Grapple with the Past

Instant

Put the top three cards of your library into your graveyard, then you may return a creature or land card from your graveyard to your hand.

Discussion (49)

Azeworai on Micromancy

2 months ago

Well met, young callant! I have some suggestions with your names on them. Such a strange coincidence.

You'll need Black Lotus, this verson of Sol Ring, perhaps a dual land or two...

Jests aside, let's do this.

So, I see budget, I see counters, I see mill. Let's start with mill.

One does not simply play a graveyard deck bereft of the following: Satyr Wayfinder finds some lands whiles stocking the bin. Grisly Salvage is morbidly efficient, finding creatures and lands. Winding Way does the forenamed, whereupon it sometimes betrays you (Don't look it in the eye). Grapple with the Past brings stuff back and loads the bin. It feels great. Funeral Rites is fine and straight-forward. Ransack the Lab is cheap whiles bearing efficacy.

If you're feeling betaken to your graveyard chicanery, Perpetual Timepiece does an absolutely lovely job of stocking the bin.

Backup versions of the commander's ability are evermore a cruciality. Sevinne's Reclamation is great, as with Sun Titan. "Six mana?! :(" you say. "It's worth it! :D" I respond.

A little more on the affluent side, but The Gitrog Monster, Ramunap Excavator, and Dread Return could be worth inclusion, for they are quite splendid.

Ahem. DEATH'S OASIS?! It mills, it fills, and eventually it kills. Moreover, it is three to cast, thusly on-theme.

Okay, now counters!

(I've never built any counter-themed decks. You have been warned.) Upon my presaged failures, all I have to proffer is Inspiring Call and Armorcraft Judge. Take it or leave it.

Unto the intrinsic:

Let us protect thine commander! Selfless Spirit is out of budget yet amazing, Saffi Eriksdotter is of a similar role, and Dauntless Bodyguard, along withal Selfless Savior, are budget options for choice.

Ramp, ramp, ramp. I care not that your curve is low, ramp! Rampant Growth, Nature's Lore, Edge of Autumn, ilka of these are fantastic.

There are two routes in commander decks (when playing fairly); a low-curve with a foison of card draw or a higher curve with less card draw. Low-curve = more card draw. I'd add Painful Truths, Sign in Blood, Funeral Rites, Ransack the Lab

I am biased, but I put Once Upon a Time in literally all of my green decks. 'Tis most lovely each time I cast the gest.

And therefrom is the finis of my comment. Fare thee well and may fortune betide!

Epicurus on Stranger with some strange lands

3 months ago

+1 for creativity, for sure. But also +1 for designing this deck at nearly $1/card. That's impressive. Now, please excuse me while I ruin the two reasons why I really like this deck.

The Gitrog Monster is at its best when it is in a classic Loam build. Which is to say, it has Life from the Loam, and preferably Crucible of Worlds. Neither of those are budget friendly, and both are completely uncreative, since it's basically "Gitrog 101." I can't help a whole awful lot here with the creative part, but I do have some insights into the budget version aspect:

• Grapple with the Past

• Groundskeeper

• Ramunap Excavator

• Harvest Wurm

• World Shaper

• Animist's Awakening

• Far Wanderings

• Mulch

• Winding Way

Personally, I also think that easy self mill, like Perpetual Timepiece, Shard of Broken Glass and Splinterfright, as well as dredge spells like Golgari Grave-Troll, Golgari Thug, Dakmor Salvage, Shambling Shell and Stinkweed Imp are certainly helpful as well.

Not that I think your deck needs all of the cards I've listed here, but they are all worth consideration. You've put together a formidable budget list already, and I wouldn't want to muck it up too much.

Cheers!

Azeworai on Undying gift of Nel Toth

3 months ago

Alright. I am not too fond of graveyard strategies myself, though I have tinkered vehemently with Alesha, Muldrotha Adun Oakenshield, so I'll see where that gets me.

I see a strong value engine in the command zone, but far too much late-game in the ninety-nine. I would highly recommend cutting much of the seven drops, lest the deck be too slow betime on, thusly being trampled.

Furthermore, the deck needs more sacrifice outlets. With many death triggers comes a dire need to control when they go off, thence you should probably have at least seven.

Ideally, the gameplan is turn one or two ramp and cheap creature, then turn three Meren to return it to your hand.

Now, onto my suggestions.

Upon what I would ablate:

1. Korozda Guildmage is too slow. Four mana to sacrifice something is awful.

2. Overseer of the Damned is the same. Seven mana to kill something with a menial deathrattle.

3. terrastodon is eight mana. I have a deck with seventeen cards of ramp and it's still too much.

4. Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder may be an exquisitely perfidious character within the lore, hereon he is rather slow. Egregious stats and only lives so long.

5. I've never quite understood the draw to Yavimaya Elder. Three mana, then requires extra work to find two basics to the hand, whereat even further toiling is required to draw the card. I never liked it, but I suppose.

6. Phyrexian Rager is too slow, no matter how mad it gets.

7. Deathsprout is cute, but four mana to remove something whiles providing no value by being a creature.

8. Acidic Slime has always seemed lacking to me. You have Sage and Caterpillar to foredo artifacts or enchantments. A five-mana 2/2 seems lacking.

9. Sever the Bloodline is a four mana sorcery to kill one thing. If someone plays Kiki-Jiki or Mr. Gitaxias, whereupon their effects are immediate, this won't solve anything. Sure it flashbacks for seven mana, but the additional upside of the card isn't worth it in a singleton format.

