Licia, the Sanguine Storm

Commander / EDH* Philoctetes

SCORE: 108 | 54 COMMENTS | 14068 VIEWS | IN 38 FOLDERS


Treehugger003 says... #1

Two cards that might be interesting are Zada, Hedron Grinder and Magus of the Will

I would also highly recommend Erebos, God of the Dead to keep others from gaining life back. Besides it is a potential card draw if necessary.

A land to look at is Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth.

I generally run very few instants and sorceries in my decks so I'm not really going to be much help there.

Tree

August 28, 2017 10:37 a.m.

Philoctetes says... #2

Thanks for the comment! I really like your suggestions here - Erebos, God of the Dead is a great suggestion, I'd like to include him to pair with Greed as they are both powerful draw engines with lifegain effects.

I used to run a Zada, Hedron Grinder deck so I can attest to it's power. I'll have to think of possible cuts. I do like the idea of Magus of the Will as Past in Flames #2, I'll try to think of possible cuts for these inclusions!

August 28, 2017 10:56 a.m.

Drakon562 says... #3

I may be missing something, or maybe it's just to cast a turn 3 Licia, but I don't know if Tavern Swindler is worth it. At the same time, I really like its' inclusion, because I've seen it in a deck before.

August 28, 2017 7:09 p.m.

Philoctetes says... #4

Yeah haha, Tavern Swindler has a chance to facilitate an early Licia. Also has some synergy with Well of Lost Dreams and Alhammarret's Archive. But mostly it's just janky and comical and will occasionally do something minorly busted.

August 28, 2017 7:32 p.m.

MagicBlues says... #5

Wow, this deck idea is amazing. I'm really interested how your build developes after you take it to a few games.
On to your deck, the card that I might cut first is probably Chaplain's Blessing since it unfortunately doesn't even allow you to play your commander on turn 3. From the cards in your maybeboard I'd probably look to put one more removal (you should know best what works best in your playgroup). Another kind of "control" element could be Possibility Storm. It wrecks a lot of decks and it works quite well with extort (double the triggers) and is just stupid if you copy it during your turn with Mirage Mirror.

August 28, 2017 8:03 p.m.

MagicBlues says... #6

I forgot to mention that Sphinx-Bone Wand might be a good winning condition. If you add the Wand, I'd probably cut Dragon Mantle for another cantrip

August 28, 2017 8:13 p.m.

HARDsofty says... #7

Why no Exquisite Blood ?

August 28, 2017 8:16 p.m.

HARDsofty says... #8

Just read your description. Sorry for the suggestion.

August 28, 2017 8:22 p.m.

Philoctetes says... #9

Thanks for the comments guys!

MagicBlues I love the suggestions, this is exactly what I'm looking for, thank you for the kind words! I see where you're coming from with Chaplain's Blessing and I think you're right - it is the easiest cut in the deck right now. One removal spell that felt bad to cut was Crackling Doom, but I could also see just throwing in another board wipe, possibly Fumigate for the easy Licia follow up?

Possibility Storm seems awesome here, as does Sphinx-Bone Wand. I'm going to try to take another pass at the deck tomorrow and both cards are in consideration, I'll include any changes in the update log.

August 28, 2017 11:43 p.m.

MagicBlues says... #10

I think I would favor another board wipe since you only got one that always works from behind.
It might be possible that Debt to the Deathless is a considerable cut if you go with Possibility Storm, although it's your only bad hit.

August 30, 2017 8:16 a.m.

zombob57 says... #11

I would highly recommend for rituals running Sacrifice and Burnt Offering because Licia has a cmc of 8, and if you gained a bunch of life can just recast her for 3. Just a really cool interaction with the commander.

September 4, 2017 11:08 a.m.

Philoctetes says... #12

zombob57 I love that suggestion! I haven't felt great about Cabal Ritual in the deck, I will happily replace with Burnt Offering. I will add Sacrifice to the maybeboard for now, but it could be that I want both.

I will also be finding room for Sunbeam Spellbomb, probably replacing Tavern Swindler. After goldfishing with this a bunch of times, Tavern Swindler just feels too cute, and Sunbeam Spellbomb can cycle if you don't need the lifegain to up my cantrip count.

I'm also considering Icatian Moneychanger, although I'm not sure if more one shot lifegain type cards are where I want to head. I think I may need to shore up the cantrip count for Spells Matters payoffs.

September 4, 2017 1:26 p.m.

Razulghul says... #13

Kudos on this deck, I really dig the creative idea of trying storm here. I've been trying to come up with some way to go infinite with Licia ever since seeing this deck and all I've come up with is : Mana Echoes+Mycosynth Lattice+Aetherflux Reservoir you would need 3 vampires tho and a sac outlet lol. Maybe someone will think of something more practical but there you go :)

September 8, 2017 11:54 p.m.

Philoctetes says... #14

I love it! Haha. Licia is the perfect commander for all sorts of 3 card jank, if you build her post it I would love to take a look!

September 9, 2017 9:41 a.m.

I know a couple funny cards you might wanna consider, seeing as you have storm and all these cantrips in mind:

Null Profusion is hilarious in decks like this. Please note that is says, "when you play a CARD", as in "lands count, too". To make it worse for the hopes and dreams of your enemies, Paradox Engine can be quite funny with a few more mana rocks. =3

October 11, 2017 2:56 p.m.

Philoctetes says... #16

Hey there DrunkManSquakin666! Thanks for your suggestions, those are both really awesome cards in the right build!

Paradox Engine is I think a great idea, but would require a massive re-tooling of the ramp mana rock package. As of today, I'm not feeling in for that, but it could be that the ability to untap signets and wash our mana is good enough to try for it....

