*RETIRED* Athreos [Casual]

Commander / EDH*

tw0handt0uch

Death Trigger (3)

• 1x Blood Artist
• 1x Disciple of the Vault
• 1x Zulaport Cutthroat

Disruption (7)

• 1x Children of Korlis
• 1x Grand Abolisher
• 1x Kami of False Hope
• 1x Leonin Relic-Warder
• 1x Reliquary Monk
• 1x Silence
• 1x Wound Reflection

Draw (12)

• 1x Dark Confidant
• 1x Dark Tutelage
• 1x Graveborn Muse
• 1x Greed
• 1x Grim Haruspex
• 1x Mentor of the Meek
• 1x Phyrexian Arena
• 1x Sensei's Divining Top
• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x Smothering Abomination
• 1x Syphon Mind
• 1x Vulturous Aven

ETB Trigger (8)

• 1x Basilica Screecher
• 1x Blind Obedience
• 1x Genesis Chamber
• 1x Soul's Attendant
• 1x Suture Priest
• 1x Syndic of Tithes
• 1x Thrull Parasite
• 1x Tithe Drinker

Free Creature (7)

• 1x Blood Pet
• 1x Endless One
• 1x Memnite
• 1x Ornithopter
• 1x Phyrexian Marauder
• 1x Phyrexian Walker
• 1x Shifting Wall

Lands (32)

• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Cavern of Souls
• 1x Caves of Koilos
• 1x City of Brass
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Fetid Heath
• 1x Godless Shrine
• 1x High Market
• 1x Isolated Chapel
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Orzhov Basilica
• 1x Orzhov Guildgate
• 1x Phyrexian Tower
• 6x Plains
• 1x Scoured Barrens
• 1x Scrubland
• 8x Swamp
• 1x Tainted Field
• 1x Temple of Silence
• 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

Ramp (11)

• 1x Blood Pet
• 1x Carnival of Souls
• 1x Chrome Mox
• 1x Dark Ritual
• 1x Fellwar Stone
• 1x Mana Crypt
• 1x Orzhov Signet
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Soldevi Adnate
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum
• 1x Sword of the Animist

Recursion (4)

• 1x Animate Dead
• 1x Enduring Renewal
• 1x Phyrexian Reclamation
• 1x Tortured Existence

Sac Outlet (8)

• 1x Bloodthrone Vampire
• 1x Carrion Feeder
• 1x High Market
• 1x Phyrexian Tower
• 1x Smothering Abomination
• 1x Soldevi Adnate
• 1x Viscera Seer
• 1x Vulturous Aven

Spot (1)

• 1x Oblation

Sweeper (3)

• 1x Merciless Eviction
• 1x Toxic Deluge
• 1x Wrath of God

Tutor (9)

• 1x Academy Rector
• 1x Demonic Tutor
• 1x Diabolic Intent
• 1x Enlightened Tutor
• 1x Oreskos Explorer
• 1x Ranger of Eos
• 1x Tithe
• 1x Vampiric Tutor
• 1x Weathered Wayfarer

Commander (1)

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UPDATE: THIS DECK NEEDS SOME TWEAKING TO REGAIN IT'S FORMER POWER/EFFICIENCY POST MULLIGAN RULE CHANGE. I WILL CIRCLE BACK ON IT SOMEDAY - OR UPGRADE FOR COMP METAS.

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Here we have an exploration of a different way to play Athreos. Most people running the God of Facial Hair are trying to get value off large creatures like Archon of Justice, Grey Merchant and Ashen Rider or are running Shadowborn Apostles. The choice to allow recursion of large creatures in this type of punisher deck becomes quite obvious - the answer will be "no".

Instead, this deck recognizes that as the game goes on, Athreos acts more and more like Enduring Renewal. What are the most powerful ways to use enduring renewal? Free creatures and 1 drops which can get multiple death/life triggers per turn if returned to hand.

