck, so it may even be undefeated thus far. I'll update this section when I figure out what its real weaknesses are.
Godo, Bandit Warlord - Hunter245 (multiplayer BL)
1 Godo, Bandit Warlord
Lands:
18 Snow-Covered Mountain
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Windswept Heath
1 Arid Mesa
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
1 Dust Bowl
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Mishra's Workshop
1 Ancient Tomb
1 City of Traitors
1 Mouth of Ronom
1 Scrying Sheets
1 Darksteel Citadel
1 Mishra's Factory
1 Mutavault
1 Blinkmoth Nexus
1 Ghitu Encampment
1 Kher Keep
1 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
1 Maze of Ith
Goblins:
1 Goblin Welder
1 Goblin Tinkerer
1 Goblin Matron
1 Goblin Sharpshooter
1 Tuktuk Scrapper
1 Goblin Settler
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Dwarven Miner
1 Dwarven Blastminer
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Imperial Recruiter
1 Pilgrim's Eye
1 Moggcatcher
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Lodestone Golem
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Duplicant
1 Akroma, Angel of Fury
1 Sundering Titan
Planeswalkers:
1 Chandra Nalaar
Equipment:
1 Skullclamp
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
Other artifacts:
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Expedition Map
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Pithing Needle
1 Pyrite Spellbomb
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Phyrexian Furnace
1 Grim Monolith
1 Mind Stone
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Sphere of Resistance
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Tangle Wire
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Smokestack
1 Uba Mask
1 Gauntlet of Might
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Memory Jar
1 Mindslaver
1 Blood Moon
Sorceries:
1 Gamble
1 Flame Slash
1 Shattering Spree
1 Boom/Bust
1 Wheel of Fortune
Instants:
1 Spark Spray
1 Skred
1 Lightning Bolt
This deck takes a Stax approach with a heavy emphasis on nonbasic land hate, hoping to prey on decks with expensive manabases. It also runs a fair bit of land destruction, especially of the recursive variety--the two dwarfs are backbreaking against certain deck, and Goblin Settler + Kiki-Jiki can do something similar against any deck. Between the smattering of land destruction and cards like Sphere of Resistance and Tangle Wire, we aim to slow opponents down long enough for Godo to get rolling. With the tremendous amount of artifact acceleration in this deck, it's not difficult to replay him multiple times if necessary, netting more equipment each time.
Though this deck is advantaged against 3-5 color decks just due to the nonbasic hate, it doesn't throw away its matchups against mono-colored decks either. Due to a reasonably high count of spot removal spells, it does fairly well against decks reliant on a cheap general, like Rofellos, Braids, and Arcum. It is frequently capable of slowing these decks down for long enough to fetch an equipment that can shut the general down indefinitely.
Weaknesses:
1-2 color control decks (especially white):
Control decks with mostly basic manabases can do well against this deck. Much of the nonbasic land hate is ineffective, and these decks usually play enough removal to handle both Godo and his equipment. Base white decks are by far the worst, as the white sweepers that destroy artifacts can crush this deck's mana development, making it difficult to keep powering out Godo.
Other red decks:
Though fairly uncommon, other red decks don't care about the Moons at all, and will likely be even faster than Godo. They also tend to pack a lot of artifact destruction, which is quite dangerous for this deck.
Horde of Notions - frogboy (multiplayer BL)
1 Horde of Notions
Lands:
1 Steam Vents
1 Savannah
1 Bayou
1 Scrubland
1 Watery Grave
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Volcanic Island
1 Breeding Pool
1 Windswept Heath
1 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Wooded Foothills
1 City of Brass
1 Tropical Island
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Dust Bowl
1 Strip Mine
1 Underground Sea
1 Tundra
1 Snow-Covered Island
1 Vivid Creek
1 Vivid Meadow
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Tolaria
1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
1 Seaside Citadel
1 Island
1 Swamp
1 Plains
1 Forest
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Secluded Steppe
1 Arid Mesa
1 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Crumbling Necropolis
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Forgotten Cave
1 Lonely Sandbar
1 Barren Moor
1 Arcane Sanctum
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Artifacts:
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Pyrite Spellbom
Enchantments:
1 Sicken
1 Necropotence
Sorceries:
1 Ancestral Vision
1 Innocent Blood
1 Life from the Loam
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vindicate
1 Wrath of God
1 Akroma's Vengeance
1 Mind Twist
1 All Suns' Dawn
Instants:
1 Miscalculation
1 Complicate
1 Spell Snare
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Exclude
1 Power Sink
1 Impulse
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Skeletal Scrying
1 Opportunity
1 Brainstorm
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Faerie Trickery
1 Counterspell
1 Mana Drain
1 Remand
1 Dissipate
1 Force Spike
1 Forbid
1 Hinder
1 Dismiss
1 Cryptic Command
1 Force of Will
1 Doom Blade
1 Jund Charm
1 Starstorm
1 Spark Spray
1 Fire/Ice
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Stroke of Genius
1 Intuition
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Tainted Pact
1 Krosan Grip
1 Mystical Teachings
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Path to Exile
1 Cremate
1 Bant Charm
While the general isn't especially conducive to the control plan, access to all 5 colors is important to get enough removal. Horde of Notions is simply the best 5c general that doesn't require building around.
Weaknesses:
Heavy discard:
As a permission-based control deck, this deck can be vulnerable to a barrage of discard--without a grip full of answers, you've got nothing.
Iname, Death Aspect - Evergreen (1v1 BL)
Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero - urdjur (1v1 BL)
1 Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero
Lands:
24 Snow-Covered Plains
1 Mistveil Plains
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Kor Haven
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
1 Secluded Steppe
1 Windswept Heath
1 Flooded Strand
1 Mouth of Ronom
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
1 Marsh Flats
1 Arid Mesa
1 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
Rebels:
1 Children of Korlis
1 Whipcorder
1 Task Force
1 Outrider en-Kor
1 Mirror Entity
1 Defiant Vanguard
1 Lightbringer
1 Cho-Manno, Revolutionary
Other creatures:
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Stonecloaker
1 Academy Rector
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Reveillark
1 Stuffy Doll
1 Stonehewer Giant
1 Felidar Sovereign
1 Duplicant
1 Eternal Dragon
1 Skullclamp
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Expedition Map
1 Pithing Needle
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Scroll Rack
1 Mind Stone
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Extraplanar Lens
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Phyrexian Processor
1 Pariah's Shield
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Mind's Eye
Enchantments:
1 Land Tax
1 Guilty Conscience
1 Runed Halo
1 Seal of Cleansing
1 Aura of Silence
1 Bound in Silence
1 Pariah
1 Animal Boneyard
1 Test of Endurance
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Endless Horizons
1 Steelshaper's Gift
1 Idyllic Tutor
1 Wrath of God
1 Day of Judgment
1 Hallowed Burial
1 Three Dreams
1 Austere Command
1 Martial Coup
Instants:
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Condemn
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Tithe
1 Argivian Find
1 Return to Dust
This deck is also very good at not dying to most offensive strategies. It has numerous ways of holding off both attacking generals and creature swarms. Pariah/Pariah's Shield on Cho-Manno, Revolutionary or Stuffy Doll makes you immune to all damage, including general damage, for as long as you can keep the combo together.
Finally, the deck can go aggro very effectively. It plays the best equipment in the game, as well as several equipment tutors, and can quickly pump out an army of rebels, including Mirror Entity, who can make that army huge.
For more information, check out urdjur's excellent primer on this deck.
Weaknesses:
Combo:
Though this deck is excellent at defending against creatures, it plays a very interactive game. It's not very good at defending against non-interactive combo strategies. Though it does contain a decent amount of artifact/enchantment removal to disrupt combos, it's still slower than most combo decks, and can struggle to win these matchups.
Mana denial:
This deck is very mana-hungry, and can have trouble with cards like Winter Orb and Armageddon.
