A long while ago before I sold my first collection for financial reasons, I had Grimgrin, Corpse-Born as a general. That deck: here.
I want to build him again, but I do not want to build tribal, which is what the majority of the decks online seem to be. What I am looking is non-tribal cards to work with the big guy.
I picked up a copy of Spiritmonger and gave him a test drive. I have to side with ISBpathfinder. The monger has it's strengths, but the regenerate function was less helpful than I imagined. Although he was trading with creatures each combat and coming out victorious, he was not taking life away from my opponent, thus I was getting no triggers on Irka or Tymna. I replaced him with Verdurous Gearhulk. The double green is more difficult to cast with my mana base, but the fact he can enter as an 8/8 and has trample means I still trade with the same creatures, but now I can get my trigger. Also I can drop the counters on Irka or Tymna, improving my chances of winning with general damage. I imagine this is how Kalonian Hydra is being used in Pathfinder's build. My K-Hydra is serving in another deck, but if Ezuri is ever retired I would put it in here as well.
Another good card to look into is Phantom Nishoba. What a great threat! Trample, pusedo lifelink, and it resists death in combat. In my build it is pretty easy to add new counters. That would be a weakness in yours, but you might still like it because you can search it out with Recruiter of the Guard, and it would fit into Avenger of Zendikar's slot.
Criminal lack of Spiritmonger. Luckily, it doesn't have to be terminal.
I hadn't thought about Spiritmonger. I am slowly trying to incorporate as many +1 / +1 counter growth effects in my deck as I can, so I think this guys might be a good contender.
I suppose that is where our strategies differ. I am going towards a voltron / control route, whereas you seem to be focusing towards aggro. You are not really doing much with the life gain Ikra provides. Life gain for the sake of it is not much help. My deck hasn't yet lost a game because my life total hit 0. It is usually an infinite combo, mill, or general damage that gets me when I loose. I view a large life total is a resource to pay for big effects. (Aetherflux Reservoir, Ad Nauseam or Unspeakable Symbol).
Honestly, after giving your list a second look, I think you should put Doran back in command. Your list compliments his ability the most. Kondo should remain a part of the 99. You can use cards like Thalia's Lancers and Time of Need to grab him when you need him for the evasion. Then you can tack on the power >2 hate, and you will have a cohesive strategy.
One card that I use, and highly recommend, is Silent Arbiter. He makes Ikra unbloackable, which really helps me gain the life I need to fuel my wincons. I have been considering finding a copy of dueling grounds as well.
I know the first thought to cross everyone's mind will be, "Why use a partner commander without a partner?". The answer to that question is that this began as mono-BEndrek Sahr, Master Breeder. I built a deck around him designed to profit from the death of his tokens, which mostly took the form of life gain / drain effects. (Blood Artist, Deathgreeter, Falkenrath Noble, etc.) On a whim I included Aetherflux Reservoir which I had cracked from a pack. Sacing off thrulls for life quickly turned into a fun strategy, but it had consistency problems, and was prone to disruption since it was a Rube Goldberg combo.
I had taken Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper out of my Breed Lethality deck in favor of more synergistic cards, threw it on my desk where it has been staring me in the face for the last few days. It has lead to a brainwave though (Perhaps more of a brain fart). In my trade binder, I had copies of Awakening Zone, and From Beyond without a home, two very consistent token makers with a built in sacrifice. Also hanging out in my binder was Doomgape. It got me thinking. I think can solve the consistency issue by using Ikra to gain life from big powerful beaters in addition to improving my token producing options. Rather than going for crazy mass sacrifice combos, I can use cards that require sacrifice as a tax. I may have finally found a playable home for Devouring Devouring Strossus, which makes the Timmy in me squeal with delight.
The Mimeoplasm is another option. Combine the creatures in your grave, or your opponents into a mega monster. Then throw in a Dread Summons if you wanna go crazy.
