Deck Strategy:
In the early game, you're looking to Despise crap you don't want to hit the field from your opponent's hand or play a Bile Blight to an early Goblin Rabblemaster or another early threat. The early to mid game is usually where you'll be dropping your creature threats: Reaper of the Wilds and Polukranos, World Eater, and Archfiend of Depravity. Whip of Erebos will be played in the mid to late game, typically. In the late game, you have Liliana Vess who helps you get what you need to win/survive and Hornet Queen and Garruk, Apex Predator, serving as your 7-drops.
Your goal is to dominate the mid to late game with ridiculous life gain and board control. Hexproof 4/5 with scry or a mild version of superfriends with Garruk and Liliana who, despite trying to kill each other in the storyline, pair quite well together in a deck format.
The Card Breakdown
Despise: Well, I'm too cheap to run Thoughtseize, but Despise gets rid of most of the stuff I don't want since Reaper of the Wilds is a Honey Badger to removal.
Sylvan Caryatid: Not much to say here; it is ramp at its finest. These guys help you play Garruk, Apex Predator late, get things out earlier, and monstrous Polukranos, World Eater quickly.
Bile Blight: Blight is solid early game removal, hitting many threats like Seeker of the Way, Goblin Rabblemaster, Monastery Mentor, Boon Satyr, etc. before they even get to do anything. It also ruins tokens.
Courser of Kruphix: This card is golden in the early game, preventing you from going too far down into the low-life range early on against aggro decks. She also helps thin your deck of lands to help you get to your threats.
Read the Bones: With a midrange aim, card draw is important, and while this one costs a little life, it is one of the best draw spells in standard that is not blue at the moment because it allows you to determine what you want to draw. Very solid common.
Hero's Downfall: Basic removal in these colors.
Reaper of the Wilds: This card is sick and grossly undervalued. So it can have deathtouch and hexproof if you play your mana properly, which means it kills bloody Rhinos in it's spare time with no consequence (assuming Rhino's friend Sorin is still reading in the library). Moreover, every time a creature dies that isn't itself, you get to scry one. Again, I've found this extremely useful against tokens.
Polukranos, World Eater: Poor Polukranos has been forgotten by the MTG world amidst a brand new shell of 4-drops who use three shiny colors. I picked him up from the streets and took him in, and now he's hungry to attain glory again. Don't mess with the Polukranos. He'll eat your army alive and then attack you for scores of damage. Basically, all of that is to say the Polukranos, World Eater is a great card, and I'm bringing him back with this deck.
Whip of Erebos: While I can't run Sorin, Solemn Visitor or Ajani Steadfast in these colors, I CAN run this beautiful little relic, and it is quite wonderful. The life gain can be tide-turning. I've gone down to 8 life in this deck, my opponent at 19 (fetch land) and come back to win it with Reaper of the Wilds
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Whip of Erebos
.
Archfiend of Depravity: This card is extremely undervalued in the meta, and his ability to control a board is pretty stellar. While he dies to more than most of this deck does, he is brilliant nonetheless.
Liliana Vess: Okay, so I didn't think I liked her +1 for a while because it seemed so bland in comparison to her -2, but in play it really changes the game. An opponent with an empty hand against my deck is often a dead opponent, assuming I have board state control. In the meantime, she's one of only a couple cards in standard that tutor, and the only one that grabs whatever your heart fancies. Lastly, remember all those creatures you killed with Hero's Downfall and Bile Blight? If you get her to 8 loyalty, you can have 'em! Not a bad perk to an already solid card.
Murderous Cut: This card is in here primarily to help me out with not having to pick up another Downfall, but it is a solid card nonetheless, and decent removal that can often be played for 2-3 mana in this deck.
Garruk, Apex Predator: Garruk is an incredible card. Both of his +1's are relevant and his -3 is really great if you need a little life and a path to attack. Of course, his -8 is pretty much gg, but so it is with most PW's in this standard. Garruk, Apex Predator
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Liliana Vess
has made games turn very quickly in my favor, forcing my opponent to topdeck while producing an army of decent-sized deathtouch tokens tends to terminate a game, especially once I ultimate Liliana Vess.
Hornet Queen: She is currently only a one of in this deck, but even at that, she can easily be found with a lili tutor, and she gets better after death if you have the Hornet Queen
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Whip of Erebos
combo going.
I will add a description of the sideboard soon.
Also, a shout out to justinlf who helped with some of the ideas of this deck and whose deck Predator Grind subconsciously inspired this build. Another thanks to Kingzerker for giving me a more definitive goal in this deck.
