Carrion Feeder doesn't do that much in this deck. Polluter can one shot players, especially with the introduction of Tombstone Stairway, but also feeds into the various Dredge cards at Instant Speed. Lastly, he's the type of card I could loop once I get a Unholy Grotto.
Vultrous Zombie is a big dumb evasive beater. I'm going for Aggro-Combo, which means I need some serious value and Hell's Caretaker does that in spades. I can either chuck my recursive creatures or just plain Zombies to feed the Caretaker and get back my best guys.
Hart sets up my mana but I feel like the Stinky Pimp does a lot of setup without such a steep mana cost. At 3, he's a Flying Deathtouch which stops aggro cold but he also Dredges 5 when I need to fill up my graveyard.
I needed a six drop for my Birthing Pod chain and while I like the Greenwarden, he doesn't put massive amounts of creatures into play like the Champion of Stray Souls. Champ has built-in recursion, which is great if I Pod it, really need a creature on top to be milled or get him back into my mitt.
Perilous Forays looked like it had potential, but a lot of the time I found I didn't have time for that. I always wanted to build a deck around Tombstone Stairwell and this is it! The card is absolutely bonkers, especially since I run 4 creatures that when things die (Zulaport Cutthroat, Blood Artist, Vengeful Dead and Diregraft Captain). I think after paying the upkeep once or twice is enough to justify its inclusion, it would definitely cause an opponent or two to die if not them all.
Slum Reaper for Fleshbag is a simple cut. 3 mana is much better to pay for than 4 but the big plus is Zombie, which the deck is looking to abuse.
With the large introduction of Black requirements, Forest felt like the safest cut for the Drownyard. There's quite a few more utility lands I'd like to add; however, until I get a much better mana base it's going to have to be as generic as possible.
Lastly, Deadbridge Chant is amazing, everything the deck wants but it's just too damned clunky for me to use! You want me to choose a random card out of 20? Forget about it! Ulamog goes in as a way to reshuffle my Graveyard, making it a redudant Gaea's Blessing, but one I can Discard, one I'd want to cast and something I can dump at Instant Speed to protect my 'yard from Grave Hate.
I was having major mana issues, so this update is to update that. I put in four creatures that fetch a basic or Forest, plus Oracle of Mul Daya, to help me be able to cast my spells. I added a Forest because of the cuts I made and three of the Ravnica Karoos because I need more colored mana.
My cuts were for expensive things or ones that costed a lot of colored mana. I like Opposition but until I upgrade the mana base by a lot, it's a card I can't risk with the relatively few Blue sources I have. Mystic Snake is OK, I cut it because I can't guarantee having 4 mana open, especially blue. Jarad got big but he didn't have a massive friend I could sacrifice to focus down the table. He might make a return if I put more massive creatures back into the deck. Coiling Oracle was just too difficult to be able to cast so it got the axe. The Sadistic Hypnotist is another card that'll probably make its way back into the deck once I get a more expensive mana base. Butcher of Malakir was just too expensive and to be honest, if I wanted to Pod into something it was always Sheoldred, Whispering One.
Mesmeric Orb seems like it should be the nuts and Bloodghast is another repeatable creature for any and all sacrifice effects.
I liked the idea of Plague Boiler being poppable whenever I wanted, but in practice it was too mana intensive. The Disk goes in instead.
I have a Genesis and an Eternal Witness but I'm having a ***** of a time figuring out what to cut. The first thing that came to mind was Nim Deathmantle and Grave Titan as I haven't used that to combo off, but each of those cards are just so damned useful on their own.
I fill up 'yards and sometimes I do the same with my opponents', the Gravespawn would let me put any creature into play with my Zombies. The best would be to snatch up something someone else is trying to Animate. The Gravespawn also works the turn it comes into play, so I think that it's a great addition even if it pushes my curve up. I decided to cut the Deed because I found that I didn't need to interact as much as my opponents, usually Sidisi forces them to deal with her and very rarely the other way around. The other option was Nevinyraal's Disk; however, I like that it just costs 1 to pop while the Deed's scalability is in theory a blessing but I found I often didn't have enough mana to EOT pop it on my opponents which is why I kept the Disk in and cut the Deed.
Reassembling Skeleton doesn't do much, so I've cut it. There's a lot less sacrifice effects in the deck than originally, so instead I went with what I thought was a stronger utility pick. Cryptbreaker comes down Turn 1 and its' Discard ability means I could get Dredge cards into my graveyard at will. Or just make a Zombie. Just like the Sovereign, it's second ability allows it to work the turn it comes down. Drawing cards on command is great, especially with Discard outlets. This also feeds into however many random Zombies get spawned and can't attack, they can now be used to improve the deck's draws.
I'm starting to think of putting Necrotic Ooze into the main board with the amount of Activated abilities my creatures have; however, I have sort of moved away from the traditional Nooze win builds.
Kessig Cagebreakers and Undead Alchemist do the same thing: put a *****load of tokens into play. While I like the idea of the Cagebreakers, they very rarely got played. I just didn't have time for them, even if they put a *****load of Wolves into play. The problem is that, Wolves, in addition to the higher cost. I have a bit of trepidation towards the Alchemist, as I can no longer deal combat damage to kill off players but in theory the payoff is much larger. I added the Alchemist because I have two creatures that play off of Zombies: Gravespawn Sovereign and Cryptbreaker. This means the Zombies are getting me cards and putting dangerous creatures into play under my control. Furthermore, the Alchemist is more control against creature-based strategies, especially if they're Graveyard-centric. I've also noticed the power of mill with Mesmeric Orb, the Alchemist should rapidly increase the options I have while possibly denying my opponents answers as everybody knows they have a lot affair with ETB Answers.
Fact or Fiction is a draw spell that could make me Zombies, but a lot of the time I was too busy playing threats to leave four mana open to EOT FoF. Also, this isn't Standard where that was a death sentence. I put in Lifecrafter's Bestiary because it is easier on my curve and potentially draws me a lot more cards. These are draws as well, instead of the revealing that Fact did, which means I can get Dredge triggers. Furthermore, the Scry 1 is incredibly informative. I'll know if it will guarantee a Zombie hit if I want one, it gives me the option to get rid of cards I don't want in my hand like Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger/Gaea's Blessing. But the one thing I'm looking forward to is knowing if I have a land on top of my library - there are times where I'm stuck on four or five lands because I'm too busy Dredging them all away. This way I can make a decision if I need a land drop over another 2/2.
