I found an interesting tribe that hasn't made a recent appearance in any blocks: Cephalids. These humanoid octopuses do an amazing job at neutralizing opponents' creatures, and can be combined with some more modern cards to be massively effective.
Early Game
Early game with this deck can be difficult because there are few cards with a mana cost lower than 3. Try to start with either an island or a
Jwar Island Refuge
. Then, try and drop a Dimir Aqueduct so that you can get more than just 1 life out of the Jwar Island Refuge. Then, by turn three, try to get out a Wall of Frost or a Chasm Skulker. With the Chasm SKulker, try to hold of on using it, then chump block with it and hopefully the 1/1 squids will allow you to stall long enough to pull out some of your more devastating combos. Using
Cephalid Retainer
will also allow you to remain defensive.
Mid-Game
In the mid-game, focus almost entirely at preventing too much damage and setting up your combos. One of the combos that you can get out the earliest is
Llawan, Cephalid Empress
+Painter's Servant, which will buy you a ton of time. Also, combining
Aboshan, Cephalid Emperor
+Archetype of Imagination almost guarantees you the win. During this time, try to ramp up mana and to use your Cephalid Illusionist to prevent damage from any unexpected threats. Use Diabolic Tutor to pull out that one card your missing for your combos.
Finishers
The most likely way for the cephalids to win is through their
Cephalid Pathmage
. As you have probably noticed, most of the creatures in this deck are small, save a few enormous ones. Using the pathmage to go in for a kill alongside either
Withengar Unbound
or Marit Lage(20/20 Indestructable flying avatar created with Dark Depths) is the most likely way to finish of your opponents.
Thank you for checking out this deck. If you liked it(or just think that cephalids are adorable) please upvote the deck. Also, I would be grateful for any feedback that you could leave in the comment section.
