A Karador, Ghost Chieftain Rebel aggro-control deck, by Hallucigenia
Introduction
I’ve always been excited about Rebels ever since I re-entered the Magic scene in college. I had a janky old 60-card BW Rebel deck in first year that, while fun, could really only win with Coat of Arms in play. But now I’m all grown up, have a better card pool and am playing a bit of a slower format, so I should be able to do something with these guys.
The basic gist is that you’re spitting out a good number of small-but-useful utility creatures and winning one of several ways, either through mass buffs or creature-based combos. You’re generally defending yourself in a multiplayer environment by getting the creature you need for each situation and winning explosively. Finally, Karador makes your game plan extremely annoying to disrupt. I get into more detail below. For now, here’s the deck list.
For the time being I’m just gonna say a few things about the main intents of the deck and will expand it as I go.
A few notes on Rebels.
If you’re purely interested in Rebels and want a deck that focuses utterly on them, with Lin Sivvi at the helm but restricted to mono-white, then this is not the thread you should be in. ISBPathfinder’s is. If you’re interested in abusing them outside white and want to try some other shenanigans, this deck has proven to be fun and effective in my (relatively competitive) meta.
In a format like this that values high-impact cards, Rebels will seem weak at first if you only look at them in a vacuum. While they’re certainly not hidden, S-tier tech or anything, this is still a mistake. What you’re doing is not only repeatedly getting instant-speed answers to aggro-based issues, you’re also putting a high number of bodies on the board in a manner that’s completely card-advantageous. This adds up tremendously in most games.
This is a bit of a “duh” for anyone familiar with the format so I won’t get too hard into it, but in 100-card singleton, it’s that much harder to get what you need for a given occasion, making tutors proportionally more important in EDH.
But the fact of the matter is that this deck plays a good political game, scares people with rattlesnakes (or the instant-speed threat of them) and handles what threats are thrown at you. I’ve won games without these cards specifically.
Finally, this deck is extremely robust and difficult to keep down without graveyard hate. This is almost completely due to Karador being at the helm, though Lin Sivvi's graveyard-to-library ability helps. Not only are your little dudes easy to re-cast over and over again off Karador, you can do some neat shenanigans, like saccing Big Game Hunter with High Market and either re-casting him with Karador or putting him in the library with Lin Sivvi then re-tutoring for him (which costs more but can be done at instant speed).
I’ll leave it at this for now. I look forward to your questions and comments. This is a bit of a new direction for me and I’ve been enjoying it immensely so I may wish to make a primer out of it.
There are only two cards that are particularly interesting in DTK:
Collected Company has proven itself to be a complete bomb in smaller formats and it fits the theme of the deck extremely well. Almost a quarter (23%) of the deck is creatures with CMC <= 3, meaning a 75% a card is not one; assuming I'm remembering my grade school math correctly, and since CoCo checks six cards, that's 0.75^6 is only an 18% chance that I don't get a single creature straight into play off a 4 mana instant... I'd rate this pretty good.
Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit is a miniature Cathars' Crusade and for that reason is extremely tempting, but may not be impactful enough across a game to justify the slot. Will keep an eye on her.
Magic Origins
Tragic Arrogance is one of the more exciting cards for the set and absolutely relevant to this deck. It runs a healthy array of permanent types such that I'm impacted less, and there are plenty of creatures here that, when left behind, will generate lots of value, especially since this card, unlike say Cataclysm, leaves behind my land base. Looking forward to trying this.
Sword of the Animist is just... so good. I have a steady supply of creatures at all mana levels, this deck is wedge-coloured and values fixing, it's legendary and thus tutorable with Captain Sisay... I just need to figure out what to cut. Suggestions are welcome.
I actually brewed this deck prior to Dragons of Tarkir being released so there have now been two sets to review. Cards in bold will be included somehow. Input is, as always, welcome.
Dragons of Tarkir
There are only two cards that are particularly interesting in DTK:
Collected Company has proven itself to be a complete bomb in smaller formats and it fits the theme of the deck extremely well. Almost a quarter (23%) of the deck is creatures with CMC <= 3, meaning a 75% a card is not one; assuming I'm remembering my grade school math correctly, and since CoCo checks six cards, that's 0.75^6 is only an 18% chance that I don't get a single creature straight into play off a 4 mana instant... I'd rate this pretty good.
Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit is a miniature Cathars' Crusade and for that reason is extremely tempting, but may not be impactful enough across a game to justify the slot. Will keep an eye on her.
Magic Origins
Tragic Arrogance is one of the more exciting cards for the set and absolutely relevant to this deck. It runs a healthy array of permanent types such that I'm impacted less, and there are plenty of creatures here that, when left behind, will generate lots of value, especially since this card, unlike say Cataclysm, leaves behind my land base. Looking forward to trying this.
Sword of the Animist is just... so good. I have a steady supply of creatures at all mana levels, this deck is wedge-coloured and values fixing, it's legendary and thus tutorable with Captain Sisay... I just need to figure out what to cut. Suggestions are welcome.
