Introduction:
This deck functions through the repeated use of value creatures to both accelerate your own board state while controlling that of the opponents. The goal is to stall until an engine can be assembled to pull together the pieces of one of the various combos to finish the game.
You Might Enjoy This Deck If:
- You enjoy accruing value over the course of the game
- You enjoy using your graveyard
- You enjoy solving puzzles; this whole deck is one big puzzle
- You like infinite combos and tutors
You Might Not Enjoy This Deck If:
- You enjoy attacking right out of the gates and swinging until your opponents are dead
- You like things that are dead to stay that way
- You want a straightforward deck
- You (or your playgroup) heavily dislikes infinite combos and tutors
Combos:
Mike & Trike
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed +
Triskelion A classic infinite combo, activate Triskelions ability to deal damage to a player, leaving two counters to remove and kill Triskelion itself. A sac outlet can also be used to kill Triskelion once all counters have been removed if necessary. This is a rather consistent combo since it only has two moving parts, both of which are creatures and as such easily tutorable.
Persist Combo
+1/+1 Counter Provider + Sac Outlet + Persist Creature + Vampire
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Bloodspore Thrinax both provide +1/+1 counters to counteract the -1/-1 counters of the persist creatures. Puppeteer Clique and Woodfall Primus are the two in question. This combo works by sacrificing either persist creature to a sac outlet, wherein it will come back with a -1/-1 counter, to be cancelled out by the counter provided by the Thrinax. Minor caveat with Mikaeus is that you have to alternate persist and undying rather than having the counters cancel. This provides infinite death triggers, which with one of the two vampires, Blood Artist and Falkenrath Noble, translate into infinite damage and hopefully a win. These two might be unnecessary with Woodfall Primus, since it can simply destroy all opponent lands, which generally results in concession. There exists a lot of redundancy between the various parts of this combo, but there are a number of moving pieces, making this achievable with medium consistency. As there are only creatures present, the entire combo is tutorable with Birthing Pod, since there are pieces at a variety of mana costs.
Ooze Combo
Necrotic Ooze + Triskelion + Phyrexian Devourer
The Necrotic Ooze combo requires both Triskelion and Phyrexian Devourer in the graveyard, and the ooze on board. This gives Necrotic Ooze the ability to exile a card off the top of the library for a number of +1/+1 counters, courtesy of the devourer, which can in turn be removed with Triskelions ability, dealing damage equal to the total converted mana cost of cards left in your library, hopefully enough to kill the table. Be careful using this combo, because if disrupted youll end up with your entire library in exile.
Jarad
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord + Phyrexian Devourer
This combo is the only one that does not require the graveyard, and as such should be pulled out when under threat of severe hate. It works by simply exiling the top card of your library with the devourer, responding to its sacrifice trigger by exiling more cards, each activation increasing the size of the devourer. Once sufficiently large, sacrifice Phyrexian Devourer to Jarad, killing the table. Important to note while performing this combo is that you must continually activate the Devourers ability in response to the trigger forcing you to sacrifice it when its power exceeds seven. Similarly to the Ooze Combo, use this win with caution, losing your whole library to a response can, and likely will, lose you the game.
Tutoring:
There are a number of cards that tutor either for responses or combo pieces to cinch closed a game. Each will be covered with a brief description of their best targets, along with a brief list of the best creatures to find at each mana cost.
Slow but incredibly powerful, Birthing Pod is an engine in and of itself, letting us tutor out almost any combo piece we might need. Again, the entire Persist combo is fetchable through a number of pod chains, which, with Meren out, lets each piece fuel the tutoring of the next.
Obviously Sidisi can find you whatever you might need, but a good first card to fetch is Mimic Vat, to set up an engine if you can exploit something other than Sidisi herself.
Similarly to Sidisi, all three of these cards are incredibly versatile, but a good initial target is either Eternal Witness or Skullwinder. With Meren, either one of these creatures allows you to recur the tutor each turn, setting up an engine to assemble the combo of your choice. Important to note is that both Jarad's Orders and Buried Alive can find an entire combo at once, though a reanimation spell may be necessary depending on which combo you pull out. The Nooze combo works well as that wants two of its three components in the graveyard already, and Mike & Trike is another good option.
Notes
Removal for noncreature permanents is prevalent throughout the creature curve. Should someone play either Torpor Orb or Hushwing Gryff though, since both shut down a significant portion of the deck, dig for Beast Within or Pernicious Deed as soon as possible, theyre currently the only cards to be able to deal with both.
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed can be used in a pinch to save most of your board from a wipe if you think one might be incoming.
Maybeboard
Phyrexian Delver: Having the ability to reanimate something through Pattern or Pod would be incredibly nice. Would probably replace Animate Dead. I have to decide if cheap or tutorable is better, and if three reanimation spells are even warranted with Meren at the head of the deck.
Riftsweeper/Witchbane Orb: Both of these interest me primarily as ways to fight graveyard hate. Riftsweeper to pull back key combo pieces, while the orb would prevent their removal in the first place and protect our combos during execution. Riftsweeper is a creature, thus far easier to find than orb. Finding space is the hard part for these two, and there needs to be serious consideration as to whether or not theyre actually necessary.
Smothering Abomination: Replaced recently with Grim Haruspex. I think the Abominations ability to draw cards every upkeep may be relevant, but the cheaper Haruspex is probably better. Haruspex being a human may be detrimental, reducing synergy with Mikaeus.
Arbor Elf/Elvish Mystic/Elves of Deep Shadow/Deathrite Shaman: Mana dorks may be more efficient than something like Farhaven Elf or Viridian Emissary, though the dorks lack the recurrable value nature of these two. I think the ability to get continual value from the ETBs might be worth more than the marginal speed increase of the dorks, but the comparison warrants discussion. Deathrite Shaman also has the ability to act as graveyard hate, albeit at the cost of reliable mana.