Prized Amalgam is nifty, whenever I put a creature into play from my Graveyard he comes along too. He seemed to be the perfect companion to Hell's Caretaker - I would sac him, return someone else and then he'd come back. Though I think I can do better than professional sacrifice fodder. Enter Shambling Shell - another Dredge card in a deck that likes to Dredge. The one toughness means I could some shenanigans with Skullclamp if I ever decide to cast him. This is a card that shows exactly why a lot of Sidisi players say the deck is tight for space, it's full of cards that never are meant to be cast but just keep the Dredge engine going.
I initially thought I would be running a more sacrifice heavy build, so a Bloodghast would be a great way to keep getting value especially if paired with Perilous Forays which was cut much earlier. Another card like the Amalgam that was never meant to be cast, though it felt out of place. The Fauna Shaman gives me a discard outlet to get rid of the Dredge creatures to start my engine up again, but also searches for whatever I need. Overall, a solid addition.
Evolving Wilds puts a basic into play tapped. While I do value Islands because of Wonder, I think I can keep my Basic mana base intact while increasing my mana diversity. Too me this is a complete upgrade.
I finally got my mitts on an Urborg, so I can now toss in a copy of my Cabal Coffers. I cut the Alchemist's Refuge because a lot of the time I tapped out to keep pushing my game forward, didn't leave mana open or much. Much less than what the Refuge could do for me with EOT goodness. With those additions, I figured that Tempt with Discovery was worth including even if it dropped my warm bodies count. I cut the Ondu Giant because I rather have the 3 power from Wild Wanderer and card draw from Solemn Simulacrum.
With the inclusion of Havengul Lich I had to decide between cutting the Body Double or Corpse Harvester. Those are the two weaker picks on the higher end of my CMC. I kept the Harvester because it could theorhetically search up for a Zombie I need, whether it's a Gray Merchant of Asphodel to pad my life total, Sidisi, Undead Vizier to search for anything I want to combo off or just a Vengeful Dead to try to kill the table. Body Double is fairly similar to the Lich, so that's what got cut in comparison to the utility Corpse Harvester provides.
I could say that it's more likely for me to cast Kozilek but the truth of the matter is that was what was in the store. I bought it so I could move Ulamog to my Rakdos, Lord of Riots deck.
On mobile so wont go too deep into the changes but it's mostly cheaper, stronger versions for the creatures; I don't care about Counters in this deck but like my mana; and improving my manabase.
Embalmer's Tools are everything and more. I would make them a priority target if you're facing off against a Sidisi. Victimize is a solid effect but it isn't repeatable nor that strong for me to consider searching for.
Plague Belcher has been added as more redundancy for me 'kill the table' plan. Hopefully it matches up to the hype that the Sidisi Primer has been going for. They mostly thinks it auto replaces Vengeful Dead but that's because they don't run Tombstone Stairwell like me. The decision to cut the Harvester is for mana curve but as well as despite it's awesome ability to find me Zombies i just didn't have time for that. Belcher will help out my aggro game as well, with its Menace and 5 power.
I was feeling like Shambling Shell was nothing but Dredge. Sure, the whole point of having Dredge creatures is to just sit in my yard and cause self-mill to get more Zombies but Shell was doing a crap job. Every other Dredge creature can be played for decent purposes and that's when I added Avenging Druid after a Reddit thread on 'What's your tech?' and man, the Druid is great! He ramps with each hit but also mills. My mana base is more ETB based than Kirby's Primer setup with untaps because my goal is to force my opponent into the decision of Wrath to die or don't Wrath and die. Admittedly, I got a great start today with a super early Cabal Coffers into Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth which just doubling my mana from my land drops and the Druid's damage. Seriously, give the Druid a shot.
I was unhappy with Champion of Stray Souls. Sure, mass recursion is great but the Zombies usually got fed into the Champ before I could resurrect all the creatures that did stuff when my Zombies died. Also, Champ is 11 mana for this resurrect when there's cheaper options for a similar effect. And while the 6 mana point is a little choked for my Birthing Pod Chain, he didn't ever give me Magical Christmasland of put him into play, next turn return a bunch of creatures and then Pod him into Sheoldred, Whispering One. Extractor Demon has impressed me already with the amount of Zombies he makes with creatures leaving play all the time, you can even cooperate with opponents so that they sac a creature to mess with a Vampiric Tutor. Furthermore, he's 5 in the air and can be Unearthed but to be honest, I'd rather just get him back normally. He also provides a mill wincon with Tombstone Stairwell. On average, 20 Zombies might be put into play - that's 40 cards to mill someone and even moreso on the next turn due to them having more Zombies. It's a way to safely increase the Zombies in play for pings upon death without milling myself and having my Graveyard set to 0 due to a reshuffle. Though that would have to be very unfortunate as they're separate triggers, so when a reshuffler hits my 'yard I probably have a few more mill triggers yet to resolve to fill my yard further.
I'm a little sad with the loss of Wayfarer's Bauble because it eliminates another Turn 3 Sidisi play; however, with the introduction of Coffers and Urborg, it's paramount I assemble the big mana and can do so consistently. Enter Expedition Map.
Disk comes into play tapped and usually I just don't have time to Wrath the board. By being an Aggro/Combo mishmash, a lot of the time I can ignore my opponent's board states, build my own and then kill the table somehow. I did feel like I was slightly lacking in sac outlets, so Evolutionary Leap should solve a lot of that. Most of my threats come from Creatures, so I'm quite happy to get get more into hand at the cost of sacrificing a token.
Temple of Mystery is an inferior Breeding Pool. Pool can be fetched by Wood Elves, as well as choosing to come into play tapped or untapped, so it was an easy decision to swap it out. I don't want to lower my Island count at all due to Wonder. The other mana change is using Unholy Grotto to tutor my 'yard to Zombies, or do Cycling tricks with Gempalm Polluter to blast players almost every turn. I cut Svogthos because it is also a colorless source and as the deck got better, the less opportunity I had to turn it into a */* creature as well as tempting fate with a reshuffle and having my land die. I think Grotto is a much safer utility land and enhances' the deck's inevitability.
Extractor Demon is a good way to mill and has a solid body. You also have ways of consistently getting creatures out of play so it should be good in your deck.
Champion of Stray Souls has dual function of guaranteeing a zombie but when it is in play, it's a sac outlet and reanimator rolled into one. Never take the long route with it, though (for 11 mana you may as well hardcast Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre). And yes, Birthing Pod chains with him are awesome sauce.
Hermit Druid > Avenging Druid in almost every single way possible. It costs 1 less and doesn't need to land an attack on an opponent to use the ability. I tried Hermit Druid before and it was pretty great because I ran no basics so he always guaranteed a zombie and reshuffling my graveyard thanks to the Eldrazi titans. I took it out because I don't need to go so overboard with self-mill. But if you're gonna include Avenging Druid, you may as well go full mill druid and upgrade to Hermit Druid.