10. Aid from the Cowl is a card I have tested withal. It's effect is slow, capricious, and ineffective. When it does work, it's five mana to maybe get something off of the top. I don't like it.

11. Diabolic Tutor and Final Parting are five mana to find one card. In a deck without infinite combos these are a lot less appealing. I'd put in cantrips instead.

12. So, Pathbreaker Ibex and Overwhelming Stampede. Each possess much dint, but I wouldn't play multiple. Pick one, move on. (I prefer the Ibex, though I'm biased.)

13. Thrashy is fine, but is four mana to kill something. Given the foison of similar effects the deck has, just remove it.

Okay, now unto thee I provide sacrifice outlets.

Altar of Dementia is literally perfect for a deck like this. Mill and death, all in one! Viscera Seer is a classic, Carrion Feeder can become massive, Goat Thing comes back by itself and offers caprine fodder, Yawgmoth, Thran Physician is oft the best card in my aristocrats deck though is expensive, and High Market or Phyrexian Tower are always fine.

Blood Artist or Bastion of Remembrance are fine in strategies such as this.

Fauna Shaman seems absolutely great; Discard a dork, fetch a monstrosity, return aforesaid dork with Meren, celebrate.

Victimize is never lacking as it cheats out giants whilst providing sacrifice, Dread Return fills a very similar role, Eternal Witness is always great, Blood for Bones loops with the Witness, and Animate Dead is always great.

Now, cantrips: Grisly Salvage, Winding Way, Grapple with the Past, Ransack the Lab, and Once Upon a Time all filter through the deck, fill the graveyard, save for Once Upon a Time, and find lands or creatures. Furthermore, they are great with Meren, as creatures are to be disinterred.

For ramp, mana dorks are great. Birds of Paradise, Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic, Fyndhorn Elves, and Elves of Deep Shadow offer fodder and acceleration. The best is probably Skull Prophet. Mill, fodder, and ramp in one.

Reassembling Skeleton just seems great, Bloodghast grants much, and Bitterblossom can be sacrificed a meiny of times.

Importantly, I add some more draw. Phyrexian Arena, Underworld Connections, Liliana's Standard Bearer, Erebos, Bleak-Hearted, Dark Prophecy, Moldervine Reclamation, and Rankle, Master of Pranks do this deed.

That shall be all from me. Good luck!

liquid_water on Kathril of the Hunt - Voltron/Reanimator

5 months ago

The deck looks fun, but does Knight of Malice actually work here? Hexproof and 'Hexproof from white' seem distinctly different for the sake of Kathril. Also, you may want to consider Grapple with the Past in here in addition to Grisly Salvage. It doesn't dig as deep as Salvage, but being able to get cards that were already in the graveyard has proven useful to me in similar graveyard strategies.

seshiro_of_the_orochi on "Reanimate Bugs!" "You sick shit!"

6 months ago

LucieDragneel: Thanks for the comment and the upvote.

As this is an insect deck, Varolz doesn't fit that tribe. Also, I don't really see any major upside in scavenging scute mob. It simply seems better to recurr it with either Grapple with the Past or Deadbridge Chant.

Which additional removal would you suggest?

Unlife on Mutate/Infect deck ratios

6 months ago

I've been fiddling with my own mutate deck. Its not infect but it is helmed by Otrimi, and I've been extremely happy with the goldfishing so far. I'd say you could probably go down to 35-36 lands with 7-8 ramp spells. You are going to want a close to equal balance of infect and mutate creatures, balanced out with a 3-4 tutors in case you need something specific. I'm not sure about how much graveyard filling you have either. You can get creatures back but only if they're mutate and you have Otrimi hitting someone, plus no real easy way to get back infect creatures. I'd say you could lose Creeperhulk, Gigantomancer Mirror Image Nyx Weaver Satyr Wayfinder The Mimeoplasm Nature's Claim Grisly Salvage Grapple with the Past Winding Way Dark Deal Mulch This is just my opinion, hope it helps.

LastEdegy on Jarad vod Savo

7 months ago

Thanks guys for the upvotes!

@dogBITE17 - yeah, that card is niche.. However, i think I'd rather have a removal on a creature than an instant/sorcery that is efficient to kill commanders most of the time..

@fruittart88 - I thought about that card before, but I usually end up having that card in my hand, not being able to respond to graveyard hate spells from my opponents. The only time I have been able to use that in response to something is when Loaming Shaman is in my graveyard and I have Tortured Existence in my battlefield, and I discard a creature to place the Loaming Shaman to my field, which is very uncommon to happen.. But thanks for the suggestion!

@rasiti - ahh! I see what you mean.. Plus it's cheaper too.. Thanks!

@gaglink - I think Grisly Salvage and Grapple with the Past is better, since they are instants.. But I could add that should I need another similar effect to the other two spells.. Thanks!

Azeworai on The Lands Restored

7 months ago

Thank you for the input!

I've wanted to find room for Elvish Reclaimer, yet I never could ablate a card. I enjoy Grapple with the Past, but I see reason for its exclusion.

I'll consider Squee, Goblin Nabob. It goes well with Survival of the Fittest, Faithless Looting, and Geier Reach Sanitarium, yet, save for those, it may be lacking for the rest of the deck.

Genesis is one I've loved in profuse, as with Vivien Reid, so I don't really wish to cut it.

As for Ajani Unyielding, farewell to it. The list already has World Shaper and I don't trow that it needs another effect like it.

Much obliged, and new changes loom.