Well, rakdos is a very tough deck to pilot, so generally, I’d just say it’ll come with time.
Aside from that though, you need to sculpt your hand a little before you go off. And the timing of going off is important too, since you’re also having to balance how much damage you can dish out.
If your opponents are that deathly afraid of rakdos, I’m wondering what the meta generally looks like. Against my mates here, even if I smash rakdos in with double strike, it’s not really that close to a crippling blow.
If you add in defensive stuff, it’s not like it’s againsr the spirit of the deck, but more what you want the deck to be. Mines what you’d call a musket; it takes a bit of time to load up, then unloads a massive shot to the table... then takes another while to reload.
Rakdos is an incredibly difficult deck to pilot. Before I revised it more towards demon tribal, I had a high win rate, but all too often I won through repay in kind+lich. I got rid of lich: it is a good combination of cards, but I don't like 2 card combos, however out of left field they are. I kept repay in kind as my deck does tend to kill itself quickly.
One of the things I have been having trouble with in mind is early game interaction, so I added a bit more. Innocent blood, terminate, dreadbore, bedevil, malicious affliction, etc. all help me deal with problematic cards from my opponents. I also focused a bit more on the sacrifice-yoink theme as it allows for a more interactive game than nothing + a huge explosive turn where I get my 2 cards and win.
Incidentally, I love the random element of plays in the deck. My favorite play of all in the deck has been black source, dark ritual, entomb, sire of insanity, reanimate. I have gotten it precisely twice (on my first turn) . This is what piloting this deck is all about, crazy stuff!
Well, rakdos is a very tough deck to pilot, so generally, I’d just say it’ll come with time.
Aside from that though, you need to sculpt your hand a little before you go off. And the timing of going off is important too, since you’re also having to balance how much damage you can dish out.
If your opponents are that deathly afraid of rakdos, I’m wondering what the meta generally looks like. Against my mates here, even if I smash rakdos in with double strike, it’s not really that close to a crippling blow.
If you add in defensive stuff, it’s not like it’s againsr the spirit of the deck, but more what you want the deck to be. Mines what you’d call a musket; it takes a bit of time to load up, then unloads a massive shot to the table... then takes another while to reload.
What’s your decklist look like?
I played at our local game shop, so there were random players that probably saw this deck for the first time. I was there for the first time, so I don't know the meta. I'll have to check with my regular playgroup how the deck performs there.
I think I want the deck to end games fast (for the whole table, even if I don't win) and have some more options to play at low mana. At the moment I have the feeling, that most low mana cards are enablers for bigger plays - and during those times when I wait for a good opportunity/the right draw/more mana, I can't do much.
Rakdos is an incredibly difficult deck to pilot. Before I revised it more towards demon tribal, I had a high win rate, but all too often I won through repay in kind+lich. I got rid of lich: it is a good combination of cards, but I don't like 2 card combos, however out of left field they are. I kept repay in kind as my deck does tend to kill itself quickly.
One of the things I have been having trouble with in mind is early game interaction, so I added a bit more. Innocent blood, terminate, dreadbore, bedevil, malicious affliction, etc. all help me deal with problematic cards from my opponents. I also focused a bit more on the sacrifice-yoink theme as it allows for a more interactive game than nothing + a huge explosive turn where I get my 2 cards and win.
Incidentally, I love the random element of plays in the deck. My favorite play of all in the deck has been black source, dark ritual, entomb, sire of insanity, reanimate. I have gotten it precisely twice (on my first turn) . This is what piloting this deck is all about, crazy stuff!
These could be good options to help with this issue, although I thought more about proactive cards instead of reactive ones. Like Taurean Mauler for example.
I don't have a lich and play with Wound Reflection and Archfiend of Depravity instead. Since usually my opponents have way more life than me, these should be able to help killing the table with Exsanguinate, Repay in Kind or multiple combat step shenanigans. I added Ashnod's Altar as an emergency sac outlet, or to generate 2 mana in a pinch. It is another possibility to kill the table with altar+Army of the Damned. These two cards can net 34 colorless mana to fuel Exsanguinate. Another card that worked really well for me is Dragon Breath since it can give Rakdos (or any other 6mana+ hitter) free haste. Aside from that, I used silenciaco's list to get started.
Also Anger is a potential cut, since often I didn't have the necessary mountain out and it was just a dead card in the graveyard...
Another card that worked really well for me is Dragon Breath since it can give Rakdos (or any other 6mana+ hitter) free haste. Aside from that, I used silenciaco's list to get started.
