Necropotence

Enchantment

Skip your draw step.

Whenever you discard a card, exile that card from your graveyard.

Pay 1 life: Exile the top card of your library face down. Put that card into your hand at the beginning of your next end step.

Discussion (51)

dingusdingo on You Are Now a Member ...

5 days ago

Alright, in hypothetical Larryland where I am now in charge of making decisions, here is what I would do

First, establish criteria for the format

Shouldn't be too complicated, as there has already been lots of time spent discussing the format

• Bans should serve to stop certain combos or deckbuilding approaches from swallowing the meta.
• Bans should be justified off of power level for winning, not how fun or unfun the combo or style of deck is to play or play against
• General rules changes about the format should serve to open deckbuilding and allow for more interesting approaches to the meta and winning.

Rules Changes

I think a couple rules changes should take place to open deckbuilding and allow more options, and allow cards to work as intended with the commander specific ruleset

• Commanders should hit the graveyard before returning to the command zone. This allows commanders like Child of Alara or other death triggers to actually function as intended while maintaining the command zone. Commanders should have the option of returning to the CZ at will from exile, the graveyard, the library, or a player's hand as an ability that doesn't use the stack, similar to mana abilities.
• Hybrid mana symbols should be perfectly legal as long as the hybrid symbols fulfill a color identity of your commander. For example, Boros Recruit should be legal in a mono-red deck. If a hybrid mana card has a mana symbol in the text box that it outside the color identity, it should still be excluded. For example, if Boros Recruit had a firebreathing ability for in the text box, it would no longer be legal in a mono-white deck.
• Restriction of the command zone to a single card. Partner commanders are still legal, but not legal to run them as partners in the command zone. Having a mix and match color identity and having guaranteed access to two cards at all times over one card is too strong. Bigger color identity means wider pool of cards to pull from, and the partner players are effectively starting with a 9 card hand as opposed to non-partner commanders starting with an 8 card hand.

Bans and Unbans

First, I would unban cards that the RC has banned because they are "unfun" or don't fit the spirit of the format

