March of the Dusk Legion

Commander / EDH Aggro Counters RBW (Mardu) Tokens Vampires

LordBlackblade

Land (40)

• 1x Ancient Ziggurat
• 1x Arid Mesa
• 1x Blightstep Pathway  ^Flip
• 1x Blood Crypt
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Brightclimb Pathway  ^Flip
• 1x Cavern of Souls
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 1x Fetid Heath
• 1x Godless Shrine
• 1x Graven Cairns
• 1x Haunted Ridge
• 1x Luxury Suite
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Mountain
• 1x Needleverge Pathway  ^Flip
• 1x Nomad Outpost
• 1x Path of Ancestry
• 4x Plains
• 1x Rugged Prairie
• 1x Sacred Foundry
• 1x Savai Triome
• 1x Shattered Sanctum
• 1x Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
• 1x Spectator Seating
• 1x Sundown Pass
• 6x Swamp
• 1x Unclaimed Territory
• 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1x Vault of Champions
• 1x Voldaren Estate

Sorcery (5)

• 1x Night's Whisper
• 1x Painful Truths
• 1x Patriarch's Bidding
• 1x Read the Bones
• 1x Vandalblast

Creature (26)

• 1x Bloodline Keeper  ^Flip
• 1x Captivating Vampire
• 1x Cemetery Gatekeeper
• 1x Champion of Dusk
• 1x Cordial Vampire
• 1x Drana, Liberator of Malakir
• 1x Florian, Voldaren Scion
• 1x Forerunner of the Legion
• 1x Indulgent Aristocrat
• 1x Knight of the Ebon Legion
• 1x Legion Lieutenant
• 1x Malakir Bloodwitch
• 1x Markov Blademaster
• 1x Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle
• 1x Nighthawk Scavenger
• 1x Olivia's Bloodsworn
• 1x Rakish Heir
• 1x Sanctum Seeker
• 1x Stromkirk Captain
• 1x Twilight Prophet
• 1x Vampire Nighthawk
• 1x Vampire of the Dire Moon
• 1x Vampire Socialite
• 1x Vicious Conquistador
• 1x Welcoming Vampire
• 1x Yahenni, Undying Partisan

Enchantment (6)

• 1x Cover of Darkness
• 1x Etchings of the Chosen
• 1x Legion's Landing  ^Flip
• 1x Reconnaissance
• 1x Shared Animosity
• 1x Stensia Masquerade

Commander (1)

Artifact (14)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Boros Signet
• 1x Chromatic Lantern
• 1x Coat of Arms
• 1x Herald's Horn
• 1x Idol of Oblivion
• 1x Orzhov Signet
• 1x Rakdos Signet
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Talisman of Conviction
• 1x Talisman of Hierarchy
• 1x Talisman of Indulgence
• 1x Throne of the God-Pharaoh
• 1x Vanquisher's Banner

Instant (8)

• 1x Anguished Unmaking
• 1x Boros Charm
• 1x Flawless Maneuver
• 1x Generous Gift
• 1x Path to Exile
• 1x Rootborn Defenses
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Teferi's Protection

---

But first, on earth as vampire sent,
Thy corse shall from its tomb be rent:
Then ghastly haunt thy native place,
And suck the blood of all thy race;
There from thy daughter, sister, wife,
At midnight drain the stream of life;
Yet loathe the banquet which perforce
Must feed thy livid living corse:
Thy victims ere they yet expire
Shall know the demon for their sire,
As cursing thee, thou cursing them,
Thy flowers are withered on the stem.

-Excerpt from The Giaour by Lord Byron

Welcome to my Edgar Markov EDH, based on one of my favorite Tribes in Magic: Vampires. It originally started as the Commander 2017 pre-constructed deck Vampiric Bloodlust. Now incorporating my own changes (read: improvements), I feel it is far more focused and powerful. The deck has two primary goals. The first is to put as many Vampires as possible onto the battlefield. The second is to make our Vampires stronger through buffs and +1/+1 counters. Overall, the deck plays aggressively, but is also fairly resilient. Let's break down the deck so we can discuss card choice and strategy. I'm always open to suggestions so feel free to leave a comment below!

I am currently in the process of foiling out this deck, as it has quickly become one of my absolute favorites.

Foiling Progress: 94/96 Possible Foils (98%)

If you have any of the foils I am missing from the deck and would like to trade, feel free to take a look at my binder! They are my top trading priorities at this time!

Try setting sort to Custom to see my thought process when designing the deck!

The Commander

Edgar Markov was the default commander in the Vampiric Bloodlust deck and I felt no reason to change that. His eminence ability creates a 1/1 Black Vampire token whenever you cast another Vampire spell. The value of this ability cannot be overstated. This ability helps us achieve our primary goal of putting Vampires onto the battlefield. On the battlefield, his ability to give each Vampire under your control a +1/+1 counter when he attacks helps us achieve our secondary goal of making our Vampires stronger. With abilities that are strong both on and off the battlefield, Edgar Markov is an absolute powerhouse.