Also Anger is a potential cut, since often I didn't have the necessary mountain out and it was just a dead card in the graveyard...
wow. i've never even considered that before. I think i might need to go find me one, somewhere.
And agreed with the anger. Sometimes, it's not very effective. But when its there and i have a mountain, it can be nutter good. One fun thing i've done more than once is cast anger, take a cheap shot at someone, then at the next turn, burnt offering the anger to power out some big beater with haste.
Here’s my up to date version of the deck- I modified the deck by trimming most of the fat and upped the speed and power to remain a threat to current decks I play against (optimized power level, around 7+). This also meant removing some of the less game winning life loss cards like Cruel Bargain to weather the table hate and make for more explosive winning turns with Necropotence and Treasonous Ogre. The deck would probably be improved by removing Insidious Dreams for Vampiric Tutor, but I like how Insidious Dreams can function as a second (and sometimes better) copy of Doomsday for Hellcarver Demon.
- Simply casting Rakdos, especially with a haste enabler active, can force some generous political deals with other players at the table. Even in positions where actually committing to an attack would lose us the game, just casting Rakdos and making temporary truces can buy enough time to get another land drop or the draw needed to set up a win. Be cautious of players trying to goad you into attacking or are avoiding politics- they likely have instant speed interaction. You will sacrifice your permanents to Rakdos the Defiler on swing, but opponents have to take damage first before they are forced to sacrifice permanents, so enemy instant speed removal will cause Rakdos to rout only your own board state if they respond to his attack trigger. You may find that other players are more than happy to protect Rakdos when attacking a common enemy, and will leave you alone afterwards when they see that your board state was halved after the swing. They may feel like it would be “kicking you while you’re down”, not realizing the deck is designed to operate on little mana and with a mostly empty board state. Take advantage of others’ dismissal of the threat you still possess.
- Not an insta-kill, but makes for a quick finish with demons on board to attack with. Treasonous ogre allows for extremely explosive turns in the deck and generates the mana and life-loss outlet for Repay in Kind all by itself. Drawing 20+ cards with Necropotence should also find Repay in Kind or a tutor for it, as well as the mana to play it the following turn.
- Hellcarver demon is twice the fun when you've stacked the deck. Use Doomsday before swinging with Hellcarver Demon to put the insta-kill Lich and Repay in Kind combo on top. Alternatively, stack beaters like Archfiend of Despair and Abhorrent Overlord, Living Death, a haste enabler and extra combat spells to close out the game with a bloody splash. Reanimating Hellcarver Demon in the first couple of turns of the game can also give you a chance to win big and cheat in huge value early game.
- Depending on your devotion to black (or the devotion to black in your graveyard with Living Death), this life drain combo can often be enough to kill even moderate health opponents, especially when part of a Hellcarver Demon combo. Hellcarver demon sacrifices your creatures before Living Death is cast in the Doomsday combo, ensuring maximum creature based devotion.
- Fill up your graveyard by using Doom Whisperer’s ability as many times as possible. This ability can also be used to dig through the deck to find Living Death or a tutor in case it is not already in hand. Do this on your opponent’s end step to draw Living Death or the tutor at the beginning of your turn. Living Death is a uniquely powerful resurrection spell that can get around opponent graveyard hate pieces like Grafdigger’s Cage because creatures enter from exile, not the graveyard directly.
- Lots of harpies means lots of sacrifice fodder for Rakdos, or more damage to close out the game with, especially when combined with a haste enabler and/or extra combat spells. Simply casting or reanimating Abhorrent Overlord with a moderate devotion count (5 to 7 is pretty typical for the deck) enables a very low risk for blowout swing with Rakdos.
- Get everything your opponents sacrifice. What's not to love? If this combo is unanswered, it will win the game in a turn or two as your board state shoots ahead and all others fall behind.
- Rakdos hurts your board and destroys your lands, but make sure your opponents get it twice as bad with double strike. Extra combat phases ensure that your suicide missions ruin multiple opponent's days. Many decks fold to a single connection with Rakdos, but a double tap keeps them down. Multiple games have ended with only Rakdos on board with each opponent controlling only 1 or 2 lands and nothing else. The oppressive assault when swinging with Rakdos the Defiler every turn can absolutely win multiplayer games outright by shutting down opponent board state development much like an early eldrazi titan does.
- Three combat phases allows you to swing once at each opponent to reset all boards, or commander damage kill a player in one turn. Remember to trigger the landfalls in the second main phase, as your creatures will not untap for the “regular” attack phase if the landfalls occur in the first main phase.
