This is an extort version of my other orzhov pauper deck, Two Faces, Two Deaths. I tried to switch the purpose of the deck from an aggro deck based on auras and creatures to a more control/midrange version with extort as the main ability. As you can see I kept the two previous win conditions, the Nightsky Mimic and the Edge of the Divinity, adding some extort creature and more mana-light spell to extort more.
I tried this version for a while on cockatrice and in real, and it seem to me more solid than the aggro one. Keeping 3 separate win conditions allow me to react more effectively to a wider range of decks.
This deck can make a great advantage in life point, as I have creatures with lifelink and 12 creatures with extort (plus 4 lands, but 4 lp doesn't matter so much), so I usually win the damage exchange. Is not so difficult to have a 4/4 lifelink on turn 2 or 3. Not to mention the Nightsky Mimic, which can became, if transformed and enchanted, a flying 7/7: but I rarely do it, cause is usually better to keep your win conditions separate.
The extort ability is particularly strong cause it enhance the gap in life point between the two players, and they are not damages, but life-loss. Bye bye, Fog.
INSIGHT
drops:
Nip Gwyllion: not so much to say: do you want a 2nd turn 4/4 lifelink? Enjoy.
Edge of the Divinity: Your bread and butter. Your main source of damage, use it carefully. Is better to use it on a nip gwillion or a Tithe Drinker. Why? Well, cause the weak point of an aura without hexproof creatures is that is too easy to do a 2x1 destroying one enchanted creature. So if I have to lose a creature, I prefer the weak ones, not the bigger and useful ones. Of course, if the situation is auspicious, just enchant kinping's pet for a nice 5/5 flyer. [OBSOLETE:I use it on Deftblade Elite sometimes, but just accordingly to the opponent's deck: can I make a good use of a 2/3 with provoke ability? Can I kill some of his important creatures? If the answer is yes, than let's enchant our little soldier and go kill them!]
Mana Tithe: a white counter? wow! Ok, it is so strange and useless most of the time, but can seriously disrupt an opponent turn, for the affordable price of one . And normally it is totally unexpected. Its main problem is that after the first one the opponent will always have one mana free for the relevant spells, so I will run just a couple of them. And they are usually the first cards that I switch with the sideboard.
Beckon Apparition: great spell. Split colour and instant, so activate Nightsky Mimic, specific grave removal vs flashback cards and Unearth, it give us a multicolored flying spirit ready to become a 4/4 with Edge of the Divinity, and counter Diabolic Edict and Chainer's Edict.
drops:
Chainer's Edict: pretty the same as Cruel Edict or Diabolic Edict (this one is better, being an instant), as I rarely reach 7 land with this deck, if I do not flood. And I don't want to. Nice removal, can't properly target but a couple in mainboard are always good. It's never a useless card and is really strong vs low creatures deck, like aura with the hexproof creatures, infect, Kiln Fiend.
Tithe Drinker: Well, this creature is not bad at all. I tried her a little bit, it work pretty well: you can extort, has lifelink, help you transform your Nightsky Mimic.. She still doesn't fully convince me. 1 in constitution is too low, and I already have many fragile creatures, it cost two colored mana, and I am more focused on the white part. I accept suggestions. By the way, she's decent, and is a good creature to enchant with Edge of Divinity
Nightsky Mimic: your bigger source of damage. Doesn't matter who your opponent is, having an attacking 4/4 flying is always bad. For them. Sometimes, if I have him on my first hand with a nip gwillion, I do not cast the nip on first turn: I cast him on second and then the nip on 3rd turn. Depending from the situation, we have to chose between carefully use your bicolor spell, in order to activate the mimic more times, or just cast them. Anyway, an extort deck always want to cast its spell slowly, in order to extort.
Basilica Screecher: a cute bat which fly, extort and has a decent 2 in constitution. The other version of this deck fears most Cuombajj Witches and Electrickery, so this bat is one of the main source of extortion.
Sign in Blood: I need cards to cast, so I can keep extorting my opponent, and I do not mind the life loss. The only problem is the double black mana, but a good point of this spell is that we can use it offensively. As a last resource, of course. A really good alternative, if you do not fancy the mana intensive is the now available Night's Whisper.
drops:
Kingpin's Pet: really strong, a 2/2 flying that allow you to start to extort. And enchanted become a really nice beater.
Syphon Life: just 1x of this card, cause it’s normally not so strong, but it become really useful in late game. It’s synergic with the extort ability, and with it you can make a good use of lands in the late game. After sideboard take it out vs aggro or in general vs faster deck.
drops: (tecnically)
Snuff Out: I just discovered this card. It seem great! I'm still testing it. To be able to cast something when your are tapped out is always good, and in this deck I do not care so much about lifeloss. Even better: as I can cast it paying my life, I can extort freely!
drops: (tecnically)
Gurmag Angler: I do not need to explain it, I think. The best part of him is that is not rare that we extort while casting him, a 5/5 big frog. Just don't remove from the grave your Syphon Life or the edicts.