General Tribal Support

The tribal playstyle has been a concept in Magic since its inception. Some blocks and sets focus more or less on the tribal concept, but every player is familiar with at least some of the common tribes. In order to supplement this style of play, Wizards has printed several cards during the history of Magic that are not tied to a specific tribe. These general tribal support cards can be used to augment any tribe in the game. The majority of these cards are colorless; however, general tribal support has also been printed in each of the five colors as well.

Tribal Buffs Show

The most basic component of the tribal playstyle is to increase the power and toughness of the creatures of the chosen type. Adding abilities to creatures of the chosen type is also a powerful strategy.

• Coat of Arms - The granddaddy of all tribal support. Always be cautious when playing against other tribal decks

• Cover of Darkness - Fear is an older mechanic, but the lack of any changes to its functionality make it very powerful keyword against non-black decks

• Shared Animosity - Often described as a one-sided Coat of Arms. Works amazingly with our aggro playstyle

• Vanquisher's Banner - A little pricey for just an anthem effect; however, the draw effect is incredibly powerful

Tribal Cost Reducers Show

A card's mana cost usually reflects the influence that the card will have on the game. By reducing the mana cost of the cards we play, we are impacting the game for less mana. This enables better, more efficient plays.

• Herald's Horn - Reduces the cost of spells of the chosen creature type by {1}. Also allows us to pseudo-scry for creatures

Tribal Mana Support Show

One of the issues that can arise in a tribal deck, as discussed before, is mana fixing. These cards are specifically tuned to help mana fix a tribal deck by producing mana in specific colors for use to exclusively cast creature spells of the chosen type.

• Ancient Ziggurat - Another Command Tower, but only for creature spells

• Cavern of Souls - Produces mana of any color, and protects our chosen creatures from being countered

• Path of Ancestry - Another Command Tower, also gives us a scry when we cast a creature of the chosen type. Unfortunately comes into play tapped

• Unclaimed Territory - Another Command Tower, but only for creature spells of the chosen type. Also can be tapped for {1}

• Voldaren Estate - It may be a worse Mana Confluence, but it is a flavor win

Tribal Reanimation Show

A few cards can return creatures of certain tribes to the battlefield. This effect is uncommon to say the least

• Patriarch's Bidding - Returns all vampires to the battlefield. Other players may get creatures as well; however, we should still get the most value

The Lords

"A 'lord' is an informal term that refers to any creature or other permanent that confers boons to other members of the same creature type, usually without conferring such boons to themselves, however... Due to their support for creature types and appreciably influential impact, lords are often integral to tribal decks..." - Magic: The Gathering Wiki

• Bloodline Keeper   - Once he transforms, which is quite easy in this deck, he grants other Vampires +2/+2

• Captivating Vampire - Grants the classic lord buff of +1/+1 to other Vampires

• Legion Lieutenant - One of the new "bargain lords" that grants the classic +1/+1

• Stromkirk Captain - Grants the classic lord buff of +1/+1 and first strike to other Vampires

Non-Basic Lands

Non-basic lands are arguably one of the cornerstones of EDH gameplay. Nearly every EDH deck can and will run non-basic lands due to the superior color fixing and added utility they provide. This is in spite of their vulnerability to cards like Back to Basics or Blood Moon and their ilk.

The Battlebond Lands Show

These lands come in untapped if you have two or more opponents. In casual EDH, that should be the vast majority of games.

• Luxury Suite
• Spectator Seating
• Vault of Champions

Command Tower Show

The land of lands in EDH, Command Tower should be in every multicolor EDH deck.

• Command Tower

The Fetch Lands Show

The ideal use of the fetch lands is to tutor for one of our many dual lands. Never forget that you can tutor for an off-color shock land as long as the land type is correct. e.g. You can fetch Sacred Foundry with Bloodstained Mire.

• Arid Mesa
• Bloodstained Mire
• Marsh Flats

The Filter Lands Show

These lands are able to tap for a colorless mana on their own, or can be used to filter mana of one color into another color.

• Fetid Heath
• Graven Cairns
• Rugged Prairie

The Pathways Show

These relatively simple lands are great! They always come in untapped, and let you choose what you need on the spot. I'm not saying they are as good as the fetch lands; however, their ability to fix you is quite high.

• Blightstep Pathway  
• Brightclimb Pathway  
• Needleverge Pathway  

The Shock Lands Show

Get Shocked in order to get an untapped dual land into play. The shock lands are true color-fixing staples in any format.

