"I bless the living with a song of death."
—Lord Dralnu
Intro and Deck History
So I've played Magic for some years, and EDH for about 4, with nary a look back at leaving standard behind. When I build a deck, I like to build with a theme in mind, or a mechanism to synerigise. Not necessarily competitive but fun, and I like to build around generals with reasonably bizarre abilities. Needless to say, when I saw Dralnu, Lich Lord, I was in. Being more or less the only Dimir spellslinger, and with the first ability as a definite soft spot, I enjoy being challenged. Since building, the deck has been through a lot of variation, and is now at a point where it can be remarkably competitive. It's not necessarily a combo deck, but it can look like it when things go well.
For an excellent in-depth primer of Dralnu, I'd strongly suggest looking at jenncertainty's list here. While this deck draws much from the primer, there are some differences. Mostly power level, and while I have drawn a lot of inspiration from the primer thread, there are some choices here I've made to make this a slightly different build. Nonetheless, this deck is built along the same premises, because it's fun and because it works well. I've always loved reanimation, and I love some of the splashier control spells in the deck. The Commander
Dralnu is an interesting commander in may ways: Not hugely thought of as prominent in the lore, not always thought of as a strong general at first glance. I recommend him regularly as a great control general, and the amount of people who don't look past his first ability is astounding. Let me just say that I've absolutely never had it become an issue for me at all. Not even once. The amount of people who run burn spells is pretty small in EDH, and there are very few reasons Dralnu would ever need to be involved in combat. Even if he were forced into it, we have instant speed sacrifice outlets to cut our losses and recast him rather than risk devastation. We even have the neat trick of giving Dralnu away for a turn in case a Blasphemous Act resolves. Sac 13 permanents? How about you do it instead while I laugh cruelly? These contingencies are built in to the deck to some extent, but nonetheless I'll repeat once more for the people in the back:
The first ability isn't that bad, so stop being a baby.
Plus, people give you mad respect for running such a two-edged sword in the command zone, so just roll with it and be the best you you can be!
Strategy
What people don't understand about Dralnu is that his second ability allows you a TREMENDOUS degree of versatility. You're able to double up on spells you've already cast, sure. That's great in itself. The true beauty of Dralnu is that you're able to really take advantage of looting mechanics. These allow you to draw into the cards and land you want in hand, and pitch an answer for a future situation and later use.
This allows you to play mind games with your opponents. Most of the time, when you actively pitch something from your hand, your opponents will not bother to look further at what it is. Even if they do, it forces them to play more cautiously as they know you have answers as well as what you've drawn into. It causes uncertainty and invites misplays. There is, of course, a risk of graveyard exile with things like Bojuka Bog and Rest in Peace - this really is a meta dependent phenomenon, and will just have to be played around in most cases. We're not without answers for this with our counters and removal, but this can cause troubles for us.
Effectively, you're giving yourself access to more answers than your opponents can shake a stick at. This works remarkably well, and allows you to play permission for the board in many cases. Granted, you're not bulletproof; this iteration is creature low, and you do still need a way to close out the game, as well as providing some measure of protection for Dralnu in lieu of his first ability being activated. Still, the situations this deck doesn't have an answer for are fairly rare.
Early game, the plan is to push out some mana rocks, fill our graveyard and keep some threats off the table. We want a way to draw and loot, and we're going to keep fairly quiet, playing some permission, at the same time filling our graveyard appropriately and giving Dralnu some fodder. We probably don't want to be casting Dralnu yet, unless we can get ourselves a nice early reanimation target in play to stall out the table or outpace them. Void Winnower, Consecrated Sphinx or Nezahal, Primal Tide are all ideal.
Mid to late game, we're a bit more flush with mana, hopefully have a grip with some splashy board-changing spells, and a waytoprotectDralnu. Once Dralnu is on the field, we're recycling bomb spells for value, reanimating creatures to chokeour opponents, put ourselves ahead or devastate the board while pulling ahead.
Of late, there have been a few changes that have given me some great ways to either catch up from behind or just end the game out of nowhere. The big spells that have contributed to this are Exsanguinate, Torment of Hailfire and Paradox Engine. The first two are obviously impactful; if they resolve, either we obliterate the boardstate or pull way ahead in life totals and possibly end the game altogether. Paradox Engine is a little different. While it does nothing on its own, it gives us a huge advantage once you have mana rocks on board and/or Dralnu in play; it can allow us to float a huge amount of mana for a massive x-spell, clear the board easily, or put ourselves in a supremely favourable position. It won't go infinite here - I've specifically stayed away from direct combo - but it damn well feels like it if you can land this at the right time and take advantage of it. Every time Dralnu untaps we can use his second ability, and it means we can vomit our graveyard into play, or have him readily available to answer any incoming threat. I've also had some great impact with Archfiend of Ifnir recently. I added it as a 'maybe' inclusion from Amonkhet release, not thinking much of it, but it's proven to be absolutely devastating. Similar to Massacre Wurm, but it plays into our looting mechanic really, really nicely. The fact that the counters stay once added is really quite oppressive, and a simple Windfall or Ancient Excavation can just blow the board away while giving us what we need to get ahead anyway.
