Thanks for the response. Would be great to hear what sort of high level changes you would make to make it more controlling. My XHD arrived yesterday, really excited to start building!
I'll try to write up a more exact shell, but the main two points are low cost spot removal and low to mid cost enchantment and creature static control, maybe some discard if not too costly. I'd still avoid going hard into big mana black, keeping more cards in the 1-4 area, but the curve would be a little higher. More Exsanguinate-style wincons, probably.
Some people would suggest a reanimation focus, but I think it's a little too all-in.
Thanks, that’s really helpful even though it’s just high level. I’ve leveraged your list a lot in compiling my own list so I want to thank you for not only responding but this great primer. My list is still a WIP but when I’ve done some play testing so I’ll be sure to share.
Thanks, that’s really helpful even though it’s just high level. I’ve leveraged your list a lot in compiling my own list so I want to thank you for not only responding but this great primer. My list is still a WIP but when I’ve done some play testing so I’ll be sure to share.
Sounds good. Yeah, kinda busy with holidays so might not be able to get to this super soon, but I'll see what I can do.
Thanks, that’s really helpful even though it’s just high level. I’ve leveraged your list a lot in compiling my own list so I want to thank you for not only responding but this great primer. My list is still a WIP but when I’ve done some play testing so I’ll be sure to share.
Okay, there's some cuts you could still make (in particular for more draw), but:
Thanks for the quick follow-up response! List looks great, I think I’ll be starting with something very similar then adjusting to my meta and playstyle. I wanted to run Army of the damned by you, I feel it has some good uses in the deck. It can be a finisher on its own, it gives infinite graveyard recursion with Phyrexian Altar with XHD, add in Jet Medallion and you get infinite mana and zombies. It can be used as fodder for card draw or control, i.e. skullclamp or attrition. Finally it can be used as a mana accelerator with either altar netting you 5 swamp or 10 colourless depending which one is used. Im definitely going to give it a try and will let you know how it performs. Hitting 13 black mana on turn 8 not including Cabal Coffers must be good!?
I also wanted to ask doesn’t Chains of Mephistopheles mess with our own card draw?
Thanks for the quick follow-up response! List looks great, I think I’ll be starting with something very similar then adjusting to my meta and playstyle. I wanted to run Army of the damned by you, I feel it has some good uses in the deck. It can be a finisher on its own, it gives infinite graveyard recursion with Phyrexian Altar with XHD, add in Jet Medallion and you get infinite mana and zombies. It can be used as fodder for card draw or control, i.e. skullclamp or attrition. Finally it can be used as a mana accelerator with either altar netting you 5 swamp or 10 colourless depending which one is used. Im definitely going to give it a try and will let you know how it performs. Hitting 13 black mana on turn 8 not including Cabal Coffers must be good!?
Sure? It's a bit high in mana cost and needs a 4-piece+combo to actually go off.
I also wanted to ask doesn’t Chains of Mephistopheles mess with our own card draw?
Sure? It's a bit high in mana cost and needs a 4-piece+combo to actually go off.
I agree, the cost is very high and probably prohibitive but as far as combo goes, 4 cards win you the game and looking at your list of combos that’s in the same ballpark. Probably won’t work out but I’ll give it a try and report back.
I’ve had the chance to play a few games now and must first say thank you for creating such a great primer. This primer is the reason I decided to go with XHD and I’ve been having a lot of fun with the deck, here is my list for reference https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/corpse-dance-xiahou-dun-the-one-eyed/?cb=1548196483 it’s very similar to yours but starting to put my own spin on it. As you can see I’ve taken out Army of the Dead, I quickly realised exactly what you said that’s just too expensive.
That’s it really, just wanted to come by and say thank you.
I’ve had the chance to play a few games now and must first say thank you for creating such a great primer. This primer is the reason I decided to go with XHD and I’ve been having a lot of fun with the deck, here is my list for reference https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/corpse-dance-xiahou-dun-the-one-eyed/?cb=1548196483 it’s very similar to yours but starting to put my own spin on it. As you can see I’ve taken out Army of the Dead, I quickly realised exactly what you said that’s just too expensive.
That’s it really, just wanted to come by and say thank you.
Seems legit. There's some choices I wouldn't make, but it's a decent build. Reminded me to go pick up an Imperial Seal.
I know it has yet to release, but any thought on Cabal Therapist? I was thinking that it could potentially be pretty strong. I was thinking of a situation where you would have it out and be able to inf cycle priest with nim deathmantle and pawn and remove all the cards in anyone's hands that you wish. i dont think this would be something that would be worth fetching up for a combo, however, I think it could be strong early on even without a combo. just hitting this, bitterblossom, and dark rit turn one would be pretty strong.
I know it has yet to release, but any thought on Cabal Therapist? I was thinking that it could potentially be pretty strong. I was thinking of a situation where you would have it out and be able to inf cycle priest with nim deathmantle and pawn and remove all the cards in anyone's hands that you wish. i dont think this would be something that would be worth fetching up for a combo, however, I think it could be strong early on even without a combo. just hitting this, bitterblossom, and dark rit turn one would be pretty strong.
I like the card a lot. It definitely warrants testing. It's possibly not strong enough on its own, but we'll see. (And I still REALLY want a non-targeted "all opponents" or "all players" "name-a-card" hate card for 4 mana or less).
Dear god, can we have some discussion about Bolas's Citadel? This card is nuts, sure it's 6 mana but you probably don't need much more than this and a vampiric tutor/imperial seal/top to be able to win.
Dear god, can we have some discussion about Bolas's Citadel? This card is nuts, sure it's 6 mana but you probably don't need much more than this and a vampiric tutor/imperial seal/top to be able to win.
I definitely immediately shy away from the 6 mana element. But it's worth consideration.
By itself it might not be good enough but with Necro and Top already in the deck it's insane (you can shift lands off the top). Obvious synergies with it would be Aetherflux Reservoir and Tendrils of Agony. I'm thinking of shifting my deck a bit to include it, but I'm not sure what to cut...
You're right that it's expensive but with rituals it won't be that hard to get there. It might also need some support in the form of grim monolith and mana vault.
Thanks for the primer anyway, I've been playing Xiahou for a year or so now and used your primer a lot when I was first doing research. A lot of useful thoughts and information
Yeah, I was thinking about that one. I think the loop doesn't work as well as you might think because you can't target Kaya's Ghostform itself without Rings of Brighthearth or similar. But it's a possibility.
I'll try to write up a more exact shell, but the main two points are low cost spot removal and low to mid cost enchantment and creature static control, maybe some discard if not too costly. I'd still avoid going hard into big mana black, keeping more cards in the 1-4 area, but the curve would be a little higher. More Exsanguinate-style wincons, probably.
Some people would suggest a reanimation focus, but I think it's a little too all-in.
Sounds good. Yeah, kinda busy with holidays so might not be able to get to this super soon, but I'll see what I can do.
Okay, there's some cuts you could still make (in particular for more draw), but:
1 Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed
Lands (35):
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Buried Ruin
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Command Beacon
1 Deserted Temple
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
1 High Market
1 Lake of the Dead
1 Marsh Flats
1 Maze of Ith
1 Myriad Landscape
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Petrified Field
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Polluted Delta
1 Strip Mine
13 Swamp
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Wasteland
Creatures (15):
1 Blood Artist
1 Crypt Ghast
1 Dark Confidant
1 Doom Whisperer
1 Geth, Lord of the Vault
1 Grave Titan
1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Grim Haruspex
1 Ophiomancer
1 Pawn of Ulamog
1 Plaguecrafter
1 Priest of Gix
1 Reassembling Skeleton
1 Sidisi, Undead Vizier
1 Sadistic Hypnotist
1 Ashnod's Altar
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Helm of Obedience
1 Jet Medallion
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Amber
1 Nim Deathmantle
1 Phyrexian Altar
1 Rings of Brighthearth
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
1 Tawnos's Coffin
Enchantments (13):
1 Animate Dead
1 Attrition
1 Bitterblossom
1 Bloodchief Ascension
1 Chains of Mephistopheles
1 Contamination
1 Grave Pact
1 Leyline of the Void
1 Necropotence
1 Necromancy
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
1 The Abyss
Planeswalkers (1):
1 Liliana of the Veil
Instants (9):
1 Cabal Ritual
1 Corpse Dance
1 Dark Ritual
1 Dismember
1 Entomb
1 Hero's Downfall
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Word of Command
1 Bitter Ordeal
1 Buried Alive
1 Damnation
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Grim Tutor
1 Innocent Blood
1 Praetor's Grasp
1 Reanimate
1 Sadistic Sacrament
1 Sinkhole
1 Torment of Hailfire
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Yawgmoth's Will
I actually might adjust my own list a little in this direction just to glass cannon a little less.
I also wanted to ask doesn’t Chains of Mephistopheles mess with our own card draw?
Sure? It's a bit high in mana cost and needs a 4-piece+combo to actually go off.
Yes, but we care less.
I agree, the cost is very high and probably prohibitive but as far as combo goes, 4 cards win you the game and looking at your list of combos that’s in the same ballpark. Probably won’t work out but I’ll give it a try and report back.
That’s it really, just wanted to come by and say thank you.
Seems legit. There's some choices I wouldn't make, but it's a decent build. Reminded me to go pick up an Imperial Seal.
Ravnica Allegiance Review:
I picked up an Imperial Seal. Slotting that in later today. I'll check if I ever picked up Mausoleum Secrets while I'm at it.
I like the card a lot. It definitely warrants testing. It's possibly not strong enough on its own, but we'll see. (And I still REALLY want a non-targeted "all opponents" or "all players" "name-a-card" hate card for 4 mana or less).
I definitely immediately shy away from the 6 mana element. But it's worth consideration.
You're right that it's expensive but with rituals it won't be that hard to get there. It might also need some support in the form of grim monolith and mana vault.
Thanks for the primer anyway, I've been playing Xiahou for a year or so now and used your primer a lot when I was first doing research. A lot of useful thoughts and information
The new spoiler has a lot of nice things for graveyards!
What about https://www.mtgsalvation.com/cards/war-of-the-spark/36100-kayas-ghostform seems to be some sort of loop is possible with xiahou dun easily?
Or https://www.mtgsalvation.com/cards/war-of-the-spark/36253-toll-of-the-invasion ? Im gonna include this in every black deck. 3 cmc? Check! Targeted discard? Check! Leaves a token zombie? Check! Its very versitale in disrupting and still giving block or sac fodder for a small price
I try at least.
Yeah, I was thinking about that one. I think the loop doesn't work as well as you might think because you can't target Kaya's Ghostform itself without Rings of Brighthearth or similar. But it's a possibility.
I'm still not a huge fan of targeted discard for my list, at least at 3 mana. I'm considering it at 1-2 mana depending on the effect.
She may replace Heretical Healer some time in the future.
I can pick up a Scroll Rack...