MTG Combo: Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond

Balaam__ on Modern Vampire/lifelink

3 months ago

I agree with everything wallisface posted above, but I’d also like to say this is a lot more coherent than my initial decks (and even many later ones, ha). You have a firm grasp on what you want the deck to accomplish, which is arguably the most important part.

Once the land count/mana curve situation is ironed out, you have a fair degree of latitude for revisions or improvements. You can lean more heavily into playing Aristocrats, or even branch out into combo territory if budget allows (Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond is well known and very vampire-y).

Keep polling suggestions, take everything under advisement, then refine until you’re satisfied.

beatle42 on You don't look well

2 years ago

Some useful combos in the deck:

philosopher on Liesa: Life, Death, and Taxes

2 years ago

Hello Oixa137,

Please see my below suggestions.

Addition:

I am going to presume that your meta allows for infinite combos, given that you are running the Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond combo, so I recommend that you add Walking Ballista to your deck, as this allows you to do the Heliod, Sun-Crowned + Walking Ballista infinite damage combo.

Subtraction:

To do this, i recommend removing Blind Obedience from your deck, as you already have Authority of the Consuls, which does the same effect.

Number of lands:

Based on this link (https://medium.com/@schulze.mtg/the-math-of-landbases-in-magic-the-gathering-commander-3f03aadac92c), I recommend using 46 lands to maximize the chances of playing Liesa on turn 5.

Current land breakdown: 38 total lands.

Land = 1 land; 34 lands

Land search = 1 land; 1 land search = 1 land

mana rock = 0.75 lands; 4 rocks = 3 lands

Based on a ratio of full lands and partial lands, your deck has the equivalent of 38 lands and, as a result, I recommend you add 8 more lands to your deck.

Removing 8 cards will be challenging and, to make it easier, I recommend that you look for cards that do the same effect, such as "you gain X life, whenever a creature ETB's", and remove some of them, as this will allow you to keep your important and less redundant cards in your deck.

Best of luck improving your deck,

Philosopher

trippy_mcfly on

2 years ago

Cool deck. I'm here to offer some suggestions after you pointed me here from your other deck.

Tergrid, God of Fright  ^Flip is a powerful commander and generates insane advantage in 4-player games. Let's take a look at this deck and see what it is doing, and then streamline it. I see three main objectives of this deck:

1 - RAMPING.

This is pretty much a primary objective of any commander deck, since if your only source of mana is playing one land per turn, you're going to fall way behind. Your main ramping plan for this deck is to double lands, using Cabal Coffers, Cabal Stronghold, Caged Sun, Crypt Ghast, Extraplanar Lens, Gauntlet of Power, and Nirkana Revenant. This is super cool and probably a pretty strong plan. We want to try to maximize this plan. How can we do that?

All of these cards want you to load up on basic swamps, which you did. We want to make sure we are playing a basic swamp every turn. Solemn Simulacrum is definitely a worthwhile add. Liliana of the Dark Realms is very helpful and I'm happy to see her in this deck. Often times Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is a worthwhile add for decks with Cabal Coffers. I think it is worth it here. Although you yourself don't have many non-swamps that will benefit from Urborg, you are likely going to be stealing people's lands with Tergrid, and counting those as swamps will be helpful for you.

How else can we keep getting swamps onto the battlefield to power up this strategy? Card draw. The more cards in your hand the higher the chance you will have a swamp to play every turn. Night's Whisper and Sign in Blood are great for this. Disciple of Bolas is solid too. Dread Presence loves swamps and is a must-add. I would add Phyrexian Arena, which is great card draw for you. Necropotence, one of the craziest cards in the game, is also a worthwhile addition. Not as good but worth consideration are Yawgmoth's Bargain and Null Profusion. Two other well-known card draw machines in black are Dark Confidant and Bolas's Citadel. You have some costly spells in your deck, so they might be a bit of a liability. If you want to include them, Sensei's Divining Top pairs very well with them.

Just because you are mainly ramping with land doubling doesn't mean there isn't room for other ramping as well. You have Black Market, which I have never personally tested, but is probably decent. Black has some explosive, single-turn ramp with Dark Ritual, Cabal Ritual, and Culling the Weak. These cards would do well in letting you get out expensive plays ahead of schedule, mainly Tergrid. Artifact ramp is also great in any deck. I would add Mana Crypt, Sol Ring, Jeweled Lotus, and Jet Medallion. I would consider adding even more artifact ramp as well. Getting down Tergrid as early as turn 1 or 2 is just so good.

2 - SACRIFICE AND DISCARD.

Once you have Tergrid out, sacrifice and discard become powerful effects that let you take control of your opponent's permanents. This is insane advantage and if left unchecked for very long will win you the game. Syphon Mind while Tergrid is in play not only puts you up 4 cards in comparison to each opponent (since they each went down 1 and you went up 3), but also could net you 3 more cards if they discard permanents that then go onto your field. That's insane. Let's take a look at all the cards you have that enable Tergrid:

SACRIFICE:

Archfiend of Depravity - A one-sided, almost board wipe that repeats every turn? Pretty solid. Getting the creatures onto your field with Tergrid? That is nuts. The one issue is that some commander decks won't have that many more than 2 creatures on the field when this comes down, and if they do, then this card and/or Tergrid become a big target, but if you survive the turn, this and your commander will put you ahead so far.

Butcher of Malakir - Similar to Archfiend. If this guy sticks around for a bit, you're going to be at such an advantage. It costs 7 which is a bit high and very vulnerable to something like Mana Drain, so I wouldn't be super upset if you cut it, but it is great with Tergrid.

Gatekeeper of Malakir - This guy only costs three and steals a creature if Tergrid is on the field. Love it.

Phyrexian Obliterator - If someone is dumb enough to deal damage to this guy, then you're getting a lot of their permanents! I don't love this card for you. People will just leave it alone and then you just hit someone for 5 each turn or leave up a blocker, which is a bit slow.

Sheoldred, Whispering One - Similar to Archfiend. If this guy sticks around for a bit, you're going to be at such an advantage. It costs 7 which is a bit high and very vulnerable to something like Mana Drain, so I wouldn't be super upset if you cut it, but it is great with Tergrid.

Torment of Hailfire - Expensive and liable to be countered but if it resolves then you will get a ton of value!

Dictate of Erebos - I like it. Let's say you have 10 mana. Cast Tergrid, then somebody goes to kill him. Flash this card in. Now, you at least get 3 of your opponents creatures on the way out!

Grave Pact - I like this as well. You can't flash it in, but if you put this card on the field, then people will have to kill this before Tergrid comes down or else end up giving you their creatures.

The Eldest Reborn - Immediate impact with Tergrid on the field, pretty good value on its own. Definitely a keep.

DISCARD:

Liliana, Defiant Necromancer - You need to flip her first, but once flipped she is great.

Syphon Mind - Great.

Torment of Hailfire - Expensive and liable to be countered but if it resolves then you will get a ton of value!

The Eldest Reborn - Immediate impact with Tergrid on the field, pretty good value on its own. Definitely a keep.

... and that's it. We need more cards that are busted with Tergrid! The following would be great adds to your deck: Smallpox, Dark Deal, Liliana's Triumph, Plaguecrafter, Soul Shatter, Mire in Misery, Innocent Blood, Vona's Hunger, Death Cloud, Burglar Rat, Demon's Disciple, Fleshbag Marauder, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana, Waker of the Dead, Bottomless Pit, Fraying Omnipotence, Rotting Rats, Cunning Lethemancer, Merciless Executioner, and a personal favorite: Smokestack.

Notice that all of these cards are typically even trades (ex: I play Elderfang Disciple, going down 1 card, everyone else goes down 1 card.) These aren't great on their own since it costs you mana to do so, and, in the case of discard and sacrifice, the opponent gets to choose an asset that they are least upset to get rid of, making them actually below-even trades. However, they become insanely busted with Tergrid. (ex: I play Elderfang Disciple, going down 1 card in hand for a measly 1/1. But, I get a Carpet of Flowers, basic plains, and Birds of Paradise on my field? Now that's an amazing play). Therefore, the ones that are recurring are better, since they give you more chances to make sure they resolve while Tergrid is on the field. (ex: I play Cunning Lethemancer and my opponent kills Tergrid. Later in the turn I play Tergrid again, albeit for 7 mana now due to commander tax. Next turn, with the Lethemancer trigger, I get some great value!)

Here are some other cards that work well with Tergrid, although they only target one opponent: Sudden Edict, Hellish Rebuke, Pharika's Libation, Diabolic Edict, Duress, Thoughtseize, Hymn to Tourach, Chain of Smog, Despise, and Divest.

Notice that in the absence of Tergrid, these cards are negative trades. They set you and an opponent back by putting you both down one card. The other two opponents are left untouched. Seeing them early in the game is not particularly helpful since you'd rather spend the early game ramping. They are great and slowing down whoever is winning, but at the expense of your own board. There is a trade-off here, since these can be leveraged politically. "Each opponent discards a card"" can give you tons of value with Tergrid on the field but makes you 3 enemies. "Target opponent discards a card"" gives you not as much value in general but you can leverage this to make someone else the common enemy or make a deal with a player ("if you don't attack me next turn I won't target you with my Duress"). Things like Duress can also target specific cards, which is an added benefit for you and an added detriment to the opponent.

I would run some from each category, probably with an emphasis on maximizing Tergrid value.

3 - DRAIN AND GAIN.

Blood Artist and other cards gain you one life and drain your opponent one life. This is cool and certainly an interesting archetype of a deck. It doesn't synergize with Tergrid particularly well. I personally would not use this strategy at all in this deck and maximize the Tergrid plan. However, Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond is an awesome combo and an unexpected way to finish the game for you while people are busy dealing with Tergrid. If you want to keep this, I would trim some of the other cards, such as Exsanguinate and maybe Underworld Dreams.

