MTG Salvation

Quote from Kotagg

I tried the more control-y version most are trying, and I neither did well nor liked how it played. What does an updated version of that list look like, taishaku?

Not sure. I just noticed that I had all of the stuff to build it. Haha. Anyone running it post-DGM with any success?

To be honest though, my interest in this deck is for when Innistrad cycles out. The loss of Lightning Mauler will mean that the clocks on aggro decks will be much more manageable. (I mean, really, who in R&D thought 6 damage on turn two would be fine? T_T)

So have people given up on the Deathrite Shaman, Lotleth Troll, and Varolz, the Scar-Striped core?

@gsmashkilla
I actually have not built the deck aside from proxies, so I cannot do tournaments or anything just yet, only friends and vs. myself (it's amazing what you can do with a Sharpie and a DTB database). I've got a lot of Modern Masters coming in, so hopefully I will be able to sleeve up the real thing.

Sometimes, I wonder if I should be running Infest/Marsh Casualties or Creeping Corrosion in the board; this deck does have trouble against hyperaggro.

Vengevine works decently well in the Zombie shell because of Gravecrawler.

@Mawootad
Actually, yes. Fulminator Mage it is.

@theroguewriter
I agree. Liliana of the Veil is a swiss army knife for this deck. She fills in a lot of roles. Removes trouble creatures (such as Geist of Saint Traft), drops creatures into the graveyard, and is a huge headache for control; at the same time, she enables Nyxathid, which is normally a late game creature or Scavenge fodder.

---

So, taking all the feedback into account, I revised the list:



Still mulling over the Nyxathid and Skellskite. The former can be really good in certain matchups. Also, I think that I need some better evasion than Treetop Village's Trample... maybe Rancor?

This is more of an aggro deck with strong synergies than a combo deck. (I mean... if we're building a flat-out combo deck, there seem to be much faster and reliable options than creatures and Scavenge...)

My problem with Inkmoth Nexus is that it's not particularly useful without sufficient counters on it, and the only card in your deck that can do that is Varolz. Thus, for a good chunk of your games, Inkmoth Nexus is a 1/1 Infect flier that does not produce colored mana.

Bloodghast is so slow, cannot block in a pinch, fails to activate Vengevine or Gravecrawler... in short, I think Gravecrawler is much better.

And let's be honest, regeneration is not exactly the most reliable form of protection. Expect Varolz to die and play around this very likely possibility. (Oh, and I would imagine that the Zombie shell is a lot better at sacking for regeneration shield.)

Well, it seems you either go with a Zombies/Vengevine shell or a Tarmogoyf/Nyxathid shell. I think the latter shell has more potential, but I can see it going either way.



Liliana gives the Tarmogoyf another +1/+1, and if you have a Nyxathid, she can really start dropping the hand count.

And, the Zombie/Vengevine shell:



Hm... maybe Putrid Leech as well? Life total does not matter as much due to the Death's Shadows.

I'm currently sitting and waiting for Innistrad/M13 to cycle out so the environment is more aggro friendly (screw Thragtusk and Angel). I think a black-centered Jund midrange aggro deck will be really strong, with Cackler, Jester, Mangler, Lotleth, Varolz, and Desecration Demon; Cackler is actually sort of optional, since we have access to Gaze of Granite and the soon-to-be-reprinted Ratchet Bomb.

Quote from panavision

I assume the izzet guildgate should be azorious?

how often are you using things like kor haven? With so many nonbasics nimbus maze still works ok?

One month late, but eh.

Kor Haven is useful because when Epic is on and your first win attempt is derailed, you still need ways to stop damage.

Nimbus Maze is amazing when it does work, but disappointing when it does not. Tundra and Hallowed Fountain are key in enabling it.

If you are running a Travis Woo variant:
+1 Fling

You're welcome. =P

Quote from BaconoftheArk

By the way, I never new that card existed; Gem of Beaconing.

What do you lose from running Devastation in a Stax list?
You live off mana rocks and it does not destroy mana rocks.

I can not run Buried Alive in my playgroup; Buried Alive in my meta reads...destroy a Tormod's Crypt in play and hopefully distract your opponents from your real strategy.

Gem of Becoming means: Get one three-color set of dual/shock lands. An Armillary Sphere on steroids. ^^

I suppose it's a metagame choice, but my playgroup is very vindictive. =\

Ah. So you're not graveyard-based. That's fine.

