Ghave, Guru of Spores. He's a really fun guy...
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on June 19, 2011, 10:52 p.m. by spartacusthegod
I'm currently working on a deck for Ghave, Guru of Spores, one of the new Commander generals. It's not a +1/+1 based counter deck, otherwise I'd be running Graft abilities like crazy.
What I want to do with Ghave is make him a token-generation/control deck. Mainly, controlling through the tokens while I build Ghave up and swing for general damage.
Using Doubling Season and card:Ashnod's Altar I make Ghave go infinite at instant speed. That's going to be an instant-win condition, but there's a lot supporting this.
I'm putting lilliana-vess in for tutoring, along with Diabolic Tutor (only reason I'm not running demonic or vampiric tutor is because I have diabolic already). Idyllic Tutor is in to search out Doubling Season as well.
Other things I'm running for control are Aura Shards and something new from the Commander set: Vish Kal, Blood Arbiter. 4WBB to play, he's a 4/4 flying lifelink. Sacrifice a creature: put that many +1/+1 counters on Vish Kal. His second ability is what makes him incredible though: Remove all +1/+1 counters from Vish Kal, target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn for each counter removed this way. Another creature for control I'm using is Deathspore Thallid . For additional lockdown, I have Glare of Subdual as well. It's incredibly useful, as is Attrition , which is in as well.
Also, I have just about every Saproling-making card in there, and card:Akroma's Memorial because it makes things silly. Vampire Nighthawk is a part of it as well, only because he's good and I can pump him up easily using Ghave. chorous-of-the-conclave is in as well, simply because anything I play later, including if I replay Ghave, I can make them come into play bigger, and it's more creature-fodder using Ghave's first ability.
Rhys the Redeemed is in as well, along with Awakening Zone for extra ramp and creatures. A lot of pump is in for my creatures, such as Overwhelming Stampede and Beastmaster Ascension .
What do you think? Can this be one of the decks people will start hating because it goes off really well, or will it only be an average deck?
Eldrazi Monument and Tajuru Preserver work nicely in tandem to stop wrath effects, nice for any token deck.
June 20, 2011 8 a.m.
Academy Rector Is another good enchant tutor, especially since Ghave can sac her. Enlightened Tutor can find either Doubling Season , or Ashnod's.
If you're looking to make things bigger, Forgotten Ancient is pretty cool for that. He grows well in multiplayer, and then hands out the counters. With Doubling Season, you double both the counters going on, and coming off (so moving two counters off him puts four on another creature).
Seedborn Muse and Vigor are both amazing for most any green deck. I'd be sure to include Grave Pact , Butcher of Malakir , and card:Martyr's Bond, so your sacs can keep your opponent's board clear.
Skullclamp and Fecundity can help you to draw more cards, allowing you to find your combo pieces easier.
June 20, 2011 11:23 a.m.
spartacusthegod says... #5
Eldrazi Monument is going in when I can get my hands on one, same with many of the cards gop2002 mentioned.
This, I believe, is going to end up as a sacrifice engine deck, based around Saprolings. It's just a bonus that Ghave can go infinite, but I don't really think I'll need him. I drop something like Butcher of Malakir or Grave Pact , and suddenly there's no creatures. Put it all back into Ghave and then smack for general damage. Or just wipe their creatures and then swing with some Eldrazi. I think Pathrazer of Ulamog would be a good addition, honestly. I can make him huge with Ghave, and I can easily make it so they can't block him, period.
June 29, 2011 12:04 a.m.
If just want to make someone huge, Juniper Order Ranger will pump automatically as you cycle through your saprolings. Yeah, he lacks the "can't block" ability of pathrazer, but if you're force saccing your opponent's creatures out of the way, then what is there left to block?
Plus, with Ashnods and the ranger, you can cycle through saprolings infinitely, at instant speed.
For other fun things to sac saprolings for, take a look at Deathspore Thallid and Utopia Mycon . There's a bunch more thallids that might be helpful (like Psychotrope Thallid ), just raid gatherer for creature type "Fungus"
(My schemed Ghave decks focus much more on the +1/+1 counters, with the sac engine being a side effect. So that colors my view a bit)
June 29, 2011 9:07 a.m.
Triumph of the Hordes will win games out of nowhere.
Chord of Calling would be insane if you have good targets.
Have you given any thought to Contamination locking the table?
Phyrexian Plaguelord makes a good mini-Vish Kal.
Viscera Seer makes good use of tokens.
Sadistic Hypnotist says your opponents have no hands.
June 29, 2011 9:42 p.m.
spartacusthegod says... #8
In response to gop2002, all of that stuff is already in the deck. I'm putting it up on tappedout soon, I'll link it here.
And Tom, wonderful ideas. Triumph of the Hordes would be hilarious, as well as Contamination . Viscera Seer would be incredible, as would the hypnotist. I think I can do without the plaguelord though, with both Deathspore Thallid and Vish Kal, Blood Arbiter in there I should be good.
Honestly, I'm very pleased with the way the deck works. Having Bitter Ordeal in as well would be wonderful, as well as some of the cards mistikl mentioned. I have just about everything I had wanted for the deck, really.
For crying out loud, in a 5-way tournament I managed to one-shot 3 people in a row, and the last person got a lucky draw and pulled Living Death, then brought back his Grave Pact. Only reason he took me down was that, otherwise he would have been dead in 2 turns from a returned It That Betrays with 13 +1/+1 counters on him.
spartacusthegod says... #2
Sorry, never said what Ghave did.
He costs 2WBG to play, and comes in with 5 +1/+1 counters on him.
Pay 1 colorless, remove a +1/+1 counter from a creature you control: put a 1/1 green Saproling creature token into play.
Pay 1 colorless, sacrifice a creature: put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
June 19, 2011 10:54 p.m.