Open the Graves

Enchantment

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

Discussion (51)

mrweaselman on Walking Dead

3 weeks ago

Headless Rider is better here than Open the Graves and Lord of the Accursed is better than Graf Harvest, I would recommend running 3-4 of each. You can cut the enchantments, Risen Executioner because it's basically Lord of the Accursed, and Foulmire Knight. Go up one Death Baron for the deathtouch you're taking out, then you'll still have 8 sources with Diregraf Captain.

magicbike on blood for the blood god

4 weeks ago

Ayara, First of Locthwain ------ Bone Shredder Blood Artist---Dutiful Attendant

Ashnod's Altar -----Desecrated Tomb Skullclamp ---- Undying Malice Spawning Pit-----Commander's Sphere Open the Graves Vampiric Rites

Priest of Forgotten Gods Grim Haruspex

Strangelove on Shirei token

1 month ago

Hey Lucas_honorio_ !

Shirei was also my first commander deck. Its a really fun commander. Although she's a glass cannon, looping 1/1s is still my favorite. Here's my last budget build: Shirei/ Budget; and another that has a bunch of cards: Shirei/ Soft Stax [EDH].

You already have a lot of fun interactions, but you're gonna want consistency. I would play more draw and ramp, try to play almost exclusively low cmc, and only keep the best effects that are focused on your strategy. So -1 Open the Graves, -1 Genesis Chamber, etc... (you don't need tokens as much as you need sacrifice outlets and draw).

You want all your draw and ramp BEFORE Shirei hits the board. It'll help smooth the early game. Look for cards like Village Rites, Deadly Dispute, Plumb the Forbidden... pure gas to set up your wincon (Shirei).

My top includes are Sultai Emissary, Skullport Merchant, Fume Spitter, Mindless Automaton, Thoughtpicker Witch, Dusk Legion Zealot, and Carrion Feeder.

Pro tip: Expect to play some archenemy. This is a deck that's "taking turns" on everyone's end step and is very easy to disrupt by forcing out Shirei.

btw you can list shirei as your commander like so:

1x Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker *CMDR*

plakjekaas on EDH Booster pack deck

3 months ago

Like this?

Booster: Fodder Forever

Bloodghast

Gutterbones

Bitterblossom

Nether Traitor

Reassembling Skeleton

Tendershoot Dryad

Open the Graves

Field of the Dead

Dragon Broodmother

Dragonlair Spider

Hooded Hydra

Hangarback Walker

Sifter of Skulls

Pawn of Ulamog

Goblinslide

IHATENAMES on Double Death

4 months ago

Doubling death triggers is a powerful effect. However you need to get a good amount of value from it to make it worth it. A Xtra token once is not great (see Hunted Witness). I'd look at that if you are looking where to cut to add any of this.

Open the Graves Xtra token per death trigger.

Nightmare Shepherd double the death with a token to sac as well more helpful when you are going off then early game. A budget Luminous Broodmoth I'd run at least one.

Mask of Griselbrand card draw made for this deck. By far.

Crowded Crypt interesting new card I'd suggest running over the locket

Demon of Dark Schemes boardwipe small guys plus reanimation.

Death Tyrant a little niche but very powerful if doubled.

Fallen Ideal For thatvultron win vs the deck with near infinite health.

Peer into the Abyss underrated card draw or even player removal.

Viscera Seer Carrion Feeder Sadistic Hypnotist I think more creature free sac outlets would help here are 3 that I prefer.

Twilight's CallDread ReturnVictimize Hell's Caretaker you lack reanimation almost entirely. This is a few I'd suggest. In this type of deck saying your board 1ce reanimating and doing it all over again is the general way I see aristocrats win. Adding a few even if it's not these will immensely power up your deck.

Higher budget items that you should look into if you want to increase your budget. Luminous BroodmothLiving Death

multimedia on Undead Unleashed

6 months ago

Hey, nice upgrades of Demonic, Acererak, Stitcher, Gravecrawler, Grim, Sidisi, Cryptbreaker, Master, Undead, Remembrance, Titan, Victimize, Misty, Drowned, Clearwater.

Interesting choices to cut the mana rock ramp other than Sol from the precon and reduced the lands from 40 to 31. Reducing the lands is fine because 40 lands in the precon is too much. Although, only 31 lands is pretty risky; I wouldn't play below 34 if I'm not playing green. The problem is you haven't compensated for the reduction of lands by adding more ramp to have enough mana or more low CMC draw to help to draw lands or some of both. It looks like you have cut lands to add more high CMC cards which is the wrong approach when upgrading a precon.

With a budget of $400+ consider adding the mana rocks? The precon has Arcane Signet, Talisman of Dominance and Crowded Crypt, all these are good. Add to these Dimir Signet and Thought Vessel; these two are upgrades for the Diamonds. More low CMC draw can also replace lands such as Brainstorm, Preordain, Deadly Dispute, Frantic Search, Village Rites.

