MTG Salvation

I built Karlov, attempting to go for a more aggro path with a good amount of interaction available. Looking over the deck build, I have, to an extent, failed. During the deckbuilding process a lot of cards got cut to make room for additional draw, and synergy with the Commander. Luckily, the interaction at least seems to have remained mostly intact.


TUTOR EFFECTS:
equipment: Relic Seeker, Steelshaper's Gift --> Covers ramp (Sword of the Animist), draw (Skullclamp), and recursion (Sword of Light and Shadow/Nim Deathmantle)
land: Oreskos Explorer*, Expedition Map
All: Vampiric Tutor

DRAW EFFECTS:
ongoing: Graveborn Muse, Bloodgift Demon, Seizan, Perverter of Truth, Skullclamp, Trading Post*
one shot: Corpse Augur, Disciple of Bolas, Wretched Confluence, Night's Whisper, Sign in Blood

RAMP EFFECTS:
basic: Burnished Hart, Solemn Simulacrum, Wayfarer's Bauble, Sword of the Animist, Oath of Lieges
plains:
artifact: Sol Ring, Pristine Talisman

RECURSION EFFECTS:
creature: Sun Titan*, Treasury Thrull, Emeria Shepherd, Nim Deathmantle, Sword of Light and Shadow, Wretched Confluence, Living Death
artifact: Salvage Scout, Auriok Salvagers*, Sanctum Gargoyle, Sun Titan*, Treasury Thrull, Emeria Shepherd, Trading Post, Salvaging Station*
enchantment: Sun Titan*, Treasury Thrull, Emeria Shepherd
land: Sun Titan
spell:
permanent: Sun Titan*, Emeria Shepherd*
'to bottom': Conjurer's Capsule, Mistveil Plains





Notably Missing:

• Nihil Spellbomb
  
• Executioner's Capsule
  
• Buried Ruin
  
• Haunted Fengraf
  

These appear to have been misplaced during construction. They will need to be re-added.

I am now in week 3 of this deck.

Early goldfishing showed a weakness in draw effects in the deck, so I re-ordered the deck a bit and added more draw.

Week 1's game: Yielded the same problems with draw, and despite an explosive start with Soul Warden -> Karlov, was eventually overrun as options ran low.

Week 2's game: Continued the same draw problems, but despite that, a late Archangel of Thune managed to keep me afloat at low life, into a topdeck of Night's Whisper into an Angelic Skirmisher to claw back in and close out before opponents could recover.

Week 3's game: (last night)

Karlov "aggro" vs Kaseto's Snakes, Glissa baubles, Mina and Denn, and Vela Zombies.

Start off slow with a 2 land hand (Myriad Landscape) and miss the t3 land drop, but the t2 Wayfarer's Bauble I dropped catches me up into the Myriad Landscape and a Burnished Heart. Kaseto gets snakes, Glissa gets a scary board full of baubles, and Mina and Denn ramp up. Vela started the game with a Leyline of Anticipation and is crawling along. For once, I have a hand full of draw, but am missing the ramp.

A Auriok Salvagers allows me to play around with the Wayfarer's Bauble and Dispeller's Capsule that I have, which scares Glissa, and Mina and Denn answers people with Terastodon. Board gets reset a few times, as life totals start to get low, and I drop into the low teens. Glissa eggs people on to kill me, as he has the best baord presence, but is stalling out, while I'm slowly beginning to stabilize. I manage to drop an Emeria Shepherd, which, with Burnished Hart, Wayfarer's Bauble, and stuff, claws me back into the game, with an Angelic Skirmisher as I bring Karlov online. A wrath clears the board, and I examine graveyards constantly, as I have Crypt Augur in hand.

Vela flashes back an Army of the Damned, which makes me panick, because I'm at 18 life, and with Vela's board that means a wrath is -16 life to everyone. I topdeck a Swords to plowshares and am happy, as I can swords Vela first. But then I notice that Mina and Denn are at 15 life. And Kaseto is at 15 life. And Glissa is also at 18 life. Well now. I play risky, eat Karlov with my High Market, and Merciless Eviction for the Vela kill on two players. I then replay Karlov and some field presence.

Next turn I swing in with my [c]Vault of the Archangel to buffer me back up to 8 and power up Karlov, but my land gets killed, as do my creatures, so I living death.

Glissa gets back a Walking Atlas, and Vela gets a Sakashima the Imposter on nothing. I have a board presence. Glissa stalls out, Vela Vampiric Tutors and tries to look for an answer, and considers a Damnation and an Exsanguinate, since I'm at 8 life, but he doesn't know if he has the mana for it. I reveal that my High Market is available, as is a Pristine Talisman I dropped, putting me at 10, and I reveal my Swords, pointing out that Swords on Karlov will give me 10 more life, and that I have Crypt Augur and a hand full of removal, and have now far outramped them thanks to the Shepherd of Emeria, so with nothing left, they both concede the game to me.

Success!

I also ran out of basic lands in the deck, so success there. Go go Shepherd.