Presently, I'm really happy with the deck as it exists. There's really not much that my budget can justify adding, short of a premium land base and staples like Cryptic Command.
I'm always interested in input; this deck is one I've had for a while now, and it has performed well enough to justify a place as mainstay in one of my top three decks alongside Bruna and Nissa. Therefore if you do have any suggestions or questions feel free to post, I'm always happy to discuss.
Thinking of a major revamp after having a look over some of the more refined lists. There are a lot of cards here that probably don't quite pull their weight, or there are better options for:
Creatures: Lunar Mystic - there are much better alternatives Aetherling - best case scenario he swings in for 7 damage a turn, not a major impact. Sure he's hard to kill but not a high impact in the scheme of things. Ophiomancer Solid token generator, but this is not that deck. Ixidron - Good high impact card that changes the board state dramatically. But again I'm not certain this is the right place for him. Wrexial, the Risen Deep - Very conditional card. Worst case scenario I'm picking no instants or sorceries at all. Best case scenario is a game changer, but there is a lot of variation between those two extremes, and as the top of the curve I'd like to see something more steady.
Jace, Architect of Thought could really go. He doesn't protect himself, and most times I've played him he's a Fact or Fiction. Which I roll anyway, and which I could potentially remove too.
Mirror Mockery neuters attacks from one bomb creature, but it's too narrow to be of any lasting use. And as it's not reusable from the GY, it's on the chopping block. Secrets of the Dead is a dead draw early. Future Sight I'm uncertain about. It's effectively an extra card in hand, but with dumping cards to GY I'm not sure I want to give away any further info as to what I'm playing.
Ghastly Conscription I want to love. But I feel like it's a lot of hard work for 2/2's that I might not be able to turn over. I'd prefer Rise of the Dark Realms or Liliana Vess. In fact, Lili helps fill the GY so she'd be great.
Rush of Knowledge, Deep Analysis, Quiet Speculation, all could go. I'd prefer to have high impact spells than spells to draw into high impact spells. It's lowering the chain of probability that I'll draw what I need. And there are better options for draw in blue than once offs.
Psychic Spiral is sort of a nonbo with Dralnu. It's reasonably low impact too. Fact or Fiction could go. I'd rather be in control of what's hitting my graveyard.
If I cant find high impact creatures, there's no place for Cackling Counterpart.
I think dropping Fact or Fiction is a huge mistake. There's a reason "End of turn Fact or Fiction you lose" became a popular phrase after the card was released. You do get to decide which pile you pick, so you can feed your graveyard if you want, though putting them in your hand first would typically be the better play. Future Sight is similarly good, and can rack up some serious draw power over the course of a game if you drop it early. I agree with pretty much all of your other cuts, though I have a strong, perhaps irrational love for Deep Analysis.
The first thing that jumps out at me is that you're probably running fewer counterspells than you should. Counterspell, Condescend, Negate, Forbid, Dissipate, Dissolve, Void Shatter, Faerie Trickery, and Dismiss are excellent, though you might not want to run all of them. It's important to play cheap countermagic because having to keep 4+ mana open just to be able to disrupt opponents typically puts you far behind in the tempo race, which is a losing proposition.
I'd also recommend adding in more mana rocks. Sol Ring seems like an intentional omission, so I won't recommend it (even if it is stupid good), but running 2cmc rocks like Mind Stone, Everflowing Chalice, Prismatic Lens, Talisman of Dominance, and Fellwar Stone will help you accelerate into explosive turns. EDH is the format of ramp, like it or not, so the choices are to ramp or be left behind. This is especially true for your deck, since your curve is rather top heavy. Personally I prefer lower curves but if your meta is slow enough for you to consistently execute your haymakers far be it from me to stomp on your fun.
On a related note, I think you could run more spot removal and bounce. Being able to remove any problematic permanents that make you unable to win or generate massive advantages (a Pithing Needle on Dralnu, for example) is worth investing in. Plus, since your general essentially reads "Play target spell in your graveyard that you need to" you get double mileage out of what would otherwise be card disadvantage. Hero's Downfall, Doom Blade, Go for the Throat, Diabolic Edict, Into the Roil, Recoil, and Capsize are also worth looking into.
