Harsh Sustenance
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Legality

Format Legality
1v1 Commander Legal
Archenemy Legal
Arena Legal
Block Constructed Legal
Canadian Highlander Legal
Casual Legal
Commander / EDH Legal
Commander: Rule 0 Legal
Custom Legal
Duel Commander Legal
Gladiator Legal
Highlander Legal
Historic Legal
Historic Brawl Legal
Legacy Legal
Leviathan Legal
Limited Legal
Modern Legal
Modern Beyond Horizons Legal
Oathbreaker Legal
Pauper Legal
Pauper Duel Commander Legal
Pauper EDH Legal
Pioneer Legal
Planar Constructed Legal
Planechase Legal
Quest Magic Legal
Tiny Leaders Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Harsh Sustenance

Instant

Harsh Sustenance deals X damage to target creature or player and you gain X life, where X is the number of creatures you control.

PrismMTG on Sorin’s family

10 months ago

First of all, I just want to start off with saying that as your first build, this is insanely impressive. Regardless of what I might advise that you change, this is a super great first deck.

So, touching on what I think you can improve on the most. The small swings of life won't matter as much as you think they will. Cards like Angel's Feather, Ajani's Mantra, and Ephara's Radiance with the small incremental life gain is not particularly good in a format where you start at 40 life. Cards like Debt to the Deathless are better because later in the game you can pump as much mana as you want into them. I would suggest replacing the above mentioned cards with more creatures with lifelink. You're running a mostly Vampire typal deck with some angels, both of those are great at using lifelink. That will help with the life gain aspect you like while making your deck more effective, both by putting more creatures on the board, and by gaining life in a more proactive way. Overall, I think you definitely need more creatures, Vampires and Angels like to have lots of bodies on the board and 23 is a bit low for that.

Next, I'm looking at your removal and I've got some suggestions there as well. Path to Exile and Swords to Plowshares are some of the best pieces of removal in the game and I would highly suggest them. Harsh Sustenance is particularly not great because of you don't have any creatures of board, it's pretty useless. While sacrifice effects can be good, letting out opponents choose what to lose is not as good as getting to destroy something yourself. Granted, I don't know your playgroup, maybe there is a lot of hexproof, or a Voltron deck or something. Regardless, I would drop the sacrifice effects for more targeted removal. Last thoughts on the removal part of the deck, hand destruction effects aren't as great on EDH because you still have 2 other opponents that will have all the cards in their hands. Tbf, there are definitely worse effects, so if you like it, then absolutely, plsu it.

Overall your ramp package is really good, the only thing I would add is Arcane Signet and Talisman of Hierarchy for 2 more 2 mana mana rocks. The 1 damage from Talisman of Hierarchy isn't really going to matter and any deck that is 2 or more colors should be running Arcane Signet imo.

Alright, final thoughts. This is a fantastic first deck and importantly, these are just suggestions that I think would work based on my experience playing and building decks. If you like something and think it's fun, play it, no matter what anyone says.

So, suggestions

Cards I think you should cut Angel's Feather Ajani's Mantra Blood Reckoning Claim of Erebos Ephara's Radiance Harsh Sustenance

Cards I think you should consider adding Path to Exile Swords to Plowshares Arcane Signet Talisman of Hierarchy

Last thing, EDHREC is a fanTASTIC resource when building your decks, I suggest looking at the Vampire or Angel page for suggestions because I think you need more creatures, just pick whatever you like, I would be looks at somehow closer to 30 creatures.

And here is the Drana and Linvala page with a life gain focus because that seems to be up your alley.

AmoeboidChangeling on Sick Pauper Divinity Rush

2 years ago

Apollo_Paladin Many Pauper players only care about cheap spells that everyone else is using. Many players have a very competitive take on Pauper where a 3 mana spell is already considered expensive.

The way many people play Pauper is all about speed and low cmc cards. Many will consider anything not meta to be weak and their ideas of improvement are nothing but "get cheaper spells".

I myself don't have that much of a competitive take on Pauper, I like my decks to have at least a little bit of originality, even though I use staples as well, I like to play cards no one else plays. But because Pauper is a competitive format, the number of meta deck playing netdeckers is bigger than those who like to brew an entire deck. I think this deck of yours is great and I would not replace Unmake with cast down nor try to shove it in just because everyone else plays it. This is coming from someone who uses Cast Down in 2 of his decks. In those decks Cast Down is the best option there is. This is not the case with your deck. Even Harsh Sustenance would be better for your deck than Cast Down imo.

TypicalTimmy on Ray Fe Laz, Scorpion Trainer

2 years ago

The absurd value from a density of fetch lands is omg, lol.

3 colors, I believe you can use 9 of the 10 fetch lands. Only one you don't have access to is the Izzet one.