As for putting in subpar cards just because they have dredge is a very bad road to take. I went there when I started with the deck and quickly found out that it wasn't the best way to self mill. That's why you'll notice its absence in all my builds. So far, it hasn't been the best way to activate Sidisi.
My YouTube Channel: The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
Hermit guarantees a massive dump into my yard but I am uncertain if I want to go through route. Also, Hermit puts the land into my hand. Avenging Druid, on the other hand, puts that land into play. Since my strategy is to force my opponents to Wrath or die (but perhaps still die anyway), I decided to go with mana ramp over the untaps you've got. Druid feeds into that by getting more lands into play but also mills me for Zombie goodness. That way I can start powering out my good lands instead of the Hermit's basics.
Champ may not cost 11 but sometimes he felt like it. I just didn't have time to play him, wait a turn and then spend five more mana. I might not have creatures in my graveyard by then from a Reshuffle. I might not have Zombies to sacrifice due to some board wipe, such as an Infest Effect. Or someone just vanilla Wrathed to get rid of the Champ. Sure, he's got 7 mana to put him back on top but I frequently don't have time for that. I'm currently having trouble keeping Hell's Caretaker to stick with the random hate and he costs 4 mana with sacrifice to get him to work. The Champ, in comparison, is prohibitively expensive.
Hermit guarantees a massive dump into my yard but I am uncertain if I want to go through route. Also, Hermit puts the land into my hand. Avenging Druid, on the other hand, puts that land into play. Since my strategy is to force my opponents to Wrath or die (but perhaps still die anyway), I decided to go with mana ramp over the untaps you've got. Druid feeds into that by getting more lands into play but also mills me for Zombie goodness. That way I can start powering out my good lands instead of the Hermit's basics.
Champ may not cost 11 but sometimes he felt like it. I just didn't have time to play him, wait a turn and then spend five more mana. I might not have creatures in my graveyard by then from a Reshuffle. I might not have Zombies to sacrifice due to some board wipe, such as an Infest Effect. Or someone just vanilla Wrathed to get rid of the Champ. Sure, he's got 7 mana to put him back on top but I frequently don't have time for that. I'm currently having trouble keeping Hell's Caretaker to stick with the random hate and he costs 4 mana with sacrifice to get him to work. The Champ, in comparison, is prohibitively expensive.
Yeah, I can understand your logic on Champion of Stray Souls. However, I still disagree on Avenging Druid. You need to land a hit for it to do anything. If you don't get a hit that turn then it wastes a potential ramped land. Hermit Druid, on the other hand, may send a basic land to your hand while it self-mills, but it doesn't require smacking your opponent to do so. It's almost always more likely to happen than with Avenging Druid. That's just my mindset on it. Maybe I'm looking at it from a strictly mathematical viewpoint, but probabilistically speaking, Hermit Druid will get you a land in your hand more often then Avenging Druid will get it into play. Again, that may be because of my playstyle, so maybe you prefer one over the other.
Hell's Caretaker gets the hate when opponents see stuff like Craterhoof Behemoth in your graveyard, lol. Or when you have creature untappers in play.
My YouTube Channel: The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
I think it depends on how many open players you can expect to face at any given time.
Hermit Druid is a safer choice, although the reward in this deck is less substantial than getting a completely free land.
Other than that, all of the changes make sense. You really don't have the time to pay the 6 and then pay the 5 for Champion of Stray Souls, and the second ability might as well not exist due to how anemic it feels.
A lot of my experience with the Druid to date has been people taking 1 over 2 or 3 from a Zombie or Sidisi. That's probably poor threat assessment on part of my opponents, but I've also found Wonder or just people being open to get easy hits in. The group is even beginning to hate on the Druid, which is fine if that kill spell is spent on him instead of Sidisi. It's making me contemplate adding Filth as more Evasion with Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and how much effort I spend getting it into play.
Volrath's Stronghold is creature type agnostic and gets anything on top if at a slightly higher cost than Unholy Grotto. I chose a Forest because it is the highest count for Basic Lands. If I am going to add Filth to the deck, firstly I'm going to have to find room for it somewhere but secondly, I think this is proof that I need to find better lands. The Ravnica Karoos were fun while providing me mana, but probably need Painlands to get the job done well.
My YouTube Channel: The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
I think I've found a cut for Filth but I'm not sure. Agent of Erebos is good hate but a lot of the time I don't have time to do that; this is in-effect a combo deck where I race to put my pieces onto the table. But it's such good hate I'm not sure if I could just cut it, after all I added Bojuka Bog but that just might be due to low opportunity cost. I've updated the manabase:
The ETBT and bounce requirement were quite brutal at times, even though it was nice having lands that tapped for two: it was easy to activate Cabal Coffers or Crypt of Agadeem. That's just laziness being a detriment to optimization. Sometimes I just needed a colorless and I would be staring at a Karoo, the Tainted Lands should come address mana smoothing without too much of a problem considering the deck has 8 "Swamps" out of 38 lands or almost 1 in 4. We'll see if this is a problem for colored sources but I don't think it will be.
We'll see if it will be horribly missed. Currently, I feel like the problem with my deck is I don't have a Sac Outlet. I'm thinking of adding Carrion Feeder or Viscera Seer because I want on-demand Sacrifice. The deck is too fast for me relying on my opponents to try to Wrath my deck away; instead, I want to be able to proactively pull the trigger to kill an opponent or three. Seer for the Card Selection with Scry but Carrion due to being a Zombie and therefore having a much more synergistic Creature Type. Maybe also consider Grimgrin, Corpse-Born for his large size and Sac on Demand. I'm considering dropping the Countermagic to make room. I've also possibly earmarked Jarad's Orders as a cut for Tolaria West - they're similar as a Tutor but ones for Lands and the other is Creatures. In the case of West, it's to find my mana base which is very important while Orders can put one of the Incarnations into my Graveyard and something good in my hand.
I think I've found a cut for Filth but I'm not sure. Agent of Erebos is good hate but a lot of the time I don't have time to do that; this is in-effect a combo deck where I race to put my pieces onto the table. But it's such good hate I'm not sure if I could just cut it, after all I added Bojuka Bog but that just might be due to low opportunity cost. I've updated the manabase:
The ETBT and bounce requirement were quite brutal at times, even though it was nice having lands that tapped for two: it was easy to activate Cabal Coffers or Crypt of Agadeem. That's just laziness being a detriment to optimization. Sometimes I just needed a colorless and I would be staring at a Karoo, the Tainted Lands should come address mana smoothing without too much of a problem considering the deck has 8 "Swamps" out of 38 lands or almost 1 in 4. We'll see if this is a problem for colored sources but I don't think it will be.