The first thing that jumps out at me is that you're probably running fewer counterspells than you should. Counterspell, Condescend, Negate, Forbid, Dissipate, Dissolve, Void Shatter, Faerie Trickery, and Dismiss are excellent, though you might not want to run all of them. It's important to play cheap countermagic because having to keep 4+ mana open just to be able to disrupt opponents typically puts you far behind in the tempo race, which is a losing proposition.
There are some utility spells, but yes they are a little higher CMC. I'd be tempted to run Dissipate, Counterspell, Foil, or Thwart. All are available and cheap or cheaper.
I'd also recommend adding in more mana rocks. Sol Ring seems like an intentional omission, so I won't recommend it (even if it is stupid good), but running 2cmc rocks like Mind Stone, Everflowing Chalice, Prismatic Lens, Talisman of Dominance, and Fellwar Stone will help you accelerate into explosive turns. EDH is the format of ramp, like it or not, so the choices are to ramp or be left behind. This is especially true for your deck, since your curve is rather top heavy. Personally I prefer lower curves but if your meta is slow enough for you to consistently execute your haymakers far be it from me to stomp on your fun.
I could definitely stand to add more, although I don't have a Sol Ring spare. That's really the only reason it's missing. I could definitely find some other rocks to add though. As far as the curve goes, at the top end, Army of the Damned is solid, and I'd like to more or less cement keeping it, but a lot of the other stuff at the top end is up for swapping out.
On a related note, I think you could run more spot removal and bounce. Being able to remove any problematic permanents that make you unable to win or generate massive advantages (a Pithing Needle on Dralnu, for example) is worth investing in. Plus, since your general essentially reads "Play target spell in your graveyard that you need to" you get double mileage out of what would otherwise be card disadvantage. Hero's Downfall, Doom Blade, Go for the Throat, Diabolic Edict, Into the Roil, Recoil, and Capsize are also worth looking into.
I could definitely add to that area. The bounce I do have is not perfect - Devastation Tide should really be Cyclonic Rift, Wash Out is selective in a slightly strange way. It all comes down to availability. I don't have a spare Capsize. Otherwise, I'm sure there's other good bounce I could slot in.
The removal I do have is a little conditional. Morbid will not always trigger but I do like that with Dralnu Malicious Affliction becomes destroy four creatures for BBBB. I don't have any Go for the Throat but I've got copies of Murderous Cut, Eyeblight's Ending and Victim of Night, all of which should more or less hit any creature.
It sounds like you abhor tutors but Mystical Teachings is too good to ignore. It's Forbidden Alchemy's cooler older brother.
I don't abhor tutors. I'd prefer not to rely on them, and I won't play them unless they earn their spot. In here I'd play either Dark Petition (because it'd be easy to hit spell mastery and it gives back) or Mystical Teachings. I don't have either, and tbh withMystical Teachings, I'm really searching for....a counterspell maybe? Nothing else for sure. There's no other instant wincons with and no creatures with flash here.
Lastly, I think your win conditions could be better. I love me some Army of the Damned, but I think you're on the right track with sorcery or instant reanimation or theft spells. Look into Reanimate, Zombify, Rise from the Grave, Bribery, or Acquire (hopefully someone plays Blightsteel Colossus in your meta).
No one does unfortunately. Still, he theft route could be good. I definitely don't have the money for Reanimate or the other classic reanimator spells like Entomb, Buried Alive, Zombify. Rise from the Grave I have, and I could probably dig up a Dread Return or Victimize. I'm not sure if this is the right deck for either of the last two.
The other concern I have with reanimating as a theme is that I don't have any real viable board threats in the deck. I'm more or less operating on a budget and don't have the money for Jin-gitaxias, Core augur or Sheoldred, Whispering One, game changers like that. I could certainly look at lower tier options, but there's no way I can afford anything really high end.
I'm going to echo little what GloriousGoose said. Cheap interaction is the way to go. Even though cards like Negate and Stifle may seem narrow but in reality they are very powerful and being able to interact to multiple things per turn cycle is the way to win. Generally being able to counter noncreature spells > creature spells. You might also want consider stuff like treasure cruise and dig through time
I've been paying with brain in a jar and I think it's pretty neat. Sure casting something like army of the damned at end step for 1 mana feel really good but just being able cast something like void shatter for 2 less mana is good too.
I would also cut down those various dralnu focused equipment like illusionist's bracers and umbral mantle. Most of the time they are not going to be doing much because realistically you are only be able to cast dralnu maybe once per game.
True. I just worry about stuffing a deck full of counters, especially in a deck where each one counts twice anyway. I want to have answers for threats, but I need some degree of threats in order to close a game too.
True. I just worry about stuffing a deck full of counters, especially in a deck where each one counts twice anyway. I want to have answers for threats, but I need some degree of threats in order to close a game too.
