No, I just heard of the card and found it to be interesting enough to test it out, maybe instead of Clever Impersonator (because the only real downside is that you can't copy any nonland permanent and when is that a big deal?) but I wanted a second opinion on it, first. There are many broken creatures besides Sidisi that can be copied (Sheoldred, Whispering One for letting opponents sac more and letting us reanimate more, The Scarab God for his upkeep ability, Taigam, Sidisi's Hand for his upkeep ability, Kozilek and Ulamog for their annihilator and even Craterhoof Behemoth every turn because you can return it to your hand and don't need a sac outlet) so it shouldn't be that hard to include him.
I just stumbled over Sakashima the Impostor. A clone effect that can copy Sidisi, effectively doubling her ability. Or even Sheoldred. It also has the ability to bounce itself at the end of turn so you can copy something else/better. What do you think of it?
After making the changes, I tested it again. I played three games and in one I could bring out Itlimoc. It performed great, giving me 10 mana at one time. I only lost because of my own stupidness because I forget that Altar of Dementia can mill other players, too, not only myself for Mortuary + Narcomoeba... dementia, I guess
I won one game, but that wasn't something special, just the normal Opposition taps blockers thingy...
I really need to play the deck more often to avoid making mistakes. Interestingly enough, I didn't have a chance to play Razaketh, even though I had the mana and him in my hand. I just had other things to do.
I didn't say it's bad but I think it doesn't really belong in the competitive build, at least not as much as in the zombie build. That's why I would cut it next, once there is a better option that is not a better version of a card that's already in the deck.
I guess, it's settled then. I will cut Champion for Razaketh.
Embalmer's Tools will probably be the next card I will take out, when something clearly better is there.
Thanks for helping me!
I really don't want to cut Chromatic Lantern, I fear that is too risky. Potentially, the weakest cards I could think of to cut are Embalmer's Tools and maybe Champion of Stray Souls. I literally never had him in play and when he was in graveyard I didn't have the mana to put him on top of my library... For Tools... It feels like it belongs more in the zombie build than in the competitive build since I don't have that many activated abilities in the graveyard and I can only tap zombies. Sure, it works out with an army of zombies, but when you have an army already you are probably winning without it, while with Razaketh you can tutor out options if you can't win through combat damage.
Yeah, in the end I wasn't really surprised at Protean Hulk underperforming. I had to go through quite a couple of hoops to have it work as optimally as I has originally envisioned. Most of the time it would cheat into play at most 2 creatures. It's still an amazing card - just not for this deck.
Thanks to the new rules for planeswalkers, I don't have to worry about including others in the deck. I could have a Liliana tribal if I wanted to, now. So Liliana, Death's Majesty is definitely back for some serious consideration - especially for my Zombie Build. What has me excited for testing Taigam, Sidisi's Hand is that, due to the ratio of creatures to noncreatures, I can almost always get a Sidisi trigger thanks to it while potentially saving from the graveyard a card that's difficult to recur (planeswalker or enchantment). I find it to be a sort of Sylvan Library like effect that plays with Sidisi's main strategy.
Blood Moon and Back to Basics are hard to get around. But Cyclonic Rift gets it done. Or hopefully we can get rid of that player first before it becomes too problematic. Usually that player doesn't only hurt you in a multiplayer environment. So you can get political with the table.
I really love to see it becoming stronger over time with new cards I'm adding to it.
As I said before, I think Protean Hulk is boring. I'm glad the deck kinda agreed with me in this point
Liliana often enough gives me two zombies or functions as a boardwipe when situations are getting too risky for me. Also the recursion she provides is really nice, especially combined with The Scarab God because she makes a zombie out of the creature she got back.
Yeah, Taigam sounds like fun. Although you won't use his activated ability very often, I guess. But in some situations he can save you as well.
I've cut Garruk because you did cut him. I think he is good, too, but not as good as Teferi, Temporal Archmage or cards that really help the game plan more. And there are lots of untappers in the deck, so it isn't a big loss.
What do you think I should cut for Razaketh, though?
I played it this friday for the first time after a few weeks, because it seems far too strong and everytime I play it, it crushes my playgroup. As we all want to have fun, I'm building new decks that aren't that strong but from time to time I'm coming back to Sidisi. So, testing goes slow but steady and I always have a lot of fun when playing it. The changes I made from your version (The Scarab God for Gempalm Polluter and Ramunap Excavator for Gurmag Drowner) played out really well and also my Liliana, Death's Majesty was worth including. At least better than Garruk, Wildspeaker in regards of helping the overall deck plan. I'm still playing Butcher of Malakir but maybe I will make the change to Taigam, Sidisi's Hand now. This change speaks to me more than Protean Hulk did before and I was glad, I didn't buy it for the deck, when you said it was underperforming.
I'm only 12 lands away from completing the manabase (or maybe less if I keep my bounce lands in) and the only thing I fear, when getting more and more nonbasics is cards like Blood Moon or Back to Basics.
And I'm still unsure what to cut for Razaketh, the Foulblooded.
