Dire Tactics

Instant

Exile target creature. If you don't control a Human, you lose life equal to that creature's toughness.

Discussion (30)

berserkerazn on Queen Marchesa

2 weeks ago

I spoke to iamhikari:

Plan: Pivot towards aristocrats, lower the CMC, maybe more taxing. Though I think going more into the Monarch theme might be more fun/unique. We can try this first:

For starters:

-1 Beseech the Queen
-1 Deliver Unto Evil
-1 Wild Ricochet
-1 Call the Coppercoats
-1 Assemble the Legion

Mana fix and ramp:

-1 Worn Powerstone
-1 Gilded Lotus
+1 Exotic Orchard
+1 Talisman of Conviction
+1 Wayfarer's Bauble
+1 Talisman of Hierarchy ...can also +1
Talisman of Indulgence , but it's slightly pricier.

Expand reach and lower CMC of your removal:

-1 Return to Dust
-1 Terminate
-1 Comeuppance
+1 Chaos Warp
+1 Generous Gift ....alternatively there are some 2 mana removal cards in Strixhaven that might be fun to try out.
+1 either Path to Exile or the cheaper Dire Tactics
+1 Soul-Guide Lantern

Fun monarch theme and control: +1 Court of Grace
+1 Court of Ambition
-1 Black Market
-1 Ixalan's Binding

Pivot to Aristocrats:

-1 Neheb, the Eternal
-1 Thief of Blood
-1 Tectonic Giant
+1 Cruel Celebrant
+1 Syr Konrad, the Grim
+1 Bastion of Remembrance

Still need to deal with your creatures and maybe do some more token generation or something. I'll keep thinking and get back to you.

Spirits on Undying Persistence

4 weeks ago

Forgot my friend Erebos, Bleak-Hearted , definitely one of my fav's and fits your indestructible/god theme too. Phyrexian Arena is a good 6 power draw.

Last couple topics,

I made an assumption and grouped Draw above Damage, and Deathtouch above Token.

Deathtouch 16%, Control 16%, Damage/Life 15%, Recursion 8%, Token 6%, Draw 6%, Discard 2%, Ramp 2%, Land 29%

Further on Card Advantage (which includes draw):

I know why your doing it and the thought process behind it, but here's an alternative perspective.

Your cards like Blood Divination , Costly Plunder , Pitiless Pontiff , Bone Splinters , Final Payment , Severed Strands , Spark Harvest are usually paired with LTB effect (like your damage/life and afterlife abilities), more along lines of Grave Pact (Also Dictate of Erebos , Butcher of Malakir , Dark Prophecy , Nightmare Shepherd , Etc.) or Reveillark / Academy Rector types.

The issue is Blood Divination why not Necropotence ( Greed ) for CMC1 less, and no sacrifice, let's you refill your hand anytime, Grim Haruspex /Etc. Why Spark Harvest / Bone Splinters over Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile or Mortify or even Bloodchief's Thirst / Generous Gift if your after planeswalkers.

So how are creatures getting into the graveyard, if your not sacrificing them along with other effects, a value engine!! Skullclamp is a necessity, Viscera Seer is strong, Phyrexian Altar (this card is cEDH level though), more things like Priest of Forgotten Gods & Ayara, First of Locthwain . Why sacrifice a deathtouch creature to LTB damage/life when you can Corpse Knight instead and get the value up front? Yahenni, Undying Partisan , Village Rites is ok because its CMC1 and Instant, you don't need tutor in battlecruiser/low (up to power 5), but cards like Diabolic Intent which also feed into things like Mausoleum Secrets are value. Ashnod's Altar , Doom Foretold , Razaketh, the Foulblooded , etc.

Key is value in / value out. Don't waste the value out just to enable your recursion. Value-in, Value-out, then recur. More Immortal Servitude (battlefield), less Soul Salvage (hand). Reanimate / Animate Dead (anyone's graveyards), Unburial Rites , Victimize , Agadeem's Awakening  ^Flip, Revival / Revenge , Command the Dreadhorde , Blood for Bones .

Luminous Broodmoth / Lurrus of the Dream-Den could be some cool interaction with the graveyard.

Topic Interaction:

Kinda touched on it, in previous. Control 16% is quite a bit, inline with power level. If you replace Ashen Rider , Bone Splinters , Final Payment , Severed Strands , Spark Harvest . Some should become the "sac outlets", like Skullclamp / Viscera Seer and some just better interactions (Instant speed whenever possible). Anguished Unmaking , Utter End , Swords to Plowshares , Merciless Eviction , Plaguecrafter / Demon's Disciple (Better Fleshbag Marauder unless your utilizing the Zombie part), Shriekmaw , Path to Exile , Generous Gift , Deadly Rollick , Dire Tactics , Hagra Mauling  ^Flip, Unmake there's lots.

Burglar Rat : If you like him! Elderfang Disciple , Yarok's Fenlurker , Rotting Rats (with Unearth).