You forgot Gem of Becoming.

Also, I would not run the Devastation effects. How about Ashes to Ashes or heck, maybe you can run this number:

• Buried Alive
  
• Intuition
  
• Bloodghast
  
• Reassembling Skeleton
  
• Wonder
  

I find it makes for a good base to operate on in my own Staximundar deck.

Also, to fight off aggro, Pendrell Mists and Propaganda.

Bump. I'm still updating this thing periodically for those interested.

Recent changes:
-1 Drift of Phantasms
-1 Talisman of Progress
+1 Phantasmal Image
+1 Mana Vault

I realized that Drift actually doesn't fetch anything anymore, so I replaced his creature slot with the most excellent Phantasmal Image.

I also dropped Talisman of Progress because I wanted another bit of bursty mana in.

Oh, and I decided to just post the EDH-legal version of this deck. Modify it as you will to fit local banlist rules.

Quote from capitacom

This deck should probably include Kira, Great Glass Spinner and Mother of Runes to protect Hanna. Other than that, every blue list can play cheap counterspells such as Flusterstorm , Spell Pierce and Dispel to protect against removal options.

Protecting Hanna is not that great a priority that I would include less-than-useful cards to do it. Remember, the goal is to eliminate early threats and pull off a successful combo.

Quote from mikel123

My experience with Hanna in 1v1 has been that she just dies, almost immediately, every time she hits the field. Every deck I play against has some anti-creature cards, and she's really the only target for all of those spells in a decklist like the OP.

Anyone else find this to be the case? I'd love to play her, but my experience makes me think that GAAIV is a better choice in any Hanna decklist, because at least he does *something* once played, even if it just makes the spell that kills him cost 1 more.

You use her to solidify control under particular circumstances. For example, the turn after you drop Decree of Silence. If you're not in control, you probably should not be dropping her without permission or Lightning Greaves to protect her.

EDIT: I squeezed Detention Sphere and Supreme Verdict into the deck. The former replaces Hatching Plans, which is sometimes a dead card, and the latter replaces Day of Judgment on the merit of being simply better.

Quote from Dupoonie

To necro this once again. Would this deck be viable in multiplayer? How would you tune it against multiple opponents? Standstill would be a no go for sure.

The deck works fine in multiplayer. Many of the combos affect the whole board state, and you will have access to mana acceleration like Sol Ring and Mana Crypt.

In terms of tuning specifically for multiplayer play, consider dropping some of the permission for Reveillark and Karmic Guide. Then add utility creatures like Academy Rector, Glen Elendra Archmage, Duplicant, Trinket/Treasure Mage, and maybe Auramancer/Monk Idealist. Such utility is the hallmark for a successful EDH deck. (That or you can double down on board sweepers.)

Whoa. Someone actually necroed this thread. Thanks everyone for your kind words and input. I since have revised this deck a lot, mostly to conform to 1v1 Commander Duel / French Banlist rules.

I updated the post. Enjoy.

@mikel123
Be flexible with what you choose with Enduring Renewal. Decree of Silence is great because it pretty much exhausts the opponent's hand. He will be out for pretty much two turns, and you can get something really nasty on the board by then.

I dislike Dovescape because it tends to be a dead card, but it definitely is an alternative. If you do run it, I recommend you also add Guile for another fun combo.

I stopped running Meishin. It felt too slow, and is redundant with Solitary Confinement also in the deck.

Enduring Renewal is powerful because it is a play that many decks cannot stop. If you drop it on turn four or five, they probably will not be able to stop you in time. Keep in mind that you can still play lands like Mistveil Plains (which is a Plains, so the Panoramas can fetch it).

@3drinks
Paradox Haze is alright, but I try to avoid cards that are dead except in certain situations. I don't think I have enough upkeep cards to justify running it.

I dislike Hesitation because you don't get to choose the card. Also, if you use Hanna to fetch it, it is 5 mana to counter one spell not of your choice per turn. I would much rather just go straight for the jugular, removing his lands from the game or setting up Greater Auramancy and Luminarch Ascension.

@Leroy
No. You have a choice to play that Tunnel Vision or not. Also, their lands go away too. But you will likely have more and bigger creatures than he does.