Simply reanimating Hellcarver Demon in the first couple of turns of the game can give you a chance to win big and cheat in huge value early game. However, Hellcarver Demon is twice the fun when you've stacked the deck. Note- optional costs like the entwine cost of Savage Beating can be paid for when cast with Hellcarver Demon's effect. Insidious Dreams functions as a less “all in” copy of Doomsday in the deck if you have 5 or more other cards in hand. Necropotence does an excellent job both finding and enabling Insidious Dreams.
While the order of the Doomsday pile in the library does not matter, spells must be cast all at once with Hellcarver's ability, so the spell you want to resolve first should be put on the stack last to resolve in the correct order. The following piles have been ordered in the sequence the spells should resolve, not the order they should be cast.
In any of the following combos, if Living Death or Repay in Kind is in the graveyard already, replace it with Mizzix's Mastery. This is actually the better case scenario and will result in even more of a payoff depending on the instant and sorcery spells in your graveyard. If Repay in Kind is in the graveyard, use Treasonous Ogre or Kuro, Pitlord's ability to bring yourself to low health before casting Repay in Kind. A neat interaction- as long as you remove at least half of an opponent's life total with Repay in Kind, ending the turn with Archfiend of Despair on the board will kill them.
Insidious Dreams Liliana's Contract Stack:
- Any 3 Demons, Liliana's Contract, Final Fortune = (Since Hellcarver Demon plus 3 other demons satisfies the contract, you win the game on the extra turn upkeep. This combo will not work using Doomsday, because the draw effect on Liliana’s Contract will lose you the game with an empty library.)
Variations on the Lich + Repay in Kind Doomsday Stack:
In order to win the game immediately but fake out those who know the deck, replace the last two spells of any of the previous combos with Lich and Repay in Kind. If they think you are going for a different combo, then may use counter spells prematurely, giving you the win.
If they have already seen this trick and are waiting for the Lich + Repay in Kind combo to counter, you still get a potentially winning board state with the following stacks:
- The most potent pile: Kuro, Pitlord (Treasonous Ogre can also work but riskier), Lich, Repay in Kind, Mizzix's Mastery, Gray Merchant of Asphodel = (Redundant wincons- if Kuro resolves, set self at 5 health (or lower, depending on if Archfiend is on board or potential opponent answers like direct player damage or creature kill spells for Kuro when Gary is on the stack). Lich and Repay in Kind combo now resolves, which must be responded to or the table dies. If they survive the combo, Mizzix Mastery should allow you to use reanimation spells in the graveyard to reanimate [[Kuro, Pitlord]] and other creatures for devotion (especially if Living Dead is in the graveyard) as well as recast [[Repay in Kind]]. Finally, Gary resolves and drains each opponent for lethal.
Anyone stil playing this? I’ve been meaning to update it since… dunno, like 2019, but that’s a lot of cards to go through.
Any shortlist of cards I should keep an eye out for? I wanna keep the existing plan of reanimate big beaters, and hellcarver/doomsday for a win through a clogged board.
I do play the list. Still trying to optimise the inventory but struggling hard as I had quite a break from playing for some time. Anyone has any ideas?
So far I got rid of Final Fortune. Lilianas Contract got in. Want to invite Tergrid to the circus. I want to put in all the stuff that hits hard when opponent sacrifices anything.
You got rid of final fortune? The card that helps you fill the yard and fills you up to 7 cards? I’ve not played with the contract, but it looks good, if ‘boring’ (I don’t tend to enjoy cards that just say win without a bit of work).
tegrid looks interesting though, seems good but it’s not a demon? I guess it’s possible to alter the card to make it fit the theme of my build (heavy metal band).
I’ve also seen a guy called varragoth, seems ok since it’s a low cmc guy that nets you cards.
Need to make 9 cuts to the main. Anyone have any pointers?
at all possible costs I’d rather keep in gellcarver, doomsday, lich and wheel of fortune. They’re always cards that lead to amazingly hilarious gamestates.
Cuts I would make:
1) Demonlord Belzenlok: I only wanted to cast him if I needed card draw, and he's not terrific at that. There is cheaper, better draw in black.
2) Temporal Extortion: The losing player at the table usually just pays half in return for political favors, which just turns into a waste for the caster.
3) Abyssal Persecutor: We don't need cheap beaters because we reanimate scarier things
4) Magus of the Will: Mizzix's Mastery is better in my experience
5) Mana Vault: deck is too color intensive in my opinion to include this, but if it works for you, sure
6) Havoc Festival: 6cmc is too much for this effect
7) Phyrexian Delver: One of the weaker reanimate effects and is 5cmc You can of course chain resurrect with it, but it doesn't add much value to that plan.