The ultimate goal of this deck is to pull off an "infinite extort". The chances of doing this are quite low but if you get it you will feel like a boss and it is important to have a lofty if seldom achieved goal to strive for in EDH. To achieve the infinite extort you need the following:

[Any Extort Card + Carnival of Souls + Enduring Renewal/Athreos + Shifting Wall/Phyrexian Marauder/Endless One OR another "free" + a free sac outlet].

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You also have infinite life combos in:

[(Suture priest/Soul Warden/Soul's Attendant) + Athreos/Enduring Renewal + (Zero-Drop creature and sac outlet or Phyrexian Marauder / Shifting wall) ]

Swap Suture Priest/Soul Sisters out of the above for Blood Artist/Disciple of the Vault/Zulaport Cutthroat and you can infinite drain.

Swap Suture Priest/Soul Sisters out of the above for Genesis Chamber and you get infinite creatures.

Swap Suture Pries/Soul Sisters out for Bloodthrone Vampire/Carrior Feeder and you have an infinite power creature.

You can also get infinite etb/ltb triggers with only [Leonin Relic-Warder + Animate Dead] to use with the above triggered "whenever"s.

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Here is the gameplan for playing Athreos:

Evaluate your opening hand and plan your course. Your top priority is to find mana of both colors. 3 land is good, 2 is ok if you have ramp or a tutor 1 is ok if you have Tithe or Weathered Wayfarer. Step 2 is to dump your hand and draw more cards. See what engines and interactions occur organically and bolster them with a tutored piece if needed. Sometimes you will be dropping an extort creature and then a bunch of cheap creatures and spells. Sometimes you will get a Mentor of the Meek online with Genesis Chamber. Sometimes you get Sword of the Animist onto an Ornithopter and ramp through the roof. Sometimes you will be recurring a Vulturous Aven or Solemn Simulacrum through Phyrexian Reclamation or Tortured Existence.

After seeing the first 10 or so cards, decide whether you want to go for the combo or just win through attrition and value. If you go for attrition, the goal will be to reduce the life total of a single opponent to a low enough value that they will not want to eat the 3 life necessary to send your creature to the yard. This is done using a combination of Athreos triggers (primary), beatdown (supplementary), and extortion/drain (supplementary). At 3 life per dude plus a few extortions, attacks, and death-trigger drains, you will need about 7 or 8 creatures to die before their choice becomes real tough.

This is where Wound Reflection becomes the important win con. If you can extort once or twice and force one Athreos trigger per turn, it's a loss of 4 life that doubles to 8. This puts an opponent on a 3ish turn clock before they cant afford to pay the Athreos trigger and you get your creatures back to combo out at will using a 0 drop creature plus Blood Artist, Zulaport Cutthroat, or Disciple of the Vault.

For the combo game, the easiest way is to land Enduring Renewal along with a death trigger dude like Blood Artist and an X CMC dude like Shifting Wall. Then you just cast for X=0, let it die, get the trigger, and get it back in hand. If tutoring for Enduring Renewal it's best to just find Academy Rector. If it gets countered you can recur it - or you can force it through with Cavern of Souls; then sac to get Enduring Renewal when needed.

Three piece combos can be unreliable - however we really only need two pieces with all the tutors because if we have Ranger of Eos then we can get an X CMC guy like Shifting Wall and Disciple of the Vault which will give the death Trigger for Wall. This means that if we have Enduring Renewal and Ranger we win (unless disrupted); or if we have Ranger and a tutor; or if we have Enduring Renewal and a tutor. This is why this deck is resilient and goldfishes pretty consistently around T5-T6 (yes I know this isn't as good as Tier 1 decks but the flexibility to go into attrition mode makes this version reasonably strong and so much fun).

Other tricks and synergies:

-Use Sensei's Top to ensure only 1 life lost from Dark Tuteledge or Dark Confidant

-Use Sensei's Top to extort easily every turn.

-Use Genesis Chamber with Mentor of the Meek and /or Skullclamp and Carnival of Souls.

