Read the Runes is just amazing as i can generate a lot of tokens and if i get infinite mana i can sac some lands.
Awesome. I'm glad it worked out for you
Another question. Have you tried Cyclonic Rift? It might be redundant with Capsize but it seems easier to cast when an infinite mana combo isn't available. It won't bounce lands so if you're looking to end the game that way you might not get that lock.
Admittedly, I've yet to cast it because I haven't opened one but it looks interesting on paper. I play Oblivion Stone in my build and, as the deck morphs into a more Enchantment Heavy deck, I'm looking for a way to simultaneously slow the board state while keeping my stuff.
Great. I'm glad Read the Runes piqued your interest. I'm curious to see your test conclusion.
I understand what your saying about Help of Possession. I consider it to be something of an auto-include in any EDH deck that creates cheap and efficient tokens so I'm a little biased.
Since your deck has a life loss theme, have you considered cards like Rites of Consumption and Essence Harvest? I noticed that a few of your combos involve a large GrimGrin. The only evasion I see is the swampwalk that Zombie Master and Urborg grants (which I see as kind of a combo in itself) and the two Big Buff artifacts so I assume that, barring evasion, the main plan is to punch GrimGrin through for the general damage kill on the back of Grave Pact effects?
Is this working well enough or do you think the direct damage from Rites of Consumption and Essence Harvest are worth inclusion? The latter is probably better since it doesn't require a sacrificed critter.
EDIT: Just noticed that Vela gives intimidate and there's a Shizo in the list so there's more evasion than I thought at first.
Any thoughts about Read the Runes as a card draw and conditional sac outlet? Admittedly, my GrimGrin deck is more reanimation-driven and zombie heavy so I don't mind dumping creatures into my graveyard but it does combo well with Noxious Ghoul and Diregraf Captain. I also run Tombstone Stairwell (which I know you've cut) but casting Read the Runes and sacrificing Tombspawn tokens is always fun.
Also, how do you feel about Helm of Possession? I understand that you like the proactive Bribery effect but how do you feel about it's more reactive and reusable cousin? I like it because my games tend to run a lot longer. I haven't explored GrimGrin's more combo-riffic applications but I'm definitely open to after reading this thread
I've never understood the fascination with running that many fetch lands in control decks. If this is MBC and the C stands for control then making land drops seems pretty crucial. Why intentionally limit your ability to consistently make land drops by thinning the deck? Seems like 20 Swamp and 4 Tec Edge makes a better mana base than 12 fetches and 12 swamps or whatever it was that the OP listed.
I saw this a while back on the Weekly Decks feature on the mothership. Looked interesting.
Mono Black Control, by gazzaf82
3-1 Standard Daily #2202773 on 03/28/2011
Non-Creature: 24
4 Doom Blade
4 Go for the Throat
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Memoricide
4 Mimic Vat
3 Ratchet Bomb
4 Sign in Blood
Lands: 24
20 Swamp
4 Tectonic Edge
Sideboard
1 Black Sun's Zenith
4 Disfigure
4 Duress
3 Gatekeeper of Malakir
3 Memoricide
Probably a bit heavy on all the maindeck targeted creature removal and it doesn't have any of the leaked cards in it. I could definitely see cutting some of the instant removal cards for Screamwhip.
...I agree that Infect doesn't really make sense in White..
Not sure who originally argued that infect doesn't belong in white but I have to disagree. I definitely feel it belongs in white from a Phyrexian religious flavor perspective.
The Infect mechanic is, I believe, intended to resemble Phyresis with the end result being that the "infected" player has been fully transformed into a Phyrexian. From a white mana/religious flavor perspective, infect is like Norn's evangelism. A convert or die (or perhaps in this case convert and die) mentality. I think it really fits. The Norn character is extremely devout in her Phyrexian faith. It seems reasonable she'd aim to convert more to her flock through any means.
I like white in this block. Time and time again, white is represented as a kind of color that strictly adheres to it's own goody-goody nature. I like how WotC has turned the traditional white values of law, order, community from something positive into something sinister. Instead of a well respected churchgoers we have cultish behavior. I appreciate how they've turned the common conception of white magic upside down but still kept it feeling white. Well done.