• Coalition Victory - If you can pull this off and cast the cost, go ahead and win
• Emrakul, the Aeons Torn - This costs 15 mana and channel is banned, this isn't going to break decks at all and most likely will only see play as an Ulamog alternate in Gitrog decks
• Erayo, Soratami Ascendant - This can be countered or removed or smart opponents can avoid triggering it. Once it has flipped, it is still removable although somewhat toxic. It definitely gets good mileage in EDH but people can play around this if they have even half a brain, which is what I would expect from competitive.
• Iona, Shield of Emeria - This is only banned now because Painter's Servant was unbanned. Certainly reanimator Iona strategies can cause problems, but hitting a 2 card combo for a soft lock isn't game shattering unless you are on a mono-colored deck, at which point it just becomes one of the things you must worry about. If Back to Basics and Blood Moon are totally fine for shitting on 3-5 color mana bases, I'm 100% fine with Iona for shitting on mono color decks.
• Library of Alexandria - I have no idea why this is banned in the first place. Most competitive decks are so tight on their land base and won't have a slot for this. Also most competitive decks wish to play spells on turn 1 and 2, which makes it harder to get the 7 in hand for the Library draw.
• Panoptic Mirror - If someone can assemble the ultra fragile Mirror + Free turn spell, and then gets an ENTIRE ROTATION of no one destroying it, I'm 100% fine with them taking infinite turns. Also consider that this combo basically costs to start, 5 for cast and 5 for the free turn. This card is banned because casuals absolutely loathe combos. Its unbanning could make Pox decks somewhat viable in competitive, and would be a boon to stax decks as well
• Primeval Titan - This card is a double tutor on ETB or attack, but its a double tutor for lands. If someone really wants to set up Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth + Cabal Coffers + Deserted Temple + Inventors' Fair (which fetches Rings of Brighthearth) then more power to them, as it requires either a blink effect or an entire rotation to THEN get the second set of tutors from attacking. Its big value, but honestly no reason for this card to be banned. It costs to cast
• Paradox Engine - the banning of this card made the format worse, as it knocked out tons of viable decks simply because "Too many casuals put down rocks and PE and oops into an infinite". The unbanning of this card opens up the format significantly, and allows weird decks like Hannah, Ship's Navigator or Dralnu, Lich Lord to be viable commanders, although definitely not tier 0 picks.
• Recurring Nightmare - Banned because of griefing almost 100%. Nobody likes being hit by some ETB creature that involves saccing or losing permanents, but it isn't fast enough to warrant a ban. It requires mana, AND a creature on the field, AND a creature in the GY.
• Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary - Selvala is basically a more powerful version of this because of the cantrips and you can play non-basic lands. This would probably become a tier 1 deck by basically copying the Selvala list, but I think the meta would be enriched from adding this as an alternate, similar to how Marwen has added instead of detracted from the meta.
• Sundering Titan - Banned because attacking a player's resources is seen as an unfun way to win. Its expensive to cast and not exactly game shattering when it enters.
• Sway of the Stars - This costs to cast for a weird Timetwister that sets life totals to 7. Sure there is potential for abuse with Suspend cards, but this costs 10 mana. Nobody is going to play this if it gets unbanned.
• Sylvan Primordial - Another board state changer that isn't really going to do as much as it looks when it lands. Sure, -3 permanents on board for opponents and +3 lands is neat, but it costs . Decks would rather win than assemble some blink or recursion loop for this card.
• Upheaval - This is banned almost entirely from a casual and time perspective. It makes games take longer. In competitive though, this card would be used with excess floating mana to THEN rip your combo. Almost definitely wouldn't see competitive play though, and the banning seems silly to me.
• Worldfire - If you can run a wacky suspend deck that abuses this to win, you have my blessing. It also costs to cast so someone will probably just win before you
• Yawgmoth's Bargain - This is a Necropotence that costs with the benefit of no-delay on the draws. If necro is legal, this should be legal.

Bans

My biggest reasoning for bans is that some combos are so strong and so hard to interact with that they become the go-to builds for certain color identities. When the optimal way to build 30 different commanders in the same color pairing is Flash Hulk, you have run into a problem.

