MTG Salvation

A Plague o' Both Your Houses
Orzhov Guildmage


I am hurt.
A plague o'both your houses! I am sped.
Is he gone and hath nothing?
- Mercutio, Romeo and Juliet.


Introduction
Orzhov Guildmage will be my fourth guildmage pauper deck, which means I'm well and truly on the way to getting them all done. This has been the most fun to make so far as I always loved the Orzhov Guild, to the degree I played the Hand in Hand deck for as long as it was viable and played Teysa, Orzhov Scion for a lot of standard. Without a doubt this was the hardest guildmage to make as his abilities were just so bad in a vacuum. This means, as always with my black decks I turned to the best kill I know of for Pauper - Pestilence.

The entire goal of this deck is to get a Pestilence or Crypt Rats down and try ride them victory. To facilitate this there are many recursion spells and even ways to return enchantments, as well as searching them out. Evincar's Justice is also an allstar in this regard, which can be tutored for instead of Pestilence with Dimir House Guard. It provides a reusable way to win that this deck is built to survive. Gangenous Zombies is a one-use Evincar's Justice a lot of time, but it offers a secondary creature to recur should Crypt Rats somehow be exiled. To this end, there is a a major enchantment theme. some of which can prevent damage, and many creatures that have protection from black. Given the absence of enchantment removal I'm hoping to abuse black damage as much as I can. The general and some minor lifegain are intended to counteract this life loss.

To anyone who plays this I hope you have fun!


What is Pauper Commander?
1. Same rules as Commander.
2. Commander is an uncommon. It can be any uncommon, not just a legend.
3. Rest of deck must be common in a non-Magic Online (Masters Editions come to mind) printing!

To be strong a Pauper Commander deck must use or have an answer to the 'Four Pillars':
1. Fireball and variants - Red and black have them, be able to survive it.
2. Capsize- Banned in some places, you need to be able to disrupt the buyback.
3. Pestilence and its variants - Board sweepers, be ready for them.
4. Alabaster Potion and variants - Lifegain, the opposite of Fireball.

This deck runs the third and fourth pillars, Pestilence, Evincar's Justice, Gangrenous Zombies, Crypt Rats and Alabaster Potion.


(*) Represents a card being shown in multiple categories.


Change Log

New Inclusions

Red indicates they were once used, but are currently removed.

Dark Ascension
Haunted Fengraf - An excellent new utility land that is an auto-include for most pauper Commander decks.

Avacyn Restored
Grave Exchange - Much like Plague Spores, this offers two effects on one card. Good card advantage.
Seraph of Dawn - A great common angel with lifelink, just what this deck needs.
Unhallowed Pact - This interacts well with Pestilence, the emphasis of deck.

Magic 2013
Murder - The new Doom Blade, a very good card that is just better than old Dark Banishing at same cost too.

Return to Ravnica
Transguild Promenade - Rupture Spire number two.

Gatecrash
Angelic Edict - Better artwork than other Iona's Judgement.
Basilica Guards - Extort is very powerful and reduces impact of Pestilence over long term.
Midnight Recovery - This might be a bit hit and miss, but if it succeeds in returning three or more creatures it is value
Orzhov Guildgate - This is kind of obvious, pauper mana fixing is getting even better.

Dragon's Maze
Orzhov Cluestone - A great mana fixer with more utility than Darksteel Ingot.
Tithe Drinker - Life link and extort is very good for a good common.

Modern Masters
Nothing at this time.


Cards I need or am on fence about:

Could maybe use
1. Chill to the Bone
2. Test of Faith
3. Basilisk Screecher
4. Rootborn Defences
5. Death's Approach
6. Kingpin's Pet
7. Syndic of Tithes
8. Syndicate Enforcer
9. Angelic Renewal

Good Cards that were Cut, but could be used:

I really like this deck and would also love any feedback.

Minor update, Seraph of Dawn is now added! I'll keep an eye out, but not sure more fits from new set.