You might kill yourself but it kills the table and aces just about every critter on the board (including itself unfortunately). Seems worthy of inclusion to me but, then again, I'm a big fan of Pestilence Demon in black EDH decks.
EDIT: Didn't realize I was in the 1v1 forum. PD probably isn't as good in heads up play but I'm still curious what you think.
@ candeewolf - I think you're right for the most part but I think Grafted Exoskeleton is really helpful in getting poison counters on opponents. None of them in particular are that exciting (maybe Corrupted Conscience) so I might not be able to really get there with my goals.
I forgot about Plague Boiler. I've got it in my Teneb deck and it's ok there. I'm guessing it could sub in for Nev's Disk and would probably be better with Proliferate effects.
@ Goarath - Phyrexian Arena (and Graveborne Muse) are almost always auto-includes in my black EDH decks. I'm not sure how I forgot about those cards...
If Milling is your win con, why not just rely on Oona's exile effect to do it for you? Seems like be better off controlling the board and winning through her. Maybe replace some of the one shot mill cards with artifact mana or artifacts that put lands into hand or play.
But if you want to set up the dedicated mill theme, I'd suggest Forced Fruition. Your opponents might like it when the go from 0 to 7 cards but after that it just sucks their library away.
And I second the notion that you need fast effect graveyard removal spells. Nihil Spellbomb should top your list if it's not there. Not sure if you've listed that there. The formatting is bad and I gave up looking for cards after Forced Frution
Currently, we only have one choice of general: Vorosh, the Hunter. He's a general that gets bigger after smashing face. I can get behind that even if he's the only general in the colors I want to play
I'm going to post a few cards I've been thinking of putting into this pile and I hoping for some critique, criticism, and some out-of-the-box thinking. My goals with this deck are simple:
Short game goal? Smash face with General Damage.
Medium game goal? Poison my opponents out of the game.
Long game goal? Win by recurring infinite Mindslavers and then A) Smashing face w/ General Damage or 2) Poisoning my opponents out of the game.
And I wouldn't mind winning with a big Exsanguinate. Seems like good times...
A few notes about my local meta. The store I primarily play at has some quirky rules. I posted these rules with a Thraximundar deck I play and a lot of the conversation centered around how nobody liked the rules the local store owner put into place. It's the place I play EDH/Commander and the players I play with outside of the store use these rules so I'm going to ask that all comments and suggestions keep in mind that these are the local meta rules and there's nothing I can do about it.
In short, here are the additional rules:
Legendary effects don't kill generals. They only kill clones.
If a general leaves play for any reason (including being shuffled into the library) it can be exiled to the command zone as a replacement effect.
The general can be the only legendary creature in the deck. Period. 01-21-10 Update - To get more in line with the official Commander rules, the store removed this from their house rules.
That being said, here are the cards I'm thinking about putting into the deck. If a card is indented under another card (other than Demonic and Diabolic Tutor) then that means it tutors or transmutes to get that card. I've also include my feeling for why it should or maybe shouldn't be included. Here goes:
All is Dust - Great reset button. Avenger of Zendikar - Finisher that makes small (kinda skullclamp-able) army. Brainspoil - Targeted removal and tutor. Seems good.
* Acidic Slime - Troublesome permanent removal. Wish it hit 'walkers.
* Ant Queen - Mana dump and skullclamp-able token maker
* Broken Visage - Targeted removal that might be a 2 for 1. Could be redundant.
* Corrupted Conscience - Critter steal that fits the poison theme.
* Doubling Season - Not sure if I include this. Do I have enough token effects to support this?
* Inexorable Tide - Proliferate effect. Seems like an auto-include.
* Mnemonic Wall - Recycle my spells. Good w/ equlibrium. Too narrow?
* Phyrexian Hydra - Good with Doubling Season and Proliferate. Fits poison theme.
* Spread the Sickness - Targeted removal w/ Proliferate. Better than Broken Visage?
