Open the Graves

Enchantment

Whenever a nontoken creature you control is put into the graveyard from the battlefield, create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token.

Discussion (51)

Brutal_B on Zombies under the Scarab

2 weeks ago

From Under the Floorboards . Army of the Damned . Open the Graves . Undead Augur . Risen Executioner . Lord of the Accursed . Liliana's Mastery . Cemetery Reaper . Rot Hulk . Lich Lord of Unx . Death Baron . Cryptbreaker . Zombie Master . Shamble Back . Diregraf Captain . Undead Warchief . Stir the Sands . Endless Ranks of the Dead . Eternal Skylord .

Sorry for the suggestion bomb.

Lemonas420 on Korvold, Fae-Cursed King Jund EDH

2 weeks ago

multimedia Hi, thanks for your answer and thanks for your help with lands, but I have few questions First, why do u considering to cut Brass's Bounty , I think its fit this deck nicely, it can be a good mana for next turns and/or End game card combined with Revel in Riches , and i really like Butcher of Malakir so i don't think to cut this card, because it's like creature version of Dictate of Erebos Second, thanks for showing that Temur Sabertooth combo :) Third, Half of these cards from Korvold bravler deck, so I considering to change some of them with other cards and ofc lands :D. So I thinking to add - Bolas's Citadel I think it's really fit Korvold - Death Cloud for wiping board - Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest I just found that card and I really like that card, you can make your all token creatures to real deal and you get double counters on Korvold - Sylvan Safekeeper I think this card is a great way to keep Korvold alive - Bloodspore Thrinax I'am not sure for this, but it can be nice played with Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest to create a massive token army And what do you think about these cards : Mitotic Slime , God-Eternal Bontu , Open the Graves

Thanks again for your help! Sorry for bad English (not my native language)

TitaniumTP on K'rrick Kobain and his Monster Mash

2 weeks ago

Let's get down to business, shall we?

DELETE THIS

Venser's Journal , Mindcrank , Armillary Sphere , Dash Hopes , Doomblade, Street Wraith , Leshrac's Sigil ,

QUESTIONABLE

Noosegraf Mob , Phyrexian Reclamation , Kaya's Ghostform , Blood Tribute , Whip of Erebos , Armillary Sphere , Reiver Demon , Pestilence Demon , Magus of the Mirror , Endling , Bloodthirsty Aerialist

At first glance these are what I think you should delete and think about deleting.

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COMBO TIME

I notice that you have combo potential with Mikaeus, the Unhallowed . The only 2 card combo with him is Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Triskelion . All other combos with him require 4 pieces.

1. The man (zombie?) himself: Mikaeus, the Unhallowed

2. Sac outlet - Viscera Seer , - Ashnod's Altar , - Carrion Feeder ,

3. The Sacrifice (something with persist, or that can somehow remove the +1/+1 counter from Mikaeus, the Unhallowed ) - Lesser Masticore , - Putrid Goblin , - Skinrender if you put the 3 -1/-1 counters on itself each time it enters, - Puppeteer Clique , - Lingering Tormentor ,

4. ALL THESE TRIGGERS - Bitter Ordeal for infinite exiling of decks, - Falkenrath Noble for infinite damage, - Vindictive Vampire for infinite damage, - Zulaport Cutthroat for infinite damage, - Vengeful Dead for infinite damage, only if sacrificed creature is a zombie, - Blood Artist for infinite damage, - Pitiless Plunderer for infinite mana, - Pawn of Ulamog for infinite colorless mana, - Deathgreeter for infinite life, - Smothering Abomination for infinite card draw,

MORE COMBO

You also have the 3 piece combo of

1. Sanguine Bond
2. Exquisite Blood
3. Anything that either causes you to gain life, or an opponent to lose life - Leechridden Swamp , - Ebony Charm , - Death Cultist , - Nightmare's Thirst

I recommend using instant speed interaction for the 3rd piece of the combo, so you can respond to removal by winning

If you decide to follow The Way of The Combo, you should also add library searching effectz to help make sure you always find your pieces.

