Eldrazi Demons?
Modern forum
Posted on Aug. 27, 2018, 5:36 p.m. by mfogle
So I was sitting at work thinking about anything but work, so i started running new deck ideas in my head. My 2 favorite decks i'm running right are mono black demons and green eldrazis. Then i got the idea of mashing the 2 themes together.
Now, this is part discussion and part rule questions so i wasn't sure where exactly to post it. The Basic premise of the deck would be to run eldrazi cards that produce scions and/or spawns and maybe a couple solid utility based eldazi but then run black cards like Grave Pact and Dictate of Erebos so that when you sac' them for mana your opponent has to sac' also. To round out the line up you might run Westvale Abbey Flip and perhaps Demon of Death's Gate. Of course there'd be other tech choices but just to name a few offhand.
Main concerns are, will this combo function as planned, how viable is this, and if the decks would honestly just work better separately and more focused.
I'm not very informed on the meta or even previous meta's so this could already be a thing and this thread pointless. I apologize if that's the case. lol
Sarkhan420 says... #4
Funkydiscogod: MindAblaze wasn't saying that every deck aims to win "on" turn 4, he was saying games are usually "decided" by then. theres a difference. control decks aim to have the game locked down by turn 4, and then win at their own pace. Demon of Death's Gate requires too much effort for modern. 6 life and 3 black creatures is too much of a cost for something with no haste that can be killed with Path to Exile or Terminate.
August 27, 2018 10:21 p.m.
I would say that Demon of Death's Gate is a perfectly good magic card that has not found a home. I made this a while ago when GGT was still legal, but it works the same with Golgari Thug:
The key to abusing demon is Bridge from Below. Use demon as a non-banned Dread Return.
August 28, 2018 2:52 a.m.
Sarkhan420 says... #6
Boza: the only way to get Demon of Death's Gate into play reliably is to "cheat" it in with things like Through the Breach, and if a player is going to cheat in creatures, there are other much better creatures.
August 28, 2018 10:36 a.m.
Sarkhan420 - the way to "cheat out" that demon is on the card itself. A 9/9 flying trample for 0 mana seems too good to be true. Also, you have to respect the synergy with Bridge from Below - modern has just a few free sac outlets and you have to try them out when possible. The cost of it is not insurmountable and 3 black creatures (ignoring the life cost, since life is a resource anyways). It is the card that can enable a "Oops, all spells deck" in modern. Heck, you have Phantasmagorian is a legal modern card that sees 0 play.
It is one of those "almost there" creatures. I really have to revisit my DDG deck.
TLDR: Do not use the "dies to Doomblade" argument.
August 28, 2018 11:13 a.m.
Sarkhan420 says... #8
Boza: i absolutely did not use the "dies to doomblade" argument. and your comment of "a 9/9 flying trample for 0 mana seems too good to be true" is a pure straw man, and ignorant at best. saying "0 mana" implies no cost, but 3 black creatures and 6 life is certainly a cost. there is zero respect to be had for Bridge from Below. its a bad card, plain and simple. you gotta get it into your grave, get creatures out, wait for them to die, all while not being allowed to kill of your opponents threats for fear of losing your combo piece. thats just horrible. not sure what your point is in mentioning Phantasmagorian. you draw literally zero connection between the card and the current conversation, and it should be obvious why the card sees zero play. maybe you should actually play some modern before speaking about it.
August 28, 2018 6:54 p.m.
Wow, I'm amazed by all the input so quickly. Certainly some food for thought here. Huge thanks to everyone. I did realize that Demon of Death's Gate would not work with the original concept since it lists specifically sac'ing black creatures and eldrazi are either colorless or devoid. Granted, there's better demons that might support this concept like maybe Xathrid Demon, Reaper from the Abyss, Kothophed, Soul Hoarder and/or Harvester of Souls. Though focusing on eldrazi with emerge in conjunction with scion producers and cards like Grave Pact, Quest for the Gravelord, and Skirsdag High Priest might be better. Suppose more like running demon support rather than demon themselves. The deck would be mostly casual and aim for just a fun, interesting way to use the 2 archetypes regardless.
August 28, 2018 7:09 p.m.
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You are correct, you did not use the dies to doomblade argument. You said "something with no haste that can be killed with Path to Exile or Terminate" - so my apologies, you did not use doomblade.
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Yes, indeed. 0 mana does not mean no cost, despite what you think. 2 Hollow One on t1 for zero mana does imply the card is free, except you have to get lucky to do it.
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Saying I should play more modern and that Bridge is a bad card, while ignoring what BridgeVine has done to the metagame in the last month is not a good idea.
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Phantasmagorian was mentioned because it is a part of the Legacy deck Oops, all spells, which I mentioned. Unfortunately, in conjuction to Phantasmagorian (which is also played in certain legacy dredge variants), the deck has to play Dread Return, but that is impossible in modern. I mentioned that because Demon At Death's Gate is the closest thing to Dread Return that is legal in Modern.
Back to the OG topic, I would agree, demons and eldrazi do not have much to do with each other. There are some that could be useful - Soulflayer could get a nice array of abilities, Shadowborn Demon will take out something and be huge, all at the cost of some eldrazi tokens, while Desecration Demon is the purest form of aggro demon. But I cannot find a single demon that really plays well with the eldrazi.
August 29, 2018 2:58 a.m.
