Graven Cairns

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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
Tiny Leaders Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Graven Cairns

Land

: Gain .

, : Gain , , or .

capwner on "Master of Cruelties" - Budget but Strong?

1 month ago

As an x/4 in a no fury meta I think this card could potentially be good. The deck really wants Ragavan but yeah that's not very budget. Bowmasters too.

About 'understanding what to replace,' the way I think of it is, you know there are always more potential good cards than you can actually run in any deck, usually there are multiple good ways to build a deck. Every card should play into your synergy, except for sideboard cards which can attack something very specifically. And every card should be the best possible option for its slot (most versatility, most synergies with your other cards, most favorable in specific interactions vs. specific cards). Example, this is why I love Apostle's Blessing in here, it's versatile because it protects and evades, and these are both things your deck REALLY needs. And it's a cheap instant. Great card.

But now look at Goblin Tunneler, I see a card that is part of the gameplan, but it's also an x/1 non hasty creature and a 2 drop. This is going to fall short a lot of the time. Maybe a card like Wedding Invitation or Key to the City could be better in this slot. Generator Servant is great for the haste but it has the same weakness. Splitting that with artifact ramp like you did is good, maybe consider options like Pentad Prism but go with what you think plays the best. Molten Collapse is a strictly better Dreadbore and not expensive. Sunken Citadel might be a good land to combo with Rogue's Passage, maybe then Field of Ruin instead of Ghost Quarter? And Graven Cairns? On the lands topic I really like the idea posted above of adding Leechridden Swamp but you do need the fetches to really make it work.

Alesha, Who Smiles at Death has a nice effect but doesn't really synergize with anything besides bringing your Master back, which it can't even do vs. LB and Solitude. Maybe adding cards that combo with her like Fulminator Mage or Augur of Skulls could make her better. Lightning Greaves also makes her and a lot of your other creatures better too, this is a card I'd consider for a 1 or 2 of. But without adding more support, you might consider cutting Alesha and adding something along another angle.

I like Brainspoil, the tutor is nice because finding the Master is definitely a bottlneck in the deck. Grim Tutor is an option but a bit more expensive, Profane Tutor is affordable but has some problems. Having at least one other tutorable 5 drop would make your BS a lot better. 1 of Glarewielder would be kind of cute.

Hand disruption is another angle you might consider, it's really good for a slightly slower combo deck like this to nullify your opponent's big early plays and buy you a couple extra turns to combo them out. Collective Brutality is a pretty decent flexible card that also finishes your opponent.

In the end I think tuning your list and making cuts is about trying to make as many of these meaningful synergy connections between different cards as possible, getting the right amount of each type of effect you want (3 vs 4 of a specific effect like Dreadbore matters a lot vs some decks!), and then you cut either your lowest synergy cards, or effects you think you could safely go down a count on. Usually you want 6-8 ways of getting your key card in action, or 6+ of each combo piece/synergy if it involves multiple cards, and in a perfect world you want 4+ post board copies of HATE for particular meta decks, like 4 Leyline of the Void vs. Living End, or 8 killspells that can kill a Primeval Titan or Sheoldred. Your board cards should address aspects of other decks that really threaten you, no need to run those Leylines if you already beat that deck most of the time. It often comes down to having the right reactive cards, so you want good numbers of the ones you'll need the most.

Sorry for the whole ass book! It seemed like you wanted the help and I liked the concept/got into it a bit once I started looking. I think there's a lot of work and playtesting you could do to really optimize this, and maybe it could end up being pretty good+still affordable!

Rocketman988 on Demon Till Your Dreams Come True

8 months ago

ragincajun129, I've been playing and fine tuning the deck for over 5 years now, and the land count is correct for the deck. If you remove the cards that are not intended to be hard cast from hand or have alternate casting methods, the true average CMC of the deck is around 2.2. The entire point of the deck is to function with minimal lands on board, since Rakdos's sacrifice effect keeps the deck on 2 to 3 mana sources most of the time anyways. Also, you did not include the mdfc lands in your count, so the true land count in the deck is 34.

Whip of Erebos is a potential add, but I have not needed another source of lifegain besides Gray Merchant of Asphodel, which the deck has many ways of finding. Whip is incredibly inefficient as a reanimation effect, since it requires an 8 mana investment just to get one creature back to board. Further, it exiles the reanimated creature and there is no easy way around that, unlike Shallow Grave. This means no multiple reanimate options, and I try to avoid that because it limits the power of mass reanimation.

Regarding mana rocks, I only run mana positive mana rocks, as I have found that ritual effects are better for the deck. The whole point of mana rocks in most decks is to function as cheap and efficient reusable mana sources, but Rakdos the Defiler negates that entirely. If artifact ramp does not generate more mana than it cost to play, it is worse than a ritual in the deck. Mana Vault is the only cheap artifact ramp I decided against for the moment, since the 3 colorless isn't helpful for casting Rakdos, and the other demons are better to reanimate.