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LIBRARY SEARCHIN EFFECTZ

Expedition Map for finding lands for ramp, or combo pieces if you go for the aforementioned Leechridden Swamp combo Scheming Symmetry , Behold the Beyond , Demonic Collusion , Diabolic Tutor , Final Parting , Mastermind's Acquisition , Doomsday , Demonic Collusion , Dark Petition

The more combo and storm heavy your deck is, the more search library cards you will want to add.

EXTORT OP

Basilica Screecher , Thrull Parasite , Syndicate Enforcer

Nothing much to add here, but extort is so broken in this deck. Extort will be extra powerful in storm builds.

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Okay, it's Mana Time

Caged Sun

COOL LANDS

Castle Locthwain , swamp with benefits, Thespian's Stage , can become a copy of other dank lands like Temple of the False God and Cabal Stronghold , Crystal Vein , pop it on the turn where you're going to try and win, Westvale Abbey  ^Flip, potential wincon, Leechridden Swamp , potential combo piece and also fun to use with leftover mana, Bottomless Vault , probably sucks but you could use it in a storm deck, Memorial to Folly , Mortuary Mire , Temple of the False God , Myriad Landscape , ramp that looks like a land

Mana Rocks

Cryptolith Fragment  ^Flip probably not good, Thran Dynamo , super epic, Hedron Archive , Prismatic Lens , Fractured Powerstone , you know you want this for the planeschase ability, Sisay's Ring , Ur-Golem's Eye , Liliana of the Dark Realms , Nirkana Revenant , Paradise Plume , Magus of the Coffers , Black Market

For mana rocks you want the best bang for your buck, since you can just pay life instead of {B}. I like the mana rocks that cost {4} but tap for {2}, and the ones that cost {2} and tap for {1}. The more control heavy your deck is, the more rocks you want.

Ramp

Wayfarer's Bauble , Burnished Hart

Lots of Mana Fast

Cabal Ritual , Bubbling Muck , Spoils of Evil , Culling the Weak , Sacrifice , Dark Ritual , Songs of the Damned

Getting giant bursts of mana is good in any mono Black deck, but you should invest more heavily the more combo and storm themed your deck is, since you want to pop off in a single turn and cast 1,000 spells.

Investments

Basal Sliver , Blood Pet , Bog Witch , Overeager Apprentice , Basal Thrull , Priest of Yawgmoth , Blood Vassal , Soldevi Adnate

A lot of these cards that are single time use mana sources would be great in a storm deck where you would just build up your load until you bust damage all over the faces of those unfortunate enough to be within 50m of you. They're also good in reanimation decks, which could utilize Phyrexian Reclamation to keep getting them back.

Summary:

The more control heavy your deck is, the more mana rocks you want. If you're going for combos then you want more quick mana. The only land I'm gonna have to 100% recommend is Thespian's Stage . Keep in mind that the more nonbasic lands you have in your deck, the less useful cards like Crypt Ghast and Cabal Stronghold will be.

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TRIBAL

Zombie Tribal

Corpse Harvester , library search, Cemetery Reaper , lord, Undead Warchief , epic lord, Josu Vess, Lich Knight , wincon, Endless Ranks of the Dead , wincon, Death Baron , lord, Liliana's Mastery , lord, Graveborn Muse , card draw, Zombie Master , protection, Graf Harvest , team evasion, Fleshbag Marauder , saccy, Phyrexian Delver , recovery, Cryptbreaker , card draw, Lord of the Accursed , lord, Shepherd of Rot , hurty everyone, Stronghold Assassin , funny removal, Loyal Subordinate , Liliana, Death's Majesty , potential finisher, Grave Titan , Open the Graves , board wipe protection, especially good if you're going all in on creature aggro, Curse of Disturbance , Awaken the Erstwhile , once you're in an advantageous position just cast this and watch your opponents cry, Tombstone Stairwell , this would be especially epic if you have cards to buff your boys, Risen Executioner , lord

Some cards that could be spicy in zombie tribal. Epic combos would be lords such as Cemetery Reaper and Lord of the Accursed , and fatties such as Army of the Damned and Josu Vess, Lich Knight . Having tons of zombies also combos with Pontiff of Blight . I think that Eldrazi Monument in a zombie build is nightmare fuel.