Lyzolda, the Blood Witch - Moondust/French championships (1v1 BL)
1 Lyzolda, the Blood Witch
6 Swamp
5 Mountain
1 Badlands
1 Blood Crypt
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Polluted Delta
1 Marsh Flats
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Arid Mesa
1 Graven Cairns
1 Sulfurous Springs
1 Lavaclaw Reaches
1 Dragonskull Summit
1 Auntie's Hovel
1 Shadowblood Ridge
1 Tainted Peak
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Barbarian Ring
1 Cabal Pit
1 Smoldering Spires
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
1 Dust Bowl
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Rix Maadi, Dungeon Palace
Creatures:
1 Goblin Guide
1 Jackal Pup
1 Frenzied Goblin
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Carnophage
1 Vampire Lacerator
1 Kederekt Parasite
1 Goblin Deathraiders
1 Spiteflame Witch
1 Kargan Dragonlord
1 Keldon Marauders
1 Squealing Devil
1 Stingscourger
1 Hellspark Elemental
1 Dark Confidant
1 Dauthi Horror
1 Dauthi Slayer
1 Nantuko Shade
1 Oona's Prowler
1 Bloodghast
1 Anathemancer
1 Ashenmoor Gouger
1 Shambling Remains
1 Manic Vandal
1 Hell's Thunder
1 Murderous Redcap
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Tombstalker
1 Chrome Mox
1 Lotus Petal
1 Skullclamp
1 Bonesplitter
1 Grafted Wargear
Enchantments:
1 Sarcomancy
1 Seal of Fire
1 Sulfuric Vortex
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Dark Tutelage
Sorceries:
1 Chain Lightning
1 Firebolt
1 Flame Slash
1 Thoughtseize
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Reanimate
1 Unearth
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Rift Bolt
1 Blightning
1 Pillage
1 Mark of Mutiny
1 Ashes to Ashes
Instants:
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Burst Lightning
1 Dead/Gone
1 Price of Progress
1 Incinerate
1 Smash to Smithereens
1 Terminate
1 Char
1 Staggershock
1 Fire Covenant
1 Snuff Out
This is the most violent EDH deck ever conceived. Just looking at it makes me flinch. I'm replacing the older Lyzolda list I had here, which was fun, but not quite up to the caliber of the other decks in this thread. This one is; a similar deck recently took 2nd at the French championships (a big tournament). It is the very essence of aggro.
The problem with the older list I had was that it focused on using Lyzolda's ability to generate card advantage, making it a sort of creature control deck. The biggest problem with this is that Lyzolda sucks up a lot of mana when used this way, and R/B doesn't really have any options for consistently making enough mana to both use Lyzolda and play good spells. Lyzolda is still quite good against the competitive metagame though, as she's great against popular 2-toughness generals like Arcum, Azami, Sisay, and Gaddock Teeg.
This list focuses on another aspect of Lyzolda: her impressive, top-heavy body (I mean the 3/1 part, of course). Those are pretty decent stats for an aggressive creature: her ability is just delicious gravy on top of that, allowing you to squeeze additional damage or removal out of creatures that would probably be dying anyway. This deck is really focused: lots of the most aggressive creatures ever printed alongside the best burn red can offer, with a healthy dose of discard (critical for black decks in 1v1) mixed in. This might not seem fancy, but if you know what it can do, it's terrifying. While everyone else is dinking around with counterspells or trying to assemble a combo, this savage list just goes for the throat and aims to kill you before you know what hit you. If you've ever been a fan of RDW or Suicide Black, you'll like this one too.
Weaknesses:
Combo:
Combo decks that don't rely on their general or specific creatures may be able to go off quicker than you. You don't have all that much disruption besides burn, so all you can really do is race and hope you're fast enough.
Crovax, Ascendant Evincar/Night of Soul's Betrayal:
Many of the creatures in this deck, including the general, have just 1 toughness. A static -1/-1 effect is quite difficult to work around, and both Crovax and NoSB are very difficult to remove, unless you're lucky enough to get them discarded.
Nath of the Gilt-Leaf - Wrecked (1v1 BL)
1 Nath of the Gilt-Leaf
Lands:
9 Swamp
7 Forest
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Marsh Flats
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Polluted Delta
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Bayou
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Twilight Mire
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Barren Moor
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
1 Dust Bowl
1 Rishadan Port
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Khalni Garden
Creatures:
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Bloodghast
1 Imperious Perfect
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Yavimaya Granger
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Eternal Witness
1 Creakwood Liege
1 Braids, Cabal Minion
1 Magus of the Abyss
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Spike Weaver
1 Sadistic Hypnotist
1 Deranged Hermit
1 Shriekmaw
1 Acidic Slime
1 Genesis
1 Kokusho, the Evening Star
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Liliana Vess
1 Sorin Markov
Artifacts:
1 Skullclamp
1 Golgari Signet
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Null Rod
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Coalition Relic
1 Smokestack
1 Geth's Grimoire
1 Helm of Obedience
Enchantments:
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Bitterblossom
1 Sylvan Library
1 Chains of Mephistopheles
1 Recurring Nightmare
1 Contamination
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 The Abyss
1 Grave Pact
1 Leyline of the Void
Sorceries:
1 Thoughtseize
1 Duress
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Life from the Loam
1 Night's Whisper
1 Sign in Blood
1 Smallpox
1 Pox
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Brainspoil
1 Primal Command
1 Biorhythm
1 Mind Shatter
1 Profane Command
1 Death Cloud
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Shred Memory
1 Putrefy
Thanks to the 1v1 banned list, this deck also contains the classic toolbox/recursion engine of Survival of the Fittest + Recurring Nightmare. Looping Kokusho, the Evening Star or Deranged Hermit through Recurring Nightmare is one common way to win with this deck (if your opponent doesn't concede first). It also includes the Leyline of the Void/Helm of Obedience combo and Biorhythm, for additional routes to victory.
Weaknesses:
Token swarms:
All the "sacrifice a creature/permanent" don't look so good against hordes of expendable tokens. If you expect to encounter lots of token or other aggro-swarm decks, you probably want to squeeze Damnation and/or Decree of Pain into the list somewhere.
Crovax, Ascendant Evincar/Night of Soul's Betrayal:
Likewise, it sucks when all your tokens die as a state-based effect (though Creakwood Liege and Imperious Perfect can mitigate this to some extent). Luckily, it's not so hard to deal with Crovax, thanks to discard, but these can still set you back a bit.
Numot the Devastator - Wrecked (multiplayer BL)
1 Numot the Devastator
Lands:
1 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Darksteel Citadel
1 Adarkar Wastes
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Mystic Gate
1 Cascade Bluffs
1 Shivan Reef
1 Plateau
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Wasteland
1 Tundra
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Steam Vents
1 Volcanic Island
1 Ancient Den
1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
1 Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Seat of the Synod
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Flooded Strand
1 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Strip Mine
1 Academy Ruins
1 Rugged Prairie
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Rishadan Port
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Arid Mesa
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Greater Gargadon
1 Orcish Settlers
1 Dwarven Miner
1 Dwarven Blastminer
1 Trinket Mage
1 Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Avalanche Riders
1 World Queller
Planeswalkers:
1 Ajani Vengeant
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
Artifacts:
1 Mana Crypt
1 Chrome Mox
1 Mox Diamond
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Grim Monolith
1 Azorius Signet
1 Boros Signet
1 Izzet Signet
1 Talisman of Progress
1 Mind Stone
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Coalition Relic
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Smokestack
1 Gilded Lotus
Enchantments:
1 Parallax Tide
1 Annex
Sorceries:
1 Gamble
1 Ponder
1 Shattering Spree
1 Boom/Bust
1 Pillage
1 Molten Rain
1 Stone Rain
1 Fabricate
1 Armageddon
1 Cataclysm
1 Concentrate
1 Wrath of God
1 Day of Judgment
1 Tidings
1 Wildfire
1 Catastrophe
1 Decree of Annihilation
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Brainstorm
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Mana Drain
1 Boomerang
1 Hoodwink
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Orim's Thunder
1 Smash
1 Capsize
1 Wipe Away
1 Intuition
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Sunder
This particular list is not set in stone. There's quite a lot of wiggle room for individual choices, and it could probably be improved upon bit more. It's certainly good enough to win games as is though.