Brian Weissman's budget Dralnu list runs 13, but his list is tuned towards 1v1. Counters are less good in multiplayer, but you still need a decent suite to be able to prevent bomb plays from happening; I'd say around 10 or so (with proper card draw/cantripping) should be sufficient given your ability to recur them.
As for threats, I agree. From a flavor perspective Dralnu lends himself towards reanimation, so running those Sorcery/Instant reanimation spells and a few inexpensive beatsticks should help close out a game. There's also the ever popular Rite of Replication kicked onto Kokusho, the Evening Star.
True. I just worry about stuffing a deck full of counters, especially in a deck where each one counts twice anyway. I want to have answers for threats, but I need some degree of threats in order to close a game too.
Brian Weissman's budget Dralnu list runs 13, but his list is tuned towards 1v1. Counters are less good in multiplayer, but you still need a decent suite to be able to prevent bomb plays from happening; I'd say around 10 or so (with proper card draw/cantripping) should be sufficient given your ability to recur them.
As for threats, I agree. From a flavor perspective Dralnu lends himself towards reanimation, so running those Sorcery/Instant reanimation spells and a few inexpensive beatsticks should help close out a game. There's also the ever popular Rite of Replication kicked onto Kokusho, the Evening Star.
In all fairness, I play as much 1v1 as multiplayer, so it'd be nice to have a list that fares as well in each, if not overly competitive in either. I feel like the counters I have in the list so far cover some of the more unique scenarios in which I'd be looking to bounce a spell, thieve a spell and such. I can definitely add more, and I have plenty of variety to do so.
The threat side is something that will have to be a work in progress. I don't have the money to add anything stupendously expensive right now, but potentially there may be options in the future.
Brian Weissman's budget Dralnu list runs 13, but his list is tuned towards 1v1.
Just looked at this list. It's clearly more control/duel based, but it's an interesting list. The one thing that stands out as being a viable addition here is Shadowmage Infiltrator. Good solid card draw per turn at an early stage is nothing to scoff at, and it's not big enough to draw hate so it should stay on the board long enough to see some use. It's a possibility.
Much higher level of reanimation with a few of these choices, and removing a few redundant draw cards. Better creature choices in the tyrant and winnower, giving me reasonable options to reanimate and dominate early. Let me know what you think of the changes, I've tried to take some of the feedback into account.
Pemmin's Aura could be pretty good. Shroud is useful protection, the other Morphling abilities make attacking for 21 Commander damage a real possibility, and more untaps means more flashbacks.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
You would never guess, at the terrifying sight of the man, that Hunding was as charming a companion as one could wish for.
What methods have you considered for protecting Dralnu? I think this list could use at least Swiftfoot Boots or Lightning Greaves, since those not only protect Dralnu from targeted damage, but also allow him to tap right away. I think we talked about this on the other thread, but I highly recommend the sac lands like High Market. You don't lose much by adding a land and being able to sac Dralnu in response to something like Blasphemous Act is crucial.
I agree with the idea of protecting dralnu. I'll have to track down a high market. I don't have a spare greaves but I can definitely find swiftfoot boots.
I've just taken out a whole lot of stuff to activate him more than once per turn. I'd actually found it was overkill most of the time. Retreat to coralhelm was fun but even then he seemed to untapped more often than I was able to activate him. I'm also hesitant to take dralnu into combat unless absolutely necessary. It's inviting disaster to my mind.
I've discovered the same thing with untap effects: they usually aren't needed more than maybe once. I'm currently testing Paradox Engine, but I'm skeptical because of that. I run quite a few mana rocks, though so they might end up making the engine worth it.
I'm now second guessing adding Tamiyo, the moon sage to the list. She has some great abilities and her ult is crazy. But bouncing from GY after casting spells detracts from dralnus ability and may not be entirely helpful. No one in their right mind would let me cash in the ult anyway. And as strong as her second ability is I have no way of leveraging it. I'd rather replace her with something to increase card advantage.
I do also plan to include dralnu protection over the weekend anyway.
Aside from the fact that her ult keeps things out of your graveyard, she might still be worth keeping in. Both of her other abilities are really good. I'd only cut her if you really need to cut something.
I just don't see how her +1 is anything more than a 5 mana twiddle. And without things like turnabout I probably won't get the full benefit of her second. I think playtesting is warranted. If nothing else I guess she keeps some heat off dralnu, because NOONE wants to see that ult go off.
....I think I've miscounted the list I've posted here because it seems one card short. I'll come back to that. At any rate, I'm pretty confident in these changes. Forbid is a no brainer, and didn't really fit in Braids's deck. Vampiric Rites is the only feasible sac outlet I have at the moment. Ideally it would be an altar, but i don't have a spare. And I don't have a greaves, but the swiftfeet will do a reasonable impression. I'm pretty happy with these.