Still no space for Growing Rites of Itlimoc?
Yesterday I couldn't really test it, because I milled it and won the game before I was able to return it. But I can say, The Scarab God is so much value. First I made a Ruric Thar, the Unbowed token, which I killed off when I needed to, after that I made a Viral Drake token that killed one of the players who already had 4 poison counters. Proliferate rocks. The other player didn't survive an attack from my other creatures. Also, Scry X is awesome.
I finally got myself an Ancient Tomb. Too bad, I didn't draw it yesterday. I hope that someday I will be able to perform the awesome play: T1 Ancient Tomb, Sol Ring, Chromatic Lantern; T2 Land, Teferi, Temporal Archmage, Sidisi, Brood Tyrant... Magical christmasland, but still...
I wish you the best with your hurricane problem :/
Next week is the Ixalan Prerelease and hopefully I'll get a copy of Growing Rites if Itlimoc to test with. Or maybe I'll get an Ixalan Bundle, too (I want to build a dinosaur tribal EDH deck with Gishath :D).
For Gempalm Polluter there are too many things that bug me in the main build. You need to get him back into your hand to activate him again. For the most time we revive creatures but don't get them back in our hand. And you have to target a player. It doesn't hit all players like The Scarab God does. Okay, you draw a card, but The Scarab God synergizes well with Scroll Rack as you can scry really deep into your library. And then, the god is a big threat. Exiling creatures from graveyards, making 4/4 copies of them that are black Zombies for 4 Mana? With instant-speed (other than Eternalize)... it's just too good to not include it.
Also, The Scarab God returns himself to your hand if it dies, so with a Seedborn Muse and Alchemist's Refuge you can play him over and over again.
The only downside of the god is, it paints a big red cross on your forehead that reads "target me first".
Well, in the game on friday I was the target before I played him but it didn't get any better after it
In my build I'm still playing the three bounce lands and I will continue playing them even after I get the rest of the mana base. They are just too good.
On friday I had a nice turn 4. Simic Growth Chamber, Reliquary Tower and Voyaging Satyr on my side. I played a Swamp, tapped everything for 6 mana, played Teferi, Temporal Archmage, used his -1, untapped everything, then played Sidisi, got a zombie, played a Satyr Wayfinder, got 3 lands into my hand and a creature in my graveyard, another zombie... After that I had the board control and two turns later I won by playing Sidisi, Undead Vizier and Sheoldred, Whispering One in one turn which made my opponents give up.
It's still so much fun to play this deck :3
I'll probably cut Grisly Salvage for Growing Rites of Itlimoc in my build. Grisly Salvage digs for 5, Growing Rites of Itlimoc for 4. Grisly Salvage gets you a creature OR a land, Growing Rites of Itlimoc gets you a creature and becomes a land later. Only the selfmill is missing there and it is not an instant... but I will test it.
Hopefully tomorrow I'll get the chance to test The Scarab God instead of Gempalm Polluter. I have high expectations
And next month I am finally able to afford the rest of the deck, which is basically only the mana base. But still, costs me around 90€ I think. And no, I will not get the Alpha Duals and Gaea's Cradle...
Well, Path of Ancestry is also working with Sidisi when you've got to cast her (again). So I would consider playing it. I don't know yet, what to cut for it, probably Llanowar Wastes...
I won one game, but that wasn't something special, just the normal Opposition taps blockers thingy...
I really need to play the deck more often to avoid making mistakes. Interestingly enough, I didn't have a chance to play Razaketh, even though I had the mana and him in my hand. I just had other things to do.
Embalmer's Tools will probably be the next card I will take out, when something clearly better is there.
Thanks for helping me!
I really love to see it becoming stronger over time with new cards I'm adding to it.
As I said before, I think Protean Hulk is boring. I'm glad the deck kinda agreed with me in this point
Liliana often enough gives me two zombies or functions as a boardwipe when situations are getting too risky for me. Also the recursion she provides is really nice, especially combined with The Scarab God because she makes a zombie out of the creature she got back.
Yeah, Taigam sounds like fun. Although you won't use his activated ability very often, I guess. But in some situations he can save you as well.
Back to Basics is kind of okay to get around with Seedborn Muse, but Blood Moon is hard to get rid of without Nullmage Shepherd or Cyclonic Rift. But being political in games is awesome even though sometimes it backfires.
I've cut Garruk because you did cut him. I think he is good, too, but not as good as Teferi, Temporal Archmage or cards that really help the game plan more. And there are lots of untappers in the deck, so it isn't a big loss.
What do you think I should cut for Razaketh, though?