Vampire Tribal

Sanctum Seeker , Kalastria Highborn , Blade of the Bloodchief , Bloodlord of Vaasgoth , Malakir Bloodwitch , Bloodline Keeper  ^Flip, Gatekeeper of Malakir , Nirkana Revenant , Drana, Liberator of Malakir , Sadistic Skymarcher , Defiant Bloodlord , Yahenni, Undying Partisan , Butcher of Malakir , Cordial Vampire , Bloodtracker ,

If you decide vampire tribal is better, here are some options. I would only play cards like Blood Tribute if you're going vampire tribal, I don't think it's worth to play unless you can get more value than just chopping 1 player's life in half.

To Go with Your Creature Spam, Sir...

Dowsing Dagger  ^Flip, Mask of Memory , Necropolis Regent , Bloodforged Battle-Axe , Explorer's Scope , Throne of the God-Pharaoh , Whip of Erebos

Buff My Team!

Sword of the Paruns , Intimidation , Death Pit Offering , Eldrazi Monument , Obelisk of Urd

Summary:

The more of one tribe you have, the more synergy you have. Only include lords if you're all in on that tribe.

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REMOVAL

Targeted Removal

Hero's Downfall , Vraska's Contempt , Murder , Murderous Rider , Noxious Gearhulk , Malicious Affliction , New Blood , Ruinous Path , Tendrils of Corruption , Bone Splinters , Liturgy of Blood

Epic Board Wipes

Decree of Pain , Crux of Fate , Kindred Dominance , Bontu's Last Reckoning , Do or Die , Hellfire , Necromantic Selection

Summary: Use more board wipes the more control heavy you want your deck to be. Try to choose targeted removal such that the end cost will only be {1} and some life, so that it will be as cheap as possible. This is especially important in storm builds. Since we play multiplayer quite a bit, you'll probably want to add extra board wipes, especially the ones that draw you cards or come bundled with reanimation.

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Wow, I Hate Minorities

Wow, I hate tokens

Ritual of Soot , Force of Despair

Wow, Green is Cancer

Perish

Wow, I hate when other people play spells

Painful Quandary

Wow, I hate when other people attack me

No Mercy , Dread , Koskun Falls

Wow, I hate myself

Season of the Witch (okay, maybe not that much Revenge of Ravens )

Wow, I hate lifegain

Tainted Remedy , False Cure

Wow, I hate real board wipes

Sudden Spoiling , Mutilate , Languish , Massacre Girl , Golden Demise

Wow, I hate burst damage

Palace Siege , Polluted Bonds

Wow, I hate my opponents having creatures

Dictate of Erebos , Grave Pact , Butcher of Malakir

Wow, I hate this one person in particular

Curse of Vengeance , Trespasser's Curse , Curse of Fool's Wisdom

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Lifegain

Profane Memento , Crypt Incursion , Vampiric Link , Loxodon Warhammer , Kokusho, the Evening Star , Cavalier of Night , Whip of Erebos

Protection

Rush of Vitality

Benefit from Death

Ogre Slumlord , Shadows of the Past

Cool Card Draw

Moonlight Bargain , Promise of Power , Succumb to Temptation , Ransack the Lab , Infernal Contract , Necrologia , Carnival of Souls , Grim Haruspex , Night's Whisper , Succumb to Temptation , Phyrexian Etchings , Cruel Bargain , Dark Deal , Foreboding Fruit , Live Fast , Painful Lesson , Necropotence

Add more card draw the more stormy you want your deck to be. Also try to add ones that will cost the least amount of mana if you take your commander's ability into account.

Card Draw Requiring Sacrifice

Altar's Reap , Costly Plunder , Morbid Curiosity , Bankrupt in Blood , Skulltap , Merciless Resolve

These will be better in decks where you're sure you'll have tons of creatures. So adding these into zombie tribal would probably be a good idea, since you have things like Army of the Damned and Josu Vess, Lich Knight that produce a million tokens.