• Flash - Arguably the worse part of Flash Hulk. Potential for abuse in a post-Hulk world with Academy Rector. This card has the potential for abuse with every single new creature printed. I don't think this card makes the meta more interesting, and I think it pigeonholes deckbuilding into "well why don't you run Flash Hulk, or Flash _". Flash combos are also difficult for other decks to interact with outside of Counterspell, which means when you're building for playing in a competitive meta, you are almost expected to play Blue due to how strong and warping this card is.
• Protean Hulk - Even with a flash banning I still wand this turd of a card gone. Finding hulk, reanimating hulk, and sacrificing hulk isn't interesting. There isn't very much skill there. The decks aren't interesting. There is a combo in practically every color combination for winning immediately after you get a Hulk trigger. It can be viewed as a 6-card into-play tutor, or a 5-card into-play tutor, etc. etc. I don't think the meta is more interesting or better for having this card be legal.
• Demonic Consultation and Tainted Pact - More boring and tired combo archetypes. Once again, tutoring for 2 cards and ripping the Consultation + Oracle combo doesn't really require much pilot skill, and it doesn't make decks more interesting to build. These cards are simply too efficient at what they do, and they are hard for non-blue decks to interact with meaningfully. The presence of this combo and Flash Hulk has basically relegated all stax decks to being tier 2 builds, as they have such an impossible time locking down these combos. The banning of these two cards and Flash Hulk would bust the competitive meta wide open. Also, between these cards or the Laboratory Maniac + variants in the combo, these are the cards that are way way way more degenerate than the other part of the combo.
• Rhystic Study and Mystic Remora - These are annoying and burdensome mono-blue staples that slow gameplay, and are auto-includes in practically any deck that includes blue. They function much better than intended due to the multiplayer nature of the format, and deckbuilding is less interesting and diverse because these cards are legal. They can singlehandedly run away with games when you have a single player in the pod who ignores them, and having your combo shut down because someone draw a Force of Will after getting 6 free draws is frustrating and extremely obnoxious. They also prop up extremely mediocre mono blue decks like Urza, Lord High Artificer and Baral, Chief of Compliance. Once again, I don't really think there is any skill in playing or building around this card, and the power level of "auto-include for any deck with blue" stifles deck building. Blue really doesn't need any help being good in EDH, let alone cEDH.
• Nature's Will and Druids' Repository - Targeted bans for Najeela, the other obnoxious tier 0 commander deck in the current meta. I'm not a huge fan of 1 card combos with commanders, because you always have one of the cards available at all stages of the game, and tutoring + playing a single card once again doesn't really speak to high skill or interesting deck building. The banning of these cards will peripherally splash and hit other decks, such as Edric, Spymaster of Trest, but I'm fine with that. Najeela and Edric will still have other options for executing these combos, such as Sword of Feast and Famine or Bear Umbra, but these are more mana intensive or more fragile combos with lower utility outside the combo.
• Tymna the Weaver - I have already advocated for removing partners from the command zone, but this card is so dummy strong as to be included in the 99 of other decks with some frequency. You can get the draws even if Tymna didn't attack (i.e. it just came in). You can get 3 draws a turn for the same mana cost as Phyrexian Arena, except that if done correctly you'll get the draws before you would get the Arena draws. This card is meta warping, this and Najeela are a big part of the reason the meta is so creature heavy right now. Decks either run this card, or they run ways to handle this card because a Tymna sitting on the board for 1-3 rotations gives such a fat advantage the pilot runs away with the game.
• Timetwister - A card that sees play because you save slot efficiency by spamming TT to create a loop of infinitely recasting spells, plus its a wheel effect for 3 mana that shits on decks assembling combos through the GY with cards. I'm totally hunky dory with high efficiency combos, but losing to a timetwister loop is boring, cumbersome, and takes the pilot 30 years to demonstrate and explain the loop to those who haven't seen it. Combined with the ridiculous price of the card, and the ridiculous powerlevel even outside the combo, this card should go. This is also another card that makes fast mana extremely degenerate, as someone going first and sticking Mana Crypt into Sol Ring into Chrome Mox into Timetwister feels extremely bad, and opponents don't even have the benefit of recurring their starting hand from the GY later on.
• Sylvan Library - The green Rhystic Study. Doesn't make decks more interesting. Doesn't make games more interesting. Its just cheap ways to get cards that becomes more ridiculous in the context of a format where you have double the starting life of the format this was printed for. The auto-include nature of this card means decks open up more when this card is removed.
• Lion's Eye Diamond - No, Razakats is not an interesting combo. No, bomberman is not an interesting combo. These are both degenerate and more shoe-horn "oh I need a combo to win" style combos. Bomberman is extremely degenerate as LED can be recovered in the face of targeted GY removal by simply stacking the Salvager trigger on top of the removal if you have extra floating mana, and pretty much the only way to really stop it is a replacement effect like Rest in Peace. Seeing someone play a bomberman combo then dump mana into their outlet from the CZ (whether it be Thrasios, Triton Hero or Breya, Etherium Shaper) isn't interesting, although I will admit it is fast. This card is much lower on my list of requested bans, but it is still there for how annoying Bomberman and razakats are, plus how easy this makes Doomsday piles.
• Hermit Druid - I want this gone for the same reason Consultation and Pact should go. Boring deckbuilding that becomes "UGx deck can run Hermit and Oracle to win", and thus you end up with twenty different UGx decks that look the same. Once you have seen this combo once, there isn't much merit to seeing it again. This card isn't as bad as Consult or Pact in my opinion, and once again it is a much lower priority for banning than those cards, as it requires a haste enabler to make it truly degenerate, or a way to flash it in at EOT before your untap step.