I love this idea! In my experience, you really need to up the aggressiveness in pauper edh, before you get overwhelmed by a combo deck (I play a mean freed from the real combo bant deck) or one where there is a lot of scalable synergy between the deck and general (izzet guildmage with lightning bolt and flame rift come to mind).

These are some cards where I'm concerned about the utility of, and some suggested alternatives:

cemetery gate -> stinkweed imp: the imp recurs itself, blocks like a champ, dumps useful stuff in the yard, and can carry a bonesplitter better than the wall.
ulamog's crusher -> twisted abomination: ulamag's is great in pauper post decks, but gets murdered immediately in multiplayer pauper edh.

Some things I'd personally make room for:
tortured existence: you have so much of the "tortured auramancer" package already that this enchantment would be a brilliant inclusion. It's recurrable by the mancer, and fetchable by the hartebeest.
driver of the dead: with all of your sac outlets, this guy can resurrect some of your creatures, when and if it's been castrated by your opponents. 3/2 can definitely carry a weapon too.
stonehorn dignitary: delays opponents' aggressive strategies, and is an interesting target for a sac~resurrection engine.
ashnod's altar: one of my preferred sac outlets.
liliana's specter: an inexpensive, scalable win con and tempting reanimation target.

PS: I'm sig-ing your seraph misspelling for the time being; I laughed hard when I saw that.

Is your name Dan? I didn't notice that, although to be fair only 1/3 instances was wrong!

Driver is very good and I forgot it was only common, however I have very few targets for it currently, even if it can get general back.

I know CG is a terrible card, except with this deck it is trying to control board and almost always get to a Pestilence end game.

Ulamog's Crusher may be too much and I'll consider that idea, he is mind you, the most powerful common creature for its cost.

The others are interesting ideas and will be considered, however Hartebeest can only get auras, so its not completely comby. TE is certainly valid, and could be enhanced with even more raise dead effects (there are one or two more I'm not playing).

Hello there,
I like your series about the guild mages very much. This one had a big impact on me and I want to try to build a deck like that myself.

Maybe a bit high mana cost but great synergy with the enchantment:
dromad purebred.

I am sure this card would be a great addition.

I kinda stopped posting them, although i did make one on every guild mage. I could post others if some people are following them.

Dromad Purebreed is great synergy, I never saw that. Pestilence is everything in this format and if you can take advantage of it in every way then you're doing well.

Good Morning,

Well I think I would be interested in the others as well. But for the moment I would prefer focusing on inproving that one

I found some cards that could be a good addition:

Orzhov Euthanist and Blind Zealot can get rid of bigger creatures. With tortured existence they can do the job over and over again. For the euthanist it's enough just to ping once with pestilence to trigger him.:cool2:

Slagwurm armor can protect your own creatures pretty well against your own pestilence.

Do you think you can find your pestilence-effect fast enough? What is your experience? I see just 2 tutors.

We actually have minor tutors, plus three variants of Pestilence, with Crypt Rats and Evincar's Justice too. Different tutors fetch different ones.

All your ideas are great The idea is to gain card advantage without blue in a format where the cards are designed to give it less often. With Graveborn Zombie Tortured may work, but I do like some opportunity to get other options once I have control until I sweep. I don't have issue typically, but I run other removal to compensate. Murder is needed in list too, when I update.

Hello MiffedMoogle,

Thanks a lot for sharing your deck with us.
I am trying to build a deck based on your BW list.
I published here in this Forum as a Sludge Strider Pauper EDH

I think some of the things I came across might be interesting
for your list too.

Gangreous Zombies is a fine creature and can protect you against
quite many smaller treats.

Sutured Priest can cause some lifegain-lifeloss. I think the
bigger your play group is the more you should consier it

What do you think about executionors Capsule, leonin squire sanctum gargoyle?
You can tutor the squire and the gargoyle!

