Abyssal Persecutor

Creature — Demon

Flying, trample

You can't win the game and your opponents can't lose the game.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (46)

ThassaUpYo@ssa on Be'Elz A'Boot

3 months ago

Hey, Profet93! Thanks for the upvote & the comment as you raise a very valid point. While I do have ways to remove Abyssal Persecutor and understand his drawbacks, these are the three main reasons I run him:

1) He's a great early game 'meat stick' that I can use to inflict solid damage for multiple turns and force a removal response ahead of casting Be'Lakor, the Dark Master

2) He makes for a great blocker should my opponent(s) have a strong creature(s) of their own offering some deterrence

3) He combos pretty well with Be'Lakor, the Dark Master in the mid-to-late game dealing 6 damage anywhere I need for just 4 mana

My thought here is "once the garden has been watered, just turn off the hose" - after the damage has been done and/or Abyssal Persecutor has served his purpose simply cast a board wipe, use him as a chump blocker, kill him off with Be'Lakor, the Dark Master's ability, etc. With all of this being said, I have thought about swapping him out for quite some time.

I am curious about how good Mystic Remora is in EDH - it seems like it doesn't realistically hang around for long since you'll find yourself paying quite a bit of mana each upkeep to keep it around. I'm sure I'm missing something here, but to me it seems I'll want to end up wanting to use that mana to cast spells of my own as opposed to paying this cost.

Yawgmoth's Will is a great option for sure, and a solid play especially in the late game, I'm just torn on what I'd replace Abyssal Persecutor with but think this may be the leading candidate.

Were there any specific changeling(s) you had in mind that would be worth a look?

necromatic on Deep Darkness

4 months ago

Divided into 3 sections:

1.) Demons (12/60; 20%): Abyssal Persecutor, Demon of Catastrophes, Desecration Demon

2.) Sacrifice (16/60; 26.66%): Village Rites, Bone Splinters, Killing Wave, Demon of Catastrophes, Demon of Death's Gate, Xathrid Demon, Westvale Abbey  ^Flip

3.) The Sacrificed (12/60; 20%): Bloodsoaked Champion, Reassembling Skeleton, Typhoid Rats

Licecolony on Goaded With The Sauce

1 year ago

I really like your manifest take on Jon. Consider Dulcet Sirens. It's a clever way to mitigate risk of having those horrible creatures for yourself. I'll definitely be adding Crawlspace and Endless Whispers to my list.

Suggested removals from deck Plague Reaver. While it's a nice card to give away, the turn you play it you'll have to sacrifice Jon Irenicus to Plague Reaver's trigger regardless of which order you put the abilities onto the stack. You'd rather not lose Jon.

Gisa, Glorious Resurrector. It's something you can't give away, which means it's good when you're ahead, but not great when you're behind,. Your mileage may vary, but I think getting something more immediately impactful on the board tends to be best.

Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker. You're not running a mill strategy, you'll only be filling the graveyard of dedicate graveyard decks.

Taniwha. I love this creature and totally understand running it for the memes, but phasing triggers before your upkeep, which means that when you give it away, it'll be phased out for the first turn under your opponent, so they'll keep their lands and you won't draw a card from Jon's ability. The turn cycle has to make two full rounds before Taniwha does anything.

Tergrid, God of Fright  ^Flip. Unlike Sheoldred, Tergrid doesn't make the opponent do either of its effects. It's another creature you don't want to give away, and Jon makes cards unsacrificeable. It just won't trigger much unless you're against a sacrifice deck.

Ensnaring Bridge. The creatures you donate will often be quite big. Ensnaring bridge will prevent them from attacking your opponents and deny you card draw.

Chromatic Lantern. It's only good if you need the mana fixing. You don't need the mana fixing. Try something like Thought Vessel or Decanter of Endless Water or Midnight Clock instead.

Assault Suit doesn't goad the creatures itself. Often they'll swing at you if possible.

Dissipation Field. Not as good as it looks. Doubles ETB triggers. Anti synergy with cards like Endless Whispers.

No Mercy Jon just has better options for this slot. If you can replace a non-creature with a creature in this deck, you usually want to.

Grave Betrayal. That's 7 mana for a card that could ruin your game by forcing you to revive bad cards you do not want.

Diplomatic Immunity. You want instant speed protection and protection from board wipes. Something like March of Swirling Mist is more versatile offensively and defensively.

Dark Ritual. I'm uncertain what you're trying to ramp into so quickly that you would need this. Maybe I'm wrong.

Countersquall. You may as well play the one mana version in An Offer You Can't Refuse.

Redirect may be bested by Narset's Reversal? That's a matter of opinion.

AEtherize risks bouncing creatures attacking other opponents such as those you've goaded but want them to keep. Try replacing this with a more versatile effect like Reins of Power or a more aggressive effect in Illusionist's Gambit.

Damnation. Jon prefers sacrifice board wipes so that your opponents keep their shit creatures.

Overall I think you could run less counter-magic in favor of more proactive effects.

Cards to Consider Creatures Generally I want to focus on adding creatures that you can give away and then steal back later to win the game.