Carniflex Demon - Counter-based removal. Fat flyer. Anybody have luck with this card? Cryptic Command - Flexibility. non-negotiable include. Damnation - Staple black sweeper. Diabolic Tutor - Staple black tutor. Maybe Vampiric is better but I like the card in had aspect. Drift of Phantasms - Wall that trasmutes. Recurable limited tutor w/ Volrath's Stronghold.
* Beastmaster Ascension - Huge effect but do I have enough creatures to take full advantage?
* Equilibrium - Do I have enough ETB effects to take advantage or is this better defensively?
* Eternal Witness - Staple auto-include.
* Ichor Rats - Need a way to get poison counters on opponents. Is this the best non-combat damage way?
* Jace Beleran - Card draw. Not sure the ultimate is good in EDH. Don't own Big Jace.
* Maelstrom Pulse - Removes just about everything.
* Mimic Vat - I play this in my Kik-Jiki deck and it's pretty good. Seems good hear with all the removal.
* Oblivion Stone - Recurable sweeper w/ Academy Ruins.
* Pernicious Deed - Yet another sweeper. Do I have too many sweepers?
* Putrefy - Instant target critter removal w/ some depth. Too much targeted removal?
* Soul Manipulation - I like the get a creature back part of this but the remove soul aspect is nice.
* Steady Progress - Instant proliferate? Too weak?
* Sylvok Replica - Is this redundant w/ Viridian Corruptor? At least the Corrupter poisons...
* Thrummingbird - Non-mana intensive proliferate. Weak?
* Treasure Mage - I love tutors. The more the better. Sets up the Mindslaver lock.
o Brittle Effigy - Tutorable removal. Too much?
o Elixir of Immortality - Gotta get those cards back somehow...
o Expedition Map - Gets Academy Ruins. Recurs Map. Gets color fixing lands.
o Nihil Spellbomb - Lot of recursion decks around...
o Sol Ring - Auto-include.
o Skullclamp - I'm starting to think this deck needs more card draw...
Grafted Exoskeleton - Fits the Infect theme. A one shot kill with a fresh Vorosh. Lux Cannon - Do I need this? I have a lot of targeted removal... Muddle the Mixture - Limited counterspell and tutor. I like the versatility.
* Bloodchief Ascension - When this is online, it's bonkers.
* Contagion Clasp - More proliferate.
* Demonic Tutor - Staple.
* Exsanguinate - I've yet to play this but I have seen it dig someone out of a very big hole.
* Grindclock - This seems weak. I thought the alternate win-con would be good w/ proliferate D. Season...
* Lightning Grieves - Quick general or Infect damage.
Nev’s Disk - Slow sweeper. Recurs w/ Ruins. Rampaging Baloths - Pet card of mine. Love it. Sphinx of Magosi - Same as above. Pet card. Love the card draw. Terastadon - Yet more targeted removal. Vesuvan Doppelganger - Clone effects don't kill generals but I love the versatility of using an opponents best dude. Woodfall Primus - Yet more targeted removal.
Land Fetchers: I'm worried that this won't be enough acceleration.
1) Am I running too much targeted removal?
2) Do I need more card draw? Do you have suggestions? Admittedly, I don't think I put enough card draw in decks. I tend to get into topdeck mode quickly.
3) Should I switch gears from targeted and sweeper removal and maybe run more countermagic? If so, what? Voidslime? I don't think I draw enough cards to support Forbid. Would twincast or redirect be a better option?
4) Without a card like Skittles, is the Poison counter win condition still viable?
5) Do I have enough Artifacts to support Tezzeret in this deck?
6) Do I need more creature sacrifice effects in this deck? Stuff like Barter in Blood? Innocent Blood? Fleshbag Marauder?
7) Do I have the cards to support my plan? what makes Vorosh better but also fits my Infect sub-theme?