-Equip Sword of the Animist to an attacking Ornithopter or Phyrexian Walker on t3 without needing prior ramp.

-Carnival of Souls seems weak but it is really pretty strong in this build. I had one game recently against mono-blue control Thassa where on T4 I had Phyrexian Reclamation, Bloodthrone Vampire, Athreos, Carnival of Souls, and Ornithopter. Cast Ornithopter, get a black mana from Carnival of Souls, sac to Bloodthrone and give the opponent the Athreos trigger. He pays 3 life wisely to send Ornithopter to the yard, but I use the black along with more mana to recur the thopter and to it again. So with my 4 lands he had to eat 4 Athreos triggers and then get attacked from a 9/9 Bloodthrone Vampire with no clear way to stop the loop again next turn. He scooped on T4.

As listed, this deck is about 95% optimized (or, rather, it is 100% optimized at 95% power relative to max available) which is where I want to be; straddling the line between strong and cutthroat. To bring it to maximum power we'd add Mana Crypt, Necropotence, Ad-Naus, and some Hate Bears and take out all the extort dudes. We'd also replace all the comes-into-play-tapped lands and add all the neighboring-colored fetch lands. I've played it that way and it's stronger but more linear and less fun.

More tech and synergies when I have time. Enjoy!

Out: Ambition's Cost, In: Vulturous Raven

Out: Blood Pet, In: Disciple of the Vault

Out: Children of Korlis, In: Gift of Immortality

Out: Disenchant, In: Utter End

Out: Evolving Wilds, In: Godless Shrine

Out: Fellwar Stone, In: Oath of Lieges

Out: Falkenrath Noble, In: Infernal Tribute

Out: Orzhov Bascilica, In: Feted Heath

Out: Orzhov Signet, In: Land Tax

Out: Pilgrim's Eye, In: Tithe

Out: Ronom Unicorn, In: Solemn Simulacrum

Out: Smokestack, In: Qarsi High Priest

Out: Wispmare, In: Phyrexian Altar

Out: Terramorphic Expanse, In: Marsh Flats

Out: Phyrexian Revoker, In: Expedition Map

Out: Expedition Map, In: Phyrexian Rager

Out: Cloudstone Curio, In: Wall of Omens

Out: Capashen Unicorn, In: Children of Korlis

Out: Diabolic Intent, In: Dark Tutelage

Out: Spawning Pit, In: Lifeline

Out: Infernal tribute, In: Kor Cartographer

Out: Oath of Lieges, In: Martyr's Cause

Out: Children of Korlis: In: Phyrexian Revoker

OUt: Martyr's Cause In: Vampiric Tutor

Out: Oath of Lieges, In: Attrition

Out: Kor Cartographer, In: Tithe

Out: Utter End, In: Disenchant

Out: Lifeline, In: Spawning Pit

Out: Read the Bones, In: Ophiomancer

Out: Gift of Immortality, In: Martyred Rusalka

Out: Night's Whisper, In: Strionic Resonator

Out: Opiomancer, In: Cartel Aristocrat

Out: Phyrexian Marauder, In: Children of Korlis

Out: Phyrexian Revoker, In: Phyrexian Arena

Out: Soldevi Adnate, In: Kor Sanctifiers

Out: Wall of Omens, In: Diabolic Intent

Out: kor sNctifiers, in: utter end

Out: strionic resonator, in: phyrexian reclamation

Out: Wayfarer's Bauble, In: Swamp

Out: Spawning Pit, In: Thoughtpicker Witch

out: phyrexian altar in: gift of immortality

Out: kami of false hope, in: plagued rusalka

Out: disciple of the vault, in: dark confidant

Out: trading post, in: phyrexian altar

Out: living death, in: slum reaver

Out: qarsi high priest, in: trading post

Out: mindslicer, in: Falkenrath noble

Out: Plagues Rusalka, in: Qarsi High Priest