Weaknesses:
Sacred Ground/Terra Eternal:
No one really plays these cards, but they're a huge pain to deal with if you happen to run into them.
This deck doesn't have any especially weak matchups, but it doesn't have any really good ones either. As long as you're on your game, you should be able to do well against any deck.
Oona, Queen of the Fae - urielxvi (1v1 BL)
1 Oona, Queen of the Fae
Lands:
9 Island
1 Swamp
1 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Underground Sea
1 Watery Grave
1 Sunken Ruins
1 Underground River
1 River of Tears
1 Dreadship Reef
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Seat of the Synod
1 Vault of Whispers
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Academy Ruins
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Tolaria West
1 Halimar Depths
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Strip Mine
Creatures:
1 Dark Confidant
1 Shadowmage Infiltrator
1 Trinket Mage
1 Dimir Infiltrator
1 Jace Beleren
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Liliana Vess
Artifacts:
1 Chrome Mox
1 Mana Vault
1 Expedition Map
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Pithing Needle
1 Dimir Signet
1 Talisman of Dominance
1 Grim Monolith
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Rings of Brighthearth
1 Vedalken Shackles
1 Gemstone Array
1 Helm of Obedience
1 Memory Jar
Enchantment:
1 Power Artifact
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Leyline of the Void
1 Future Sight
Sorceries:
1 Ancestral Vision
1 Imperial Seal
1 Thoughtseize
1 Duress
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Night's Whisper
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Fabricate
1 Timetwister
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Damnation
1 Time Spiral
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Brainstorm
1 Dark Ritual
1 Cabal Ritual
1 Shred Memory
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Lim-Dul's Vault
1 Mana Drain
1 Counterspell
1 Impulse
1 Into the Roil
1 Doom Blade
1 Hinder
1 Forbid
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Capsize
1 Mystical Teachings
1 Cryptic Command
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Force of Will
1 Pact of Negation
1 Stroke of Genius
This is a great spike deck, for those who like to feel in control of their games. It's combo/control, emphasis on the combo, that plays very similarly to the Thopter Depths deck ruling T1.x, though it doesn't play either of the namesake combos.
The main plan with this deck is to assemble an infinite mana combo (with at least 4 colored mana) and win instantly with Oona. Infinite mana is usually obtained through Grim Monolith/Basalt Monolith + Power Artifact or through Basalt Monolith + Rings of Brighthearth. Rings of Brighthearth + Tolarian Academy (with at least 4 artifacts) + Minamo, School at Water's Edge also works occasionally, though this one is significantly harder to assemble.
When additional colored mana is needed to play Oona and win immediately (which is often), Gemstone Array can generate as much as you need, and is easily tutored for. Dark Ritual and Cabal Ritual can also help provide the necessary colored mana. Also, keep in mind that Beseech the Queen (getting Gemstone Array) can be cast without colored mana once you've gone infinite. Stroke of Genius provides a backup win condition if Oona is somehow disabled.
There's also the backup combo of Leyline of the Void + Helm of Obedience, which has ended games for me as soon as turn 2. Oona is usually not played until she can be used for the kill, but it's worth noting that she's very impressive as a control card too--if creatures are giving you trouble, she's great at stabilizing the battlefield for you. In those occasional awkward games where no one can seem to draw what they need, she's quite capable of putting the game away by herself.
It's also worth noting that this deck contains a slightly absurd amount of graveyard hate, between Leyline of the Void, Relic of Progenitus, Bojuka Bog, Shred Memory and all the specialized tutors that can find these cards (also Timetwister and Time Spiral, to some extent). This wasn't exactly the intention, but they're all very strong cards in this deck anyways, so the extremely strong matchup against graveyard-dependent decks is just gravy.
On top of the combos, we simply play the best cards available in this deck, from the two strongest colors in EDH. Without getting too focused in any one area (except perhaps tutors), we have the best tutors, the best card draw, the best counterspells, the best acceleration, and the best removal. What's not to like? All of the control cards chosen are among the best ever printed, so this deck plays control very well, even though the control cards are somewhat diluted by combo elements.
This deck is particularly powerful because, as a control deck, it tends to get more and more powerful as the game goes long...but it also has a very good chance of just comboing off and winning around turn 2 to turn 5. You don't get a god hand every game, of course, but just having the potential of winning extremely quickly if you draw well is one of the hallmarks of a great competitive deck. This deck has the best chance of getting god hands of any deck I know. I would play it again, card for card.
Weaknesses:
This is a difficult deck to attack, because it can win from so many different ways, and has solutions to whatever cards you might hate on it with. These are the best ways to try to gun for it though:
Instant speed artifact/enchantment removal:
All of the combos are somewhat vulnerable to artifact/enchantment removal. Destroying a key artifact (especially, say, in response to Power Artifact) will set this deck back significantly. Krosan Grip is the best choice, as this deck often has counterspell protection when trying to combo.
Null Rod/Damping Matrix:
These are fairly effective at stopping this deck from comboing, though they'll only work until Oona finds some bounce.
Aven Mindcensor/Mindlock Orb:
This deck plays a lot of tutors. Mindlock Orb would actually be quite troublesome, though I've never seen anyone actually play that card.
1 Radha, Heir to Keld
Lands:
10 Mountain
5 Forest
1 Taiga
1 Stomping Ground
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Arid Mesa
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Raging Ravine
1 Rootbound Crag
1 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
1 Barbarian Ring
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Forgotten Cave
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
1 Dust Bowl
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Vesuva
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Hermit Druid
1 Orcish Settlers
1 Eternal Witness
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Elvish Spirit Guide
1 Simian Spirit Guide
1 Goblin Ruinblaster
1 Avalanche Riders
1 Ravenous Baboons
1 Bloodbraid Elf
1 Wickerbough Elder
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Anger
1 Lord of Shatterskull Pass
1 Acidic Slime
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Molder Slug
1 Deus of Calamity
1 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Krosan Tusker
1 Cloudthresher
1 Primeval Titan
1 Inferno Titan
1 Vigor
1 Gaea's Revenge
1 Avenger of Zendikar
1 Terastodon
1 Woodfall Primus
1 Bogardan Hellkite
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Chandra Nalaar
Artifacts:
1 Chrome Mox
1 Mox Diamond
1 Mana Vault
1 Expedition Map
Enchantments:
1 Sylvan Library
Sorceries:
1 Chain Lightning
1 Gamble
1 Life from the Loam
1 Regrowth
1 Pillage
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Tectonic Break
1 Natural Order
1 Harmonize
1 Ruination
1 Aftershock
1 Creeping Mold
1 Mvonvuli Acid-Moss
1 Reap and Sow
1 Plow Under
1 Stunted Growth
1 Primal Command
1 Tooth and Nail
Instants:
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Punishing Fire
1 Char
1 Violent Eruption
1 Fissure
1 Summoning Trap
This deck comes out of gates fast, often dropping Radha on turn 1 and destroying a land on turn 2. It keeps pressure on both an opponent's mana and life total, aiming to kill the opponent before they ever recover and catch up on lands. It also packs a fair bit of burn and artifact destruction to deal with early acceleration.
When playing this deck, always be the aggressor. If the game goes too long, you're likely to lose--but this deck is tuned to be as aggressive as possible, and should be able to deal 30 damage before most decks can stabilize.
Weaknesses:
Creature-heavy control decks:
Decks that spit out enough creatures to gum up the ground can make it difficult for Radha and her bears to get through. All that incremental damage adds up fast--any deck that can make attacking difficult stands a good chance of surviving long enough to take over the late-game.
The coin flip:
Going first makes a big difference for Radha; this deck is significantly better when on the play. With a good hand on the play, this deck is extremely difficult for any other deck to beat--nothing beats turn 1 Radha, turn 2-4 LD, turn 5 monster. But with an average hand on the draw, it's much less dominating. Unfortunately, there's little that be done about this variance...just hope to get lucky, I suppose.