Then Evolving Wilds and Terramorphic Expanse, as well as Blighted Woodland and the Panoramas such as Jund Panorama.

Grab shock lands and Vilis, Broker of Blood so you get immense card draw. You can use K'rrik to pay less for Vilis so he ETB faster.

Then you could offer light Zombie tribal support to make RFL a bit deadlier. You have Parallel Lives and Anointed Procession as well as the others.

Landfall, Avenger of Zendikar and Rampaging Baloths

Harsh Sustenance would be amazing in this deck.

Intangible Virtue as a secondary vigilance source and makes them all 2/2s. Emmara Tandris as a Secret Commander. Same with Rhys the Redeemed

Lots of fun Timmy builds to explore here. I may do it this weekend <3

Zackary on B/W Pauper Soul Sisters Lifegain

4 years ago

i would take out Lone Missionary for Veteran Armorer or Lumithread Field to protect your creatures form Electrickery . Cut a Mourning Thrull , a Soul Warden OR a Soul's Attendant and a Plains for 3x Night's Whisper , you are going to need the card draw. Replace the Castigate with Harsh Sustenance or Unmake.

sideboard:

Take out Shadowfeed and put in Beckon Apparition , i think it will synergies with with the soul sisters and Edge of the Divinity by giving you a white/black creature token. take out Nihil Spellbomb for Relic of Progenitus , trade out the Swamp in the sideboard for a Bojuka Bog or 2x by taking out 1x Bonesplitter . Replace the Castigate and Disenchant with 3x Standard Bearer.

maybeboard:

Crimson Acolyte , Obsidian Acolyte , Prismatic Strands , Battle Screech , Rune of Protection: Red , Rune of Protection: Green , Epicure of Blood , Oblivion Ring

sorry about the last post with no hyperlinks to the card names. i am new

Snips500 on Zombie Attack!

4 years ago

Hi, great deck! I have a few suggestions if you don't mind. First, I would cut Harsh Sustenance. Its an alright card but Gray Merchant of Asphodel is just straight up better and right on curve for you. Sustenance makes you splash white which slows your deck down with the fetches and the possibility of not getting double black when you need it. Also, early it's likely a dead card where you would rather be drawing zombies. Gary on the other hand is another zombie that could actually do more damage than sustenance. So I would suggest going to 3-4 Garys and gutting all of the Sustenance, plains, and Barrens and go to just 20 black sources. That will make some space for more Garys and maybe some Sign in Blood which is a pretty important draw spell in the deck.

Next, I would suggest adding Cast Down. It is hands down the best spot removal in all of pauper. Hits everything at instant speed for only 2 mana.

Viscera Seer- while not a zombie she is a very good sac outlet to help you dig through your deck.

Butcher Ghoul- great card, it can be sacrificed twice, is just a good blocker and is hard to kill.

Carnophage- just a thought, its probably not something you want to add because it seems like this deck is more midrange instead of agro but an interesting card non the less.

Bone Picker- another interesting card that could work with your aristocrats theme but not a zombie so it also might not be the best.

multimedia on Honour from the Grave

4 years ago

Hey, nice budget version.

You forgot Sol Ring? Ruinous Ultimatum wrecks all your opponents; leaving you untouched to attack. It's the most powerful Mardu spell currently in Commander. Mask of Memory is another way to discard Knights for Haakon or it's another way to get Haakon into your graveyard. Murderous Rider's adventure is an upgrade for a instant removal spell and then it's a Knight.

Exotic Orchard, Caves of Koilos, Battlefield Forge are budget land upgrades. Savai Triome is a Tri land Plains that Knight of the White Orchid can search for. When playing Sunforger than Mistveil Plains is worth adding because it's a way to repeatedly cast the same instant with Sunforger and it's also a Plains that Orchid can search for.

Changes to consider:

Verusor on elenda the dusk rose

4 years ago

Its hard to recommend many cards since you didn't purchase any new ones and you said you want the theme to be vampire tribal. That said, I would consider cutting the following cards: Bloodcrazed Paladin Champion of Dusk Disciple of Griselbrand Paladin of Atonement Priest of Forgotten Gods Wurmcoil Engine Zulaport Cutthroat Harsh Sustenance Consecrate / Consume Single Combat Culling Dais Seer's Sundial Whispersilk Cloak Bastion of Remembrance

Cards to look at adding: Mind Stone/Fellwar stone/Worn Powerstone/any mana rocks Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle Etchings of the Chosen Call to the Feast Bloodthirsty Aerialist Viscera Seer Vindictive Vampire Bishop of Binding Arvad the Cursed Despark Heliod's Intervention Altar's Reap Mace of the Valiant Well of Lost Dreams

mufasamike on Ajani's gang

4 years ago

Props for throwing Harsh Sustenance in there. I’m curious as to how it does. I’ve never run it in my Warrior Horde deck but I might just give it a shot.

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