Felt like the right altar to add, flavour wise if nothing else. Spin seems like a reasonably weaker choice with tuck rules having changed however long ago, so strict upgrade imo. Next on the list is Cyclonic Rift for Devastation Tide.
The Altar seems like a really good add. I might even test it out in my list. Obviously, self-mill is really powerful here, and it supports my "sac outlets as a way to protect Dralnu" plan.
"I bless the living with a song of death."
—Lord Dralnu
Intro and Deck History
So I've played Magic for some years, and EDH for about 4, with nary a look back at leaving standard behind. When I build a deck, I like to build with a theme in mind, or a mechanism to synerigise. Not necessarily competitive but fun, and I like to build around generals with reasonably bizarre abilities. Needless to say, when I saw Dralnu, Lich Lord, I was in. Being more or less the only Dimir spellslinger, and with the first ability as a definite soft spot, I enjoy being challenged. Since building, the deck has been through a lot of variation, and is now at a point where it can be remarkably competitive. It's not necessarily a combo deck, but it can look like it when things go well.
For an excellent in-depth primer of Dralnu, I'd strongly suggest looking at jenncertainty's list here. While this deck draws much from the primer, there are some differences. Mostly power level, and while I have drawn a lot of inspiration from the primer thread, there are some choices here I've made to make this a slightly different build. Nonetheless, this deck is built along the same premises, because it's fun and because it works well. I've always loved reanimation, and I love some of the splashier control spells in the deck.
The Commander
Dralnu is an interesting commander in may ways: Not hugely thought of as prominent in the lore, not always thought of as a strong general at first glance. I recommend him regularly as a great control general, and the amount of people who don't look past his first ability is astounding. Let me just say that I've absolutely never had it become an issue for me at all. Not even once. The amount of people who run burn spells is pretty small in EDH, and there are very few reasons Dralnu would ever need to be involved in combat. Even if he were forced into it, we have instant speed sacrifice outlets to cut our losses and recast him rather than risk devastation. We even have the neat trick of giving Dralnu away for a turn in case a Blasphemous Act resolves. Sac 13 permanents? How about you do it instead while I laugh cruelly? These contingencies are built in to the deck to some extent, but nonetheless I'll repeat once more for the people in the back:
Plus, people give you mad respect for running such a two-edged sword in the command zone, so just roll with it and be the best you you can be!
This allows you to play mind games with your opponents. Most of the time, when you actively pitch something from your hand, your opponents will not bother to look further at what it is. Even if they do, it forces them to play more cautiously as they know you have answers as well as what you've drawn into. It causes uncertainty and invites misplays. There is, of course, a risk of graveyard exile with things like Bojuka Bog and Rest in Peace - this really is a meta dependent phenomenon, and will just have to be played around in most cases. We're not without answers for this with our counters and removal, but this can cause troubles for us.
Effectively, you're giving yourself access to more answers than your opponents can shake a stick at. This works remarkably well, and allows you to play permission for the board in many cases. Granted, you're not bulletproof; this iteration is creature low, and you do still need a way to close out the game, as well as providing some measure of protection for Dralnu in lieu of his first ability being activated. Still, the situations this deck doesn't have an answer for are fairly rare.
Early game, the plan is to push out some mana rocks, fill our graveyard and keep some threats off the table. We want a way to draw and loot, and we're going to keep fairly quiet, playing some permission, at the same time filling our graveyard appropriately and giving Dralnu some fodder. We probably don't want to be casting Dralnu yet, unless we can get ourselves a nice early reanimation target in play to stall out the table or outpace them. Void Winnower, Consecrated Sphinx or Nezahal, Primal Tide are all ideal.
Mid to late game, we're a bit more flush with mana, hopefully have a grip with some splashy board-changing spells, and a way to protect Dralnu. Once Dralnu is on the field, we're recycling bomb spells for value, reanimating creatures to choke our opponents, put ourselves ahead or devastate the board while pulling ahead.
Of late, there have been a few changes that have given me some great ways to either catch up from behind or just end the game out of nowhere. The big spells that have contributed to this are Exsanguinate, Torment of Hailfire and Paradox Engine. The first two are obviously impactful; if they resolve, either we obliterate the boardstate or pull way ahead in life totals and possibly end the game altogether. Paradox Engine is a little different. While it does nothing on its own, it gives us a huge advantage once you have mana rocks on board and/or Dralnu in play; it can allow us to float a huge amount of mana for a massive x-spell, clear the board easily, or put ourselves in a supremely favourable position. It won't go infinite here - I've specifically stayed away from direct combo - but it damn well feels like it if you can land this at the right time and take advantage of it. Every time Dralnu untaps we can use his second ability, and it means we can vomit our graveyard into play, or have him readily available to answer any incoming threat. I've also had some great impact with Archfiend of Ifnir recently. I added it as a 'maybe' inclusion from Amonkhet release, not thinking much of it, but it's proven to be absolutely devastating. Similar to Massacre Wurm, but it plays into our looting mechanic really, really nicely. The fact that the counters stay once added is really quite oppressive, and a simple Windfall or Ancient Excavation can just blow the board away while giving us what we need to get ahead anyway.