8) Sower of Discord: Feels like it should be a great way to "double your damage", but tables tend to just use player removal on you instead. If you already have enough demons on table to win with this, an extra combat spell would do the trick instead.
9) Malfegor: Losing our hand to remove on average 3-4 creatures is a bad trade. Better to use something like toxic deluge which feeds into alternate win cons like repay in kind
10) In general, the red loot spells that require additional discard a card effects are awesome if trying to set up reanimation plays, but are also dead draws if top decking. Tutors add more value to the deck than inefficient loot effects imo
Yea I’m sorta edging away from tutors just cuz I like my games to be somewhat more ‘chaotic’. But I get the thought behind it.
So your doomsday piles makes sense; gonna look for a firey wmancipation when I can.
but do you have any opinions about say piles with abhorrent overlord and breath of fury? Combined with say emancipation, haste enabler and one more, maybe a lord of the void? Not good enough?
Also, having browsed some chaff lying around, any opinions on urbrask the red praetor? Has a one-sided kismet and fervor stuck to a 4/4 body. Seems good I would have thought.
Fiery Emancipation is such a great finisher in the deck- I highly recommend it! The issue with Goryo's Vengeance is that it can't reanimate many of the game winning targets that I would want. No Rune Scarred Demon, It That Betrays, Archfiend of Despair, Gray Merchant, Treasonous Ogre, etc. If I wanted another reanimate effect, I'd choose Dance of the Dead before Goryo's you know?
I think Abhorrent Overlord is a great card, and combined with breath of fury seems like a cool combo. I'm running other cards I like more than Abhorrent, but it's a great demon for sure. Breath of Fury seems like it could be a dead card in hand too often in my own list, as I tend to value keeping a demon around to sac for mana later. Deck philosophy wise, I also tried to maximize the "turn a non-threatening board into a wincon in a single turn" approach, which is why I'd rather have cards like Fiery Emancipation, which can turn a single demon into lethal damage to a player, instead of cards that require a developed board state to profit from, which Breath of Fury leans towards. If you build your own deck focused more on playing out cheaper beaters and other token producing effects, I agree that breath would do tremendous work.
Forgot to reply about Urabrask the Hidden- I don't run it because of the 5CMC. The commander games I play are just too quick to be able to afford a 5 mana haste enabler. I have a hard time keeping my haste effects on board, so either playing them early or having them cheap to almost treat as disposable effects has been more effective in my experience. Cards like Fervor, Dragon Breath, Mass Hysteria, and Anger (always free with a loot effect) mean they can be played the same turn as a creature. Swiftfoot boots and lightning greaves also are cheap haste with the upside of protection.
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Aside from that though, you need to sculpt your hand a little before you go off. And the timing of going off is important too, since you’re also having to balance how much damage you can dish out.
If your opponents are that deathly afraid of rakdos, I’m wondering what the meta generally looks like. Against my mates here, even if I smash rakdos in with double strike, it’s not really that close to a crippling blow.
If you add in defensive stuff, it’s not like it’s againsr the spirit of the deck, but more what you want the deck to be. Mines what you’d call a musket; it takes a bit of time to load up, then unloads a massive shot to the table... then takes another while to reload.
What’s your decklist look like?
Legacy - Solidarity - mono U aggro - burn - Imperial Painter - Strawberry Shortcake - Bluuzards - bom
One of the things I have been having trouble with in mind is early game interaction, so I added a bit more. Innocent blood, terminate, dreadbore, bedevil, malicious affliction, etc. all help me deal with problematic cards from my opponents. I also focused a bit more on the sacrifice-yoink theme as it allows for a more interactive game than nothing + a huge explosive turn where I get my 2 cards and win.
Incidentally, I love the random element of plays in the deck. My favorite play of all in the deck has been black source, dark ritual, entomb, sire of insanity, reanimate. I have gotten it precisely twice (on my first turn)
Credit to DolZero for this awesome sig!
I played at our local game shop, so there were random players that probably saw this deck for the first time. I was there for the first time, so I don't know the meta. I'll have to check with my regular playgroup how the deck performs there.
I think I want the deck to end games fast (for the whole table, even if I don't win) and have some more options to play at low mana. At the moment I have the feeling, that most low mana cards are enablers for bigger plays - and during those times when I wait for a good opportunity/the right draw/more mana, I can't do much.
These could be good options to help with this issue, although I thought more about proactive cards instead of reactive ones. Like Taurean Mauler for example.