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Storm Build Cards

Aphotic Wisps , Cremate , Succumb to Temptation , Yawgmoth's Will , Ill-Gotten Gains , Priest of Forgotten Gods , Skirge Familiar , Rain of Filth , Dredge , Gravebind , Nighthaze , Street Wraith

The idea of a storm deck is to cast as many spells in one turn as possible, building up a fat storm counter to execute all who oppose us with our 3 finishers, which are Aetherflux Reservoir , Tendrils of Agony and perhaps Empty the Pits . You'll want lots of cheap spells that only cost {B} mana and replace themselves, such as Aphotic Wisps . One time use mana is also dank here, such as Dark Ritual and Cabal Ritual , and creatures like Basal Thrull and Soldevi Adnate .

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Win Cons to think about

• Thieving Amalgam , epic value over time (a 2/2 on each opponent's upkeep),
• Sorin Markov , there health becomes 10,
• Army of the Damned , lots of zombies,
• Josu Vess, Lich Knight , lots of zombies,
• Grave Betrayal , steal everyone's creatures, good in control builds with lots of board wipes,
• Pestilence , add it,
• Revel in Riches , also good in control builds with lots of board wipes,
• Aetherflux Reservoir , storm/combo builds,
• Tendrils of Agony , storm,
• Empty the Pits , storm,
• Pontiff of Blight , use in creature heavy builds, like zombie tribal,
• Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Putrid Goblin + Ashnod's Altar + Blood Artist combo ,
• Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Triskelion combo

TheMazter13 on Avenger, Assemble!

2 weeks ago

The Deck is kind of slow. Having both played and played against Voltron, the deck needs to be quick. Considering your commander is a 6 mana creature, it takes a while to get out and you would need some ramp. More artifact mana, which would also buff some enchantments like All That Glitters , is definitely needed. The Signets, The Talismen, the 3 Mana Rocks, Mind Stone , Worn Powerstone , or even Sisay's Ring would all help to make sure you can cast your commander on turn 4 or 5 while also having artifacts that can be used to cast spells. For example, casting Thran Dynamo on turn 3 or 4, then tapping it to cast an equipment card.

Also, when playing equipment cards, get more cards that do things. Echo Circlet isn't needed in an aggressive deck, Nightmare Lash with 7 Swamps is not great (however you do have Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth , so it can be good but it is 100 card singleton), Helm of the Host is pretty bad considering the tokens won't have any equipment and won't be as powered up, and Explorer's Scope can ramp, but so slowly that it isn't worth it. Considering this is an aggressive deck, playing all the Swords would be a viable option. Not only do they buff your commander, but they also give them protection from colors, meaning that they wouldn't be able to be blocked and can then get around chumpers. Also, the swords have awesome "deal combat damage to a player" effects that can easily be taken advantage of while also staying as aggressive as possible

Elenda, the Dusk Rose , Open the Graves , Cathars' Crusade , Ajani's Welcome , Mace of the Valiant , and Embercleave all don't do much with only 10 creatures, so either play more buffing creatures like Kinsbaile Cavalier or get rid of cards that rely on creatures. I think you should get rid of em because your commander is really the only creature you'd need. Sure, a knight can give your commander double strike, but so can an equipment card ( Fireshrieker ), and for far cheaper with "Equip Knight 0"

You only had three choices of Elspeth, and you picked the wrong one. Elspeth, Sun's Champion and Elspeth, Knight-Errant are both better than Elspeth Tirel in terms of making creatures, keeping the board free, and buffing your commander. You'd probably play Knight-Errant for that second ability though

Liliana of the Dark Realms doesn't do much apart from find swamps. She doesn't actually ramp you and her second ability can do very little with so few swamps.

To get even more stuff for cheaper, Stoneforge Mystic . Not only is it a tutor, but it can put equipment onto the battlefield a) at instant speed and b) for .

squadcarxmar on Death, the Next Great Adventure

3 weeks ago

I'd get an Utter End over a Vraska's Contempt in a WB deck like this. I agree with King Saproling on Pitiless Plunderer since it helps Revel in the Riches as well. Black Market is a card you can't go wrong with in aristocrats. They have some good suggestions in that comment. I'd add Open the Graves to that list as well of things to at least consider.