So, now that we know what the 3 objectives are, and have maybe cut the third, we have a bit more of a plan. I've suggested adding some card draw and mana rocks for ramp, and tons more Tergrid synergy. What are the cuts? I would say anything that doesn't fit in with the objectives, so basically any card I haven't mentioned already, unless it gives great value on its own. I'll go through some:

Demonic Tutor and Vampiric Tutor are incredible cards and provide great value. Diabolic Tutor, Scheming Symmetry, and Shrouded Lore are worse tutor effects and should probably be moved to the maybe board. Sudden Spoiling is interesting and stops somebody from comboing off on their turn so is probably worth it. Reanimate is good value and should probably stay, same with Animate Dead. Demonic Vigor protects creatures but not Tergrid, unless you want him going to your hand. This is risky but probably fine. I could see him getting countered and then removed from your graveyard which puts you back majorly, but I could also see you avoiding commander tax. Worth looking into. Undying Evil is strictly better since it has instant speed and keeps him on the field. We might also want to protect him with Lightning Greaves or Swiftfoot Boots

Coffin Queen is too expensive and vulnerable. Drana, Liberator of Malakir is cool for aggressive strategies and can help you close out the game but is out of place in this deck. Falkenrath Noble is an overcosted Blood Artist. Gonti, Lord of Luxury is a value creature that if you can get his ETB many times, which your deck can't really do. Grave Titan isn't worth it in this deck. Gravedigger is fine but might be a bit slow. Helldozer is probably not worth it unless you want to pick on somebody lol. Korlash, Heir to Blackblade is not worth it. Massacre Wurm might not be worth it. Nighthowler isn't worth it. Opposition Agent is always a good add. Phage the Untouchable is too slow and vulnerable. Sepulchral Primordial might not be worth it. Skirsdag High Priest is probably not worth it. Syr Konrad, the Grim is not worth it. Wight of Precinct Six is not worth it. Tainted Strike is not worth it. Lashwrithe is not worth it. That's about 15 cuts right there.

Props to you for building Tergrid and having an interesting ramp strategy. I think if you go more in on the Tergrid plan by cutting unrelated cards for cards that ramp or are good with Tergrid then your deck will be a lot more reliable. After all, the most fun part of this deck is going off with Tergrid!

Hope this helps.

Peoni on Ara Ara Ayara

3 years ago

There's always Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond if you ever decide to break budget.

As your deck stands though I'd say it's pretty nice. Aristocrats is by no means my specialty but you seem to have all your bits and pieces in order. :^)

I would recommend swapping out Charcoal Diamond and Nyx Lotus for different mana rocks. Charcoal Diamond is less than ideal because it just comes in tapped. Nyx Lotus on the other hand has a different set of problems in my eyes. It costs 4 mana to cast AND comes in tapped AND you aren't even guaranteed to get value out of it. It all depends on whether or not you're having a good game. You could play this turn 4, not get to use it til turn 5 since it's tapped, AND still maybe only get 1 or 2 mana out of it. Oh, and because of its high cost and potential it's going to be a juicy target for removal. If it gets blown up you basically just skipped a turn. I'd swap this out for another 2cmc rock of your choosing. Since you're looking to keep this budget I'd recommend Fellwar Stone and Everflowing Chalice as your replacements. Arcane Signet is definitely a good choice from your maybeboard if you're willing to drop $6-7 on a rock. Prismatic Lens would also work but you wouldn't get the full use out of it since you don't really need to mana fix but it's an option nonetheless.

I like your deck! Hope this helps. :^)

Peoni on Vito Life Gain

3 years ago

Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond never hurts in lifegain decks if it fits in your budget, especially with Vito since he also combos with Exquisite Blood. I would also consider replacing either Charcoal Diamond or Gilded Lotus with Fellwar Stone or Mind Stone or something similar. Mana rocks that come in untapped are always better than ones that come in tapped, and the lotus is expensive for a mana rock and serves as a big juicy target for removal spells. Ideally on turn 4 or 5 you want to be doing something bigger and more impactful than dropping ramp. Also, as some less budget options that you might like to consider, Jet Medallion probably needs no explanation and Extraplanar Lens coupled with snow lands creates some pretty nasty asymmetrical ramp for you assuming your opponents aren't also running the same snow lands as you. Nice deck, fun and fair. :^)

Scytec on Petition To Ban Flash Here

4 years ago

@dbpunk - The difference between those two combos is vast. Both require two pieces in hand to go off, but flash hulk is one cast of an instant at two mana, if I am not mistaken it requires no other resources. Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond is two separate casts of two separate permenants requiring an investment of ten total mana. There are SO many more ways to interact with two cast triggers, and two permenants than a single cast of an instant. I don't like the thought of card bannings for no reason if the format is healthy...but if 40% of the meta (once again skeptically quoting an above poster having done no research myself) consists of one combo, that is a problem. Maybe the issue is Flash, maybe it is Protean Hulk or maybe it is Thassa's Oracle because it pushes the original combo past the point of standard consistancy, but ultimately something needs to be done, we can't completely ignore a portion of the player base of our amazing format. Perhaps the RC has done research and determined that only a few localized areas are having such a problem with this combo which is why they haven't reacted. Perhaps they are still collecting raw data to come up with their own conclusion. I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt for the time being.