Here is my list:
Someone will die! Probably me...Magic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
1 Rakdos the Defiler
1 Overseer of the Damned
1 Master of Cruelties
1 Sire of Insanity
1 Lord of the Void
1 Hellcarver Demon
1 Havoc Demon
1 Archfiend of Despair
1 It that betrays
1 Anger
1 Doom Whisperer
1 Treasonous Ogre
1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Final Fortune
1 Burnt Offering
1 Rain of Filth
1 Shallow Grave
1 Dark Ritual
1 Sacrifice
1 Demonic Consultation
1 Savage Beating
1 Entomb
1 Insidious Dreams
1 Infernal Contract
1 Ill-gotten Gains
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Torrent of Souls
1 Doomsday
1 Mizzix's Mastery
1 Living Death
1 Sign in Blood
1 World at War
1 Exsanguinate
1 Bubbling Muck
1 Pain's Reward
1 Army of the Damned
1 Final Parting
1 Faithless Looting
1 Repay in Kind
1 Nights's Whisper
1 Liliana's Contract
1 Fervor
1 Wound Reflection
1 Mass Hysteria
1 Necromancy
1 Animate Dead
1 Dragon Breath
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Sol Ring
1 Ashnod's Altar
1 Talisman of Indulgence
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Sulfurous Springs
1 Hanweir Battlements
1 Crypt of Agadeem
1 Exotic Orchard
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Foreboding Ruins
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Command Tower
1 Dragonskull Summit
1 Homeward Path
1 Graven Cairns
1 Lake of the Dead
1 City of Brass
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Blood Crypt
16 Swamp
3 Mountain
I don't have a lich and play with Wound Reflection and Archfiend of Depravity instead. Since usually my opponents have way more life than me, these should be able to help killing the table with Exsanguinate, Repay in Kind or multiple combat step shenanigans. I added Ashnod's Altar as an emergency sac outlet, or to generate 2 mana in a pinch. It is another possibility to kill the table with altar+Army of the Damned. These two cards can net 34 colorless mana to fuel Exsanguinate. Another card that worked really well for me is Dragon Breath since it can give Rakdos (or any other 6mana+ hitter) free haste. Aside from that, I used silenciaco's list to get started.
Also Anger is a potential cut, since often I didn't have the necessary mountain out and it was just a dead card in the graveyard...
wow. i've never even considered that before. I think i might need to go find me one, somewhere.
And agreed with the anger. Sometimes, it's not very effective. But when its there and i have a mountain, it can be nutter good. One fun thing i've done more than once is cast anger, take a cheap shot at someone, then at the next turn, burnt offering the anger to power out some big beater with haste.
Legacy - Solidarity - mono U aggro - burn - Imperial Painter - Strawberry Shortcake - Bluuzards - bom
I've been on-and-off magic for the last few months, so i figured i'd check here first!
Legacy - Solidarity - mono U aggro - burn - Imperial Painter - Strawberry Shortcake - Bluuzards - bom
https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/demon-till-your-dreams-come-true/?cb=1599817899
All-stars in the deck:
Rakdos the Defiler
- Simply casting Rakdos, especially with a haste enabler active, can force some generous political deals with other players at the table. Even in positions where actually committing to an attack would lose us the game, just casting Rakdos and making temporary truces can buy enough time to get another land drop or the draw needed to set up a win. Be cautious of players trying to goad you into attacking or are avoiding politics- they likely have instant speed interaction. You will sacrifice your permanents to Rakdos the Defiler on swing, but opponents have to take damage first before they are forced to sacrifice permanents, so enemy instant speed removal will cause Rakdos to rout only your own board state if they respond to his attack trigger. You may find that other players are more than happy to protect Rakdos when attacking a common enemy, and will leave you alone afterwards when they see that your board state was halved after the swing. They may feel like it would be “kicking you while you’re down”, not realizing the deck is designed to operate on little mana and with a mostly empty board state. Take advantage of others’ dismissal of the threat you still possess.
Lich + Repay in Kind =
- Your life is set to zero without dying from Lich’s effect, then Repay in Kind sets everyone’s life to zero, killing everyone else at the table.
Treasonous Ogre or Necropotence + Repay in Kind =
- Not an insta-kill, but makes for a quick finish with demons on board to attack with. Treasonous ogre allows for extremely explosive turns in the deck and generates the mana and life-loss outlet for Repay in Kind all by itself. Drawing 20+ cards with Necropotence should also find Repay in Kind or a tutor for it, as well as the mana to play it the following turn.