5 Dralnu, Lich Lord
Enchantments
2 Animate Dead
2 Search for Azcanta
3 Necromancy
3 Propaganda
4 Leyline of Anticipation
4 Night of Souls' Betrayal
Artifacts
1 Sol Ring
2 Mind Stone
2 Thought Vessel
2 Talisman of Dominance
2 Dimir Signet
2 Lightning Greaves
2 Swiftfoot Boots
3 Ashnod's Altar
3 Commander's Sphere
3 Darksteel Ingot
5 Gilded Lotus
5 Paradox Engine
Planeswalker
5 Liliana, Death's Majesty
Creatures
2 Baral, Chief of Compliance
2 Curious Homunculus
4 Clever Impersonator
4 God-Eternal Kefnet
5 Archfiend of Ifnir
6 Consecrated Sphinx
7 Nezahal, the Primal Tide
8 Kederekt Leviathan
8 Tidespout Tyrant
9 Void Winnower
10 Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
1 Entomb
1 High Tide
1 Swan Song
2 Narset's Reversal
2 Reality Shift
2 Cyclonic Rift
2 Lim-Dul's Vault
2 Counterspell
3 Frantic Search
3 Hero's Downfall
3 Disallow
4 Ancient Excavation
4 Reins of Power
4 Fact or Fiction
4 Aetherize
5 Mystic Confluence
8 Dig Through Time
Sorceries
1 Reanimate
2 Curse of the Swine
2 Stitch Together
2 Torment of Hailfire
2 Exsanguinate
2 Black Sun's Zenith
3 Notion Rain
3 Toxic Deluge
3 Windfall
4 Tendrils of Agony
4 Whispering Madness
5 Beacon of Unrest
5 Bond of Revival
6 Mind's Desire
7 All Is Dust
1 High Market
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Riptide Laboratory
1 Reliquary tower
1 Mystifying Maze
1 Dreadship Reef
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
1 Underground River
1 Command Tower
11 Swamp
17 Island
I'm always interested in input; this deck is one I've had for a while now, and it has performed well enough to justify a place as mainstay in one of my top three decks alongside Bruna and Nissa. Therefore if you do have any suggestions or questions feel free to post, I'm always happy to discuss.
Enjoy!
Creatures:
Lunar Mystic - there are much better alternatives
Aetherling - best case scenario he swings in for 7 damage a turn, not a major impact. Sure he's hard to kill but not a high impact in the scheme of things.
Ophiomancer Solid token generator, but this is not that deck.
Ixidron - Good high impact card that changes the board state dramatically. But again I'm not certain this is the right place for him.
Wrexial, the Risen Deep - Very conditional card. Worst case scenario I'm picking no instants or sorceries at all. Best case scenario is a game changer, but there is a lot of variation between those two extremes, and as the top of the curve I'd like to see something more steady.
Jace, Architect of Thought could really go. He doesn't protect himself, and most times I've played him he's a Fact or Fiction. Which I roll anyway, and which I could potentially remove too.
Mirror Mockery neuters attacks from one bomb creature, but it's too narrow to be of any lasting use. And as it's not reusable from the GY, it's on the chopping block.
Secrets of the Dead is a dead draw early.
Future Sight I'm uncertain about. It's effectively an extra card in hand, but with dumping cards to GY I'm not sure I want to give away any further info as to what I'm playing.
Ghastly Conscription I want to love. But I feel like it's a lot of hard work for 2/2's that I might not be able to turn over. I'd prefer Rise of the Dark Realms or Liliana Vess. In fact, Lili helps fill the GY so she'd be great.
Rush of Knowledge, Deep Analysis, Quiet Speculation, all could go. I'd prefer to have high impact spells than spells to draw into high impact spells. It's lowering the chain of probability that I'll draw what I need. And there are better options for draw in blue than once offs.
Psychic Spiral is sort of a nonbo with Dralnu. It's reasonably low impact too.
Fact or Fiction could go. I'd rather be in control of what's hitting my graveyard.
If I cant find high impact creatures, there's no place for Cackling Counterpart.
Wants:
Ancient Excavation, Magus of the Will, Beacon of Unrest.
Maybe's: Notion Thief, Sire of Stagnation, Sepulchral Primordial, Animate Dead, Necromancy, Rise from the Grave, Liliana Vess, Metallurgic Summonings.
As always, open to any suggestions.