LANDS
Not so much to say, but anyway: I tested many mana bases, and I prefer right now to run 21 lands: I need them to extort more! And in late game I can use them with syphoon life. I run 6-7 double colour lands like Scoured Barrens and Orzhov Basilica, which can help the recurrence of the first (for a life point... ) or better of Bojuka Bog. Regarding the least, I think is good to keep a couple of it in the main deck, cause is always good vs monoB, fog, flashbacks etc... This means that you can't use Secluded Steppe, as you can't be too slow, and I already have 7 lands that come into play tapped. So I can't afford other 2 slow lands. If needed, chose among Secluded Steppe and Bojuka Bog accordingly to your meta.
SIDEBOARD
Unmake: 3 is pretty expensive for a removal, but this is really good. The exile is really strong in pauper, it prevent grave recurrence, pass indestructible creature and is a multicolored spell, so kill Guardian of the Guildpact and the hybrid cost make it easy to pay. The instant speed allow you to transform the Nightsky Mimic in the opponent's turn, which can be helpful. In an extort deck this is fairly expensive, so I keep it in sideboard
Beckon Apparition: After the first game is really common that you change the 2x Mana Tithe for another couple of this.
Circle of Protection: Green and Circle of Protection: Red: not so much to say, right? The green one help us vs infect, stompy or auras, the red one vs burn and Kiln Fiend.
Holy Light: I love this instant. It doesn't kill any of my creatures, and is so strong vs fairies, goblin, tokens, the stupid hexproof creatures (before they got enchanted/pumped, of course) and some monoB decks. Actually I noticed that is difficult to use it affectively, and the 3 cmc doesn't help. Suggestion would be appreciated. A fair alternative is Shrivel, but is not instant and kill my creatures too.
Disenchant: I don't have to explain it, do I? If you run a version with more enchantment and Ethereal Armor use Seal of Cleansing. If your meta is full of affinity, go with Dust to Dust. I tested Revoke Existence for a while,
CONCLUSIONS
I use this deck from a while, tested it on cockatrice and in real, and I must say is pretty stable. I can work a little bit with the cards that I put in the maybeboard, which I analized in the previous section, but is just a matter of taste and meta, I think. Not a tier 1, but I'm confident it can be considered a tier 1.5/2.
Please note that is actually not an easy deck to play. You don't have easy match ups, (beside burn maybe), and you have to carefully calibrate your spell: you have to decide if you really need to cast it, or if you can wait to extort a little more the next turn. In this deck, every single life point matter. I won (and lost) many games just for a bunch of life points. It's in general ok to suffer some damages, as you can regain life, but you must have the ability to understand when the damages are too many and when they are manageable.
MATCH UPS Show
[in progress]
vsMonoB [OBSOLETE]
Hard match up. They are full of removal, so is hard to keep an enchanted creature on board, and are easy for them to do a 2x1. Worse of all, their edicts bypass our totem armour and they don't care how big is our creature. A Circle of Protection: Black doesn't protect us from the life loss of Gray Merchant of Asphodel. And they are full of discard cards: a Hymn to Tourach or an augure of skulls on second turn can destroy our game. What to do? Never enchant a creature if it is alone or if you haven't a Beckon Apparition (better to cast on a Chainer's Edict) or Auramancer in hand. Try to aggro as much as you can and cross your finger. They have mass removal too, like Pestilence and Crypt Rats, and Cuombajj Witches alone can block your game.
And there are too fucking many of this decks around, I'm quite sick of this. Side in Disenchant for Pestilence and Oubliette (special note: if you destroy this card your auras too return!), Dawn Charm for the edicts and the discards card; side out Hyena Umbra.
vsBURN
This game is easier than you can image. Our life gain alone counter all the deck, so they have to use their spells to kill our creatures. That's mean less damage for us! And if we put in play an Edge of the Divinity, they have to use at least 2 spell to kill our creature. Usually is just enough a 4/4 lifelink and they give up. Of course if they have a really good start there's not so much we can do about it, you have to keep care when enchant your creatures and Electrickery can destroy us, but usually is a match on our favour. After the SB, they concede if you successfully cast Rune of Protection: Red. If your meta is full of this archetype, consider Crimson Acolyte in SB to completely shut down their deck.
MORE TO COME!
MAYBEBOARD Show
Duress: always a good first turn spell, it's useful in mid game too. The extort ability is another way to make a good use of a one mana card. In this meta, full of blue decks, I find this card particularly useful.
Harsh Sustenance: a card from the last set, and I'm still testing it. It's an istant and multicolor, so allows the same trick of Unmake, and can be used on opponent's face too. But i don't like it so much cause doesn't help you if you are in disadvantage. Is worthy only with a minimum of 2 creatures in play.
Font of Return: I tried this card as with Auramancer it produce a nice combo, but is definitely too slow for this deck. In a more extort focused version maybe can be great to keep casting your creatures, and you are supposed to have more mana. But in an aggro version it simply doesn't fit.
Dawn Charm: strong sideboard card, depend from your meta. Blocks discard card and the edicts (Cruel Edict for example), can save one of your creature or act like a Fog, blocking that nasty infect creature became a 10/10, or that insanely pumped Aura Gnarlid or Kiln Fiend.
Contaminated Ground: strong vs Tron based decks and in general vs bi/tri-color deck, but I would suggest it in a side just depending from your meta, or if u are using the Ethereal Armor version of this deck.
Sunlance: I think I will test it in mainboard. Its only problem is the sorcery speed, but 3 damage at one mana are great. And more light costing spell, more extort!