Sarkhan420 says... #11
Boza: i never once said "0 mana means no cost". i said it IMPLIES no cost. and you know thats what i said, so it boggles my mind you would try to put words in my mouth. bridgevine hasn't done much at all, and bridge is still a bad card
August 29, 2018 10:01 a.m.
Boza, You're completely right. The more I look for actual demon cards for this build, the more i'm realizing there aren't any. I suppose I was imagining the "feel"/play style of a demon deck without thinking about the specifics and logistical issues. That being said, any thoughts on the previously mentioned combo, but focusing on eldrazi like Abundant Maw, Distended Mindbender, It of the Horrid Swarm, Mockery of Nature, and Decimator of the Provinces? If you Emerged using something like Brood Monitor then sac'ing its 3 scions for extra mana while grave pact is out, you could potentially drop one those eldrazi for "free", kill 3 creatures on entry, plus get their enter the battlefield effect. Decimator of the Provinces could also turn the otherwise "meh" scion producers and even scions into a solid push.
August 29, 2018 7:09 p.m.
I don't think I explicitly stated this, but I am thinking about sticking to G/B. Maybe a blue splash, but that's a big maybe. Just know there's Blue Eldrazi with emerge, and blue scion producers. But not sure if 3 colors would slow the deck down more than it'd be worth.
August 29, 2018 7:13 p.m.
Sarkhan420 says... #14
if you're only using the scions for mana ramp, an Eldrazi tron deck would be a more efficient way of getting out your big Eldrazi.
August 29, 2018 8:04 p.m.
Sarkhan420, I have a big Eldrazi Stompy deck that's will end up being a tron deck soon, but it's technically a legacy deck. With this one i'm looking for something different. However, I 100% agree that banking on just scions as your only ramp is not a good idea, ideally this deck would use them more as a tool than a ramp. Theoretically, this deck's mana curve (excluding the emerge cards that will get cost reduced) should peak around 3 maybe 4cmc and max out at 6. I can see Unclaimed Territory in here for some mana fixing and some colorless mana rocks/ dorks. Solemn Simulacrum would def be there to search land then sac him for an emerge to draw. I'm just worried a playset of urza and the proper search/draw cards to go with it would fill up the deck to much in this build. But maybe not. I plan on putting together an actual deck list for this sometime today to figure out specifics. when I do , I'll post a link and probably move the discussion over there.
August 30, 2018 12:16 p.m.
Thescarabbob says... #16
I think the problem is that the two decks don't really work well together. You either want a grindy GB eldrazi deck with sifter of skulls, or a deck built around controlling or ramping the early game, then late game dropping demons left and right. There isn't really a middle ground.
September 15, 2018 5:09 p.m.
Do you live under a rock, man?
Bridge from Below is a powerhouse with the right shell. If nothing else, i would at least propose to not disregard legacy staples that are not played in modern as "bad cards" that are simply too weak.
Btw are PPTQ winning decks (you don't like) winning because of pure luck?
That is what you are implying by stating that the card is bad - i mean the deck is built around it, so how can it win (if its unplayable) other than the opponent mulliganing to zero and not drawing lands (or the like)?
October 4, 2018 3:53 p.m.
Bridge from Below is a bad card outside of Dredge, though. It doesn't even help the OP's request for ideas regarding ways to take advantage of Grave Pact and other similar cards. You get Bridge from Below into your graveyard...and then it's immediately exiled because you continued playing your deck?
I agree with Sarkhan420. If you're going to try and cheat a huge demon into play, Demon of Death's Gate isn't exactly high on the list of powerhouse cards. Why not cheat in Griselbrand? Or Sire Of Insanity? Herald of Anguish? You can use something like Shadowborn Apostle.
Not to mention, Abyssal Persecutor costs around the same amount as Demon of Death's Gate due to the fact you have to sacrifice 3 black creatures (there are no zero mana black creatures in Modern that you can play from your hand). And do you really want to base your strategy on losing 3 permanents to play 1 permanent that gets killed by nearly every kill spell in the format?
October 6, 2018 6:47 p.m.
Yeah, Demon of Death's Gate if just not Salvage Titan - as it LACKS the support, and wizard current policies make it unlikely that 0 costed black creature(s) will be ever printed. (There was a semi viable dek centered around dropping an early salvage titan then giving it Temur Battle Rage - supported by the "implement" cycle of artifacts that got printed in kaladesh block)
I would say bridgevine is not dredge (and Bridge from Below does a lot better there than in dredge) - just like how living end decks are not dredge. - But i am probably just being a grammar nazi...
Mashing together a group of nice looking 5(+) drops is not a way to build even remotely viable decks in modern. Despite, what most people say SOME five drops can be playable despite their cost (as most removal either doesn't hit them, or helps you getting them out faster.
Sorry for being that guy, but the idea described by the OP is simply not feasible in modern.
MindAblaze says... #2
Tbh I feel like Modern is too fast for a strategy like this, however if you enjoy it you can play whatever you want. Modern is known as a turn four format because the game is essentially decided by that point. I would suggest more of a mono black control list for Grave Pact to have a chance though. Alternatively big Eldrazi ramp is a thing, with lands like Urza's Tower doing heavy work.
The Grave Pact Scions/Spawn strategy works well in edh, where you have a bit more time to durdle around casting spells that don’t immediately effect the board on their own. I use it in my Prossh deck, and I’ve seen it used in Meren as well. Even Call the Scions becomes really useful.
August 27, 2018 7:51 p.m.