Scion of the Ur-Dragon - Kilikua/Moondust/Khymera (1v1 BL)
1 Scion of the Ur-Dragon
1 Underground Sea
1 Bayou
1 Scrubland
1 Badlands
1 Tropical Island
1 Tundra
1 Volcanic Island
1 Savannah
1 Taiga
1 Plateau
1 Polluted Delta
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Marsh Flats
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Flooded Strand
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Arid Mesa
1 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Watery Grave
1 Blood Crypt
1 City of Brass
1 Forbidden Orchard
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Twilight Mire
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
1 Hermit Druid
1 Cephalid Illusionist
1 Saffi Eriksdotter
1 Crypt Champion
1 Caller of the Claw
1 Anger
1 Narcomoeba
1 Fatestitcher
Plan B:
1 Nicol Bolas
1 Dragon Tyrant
Other:
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Mother of Runes
1 Dark Confidant
1 Thought Courier
1 Apprentice Necromancer
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Eternal Witness
1 Genesis
Artifacts:
1 Chrome Mox
1 Lotus Petal
1 Lightning Greaves
Combo:
1 Dread Return
1 Reanimate
1 Shallow Grave
1 Cabal Therapy
1 Krosan Reclamation
1 Ray of Revelation
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Crippling Fatigue
1 Deep Analysis
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Entomb
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Sylvan Library
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Quiet Speculation
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Shred Memory
1 See Beyond
1 Intuition
1 Buried Alive
Non-Flashback Disruption:
1 Pact of Negation
1 Thoughtseize
1 Duress
1 Orim's Chant
1 Silence
1 Dispel
1 Vindicate
Recursion:
1 Pull from Eternity
1 Life from the Loam
1 Regrowth
1 Grim Discovery
I'm sure that this list still isn't perfect, but it's very, very strong. I'm releasing it to the public in the hope that the collective minds here at MTGS can help develop it even further. Do note that this is an extremely difficult deck to pilot optimally...it would be not be an overstatement to say that this is the toughest deck I've ever played in any format, and I've played them all. It's powerful enough to still win most games with poor play, but it takes a master (and a lot of practice) to play it at its full potential.
So, why is this deck so good? It has a blazingly fast and resilient primary win condition, a powerful and disruptive secondary win condition, more tutors than any other deck in the format, and it still has room for a hefty and versatile disruption package. It's also as lean and efficient as they come: the curve tops out at 3, and most of the spells cost only 1 or 2. There's no dead weight here.
The simplest version of the kill is: activate Hermit Druid. Win. Yes, it's actually that easy. There are no basic lands in this deck, so a single Hermit Druid activation mills your whole deck. Narcomoeba pops into play. Unearth Fatestitcher, make sure the coast is clear with Cabal Therapy (if you have an extra creature), and flashback Dread Return on Crypt Champion, which returns Saffi Eriksdotter. With the other Crypt Champion trigger on the stack, sacrifice Saffi targeting the Champion, and repeat that loop a billion times. Then use Crypt Champion to return Caller of the Claw. That gives you a billion bears, and thanks to Anger, they all have haste. Ta da! Dead opponent. If Hermit Druid isn't destroyed on sight, this happens relatively consistently by turn 3.
Obviously, it's not always that simple, but there's a lot of resiliency built into this plan. Apprentice Necromancer and Shallow Grave help ensure that Hermit Druid is able to do his thing. Cephalid Illusionist and Lightning Greaves offer an alternate means of milling yourself if something happens to the Druid. The suite of flashback removal spells can deal with just about anything that might stop you from winning post-milling. This plan is remarkably hard to stop: it can even beat instant-speed graveyard hate sometimes, though it's somewhat painful to do so. By looping Krosan Reclamation and Pull from Eternity, you can (slowly) draw whatever cards you need, even if your whole graveyard and library are exiled!
An alternate kill, which is extremely efficient even if the rest of the deck isn't coming together, involved just beating down with Scion of the Ur-Dragon. This list only contains 2 dragons, but that's all it needs to kill in 2 attacks. Strike first as Nicol Bolas, wiping out your opponent's answers. Then swing as Dragon Tyrant, pump once, and that's 21 general damage. It says a lot about this deck that a strategy as efficient as this one is a distant plan B.
There are many other subtle and effective gameplans with this deck, such as the early Life from the Loam lock or the Quiet Speculation flashback control plan. The most difficult part of piloting this deck is figuring out how to use all the tutors, since there's a tremendous array of options, and not all of the tutors will be able to get the card you want most. For instance, do you Entomb for Anger? Life from the Loam? Hermit Druid? Ancient Grudge? All of these (and more) can be the correct answer; learning to recognize when to get what with each tutor takes a lot of foresight, practice, and skill. Learning the best ways to play around hate is also important. This deck has the answers to beat anything, but recognizing how to use those answers can be very challenging.
Weaknesses:
Aven Mindcensor:
With so many tutors and only 2 cards that kill it, this little bird can be incredibly annoying to deal with.
Graveyard hate:
This deck has the tools to beat graveyard hate, either by powering through it or by circumventing it with Scion of the Ur-Dragon. Even so, this is a heavily graveyard-based deck, and graveyard hate is still the best way to fight it. Instant speed surprise hate like Shred Memory, Ravenous Trap, or Crop Rotation into Bojuka Bog is best, but stuff like Relic of Progenitus is decent too.
Spot removal:
Again, though this deck has the tools to beat spot removal, removal is still helpful for not getting immediately slaughtered by Hermit Druid. Spells like Swords to Plowshares are frequently the difference between a turn 2-3 blowout and a real game.
Sharuum the Hegemon - Khymera (multiplayer BL)
1 Sharuum the Hegemon
1 Swamp
1 Island
1 Plains
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Mishra's Workshop
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Tundra
1 Underground Sea
1 Scrubland
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Watery Grave
1 Godless Shrine
1 Windswept Heath
1 Flooded Strand
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Arid Mesa
1 Vault of Whispers
1 Seat of the Synod
1 Ancient Den
1 Sunken Ruins
1 Fetid Heath
1 Mystic Gate
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
1 Academy Ruins
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Cephalid Coliseum
1 High Market
1 Kor Haven
1 Tolaria West
1 Glassdust Hulk
1 Etherium Sculptor
1 Trinket Mage
1 Master Transmuter
1 Masticore
1 Duplicant
1 Extractor Demon
1 Memnarch
1 Magister Sphinx
1 Sundering Titan
Planeswalkers:
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Artifacts:
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Lotus Bloom
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Expedition Map
1 Executioner's Capsule
1 Dispeller's Capsule
1 Aether Spellbomb
1 Pithing Needle
1 Voyager Staff
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Grim Monolith
1 Azorius Signet
1 Dimir Signet
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Coalition Relic
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Sculpting Steel
1 Cloud Key
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Helm of Obedience
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Memory Jar
1 Mishra's Helix
1 Mindslaver
1 Salvaging Station
1 Darksteel Forge
1 Artificer's Intuition
1 Leyline of the Void
1 Future Sight
Sorceries:
1 Imperial Seal
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Transmute Artifact
1 Compulsive Research
1 Vindicate
1 Bitter Ordeal
1 Decree of Pain
Instants:
1 Pact of Negation
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Mana Drain
1 Momentary Blink
1 Intuition
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Frantic Search
1 Fact or Fiction
This is a combo deck through and through, but it's a very broad, versatile, and resilient one. Every game plays out differently. There are 3 "I-win" combos in the deck: Sculpting Steel + Sharuum + Glassdust Hulk/Extractor Demon/Bitter Ordeal, Sensei's Divining Top + Future Sight + Etherium Sculptor/Cloud Key, and Leyline of the Void + Helm of Obedience. These are by no means the only ways to win though--Mindslaver recursion with Sharuum, though non-infinite, always results in a win, and Magister Sphinx or Memnarch can easily win games by themselves. This deck has a very high concentration of tutors, and can find answers to just about anything. It also plays control quite well, as Sharuum offers such potent recursion. In long games, Salvaging Station generates backbreaking card advantage.
Weaknesses:
Artifact hate:
This deck is all artifacts, and wants a lot of mana to function properly. Cards that attack the artifact manabase are most effective: things like Null Rod, Energy Flux, and Shattering Spree give this deck headaches, though none of them are insurmountable.