I dropped red from the deck. The only red card that was worth it's weight was faithless looting, but I can't justify spending on the manabase needed to make it consistent. When I could use it second or 3rd turn, it was great. Top decking after 5th when I was hellbent, no so much.Crack the Earth's lack of a discard clause was hurting consistency, for both putting Haakon in the bin and disrupting my opponent, so I had to put Smallpox back in.
I did find a card advantage solution for Mono-B Darth Knights. Smuggler's Copter. I know this card is getting a lot of attention right now, but I think scratches the exact itch the deck needs. It provides card draw, costs 2cc, it is a discard outlet, it has evasion, and it works well with my sub-themes. I have already pre-ordered 4 at $7 cdn.
I also dropped my targeted discard suite on the advice of one of the tournament players at the Toronto WMCQ. He was watching me play casually the day before at the card shop and noticed my Duress / Despise would fail to find a target sometimes. He pointed out that unless I was using thoughtseize, that would could always happen. He advised me to focus on straight hand destruction over targeted. Based on that I added Raven's Crime and Funeral Charm. Collective Brutality still works to take out most removal, which is what I am most worried about, and I never cast it for just one ability anyway.
Funeral charm has been an all star so far. I think I have used it as pump / removal spell more often that I have used it for discard. With this much self discard, I see potential for Alms of the Vein to be explosive, but I'll have to play with it more.
It is certainly lacking in win-con options. Master of Cruelties would work, and if push comes to shove is still cast able. I can't see gigantomancer as the only reliable way of getting him on the board is Alesha.
The table is forced to gang up on that player or we lose, either by combo or by a board state that overwhelms.
I want to build him again, but I do not want to build tribal, which is what the majority of the decks online seem to be. What I am looking is non-tribal cards to work with the big guy.
Already I have marked Animation Module and Ruthless Deathfang as auto includes. Does anyone have other suggestions?
Another good card to look into is Phantom Nishoba. What a great threat! Trample, pusedo lifelink, and it resists death in combat. In my build it is pretty easy to add new counters. That would be a weakness in yours, but you might still like it because you can search it out with Recruiter of the Guard, and it would fit into Avenger of Zendikar's slot.
In my build, I run Silent Arbiter as a way of making Irka unblock-able. I will be adding Dueling Grounds soon as well.
Alhammarret's Archive would also serve you well since it compliments both generals.
You can check out my evolving list here
I hadn't thought about Spiritmonger. I am slowly trying to incorporate as many +1 / +1 counter growth effects in my deck as I can, so I think this guys might be a good contender.
Honestly, after giving your list a second look, I think you should put Doran back in command. Your list compliments his ability the most. Kondo should remain a part of the 99. You can use cards like Thalia's Lancers and Time of Need to grab him when you need him for the evasion. Then you can tack on the power >2 hate, and you will have a cohesive strategy.
One card that I use, and highly recommend, is Silent Arbiter. He makes Ikra unbloackable, which really helps me gain the life I need to fuel my wincons. I have been considering finding a copy of dueling grounds as well.
My list is here.
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/commander-edh/multiplayer-commander-decklists/763892-brew-ikra-shidiqi-the-usurper-tymna-the-weaver#c5
I am not against infinite combo's, but Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond like effects is one I avoid. I have used it before, and I have noticed that it upsets people more than Duskmantle Guildmage + Mindcrank or Sage of Hours + Ezuri, Claw of Progress.
I'll tune the list a bit more later and post an update. I may have to drop the Devouring Strossus.
I might use Tymna the Weaver as my partner. I can slot her into Phyrexian Arena's slot.
I had taken Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper out of my Breed Lethality deck in favor of more synergistic cards, threw it on my desk where it has been staring me in the face for the last few days. It has lead to a brainwave though (Perhaps more of a brain fart). In my trade binder, I had copies of Awakening Zone, and From Beyond without a home, two very consistent token makers with a built in sacrifice. Also hanging out in my binder was Doomgape. It got me thinking. I think can solve the consistency issue by using Ikra to gain life from big powerful beaters in addition to improving my token producing options. Rather than going for crazy mass sacrifice combos, I can use cards that require sacrifice as a tax.
