This grindy tempo deck is part Aristocrats & part Pod, but whatever you decide to call it, it's a ruthless killing machine that has no mercy for creatures on either side of the table. On one hand,
Priest of the Forgotten Gods
lays waste to 3 creatures per turn, while Simic mad-science like
Neoform
and
Prime Speaker Vannifar
turns corpses into creatures such as
Plaguecrafter
and
Hostage Taker
that only further the bloodshed. Although your opponent's creatures won't appreciate being subjected to the Priest's black magic or the Prime Speaker's experiments, there are luckily plenty of creatures in this deck that are indifferent towards death.
THE LOYAL FODDER
Gutterbones
: Nice 2/1 beater for 1 that can be endlessly recycled to feed the sac outlets. Making the opponent lose life & having 2 mana to activate his recursion ability is cake with a Priest around, and he gives us a way to Neoform into a Priest as well if need be.
Orzhov Enforcer
: Deathtouch & his Spirit trigger make him an annoying blocker for aggro decks to deal with until you decide it's time to feed his two bodies to the sac outlets.
Doomed Dissenter
: The ideal tempo-minded sac fodder for early game, as it improves our board upon meeting its prescribed doom.
Reassembling Skeleton
: Even better than Gutterbones in terms of being repeated sac fodder since he comes back straight to the battlefield & can be reassembled even during your opponent's turn.
THE OUTLETS
Priest of Forgotten Gods
: Sac outlet that does it all - removal, life, ramp, & card advantage - and is even better in multiples. Not many two-drops demand an answer like this one does.
Neoform
: Due to the tight curve in this deck, this acts as basically a "whatever creature you want plus a +1/+1 counter for 2 mana" card. Removal, life gain, sac outlets, hexproof beaters & more are all at your fingertips.
Prime Speaker Vannifar
: Slower than Neoform & without the extra counter, but being able to repeatedly tutor creatures every turn is worth the wait. Admire the big butt in the meantime.
Vraska, Golgari Queen
: Turns the fodder into cards & life gain, and offers removal against a variety of threats. The ultimate can happen pretty quickly & is easily converted into a win given the mass creatures.
THE TOOLBOX
Plaguecrafter
: Gives us a way to tutor into removal at 3 CMC, and its synergy as a sac outlet makes it great from the hand as well.
Plague Mare
: If the opponent tries to go wide with tokens or weenies to get around the bevy of sac effects in this deck, our equestrian friend can be a nice tutoring option.
Midnight Reaper
: Wears a lot of hats in this deck. He mostly serves as an anthem effect while the fodder are dutifully dying, but can also be used as sac fodder in a pinch, especially if you want to Neoform into a 4-drop. Also the best option for Neoforming into a 3-drop against control decks since he protects the board.
Deathgorge Scavenger
: Feeds on the corpses from earlier bloodshed for repeatable life gain, putting the game out of reach for opposing aggro decks, and is the biggest body available at the 3-drop slot if there are some noncreature cards lying around.
Hostage Taker
: Removal at the 4 CMC slot. If it's tutored into play, there's a pretty good chance that you'll have enough mana to cast the stolen card immediately, plus the Priest can help out as well.
Nightveil Predator
: Since the rest of the deck can effectively muck up the ground, this covers defense against flyers or can rise above a stalemate. Hexproof makes this a nice option to tutor up against any deck, especially control.