Yeah, for this deck speed is definitely better than the double lands. I used to run them but found them to be too detrimental. However, I did leave them in a casual version of the deck because they're great in that sort of setting.
My YouTube Channel: The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
While I liked the card draw and selection of Evolutionary Leap, I got it mainly as a Sac Outlet and filtering. Overall, it didn't perform very well in this aspect. I like the card enough, it's just not quite what I'm looking for - it was this or Lifecrafter's Bestiary. Think of it as a trial cut, might switch to the Bestiary. I added the Seer because it also gives me card selection, at a very affordable 1 Black and it is an unlimited sac outlet. There are times when I wanted to sac my board, due to having a drain effect like Blood Artist and I couldn't which cost me the game. While the Vampire isn't a Zombie, I don't think the Creature-type would be the most important. I'm hoping for a great selection.
Selhoff Occultist is a try out, I think that it could be very good for Sidisi due to the single mill instance. It also combos with Tombstone Stairwell for a mill wincon. Fleshbag Marauder hasn't been a good card for a little while. Marauder is great when you have a selection of removal, he adds to the asphyxiation of resources. Sidisi mostly ignores her opponents while killing.
City of Brass is just to add more reliability to the deck. I cut a Forest because it had the most amount but also the least important Land Type - Islands are required for Wonder, Swamps for Filth and perhaps Cabal Coffers. Simic Growth Chamber's bounce was annoying, plus unconditional ETBT wasn't great at times - the Harbor may avoid that and so it replaces.
I just didn't have open mana for Forbid and Tolaria West is essentially a spell. Getting the deck's big mana is so important that it's making me think of adding Sylvan Scrying and Ulvenwald Hydra (as it's pretty good as part of a Birthing Pod chain, but also blocks Flyers and is impressively sized at stopping them). Llanowar Wastes for Forest because of the required color fixing; don't want to cut into Swamps or Islands unless I truly need to.
I'm also thinking of adding Hedron Crab as more of a self-mill outlet, but not sure how much tinkering I can do. The deck feels full and I still need to add Dakmor Salvage as well as more color/type fixing in Watery Grave.
Overall, I am happy with the deck besides its' sometimes inconsistent landbase. It's very resilient, interesting and requires a lot of thought.
Added another Dredge Engine at 'no cost' with its' low opportunity.
Current estimation of the deck: If left alone it can start the ball rolling; however, I'm finding massive mana instability to be a problem. I think a Watery Grave will help; previously I dismissed it as not that necessary but some lands' requirements of Swamps plus the two Incarnations I have don't work if I don't have that.
I also have a problem with being stuck in topdeck mode; especially if I need to keep a Dredge engine going so I don't see new, fresh cards. I'm thinking of adding Grim Backwoods to compensate but that might contribute to the mana instability. Perhaps cut Volrath's Stronghold? Though that seems like an absurd suggestion but I need to cut into my utility lands rather than my mana lands - especially since two of my lands are actually spells: Dakmor Salvage and Tolaria West.
I wanted to fix mana and add some more draw to Sidisi.
Lifecrafter made me pay at the moment for whether I was going to draw, plus a lot of the time I might not have actually cast the Creature but cheated it into play in some way. The Tracker's Clues, on the other hand, can be used whenever I want to or when I have the excess mana. The Clues' generation is also a part of the deck's strategy of ramping; I think it'll be easy to use. The Tracker is also a Creature, which is another shot at generating a Zombie off of mill. Lastly, the Tracker can be pretty large if I need to start outsizing.
As for my lands, I realized that I really need the Swamp Land Type much more than I need Island. Blue Sources are just fine. With that in mind, especially when I look at how many Spells require Blue, I cut two Islands. Fetid Pools is there to turn on the many things that require Swamps to work, but also Islands. I tried to shy away from ETBT Lands but the Pools typing makes me forgive it and late game I might be able to do some Cycling shenanigans. I probably still would want to pick up a Watery Grave but it seems all of the cheaper versions are unavailable; a purchase for another time then. With Swamps and Forests still being the dominate Land Type, I've added Woodland Cemetery for more color consistency. Grim Backwoods hopefully won't mess up my manabase too much, but it's a way to draw more cards from the fodder Sidisi makes.
So, I realized Fetid Pools is unconditional ETB Island/Swamp and there's another Island/Swamp that doesn't break the bank with the upside of being Conditional ETBT. Added in Sunken Hollow. I did think of taking the Pools out but I thought to myself that I wanted more Land Types, not less. Though cutting down to 3 basic Islands makes me think I can't cut anymore. Swamps and Forests are the next earmarkers for color fixing.
1 Sidisi, Brood Tyrant
Creatures - 47
1 Cryptbreaker
1 Deathrite Shaman
2 Blood Artist
2 Lazav, the Multifarious
2 Lotus Cobra
2 Mindblade Render
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Zulaport Cutthroat
3 Champion of Lambholt
3 Drana, Liberator of Malakir
3 Eternal Witness
3 Grim Haruspex
3 Isareth the Awakener
3 Loyal Drake
3 Managorger Hydra
3 Marang River Prowler
3 Midnight Reaper
3 Plague Belcher
3 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
3 Nyx Weaver
3 Runic Armasaur
3 Skaab Ruinator
3 Trygon Predator
3 Virtus the Veiled
3 Wayward Swordtooth
4 Graveborn Muse
4 Meren of Clan Nel Toth
4 Sewer Nemesis
4 Surrak, the Hunt Caller
4 Wonder
4 World Shaper
5 Archfiend of Depravity
5 Grimgrin, Corpse-Born
5 Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper
5 Loyal Guardian
5 Sadistic Hypnotist
5 Tendershoot Dryad
5 The Gitrog Monster
5 Underrealm Lich
6 Bane of Progress
6 Pathbreaker Ibex
6 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
6 Thunderfoot Baloth
6 Vigor
7 Scourge of Nel Toth
2 Evolutionary Leap
2 Sylvan Library
3 Rhystic Study
4 Path of Discovery
Artifacts - 5
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
2 Embalmer's Tools
2 Sword of the Animist
4 Birthing Pod
Sorceries - 3
2 Farseek
2 Nature's Lore
5 Living Death
Instants - 3
2 Cyclonic Rift
2 Heroic Intervention
5 Aetherspouts
Basic Lands - 16
6 Forest
6 Island
4 Swamp
Nonbasic Lands - 22
0 Breeding Pool
0 Command Tower
0 City of Brass
0 Drowned Catacomb
0 Drownyard Temple
0 Dryad Arbor
0 Exotic Orchard
0 Flooded Grove
0 Hinterland Harbor
0 Llanowar Wastes
0 Morphic Pool
0 Myriad Landscape
