Cast early spells like
Thoughtseize
and
Inquisition of Kozilek
to make room for your larger creatures like
Gray Merchant of Asphodel
and
Phyrexian Obliterator
. Your small creatures like
Gatekeeper of Malakir
,
Gifted Aetherborn
, and
Kitesail Freebooter
are all decent cards that build towards your devotion.
Geralf's Messenger
rounds out your 3 drop creature slot.
Phyrexian Arena
sits on the battlefield for your devotion and draws lots of cards if left untouched. Planeswalkers
Liliana, the Last Hope
and
Liliana of the Veil
are similar, except the value that they provide is in the fact that they can kill opposing creatures and either create more resources or dwindle your opponents resources down. They also can just threaten ulting and closing the game out. Removal package includes
Fatal Push
and
Cast Down
. Push just hits about everything relevant, and cast down hits everything that push doesnt.
Sideboard:
Abrade
is the reason we splash red. We dont really have any artifact hate in black, so this is to help hedge against decks like Lantern Control, Whir Prison, Affinity, and Hardened Scales. It should also come in against Amulet Titan to hit
Amulet of Vigor
Ashiok, Dream Render
is your first bit of graveyard hate with her minus. Also, her static ability makes her good against Whir Prison as well. Im sure there are other matchups where the static ability will matter.
Cry of the Carnarium
is for
Arclight Phoenix
and
Bloodghast
decks. Unfortunately, we cant have actual
Anger of the Gods
, so this is the best we can work with.
Damnation
is for grindy midrange decks like BG Rock and Jund.
Fulminator Mage
is good against Tron and Celestial Colonade/
Search for Azcanta
decks.
Hero's Downfall
is extra removal against midrange that can hit Planeswalkers. Its also better than a single copy of
Fatal Push
, so I dont mind it against Control to blow up
Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
and
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
.
Leyline of the Void
is for any deck that operates out of its graveyard. Phoenix, Dredge, Storm, you name it. It also amazingly just sits on the battlefield with 2 devotion, so your Grey Merchants can close the game out faster.
Liliana's Triumph
is good against decks like Bogles and Infect.
Deck notes:
Its entirely possible that this list isnt perfect, so I want to provide a couple of alternate choices if some cards prove to be unreliable or useless depending on the meta.
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
is kinda nice late game if you are drawing tons of gas because of all the devotion you have, but its definitely possible its just a 'win-more' card and doesnt do much. Alternate options include
Field of Ruin
for Tron and Control heavy metas; and
Bojuka Bog
to have maindeck graveyard hate.
If alot of spell based combo decks run around in your meta, cutting some
Gatekeeper of Malakir
for more Kitesail Freebooters and
Collective Brutality
might be correct.
For sideboard changes,
Leyline of the Void
could be
Nihil Spellbomb
instead. I think its just dependent on preference.
Its possible you might want
Surgical Extraction
in some number.
Ob Nixilis Reignited
is strong against midrange and control decks.
If you dont want to run the red splash, you should try
Ratchet Bomb
as a way to clear artifacts and enchantments. Its also strong against tokens too.
Illness in the Ranks
is good against
Young Pyromancer
and
Lingering Souls
Rain of Tears
is an alterantive to
Fulminator Mage
Damping Sphere
against Amulet Titan, Tron, and/or Storm heavy metas.
Sorcerer's Spyglass and
Pithing Needle
are good against control or creature based combo like Devoted Druid + Vizier of Remedies
or
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
decks. But, if your are looking at Spyglass and Needle for control, its also possible that more copies of
Hero's Downfall
or a few copies
Duress
are good alternatives.
Stain the Mind
is good if happen to be playing a
Wilderness Reclamation
deck. You can Stain the opponents
Nexus of Fate
.
Yaheeni's Expertise or
Languish
are both alternatives to
Damnation
if budget is a concern.
Shadow of Doubt
is good against tutor heavy decks. It can also just blow up opposing fetch lands, but thats kinda cheeky so thats up to you.
Its also possible you might want to try a different splash color as well. Green offers
Golgari Charm
,
Abrupt Decay
,
Assassin's Trophy
, and
Maelstrom Pulse
.
Thanks for sticking through this whole thing. If you have questions of suggestions, feel free to drop them in the comments.
