General StrategyGemhide Sliver or Manaweft SliverHeart Sliver and/or Crystalline Sliver???Profit.
There are two win cons in this deck: 1. Infinite Combo via Sliver Queen 2. Dishing out Aggro damage. If I can get an "Evasion Sliver": (
Shifting Sliver
, Winged Sliver, or Galerider Sliver) with an "Offense" Sliver:
Brood Sliver
, Bonesplitter Sliver, Sliver Hivelord,
Bonescythe Sliver
, or Sliver Legion early game, then the plan is aggro all the way. Going combo means getting Mana Echoes + Sliver Queen out the field as quickly as possible. I find getting Mana Echoes out first is the best way to go as you can take advantage of it by playing as many low cost slivers as possible, and getting Sliver Overlord out on the field. With overlord you can just tutor into queen. Keeping a Counterspell or targeted removal handy no matter what strategy you go for is necessary. Also, having Patriarch's Bidding in hand is great if you know your opponent uses mass removal.
Early GameEarly game I want to do two things - 1. Establish my manabase: try and get access to the rainbow as soon as possible. Also,getting out mana rocks as early as possible. 2 - What wincon will I pursue? - will I go combo or aggro? Depending on the slivers and options I get early game, and what type of deck I am up against I will figure out how to beat my opponent. In multiplayer matches I try to be as low key as possible, because sliver hate is real, and I tend to get targeted heavily early on. The Crystalline Sliver + Sliver Hivelord synergy is usually what I try to establish if i'm going aggro. If i'm going combo then the Gemhide Sliver + Heart Sliver synergy will work best while I search for Mana Echoes and ultimately Sliver Queen.
Mid GameUsually at this point (i'd say around turn 6 or 7) the other players would have taken up pitchforks and murdered everything on my end of the battlefield. If left alone (or mostly alone) then i'd be looking at a win, or be very close to establishing one. If the following cards: Sliver Queen, Basal Sliver, Training Grounds, Mana Echoes are not on the field, graveyard, or in your hand, then go aggro. Simple as that. If a combo piece ends up in the graveyard, then Yawgmoth's Will can definitely remedy the situation. Anthem slivers really help ramp up damage: Sedge Sliver, Bonesplitter Sliver, Sliver Legion. Evasion slivers are necessary to help keep up the pressure, and to make sure your damage gets through: Galerider Sliver, Winged Sliver, and
Shifting Sliver
.
Late GameSo if you made it to this point (Turn 10), something has likely gone horribly wrong and your opponents are keeping you alive just for laughs. It's likely some really well timed Wrath of God effect happened, and someone countered your counterspell to stop it. All of your broodlings have populated the graveyard, and all of your opponents took a collective sigh of relief. Just a typical tale of plain ol' Sliver Hate. Your only hope of winning at this point is bringing back your broodlings via mass re-animation. Patriarch's Bidding or Yawgmoth's Will. If ether spell goes through, you would be looking at a win or at the very least be dominating the battlefield.
MulligansThe ideal starting hand for this deck are at least three to four lands with at least one or two fetch lands. The combination of Fetchlands and Original Dual lands, ensure you will more likely than not have the mana you need early game. It generally doesn't matter too much what the other non-fetch land lands in your starting hand are, so long as you just have lands.
Combos and SynergiesSliver Queen + Mana Echoes: Infinite creature combo - Once activated, the Queen will spawn a 1/1 Sliver creature token that will generate Mana due to Mana Echoes triggering. Use the to spawn another 1/1, generating four, and so on and so forth...
Sliver Queen + Basal Sliver + Training Grounds: Infinite creature combo - similar to the previously mentioned combo, but a bit more complicated. Once all three cards are in play, pay to create a 1/1 Sliver creature token via Sliver Queen's synergy with Training Grounds. The 1/1 sacrifices itself for 2 black via Basal Sliver's ability. Then you generate two more 1/1 creature tokens, and so on and so forth...
Sliver Queen + Basal Sliver + Dormant Sliver: Infinite Draw. Pay 2 and create a token via Queen, Dormant's ability triggers and I draw a card. I then sacrifice the token for 2 black. Use that to buy another token...rinse wash repeat.
Sliver Overlord + Amoeboid Changeling: Creature Stealing. Tap Amoeboid Changeling, activating its ability to give any specific creature all creature types. Effectively, it will turn that creature into a "Sliver". Then you pay , activating Sliver Overlord's ability to take control of target Sliver. There is no specified length of time on the ability, so even if it ceases to be a Sliver it's still yours.
Sliver Overlord + Unnatural Selection: Creature stealing. Pay 1 and activate Unnatural Selection, targeting a desired creature, and turn it into "Sliver" (you basically change it's creature type for the turn). Then pay 3 activating Sliver Overlord's ability on previously targeted Sliver. The ability doesn't have a specified duration therefore even when the creature ceases to be a Sliver it's still yours.
Sliver Overlord + Training Grounds: Cheap Tutoring. Tutor for any creature in your deck for only 1. This is one of the most enjoyable combos when you have Dormant Sliver or Mana Echoes in play. So many slivers.
Sliver Queen + Heart Sliver + Basal Sliver + Gemhide Sliver/Manaweft Sliver: Infinite Mana Generation. With this combo you can play every sliver in your deck, and make 1,000,000 (or whatever) sliver creature tokens. The combo is relatively slimple, pay 2 for a 1/1 Sliver creature token (via Sliver Queen). It has haste and mana generation (due to Heart Sliver and Gemhide Sliver respectively), so it can tap for of any color. It then sacrifices itself for 2 black. Use the 2 black to create another Sliver token...rinse wash repeat.
Syphon Sliver + Essence Sliver: Double-lifelink. Syphon Sliver has lifelink, Essence Sliver has "whenever a sliver deals combat damage, it's controller gains that much health" or something to that effect. However, the point is that Essence Sliver's ability is NOT lifelink. The difference is that lifelink is a static ability (always on, like flying or fear), essence sliver's ability is a triggered ability, meaning that a certain set of conditions have to be met for the ability to trigger. What does it all mean? The abilities stack. As an added bonus, if
Bonescythe Sliver
was on the field in addition to the other two, then double lifelink turns into QUADRUPLE lifelink).
Harmonic Sliver + Darksteel Ingot: So while Harmonic Sliver is a downright amazing creature on it's own there is a big drawback it's ability is not optional. Meaning every time you play a sliver after Harmonic, you have to target an artifact or enchantment on the field - even your own. So this is where Darksteel Ingot comes into play. I can target that, and not have to hurt my own Artifacts or Enchantments. These two were practically made for one another.
Striking Sliver/
Bonescythe Sliver
+ Venom Sliver: First strike or Double strike combined with Deathtouch loosely translates to "Dead before they ever even knew it". First strike damage resolves before combat damage even begins, so when your opponent is attacking or blocking, the creature unfortunate enough to be the sliver's target will receive First strike damage first, which happens to be Deathtouch damage.