For general lifegain you could use tendrils of corruption or blood tithe.

cackling fiend is maybe a card to consider if you want to improve the discard plan.
But I think this is not the way to go. But if you want to go on then you might
consider liliana's specter, unerve and augur of sculls. - I thinkt that's difficult.

I know you are making this series for the guild mages. As an alternative I think
agent of masks would be a better commander for the deck.

Greets

Quote from Korhal

Hello MiffedMoogle,

Thanks a lot for sharing your deck with us.
I am trying to build a deck based on your BW list.
I published here in this Forum as a Sludge Strider Pauper EDH

I think some of the things I came across might be interesting
for your list too.

Gangreous Zombies is a fine creature and can protect you against
quite many smaller treats.

Sutured Priest can cause some lifegain-lifeloss. I think the
bigger your play group is the more you should consier it

What do you think about executionors Capsule, leonin squire sanctum gargoyle?
You can tutor the squire and the gargoyle!

For general lifegain you could use tendrils of corruption or blood tithe.

cackling fiend is maybe a card to consider if you want to improve the discard plan.
But I think this is not the way to go. But if you want to go on then you might
consider liliana's specter, unerve and augur of sculls. - I thinkt that's difficult.

I know you are making this series for the guild mages. As an alternative I think
agent of masks would be a better commander for the deck.

Greets

This is way delayed, but thank you posting Korhal.

Sludge Strider might work and three colour definitely has better card options and likely near flawless mana fixing.

You are right, Gangrenous Zombies is quite the gem if using snow-covered lands, I'll try squish it in. Suture Priest won't survive too many pestilence activations and my play group loves their removal, but it is very strong. Lately I'm considering extort cards which function similarly.

The synergy you described is very nice and should be capitalised on if used with other artifacts that sacrifice for an effect. It still isn't as strong as auras in pauper, but it is powerful.

I don't feel I run enough swamps for Tendrils of Corruption to be more efficient than other removal, but it is up to personal choice.

Blood Tithe I have seen in action and it is very good, I wouldn't fault someone for running it, but I wouldn't know what to cut right now, although some auras may go.

I don't like the discard plan in this type of deck as you operate on poor card advantage as it is and blue recovers too easily.

Agent of Masks, Sin Collector and many others are great generals, likely better than this one, but it is for a project. Even the new Orzhov guildmage, Vizkopa is better, but it is a challenge to make the worse version succeed I find.

I have updated deck and it is in process of being changed for potentially more extort, Midnight Recovery and potentially Slagwurm Armor and Gregrenous Zombies.

Minor update, nothing rarity shifted from Modern Masters is relevant to this list. The Tortured Existence package is still being considered, just I've been busy.

Shade's Form is either a nice upgrade to Unhallowed Pact or another copy you can add to the deck. Added utility where you can turn one of your own creatures into a threat.

Sounds good, I'll see about putting Shade's Form in, along with Tortured Existence.

I decided against Driver of the Dead due to no real good targets outside general and Stinkweed Imp isn't best value in this deck.

Quote from MiffedMoogle

Sounds good, I'll see about putting Shade's Form in, along with Tortured Existence.

Shade's Form is really strong. I love it.

I currently have a zombie tribal pauper EDH deck. I feel like I'm not in one of the pillars that you have described in the OP. I think I am closest to the drain life big nuke strategy using gempalm polluter, and shepherd of rot for killing players (it's primarily for 1v1). Do you think my deck has what it takes to work? I honestly didn't know pestilence was legal in pauper so that is hilarious and may go into my list.

For the record, my commander is still up in the air. My friend kind of raged at me for choosing noxious ghoul at first because he seems to want to play it more casually. Would noxious ghoul be a good commander? I switched it out for soulless one for now since there are not many people who play pauper EDH with me, and there's no point in trying to shut down my only opponents' deck through hard counters. What are your thoughts on corpse harvester as a commander? He looks like he'd be fun, and can easily set me up for a win (always getting my main win zombie into play).