Average Win Speed
Explosive wins: T5–6 (with strong ramp + Triumph/loop setup)
Average wins: T6–8 (token swarm into combat or aristocrats drains)
Grindy wins: T9–12+ (with recursion loops, aristocrats attrition, and token inevitability)
️ How It Survives
Graveyard hate? You pivot into token combat (Scute Swarm, Field of the Dead, The Mycotyrant tokens) + Triumph/Champion.
Board wipes? Rebuild with Mycotyrant, recursion (Living Death, Victimize, Eternal Witness) and card engines (Skullclamp, Sylvan Library).
Targeted removal? Redundancy (Ashnod’s/Phyrexian Altar, multiple aristocrats, multiple recursion pieces).
Combo-heavy pods? Disruption from Assassin’s Trophy, Beast Within, Krosan Grip, Veil of Summer, Heroic Intervention.
Card Choice Philosophy
Engines: The Mycotyrant, Skullclamp, Evolution Sage, Lotus Cobra, Yawgmoth.
Finishers: Triumph of the Hordes, Grave Pact attrition, Altar + Deathmantle loops.
Ramp: Birds, Sakura-Tribe Elder, Azusa, Exploration, Burgeoning, Cultivate, Tempt, Summer Bloom.
Interaction: Assassin’s Trophy, Beast Within, Heroic Intervention, Constant Mists.
Recursion: Animate Dead, Victimize, Eternal Witness, Skullwinder, Conduit of Worlds, Life from the Loam, Splendid Reclamation.
Early / Mid / Late Game
Early Game (T1–3)
Priorities: ramp, land drops, early aristocrats or draw.
Example openers:
Birds of Paradise + Cultivate/Exploration → fast mana
Sylvan Library → digging for lands/engines
Skullclamp + dork/token → early card advantage
Your best early plays are ramp + setup. Don’t overcommit into wipes yet.
Mid Game (T4–7)
Deploy The Mycotyrant, start filling graveyard with Stinkweed Imp / Golgari Grave-Troll / Loam.
Skullclamp + tokens for value.
Aristocrats (Blood Artist, Zulaport, Poison-Tip Archer) set up incremental damage.
Tutors line up finishers (Demonic Tutor for Triumph or Deathmantle, Worldly Tutor for Scute Swarm/Kodama).
If unpressured, a Triumph of the Hordes can outright kill 1–2 players by T6.
Late Game (T8–12)
When pods grind out, lean on recursion engines (Living Death, Conduit of Worlds, Splendid Reclamation) and inevitability (Grave Pact, Lolth, Wrenn).
At this stage, aristocrats drains steadily bleed the table.
Loops or token pumps (Evolution Sage + Kodama + land recursion) snowball out of control.
Combo & Loop Packages
1. Deathmantle Loop (Infinite Tokens / ETBs)
Ashnod’s/Phyrexian Altar + Nim Deathmantle + Eternal Witness/Scute Swarm/Avenger (if included)
Sacrifice creature(s) to Altar → generate 4 mana → pay for Deathmantle → reanimate same creature.
With Witness: recur anything infinite.
With Scute Swarm: infinite tokens.
With aristocrats out: infinite life drain.
- Aristocrats Drain
Blood Artist/Zulaport/Poison-Tip Archer + sac outlet + tokens
Every death drains table, synergizes perfectly with The Mycotyrant’s army and Skullclamp.
- Living Death Blowout
Fill graveyard with dredge/self-mill (Loam, Stinkweed, Troll).
Cast Living Death → everyone sacs, then your graveyard floods into play.
With aristocrats: mass drain kill.
With Grave Pact: opponents may lose all their boards in the exchange.
- Land Recursion Engine
Life from the Loam / Splendid Reclamation + Field of the Dead / Scute Swarm
Land drops snowball tokens every turn.
Combine with Evolution Sage + Kodama for absurd scaling.
- Constant Mists Lock
With Life from the Loam or Ramunap Excavator, you can buy back lands forever to fog each turn.
Gives you inevitability vs combat-heavy pods.
Mulligan Guide
Always keep if you have (2–3 of these):
Early ramp (Birds, Sakura, Cultivate, Exploration, Burgeoning).
Card draw/fixers (Sylvan Library, Skullclamp, Courser, Oracle).
A sac outlet OR value engine (Yawgmoth, Skullclamp, Evolutionary Leap).
At least 3 lands (or 2 + ramp).
Ship back if:
Only slow 5+ drops.
Only utility/interaction with no ramp.
Graveyard recursion pieces with no setup (e.g., Witness + no ramp).
Summary
Average win turn: T6–8.
Explosive wins: Triumph/loop kills as early as T5.
Survivability: Fog lock, recursion engines, aristocrats drains.
Consistency: Ramp-heavy curve + tutors smooth out draws.
Loops: Deathmantle infinite, Living Death blowout, aristocrats drain engine, land recursion into token swarm.
Sample Opening 7
Bayou
Forest
Birds of Paradise
Skullclamp
Stinkweed Imp
Ashnod’s Altar
Sylvan Library
This is a great keep: ramp (Birds), card draw (Library + Skullclamp), sac outlet (Altar), and dredge fuel (Stinkweed Imp).
Turn Breakdown
Turn 1
Play Bayou, cast Birds of Paradise.
Board: Bayou, Birds.
Hand: Forest, Skullclamp, Stinkweed Imp, Ashnod’s Altar, Sylvan Library (5 cards).
Turn 2
Play Forest.
Tap Bayou + Birds → cast Sylvan Library.
Pass.
Next upkeep: Library digs for combo/ramp pieces.
Turn 3
Library triggers, keep 1 extra card (say, Scute Swarm).
Play Skullclamp, then cast Stinkweed Imp.
Setup: dredge outlet + card draw engine ready.
Board: Bayou, Forest, Birds, Sylvan Library, Skullclamp, Stinkweed Imp.
Turn 4
Library digs (find Dakmor Salvage or Life from the Loam).
Attack with Imp (or just block/sac later).
Clamp the Imp → draw 2, dredge 5 (Stinkweed back to hand).
Likely mill into lands, Eternal Witness, Blood Artist, or Loam.
Cast Ashnod’s Altar.
Now you have a sac outlet to recycle creatures for value.
Turn 5
Dredge Imp again, fill graveyard (10+ cards now).
Library pulls a finisher (Triumph, Living Death, or Victimize).
Cast Scute Swarm.
Land drop → token online.
With Skullclamp + Altar, you can sac/draw/dredge loop tokens for gas.
Board snowball begins.
Turn 6
Graveyard stacked: maybe Eternal Witness + lands + Aristocrats milled.
Cast Living Death:
Opponents sac boards.
Your dredge pile comes back: Witness → return Triumph of the Hordes, Aristocrats + tokens all reenter.
Stinkweed Imp back, fueling future dredge.
Turn 7
Attack with token army, cast Triumph of the Hordes (tutored back with Witness).
Even 10–12 creatures = lethal infect across the table.
If blocked, Aristocrats drain still close the gap.
Why This Works
Early: Ramp + Library stabilizes.
Mid: Stinkweed fuels graveyard, Skullclamp turns tokens into gas.
Late: Living Death blowout reanimates an overwhelming board → Triumph seals the game.
Consistency: Even if Triumph doesn’t show, Mycotyrant + Scute Swarm + Field of the Dead grind opponents out.
⚡ With Dakmor Salvage instead of Stinkweed in the opener, the line shifts slightly:
Use Loam/Dakmor dredge to fill yard and guarantee land drops.
Same curve — you just lean on land recursion → Scute Swarm / Field / Mycotyrant tokens as your primary engine.
