Horobi, Death's Wail Suggestions. Need Help!
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on Dec. 20, 2015, 1:44 p.m. by Flagellum
So I was looking for a fun commander that might be semi competitive and somewhat budget so I found Horobi, Death's Wail and thought that this guy could be a lot of fun. I'm trying to stay away from cute little interactions that only work with the general granted not every one of those is left out just the strong ones are included. My biggest problem is what other direction do I take the guy with? Reanimator/sac shenanigans works but i feel it needs another strong subtheme.
Themes to be Included
I will definitely take advantage with all the creature death with reanimation spells. Sacrificial themes will also be present because they work wonders here. So all the usual creatures that recurs themselves will be in. Bloodghast, Nether Shadow ect.
-1/-1 Counters (I.e. Infect/Wither)
I like the -1/-1 counters theme with wither or infect cards (moreso infect). Things like Midnight Banshee, Skinrender or Shambling Swarm that can cripple critters or downright destroy them when Horobi is out or by using Sorceress Queen/Sudden Spoiling. That way if my general is dead I can still cripple my opponents creatures and punch indestructible creatures in the groin. It also gives me another much shorter wincon via infect like Flesh-Eater Imp. This is probably my favorite idea.
Hand Disruption
Mono black has some hand disruption that can help make sure thing stick. However most of it is only 1 card on upkeep or single target in a multiplayer format. I plan on running a few rattlesnakes like Mindslicer regardless on the direction I go. I just feel that it's sort of all-in or nothing strategy to be effective.
[Insert Your Own Theme Here]
I'm curious as to any other direction people have taken him.
Thanks for the response!
From what I've gathered so far is that Horobi does precisely that, creates shenanigans. Everyone will ask what targets and what doesn't. Equipment becomes useless which people might forget about. Your opponents have to question if they really want to waste removal spells on Horobi since I could imply reanimate him from the yard for 
When you cast Horobi you do so knowing full well that he might not last until your next turn. You mentioned Cauldron of Souls but there's also Touch of Darkness which allows you to target whatever you want. Horobi, Death's Wail + Karn, Silver Golem allows you to get rid of annoying artifacts that mono black has issues with. Xenic Poltergeist also acts as a backup to Karn. Dauthi Embrace can act as removal with Horobi or as evasion for infect/beaters. Many interactions.
I have thought about the -1/-1 counters theme with Vhati il-Dal which would act as a machine gun. But Meren would be better for a reanimator deck, he's just so overplayed at the LGS and I was wanting something a little outside the box.
December 20, 2015 7:59 p.m.
Plus, Horobi has amazing artwork... It essentially boils down to a MBC deck that causes confusion lol.
December 20, 2015 8:23 p.m.
Yeah, I feel bad suggesting Meren to people these days because she is so popular. She is the only commander out of the the new preconstructed decks that can do something without experience counters and it is a card advantage engine to boot.
And I do get what you are saying about Horobi and shenanigans. My mindset was more focussed on the description saying that you were looking for a semi-competitive build, and while I have seen some decent budget builds I can't recall if I have seen something that would qualify as semi-competitive.
Still, if crazy plays is what you are after then I think that Horobi has some options. You would need to build a viable game plan into the deck that is independent of Horobi, which makes me think a recursion package should be the deck's core since it lets you stall and rack up card advantage through attrition. Cauldron of Souls and Mikaeus, the Unhallowed make your creatures tough to get rid of permanently. Phyrexian Reclamation is a budget friendly recursion card. Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni, Sepulchral Primordial and Puppeteer Clique will make your opponents reconsider which creatures they are willing to risk dying. Cards like Darksteel Plate also help, you just need to equip it to a creature before Horobi comes down.
December 20, 2015 10:05 p.m.
And yes, I completely agree that Horobi's artwork is really awesome.
December 20, 2015 10:08 p.m.
Reanimation would be the central core of the deck along with rattlesnakes like Kokopuffs or Mindslicer. Black Market takes advantage of the dying critters. I was just seeing if I needed to add some sort of subtheme to make it a whole package. Something like control, hand disruption, infect ect ect. Or I could just go with what I got. Horobi Reanimator WIP
December 20, 2015 11:20 p.m.