• Blood Crypt
• Godless Shrine
• Sacred Foundry

The Slow Lands Show

Strictly better battle lands. Only punish you on turns 1 and 2, which is not the majority of the game. Most of the time they function as untapped dual lands.

• Haunted Ridge
• Shattered Sanctum
• Sundown Pass

The Triomes Show

Strictly better triple lands, the triomes come in tapped, with no way out; however, they produce three colors of mana. They are also typed for specific search cards, and in a pinch can be cycled if you need something else.

• Savai Triome

The Triple Lands Show

These lands come in tapped, with no way out; however, they produce three colors of mana. This makes them unique as the only tap lands I will run in the vast majority of EDH decks. In any tri-colored deck they are essentially Command Towers that enter tapped, which still seems like a good deal to me.

• Nomad Outpost

Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth Show

Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is the preeminent mana fixer for any black/x deck. It itself can tap for black, and gives all lands the ability to do so as well. Though this may help mana fix our opponents, having access to black is vital for this deck and an acceptable risk.

• Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

Mana Rocks

Mana rocks are a valuable source of ramp for many decks. In these particular colos mana rocks are especially vital, as other forms of ramp are very scarce.

The Signets Show

Another true color fixing staple, the signets are used in a majority of EDH decks as a colorless source of mana-fixing.

• Boros Signet
• Orzhov Signet
• Rakdos Signet

The Talismans Show

Two mana rocks are very good, and the talismans can even produce colored mana. They are now available for every two color combination.

• Talisman of Conviction
• Talisman of Hierarchy
• Talisman of Indulgence

Miscellaneous Mana Rocks Show

These mana rocks aren't part of a greater cycle, but many of them are quite powerful staples of the format.

• Arcane Signet - As ubiquitous as Sol Ring. Goes in every EDH deck

• Chromatic Lantern - Turns all our lands into Command Towers and taps for mana on its own

• Sol Ring - As the old saying goes, "Sol Ring, nintey-eight cards to go" Has a slot in any EDH deck

Removal Suite

Removal is a key concept in many EDH decks. If your deck doesn't have the ability to counter a spell, removal is the next best option. The key deciding factor for removal spells in this deck is versatility. Any spell that does more than simply destroy a creature is an outstanding choice.

• Anguished Unmaking - Three mana and life to exile any permanent

• Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire - Situational removal; however, costs us nothing to run

• Generous Gift - White Beast Within is definitely worth running

• Path to Exile - An EDH all-star. One mana exile.

• Swords to Plowshares - A strictly better Path to Exile in my opinion

• Vandalblast - Destroy one artifact for one mana, or all artifacts your opponents control for five mana

The Strategy

As discussed above, the main strategy behind the deck is to produce as many vampires as possible and make then them stronger. Our commander, Edgar Markov excels in both of these areas. The overall methods by which we accomplish our ultimate goals is two fold. First, we try to produce as many Vampire tokens as possible through effective use of our token generators. Second, we place as many +1/+1 counters on our creatures as possible. Effectively managing our token and counter generation is the overall key to victory with this deck.

Counter Generation Show

An interesting pattern that emerged as I designed the deck was the prominence of counter generating Vampires. When I look at the majority of other Edgar Markov decks, this area is usually underrepresented. Never underestimate the power of throwing Edgar Markov onto the battlefield before a big swing. He can add a considerable amount of damage to board in the form of +1/+1 counters.

• Cordial Vampire - Essentially a light version of Patron of the Vein at a significantly lower CMC

• Drana, Liberator of Malakir - I like to think of her as Edgar Markov light

• Indulgent Aristocrat - Good, low cost Vampire. Ability adds relevance in the late game

• Rakish Heir - Gives our Vampires a +1/+1 whenever they deal combat damage to a player. Works well with our aggro playstyle

• Stensia Masquerade - Literally Rakish Heir with the added bonus of first strike

• Vampire Socialite - Tribal-relevant counter generation. I prefer this to Metallic Mimic as it is retroactive

Token Generation Show

Tokens are a great way to strengthen your board state. Edgar Markov is our primary token generator. THese cards serve to supplement his production power, enabling us to go wide.

• Legion's Landing   - Creates a 1/1 Vampire token with lifelink for one. Easily transformed into a mana source and token generator

• Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle - Generates a token on attack. Works well with our aggro playstyle

• Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance - Doesn't make vampires and is over-costed, but has low opportunity cost to run

Solid Vampires Show

Not every Vampire in the deck can be easily linked to the overarching themes. This doesn't diminish their usefulness, as many of these Vampires posses useful or unique abilities that enhance the deck.

