Gray Merchant of Asphodel

Creature — Zombie

When this enters the battlefield, each opponent loses X life, where X is your devotion to black. You gain life equal to the life lost this way. (Each {B} in the mana costs of permanents you control counts towards your devotion to black.)

Combos

• Animate Dead + Gray Merchant of Asphodel + Viscera Seer

Legality

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

Discussion (49)

Last_Laugh on Marchesa, The Black Rose - …

6 days ago

Ok, so I'm not going to lie... I've had this deck built for roughly 9 years straight at this point so the list is very optimized and cuts are TOUGH. Every Masochist Needs a Marchesa to Love Them is the list and Mahadi, Emporium Master is the card I'm looking to hopefully add.

The deck is set up for ETB/Death trigger abuse with aggro as a plan B. It usually wins by looping Gray Merchant of Asphodel with alternate sources of +1+1 counters and sac outlets so I can drain multiple times on every player's turn (including any of my clones entering/re-entering as Gary copies).

Last_Laugh on Marchesa, the Black Rose

1 week ago

I have several suggestions for you. I'll keep things budget friendly and if you're picking up what I'm putting down, I can also help suggest some cuts.

First off is enchantment removal. There's hardly any options in th5ese colors but I recommend running all 3 so problematic enchantments like Solemnity or Rest in Peace don't wreck your day. Chaos Warp, Feed the Swarm, and Canoptek Tomb Sentinel are all budget friendly and worth their weight in gold here. Another good boardwipe here is Last One Standing.

I don't really do theft in my Marchesa list, but Gisa, Glorious Resurrector is the exception and holy crap does she put in some dirty work.

Next is card draw. Liliana's Standard Bearer, Lethal Scheme, Plumb the Forbidden, and Sage of Fables are all good budget options here. Sage will also come down before Marchesa and immediately give her or any other wizards you run a +1+1 counter. Plumb in response to boardwipes or right before your turn will refill your grip (instant speed and pseudo dodging counterspells makes this card). Also, Danny Pink's price has been sloooowly climbing but it's a very real possibility you'll find one in your LGS dollar binder and omg is this thing absolutely nuts!

On the subject of alternate sources of +1+1 counters... Thran Vigil only works on your turn but it'll get new counters on anything you stole and sac'ed on your turn. Vigean Graftmage let's you sac 2 creatures on everyone's turn (itself + whatever) to abuse etb/death triggers like Gray Merchant of Asphodel or even Grim Haruspex card draw. Spark Double I guess falls into this category and copies either Marchesa for double Dethrone or whatever your meanest etb/death trigger is at the time.

I'm also guessing Rakdos Locket was supposed to be Rakdos Signet.

Feel free to check out my list for ideas. It's far from budget friendly overall but I run everything I recommended. Upvotes on any of my decks are appreciated. Every Masochist Needs a Marchesa to Love Them

HeavenlyAxe on

1 month ago

Hey Indie,

First off I really like the lands you have assembled and the suggestions from SufferFromEDHD are all good.

You are definitely going to want an artifact ramp package.

Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, Arcane Signet, Fellwar Stone, Gilded Lotus, Thran Dynamo

Special Mention to Nyx Lotus, it could be good being in mono black. and Jeweled Lotus, pays for your commander for free on turn 1 even.

Sword of the Animist is not bad ramp at all and buffs yours rats

Commander's Plate might be cute.

Liliana of the Dark Realms, makes sure you always get a land drop and could make your swamps tap for four.

Chittering Witch if your playing with more opponents.

Crypt Ghast is sort of ramp, but doubles your swamps. Very good in mono black.

Dauthi Voidwalker is not on theme at all but is just sooo much value in a two cost card I have to recommend it.

God-Eternal Bontu is excellent draw power in the right situation.

Dont forget you can run any number of Relentless Rats

Gray Merchant of Asphodel will heal you up a lot and hurt your opponents

Krav, the Unredeemed is also great card draw.

Yawgmoth, Thran Physician, has card draw, removal, and proliferate all on one card

Deadly Rollick, potentially free removal

Defile, cheap good removal

Thrilling Encore saves you from a board wipe or lets you bring everything back after sacrificing it all to like God-Eternal Bontu

Phyrexian Arena some ok card draw.

