Maybeboard


This is a zero-card combo deck from the command zone (like its cousin Godo, Bandit Warlord). If not interrupted, you cast Demonlord Belzenlok and you win on the spot (usually turn 4). If interrupted, this deck efficiently threatens to combo off in the following turns...

Requirements:

  • , an opponent controlling a Forest and you controlling a Swamp,
  • OR
  • ,
  • OR
  • Deal combat damage to a player with Geode Golem.

Combo:

Interruption before Belzenlok's ETB:

Ramp and attempt to cast Demonlord Belzenlok again...

Interruption after Belzenlok's ETB and before Skirge Familiar enters the battlefield:

Second attempt: End your turn, keep the following hand at the cleanup step: Necrotic Ooze, Makeshift Mannequin, Sibsig Muckdraggers, Snuff Out and 3 other cards (usually lands). By discarding Dread, it will go to the top of your library, preventing a deck-out next turn, and giving you a second chance to cast Necrotic Ooze (which now has Skirge Familiar's ability). Note that, if during your upkeep another player attempts to kill you by making you draw a card or cast Silence, you can attempt an instant speed win by using Phantasmagorian's ability from the graveyard to discard Necrotic Ooze and follow up with Makeshift Mannequin.

Third attempt: If your second attempt is thwarted, you can use Phantasmagorian's ability from the graveyard to discard Dread a second time, again preventing a deck-out next turn, and giving you a third chance to combo off by reviving Necrotic Ooze with Sibsig Muckdraggers.

Fourth attempt: If your third attempt is thwarted, next turn, during your upkeep, revive Necrotic Ooze with Makeshift Mannequin. If successful, you will combo off without decking-out.

Interruption after Skirge Familiar enters the battlefield and before Necrotic Ooze enters the battlefield :

As mentioned before, if Necrotic Ooze gets countered you can return it with Sibsig Muckdraggers or Makeshift Mannequin.

Interruption after Necrotic Ooze enters the battlefield:

You can use Necrotic Ooze's activated abilities on top of any interaction, making Necrotic Ooze very hard to deal with. Other than split-second cards, you can re-do steps 10-14 on top of any spell or ability.

Your primary goal is to have by turn 4. The deck contains 24 lands that "ramp" depending on the board. You usually want a combination of them in your opening hand that allows you to threaten a win by that turn.

With the London mulligan rule you can go very aggressive with your mulligans down to 4 or even 3 cards.

These are the most commonly tutored cards:

  • 1) "Ramp" lands (Lake of the Dead, Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors and Temple of the False God): The best "ramp" land in the deck is Lake of the Dead, since you only need 3 swamps in play to go off. It may seem weird to tutor for lands, but sometimes on turn 3, you can tutor for an specific land that allows you to have on turn 4. Effectively turning your tutor cards into ramp.
  • 2) Hate removal (Boompile and Introduction to Annihilation): I personally prefer Boompile over other hate removal cards. It's the cheapest and luck is on your side (you have two flips, during the first turn cycle and at the beginning of your next turn). Also, the other options usually can't be activated the turn you play them (Nevinyrral's Disk and Perilous Vault) therefore they could be destroyed before you can use them.
  • 3) Damage mitigation (Glacial Chasm and Whip of Erebos): Sometimes people will focus on attacking you early to prevent you from surviving Demonlord Belzenlok's ETB trigger. You may be forced to tutor these cards to protect your life total.
  • 4) Geode Golem : Allows you to have a lot of free mana the turn Demonlord Belzenlok is cast. With this mana, you can hard cast Skirge Familiar, which in turn allows you to pay for Necrotic Ooze directly as well (making it a fully creature-based win). If Skirge Familiar gets countered, you can simply follow up with the normal combo (thus giving you two shots at comboing off). You can also use the extra mana to exile a hate card with Scour from Existence.
  • The deck is surprisingly unaffected by some common stax cards such as Null Rod. Specifically, most hate bears can just be killed with Snuff Out or Soul Spike after you have drawn your deck.

    Other stax cards prevent you from casting multiple spells in one turn, effectively preventing us from winning the turn you cast Demonlord Belzenlok. However, you can still attempt to cast Necrotic Ooze in the following turns. Common examples are Arcane Laboratory, Damping Sphere among others.

    Finally, these are the stax cards that completely prevent us from winning:

    Our only way out of is to use hate removal cards: Boompile, Introduction to Annihilation and Blast Zone. Therefore, against stax heavy decks, it's probably worth keeping slower hands that have tutors or hate removal to avoid getting shut down.

    Suggestions

    Updates Add


    1) Added stax removal lands:

  • Mouth of Ronom, Ominous Cemetery: Not the most efficient removal cards but by being lands, they do not affect Belzenlok’s ETB. They deal, at instant speed, with common hate bears such as Drannith Magistrate and Hushbringer.
  • Underdark Rift: Has the disadvantage of being a sorcery speed card. However, unlike the two other removal lands, it can target artifact stax cards. Specifically Torpor Orb and Cursed Totem.

  • 2) Added other utility lands:

  • Snow-Covered Swamp: the change is needed to be able to use Mouth of Ronom.

  • 3) Re-included tutor:

  • Insidious Dreams: although the worst tutor on the list, a 4 mana tutor is too efficient to ignore. This card works as flexible ramp, removal or damage prevention.

  • 4) Added more flexible removal:

  • Removed Shriekmaw: Although on paper very flexible, there are two main creatures we want to deal with: Drannith Magistrate and ETB haters (such as Hushbringer). Shriekmaw only deals with the former.
  • Added Whack: whack targets all the hard stax creatures that prevent us from winning. It can also deal with non-white creatures for a higher mana cost.

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    Top Ranked
    • Achieved #1 position overall 4 years ago
    Date added 4 years
    Last updated 2 weeks
    Legality

    This deck is Commander / EDH legal.

    Rarity (main - side)

    7 - 0 Mythic Rares

    28 - 0 Rares

    22 - 0 Uncommons

    8 - 0 Commons

    Cards 100
    Avg. CMC 4.93
    Tokens A Mysterious Creature, Morph 2/2 C
    Folders Cool decks, cEDH, Dark Roast w/ Caramel and Cinnamon, Fun EDH ideas, Deck ideas, Potential deck list., Other Peoples Dope Decks, cool commander, CCMD, builds
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