Hellcarver Demon + Doomsday =
- Hellcarver demon is twice the fun when you've stacked the deck. Use Doomsday before swinging with Hellcarver Demon to put the insta-kill Lich and Repay in Kind combo on top. Alternatively, stack beaters like Archfiend of Despair and Abhorrent Overlord, Living Death, a haste enabler and extra combat spells to close out the game with a bloody splash. Reanimating Hellcarver Demon in the first couple of turns of the game can also give you a chance to win big and cheat in huge value early game.
Gray Merchant of Asphodel + Archfiend of Despair + Living Death or a high B devotion count =
- Depending on your devotion to black (or the devotion to black in your graveyard with Living Death), this life drain combo can often be enough to kill even moderate health opponents, especially when part of a Hellcarver Demon combo. Hellcarver demon sacrifices your creatures before Living Death is cast in the Doomsday combo, ensuring maximum creature based devotion.
Doom Whisperer + Living Death =
- Fill up your graveyard by using Doom Whisperer’s ability as many times as possible. This ability can also be used to dig through the deck to find Living Death or a tutor in case it is not already in hand. Do this on your opponent’s end step to draw Living Death or the tutor at the beginning of your turn. Living Death is a uniquely powerful resurrection spell that can get around opponent graveyard hate pieces like Grafdigger’s Cage because creatures enter from exile, not the graveyard directly.
Abhorrent Overlord + Devotion to Black OR Living Death + Abhorrent Overlord and Other Creatures in Graveyard =
- Lots of harpies means lots of sacrifice fodder for Rakdos, or more damage to close out the game with, especially when combined with a haste enabler and/or extra combat spells. Simply casting or reanimating Abhorrent Overlord with a moderate devotion count (5 to 7 is pretty typical for the deck) enables a very low risk for blowout swing with Rakdos.
Rakdos the Defiler + It That Betrays =
- Get everything your opponents sacrifice. What's not to love? If this combo is unanswered, it will win the game in a turn or two as your board state shoots ahead and all others fall behind.
Rakdos the Defiler + Savage Beating/World at War =
- Rakdos hurts your board and destroys your lands, but make sure your opponents get it twice as bad with double strike. Extra combat phases ensure that your suicide missions ruin multiple opponent's days. Many decks fold to a single connection with Rakdos, but a double tap keeps them down. Multiple games have ended with only Rakdos on board with each opponent controlling only 1 or 2 lands and nothing else. The oppressive assault when swinging with Rakdos the Defiler every turn can absolutely win multiplayer games outright by shutting down opponent board state development much like an early eldrazi titan does.
Rakdos the Defiler + Moraug, Fury of Akoum + Fetchland (for double landfall trigger) =
- Three combat phases allows you to swing once at each opponent to reset all boards, or commander damage kill a player in one turn. Remember to trigger the landfalls in the second main phase, as your creatures will not untap for the “regular” attack phase if the landfalls occur in the first main phase.
Hellcarver Demon + Doomsday/Insidious Dreams Combos
Simply reanimating Hellcarver Demon in the first couple of turns of the game can give you a chance to win big and cheat in huge value early game. However, Hellcarver Demon is twice the fun when you've stacked the deck. Note- optional costs like the entwine cost of Savage Beating can be paid for when cast with Hellcarver Demon's effect. Insidious Dreams functions as a less “all in” copy of Doomsday in the deck if you have 5 or more other cards in hand. Necropotence does an excellent job both finding and enabling Insidious Dreams.
While the order of the Doomsday pile in the library does not matter, spells must be cast all at once with Hellcarver's ability, so the spell you want to resolve first should be put on the stack last to resolve in the correct order. The following piles have been ordered in the sequence the spells should resolve, not the order they should be cast.
In any of the following combos, if Living Death or Repay in Kind is in the graveyard already, replace it with Mizzix's Mastery. This is actually the better case scenario and will result in even more of a payoff depending on the instant and sorcery spells in your graveyard. If Repay in Kind is in the graveyard, use Treasonous Ogre or Kuro, Pitlord's ability to bring yourself to low health before casting Repay in Kind. A neat interaction- as long as you remove at least half of an opponent's life total with Repay in Kind, ending the turn with Archfiend of Despair on the board will kill them.
Insidious Dreams Liliana's Contract Stack:
- Any 3 Demons, Liliana's Contract, Final Fortune = (Since Hellcarver Demon plus 3 other demons satisfies the contract, you win the game on the extra turn upkeep. This combo will not work using Doomsday, because the draw effect on Liliana’s Contract will lose you the game with an empty library.)