With Jon, you often want cheap evasive creatures to give out for early card draw with his ability. Right now you have 1 two-drop creature. Throwing in a Changeling Outcast or a Slither Blade can mean you can give a creature away for cheap and still hold up mana for other things. Slither blade wouldn't die to Heartless Summoning too.

In the two-drop slot, you can run creatures that are more defensive like Baleful Strix, or give you card draw like Sygg, River Cutthroat or just more powerful creatures like Flesh Reaver which is a goaded 6/6 that can deal 12 damage a turn or Wretched Anurid. Heck, you can even add a versatile two-drop in Dimir Infiltrator which can be given away in the early game or used as a tutor in the late-game.

In the three drop slot, I think your idea of adding Steel Golem is a great one to make sure the only creatures your opponent has are the ones you're giving them. It's a brutal card. Rotting Regisaur is a card you don't mind giving away early, and can take back later to win. Phyrexian Soulgorger can be donated to an opponent as a goaded 10/10. They won't have to pay the upkeep, but that's a great body to give someone as a political tool. Cephalid Facetaker is also worth consideration though I personally don't run it.

In the four-drop slot, like you mentioned, Grid Monitor is a proactive creature counter. Abyssal Persecutor can save you from death. Archfiend of the Dross is risky but fun (it comes back to your control after the opponent dies).

In the 5-drop slot, both of the evil-eye cards are absolute ALL STARS. They work so well every game I've drawn them. They can also replace some of your weaker defenses like No Mercy and Dissipation Field

As a sidenote, I also like Deep-Sea Kraken as an unblockable 8/8 that can win you the game with homeward path.

Removal I recommend running more sacrifice-based removal since it'll mean your opponents keep the crap you give them. Things like Tergrid's Shadow or Vona's Hunger or All is Dust (one of my favorites) or Killing Wave. I also prefer Toxic Deluge to some of your other removal since it goes through hexproof. Curse of the Swine is also an exile effect that can be selective and works really well. You can also run single-target removal like Reality Shift or Pongify if you'd rather instant speed interaction. Feed the Swarm is quality. If you really don't care about cruelty, you can run Torment of Hailfire, but that card is honestly always too boring for me to want in my decks.

Card Draw Jon has access to some great card draw that most decks can't take advantage of. Fateful Handoff is a card draw spell that also donates (though does not goad). Sygg, River Cutthroat works well with evasive threats you give away (though should not be donated). Verity Circle works great with Jon's ability since it donates the creature first, and then taps it down. Teferi's Ageless Insight allows you to double your draw triggers from Jon.

Equipment Remember that you can donate creatures while they're equipped and you still control the equipment so they can't re-equip it. Pact Weapon makes the attacking creature bigger, while ensuring you can't die, and will draw you another card whenever the donated creature attacks. Dowsing Dagger  ^Flip works effectively on evasive creature to get you ramped. Vorpal Sword is a win condition on your unblockable evasive creatures.

Goad Dulcet Sirens, Bloodthirsty Blade.

Misc Graveyard removal is king. Throw in a Scavenger Grounds. My favorite card to run is Reality Shift. Make an Avenger of Zendikar spawn a dozen Wretched Anurids. It's not GREAT, but it is always funny. Cultural Exchange is a fun time too with all your manifest and shitty creatures.

That is all. Hope it was helpful.

Dead_Blue_ on Mono Black Pox Control

1 year ago

Here was my list… Of Plague & Persecution -R.I.P.-

Abyssal Persecutor is an extremely fast beat stick, and you simply use removal like Liliana of the Veil’s -2 or Smallpox once the opponent is at zero life to win

Dead_Blue_ on Mono Black Pox Control

1 year ago

I’d move the Surgical Extraction cards to the side unless you’re planning to hit fetches with them. You need some draw power 2x Phyrexian Arena could be it.

If you’re unhappy with Nether Spirit I used to run a Pox deck that used Abyssal Persecutor as the wincon instead

TheVectornaut on juggling the health

1 year ago

I second the idea of looking into a sacrifice-matters strategy. It's a good archetype for Rakdos that can be played on a low budget in casual settings. In my deck, Sacrifice in Flame, I make use of free sacrifice outlets like Viscera Seer or Carrion Feeder to get value out of sacrificing things, especially if those things are actually my opponent's creatures stolen via Act of Treason effects like Kari Zev's Expertise, Claim the Firstborn, or Bloody Betrayal. You can also sac for damage with Thud, Rite of Consumption, and other Flings, something that makes big cards with downside like Abyssal Persecutor, Desecration Demon, and Goldnight Castigator much better without needing a Harmless Offering or the like. As you can see, demons often take a starring role in such decks and from what you have here, it does look like you enjoy demons. The tribe isn't super well supported, but you could take a look at Raphael, Fiendish Savior or Liliana's Contract.

God-Eternal-Magic-Player on Of Plague & Persecution -R.I.P.-

1 year ago

Okay, there's probably a great reason why you're running Abyssal Persecutor and I'm missing it, but I'm gonna ask anyways, why exactly are you running it?? I'm a little confused...

Wabbajacke on Santa IreniClaus

1 year ago

Oh and Abyssal Persecutor can be a great gift too :D