If you want to jump on a teams chat or anything when you have some time happy to help, just discord chat me, hopefully something that helps you focus this deck to a 4-5

multimedia on Teysa Karlov EDH

1 month ago

Hey, well done for your first Commander deck. You have good card sense on a budget and seem to already understand the importance of mana curve :)

Open the Armory can get Skullclamp or Animate Dead . Court of Grace can create flying tokens, either an Angel or a Spirit and it can be repeatable draw with the monarch. Archon of Justice has a powerful die trigger with Teysa. Sun Titan can be repeatable reanimation and 3 CMC or less gives you many options of permanents to reanimate. Titan is excellent with Animate Dead .

Swords to Plowshares is a staple instant removal spell for white, but because Teysa is a Human then Dire Tactics is a less than $0.50 option. Generous Gift is a versatile instant removal spell. Austere Command is a versatile board wipe. Fanatical Devotion is a sac outlet for repeatable protection from most removal and in combat. Mentor of the Meek can be repeatable draw when creating 1/1 tokens.

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Some cards to consider cutting:

• Grave Betrayal
• Butcher of Malakir
• Martyr's Bond
• Butcher Ghoul
• High Priest of Penance
• Doomed Dissenter
• Roc Egg
• Field of Souls
• Falkenrath Noble

Yeti_Confetti on Eldrazi Exile

1 month ago

Some cards I've found that you may want to consider: Seal Away is low CMC and has flash for a surprise when they swing, Cast Out comes with cycling to help you draw if you really need it, Brain Maggot has a small body but can grab anything nonland from their hand, Baffling End may be better than silkwrap depending on what creatures you're up against normally. Dire Tactics / Anguished Unmaking are unconditional creature removal, at the cost of some life. Maybe even Bane of Bala Ged for fun. Finally Warping Wail has some flexibility that you may find useful.

I personally would drop Grip of Desolation . For 6 mana you'll want to be doing more than what it offers, could play two or three spells instead even. Maybe add more copies of Utter End in its place, or Vraska's Contempt can hit 'walkers and creatures, and the two life is a nice touch.

I hope you find this helpful, neat deck and best of luck with it!

multimedia on Varina

2 months ago

Hey, have more confidence in your deck building because this is a fine start on a low budget if it's your second deck.

You already have Wonder which is good since it's the card I suggest the most that players add with Varina. My advice is focus more on Zombies and cards that can support Zombie tribal. More Zombies, less nonZombie creatures.

Budget cards all less than $1 each to consider adding:

• Lord of the Accursed
• Wayward Servant
• Etchings of the Chosen
• Midnight Reaper
• Carrion Feeder
• Silversmote Ghoul
• Changeling Outcast: Changelings are Zombies.
• Nevinyrral, Urborg Tyrant
• Tormod, the Desecrator
• Eternal Taskmaster
• Tomebound Lich
• Binding Mummy
• Corpse Knight

Amass is an effect that creates a Zombie token.

• Gleaming Overseer
• Dreadhorde Invasion
• Vizier of the Scorpion
• Lazotep Plating
• Lazotep Reaver

Consider more cards that require you use life because Varina is a life gaining engine with Zombies.

• Caves of Koilos
• Talisman of Hierarchy
• Command the Dreadhorde
• Feed the Swarm
• Malakir Rebirth  ^Flip
• Read the Bones
• Dire Tactics

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Next step is to add 35 more lands to have a manabase to playtest. Get a temporary manabase in place with basic lands to see how many spots you have left to fill with nonland cards or how many nonland cards to cut. Make sure that basic Swamps are the most lands because you need black mana the most with Zombies.

Some budget lands $1-$2 or less each to consider adding:

• Command Tower
• Unclaimed Territory
• Path of Ancestry
• Exotic Orchard
• Arcane Sanctum
• Caves of Koilos
• Sunken Hollow: Island for Wonder.
• Prairie Stream: Island for Wonder.
• Ice Tunnel: Island for Wonder.
• Irrigated Farmland: Island for Wonder.
• Tainted Field
• Esper Panorama
• Ash Barrens
• Evolving Wilds
• Witch's Cottage

Good luck with your deck.

DarkRequiem on Card's Agains Humanity

2 months ago

Angelic Overseer, Herald of War (which plays well with your Cathar's Crusade, your Gavony Township and your Mikaeus) and Angel of Glory's Rise would be 3 non-humans I'd run in this deck for obvious reasons. On top of that I'd remove Benalish Marshal to add, if you really want to keep the anthem flavor, Knight of New Alara. Dire Tactics would also fit this deck quite well.

Why not some mana rocks?

Nagoragama on Orzhov Inquisition (WB Cleric Tribal)

5 months ago

Added clerics Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose, Mangara, the Diplomat, and Bygone Bishop.

Added removal spells Despark and Dire Tactics (most of the clerics in the deck are humans).

Added ramp spell Talisman of Hierarchy.

I'll see what of the other suggested cards I can scrounge up (a lot of them are pretty pricey).

Willing to take any further suggestions!

StopShot on Opposition Agent needs a preemptive …

5 months ago

jaymc1130, If you badly need exile beyond Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile you can run Reality Shift, Dire Tactics, Angelic Ascension, Blitz of the Thunder-Raptor, Celestial Purge, Scorching Dragonfire, and Scorchmark.

While it doesn’t exile Mystic Subdual is also worth mentioning.