Infect is kind of hard to use in Commander. The singleton rule limits how consistently you can get enough infect creatures on the board to take someone out with poison counters. In mono-black, I generally only ever see Flesh-Eater Imp (which you already have) and Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon played.
Discard is a possible option, since it makes it less likely that the opponent will have anything that can target your creatures, but it can be hard for mono-black to keep up the discard pressure once other decks get their artifact or enchantment based draw engines going.
Some more control elements never hurt. Your deck doesn't have any instant speed removal, and with all your reanimation cards I think Life's Finale is worth considering.
I would also consider switching Nether Shadow out for the Oversold Cemetery in your maybe board. The cemetery seems like a more powerful option since it can return any creature from your graveyard to your hand and it's restriction isn't much worse than the shadow's anyway.
December 21, 2015 12:01 a.m.
Yeah I sorta threw that all together and then promptly passed out lol. I did notice there was no spot removal and I forgot to put Life's Finale in. Would Avatar of Woe work nicely? I'll have to find a few spots for removal.
I'm also worried about the curve and/or ramp. I hate playing so many +5 cmc with so little of either. I know I have mana doublers in but should Gauntlet of Power or Caged Sun find their way in here? This is partly why Sheoldred got sidelined. She's great but I doubt she'll stick around long enough to justify her 7 cmc (or her $11 price tag), with or without Horobi. Grave Betrayal is another one I would love but doubt I could get it out in a timely manner. I'm a little weary of Koko being 6 cmc but his effect is nice.
I'll be making the switch to Oversold Cemetery and sub in Life's Finale for Midnight Banshee. What MBC cards are out there that should find a spot? And do I need more sac outlets? Painful Quandary is one I'm aware of but doesn't help the curve much.
December 21, 2015 8:18 a.m.
Perhaps something to punish those decks that don't run many creatures, like Mizzix who I run into frequently.
December 21, 2015 9:01 a.m.
I think some cheaper mana rocks would definitely help. Grim Monolith and Mana Vault are good but may be a little hard to get your hands on. The mono-blue 2014 commander deck made a bunch of other decent ones available though, like Worn Powerstone and Thran Dynamo. You could also look at Jet Medallion and Charcoal Diamond. Unstable Obelisk is worth considering in mono-black because it give you a way of dealing with enchantments later in the game. Solemn Simulacrum fits well in your deck.
I normally try to run about 6-8 mana rocks in a deck, and then a few more ways to mana ramp like Solemn Simulacrum if I can swing it. Burnished Hart is somewhat useful for mono-black because black benefits the most from being able to dig up basic lands.
December 21, 2015 2:16 p.m.
I have a few of those rocks scattered about. Thran, Sol, Mana Vault, Gilded Lotus, ect. Picked up a Jet Medallion and many of the essential cards today. Its sad that at one point I owned most the cards I am having to get again lol. Also picked up Attrition, figured another sac outlet and removal enchantment would work nicely though I unsure about the non-black creature part. Saw Death Match and thought it sounded hilarious but I knew that would backfire badly. Hero's Downfall and Malicious Affliction will work their way in. Now to the cuts....
SaberTech says... #2
I've never had much luck figuring you how to utilize Horobi, Death's Wail as an effective commander. You might be able to cast it at an opportune time to cause your opponents a lot of havoc, but it can just as easily be turned against you.
I have, however, enjoyed using it in a Golgari commander deck because it teams up well with Asceticism. Asceticism's ability can target opponents' creatures and kill them with Horobi out, since Horobi's effect triggers before the creatures actually gain a regeneration shield. Green also has Archetype of Endurance as another protective option. You could probably find a spot for Horobi in a Glissa, the Traitor or Meren of Clan Nel Toth deck.
I will give Horobi a nod for the shenanigans it can cause with Cauldron of Souls though. If Horobi stays on the board, that is a reusable one-sided board-wipe every turn.
December 20, 2015 5:55 p.m.