Doomsday Combat Damage Stacks:
- Living Death, Archfiend of Despair, Abhorrent Overlord, Fervor/Mass Hysteria, Savage Beating = (Minimum of 88 damage dealt including the original Hellcarver swing)
Doomsday Gary Stacks:
- If combat damage will be blocked/prevented, creatures cannot attack a player, and you have no graveyard: 3 of the following demons (Kuro, Pitlord or Reaper from the Abyss or Lord of the Void or Pestilence Demon or Razaketh, the Foulblooded or Vilis, Broker of Blood), Archfiend of Despair, Gray Merchant of Asphodel = (32 damage to all opponents)
- If combat damage will be blocked/prevented, creatures cannot attack a specific player, but you DO have a graveyard: Living Death, Archfiend of Despair, 2 of the following (Kuro, Pitlord or Reaper from the Abyss or Lord of the Void or Pestilence Demon or Razaketh, the Foulblooded or Vilis, Broker of Blood), Gray Merchant of Asphodel = (Minimum of 20 damage to all opponents)
- Gary Drain plus a Swing: Living Death, Archfiend of Despair, Abhorrent Overlord (or Kuro, Pitlord for blocker removal), Fervor/Mass Hysteria, Gray Merchant of Asphodel = (Minimum of 40 combat damage plus a minimum of 12 drain damage to each opponent)
Doomsday Lich + Repay in Kind Stack:
- 3 other cards, Lich, Repay in Kind = (Win the game immediately)
Variations on the Lich + Repay in Kind Doomsday Stack:
In order to win the game immediately but fake out those who know the deck, replace the last two spells of any of the previous combos with Lich and Repay in Kind. If they think you are going for a different combo, then may use counter spells prematurely, giving you the win.
If they have already seen this trick and are waiting for the Lich + Repay in Kind combo to counter, you still get a potentially winning board state with the following stacks:
- Living Death, Fervor/Mass Hysteria, Savage Beating, Lich, Repay in Kind = (A massive attack if the combo is countered)
- If opponents or yourself are already at low health: Living Death, Archfiend of Despair, Lich, Repay in Kind, Gray Merchant of Asphodel = (if Lich is countered, you can potentially win from a minimum 8 damage to all opponents after Repay in Kind)
- The most potent pile: Kuro, Pitlord (Treasonous Ogre can also work but riskier), Lich, Repay in Kind, Mizzix's Mastery, Gray Merchant of Asphodel = (Redundant wincons- if Kuro resolves, set self at 5 health (or lower, depending on if Archfiend is on board or potential opponent answers like direct player damage or creature kill spells for Kuro when Gary is on the stack). Lich and Repay in Kind combo now resolves, which must be responded to or the table dies. If they survive the combo, Mizzix Mastery should allow you to use reanimation spells in the graveyard to reanimate [[Kuro, Pitlord]] and other creatures for devotion (especially if Living Dead is in the graveyard) as well as recast [[Repay in Kind]]. Finally, Gary resolves and drains each opponent for lethal.
Any shortlist of cards I should keep an eye out for? I wanna keep the existing plan of reanimate big beaters, and hellcarver/doomsday for a win through a clogged board.
Legacy - Solidarity - mono U aggro - burn - Imperial Painter - Strawberry Shortcake - Bluuzards - bom
So far I got rid of Final Fortune. Lilianas Contract got in. Want to invite Tergrid to the circus. I want to put in all the stuff that hits hard when opponent sacrifices anything.
tegrid looks interesting though, seems good but it’s not a demon? I guess it’s possible to alter the card to make it fit the theme of my build (heavy metal band).
I’ve also seen a guy called varragoth, seems ok since it’s a low cmc guy that nets you cards.