Out: Phyrexian Altar, In: Kami of False Hope

Out: Trading Post, In: Dimir House Guard

Out: Thoughtpicker Witch, In: City of Brass

Out: Swamp, In: Night's Whisper

Out: Falkenrath Noble, In: Trading Post

Out: Martyred Rusalka, In: Swamp

Out: Night's Whisper, In: Planar Guide

Out: land tax, in: dark ritual

Out: Planar Guide, In: Plagued Rusalka

Out: Plagued Rusalka, In: Disciple of the Vault

Out: Trading Post, In: Phyrexian Altar

Out: Qarsi High Priest, In: Wayfarer's Bauble

Out: Edgewalker, In: Dimir Signet

Out: Dimir House Guard, In: Oath of lieges

Out: oath of lieges, in: tortured existence

Out: priest of gix, in: ambitions cost

Out: ambitions cost, in: read the bones

Out: read the bones, in: Disciple of bolas

Out: tortured existance: in: Graveborn Muse

Out: Syphon Mind: in: Wispmare

Out: Diabolic Intent, In: Sidisi, Undead Vizier

OUt: Wispmare, In: Dross Hopper

Out: Dark Ritual, In: Qarsi High Priest

Out: Slum Reaper, In: Bitterblossom

Out: Dross Hopper, In: Thoughtpicker Witch

Out: thoughtpicker witch, in: greed

Out: disciple of bolas, in: sensei's divining top

Out: phyrexian altar, in: mindslicer

Out: bitterblossom, in: trading post

Out: utter end. In: living death

Out: living death, In: utter end

Out: trading post, in: wound reflection

Out: Wound Reflection, in: Maze of Ith

Out: Cartel Aristocrat, in: Dross Hopper

Out: dross hopper, in cartel aristocrat

Out: utter end, in qarsi high priest

Out: phyrexian altar, in: living death

Out: disciple of the vault, in: zulaport cutthroat

Out: maze of ith, in: smothering abomination

Out: qarsi high priest, in: vampiric rites

Out: greed, in: sword of the animist

Out: Grave Pact In: False Prophet

Out: False Prophet, In: No Mercy

Out: No Mercy, In: False Prophet

Out: Kor Haveen, In: Volrath's Stronghold

Out: Fleshbag Marauder, In: Swords to Plowshares

Out: Shield Sphere, In: Ranger of Eos

Out: Kami of False Hope, In: Disciple of the Vault

Out: Dictate of Erebos, In: Grave Pact

Out: Vampiric Rites, In: Kami of False Hope

Out: Altar of the Brood, In: Vampiric Rites

Out: Grave Pact, In: Wrath of God

Out: Shifting Wall, In: Endless One

Out: Vampiric Rites, In: Path to Exile

Out: Volrath's Stronghold, In: Kor Haven

Out: gift of immortality, in: altar of the brood

Out: phyrexian walker, in: blood pet

Out: kami of false hope, in: shifting wall.

Out: children of korlis, in: phyrexian walker

Out: syndic of tithes, In: Kataki, War's Wage

Out: Reliquary Monk, In: Grand abolisher

Out: Tithe Drinker, In: Stony Silence

Out: Suture Priest, In: Dark Ritual

Out, Wayfarer's Bauble, In: Jeweled Amulaet

Out: Carnival of Souls, In: Necropotence

Out: Bascilica Screecher, In: Priest of Gix

Out: soul warden, in: bascilica screecher

Out: living death, in: dross hopper

Out: Sword of the Animist In: carnival of souls

Out: Attrition In; Grave PACT

[Some changes]: in - Ad Naus, Necrologia, out: grave pact, priest, amulet, stony silence.

Took out some of the "competetive" cards and hatebears. Went back to a fun engine / extort plan.

Date added	9 years
Last updated	7 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	6 - 0 Mythic Rares 37 - 0 Rares 20 - 0 Uncommons 22 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.01
Tokens	Morph 2/2 C, Myr 1/1 C
Folders	Current, Commander EDH, Fun Deck Ideas