Graveyard hate:
While this deck doesn't need to use the graveyard to win, it usually wants to. Cards like Relic of Progenitus and Leyline of the Void generally do a good job of slowing down this deck.
Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon - MCR/mutedequilibrium/Khymera (1v1 BL)
1 Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
Lands:
23 Swamp
1 Polluted Delta
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Marsh Flats
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 Lake of the Dead
1 Ebon Stronghold
1 Peat Bog
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Crystal Vein
1 City of Traitors
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
Acceleration:
1 Chrome Mox
1 Mox Diamond
1 Mana Vault
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
1 Expedition Map
1 Grim Monolith
1 Jet Medallion
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Star Compass
1 Mind Stone
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Guardian Idol
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Coalition Relic
1 Dark Ritual
1 Cabal Ritual
1 Thoughtseize
1 Duress
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Distress
1 Addle
1 Coercion
1 Perish the Thought
1 Stupor
1 Unmask
1 Nightmare Void
1 Persecute
1 Mind Shatter
Removal:
1 Pithing Needle
1 Chainer's Edict
1 Devour in Shadow
1 Grasp of Darkness
1 Hero's Demise
1 Sudden Death
1 Snuff Out
1 Sickening Shoal
1 Damnation
1 All Is Dust
1 Decree of Pain
Draw/Tutors:
1 Dark Confidant
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Dark Tutelage
1 Night's Whisper
1 Sign in Blood
1 Ancient Craving
1 Ambition's Cost
1 Skeletal Scrying
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Imperial Seal
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Grim Tutor
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Unspeakable Symbol
1 Nightmare Lash
1 Death Cloud
1 Yawgmoth's Will
Like Vendilion Clique, Skithiryx is such a rapid and efficient win condition that no other is needed--he gets the job done by himself, very well. Since we don't need to play win conditions, the entire deck can be packed with disruption, overloading an opponent's resources. Where Clique has counterspells and bounce, we have discard and removal...just about as good really. We also have a couple of advantages over Clique. We have just as good card draw, but also have access to tutors, letting us run some really great silver bullet cards, some of which are spectacularly lethal. Also, whereas Clique kills pretty consistently around turn 12-18, Skittles is really. freaking. fast. REALLY fast. Turn 3 kills are possible. Undisrupted (and all the discard does a good job of dealing with disruption), this deck wins on average around turn 5-7, faster than most opponents will be be able to when faced with the disruption that is our whole deck. The large amount of artifact acceleration plays an important role in this blazing speed.
Like Iname, we play all the best discard, removal, and acceleration available to mono-black. All that good stuff is in here. Unlike Iname, who has to mess around with all those dinky little spirits and reanimation spells, we have room to just stuff in even more discard, removal, and acceleration. We also have room for a few unique cards: Unspeakable Symbol and Nightmare Lash both let Skithiryx threaten to kill in 1 hit at any time. Death Cloud is absolutely brutal: with all this acceleration, it frequently leaves an opponent with no lands, no creatures, and no hand. It does that to us too, but we ought to have enough artifact mana to play Skittles soon and dispatch our crippled opponent. And then we have Yawgmoth's Will, the go-to lategame tutor target, which basically just wins the game once you have enough stuff in the graveyard.
There are really two ways games with this deck can go. The beauty is that we have access to both strategies without diluting or compromising either one. The approach you want to take depends upon your opponent's deck and to some extent upon your starting hand.
1) Pure speed: accelerate like mad while tossing off a few disruption spells, attack with Skittles on turn 3 or 4, and just kill your opponent before he knows what hit him. Unspeakable Symbol is extremely effective in these games, and is frequently the tutor target of choice.
2) Badass control: Everything dies. Just leave Skittles in the command zone and kill everything. With so much disruption, very few decks will be able to successfully execute any kind of plan. Eventually, when your opponent runs out of resources (or just removal), Skittles can come down and clean up, often killing in 1 hit with the help of Nightmare Lash.
Weaknesses:
Anything that permanently disables generals:
Since we absolutely need Skittles to win, anything that can stop him indefinitely is big trouble. Tuck effects like Condemn and Hinder are very dangerous, though we do have a few tutors to find him again. Pacifism type cards are also bad...we can always kill Skithiryx with our own removal or mass removal, but it's annoying to have to do. Control Magic effects are even worse, since it's not too hard to just die to our own general. Basically, when playing against white or blue, be really careful to protect Skittles from these kind of effects. Try to minimize his time in play, always have him attacking with haste, and make sure to check your opponent's hand for danger with discard before playing him. It's usually a bad idea to try to go for the fast kill in these matchups.
Ensnaring Bridge/Null Rod:
We can't kill artifacts unless we manage to hit them with discard. We flat-out can't beat Ensnaring Bridge if it hits play; luckily, it doesn't see much action in EDH. Null Rod sees more play, and hurts, but is still quite beatable. If it's combined with land destruction though, you might be in for some trouble.
Sygg, River Cutthroat - Crane/Khymera (1v1 BL)
1 Sygg, River Cutthroat
Lands:
10 Island
6 Swamp
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Underground Sea
1 Underground River
1 Sunken Ruins
1 Strip Mine
1 River of Tears
1 Flooded Strand
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Marsh Flats
1 Watery Grave
1 Wasteland
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Darkwater Catacombs
1 City of Brass
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Polluted Delta
1 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Secluded Glen
Creatures:
1 Rotting Giant
1 Wretched Anurid
1 Bloodghast
1 Spellstutter Sprite
1 Voidmage Prodigy
1 Dark Confidant
1 Oona's Prowler
1 Dauthi Horror
1 Dauthi Slayer
1 Inkfathom Infiltrator
1 Thada Adel, Acquisitor
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Shadowmage Infiltrator
1 Hypnotic Specter
1 Serendib Efreet
1 Wake Thrasher
1 Dauthi Marauder
1 Man-o'-War
1 Graveborn Muse
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Wydwen, the Biting Gale
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Shriekmaw
1 Tombstalker
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Artifacts:
1 Chrome Mox
1 Mox Diamond
1 Aether Vial
1 Winter Orb
1 Tangle Wire
1 Skullclamp
1 Bonesplitter
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Loxodon Warhammer
Enchantments:
1 Standstill
1 Bitterblossom
1 Contamination
1 Phyrexian Arena
Sorceries:
1 Thoughtseize
1 Ancestral Vision
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Profane Command
Instants:
1 Stifle
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Brainstorm
1 Dark Ritual
1 Mana Drain
1 Counterspell
1 Mana Leak
1 Remand
1 Memory Lapse
1 Into the Roil
1 Forbid
1 Hinder
1 Undermine
1 Complicate
1 Capsize
1 Sudden Death
1 Cryptic Command
1 Clutch of the Undercity
1 Force of Will
1 Sunder
Weaknesses:
Other aggro decks:
This is basically a suicide black deck with counterspells and epic card advantage. It can do a lot of damage to you over the course of a game, and the creatures are chosen to be evasive attackers, not blockers. Other fast aggro decks, assisted by your self-inflicted life loss, may be able to race you effectively.
Teysa, Orzhov Scion - Khymera (1v1 BL)
1 Teysa, Orzhov Scion
Lands:
9 Plains
5 Swamp
1 Flooded Strand
1 Windswept Heath
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Polluted Delta
1 Marsh Flats
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Arid Mesa
1 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Caves of Koilos
1 Fetid Heath
1 Godless Shrine
1 Orzhov Basilica
1 Salt Flats
1 Scrubland
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Springjack Pasture
1 Kor Haven
1 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Strip Mine
1 Kjeldoran Outpost
1 Library of Alexandria
Creatures:
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Carrion Feeder
1 Painter's Servant
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Bloodghast
1 Nether Traitor
1 Undead Gladiator
1 Loyal Retainers
1 Academy Rector
1 Reveillark
1 Karmic Guide
1 Knight-Captain of Eos
1 Twisted Abomination
1 Yosei, the Morning Star
1 Eternal Dragon
1 Angel of Despair
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Liliana Vess
1 Sorin Markov
Artifacts:
1 Skullclamp
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Scroll Rack
1 Altar of Dementia
1 Phyrexian Altar
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
Enchantments:
1 Darkest Hour
1 Land Tax
1 Bitterblossom
1 Recurring Nightmare
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Sacred Mesa
1 Arrest
1 Debtors' Knell
Sorceries:
1 Steelshaper's Gift
1 Thoughtseize
1 Duress
1 Castigate
1 Smallpox
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Balance
1 Buried Alive
1 Victimize
1 Idyllic Tutor
1 Dimir Machinations
1 Last Rites
1 Vindicate
1 Persecute
1 Living Death
1 Demonic Collusion
1 Hallowed Burial
1 Death Grasp
1 Profane Command
1 Martial Coup
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Entomb
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Shred Memory
1 Insidious Dreams
Most Teysa lists pursue a token theme. I tried that strategy for a long time, and just couldn't make it work for me. The token-producers just aren't strong enough on their own to cut it in EDH. With Teysa, they give you access to a lot of potential removal...but that only helps much against creature decks, and is reliant on Teysa.