0 Opulent Palace
0 Overgrown Tomb
0 Reflecting Pool
0 Svogthos, the Restless Tomb
0 Temple of the False God
0 Underground River
0 Volrath's Stronghold
0 Watery Grave
0 Westvale Abbey
0 Woodland Cemetery
1 Plague Belcher
1 Grim Haruspex
1 Splinterfright
1 Oversold Cemetery
1 Scourge of Nel Toth
1 Kessig Cagebreakers
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Mindblade Render
1 Milikin
1 Deranged Assistant
1 Birthing Pod
1 Muldrotha, the Gravetide
1 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
1 Sylvan Library
1 Breeding Pool
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Edric, Spymaster of Trest
1 Advanced Stitchwing
1 Yavimaya Coast
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Skaab Ruinator
1 Nulltread Gargantuan
1 Deathrite Shaman
1 Millikin
1 Deranged Assistant
1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
1 Advanced Stitchwing
1 Marang River Prowler
1 Sewer Nemesis
1 Surrak, the Hunt Caller
1 Nulltread Gargantuan
1 Virtus the Veiled
1 Managorger Hydra
1 Ramunap Excavator
1 Sakura-Tribe elder
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Stinkweed Imp
1 Centaur Vinecrasher
1 Golgari Grave-Troll
1 Avenging Druid
1 The Scarab God
1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Death Baren
1 Nighthowler
1 Ikra Sidiqi, the Usurper
1 Evolutionary Leap
1 Oversold Cemetery
1 Sangromancer
1 Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
1 Life from the Loam
1 Cryptbreaker
1 Meren of Clan Nel Toth
1 Svogthos, the Restless Tomb
1 Journey to Eternity
1 Hell's Caretaker
1 Forest
1 Drana, Liberator of Malakir
1 Morphic Pool
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Rot Farm Skeleton
2 Swamp
1 Muldrotha, the Gravetide
1 Isareth the Awakener
1 Runic Armasaur
1 Wood Elves
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Smothering Abomination
1 Death Baron
1 Edric, Spymaster
1 Hell's Caretaker
1 Rot Farm Skeleton
1 Smothering Abomination
1 Nighthowler
1 Embalmer's Tools
2 Forest
2 Island
1 Swamp
1 Blackblade Reforged
1 Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
1 Harvester of Souls
1 Deepfathom Skulker
1 Tatyova, Benthic Druid
1 Sire of Stagnation
1 Dimir Guildgate
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Sunken Hollow
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Flooded Grove
1 Underground River
1 Yavimaya Coast
1 Simic Guildgate
1 Dimir Guildgte
1 Fetid Pools
1 Journey to Eternity
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Champion of Lambholt
1 Centaur Vinecrasher
1 Archfiend of Depravity
1 Havengul Lich
1 Thunderfoot Baloth
1 Drownyard Temple
1 Conqueror's Flail
1 Bear Umbra
1 Circuitous Route
1 Cryptbreaker
1 Plague Belcher
1 Vengeful Dead
1 Whisper, Blood Liturgist
1 Forest
1 Trygon Predator
1 Harvester of Souls
1 Tatyova, Benthic Druid
1 Bane of Progress
1 Loyal Drake
1 Lazav, the Multifarious
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Loyal Guardian
1 Underrealm Lich
1 Deepfathom Skulker
1 Blighted Woodland
1 Zendikar Resurgent
1 Genesis
1 Gempalm Polluter
1 Mystic Remora
1 Bident of Thassa
1 Evolutionary Leap
1 Skyshroud CLaim
1 Pir's Whim
1 Liliana, Heretical Healer
1 Arch of Orazca
1 Nephalia Drownyard
1 Attrition
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Mystic Snake
1 Krosan Restorer
1 Sylvan Library
1 Journey to Eternity
1 Tendershoot Dryad
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
1 Kiora's Follower
1 Voyaging Satyr
1 Path of Discovery
1 Villainous Wealth
1 Sangromancer
1 Sakashima the Impostor
1 World Shaper
1 Deathreap Ritual
1 Golgari Thug
1 Peregrine Drake
1 Deadeye Navigator
1 Edric, Spymaster of Trest
1 Erebos, God of the Dead
1 Sylvan Scrying
1 Arguel's Blood Fast
1 Expedition Map
1 Kiora's Follower
1 Krosan Restorer
1 Voyaging Satyr
1 Edric, Spymaster of Trest
1 Wonder
1 Filth
1 Buried Alive
1 Genesis
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Path of Ancestry
1 Swamp
1 Ramunap Excavator
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Barren Moor
1 Thrasios, Triton Hero
1 Exsanguinate
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Duskwatch Recruiter
1 Splendid Reclamation
1 Negate
1 Watery Grave
1 Swamp
1 Peregrine Drake
1 Deadeye Navigator
1 Alchemist's Refuge
1 Ulvenwald Hydra
1 Extractor Demon
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Sword of the Animist
1 Dread Return
1 Duskwatch Recruiter
1 Negate
1 Zulaport Cutthroat
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Forest
1 Kefnet the Mindful
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Plague Belcher
1 Lonely Sandbar
1 Fetid Pools
1 Swamp
1 Exotic Orchard
1 Mana Confluence
1 Grim Backwoods
1 Forest
1 Silverglade Pathfinder
1 Evolutionary Leap
1 Reality Shift
1 Key to the City
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Arguel's Blood Fast
1 Kefnet the Mindful
1 Nimble Obstructionist
1 Deathreap Ritual
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Birthing Pod
1 Zulaport Cutthroat
1 Ashnod's Altar
1 Gravecrawler
1 Satyr Wayfinder
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
1 Crypt of Agadeem
1 Rot Farm Skeleton
1 Buried Alive
1 Nyx Weaver
1 Growing Rites of Itlimoc
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Rot Farm Skeleton
1 Hell's Caretaker
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
1 Unholy Grotto
1 Grimgrin, Corpse-Born
1 Splendid Reclamation
1 Swan Song
1 Sultai Charm
1 Putrefy
1 Vengeful Dead
1 Tombstone Stairwell
1 Nullmage Shepherd
1 Diregraft Captain
1 Selhoff Occultist
1 Ulvenwald Hydra
1 Gravespawn Sovereign
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
1 Razaketh, the Foulblooded
1 The Scarab God
1 Ramunap Excavator
1 Deathrite Shaman
1 Hour of Promise
1 Gaea's Blessing
1 Gempalm Pollutor
1 Undead Alchemist
1 Avenging Druid
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Tempt with Discovery
1 Sunken Hollow
1 Island
1 Tireless Tracker
1 Fetid Pools
1 Woodland Cemetery
1 Grim Backwoods
1 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
1 Forest
2 Island
1 Dakmor Salvage
1 Jarad's Orders
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Tolaria West
1 Forest
1 Forbid
1 Viscera Seer
1 Selhoff Occultist
1 City of Brass
1 Hinterland Harbor
1 Evolutionary Leap
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Forest
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Filth
1 Agent of Erebos
1 Tainted Isle
1 Tainted Wood
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Forest
1 Avenging Druid
1 Extractor Demon
1 Expedition Map
1 Evolutionary Leap
1 Breeding Pool
1 Unholy Grotto
1 Shambling Shell
1 Champion of Stray Souls
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
1 Nevinyraal's Disk
1 Temple of Mystery
1 Svogthos, the Restless Tomb
1 Embalmer's Tools
1 Plague Belcher
1 Victimize
1 Corpse Harvester
1 Caustic Caterpillar
1 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
1 Crop Rotation
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Acidic Slime