Null Profusion and Recycle are a couple of cards that have always caught my eye, I just have never been able to stomach the mana cost to put them in my decks. In a way, it acts like an improved Alhammarret's Archive on the turn we go off, though, so maybe it is worth considering! I'll have to think on it a little bit.

October 11, 2017 5:03 p.m.

Emensmansera says... #17

Think about putting in a Tainted Remedy or a Temporal Extortion? Also Kambal, Consul of Allocation, and, hehe, Sorin Markov would br a fun addition.

October 20, 2017 12:09 a.m.

SurpriZe says... #18

If you had the access to every card you wanted to include, what are the main changes you would have made to the decklist?

October 22, 2017 6:29 a.m.

Philoctetes says... #19

Hey Emensmansera - thanks for the suggestions! I think that Tainted Remedy, while certainly an interesting card, isn't necessarily what this iteration of Licia is trying to do. Temporal Extortion I do find interesting, but it is somewhat difficult to cast and oftentimes just domes someone for a bunch of damage which feels just OK. Kambal, Consul of Allocation would be totally sweet if it was a spells matters effect that let us trigger it, but I think as is it is a little more incremental than this particular list wants to be. Sorin Markov is super sweet, and definitely makes killing our foes trivial, but the deck has limited room for high drops. Thanks for the suggestions!

Hey SurpriZe! That's an excellent question, and a well put question that really got me thinking. I think the mana base is probably the furthest off from the ideal case - I would of course include ABRU Duals if I owned them, for one thing, and likewise would include probably 5 total fetches if I had access to Marsh Flats and Arid Mesa. Most importantly, I would include Fetid Heath and Rugged Prairie filter lands that can filter black or red into white, because they would significantly improve our combo turns with that capability. I would also consider adding a Maze of Ith, as I've always felt that defensive "spells" in land slots is a powerful way to hold down the fort.

I think that most would make the argument that this deck needs more tutors. Diabolic Intent might fit, although the creature count is low which can be challenging. The one tutor I would strongly consider is Imperial Seal, otherwise I personally like playing somewhat tutor light.

Lion's Eye Diamond also comes to mind as an obvious inclusion now that Yawgmoth's Will is in the deck. I suppose that at it's very worst it can enable a turn 4 Licia at the cost of our hand.

Ultimately, this deck is evolving pretty much every week. I've never had a more challenging deck building experience than trying to tune this storm list. I'm sure that in a month there will be another 10 cards coming in and out of the deck.

October 22, 2017 10:02 p.m.

jj4622 says... #20

Hey, was looking through the list of cards you had considered and didn't see any mention of Well of Lost Dreams. Even in my Edgar list, which only really has incidental lifegain due to a few lifelink creatures/Blood Artist effects, the card has felt pretty ridiculous as an engine. Other than that love the deck!

January 31, 2018 10:49 a.m.

Philoctetes says... #21

Hey, thanks for the comment! While I certainly agree that Well of Lost Dreams is a powerful engine, I have a few concerns with it. It is essentially a two-card combo as opposed to a standalone engine, which can be a challenge with the wrong draw. It also takes a lot of mana before it really gets going - requiring 1 mana per card after a 4 mana investment plus finding a way to gain life seems a bit challenging for this build. Thank you for the interest and the suggestion!

January 31, 2018 4:15 p.m.

Have you considered Hatred + licia as another win con? With all that lifegain, you can easily pay 17 life to make an unblocked licia either eat their removal spell or kill them and gain you back that life. I say it is worth the gamble in a lifegain deck.

February 27, 2018 11:17 a.m.

MagicBlues says... #23

Oh boy, this list has developed significantly since I last looked at it. It looks way more cutthroat now :)
I've been wondering if Reiterate warrants inclusion over one of the other copy spells. With Helm of Awakening in play it is a straight upgrade but only if you ever rebound it.
You mentioned in the update section that you might need to include Not Forgotten at some point. Maybe Shreds of Sanity is a better fit for that slot since it is red and returns the card to your hand instead.

February 28, 2018 10:11 a.m.

Philoctetes says... #24

Great comments guys thanks for the interest and following my journey!

luther - while I do love Hatred as a fantastic win condition in a lot of decks, I feel in this build the Attack with Licia commander damage plan is very Plan B. I like having the option, but the main reason I like it is that it sort of exists by itself without slots dedicated to it, you know? But thank you for the suggestion!

MagicBlues - thanks for following along! The deck has definitely evolved over time, haha. My goal is actually at this point to continue to upgrade as I make certain acquisitions and really trick it out. My latest thought is potentially including a Burning Wish Mastermind's Acquisition sideboard package and offloading some board wipes and other situational cards to it.

Good comment regarding Not Forgotten my reasoning specifically for Not Forgotten over a card like Shreds of Sanity or Recoup is that it can bring back whatever I need, and especially Helm of Awakening which is just such a crucial piece. It can also circumstantially grab a Glacial Chasm or something similar!

Keep the comments coming guys I am enjoying the discussion!

February 28, 2018 4:04 p.m.

MagicBlues says... #25

That totally makes sense. Then I've got another option for you to try out ;)
Perpetual Timepiece is a little more expensive but might be able to fill in more roles than Not Forgotten since they can be used the same. Perpetual Timepiece however can act as pseudo card draw and save your graveyard at instant speed.
If your playgroup is fine with that kind of sideboard I'd definetely go for it. I think I would at first keep one copy of redundant situational cards in the main such that your normal tutors don't have to grab another one to get your board wipes, etc. That do over could make Ad Nauseam better if you can relegate some expensive cards to the sideboard.
It is a pleasure to follow the evolution of a deck of someone who puts that much effort into presenting and improving it :)

March 1, 2018 5:08 a.m.

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