Liliana vs Kothoped as commander
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on May 16, 2017, 11:43 a.m. by Chandrian
Hello everyone,
I'm currently in the process of deciding between Kothophed, Soul Hoarder and Liliana, Heretical Healer Flip for my next EDH deck... and I'd like your input, both on potential strength of the deck as on diversity in strategies.
So, what are your thoughts?
Some of the better black cards I own are:
Phyrexian Arena, Noxious Gearhulk, Demon of Dark Schemes, Harvester of Souls, Crypt Ghast, Relentless Dead, Sangromancer, Animate Dead, Dark Prophecy, Diregraf Colossus, Empty the Pits, Dark Salvation, Pontiff of Blight
LordMithos says... #3
Yeah, I'd say that Liliana is the better option if you're going for diversity of strategy or strength. Kothophed would be neat with mass kills or wither but I think that Liliana gives you more viable strategies like discard, self mill, and sacrifice engines.
May 16, 2017 1:16 p.m.
With Kothophed, Soul Hoarder; if an opponent has an infinite sac outlet you lose the game. There's no "may" clause on his ability
Idk if that's an issue in your meta but I figured it's worth mentioning
May 16, 2017 3:25 p.m.
However, if an opponent has an infinite sac outlet.. they're probably winning the game that turn anyway.
If you do go with the demon, get yourself instant speed sac outlets, along the lines of Altar's Reap or Viscera Seer, to get rid of your commander if you're at risk for him becoming a burden. I would recommend including Thought Vessel and Reliquary Tower to hold onto your fistfuls of cards. Definitely include healthy amounts of removal, targeted and mass. Additionally, he's a decent-sized beater, so commander damage wins aren't off the table either.
May 16, 2017 3:36 p.m.
Thanks for your input everyone.
I'll start sorting my cards tomorrow to get a better view of what cards I own that can be played in mono-black. This will hopefully make it easier to see which one of the commanders is more viable.
As mentionned Kothophed, Soul Hoarder is likely to turn on it's owner, so that'd require enough lifegain to offset his ability, on the other hand Liliana, Heretical Healer Flip is a creature that dies easily and a planeswalker can die even faster.
I'll make sure to post my decision here soon enough (probably with a first decklist)
May 16, 2017 5:11 p.m.
Izu_Korasu says... #7
in my playgroup, there USED TO BE a Kothophed deck (now its a Teysa, Orzhov Scion deck) the problem is that the life loss actually becomes a huge problem (boardwipe? okay ill lose 15, draw 15 ... um)
there are ways to mitigate this loss (like Blood Artist) but most mono-black decks use the graveyard to their advantage, which kothophed cant really do.
liliana on the other hand can use the graveyard, and flipping her is rather easy. but she feels like more of a 99 then a commander.
Given the black cards listed, Lili feels like a better choice. BUT i would like to add Ghoulcaller Gisa, Geth, Lord of the Vault and Sidisi, Undead Vizier for consideration.
May 16, 2017 5:32 p.m.
Raging_Squiggle says... #8
Sangromancer works very well with Kothophed, Soul Hoarder. Boardwipe. I'll draw 15, and net +30 Life.
May 17, 2017 4:43 a.m.
Winterblast says... #9
A commander with mana cost 6 is quite expensive. You'll probably only play him once a game, unless you plan on sending him to the graveyard and reanimate him instead of casting him from the command zone again. All my commanders are 3 or 4 mana, except for Sliver Queen because I need the 5 colours there.
OneItsStarted says... #2
Liliana is more versatile and can be good stuff black, discard, or sacrifice themed, while Kothoped is strictly removal themed.
May 16, 2017 12:39 p.m.