1 Wild Wanderer
1 Counterspell
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Swamp
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Tempt with Discovery
1 Havengul Lich
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Swamp
1 Alchemist's Refuge
1 Ondu Giant
1 Body Double
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
1 Undead Alchemist
1 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
1 Shambling Shell
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Opulent Palace
1 Kessig Cagebreakers
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Prized Amalgam
1 Bloodghast
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Gravespawn Sovereign
1 Cryptbreaker
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Reassembling Skeleton
1 Eternal Witness
1 Body Double
1 Genesis
1 Nim Deathmantle
1 Cryptolith Rite
1 Grave Titan
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Mesmeric Orb
1 Bloodghast
1 Ondu Giant
1 Wood Elves
1 Wild Wanderer
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Forest
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Plague Boiler
1 Butcher of Malakir
1 Coiling Oracle
1 Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
1 Sadistic Hypnotist
1 Undead Warchief
1 Mystic Snake
1 Opposition
1 Swamp
1 Ghost Quater
1 Myriad Landscape
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Gempalm Polluter
1 Hell's Caretaker
1 Stinkweed Imp
1 Champion of Stray Souls
1 Tombstone Stairwell
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Nephalia Drownyard
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
1 Carrion Feeder
1 Vulturous Zombie
1 Burnished Hart
1 Greenwarden of Murasa
1 Perilous Forays
1 Slum Reaper
1 Forest
1 Deadbridge Chant
1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Greenwarden of Murasa
1 Dread Return
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Dig Through Time
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
1 Painful Truths
1 Ranger's Path
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
1 Gempalm Polluter
1 Hell's Caretaker
1 Stinkweed Imp
1 Champion of Stray Souls
1 Tombstone Stairwell
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Nephalia Drownyard
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
1 Carrion Feeder
1 Vulturous Zombie
1 Burnished Hart
1 Greenwarden of Murasa
1 Perilous Forays
1 Slum Reaper
1 Forest
1 Deadbridge Chant
Vultrous Zombie is a big dumb evasive beater. I'm going for Aggro-Combo, which means I need some serious value and Hell's Caretaker does that in spades. I can either chuck my recursive creatures or just plain Zombies to feed the Caretaker and get back my best guys.
Hart sets up my mana but I feel like the Stinky Pimp does a lot of setup without such a steep mana cost. At 3, he's a Flying Deathtouch which stops aggro cold but he also Dredges 5 when I need to fill up my graveyard.
I needed a six drop for my Birthing Pod chain and while I like the Greenwarden, he doesn't put massive amounts of creatures into play like the Champion of Stray Souls. Champ has built-in recursion, which is great if I Pod it, really need a creature on top to be milled or get him back into my mitt.
Perilous Forays looked like it had potential, but a lot of the time I found I didn't have time for that. I always wanted to build a deck around Tombstone Stairwell and this is it! The card is absolutely bonkers, especially since I run 4 creatures that when things die (Zulaport Cutthroat, Blood Artist, Vengeful Dead and Diregraft Captain). I think after paying the upkeep once or twice is enough to justify its inclusion, it would definitely cause an opponent or two to die if not them all.
Slum Reaper for Fleshbag is a simple cut. 3 mana is much better to pay for than 4 but the big plus is Zombie, which the deck is looking to abuse.
With the large introduction of Black requirements, Forest felt like the safest cut for the Drownyard. There's quite a few more utility lands I'd like to add; however, until I get a much better mana base it's going to have to be as generic as possible.
Lastly, Deadbridge Chant is amazing, everything the deck wants but it's just too damned clunky for me to use! You want me to choose a random card out of 20? Forget about it! Ulamog goes in as a way to reshuffle my Graveyard, making it a redudant Gaea's Blessing, but one I can Discard, one I'd want to cast and something I can dump at Instant Speed to protect my 'yard from Grave Hate.
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Mesmeric Orb
1 Bloodghast
1 Ondu Giant
1 Wood Elves
1 Wild Wanderer
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Forest
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Plague Boiler
1 Butcher of Malakir
1 Coiling Oracle
1 Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
1 Sadistic Hypnotist
1 Undead Warchief
1 Mystic Snake
1 Opposition
1 Swamp
1 Ghost Quater
1 Myriad Landscape
1 Terramorphic Expanse
My cuts were for expensive things or ones that costed a lot of colored mana. I like Opposition but until I upgrade the mana base by a lot, it's a card I can't risk with the relatively few Blue sources I have. Mystic Snake is OK, I cut it because I can't guarantee having 4 mana open, especially blue. Jarad got big but he didn't have a massive friend I could sacrifice to focus down the table. He might make a return if I put more massive creatures back into the deck. Coiling Oracle was just too difficult to be able to cast so it got the axe. The Sadistic Hypnotist is another card that'll probably make its way back into the deck once I get a more expensive mana base. Butcher of Malakir was just too expensive and to be honest, if I wanted to Pod into something it was always Sheoldred, Whispering One.
Mesmeric Orb seems like it should be the nuts and Bloodghast is another repeatable creature for any and all sacrifice effects.
I liked the idea of Plague Boiler being poppable whenever I wanted, but in practice it was too mana intensive. The Disk goes in instead.
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
1 Eternal Witness
1 Body Double
1 Genesis
1 Nim Deathmantle
1 Cryptolith Rite
1 Grave Titan
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
1 Gravespawn Sovereign
1 Cryptbreaker
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Reassembling Skeleton
Reassembling Skeleton doesn't do much, so I've cut it. There's a lot less sacrifice effects in the deck than originally, so instead I went with what I thought was a stronger utility pick. Cryptbreaker comes down Turn 1 and its' Discard ability means I could get Dredge cards into my graveyard at will. Or just make a Zombie. Just like the Sovereign, it's second ability allows it to work the turn it comes down. Drawing cards on command is great, especially with Discard outlets. This also feeds into however many random Zombies get spawned and can't attack, they can now be used to improve the deck's draws.