Anyways, I doubt Aluren would be a good idea for you. Sure, you'd have a lot of guys to put in for free, but I'd be worried that your opponents could abuse it more than you could. Especially since you're not breaking it in half. Think I'd rather just plop my guys down and tutor out the rest normally.
I'm shocked something like this hasn't been tried sooner. It's just so much fun. Perhaps the most fun deck I've built to date.
Anyways, I doubt Aluren would be a good idea for you. Sure, you'd have a lot of guys to put in for free, but I'd be worried that your opponents could abuse it more than you could. Especially since you're not breaking it in half. Think I'd rather just plop my guys down and tutor out the rest normally.
That's an excellent point. The risk of having my opponents abuse it just to save a bit of mana probably isn't worth a valuable card slot.
Since you already have Miren, have you considered Task Force + Outrider en-Kor for arbitrary life shenanigans?
It's a cute combo and I like it a lot. I did indeed debate using it as a backup strategy. I fell short for three reasons: A) the components just aren't good enough on their own; I have a strict policy of each card having two tiers of synergy, so if they aren't useful under one circumstance, they're useful under another; B) I'm not THAT likely to have Miren out at a given time... I'm not even running Expedition Map in this iteration, leaving I believe only Sisay and Wayfarer, and C) infinite life is overrated in EDH; my friends have lots of ways to combo out or deal 21 commander damage.
Thanks for the suggestion though Talas_Engineer, it's a worthy combo to consider in any Rebel deck.
A Karador, Ghost Chieftain Rebel aggro-control deck, by Hallucigenia
Introduction
I’ve always been excited about Rebels ever since I re-entered the Magic scene in college. I had a janky old 60-card BW Rebel deck in first year that, while fun, could really only win with Coat of Arms in play. But now I’m all grown up, have a better card pool and am playing a bit of a slower format, so I should be able to do something with these guys.
The basic gist is that you’re spitting out a good number of small-but-useful utility creatures and winning one of several ways, either through mass buffs or creature-based combos. You’re generally defending yourself in a multiplayer environment by getting the creature you need for each situation and winning explosively. Finally, Karador makes your game plan extremely annoying to disrupt. I get into more detail below. For now, here’s the deck list.
8 Karador, Ghost Chieftain
Creatures (37)
1 Ramosian Sergeant
1 Weathered Wayfarer
2 Amrou Scout
2 Defiant Falcon
2 Fauna Shaman
2 Sakura-Tribe Elder
2 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Whipcorder
3 Big Game Hunter
3 Defiant Vanguard
3 Eternal Witness
3 Farhaven Elf
3 Lawbringer
3 Lightbringer
3 Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero
3 Mentor of the Meek
3 Mirror Entity
3 Reclamation Sage
3 Shield Dancer
3 Solemn Simulacrum
3 Stonecloaker
3 Yisan, the Wanderer Bard
3 Wood Elves
4 Academy Rector
4 Captain Sisay
4 False Prophet
4 Oracle of Mul Daya
4 Rappelling Scouts
5 Reveillark
5 Seedborn Muse
6 Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
6 Sun Titan
7 Angel of Despair
7 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
7 Sheoldred, Whispering One
8 Craterhoof Behemoth
8 Karador, Ghost Chieftain
2 Sterling Grove
3 Aura Shards
3 Bound in Silence
5 Cathars' Crusade
5 Conspiracy
5 Mirari's Wake
Artifacts (8)
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
2 Lightning Greaves
3 Commander’s Sphere
3 Sword of Feast and Famine
3 Thousand-Year Elixir
4 Birthing Pod
5 Mind's Eye
Instants (6)
1 Enlightened Tutor
2 Eladamri's Call
3 Abzan Charm
3 Mortify
3 Putrefy
3 Ready // Willing
Sorceries (5)
3 Retribution of the Meek
5 Tragic Arrogance
6 Austere Command
6 Merciless Eviction
8 Decree of Pain
6 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
Maybepile/Wishlist
4 Aluren
Stuff this Deck Does
For the time being I’m just gonna say a few things about the main intents of the deck and will expand it as I go.
I’ll leave it at this for now. I look forward to your questions and comments. This is a bit of a new direction for me and I’ve been enjoying it immensely so I may wish to make a primer out of it.
Cheers,
Hal
Playtesting | Karador, Ghost Chieftain | Narset, Enlightened Master | Ephara, God of the Polis
Established | Gahiji, Honored One | Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker | Opal-Eye, Konda's Yojimbo | Rubinia Soulsinger
Retired | Medomai the Ageless | Diaochan, Artful Beauty
Deck History & Set Reviews
DTK and ORI in Review; Changes
There are only two cards that are particularly interesting in DTK:
Collected Company has proven itself to be a complete bomb in smaller formats and it fits the theme of the deck extremely well. Almost a quarter (23%) of the deck is creatures with CMC <= 3, meaning a 75% a card is not one; assuming I'm remembering my grade school math correctly, and since CoCo checks six cards, that's 0.75^6 is only an 18% chance that I don't get a single creature straight into play off a 4 mana instant... I'd rate this pretty good.
Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit is a miniature Cathars' Crusade and for that reason is extremely tempting, but may not be impactful enough across a game to justify the slot. Will keep an eye on her.
Magic Origins
Tragic Arrogance is one of the more exciting cards for the set and absolutely relevant to this deck. It runs a healthy array of permanent types such that I'm impacted less, and there are plenty of creatures here that, when left behind, will generate lots of value, especially since this card, unlike say Cataclysm, leaves behind my land base. Looking forward to trying this.
Caustic Caterpillar is a nice one-mana utility option with Yisan, Wanderer Bard or one of the smaller rebels + Conspiracy. Earlier options in this vein only destroy one or the other, ie. Elvish Hexhunter & Scavenger Folk, and furthermore require tapping. Very nice little card. Considering.
Sword of the Animist is just... so good. I have a steady supply of creatures at all mana levels, this deck is wedge-coloured and values fixing, it's legendary and thus tutorable with Captain Sisay... I just need to figure out what to cut. Suggestions are welcome.
Changes
Acidic Slime --> Collected Company
Thousand-Year Elixir --> Tragic Arrogance
Playtesting | Karador, Ghost Chieftain | Narset, Enlightened Master | Ephara, God of the Polis
Established | Gahiji, Honored One | Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker | Opal-Eye, Konda's Yojimbo | Rubinia Soulsinger
Retired | Medomai the Ageless | Diaochan, Artful Beauty
Dragons of Tarkir
There are only two cards that are particularly interesting in DTK:
Collected Company has proven itself to be a complete bomb in smaller formats and it fits the theme of the deck extremely well. Almost a quarter (23%) of the deck is creatures with CMC <= 3, meaning a 75% a card is not one; assuming I'm remembering my grade school math correctly, and since CoCo checks six cards, that's 0.75^6 is only an 18% chance that I don't get a single creature straight into play off a 4 mana instant... I'd rate this pretty good.
Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit is a miniature Cathars' Crusade and for that reason is extremely tempting, but may not be impactful enough across a game to justify the slot. Will keep an eye on her.
Magic Origins
Tragic Arrogance is one of the more exciting cards for the set and absolutely relevant to this deck. It runs a healthy array of permanent types such that I'm impacted less, and there are plenty of creatures here that, when left behind, will generate lots of value, especially since this card, unlike say Cataclysm, leaves behind my land base. Looking forward to trying this.
Caustic Caterpillar is a nice one-mana utility option with Yisan, Wanderer Bard or one of the smaller rebels + Conspiracy. Earlier options in this vein only destroy one or the other, ie. Elvish Hexhunter & Scavenger Folk, and furthermore require tapping. Very nice little card. Considering.
Sword of the Animist is just... so good. I have a steady supply of creatures at all mana levels, this deck is wedge-coloured and values fixing, it's legendary and thus tutorable with Captain Sisay... I just need to figure out what to cut. Suggestions are welcome.
Changes
Acidic Slime --> Collected Company
Thousand-Year Elixir --> Tragic Arrogance
Playtesting | Karador, Ghost Chieftain | Narset, Enlightened Master | Ephara, God of the Polis
Established | Gahiji, Honored One | Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker | Opal-Eye, Konda's Yojimbo | Rubinia Soulsinger
Retired | Medomai the Ageless | Diaochan, Artful Beauty
Playtesting | Karador, Ghost Chieftain | Narset, Enlightened Master | Ephara, God of the Polis
Established | Gahiji, Honored One | Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker | Opal-Eye, Konda's Yojimbo | Rubinia Soulsinger
Retired | Medomai the Ageless | Diaochan, Artful Beauty
Anyways, I doubt Aluren would be a good idea for you. Sure, you'd have a lot of guys to put in for free, but I'd be worried that your opponents could abuse it more than you could. Especially since you're not breaking it in half. Think I'd rather just plop my guys down and tutor out the rest normally.
Seriph0 on cockatrice
EDH Decks
WBGKaradorWBG
That's an excellent point. The risk of having my opponents abuse it just to save a bit of mana probably isn't worth a valuable card slot.
Thanks a lot for the reply, seriph0.
Playtesting | Karador, Ghost Chieftain | Narset, Enlightened Master | Ephara, God of the Polis
Established | Gahiji, Honored One | Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker | Opal-Eye, Konda's Yojimbo | Rubinia Soulsinger
Retired | Medomai the Ageless | Diaochan, Artful Beauty
Thanks for the suggestion though Talas_Engineer, it's a worthy combo to consider in any Rebel deck.
Playtesting | Karador, Ghost Chieftain | Narset, Enlightened Master | Ephara, God of the Polis
Established | Gahiji, Honored One | Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker | Opal-Eye, Konda's Yojimbo | Rubinia Soulsinger
Retired | Medomai the Ageless | Diaochan, Artful Beauty