Lord of Leeches [Unique Ghave Build]

Commander / EDH* BGW (Abzan, Junk)

goldlion

Creature (33)

• 1x Ajani's Pridemate
• 1x Auriok Champion
• 1x Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim
• 1x Blood Artist
• 1x Deathgreeter
• 1x Elenda, the Dusk Rose
• 1x Elves of Deep Shadow
• 1x Elvish Farmer
• 1x Essence Warden
• 1x Geralf's Messenger
• 1x Karlov of the Ghost Council
• 1x Krav, the Unredeemed
• 1x Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest
• 1x Mortician Beetle
• 1x Orc Sureshot
• 1x Poison-Tip Archer
• 1x Sakura-Tribe Scout
• 1x Saruli Caretaker
• 1x Savra, Queen of the Golgari
• 1x Slimefoot, the Stowaway
• 1x Smothering Abomination
• 1x Soul Warden
• 1x Soul's Attendant
• 1x Suture Priest
• 1x Teysa Karlov *f-pre*
• 1x Torgaar, Famine Incarnate
• 1x Tree of Perdition
• 1x Utopia Mycon
• 1x Vampire Nighthawk
• 1x Viscera Seer
• 1x Vizkopa Guildmage
• 1x Wall of Limbs
• 1x Zulaport Cutthroat

Land (37)

• 1x Blighted Steppe
• 1x Field of Ruin
• 9x Forest
• 1x Golgari Guildgate
• 1x Mana Confluence
• 1x Mortuary Mire
• 1x Overgrown Tomb
• 8x Plains
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Selesnya Guildgate
• 1x Survivors' Encampment
• 9x Swamp
• 1x Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree

Instant (10)

• 1x Batwing Brume
• 1x Imp's Mischief
• 1x Necrologia
• 1x Reclaim
• 1x Sanguine Sacrament
• 1x Spoils of Evil
• 1x Suffer the Past
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Unmake
• 1x Utter End

Artifact (8)

• 1x Blade of the Bloodchief
• 1x Druidic Satchel
• 1x Golgari Signet
• 1x Illusionist's Bracers
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Orzhov Signet
• 1x Selesnya Signet
• 1x Sylvok Lifestaff

Commander (1)

Enchantment (11)

• 1x Aid from the Cowl
• 1x Carnival of Souls
• 1x Cryptolith Rite
• 1x Dark Prophecy
• 1x Dawn of Hope
• 1x Glare of Subdual
• 1x Night Soil
• 1x Path of Discovery
• 1x Phyrexian Reclamation
• 1x Sadistic Glee
• 1x Shadows of the Past

Sorcery (8)

• 1x Ambition's Cost
• 1x Dark Petition
• 1x Drain Life
• 1x Immortal Servitude
• 1x Minions' Murmurs
• 1x Open the Armory
• 1x Recollect
• 1x Temporal Extortion

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Maybeboard

Creature (24)

• 1x Avacyn's Pilgrim
• 1x Blood Celebrant
• 1x Bloodcrazed Paladin
• 1x Bloodghast
• 1x Cliffhaven Vampire
• 1x Crypt Rats
• 1x Falkenrath Noble
• 1x Lifeblood Hydra
• 1x Llanowar Elves
• 1x Lumberknot
• 1x Midnight Reaper
• 1x Mirror Entity
• 1x Pitiless Plunderer
• 1x Priest of Forgotten Gods
• 1x Quagmire Druid
• 1x Regna, the Redeemer
• 1x Serene Steward
• 1x Skullmulcher
• 1x Souls of the Faultless
• 1x Tendershoot Dryad
• 1x Tymna the Weaver
• 1x Vampire Nighthawk
• 1x Vindictive Vampire
• 1x Workhorse

Enchantment (19)

• 1x Ajani's Welcome
• 1x Aura of Silence
• 1x Authority of the Consuls
• 1x Black Market
• 1x Blessing of Leeches
• 1x Blind Obedience
• 1x Bloodchief Ascension
• 1x Death Match
• 1x Gift of Immortality
• 1x Necrogenesis
• 1x Parallel Lives
• 1x Perilous Forays
• 1x Phyrexian Arena
• 1x Ragged Veins
• 1x Sanguine Bond
• 1x Tainted Remedy
• 1x Unspeakable Symbol
• 1x Vampiric Rites
• 1x Wound Reflection

Instant (4)