I'm starting to think of putting Necrotic Ooze into the main board with the amount of Activated abilities my creatures have; however, I have sort of moved away from the traditional Nooze win builds.
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
1 Undead Alchemist
1 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
1 Shambling Shell
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Opulent Palace
1 Kessig Cagebreakers
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Prized Amalgam
1 Bloodghast
1 Evolving Wilds
Fact or Fiction is a draw spell that could make me Zombies, but a lot of the time I was too busy playing threats to leave four mana open to EOT FoF. Also, this isn't Standard where that was a death sentence. I put in Lifecrafter's Bestiary because it is easier on my curve and potentially draws me a lot more cards. These are draws as well, instead of the revealing that Fact did, which means I can get Dredge triggers. Furthermore, the Scry 1 is incredibly informative. I'll know if it will guarantee a Zombie hit if I want one, it gives me the option to get rid of cards I don't want in my hand like Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger/Gaea's Blessing. But the one thing I'm looking forward to is knowing if I have a land on top of my library - there are times where I'm stuck on four or five lands because I'm too busy Dredging them all away. This way I can make a decision if I need a land drop over another 2/2.
Prized Amalgam is nifty, whenever I put a creature into play from my Graveyard he comes along too. He seemed to be the perfect companion to Hell's Caretaker - I would sac him, return someone else and then he'd come back. Though I think I can do better than professional sacrifice fodder. Enter Shambling Shell - another Dredge card in a deck that likes to Dredge. The one toughness means I could some shenanigans with Skullclamp if I ever decide to cast him. This is a card that shows exactly why a lot of Sidisi players say the deck is tight for space, it's full of cards that never are meant to be cast but just keep the Dredge engine going.
I initially thought I would be running a more sacrifice heavy build, so a Bloodghast would be a great way to keep getting value especially if paired with Perilous Forays which was cut much earlier. Another card like the Amalgam that was never meant to be cast, though it felt out of place. The Fauna Shaman gives me a discard outlet to get rid of the Dredge creatures to start my engine up again, but also searches for whatever I need. Overall, a solid addition.
Evolving Wilds puts a basic into play tapped. While I do value Islands because of Wonder, I think I can keep my Basic mana base intact while increasing my mana diversity. Too me this is a complete upgrade.
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Tempt with Discovery
1 Havengul Lich
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Swamp
1 Alchemist's Refuge
1 Ondu Giant
1 Body Double
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
With the inclusion of Havengul Lich I had to decide between cutting the Body Double or Corpse Harvester. Those are the two weaker picks on the higher end of my CMC. I kept the Harvester because it could theorhetically search up for a Zombie I need, whether it's a Gray Merchant of Asphodel to pad my life total, Sidisi, Undead Vizier to search for anything I want to combo off or just a Vengeful Dead to try to kill the table. Body Double is fairly similar to the Lich, so that's what got cut in comparison to the utility Corpse Harvester provides.
I could say that it's more likely for me to cast Kozilek but the truth of the matter is that was what was in the store. I bought it so I could move Ulamog to my Rakdos, Lord of Riots deck.
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
1 Caustic Caterpillar
1 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
1 Crop Rotation
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Acidic Slime
1 Wild Wanderer
1 Counterspell
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Swamp
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
1 Embalmer's Tools
1 Plague Belcher
1 Victimize
1 Corpse Harvester
Embalmer's Tools are everything and more. I would make them a priority target if you're facing off against a Sidisi. Victimize is a solid effect but it isn't repeatable nor that strong for me to consider searching for.
Plague Belcher has been added as more redundancy for me 'kill the table' plan. Hopefully it matches up to the hype that the Sidisi Primer has been going for. They mostly thinks it auto replaces Vengeful Dead but that's because they don't run Tombstone Stairwell like me. The decision to cut the Harvester is for mana curve but as well as despite it's awesome ability to find me Zombies i just didn't have time for that. Belcher will help out my aggro game as well, with its Menace and 5 power.
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
1 Avenging Druid
1 Extractor Demon
1 Expedition Map
1 Evolutionary Leap
1 Breeding Pool
1 Unholy Grotto
1 Shambling Shell
1 Champion of Stray Souls
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Temple of Mystery
1 Svogthos, the Restless Tomb
I was unhappy with Champion of Stray Souls. Sure, mass recursion is great but the Zombies usually got fed into the Champ before I could resurrect all the creatures that did stuff when my Zombies died. Also, Champ is 11 mana for this resurrect when there's cheaper options for a similar effect. And while the 6 mana point is a little choked for my Birthing Pod Chain, he didn't ever give me Magical Christmasland of put him into play, next turn return a bunch of creatures and then Pod him into Sheoldred, Whispering One. Extractor Demon has impressed me already with the amount of Zombies he makes with creatures leaving play all the time, you can even cooperate with opponents so that they sac a creature to mess with a Vampiric Tutor. Furthermore, he's 5 in the air and can be Unearthed but to be honest, I'd rather just get him back normally. He also provides a mill wincon with Tombstone Stairwell. On average, 20 Zombies might be put into play - that's 40 cards to mill someone and even moreso on the next turn due to them having more Zombies. It's a way to safely increase the Zombies in play for pings upon death without milling myself and having my Graveyard set to 0 due to a reshuffle. Though that would have to be very unfortunate as they're separate triggers, so when a reshuffler hits my 'yard I probably have a few more mill triggers yet to resolve to fill my yard further.
I'm a little sad with the loss of Wayfarer's Bauble because it eliminates another Turn 3 Sidisi play; however, with the introduction of Coffers and Urborg, it's paramount I assemble the big mana and can do so consistently. Enter Expedition Map.
Disk comes into play tapped and usually I just don't have time to Wrath the board. By being an Aggro/Combo mishmash, a lot of the time I can ignore my opponent's board states, build my own and then kill the table somehow. I did feel like I was slightly lacking in sac outlets, so Evolutionary Leap should solve a lot of that. Most of my threats come from Creatures, so I'm quite happy to get get more into hand at the cost of sacrificing a token.
Temple of Mystery is an inferior Breeding Pool. Pool can be fetched by Wood Elves, as well as choosing to come into play tapped or untapped, so it was an easy decision to swap it out. I don't want to lower my Island count at all due to Wonder. The other mana change is using Unholy Grotto to tutor my 'yard to Zombies, or do Cycling tricks with Gempalm Polluter to blast players almost every turn. I cut Svogthos because it is also a colorless source and as the deck got better, the less opportunity I had to turn it into a */* creature as well as tempting fate with a reshuffle and having my land die. I think Grotto is a much safer utility land and enhances' the deck's inevitability.