Some Cards I've Considered of Just Thought of While Typing This Out:
Shadowmage Infiltrator - Since Black is my favorite color I assume everyone else plays it. Is fear still a good evasive ability? Voidslime - I like cards that do multiple things. Is this worth a slot? Primal Command - Again, versatility. Tutor, Shuffler, Life Gain... Is it worth a slot? What does it replace? Decree of Pain - This solves the card draw but if I play this do I need to inclide Reliquary Tower? Living Wish - With the plethora of cheap and easy to splash graveyard removal tools available, is this wish worth a spot? Admittedly, there is no allowed sideboard so it would be a blank unless someone aced my 'yard. Memory Plunder - Big fan of this card in my Oona and Thraximundar decks. I like the surprise *** value I can get out of this.
Any help would be appreciated. I should stress that this would be played in a competitive environment. It's not exactly cutthroat but there are prizes on the line when the store hosts events.
I don't see Oona, Queen of the Fae listed as a possible general... why no love?
She's a fat, evasive, beater. Good secondary win condition as a token producer even if library depletion isn't a viable win condition that nets points. Still, nothing says you can't remove library cards to net enough tokens for lethal damage on the following turn.
And it is an exile effect so no shifty Eldrazi gradeyard shuffling shenanigans.
Oona's been a good general to me. Helm of Possession becomes very good with Oona since you always have a token to make and sack.
Re: Card Choices Selection.
I second the notion that Reins of Power is a great EDH card. It's good in response to an Eldrazi trigger. Nothing like sacking you opponent's critters. You might take the combat damage (depending on how many critters they have to sack) but at least your dorks are (tentatively) safe.
Gather Specimens is good times as well. I once cast it in response to an opponent bringing their general Iona onto the field. And then named white! True story!
In my opinion, a better sacrificial lamb/Kiki target is Emrakul's Hatcher. As long as KJ has Thornbite Staff, create a Hatcher token, get 3 spawn tokens, untapped KJ, and repeat. You get infinite colorless mana and a host of 3/3s.
Meant to put the traitor in . . . I've got 3 cards until I've got sixty nonland . . . Pulse would be okay, but I don't own any, so a possible proxy there. I've only got Consume Strength in as I thought it was neat. Darkblast is good for getting creatures in the grave, and thought that's not the main theme of the deck, it is helpful. Should probably use Zombify too in that case . . . Dread Return would be good too, and Doomed Necromancer . . .
I recommend adding Victimize to you reanimation suite of cards. It also has a sacrifice effect which should play nicely with your general.
On a side note, I've found Thraximundar to be an awesome general. My deck tries to mana ramp early game and use other player's permanents against them in the middle game. Late game, I like use to Thrax to lockdown top decking opponents. Most of the other Thrax decklists I've looked at try to grow him using sacrifice effects and that looks like a great strategy but I think it generates a lot of table hate. I try to stay in the background, steal/destroy enough stuff to keep me safe, and win after the table has duked it out. Anyway, the link is above if you want to take a look.
Before I forget. Someone earlier in the thread mentioned 40 lands as the standard and that is a good starting point. A formula that works for me (within limits) is to remove one land for every two alternate mana sources. I wouldn't count a 5cmc mana artifact as that but the Rav block signets or Mirridon block talismans work. I also count artifacts or creatures with a low cmc that fetch lands. I think its better to put lands into play than it is to ramp with artifact mana. Where I play, land destruction is kinda frowned upon and people play a crazy amount of board sweepers. I used to ramp my Thrax deck with artifact mana and I can't tell you how many times O-Stone or Akroma's Vengeance set me back. Plus, land fetching effects improve the quality of your draws over time IMO.
Well, I had a similar story while playing my Oona deck but mine involves saving a player. The guy next to me playing Sun Quan, Lord of Wu and was at three life. My other opponents were Child of Alara and an aggressive deck based around Phelddagrif. The Hippo player attacked Sun Quan guy with a single creature for lethal. I killed the creature to keep the player alive because I he was the easist player to Oona-mill for tokens. That left me wide open for reprisal, the table ganged up on me (I had an active guile on the table and counter/stole CoA's Nicol Bolas, Plansewalker) and was out shortly after
Awesome. I'm glad it worked out for you
Another question. Have you tried Cyclonic Rift? It might be redundant with Capsize but it seems easier to cast when an infinite mana combo isn't available. It won't bounce lands so if you're looking to end the game that way you might not get that lock.