Cards I would avoid banning

As the title reads, things I think aren't a problem but usually draw comments for bans.

• Cheap tutors like Vampiric Tutor and Imperial Seal - Every single 1 CMC tutor goes to top of deck (besides Gamble and Steelshaper's Gift), which means you're -1 card advantage for casting them. Having the ability to assemble combos or seek a problem solving card doesn't blow the format out of proportion. Having players be able to assemble threats in a timely manner makes the format faster and more interactive. If you see an opponent tutoring, you know to hold up interaction or try to race them. I'm more interested in removing hyper degenerate combos that are hard to interact with or are resilient enough to win through interaction.
• Fast mana like Mana Crypt or Mox Diamond - If fast mana is banned, all decks will require Green for speed purposes from the high amount of turn 1 dorks (read: accelerators) available. Stax would become 100% dead as an archetype with these bans outside of Hatebear builds that include Green.
• Free counterspells like FoW or Pact of Negation - Keeps combo decks in check. Similar to how Force of Will keeps Legacy from being overrun by super speed combos, these cards also keep Commander in check.

RoyaleWithCheese on Greven beatstick

1 week ago

Hello!

Sorry for the delay multimedia, only entering here now!

Necropotence is a card that I'm looking for a long time now, but it's kinda hard to meet someone that is willing to pass it haha (I rarely buy from online stores nowadays, but I might pick something). This card is so good, and so much black, my absolute favorite color.

I'm currently moving away from the reanimation style. Of course I still have something, but less now. I'm testing to see wich way I like more.

Shadowspear is another card that I'm looking for since its release! Seems soooo good with Greven! Vampiric Link also. I had one when Planar Chaos released but passed it. Shame.

Also, I'll update the deck in a couple minutes. I played a bunch of matches this past weekend and Im' happy with the changes! The deck was pretty solid, but still felt a bit slow. So I made some other changes. I would be grateful if you could take a look! I'll post another comment when I update the deck!

Thanks a lot! It's been nice to talk with you!

AllDayDavidson on Syr Konrad Infect

1 week ago

Caylem01 OoOoOoO you'll have a bunch of fun with morality shift. I run 32 creatures in my version honestly just for that exact reason. I like the Necropotence + infect strategy, that's slick.

GhostChieftain on The Gauntlet is set: Which ...

1 week ago

Gerrard is worded in a way that he isn't easily abused, especially in these colors (entirely different story if you add in green or blue to his mana cost). He is a solid option as a Krark-Clan Ironworks eggs commander to just help you go off on a big turn, but he has more building requirements to make him do only the things you want and only when you want them.

The partners are both low cmc and are good for combat damage. Granted, combat damage isn't the most amazing in a competitive meta, but people play things like Ad Nauseam and Necropotence and sometimes have very painful manabases so combat damage can be very relevant depending on the game. The best part about these two is that you don't really have to build voltron for akiri to get a cheeky commander damage kill or for bruse to make akiri just hit like a truck. Just build low cmc artifact goodstuff and maybe toss in a relevant combo that uses artifact like the god ballista combo.

Aurelia is a substantially worse version of Godo, Bandit Warlord because they win using the same combo, but godo can search for helm on his own. Imo aurelia is a no go.

Haktos is hot garbage in a competitive meta. You don't want to be building voltron vs things that have a ton of removal. 4 swings to kill 1 player.... 12 to kill the table.... not good.

Archangel avacyn is just too slow for the amount of impact it has. If she were maybe a 3 drop she has a solid chance as good mana dork removal to slow down greenX decks, but at 5 mana you can be doing so much more powerful things. Lets compare her to some other 5 drop commanders. Elsha of the Infinite has a game winning combo. General Tazri has a game winning combo. Gitrog, Inalla, kenrith, Sidisi, Undead Vizier all have combos. If you are spending 5 mana, you best be trying to win the game with it at this level.

multimedia on Greven beatstick

1 week ago

Hey, nice you're welcome. The most important card in my opinion to add is Necropotence. Paying life to pump Greven and put cards into your hand is major value. Necro is much better here than Arena for not much more in price. Early game ramp and draw is important because Greven is a five drop. Being a five drop and your deck is built around Greven could be problematic and too slow without more early game ramp.