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
Champion of Stray Souls has dual function of guaranteeing a zombie but when it is in play, it's a sac outlet and reanimator rolled into one. Never take the long route with it, though (for 11 mana you may as well hardcast Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre). And yes, Birthing Pod chains with him are awesome sauce.
Hermit Druid > Avenging Druid in almost every single way possible. It costs 1 less and doesn't need to land an attack on an opponent to use the ability. I tried Hermit Druid before and it was pretty great because I ran no basics so he always guaranteed a zombie and reshuffling my graveyard thanks to the Eldrazi titans. I took it out because I don't need to go so overboard with self-mill. But if you're gonna include Avenging Druid, you may as well go full mill druid and upgrade to Hermit Druid.
As for putting in subpar cards just because they have dredge is a very bad road to take. I went there when I started with the deck and quickly found out that it wasn't the best way to self mill. That's why you'll notice its absence in all my builds. So far, it hasn't been the best way to activate Sidisi.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
Champ may not cost 11 but sometimes he felt like it. I just didn't have time to play him, wait a turn and then spend five more mana. I might not have creatures in my graveyard by then from a Reshuffle. I might not have Zombies to sacrifice due to some board wipe, such as an Infest Effect. Or someone just vanilla Wrathed to get rid of the Champ. Sure, he's got 7 mana to put him back on top but I frequently don't have time for that. I'm currently having trouble keeping Hell's Caretaker to stick with the random hate and he costs 4 mana with sacrifice to get him to work. The Champ, in comparison, is prohibitively expensive.
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
Yeah, I can understand your logic on Champion of Stray Souls. However, I still disagree on Avenging Druid. You need to land a hit for it to do anything. If you don't get a hit that turn then it wastes a potential ramped land. Hermit Druid, on the other hand, may send a basic land to your hand while it self-mills, but it doesn't require smacking your opponent to do so. It's almost always more likely to happen than with Avenging Druid. That's just my mindset on it. Maybe I'm looking at it from a strictly mathematical viewpoint, but probabilistically speaking, Hermit Druid will get you a land in your hand more often then Avenging Druid will get it into play. Again, that may be because of my playstyle, so maybe you prefer one over the other.
Hell's Caretaker gets the hate when opponents see stuff like Craterhoof Behemoth in your graveyard, lol. Or when you have creature untappers in play.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
Hermit Druid is a safer choice, although the reward in this deck is less substantial than getting a completely free land.
Other than that, all of the changes make sense. You really don't have the time to pay the 6 and then pay the 5 for Champion of Stray Souls, and the second ability might as well not exist due to how anemic it feels.
The Unidentified Fantastic Flying Girl.
EDH
Xenagos, the God of Stompy
The Gitrog Monster: Oppressive Value.
Marchesa, Marionette Master - Undying Robots
Yuriko, the Hydra Omnivore
I make dolls as a hobby.
Here's another change:
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Forest
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
1 Tainted Isle
1 Tainted Wood
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Golgari Rot Farm
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
1 Filth
1 Agent of Erebos
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
Yeah, for this deck speed is definitely better than the double lands. I used to run them but found them to be too detrimental. However, I did leave them in a casual version of the deck because they're great in that sort of setting.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
1 Viscera Seer
1 Selhoff Occultist
1 City of Brass
1 Hinterland Harbor
1 Evolutionary Leap
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Forest
1 Simic Growth Chamber
Selhoff Occultist is a try out, I think that it could be very good for Sidisi due to the single mill instance. It also combos with Tombstone Stairwell for a mill wincon. Fleshbag Marauder hasn't been a good card for a little while. Marauder is great when you have a selection of removal, he adds to the asphyxiation of resources. Sidisi mostly ignores her opponents while killing.
City of Brass is just to add more reliability to the deck. I cut a Forest because it had the most amount but also the least important Land Type - Islands are required for Wonder, Swamps for Filth and perhaps Cabal Coffers. Simic Growth Chamber's bounce was annoying, plus unconditional ETBT wasn't great at times - the Harbor may avoid that and so it replaces.
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Tolaria West
1 Forest
1 Forbid
I'm also thinking of adding Hedron Crab as more of a self-mill outlet, but not sure how much tinkering I can do. The deck feels full and I still need to add Dakmor Salvage as well as more color/type fixing in Watery Grave.
Overall, I am happy with the deck besides its' sometimes inconsistent landbase. It's very resilient, interesting and requires a lot of thought.
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
1 Dakmor Salvage
1 Jarad's Orders
Current estimation of the deck: If left alone it can start the ball rolling; however, I'm finding massive mana instability to be a problem. I think a Watery Grave will help; previously I dismissed it as not that necessary but some lands' requirements of Swamps plus the two Incarnations I have don't work if I don't have that.
I also have a problem with being stuck in topdeck mode; especially if I need to keep a Dredge engine going so I don't see new, fresh cards. I'm thinking of adding Grim Backwoods to compensate but that might contribute to the mana instability. Perhaps cut Volrath's Stronghold? Though that seems like an absurd suggestion but I need to cut into my utility lands rather than my mana lands - especially since two of my lands are actually spells: Dakmor Salvage and Tolaria West.
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
1 Tireless Tracker
1 Fetid Pools
1 Woodland Cemetery
1 Grim Backwoods
1 Lifecrafter's Bestiary
1 Forest
2 Island
Lifecrafter made me pay at the moment for whether I was going to draw, plus a lot of the time I might not have actually cast the Creature but cheated it into play in some way. The Tracker's Clues, on the other hand, can be used whenever I want to or when I have the excess mana. The Clues' generation is also a part of the deck's strategy of ramping; I think it'll be easy to use. The Tracker is also a Creature, which is another shot at generating a Zombie off of mill. Lastly, the Tracker can be pretty large if I need to start outsizing.
As for my lands, I realized that I really need the Swamp Land Type much more than I need Island. Blue Sources are just fine. With that in mind, especially when I look at how many Spells require Blue, I cut two Islands. Fetid Pools is there to turn on the many things that require Swamps to work, but also Islands. I tried to shy away from ETBT Lands but the Pools typing makes me forgive it and late game I might be able to do some Cycling shenanigans. I probably still would want to pick up a Watery Grave but it seems all of the cheaper versions are unavailable; a purchase for another time then. With Swamps and Forests still being the dominate Land Type, I've added Woodland Cemetery for more color consistency. Grim Backwoods hopefully won't mess up my manabase too much, but it's a way to draw more cards from the fodder Sidisi makes.
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
1 Sunken Hollow
1 Island
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs