Combos Browse all Suggest
- Increasing Vengeance + Torment of Hailfire
- Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter + Torment of Hailfire
- Torment of Hailfire + Unbound Flourishing
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 |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Planar Constructed | Legal |
| Planechase | Legal |
| Quest Magic | Legal |
| Tiny Leaders | Legal |
| Vanguard | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
Torment of Hailfire
Sorcery
Repeat the following process X times. Each opponent loses 3 life unless that player sacrifices a nonland permanent or discards a card.
![Petrified by the Gorgussy [Primer] thumbnail](http://static.tappedout.net/chart/0-0-45-0-55-small.png)
![Vraska, the Silencer feature for Petrified by the Gorgussy [Primer]](http://static.tappedout.net/mtg-cards-2/OTJ/vraska-the-silencer/regular-1711618615.png)
TheVectornaut on
Tergrid - making cuts
1 day ago
You say you're going for more sacrifice than discard but the current list feels very much the opposite to me. If you are serious about wanting to make the deck more casual friendly, cutting all of the cards that exclusively care about discard does seem like the easy way to get down to 100. Having cards that do both like Rankle's Prank will probably be more palatable, even if the outcome is actually even more lopsided. As an aside in the event you do keep some discard spells, you'll be better off paying a little extra for the multiplayer focused options like Delirium Skeins vs. something targeted like Duress. Obviously, if you want to do a lot of 1v1, that evaluation changes. I like the idea of focusing on a sacrifice shell with all of Grave Pact, Dictate of Erebos, and Butcher of Malakir to ding opponents while you're sac looping your own creatures with various reanimator tools. Cards like Hell's Caretaker or Whisper, Blood Liturgist are favorites of mine since you can easily convert your chumps into discarded bombs or re-trigger ETB and death triggers. You have a ton of cheap Fleshbag Marauder-type cards and that's the real reason I'd recommend this angle. If you stick with at least some of the discard package, you can run plenty of Burglar Rat and Virus Beetle 1/1s to take advantage of Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker which is also conveniently good with Valgavoth's Faithful and other potential synergy pieces like Viscera Seer, Blood Artist or Zulaport Cutthroat.
I'll also list some other cards I'd consider cutting, regardless of the focus on discard or sacrifice. Crypt Ghast
feels excessive here since by the time you can play it and untap on the following turn, there's currently only two cards that you wouldn't be able to cast anyway. Since I'm also recommending the cut of All is Dust anyway for being too symmetrical of a wipe for its high cost, I don't know that you'll need all that mana very often. The obvious counterpoint here are the x spells, but I'd urge caution on keeping too many of those too. Unless you're ending the game with a final enormous Torment of Hailfire, these types of effects can fall squarely under the "feels bad" category, or at least that's my experience. If you do want to keep them as wincons, you probably want even more cards like Ghast to improve consistency in reaching that goal. For somewhat similar reasons, I'd also consider cutting Dark Ritual and Culling the Weak. Turbo-ing out your oppressive commander is exactly the kind of play pattern that earned the recent commander bans their new status. If the other players at the table feel like they have time to prepare potential answers to Tergrid, I think people will be much happier to play with you. And if you feel you need more mana and a way to sac guys you want in the yard, Ashnod's Altar and Phyrexian Altar are always an option. In terms of draw, I like engines that play off your deck's existing themes like Waste Not, Geth's Grimoire, Grim Haruspex, Harvester of Souls, etc. as opposed to once a turn effects like Dark Confidant or Phyrexian Arena. They may not always be more efficient but they're certainly more interesting. Necrodominance is an option I'd be careful with though since it has some anti-synergy with self-reanimator strategies. I like the idea of Deathgreeter to recoup some of the life loss from symmetrical pox effects and to benefit from mass sacrifice. I just think some of the previously mentioned options at two mana do the job better. Similarly, I feel that Osseous Sticktwister will accomplish less than some similar cards in the deck since your opponents are free to choose the life loss in a format that offers them plenty of life to spare. If you were going for a more explicit life drain strategy, I think the card could pair nicely with other 8rack staples. Unstoppable Slasher is another card that is only good if you're focused on dropping life totals quickly, and with no obvious ways to guarantee the damage gets through, I don't see this guy as being too impactful. The final card I'll mention is Mithril Coat. It makes sense on paper to protect your commander when you know it's going to get targeted. However, Tergrid is so feared at many tables that she's likely to get targeted and removed before you even have the spare mana to equip her. For this reason, I'd prioritize cheaper protection like Boots/Greaves. You could even try one of the many instants and auras that offer a one-time reanimation effect since those will also protect against your own sacrifice effects where equipment will not.
Crow_Umbra on
2 months ago
You've got a pretty solid Isshin deck! Have you had a chance to play this list irl yet? I have a few suggestions, and just kind of "food for thought" comments from looking at your deck:
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I'll admit, I'm a bit biased, and prefer not to use equipment that aren't Lightning Greaves variants or Skullclamp. On that note, I'd recommend maybe swapping out Diamond Pick-Axe & Sword of the Animist/Bitterthorn with a couple more 2 mana rocks like Talisman of Conviction & others in-color. Pacing wise, I found Sword of the Animist to be kinda slow for Isshin, since it's 4 total mana to cast & equip to a creature. The 2 mana rocks could even swap out with Wayfarer's Bauble and/or Commander's Sphere.
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Related, but Skullclamp is gas for draw in a deck like this that makes lots of 1/1 tokens. Highly recommend it.
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Phlage is a great card, but do you think you'd ever cast it for its Escape cost? I pulled a copy, but haven't put it in Isshin yet, mostly because in games where I could play the Escape cost, I'm already far enough behind that it might not help me much.
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Rottenmouth Viper is an enticing pick that I've definitely gone back and forth on, but have mostly left in consideration for now. It kinda feels like a slower Torment of Hailfire with extra steps, & needs some steep board investment if you cast it for its reduced cost.
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If you keep a lot of your big beaters, Dragonhawk, Fate's Tempest could be worth looking at. On its own, it's at least a 5/5 flyer that can smack faces, but has that additional impulse draw & group slug stapled to it.
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I'd highly recommend adding Clever Concealment, Scapegoat, or Fanatical Devotion as additional means of protecting your board, or at least key pieces of it. Isshin is heavily board invested, so protection goes a long way.
Those are just some of my initial thoughts. I'm down to talk shop if you're up for it. Best of luck with your deck; Isshin is a blast
Quickspell on Casting X-spells from exile but …
4 months ago
I’m pretty sure the answer is yes, but I need confirmation.
If I exile a spell with X in the mana cost, say Torment of Hailfire with, say, Wrenn's Resolve, am I able to cast Torment AND pay for X?
TypicalTimmy on Secret Lair: Sans Mercy
5 months ago
SteelSentry, I read online that it was indeed a confirmed April 1st joke but that it was delayed and is now being instead referred to as Maypril 1st (despite launching on the 2nd).
As for the text, it's two poor decisions culminating together. The first is the use of Comic Sans, which nobody takes seriously. To be perfectly honest I'm not entirely sure why but it is what it is. I get it, it's text often displayed in comics (hence the name), and comics are satirical in nature. I mean, even if you take the most grounded and gritty comics, it's still satirical in nature when compared to our real life.
Anywho, so that's probably why people don't take Comic Sans seriously, to which I would argue that the message is more important than the font; If you have an official office memo, the font chosen is the least important aspect of it - but I digress.
So satire, we've established that.
The aLteRnATinG bIg anD SmaLl TeXt is supposed to be read in a mocking and sarcastic tone. And not an undertone either. A blatant disregard for everything repeated. It's actually more so insulting and ridiculing than it is sarcastic and witty. It's meant to be mean, not funny.
So you have rude tones, with satirical underscores, established on what should have been the Day of Fools.
All combined, it's one of those:
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I cast Torment of Hailfire for 5.
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i cAsT "tOrmENt oF HaiLFi-" go fuck yourself, five?? God damn it.
A reflection on ACTUAL gameplay interactions.
Unfortunately, that humor was not well expressed within context, which is why players don't "get it".
I'm not here to defend it, either. I'm simply saying, from a design perspective, that's what the angle was coming from.
jarncards on
vaal hazak
5 months ago
In Garruk's Wake, Plague Wind, Rise of the Dark Realms, Torment of Hailfire, Exsanguinate for uses for your witherbloom mana
Profet93 on Favorite EDH Cards
5 months ago
Anyone who has seen me comment on their deck will know I love using people's cards against them. Whether it's Worst Fears (the mythic I got in my first pack coming back into MTG), Mindslaver (flashbacks to academy ruins lock) or Emrakul, the Promised End, their hand is my hand. And with that hand I say why are you hitting yourself? LOL
As such, my 3 favorite cards are Deflecting Swat, Misdirection and Imp's Mischief. The first 2 can be cast for free which is great as you can bluff interaction. The latter is usually unexpected, until your playgroup asks why are you holding 2 mana after casting a large Torment of Hailfire and then they learn that with 2 mana open, you too can be the blue player!
Profet93 on
Volrath, Voltron Reanimator
8 months ago
Skirge Familiar > Grimore of the dead - Skirge is a combo enabler and while it does cost one more mana, is tutorable and more importantly, more easily recurrable. Not to mention it adds mana. While grimore does have a big payoff, it is widely telegraphed and doesn't give you any upfront investment.
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse + VILIS, BROKER OF BLOOD + Skirge Familiar = Infinite draw triggers. Near-infinite black mana, lifegain, lifegain triggers, card draw, looting and self-discard triggers. Sheoldred is good against blue decks that like to draw a lot as well with a deathtouch bonus
SHEOLDRED, THE APOCALYPSE + Greed + SKIRGE FAMILIAR = Infinite looting, draw triggers, self-discard triggers and Near-infinite lifegain triggers
Asmodeus the Archfiend + Necrotic Ooze + SKIRGE FAMILIAR = Infinite card draw, draw triggers, looting, self-discard and Near-infinite black mana.
SKIRGE FAMILIAR + Peer into the Abyss + Exsanguinate/Torment of Hailfire = GG. Peer is great on it's own. Given you are mono black, you should emphasize a bit more on the big black mana as a fallback incase (or rather, when) your reanimation strategy doesn't pan out given to all the grave hate in EDH (further exacerbated by all your black decks in the meta).
On the note of big black mana, Deserted Temple - Untap coffers + political tool. Thespian's Stage is a potential consideration as well. I know it seemed slow in the previous iteration but some big ramp pieces should be considered as well.
Victimize - Swap from maybeboard to main. It's 3 mana, sac a creature and get 2 back. It's a lot of value for such a cheap cost
Blightsteel Colossus > Kozilek - It serves the anti-mill purpose with high mana and potential alt wincon. Is it not included due to price? He would be much better than the cut suggestions below.
While cutting too many expensive cmc cards goes against the plans, these are just my thoughts of your weakest high cmc cards to consider removing....
Archon of Cruelty - Costs too much for such little impact. 8 mana should be game winning. While I know you're not paying retail, it's the fat of the deck that's ripe for cutting. Even if it said each opponent it's still not worth it.
Archpriest of Shadows - Reminds me of ashling the extinguisher. Not impactful enough, cool ability though. If you do want another 5cmc card to take it's spot, Junji, the Midnight Sky has a nice death trigger that's flexible and helpful.
Dauthi Voidwalker - I'm torn, I do like him a lot. Especially since you said there is mill in the meta. The weakest option for cuts for sure. Just 2 mana that doesn't impact your strategy doesn't seem worth it IMO. If you ran Leyline of the void + helm combo and used this as redundancy that would be one thing.
Hoarding Broodlord - A weird runescarred dragon. 8 mana wins games, not tutoring.
Pathrazer of Ulamog - I get the high cmc is great, but he isn't impactful enough.
Torgaar, Famine Incarnate - Make someone's life 20, nothing crazy.
Strands of Night - Black has better recursion. Losing a land is a harsh penalty.
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