Instead, I ended up dropping the token theme, and going for a reanimator/combo deck. Here are the main ways to win with this deck:
1. Iona, Shield of Emeria + Painter's Servant, to lock out all spells. Iona costs too much to realistically play early enough, so we reanimate her--there are several ways to discard her if you draw her, but we also run Entomb and Buried Alive to get her directly into the graveyard. Victimize and Living Death are capable of putting both creatures directly into play, though Painter's Servant is also easy to cast if you draw it.
2. Yosei, the Morning Star + Recurring Nightmare, to lock out untap steps. This also works with Debtor's Knell and one of the many sacrifice outlets.
3. Teysa, Orzhov Scion + Painter's Servant/Darkest Hour + sacrifice outlet + any creature. This combo enables infinite sacrifices. With Altar of Dementia, you can win right there--the other sacrifice outlets don't necessarily win immediately, but are more versatile.
4. Reveillark + Karmic Guide + sacrifice outlet. Also enables infinite sacrifices.
5. Teysa, Orzhov Scion + Phyrexian Altar + Nether Traitor. These three cards result in infinite mana and and infinite spirits to sacrifice, resulting in an instant win with Death Grasp, Profane Command, Skullclamp, or Altar of Dementia.
This deck also has access to a couple of truly ridiculous card advantage engines. Skullclamp + the dynamic duo of Bloodghast and Nether Traitor is disgustingly good in any deck, and becomes twice as good with Teysa out. (I frequently Entomb/Buried Alive these spirits, and tutor for Skullclamp as soon as I can.)
Also, turn 1 Weathered Wayfarer, turn 2 fetch and play Library of Alexandria results in phenomenal card advantage, as Wayfarer helps you keep your hand at 7.
This deck contains a lot of powerful synergies and different ways to win, making it difficult to attack. There is no one card or strategy necessary for this deck to win--it always has another combo. It also contains quite a lot of discard and decent amount of removal, making it fairly disruptive to an opponent's plans.
Weaknesses:
Graveyard hate:
Most (though not all) of the combos in this deck utilize the graveyard to some extent. If you have to fight a lot of graveyard hate with this deck, it will probably slow you down significantly.
Mana denial:
This deck doesn't need a lot of mana to win, but it generally does need to get to around 4-5 lands. A dedicated land destruction deck, or a deck packed with Armageddons, stands a decent chance of manascrewing this deck before it can combo off.
Wort, Boggart Auntie - Khymera (1v1 BL)
1 Wort, Boggart Auntie
Lands:
7 Mountain
6 Swamp
1 Badlands
1 Blood Crypt
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Marsh Flats
1 Arid Mesa
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Sulfurous Springs
1 Graven Cairns
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Barbarian Ring
1 Mutavault
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Lavaclaw Reaches
1 Cabal Pit
1 Auntie's Hovel
1 Dragonskull Summit
Goblins:
1 Goblin Lackey
1 Skirk Prospector
1 Goblin Recruiter
1 Warren Instigator
1 Goblin Piledriver
1 Frogtosser Banneret
1 Mogg War Marshal
1 Slavering Nulls
1 Sparksmith
1 Stingscourger
1 Goblin Tinkerer
1 Gempalm Incinerator
1 Goblin Matron
1 Boggart Harbinger
1 Goblin Warchief
1 Goblin Chieftain
1 Mad Auntie
1 Goblin King
1 Goblin Sharpshooter
1 Earwig Squad
1 Goblin Ruinblaster
1 Goblin Ringleader
1 Lightning Crafter
1 Goblin Wizard
1 Goblin Settler
1 Tuktuk Scrapper
1 Murderous Redcap
1 Boggart Mob
1 Changeling Berserker
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Dark Confidant
1 Imperial Recruiter
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Cabal Slaver
1 Moggcatcher
Planeswalkers:
1 Liliana Vess
1 Chandra Nalaar
1 Sorin Markov
Artifacts:
1 Chrome Mox
1 Aether Vial
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Skullclamp
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
Enchantments:
1 Blood Moon
1 Phyrexian Arena
Sorceries:
1 Thoughtseize
1 Duress
1 Imperial Seal
1 Shattering Spree
1 Warren Weirding
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Night's Whisper
1 Fodder Launch
1 Living Death
1 Patriarch's Bidding
Instants:
1 Tarfire
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Nameless Inversion
1 Terminate
1 Shred Memory
Goblin Recruiter is really, really good. I cannot overemphasize how good Goblin Recruiter is in EDH. Though it's very narrow, I could make a case for Goblin Recruiter being the most powerful card in the entire format. A 2-mana tutor for 6-8 cards (even if you don't get them directly to your hand) is ridiculously strong. Despite that power, this is the only deck that can really abuse Goblin Recruiter, and that makes it very scary.
Aggro is viable with 30 life. As this deck plays all the best specimens of the most aggressive tribe, it's no surprise that this deck can produce some devastating attack phases. It's not as consistent as Legacy goblins, but it gets the job done. It's also extremely resilient, due to Wort, Boggart Auntie and tutors.
While you're beating face with goblins, you can play some control too, at least against creature-dependent decks. This deck has a LOT of removal, and most of it is tribal or attached to goblins, making it easily tutored and very easily recurred. Against decks that use creatures (which, on the whole, is most decks), recurring Warren Weirding, Gempalm Incinerator, or Nameless Inversion each turn is extremely difficult to beat. There are also many other cards to accrue card advantage as the game goes long, like Phyrexian Arena and the 3 planeswalkers. Also, Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon have the potential to just win games by themself in many matchups.
Finally, there are a couple of good instant-win combos conveniently slotted in here. The primary combo is assembled entirely through Goblin Recruiter. Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, Lightning Crafter, and a sacrifice outlet (Skirk Prospector or Mogg Raider work) results in infinite damage. (Have them all in play, copy Lightning Crafter with Kiki-Jiki, championing the tapped Kiki-Jiki. Tap for 3 damage, sacrifice the token, Kiki-Jiki comes back untapped. Rinse and repeat.)
The other combo is Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, Thornbite Staff, any other non-legendary creature, and a sacrifice outlet. This results in infinite sacrifices, so you can get a kill with Goblin Bombardment, or make all your goblins infinitely large with Mogg Raider.
The beautiful thing about Goblin Recruiter is that it lets you pursue the aggro and combo gameplans at the same time. Recruiter is usually my first tutor target. I then get a stack something like [Goblin Ringleader, Goblin Warchief, Warren Instigator, Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, Lightning Crafter, Gempalm Incinerator, Skirk Prospector, Siege-Gang Commander, Goblin Matron]. The cards chosen and the order vary quite a bit depending on the board state, but this is a fairly typical example (and Goblin Ringleader is always first). A stack like this lets you drown your opponent in goblins, and set up the combo at the same time. If one strategy doesn't work, you always have the other available.
For all the different ways this deck can win, it's quite focused. There are few cards that are ever really dead, no matter what you're doing, and it has a lot of tutors and answers. The only cards that are often not of much use are Living Death and Patriarch's Bidding, but those are important resets that can win you games if you happen to be losing.