The first thing that jumps out at me is that you're probably running fewer counterspells than you should. Counterspell, Condescend, Negate, Forbid, Dissipate, Dissolve, Void Shatter, Faerie Trickery, and Dismiss are excellent, though you might not want to run all of them. It's important to play cheap countermagic because having to keep 4+ mana open just to be able to disrupt opponents typically puts you far behind in the tempo race, which is a losing proposition.
I'd also recommend adding in more mana rocks. Sol Ring seems like an intentional omission, so I won't recommend it (even if it is stupid good), but running 2cmc rocks like Mind Stone, Everflowing Chalice, Prismatic Lens, Talisman of Dominance, and Fellwar Stone will help you accelerate into explosive turns. EDH is the format of ramp, like it or not, so the choices are to ramp or be left behind. This is especially true for your deck, since your curve is rather top heavy. Personally I prefer lower curves but if your meta is slow enough for you to consistently execute your haymakers far be it from me to stomp on your fun.
On a related note, I think you could run more spot removal and bounce. Being able to remove any problematic permanents that make you unable to win or generate massive advantages (a Pithing Needle on Dralnu, for example) is worth investing in. Plus, since your general essentially reads "Play target spell in your graveyard that you need to" you get double mileage out of what would otherwise be card disadvantage. Hero's Downfall, Doom Blade, Go for the Throat, Diabolic Edict, Into the Roil, Recoil, and Capsize are also worth looking into.
It sounds like you abhor tutors but Mystical Teachings is too good to ignore. It's Forbidden Alchemy's cooler older brother.
Lastly, I think your win conditions could be better. I love me some Army of the Damned, but I think you're on the right track with sorcery or instant reanimation or theft spells. Look into Reanimate, Zombify, Rise from the Grave, Bribery, or Acquire (hopefully someone plays Blightsteel Colossus in your meta).
[Primer] Erebos, God of the Dead
HONK HONK
There are some utility spells, but yes they are a little higher CMC. I'd be tempted to run Dissipate, Counterspell, Foil, or Thwart. All are available and cheap or cheaper.
I could definitely stand to add more, although I don't have a Sol Ring spare. That's really the only reason it's missing. I could definitely find some other rocks to add though. As far as the curve goes, at the top end, Army of the Damned is solid, and I'd like to more or less cement keeping it, but a lot of the other stuff at the top end is up for swapping out.
I could definitely add to that area. The bounce I do have is not perfect - Devastation Tide should really be Cyclonic Rift, Wash Out is selective in a slightly strange way. It all comes down to availability. I don't have a spare Capsize. Otherwise, I'm sure there's other good bounce I could slot in.
The removal I do have is a little conditional. Morbid will not always trigger but I do like that with Dralnu Malicious Affliction becomes destroy four creatures for BBBB. I don't have any Go for the Throat but I've got copies of Murderous Cut, Eyeblight's Ending and Victim of Night, all of which should more or less hit any creature.
I don't abhor tutors. I'd prefer not to rely on them, and I won't play them unless they earn their spot. In here I'd play either Dark Petition (because it'd be easy to hit spell mastery and it gives back) or Mystical Teachings. I don't have either, and tbh withMystical Teachings, I'm really searching for....a counterspell maybe? Nothing else for sure. There's no other instant wincons with and no creatures with flash here.
No one does unfortunately. Still, he theft route could be good. I definitely don't have the money for Reanimate or the other classic reanimator spells like Entomb, Buried Alive, Zombify. Rise from the Grave I have, and I could probably dig up a Dread Return or Victimize. I'm not sure if this is the right deck for either of the last two.
The other concern I have with reanimating as a theme is that I don't have any real viable board threats in the deck. I'm more or less operating on a budget and don't have the money for Jin-gitaxias, Core augur or Sheoldred, Whispering One, game changers like that. I could certainly look at lower tier options, but there's no way I can afford anything really high end.
I've been paying with brain in a jar and I think it's pretty neat. Sure casting something like army of the damned at end step for 1 mana feel really good but just being able cast something like void shatter for 2 less mana is good too.
I would also cut down those various dralnu focused equipment like illusionist's bracers and umbral mantle. Most of the time they are not going to be doing much because realistically you are only be able to cast dralnu maybe once per game.
I get that it's important to have control too, but counters don't win games.
Brian Weissman's budget Dralnu list runs 13, but his list is tuned towards 1v1. Counters are less good in multiplayer, but you still need a decent suite to be able to prevent bomb plays from happening; I'd say around 10 or so (with proper card draw/cantripping) should be sufficient given your ability to recur them.
As for threats, I agree. From a flavor perspective Dralnu lends himself towards reanimation, so running those Sorcery/Instant reanimation spells and a few inexpensive beatsticks should help close out a game. There's also the ever popular Rite of Replication kicked onto Kokusho, the Evening Star.