Bojuka Bog if you are worried about graveyards

Mutilate, a good board wipe in mono black

Night's Whisper, Read the Bones, Sign in Blood, are a great draw package for mono black

Toxic Deluge a great board wipe for when things need resetting, and you could follow with Thrilling Encore and get it all back

Syphon Mind is great draw if your playing with more players

Victimize - is really really strong, get rid of one weak thing for two of your best things

Yawgmoth's Will - lets you treat your graveyard like your hand for a turn

Lord Skitter, Sewer King makes rats

Marrow-Gnawer - lets you make lots of rats

Infectious Inquiry - good draw and gives poison

Ogre Slumlord - makes rats when your creatures or your opponents creatures die.

Tangled Colony - if your opponent has to block it or it dies to like Blasphemous Act will make you rats

Vraska's Fall removal and poison counter

Drown in Ichor removal and poison

Bontu's Monument all your creatures cost less

Rat Colony can have any number and they buff themselves, and cost less mana than Relentless Rats

Typhoid Rats deathtouch rat opponents wont want to block

Crypt Rats can board wipe but can also win the game if you give it infect, doesnt work with your commander because toxic specifies combat damage but does work if you give it infect and deal damage with it's ability.

Ratcatcher tutors rats, and gives you card advantage

Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm - buffs your rats and lets you get rats back

Wave of Rats has blitz and reanimates itself

Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni rat that steals opponents stuff

Nashi, Moon Sage's Scion rat that steals opponents stuff

Adaptive Automaton is a rat and buffs rats

Okiba-Gang Shinobi rat makes opponents discard and has ninjutsu

Filth gives all your rats swampwalk pairs well with Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

Dark Ritual lets your get a head start or some extra mana a turn you need it

Tainted Strike instant speed infect, funny in multiplayer because you can use it on anyone's creatures.

Phyresis Outbreak gives poison and might kill opponents creatures

Feed the Swarm enchantment removal in black

Vat Emergence gets a creature back and proliferates

Spread the Sickness destroys a creatures and proliferates

Pact of the Serpent strong tribal card draw

Living Death swap graveyards with battlefields, great after sacrificing your whole board to draw cards

Skullclamp sack small rats for card draw

Thrumming Stone if you go the Relentless Rats or Rat Colony route

Coat of Arms your rats will be huge

Bolas's Citadel this card is dumb lol, lots of casting power and then you hit Gray Merchant of Asphodel and keep going lol

Icon of Ancestry kinda draw buffs rats...is ok

Contagion Engine proliferate twice each time you activate

Eldrazi Monument gives creatures flying indestructible and +1/+1

Grafted Exoskeleton gives a creature infect, great with Crypt Rats

Sword of Truth and Justice proliferate sword

Bad Moon buff all black creatures, opponents too

Phyresis gives infect again good with Crypt Rats

Greed card draw

Vraska, Betrayal's Sting proliferate planes walker

I know that's a lot but hopefully gave you some ideas to work with!

euqinU on What to add in my …

1 month ago

I have the Necron Dynasties precon that's currently being upgraded, let me know what I should add next or remove to make it more appealing and competitive in the casual pod. This seems to be a really good commander deck full of sacrifices. Here's the list of the cards on the deck:

Illuminor Szeras Grim Haruspex Scrapyard Recombiner Gate to the Afterlife Sojourner's Companion Dross Scorpion Frogmite Smothering Abomination Meteor Golem Noxious Gearhulk Workshop Assistant Diabolic Tutor Scrap Trawler Marionette Master Foundry Inspector Gray Merchant of Asphodel Myr Retriever Disciple of the Vault Staff of Domination Psychomancer Triarch Praetorian Dread Return Cranial Plating Mask of Memory Sol Ring Barren Moor Myriad Landscape Arcane Signet Mind Stone Wayfarer's Bauble Desert of the Glorified Vault of Whispers Anrakyr the Traveller Chronomancer Cryptek Lokhust Heavy Destroyer Necron Deathmark Out of the Tombs Royal Warden Shard of the Nightbringer Shard of the Void Dragon Skorpekh Lord Technomancer Their Name is Death Their Number is Legion Trazyn the Infinite Canoptek Scarab Swarm Canoptek Spyder Canoptek Tomb Sentinel Cryptothrall Ghost Ark Sceptre of Eternal Glory Tomb Fortress Living Death Reliquary Tower Mutilate Caged Sun Mystic Forge Sculpting Steel 30 Swamp

Hypersayia9001 on Kill, Kill and Kill some more.