Legacy - Solidarity - mono U aggro - burn - Imperial Painter - Strawberry Shortcake - Bluuzards - bom
1 Rakdos the Defiler
Deck
1 Egon, God of Death
1 Magus of the Will
1 Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire
1 Abyssal Persecutor
1 Anger
1 Treasonous Ogre
1 Kardur, Doomscourge
1 Doom Whisperer
1 Phyrexian Delver
1 Master of Cruelties
1 Burning-Rune Demon
1 Demonlord Belzenlok
1 Hellcarver Demon
1 Sower of Discord
1 Scourge of the Throne
1 Malfegor
1 Sire of Insanity
1 Lord of the Void
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
1 Archfiend of Despair
1 Vilis, Broker of Blood
1 Culling the Weak
1 Dark Ritual
1 Demonic Consultation
1 Rain of Filth
1 Sacrifice
1 Burnt Offering
1 Cabal Ritual
1 Shallow Grave
1 Final Fortune
1 Thrill of Possibility
1 Corpse Dance
1 Insidious Dreams
1 Moonlight Bargain
1 Savage Beating
1 Skeletal Scrying
1 Bubbling Muck
1 Reanimate
1 Scheming Symmetry
1 Burning Inquiry
1 Faithless Looting
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Exhume
1 Cathartic Reunion
1 Tormenting Voice
1 Cruel Bargain
1 Doomsday
1 Infernal Contract
1 Pain's Reward
1 Victimize
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Wheel of Misfortune
1 Dread Return
1 Temporal Extortion
1 Living Death
1 World at War
1 Repay in Kind
1 Damnable Pact
1 Torment of Hailfire
1 Mass Hysteria
1 Animate Dead
1 Necropotence
1 Lich
1 Havoc Festival
1 Havoc Festival
1 Chrome Mox
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
1 Rakdos Signet
1 Talisman of Indulgence
1 Arcane Signet
8 Snow-Covered Swamp
1 Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep
1 Snow-Covered Mountain
1 Snow-Covered Mountain
4 Snow-Covered Mountain
1 Spinerock Knoll
1 Badlands
1 Blood Crypt
1 Dragonskull Summit
1 Graven Cairns
1 Luxury Suite
1 Smoldering Marsh
1 Sulfurous Springs
1 Tainted Peak
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Arid Mesa
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Command Tower
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Marsh Flats
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Wooded Foothills
Need to make 9 cuts to the main. Anyone have any pointers?
at all possible costs I’d rather keep in gellcarver, doomsday, lich and wheel of fortune. They’re always cards that lead to amazingly hilarious gamestates.
Legacy - Solidarity - mono U aggro - burn - Imperial Painter - Strawberry Shortcake - Bluuzards - bom
1) Demonlord Belzenlok: I only wanted to cast him if I needed card draw, and he's not terrific at that. There is cheaper, better draw in black.
2) Temporal Extortion: The losing player at the table usually just pays half in return for political favors, which just turns into a waste for the caster.
3) Abyssal Persecutor: We don't need cheap beaters because we reanimate scarier things
4) Magus of the Will: Mizzix's Mastery is better in my experience
5) Mana Vault: deck is too color intensive in my opinion to include this, but if it works for you, sure
6) Havoc Festival: 6cmc is too much for this effect
7) Phyrexian Delver: One of the weaker reanimate effects and is 5cmc You can of course chain resurrect with it, but it doesn't add much value to that plan.
8) Sower of Discord: Feels like it should be a great way to "double your damage", but tables tend to just use player removal on you instead. If you already have enough demons on table to win with this, an extra combat spell would do the trick instead.
9) Malfegor: Losing our hand to remove on average 3-4 creatures is a bad trade. Better to use something like toxic deluge which feeds into alternate win cons like repay in kind
10) In general, the red loot spells that require additional discard a card effects are awesome if trying to set up reanimation plays, but are also dead draws if top decking. Tutors add more value to the deck than inefficient loot effects imo
Here is my list these days: https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/demon-till-your-dreams-come-true/
I don’t have a lot of the newer cards. Also noticed that I don’t have a lot of ways to make doomsday piles that arnet just lich-repay in kind.
gonna add in grey merchant, world at war. Would like to be able to get those double faces land cards too.
also, no love for goryos vengeance?
Legacy - Solidarity - mono U aggro - burn - Imperial Painter - Strawberry Shortcake - Bluuzards - bom
So your doomsday piles makes sense; gonna look for a firey wmancipation when I can.
but do you have any opinions about say piles with abhorrent overlord and breath of fury? Combined with say emancipation, haste enabler and one more, maybe a lord of the void? Not good enough?
Also, having browsed some chaff lying around, any opinions on urbrask the red praetor? Has a one-sided kismet and fervor stuck to a 4/4 body. Seems good I would have thought.
Legacy - Solidarity - mono U aggro - burn - Imperial Painter - Strawberry Shortcake - Bluuzards - bom
I think Abhorrent Overlord is a great card, and combined with breath of fury seems like a cool combo. I'm running other cards I like more than Abhorrent, but it's a great demon for sure. Breath of Fury seems like it could be a dead card in hand too often in my own list, as I tend to value keeping a demon around to sac for mana later. Deck philosophy wise, I also tried to maximize the "turn a non-threatening board into a wincon in a single turn" approach, which is why I'd rather have cards like Fiery Emancipation, which can turn a single demon into lethal damage to a player, instead of cards that require a developed board state to profit from, which Breath of Fury leans towards. If you build your own deck focused more on playing out cheaper beaters and other token producing effects, I agree that breath would do tremendous work.