• 1x Argivian Find
• 1x Culling the Weak
• 1x Rally the Ancestors
• 1x Songs of the Damned

Sorcery (12)

• 1x Alliance of Arms
• 1x Ashes to Ashes
• 1x Caravan Vigil
• 1x Essence Harvest
• 1x Gruesome Fate
• 1x Kaya's Wrath
• 1x Leeches
• 1x Painful Truths
• 1x Plague of Vermin
• 1x Sign in Blood
• 1x Steelshaper's Gift
• 1x Weird Harvest

Artifact (6)

• 1x Claws of Gix
• 1x Mana Crypt
• 1x Mindcrank
• 1x Oketra's Monument
• 1x Snake Basket
• 1x Tainted Sigil

Land (1)

• 1x Hall of the Bandit Lord

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Otherwise known as "Vampiric Ghave", “Ghave, Guru of blood letting” or “He Ghave me a blanket of Leeches”, this is a life leechy deck where we explore synergistic cards that provide value to us through gaining/paying/draining life, while also doing big things with .

On top of fitting the synergy, my question for this deck is: how can I build something that ¨performs¨ while minimizing the use of typical cards? what are some fresh combinations and takes on the life synergy? If less competitive and more flavourful decks aren't your thing, check the deck link below to help develop the more competitive version where we try to break the Carnival of Souls .

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Carny Ghave, Lord of Leaches [cEDH/In Progress]

Commander / EDH* goldlion

SCORE: 1 | 10 COMMENTS | 188 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER

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Still here? Great. I'm looking to whittle this down to 100 and swap for cards that increase interactivity while keeping it unique and interesting (as opposed to focusing it for efficiency, speed and power). I'm hoping to harvest creative ideas from you to help make this deck flavourful and one of a kind, while still keeping it somewhat strong. Put your janky hats on, let’s see what you’ve got.

Keeping it Interesting

So there's some obvious cards I could add in here to raise the competitive level of the deck. Actually, I feel like this deck could be shifted to achieve cEDH levels and I would like to create that version, even if just for having online. However, not only am I limiting my use of these to keep it in the realm of reason and fun in my meta, but I also want the deck building/playing process to be interesting.

Here's the list of those "typicals" and my prospective replacements.

• Exsanguinate or Torment of Hailfire as a win-con. In here I have Drain Life as a unique take which brings down the power level as it focuses on just one player and requires for X. I do appreciate its ability to also target a creature and also to work with the swamp synergy.
• Sanguine Bond & Exquisite Blood (thinking of including one)
• Demonic Tutor , Vampiric Tutor , etc
• Doubling Season , Parallel Lives , Anointed Procession , etc.
• Cathars' Crusade , Ivy Lane Denizen and other Ghave typicals the provide continuous resources for Ghave´s ability. Instead they need to synergize with the other aspects, like Bloodbond Vampire and ajani pridemate´s trigger from lifegain which means I need another piece for that combo such as an Essence Warden , or making myself use more resources for the trigger like with a Mortician Beetle . I am considering Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest though I originally intended to reduce large power effects while keeping mana curve low.
• Ashnod's Altar & Phyrexian Altar , though I´ll likely include Utopia Mycon who is restricted to saprolings but is only to cast
• Tymna the Weaver ... though I'm thinking about including her.
• Scavenging Ooze is great, but Night Soil is less used... the Ooze will be going in the cEDH version, for sure.
• Meren of Clan Nel Toth or Athreos, God of Passage though I am including Phyrexian Reclamation and Immortal Servitude due to the generally low converted cmc of my creatures. I also have Death Denied amongst the maybes and wonder about swapping Reclamation for it as a great surprise spell that doesn´t draw so much hate.
• Attrition , though Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim and Karlov of the Ghost Council fit the synergy and provide a good ability to replace it.
• gravepact and Dictate of Erebos are incredible effective with Ghave, but also very oppressive and not fun in non-competitive EDH.
• Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and Cabal Coffers or Cabal Stronghold to amplify the swamp synergy in here. I am thinking of using Divergent Growth and Songs of the Damned for late game boost to swamps, but wonder if they are worth the card slots.
• Lastly, my playgroup allows for 1 banned card. In this deck I would definitely use Channel . I'll add this to the more competitive list I hope to make.

All-Stars

Carnival of Souls

Carnival of Souls is an unlikely hero. I´ve seen it slandered and trashed by so many, but when I first saw it it struck me as having fantastic synergistic potential with Ghave in this type of build. With one of the Essence Warden type effects, it reads "whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, add a to your manapool". Anyone who's piloted a Ghave, Guru of Spores deck knows that is a powerful effect. It makes me want to run Alliance of Arms.