Also, get Ashnod's Altar and/or Phyrexian Altar . Now you can kill things on command and get mana instead of spending it to allow the sacrifice. No restrictions either.

CrimsonChaos on Scarabs U/B Zombies

1 month ago

RavnicaCommanders I wouldn't underestimate the potential Open the Graves can have in this deck, particularly since it can combo with the Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar setup for infinite zombies, which with the right timing can end the game if you have The Scarab God out. Also it doesn't hurt to have it in case a board wipe happens. Not saying it's an auto-include by any means, but certainly something to consider.

austintayshus Unfortunately Crypt Ghast would not be applicable in this deck, as it has a hybrid Orzhov cost to its Extort, and our commander in this deck doesn't have white in its identity. If we do want to take advantage of Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth , however, we can look at something like Zombie Master , which was similarly recommended to me, allowing us to attack with our zombies unchecked due to Swampwalk.

As for other considerations, there's always Altar of the Brood to combo with Gravecrawler/Phyrexian Altar to mill our opponents out. Cover of Darkness is also a powerful tribal card we can use here, as it'll give all your zombies Fear, further making it harder for opponents to block. Final Parting is an extremely useful tutor in this deck. It may cost a bit of mana, but with it you can easily retrieve your Phyrexian Altar while chucking your Gravecrawler to the gy, which can then be easily recast from there, among other possibilities. You could also consider Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet to get even more tokens every time you manage to kill an opponent's creature. As for ramp, Sword of the Animist could be useful to help you get more of your basic lands out. I'd personally love to get a copy of Training Grounds for my own Scarab God deck, but yeesh is it pricey and hard to find... It would be very helpful for making easier use of Scarab God's activated ability. Whatever you decide to go with, I hope you have fun with it!

Pal00ka on Sacrifices, sacrifices

1 month ago

I get the force sacrifice theme but do not really see many creatures YOU would want to sacrifice. I count 4 creatures who once they enter I would be happy to let die to trigger something or force sacrifice (WS, VE, SD, and G). This is not counting Sakura-Tribe Elder, co. because I assume you will want to sack them to their own effect most time.

Creatures who are happy to die and come back or create tokens to be sacrificed are: Reassembling Skeleton , Bloodsoaked Champion , Squee, the Immortal , Open the Graves , Xathrid Necromancer , Overseer of the Damned , etc. all give you extra bodies to sacrifice while keeping your enablers free.

I am surprised to see so little graveyard recursion either, some to consider: Phyrexian Reclamation , Palace Siege , Animate Dead , Whisper, Blood Liturgist , Phyrexian Delver , etc. are good for getting back killed creatures or reanimating high-CMC ones (@ 4.03 that is pretty HIGH).

For ramp I would add in more creatures who self-sacrifice to grab basics (and add more basics in place of tap lands) to kill 2-birds with one stone. Burnished Hart , Wild-Field Scarecrow , Dawntreader Elk , Pilgrim's Eye , Skittering Surveyor , and of course Solemn Simulacrum .

Such a theme screams to have more aristocrat value pieces added: Zulaport Cutthroat , Poison-Tip Archer , Fecundity , Outpost Siege , Harvester of Souls , and Skullclamp , etc. all make every death benefit you that much more.

You don't seem to be playing any counter spells, even for protection with such high-costed creatures, I would add more via Heroic Intervention , Mizzium Skin , Wrap in Vigor , Undying Evil , etc. I like Kaya's Ghostform but it telegraphs to opponents that this will need to be killed 2x, and a truce may be made to ensure Sheoldred dies. One of the above is "sneakier."

LadyZ on First, Do All Harm (Yawgmoth, Thran Physician)

2 months ago

I really like Viscera Seer in aristocrats, I love the scry. And imo every aristocrats deck should have Reassembling Skeleton , it's just such an easy target to sacrifice over and over. Open the Graves is another way to always have sacrifice fodder handy.

I don't love Peat Bog personally. it's okay ramp short term, but long term I'd rather have Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx . And I'm not a fan of Meteor Golem , it's just so expensive compared to, say, Ravenous Chupacabra .