I may have finally found a playable home for Devouring Devouring Strossus, which makes the Timmy in me squeal with delight.**Update. New decklist as of 10/12/2016**
1 Tymna the Weaver
1 Skeleton Key
1 Bloodsoaked Champion
1 Slagwurm Armor
1 Phyrexian Reclamation
1 Warden of the First Tree
1 Life // Death
1 Sword of the Animist
1 Vizkopa Guildmage
1 Bitterblossom
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Night's Whisper
1 Assault Formation
1 Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim
1 Treasured Find
1 Rings of Brighthearth
1 Skullwinder
1 Ophiomancer
1 Eidolon of Rhetoric
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Anguished Unmaking
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Unspeakable Symbol
1 Duelist's Heritage
1 Sorin, Solemn visitor
1 Rhox Faithmender
1 Ajani Steadfast
1 Utter End
1 Silent Arbiter
1 Aetherflux Reservoir
1 Whip of Erebos
1 Tree of Perdition
1 Liliana of the Dark Realms
1 Cradle of Vitality
1 Night Dealings
1 Creakwood Liege
1 Vraska the Unseen
1 Sidisi, Undead Vizier
1 cataclysmic gearhulk
1 Mirari's wake
1 Sanguine Bond
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
1 Sylvan Reclamation
1 Alhammarret's Archive
1 Necropolis Regent
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Treasury Thrull
1 Plea for Guidance
1 Noxious Gearhulk
1 Merciless Eviction
1 Duneblast
1 Doomgape
1 World Breaker
1 Garruk, Apex Predator
1 Engulfing Slagwurm
1 Defiant Bloodlord
1 Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts
1 Sol Ring
1 Talisman of Unity
1 Selesnya Signet
1 Chromatic Lantern
1 Plains
1 Forrest
1 Tainted Wood
1 Tainted Field
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Godless Shrine
1 Temple Garden
1 Canopy Vista
1 Sungrass Prairie
1 Command Tower
1 Krosan Verge
1 Grasslands
1 Ash Barrens
1 Temple of the False God
1 Naya Panorama
1 Jund Panorama
1 Esper Panorama
1 Warped Landscape
1 Blighted Woodland
1 Terminal Moraine
16 Swamp
I did find a card advantage solution for Mono-B Darth Knights. Smuggler's Copter. I know this card is getting a lot of attention right now, but I think scratches the exact itch the deck needs. It provides card draw, costs 2cc, it is a discard outlet, it has evasion, and it works well with my sub-themes. I have already pre-ordered 4 at $7 cdn.
I also dropped my targeted discard suite on the advice of one of the tournament players at the Toronto WMCQ. He was watching me play casually the day before at the card shop and noticed my Duress / Despise would fail to find a target sometimes. He pointed out that unless I was using thoughtseize, that would could always happen. He advised me to focus on straight hand destruction over targeted. Based on that I added Raven's Crime and Funeral Charm. Collective Brutality still works to take out most removal, which is what I am most worried about, and I never cast it for just one ability anyway.
Funeral charm has been an all star so far. I think I have used it as pump / removal spell more often that I have used it for discard. With this much self discard, I see potential for Alms of the Vein to be explosive, but I'll have to play with it more.
4 Bloodsoaked Champion
4 Knight of Infamy
3 Black Knight
3 Smuggler's Copter
4 Haakon, Stromgald Scourge
3 Collective Brutality
4 Smallpox
3 Raven's Crime
3 Alms of the Vein
Instants 7
4 Funeral Charm
3 Nameless Inversion
2 Geier Reach Sanitarium
2 Cathedral of War
2 Dakmor Salvage
16 Swamp
Here is my tentative list:
4 Bloodsoaked Champion
3 Grim Flayer
3 Golgari Thug
3 Graveblade Marauder
4 Alesha, Who Smiles at Death
3 Grisly Salvage
3 Abrupt Decay
2 Kolaghan's Command
Sorceries 12
4 Duress
3 Faithless Looting
2 Collective Brutality
3 Smallpox
23 TBD