Weaknesses:
Fast combo, especially storm:
This deck is pretty fast, but most dedicated combo decks are faster. This deck is fairly cold to decks that can win quickly without relying on any creatures: it has only a couple of discard spells and the Moons to slow them down. These matchups aren't unwinnable, but they're not favorable.
Sweeper-heavy control:
A deck that can play multiple sweepers per game and keep Wort out of play (through a tuck effect or by just killing her a bunch of times) stands a good chance of outlasting this deck. This is where the mass-reanimation spells really shine--thanks to Goblin Piledriver and Goblin Chieftain, I've sometimes been able to attack in the late-game for 40+ damage out of nowhere.
Discussion:
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=233502
Wort, the Raidmother - Hephlathio (1v1 BL)
1 Wort, the Raidmother
Lands:
17 Forest
2 Mountain
1 Taiga
1 Stomping Ground
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Windswept Heath
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Arid Mesa
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Deserted Temple
1 Fire-Lit Thicket
1 Strip Mine
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Kher Keep
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
Creatures:
1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Vexing Shusher
1 Wood Elves
1 Eternal Witness
1 Imperial Recruiter
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Deranged Hermit
1 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Acidic Slime
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Avenger of Zendikar
1 Regal Force
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
Artifacts:
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Skullclamp
1 Ashnod's Altar
1 Phyrexian Altar
1 Slate of Ancestry
1 Memory Jar
Enchantments:
1 Sylvan Library
1 Earthcraft
1 Squirrel Nest
1 Fecundity
Sorceries:
1 Sylvan Tutor
1 Gamble
1 Nature's Lore
1 Three Visits
1 Sylvan Scrying
1 Regrowth
1 Nostalgic Dreams
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Recross the Paths
1 Recollect
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Fallow Earth
1 Mvonwuli Acid-Moss
1 Skyshroud Claim
1 Hunting Wilds
1 Reap and Sow
1 Beacon of Creation
1 Spontaneous Generation
1 Saproling Symbiosis
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Natural Order
1 Harmonize
1 Creeping Mold
1 Plow Under
1 Stunted Growth
1 Primal Command
1 Rude Awakening
1 One Dozen Eyes
1 Collective Unconscious
1 Desert Twister
1 Tooth and Nail
1 Chord of Calling
1 Banefire
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Crop Rotation
1 Artifact Mutation
1 Early Harvest
1 Scatter the Seeds
1 Cobra Trap
It's difficult to describe how to play this deck, because it never combos off the same way twice. That said, it is frequently possible to win the turn after resolving Wort (if she sticks)--it's just a matter of knowing the deck well enough to make the right plays. Sometimes you can even win the same turn you play Wort, as early as turn 4 or 5.
This is a generalized sequence of plays:
1. Accelerate. Rofellos and Gaea's Cradle are the holy grails of acceleration, and should be tutored for if possible.
2. Disrupt. Blow up your opponent's lands.
2. Play Wort when you can. If you can conspire one of the sorceries that fetches two lands, your mana problems ought to be over.
3. Make lots of tokens.
4. Make more mana, draw lots of cards.
5. Banefire ftw.
There are many potential ways to accomplish each of these steps--most of the effects can be obtained by sorceries, creatures, or sorceries that find creatures. This is the general pathway of the combo. Notably powerful mid-combo cards include Phyrexian Altar/Ashnod's Altar/Earthcraft, which allow you to squeeze mana out of your excess tokens, fueling more spells. Conspiring Early Harvest or Rude Awakening also results in huge mana gains. Most of the spells played are very efficient already, and Wort doubles their efficiency--as a result, you just keep building up ever more mana and cards as you continue to play spells, eventually culminating in a lethal Banefire (yes, there's only one real kill card, and yes, that's enough). Practice enough with this deck, and it will reward you. Few decks can compare to it for raw power and consistency.
Weaknesses:
This deck is fast enough that it's not notably weak to any archetype (sweeper-heavy control is probably the worst, but it's still not a bad matchup). However, there are specific cards that it's very weak against.
Gaddock Teeg:
One of the problems with playing a deck so focused is that it has very limited space for answers. Gaddock Teeg stomps all over this deck, and there are very few ways to remove him. Running enough spot removal to consistently kill Teeg is out of the question--it dilutes the combos too much. As a result, Gaddock Teeg is kind of an auto-loss. If you encounter Gaddock Teeg a lot, Grim Lavamancer is a reasonable addition that can help you steal some games, but it will still be an uphill battle.
Aether Flash/Tainted Aether/Arcane Laboratory/etc.:
There are plenty of hosers out there that can slow this deck to a crawl. There are answers to these cards, but not very many.
Discussion:
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=227802
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - Khymera (multiplayer BL)
1 Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed
Lands:
27 Snow-Covered Swamp
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Vesuva
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Terrain Generator
1 Temple of the False God
1 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Marsh Flats
27 Snow-Covered Swamp
Creatures:
1 Street Wraith
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Magus of the Coffers
1 Helldozer
1 Myojin of Night's Reach
Planeswalkers:
1 Liliana Vess
1 Sorin Markov
Artifacts:
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
1 Expedition Map
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Phyrexian Furnace
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Star Compass
1 Mind Stone
1 Jet Medallion
1 Journeyer's Kite
1 Scroll Rack
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Extraplanar Lens
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Sigil of Distinction
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Necropotence
Sorceries:
1 Duress
1 Thoughtseize
1 Imperial Seal
1 Night's Whisper
1 Sign in Blood
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Distress
1 Shred Memory
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Grim Tutor
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Dimir Machinations
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Brainspoil
1 Promise of Power
1 Beacon of Unrest
1 Decree of Pain
1 Overwhelming Forces
1 Mind Twist
1 Mind Shatter
1 Profane Command
1 Consume Spirit
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Dark Ritual
1 Cabal Ritual
1 Plunge into Darkness
1 Corpse Dance
1 Skeletal Scrying
1 Hatred
Xiahou Dun is deceptively powerful. In this deck, he will rarely go to the command zone after dying--it's usually easier to chain-reanimate him via Corpse Dance or Profane Command. Usually, the first tutor finds Corpse Dance, and from there you can reuse that tutor (or whatever else you have) every turn. Once you have enough mana, looping Profane Command a few times will give you the win. This deck is nice because it makes extremely effective use of the general, but doesn't need to rely on the general--all the cards are still powerful without him.
There's a sort of pseudo-combo plan B to this deck, taking advantage of Xiahou Dun's virtual unblockability. If you have an opening, you can always just slam an 18 point Hatred on Xiahou Dun for a very quick victory: this can happen as early as turn 3 or 4. In the late game, Sigil of Distinction does something similar, and is a little more resilient to removal.
Weaknesses:
Very fast general-based decks:
Lacking much cheap removal, this deck relies on discard to disrupt an opponent's gameplan. It has a bit more trouble dealing with things already on the board, so decks that can unload quickly on the board can get the jump on Xiahou Dun.
Lockdown artifacts:
Artifacts are a pain for any mono-black deck...once they hit the board, only Oblivion Stone can remove them. Since this deck likes its mana, lockdown artifacts like Winter Orb and Mishra's Helix can be very difficult to deal with if they hit play. Even a little Pithing Needle can be annoying.
Please do NOT post decklists in this thread. If you have a deck that you think belongs here, please feel free to PM it to me, and if I agree I will include it. Please don't be offended if I choose not to add it: as I said at the start, this is not meant to be a listing of every competitive list that people dream up--just some good examples of different archetypes.
I hope this will be useful. Feedback is welcomed.
v1: Akroma, Angel of Fury, Captain Sisay, and Sharuum the Hegemon
v2: Gaddock Teeg, Numot the Devastator, and Sygg, River Cutthroat
v3: Horde of Notions and Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed
v4: Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero and Nath of the Gilt-Leaf
v5: Teysa, Orzhov Scion and Lyzolda, the Blood Witch
v6: Oona, Queen of the Fae (tournament-winning list)
v7: Wort, the Raidmother and Wort, Boggart Auntie
v8: Godo, Bandit Warlord and Azusa, Lost but Seeking
v9: Scion of the Ur-Dragon and Radha, Heir to Keld
v10: Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon and Lyzolda, the Blood Witch (completely overhauled)
1. Your Teeg list is still so darn cool, but I especially like your analysis of it. I never thought of how it relates in concept and strategy to Captain Sisay decks, except for colors (and consequently some of the cards). Does this mean that you decided against Brown Ouphe in the long run?