• Cemetery Gatekeeper - His ability is occasionally a blow-out against certain archetypes. Most of the time, he's getting us a lot of damage for his cost

• Forerunner of the Legion - Tutors for any Vampire in the deck when he enters. Also provides a small buff upon a Vampire entering the battlefield

• Knight of the Ebon Legion - A one drop with a relevant, powerful ability. His static ability allows him to grow simply from our deck attacking

• Markov Blademaster - Deceptively powerful. The first time she gets through she hits for three. Her power continues to snowball from there

• Nighthawk Scavenger - A Vampire Nighthawk with a higher power ceiling. Almost always better

• Olivia's Bloodsworn - An aggressive flyer for two, can also give other vampires haste, which further increases the pressure we can put on our opponents

• Vampire Nighthawk - A Vampire all-star. Should realistically cost at least four or five mana

• Vampire of the Dire Moon - The newest and littlest Vampire Nighthawk. A lot of keywords for one mana

• Yahenni, Undying Partisan - Grows stronger as opponents' creatures die. Potentially survives board wipes

Sub-Themes

Any given deck has a number of sub-themes running in the background of the overall deck architecture. In this particular deck, our two sub-themes are rather minor, but still present and powerful nonetheless.

Card Draw Show

As discussed below in the Weaknesses section, running out of steam is an all-too-present threat to the deck. In order to prevent this, I've included a few cards to help refill our hand as the game progresses, allowing us to maintain pressure on the enemy.

• Champion of Dusk - A potential all-star. Should easily refill our hand during the game. Life loss usually inconsequential

• Florian, Voldaren Scion - Powerful card selection tied to playing aggressively. A natural fit for the deck

• Idol of Oblivion - Obvious synergy with our commander. If you only net two cards off of it, that's a great rate

• Night's Whisper - An easier-costed, but less versatile Sign in Blood

• Painful Truths - Ideally, this card costs {W}{B}{R} and three life, and draws us three cards

• Read the Bones - Potentially see four cards for three mana. A Black staple

• Twilight Prophet - An amazing card draw engine. Nets us an extra card every turn and drains life from our opponents. Ascend is easily achieved with this deck

• Welcoming Vampire - A Mentor of the Meek-esque effect with a Vampire body. Seems pretty strong

Life Drain Show

A common theme with Vampires is that of stealing life from others. This obviously stems from classic Vampire mythology. In the game, this is often represented by target/each opponent loses X life and you gain X life. This represents an exceptionally flavorful mechanic.

• Malakir Bloodwitch - Can be a big swing in life totals depending on how many Vampires we have in play

• Sanctum Seeker - An amazing source of life drain. Couples well with our aggro playstyle

• Throne of the God-Pharaoh - This card couples well with our aggro playstyle and is a great way to ping all of our opponents every turn

• Vicious Conquistador - Amazing value. A 1/2 for one mana plus pings each opponent for one when he attacks

Protection Show

As mentioned in the weaknesses section below, board wipes are one of the deck's biggest issues. These cards serve to remedy that by allowing our board to weather potential board wipes.

• Boros Charm - While it is a modal spell, the second mode will be the one to be aware of. Makes all permanents we control indestructible

• Etchings of the Chosen - An anthem effect stapled to the ability to protect our vampires. With Edgar Markov every "real" vampire will come with built in protection in the form of a sacrificial token

• Flawless Maneuver - Protects the board, and is free if we have our commander out

• Reconnaissance - Its use is two-fold: Can be used as a Gustcloak Savior to avoid unfavorable blocks, also provides pseudo-vigilance

• Rootborn Defenses - Protects the board, and makes another token. Minor bonus, but the protection is what counts

• Teferi's Protection - Perhaps the most powerful protection spell ever conceived. By utilizing phasing, our permanents are literally protected from every form of removal, even the notorious Cyclonic Rift

Weaknesses

No deck is perfect, and this particular deck is no exception. The deck's biggest weakness is its vulnerability to board wipes. While the deck is capable of recovering from them, they will usually set our game plan back several turns at least. Cards like Boros Charm and Teferi's Protection are attempts to answer this problem.

The second problem the deck faces is one of running out of steam. If you play a Vampire every turn, at some point you will run out of a hand. Without Vampires to play, you risk the deck stalling out. In order to compensate, I've included cards like Champion of Dusk and Twilight Prophet. While black does have access to other form of card draw, I chose not to include them for thematic reasons.

Top Ranked	Achieved #39 position overall 6 years ago
Date added	6 years
Last updated	2 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	6 - 0 Mythic Rares 50 - 0 Rares 28 - 0 Uncommons 5 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.65
Tokens	Blood, City's Blessing, Eldrazi 10/10 C, Elephant 3-3 G, Spirit 1/1 C, Vampire 1/1 B, Vampire 1/1 W, Vampire 2/2 B
Folders	Commander, Commander, l, Mardu, reference, Riley's Decks, Cool Decks, EDH Ideas, Edgar lists, Meine commander decks