Here's an example to illustrate my point: I need 6 mana to cast Rakdos, so say I have 3 lands and 3 signets, I'll have to sacrifice 3 permanents to Rakdos. Instead, say I generate the same 6 mana with Dark Ritual, Graven Cairns, a random land that taps for black, and a Sol Ring/Mana Crypt. Now, I'll only sacrifice 2 permanents to Rakdos on the swing. Not only did I sacrifice less permanents to Rakdos in the second example, but it's possible to do that a turn or two faster, which means I've already hit two players by the time the signet ramp even lets me get Rakdos on the board.

Idoneity on When Will WotC Finish the …

8 months ago

WOTC is rather capricious as to what land cycles they finish and when.

Typically, they finish land cycles in adjacent set releases, such as the checklands in Dominaria and Ixalan (see Isolated Chapel and Glacial Fortress. But they have also quixotically completed the showland cycle with Strixhaven in 2021 (see Furycalm Snarl), despite it first being introduced on a separate plane in 2016's Shadow's Over Innistrad (see Fortified Village). They do this a lot, starting with the allies then bargaining it over to the enemies:

1995 brought Underground River then 2001 had Shivan Reef, 2010 brought Darkslick Shores then 2016 had Spirebluff Canal. These are rather large gaps, ranging from months to years.

There are plenty of land cycles that haven't been finished or haven't even begun. The five ally-colored lands from Future Sight has partially been officiated, consisting of Horizon Canopy, Grove of the Burnwillows, Graven Cairns, Nimbus Maze, and River of Tears. All of these are rather unique; two have been finished. Kind of. Modern Horizons parlously gave Horizon Canopy an enemy family. The Graven Cairns cycle was completed in Eventide and Shadowmoor. The rest are lonesome.

There's still Amonkhet's cycling cycle to finish up, so who knows when the buddy lands will be tended to.

thefiresoflurve on Mardu Humans

1 year ago

Hey there!

I do have some suggestions I think may help with the mana base: First Boros Garrison and friends. These are only good if you A) already have a comes-into-play-untapped land out B) tap that CITP-untapped land for mana and C) wait to play your land until second main phase. That's already a bit restrictive. I think you can do a bit better if you use things like: Caves of Koilos, Fetid Heath, Graven Cairns, Rugged Prairie.

If you have the $$$ for it, Smothering Tithe is also an excellent mana ramp card. I've played like 2 games with it ever where it doesn't pay for itself and another two cards, at least (yes, my playgroup does not run enough enchantment removal. I remind them of this a lot).

amarthaler on Daddy Eddy

1 year ago

Nice build!

I agree with rambunctiousOrator, your actual mana curve is actually pretty good. 50 total cards in your deck are 3 drops or less, which is a respectable number. If you really wanted some cheap ideas, however, perhaps Black Market, Bontu's Monument or Dark Ritual could help for black. Seething Song is a nice cheap ramp for red. If you're willing to put a few extra dollars into the deck, I'd suggest finishing out the filter lands with Graven Cairns and Rugged Prairie. Chromatic Lantern is also nice and still under $20.

Your creature count is pretty high in terms of card type ratio, and this may be an area you can cut out to add more mana ramp - but that's my personal opinion. The cool thing about your deck is a lot of the vampires are cheap, so as long as you can protect them you'd likely have a massive army on the board (with tokens from Edgar), and recover from a board wipe very quickly.

I also have an Edgar deck, which is 40% cards I added from my own collection and the other 60% is the pre-con from the 2017. Maybe it could spark some ideas for you - but keep in mind mine is designed to go wide and add +1/+1 counters.

https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/edh-vampiric-bloodlust-c17-precon-upgrade-1/

magicbike on Isshin, Two Heavens as One

1 year ago

1xInspiring Vantage 1XConcealed Courtyard 1xBrightclimb Pathway  Flip 1XBlightstep Pathway  Flip 1xNeedleverge Pathway  Flip 1xRugged Prairie 1xFetid Heath 1xGraven Cairns

haha hey i did it markt te cards lets gooo learning

i bought these can you guys help me with looking for witch one to take out first

magicbike on Isshin, Two Heavens as One

1 year ago

i bought some lands Needleverge Pathway Pillarverge Pathway Concealed Courtyard card:Brightclimb Pathway // Grimclimb Pathway Blightstep Pathway Searstep Pathway Inspiring Vantage Rugged Prairie Fetid Heath Graven Cairns

i hope this get my deck steaming dor a while you guys can help me witch one i need to get out of my deck for these ones

DawnsRayofLight on Isshin, Two Heavens as One

1 year ago

The mana base is a bit slow all the tap lands. You will consistently find yourself behind a turn due to the lands coming into play tapped. it would be best to replace the guildgates and cards like Akoum Refuge with lands like:

Sacred Foundry, Godless Shrine, Blood Crypt, Graven Cairns, Fetid Heath, Rugged Prairie, and Savai Triome. some fetches can help with consistency too: Marsh Flats, Arid Mesa, Bloodstained Mire

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