Aristocrats are finally making a comeback in Standard. Luckily, I have a leg up on the competition after running a RB version last rotation using
Tymaret, the Murder King
as a slower but more inevitable Blood Artist. Now, with Zulaport Cutthroat, we get a close match to the original Artist.
In similar fashion to my old brew, this deck isn't trying to simply drain the opponent with Zulaport triggers. That route is available if needed as a finisher, but this deck likes to get on the attack early and often, wearing down the opponent with relentless creatures & tempo-minded value.
Card Breakdown
Bloodsoaked Champion: A nice early beater who doubles as recyclable sac fodder.
Qarsi High Priest
: Excellent aggro sac outlet, as the value he creates goes straight to the board. The Manifesting is a great way to sneak in big threats, and it just generally smooths out draws & lets you see more cards in your deck.
Sultai Emissary
: The best trigger of the sac fodder for an aggro deck, as it leaves behind a 2/2 at worst. Manifesting fun continues...
Carrier Thrall: Another aggressive sac fodder trigger on a more threatening body. Sac'ing to Bone Splinters is especially nice, as it is essentially free if you don't mind losing the token.
Despoiler of Souls
: One of the few 3 power options in the deck, it can grind out control opponents by swinging through the man-lands & its end-step recursion.
Zulaport Cutthroat: The finisher of the deck. Not quite Blood Artist, but even getting close means a really good card.
Grim Haruspex: The preferred early-game Artist, as card advantage trumps life points until you can get the opponent to 0. Being able to flip it for 1 off a Manifest can result in some surprising fits of card draw
Nantuko Husk
: Combos with Zulaport Cutthroat to finish opponents in one fell swoop. .Manifesting it into play can spell a quick, out-of-nowhere ending for your opponent.
Liliana, Heretical Healer
: Triggers ridiculously easily & recycles the 2-drop sac fodder. Plus'ing usually means ditching excess lands or just putting Bloodsoaked Champion/
Despoiler of Souls
in an accessible place. She can also recur a
Nantuko Husk
upon flipping for an insta-win if need be.
Bone Splinters: Because hard one-drop removal is kind of good, especially when the "downside" is what your deck wants to do.
Vampiric Rites: Cheap, repeatable sac outlet that is hard to remove and helps grind out control decks.
Shadows of the Past
: Scrying before Manifesting is a real thing, and the drain ability gives reach against control or a creature deck that's starting to stabilize.
Playing the Deck
*THIS IS AN AGGRO DECK. You want to deal 20 points of damage as soon as possible, not build the perfect sac-value engine (even though this deck is capable of doing that). Opt for higher-power creatures when the choice presents itself on early turns (i.e. Bloodsoaked Champion over
Qarsi High Priest
on turn 1, or Carrier Thrall over
Sultai Emissary
on turn 2).
*Again, THIS IS AN AGGRO DECK. While you probably could hold off the enemy for an impressive amount of time with all the sac fodder, in general, you want to be swinging whenever possible and absorbing as much damage as you can if it means preserving your offense.
*That all said, be constantly thinking about who has inevitability and how you can swing that balance in your favor. Against many midrange decks that have high-impact spells, you can still surprisingly achieve inevitability through card advantage for grindy wins in case your early efforts are stifled. Also, it's best to play as a control deck against a lot of aggro decks and leave back blockers, as you certainly have the life gain and card advantage to pull away in the late stages.
*Don't underestimate the value of
Qarsi High Priest
. Oftentimes, it's best to milk its value early and often to save cards in your hand and see more in your deck (luckily, doing so often doesn't lose tempo). That said, be on the lookout for the moment to step on the accelerator and dump the hand.
*Pick the right time to deploy Zulaport Cutthroat &
Nantuko Husk
. Since their value typically only affects life totals and they are removal magnets in a deck otherwise resistant to removal, they are best used to finish the opponent off or at least put them in an uncomfortable bind. Husk can also be a great tempo play when you're already ahead and want to press the advantage, as he often demands an immediate response, or can give you the big body you need if the opponent has ample blockers.