[Primer] Erebos, God of the Dead
HONK HONK
In all fairness, I play as much 1v1 as multiplayer, so it'd be nice to have a list that fares as well in each, if not overly competitive in either. I feel like the counters I have in the list so far cover some of the more unique scenarios in which I'd be looking to bounce a spell, thieve a spell and such. I can definitely add more, and I have plenty of variety to do so.
The threat side is something that will have to be a work in progress. I don't have the money to add anything stupendously expensive right now, but potentially there may be options in the future.
Just looked at this list. It's clearly more control/duel based, but it's an interesting list. The one thing that stands out as being a viable addition here is Shadowmage Infiltrator. Good solid card draw per turn at an early stage is nothing to scoff at, and it's not big enough to draw hate so it should stay on the board long enough to see some use. It's a possibility.
Out:
Lunar Mystic,Umbral Mantle, Illusionist's Bracers, Jace, Architect of Thought, Rush of Knowledge, Deep Analysis, Quiet Speculation, Psychic Spiral, Aetherling, Hidden Strings, ophiomancer, ghastly Conscription, Mirror Mockery.
In:
Stitch together, Void Winnower, Victim of Night, Rise from the Grave, Stitch together, Lim-Dul the Necromancer, Rite of Replication, Worn Powerstone, Mind Stone, Tamiyo, the Moon Sage, Counterspell, Dissipate, Disallow, Beacon of Unrest, Tidespout Tyrant.
Much higher level of reanimation with a few of these choices, and removing a few redundant draw cards. Better creature choices in the tyrant and winnower, giving me reasonable options to reanimate and dominate early. Let me know what you think of the changes, I've tried to take some of the feedback into account.
[Primer] Dralnu Control/Reanimator BU
[Primer] Jolrael, Empress of Beasts GG
Nath Stax BG | Borborygmos Enraged RG | Ladies of Magic UGW | Aminatou Control UWB | Enduring Ideal Zedruu UWR | Momir Vig Combo UG
Modern
Restore Balance RWUG
Kiki Chord RWG
I've just taken out a whole lot of stuff to activate him more than once per turn. I'd actually found it was overkill most of the time. Retreat to coralhelm was fun but even then he seemed to untapped more often than I was able to activate him. I'm also hesitant to take dralnu into combat unless absolutely necessary. It's inviting disaster to my mind.
[Primer] Dralnu Control/Reanimator BU
[Primer] Jolrael, Empress of Beasts GG
Nath Stax BG | Borborygmos Enraged RG | Ladies of Magic UGW | Aminatou Control UWB | Enduring Ideal Zedruu UWR | Momir Vig Combo UG
Modern
Restore Balance RWUG
Kiki Chord RWG
[Primer] Dralnu Control/Reanimator BU
[Primer] Jolrael, Empress of Beasts GG
Nath Stax BG | Borborygmos Enraged RG | Ladies of Magic UGW | Aminatou Control UWB | Enduring Ideal Zedruu UWR | Momir Vig Combo UG
Modern
Restore Balance RWUG
Kiki Chord RWG
I do also plan to include dralnu protection over the weekend anyway.
[Primer] Dralnu Control/Reanimator BU
[Primer] Jolrael, Empress of Beasts GG
Nath Stax BG | Borborygmos Enraged RG | Ladies of Magic UGW | Aminatou Control UWB | Enduring Ideal Zedruu UWR | Momir Vig Combo UG
Modern
Restore Balance RWUG
Kiki Chord RWG
In:
Baral, Chief of Compliance, Forbid, Vampiric Rites, Swiftfoot Boots, Ancient Excavation
Out:
Summary Dismissal, Runic Repetition, Cackling Counterpart, Avatar of Woe
....I think I've miscounted the list I've posted here because it seems one card short. I'll come back to that. At any rate, I'm pretty confident in these changes. Forbid is a no brainer, and didn't really fit in Braids's deck. Vampiric Rites is the only feasible sac outlet I have at the moment. Ideally it would be an altar, but i don't have a spare. And I don't have a greaves, but the swiftfeet will do a reasonable impression. I'm pretty happy with these.
EDIT - One last change, Brainstorm goes for Deadly Tempest.
In:
Altar of Dementia
Out:
Spin into Myth
Felt like the right altar to add, flavour wise if nothing else. Spin seems like a reasonably weaker choice with tuck rules having changed however long ago, so strict upgrade imo. Next on the list is Cyclonic Rift for Devastation Tide.
[Primer] Dralnu Control/Reanimator BU
[Primer] Jolrael, Empress of Beasts GG
Nath Stax BG | Borborygmos Enraged RG | Ladies of Magic UGW | Aminatou Control UWB | Enduring Ideal Zedruu UWR | Momir Vig Combo UG
Modern
Restore Balance RWUG
Kiki Chord RWG