Exploring options to not die from an opponent producing a large amounts of creatures (if I don't have Soul Warden y card out), I found Sanguine Sacrament & Suffer the Past as instant speed responses to a bunch of Carnival of Souls triggers on our opponent's turn. Sanguine Sacrament, if I decide to add Sanguine Bond , will be a game winner. I like Suffer the Past as a way to combat graveyard decks in the meta, but it can also end someone later in the game while keeping me alive.

On my turn, I could use Carnival of Souls to lead into a Drain Life . An Exsanguinate would be a natural shoe in here as well, but that sits on the "typical" list as it's just too easy and not very interesting.

Immortal Servitude & Phyrexian Reclamation

There's such a low mana curve in here with high content of creatures that synergize in big ways... To pay 4 colourless and 3 with Immortal Servitude and get most if not all back on the battlefield is great value. If Carnival of Souls and Ghave are out, we can get some good action going right away even if we tapped all our land for the cast. Or, to get any creature back into the hand for and 1 life, it'll be pretty cheap to get them on the battlefield with mana left over to start doing work.

Upgrades

Disciple of Griselbrand ---> Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim as Ayli provides the same effect (or close enough) but also has deathtouch and exile removal built in, for just a rather than a .

Bloodbond Vampire ---> Karlov of the Ghost Council as Karlov is cheaper, receives two +1/+1 counters rather than one so provides more fuel for Ghave, and can use those counters to exile creatures making him another great synergy piece with blade of the blood chief and Sadistic Glee

Ajani's Welcome ---> Soul's Attendant as Ajani's welcome is only for my creatures. I'm on the fence here still because all though Soul's Attendant is for all creatures ETBing and I can recur it, it's easier to ping while Ajani's Welcome is an enchantment that wont be worth an enchantment removal in most cases. Though, maybe I should just run both?

Soul's Attendant ---> Auriok Champion for the protection

Deathspore Thallid ---> Orc Sureshot as this isn't saproling focused enough to where I feel Deathspore will be an efficient use of each saproling. Might throw it back in, both could be good. I like Sureshot as it's a free bonus to doing what I already want to do. I'm also looking at adding a Death Match as a passive removal, and fun way to get interactions going at the table.

Maybes and Other Directions

Snake Basket could be a great combo with Carnival of Souls and an Essence Warden effect. For example, I could create 10 saprolings from +1/+1 counters then use the 10 to sac the Snake Basket for 10 snakes which then produces 10 more .

If I add Sanguine Bond in here, then something like Tainted Sigil becomes powerful. with Exquisite Blood as well Wound Reflection becomes pretty strong.

Workhorse is fantastic with Blade of the Bloodchief and Sadistic Glee .

Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker for all the little creatures that provide great utility in here. If only he would be triggered by something like Wall of Limbs being sacrificed for its ability! However, If I'm using the counters from 0/0 creatures to produce saprolings with Ghave, he would work.

Mirror Entity would turn Utopia Mycon into a Phyrexian Altar , Slimefoot, the Stowaway into a Zulaport Cutthroat , and all creatures into vampires to get the bonus benefit from Blade of the Bloodchief and cards like Indulgent Aristocrat . If, going Janky, I made Mirror Entity one of the key pieces that I always want get out (adding a Pattern of Rebirth and a Recruiter of the Guard ), I would probably add a few things like Basal Sliver to get extra janky and Pull from Eternity to get Mirror Entity back. Devouring Greed could be a wincon with Mirror Entity.

Bloodcrazed Paladin provides fuel for Ghave after a turn of sacing creatures, especially if Carnival of Souls is out where playing it will produce a which can pay for removing a counter to create a saproling to produce another and so on.

Trostani, Selesnya's Voice , Maga, Traitor to Mortals , Lifeblood Hydra , Chorus of the Conclave

Centaur Peacemaker triggers with Tainted Remedy

Top Ranked	Achieved #54 position overall 5 years ago
Date added	5 years
Last updated	4 years
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	5 - 0 Mythic Rares 28 - 0 Rares 26 - 0 Uncommons 23 - 0 Commons
Cards	108
Avg. CMC	2.61
Tokens	Saproling 1/1 G, Soldier 1/1 W w/ Lifelink, Vampire 1/1 W