Admittedly, I've yet to cast it because I haven't opened one but it looks interesting on paper. I play Oblivion Stone in my build and, as the deck morphs into a more Enchantment Heavy deck, I'm looking for a way to simultaneously slow the board state while keeping my stuff.
I understand what your saying about Help of Possession. I consider it to be something of an auto-include in any EDH deck that creates cheap and efficient tokens so I'm a little biased.
Since your deck has a life loss theme, have you considered cards like Rites of Consumption and Essence Harvest? I noticed that a few of your combos involve a large GrimGrin. The only evasion I see is the swampwalk that Zombie Master and Urborg grants (which I see as kind of a combo in itself) and the two Big Buff artifacts so I assume that, barring evasion, the main plan is to punch GrimGrin through for the general damage kill on the back of Grave Pact effects?
Is this working well enough or do you think the direct damage from Rites of Consumption and Essence Harvest are worth inclusion? The latter is probably better since it doesn't require a sacrificed critter.
EDIT: Just noticed that Vela gives intimidate and there's a Shizo in the list so there's more evasion than I thought at first.
Also, how do you feel about Helm of Possession? I understand that you like the proactive Bribery effect but how do you feel about it's more reactive and reusable cousin? I like it because my games tend to run a lot longer. I haven't explored GrimGrin's more combo-riffic applications but I'm definitely open to after reading this thread
I saw this a while back on the Weekly Decks feature on the mothership. Looked interesting.
Mono Black Control, by gazzaf82
3-1 Standard Daily #2202773 on 03/28/2011
Creatures: 12
2 Grave Titan
3 Precursor Golem
4 Vampire Hexmage
3 Wurmcoil Engine
Non-Creature: 24
4 Doom Blade
4 Go for the Throat
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Memoricide
4 Mimic Vat
3 Ratchet Bomb
4 Sign in Blood
Lands: 24
20 Swamp
4 Tectonic Edge
Sideboard
1 Black Sun's Zenith
4 Disfigure
4 Duress
3 Gatekeeper of Malakir
3 Memoricide
Probably a bit heavy on all the maindeck targeted creature removal and it doesn't have any of the leaked cards in it. I could definitely see cutting some of the instant removal cards for Screamwhip.
Not sure who originally argued that infect doesn't belong in white but I have to disagree. I definitely feel it belongs in white from a Phyrexian religious flavor perspective.
The Infect mechanic is, I believe, intended to resemble Phyresis with the end result being that the "infected" player has been fully transformed into a Phyrexian. From a white mana/religious flavor perspective, infect is like Norn's evangelism. A convert or die (or perhaps in this case convert and die) mentality. I think it really fits. The Norn character is extremely devout in her Phyrexian faith. It seems reasonable she'd aim to convert more to her flock through any means.
I like white in this block. Time and time again, white is represented as a kind of color that strictly adheres to it's own goody-goody nature. I like how WotC has turned the traditional white values of law, order, community from something positive into something sinister. Instead of a well respected churchgoers we have cultish behavior. I appreciate how they've turned the common conception of white magic upside down but still kept it feeling white. Well done.
You might kill yourself but it kills the table and aces just about every critter on the board (including itself unfortunately). Seems worthy of inclusion to me but, then again, I'm a big fan of Pestilence Demon in black EDH decks.
EDIT: Didn't realize I was in the 1v1 forum. PD probably isn't as good in heads up play but I'm still curious what you think.
I forgot about Plague Boiler. I've got it in my Teneb deck and it's ok there. I'm guessing it could sub in for Nev's Disk and would probably be better with Proliferate effects.
@ Goarath - Phyrexian Arena (and Graveborne Muse) are almost always auto-includes in my black EDH decks. I'm not sure how I forgot about those cards...
But if you want to set up the dedicated mill theme, I'd suggest Forced Fruition. Your opponents might like it when the go from 0 to 7 cards but after that it just sucks their library away.
And I second the notion that you need fast effect graveyard removal spells. Nihil Spellbomb should top your list if it's not there. Not sure if you've listed that there. The formatting is bad and I gave up looking for cards after Forced Frution
Infect, Proliferate... my favorite new mechanics!
