CEDH: Chainer, Dementia Master

Commander / EDH*

OscarGoldman

Creature (27)

• 1x Blood Artist
• 1x Bloodghast
• 1x Crypt Ghast
• 1x Dark Confidant
• 1x Deathgreeter
• 1x Doom Whisperer
• 1x Fleshbag Marauder
• 1x Grave Titan
• 1x Gray Merchant of Asphodel
• 1x Hope of Ghirapur
• 1x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
• 1x Kokusho, the Evening Star
• 1x Mindslicer
• 1x Myr Retriever
• 1x Necrotic Ooze
• 1x Nirkana Revenant
• 1x Opposition Agent
• 1x Phyrexian Devourer
• 1x Phyrexian Revoker
• 1x Plaguecrafter
• 1x Razaketh, the Foulblooded
• 1x Sidisi, Undead Vizier
• 1x Soldevi Adnate
• 1x Stitcher's Supplier
• 1x Viscera Seer
• 1x Walking Ballista
• 1x Zulaport Cutthroat

Enchantment (5)

• 1x Animate Dead
• 1x Contamination
• 1x Necropotence
• 1x Oppression
• 1x Phyrexian Arena

Artifact (19)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Ashnod's Altar
• 1x Basalt Monolith
• 1x Chrome Mox
• 1x Crucible of Worlds
• 1x Expedition Map
• 1x Extraplanar Lens
• 1x Grim Monolith
• 1x Jet Medallion
• 1x Lion's Eye Diamond
• 1x Mana Crypt
• 1x Mana Vault
• 1x Mesmeric Orb
• 1x Oblivion Stone
• 1x Phyrexian Altar
• 1x Rings of Brighthearth
• 1x Sensei's Divining Top
• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x Sol Ring

Instant (9)

• 1x Ad Nauseam
• 1x Dark Ritual
• 1x Deadly Rollick
• 1x Dismember
• 1x Entomb
• 1x Imp's Mischief
• 1x Slaughter Pact
• 1x Sudden Spoiling
• 1x Vampiric Tutor

Commander (1)

Land (29)

• 1x Ancient Tomb
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Cabal Coffers
• 1x Cavern of Souls
• 1x Deserted Temple
• 1x Gemstone Caverns
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
• 1x Phyrexian Tower
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 16x Snow-Covered Swamp
• 1x Strip Mine
• 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1x Verdant Catacombs

Sorcery (9)

• 1x Buried Alive
• 1x Damnation
• 1x Demonic Tutor
• 1x Exsanguinate
• 1x Imperial Seal
• 1x Reanimate
• 1x Thoughtseize
• 1x Toxic Deluge
• 1x Yawgmoth's Will

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Why Chainer? Because he's resilient. He can compete both as a fast-acting combo and a grindy powerhouse. You will like this deck if you like playing combo, but also want ways to win/effect the game when the combo gets nerfed. Instant speed reanimate from any graveyard is just too good.

Props to Savaaage for some neat ideas.

Black decks are eternally nerfed by their inability to deal with non-creature permanents (other than lands) effectively. As this is so, I created this list to maximize win potential in the face of some very difficult hose cards.

The main ones are null rod and leyline of the void. These cards are enough to single-handedly wreck a black deck, especially one that relies on graveyard shenanigans to win.

One way of addressing these cards is with alternative win combos. As it stands, I have three total combos. They are as follows:

1.) Ooze combo: phyrexian devourer and walking ballista in graveyard with ooze on the field- People hate this combo, but I included it because I'm tired of losing to null rod. As Necrotic Ooze is not an artifact, he can get around this pesky hate card.

2.) Rings of Brighthearth, Basalt Monolith, Exsanguinate (or Ballista): This combo is for when the grave hate is strong, or when the stars align. I've included the fetchlands because of the rings, in case you were wondering.

3.) Chainer, Grave Titan, Phyrexian Arena, Blood Artist (or ZP cutthroat): This is a long shot combo that works in a pinch. Sengir Autocrat would work instead of Grave Titan, but I like the titan better as a stand alone. He can put a lot of pressure in those grindy-games.

Aside from having alternate combos, I have also included two cards which are probably too slow for CEDH: oblivion stone and meteor golem. I see these cards as necessary evils, because there are some things which stick in black's craw so severely that any answer will do. It's sometimes fun to entomb the golem for chainer antics. It's also usually fun to blow up the world with O stone. It is what it is.

Another tricky card is ad nauseam. It can be very costly, but it can also win the game. Instant speed draw of that caliber is as good as it is rare.

If you're wondering why leyline and faerie macabre are included, it's because of hulk. Any deck that can't compete with Hulk is asking to be stomped on. A lot of chainer decks use mill rocks to fill opponents graveyards, but this is usually unwise in a truly competitive meta. Worry about your own graveyard to win, and if opportunity presents itself so be it. Leyline can be just as good for Chainer as it is for other decks.

Date added	5 years
Last updated	3 years
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	16 - 0 Mythic Rares 45 - 0 Rares 15 - 0 Uncommons 7 - 0 Commons
Cards	99
Avg. CMC	2.61
Tokens	Zombie 2/2 B