Sadly I have retired this deck since the banning of Faithless Looting, which was really stupid. I replaced them with Thrilling Discovery, but the speed is no longer the same.
Top Rank: #5 on T/O (#1 in Modern) on 8/28/2018 - thanks for reading!
GREETINGS!
Welcome to my Mardu control build featuring Liliana of the Veil, Lingering Souls, and Demigod of Revenge. I've taken my existing Mono-black Liliana Control deck and modified it with a splash of red and white to make it even nastier.
OBJECTIVE
Use self-discard enablers like Faithless Looting, Hazoret the Fervent, and Liliana of the Veil to dump Bloodghasts, Lingering Souls, and Demigod of Revenge into your graveyard.
Eliminate threats during the early game, stall with Lingering Souls, and then go for the kill with Demigods, Phyrexian Obliterators, or Hazoret the Fervent.
OPTIMAL TURN STRATEGY
(Cards are listed in order of priority)
Turn 1 - Play Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek; or Faithless Looting discarding Bloodghasts, Lingering Souls, Demigod of Revenge, or another Faithless Looting; or Fatal Push together with a fetchland to trigger Revolt; or Lightning Bolt. Worse case scenario, play a Blood Crypt or Godless Shrine tapped to save life. You could waste a Path to Exile on turn 1, but I recommend saving it until a later turn to eliminate a high-value target.
Turn 2 - Flashback Lingering Souls; play two one-drops; play Lightning Helix; or if all else fails, play Bloodghast from your hand (ideally, Bloodghasts should only enter the battlefield via Landfall).
Turn 3 - Play Liliana of the Veil, then use her +1 ability to discard a card listed above; play Lingering Souls; play Kolaghan's Command; or flashback Faithless Looting in a tight spot.
Turn 4 - Play Phyrexian Obliterator, Hazoret the Fervent, or Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet.
Turn 5 - Play Demigod of Revenge, hopefully reanimating other Demigods; play a 4-drop and a one-drop; or play and flashback Lingering Souls.
Turn 6 and beyond - Continue to apply pressure with large creatures while neutralizing threats and chump-blocking with spirit tokens. A late-game Lightning Bolt or Lightning Helix can also seal the deal.
SIDEBOARD
Against non-red decks running non-basic lands, bring in Blood Moon.
Against Tron and Storm, bring in Damping Sphere and Fulminator Mage.
Against aggro/tokens, bring in Damnation, which I prefer over area damage-dealing spells because I'm running Phyrexian Obliterator.
Against graveyard/dredge, bring in Leyline of the Void, and try to mulligan for it.
Against artifacts, bring in Revoke Existence and Stony Silence.
This primer is a work in progress!
Please comment and +1!