Let's put them all together... shall we?
Currently, we only have one choice of general: Vorosh, the Hunter. He's a general that gets bigger after smashing face. I can get behind that even if he's the only general in the colors I want to play
I'm going to post a few cards I've been thinking of putting into this pile and I hoping for some critique, criticism, and some out-of-the-box thinking. My goals with this deck are simple:
- Short game goal? Smash face with General Damage.
- Medium game goal? Poison my opponents out of the game.
- Long game goal? Win by recurring infinite Mindslavers and then A) Smashing face w/ General Damage or 2) Poisoning my opponents out of the game.
And I wouldn't mind winning with a big Exsanguinate. Seems like good times...A few notes about my local meta. The store I primarily play at has some quirky rules. I posted these rules with a Thraximundar deck I play and a lot of the conversation centered around how nobody liked the rules the local store owner put into place. It's the place I play EDH/Commander and the players I play with outside of the store use these rules so I'm going to ask that all comments and suggestions keep in mind that these are the local meta rules and there's nothing I can do about it.
In short, here are the additional rules:
- Legendary effects don't kill generals. They only kill clones.
- If a general leaves play for any reason (including being shuffled into the library) it can be exiled to the command zone as a replacement effect.
That being said, here are the cards I'm thinking about putting into the deck. If a card is indented under another card (other than Demonic and Diabolic Tutor) then that means it tutors or transmutes to get that card. I've also include my feeling for why it should or maybe shouldn't be included. Here goes:The general can be the only legendary creature in the deck. Period. 01-21-10 Update - To get more in line with the official Commander rules, the store removed this from their house rules.General: Vorosh, the Hunter
Main Deck:
All is Dust - Great reset button.
Avenger of Zendikar - Finisher that makes small (kinda skullclamp-able) army.
Brainspoil - Targeted removal and tutor. Seems good.
Carniflex Demon - Counter-based removal. Fat flyer. Anybody have luck with this card?
Cryptic Command - Flexibility. non-negotiable include.
Damnation - Staple black sweeper.
Diabolic Tutor - Staple black tutor. Maybe Vampiric is better but I like the card in had aspect.
Drift of Phantasms - Wall that trasmutes. Recurable limited tutor w/ Volrath's Stronghold.
Grafted Exoskeleton - Fits the Infect theme. A one shot kill with a fresh Vorosh.
Lux Cannon - Do I need this? I have a lot of targeted removal...
Muddle the Mixture - Limited counterspell and tutor. I like the versatility.
Nev’s Disk - Slow sweeper. Recurs w/ Ruins.
Rampaging Baloths - Pet card of mine. Love it.
Sphinx of Magosi - Same as above. Pet card. Love the card draw.
Terastadon - Yet more targeted removal.
Vesuvan Doppelganger - Clone effects don't kill generals but I love the versatility of using an opponents best dude.
Woodfall Primus - Yet more targeted removal.
Land Fetchers: I'm worried that this won't be enough acceleration.
Cultivate
Farhaven Elf
Kodama’s Reach
Pilgrim’s Eye
Solemn Simulacrum
Sylvan Ranger
Wood Elves
Land Count: 38-40?
Land that Does Stuff:
Academy Ruins
Bojuka Bog
Boseju, Who Shelters All
Halimar Depths
Mystifying Maze
Tolaria West
Volrath’s Stronghold
Winding Canyons
Land that Color Fixes (Please note that I don't own a Bayou or Underground Sea):
Breeding Pool
Flooded Grove
Misty Rainforest
Overgrown Tomb
Polluted Delta
Strip Mine
Sunken Ruins
Tropical Island
Twilight Mire
Verdant Catacombs
Watery Grave
Basic Lands:
Xx Forest
Xx Island
Xx Swamp
Some General Concerns/Questions:
1) Am I running too much targeted removal?
2) Do I need more card draw? Do you have suggestions? Admittedly, I don't think I put enough card draw in decks. I tend to get into topdeck mode quickly.