1 Mesmeric Orb
1 Embalmer's Tools
1 Altar of Dementia
1 Sol Ring
1 Expedition Map
1 Akroma's Memorial
1 Scroll Rack
1 Chromatic Lantern
// Creature
1 Filth
1 Narcomoeba
1 Kiora's Follower
1 Ramunap Excavator
1 Diregraf Captain
1 Vengeful Pharaoh
1 Hell's Caretaker
1 Nullmage Shepherd
1 Voyaging Satyr
1 Aphetto Alchemist
1 Krosan Restorer
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Champion of Stray Souls
1 Grimgrin, Corpse-Born
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
1 Death Baron
1 Genesis
1 Sidisi, Undead Vizier
1 Undead Alchemist
1 Havengul Lich
1 Seeker of Skybreak
1 The Scarab God
1 Riftsweeper
1 Undead Warchief
1 Satyr Wayfinder
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Eternal Witness
1 Clever Impersonator
1 Seedborn Muse
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Butcher of Malakir
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
1 Opposition
1 Mortuary
1 Doubling Season
1 Growing Rites of Itlimoc
// Instant
1 Sudden Reclamation
1 Entomb
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Intuition
1 Cyclonic Rift
// Land
1 Path of Ancestry
3 Swamp
3 Forest
1 Thespian's Stage
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Darksteel Citadel
1 Simic Growth Chamber
3 Island
1 Mortuary Mire
1 Nephalia Drownyard
1 Tolaria West
1 Command Tower
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Deserted Temple
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Alchemist's Refuge
1 Breeding Pool
1 City of Brass
1 Mana Confluence
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Seat of the Synod
1 Vault of Whispers
1 Tree of Tales
1 Temple of the False God
1 Golgari Rot Farm
1 Tainted Wood
1 Tainted Isle
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Teferi, Temporal Archmage
1 Kiora, Master of the Depths
1 Liliana, Death's Majesty
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
// Sorcery
1 Splendid Reclamation
1 Buried Alive
1 Mulch
1 Life from the Loam
1 Jarad's Orders
1 Victimize
1 Sidisi, Brood Tyrant
I'm only 12 lands away from completing the manabase (or maybe less if I keep my bounce lands in) and the only thing I fear, when getting more and more nonbasics is cards like Blood Moon or Back to Basics.
And I'm still unsure what to cut for Razaketh, the Foulblooded.
EDIT: 9 lands if I keep Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx as a substitue for Gaea's Cradle, Path of Ancestry instead of Opulent Palace and all my bounce lands instead of the pain lands.
I can only speak for my Trostani deck where I play it, but it worked wonders there, last time I played it. So much mana and value from the EtB.
Lol yeah, probably
Yesterday I couldn't really test it, because I milled it and won the game before I was able to return it. But I can say, The Scarab God is so much value. First I made a Ruric Thar, the Unbowed token, which I killed off when I needed to, after that I made a Viral Drake token that killed one of the players who already had 4 poison counters. Proliferate rocks. The other player didn't survive an attack from my other creatures. Also, Scry X is awesome.
I finally got myself an Ancient Tomb. Too bad, I didn't draw it yesterday. I hope that someday I will be able to perform the awesome play: T1 Ancient Tomb, Sol Ring, Chromatic Lantern; T2 Land, Teferi, Temporal Archmage, Sidisi, Brood Tyrant... Magical christmasland, but still...
And I got myself a Growing Rites of Itlimoc today at the prerelease and also most of the stuff to build a Gishath deck. I love prereleases!
Next week is the Ixalan Prerelease and hopefully I'll get a copy of Growing Rites if Itlimoc to test with. Or maybe I'll get an Ixalan Bundle, too (I want to build a dinosaur tribal EDH deck with Gishath :D).
For Gempalm Polluter there are too many things that bug me in the main build. You need to get him back into your hand to activate him again. For the most time we revive creatures but don't get them back in our hand. And you have to target a player. It doesn't hit all players like The Scarab God does. Okay, you draw a card, but The Scarab God synergizes well with Scroll Rack as you can scry really deep into your library. And then, the god is a big threat. Exiling creatures from graveyards, making 4/4 copies of them that are black Zombies for 4 Mana? With instant-speed (other than Eternalize)... it's just too good to not include it.
Also, The Scarab God returns himself to your hand if it dies, so with a Seedborn Muse and Alchemist's Refuge you can play him over and over again.
The only downside of the god is, it paints a big red cross on your forehead that reads "target me first".
Well, in the game on friday I was the target before I played him but it didn't get any better after it
In my build I'm still playing the three bounce lands and I will continue playing them even after I get the rest of the mana base. They are just too good.
On friday I had a nice turn 4. Simic Growth Chamber, Reliquary Tower and Voyaging Satyr on my side. I played a Swamp, tapped everything for 6 mana, played Teferi, Temporal Archmage, used his -1, untapped everything, then played Sidisi, got a zombie, played a Satyr Wayfinder, got 3 lands into my hand and a creature in my graveyard, another zombie... After that I had the board control and two turns later I won by playing Sidisi, Undead Vizier and Sheoldred, Whispering One in one turn which made my opponents give up.
It's still so much fun to play this deck :3
Hopefully tomorrow I'll get the chance to test The Scarab God instead of Gempalm Polluter. I have high expectations
And next month I am finally able to afford the rest of the deck, which is basically only the mana base. But still, costs me around 90€ I think. And no, I will not get the Alpha Duals and Gaea's Cradle...