1 month ago

@Basshunter: Thanks for the input. There are a few things I feel the need to justify keeping in though.

The primary reason I have Paragon of Open Graves and Hero's Blade is so I can easily buff up Sarevok, causing his ability to drain extra life when it triggers. Death-Priest of Myrkul is somewhat expensive, but when he's out, I just got to pay a mana at the end of each turn to ensure I maintain a consistent fuel supply for Cultist (and a lot of my token generation is zombies anyway so... bigger dead dudes.). Similar vein, Palace Siege allows me to sac something to Cultist then play it again on the same turn, which goes real good with Gray Merchant of Asphodel for life gain and Doomed Dissenter for a free Zombie token, if I just don't sac Gravecrawler to play it again cause it cheap.

Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon and Squelching Leeches are mostly there to be big beefy bois if I need them, but yeah, of the suggestions you've made, I'd probably swap them for Black Market Connections and Priest of Forgotten Gods to net me some more card draw. Ophiomancer, Grave Titan and Phyrexian Altar are also on my radar.

Not a fan of Skullclamp, at least in this deck. I'd need either altars or Yahenni, Undying Partisan out to actually get consistent value out of it, otherwise I'd need to pay for another sac outlet.

scottbaker91 on Budget Meren Eldrazi spawn

2 months ago

I think Hand of Emrakul, Decimator of the Provinces, Kozilek, the Great Distortion, and Pathrazer of Ulamog are too expensive to cast / commander ability for what they do. Some replacement examples would be: Terastodon, Void Winnower, Fleshbag Marauder, Noxious Gearhulk, Ravenous Chupacabra, Plaguecrafter, Eternal Witness, It That Betrays, Woodfall Primus, Acidic Slime, Ob Nixilis, Unshackled, Sepulchral Primordial, Overseer of the Damned, etc.

cards like Dalek Squadron with a sac outlet will get you a lot of Meren counters quickly. cards like Greater Good are great at filling your graveyard and your hand. cards like Oversold Cemetery are great for your low mana creatures and late game expensive creatures. Tragic Slip isn't a very good card for multiplayer commander, unless you are using something like Isochron Scepter

I think your deck is a little heavy on creature token generators, especially your creatures. I know they are there to build up tokens on Meren and to generate mana, in the early game, but they aren't doing much in the mid to late game. Maybe replace a few with some faster reanimator spells like: Living Death, Lifeline (a personal favorite), Necromancy, Animate Dead, Victimize, Rescue from the Underworld, Beacon of Unrest, etc.

Other cards I would consider cutting: Skullbriar, the Walking Grave (too slow imo unless he is your commander), Blisterpod (needs to die to get the token), Pawn of Ulamog, Vorapede, Village Rites, Gray Merchant of Asphodel (starts to shine with lots of reanimator stuff), Woe Strider, Scion Summoner, Brood Monitor, Deathreap Ritual, Commander's Sphere

It's tough to suggest cards for a budget deck. A card that I might consider to be absolutely necessary could require cheaper options in other parts of the deck to make it fit.

TheForsakenOne on K'rrik, Blatant Cheater

3 months ago

Because extort says "That much life" it scales with how much life is lost, which Bloodletter changes as a replacement effect. Because it specifically replaces life loss instead of damage causing life loss it does double the lifegain you receive.

And Wound Reflection is just a little too slow for my tastes. Its a 5 mana investment on something that isn't putting you in a winning investment unless you're following it up with a Pontiff of Blight, Gray Merchant of Asphodel or Shard of the Nightbringer, and people tend to target you or it as soon as it comes down because they see the aforementioned cards coming.

Last_Laugh on Case42

4 months ago

If you'd rather branch into blue than green, I'd suggest Marchesa, the Black Rose. She's honestly my favorite deck and I've had her built for 9+ years at this point. I like her because she can be built on any budget and you can take her in several directions including etb/death trigger abuse (what I run), tribal (wizards, zombies, vampires, or pirates typically), modular artifacts, permanent creature theft, aristocrats, etc.

Every Masochist Needs a Marchesa to Love Them. I use alternate sources of +1+1 counters (besides Dethrone and combat) to abuse etb/death triggers on everyone's turn instead once per round that Dethrone alone enables. I typically end games with Gray Merchant of Asphodel then sac'ing all my clones so they can enter as Gary #2, 3, or even 4 at end of turn.