3) Should I switch gears from targeted and sweeper removal and maybe run more countermagic? If so, what? Voidslime? I don't think I draw enough cards to support Forbid. Would twincast or redirect be a better option?
4) Without a card like Skittles, is the Poison counter win condition still viable?
5) Do I have enough Artifacts to support Tezzeret in this deck?
6) Do I need more creature sacrifice effects in this deck? Stuff like Barter in Blood? Innocent Blood? Fleshbag Marauder?
7) Do I have the cards to support my plan? what makes Vorosh better but also fits my Infect sub-theme?
Some Cards I've Considered of Just Thought of While Typing This Out:
Shadowmage Infiltrator - Since Black is my favorite color I assume everyone else plays it. Is fear still a good evasive ability?
Voidslime - I like cards that do multiple things. Is this worth a slot?
Primal Command - Again, versatility. Tutor, Shuffler, Life Gain... Is it worth a slot? What does it replace?
Decree of Pain - This solves the card draw but if I play this do I need to inclide Reliquary Tower?
Living Wish - With the plethora of cheap and easy to splash graveyard removal tools available, is this wish worth a spot? Admittedly, there is no allowed sideboard so it would be a blank unless someone aced my 'yard.
Memory Plunder - Big fan of this card in my Oona and Thraximundar decks. I like the surprise *** value I can get out of this.
Any help would be appreciated. I should stress that this would be played in a competitive environment. It's not exactly cutthroat but there are prizes on the line when the store hosts events.
Thanks,
Slank
She's a fat, evasive, beater. Good secondary win condition as a token producer even if library depletion isn't a viable win condition that nets points. Still, nothing says you can't remove library cards to net enough tokens for lethal damage on the following turn.
And it is an exile effect so no shifty Eldrazi gradeyard shuffling shenanigans.
Oona's been a good general to me. Helm of Possession becomes very good with Oona since you always have a token to make and sack.
Re: Card Choices Selection.
I second the notion that Reins of Power is a great EDH card. It's good in response to an Eldrazi trigger. Nothing like sacking you opponent's critters. You might take the combat damage (depending on how many critters they have to sack) but at least your dorks are (tentatively) safe.
Gather Specimens is good times as well. I once cast it in response to an opponent bringing their general Iona onto the field. And then named white! True story!
In my opinion, a better sacrificial lamb/Kiki target is Emrakul's Hatcher. As long as KJ has Thornbite Staff, create a Hatcher token, get 3 spawn tokens, untapped KJ, and repeat. You get infinite colorless mana and a host of 3/3s.
I recommend adding Victimize to you reanimation suite of cards. It also has a sacrifice effect which should play nicely with your general.
Just adding Saproling of Colfenor and Worldslayer to your list. It's not quite game ending but it is a soft lock that can only be reliably interrupted by a 1 mana removal spell like Innocent Blood or Swords to Plowshares or Unsummon or whatever.
On a side note, I've found Thraximundar to be an awesome general. My deck tries to mana ramp early game and use other player's permanents against them in the middle game. Late game, I like use to Thrax to lockdown top decking opponents. Most of the other Thrax decklists I've looked at try to grow him using sacrifice effects and that looks like a great strategy but I think it generates a lot of table hate. I try to stay in the background, steal/destroy enough stuff to keep me safe, and win after the table has duked it out. Anyway, the link is above if you want to take a look.
Before I forget. Someone earlier in the thread mentioned 40 lands as the standard and that is a good starting point. A formula that works for me (within limits) is to remove one land for every two alternate mana sources. I wouldn't count a 5cmc mana artifact as that but the Rav block signets or Mirridon block talismans work. I also count artifacts or creatures with a low cmc that fetch lands. I think its better to put lands into play than it is to ramp with artifact mana. Where I play, land destruction is kinda frowned upon and people play a crazy amount of board sweepers. I used to ramp my Thrax deck with artifact mana and I can't tell you how many times O-Stone or Akroma's Vengeance set me back. Plus, land fetching effects improve the quality of your draws over time IMO.
Russian looks great.
Now that I remember it, that was an odd table.