Another idea for early game plays is more enablers for reanimation to get Krrik onto the battlefield to abuse Phyrexian mana with Greven or Kokusho to gain life. Buried Alive, Entomb, Faithless Looting, Thrill of Possibility. These cards are also good with Anger as a haste enabler for Greven. Greven being a five drop makes haste helpful to attack and at least get some draw value from him the turn you play him.

You're right you want to some what balance life loss with life gain because you want freedom to pay life to get the most out of Greven and Phyrexian mana with Krrik. I would have a higher amount of life loss cards than life gain cards. I don't think you need a lot cards that can gain you life just efficient cards. In my opinion spells that can give Greven lifelink as a one spot deal are not worth including.

Equipment, creatures who gain you life, static abilities, auras are better since they can be repeatable. Shadowspear and Basilisk Collar seem pretty powerful for low mana cost with Greven. Vampiric Link is a one mana aura for lifelink. Kokusho and Gray Merchant of Asphodel are good life gaining sources when you have multiple opponents. Greven can sac and Phyrexian Reclamation can repeatably recur these creatures to do it again.

multimedia on Greven beatstick

1 week ago

Hey, Treasonous Ogre is a source of life lose that's also ramp. Necropotence, pay any amount of life and put that many cards into your hand. Heartless Hidetsugu, each player loses half of their life for a huge Greven attack that will most likely kill an opponent. Phyrexian Reclamation pay life to recur creatures. Arguel's Blood Fast  ^Flip, pay life to draw cards and Temple of Aclazotz is Diamond Valley.

Manabarbs players lose life when they tap lands. Phyrexian Purge, pay life to target and destroy potential blockers. Bolas's Citadel, lose life to cast cards. Dreadhorde Invasion, lose life for token that can grow in power to sac to Greven. Sign in Blood, Night's Whisper and Read the Bones, lose life to draw cards.

Castle Locthwain, draw a card and lose life. Hall of the Bandit Lord, pay life and give Greven haste. Sulfurous Springs, Rakdos Pain land. Ramunap Ruins and Ifnir Deadlands, pay life to make mana.

Shadowspear, trample and lifelink combination is good with Greven. Arcane Signet and Talisman of Indulgence are two other Rakdos two drop mana rocks. Dark Ritual is good ramp in black.

Good luck with your deck.

Profet93 on Into the eternal darkness. (Mono-Black EDH)

2 weeks ago

Murderous Rider > hero downfall

Strionic Resonator to copy commander ETB, I see you already have Panharmonicron so it might not be necessary but redundancy could be useful

Aetherflux Reservoir to combo with top and bolas

What has been your experience with doubling cube? It seems win-more but then again, you do make a lot of mana. I see you also have Erebos and Arguel blood fest. Do you need the redundancy? I would say Necropotence fits better than blood fest

Blast Zone to get rid of problematic artifacts and enchantments if you can’t get meteor golem out

If you want to be janky, Kormus Bell urborg and massacre Wurm are a fun time XD

Infernal Darkness to cast on mainphase 1, then go to combat and mainphase 2. The opponents will need to spend mana they tap in response to infernal during MP1 or else it will fall out of their mana pool as you switch phases. This helps prevent interaction during your turn (aside from artifacts and mana dorks)

Command Beacon to help reduce commander tax

Overall I like this deck. I would personally go with 1, maybe 2 back up combos if all else fails. Any more might subtract from your overall game plan. +1

Nemesis on Banned and Broken Cards

2 weeks ago

Definitely not EDH, but I think my two favorite broken cards are Skullclamp and Necropotence. Those two cards are so busted it's insane. The best part about skullclamp is its history around it too.