Dreadhorde Invasion is a two drop in the precon and it's a good repeatable Zombie source for Wilhelt. Sac the Zombie Army token at your end step on each of your turns for a repeatable draw source that only costs you 1 life on your turn. Midnight Reaper is also in the precon and it's a Zombie who can be a repeatable source of draw especially with Gravecrawler.

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Some cards to consider cutting because they're not as good as others here:

• Lord of the Forsaken
• Sludge Monster
• Eternal Skylord: don't need it because you have Hordewing Skaab.
• Dread Summons
• Ghoul's Night Out
• Bonehoard
• Oriq Loremage: don't need it because you have Vile Entomber.
• Syphon Flesh
• Whispersilk Cloak
• Empty the Laboratory
• Liliana's Mastery
• Open the Graves
• Risen Executioner
• Wight
• Phyrexian Crusader
• Ebondeath, Dracolich
• Army of the Damned

I don't think you have the mana to support X spells such as Summons and Empty to get enough from them to be worth casting. Adding Cabal Coffers + Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth would help also with casting Army.

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With Gravecrawler to combo with Rooftop you need a sac outlet. To combo with Wilhelt and Poppet Factory you also need a sac outlet. Consider adding some sac outlets?

• Blasting Station: can be the win condition with either Gravecrawler or Factory combo.
• Carrion Feeder: one drop Zombie.
• Ashnod's Altar: combos with Havengul Lich + Rooftop to repeatedly reanimate/sac/reanimate all Zombies in all graveyards.
• Altar of Dementia: infinite mills all your opponents when you control Factory by repeatedly sacing just one Zombie. Can also be the win condition with Gravecrawler + Rooftop.

If you're wanting to win with combo especially with Rooftop then consider some protection for the combo? Lazotep Plating, Counterspell, Swan Song, Flusterstorm.

Good luck with your deck.

Dangerwillrobinson79 on Wilhelt- Lord of the Horde

6 months ago

Most probable cuts: 1. Carrion Feeder 2. Filth 3. Hordewing Skaab 4. Ravenous Rotbelly 5. Tainted Adversary 6. Tomb Tyrant 7. Undead Augur 8. Swiftfoot Boots 9. Buried Alive 10. Feed the Swarm 11. From Under the Floorboards 12. Necromancer's Stockpile 13. Wake the Dead 14. Swamp 15. Wonder 16. Stronghold Assassin 17. Liliana's Mastery 18. Open the Graves 19. Corpse Harvester 20. Acererak the Archlich

multimedia on Undead unleashed combo upgrade

7 months ago

Hey, nice upgrades on a budget so far for the precon.

Opponent mill strategy is an interesting choice/change from the precon. Opponent mill that's not an infinite combo, but done over many turns can be risky in multiplayer Commander because graveyards are a huge resource for so many decks.

The precon has too high of a mana curve with over 20 cards that are 5 CMC or higher. You haven't really changed this, but you have reduced the number of lands to 34 from 40 in the precon. By reducing the number lands, but not reducing the mana curve you risk not being able to cast spells until much later in a game. You're right to reduce the land count and 34 lands is fine, but the rest of your deck also needs to be reduced especially since you've added Bolas's Citadel.

Upgrading to better high CMC cards which you have done with Rise of the Dark Realms and Bolas's Citadel is good, but you really should consider cutting other high CMC cards from the precon to add these such as Gorex, the Tombshell and Gravespawn Sovereign. Gravespawn is also a reanimation effect, but is worse than Rise. Tombshell can be reduced in mana cost, but that has negative interaction with wanting to reanimate Zombies.

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Death Tyrant is an example of a budget high CMC card that's an upgrade for another five drop in the precon such as Eternal Skylord. Tyrant has excellent synergy with decayed Zombies because when they attack and are saced at end of combat then you create a 2/2 Zombie for each one. This interaction is also good with sac outlets such as Carrion Feeder to sac all your attacking Zombies in combat to create that many 2/2 Zombies which can then with Wilhelt, sac them to create 2/2 decayed Zombies and repeat the next turn with Tyrant.

Some budget lower CMC cards to consider adding:

• Pyre of Heroes: repeatable sac/tutor/cheat Zombie onto the battlefield.
• Master of Death: repeatable Zombie to sac since can return itself from your graveyard to your hand at your upkeep for 1 life.
• Necromancer's Stockpile: repeatable discard, excellent with Master of Death and good way to get Zombies into your graveyard for reanimation.
• Siege Zombie: combos with at least two other Zombies + Throne of the God-Pharaoh for lots repeatable opponent life loss.
• Apprentice Necromancer: can be repeatable reanimation source with Gisa and Geralf.
• Lazotep Plating
• Counterspell
• Arcane Denial

Some cards to consider cutting: Gorex, the Tombshell, Switcheroo, Mass Manipulation, Aetherspouts, Eternal Skylord, Eloise, Nephalia Sleuth, Gravespawn Sovereign, Shadow Kin, Vilis, Broker of Blood, Open the Graves.

Good luck with your deck.