2. The cheap cycling removal in the Horde of Notions deck is probably the neatest thing I've seen all day -- props to frogboy for finding an elegant solution to an important problem. The deck looks fun and challenging to play, as well: there are no simple "I win" combos that just end the game; you have to fight for the advantage and hold it.
3. In the Xiahao Dun, the One-Eyed list, why no Nevinyrral's Disk? You already have Oblivion Stone (which you referred to as Oblivion Ring in the write-up, by the way), but if artifacts are one of the biggest weaknesses of the deck, why not shore up those matchups a little? It's not like Disk is bad in other games, either
4. Dang, I got all excited when I saw Evergreen's deck on the list -- here's to hoping he lets us in on his super secret tech!
Keep up the good work, dude!
EDIT: I also see you added Lignify to the Teeg deck. Top-notch stuff, and good to see we're on the same page!
Draft my Mono-Blue Cube!
lichess.org | chess.com
under the Horde write up. However I can tell you from lots of play testing, Horde lists like these are good but have large room for improvement (mine included/especially).
This thread is awesome btw.
Also looking forward to the big reveal of Evergreens long awaited super secret deck.
@d0su:
1. Thanks. Though it's pretty different from yours, that Teeg list would never have existed without inspiration from your list. I did decide against Brown Ouphe, at least for now...it's powerful, but too narrow in its use. I have a long list of fairly narrow cards for that deck that could theoretically see play if I find enough need for them. It includes Brown Ouphe, Nullmage Shepherd, Brooding Saurian, Loaming Shaman, Voidstone Gargoyle, Shield of the Oversoul, Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant, and Karmic Justice, among others.
2. Yeah, the cycling removal works nicely. I'm incorporating into other decks where I can as well. Your comments on that deck are accurate, as are Narglfrob's--especially with a deck with so many options, there's certainly room for improvement.
3. I just don't like Nev's Disk. It's too slow. I often can't afford to wait a turn between playing it and using it--sometimes I might lose in the intervening turn, but more often the Disk just gets destroyed by something. I also don't like playing Disk early and just leaving it in play until I need it--it's just too easy for an intelligent opponent to play around. Since I can hardly think of a realistic situation where I'd prefer Disk to Oblivion Stone, I'd rather just run another tutor instead of Disk. Yeah, there might be a problem if I need to wipe the board twice in a game, but that situation hasn't occurred for me yet. If you like Disk though, go ahead and run it. It's certainly true that it shores up a weakness of this deck...I just don't think it does it very well.
4. No promises on Evergreen's deck, but yeah, I'm hoping too.
As a side note I am very flattered to see so much interest in my deck. I was planning on writing a primer on playing Iname competitively at the conclusion of the previous tournamet, but other obligations got in the way. I'll be happy to post my deck list at the conclusion of the current tournament, which should be relatively soon, and perhaps finally finish my primer. I only hope that it can live up to the hype :).
Current EDH Decks:
G Multani, Maro-Sorcerer
B Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed
GU Momir Vig, Simic Visionary
What do you think is creating this small phenomenon? Is it the the fact that he performed excellently in a tourney with a criminally underused general? Is it the mystery of the unknown?
He has done extremely well in tournaments here with the deck.
The fact that Iname is a general that you would NEVER expect to be a fully tuned 1v1 competitive deck only makes the hype that much better.
Oh, I know. I'm just musing about what makes us all so interested.
Isn't it though? Isn't it?
I think this thread is exactly what the EDH community needs. EDH is fun. Its even more fun when you win. Its even MORE fun molding and tuning your decks to run like well-oiled machines (which is amazing to do with a bunch of singletons). I applaud the decklists posted thusfar. They are a real testament to the complexity of this format. Hopefully I'll feel comfortable enough to post a few decklists of my own soon. I really hope this thread blossoms into something great (moreso than it already has).
When I tried to rebuild my Iname deck for 1vs1 it was nowhere near consistent as it was for multiplayer so I'm definitely interested in Evergreen's list.
BUG Dredge BUG]
WUBRG Storm WUBRG
UBR FaerieStalker UBR
EDH
Sygg, River Cutthroat (1vs1)
Maga, Traitor to Mortals (multiplayer)
One-Eyed Black | Orzhov Combo | Ooze Reanimator | Mindwheeling Pain
I just added Teysa (and Lyzolda). I'm afraid it's unlikely to look much like your GCO deck--no tokens, and a lot of 1v1 specific cards.
So far I have not seen anyone abuse Scion of Ur Dragon and Worldgorger Dragon together, and I like to think this deck does it decently well.
Also, are you still playing the Sharuum list? How has Jace 2.0 been for you in there?
One-Eyed Black | Orzhov Combo | Ooze Reanimator | Mindwheeling Pain
I've been playing your Sharuum list, and I think it is absolutely beautiful. Every card is so purposefully inserted, and there is no room for dead space.
I do however have a few questions should you find time to answer:
- Is there more to Masticore than I am seeing? I think one of the main things that happen with Masticore is the fact that I can discard things to it, meaning when I have cards for Sculpting Steel combos (or even just so I can bring them back via Sharuum), I can pitch it to Masticore given I don't have enough mana to cast them. Other than that, its first activated ability to ping things might be situationally useful. I'm wondering - is it necessary? Is there better?
- Tutoring and Intuition piles. I'll admit I'm still very amateur at the deck. While I understand a lot of the combos at hand, I often times feel like I fail at tutoring. If I start with absolutely nothing (with just lots of mana and a tutor, for example), should I be going straight for combo pieces, or spells that allow me to draw into them like Fact or Fiction, or even straight for Intuition. It might be too hard to give a straight answer out of context, but I'd still like to hear how you prefer piloting the deck. (Also, is the correct "I win now" Intuition pile = Mana Artifact / Sculpting Steel / Extractor Demon?)
- While we're on the subject of tutors and mana, I cannot afford an Imperial Seal nor Mishra's Workshop. I have the entire rest of the deck, including the Mana Drain, but do not have access to these two cards. Although playing with proxies is okay, I was wondering if you could offer possible alternatives. I see that Fabricate is missing from your deck - and while it isn't an Imperial Seal, do you think that might make an okay replacement?
- What is your general strategy versus decks that pack a lot of answers and/or permission to impede your strategies? Do you often just forget going for combos and aiming for massive mana and then following up with game ending spells like Sundering Titan or Magister Sphinx?
- How has Jace 2.0 been for you? I've always felt like he didn't need to be here, but he is great as a distraction.
- Lastly, if I were to take Sharuum to a multiplayer table, what general (or specific) changes would you suggest in order to deal with the greater concentration of anti-artifact cards as well as using cards that can kill the whole table (like Disciple of the Vault)?
Thanks a lot!
(PS, this might be a stupid question, but do you have to pay 1 for the Helm activation in order to trigger the Helm/Leyline combo?)
One-Eyed Black | Orzhov Combo | Ooze Reanimator | Mindwheeling Pain
Just having Songs of the Damned and any Living Death effects means you win with 7 mana barring instant-speed graveyard removal and counterspells. But that's why we're black and have hand disruption cards!
I have an Iname list but I'll bow down to Evergreen for the purposes of this thread. Though after I clean up my Erayo build I'll see if you want to include that here.
Great idea, love it and the descriptions for the deck you make. Those are probably the things I'm most excited about.
You do - Helm explicity says "X cannot be 0", so you need to pay 1 to trigger it.
Also, I think this thread is a great idea too - even if you don't want to play these particular lists, there are a lot of cool ideas in here that could fit into whatever you're building. It's also nice to see such an emphasis on decks that synergize well and have answers and flexible strategies rather than "here are 40 cards that all cost at least 7 mana and are awesome". So all in all, very cool and I look forward to seeing the rest of the lists that come up.